#eddie eventually came around after some convincing

[marvins-linguinie]

steddie dads part 1:

they have a daughter named alex, who is 13, and very nosey.

steve, who is folding laundry: do you ever wonder if the upside down still exists?

eddie: i mean, obviously it still exists. a dimension can't just disappear, can it?

alex: what's the upside down?

eddie: well-

steve: it's a game! that we used to play with aunt robin and auntie nancy!

alex: im not stupid.

eddie: she's got a point, steve. maybe it's time to tell her?

steve: no. we talked about this already.

alex: pleaseeee dad? I'll... put the rest of the laundry away!

steve: no! end of story. go do your homework.

alex: please?

eddie: steve.

steve: eddie, we talked about this a while ago. i already said my answer.

eddie: she's old enough! alex is smarter than both of us combined! she's smarter than henderson sometimes! that says a lot.

alex walks away, accepting defeat.

steve: i know she's smart. that's not what im worried about.

eddie: then, what's stopping you?

steve: she'll be traumatized! the town she's known her whole life, will be turned into this.. nightmare!

eddie: you're still having them?

steve: i... yeah.

eddie: you should get a therapist. i've told you this a million times-

steve: and tell them what? that i have nightmares about a different dimension?

eddie: then, talk to me! or to alex! um.. remember last halloween when we stayed home because she was sick, and watched the entirety of the saw movies? she was laughing! which, i think we should be scared about, but that's not the point. come on, steve. tell her. i bet it'll make you feel better.

steve: i want to keep her safe! what if.. what if he comes back? and she knows, so he goes after alex? what then?

eddie: he won't. just trust me.

steve: fine. but if she can't sleep tonight, you're staying up with her

eddie: alex!

alex: i finished my homework, and cleaned my room. will you tell me now?

steve: come sit down.

alex: it's not that serious, right?

eddie: do you want to start?

steve explains everything. the good, the bad.

he can still see it. like it happened yesterday.

as his eyes begin to water, eddie places a hand on his shoulder.

that's always been their way of comforting each other.

or a small kiss on the forehead.

alex:

steve: i know. it's a lot to take in.

alex: that's...

eddie: it's what?

alex: why would you use fire in the first place? if it hurt the monsters, it would obviously hurt Vecna, but you cut have decapitated him in the first place. that would have been much easier. you said he used his mind to get into other people's heads?

steve: .. yeah.

alex: then, logically, you could have just went with that in the first place. what rank was he?

steve: rank?

eddie: alex.. this wasn't a d&d game.

alex: mhm.

steve: it happened. in real life.

alex: so, you're telling me that you actually killed him? Vecna?

eddie: yes.

alex:

steve: we aren't trying to scare you.

alex: so.. you were actually cool?

steve: woah, woah, woah. im still cool!

eddie: steve, your idea of risky is going 5 miles past the speed limit. im still cool but...

steve: BUT WHAT?

eddie: maybe you used up your cool-ness in highschool. it happens.

alex bursts out laughing.

steve: DON'T LAUGH! I'M STILL COOL! I'M VERY COOL! I LET YOU STAY UP PAST YOUR BEDTIME LAST NIGHT!

alex: dad, that isn't cool. but it's nice knowing that you haven't always been so... strict.

eddie: you think this is strict? he treated your uncle dustin like his own kid. even drove him to his first school dance.

steve: he had no one! his mom was working that night.

eddie: it's alright. i think it's cute. your mother instincts.

alex: ew! im going to bed. you two are disgusting.

steve: goodnight! i love you!

alex: im 13. you have to stop saying that stuff.

steve: so, you're an adult now?

alex: im not a kid anymore.

eddie: if you aren't a kid anymore, then i guess you don't need a ride to school tomorrow.

alex: if you want me to freeze to death, walking to school, that's on you.

steve gives her a glare.

alex: what?

steve: go to bed.

alex: it's not even 10:00 yet!

steve: you have a test tomorrow. have you even studied?

alex: i don't need to! it's easy.

eddie: what's the square root of 12?

alex: there is no square root of 12.

eddie: oh

steve: alex.

alex: i promise. i have this in the bag!

alex walks into her room and shuts the door.

eddie: she shouldn't be smarter than us.

steve: how do you not know square roots?

eddie: do you think i have time to remember square roots?

steve:

eddie: do you know square roots?

steve: just leave it alone.

eddie: ha! i knew it!

[kennahjune]

No Upside Down steddie AU where Steve gradually meets the members of Hellfire (-Eddie) in and out of school and they all come to befriending him really fast because “Steve Harrington is actually a good dude”

But Eddie fucking hates it.

And this only spurs Hellfire on because they think him getting mad over Steve Harrington is fucking hilarious.

Jeff who takes a foods class in third period and Steve does to and then the teacher pairs them for a baking project and Jeff gets to go to Casa Harrington. And he realizes rather quickly that Steve really likes baking and cooking and actually knows what he’s doing and that he’s not just taking the class for an easy A.

Brian (I’ve named him Brian, yes), meets Steve in Art class. Like Jeff, he thought Steve was taking it for an easy A but when seats are changed and they sit together he realizes that, no, Steve’s actually kind of good at drawing (particularly scenery). They get to talking about one of Steve’s sketches and the rest is history.

Gareth doesn’t officially meet Steve until later, but he does see him out with the kids at the arcade. Gareth works at the arcade and there’s this particular group of kids that just irks him— turns out they’re Steve’s gaggle. He watches in begrudging amusement while Steve rounds them up like a pro.

Then Gareth officially meets him after Hellfire one day. It’s fucking windy and he’s just leaving to school to go home when the papers and sheets he was holding are fucking torn from his hands. Steve grabs the papers— there after some kind of sports practice— and makes sure Gareth has them secured in his bad before leaving with a dorky finger-waggle wave.

And Eddie just downright refuses.

And then the school year ends and Steve graduates. And he’s convinced he doesn’t have to see Steve again.

Until, of course, Mike Dustin and Lucas join.

Jeff, Gareth, and Brian are all ecstatic to share their own run-ins of Steve Harrington to the three boys who so clearly idolize him. Gareth happily recalls how Steve “tamed” them in the arcade every time he came in.

Eddie sits in brooding silence.

And then Lucas joins the basketball team. And sure— Jeff’s on the volleyball team— but basketball jocks are so much worse than volleyball jocks.

Mike and Dustin, however thrown out of orbit they were at first, seem to settle in eventually and learn to plan around it. They think that anything that makes Lucas happy is a good thing (even if it did take a bit of a talk with Will for them to realize).

But Eddie? Eddie can’t stand it.

Which is why he refuses to move the date for the final campaign.

But Eddie doesn’t even get to introduce Vecna before Steve Harrington himself is all but breaking down the fucking door.

Eddie has this whole argument in his head that quickly dwindles when he sees the pure anger in Steve’s eyes (and also because Steve is really fucking pretty holy shit).

Steve tells Dustin Mike and Erica to pack up and get to the game before he drags them and you know what?

They listen.

Including hard ass Erica Sinclair.

And then idk Steve and Eddie get into a whole fight about.

But Steve makes it very clear that he doesn’t appreciate Eddie making Lucas feel like he can’t be happy doing DnD and basketball because that poor boy deserves nice things dammit.

And Eddie sleeps on it over the weekend before hunting Lucas down first thing Monday morning to apologize.

Lucas forgive Eddie (against Eddie’s protest because let the man grovel) but makes Eddie also apologize to Steve.

Which Eddie does by showing up to the Harrington Estate.

Eddie apologizes and they get high together and the rest is history.

.

I might actually make this into something, it’s already pretty fleshed out but eh

[livwritesstuff]

Tommy POV, wc: 2890, full version on ao3

Tommy Hagan is not jealous of Eddie Munson.

He’s not.

There’s nothing to be jealous of, in his opinion, and Tommy probably wouldn’t be thinking about him at all if Eddie wasn’t the most publicly well known member of his graduating class – well, he hadn’t actually been in his graduating class, Tommy supposes.

They had been seniors at the same time, though.

If Tommy happened to be jealous of anything – and that’s a big if – it would probably have something to do with the famous thing. Everyone has a small part of them that wants to be famous at least in some capacity, he’s pretty sure, even if Eddie isn’t really, truly famous – not like the red carpet celebrities. He’s a writer. Even the most well known writers never get all that much attention, but Munson has his own Wikipedia page, and that’s more than anybody else from Hawkins, Indiana can say. Hawkins itself barely even has a Wikipedia page, and it’s only because of all the atrocities that happened in town in the mid-eighties.

Tommy hadn’t been around for the end of it all – the earthquake-slash-serial killer situation that never made any sense to him. He remembers his mom calling him at his college dorm when the deaths first started. He remembers her asking, “You went to school with that Munson boy, right? Do you think he could do something like this?”

And Tommy had been twenty and a total moron, so he’d said some dumb shit like, “Yeah, he’s into freaky stuff like that. Somebody should’ve put him on a list ages ago,” even though four years of experience told him that Eddie was all bark, no bite. Tommy hadn’t been surprised at all by the statements that later came out clearing Eddie's name, and by then his parents had already high-tailed it out of Hawkins so it all sort of became irrelevant to him.

Tommy never even returned to Hawkins one single time after he left for college (barring his high school reunion, obviously), and twenty years after graduation, he doesn’t really think about those years all that much.

He doesn’t love the person he’d been in high school. He was whiny and immature and had his priorities all messed up. Most of the memories he has of his teenage years, he looks back at and cringes, feels a whole lot of shame and embarrassment, but also some pride at how much he’s grown over the last twenty years. He also knows he’d been kind of a dick in high school, but that he’s less ashamed of. It’s normal, he knows, for kids to be mean, that it’s a standard response to being untreated kindly in other ways. Like, his dad had been an asshole to him as a kid, always on him about his grades and his smart mouth and how he’d no longer been a standout on any of his sports teams after starting high school, and Tommy had coped with that by poking kids beneath him at school. 

It’s just the pecking order of high school. It’s normal.

Even now, when Tommy’s son had dealt with some pricks in the year above him shoving him around, he had come home from school and tormented his little sister for a while – it’s normal, no matter how much his wife had tried to convince him it was something that needed addressing. It’s just kids being kids. They grow out of it eventually, just like Tommy had.

Occasionally he wonders where the kids he’d spent all those years with in the Hawkins public school system had ended up, but these days the internet makes that pretty damn easy to figure out.

He’s learned Tina got married and had kids real young. She still lives in Indiana. Carol, who he’d split up with before heading off to college, lives in Alabama now and she’s got kids and a husband too. Jonathan Byers is a photographer in California – Tommy isn’t into all that art-y crap, so he has no clue if he’s any good, but he definitely recognizes some of the organizations he’s worked for and if that’s any indication, Tommy would wager he’s not too shabby. No wife, though, he noted, so he’d either been right about Byer’s being a queer, or women just found him repulsive (admittedly, Tommy leans more towards the former – he’s a photographer). Tammy Thompson still lives in Tennessee, though it doesn’t seem like she does music anymore (husband, kids, blah blah blah). 

If he’s honest, the only person Tommy is actually interested in tracking down is Steve Harrington, and he’s the one person Tommy can’t find a single trace of online. No MySpace, no Facebook, no weird blog thing, nothing.

Vaguely, he wonders if Steve might be dead. A truly massive proportion of Hawkins had died over just a few short years in the mid-eighties. Maybe Harrington was one of them.

Tommy doubts it. 

He would have known. 

Steve’s parents would have made sure everyone knew if their son had died. Funnily enough, Steve’s mom is actually on Facebook, and pretty actively too, but there’s no sign of Steve anywhere on her page. 

He hadn’t even shown up for their high school reunion in the winter of ‘04, which is odd because Tommy had been certain he would.

He doesn’t obsess over it – he really doesn’t. It’s just a thought that pops into his mind every now and then – where the hell is Steve Harrington?

In the late spring of 2007, he gets his answer.

“Tom,” his wife says, “That guy from your high school is on the cover of this magazine.”

He knows without asking for clarity that it’s Munson – no other person makes sense – and when he eventually gets his hands on the magazine, he finds that he’s correct.

Eddie Munson is on the cover of a magazine because, apparently, he published another book. 

Truthfully, Tommy already knew that. 

It’s his fourth book (which, for the record, Tommy hadn’t known until he knew it because it’s not like he’s keeping tabs on this guy or whatever), and it’s been getting a whole bunch of mainstream attention after a controversial landing on the top of all those book charts Tommy doesn’t follow despite featuring a gay love store amidst all his normal fantasy crap. It sparked a whole debate about banning books and everything (dumb, Tommy knows, because if he learned anything in business school it’s that if you really don’t want something to exist, the best thing you can do is not funnel money and attention into it). 

Tommy does, in fact, watch the news so he’d already caught wind of all this – it’s part of the reason he can’t shake the guy – and it’s why Eddie Munson is on the cover of this magazine (because, seriously, nobody gives a shit about writers until it hits the news).

He allows himself a moment to look at the cover, to look at Eddie, who apparently goes by Ed now. Tommy is loath to admit it, but he looks good. His hair is normal and he’s grown into his frame, not all long and lanky and gangly limbs like Tommy remembers from school. He looks well-fed, confident, happy.

He looks good.

Tommy thumbs through the first few pages of the magazine until he reaches Eddie’s interview, and, again, he allows himself to look over the photo of him that takes up nearly three-quarters of the first page even if he has no intention of actually reading the article itself because, again, Eddie looks good (and maybe there’s something about the scruff of facial hair along his jaw that Tommy's eye gets stuck on). Tommy’s allowed to say that men look good when it’s true – it’s 2007, as his wife likes to remind him whenever it’s convenient for her, and if she’s allowed to say that Angelina Jolie looked good in that CIA movie, then Tommy is allowed to say that Eddie Munson looks good here.

When Tommy flips to the next page, he’s met with a photo that stops him in his tracks, has his feet frozen to the floor because –

Jesus Christ, that’s Steve Harrington.

Fuck, okay, so he’s reading this fucking article.

It takes Tommy a long time to get through it, honestly. Eddie comes out in the article, which might be a big deal, might not (and he doesn't care to be enlightened, thanks). He keeps getting distracted by the pictures scattered throughout it.

The pictures of Steve, mostly.

Because, well, if Eddie Munson looks good, Steve…

Steve looks alive.

Tommy didn’t realize it until this exact moment, but Steve had existed in his head for the last two decades as the eighteen-year-old he’d been the last time they were in the same room together. It hadn’t exactly occurred to him that Steve’s been aging this whole time too, just like Tommy has.

It’s undeniable that Steve is older. 

His hair is starting to go gray at his temples (it’s the only thing that’s changed about his hair since he’s still styling it the same as he did in high school – because why mess with a good thing, Tommy supposes) and he’s got just the hint of crow's feet around his eyes when he smiles. He’s smiling in all the photos – every damn one – and it has Tommy struck by how unbelievably happy Steve seems. It’s an effect that somehow both takes years off the age Tommy knows he is and shines a light on just how good those years must have been for him. 

There’s no solo shots of him like there are for Munson – though according to the article, it's actually Harrington now – and only half the photos are in color. The rest of them – the more candid ones – are smaller and left in black-and-white. 

The one that caught Tommy’s eye first – because it was meant to, he’s pretty sure; it takes up half the page – is right in that sweet spot between staged and candid where Steve and Eddie both know that they’re being photographed even though neither of them are actually posing. Eddie is grinning at Steve in a wicked way that still feels familiar to Tommy even two decades since he’d last seen it on him (probably swaggering around the cafeteria like a total jackass – not that Tommy would know anything about that). Steve is grinning right back at him with a smile Tommy doesn’t think he’s ever seen before.

Or maybe he has, but not on this version of his face, not since Steve was as young as his oldest daughter.

Just as the author of the article said, the photos don’t show the faces of Steve’s children, either leaving them artfully out-of-focus or choosing shots where they’re turned away from the camera, but they’re still present, and it makes the whole spread almost feel like a photo album in a way, like it should be private but instead was published for the whole world to see.

Steve has three of them – kids, Tommy means. He didn’t know that Steve was a family kind of guy. It makes sense though, when he thinks about it. Steve’s parents were kind of a nightmare — present in the worst ways, and absent in the worst ways too (though it hadn’t seemed that way when Tommy was a teenager looking for a failsafe party house). He'd always felt kind of bad for the guy. Like, Tommy's dad had been a total piece of work, but they'd at least been around, and he'd stuck around long enough for them to sort out their issues at least most of the way, and these days he's a pretty kickass grandpa to Tommy's children.

Tommy wonders about Steve's parents now, wonders if they maybe came around like his own parents had, but then he remembers Mrs. Harrington's Facebook page and how there's not a damn trace of her son on there, never mind three grandchildren.

Tommy isn't sure he wants to touch that.

Steve is probably a really good dad, Tommy decides. He’d been kind of that way when they were friends — Steve used to say he wasn’t all that bright, but he always had a freaky sixth sense for reading people, for caring about them in exactly the way they needed.

There's one photo where Steve is managing to holding his youngest daughter — a tiny little baby still — and her bottle in one arm (that's a level-three dad hold, Tommy knows). The bottle is angled in a way that obscures her face, and Steve's other hand is being tugged on by another daughter, this one with a mop of curly brown hair remarkably similar to Eddie's when it was still long.

That's another thing Tommy won't let himself think about, (because he knows if did he'd start wondering if any of those kids were half-Steve).

Anyways, Tommy doesn't need glance to see that Steve wears fatherhood like a favorite sweater.

There’s something about this, about seeing these pictures, about the way Tommy is getting an answer to that question he’s had for years about where his childhood best friend has been all these years, that is making him feel like his ribcage is being split open, bones splintering and shattering as everything vulnerable inside his chest in suddenly out for display.

He probably should feel uncomfortable, right? Like, a guy he’d been seriously close to growing up — sleepovers and gym locker rooms and all that shit — had turned out to be gay. If his own son came home from school saying that his best friend came out or whatever as gay…well, again, it’s 2007, and Tommy doesn’t think his wife would allow him to denounce the friendship entirely, but there certainly wouldn’t be any sleepovers anymore. He thinks that’s pretty reasonable.  

What was the likelihood that Steve had been, like, into Tommy?

And that should be an uncomfortable notion too, and in a sense, it kind of is, but not necessarily in the way he would expect. 

He just doesn’t understand why all this feels so much like a loss because he knows that he hasn’t really lost anything – not since he got his hands on the magazine, anyways. Steve Harrington hasn’t played any sort of role in Tommy’s life since their final falling out in 1984, and as far as he’s aware, having a falling out with a close friend is pretty much a guaranteed part of growing up. His wife even experienced something similar when her own grade school best friend suddenly stopped answering calls and stopped reaching out after they’d started college – and his wife is basically the nicest person Tommy has ever known, so…it happens to even the best.

It’s just…Steve had always continued to exist in Tommy’s life in a way, even if he wasn't physically present, and maybe Tommy had figured it could be the same for Steve too, that maybe he sometimes wonders where Tommy is, wonders what he’s up to.

This article and these photos makes it pretty fucking clear that Tommy doesn’t even exist in the same galaxy as the life Steve is living.

And that’s not to mention the Eddie fucking Munson of it all.

Tommy had been kind of ignoring the Eddie of it all until he couldn’t ignore it anymore, because he doesn't care about Eddie Munson.

He'd never cared, but he'd spent years seeing the guy's face and his name everywhere, and now it feels like a sick joke, like he's the piece of Steve left in Tommy's life.

If the article is accurate (and he has no reason to believe it isn’t), Steve and Eddie have been together for longer than Tommy has even known his wife. Steve has been with Eddie for longer than Steve was ever friends with Tommy – not by a lot, but still more. That’s a long fucking time, and it’s clear as day on both of their faces that they’re just as in love with each other fourteen years in as they were on day one.

It’s not just Steve, and it’s not just Eddie, and it’s not one more than the other. It’s both of them.

There’s one photo in particular – a small black-and-white one that keeps pulling Tommy’s attention.

It’s another candid shot, taken from a bit of a distance. In it, Steve has Eddie boxed in against the counter in what has to be their kitchen. Eddie is leaning back against the edge of the granite countertop and looking at Steve with something sappy and fond on his face, and Steve’s hands are this close to grabbing Eddie’s waist as he looks at him the exact same way.

It’s shit out of a fairy tale or something, and sure, maybe someone could argue that they’re laying it on thick just for the sake of the magazine or whatever, but Tommy knows Steve Harrington and that look on his face is more real than Tommy had ever seen in all the years he'd known him.

So maybe Tommy has a reason or two (or three or four) to be jealous of Eddie Munson.

[oneforthemunny]

funny bunny |older!dilf!eddie munson x reader|

prompt: a halloween couples costume that's inspired by yours and eddie's relationship, and his special nickname for you.

@eddiemunsons-missingnipple big creds for the older!eddie pic used in the header!!!!

contains: age gap relationship. eddie is 43, reader is 26. everything is consensual. language, drinking, filthy filth ahead MINORS DNI 18+, oral fem receiving v and a, ass play, plugs, fingering v and a, praise kink, p in v sex, creampie. role-play-ish. not really rough mainly just kinky freaky but some aftercare after.

"You look so good!"

You squealed from your place at your vanity, pulling the hot rollers out of your hair.

Eddie pouted slightly, brows creased in a deep furrow on his forehead. Looking down at the Burgundy, velvet robe with black trim, he let out a small huff. "I look ridiculous." He muttered.

"No, you don't." You giggled, running your hands over the silk trim, fixing the collar. "This looks so good. I can't believe how close it looks to the real thing." You grinned, eyes gleaming when you looked up at him. "You look just like Hefner."

Eddie scoffed, shaking his head slowly so his curls bobbed, inked hand rubbing across his beard. "I think that might be more insulting than you mean it to be, bunny." He grumbled, plopping on the edge of the bed. "I'm not that old."

You laughed, sitting in his lap, arms around his neck with a wide smile. Eddie couldn't help but smile back. How could he not? With how your warmth just radiated out of you and into him. Infectious happiness.

"I meant the robe." You reassured, running a hand down his chest. "We're going to look so good tonight. Steve and Nancy aren't gonna know what hit them!" You squealed, smacking your lips to his cheek in a quick, loud kiss before scampering back over to the vanity.

Eddie groaned. It had taken you weeks of convincing for him to agree to this costume. Hugh Hefner and a Playboy Bunny; a classic- well, maybe more for frat boys, but when the idea came to you, you just had to do it. A light jest to the clear age difference in your relationship, a way to poke fun at the obvious, but also a nod towards your beloved nickname Eddie had given you: bunny.

A sweet, innocent little nickname, that had been given to you at a completely un-innocent moment, and it had stuck. You were Eddie's little bunny, his golden girl. His.

"Will you promise you won't post any pictures tonight?" Eddie asked for the tenth time that night. "I don't need Brielle seeing that shit or- fuck- or Gina. She'll probably take me back to court."

You nodded. "Eddie, I promise, baby, I won't post anything. I don't need to get fired over a Halloween costume. You know how those parents are." You teased, looking at him through the mirror. "And I highly doubt you'll be deemed an unfit parent for a Hefner costume."

Eddie nodded, looking down at his watch. "You almost ready? We're supposed to be there at seven."

You sprayed the final spritz of hairspray around yourself, smoothing and setting your styled hair. "I just gotta get dressed." You grinned, slipping towards the bathroom, throwing him a playful wink. "I'll be right back, Mr. Hefner." You dropped your voice to a sultry, low voice, batting your eyes before shutting the door.

Keeping your costume a secret for as long as you did was the hardest part. Eddie had agreed, eventually, but only with some persuasion, bribery. He had been dying to see your costume since you first announced it had come in. While his costume was nice, very close to the replica robe that the Playboy founder always wore with a matching pipe, it was nothing compared to yours.

Black nylon tights that were just sheer enough. Black pumps that Eddie loved on you anyways, he loved how they made your legs look- long and endless, his hands always trailing up your calf, squeezing your ankle. The corset, body suit was risqué. High cut and covering just enough of your ass that it could pass as barely not lingerie. Strapless and low in the front, tight enough to hold your breasts up in just the right way. You'd ordered white cuffs and a bowtie cuff choker to really complete the look, the authentic Playboy Bunny look.

Then of course, what kind of bunny would you be without ears and a tail? Black, silk ears that stood tall and slightly crooked on the headband, adjusted so it bent just barely. The tail, a black, faux-fur attachment you pinned just on your tailbone.

Your heart thumped rapidly in your chest, smoothing your clammy hands over your bodice. You had been so excited to show Eddie just moments ago, but now... you wondered if it was too much. If he'd like it. If he'd yell at you, accuse you of wanting unwarranted attention that wasn't his, demand for you to change, tell you that you're embarrassing him like your boyfriends in the past did. 

"You need any help in there?" Eddie's voice called from outside the door, making you jump slightly, ears falling forward gently.

"No! Just finishing up." You grabbed the hair pin, securing the ears back into place.

You checked your reflection one last time. Hands smoothing down the corset, turning in the mirror to make sure your attached tail was in the right place. Your heels clicked across the tile floors of the bathroom.

"Close your eyes." You called, barely cracking the door before you walked out. Eddie chuckled lightly and you could hear the bed creak, shifting his weight on the mattress. "Are they closed?" You asked, squinting out the small sliver through the door.

"They're closed, baby." Eddie reassured, his voice low and gravely. It made your stomach flip. "C'mon, show me Playmate."

Pulling the door open slowly, the hinges creaking ever so lightly, you stepped on to the shag carpet, steps muted by the material. You walked slowly, hands twisting and wringing in front of you before stopping in front of Eddie. You knew by the way his smile grew, dimples deep in his scruff and lines by his eyes crinkling, that he could feel your presence.

"Ok, open them." You smiled, placing your hands on your hips playfully.

Eddie's eyes opened, brows raising in amusement. "Oh-oh-oh, bunny." He laughed, moving closer, his hands reaching out for yours. You blushed under his gaze, how he roamed over your legs, tongue poking his cheek in a sideways smirk. Eddie looked at the cuffs, took extra time looking at your bodice and collar, calloused hands gliding over you.

"You've outdone yourself." Eddie smirked, looking up at you from his place on the edge of the bed. "Definitely getting the front page."

"You didn't even see my tail." You grinned, spinning and shaking your hips towards him, the attached tail bouncing with the movement.

Eddie groaned, low and deep, but playful. "Jesus, baby bunny, you're killing me. You know that?" He smacked your ass playfully, right beneath the tail, making you squeal. "I don't know if I'm gonna make it to the party with you looking like this."

"We have to go, Eddie." You pouted. "Or else no one will see our costumes, and I worked so hard on them." 

Eddie rolled his eyes, but stood, his hands still not leaving your waist. "I'd be alright with that." He laughed. "You could get me out of this robe and show me why you're called bunny, hm? Ride me all night, how's that sound?" Eddie nipped, tongue tickling the shell of your ear making you squeal and squirm against his hot breath.

You let out a nasally laugh when he squeezed your waist, hands gliding over your hips and tummy on the corset. He kissed right above your collar on your neck. "Eddie," You whined, thighs clamping. "Stop, we've got to go."

Eddie sighed, gently but not angry. He looked at your with soft brown eyes that had you melting. "I promise, when we get back I'll put on my real costume for you." You bit your lips, eyes meeting his, playful and alluring.

Eddie's brow quipped. "This isn't your costume?" He asked, hands trailing down your waist.

You shook your head, ears bouncing. "It's one of them, but I have a special costume just for you, Mr. Hefner." You purred, leaning forward so your lips barely brushed his. Eddie growled, tattooed fingers gripping your hips, digging into the nylons.

"But," You pushed back on his chest lightly. "We have to do this first." You lifted a finger towards him. Eddie groaned, head falling back. "Put your hat on Hef, we're late." You grinned, tossing him the captain's hat and slipping on your coat.

***

"Woah-ho-ho," Steve Harrington cackled, leaning in the doorway of his Hawkins McMansion. His amber eyes were wide, amused. "No fuckin' way. Hef and a Bunny?" He laughed, clapping his hands together.

You grinned proudly, arm lacing with Eddie's as you adjusted his hat, straightening it on top of his curls. "His favorite Playmate." You winked, giggling when Eddie's hand squeezed your ass.

"That's a fuckin' classic, holy shit." Steve laughed, shutting the door as the two of you walked in. "Nance, look at this!" He called into the living room where the party rage- well, as raging as a middle aged Halloween party could be. King Steve still did his best, even without the keg, you'd give him that.

Nancy gasped, Robin trailing behind her. "Oh my God, this is fuckin' amazing!" Robin laughed.

"How did you even think of this?" Nancy laughed, looking at the two of you, touching your cuffs on your arms.

You shrugged, biting back a smile when your eyes met Eddie's. "I dunno, just seemed kind of fitting." You laughed. "Brielle and I were actually watching House Bunny and it hie me, honestly."

Nancy laughed, shaking her curls that were piled high and teased. "That's genius, honestly. Way better than the Top Gun idea." Nancy rolled her eyes, glaring lightly at Steve, or Maverick, as he was supposed to be.

Nancy and Robin pulled you into the living room, offering to get you a drink while you chatted. Steve smirked, clapping Eddie playfully on the back. "Munson," He laughed, shaking his head.

Eddie grinned, shrugging as he watched you walk away, little fur tail bobbing with every swing of your ass. Steve snorted. "Hey, you think you can talk to your girl? See if she could convince Nancy to wear something like that for next year?" Eddie laughed, rolling his eyes, following you into the living room.

***

You were tipsy, but not drunk. You'd controlled yourself, despite the flowing drinks that Nancy kept offering you. You had a promise to keep.

You sat on the bench in Eddie's truck, hands in his, thighs touching, sharing small kisses at red lights. His hand cupped your thigh, thumb rubbing small circles on the nylon.

Every passing red light, his grip got tighter on the wheel as they inched closer and closer back to home. If your current costume was any indicator of what was to come, Eddie couldn't wait. He pressed the gas further, fake pipe lying next to his cigarettes in the cup holder, captain's hat resting on the dash.

Eddie threw the gear into park, the truck stopping with a jostle that had you giggling, his hands rough and pressed against your cheeks, pulling you into a harsh kiss. You could taste the beer he'd drank on his tongue, roaming in your mouth, hands moving down your jaw to your collar.

You giggled when Eddie pulled you inside, pinning you up against the door, hands in a tight grip on your waist, his lips on your jaw, kissing just below your ear.

"Wait, wait, wait!" You squealed, eyes rolling back when he sucked on your neck. "Wait! I have to change, Eddie. I have another costume." You giggled, pulling back, your head resting against the cool wood of the door.

Eddie's shoulders fell slightly. "Bunny, this costume is more than enough." He pouted. "I've been ready to fuck you all night."

You rolled your eyes, stepping out of his grasp. "Just wait right here." You scampered down the hall towards his room. "I promise it'll be worth the wait."

And, oh, was it.

Eddie waited for twenty agonizing minutes, hearing thumps and movement from behind the closed door of his bedroom. His leg bounced, hands pressed together. He'd ditched his clothes, well, except for the robe. It was comfy, and if you were going to stay dressed up, he figured he would too.

You beckoned Eddie in, squirming with excitement, kneeling on the edge of the bed. Eddie laughed when he walked in, eyes lit up and excited. "Shit..." Eddie's eyes roamed over your frame, your sheepish smile.

You knelt, waiting in what Eddie thought was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. Black lace lingerie that left you exposed, completely see through and vulnerable. He could see your pebbled nipples through the cups, your exposed slit through the cut middle between your legs. The back was low on your spine, but high cup on the side, resting just above your hips. The best part- the slit went all the way up to your tail bone, leaving you completely exposed.

You finished off the look with two accessories just for him. A pair of matching lace ears, flimsier than the ones of the other costume, but complete with a small veil that covered your eyes, hitting the bridge of your nose. You'd tied your hair up, securing the ribbon underneath the ponytail.

Eddie's eyes traveled down next to you, where you giggled in excitement. Laying on the towel beside you, his real treat. A little tube of lee from his bedside drawer, and a fluffy, black tail attached to a plug- your bunny tail to complete the look.

You knew better than to put it in yourself and deprive him of his favorite part.

Eddie's tongue trailed over his bottom lip, picking up the shiny plug, rolling the cool metal around his fingers. You grinned, excitedly. "What do you think, Mr. Hefner?" You teased, cocking your head to the side. "Think I'll make Playmate of the month? Cover?"

Eddie laughed, deep and dark. "Oh, bunny," He brought the fur part to your now exposed neck, ticking over your collarbones so you shivered. "I think you're close, but you gotta show me you really want it." His eyes darkened, making you blush under his gaze.

"You ready to show me?" Eddie asked. Your head bobbed eagerly, obediently.

Eddie smirked. "That's my girl. Roll over for me, baby. All fours. Stick that pretty little ass up for me."

You shifted quickly, arching deep and low, pressing your hips up and your shoulders flat against the mattress. You could hear Eddie behind you, rummaging through his drawer.

"Gotta find my fuckin' camera, holy shit." Eddie muttered, pushing his socks and belts around in the drawer. "Gotta capture this, bunny. Can't believe you did this for me. All for me, huh?"

Your thighs clenched together, throbbing at the praise. Eyes pinched and you were sure he could see your slick already spreading, the cool air making goosebumps trail down your shoulders and spine.

Eddie pressed the film in, the whirl of the Polaroid starting up. He moved to the front, kneeling on the bed, camera pointed at you. "Look at me, bunny." You lifted your eyes, rounded and awaiting for him. The flash of the camera blinded you for a moment, making you blink under the lace mask over your eyes.

Eddie chuckled to himself, shaking the photo a few times before setting the camera back on his nightstand. "'M keepin' that for fuckin' ever." He groaned, hands trailing over your thighs and hips. "Gettin' that shit tattooed on me right now."

You giggled, arching into his touch on your ass. His hand trailed down your thighs and towards your aching center, gasping when he slid his pointer finger through your slick folds. Eddie hummed, pressing his face forward, licking a long stripe from your clit to your ass, collecting every drop of you and his tongue prodding your tightest hole.

You gasped, low and growling, clenching around nothing, head tilting back. You fisted the sheets, pushing your hips back even further when his touch returned to your aching clit, circling it with just the right pressure and speed that had your head spinning.

Eddie toyed with you, kneeling down with a groan, knees cracking so he was eye level with your sopping cunt. He pushed his fingers in, two pumping slowly. His other hand pulled your ass apart, tongue lapping and sucking at your clit.

You whined, legs trembling and clenching as he sucked and curled at just the right pace. He always had you coming undone so easily when he wanted, like he knew exactly what to do to make you wild. He did, clearly, playing your body perfectly like it was his guitar.

Your high pitched whiny cries floated towards the ceiling, head tilted back so far you were sure you'd just bend in half. Eddie's free hand caught your release on his fingers, spreading them over your ass hole, circling it gently before barely pushing the tip of his finger in.

You two had plenty of experience with ass play since the first drunken night, a favorable past time for the tow of you. Eddie had bought you toys, trained you up until you could finally take his cock. You loved how good he was at it, too good. You weren't exactly sure how someone could be so good at everything, and when you told Eddie that he laughed, telling you, "been around the sun a few more times than you, baby, I've got some more experience than others."

Your eyes pinched, falling face first into the duvet. The lace of the mask over your eyes rubbed against your lids and forehead when you pressed yourself against the bed, writhing and crying out when he pushed you over the edge again. The sensation of his fingers and tongue on both your holes mixed with your previous orgasm had you cumming quick, gushing around him.

Eddie grinned, standing with a low huff. Your knees were falling underneath you, leaving you spread, nearly rubbing against the duvet. "You ready for your tail, lil bunny?" Eddie asked, popping the top to the tube open. The plug looked small enough he could probably have you stretched out with just two fingers to the knuckle and the lube.

You sighed, whining slightly as you shifted, wiggling your still shaky legs back up into position, Eddie's hand on your waist guiding you back up gently. He ran a hand down back gently, pressing a kiss to space of your spine where the lace of the lingerie and exposed skin met.

Eddie squirted the cold lube making you clench. He cooed softly, trailing kisses down the dip of your spine over your hips, finger circling your tight hole. "You gotta relax, remember?" Eddie cooed when you clenched, pressing a kiss to your hips, his scruff tickling the delicate skin. "You need me to loosen you up a little more?"

You shook your head, dazed and hazy, pushing up on your forearms gently, looking back at him. "'M ready, I promise. 'M ok." You muttered, giving him a small smile.

Eddie returned it, leaning forward to kiss you, hard and deep, teeth clashing. "Fuck, bunny, you're too good to me." He muttered, lips still brushing yours, rubbing his nose to yours.

You looked at him, glassy eyed and dazed already even through the veil he could tell that, lowering your back so your ass arched farther, pressing your face to the side of the mattress. You watched him through the vanity mirror, the low lights of the room illuminating his figure.

Eddie pushed his first finger in, slow and gentle, circling you just expertly to get you ready. You moaned, clenching your legs when you throbbed. Eddie grinned watching you grind down, slowly wiggling back for more before he added the second, getting you nice and loose.

Eddie leaned forward, muttering in your ear little praises while he pushed in the plug, his lips against your lace covered temple. Eddie looked back when you shifted, the little puff of fur plugged in you making the cutest little tail.

"Look at you," Eddie cooed, laughing to himself, he kissed you deeply, wiping his hand on the towel you laid out. "God, baby, stay right there, ok? Arched just like that."

Eddie grabbed his camera, the flash going off rapidly. Eddie was making sure his spank bank would be full for a long time, drooling over you. He tossed his camera carefully, before climbing on top of you.

You twisted, his lips crashing and needy into you, grinding yourself down on his bare, inked leg when he wedged it between you, hands moving down to his boxers. You could feel his cock straining against his black briefs, hard and begging to be released to you.

Eddie moaned onto your mouth when you squeezed him through his underwear, your tiny hands expertly rolling and working him through the fabric. You could feel his pre-cum seeping through the material, leaving a wet patch.

Eddie's hands moved up to your tits, palming them through the material, squeezing and rolling your nipples. You whined, grinding down further on his leg. "Fuck, bunny, I gotta get this off you." Eddie muttered, pushing the straps down to your waist, leaving your top part exposed.

He kissed, sucked, bit all the way down, leaving trails of little bruises and red marks onto your skin. Your neck, collarbones, chest, breasts, tummy. He wanted to kiss every inch of you after you'd done all of this for him.

You whined when he turned you over, hovering so you were on your back, the tail of the plug shifting and moving with the duvet. Eddie pulled you carefully by your waist, brows furrowed slightly. "Here, let me help you out of this alright? I'll be careful."

And he was. So caring and gentle, pulling the straps of the lace down your body, until it was a puddle on the ground. You told him he didn't have to be so careful, but your heart was swelling at the gesture, how sweet he always was to you.

You went to move the ears off, but Eddie stopped you, running a hand down the nape of your neck. "Leave that on, please." He asked, eyes dark and lust blown. You just nodded, mouth salivating when he pulled his boxers down, throwing them next to your lingerie.

He pumped himself, pushing himself to the headboard, leaning lazily against it, lip tucked beneath his teeth. You blushed, squirming under his hungry gaze, slick and throbbing, nails digging into your palms as you shifted from foot to foot.

Eddie grinned. "You gonna show me why you're my bunny, aren't ya?" He asked, cocking a brow. You nodded. Eddie moved his hands, cock freeing from his grasp and lying against his tummy.

You grinned when you climbed on top of him, straddling him gently. "You wanna see my tail while I ride you?" You asked, loving the way his Adam's apple bobbed when you did.

"Fuck, please," Eddie groaned watching you shift, moving so you wiggled your ass in his face, squealing when he cracked a hand down on your cheeks.

"You better ride me good, lil bunny." Eddie warned, gripping your hips. "You want the front page, you better show me how badly you want it."

You giggled, looking over your shoulder, pumping his cock in your hands. "I will, Hef, I promise." You sunk onto him slowly, squeezing his dick the whole way down.

Eddie groaned loudly, grip on your hips tightening when you ground against the hair on his base. "Fuck, fuck, just like that." Eddie groaned when you started circling slowly. You always started slowly like this, working him up before you really rode him.

Then you lifted slowly as you bent forward, gripping Eddie's knees lightly when you lifted off of him, bringing your hips up and down over and over again.

"Fuck bunny, just like that, bounce on my cock, baby. You're just so good aren't you?" Eddie sucked in a breath, hands pulling your cheeks apart so he could get deeper.

The scene in front of him was too much, he was ready to bust already. Your little plug, bouncing and moving, tickling his pelvis with extra deep strokes. Your creamy spend smearing over his cock already, excess from the lube mixing with your slick pussy making the room fill with the squelching sounds. 

You could feel his hips meeting yours, squeezing your ass, stroking your tail and moving it so you'd moan deep. You dipped lower, nearly lying between his legs, crouching so you lifted quickly and deeply.

"Fuck, look at you go." Eddie laughed in between a low growl. "You are my little bunny. My perfect little bunny. You just love bouncin' all over my cock, don't you? You'd bounce for hours for me, wouldn't you?"

You whined, his words making you clamp and gush, his cock brushing the sensitive spot deep inside you with the position. "Yes." You cried out. "'M your bunny."

Eddie grit his teeth, coil in his belly getting tighter and tighter with every pump of you around him. "Fuck, bunny, wait," He huffed, chest heaving. "Turn around f'me, ok? Let me see your pretty face."

You stuttered in movements, pushing up with shaky arms, squeezing with him still inside you. You pulled off just for a moment, adjusting yourself carefully so your legs were on either side of Eddie's hips. You lined him back up inside you, sinking down much faster than you did last time.

Your nails dug into Eddie's inked chest, clawing into him when he gripped your ass, hips thrusting up to meet yours. Your mask and ears were starting to slip, you were sweaty on your hairline under the band of the material, but you didn't care. Your hips lifted, slamming back down on him, pressing into his chest with a cry.

You kept your pace, fast and quick, Eddie's hips meeting yours. "Y'a little jack rabbit for me, huh? Bounce and bounce and bounce, look at you." Eddie cooed nearly mocking through grit teeth.

You whimpered, eyes pinching together. You were so close, the coil in your belly growing and growing. "My little bunny just loves to bounce all over my cock, doesn't she? Just my cock, right?" Eddie growled. You nodded, whimpering. Your thighs burned, but the burning in your belly was worse, hungrier. You slammed faster, desperate to chase that high that you were so close to.

Eddie was close, teetering on the edge, but he wanted you to finish first, you always finished first with him. "Look at me." Eddie grit, hand finding your jaw, holding it lightly. He moved the veil up when your eyes met his, seeing your rounded, desperate eyes, glazed over and nearly teary.

"Y'gonna cum? Cum all over my cock? Yeah? Go ahead, you earned it, bunny." Eddie grunted, lifting his own hips to meet yours, punishing pace meeting yours.

You cried when his calloused thumb circled your clit, nearly falling on top of him with how your legs shook. Eddie held your hips, fucking up into you. He didn't mind the burn forming in his lower back, especially not when he emptied himself in you, warm, thick ropes spurting deep inside of you.

Your chest heaved together, his breath, your exhale, sharp and desperate. It was like you were sharing breaths with each other, and maybe you were. Sticky, sweaty skin, hot and molted together. You slid further into his lap, the top of his thighs, Eddie's hands moving to cradle you instinctively.

Your ears were around your neck, still tied but fallen to hang off your shoulder. Your plug was sticky with his cum when he pulled out, wetting the bottom of the faux fur. Your face was on his chest, his heartbeat thumping against your ear, his rough hands on your back.

Neither of you spoke for a while. Small shallowed breaths, deep sighs, little groans. You looked up at Eddie, feeling his gaze on the top of your head. His hands untied your ears, unraveling the ribbon so it fell beside you. He grinned down at you.

You blinked up at him, swirling with emotions and warmth. "Did I make the cover, Mr. Hefner?" You grinned.

Eddie snorted a laugh, stretching to grab the developed polaroids on the bed side table. "You sure did, bunny." Eddie smirked, showing a rather vulgar photo of you, arched with the plug in your ass, pussy shining from the flash, and ears high over your ass. "This right here? This one's the cover."

You laughed, pushing up on his chest, moving so you hovered over him. He looked at you, gooey and lovestruck, pushing a hair behind your ear. "Thanks f'dressing up with me." You smiled.

Eddie gawked lightly. "I think I should be thanking you." He chuckled. "Thank you for dressing up for me." You giggled, his lips capturing yours sweetly.

Eddie pulled back, nose to nose with you. You could see his wrinkles, the grey hairs in his temple and in his eyebrows. His skin showing signs of age, freckles from time in the sun. His beard was scruffy, a little longer than usual but trimmed. You ran your hand down it, trailing your thumb over his bottom lip.

"You're my best bunny, you know that?" Eddie whispered.

You pulled back, raising a brow. "Best? I better be your only bunny, Mr. Munson." You looked at him carefully.

Eddie smirked. "So I'm not Mr. Hefner anymore?" He asked playfully. You shook your head. "Good. That motherfucker wasn't nearly as lucky as I am."

You howled in laughter, blushing and rolling your eyes at the cheesy line. Eddie helped remove your plug, cleaning you up gently in the bathroom, soft kisses and little giggles echoed through the space. You pushed the top sheet off, hoisting it to the laundry room to deal with tomorrow, Eddie bringing in two spare blankets from the linen closet.

He smelled like the cigarette he'd been smoking outside, the comforting scent lulling you to sleep, while Eddie snored beside you, arms wrapped around your waist, heavy like weights on you but comforting.

[harmonictechnicality]

It’s all Robin’s fault, this stupid little habit Steve picked up from her. That’s something that happens occasionally, they start to blend into the same personality in areas of their life, venn diagram style.

But he starts reading his horoscope in the newspaper. At first it’s just weekly, on tuesdays mostly. When Family Video is at its slowest and Steve needs to put his mind somewhere.

Eventually, he graduates to reading it daily. He loves all the little phrases that sound like they came out of a fortune cookie. Doesn’t even need to eat the shitty cookie to find out his luck or fortune for the rest of the day. It’s awesome.

Eddie Munson seems to come in every day that Steve gets positive readings in friendship and love. It’s a coincidence probably, but Steve always makes sure to spark up conversation. Asks about Eddie’s band. Tells him his new vest patches look cool. Little shit like that.

Convinces himself it’s the friendship good luck energy, excludes the love part from his brain always.

Eddie catches Steve one day, finds a folded up newspaper section hanging out of Steve’s back pocket (it was his favorite fortune cookie-ish quote, Steve carry’s it with him now). Obviously, Eddie is insufferable about it.

“So you’re a Leo, huh?” Eddie teases, examining the horoscope even further.

“Shut up, that’s…” Steve doesn’t know why he’s arguing with a professional smart ass like Eddie Munson. “Whatever. Yeah, I’m a Leo.”

Eddie snorts, tosses the paper over his shoulder. “That checks out.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Totally.” Eddie says. “The way you are with the little gremlins? Overally protective and shit?”

“So?”

“That’s Leo as all fuck.”

Steve scoffs, grabs his horoscope from wherever Eddie aimlessly threw it. “And how the hell would you know what classifies as Leo as all fuck?”

Eddie smiles. Shrugs. “Cause I’m a Leo too.”

“You’re…” Steve doesn’t get why that shocks him so much. Him and Eddie being similar in some way? Seems absurd. “We’re nothing alike though.”

Eddie’s face droops low when Steve points this out. It’s true, they’re not. Maybe some qualities overlap though, like Steve and Robin and their venn diagram personality traits. Maybe…

“Guess being alike isn’t important all the time though.” Steve adds. Wants Eddie to be animated again. “Right?”

“Right.” Eddie perks up a little before leaving. “Later, fellow Leo.”

“Yeah, later.”

It sort of becomes their thing after that though. Eddie will drop by some days, asks Steve what their shared-horoscope is looking like, Steve will give him a quick synopsis. They’ll laugh over how silly it all seems… but still, he always comes back. Always wants to know more. Steve always wants to tell him more too.

About a month into this little routine, they start comparing the details further. Eddie will be like ‘that’s definitely more Harrington-Leo’ if it has to do with money or fortune. Steve will say ‘that’s definitely more Munson-Leo’ if it has to do with creativity and self-reliance.

Sometimes, there will be a reading that applies to both of them and they start celebrating as if their hometown team won the goddamn Super Bowl. Eddie ruffles Steve’s hair, high fives him way too hard.

Steve loves those days. Waits impatiently for those days.

But today… today is a shit reading. Bad luck all the way around. Bad luck in career and wealth. Bad luck in creativity and friendship. Bad luck in love.

Steve sort of hopes Eddie doesn’t drop by the store today, doesn’t wanna break the news that their day is gonna be collectively shitty.

It’s a bad luck day though… so of course Eddie stops by. That’s just the way it goes, right?

Steve is all mopey, doesn’t even try to hide it.

“Bad day for us?” Eddie asks, searching the counter for the newspaper.

“The worst, actually.” Steve’s face is in his hands now. Surrenders his good mood over to a few brief paragraphs on a piece of paper.

Eddie explores for a while, but Steve already threw the horoscope in the trash where it belongs. Doesn’t give two shits if that’s bad luck too, his day can’t possibly get more lousy.

“Synopsis then?” Eddie nudges him, mirroring his face in his hands. Just how Steve is doing it, trying to get him to crack a smile.

He does. “Yeah, okay.”

So Steve fills Eddie in on all the details, how terrible their health is gonna be. How miserable their creative success is gonna be. How disastrous their love life is gonna be. Steve really plays up that last one for dramatic affect.

Eddie is sitting on the counter now, shoveling gummy worms into his mouth as Steve recounts the Leo Horror Story.

“Disastrous love life, huh?” Eddie asks, gummy worm dangling from the corner of his mouth. “Was that really what it said or are you exaggerating?”

“I swear!” Steve holds up both hands defensively. “Said something like, ‘do not expect love to come knocking on your door’ or whatever - I don’t know.”

Eddie polishes off the rest of the candy and hops off the counter. “Yeah. Too bad for us, I guess.”

Steve gets off work pretty late that night (fuck bad luck days). It’s around eleven by the time he gets to eat some dinner, settles on instant macaroni. Washes it down with a bowl Froot Loops.

There’s a knock on the door as he slurps up the rest of the milk. It’s way too late for someone to just show up. Steve chooses to ignore it.

The knocking persists. Turns into banging now.

Fuck this. Steve groans all the way to the door. He checks the little spyhole, and sees that it’s Eddie. Eddie knows where he lives?

He’s not really in the mood to be social this late on a weeknight but whatever. Steve swings the door open, ready to give some half-assed excuse that he can’t hang out right now.

“Listen Munson, I-”

But Eddie’s mouth lands on his, punctuating Steve’s unfinished sentence with a kiss. It’s unexpected. The knocking. The kiss.

Holy shit, the horoscope was fucking right. Steve wasn’t expecting love to knock on his door. He wasn’t expecting it at all, but here it is. In the form of Eddie Munson kissing him hard, kissing him fully. Like he’s just been waiting this whole time for the horoscope to grant him permission to take such a risk.

Steve accepts it. Accepts the horoscope. Accepts the kiss. Accepts Eddie. Eddie who isn’t similar to him at all, except in all the areas where it truly matters.

They break away, both smiling, both short of breath. Both Leos.

“Well, Steve?” Eddie rarely calls him that. It’s sorts of amazing, especially on such a bleak day. “Still think your love life is disastrous?”

“Definitely not.” Steve thinks about their venn diagram of overlapping qualities and characteristics. Takes Eddie’s hand and makes a mental note to himself to add ‘both great kissers’ to their shared-space in the middle.

“Looks like we’re pretty damn lucky after all, Munson.”

[oopsiedaisiesbaby]

This is my contribution to the @harringrove-relay-race ✨ Thank you @chrisbitchtree for passing the baton ❤️

Dangerous Girl

Bull Rider Billy & Buckle Bunny Steve (CW: feminization, barebacking)

Also on AO3

The buzzer sounded and Steve blinked for the first time in a little over eight seconds.

Just like every other time, it had been the longest eight seconds of Steve’s life.

He watched as Billy seemed to effortlessly jump off of the wildly bucking bull before running a few yards to safety. Steve felt his entire body unclench, only becoming aware that he’d tensed every muscle as they released, achingly slow.

Fiery blue eyes caught Steve’s and he felt himself freeze again. Pinned by the heavy gaze that was interrupted only by the guard of a helmet.

Billy should’ve looked ridiculous as he took off the helmet, shaking out the blonde curls of his mullet and grinning wickedly. Except he really didn’t and Steve’s heart raced as Billy licked his lips, eyes still locked on Steve, causing all of the buckle bunnies around him to titter excitedly.

They all thought Billy was eyeing them. That they’d be the lucky one to ensnare The Billy Hargrove.

Steve knew better though.

Knew that no matter how hard he tried to fight it, that’d he’d be the one warming the bed in Billy’s travel trailer yet again. It happened every time Billy came back to Texas.

Steve would be drawn to whatever rodeo circuit Billy was currently dominating. Would hang on Billy’s fence just like those desperate buckle bunnies. He’d then make his way to the local bar and bend over the pool table to flirt shamelessly with Eddie or Argyle or whichever other bull rider was willing to put themselves into the line of fire that night. Eventually Billy would have enough and drag Steve out and fuck him six ways to Sunday.

He didn’t know why he bothered trying to convince himself that it wouldn’t happen.

It’d been happening since they were teenagers and Billy was just touring the local circuit. It didn’t matter how terribly he’d broken Steve’s heart when he’d signed up for a PBR membership at 18 and taken off to tour the entire continent, leaving Steve behind in their small, backwoods, Texan town.

The moment Billy had been back in Texas, Steve had dragged Jason and Robin to an event three hours away in Dallas just to let Billy defile him in a bar bathroom because they couldn’t make it out of the bar. Jason and Robin had not been amused on the drive home the following day.

He’d seen how they’d eyed Eddie and Heather though. They didn’t have much room to talk.

He drove the two and half hours to Houston a few days later by himself, just to do it all over again. He followed Billy to every single Texas show, turning around and heading back home just to wait another year then rinse and repeat for the last four years.

Finally, after what felt like ages, Billy broke eye contact and shuffled out of the arena. The spell broken, Steve removed himself from the fence and started trudging out towards his truck to drive himself to the local bar.

He was busy watching the way his boots kicked up dirt with each step which is why he let loose a scream when he suddenly found himself being yanked backwards and slammed up against a travel trailer. Steve’s scream was muffled by plush lips pressing against his, stubble scraping the sensitive skin of his face as fingers tangled in his hair.

Steve melted into the kiss, the familiar smell of Billy’s sweat and cologne hitting his nose just as his tongue forced its way into Steve’s mouth. Steve whined into the kiss as a strong hand grabbed his thigh and hiked it up so that their hips could press together a little tighter.

Hands lifting to grip the leather vest tightly, Steve finally found enough will power to push Billy back just enough to get some air.

“What the fuck, Billy?” Steve gasped, head thunking back against the metal of the trailer.

He was saved from the pain of collision by Billy’s hand cradling the back of his head.

“Couldn’t wait for all the bull shit at the bar,” Billy admitted, panting. “The way you were hanging on my fence with your fucking tits out almost got me bucked two seconds in.”

Steve glanced down at his chest where he’d left his pearl snap button up undone obscenely low. It was the same amount of buttons Billy usually had undone when he wasn’t buttoned up for riding. It was only fair.

“I don’t hang on your fence,” Steve muttered, rolling his hips and grinning when Billy cursed and stopped cupping the back of Steve’s head to plant it against the trailer.

“Don’t lie to yourself, princess,” Billy hissed, rocking against Steve in a dirty grind. “My own personal buckle bunny, getting wet just from watching me ride.”

“Don’t lie to yourself, Billy,” Steve scoffed, eyes fluttering closed as they continued to rut against each other slow and filthy. “You’ve got plenty of bunnies to choose from.”

He’d meant it as a jab at Billy but Steve felt pain lance through his chest at his own words.

“Don’t care about any of them,” Billy grunted, burying his face in Steve’s neck and mouthing at the sensitive skin. “You’re the only bunny I care about hanging on my fence.”

“Bullshit,” Steve whimpered as Billy bit down.

“Bull true,” Billy mumbled, dropping his hand from the trailer and grabbing Steve’s other thigh.

Steve jumped so that Billy was supporting all of his weight and his already skin tight wranglers became suffocating. Billy gave Steve’s neck one last bruising suck before lifting his face to kiss him senseless again.

Letting his hands wander to plant against Billy’s drenched button down, Steve felt the strong muscles shifting under the fabric and sighed into the kiss. Fuck, he’d missed Billy. Only getting to see him a few times a year wasn’t enough and Steve yearned for more.

“It’s just you, Steve,” Billy breathed as he pulled away, pushing his sweaty forehead against Steve’s. “You know that, right?”

Steve hoped against all hope that it was true.

It’d been just Billy for him since he was 14 and Steve’s family moved to the sad little town of Hawkins, Texas.

“Then take me to bed and prove it to me, cowboy,” Steve dared, smiling when Billy’s grin turned sharp.

Billy pulled them away from the trailer and started marching along the length of it until they were inside. The smell of horse, cologne, and something quintessentially Billy that had Steve clenching in anticipation.

When Billy reached the steps to his bed, he set Steve down letting him climb up the short ladder and slapping his ass for good measure. Steve turned around to glare and was met with Billy’s self-satisfied grin.

“You knew what you were doing when you put on those jeans, princess,” Billy said like that explained everything.

It did.

Steve sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his elbows as he watched Billy climb up onto the raised area that constituted the trailer’s bedroom. Billy paused at the edge of the bed, kneeling between Steve’s knees

“You wet for me, princess?” Billy asked, sliding his palms up Steve’s denim clad thighs, eyes burning as he looked up at Steve.

Nodding, Steve bit his lip as he considered telling Billy just how wet he actually was. He wanted it to be a surprise though.

Billy gently removed Steve’s boots with an ease that never ceased to amaze Steve. He felt like he was going to war every time he tried to take them off himself.

He slowly moved on to Steve’s belt before working on his button and fly. Billy was moving so slow it was painful and Steve’s dick twitched as the pressure of his tight jeans released. With a smirk, Billy teasingly pulled down Steve’s jeans and briefs before settling back between his thighs.

His broad shoulders forced Steve’s thighs apart far enough to make his hips twinge. Steve held his breath in anticipation as Billy kissed his way up the inside of one of his thighs before parting Steve’s cheeks with his thumbs and choking.

Steve bit his lip against the smile fighting its way across his face as he felt Billy’s breath stutter against his dick.

“Fuck me,” Billy breathed reverantly as he dipped a thumb inside of Steve’s already lubed and stretched hole.

Steve groaned at the sensation of finally being filled, back arching against the bed.

“Watching me ride really got you fucking soaked, huh?” Billy asked, voice thick and gruff as he dipped a couple of fingers inside of Steve.

Gasping and falling back against the bed, Steve whined as Billy stroked his prostate with gentle pulses of his fingertips.

“Need you in me,” Steve pleaded, pitchy and whiny in the worst way as he squirmed. “Been thinking about it all day, waiting for your ride.”

“I can’t -“ Billy cut himself off as he shifted around, yanking his boots and clothes off in a flurry that contradicted his slow, teasing approach from moments before. “I can’t do foreplay right now, princess.”

Billy flushed at the admittance, tossing his last piece of clothing to the floor and grabbing Steve’s thighs. He hauled Steve up the bed and situated himself so that he was hovering over him, lining up and looking at him in askance.

“Don’t need it,” Steve whispered, grabbing Billy’s pendant where it was dangling in his face. “Need you in me right now.”

Nodding, Billy lined up and pushed in tenderly. His face was red, veins popping as he tried to hold himself back.

Steve didn’t want him to hold back. It’d been months. Steve wanted the raw, desperate, reconciliation sex they always had. The kind that made his toes curl.

“Give it to me, cowboy,” Steve demanded, tangling his free hand in Billy’s curls.

“Christ, princess,” Billy moaned, his eyes fluttering closed as he allowed himself to fuck into Steve fully. “You got me so fucking pussy whipped.”

It was a gross statement, practically a line if he really thought about it. The way Billy had said it, like a confession had Steve feeling split open and unmoored.

“Yeah?” Steve checked, running his fingers through Billy’s curls.

“Yeah,” Billy croaked, eyes opening to gaze down at Steve.

Steve nodded to show he was ready and wailed as Billy started to fuck into him without abandon. He had to drop his grip on Billy’s necklace for fear of ripping it from his neck with how forceful his thrusts were.

It was the same, toe-curling, eye rolling rhythm they always had but something was missing and Steve couldn’t put his finger on it.

He didn’t have long to consider it as Billy angled his hips down so that he was brushing roughly against Steve’s prostate with each quick thrust. Steve looked up to gauge how close his head was to hitting the wall when he saw it.

“No hat?” Steve gasped, his voice nearly breaking, making Billy freeze as he gaped down at Steve.

It was silly, but Billy always wore his hat when they met up at the bars afterwards and Steve was feeling a little off kilter due to its absence. Billy’s surprised expression slowly melted into a lascivious smirk.

“Is that what does it for you?” Billy asked as he grabbed the black Stetson off its hook above the head of the bed.

He plopped it on top of his dirty, sweaty curls before quirking a teasing eyebrow at Steve.

“Shut up and fuck me, cowboy,” Steve mumbled, face flushing as he squeezed Billy’s hips with his thighs.

“As you wish, princess,” Billy agreed, before fucking into Steve so hard that he jolted up the bed.

Steve moaned, hand flying up to brace against the wall so that his head didn’t slam into it. He grinned up at Billy, hiking his legs higher on his waist to allow Billy to deepen the angle.

It was like a lightning storm every time they came together and Steve was helpless but to give in. It only got more overwhelming as Billy started running his mouth.

“We’re gonna go the bar after this,” Billy promised, breathless with exertion as he continued to fuck into Steve at a ridiculous pace.

“My cum’s gonna be dripping from your pussy when you bend over the pool table like a slut.”

Steve whimpered as he imagined it. Feeling Billy’s cum slide out of him as they hung out with their friends.

“Everyone always wants a piece of you,” Billy grunted, hands twisting in the sheets on either side of Steve’s head. “But everyone will know you’re my bunny.”

The crackling electricity of arousal hummed insistently in Steve’s belly.

“How?” Steve asked through stuttering breaths as Billy’s hips snapped into his at an unparalleled pace.

“Gonna put my necklace on you,” Billy panted, mouth dropping wide and tongue wetting his bottom lip as he struggled to keep his insane rhythm while coming down from the adrenaline rush.

Steve’s hand flew back up to the necklace in question, tightening up reflexively around Billy.

“Shit,” Billy choked out, eyes screwing shut as he trembled above Steve. “Pussy’s so fucking tight.”

“Yeah?” Steve asked, wrapping a hand around himself, orgasm buzzing close at seeing just how overwhelmed Billy was.

“Yeah,” Billy breathed, letting his eyes open so he could look at Steve again. “You’re so fucking pretty.”

“Show me how pretty I am,” Steve demanded softly, muscles tensing as his fingers and toes tingled. “Cum in my pussy.”

“Gonna fill you up,” Billy promised gruffly, rhythm growing sloppy. “Make you mine.”

Whimpering, Steve started stroking himself faster as he practically vibrated out of his skin.

“Come on, cowboy,” Steve urged, screwing up purposefully tight. “Show me who I belong to.”

“Belong to me,” Billy groaned, fucking into Steve impossibly harder, hand flying up to cradle Steve’s head so he didn’t hit it against the wall. “My princess.”

“Yes,” Steve agreed, vision blurring around the edges as his toes curled against Billy’s back, shocks of arousal sparking through his veins dangerously.

“Only one who gets to fuck this pussy,” Billy grunted, trembling above Steve as his eyes widened and his breath started to stutter.

“Only one,” Steve promised, voice going high as Billy fucked into him just right. “Give it to me.”

“Oh fuck,” Billy groaned before his breath caught.

Steve watched his muscles strain as Billy shook above him and Steve felt a shock of warmth spill inside of him.

Moaning loud and obscene, Steve gave in to the lightning bolting up his spine and through his limbs as he came all over his belly in strong bursts. The sensation of Billy’s thrusts getting sloppier and wetter had him clenching reflexively causing them both to whine.

Billy fucked him through the aftershocks of their orgasms as Steve’s muscles went limp and Billy’s breathing caught up. He slowed his thrusts to gentle rocks and Steve released Billy’s pendant and grabbed him by the hair and pulled him into a kiss.

Obliging easily, Billy slipped his tongue past Steve’s lips and let himself explore as he trailed callus rough fingertips up and down Steve’s thigh. Steve let himself relax into it fully, sinking against the mattress.

He hummed as Billy pulled back just enough to look at Steve’s face. His fiery gaze burned through Steve despite how gentle it was. Steve would never get enough of it.

Steve whined softly as Billy pulled away further, but settled as Billy fiddled with his necklace. Steve lifted his neck so that Billy could close the clasp and fell back against the bed once it was in place against his chest.

Billy stroked an exploratory finger over the pendant where it rested against Steve’s chest before pressing his weight down on Steve once again.

“Join me on the circuit,” Billy whispered, tilting Steve’s face so that he was staring directly into Billy’s fiery blue eyes.

“Billy,” Steve protested, eyes fluttering closed as he fought the itch in his nose that signaled oncoming tears.

They went over this every time. It broke Steve’s heart more and more each time. He didn’t know how Billy could stand it.

“Not now,” Billy amended, nudging their noses together. “In a couple of months when you graduate.”

Steve sighed and let his eyes flutter close. He’d be officially done with college in just a few short months. He’d be expected to start working for his father in just a few short months so he could take over the company eventually.

Could Steve survive eight or more years of only seeing Billy for a handful of days each year?

He opened his eyes to stare up into Billy’s, the absolute certainty and love reflected back at him making the decision for him.

“Okay,” Steve relented, grinning softly at the pure, unadulterated joy that spread across Billy’s face.

Billy whooped, grabbing Steve’s waist and rolling them over so that Steve was straddling his waist. Billy took his hat off, plopping it on Steve’s head and smiling so wide it had to have hurt his cheeks.

“The boys are gonna be so jealous when they find out I locked down the prettiest buckle bunny on the circuit,” Billy gloated, eyes glimmering with unbridled glee.

“I don’t think you’re allowed to call me a buckle bunny if we’re actually together,” Steve scoffed, smacking Billy’s shoulder.

“I can if you keep hanging off my fence, looking the way you do, watching me win all those buckles,” Billy teased, biting his tongue when Steve pinched his side.

Rolling his eyes, Steve readjusted the Stetson on his head and Billy’s gaze went molten.

“Looks good on you, princess,” Billy whispered, callused hands running up Steve’s thighs.

“Yeah?” Steve asked, rolling his hips back against Billy’s twitching dick.

“Mmhmm,” Billy hummed, grabbing Steve’s hips and holding him in place as he grinded up against his ass. “Think you should wear it while you ride me.”

Steve gasped as Billy’s cock settled between his cheeks, their rhythm growing harder and more frenzied.

“Think I’ll last all eight seconds?” Steve teased, whining as the head of Billy’s dick caught on his rim.

“Only one way to find out,” Billy challenged, guiding himself back into Steve and sliding home.

Steve made it significantly longer than eight seconds and left Billy wheezing about how Steve should upgrade from being a buckle bunny to a bull rider.

Please look forward to the lovely, wonderful, and amazing work from the next contributor, @imsodishy.

[bizaar]

Endless Summer ✧

Part 3: Band on the Run

Cruel Summer Masterlist

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pairing: eddie munson x afab!reader

warnings: sexual content (18+ minors dni), horny-loser!reader, brief descriptions of sexual fantasies, swearing, and so much pining

word count: 19k

a/n: we're back baybeee! also, if anyone knows the original creator of the gif below, please let me know so I can tag them, I've had these on my laptop for over a year and I've lost all my credits!!

In the three hours it has been since you got home from school, the floor of your bedroom has become almost totally obscured by what is essentially every article of clothing you own. You’d made the mess in a frantic attempt at putting together an outfit out of thin air because you don’t actually own anything cool enough for how you’re planning to spend your night.

You’re supposed to be babysitting, just like every other Tuesday night you’ve spent since you were thirteen years old, but this week, for the first time in history, you did everything in your power to get out of that duty. You’d pulled out all the stops to convince everyone that, despite the perfect health of your earlier day, you’d somehow managed to contract a sudden onset, highly contagious illness sometime between fifth-period chemistry and now (one you intend on making a swift and miraculous recovery from) and for the safety of everyone around you, you should not be disturbed under any circumstances.

You blame it on how you’d spent four hours out in the cold, taking Dustin and his friends around to trick-or-treat last night, though all that does is get your mother on your case about how she “told you to wear a coat”, but would you listen? No.  

 It took almost a full hour of debate, all the tricks you’d ever seen employed in movies to fake sickness, and what you like to think of as an Oscar-worthy performance on your part, but your parents eventually gave in and called across the street to deliver the news. Part of you feels like it was only because they didn’t want to argue with you anymore, but in any case you got what you wanted.  

Dustin was going to the Wheelers, your parents were going to their weekly Tuesday night extracurriculars, and (unbeknownst to everyone else) you were going to see a band play at the Hideout.

Though not just any band.

The only reason you’ve gone to such lengths to get out of all your previous plans is because you’ve been personally invited to go and see Corroded Coffin play — Eddie’s band. 

Of course, you didn't know that at the time of the initial invitation, which came through Gareth, just as the school bell was finishing its cacophonous ringing to signify the end of fifth-period chemistry. 

“Hey, so, what are you doing tonight?” he asked, leaning less than casually on his elbow to peer down the length of his nose at you.  

You remember thinking that the way he was twisting at the waist looked terribly uncomfortable, but you were only half conscious of anything going on around you as you began the arduous task of orienting yourself toward your original plans for the night.  

“Homework.” You replied in an absent monotone, trying for the millionth time not to get sucked back into the memory of the lunch period spent “swapping eyes” with Eddie Munson. 

It’s been five days since then, but who’s counting?

Certainly not you and all the assignments piling up in your locker, waiting on the promise of “later” you’ve been making since the moment you finally managed to drag yourself out of those woods.

You were vaguely aware of Gareth answering with some kind of a droll response – which was entirely on brand for the likes of him – but you hardly heard him say it.

 You had a lot of other things on your mind, all of which seemed much more important than divulging your wholly uninteresting after-school plans to your lab partner.

Tonight, you’ll be sitting at the Henderson’s kitchen table doing all your overdue assignments while your prepubescent charge plays Atari, nothing more, nothing less. 

Talk about a rip-roaring good time, right? 

Still, it beats the “casual hangout” in Steve Harrington’s backyard Carol had tried to coerce you into attending under threat of major bodily harm. Not that being forced to sit around a pool in early November, fifth wheeling while everyone around you sucks face doesn’t sound like just the most fun a girl could have, but you told Carol the same thing you told Gareth about your plans for that night – you’ve got to do your homework, and it’s not even a lie. 

Normally, you like to think you’re a much better student, and while you’re not entirely sure that line of thinking is warranted (as is evidenced by your last report card, which saw you pulling straight C’s) you know for a fact that any and all thoughts of academia flew right out the window the moment Eddie put himself in the seat across from you in the lunchroom. 

And aren’t you so incandescently glad he did? 

It is a sentiment your teachers do not share. That morning (the first day back after a long weekend spent miserably pining) you’d even received the dreaded summons from your guidance counselor, who sat you down and asked if “everything was fine at home”. 

Why? You’d wanted to ask – because you were seen slinking off to the woods with Eddie Munson or because he wasn’t in school the next day and you haven’t turned in a single assignment since? You might remind them that with the long weekend, there are only technically two days of work missing, but you know they don’t want to hear that because this isn’t really about the homework.  

This is about you following Eddie out into the woods.

How are you supposed to think about things like formulas and essays when you can still see him gazing back at you from across the picnic bench every time you close your eyes? With that dreamy look on his face? 

And more to the point, how are you meant to explain to an adult that everything is fine, it’s only just you haven’t seen him in nearly a week and, not to be dramatic or hideously cliche, but you can’t seem to eat, sleep, or concentrate on anything so banal as homework when you’re fairly certain he was getting ready to kiss you out in those woods before the bell rang?

You’re not positive that’s where things were headed, but you’re pretty damn sure, and it's enough to get your girlish libido ringing the warning bells of your imminent demise with every day that passes out of Eddie’s presence. 

No, you can’t explain that to an educational professional or Carol, or anyone else without raising some serious alarms. Because you’re not even supposed to be talking to Eddie Munson, let alone sneaking off to the woods to become as completely captivated by him as you are. 

And he didn’t even kiss you… 

God, how you wish he would have just kissed you, especially after the way he seemed to make himself scarce the moment you took your eyes off him. 

You’d put quite a lot of time and energy after you got home that Thursday evening into wondering what it would have taken to get Eddie to lean over that table, and quite a bit more into wondering whether you ought to have bucked up and done it yourself. 

Not that it mattered, because he didn’t kiss you and you didn’t kiss him, and there you remain, unkissed and suddenly the topic of everyone’s conversation.

Because on top of everything else, there is that side of it. 

Like somehow a spell had been broken that afternoon you followed Eddie out of the lunchroom, everybody and their mother is suddenly keenly interested in you. People who have never given you the time of day suddenly know your name, and they want to know all the intimate details of what you did with Eddie Munson out in the woods, or rather, what he did to you. 

You probably should have known that was coming.

Still, you hate to indulge them with any kind of answer, even if it happens to be a big fat nothing. They only want to know so they can wrinkle their noses and sneer and shout about how “fucking nasty” that is — shacking up with the Freak King — just like Carol did in the lunchroom the day before all your dreams came true. 

You would spare yourself that humiliation if you could, but more than that, you’re struck by how you don’t want them talking about Eddie that way. 

You have become inordinately fond of him since that afternoon, more than you already were, and in a very specific way. Somehow, you can’t help but feel that, even though your conversation lasted less than twenty minutes altogether, you understand each other now.

You’re simpatico.

You might even venture to say that you’re almost friends. 

Strange how a little quiet intimacy was all you needed to curb the rabid edge of your obsession. Eddie is still all you think about, but in a decidedly calmer way, because he thinks you’re nice and approachable, and you think the same about him.

Still, in the five agonizing days it’s been since that big fat nothing happened, the questions have not stopped. Part of you wants to give them an answer if only to shut them up, but somehow you don’t think “he captivated me” is going to satisfy the people’s ravenous appetite for gossip. 

You’re certain everyone has already made up their mind about what they think happened, anyway. In the food chain of high school social constructs, it doesn’t matter what did or didn’t happen, it only matters what people say happened. and you’re absolutely certain that you’re going to hear all about it sooner or later.

You realize now that’s probably why Carol was so desperate to get you to come out and fifth wheel tonight when she knows you have to babysit. She keeps telling you that you owe her because you didn’t go to Tina’s Halloween party, but somehow you’re not convinced she was that upset to have missed you.

Maybe it’s just that she doesn’t trust you not to lie to her about where you’re going to be and who you’ll be with, who will see you with them, and how that will come back to reflect on her. Guilty by association is the law of the land at Hawkins High, after all.

With all that weighing heavy on your mind, you ignored any further questions Gareth had about your after-school plans and shoved your books into your bag, ready to submit yourself to the quiet death of study hall. 

Ugh… study hall… you’d rather eat glass. Then again, you’d also rather not have to spend your summer watching the sweat beading on Mrs. O’Donnell’s upper lip in summer school, so down the hall you went, headed against the flow of traffic in the busy hallway.

Somehow, it feels like overt symbolism bashing you over the head – you’ve always hated a cliché.  

Lucky for you and your impending academic doom, Gareth was not so easily deterred and scrambled to follow you out the door.

“Why don’t you come out tonight instead?” He asked innocently, like it was the most casual thing in the world and he wasn’t struggling to keep pace with you as all your classmates shoved past.

The question hit you square in the back, punching your lungs flat and wrenching you out of your thoughts with enough force to make your head spin.

“Excuse me?” You gasped, pulling to a stop and whipping around so suddenly that Gareth, who you hadn’t realized was skirting along at your elbow, nearly took a blow to the solar plexus in his attempt to keep up. 

Your insides clenched and forced your heart up into your throat, but before you had the time to decide whether or not Gareth had just asked you out, his eyes went comically wide, and he began to backpedal as if his life depended upon it. 

Then again, it might have, if what he said was true and word got back around to Eddie.

“Not like a date!” He yelped, throwing his hands up and showing you his palms in a way that flooded you with a strange and instant relief, “Just as friends—”

Oh, thank God for that. 

You could barely wrap your head around the concept that Eddie feels any sort of intimate way about you —and you’re still not entirely convinced about that — but to suddenly learn that you are the object of two affections? That’s too much revelation for one week, and you can only thank that dim lucky star that so infrequently passes you over that it had been nothing but a misunderstanding. 

Not like a date, Gareth said, Just as friends, and you’re fine with that.

From there, he had your full attention as he went on to explain that his band was doing a set down at the Hideout, and he was extending you a personal invitation to come and see them play. You had no idea Gareth was in a band, though that was perhaps stupid on your part based solely on the boy’s appearance – of course, Gareth is in a band, and of course, that band’s name is Corroded Coffin (which you’re only slightly ashamed about giggle-snorting over when he told you) Between that and the location, your gut reaction was to refuse. 

Gareth is great, especially when he’s playing the herald to all your hopes and dreams, and especially when he isn’t asking you out, but no.

Absolutely not. 

You would not be going to see Corroded Coffin tonight.

Lucky for you, you’ve had the perfect excuse to get out of anything and everything that sounds like a colossal bore since you were thirteen years old, and you were all too happy to trot it out.

“Oh man, I wish I could,” you began, trying to mask the faintest hint of smug satisfaction in your tone with an apologetic scrunch of your features, “...but I’m babysitting tonight.”

And you would have been content for the conversation to end there, but you didn’t count on Gareth having an ace in the hole, one he was all too happy to knock you upside the head with and send your brains splattering all over the crusty school linoleum.

“Aw, really? Damn, that’s a bummer,” he hummed, “I know Eddie would’ve been stoked to see you.” 

Your heart skipped a beat and you had to fight to stop yourself from seizing Gareth by the front of his shirt.

If you had, you would have shaken him like a ragdoll and demanded he tell you everything he knows. Instead, you did your best to remain calm as you stared back at him and the look of smug self-satisfaction he suddenly had plastered across his face.  

For some reason, it made you think of the message you’d promised to take back out of the woods last week.

“Tell the smug bastard to mind his own business,” Eddie said, and you didn’t, because Gareth never asked you how it went. He just gave you a sly smug look, the same one he was currently giving you right there in the hallway five days later. 

“Oh,” You said, feeling about as casual as a heart attack, “Is Eddie going to be there?” 

Your voice hitched and wavered as you did your best to casually skip over his name. You were cool, calm, collected, and definitely not internally shrieking with the sudden potential of a “part two” of last Thursday…

The potent spike of desperation that thought sent rocketing through your midsection was enough to drive color bleeding up into your cheeks and a cold sweat beading across your brow.

It is a reaction you are certain Gareth was not unwise to as he continued without missing a beat. 

“Yeah, he’s our frontman,” He explained, knowing full well what he was doing dropping that kind of information, “Technically it’s his band – he started it back when he was in Middle School or something,” 

Well, put me in a fucking chokehold why don’t you? Something inside of you screamed to have had such a treasure trove of lore opened up to you.

Like the blessed hand of deus-ex-machina — cheap bitch that she is — opportunity comes a-knocking.

A personal invitation has been extended to you and you’ve never been more anxious, because you? 

At a rock show? 

At the Hideout? 

Who the hell do you think you are? You’ve never been to a concert – which is not an astounding statement to make in and of itself considering your inclination toward introversion – so you have no idea what to expect.

There are a great many things you’ve never done. For instance: you’ve never lied to your parents to get out of babysitting, so you can sneak off and go to a rock concert in a dingy dive bar you’re not legally old enough to get into, to see a boy you are strictly forbidden from speaking to.  

You’ve got no business being involved with any of that and as the school day came to a close and the final pieces of your plan steadily fell into place, you had to ask yourself whether you were seriously going to go to such lengths, just to see Eddie?

The answer was a resounding yes. 

You’re going to see Corroded Coffin perform tonight if it kills you.

As you stand there looking back at yourself in the mirror, dressed in the fifth outfit you’ve tried on in as many minutes, you begin to wonder if it might just do that.  

Your parents have been gone less than five minutes, and you’re already getting cold feet.

Yet another thing you’ve never done is try to approximate dressing to impress someone, let alone the boy you regularly spend your nights and mornings fantasizing over with all the ravenous fervor of a pack of hungry wolves.

You have no idea where to start. 

What are you supposed to wear to a rock show in a dingy dive bar? Jeans and a band-tee, maybe? And if so, what kind of jeans, and which band-tee?

It occurs to you that you ought to try and match the vibe of the band, but you have no idea whether they skew toward Credence Clearwater Revival or Judas Priest. 

Then again, with a name like Corroded Coffin, you can’t help but feel it is probably the latter, but you’ve been wrong before. 

So, maybe jeans and a t-shirt is too casual and you ought to try something a little more risqué. 

Maybe a little denim skirt and the pair of ripped nylons you haven’t gotten around to throwing out… or is that too risqué? How exactly does one strike the right balance between sultry and slutty without outright screaming “I want to feel you in my guts?”

You remember then how you once skimmed an article in Cosmopolitan Magazine about the prospective power of underwear, so you go digging through your top dresser drawer and are very quickly dismayed to find that you don’t have a hidden stash of lacy panties carefully concealed beneath your days-of-the-week underwear. 

Of course, the fact that you’re even considering what kind of underwear you ought to be wearing tonight on the very far-off chance that someone is going to see them is enough to send you into a fit of hot-faced embarrassment. 

No, not just anyone – the fact that you’re considering the far-off chance that Eddie Munson is going to see what kind of underwear you’re wearing is almost enough to give you heart palpitations. 

Christ on a fucking bike.  

And then just like that, you’re imagining how gentle he’d be. 

Laying you back on a tufted leather couch as he kneels before you and reaches up with long, dexterous fingers to unbutton your jeans — should you wear jeans tonight? — and carefully, oh so gently, peels them down your legs at an agonizing pace while puffs of warm breath fan the bare skin at the top of your thighs. 

Then again maybe not, maybe he’ll be fast and rough with you. Maybe he’ll manhandle you and throw you around like a doll, and you’ll like it.

Crowding you against the cold brick of a wall and holding you there, his body pressed flush against your back as stone bites your palms and the side of your face. You gasp when he tears at the back seam of your skirt — oh, okay so you are wearing the skirt — ripping both it and your nylons in half, exposing you to the cold air and the hard strike of his palm as he brings it down on the tender skin of your— 

You’re blushing so violently that you have to go to your hall bath and splash cold water on your face. Even after you’ve calmed enough to wander back to the black hole of mess that is your bedroom, you still have no idea what to wear. 

It’s times like this that you curse Carol for shirking her duties as your best friend. Between the two of you, she’s the expert at dressing to attract male attention, she ought to be here helping you with something like this. 

But she’s not here, she’s sitting out at the pool at Steve Harrington’s playing tonsil hockey with Tommy. That’s where you ought to be, too – sitting at the pool, trying to look anywhere but at them, going at it.

That’s where you belong, in Carol’s shadow or perched on the plush sofa at the Henderson’s with your knees up and Speed Racer reruns steadily turning your brain into soup.

It occurs to you that you might be a bad person, or at least a very selfish one – if you’re going to skip out on Dustin like this, you might as well do it to hang out with your friends, not to try and carve out a brand-new cherry-flavored personality for yourself in a crowd you don’t belong to.

You’re not equipped for something like this. You have no business with rock shows and dive bars and people like Eddie Munson – you’re just a boring, midwestern babysitter from a town no one has ever heard of, and you would do well to remember that there is no changing lanes in a place like Hawkins. 

You’re just about ready to admit defeat and march yourself across the street with your tail tucked firmly between your legs when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. 

Plain-Jane, boring little you, with the same haircut you’ve always had, same silhouette, same clothes, same as it ever was, and suddenly you can’t stop thinking about what Eddie said to you out in the woods…

“You’re not what I expected…” He’d said, twisting the rings on his thick fingers and looking at you so wistfully, in a way you’d convinced yourself was full of hope and an expectation you desperately wanted to meet.

You still want it. You want so badly to be the girl he expects to see at the show tonight, not some trussed-up idealized version of what you imagine might impress him. 

He likes you for you, after all, just the way you are, and it’s enough to stoke the fires of your courage, even if it doesn’t help you decide between the jeans and the skirt. 

By the time you finally throw something on that you’re halfway happy with, you’ve spent too much time wondering about hypotheticals and outfits and whether– in the event of an intimate collision – you would actually like to be spanked. Before you know it, you’re running late. 

You’ve almost convinced yourself that it’s fashionably so as you snatch up your keys, fly out of the house, and down your front steps. All the coolest people are fashionably late … at least that’s what Cosmopolitan Magazine says.

It’s only a short jaunt down Cornwallis to the Hideout, and when you get there, there is a semi-shitty Chevrolet van parked crooked across two spaces with the back doors flung open wide. 

It’s vaguely familiar, the way all vans of its type are, though perhaps you only think you’ve seen it before because of the posse of boys meandering around it, moving gear between the vehicle and the curb. 

Your headlights briefly illuminate the familiar faces of the group before passing them over as you pull into the first parking spot you see.

There is Gareth, of course, alongside Adam and Jeff, who you only actually know by reputation and the quick debriefing of the band he’d given you earlier that afternoon, but you cannot help but notice that there is conspicuously no sign of Eddie among them. 

You try not to be too immediately disappointed by that as you kill the engine and unbuckle your seatbelt.

Oh, will you relax already? A voice chides you from somewhere in the back of your mind. Just because you didn’t see him doesn’t mean he’s not here.

Across the tiny lot, Gareth drops the end of the amp he’s got propped between himself and Adam (you think) and skips over to meet you as you steal one final look at yourself in the inset mirror of your sun visor.

You’re not a natural when it comes to applying makeup — yet another thing you could have used Carol’s help with tonight — but you did your best to look presentable.

You imagine if there is anything glaringly clownish about the way you look, it will be easily obscured by the dark and dingy atmosphere of the venue. Bar. Whatever.  

And then the crisp November evening air comes rushing in to flash freeze you with goosebumps as Gareth opens your driver's side door and stands practically bouncing on his toes with excitement. 

You brace yourself against the cold and suddenly cannot imagine trying to endure sitting out at the Harrington’s pool on a night like this. 

“You made it!” Gareth cries as you slide out of your trusty little Toyota Corolla and it strikes you with just how nice it is to have someone glad to see you show up for once. 

Your friends are typically less enthusiastic about that. 

Still, you don’t want to appear overly eager, so you can’t help but try and mask it by pulling a face – you’d told him you’d be there, after all. 

“Was that ever in doubt?” You ask, shouldering your bag.

You shut the door and twist your keys in the lock before quickly stashing them. 

“Well, you never know.” Gareth says, shrugging, “People get busy.” 

Yeah, and people also bend over backward to get out of prior obligations to keep their word. 

And then, you find yourself wondering if it’s totally weird that you jumped through so many hoops just to make sure you could keep yours. 

Lying to your parents, lying to Mrs. Henderson, lying to Carol (who called you ten minutes before you left and demanded once more that you come out before cursing you when you declined again).

Somehow you can’t help but get the sense that if anyone knew, if anyone could have been a fly on the wall of your life this afternoon, you might come across as desperate, especially considering you could take or leave the band. 

You’d gone through all that effort just to see Eddie, who so far as you can tell is not even here.

Shit — you’re starting to wonder if tonight is going to be a huge bummer when Gareth brings you back. 

“Come over and meet the guys,” he says eagerly with a hand at your elbow to guide you across the darkened pavement. 

Every step leads you closer to the van, to the band, to the impending night, and you find yourself second-guessing your outfit for the umpteenth time that day. You wonder if you’re underdressed, and whether you should have cowboyed up and opted for the skirt, which you’d decided was a bit much for the occasion.

Was it the skirt or the fantasy that went with it? 

The world may never know.

“Guys!” Gareth calls once you get within distance, “You know–” when he says your name, their heads snap to tandem attention in a way that reminds you of meerkats.

It might have been funny if it wasn’t for the way they stand there gawping at you, eyes big as dinner plates and out on stalks. 

The silence that hangs between you is deafening, and standing there under such intense scrutiny you can’t help but feel suddenly like you’ve made a terrible mistake.

You twist your fingers out of nervous habit and shift from foot to foot, wondering if you’re allowed to be here, or whether Gareth remembered to mention that he’d invited you out tonight.

“Well, say something, for Christ’s sake,” Gareth says through his teeth. 

“Oh, r-right… hi–” Jeff stammers, tripping over your name like it’s a hot coal sitting on his tongue.

Adam is not so smooth.

“What are you doing here?” He asks, like he absolutely cannot fathom that you, of all people would coincidentally be here at the same time as them, and certainly not for their benefit. 

It makes you feel frighteningly out of place and you have to force yourself to put down roots to stop yourself from turning right around and going back to your car. 

Before Gareth can finish telling him to shut the fuck up, a figure appears from the shadowy depths of the van and your lungs go flat. 

Lo and behold — Eddie Munson, in the flesh. 

Just the sight of him makes every part of your brain light up like a cathedral and chant his name as if it were singing Hallelujah. 

Eddie Eddie Eddie!

He’s halfway through some tirade and stumbling over a thick black cord that he has somehow become hopelessly tangled in.

“Hey – you assholes are doing a lot of standing around and yapping for–” he is saying before he looks up, sees you, and cuts himself off with a startled yelp of your name.

Despite the semi-comical octave to which he speaks your name, your insides flood with warmth as he practically falls out of the van. He skips over, dragging what you quickly come to realize is a microphone with him in his simultaneous attempt to free himself and close the distance between you.

It goes about as well as anyone could expect.

Before you know it, you’re standing toe to toe in the span of a heartbeat, and like a balm to your worries, you forget that you were ever nervous about being here tonight. You forget the awkwardness of Gareth’s friends, your stress over your outfit, and the lengths you went to be here, because here he is, staring back at you like everything else has melted away. 

All is once again right in the world. 

“Hi!” He says, quickly wiping his grimy hands down the front of the ridiculously tight jeans he’s wearing, the ones you’re desperately trying not to notice or wonder just how he’d managed to get into. 

“Hi, Eddie,” You purr, feeling the muscles in your cheeks already beginning to pull for how wide you’re smiling at him. 

Eddie Eddie Eddie. 

Had you been looking, you might have noticed the way the rest of the band was watching you, exchanging looks of varying degrees, throwing elbows and shushing each other, but you’re not looking, not at anything but the beautiful boy standing before you. 

His hair is wild, like always, but tonight Eddie’s got what looks like dark kohl liner smudged messily around his eyes and half rubbed off, like he’d tried something new and immediately second guessed it. It’s so incredibly endearing that it makes your heart throb in the stupid cupid fashion you’ve been chasing ever since that Thursday in the woods. 

Your veins flood with ecstasy and just like that, you’ve got the fix you’ve been itching for all week. 

With his tight jeans, the thick studded belt bursting out of its loops, all his chains and rings, steel-toed boots, and the faded band tee cropped at the waist and shoulders you can see him wearing underneath his jacket, he looks like something off the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine.

He’s dressed like the guy who would push you up against the wall and rip your skirt off, and you’ve never felt more like a stupid girl with a silly little crush than you do now.

It might almost be intimidating if it weren’t for the way that he’s looking right back at you, as if you hung the moon and the stars and were personally responsible for the shining magic of the cosmos. 

Like the guy who would take his time unbuttoning your jeans. 

You look at him, and he looks right back at you, and you feel something begin to flutter in the space behind your lungs — something warm and frantic, like the beating of a tiny bird’s wings. 

Right now, standing in this parking lot, you could be the only two people in the world, and you’d be just fine with it. 

And then, there is a cough, a conspicuously cleared throat, and the spell is broken.

Eddie shakes his head, like waking from a trance and simultaneously pulling you from yours. 

“What - uh- what are you doing here?” He asks – it hits you like a fist to the gut. “Not that it isn’t great to see you… it’s just— I didn't expect to see you.”

Oh.

You can feel the corners of your mouth twitch where your smile begins to falter. 

“I came to see your show,” You say quietly, fighting a losing battle against the tide of your nerves as they come rushing back in with enough force to sweep you under.

Eddie’s dark ringed eyes go wide and his mouth falls open, and you feel a cold lump drop into the pit of your stomach with a hollow thump. 

“You did?” he gasps, voice lilting up into that comical octave again, “Really?”

Oh, great. So, nobody knew you were coming.

For as mortifying as that is, it doesn’t sting half as badly as the disappointment battering you over how you’d spent your afternoon thinking Eddie was as excited to see you as you were to see him.

He didn’t even know you were coming — stupid Gareth. 

Suddenly, your subconscious is whispering horrible things to you: maybe he doesn’t like you as much as he’d originally let on. Maybe that moment you shared out in the woods was all in your head, maybe you’d misread the signs and he was just being nice for the sake of the loser virgin, tripping over herself to try and win the affections of the local drug dealer.

It makes you feel particularly stupid about how you’d sat there at a soggy picnic bench out in the woods, desperately waiting for Eddie to kiss you – why the fuck would he kiss you? He doesn’t even know you.   

You can’t even touch how embarrassed you are about how much time you’d spent fantasizing about him undressing you. 

Christ, you’re pathetic. But you’re also here, and you ought to at least try to make an effort to appear like you’re not the socially inept loser everybody seems to think you are.

“Oh, y-yeah… I mean, it’s no big deal.” you fumble to explain, gesturing vaguely like it’s going to help smooth over the growing awkwardness of this moment

Maybe if you keep talking, nobody will get the chance to say anything that sounds too much like a rejection.  

You give your best approximation of a casual shrug and continue.

“Gareth invited me.” You say, and somehow it feels oddly accusatory, “He said it was cool… unless…”

Uncertainty makes you strangely brave, brave enough to lean into the awkwardness of the moment at least – if there’s one thing you’ve learned after years of being Carol’s punching bag, it’s that if you can’t beat the joke, join in.

“…Unless?” Eddie prompts.

You furrow your brow.

“Unless he conveniently failed to mention that I was coming?”

Of course, the moment your gaze snaps over to regard him with a harsh, unforgiving glare is when Gareth conveniently decides it’s time to get back to hauling gear.

With a fistful of each of their shirts, he drags the others away, spouting some bullshit about “call times” and “sound check” and leaves you standing there with Eddie in the chasm of the awkward silence fighting tooth and nail to settle snugly between you.

You refuse to give it the satisfaction as you watch them retreat, and you make a displeased sound.

Bastard coward sons of bitches. A pox on all their houses.

“Well,” you start, “This is awkward, I don’t mind saying…” 

Once the rest of the band has circled around to disappear beyond the far side of the van, you begin to feel the faintest hint of that same warmth from the woods settling over you, and you take a chance to lean into Eddie’s space. 

“Hey, listen,” you say dropping your tone, “It was great seeing you — really, it was … but if it’s totally weird that I’m here I can take off—”

“Oh, no!” Eddie says a tad too loud. His voice rings out and echoes across the empty spaces before he reigns his enthusiasm in, “No – it’s not weird! You should totally stay!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, for sure. You should definitely stay, right guys?” You look just in time to see a nondescript door set into a wall of the bar slamming shut, leaving the two of you alone in the cold, “…Whatever, forget those assholes — I’m glad you’re here.” 

And there you go grinning your face off again.

“You are?”

“Yeah, are you kidding? It’s awesome to see you. Also, nobody’s ever actually come to see us play, so that makes you the closest thing to a fan we’ve got.” 

“Oh, good.” You say. 

“Great.” 

“Excellent.” 

“Fan-tastic.” He says, stretching the word lyrically and moving to shut the back doors of the van with a hard THUNK, “Only you gotta do something for me if you’re gonna stick around,”

You move quickly to fall into step as Eddie starts toward the side door set in between a stack of pallets and a dumpster. The same one the others had only just slipped through. 

“What’s that?” You ask, doing your best to pretend that you don’t smell the toxic waste that is bar trash permeating the air.  

He yanks the door open and reveals the murky interior of the Hideout, waiting just beyond like the portal to another world. 

The smell of wet trash is quickly overwhelmed by the strong tang of smoke and alcohol, hitting you in a wave of thick, roiling air. You grit your teeth as it washes over you, accompanied by the tinny din of a Jimmy Buffett song playing over the jukebox.

“You have to promise you’re gonna cheer super loud to balance out all the booing,” he says, holding the door open for you, “We aren’t exactly what you’d call popular with the local wildlife.”

You have to bite the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from telling him that Gareth already warned you of that during his earlier sales pitch. 

Something along the lines of “we’re terrible, please come see us play,” had been uttered as a backdrop to your giggling over learning the name of the band, back when it was only a silly anecdote and you knew nothing of the gravity of the invitation. 

You banish the thought to the back of your mind and bite down harder on your cheek to try and distract from the way you can feel your heart beating against your ribs as Eddie’s hand comes up to hover at the small of your back, ushering you inside. 

“I can do that.” You say with a quick nod.

“Perfect – after you, M’lady.” 

You almost don’t remember to be worried about getting into the bar when Eddie guides you over the threshold with a short, sweeping gesture. 

The side door deposits you at the far end of the bar, and despite only the slightest change in atmosphere, it takes your eyes a moment to adjust to the neon signage and overhead bulbs.

All your fears of bouncers and fake IDs dissipate when you arrive and there is no one waiting to card you on the other side. 

You do your best to breathe as subtle a sigh of relief as you can, because you made it, you’re in, whatever that means for the rest of your night.  

The Hideout is a full-on hick dive, as much as you expected. Booth seating, pool tables, and the vaguest suggestion of a bandstand in the far back corner next to the jukebox where you finally see Gareth and the others again. They’re busying themselves with the task of setting up amps and instruments beneath a slapdash Corroded Coffin banner hung crookedly over the drumkit. 

It’s clearly homemade and looks very much like it has been spray painted, black over red on a stained white bed sheet. It’s incredibly tacky in the most endearing way.

The bar is not too terribly full for seven-forty-five on a Tuesday night, though in taking in the faces of the blue-collar working-class patrons, the general décor, and the type of music shuffling through the jukebox as the track turns over to play Loretta Lynn, you can’t help but feel that this is not really their crowd.

Not really your crowd, you tell yourself, not that you have the experience to know such a thing. 

If you thought you felt out of place before, standing among the band, the feeling is amplified tenfold as you begin to notice the way half a dozen people have turned around to gawp curiously at you. 

Of course, it doesn’t occur to you that the reason they’re staring is that you’re standing there tucked in against Eddie Munson, who you also had not realized was standing so close to you.

You erupt into a fever of goosebumps as you rock back on your heels and feel the contours of his chest graze your shoulder blades. Eddie’s hand comes up to grip you kindly by the shoulder as he guides you further into the dingy building and starts to give you the rundown. 

You do your best to focus on his words to keep yourself grounded, trying to assure yourself that you’re allowed to be here. 

If he’s not nervous, you’re not nervous.

“We’re gonna go on soonish,” he says, depositing you at an empty barstool, separated from where a handful of patrons sit nursing their drinks, “– we’ll probably play for like half an hour, maybe longer depending on how many songs they let us play.”

“How many songs do they usually let you play?” You ask, having to project your voice to be heard over the din of the bar.

You do your best to hop up onto the stool in a way that is cool and elegant as you have almost perfected with your squat metal seat back in Mr. Kapz’s class. This one is taller than you’d estimated, however, and you immediately find yourself struggling to get up over the lip of the polished wood.

Eddie, ever the gentleman, doesn’t hesitate to help you up and steady you. 

“Three or four,” He hums without missing a beat. “Our record is six, but that was only one time, so I wouldn’t hold my breath for that many with this crowd. Also, don’t be surprised if they pull the plug on us — like, literally kill the power.”

“You’re kidding…”

“It’s no big deal, it’s just something they like to do in this fine establishment.”

He says it like it's funny, but suddenly you can’t help but think back to Gareth’s plea that you come and watch them play. For the first time since he’d invited you that afternoon, you are suddenly struck wondering just what you have really gotten yourself into – you have no idea what kind of music they play, whether they’re halfway decent or as terrible as Gareth let on.

You have to work to remind yourself that, regardless of the quality of Corroded Coffin, you’re here to support your friends. 

Which is only really half true – you’re here for Eddie.

You’re watching him closely when another body appears at his side and claps a loud, forceful hand down on his shoulder. Your heart spasms in tandem with the way Eddie jumps under the sudden contact, and you brace yourself for whatever is coming as his head whips around to address his assailant. 

Then, much to your patent relief, his features light up and his face splits into a wide grin. 

“Oh, hey! Wayne!” He yelps with a rush of boyish excitement, “What’re you doing here? Are you gonna watch us play?”

The man – evidently Wayne – wheezes out a chuckle that is a little too sarcastic to be kind before answering, speaking in a thick Appalachian drawl that is bizarrely out of place in this town. 

“I get enough of y’all’s music at home, thanks very much. Just sayin’ hi on my way out,” he rasps, squeezing Eddie’s shoulder with an unmistakable affection before turning his bright blue eyes on you, “Who’s yer friend?”

Eddie makes quick introductions, and once names have been traded back and forth, Wayne touches the brim of his faded ballcap. 

“Pleased to meet you,”

“Oh – sure. I mean, likewise,” you stammer, stiffening your spine to keep yourself from wilting under the intensity of the man’s gaze.

It’s almost intrusive, and makes you feel like you need to go home and put on another layer of clothing just to keep him from seeing your deepest, darkest, inner most thoughts and feelings. 

X-ray specs got nothing on this man’s penatrative gaze, and when it's just about enough to send you crawling out of your skin, then there goes Eddie saving your life again.

“Isn’t it bad luck to wear a hat indoors?” He asks with a mischievous smirk.

Wayne catches him expertly by the wrist as he reaches for the hat, like he’s a certified expert at avoiding such a motion, and guides Eddie’s ring-bedecked digits safely away from his headwear.

“Bad luck to put a hat on a bed.” Wayne corrects, “Bad luck to open an umbrella indoors.”

Eddie snorts as he takes his hand back and nudges you with his elbow, gentlemanly letting you in on the joke. 

“Wayne’s a nut for that kinda stuff.” He says, gesturing to the older man with no small amount of humor, like it’s simply the goofiest thing anyone has ever heard. “Real superstitious,”

It doesn’t feel mean, so much as a deep set rapport built over a lifetime of back and forth like this. 

Wayne makes a thick, gravelly sound in the back of his throat which you recognize as the beginning rattle of a smoker’s cough. 

“Least I know where the bad luck’s comin’ from when it shows up,” The man hums, “Anyways. What time are y’all goin’ on?”

“In a few minutes. Why?”

In lieu of answering, Wayne just hums again, thoughtfully so this time. Then that bright gaze slides back over to you.  

“They got earplugs behind the bar if you ask for ‘em,” Wayne says with a clipped gesture, “Just so’s you know.” 

“Hey—!” Eddie begins with all the moody indignance of a child.

Wayne cuts him off with raised hands, begging no offense. 

“Just tryin’ to be neighborly in case yer friend don’t know what she’s gettin’ into,” He stresses, “Y’ever heard these fellers play?” 

“Uh, well— no, actually, I—” you start,

Wayne’s brows jump. 

“Like skinnin’ a cat,” 

It sends you right back to the incident in the quad the week before, to what Eddie had said about Carol’s screeching tirade, and suddenly the look Wayne is giving you is so familiar it’s almost eerie.

You realize with a start that it’s the exact same look Eddie gave you out in the quad.

The resemblance is uncanny. The joke, however, does not land.

“Well, it was nice seeing you, Wayne,” Eddie fumes, clapping the man on the shoulder in a stilted mirror image of the way he’d done a moment before and maneuvering him past you.

If you didn’t know better, you might have said that the faintest flush of color had bled into Eddie’s cheeks, but you tell yourself you don’t as he pushes Wayne past you and attempts to maneuver him out. 

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” 

Wayne stops short then, turns, and gives Eddie a very stern look, thrusting a finger up at him in a way that feels oddly paternal as he warns him with a low utterance of, “Hey now,”.

You know that look well enough from having seen it on your father. It means “watch your tone”, and it does the job it’s meant to.

You watch as Eddie puts his hands up and retreats a step, and the tension dissipates before it’s even had the chance to settle. 

 Suddenly, they’re friends again and your brain is crawling out of your skull with curiosity over who this man is to Eddie – what a strange dynamic they have, decidedly charged with something but clearly softened by a kind of underlying affection.

Almost like family – exactly like family, you realize. 

If you didn’t know better, you might almost guess that this man was Eddie’s father, but of course that couldn’t be true, because you know exactly where Al Munson is meant to be, and it’s not here at the Hideout.  

After a quick back and forth that you only catch bits and pieces of, Wayne gives you one last parting look, brows jumping.

“I’m serious about them earplugs.” He says, then claps Eddie on the back as he takes his leave. “See you at home, Bud,”

“Yeah, okay… later.” He mutters – he gestures after the man once he’s gone, “My uncle.” Eddie explains, and suddenly everything makes a little more sense.

You just had the pleasure of meeting the elusive other Munson, who you’d heard talk of around town, but whose reputation (or lack thereof) has been vastly overshadowed by the likes of his brother and nephew.   

“He seems nice.” You offer for lack of anything better to say. 

“Yeah, he thinks he’s real funny with those earplugs – weird seeing him here though, he usually drinks out at The Attic on — hey, what’s the matter?” Eddie asks suddenly, brows creeping toward one another to form a deep crease of concern between them, “You’re not scared are you?” 

You swallow hard and try not to stare at him, suddenly backed in a multicolor glow as the stage lights come on, leaving him looking like some kind of ethereal rock god. 

“No.” You lie. 

Eddie grins at you like he knows you’re fibbing, and he reaches up to touch your arm. 

You do your best to suppress a shiver under the way he gently squeezes you there.

“Hey, you showing up like this? Biggest thing anybody’s ever done for me. Y’think I’d let anything happen to you after that?”

He barely gives you time to read into the sentiment before something over your head draws his attention and the moment ends. 

“Anyway, you’re perfectly safe. Laverne here’s gonna look after you,” He gestures to the space behind you, “Right Laverne?” 

You turn to see the woman behind the bar that he is speaking to, face split into that big, winning smile of his — a little sleazier than it was a moment before — and are suddenly struck by the knowledge that this is the second person Eddie has introduced you to in this place in less than two minutes. 

You catch yourself wondering just how much time he spends skulking around this bar as a tall, middle-aged woman with a big cloud of frizzy hair dyed a red so deep it’s nearly purple comes into view.

Laverne — the bartender, evidently.

She’s got a blown-out tattoo on her bicep that you think must have been a snake at one point in time, and her massive, freckled breasts are just about spilling out of the top of her too-tight tank top, stretching the name of the bar until it’s almost illegible. She looks entirely too rock and roll for this place, like some kind of a transplant from a seedy biker joint on the Sunset Strip.

By the way she’s glaring at Eddie, you can tell that she is immune to his attempts at charm.

“I don’t pay you to stand around flirting.” Laverne drawls, jerking her thumb over her shoulder toward what you can only imagine is the back of house, “An’ you left a whole pile’a dishes stacked up back there when you ran out to put yer makeup on.”

Eddie’s grin wavers under the impromptu lecture and you can’t help but feel your insides squirm on his behalf.

“Gee, Laverne, I never knew you liked me so much,” he tries, but she is not done. 

“Don’t you think for one second I’m gonna cover yer ass so’s you can cut out early an’ go diddle yourself or whatever it is you do on your own time. When yer here, yer on my time, an’ I don’t appreciate my time bein’ wasted,  so, who d’you reckon is gonna do them dishes, Junior?”

All the sleazy charm ekes right out of him and you watch as Eddie goes white as a sheet. 

“Green around the gills” is what a distant relative of yours would have called the look on his face, and you can’t say you disagree.  

You have to resist the urge to reach out and put a steadying hand on him, purely on babysitting instinct, because if you didn’t know any better – which you don’t – you’d think he was about to keel over, and it’s almost startling.

Based on his schooltime bravado, part of you imagines Eddie would be made of stronger stuff in the face of such ire, but you’re quickly beginning to understand that the Eddie you know from school is not an accurate depiction of the man behind the mask. Then again, you’re not certain you know anyone who would be able to stand there and take a dressing down like that, so maybe Eddie is made of that elusive “stronger stuff” after all.

Suddenly, you can’t help but imagine what would have happened in the alternate universe where Carol found herself here with you, standing in his place. You’d like to see her try running her mouth then, face to face with the likes of Madam Hideout. 

Back in the real world, Eddie casts a wary gaze in your direction before answering the woman who you have quickly come to realize is his boss. 

“I’ll do ‘em after,” he mumbles, suddenly much less an ethereal rock god and more a sullen child.

The muscle in Laverne’s jaw flexes as she grits her teeth, and you can suddenly see her right at home standing behind a great oak bar in a saloon, eyes shaded in a big Stetson, spitting a fat gob of dark, rotten chaw to the sawdust floor as she chews through her thick Texan drawl. 

“They shoulda been done b’fore you punched out.” She spits in the tobacco-less, non-Old West version of herself. 

“I’ll do them after, Laverne.” Eddie insists, sliding back into the boyish indignance from before. 

She rolls her eyes and stalks off, muttering something unintelligibly rude as she goes, and an indiscernible emotion wells painfully in your chest. It is deeply offended on Eddie’s behalf, whatever it is, and moves you to want to protect him, though you don’t know how you would manage to do that. 

You don’t typically feel this way about anyone over the age of twelve, and don’t know whether to try and pick a fight with Laverne or to drag Eddie out to the parking lot where you’ll be safe from the ire of rude bartenders – that’s what you would have done with Dustin had you encountered a bully somewhere out in the wild, but somehow you can’t imagine either scenario going over well with Eddie swapped for Dustin. 

The lack of options leaves you paralyzed, and by the time Eddie is talking again, you’ve gone and said nothing in his defense. 

The indignant emotion deflates and leaves you feeling cold and guilty.

“Yeah, that Laverne…” he says, “She’s a real peach.”

You watch the woman saunter to lean over the end of the bar furthest from you, and once you are almost certain she is out of earshot, you lean in close.   

“Do you work here?” You ask in a stage whisper, if only to be heard over the din of the music and murmuring conversations. 

Eddie’s gaze snaps back down to you and you watch as he grows suddenly and strangely shy. You can see his guard cautiously slipping into place as he reaches up to scratch at the back of his neck and offers you a lopsided shrug. 

“Few nights a week, yeah.” He admits, almost like he’s embarrassed to have been caught in the conundrum of playing a set in the place where he works, “Pays the bills, y’know?” 

You wonder how much of the interaction with Wayne followed directly by the one with Laverne is coloring this moment, and you’re mortified to have put him in this situation.

If you weren’t here, he would be up on the bandstand with the rest of the guys instead of looking after you, and both interactions may very well have been avoided entirely. Suddenly, you’re desperate to take responsibility for your presence and put him at ease. 

“That’s cool.” You tell him, and for once, it is exactly the right thing to say.  

Eddie immediately brightens. 

“You think so?” He asks.

You nod, because if you’re not nervous, then he doesn’t have to be, right? Suddenly, this interaction feels a lot like babysitting, and you take no small amount of comfort in the familiarity of it, even if Eddie is most certainly the one babysitting you here at the bar. 

“Totally! You’re basically getting paid to play a gig every week – do you know how many bands would kill for that?” 

Eddie’s face splits up into that big, toothy grin.

“Yeah, exactly!” He starts before second-guessing his tone and attempting to reign in his enthusiasm, “I mean – hey, it’s not Saturday night at the Garden, but a gig’s a gig. At least until we can get the band off the ground and get a record–” 

Over the rumble of the bar, you hear somebody shouting from the direction of the bandstand – Jeff, you think. His voice is laced with annoyance as if this is the third or fourth time he’s called Eddie, and he is quickly losing his patience.

“MUNSON!” He shouts, “LET’S GO!”

Eddie twists at the sound of his name and you watch as he pulls a face, almost like he’d forgotten there was a greater purpose to being here other than standing around chatting you up at the bar.

“Whoopsie – guess that’s my cue.” He says, shrugging out of his jacket as he turns back to you, “Hold on to this for me, will you?”

Your heart rockets up into your throat and you hope that Eddie can’t see how your fingers are trembling as you accept his jacket and hold it against you.

You clench your teeth to keep something cheesy from floating up past your lips like you’ll guard it with your life.  

You think you must be making a face, then, one Eddie mistakes for anxiety as he gives you a soft look and his voice turns gentle. 

“You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.” He assures you, “You’re with the band, remember? Fan numero uno.”

He raises a finger to emphasize the notion, and you nod, watching him turn and trying to beat back the spike of fear that surges in you when he leaves you sitting at the bar. 

He’s fine if you’re fine, and you’re fine if he’s fine, but only so long as you’re enveloped in the safety blanket of his presence – but you remind yourself that you’re a big girl.

If you can lie to everyone you know and sneak out of the house to slip into a bar to see a band, you can sit alone in a room full of strangers for a few minutes before the band starts to play. 

And yet, sitting there, watching Eddie move into the crowd, you’re suddenly struck with the sensation of how stridently you don’t want to be left alone in this place where you so clearly don’t belong. But you don’t have to be so overt about it, so you shout at Eddie’s back in the far-off hope that it will make him turn around and look at you once more. 

“Y’know, you keep saying that,” you start, “But I haven’t even heard you play!”

He turns on his heel and shoots you full of holes with that big, goofy grin of his. 

“Oh man, you’re gonna love us!” He calls back, and you can’t help but snort out an undainty laughter. 

“That’s not what Gareth said!” 

Eddie pulls a face and cups a hand at his ear like he didn’t hear you before throwing a shrug and disappearing into the throng of people milling about the pool tables. 

You take great comfort in the fact that for as cool as you think he is, you are starting to understand that he is an incredible dork. That makes things so much easier, especially with how you want so desperately for him to like you as much as you like him. 

And you like him so, so much. 

Too much – it doesn’t feel like just a schoolyard crush anymore, not since the moment you shared out in the woods, and again back in the parking lot, and just now, here at the bar.

Sitting here, with a big dopey look on your face and hearts in your eyes, you think you could very easily fall for Eddie as you watch him jump up onto the bandstand and exchange an indiscernible something with Gareth, grinning wolfishly as he does.  

You’re almost too busy sifting for gems through the last five minutes of conversation to realize what you just told yourself – you think you could fall pretty hard for Eddie Munson.

The thought startles you enough that you have to move to try and escape the way it makes you feel, twisting on the stool to face the bar. You sit there, letting the din of the environment wash over you in sickly waves of overstimulation, and you remind yourself of what Gareth originally assured you about this outing. 

Not like a date. He said. Just as friends. 

In the wake of your most recent revelation, the idea stings just a little bit more than you are prepared to endure.

Then, there is the abrasive sound of a throat being cleared. It’s only then that you look up and find yourself face-to-face with Madam Hideout herself.

Laverne gives you a hard side eye from where she stands at the tap directly to your right, pouring a tall pint of foamy beer.

If you’re blushing, you hope she can’t tell under the deep, colored lighting.

You try to smile at her, but it’s little more than a flattening of your lips as your mouth stretches horizontally, and somehow you know it isn’t coming across as polite as you’d intended. She doesn’t reciprocate.

Behind you, an amp flares with staticky feedback that makes your hair stand on end as someone plugs in a guitar. 

The sound of a dozen disgruntled barflies rumbles through the room as the band finishes setting up, and you find yourself witness to a sudden mass exodus. You twist in your seat again and watch as at least half of the patrons very quickly make their way out into the parking lot, following Wayne Munson’s lead after the fact.

By the time the herd has been thinned, the room is not empty by any means, but you can suddenly see the bandstand at the far end of the room where you couldn’t before. It gives you the perfect vantage of Eddie.

Corroded Coffin has similarly noticed how the room has cleared out, much to their own varying degrees of chagrin. Eddie is fumbling with the strap on his guitar, adjusting the length as he scans the room with a furrowed brow – then, as he finds you, right where he left you, his face splits into that same wide grin.

Suddenly shy under the cast of his attention, you gesture to the state of the room – get a load of these guys – and give an overexaggerated shrug. He responds in kind by sticking his tongue out at you and you feel your insides go tight and squirmy.

You don’t even realize how you’ve been grinning back at him until your face starts to hurt, and as quickly as the spotlight finds you, it’s gone again when Jeff leans over to say something to Eddie, snatching his attention away and leaving you sitting there alone on your stool again.

Brimming with what you would argue is too many feelings to process all at once, you reach around to grip the bar and spin yourself in a tight circle, hoping that maybe a little gravity will help sort out those big scary emotions.

“Quit that spinnin’.” Laverne snaps. “I ain’t moppin’ your little brains up off this floor if you fall.”

“Sorry.” You say immediately, bracing yourself on the bar to stop from going around once more – tragically, it leaves you facing her and the apparent disdain she holds for you, simply by way of association.

You avert your gaze.

Somewhere, you can hear the theme to Cheers playing distantly over the muted rumbling of half a dozen conversations.

…sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came… 

Some less than others. 

When you work up the courage to chance a look, you find that Laverne is still staring daggers at you. More than that, a cursory glance reveals that most of the people still sitting down the length of the bar are stealing curious looks at you. 

You can feel your throat going dry under the attention of so many strange eyes. It’s not that you’re necessarily an inherently shy person, only that without Eddie to bolster you, the feeling of being somewhere you clearly do not belong is attempting to crush you flat.

You do your best to make yourself as small as humanly possible as the beginning of a beat gets thumped out on the drum set before abruptly stopping.

Soundcheck.

Your mouth is suddenly full of cobwebs, and you muster your courage to steal one more look at Laverne, whose eyes you can still feel burning holes into the top of your skull. 

You peek up at her, hoping her ire will have eased, as if miraculously in the last thirty-seconds you’d done something to earn her respect.

No dice.

“Do you think I could get a coke?” You ask, cringing inwardly as your voice wavers and cracks.

You don’t really want the overpriced, watered-down soda she’s bound to give you, but you’re willing to do anything to distract from how much you stick out among the half-drunk onlookers pressing their faces in on you like kids at the zoo.

Thank God for the shield of Eddie’s jacket, you are once again so thankful you’d foregone the tight little skirt and boots combo.

Laverne gives you a hard look, and you feel a twinge of sudden bravery begin worming its way through your midsection. This time, you stare back at her. 

Then, she throws a dish towel over her shoulder as she makes her way to you, chunky Doc Marten’s thumping hard on the spongy mat behind the bar.

As uncomfortable as you are to be sitting there under her gaze, some nagging part of you at the back of your tongue meets the annoyed twinge steadily rising in you, and together, they wish she would climb down out of your ass already.  

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, she pulls the trigger on the soda nozzle and fills a dark red, textured glass to the brim – no ice.

She sets the drink on the bar in front of you with a hard thump and you watch the foam leap up over the brim of the cup and spill down the side before dissipating with a soft hissing. 

Laverne pops a straw into the cup and somehow it feels like an insult, like something Carol would have done. 

You’re supposed to inhale, Dummy! pared down to a simple gesture with that same patent disdain. 

Still, you’re nothing if not fatally imbued with unflinching manners, and the words are tumbling out over your lips before you can stop them.

“Thank you,” you mumble, and the nagging little voice on the back of your tongue cries out at your treachery. 

Laverne grunts out a response and quirks a thin, penciled brow at you. 

It takes her forever to speak, and you wish the band would just start playing already so that you would have an excuse to turn your back to her.

“The Chief’s been known to frequent this place,” she begins, and in a brief moment of deep confusion, all you can do is stare at her, waiting for her to clarify, “Of Police.”

You have no idea what to do with that information.

“Oh,” you say dumbly, “You don’t say,”

She nods.

“Might even be inclined to call him a regular customer,” 

Somehow, you can’t help but get the sense that it’s less a statement of fact than it is a threat, and if that is the case, you can’t deny that it’s more or less effective.

The last thing you need right now is to find yourself sitting, wilting under the gaze of Chief Hopper while he reads you the riot act and lists in detail everything you’ve ever done to make you such a terrible person — faking sickness and sneaking out to go and see a boy you’re sweet on in a bar you’re not old enough to be sitting in when by all rights you should be sitting on the Henderson’s couch watching He-Man.  

For lack of a better response, you twist idly on your chair, nice and slow so Laverne can see you do it and come all the way back around to the other side.

The phrase, “if looks could kill” passes through your mind for a brief, yet terrifying second – something in the back of your mind is inexorably calm as it assures you that you haven’t done anything wrong. 

You’re supposed to be here. You’re with the band, no matter how anyone may happen to feel about that.

Leaning over the bar and taking a long, innocent sip from your straw, you make a show of swallowing, smack your lips, and shrug. 

 “Funny. I don’t see him.”  

In spite of all your affected cool, you feel your guts twinge with anxiety when Laverne levels you with a hard look and crosses her thick, tattooed arms over her generous bosom. Suddenly you’re half worried you’re about to be “bounced” or whatever the official term for being forcibly ejected from a bar is – one more for the list in your long night of firsts. 

Then, in a shocking turn of events, the corner of the woman’s lip twitches in the faintest hint of a smile, violently suppressed, of course. 

You’re oddly pleased, in the way only a goody-two-shoes like yourself can be under the attention of anyone who could even remotely be perceived as a figure of authority. 

“How old are you?” Laverne demands.

Just like that, the twinge blossoms to a nagging feeling of angry defiance, lurking far in the back of your throat. 

Stupid question. You think, biting the inside of your cheek, because it’s not like you’d tried to order a beer. 

“Forty-five.” You say, matter-of-factly, suddenly unable to adjust your tone as you remember how rudely she’d spoken to Eddie before.    

She holds you in that hard, deadpan gaze.

“That’s funny,” She sniffs, “Bet your rock star boyfriend thinks you’re real funny too.” She hurls it at you like a slur and your heart spasms and lurches up into your throat.

“Oh, he’s not my—” but the bartender is already walking away, so you clamp your mouth shut and hum out your annoyance.

You swallow hard.

Boyfriend.

The word clangs around in your ribcage, and you wonder if that’s what people assume when they see you and Eddie together. 

Just like that, you’re feeling breathless again.

No wonder your teachers are all so freaked out – you don’t get the time to worry about that before Eddie’s voice cuts through the room and strikes you square in the back. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to thank you all for coming out tonight–” he says smoothly into the microphone, “Before we start the show, we’d just like to say one thing…” 

You turn in your seat and find yourself immediately locked in his gaze. Even across the room, it sends a chill up your spine and goosebumps flashing across the expanse of your body. 

You’re gripped in the feeling that suddenly, you’re the only two people in this room, that no matter what happens next, it will be for your eyes only, and you’ll cherish that to the end of time. 

Eddie leans in, grips the microphone and looks you dead in the eye.

“This one goes out to all the ladies.”

Oh. Nevermind. 

“Oh, my God,” You say under your breath. 

Boo. Hiss. 

He’s so uncool, you can’t stand how much you like him. 

The strike of sticks on cymbals masks the agonized groan that rumbles throughout the bar and with the first few hard chords, the show begins. 

Corroded Coffin is not the greatest band in the world, but they’re also far from the worst.

It was an over-exaggeration on Gareth’s part to say that they’re terrible; they can carry a tune, they’re mostly on key and in sync, and that’s more than you can say you expected from how you’d been prepared.

You find that they mostly play covers of metal songs – the likes of Judas Priest and Black Sabbath – which garners a general disinterest from the bar, save for one sloppy drunk biker who just about loses his mind when they go into a crunchy rendition of War Pigs. 

You’re certainly losing your mind and falling a little bit harder than you’d expected you would be when you woke up that morning.

Eddie Munson in front of a cafeteria audience is one thing, but Eddie Munson on stage, a real-life honest-to-God stage is another animal entirely. As far as you are concerned, he was born and bred for the stage, and you’re enraptured, watching him move under the lights. The way he grips the neck of his guitar as he teases a melody out of the taught strings and growls into the microphone settles in your bones in a way you know is going to linger for months if not years to come.

It is mesmerizing in the most intoxicating way. If you thought tearing your eyes from him at school was difficult, you’re fairly certain you don’t blink from the start of their set to their less-than-grand finish.

They play a whopping five songs before someone unceremoniously kills the power, just as Eddie had prophesized.

“Bummer.” You hear someone groan out of the dark from the direction of the stage.

Luckily, it’s a total blackout to the whole bar, and not just the stage, saving the band any overt embarrassment in the face of their less-than-adoring public.

Your ears are ringing in the sudden absence of sound and the darkness lingers only a moment before the power comes back on again.

Loggins and Messina are back on the jukebox in an instant, the patrons turn back to their drinks, and just like that, your introduction to Corroded Coffin is cut short, one song shy of their record. 

With the lights on and free from the cloying miasma that can only come from standing in the crowd at a rock show, you manage to claw your way back to your senses enough to remember your parking lot promise.

You surprise even yourself by erupting into a cacophony of thunderous applause, whooping, and hollering just like any self respecting number one fan would do. Then again, if you’re being completely honest, and if the drunk biker hollering unevenly doesn’t put up too much of a fight, you might happily accept the title.

It doesn’t take much effort to shoulder your way through the meager crowd, particularly with the way it is steadily thinning. Evidently, the end to the show was enough to call for an end to the night for a good number of people here at the Hideout.  

You cross the room in a hop, skip, and a jump that deposits you at the foot of the bandstand, where you stand craning your head back nearly to the point of pain just to look up at the object of your affection. 

You hold Eddie’s jacket clutched reverently against your chest and imagine your steadily beating heart imbuing it with all kinds of emotion — super-charging it with what Huey Lewis and the News is now telling you must be the power of love. 

“You didn’t tell me you were good!” You cry, and are almost immediately chagrined.

You’re half deaf from the set and even through your screaming ears, you know you must be shouting. Worse than that is how you would dare to say something so incredibly awkward.

Why can’t you be cool for once in your stupid life?

Eddie is positively slick with sweat, pushing his hair back from his face and grinning again as he comes down to your level.

He drops into a squat you’re half surprised he can manage with just how tight his jeans are — the other half of you is too busy noticing how now that he’s down here, you’re almost nose to nose. 

You try not to stare at his jeans, or the sweat dripping down from his hairline to grace the curve of his cheekbones and drip off the sharp line of his jaw. His shirt has gone semi-translucent and is clinging to his chest like a lover as you force yourself to meet his honey-warm gaze. 

“You guys are great.” You try again, hoping it comes out sounding a little cooler this time around.

No such luck. 

“Yeah? Well, what’d you expect, Sweetheart?” Eddie drawls, showing you his teeth in a way that makes your insides go tight — he tilts his head over to press his ear to his shoulder, “They don’t let just anyone up on this stage, you know.”

“Yes, they do.” Jeff counters from somewhere behind him, and you watch Eddie’s brows come down in aggravation, “Remember when they let that guy do forty minutes of close-up magic?”

Somewhere, very far away, Gareth is shrugging his shoulders from where he still sits, comfortably perched behind his drumkit.

“That guy wasn’t half bad.” he posits, much to the chagrin of his bandmates.

“That dude was wearing a cape.” Eddie scoffs.

“And you’re saying you wouldn’t?” Jeff snorts.

You’re too caught up in the way your heart is beating itself senseless against your ribs to hear the back and forth continue between them because Eddie called you Sweetheart.

Normally, you like to think such a pet name would leave you roiling in disgust, but nothing about the way you feel about Eddie is normal. 

And you’re not being any shade of normal about this. Forget whatever bullshit it says on your birth certificate, forget all the little pet names anyone has ever given you — Eddie Munson reached down and christened you Sweetheart, and as far as you’re concerned, that’s your name now. 

You feel like your head is going to crack open and burst with electric light as the name rattles around and around in your skull until it finds a tight little corner to wedge itself into and stay forever. 

Sweetheart, Sweetheart, Sweetheart.

Sweetheart and Eddie.

Sweetheart Munson. 

It’s so goddamn saccharine you’re almost surprised when your teeth don’t come tumbling out of your head. 

As you get lost further down the road of delusional fancy, the band’s bickering carries on without you. 

“I dunno… d’you guys think we should invest in capes?” Adam posits, and it’s almost enough to send Eddie into apoplectic shock.

“Corroded Coffin does not wear capes!” He snarls, and an intrusive little voice can’t help but beg to differ, because to you, Corroded Coffin sounds exactly like the type of band who would come out on stage wearing capes. 

“At least he had style.” Gareth huffs, “And the crowd liked him a whole lot better than they like us, maybe we can learn something from Magical Marve.” 

“Jesus Christ, you guys — you’re blowing it in front of our number one fan!” Eddie gestures to you as he says it and you blush bright red, suddenly terrified that you’ve been caught with hearts in your eyes as the rest of the band’s attention snaps over to you — their apparent number one fan. 

In a few years, when you would read Misery, you would spend a full week brimming with resentment that Stephen King would dare to suggest that it could be anything but a term of endearment. But that was a thought for the future, and only because he wasn’t there to see Eddie Munson dub you Sweetheart. 

Right here and now, you are just happy to be included. Because it’s like Eddie said before, you're with the band… who is still bickering as they go about the quick and dirty business of breaking down their equipment. 

It takes a solid twenty minutes, even with you fumbling to try and help anyway you can. Your vision goes briefly spotty when Eddie hands you his guitar and asks you to “hold her a sec”, briefly — accidentally — hooking his pinky finger with yours in the exchange. A promise of something yet untold — his jacket, his guitar, anything he gives you, you’ll guard with your life. 

It sounds just as stupid as you feared when you can’t stop yourself from saying it this time, but the way he laughs eases the sting of your embarrassment, if only a little. 

When everything is more or less put away, moods have not yet recovered from the previous moment’s tiff, but Gareth is never one to be deterred. 

“Come on, you guys. Why the long faces? That’s the longest set we’ve played in a while!” he says, nudging you with his elbow, “I’d say that’s reason enough to celebrate.”

It’s perhaps the first suggestion that night which isn’t immediately met with a dissenting chorus of booing and hissing. 

“Yeah, what do you say, fellas?” Jeff throws a neighborly arm over Eddie’s shoulder and gives him a shake for good measure, “The Palace’ll still be open for a few hours, how’s about we order a couple pizzas, get a six pack and go for a few rounds of Dragon’s Lair? Quarters are on me.” 

It sounds about as fun as any average Tuesday with Dustin and his friends, not nearly as special as anything you would do to celebrate such a monumental night as this, but being the guest here, you defer to the group. You look to their leader to gauge the appropriate reaction to Jeff’s suggestion, and you notice with a start that he does not share his friend’s enthusiasm. 

Call it babysitter’s intuition, but you seem to be the only one who has noticed that Eddie’s mood has taken a sudden and immediate nosedive into the creaky laminate flooring.

Everyone else is too busy listening to Gareth get his feathers ruffled over the plan to notice Eddie’s exchanged look with Laverne, still tucked in at the back of the bar with her arms crossed. 

You watch all of this happen with the privilege of blessed invisibility, preserving both the excitement of the moment and Eddie’s dignity as a decision is quietly made.

He’s not going. 

Your heart sinks. 

“Oh, so you’re just gonna oh-so-graciously offer to pay for the cheapest part of that plan?” Gareth snaps.

Jeff fishes a ring of keys from the front pocket of his jeans and jingles it in the other boy’s face.

If Eddie’s not going, you don’t want to go either, but you don’t dare embarrass yourself by saying that out loud, so you keep your mouth shut.

“I’m also gonna drive. You can be a cheap prick too when you get your license, Freshman.” Jeff says with no small amount of smugness, “What d’you say, Eddie? You in?”

He does his best to approximate an apologetic smile, then shakes his head, sweat damp curls bouncing as he does. 

“Not tonight, I’ve got some stuff I gotta finish up here.”

He does his best not to look directly at you as he says it, but you’re starting to learn that if there is one thing Eddie has a hard time doing, it’s not looking at you. You aren’t sure how to process that information and for a brief yet terrifying moment, it swells inside you to the point of pain. 

“You sure?” Gareth presses, glancing less than subtly between you and stretching his words past the point of pain, “Big night. Worth celebrating.”

You level him with an unimpressed look. 

Real smooth Gareth, why not just spell it out for him?

Still, you suppose you have to give him Brownie points for trying because you wouldn't even be here if it weren't for him. 

Eddie is already retreating when he gives his final answer, waving you off in a way that feels almost painfully casual. 

“Yeah, no, you guys go ahead. I’ll catch up with you later.”

You watch him go, and he watches you watching him. You can’t tell for certain, but it feels almost as if something significant is passing you by, a moment you’ll never be able to get back if you don’t snatch it out of the air before it’s gone.

It fills you with a stinging burst of panic, especially when Eddie turns and lets you out of his sight. 

You came here tonight to see him. You’re only here for him. 

You’re almost shocked to hear your name being spoken then, and when you snap back over to reality, Jeff and Gareth are looking expectantly at you — Adam, who could evidently not care less who comes or stays, is already halfway to the door.

They had him at pizzas and a six-pack.

“—how ‘bout it?”

You blink back at them stupidly.

“Me?”

Jeff shrugs. 

“Sure, it’s like the man said, you’re our biggest fan, you ought to share in the glory too.” 

Strange how you had assumed that invitation would not be extended to you, stranger still is how you’re suddenly considering it.

Pizza and beer at the arcade is not the worst way you’ve ever spent a Tuesday night, but there is something nagging at you, stopping you from immediately accepting. It’s that same feeling as before, opportunity slipping past you and an incredibly powerful pull asking you whether you ought to stay as you turn back to watch Laverne step aside to make room for Eddie as he rounds the bar. 

Stay? At a bar?

Where you have been so summarily informed that the chief of police is likely to pop up at any moment like a cheap jump scare in a bad horror movie?

It’s certainly not the worst idea you’ve ever had. 

It’s not even the worst idea you’ve had all day. 

“I think…” you start, “Actually, I think I’m gonna pass… it’s been a lot of excitement ...and my curfew is coming up soon.”

It’s not expressly untrue, but you feel a sharp pang of regret when Jeff shrugs and so willingly accepts your polite decline.

Part of you wishes that they would have fought a little harder to get you to come out – even Carol won’t take no for an answer the first time around – but that part of you is very quickly whipped back into shape.

You’re not here to hang out with Adam and Jeff and Gareth. 

“Suit yourself,” he says flippantly, then claps Gareth on the back, “C’mon G.” 

He doesn’t follow right away. Gareth, never one to miss a quiet exchange, remains, giving you a pointed look.

“What’s up?” He asks quietly, “You good?” 

You wait for Jeff to get out of earshot, then lean in.

“...Do you think I should stay?” You ask.

Gareth’s brows furrow in a confusion that you can only imagine must be the mirrored echo of your own previous thoughts. You can almost hear him warning you that Chief Hopper hangs around here, and then something like realization flashes across his features as he glances past you. 

You follow his gaze over to where Eddie is disappearing into the back, tying a dingy apron around his waist. 

“Yes,” He says quickly, with a wide stretch of his mouth, “I think that’s exactly what you should do.”

“You do?”

“Yes, absolutely – you stay, and I’ll see you tomorrow,”

You watch Gareth disappear out the front doors and linger a moment beneath the multi-colored lights.

The jukebox has since flipped over to play Dusty Springfield, and she is warning you that being good isn’t always easy, no matter how hard you try, and it gives you courage enough to slink back to the bar, where your soda sits long empty.

“You’re not getting a refill, so don’t even ask.” Laverne snaps, startling you. 

“I just wanted to pay for it.” 

She makes a gruff sound in the hollow of her throat and begins wiping down the bar. 

“It’s paid for.” She says reluctantly.

Before you can ask what that could possibly mean, she continues. 

“So, I reckon you’re stayin’ behind.” It’s not exactly a question, so you don’t feel pressed to answer, and when you don’t, she hefts a tub of dishes up onto the flattop. “Why don’t you take this back to Junior, since you’re so keen on hangin’ around. Save me the trip.”  

You look from Laverne to the dishes, and back again, feeling the wheels of your brain creaking under the duress of trying to see the invisible pitfall ahead of you. 

“...Am I allowed to do that?” you finally manage to ask, and for half a moment Laverne stares back at you like it was the dumbest thing she's ever heard anyone say. 

“I don’t give a shit” She finally huffs, “You do what you want, I’m goin’ out for a smoke.” 

She’s gone out the side door in a flash, and it takes you far too long to work out the pieces – Eddie paid for your drink, and she’s giving you an excuse to go back and see him. 

Boy, are you dense sometimes. 

Still, you can’t help but wonder if it’s all some clunky ploy to get you thrown out of the bar. You also can’t help but wonder who is going to watch the bar while Laverne is gone, but you decide that isn’t your problem as you seize the plastic tub and heft it down to brace against your hip. 

When you slip behind the bar and into the back, Eddie’s standing at the sink, elbow deep in suds and glaring at them like they’d personally wronged him. 

You linger in the doorway, selfishly taking in as much of this candid moment as you can steal, and scrounging around for what is left of your courage. 

“Hiya.” You say, once you find your voice. 

It startles him bad enough to send him leaping back from the sink. 

“Oh, shit,” Eddie says, stumbling over your name in a way that makes your insides go tight, “I – uh – I thought you left with the guys.”

“Nope.”

“What are you–?”

You tilt the dishtub toward him and jostle it in a way that is less tantalizing than you mean for it to be with the way the dishware shifts dangerously.

“Special delivery.”

Eddie’s brows come down over his eyes and his shoulders sag.  

“...Oh, great. Thanks,” he says, then gestures to the metal surface piled high with dishes. “Just put ‘em wherever you can.” 

The task is daunting. You’re not sure you’ve ever seen as many dishes in your life – it’s going to take him hours to get through them.

You tentatively shove the plastic bin in where you can fit it, careful not to disturb the topsyturvy stacking method that has been employed here, and linger idly as Eddie wipes his soapy hands on his jeans. 

A measured silence settles  between you, through which you can still hear the muted sounds of the bar trilling distantly on.  

“What happened?” Eddie finally asks, “How come you didn’t go with the guys?”

“Oh, well…” you start, electing to fib a little rather than do something so embarrassing as tell him the only reason you’re here tonight, “You know, as thrilling as sitting around in a parking lot drinking cheap beer sounds, I figured somebody ought to stay behind and keep you company. And I figured since you bought me a drink and all, it ought to be me.”

He huffs out a humorless laugh. 

“Lucky me.” 

You try not to let the biting sarcasm of the response dig its teeth in as you continue. 

“...That was sneaky, by the way. You didn’t have to do that.”

Eddie shrugs, and rests a hand on the curved metal lip of the three-basin sink.  

“Least I could do for our biggest fan.”  

He sounds less enthusiastic about that this time around and it is enough to make your stomach clench.

“...You guys were great, by the way.” You try again, for lack of anything better to say.

Eddie shakes his head. 

“Nah, we weren’t. We were actually pretty rough, I’m surprised they let us play as long as they did … but thanks for making the effort, though.” 

“Well… you were great.” You press, folding your hands behind your back and taking a step closer, “I mean, you were pretty much the best part of the show.”

Distantly, you see his eyebrows jump beneath the sweaty fringe drying tacky to his forehead. The corner of his mouth twitches. 

“You keep stroking my ego like that and I’m gonna have to buy you dinner to go with that drink,” Eddie warns you, and something inside of you shrieks with unabashed hormonal joy.

You cannot think of anything more tantalizing than that … except for maybe one of your two fantasies from earlier in the evening, but neither of those scenarios is on the table for tonight.

At least, you’re fairly certain they aren’t. 

You thank your lucky stars he’s so fixated on washing dishes that he can’t see the way you turn bright crimson.

“I’m serious. You were great, Eddie.” 

It’s enough to finally make him look at you again.

“You think so?”

And of course, now that you have his attention, you can’t help but go embarrassing yourself. 

“Yeah, absolutely. You’re a goddamn rockstar…” 

He grins. 

“D’you kiss your mother with that mouth, Sailor?”

You curl your lips in past your teeth on instinct and drop your gaze to your sneakers as the suggestion sends you hurtling back to the picnic bench in the woods behind school. 

You’re so sure Eddie was going to kiss you out there – you watched his eyes go heavy and lidded as his gaze slid down to your lips. You saw the shift in his posture, the oh-so-subtle way he tilted forward, curling his hands into fists, moist pink tongue darting out to wet the plush spread of his lips. 

He’s not looking at you like that now, and it’s the worst goddamn thing in the world. You have to force yourself to think of something – anything else to stop it from completely destroying you as you stand there, listening to Eddie washing the dishes. 

Oddly, there is only one thing that comes to mind. 

“...Can I ask you a question?”

The lewd soapy sounds of suds on ceramic sends a chill up your spine. 

“Sure, hit me.” 

“Before you went on, when we were standing at the bar... why did Laverne call you Junior?” You ask, and the question seems to catch him off guard, so you elaborate to fill the awkward silence before it can settle between you, “She did it again just outside when she told me to bring these back to you… I was just wondering about it…”

Eddie doesn’t answer right away, and you’re just about ready to tell him to forget it by the time he opens his mouth to speak.

“Ah… hmm,” he hesitates, “… it’s a … it’s a little inside joke some folks around town like to roll out.” Eddie explains, then after a beat of silence, he gestures vaguely, “Munson Junior.”

“...Oh.” You say lamely – the subtext is not lost on you, and suddenly you’re sorry you asked.  

A heavy silence settled between you, and then Eddie clears his throat in the prelude to what you'd feared was coming all night long.

“Hey, listen … it was real nice of you to stay behind…”

Uh oh. Here comes that dreaded rejection. 

It was nice of you to stay but it’s actually super weird that you’re here at all and you should probably go home before you embarrass yourself more than you already have. 

You do your best to stamp that line of thinking out before it can settle and elect to fold your hands behind your back, rocking on your heels and doing your utmost to look carefree. 

“But…?”

You don’t care if he’s about to ask you to leave, but you hope to any God out there listening that he doesn’t. 

“But… you should probably head out.” Eddie sighs.

Okay, so you lied. You care so much, and you can feel the corners of your mouth tremble as your smile begins to waver. 

Eddie continues.  

“This is gonna take a while, Sweetheart… and I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than stand around watching me play in dish water.” 

Sweetheart. The nickname fills you with foolish courage, and suddenly you’re taking another step closer. 

“Not really,” You admit, “I actually cancelled some plans to be here tonight…” 

He breathes a halfhearted laugh out through his nose.

“Betcha wish you hadn’t.”  

Oh, how wrong he is. If only he knew just how far you’d gone to make sure you could be here tonight.

“...Can I help?” You ask tentatively, forcing yourself not to look away when Eddie’s gaze snaps up and he clocks your sudden proximity with a soft, strangled sound in the hollow of his throat.

You pretend not to hear it for both your sake, “...it’ll speed things up. And... and then you can buy me dinner, right?”

You watch him stare back at you and can practically see the cogs turning in his brain, as if he absolutely cannot fathom the request you’d just made of him. When he continues to fail to answer, you try again.

“Here, let me help.” 

You reach for the rumpled dish rag, but Eddie catches your hand.

Your lungs spasm and go flat and for the brief moment you exist under his touch, you forget how to breathe. 

He shakes his head and tries to lead you away from the sink, releasing you entirely too soon for your liking. 

“No, you don’t have to do that.” he says, and for half a moment you’re afraid that nothing you say is going to convince him to let you stay. 

Then again, it’s not exactly like you’re asking for his permission. 

“I know…” You hum, feeling your tongue go fat in your mouth and taking another step toward him, “But I want to.”

Eddie doesn’t retreat from your advance, but he calls your bluff with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow.

“You wanna waste your night doing dishes in the back of a bar?” he deadpans.

Of course you do. 

You want to tell him that you want to do every trivial task under the sun if it means you get to do it with him. You’d happily sit and watch paint dry if Eddie was going to be there with you, but somehow you’re not certain that is going to do anything to make you sound cool and attractive.  

“Sure, why not?” you shrug, rolling your sleeves up as far past your elbows as they will go and sidling up so you’re standing nearly hip to hip.

Your heart is hammering behind your ribs when you dare to steal a cautious, casual glance up at him, “I don’t have anything better to do right now.” 

Eddie stares back at you, brows furrowed quizzically before he shakes his head, mutters something unintelligible to himself, then reaches into a milk crate sitting beneath the sink that you hadn’t noticed until he fishes out a pair of oversized yellow dish gloves and hands them to you. 

“Yeah, okay – since you’ve got nothing better to do – put these on. We don’t want those fingers going prune.”  

It takes you much longer to get through the dishes than you anticipated when you originally offered your services.

Two hours later, your sweater is soaked down the front, you’ve got suds in your sleeves, and you can smell the faintest hint of budding mildew wafting off of you, but you finish the dishes in half the time you imagine it would have taken Eddie to do them on his own. 

When you’re done, you bid Laverne a cheerful farewell, one she does not acknowledge, and you leave the bar together. 

Eddie has been talking animatedly about a hundred different subjects the whole time, though the last five minutes of conversation have been allotted to his guitar – which he tells you is an N.J. Warlock series, and you have no idea what that means.

You don’t mind though, you’ve been listening quietly without interjection because your newest revelation is just how much you like to listen to Eddie talk when he gets going. Not the heated preaching you’ve witnessed a hundred times in the lunchroom, but an excitable deep dive into something he is clearly very passionate about. 

In your deepest flights of fancy, you imagine him talking to someone about you like this, and as you cross the parking lot and arrive at the back of his van, it makes your insides flutter with a girlish excitement.  

Unfortunately, he mistakes your silence over the past few minutes for disinterest and grows sheepish.

“...Anyway, I didn’t mean to talk your ear off like that,” Eddie says, rolling his shoulders. “When I get going it’s hard to shut me up sometimes … sorry.” 

You shake your head.

“No, not at all! I didn’t want to interrupt your flow, I just don’t really know anything about guitars.”

A look of patent relief flashes across Eddie’s face and is very quickly replaced with something sly as he pops open the back doors to the van. Inside sits half a dozen pieces of Gareth’s drum kit, two amps, and a sleek, black, rectangular case.

Eddie rests a hand on the hood of the case with a thump and you watch his gaze slide over to you. 

“You wanna meet her?” he asks. 

You don’t respond right away, if only because you don’t know who he could possibly mean, here in this deserted parking lot, but he doesn’t give you the opportunity to linger in the limbo of that unknowing. 

He pops open the hinges and flips the lid up, revealing the angular crimson body of the guitar. Eddie lifts the instrument carefully from its crushed velvet bed and presents it to you with all the reverence of a lover. 

You reach out tentatively to trace the smooth resin of her body with your finger pads and suddenly the moment feels supercharged with something heavy. The air is thick with it, whatever it is, and it settles in your lungs with a cloying film. You can’t be certain as to why, but you can suddenly feel your heart beating in your stomach.

“This is Sweetheart,” Eddie says, voice dripping with an admiration that makes your insides clench.

The heady atmosphere dissipates almost immediately, and you drop your hand back to your side to try and mask the way it makes you flinch to hear him call the guitar that.

Sweetheart?! No, it most certainly is not. 

You’re Sweetheart. That’s your name now, remember? He only went and gave you the goddamn thing, now here he is telling you it’s just some random term of endearment he slaps on anything shiny and new that happens to catch his eye?

Fucking lame. 

“Oh. Wow. It’s pretty.” You force yourself to say, because it’s not untrue, even if you are suddenly gripped in a ridiculous burning jealousy over his relationship toward an instrument. “Really pretty.” 

And then Eddie pulls a face of sheer and total mock offense.

“Hey now,” he warns you gently, “Show a little respect for the love of my life here, will ya?” 

You glance up at him and for half a moment aren't entirely sure you’re in the mood to meet him there. But it’s stupid to be jealous of an inanimate object. That would be like finding out Eddie was jealous of your vibrator or something stupid … which also suggests he’s fucking his guitar, so no, maybe it’s not like that at all.

Still, the thought manifests an image, which immediately sears itself into your frontal lobe and sends the blood rushing to your head so quickly you’re half surprised it doesn’t pop.

“...she’s pretty?” you hum, feeling suddenly like you’re about to faint. 

Eddie gives you a satisfied smile – one you don’t see for how your vision has briefly gone spotty – and nods. 

“Damn right she is," he says, laying her back in her case and snapping the lid shut.

If you’d been looking, and not feeling a stupid sense of satisfaction to see her get so summarily shut away, you would have seen Eddie go suddenly shy as his eyes slide over to peek at you from his peripheral.

“...Second prettiest girl in the room tonight.”

It hits you like a slap in the face and is oddly grounding. Your vision clears, your ears stop roaring, and just like that everything goes back to normal. Just you and Eddie standing in an empty parking lot with the echo of his attempt at a smooth line lingering between you. 

Your mouth falls open and you choke on a loud bark of startled laughter. 

Ha! Take that, Sweetheart.

Eddie wrinkles his nose and pulls a face like he immediately wishes he could take it back, not knowing that you’d strike him dead before he would even dare. He’s a total fucking dork, and that’s yours now. There will be no takebacks. Not now, not ever.  

“Damn,” he mutters, squeezing an eye shut and reaching up to scratch at his brow, “That was super fucking corny, wasn’t it? Not my best effort – sorry.” 

You press your lips together in a tight seal in a desperate attempt to keep a hideously giddy sound of animalistic joy from bleating up out of you, and you shake your head. 

“That’s okay.” You start, dismissing the thick layer of cheese with a flippant wave, “I’m sure Laverne would be flattered to hear you say that about her.” 

It takes him a moment to catch on, but when he does he snorts and rolls his eyes, mumbling something under his breath about Laverne. He doesn’t correct you, and you let the moment die with dignity because you know what matters.

Eddie Munson thinks you’re pretty, and that will forever be etched on the front of your brain, whether he likes it or not. 

“So,” Eddie begins, shutting the van up again and leaning back against the door. He fishes a rumpled pack of camels from his jacket pocket, and you elect not to say anything about that, “It’s a little late for dinner… but how would you feel about a midnight snack?”

You know the muscles in your face are going to be sore in the morning for how widely you’ve been grinning back at him all night, and you nod, hoping you don’t look too overeager, but also not giving a damn if you do. 

“What did you have in mind?”

He pops a cigarette between his teeth and goes looking for his lighter.  

“Let’s see. I think Fosters might still be open. You could get a milkshake, chili dog, banana split, – whatever your heart desires, Sweet Thing. Your wish is my command.” 

The thought of riding out to Foster’s Freeze on the far end of town with Eddie Munson is tantalizing in the best possible way. You’re beaming as you bring your wrist up to glance at your watch and try to visualize what you can stomach so late.

All thoughts of your growling stomach sail right out of your head as your heart rockets up into your throat before dropping into a free fall because it’s nearly midnight. 

“Jesus Christ!” You gasp, head snapping up to share your horrified look with the class. 

Eddie blinks back at you.

“Nope, just me–” 

“Can I see your watch?” You’re taking hold of his wrist and pulling it up to stare into the digital face of his Casio before he can answer, “Oh, God – it’s so late.”

“What’s the matter, you turning into a pumpkin or something?” He teases, lighting his cigarette with his free hand.

“My curfew was like half an hour ago,” You say quickly, dropping his wrist and nearly upending your bag in the frantic search for your keys.  

“Oh… shit,” Eddie mumbles, “Well, d’you need a ride? I’ll get you home lickety-split–” 

You elect to ignore any intended innuendo there in lieu of your mounting panic.

“No, thanks, I’ve got my car – listen, I really gotta go,” You say, “But let’s do a raincheck, okay?” 

You don’t wait for him to answer before you turn and bolt for your car shouting back to him as you go.  

“I mean it, Munson! You owe me that midnight snack!” 

You’re fumbling with your keys in the lock and whipping your door open with a harsh creak before you remember yourself and spin on your heel.  

“Oh— Eddie, wait!” He’s circled around to the driver’s side and is standing on the runner, already half way up into his seat when his head snaps up, and you grow suddenly shy, “Thank you for this, it was – I mean, you’re – I had fun tonight. More fun than I would have had sitting at home, anyway.” 

He gives you a strange look.  

“...you really mean that, don’t you?” He asks after a moment, “Truly. Dishes and all?”

You nod, and you watch him shaking his head in a way you imagine must be accompanied by a good-humored chuckle as he takes a final drag on his cigarette and tosses it.    

“Well, bless you for saying so.” He says, “Let’s do it again sometime.”

“Absolutely. I’ll do the dishes with you anytime.” Oh my God, why the fuck did you just say that? You’re cheesy and boring and stupid – just a stupid girl with a stupid crush. 

And Eddie is laughing. 

“Get home safe, Sweetheart.” he calls, “Wear your seatbelt.”

“Yeah, you too… goodnight, Eddie.”  

Despite the traded goodbyes, you both linger a moment longer, looking back at one another halfway into your respective cars and so reluctant to part despite the ticking time bomb hurtling toward you at breakneck speed.

You need to get home, and yet…?

“Penny for your thoughts?” Eddie calls, and you feel yourself flush. 

“It’s just… you know … what Shakespeare said…”

Across the lot, he steps down from the van and nods. 

“Sure. Good ol’ Willy Shakes.” and when you don’t elaborate, he gently prompts you, “What’s Shakespeare say, Sweetness?”

The saccharine twist on your new nickname has a lump forming in your throat, one you almost don’t get the words around as it swells and threatens to strangle you.

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.” you sigh. 

It’s perhaps the uncoolest thing you’ve said all night, and you don’t even have the good sense to be embarrassed about it, because it’s also the truest thing you’ve said all night, and suddenly your heart is pounding in your chest.

You really, really have to go, but you don’t want to. 

Eddie crosses his arms and leans back against the van.

“Yeah… it sure is.” 

The silence endures, and as the seconds tick by, you continue to fail to tear yourself away. The last time you left him like this, you didn’t see him again for five days, and after tonight you’re not sure you can survive another five days without Eddie in your life.

Maybe you can stand to miss your curfew. Maybe your parents won’t notice your car is gone and won’t come to check in on you. Maybe you can sneak in after midnight or stay out all night … maybe you can just stand here saying goodnight over and over until the sun comes up and never have to get to the parting part. 

“Go home, Sweetheart.” Eddie says then, “I don’t wanna get you in trouble.” 

The sentiment causes the lump in your throat to swell, and you have to force yourself to breathe out slowly to ease the pressure it puts on you.

You watch him climb up into the van and feel your heart thumping again. One of you had to go first, you suppose. Last time it was you, this time it’s only fair it’s him. 

“Bye Eddie.” You call, and when you still fail to get into your car, he heaves a long-suffering sigh, which is a little too fond to be just that.

“You sure you don’t want me to drive you home?” He asks, “It’s like I told you – lickety split.”  

Don’t make a promise you can’t keep. You want to warn him, but all you can manage is a smile.

Then you slide in behind the wheel of your car and shut the door behind you. You linger a moment longer and when you feel that lump threatening to return – one you quickly realize is the prelude to melancholy – you can’t help but steal one last look out your window, back at the van.

Eddie is still there, and better still, he seems to have had the same thought as you, because when you look, there he is looking at you again.

It fills you with a bright and warming sense of satisfaction. It's not so easy to tear yourself away, is it?

Then, as if to answer, Eddie waves.

You grin, return the gesture, and start your cars at the same time. It only takes a short dosey-do around each other to exit the parking lot side by side. You turn left, he turns right, and you watch in your rearview mirror until his taillights fade into the dark.

Yeah, you think you might have fallen pretty hard tonight, and you’re going to have a very hard time getting up again.

[pedgito]

i can’t stop thinking about eddie eating reader out in his throne chair after a d&d game pls i NEED it

author’s note: when i tell you i screamed as soon as this request came in, i can’t even explain the feelings i’m having.

cw: 18+ (minors dni), semi-public (they’re alone and don’t get caught), more acquaintances with benefits, eddie has a small crush on reader, mentions of eddie losing his virginity to reader, oral (f receiving), fingering, assisted masturbation, eddie’s such a giver no one can tell me differently, lots of dirty talk, if i missed anything lmk!

word count: 3k

You never noticed how often Eddie stayed late after Hellfire’s weekly D&D sessions—not until you started staying around too. Your acquaintance with him had been gradually growing and his hesitancy at letting you in the club at the beginning had been obvious and with a lot of added tension.

Maybe his anxiety of having you join came from the intimidation he felt from you—it’s how you liked to think of it, but he never had any good, valid reasoning for it. Eventually, with some convincing on Dustin’s part, Eddie gave in. Eddie would come to his senses after several weeks, a few months of your insistent cheerful attitude and mission to change his view on you.

And it wasn’t that Eddie looked at you negatively, that wasn’t even close to his opinions on you—he just couldn’t stand how easily you checked off all his boxes. He thinks it’s just a coincidence when he sees you wearing a Def Leppard shirt, similar to one he had shoved in the back of his drawer, but then it happens again with Dio, then Metallica, and Eddie feels like he’s losing his mind. You’ve always got your Walkman attached to your jeans and your headphones secured on over your ears and he can hear the beat of his favorite Ozzy songs as it blares through, the music flooding his own ears as you sifted through your locker beside him, but when Dustin finally drags you along to your first Hellfire meeting, Eddie can’t stand it.

Forget how much he complained about needing another person to fill out the table, or someone to fill in for Lucas’ growing absence, because when you walked through that door, all urgency suddenly faded away.

It wasn’t a no—rather an absolutely not.

Eddie still caved regardless; Dustin was an excellent negotiator.

Eddie gives you the cold shoulder for about three weeks; minimal conversation, barely any actual eye contact with you, but then you end up spending one night helping him clean up after a particularly rowdy session—half eaten chip bags, cold pizza, and empty soda cans strung about like a tornado had blown through. You’re not sure why you offered to help, but you did.

Selfishly, you were hoping Eddie would finally give up his defensive act of wanting nothing to do with you. But, he doesn’t—in fact, he’s probably more stubborn in that moment of you two being alone than he ever has been, but you can’t ignore the several times you catch him glancing over, eyes peeking up from where his head was downturned, trying to keep himself busy.

You were beyond it—taking matters into your own hands.

You shoved yourself between the table and him and he kissed you without question—heated and forceful, clearly he’d been holding this back for a while. It’s a dangerous routine you two fall into from then on and it never leaves the four walls of that theater room, like it doesn’t exist outside of there.

And Eddie should feel horrible for defacing school property in such away, but it’s the only area of the school that lends some remnant of privacy, sectioned off from the main building, and everyone was already long by the time you two started up—if it ever got that far, which was typically always.

It was a full-fledged addiction and Eddie couldn’t get enough.

Thus, how things ended up the way they did tonight in particular. Eddie was frustrated most of the day, it wasn’t hard to notice, but you don’t pry—you never did. It was an unspoken rule and you both respected it. But, you weren’t completely soulless and cheering him up seemed like the best option, even if the sex was better when he was tense and riled up.

You plop down his throne, a velvet cushion surrounded by intricate wooden design carved into the backing, it was a cheap knock-off of something that could potentially be worth the money—but Eddie loved it, cherished it, and never let anyone sit in it, not even you. His back is turned to you, muttering around with something near the entrance, shoving and stuffing some items away, only when you clear your throat does he finally look over his shoulder.

You expect him to make some snide comment or ask you to move, but he doesn’t, his eyes darkening slightly. And that scares you more than anything, body tingling with anticipation. He thumbs at the lock, flicking it closed and blindly reaches for a chair, forcing it under the doorknob for extra security.

You already know what’s coming, pressing against the arms of the chair to lift yourself up and out, but Eddie shakes his head, stalking toward you.

“Don’t move”. He tells you, voice smooth and confident.

You gently sit back down, watching as he wiggles his way between the table and chair, the legs of the throne squeaking slightly as he shifts it back.

“You’re not mad?” You ask curiously, head peering up to look at him from where he’s settled between your legs, hands pressed against the arms of the chair too, covering yours.

He shakes his head casually. “I mean—yeah, it’s my chair, but I only say all that shit so Dustin keeps his hands off, that kid would be power drunk if I let him DM for a night.”

“Fair point.” You nod slightly, eyeing the growing smirk on Eddie’s face. “I don’t like that look—“

“Why not?” Eddie asks teasingly, knee bumping your own to spread your thighs further apart. You didn’t wear skirts often, but the humid Indiana weather wasn’t too kind near the end of Spring and you really wanted to wear it anyways.

“It’s never a good sign.” You tell him, his figure sinking further down until he’s settled on his knees, wrestling with your legs until they’re resting over his broad shoulders. “See?”

Eddie laughs into the skin at the bend of your knee, leaving soft, open-mouthed kisses into the dip of it, never trailing further up your thigh—he was waiting for something, eyes locked on yours.

“We’re out of condoms, Eddie.” You remind him, “We can’t.”

“I can fix that.” Eddie supplies—the hot, calloused palm of his hands roaming up your legs and over your thighs, squeezing at the flesh until you’re keening forward, hands shifting behind you onto the pad of the chair, trying to keep yourself from slipping any further forward. “I don’t need to fuck you to feel good.”

“Is that so?” You ask, watching his smirk grow into a full grin, finger squeezing harder, cunt clenching underneath the cover of your skirt.

“This is already doing enough for me,” He chuckles softly, your mouth falling open slightly as his fingers dip underneath your skirt, pulling at the hem of your underwear, “do you mind?”

You shake your head furiously and it’s all Eddie needs to break the dam, pulling at the material with fervor, already soaked with your wetness—and he somehow manages to make the awkward fidgeting even more endearing as he finally gets the last bit of your lace panties past your ankle, dropping them to the floor carelessly.

“Don’t hold back,” He reminds you, leaving a hot, saliva slick trail of kisses up your inner thigh, hands cupping under your calves until he can adjust your ass near the edge of the chair, giving him perfect access to your throbbing cunt, glistening with sticky arousal, “you know I hate it.”

The first contact of his tongue against your cunt is like electricity jolting through your body, gasp ripping from your chest as he licks you fully, moaning at the way you coat his tongue.

“Gonna make a mess of this chair, aren’t you?” He comments redundantly, lips closing over your clit gently as he sucks, one of the hands used to prop yourself upright shooting to his wild and untamed curls, entangling into them, hand molding the curve of his head as you guiding him slightly, hips rutting shamelessly into his waiting mouth.

You nod dumbly, head falling back as your breath quickened. “The velvet, it’s gonna get ruined.” You complain, voice catching on the last word as one of his hands joins his diligently working mouth, slapping at your cunt gently, the cool air of the hit a shock to your system. He laughs quietly at your reaction, startled and half-frustrated as your eyebrows knit together, staring daggers into his obscured face, tongue rubbing slow circles against the delicate bundle of nerves. He drags two fingers, your preferred middle and ring, through your excessive wet arousal and dips them into your waiting hole with no resistance, his face lighting up at your wrecked tone, letting out a broken sob at how easily his fingers sink into you.

“Who cares—“ Eddie replies, “so pretty like this, like a queen or whatever that saying is—“

“A throne fit for a queen?” You guess, a small laugh escaping your chest. “I’m honored, truly.”

“Yeah—yeah, that.” Eddie was only a savant with words when he felt like it, and right now he was far too distracted. “Wider, sweetheart.”

You obey, stretching your legs open further, letting him adjust you until they hang over the armrests, giving him even more room to work, both hands free.

“Sweetest pussy I’ve ever tasted,” Eddie tells you through muffled tone, his mouth occupied with your throbbing heat, “it’s fucking ridiculous.”

Despite the overwhelming pleasure you feel in the moment, you’re puzzled at the comment, remembering how he opted to leave out the fact that he was a virgin until his dick was already buried inside of you the first time, fucking you sloppily over the table.

“Wait—I thought,” You start, sensing the beginning of an incoming banter, but it dies on your tongue, just as Eddie’s prods inside of you, his idle fingers traveling up to your clit, giving it a deserved amount of attention.

“Just take the compliment.” Eddie grumbles against you.

You laugh softly, enjoying how easy it was to frustrate him. But the rumble of his voice against your cunt is satiating a need you didn’t know you had, the full vibrations like magic.

You hum slightly, “Keep talking.” You encourage him.

Eddie’s eyebrows furrow from below, half of his face buried in your core. “I’m a little busy.” He protests. You tug at his hair slightly, pulling his face away from your cunt, “—oh, you’re serious?”

There was something about his voice—warm and soothing, it brought you comfort, but the calming contrast of his voice as he spoke such filthy words was stomach-clenching, making your brain go fuzzy and lose all sense of time and thought.

“Oh—okay,” He nods, taking a short breath before letting his fingers take over for a moment, staring up at you wantonly, eyes wider than ever as you pull at his hair more, a soft grunt leaving his lips, “fuck—I really like that.”

“I know.” You reply confidently.

Eddie senses your pride, feeling the need to knock you down a peg—it’s not that he didn’t mind the easy switch in dynamics, but he needed to feel that control tonight, even if it required embarrassing you a little.

“Almost as much as I like watching you touch yourself,” He says, gripping the wrist of the hand bound in his hair, pulling gently until you released him, “—go on, since you felt the need to sit in my chair without asking.”

“But, you said—“

Eddie chin tilts up, head cocking to the side in warning.

“You’re so annoying,” You mumble, listening despite his obvious ego as it oozes from him, you lean forward and press two fingers to his lips and Eddie doesn’t even question it, wetting them gleefully with his tongue—and maybe you get too greedy, causing Eddie to pull tug your hand away, pressing it carefully to your already sensitive cunt, the pads of your fingers resting over your aching core, dragging through your folds and over your clit. Eddie let’s go then, using both hands to grip at your thighs, holding you open as you touched yourself.

You know he’s definitely straining in his jeans, hard cock pressed against the line of his zipper—so you imagine how pretty he looks bare, ruddy tip pressing up against the start of his stomach as he kneels before you.

He’s watching, unashamed—lips pink and swollen as he pulls his bottom one between his teeth. You’ve never felt embarrassed or ashamed around Eddie, a stark contrast to any other person you’ve been with—Eddie adores every part of you, from head to toe, beginning to end, it’s everything you could want in a sexual partner—serious or not.

“Do you wanna come?” Eddie asks challengingly.

“Yes—yeah, I do.” You answer softly, a soft gasp falling from your lips as your fingers circle your clit, apply the perfect amount of pressure. You could applaud Eddie on how attuned he was with your body, but nobody knew it better than you.

“Fuck, look at you,” He replies with admiration, watching the way you cunt clenched around nothing, aching to be filled, “—god, I could fuck you right now.”

“Can’t.” You reply breathless, adamant on your safe-sex stance.

“I know,” Eddie agrees, “but, I can dream, right?”

“Dream all you want,” You snark, “but finish what you started.”

He laughs slightly, nodding in agreement.

“You’re right—sorry, sweetheart.”

Your fingers alone were enough, but you were being selfish, seeking the feeling of his tongue as it flattened against you, the ungodly noise as he ducks and laps at your slick, drinks it in like nothing, eyes peering up at you daringly, waiting for more.

You whine as his tongue works you over, his body unable to resist as his fingers join again too, filling you up with three instead of two, and it’s a lot to take in, even for you, his fingers mirror the girth and width of his own dick almost, long and thick, the blunt edge of his rings pressed up against your core.

“Look at me,” He muffled into your cunt, pulling back slightly to look at you, mouth glistening with wetness, “—want you to look at me when you come.”

You nod deftly, fingers working quickly to relieve that painful ache of an impending orgasm, mouth hung open on a soundless gasp as you tip over the edge—your vision whites out and you’re almost certain you go blind for half a second, not even remembering half of the encouraging, sappy shit Eddie says to you as you work through it—it’s like white noise.

“That’s good,” Eddie says softly, “—fuck you’re so warm.”

You almost forget his fingers are still buried inside you until he’s pulling them out, gently resting your back down to a more comfortable position, hips screaming for relief.

He takes his fingers in his mouth, sucking greedily—Eddie’s never been one to shy away from typically grosser stuff, he wasn’t ashamed of any of it. He’d just as easily shove his tongue in your mouth after coming down your throat, it made no difference to him.

You let out a rough sigh, making a weak motion to your discarded panties on the floor. Eddie laughs softly, reaching for the garment to shove them in your waiting hand.

“I hope you’re good at getting stains out ” You comment, feeling the wet, sticky puddle under your ass—a mix of his saliva and you, leaving a growing mark in the material.

Eddie makes a face of uncertainty, “Yeah, not so much.” He brushes it off, “Either way, no one’s gonna know.”

Which was true, it was just as indiscernible as all the other stains riddling the furniture in that room.

“Besides, there’s gonna be a few more by next week.” He comments slyly, you pull your underwear back on, lifting yourself from the chair with shaky, weak legs.

Eddie sees it, reaching for your arm immediately.

“Woah,” He smiles, “don’t go down just yet.”

“Oh, shut up.” You say playfully, shoving his hand away when you feel stable enough. “What are you even getting at?”

Eddie’s smile turns devious, crowding into your space as you fall back against the edge of the table, succumbing to another compromisable position.

“You, me,” His finger trails from himself to you, “and a lot of free time next Friday after the campaign.”

You smile slightly, patting his chest gently.

“Yeah—if someone can actually remember to bring protection.” You remind him, his face falling slightly.

“I told you I can pull out.” Eddie says defensively, voiced raised in offense.

“With your track record?” You ask, eyebrows raised in question. “I don’t think so.”

“It was one time—and the condom broke.” He tries to argue. “That wasn’t my fault.”

“You’re not knocking me up.” You tell him, finger shoving at the center of his chest. “We’re not even friends, Eddie. We just fuck, right? That’s what we agreed on.”

Eddie shrugs indifferently. “I mean, we could be friends.”

Your lips pull into a tight smile, smugness flooding your features. “If only you didn’t despise my literal existence on a daily basis.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Eddie nods in agreement, moving to allow you room to escape his entrapment. “If only.”

“At least the sex is good.” You shrug, grabbing your backpack. “Give me a ride?”

Eddie laughs at the hidden meaning, mind running with unspeakable thoughts. He senses your disapproving look, fixing himself immediately.

“Yes ma’am.” He clears his throat, throwing up a mock salute. “It would be a pleasure.”

He always manages to sneak his dirty thoughts in somehow, earning a soft smack on his arm in return. You weren’t good at resisting though, knowing that there was truth to it—Eddie was impossible to quit.

[mvltisstuff]

Hi, I loved you recent fic about reader being Eddies sister, it was amazing.

Can we get a part two with reader and Buck getting to know each other and then eventually dating at the end 🙏

Love your fics keep up the good work.

mr. rager (cont.) - e.b

summary: request

evan buckley x reader

gif from @evanbuckleydaily

a/n: ok so eddie had the spotlight in part one but this is bucks part 🤭 this is a bit of a shorter one but i hope you like it 💗

“eddie,” y/n complained. “i really don’t think i want to start anything-“

“c’mon, he’s nice! i’ve known him for a while i swear he’s a good guy,” eddie attempts to convince y/n again.

“i know, i’ve met him before. i get that you have some weird obsession with him and me but pipe down.”

“alright! i’m just saying he is an option.”

truth? y/n and buck have been going out for weeks. they’ve been hanging out and getting dinner and they actually hit it off. she realized that there’s people out there who understand her. growing up, she felt more alone than anyone. until she found buck and his radiance, he were someone to confide in. buck always was the spotlight of criticism when he was being raised. between his parents and comparisons of him and maddie, it was intolerable, so he left. similar to y/n.

they knew all too well that eddie was trying to get them together, but why not try to mess with him? they figured they wanted to sneak around a bit, act like teenagers again. sure, eddie would be pissed, but y/n was gleaming with buck. buck knew she was different from all of the girls he’s been with. abby, ally, taylor, didn’t have the elements that y/n did when she came into the room. the elements that buck needed.

they were both surprised when the other started spitting out their exact feelings, finishing their sentences like they were a psychic. it was scary at the beginning. y/n figured those issues would eventually crash together, causing damage that couldn’t reverse. she couldn’t bear to lose buck so early on.

as mentioned, they were continuously sneaking around, avoiding eddie and people who could say something. so usually, they were just at buck or y/n’s apartment where no one could bother them. y/n was laying on bucks bed, propped up on her elbows with bucks lips pressed against hers. her hands rubbed against his forearms as his were keeping himself above her, loving on her neck and admiring her lips. they stayed in that position until y/n sat up, running her hands through bucks growing hair and letting them fall to his jaw.

bucks shift had ended a few hours ago, and after long hours of working, he texted y/n, wanting her to come over. so there they were, making out in bucks small apartment.

“when do you have to go to work?”

“don’t worry about it,” buck smiles, continuing to kiss her.

“just wanna know how much time we have,” she smirks and the knocking on bucks front door interrupts them. “clearly not as much as i had hoped.”

“ugh,” buck groans, planting one more quick peck on y/n’s lips before rushing downstairs to peek into the peephole. his heart races when he sees his best friends figure waiting by the door, six-pack in his hand. “shit!”

“what’s wrong-“

“go in the bathroom, it’s your brother!” buck whisper-yells.

“why is he here?” y/n asks, frantically trying to decide what to do.

“i’ll cover for you, just, i’m so sorry,” he stutters and moves to open the door. y/n locks herself in bucks bathroom, standing there until eddie leaves. “uh, hey! what’s up?” he asks awkwardly.

“nothing much… bad time?”

“no! no, you’re good,” buck moves to let eddie in. he’s trying to make it seem less suspicious, so he just decides to let him stop by for a few minutes. “i just woke up anyway.”

“makes sense, your hairs a mess,” eddie says, making bucks eyes widen and run his fingers through it. “relax, buck. what’s got you so on edge?”

“me? i’m fine!”

“alright,” eddie replies, not believing a word of his act. “i was gonna see if y/n was busy, but she didn’t answer her phone.”

“is she at work?”

“no, her shift would have ended a while ago,” eddie tells him. “here, i’m gonna call her again.”

“are you sure?” buck spits. “it’s just, maybe she’s asleep? or out with people? or on a date?”

“c’mon, it’s y/n. i’m just gonna make sure she’s ok,” eddie presses her name on his phone and buck immediately knows his fate. he’s screwed, basically. eddie would be pissed if he found out they didn’t tell him. shouldn’t they have said something sooner? it doesn’t matter now, because he’ll find out anyway. eddie unfortunately notices the distinct ringtone of y/n’s coming from above, on his nightstand. buck tries to cover it up by coughing, but eddie just puts his phone down.

“nice try, buck,” he crosses his arms. “where is my sister?”

“i-i don’t know what you mean-“

“y/n?” eddie shouts, knowing that she’s been hiding in there somewhere. even in the bathroom, she silently curses buck, trying to figure out which part of his brain told him to do this. no turning back now, though. she flicks the lock and pulls the door open, smiling awkwardly as she steps out of the bathroom. “come down here.”

she steps down, carefully incase she has to make a run for it. maybe she should do that anyway, just escape to el paso from the pure embarrassment she feels.

“and how long have you been seeing each other and not telling me?”

“oh, you know just a-“

“four months.” buck speaks, quickly and it’s barely inaudible.

“sorry, did you say four months?” eddie exclaims. “why didn’t you say anything?”

“you had your fair share of sneaking around growing up? i’m a grown woman, i can see whoever i want. and buck is a grown man, he can make his own decisions.”

“i’m not mad, i’ve just been trying to make this work for months!”

“well, congrats,” buck adds. eddie takes a beer from the pack and takes the lid off.

“tía owes me $20,” he adds, taking a sip of the beer.

[totally-bogus-timelady]

Make do and Mend

Fwb!Steve Harrington x Fem reader

Chapter 2: The Proposition

A/N Here it is, chapter 2! Things are getting spicy at Family Video. As always comments, likes and reblogs are always appreciated and id love to hear some of your thoughts! Complete filth below. Enjoy!

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You spent your day at Family Video cleaning, serving people and restocking shelves, but only one thing was playing on your mind.

Steve Harrington had no idea of the impact that his words had had on you.

"We are in the same situation." Kept echoing in your head.

You were so sick of feeling despair. Missing Eddie and knowing that there was nothing that you could do about it but wait for the gut wrenching pain to eventually pass.

But if you could have a distraction? Something that would take your mind off it and just make you feel a little better about yourself, even if it was just for a few minutes... Surely that would be better than moping around or waking up in the middle of the night with tears streaming down your face.

Would it really hurt to just ask? The worst Steve could say was no. You were close enough friends that you knew he would understand and turn you down gently rather than make fun of you. If anyone understood how you felt it would be Steve, you were both suffering from heartbreak after all.

You continued to sweep the floor, broom sticking to one spot where Dustin had spilled his pop drink the day before whilst trying to convince Steve to let him rent a horror movie way above his age rating.

Just then a loud crash sounded from the back room startling you out of your thoughts.

"Oh come on!" You heard Steve exclaim.

Resting your broom against the wall, you made your way over to where the commotion was, only to be met with the sight of pure chaos.

The back room was a mess. There was a trolley on its side and a mass of tapes spilled out all over the floor. A very defeated looking Steve was standing there with his mouth hanging open, eyes going between his inventory sheet and the mess on the floor.

"Inventory not going well?" You asked as you came to a stop beside him.

He turned to look at you. "I knocked over the trolley and now all the tapes I had sorted are mixed with the ones I haven't, so now I gotta start all over again!" Steve whined, throwing his hands in the air, waving his inventory sheet around.

Steve crouched down to start collecting the tapes off the floor. You got on your knees opposite him to help.

"Not your day huh?" You gave him a soft smile.

Steve looked up at you his frown softening a little. "No, I guess not... Sorry, I know I'm being a grouch."

"Don't be, you're just having a bad day is all," You say whilst looking for the case to Teen Wolf.

"Seem to be having a lot of those lately."

You look up and take a moment to study him.

His hair was as usual perfectly tousled to get as much volume as possible, giving him his signature killer look. Big brown eyes, wide and sad as they mostly were these days and eyebrows slightly furrowed. You followed the slope of his nose right down to his pouty lips.

If the word 'overthinking' had a face, it would be Steve's.

"Steve..."

It was now or never.

"Yeah?" He looked up at you

This wouldn't just be for you, you decided. It would be for Steve as well. You both needed this.

After all, would doing this just once really be that big of a deal?

You were gonna ask him.

"About what you said earlier... About getting over someone by just having a fling..." You trailed off, biting your lip.

"What about it?" He replied, looking somewhat confused.

"Well, I was just thinking... Erm, I don't wanna go on a date with anyone either, even if it is purely just for sex... And I was just thinking - It's totally okay for you to say no - but I was just thinking that, well, maybe we could... Help eachother out?" Your ramble came to a stop as you braved a look at Steve.

His brow was furrowed, mouth slightly agape.

"What, like... Set you up with someone?"

Sometimes Steve could be so brilliantly oblivious it still amazed even you.

"Erm," You cleared your throat awkwardly, "No, not that..."

You took in a deep breath and watched as you waited for Steve to catch up with you.

His face went from confused to more confused before his eyes widened and it finally settled on shock. It would've been comical if you weren't so anxious.

"Wait! You wanna- With me?" He pointed towards himself, "You're- You're suggesting that me and you- Oh my god, OH MY GOD!" He exclaimed, hand now running through his hair.

"Steve I- It's just an idea! I- You can say no!"

"But- It would... Wouldn't it- You're my friend Y/N! I don't..." After flailing his hands around he closed his eyes, hands finally settling on pinching his nose.

"Steve, I don't... I'm not asking you out, I don't wanna date you. I mean no offence, you're a great guy its just, you are my friend. It would only be a one time thing... I just thought, maybe we could... Help eachother out."

Steve was now standing, pacing the room, still pinching his nose.

You let out a huff of air, feeling stupid. How could you have thought this would be a good idea?

He stops pacing and turns to you.

"You make it sound like you want me to take out your trash for you Y/N! You're talking about me and you having," He pauses and lowers his voice, "Sex..."

You look down and shuffle awkwardly.

"You're right... Oh god, I shouldn't have said anything. Just forget it, this conversation never happened... Sorry."

"Y/N"

Just then you heard Robin call out from the front of the store.

"Uh, guys! It's getting kinda busy out here, could someone come and help!"

Before Steve could say anything else you turned on your heel and fled the room as quickly as possible.

================================================

Two hours later and Robin's shift had ended. Two hours after that and the silence was killing you. Just one hour left to go...

Apart from the odd straggler hanging around the adult section the store had been pretty quiet for the last hour, leaving you to rush around doing jobs that could wait in order to avoid Steve, who was still trying to do his inventory out the back.

He had popped out every now and then but had barely said two words to you.

All you kept thinking was, how could you have been so stupid?

Steve was your friend, Your coworker that you have to see at least five days out of seven. He was friends with all of your friends. Of course he didn't want to sleep with you! Why would he? Even before you knew eachother properly he hadn't ever hit on you. Not that you wanted him to anyway, but there was clearly no interest in that side of things with you.

You were behind the counter when Steve finally came back out.

"Well, three hours later and my inventory is done and the back room is tidy again... Well as tidy as it normally is..."

He had decided to brave it and came over to stand next to you, albeit with a little more distance between you than there would normally be.

With his arms crossed over his chest, he turned to look at you.

"Hey, uh... You okay?"

Avoiding eye contact you turned to leave. "I'm gonna go and make a coffee."

"You're making a coffee at 10pm?" He said looking exasperated.

"Well, I want a coffee, I don't care if it's 10pm."

"Bullshit."

You turn back to look at him now leaning against the counter, arms still crossed.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said that's bullshit, you're avoiding me," He gave you the signature Steve Harrington mom face.

"What do you want me to say? Yes I'm avoiding you! Wouldn't you avoid someone if you'd humiliated yourself in front of them earlier?" You say.

"What, so you're not even gonna talk about it? You're just gonna run away again. You know, you're the one who suggested it! You're the one who made the awkward situation in the first place, not me!"

You stride back over to him, finger jabbing into his polo shirt.

"Oh, so this is all my fault? You know this is exactly why I didn't wanna talk about it!"

"You said a one time thing."

You frown, confused at Steve's words.

"What?"

"You said a one time thing..." Steve's eyes glance at your lips.

"Yeah but... You don't want to..."

"Actually, I do... Actually, I think its a pretty good plan. No first date nerves, no worrying about if they wanna see you again. Just sex..."

"Steve, stop humoring me," You sighed.

Steve pulled you closer to him, now pressing you into the counter with his own body.

"Does it feel like I'm humoring you?" He whispered in your ear.

You gasp.

Where Steve was pressing himself against you, you could feel a long firmness pressing into your hip that was unmistakably a hard on.

"Ever since our conversation, it's all I've thought about all day. Think it's probably the longest I've gone without thinking about Nancy," He stops to push some hair out of your face. "So yeah. If you still wanna do this, I wanna do this."

You stop, thinking about what he's just said and realize, You've barely thought about Eddie since this morning. Pretty much all day, your thought's were consumed by Steve... by this.

You lean you head back to get a better look at Steve. His pupils are blown wide, his mouth slightly ajar.

The air is thick with a sexual tension that you didn't realize you and Steve were capable of creating.

He looks down at your lips, waiting for you to make the first move. You can feel his heartbeat thumping against his chest where your hand is still pressed up against him.

You run both hands slowly up his chest until they reach the whisps of hair at the base of his neck, fingers tangling in and tugging. Steve nudges his nose against yours gently before finally pressing his lips to yours.

It feels strange at first. Steve is kissing you. Steve is kissing you. And then you relax.

Fingers bury themselves into his hair, pulling and tugging. His hands grip your hips and press you harder against the counter.

He's making out with you like a man starved of physical affection, tongue slipping into your mouth making you whimper.

"Steve..." You breathe out against his lips.

He's panting, still pressing himself into you.

"Ugh, say that again," He breathes into your ear, now moving his kisses to your jaw, your neck and finally he's sucking on your throat making you gasp again.

"Steve," You say louder this time, panting out his name.

His leg at some point had made its way between yours and was slowly grinding up against your core, making your eyes roll back.

"Break room?" You ask, still trying to catch your breath.

"Yeah," He nods eagerly.

He presses you against every wall on the way, still making out with you, walking you backwards through the door until the back of your legs hit the break room table.

Steve's hands fumble with the buttons on your shirt, undoing each one and you shuffle to get your arms out of the sleeves before untucking Steve's polo and pulling it above his head. He then starts undoing his belt before you smack his hands away and pull him closer to you, slipping it out of his beltloops and tossing it somewhere in the room.

You grab the back of his neck, pulling his mouth back down to yours and nibble on his bottom lip eliciting a loud groan from him.

"Oh," He whimpers against your mouth, "Oh god, Y/N."

Your other hand palms him over his jeans before popping the button and dragging the zip down. Your hand reaches in and continues its ministrations.

Steve lets out another load groan.

He pushes you back and starts to kiss his way down your chest. Sucking just outside the cup of your bra.

"Oh, Steve!"

He stops what he's doing and looks up at you. Even though you're friends he takes a moment to appreciate how beautiful you look like this. Sweaty, panting and your eyes half lidded.

"You like that?" He asks.

You open your eyes and look at him, "Don't get cocky Harrington."

Steve huffs out a laugh, "Alright, Alright. We doing this or what."

"Hey, you're the one who stopped not me," You laugh.

Steve grins, shaking his head and you sit up to undo your jeans, pulling them down as Steve does the same with his own.

"Nice undies," You say, smirking whilst nodding towards his checkered boxers.

"Shut up," Steve whines.

"Or what?" You challenge.

Steve smirks, "Or I'll make you shut up."

You're about to reply when Steve sinks to his knees and starts mouthing at your thighs, making his way closer to your center, turning you into a moaning mess.

His nose nudges against your panties and he starts to pull them down, a string of wetness still connecting them to you. Steve's mouth hangs open.

"You get this wet for me?" He sounds almost surprised.

"What'd I tell you about being co- Oh my god! Steve!"

He licked a stripe up the whole of your pussy before he finds your clit, toying with it expertly with his tongue.

Your head bangs against the table as you writhe around in pleasure.

"Fuck... Yes!"

Steve, still toying with your clit moves his large hands from your thighs, giving them a squeeze as he does and slowly pushes two of his fingers into your pussy. He moves them in and out of you, each thrust deeper than the last until you're screaming his name.

"Oh god, Steve! Don't stop... Fuck!" You scream.

Steve removes himself from your pussy with a loud smacking noise. Fingers still pushing in and out of you at an agonizingly slow pace, he kisses his way up your body until you're face to face again.

He gives you a short kiss before asking, "You sure you wanna do this?" A small crease of concern visible in his brow.

"Bit late for that now isn't it?" You ask breathlessly, still grinding onto his fingers.

Steve looks at you, eyes flitting between both of yours, looking for an answer.

"It's not too late. I mean it... If you've changed your mind, then we can stop whenever you want," Steve says it with such sincerity.

You stop your movements for a few seconds, Your eyes searching Steve's big brown ones. Your hand comes up to push his hair back, out of his face and you pull him back down to you again, giving him a slow, deep kiss.

"I want to do this Steve. I haven't changed my mind."

You give him a small, genuine smile and he mirrors your expression, a relieved grin taking over his face.

"Okay, good, me too."

With that, Steve takes a second to shimmy out of his boxers and gives himself a couple of pumps before lining himself up with you. You look down before he pushes in and your eyes go wide at the sheer size of him.

"Holy shit Steve! How long have you been packing that?" You exclaim, now feeling a little nervous. Steve was huge, bigger than you'd expected him to be.

He looks back at you, brows furrowed once again. "Is it... Gonna be a... A problem?" He asks timidly.

You raise your eyebrows at him.

"No, I just... Wasn't expecting you to be quite that big is all."

Steve's looking at you, now unsure how to proceed, lost in his own thoughts again.

"Steve," You say, regaining his attention, "You can carry on, just... Maybe start off slow," You let out with a nervous huff.

With one last look at you, Steve pumps himself again before you feel him run his tip up and down your pussy, making you shiver slightly in anticipation.

"Stop teasing," You whimper.

"Sorry."

And finally, with a loud groan, Steve pushes in.

Your mouth falls open in a silent gasp as Steve sits, buried deep within you. He stops, cock now completely sheathed by your pussy.

You're face to face, breathing in eachothers gasps. Steve kisses your lips before letting out a sharp breath.

"Oh god, please tell me I can move now," He whines pathetically, making you grin.

"You can move."

Steve didn't need to be told twice. He pulls out and pushes back in once slowly and then he's like a wild animal. Desperately pushing in and out of you, shaking the table underneath you. One hand comes around your thigh and pushes it back, making you moan loudly at the new angle Steve has created.

In all the years that stories had circulated at school about what a sex god Steve Harrington was, how amazing he was in bed. None of them compared to this. Never did you imagine he would actually be this good.

One of your hands comes up between you and runs through his chest hair, tugging lightly before sliding up even further and carding through his hair.

A relieved sigh falls from your open mouth as Steve sucks on your neck. He was right, this was exactly what you needed to forget the pain. The feeling of intimacy, the closeness to another person and the high of your impending orgasm. For these few moments with Steve, your mind was at peace.

"Oh, shit... I'm getting close," Steve pants.

"Ugh... Me too... Oh, Steve!" At your words, Steve had brought a finger to circle at your clit, sending you even closer to your orgasm.

With the hand that's in Steve's hair you bring him closer to you, your mouth working his once more. Deviously, you purposely clench your pussy around Steve, squeezing him, milking his dick. Steve lets out an animalistic growl before shouting your name as he comes within you.

The feeling of Steve's cock pulsing as he comes sends you hurtling over the edge, your orgasm washing over you as you moan his name one last time.

Steve pulls out and flops down next to you on the table. You lay in a comfortable silence for a minute, the only sound being both of you panting as you try to regain your breaths.

Steve turns his head to look at you.

"How was it?" He asks genuinely.

Still facing the ceiling you answer him.

"Well, the stories are true... You definitely know your way around that area."

Steve starts chuckling and after a second you join in.

================================================

Once you've both finally regained your strength, you start searching for your various items of clothing and get dressed.

Steve starts setting things in motion to shut the store, locking the back door and flipping off lights as you tidy up the mess you've both made in the break room and sort out your messy hair.

You grab both yours and Steve's jackets, handing him his as he meets you back in the doorway to the breakroom.

You both head towards the main door, shrugging your jackets on.

"Right, I'll see you tomorrow morning?" Steve asks.

"What?" You say puzzled.

"For work," Steve says as if you're stupid, confusion now gone from your face as you remember that you, Steve and Robin have another shift together tomorrow. "What, you didn't think I was gonna give you an early morning wakeup call did you?" Steve adds cheekily.

"Wha- No... Oh shut up!" You laugh again, shoving his shoulder as you go to leave.

"Although," He says following you out the door before turning to lock it behind you both, "If you ever want one just let me know," He continues his teasing.

"Steve!" You huff out with another laugh.

"Alright, alright, I'm done," He turns back to you now with a sincere expression, "Thanks, by the way. This was great, totally took my mind off... You know," Steve lifts a hand and scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Me too. Thanks Steve," You give him a genuine smile as he stands there gawking stupidly.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Go home," You instruct, corners of your lips still lifted.

Steve looks as if he's suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing. Eyebrows lifted he backs away in the direction of his car.

"Right, See you tomorrow, Friend," He grins, putting emphasis on the word 'friend'.

"See you tomorrow, friend," You return with a grin of your own as he finally turns away from you to get in his car. You start walking in the other direction to do the same.

As you sit in the drivers seat you look at your reflection in the mirror and think about how much happier you look since this morning. Still tired, yes. But significantly happier.

You jam your key into the ignition and drive off.

[steddieas-shegoes]

Okay last one until after I post chapter 13 and a few requests I promise

But this is a headcanon I’ve had for a LONG TIME and I don’t remember if I’ve seen it anywhere else or not but

Wayne was Eddie’s dad’s brother, the complete opposite of him in just about every way

He was the first one who dated Eddie’s mom in high school, loved her so much she didn’t know what to do with it, didn’t know how to accept that love so instead she found it in someone who didn’t give her the right kind of love and dated the other Munson

She didn’t know she was pregnant when she broke Wayne’s heart, had no idea she was giving up a future that maybe wouldn’t have been perfect, but would’ve been filled with love

She convinces Wayne’s brother the baby is his, which is easy because she’s only 6 weeks along when she finds out and he’s not very bright to begin with

Wayne left town when they broke up, cut off contact with them completely, so he doesn’t even know

But he knows when he gets a call from CPS that his brothers in prison and the only love of his life is dead, he’s gotta take in his nephew and love him the way he always deserved but probably never got

At first, he just does what he can to make sure he’s safe and doesn’t run away. At 12, he’s pretty resourceful and probably could make a hell of a run for it if he wanted to

But the longer Eddie’s with him, the more he notices about their similarities

Some of it can be explained away, if he’s half his brother, it makes sense they share some genetic traits

But the dimples he has weren’t from his dad or his mom, only Wayne had those

And he knew Eddie didn’t those curls from anyone but him

Even things like the way he liked his hamburgers and his favorite beer when he got older were the same as Wayne

The way he was stubborn, and worked hard but only if he cared about it, all Wayne traits

Wayne does the math

Wayne doesn’t need any type of DNA test to know what’s going on now

Eddie is his son not his nephew, and he doesn’t know it

He’s treated Eddie like a son since he came to live with him, so nothing changes but sometimes Wayne just looks at him, watches the way he weaves stories for his friends with that dragon game and the way he mixes his vanilla ice cream with coke, and the way he sleeps with his mouth wide open but doesn’t snore

He knows he should tell him, knows he should do a test to confirm it

But he doesn’t know how to approach it so he doesn’t

He’s forced to when Eddie’s in the hospital, the government running every test under the sun to confirm he’s safe enough to release into the general public when his name is cleared, one of those being DNA

When the doctors ask if he was aware Eddie was his son while Eddie stares at him with wide, teary eyes and Wayne thinks this is it, this is the last time Eddie will want anything to do with him

But he’s crying because he suspected it for years, but didn’t let himself think that because he didn’t think he deserved to have a dad who actually cared about him

It’s awkward at first, difficult for them to really acknowledge it out loud, especially when Eddie explains to all those kids who hang around and the Harrington boy and even Hopper, who Wayne thought was dead

But eventually, they reach a point where it just makes sense

Eddie starts calling him dad, says even without it being a fact, he was more of a dad than the guy who “raised” him

Wayne cries about it, never thought he’d have this or anything close to it

Eddie cries about it too, mad at his mom for hiding this and hiding him from a relationship with his real dad who would’ve given them both the love they deserve but happy he was getting it now

[lildashofheaven1]

‘We dont have to take our clothes off’

Joseph Quinn x female y/n

‼️TW‼️ SA, talk of sex, 18+, swearing

Friday night, my friends had convinced me to go out in south london on a night out to get over my shitty ex.

I dolled myself up and tried to make it look like i have my life together, im wearing a short red dress with my hair half up and tied a black silk bow to tie it with, i also paired it with natural ish make up and added a red lip.

Not a word from your lips, you took for granted that i want to skinny dip.

A quick hit, thats your game. But i’m not a piece of meat, stimulate my brain.

I sat on my sofa in silence as i mindlessly scrolled instagram and saw my ex post a pic of him and his new girl which made me feel awful, awful as he cheated on me and awful as i know he wont change and she will have to endure what i did.

I was interrupted with my thoughts by a knock on my front door, i walked to the door and was met with my best friend Ziggy wearing a pink dress shirt and flared blue jeans.

“Sup slut!” He said in a road-man voice and burst out laughing, i faked a laugh before saying, “Do we have to go out zigs? I dont know if im feeling it” to this his face fell, i know how much he loves to go out and the thought of ruining this night for him made me feel awful.

“The night is young, and so are we” Ziggy answered with ‘if you hate it that bad when were out then we can come home, i promise’ he added as he held out his pinky, we pinky swore then headed out after i grabbed a black YSL clutch bag.

We made it to the club which i hadn’t been to since breaking up with my ex, Ziggy reached for my hand and said ‘cmon, he wont be in here’ i nodded and we walked in.

We went to the bar to get a drink and i saw all these people around me, desperate for attention and wanting to be the only person in the room.

At one point, a man walked towards me saying “y’alright darlin? Wanna give man your number? stilll” i looked to Ziggy for help and he put his arm around me saying

“This bloke bothering you babe?” In his as he called it ‘straight man voice’ eventually the guy got the hint and left to stalk his next prey.

Lets just get to know each other slow and easy

“Take my hand” Ziggy said as we moved to the middle of the dance floor.

let's hit the floor

Shake our bodies to the music. Maybe then you’ll score

So come on baby wont you show some class

Why’d you have to move so fast

We dont have to take our clothes off

To have a good time

We can dance and party all night and drink some cherry wine

After dancing for around an hour i got into my groove and was even doing shot after shot with Ziggy.

“Check out the brunette bloke in a nice shirt and looking fine!” Ziggy said and pointed at a bloke stood at the bar with another mad who’s dressed in all black with blonde hair tied into a small bun, i cant take my eyes off of the brunette man.

“He’s so fit!!” I shouted back to Ziggy as the music was so loud. “Go chat to him!” “No way!” “Y/n you’ve waited so long for this!! Go and get laid by the fit bloke!” The alcohol is starting to hit us very clearly at this point, im gonna regret this tomorrow.

I stood quiet, Ziggy then shouted again “if you dont shag him i will!” And pointed yet again at the brunette. The man at the bar thought Ziggy was calling him over so he came over and i felt my face turn bright red.

“Y’alright mate?” The brunette asked

“My mate fancies you!” Ziggy yelled again, i dont know whether it was the alcohol or Ziggy being a complete twat. The brunette had a look of confusion until he looked down at me slightly and his gaze softened as we made eye contact, it immediately clicked.

This is Joseph-fucking-Quinn!

Despite my best thoughts, the alcohol didn’t stop me from saying to him “your Eddie Munson!” To that Joseph shook his head while laughing. “Y’alright joe? Whos your friends?” Omfg its jamie! I sobered up at the realisation that two celebs know of my existance?! The two of them, clearly less drunk than me and Ziggy ended up being such nice guys and invited us to the VIP area to have a couple drinks.

As me and Ziggy sat down with them, he pulled me towards him and whispered (which was not quiet at all)

“They’re the guys from the show, ain’t they?” I jokingly shoved him away while laughing. Thankfully the VIP area was a lot quieter than the main part meaning we could actually have a conversation, it resembled more of a quiet pub due to how little people were there.

“Whatre we wanting to drink?” Jamie asked as he got his wallet out. “You dont have to honestly..” i started but Ziggys face lit up and said

“Well if you’re offering handsome ill take a double vodka coke” winking at him at the end. “And mard-arse over here will have a single vodka lemonade” Ziggy added while nudging me, i then slapped him upside the head.

I smiled at Jamie and said thank you.

“So Y/n, where abouts are you from?” Joseph asked as Ziggy went to help Jamie carry the drinks.“Originally im from Brighton, i moved down a few years ago for university” i said with a chuckle.

His smile lit up the bloody room and i added “i study, performing arts, music and art” i noticed he looked intrigued, “sorry i need to learn when to stop talking, honestly i end up just blabbing and its probably why Ziggys the only one to put up with me?” I laughed, i had complete word vomit, why wasn’t Ziggy there to slap his hand round my mouth to stop me?!

“Thats interesting, what do you do in art?” Joseph asked almost knowing the panic i was feeling, wanting me to know he cares and is interested.

After chatting with him for a few more minutes jamie and ziggy returned with the drinks, including a coke for jamie.

“Im gonna run to the toilet ill be back in a sec” i said as i stood up“Want me to stand guard again?” Ziggy asked“No im okay, it seems nice enough in this bit, ill be fine” i smiled at them all and went to the toilet

Just slow down if you want me A man wants to be approached cool and romantically, oh-oh I've got needs, I'm just like you And if the conversation's good vibrations through and through

I was leaving the toilets when i felt a cold hand grab my wrist and dragged me back against the wall, i slammed my head against the wall due to the force.I looked up to see who it was and it was the guy from earlier, a man i now recognise was my exes best friend, Brian.

“You know you always wanted me y/n” he slurred, how the fuck did he get in here?!He dragged me back into the bathroom that was empty and started kissing my neck i tried to get him off

“So come on baby wont you show some class?” He sneered

We don't have to take our clothes off To have a good time, no-oh We could dance and party all night. And drink some cherry wine

Ziggy Pov

“Im gonna go check on y/n, shes usually less time than this” i know my best friend like the back of my hand, somethings wrong Joe and jamie nodded as i walked towards the bathroom. I opened the door and saw that piece of shit pinning my best friend against the wall where she was sobbing and frozen in fear.

Y/n Pov

The door opened and ziggy stood still for a second until he pounced and ripped him off of me and threw him on the ground so hard he flew through the push door and landed on the floor next to the bar.

“You fucking piece of shit! What do you think your doing?!” Ziggy screamed at him as i walked out the bathroom with tears flooding and i was moving my dress straps that he had tried ripping off.

Ziggy pulled Brian out of the bathroom mid way through his attack so he had his jeans undone and halfway down and he was escaped his underwear during his attack on me.

Joseph and Jamie leaped out fo their seats and ran towards us. Jamie was helping Ziggy get rid of Brian. Whereas Joseph was holding me and helping me through my panic attack.

“Are you okay? Y/n cmon breathe for me darling” he said as he held my head to his chest so i could ground myself with his heartbeat.

Jamie and Ziggy had gotten Brian on his feet and yelled for security. Before security had gotten to them. They had a field day beating the shit out of Brian.

When Brian got escorted out he was spitting blood and Definitely had a broken nose. A nice touch was Ziggy was wearing a ring with the word ‘BITCH’ imprinted on it. After punching Brian the word bitch had been stamped-onto his cheek.

After we were sure he was gone i went straight to the bar and asked for two shots of vodka, throwing them back straight away. “She had a shitty ex and the fact that he will stop at nothing to make her life hell, its all my fault i borderline forced her to come out tonight” i heard ziggy say to them as i was at the bar.

As the night died down i had sobered up a lot so i had counteracted that by ordering shot after shot and wanting to forget the pain. Joseph had a few beers, however he wasn’t nearly as drunk as i was, Jamie didn’t drink so obviously he was his usual self. But me, i was wasted and i knew i was going to regret it tomorrow

I had my arm around josephs shoulder for support as we left the club. Ziggy had left sometime earlier as he met someone he was planning on spending the night with, i never felt so comfortable than with these two men so i assured him i was completely fine.

As we went outside, joseph and Jamie stopped for a cigarette “you smoke?” Jaime offered his pack, i nodded and took one while saying thank you. Joseph handed me his lighter as we all stood outside enjoying our cigs.

“Come back to mine y/n not sure if i love the idea of you alone in london at this time” joseph offered with a smile. I was honestly too tired to argue so i agreed, after our cigs me and joseph got into an uber and headed for his apartment after saying goodbye to jamie

“Its been lovely meeting you y/n, and im so sorry about your exes friend” jamie hugged and smiled at me as i said goodbye to him.

As we entered josephs flat, i had this wave of confidence hit me as i stopped us walking in his flat to kiss him. He broke the kiss and said “ i dont want you to regret this tomorrow y/n”

“I doubt i will” i whispered sultrily in his ear as he continued the kiss and picked me up so i was straddling him as he took me to his room and lay me on the bed, he then got on top of me and took his shirt off.We made out for minutes but it ended way too soon as he broke the kiss again and said “y/n your drunk i cant do it to you, especially after what happened tonight i just wouldn’t be right. I mean, we dont have to take out clothes off to have a good time”

I respected his morals and agreed that we shouldn’t do it. He stood up as i sat on his bed, he walked back holding a large bang t shirt saying “you can get dressed in the bathroom if you like? The second door on the right” he smiled at me.

I took the shirt while saying thank you, i headed to the bathroom while walking past photos on his wall of him and his friends on set, him with his family. After changing i returned to his room to see him lay on his bed wearing nothing but grey joggers, his face lit up as he saw me.

We spent the night together with movies on in the background playing on his tv while we spoke about anything and everything, getting to know each other more.

Safe to say i did not regret the night i spent with him

[badcaseofcasey]

Steddie Soulmate/Met as Kids AU - Part 4 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Leave it to Dustin and the rest of the kids to almost immediately befriend the one person in all of Hawkins High that Steve was trying to avoid. Steve probably should have seen it coming - he knew the kids liked D&D, and he knew that Eddie was a founding member of the Hellfire Club. It was only a matter of time, really.

But Steve had naively thought that it would take at least a year for the kids to find their way to the Hellfire Club, and by then, ideally Eddie would have finally graduated (third time’s the charm, right?).

But no, they’d barely made it a month into the school year and all of a sudden Steve’s having to listen to Dustin rant and rave about how amazing Eddie Munson is on a daily basis, a tingle running up Steve’s ribs every time.

“Isn’t it cool that there’s a D&D club?” Dustin said. “Eddie says the school has tried to get him to shut the club down multiple times, but he’s always been able to convince them otherwise. I swear, if Eddie had stats, his charisma would be off the charts. I keep telling you D&D isn’t just for nerds!”

“I went to high school with that guy,” Steve argued. “He is absolutely not proof that D&D isn’t just for nerds. If anything, he confirms it.”

There was a moment of blessed silence and Steve let out a slow breath. If he was honest with himself, there was something about hearing Dustin talk about how Eddie had taken them under his wing that Steve didn’t mind hearing about at all. The idea that Eddie was looking out for the kids when he had been so nervous for them entering into high school felt right.

“So, did you like, know Eddie?” Dustin asked suddenly, knocking Steve out of his thoughts. “What was he like when you were younger?”

“Dustin, the guy’s a two-time super senior,” Steve said. He would rather be back fighting demodogs than have this conversation. “He’s a year older than me and he’s still in high school. Why do you care what he was like when I knew him?”

Dustin rolled his eyes. Luckily, up to this point, he’d written off Steve’s reluctance to talk about Eddie as jealousy.

“Because he’s awesome - did you know he plays guitar?”

Now it was Steve’s turn to roll his eyes. He honestly did not want to picture Eddie Munson playing guitar - for more reasons than one - but he certainly wasn’t interested in hearing about it second hand from what was essentially his kid brother.

Unfortunately, a side effect of Dustin assuming Steve was just jealous was his insistence that they had to spend more time together to make up for the time he spent at Hellfire. Which is how Steve found himself driving the kids home from Hellfire Club meetings without a good enough excuse to get himself out of it. Thankfully, Steve had managed to avoid running into Eddie and could mostly just zone out while the kids relayed their most recent session the whole drive home.

He’d successfully made it through three weeks of Hellfire pick-ups without seeing Eddie - he usually had to stick around to clean up after the group, even after the kids had all piled into their respective rides home, something Steve could definitely relate to. Of course, Steve’s luck had to run out eventually - it had never really been all that great to begin with.

One particular night, he had been kept waiting outside the high school longer than usual. He stepped out of the car and checked his watch, before putting his hands on his hips. He really didn’t want to go in there, but it would only be so much longer before his instincts would force him to go check on the kids.

Right when Steve couldn’t take it anymore and was about to go inside himself, the side doors burst open. Through them came Dustin, Mike, and Lucas, each with a cardboard box, and behind them, the King of Hellfire himself, Eddie Munson.

“Steve!” Dustin yelled. “Sorry we’re late, Eddie needed our help loading some stuff into his van.”

“All right, Henderson,” he yelled back, “just get a move on, I don’t have all night.”

Steve watched as Eddie led them over to a beat-up looking van, hardly sparing Steve a glance as he went. Steve felt his eyes lingering on Eddie before he could think better of it, that magnetic pull he felt behind his ribs back in full force. Really, this was the first time Steve had been around Eddie without the judgmental eyes of Tommy H and Carol on him, and he was taking full advantage.

Eddie had definitely grown up a bit since last year. Steve guessed they all had, really.  But Eddie was filling out the leather jacket he’d had since sophomore year better than ever and Steve couldn’t help but let his eyes drift down to the bandana hanging out of his back pocket as he bent over to shove the cardboard boxes into the back of the van.

Dustin and the others said goodbye to Eddie, giving high fives and thanking him for a great session. Not once did Eddie’s head turn in Steve’s direction. As soon as the kids said goodbye, Eddie was shutting the van doors and climbing in the driver’s side door.

“Man,” Dustin said. “What did you do to piss Eddie off? He’s much nicer when Nancy picks us up.”

“You know I was a dick in high school, Dustin,” Steve responded, keeping his eyes on the road. “Eddie and I ran in very different social circles.” 

“We get it, you were cool in high school,” Mike sneered from the back seat, earning a smack on the arm from Lucas.

“So not the point I was trying to make, Wheeler.”

“He probably just doesn’t realize that you’re better now,” Dustin said. “Past-Steve would never have been friends with me, voluntarily.”

“I’m not sure I’m your friend voluntarily now, Henderson.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to talk you up to Eddie next time I see him, make him see that you've changed.”

“Trust me, Dustin,” Steve said, sparing the van one last glance as they turned out of the parking lot. “The last thing Eddie Munson wants to hear is you complimenting Steve Harrington.”

“Only assholes refer to themselves in the third person,” Mike said.

Steve rolled his eyes. He had no idea what he’d done to deserve this, honestly. Except that maybe he did - a little bit.

Part 5

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[shelbgrey]

Hello 👋 can give dating edward cullen x fem reader headcanons please 🙏

Dating Edward Cullen Headcanons:

Twilight Master list

So for starters this relationship isn't gonna be like the one he had with Bella, she exist in this world but she's not a major problem... We'll get to that eventually.

So in the twilight universe Edward falls for his blood singer(Bella) but in this world I think he'd relize his true mate is another vampire. This wouldn't cause so much pressure for him and less problems for both families.

For some background, your the Denali's newest addition, Eleazar and Carmen adopted you and that's how you and Edward met.

You both knew you guys were mates, the bond was there but he knew you deserved to be taken out on dates and you guys should be able to learn about each other.

The first date was an outside theater he set up for the both of you in your back yard. He picked out all your favorite movies, but you ended up ignoring them and just talking the whole time.

You bring out a more playful side of him, Carlisle has never seen him so happy or heard him laugh so much.

He's very affectionate person with you. Always kissing your forehead or hugging you.

If he wants attention he'll seek it, it doesn't matter if your reading or doing homework he'll pull you to his chest and you'll continue working.

You help him see that he's not a monster, you guys work very hard to make him see himself the way you do. “your not the monster you think you are”

“well, king kong once said it was beauty that killed the beast” what Edward means by this is that your bright personality snuffed out the darkness(the beast) he felt inside him.

His First 'I love you' was after about three months into dating, he knew the moment he saw you that he loved you but he wanted to make sure this is what the both of you wanted.

You guys did have a long distance relationship for a while, year maybe because you lived in Alaska and the Cullens were living in Seattle at the time. Eleazar and Carlisle knew the both of you were miserable being so far away from each other, so they made arrangements for Edward and the Cullens to move to Alaska.

Edward and you always have long conversation about your passions. Sometimes it's book or music. Whatever is on your mind you talk about it.

Speaking of mind, he can read it but he tries not to. He very much respects your privacy, so he only does went it's 100% necessary.

Back to passions and books you don't relize how many discussion and friendly arguments you've guys had about Harry Potter. Most of the time its you trying to convince Edward that Cedric Diggory wasn't an annoying character. “no guy should be that perfect! And there's no way he would have won the tournament”

You made him take the hogwarts house quize and He's a Ravenclaw.

Your the only one who can call him Eddie. Emmett doses it just to mess with him, but Eddie is a nickname he only loves when you call him it. “she the only on who can call me that”

Remember when I said Edward is so much more playful since you came into his life, well you guys have millions of inside jokes and your always playing games to keep yourself entertained.

You guys play tag a lot and there's no rules, all vampire abilities are in use and you guys get very competitive. Esme and Carmen have baned you from playing in the house though.

Your not aloud to play around the house at all actually, not after you accidentally pushed Edward threw the wall. Carmen and Esme grounded you both.

“well I hope you guys don't have anything planed this weekend beacuse you're spending it fixing the wall.” Esme said, Carmen did cuss you guys out in Spanish.

Since you guys have alot of time on your hands during the night he's token upon himself to teach you how to play piano.

Peaking of music your Song isn't gonna be thousand years or Flightless bird(as mush as I love both songs) but your song is Can't help falling in love by Elvis Presley.

You guys dance alot too, at night when the right song is playing you guys just sway around in your room without a care in the world.

You guys don't argue alot, if you do it's about him feel insecure about himself or the fact your reckless. Vampire or not he wants you safe.

His kisses are always full of passion and love. He makes sure you know your the only girl he wants and since your a vampire he isn't afraid to hurt you, but that doesn't mean he's rough with you or just doesn't care.

You guys are engaged by the time you moved to Forks, you guys planed to have the wedding after your graduation.

But since your now in Forks that meant you guys have to deal with Bella. Bella becomes obsessed with Edward, but he doesn't care. Your the only girl he wants and he remains faithful.

Bella wouldn't let up even going to the length of trying to befriend Alice and Rosalie just so she could get closer to Edward. Rosalie wouldn't tolerate it, she loves you like a sister and she doesn't want to see your relationship get screwed up by a stupid human.

“he has a girlfriend”

“I don't see her” Bella said.

“turn around, now you see her”

She tried to break you guys up by spreading rumers or trying to start fight between you two, but she failed everytime. No amount of power could tair you two apart.

She did give up after a while but she remained snapy towrds your families, but it's easy to ignore her.

Well since there's no Bella that means no birthday party for Jasper to lose his shit at. But you guys do end up going to Alaska after graduation, you and Edward got to graduate early with high honors.

Playing baseball is so much funner in the snow and since both of your families are there that ment bigger teams. Denalis vs. Cullens, I'll let you decide who wins.

Emmett and Edward do cheat, but Edward always gose easy on you. But you don't need it, your a total bad ass and Edward couldn't feel more lucky.

You guys get married in Alaska and it's a small wedding, just what you wanted and Tayna planed it with Rose and Kate's help.

Later on you end up adopting a little girl, Edward and you wanted kids. This also give Edward the opportunity to the daughter what Carlisle was to him.

In conclusion, Edward is the happiest he's ever been. He with the woman of his dreams and he couldn't feel so content with life.

You made his life better.

[fandsart]

Cw: Discussion of death, dissociation

Ever since Vecna, Steve will sometimes wake up convinced he’s dead. That those vines broke his neck. This can last anywhere from 2 to 45 minutes. Lately he’s having to set his alarm an hour earlier than he used to wake up just to account for this.

Robin was horrified when he told her. He explains that it’s not exactly scary. While the idea of dying is scary, the perspective of actually being there is mostly void and numb. She’s still concerned about the fact it’s happening, but less actually sympathetic to any ‘struggle’ it causes Steve. The only real struggle it causes Steve is in the realm of time management.

After some research, Robin concludes that it’s probably dissociation. After all the shit Steve’s been through, it isn’t unwarranted. With Max still in a coma, it’s not surprising he might feel a sort of disconnect from reality, his mind having to work to fully accept his reality as it is while waking. Plus the trauma of the situation, of which being choked out by the vines doesn't even begin to cover.

Usually he can’t move in this state. Well, he can move, but he doesn’t. He’ll turn his head and observe his surroundings, he’ll reposition when uncomfortable. It’s not that he doesn’t have control of his limbs, but the dead aren’t meant to go anywhere, and so to move would feel so unnatural. He’s not supposed to move, and it’s really hard to question succumbing to the mindset when you think you’re dead. Everything is void and numb, and when you’re dead, all there is left to do is stay where you are.

Sometimes he thinks about telling Dustin about his new issue, but Dustin has been kind of paranoid since Eddie died. Robin says it’s probably part of his mourning process. It’s like the bargaining step, but in advance. With the danger they know to be around them, now fully exposed to the reality that death can hit, even with all the preparations they could possibly put into place, there’s still a chance.

With all the supernatural stuff that’s happened, Steve doesn’t want Dustin to get the idea that Steve’s issue is anything prophetic. Robin says Dustin is smarter than that, but she also agrees that since it’s not really affecting anything tangibly, then him knowing doesn’t make much difference. Even after they killed Vecna.

He’s usually pretty conscious when in this state. Sure he thinks he’s dead, but he’s processing the world around him mostly fine. Thinks about how the others must be handling it. That’s really the worst part of this whole thing. Except this time he feels pretty out of it, and…

He needs to find his grave. He’s never felt a draw to move while dead before, but he desperately needs to find his resting place. He’s not supposed to be in the open air like this. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

He wanders, and loses himself, literally. Wanders some more. Finds his grave.

Steven Joseph Harrington.

So his parents came around to bury him then. Otherwise Robin would have known to omit the middle name, and she wouldn’t have let up about it if she were involved.

“Steve?”

He turns around. It’s Eddie. So he is dead after all.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Ever since Vecna, Eddie will sometimes wake up convinced he’s dead. Gnawed to death by those bats. Sometimes it lasts longer than others. Today was particularly quick, which means he has time to visit Chrissy in her coma before heading to the cemetery.

He figures with all of everything that’s happened, it’s some kind of related outlet. He wonders if he’ll eventually get through this bat stuff and move on to waking up convinced he was fully convicted of murder, and not declared innocent.

Steve’s parents finally got back into town, meaning their orders to put his body on ice were overturned so they could have the funeral. That was yesterday, and the group agreed to hold their own little ceremony the next day. Which is today.

They agreed to meet at the gate to the cemetery, and Eddie didn’t think he was that early, but none of the others are here yet. Maybe it’s earlier than he thought. He still hasn’t bought a new watch since his old one got soaked. But it’s also possible that everyone else is having a hard time dragging themselves here. Eddie never had the chance to get that close to Steve, but he’s seen how affected the others are by his passing.

But it’s also possible that he lost track of time, in fact he thinks that he might have. He’s always doing that. Usually he’s late for things, but it isn’t unheard of for him to be obscenely early. Sometimes when he has plans to do things it just makes all of the time before it become designated as ‘waiting time.’ He didn’t check the clock before he left the hospital either. Come to think of it, the sun is still pretty low.

He tries waiting it out, but he’s very impatient. Eventually he decides to try to find the grave. Only Robin already knows where it is. It’d probably be good for more people to know, even though the reason they’re meeting at the entrance is so Robin can just show them, but still. And then he can just circle back to the front once he’s found it. No big deal.

Sure cemeteries tend to be pretty big, but Hawkins is a small town, and there’s a bit of a class division between burial sites. It doesn’t take long to find the area he’s sure the Harringtons would place themselves in.

There’s a familiar head of hair in the distance, but… that can’t be right. And yet the closer he gets, it’s not just the hair; the body type too.“Steve?” he asks even though he knows it can’t be him. But the man turns around and their eyes meet. And it can’t be anyone else either. That’s Steve, with a look of bewilderment and daze to compete with Eddie’s own.

Did anyone think I actually just had Steve die somehow? Just curious Also I don't actually have any further plans for this or what any of it means, but I would encourage anyone inspired to build off of this to do so. I'd be curious how others might want to play with the premise

[plussizefantasia]

Munson's Commentary

Flufftober Day 22: Haunted House

Modern AU: Eddie Munson x f!reader

Word Count: 1.3k

AN: This was inspired by a real-life experience I had at one of those scare experience places that are like hainted houses on steroids. I wish I had had an Eddie Munson to protect me, but alas I had to do it myself. Feedback and Reblgs are much appreciated. See y'all tomorrow!

divider credit @royallaesthetics

“You guys are fucking sick, you know that?” You spat out at Robin and Steve who were over on the sidewalk laughing their assess off. 

This was their idea, doing the Scare Factor Experience ™ and you were totally not afraid to admit that when it came to shit like this you were a wimp. You had told them so right after they suggested the Saturday night outing and yet, here you were. Waiting on the sidewalk outside this warehouse-looking place with a bunch of other young adults in various states of intoxication. It was halfway to freezing out here and you were in a simple jeans and sweater-combo. Which would have been sufficient for hanging out at Steves as the plans had originally been.

Robin had seen the ad on her phone while scrolling on the couch and immediately started convincing the group that it would be “So fun” and “a great idea”. Bullshit. You didn’t consider being scared by weird people in makeup was a great way to spend your night.

But you’d been outvoted and unceremoniously shoved into the back of Steve’s car so you apparently didn’t really have a choice.

When you’d arrived and seen how long the line was you’d tried to convince the others that it would be too long and you should just go home, which only caused another round of booing at you and some minor bullying that you wouldn’t put up with form anyone except your friends.

It was obvious you were on edge, which to the dumbass duo over there meant that you were free game apparently. They’d been trying to jumpscare you in line every ten minutes for the past hour and had successfully gotten you a few times.

“C’mon guys, leave the scaring to the professionals.” Eddie had told them, wrapping his arm around your back and pulling you into his side. 

“We’re just messing around Munson.” Steve had replied, sticking his tongue out at your curly-haired savior. You stuck your tongue right back out at him and turned to his your face in eddies chest. Eddie hadn’t really said much tonight, usually you can’t get him to stop talking but tonight was different for some reason.

“You okay, Eds?” You mumbled into the neckline of his shirt.

“Yeah Princess, just not thrilled about being here.”

“I thought you liked scary things?”

“I do, but you don’t. I don’t want to force you to do this but I also don’t want to leave you out here where I can’t keep an eye on you.”

“Aww Eds. I’ll be okay I promise. I’m just a little scardey cat sometimes.”

“You shouldn’t have to be okay about it. Tweedle dee and tweedle dum over there should’ve taken no for an answer and planned to go another time.

“Thank you for sticking up for me Eddie, but seriously It’s not that big of a deal.”

“If you say so, princess. Just know that I’ve got your back.”

A few more minutes went by, during which your little group shuffled closer and closer to the doors. At one point, Nancy and Jon joined your group. You don’t know who had texted them but they were here now. You loved hanging out with them but weren’t too excited at the prospect that more people were going to see you freak out in a few more minutes.

Eventually, your group made it to the doors and listened to the guy at the entrance explain the rules. No pictures, no running, and definitely no putting your hands on the scare actors. Apparently, some people punched when they were scared.

You and Eddie were smack dab in the middle of your group. Robin and Steve had locked arms and were raring to go at the front. You and Eddie were right behind them, Eddie still having his hand on your back, attempting to rub soothing circles into your skin. Nancy and Jonathon were behind you too, whispering back and forth between the two of them and giggling. You had no idea what could possibly be funny right now.

The guy who had told you the rules pulled back a thick black curtain and told you all to go ahead into the starting room.

Stepping past the curtain submerged your group into a sea of darkness. There was no light except for the faint glow of the fire exit sign right behind you.

Steve and Robin marched confidently towards the other set of doors in the room, past that was the haunted house, which didn’t have any exits you could take once you went through it.

Together they pushed the doors open and a dark red light could be seen on the other side but not much. You were trembling in your boots at this point. You could feel your tears begin to water and your breath begin to pick up and Eddie did too.

“I got you, Princess.” He whispered into your ear, and you calmed down even if it was just lightly. Slowly and with a small push from Eddie your feet began to work again and you started shuffling forward and into the first room.

This room wasn’t really a room, more like a hallway. The walls were made of some kind of metal sheeting and above your heads were red pulsating lightblubs. The hallway wasn’t very wide, meant for only one person to go through at a time. Eddie grabbed your hand and took the lead. Slowly pulling you behind him but turning his head back a couple of times to check on you. Behind you, Nancy was looking around, without the need to hold her boyfriend’s hand and you were suddenly distracted by the feeling of fear, as it was quickly replaced by embarrassment. 

However, the feeling faded just as quickly as it had come when you entered another room. One modeled after a kind of run-down hospital. There was a woman behind a counter, dressed in a blood-covered nurse's outfit. In her hands was the largest needle you had ever seen, her head was tipped back and she was laughing like a maniac.

You were absolutely terrified. It was all too much, the low lights, the creepy soundtrack in the background. The fog that was being pumped into the building made it hard to breathe and you could tell you were beginning to panic. That was until you heard, “Do you take walk-ins? I don’t think I have an appointment,” come out of your boyfriend’s mouth. You couldn’t help but smile. If Eddie had a superpower it would be his humor, it was one of the many reasons you loved him. 

Room after room, Eddie would make you laugh and feel better by cracking some jokes. A room that looked like a butcher, complete with fake hanging pigs? “I’m a vegetarian, do you have like a salad or something?” A dentist’s office “Will I get a sticker when I’m done?” And so on and so on. Every time an actor would jump out at you he would say “Hello!” in a cheery voice. Once or twice you heard him say “Happy birthday”. 

By the last room, you were laughing more than you were screaming and your heart was warm with the love you held for your goofball. He held your hand the entire time and made you forget all about the terror that was supposed to be flowing through your veins.

The last set of doors opened up and immediately you could breathe better, the fake fog not following you into the outside air.

“That was awesome!” Robin yelled, turning to look back at the rest of you.

“It was fun, I could’ve gone without Munson’s commentary though.” Steve ribs, sending a wink your way to let you know he was just joking around.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Harrington, I’m hilarious,” Eddie replies.

“You really are.” You pipe up, placing a kiss on your boyfriend’s cheek and sticking your tongue out at Steve one more time.