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kaciidubs · 3 months ago

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Talk Dirty [Like You Need Love]

This song has me thinking heavily about expanding this into a fuller fic, so if people end up liking it, maybe I'll go ahead and finish it further! ✧ Summary: Chris was a great friend, picking you up from work whenever you had a late shift - so, it was only fair that you wanted to repay him. ✧ ✧ Word Count: 3.5k ✧ Warnings: Biker!AU, friends to ???, smut, slight dom! Chris, open ended ✧ ✧ Female! Reader [No use of Y/N] | You/Your pronouns ✧ ✧ Additional Tags: Reader is referred to as Baby, Good Girl, Pretty, Chris is referred to as Baby, Channie ✧ Stray Kids Masterlist ✧ General Masterlist

The streetlights came and went in intermittent strobes, passing over the two of you as his motorcycle hummed along the sparsely occupied street.

Your arms were wrapped securely around his waist just as he’d taught you, the warmth of your body against his back combating the chill of the crisp night air - he really wished he hadn’t forgotten his hoodie in his rush to pick you up.

“Are you cold?”

As if reading his mind, your voice floated through the comms of his helmet and he shook his head, “I’m alright, baby - don’t worry about me.”

Of course, you weren’t easily swayed - it was a quality he loved about you, no matter how much he preferred to be the one to look out for everyone else, you were always there to double back on him with undeterrable determination; proved by the way you leaned a little more against his back.

He wouldn’t have thought twice about your sweet gesture if it weren’t for the shifting of your arms, your hands slowly splayed against his torso.

“I always worry about you, Chris…” Your voice was soft, dripping with sweet honey as your right hand wandered its way higher, following the soft defined path of his chest underneath his shirt. “It’s hard not to, if I’m honest.”

He took a short breath, unsure if this was truly happening or if his mind was playing tricks on him and twisting your intentions to fit his deep seated desires.

That is, until your left hand carefully danced its way to his thigh, sitting nicely against the cotton of his sweatpants.

“You always do so much for everyone else- do so much for me,” your hand flexed, nails pressing lightly against his thigh, “I just wanna do something for you in return, you know?”

The bike slowed to a roll as you reached a stoplight, Chris keeping the balance with his otherwise unoccupied leg while taking the opportunity to hold onto the outside of your own thigh.

“Be careful with your words, baby - you might give me the wrong idea.”

“Are my actions not enough?” You murmured, inching your hand higher, fingertips brushing along the inseam of his sweats, “Should I do more, Channie?”

His hand left the brake clutch to wrap around your wrist, electricity flowing through your veins like a completed circuit. “You shouldn’t do this. We shouldn’t do this.”

“But I want this, I need this.”

Your hand squeezed, your voice filling his head like the intoxicating lull of a siren’s call.

“I need you.”

Green.

Chris tapped your thigh, ignoring the chill that ran down his spine when you seamlessly went back to holding onto him just like he taught you; arms around his waist, your body against his back.

The ride to his apartment felt like second nature with you - much like other things he did with you, if he were honest with himself - and the moment he pulled into his parking spot, his movements only felt more natural.

Switch engine off. Kickstand down.

Your hands slid up his back, gripping his shoulders as you eased yourself off of his motorcycle, and by the time your touch left him, Chris hopped from his seat with learned grace - his hands unbuckling and taking off his helmet in record time.

By the time your own helmet was off, cradled in your arms, his intense gaze caught your eyes, locking you in a stare off that said more than words could convey, yet their true meaning would be lost to memory with what left his lips.

“Are you sure about this?” He breathed, “Tell me right now and I’ll take you home, and we can pretend none of this happened - just, tell me.”

“Chris,” his name fluttered from your lips like butterfly wings, “I meant every word, I’m sure, I’m so sure-”

Before you knew it, his lips were on yours - the warmth of his palm settling on your cheek in a hold that dared your knees to give out from underneath you - but as fast as they’d appeared, they vanished, leaving you dazedly blinking up at deep brown eyes.

“C’mon.”

The journey up to his apartment was a blur; the melodic chime of the front door’s lock welcoming you to the final stage of your decision as he ushered you through the doorway.

Shoes haphazardly kicked off next to another pile of pairs and helmets stored on a shelf, the empty living room was graced with your presence for what felt like half a second before you were finally where you needed to be.

Chris’s room was a place you’d only been inside of a handful of times, if not to stick your head in to announce your arrival when hanging out with his roommates, then to visit whenever he had a new snippet of a song he wanted to share; there wasn’t a chance for a tour then, and there certainly wouldn’t be a tour now.

With a subtle flick of a switch, the once dark room was suddenly bathed in a dim glow from the led lights lining the ceiling - warm and welcoming, much like the arms that wrapped around you from behind, followed by a soft pair of lips you were quickly getting used to pressing against the junction of your neck and shoulder.

His hold grew tighter as his lips ventured higher - a dotted line of kisses, a brush of his breath against the back of your ear, followed by the ghost of his lips along the shell.

“Are you still sure?”

Your eyelids fluttered, your lips parting to sigh out words evoked from the fantasies of your deepest desires, “I’m yours.”

He turned you around, and for the first time you were able to truly appreciate the feeling of his lips against your own - soft, likely from the myriad of lip care products your friends tease him for, a sensation you could find yourself craving every day and never growing tired of in the end.

You kissed him back with fervor, taking the liberty of cupping the line of his jaw with one hand while the other cradled the back of his neck, the faint curls of his hair tickling your fingertips.

Chris was the first to pull away, gifting you a fleeting peck when you tried in vain to follow him, just to reach overhead and tug his shirt up and off before unceremoniously dropping it to the floor. However, he barely gave you the chance to admire the view as his hands went to help you out of your hoodie while your own hands hastily went to tug up your shirt in the messy, frantic process.

Two articles down, the warmth of his hands were now free to meet your waist and his lips were on yours once more; his hold tightening as he took a step forward, nudging and guiding you backward until the backs of your legs met the edge of his bed. Obliging to his silent request, you sat down, using the strength in your arms to wiggle yourself up enough to lay comfortably on the full sized mattress and welcome the weight of him on top of you until it wasn’t.

Looking up, you were met with his heated stare, all but devouring you with his eyes as he took in the view - though, you figured you fared the same way when your eyes ventured down, following the strong slope of his shoulders before taking in the sight of his chest.

It wasn’t a view you hadn’t seen before thanks to his aversion of shirts in his own home - granted, it was his apartment, so you couldn’t fault him for the times he��d come out of his room to see you happily chatting away with his roommates unbeknownst to him - but you could now appreciate the details you wouldn’t have taken in otherwise such as defined pectorals and the smallest beginnings of abs against his otherwise soft stomach.

Ending the unintentional standoff, Chris lent forward, his fingertips just barely grazing your lower stomach as they went to the button of your jeans, “Can I?”

“Please.”

The corner of his lips ticked up but he ducked his head before you could see the smirk blossom, though you couldn’t find yourself to care once your jeans were undone, lifting your hips to help him shuffle the garment down the length of your legs and watching him give them the same fate as your shirts.

“These too?” He mused with a teasing lilt, eyes flicking from your own to the plain black panties you wore.

A short huff brushed past your lips, an unamused pout pursuing them. “Chris.”

The sound of his delighted giggles bounced off the walls, reducing the heat of arousal to a nice simmer that your nerves greatly appreciated - that is, until his fingers hooked underneath the waistband and slowly pulled them off; the sensation of his knuckles dragging along your thighs drawing a soft gasp from you.

It wasn’t long until they were down your legs, past your feet, and dropped off the edge of the bed, leaving you entirely bare from the waist down.

“Fuck…” He breathed, propping his knee on the bed as his hands slid up from your calves to the backs of your knees, caressing your skin before gently bringing them up and out - exposing your pussy to his pure delight. “Look at you, pretty girl.”

A wave of heat washed over you followed by an embarrassed whimper, “Chris, don’t say that.”

“Why not?” Looking up, he cocked his head slightly, “You said you were mine, which means I’m allowed to compliment what’s mine, yeah?” He bent down, maintaining eye contact as he kissed your knee softly, “You belong to me, right, baby?”

Your heart jumped to your throat, his words working like a spell against your lust addled mind.

“I belong to you.” You breathed softly, melting into his hypnotizing gaze.

A pleased hum vibrated through him as he dipped his head to kiss the inside of your thigh, his lips brushing against your skin, “Good girl.”

His kisses trailed higher and higher, growing messier and messier as he went - a nip here, a suck there, open mouthed and worshiping until he reached your pussy.

Just as he was about to dive in face first, your hand tugged at his hair, effectively breaking him out of his tunnel vision to give you his undivided attention.

“What’s wrong? Do you wanna stop? I can-”

“No! God, no - it’s just…” You took a deep breath, your bravado escaping you the instant you stopped him, “I want you to eat me out, but I wanna suck your dick too. I wanna make you feel good too, Channie”

“You wanna suck my dick, pretty?” A shiver ran down Chris’s spine at the mere thought, his dick painfully straining underneath his boxer briefs and sweats. “Fuck, you’re gonna be the death of me, you know that? Words like that coming from a mouth like yours - you’re a fucking dream.”

His presence left from between your legs and part of you felt silly for missing it until you saw him reaching for his sweatpants - even through the black fabric you were able to make out the noticeable bulge tenting the front - the waistband of Calvin Klein nudging you in the right direction of what he wore underneath.

Pushing both articles past his hips, your eyes were immediately glued to the dips in his pelvis - the Adonis belt, a fitting alternate description of his v-line until your attention jumped to a scattering of hair beneath his navel leading to seemingly maintained pubic hair.

However, your peep show was obscured by his head as he bent forward to take his clothes off the rest of the way, giving you the chance to mentally prepare for the grand reveal. By the time he stood straight again, you couldn’t help the audible gasp that left you, your eyes widening as you took him in all his glory - all of the jokes his friends would make now having validity behind their digs.

“I hope that’s a good reaction…” Chris spoke sheepishly, his ears as red as a tomato as he averted his eyes to the side, one hand twitching to cover himself while the other anxiously rubbed the back of his neck.

“Chris,” your soft call was enough to bring his eyes back to you, just in time to see you undoing your bra and tossing it to the floor, “I really want you in my mouth, baby.”

The air of shyness quickly left him as he smirked, making his way back onto the bed, “Say please.”

Reaching forward, your fingers danced along the underside of his jaw before you whispered, “Please?”

It was almost instantaneous in the way you found yourself straddled over his face, his hands massaging the plush of your thighs as if he couldn’t get enough of the way they squished and jiggled under his hold.

You leaned forward, eyes eagerly taking in his dick from the new angle; he was thick, probably an inch over average if you had to guess, with the prettiest veins that begged for your tongue to trace them.

“Don’t force yourself to take me, okay?” He called from the other end, the feeling of his breath against your cunt sending chills down your spine. “I know I’m… y’know, big, so I don’t want you to hurt yourself to make me feel good - you letting me do this is more than enough, baby.”

“I can do it Channie,” spitting into your palm, you graciously took him into your hand with a slow stroke, “I’ll be okay.”

A low groan escaped him, your sudden touch sending him into the stratosphere, “Just- Be careful for me, alright?”

Humming in agreement, you wasted no time in littering his tip in butterfly kisses and kitten licks, slowly getting yourself used to the bittersweet taste of his precum.

“Shit…” Not holding himself back any longer, Chris slid his hands up to your hips before pulling you back onto his mouth, his tongue eagerly diving between your folds as if it were an ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day.

The action made you jolt forward, though you barely moved an inch thanks to his hold on you, your lips parting to let a moan float through.

“Mm, not too loud, baby,” he spoke against your pussy, kissing the hood of your clit, “don’t wanna wake up my roommates, yeah?”

As much as the idea called to something daring within you, you shook your head, using this as an opportunity to take the first few inches of his cock into your mouth; just enough to have the weight settle on your tongue while your hand stroked what you hadn’t gotten to yet.

“There you go.”

With that, he went back to exploring your pussy with his tongue, dipping past your walls every now and then before going back to dancing around your clit - his hands enjoying their new home on the curve of your ass.

To say the feeling of his mouth on you was mind numbing would’ve been the understatement of a lifetime - it was as if he was eating you out in the most respectfully disrespectful way, the sounds of his lips sucking your clit paired with low, breathless moans before he went back to lapping up your arousal was pure debauchery.

You tried your best to be diligent, bobbing your head in time with the curls of his tongue against your slit while your fist used whatever drool that dripped from your lips as lubricant to keep each stroke smooth and slick - your efforts not going in vain by the way his thigh would flex, or the twitch of his hips - but you were quickly falling victim to the pleasure.

“Taste so fucking good, baby,” he mouthed against your pussy, as if moving even an inch away would be detrimental to his psyche, “could stay here forever.”

The thought had you moaning around his cock, pulling away to give your lungs the reprieve of a full breath, only for a whined exhale to follow suit. “C-Chris, please.”

“Please, what?” Flattening his tongue, he licked a fat stripe up before giving your clit the lightest kiss imaginable, “Gonna come for me, pretty? Is that what you want?”

“N-No,” dropping your face to his thigh, you focused all of your energy into keeping your hand moving, “w-wanna make you come first, just- shit, just slow down a little!”

Chris hummed, feigning deep consideration, “But what if I want you to come for me?” His right hand slid further between your legs, his index finger stroking your fluttering walls with the promise of something more, “You said you wanted to repay me - so, let me make you come.”

Your hips bucked, muscles yearning to press back against the pressure to send you over the edge you were dangerously teetering over. “But-”

“Baby,” the velvet drawl of the pet name earned a pitiful hum in response, “you wanna make me feel good, don’t you?” He felt your head nod against his thigh, huffing out a short chuckle before continuing, “You wanna ‘repay’ me for everything I do for you, right?”

“Yes.” You sighed out, eyes fluttering at the feeling of his thumb replacing his finger in favor of toying with your clit.

“Well, guess what?” Dragging his thumb up, he pressed it against your slit, “Watching you come for me- Feeling you come for me is all I could ever want from you,” slowly pushing his thumb past your walls, he ghosted his lips against your inner thigh, “show me how good I’m making you feel, baby - do it for me, please.”

He punctuated his plea by swirling his tongue around your clit once more, thrusting his thumb in time with each flick while his left hand held your hip tightly.

Your mouth fell open, a moan fighting its way through your vocal chords only to come out as choked gasps, “Ch-ah- Channie- Fuck- Channie p-please-”

Pressing his thumb in to the knuckle, Chris wrapped his lips around your clit and sucked, humming out a low moan that proved to be the final straw to push you over the edge.

“Chris- C-Chris-!” Lifting your head, you put your mouth over your arm in hopes of muffling the airy moans escaping you, your vision blurring behind pleasure-fueled tears as he worked you through your orgasm.

His thumb slipped from your entrance to make room for his tongue to lap up your cum, drinking you up like a tall glass of water after a day in the sun.

It didn’t take long for you to catch your bearings, going to move away from his face until his hands tightened on your hips in silent challenge, a disgruntled grunt rising from your pure audacity of interrupting him.

“Channie, ‘s too much,” you whined breathlessly, wrenching your hand away from his - still hard - dick in favor of pushing yourself up onto your arms, “c-can’t take it, baby, please.”

Pulling away with a lewd slurp, Chris heaved a heavy breath, combating the lightheadedness of his tunnel vision while you carefully maneuvered yourself away from him - shuffling around to hover your head over a pillow before collapsing in the empty space, your body gratefully welcoming the cool sheets against your skin.

Bated breaths danced in the otherwise quiet atmosphere, Chris’s gaze locked on the ceiling as his lust-fogged brain tried to make sense of what just happened between the two of you.

“Channie?”

His heart fluttered at your soft call of his name, turning his head just to come across a sight that made his breath catch; you, his friend, laying beside him looking beautifully ruined with the golden afterglow of your orgasm that he gave you emanating from your body.

He tentatively licked his lips, goosebumps rising as your taste still lingered in his mouth, “Yeah, baby?”

“I still wanna make you come.” You murmured softly, eyes blinking at him so innocently it almost felt wrong that it made his dick twitch at the sight. “I still owe you, after all.”

Chris huffed out a chuckle, lifting himself onto his forearm before hoisting himself above you, settling his hips between your legs as he caged you in with his arms - this was a sight he could get used to.

“Instead of making this out to be you repaying a debt, how about we turn it into a ‘thank you’ gift, hm?” Leaning his head down, he brushed his nose against yours, “You thank me for the ride and the orgasm,” his lips ghosted against your own, “then I thank you for thanking me.”

“Chris, that won’t make any sense,” your voice was barely a whisper, your arms wrapping around his shoulders, “if you thank me, I’ll just thank you back - we’ll be in a loop.”

“We’ll work out the details later, then.” He murmured before leaning forward, catching your lips with his and sharing your taste off of his tongue.

✧. ┊Tagged lovelies: @having-an-internal-crisis-rn, @midnightfrog625, @anyhow-everything, @bangchanbabygirlx, @sweetracha, @nightimescapes, @caitlyn98s, @ch4nn13luv, @ihrtlix, @jeonjungkookenthusiast1997, @maximumkillshot, @y-ur--i, @acker-night, @dreamescapeswriting, @specialstay, @s00buwu, @tinyelfperson, @jj-stay, @katsukis1wife, @inlovewithmusician, @keen-li, @armystay89, @main-character0, @vampcharxter, @ddyskz, @prettymiye0n, @bbgnyx, @bahng-chrizz, @milknhoneyracha, @hann1bee, @palindrome969, @newhope8, @kpopsstuffs, @starquokka, @wolfs-howling, @laylasbunbunny, @4-chan-inpadella, @butterflydemons, @kimahreummm, @ta3baee, @snowy-violet @bethanysnow

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#skz smut #stray kids smut #bang chan x reader #bang chan smut #Biker!AU

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wizardsreviews · 1 year ago

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PASELEC 750W Electric Fat Tire Mountain Bike

Prepare yourself to experience the ultimate cycling adventure with the PASELEC 750W Electric Fat Tire Mountain Bicycle. Its effective motor with Smart Assist mode dynamically adjusts to your riding scenario, eliminating the need to move equipment on flat terrains and always supporting you on every ride Powerful 750W motor for a thrilling ride.Fat tires offer remarkable traction and stability in…

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#750w #adventure #all-weather #battery #carbon frame #disc brakes #e-bike #electric #fat tire #lightweight #long-range #motor #mountain bike #multi-terrain #off-road #paselec #powerful #ride #shimano gears

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mucking-faori · 9 months ago

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THE GODS HATE HIM TOO

"I am māori so I couldn't be doing anything to them uwu"

Text: Act Party leader David Seymour came a cropper on his electric bike in Auckland's Parnell on Sunday, and says he got a lot of help from passersby - but one onlooker was not quite so supportive.

Seymour was cycling on Parnell Rd after leaving the Holy Trinity Cathedral’s Commonwealth service in the early evening.

“I just didn’t see a car. It wasn’t their fault, they had right of way. So I slammed on the brakes and realised I was going to cartwheel over, but I also realised I was still going to hit the car so I slammed on the brakes harder and over I went.”

Seymour says he did not hit the car, and the people in it stopped and came back to check on him. “They were mortified, but it wasn’t their fault.”

He was unhurt other than the shock and a sore wrist that he hoped would heal quickly. A number of people turned up to check on him, bringing out water and offering him a ride home.

However, there was one negative reaction to his plight.

“While I’m sitting on the traffic island in a state of shock, some guy comes over and starts filming me. I thought ‘that’s a bit weird’ and then he says ‘you know what, sometimes you get exactly what you deserve”.

“In a [British] accent, he said ‘look what you’re doing to Māori, you’re just a trust fund baby who’s out of touch with reality.”

“I thought ‘I am Māori, and I don’t have a trust fund’.”

Seymour has been prominent this year for pushing his Treaty Principles Bill, which attempts to define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the coalition government has also told government departments to use their English titles ahead of the te reo Māori title.

#david seymour #maori #aotearoa #torangapu #nz #nzpol #kaikiri #new zealand #nz politics

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urfavstargirl1 · 2 years ago

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time after time - finale

Part 7 and FINALE to the series Chemistry, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 , Part 5, Part 6-- Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

stranger things masterlist | Spotify playlist

summary: Y/N stands up to her parents with the help of her friends, Eddie, and Uncle Wayne, plus an epilogue at prom

cw: angst, fluff, anxiety, hurt/comfort, shy/nerdy!reader, pre-ST4, cocky!Eddie, swearing, strict parents, sex and smut 18+, minors dni,

a/n: sorry for the wait and the minimal editing and heres a happy ending i hope u love it bye

The next morning, Y/N wakes up to sunlight peeking through the blinds in a lazy haze. Birds nesting in the tree outside her bedroom window chirp peacefully. Y/N softly opens her eyelids, letting them flutter as they adjust to the light.

She turns her head to the side and reads the time on the alarm clock resting on her nightstand.

“Today’s the day,” she whispers determinedly.

After weeks of seemingly never ending isolation and misery, Y/N decided that she would no longer say goodbye to romance. That she wouldn’t let the broken wings her parents clipped hold her down.

And what better time than now? She has to take what might be her one and only chance before it fades away. There’s only one way to know if the sun may shine again.

On that electric Saturday morning filled with hope and possibility, Y/N eats breakfast in a hurry and gets ready to surprise Eddie at the trailer.

She knows she’ll have to bike the whole 7 mile ride there, but it’s her only option. She needs to do this on her own terms, and avoid the risk of anyone finding out. It’ll be much easier to figure things out with Eddie before they get anyone else involved.

An hour later, she walks down the stairs and towards the door to the garage.

“What are you doing,” her sister calls out.

“I’m going out.”

“Going where?”

“To make things right.”

Y/N walks out the door and grabs her bike. She opens the garage door and hops on. She rides her bike onto the street and pedals furiously, leaving her parents and sister in the dust.

She turns on the same streets she’s always known. She pedals hard and fast. Her breathing harsh and visible in the unseasonably cold November air.

She pedals and pedals and pedals, body growing warm with heat. Her only focus? The road before her.

There’s no turning back now.

She passes the neighborhoods of two story colonials and onto the neighborhoods with single story homes and chain link fences. Soon, she’s on the main road with nothing but trees and the occasional car to keep her company.

For a moment, she almost wishes she had asked someone to drive her there, growing slightly weary from the bike ride, but there’s enough adrenaline to get her there and the allotted time gives her space to think about all the things she might say.

Eddie, I came here to talk to you. I want to… apologize. I’m sorry for all the running and hiding. I thought I was doing us a favor. Saving us the trouble. But, in the end, you were right.

And now, all I know is that I need you in my life. It hurts more to be without you and that terrifies me. I don’t know what to do.

After several miles and an almost collision with a runaway deer, Y/N turns into the trailer park.

She scans the beige metal buildings till she finds the one she recognizes as Eddie’s trailer. She presses the brakes on the bike and slows to a stop in front of it.

She sits on her bike for a moment, catching her breath from the ragged breathing pattern she acquired along the ride.

Too lost in thought and anxious about what will happen next, she barely has enough room in her brain to observe the rather empty surroundings of the trailer.

She hops off and kicks the kickstand. She takes a moment to breathe deeply. Despite being in the zone only moments before, she is now acutely aware of how shallow her breath is. How sweaty she is under her jacket. How rapidly and violently her blood is pumping.

She catches her breath for a moment and smoothes her hair. She walks up to the front door and pauses a moment before lifting her fist up and knocking.

She waits a moment for someone to answer the door, but no one does. When the moment grows a little too long, she decides to try again.

She brings her knuckles to the door and knocks. She looks around and realizes Eddie’s van is gone. She takes in her surroundings. She could have sworn this was Eddie’s trailer. Is she at the wrong one? Is Eddie not home? This early on a Saturday morning?

“Hello? Is anyone… there?” She asks. She waits for a moment, nerves flowing all throughout her system, but nothing happens.

What do I do now?

She sighs, and is just about to turn on her heel when the doorknob turns and the door opens, revealing an older man with worn down features and graying hair buzzed closely to his scalp.

“Hello?” He asks, not having expected some teenage girl to knock at the door.

Y/N’s eyes widen and she steps back. This must be Eddie’s uncle.

She blinks before shaking her head. She pants between sentences, “H-Hi, I’m… Y/N Y/L/N... I’m a friend… of Eddie’s… is he… is he home?”

Wayne quirks an eyebrow. So this is the girl Eddie’s been so worked up about?

“No, I’m afraid not. You just missed him,” he answers, concerned about her frazzled and breathless state.

“Oh,” she wheezes as she puts her hands on her hips and doubles over.

“Are you alright, darlin’?”

Y/N nods. “Yeah… I just… I biked over from my house… and car rides… they make the distance… seem a lot… shorter.”

“Uh huh,” Wayne nods cautiously, “Well, I’m Wayne, Eddie’s uncle. Come on in. Let me fix you up a glass of water.”

Y/N stares blankly as Wayne turns over his shoulder and heads into the trailer. She cautiously considers the offer for a millisecond, before instantly taking him up on it, too thirsty to even really care.

“Thanks Mr. Munson… It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Please, Mr. Munson was my father, call me Wayne,” Wayne roars a laugh and smiles at her as he pulls a glass cup out of the cupboard. “And it’s nice to meet you too.”

“Take a seat,” he gestures to the dining table.

Y/N catches her breath as Wayne fills up a glass with water. He sets it down in front of her and takes the seat across from her.

“Thank you,” she whispers before beginning to chug.

Wayne crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair, “Listen now, Eddie didn’t tell me where he was going so I couldn’t really tell ya when that boy’ll be back. But you’re more than welcome to stay until then if ya like.”

Y/N’s eyes widen as she jerks her head forward. For all they know, he might be out all day.

Wayne looks at her dismayed demeanor and sighs.

“May I ask,” He looks at her curiously, “What exactly brings you over? I know my nephew wouldn’t make a young girl like you come all this way by bike. Or leave if he was expecting you.”

Y/N looks up at him, “Oh, no, he wasn’t. I’m sorry to show up unannounced like this. But I came to surprise him. I was really hoping I could, um, talk to him, and maybe-maybe even apologize.”

“Apologize? Shoot, must be something serious I reckon. I love my nephew to pieces but I know he ain’t exactly a saint. Usually the one giving the apology, not gettin’ it.”

Y/N inhales through her nostrils, feeling the tension in her shoulders as they climb upward, “Yeah, I’m not usually the one apologizing either, but… I think I might’ve messed things up.”

Wayne nods and looks at her in understanding, silently inviting her to go on if she so wishes.

“You see, the thing is…I really like your nephew. A lot. More than I’m allowed to. Boys are sort of… off limits at home.”

“I see,” Wayne nods.

“We’ve been working together on this assignment at school and it was surprisingly a lot of fun. We would spend a lot of time together and I didn’t even get the chance to realize just how strong my feelings for him were before my parents caught us together, and I got in a lot of trouble for it.”

Wayne lifts a hand and strokes the stubble on his chin with his thumb and forefinger, “Eddie’s no stranger to trouble, but I reckon you are, aren’t ya darlin’?”

Y/N nods sullenly. “Yeah, it’s awful. And now, I just feel stuck. Like I’m in this game of tug of war and on one side is being with Eddie and on the other is not letting my parents down but I can’t have both.”

Wayne looks at Y/N, worried she might start crying on him. Barely accustomed to Eddie’s own emotional waves after so many years, he’s ill-equipped to handle this.

But then, Y/N takes a deep breath and looks up at Uncle Wayne. “Hurricane Eddie came into my life with no warning and turned it all upside down,” Y/N nervously jokes.

Wayne chuckles, “Believe you and me, I see the aftermath of Hurricane Eddie everytime I walk into his room.”

“I know right? I love Eddie but that boy is such,” Y/N laughs before pausing a moment and quietly adding, “a mess.”

Love?

Her heart skips a beat and she looks up at Uncle Wayne with puzzled eyes as he warmly smiles at her.

She shakes her head, “Anyways, I just… I don't know what to do. At first, I thought, if I had to choose, I would choose my family. I would always choose them, even when it meant being under house arrest for a month and cutting Eddie out of my life. But after all was said and done, it didn’t seem to change much. In fact, it only made me more miserable.”

Wayne nods as he processes her words.

“And no matter what I choose, there’s no going back. All my life, I’ve been the good girl with good grades who never misbehaves. And after what happened, I know I’ll never be that girl again. Not to my parents and not to myself. But I don’t know who else to be.”

Wayne sighs and smiles at her, “Take a load off sweetheart, you don’t have to worry about carryin’ the weight of the world on your shoulders ‘round here.”

Y/N nods patiently and makes a show of exhaling and dropping her shoulders.

“Have you ever heard the sayin’, Rome wasn’t built in a day?”

Y/N frowns and cocks her head to the side, “No, not really.”

“Well, it wasn’t. Took the Romans years to build everything they write about in them history books.” “Okay?” Y/N responds, not entirely sure why he’s bringing this up.

“What I’m tryna say is, there’s things in life that you just gotta take day by day. You won’t solve the conundrum of forbidden love by tomorrow.”

Y/N nods and blushes, feeling sheepish that she hadn't made the connection sooner.

But even still, it feels like if she doesn’t figure this all out now, she never will.

“Yeah, that makes sense. I guess it just feels like we’re running out of time, you know. We only have so long before we graduate and I go off to college.”

Wayne nods contemplatively.

“And what about my parents? Am I just supposed to accept the fact that they may not be happy with me right now, but as time passes, their anger will just fade?”

“That’s exactly it,” Wayne smiles.

“Now that’s science fiction if I ever heard it,” Y/N mutters.

Wayne laughs. Yeah, this girl’s been hanging out with his nephew alright.

“Believe me, if you’re anything like Eddie says, I’m sure your folks know just how great of a daughter you are, they just wanna keep you safe. I wanna do the same for Eddie sometimes, but I know I gotta let him be a kid and make his own mistakes. It’s the only way to learn.”

Y/N pouts as she nods and looks into her lap. “I know, but I don’t like making mistakes. It feels awful.”

“It’s a part of life sweetheart. You’re gonna fall. But the real question is, are you gonna stand back up?”

Y/N’s shoulders loosen and her eyes soften, “I want to, I just don’t know how.”

Wayne examines the puzzled look on her face. It oddly looks like the same one Eddie has when he’s off in his room, frustrated with a chord he just can't seem to get right or he comes across a roadblock in that D&D game he loves so much.

Wayne sighs and places his hands on the table and clasps them together. “Listen, how ‘bout I tell you a story?”

A story? Isn’t Y/N a little too old for story time? What’s next, a bit of milk and cookies too?

Despite biting her tongue, her thoughts must be evident on her face.

“Don’t deny an old man one of the few pleasures he has left in life,” Wayne says in a joking tone, but Y/N’s immediately softens her shoulders and gaze, almost apologetically.

“I see how you kids these days seem to carry a lot of burdens on your shoulders and I ache for ya’, I really do. You’re too young to be this cynical.”

Y/N shrugs, not sure how to respond.

“Sometimes I worry about what this world is coming to, but at the end of the day, I know I can only control so much. And what I can control is having a loving home for Eddie and his friends. And that includes you too darlin’.”

Once Wayne’s put it into these words, Y/N immediately understands what Wayne is building up to. He’s about to share some generational wisdom with her.

There wasn’t a whole lot of that to go around in her own family, so there’s something to be said about the subtle buzz of excitement Y/N’s feels. Perhaps, her situation is just a tale as old as time. One she’ll never be alone in because generations of people before her have also been in her shoes.

“Now, I know things are different these days, but you remind me an awful lot of someone I used to know. Someone I met back when I was about your age.”

“Who?” Y/N cocks her head to the side and furrows her eyebrows.

“Well, back in the fall of 1837,” Wayne starts, making Y/N chuckle.

“My parents had just moved my sister and I to Hawkins. We’d spend the better years of our youth growing up down south but then my daddy went and got a job at one of them new automobile factories up here.

I had just graduated high school and without fail, my mama and daddy made it loud and clear, I was to work and work only. Anything else was a waste of time and money.

Now, for a while, I firmly believed in this. I figured it was more important to help make ends meet than run around with some girl or go out partying with the big boys.

So I went and got a job at the local lumber yard. It wasn’t nothing fancy but it was good work. Pay was decent. For a while I could focus on that. Helped having enough food on the table, newer clothes, a few more presents at Christmas time, things like that.

I had a duty to my family, and I had no problem fulfilling it.

I’d spend all my hours at the lumber yard and was content with it. I’d made friends with some of the other boys that worked out there. We’d horse around on the job, but after work was done, I’d go home to my family like I’d always done.

Sort of like a routine for me. Safe and reliable.

But then one sunny June day, I met this girl. Mind you, I wasn’t even looking for her or nothin’ like that. But she sorta just found me. And my life was never quite the same after that summer.”

Y/N’s eyes widen. She gazes at him curiously, imploring him to go on.

“Her name was Sally. She was a beauty, I’ll tell you that. I can still see her pretty golden hair and big brown eyes.

On our first date, I had learned that she came from a good family. A real good family. She was a descendent of some of Indiana's first settlers. Her daddy was a big shot in local government, and her mama an heiress. She lived in a big house with some of the finest china you ever did see. What’s more, she was set to go off to Yale for college, just like her parents did. It’s where they met, after all.

But you never woulda really guessed by the way she carried herself. She was beautiful without letting it go to her head. She was sharp as a wip but never held it against ya. And she was the kindest person in the whole world. She was unlike any girl I’d ever met before,” Wayne says wistfully.

Y/N clutches her empty glass, “What happened?”

Wayne sighs longingly, “We fell in love. She made me laugh and she opened my eyes to a whole world I never even knew existed. She was a wild card, that one. I was always in for a surprise with her, but I could never seem to get enough. For the rest of the summer, I went and saw her anytime I wasn’t working. We talked on the phone all night. We even thought about running away together, starting a new life.”

“Really? Why?”

“Our parents didn’t approve of us being together. Hers said I didn’t come from the right kind of family. Mine said I was wasting time.”

Wayne pauses for a second, but a look of pain never crosses his face.

“What did you do?”

“All we could do,” he shrugs, “She’d be off to Connecticut in the fall, so we made the most of what little time we had left together that summer. ”

Y/N furrows her eyebrows in confusion. She was almost expecting him to say he stood up to their parents and fought tooth and nail to be with her.

“What?”

“Listen darlin’, I knew I couldn’t change her folks’ minds and I wasn’t gonna kill myself trying. I knew I could either spend the summer with her and nothing more or I could simply leave it at that.”

“What about her parents? And yours? Didn’t they still object to you spending the summer together?”

“They did at first, but then they got over it when they realized how temporary it was. At the time, I wasn’t even thinking of marriage. All I knew was that I was young and in love. I didn’t know how long it would last and I wasn’t very interested in planning it all out. I just wanted to enjoy it for what it was. And I promised myself I wouldn’t let things get in the way of taking care of my family.

As for her parents, well, they never liked me or even respected me, but they came around to tolerating me. I was like a stray dog that made their little girl happy, coming around sparingly but one they would never come to call their own.”

Y/N frowns at the thought. It breaks her heart to hear Uncle Wayne refer to himself like that. And if that’s what she and Eddie are going to be like, she doesn’t want her parents to just tolerate Eddie… but would that be better than nothing?

“Were you happy? Even though you knew it was short lived? And neither of your parents supported it?”

Wayne takes a moment to think about it, reflecting on the long lost memory.

“I don’t think we thought about it that much. We were just a couple kids trying to have fun. Life’s too short to take it so seriously. We had the rest of our adult lives to do that.”

Y/N frowns, not too satisfied with his answer. How is any of that supposed to help? The only reason she’s gotten this far in life is by thinking about things too much.

“But to answer your question, we were happy. We were happy the whole time, but it helped not having so many people breathing down our necks by the end.”

Y/N nods contemplatively, a bit more content with that answer.

“What happened after the summer was over?”

“Well, just as you might expect. We said goodbye and went our separate ways. She went off to start her first semester of college and I stayed here. I kept working at the lumber yard for a while, taking care of my family.”

Wayne looks away, slightly forlorn and Y/N feels slightly guilty for making him relive some of these memories.

“Was it hard? Saying goodbye?”

“The initial time apart was tough. I’m not gon’ lie to you. I could hardly look at any other girls ‘cause in one way or another they never compared to Sally.”

Y/N frowns. To her knowledge, there’s never been a Mrs.Munson in the picture. She wonders if Sally was his first and only love.

“We wrote to each other for a while, but after a certain point, the letters stopped. Years later, I found out she had gotten married to some senator and started a family out in Virginia.”

“Wow,” Y/N says painfully, “I’m so sorry.”

Wayne shrugs, “That’s life darlin’. It keeps going on whether you want it to or not. But it’s important to not let the tough stuff like pain and heartache keep you from living it.”

Y/N nods and fidgets with her fingers.

“I knew it’d be worse to let my life pass me by just because things didn’t turn out like I’d hoped. So once my sister had gotten older and my family was in a better place, I picked up and left town for a while. Sorta like my daddy, I thought the change of pace might help.”

“Did it?”

Wayne nods, “I held odd jobs in different towns across the state. It wasn’t much, but enough to get me by. What’s more, I got to meet a lot of new people. People from all walks of life with all sorts of different problems. And somehow it made my problems at home seem a lot smaller, more manageable to deal with.”

“Did you ever fall in love again?”

Uncle Wayne squints his eyes for a moment before opening them again and shaking his head.

Y/N exhales and slumps in her seat.

“Alright now, don’t you go on and worry about me darlin’. I’m still alive and that’s one of the greatest gifts of life.”

Y/N nods, feeling as though her foot has been caught in her mouth.

“I’m sorry Mr.Munson, I mean… Wayne. I just, I hope you can experience love again someday.”

“Listen sweetheart, I’m gon’ be alright. Ya hear? I’ve got all the love I need right here in this home.”

Y/N nods sheepishly.

“The world works in mysterious ways, but don’t you ever be mistaken, love is always there.”

Y/N nods again, reflecting on the ways she finds love in her life. Her parents, in their own weird way, come to mind, and even her friends.

“As for your predicament with Eddie. Well, if you two are anything like me and Sally, then all I can really tell ya is that relationships are either a lesson or a blessin’. Period. You don’t get to choose which one it is. The only thing you can choose is whether or not you want to experience it.”

Y/N thinks about the new choice laid out upon her: She could choose to be with Eddie.

It would be hard. It would mean defying her parents. It would even mean having her heart broken when she leaves for college.

But, it would also mean she could be happy. It would mean he could be happy too. It might even mean truly and deeply falling in love.

“It all just seems so risky,” Y/N huffs as she crosses her arms over her chest.

“That’s life darlin’, always gonna be a little risk for something you love.”

“Wow, I’ve never thought of it like that.”

“It’s all about perspective, sweetheart.”

At the mention of the word sweetheart, Y/N’s mind runs to Eddie, and suddenly, it clicks.

She gasps.

“That’s it,” she scoots her chair back and rises, smiling at him triumphantly. “I know just what I need to do!

Before Wayne can even say something, Y/N moves away from the table and pushes the chair back. “I need to go! Thanks… Wayne!”

“Uh, glad I could help,” Wayne replies with an earnest smile and a chuckle.

Y/N nearly races out the door and Wayne follows her, standing in the doorway. “Wait, do you want a ride?”

“No, it’s ok,” Y/N calls out as she mounts onto her bike. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for all your help!”

Wayne yells something back, but Y/N is too lost in thought about her course of action, so she just waves him off as she rides her bike into the distance, fueled by adrenaline.

She pedals and pedals and pedals, preparing to make her mighty rebel yell.

She has one big decision to make and only seven miles to figure out how she’ll spend the rest of her senior year without any regrets.

***

Y/N pedals down the same roads she came through no more than an hour or two ago. Halfway along her route, a random thought pops up into her head that she should stop by Michelle’s house before she goes to speak with her parents.

She’s not sure why. Maybe Michelle could give her a pep talk. Or maybe it would help to talk to someone about how she’ll convince her parents to let her date Eddie. Even then, it’s not like either of those things seem dire, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that she has an inexplicable gut feeling that she needs to go to Michelle first.

As she makes her way through the neighborhoods of Hawkins, she mulls it over and figures that it wouldn’t hurt to run things with Michelle. Facing her parents is a daunting task and maybe a friend who can lend an ear will help.

But as she reaches Michelle’s street, her house visible in the distance, she finds an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Perhaps it’s an illusion and the car is in the neighbor’s driveway.

But as Y/N’s pedals and comes closer, she begins to recognize the big beige van that is definitely in Michelle’s driveway.

No, it can’t be.

But as soon as Y/N approaches, she knows for sure that that is Eddie’s van.

The shock of seeing that Eddie is at Michelle’s house is enough to make her sharply press on the brakes with a death grip that sends her jolting to a stop, propelling her to fly off her bike, into the air, and onto the pavement.

She whines at the screeching noise and a loud thump can be heard when she hits the pavement. Her palms dig into the street to break her fall and she curses aloud.

She slowly pushes herself up to sit on her bottom and brings her palms forward. Her knee is throbbing and her palms are all scratched up and swelling, blood threatening to burst at the seams.

She didn’t even realize she was crying till a few hot tears slip from her cheeks and onto her asphalt dusted, very scratched up hands.

“Are you okay,” an authoritative male voice asks.

Y/N avoids looking at whatever good samaritan has approached her. She’s about to graduate high school and she's sitting in the street crying after falling off her bicycle like some child.

Y/N waves him off, “I’m okay sir, I just fell off my bike.”

“Sir? Don’t give me any ideas now sweetheart,” the same voice replies, somehow sounding younger and much snarkier.

Just as he lays a warm hand on Y/N’s upper back, between her shoulders, Y/N looks up into the sweet pair of big brown eyes she loves most in the world.

“Eddie,” she cries out as she wraps her arms around him, pulling him close to her.

Eddie lets out a yelp as though the action knocked the breath out of his lungs. But as he processes the feeling of her body against his, he instinctively returns the gesture and kisses the top of her head.

“C’mon, smartypants, let’s get you inside,” Eddie whispers in her hair as he keeps one arm wrapped around her midsection and the other under her knees as he picks her up and carries her to the house.

It’s all happens so fast that Y/N can barely keep up as Eddie walks across the lawn, carrying her bridal style as the rest of her friends come pouring out the front door.

“Y/N!”

“What happened?”

“What’s going on?”

Eddie explains that he saw her fall off her bike as he takes her inside, leaving the other girls to bring her bike inside and turn the bathroom into a full on operating room.

Michelle goes to grab the first aid kit while the other girls find something in the freezer to use as an ice pack while Y/N sits helplessly on the bathroom sink.

“I’m fine really, it’s just a scratch,” Y/N mutters as Eddie inspects her hands, feeling somewhat exposed as she sits on the counter of the bathroom sink, despite the layers of clothes she currently has on.

Eddie cups her cheek, wiping away the remaining moisture from the tears that had slipped away only moments ago. Even in an emergency, he can’t help but sarcastically say, “Mhm, I’m sure it is.”

Once the girls have brought in the supplies, Eddie politely asks them to wait over in the living room, leaving some privacy to complete his very important medical procedure. Y/N can’t tell if he’s being serious or just joking, but the girls follow his order and give them their space.

“Seriously, you guys are overreacting. It’s just a few scratches and probably some bruises. I’ll be okay.”

Y/N hisses as he tenderly applies antiseptic treatment to the cuts on her hands.

He glances up at her through his eyelashes, giving her a knowing look only for her to stare blankly back.

Y/N watches him as his eyes are lost in focus, in the zone of caring for her.

“Why are you so good at this?” Y/N softly asks.

Eddie smiles and chuckles, “What? Being your little nurse?”

Y/N pouts but nods.

Eddie looks up from her hands and into her eyes and in a low voice says, “Well, let’s just say I’ve had a lot of practice.”

Y/N frowns at his answer and Eddie could just kiss the little wrinkles in her forehead away, but he can’t. Sure Y/N is at least talking to him and smiling in his presence, but there’s still a wall between them, one he wishes he could just break down with a wrecking ball.

“From what?” Y/N whispers.

Eddie carefully wraps her hands in bandages. He holds Y/N’s hands in his, palms up so his thumbs can gently brush across them.

Eddie shakes his head and forces a smile trying to say in the most light-hearted way possible, “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.”

“Eddie,” Y/N softly whines, bringing her right hand up and gently cupping his face with her fingertips,”I’m going to worry about it.”

Eddie looks at her with a hardened face, but in his eyes, Y/N can see the softness. She can see the struggle in them.

She gently pulls away as she realizes her mistake.

The two look at each other for a moment, wanting to say so much, but afraid of saying the wrong thing.

“Let’s just worry about your recovery, huh?” Eddie jokingly diagnoses as he places a gentle hand on Y/N’s knee for comfort. But instead, she winces in pain.

He immediately grabs the frozen bag of peas wrapped in a dish towel and he instructs Y/N to hold it on her knee to ease the swelling.

After an awkward moment of silence, Eddie decides to diffuse the tension by teasingly saying, “So was that your first time riding a bike or something?”

Y/N huffs and rolls her eyes, “No, Munson.”

Eddie can’t help the small smile that forms at hearing her call him by his last name.

“In fact, this is all your fault!”

“My fault?”

“Yes! I just came to see Michelle and then I saw your car in her driveway. I almost thought I was hallucinating.”

“Well fear not sweetheart, for it is I, the humble Lord Munson, here in the flesh,” Eddie dramatically says in his D&D voice as he bows in front of her.

He peers up at her through his lashes, finding her to only glare at him.

He stands back straight and leans forward to whisper in her ear, “If you really want to make sure you’re not hallucinating, feel free to touch as you please, princess.”

“Eddie,” Y/N scolds as she uses her fingertips to push him away.

Eddie snickers and smiles at Y/N, heart warming to find her smiling at him too.

Even Y/N can feel a warmth in her chest despite squirming under his gaze.

For a moment, she looks away. But when she looks back at him, she properly takes him in for the first time that day.

Now that the adrenaline of the moment has passed, suddenly a million questions overcome her.

What are Eddie and her friends doing here? And why is Eddie dressed like that?

He’s wearing a maroon cable knit sweater and a cream colored carpenter’s jacket over it. It’s sort of weird seeing him out of his normal clothes, but, unsurprisingly, he still looks hot.

It’s like he’s unlocked a new superpower to her. He could pull off any look besides the rocker type if he ever wanted to.

And his hair! She’s never seen it like this before. When his hair is pulled back in a low ponytail, it feels like she can see his face in a way she never has before. Maybe it just looks more complete now that she can see his ears too.

But the question still stands: what is happening right now?

It takes everything in her not to just reach out and grab his hand or something when she asks, “Seriously Eddie, what are you doing here?”

Eddie exhales and looks her square in the eyes. There’s no use in even pretending, is there?

“I’m here… for you.”

“For me?” Y/N asks simultaneously, surprised and confused.

Eddie looks down and nods as he begins twiddling his fingers, lacking the chunky metal rings he usually fidgets with.

“We, uh…” Eddie momentarily looks up at Y/N and his breath gets caught in his throat.

Y/N doesn’t understand what’s making Eddie so nervous.

“You can tell me, you know that right?”

Eddie looks down and Y/N reaches forward and gently twiddles her fingers with his. It should be reassuring. And Eddie shouldn’t even be afraid to tell her this. But for some reason, actually saying his plan out loud suddenly feels ridiculous.

Eddie gulps, “Your friends and I- We were supposed to go over to your place.”

Y/N smiles and her eyes widen in amusement, as if Eddie had just told her a joke.

Eddie looks at her with a sense of guilt written all over his features.

“Eddie, why?” Y/N asks as she realizes he’s being serious.

“We were gonna talk to your parents.”

“Wh- My parents?!”

Eddie takes a deep breath and interlaces his fingers with hers. He squeezes her hand and tries too hard to make a joke of the words, “We thought we could try talking some sense into them.”

He offers her a lopsided grin. Y/N’s eyes widen as she squeezes his hand bone-crushingly tight.

“Eddie, what are you talking about?”

Eddie looks down at their hands and loosens his grip to withstand the near pain hers are causing.

“Eddie!”

“I know, I know,” Eddie winces and Y/N loosens her grip. “We were all just worried about you. Your friends told me you won’t even talk to them. That you haven’t been not acting yourself. Not ever since that night.”

Y/N avoids his all encompassing gaze.

“It’s not right what they’ve done to you,” Eddie mutters under his breath.

Y/N looks at him blankly and shrugs sullenly.

“No offense, but, we just thought your parents ought to know the hell they’re putting you through.”

Y/N snorts and Eddie looks at her in alarm having never heard her make a noise and startled by the unnerving reaction.

“Is that why you’re dressed like this?” Y/N asks teasingly as she reaches forward and grabs the collar of the jacket.

Eddie huffs and nods albeit displeased.

“C’mere,” Y/N whispers as she lightly tugs him toward her by the fabric of his jacket. Eddie obliges and shuffles forward as Y/N spreads her legs wider for him to fit between them.

Y/N locks eyes with Eddie and leans forward. She brings her arms to the back of his neck, gently taking out the elastic band holding his hair back. She removes it and places it around her wrist before fluffing his hair back out. She drapes a few strands over his shoulders and smiles at him.

“There.”

Eddie looks at her cautiously, unsure of her actions.

“I have to admit, this look is definitely doing something for me. But Eddie, you should know, I don’t care what you wear. You look hot either way”

Eddie crinkles his eyebrows and laughs at the sentiment.

“Were you really going to barge up to my parents house like this?”

Eddie looks at her sheepishly, suddenly embarrassed at the idea that seemed so fool proof only moments ago.

“With a huff and a puff you were gonna glow the house down?”

Eddie rolls his eyes and places his hands along her thighs for leverage. “Again, what else was I supposed to do?”

“Let me handle them,” Y/N says as she runs her hands over Eddie’s.

“You don’t have to handle them alone. You know that right?”

Y/N bites her lip, unsure of what to say.

“Hey,” Michelle pops by and leans against the doorframe.

Eddie immediately retracts his hands, as if it were Y/N’s parents he was being caught by.

“What’s the verdict, doc?”

He recovers by putting on a solemn face and placing a hand to his heart. “I’m afraid I have bad news… She only has six hours to live!”

Michelle dramatically brings the back of her forehead and cries “Oh God, why?”

Eddie and Michelle proceed to crack up at each other's silliness leaving Y/N to watch in nothing but utter confusion. It’s sort of nice but mostly foreign to see her best friend and her… Eddie to be bonding like this.

“Nah, she’s just a little scratched up on her hands and bruised on her knee, but she’ll make it out alive.”

“Thanks Eddie,” Y/N squeaks as Eddie helps her off the bathroom sink and leads her to the kitchen and dining room where all the other girls are milling about snacking on chips and soda.

“Hey,” Y/N awkwardly waves as she walks in the room. “You guys having a party or something?”

“Basically,” one of the girls says jokingly.

“We were just about to take it to your house too,” another adds.

Y/N looks over to Eddie and Michelle, “So I hear.”

“Eddie ‘Blabbermouth’ Munson told you how we wanted to go ambush your parents, didn’t he,” Michelle asks as Eddie shoves a handful of chips into his mouth.

“Hey!” He grumbles with his mouth full.

“I love you guys, but that was a murder-suicide mission waiting to happen,” Y/N jokes as she reaches into the bag of chips Eddie is holding. She looks pointedly at Michelle, “And you! I told you talking to my parents wouldn’t do anything.”

Michelle sighs, but before she can say anything, Y/N adds, “Seriously, I appreciate the lengths you guys would go to do something like this for me. And I’m sorry about the way I’ve been acting these past few weeks. It wasn’t very cool of me. But, a wise man once told me that relationships are a lesson or a blessing.”

Y/N looks at her friends, “You guys are my blessing.”

“And you,” Y/N looks over at Eddie and takes a few steps towards him. She points a finger to the middle of his chest, “Well, I’m still trying to figure out which one you are. But I know now that I can’t choose which one you’ll be. I can only choose to find out. And I do. I want to find out.”

Eddie’s eyes gleam as he looks at Y/N. He could just kiss her, but he can't. There’s still a wall. Sure she’s knocked down a few cinderblocks already, but it's still there.

Before he can even decide, Y/N turns on her heel and walks back to the table where she grabs a bottle of coke, “I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I got some good advice from Eddie’s uncle-”

“You talked to Wayne,” Eddie asks as he places a death grip on his bag of chips, resulting in a pronouncing crackling noise.

Y/N takes a swig from the bottle, “Yeah. You weren’t home, and he was. He ended up having a lot of good advice to give.”

“When did you go over to the trailer?” Eddie asks firmly as he takes steps in Y/N’s direction, unnerved by her casual demeanor.

“This morning. That’s actually where I was coming from before I fell off my-”

“Why didn’t you call?” Eddie asks with shock and frustration.

Y/N scoffs, “Because I wanted to surprise you. And don’t even be mad at me Munson because it looks like you had the same idea.”

Eddie opens his mouth to say something, but closes it. Too many questions whirl around his brain for one to get out. But he knows that she’s right. He can’t get mad at her for having the same idea as him.

“So what did he say,” one of the girls asks.

Eddie looks over from her to Y/N, awaiting the answer to one of his many questions.

“He told me a story about his first love. How they were sort of like Eddie and I.”

Eddie looks at Y/N as if she had just said the same sentence in fluent french. He’s never been one to pry when it comes to his uncle. They had this unspoken rule where the less they knew about certain things, the better.

But Y/N must’ve done something special to make him open up like that. The thought makes even more questions come to mind.

“His was more of a summer love, but talking to him made me realize that I was putting too much pressure on myself and what this relationship could be. And that it doesn’t have to be that way. I don’t know how long it’ll last but for the time that it does, it makes me happy and I’m not hurting anyone, so why should I deny myself.”

“So what are you going to do now?” Michelle asks.

“Well, for one, I have a very important question to ask,” Y/N says before turning to Eddie and reaching forward to grab one of his hands in both of hers.

Y/N looks into his eyes and says, “Eddie, I know I haven’t been very nice to you. I said some things and did some things I’m not proud of. I know it was just because I was scared and angry, but that doesn’t make it okay. And I’m sorry. But if you’ll have me, I’d really like to see what this could be.”

Eddie stares at her for a moment, trying to convince himself this isn’t just a dream and that he needs to say something.

But when he takes a moment too long to respond, Y/N casually turns around to face her friends and say, “And secondly, you all have given me the confidence I need to do what’s right. So now, I’m going to talk to my parents. I’m not sure what I’m going to say. If I'm just going to ask them or tell them, but all I know is, I’m not going to be their puppet anymore. Starting today, I’m gonna start pulling the strings in my own life.”

***

Later that evening, Y/N sweatily stands in the kitchen at her parent’s house, laboring over the stove with a variety of pots and pans in her wake.

Back at Michelle’s house the girls and Eddie helped Y/N come up with a plan to make the grand declaration to her parents.

Y/N was adamant that this was a conversation she needed to have alone. And that when the time was right, she would bring Eddie into the same picture as her parents.

They figured if Y/N buttered them up a bit by doing some extra chores around the house and making dinner, they might be more receptive to her decree.

And by the end of the night, she promised she would call Eddie with the news of how things went and that the girls would all go out to the diner for breakfast tomorrow whether or not it was a celebratory meal or a time to comfort her if things didn’t work out.

So here she was, blasted with the heat of all the burners on and multiple aromas swirling around her nose.

Y/N hoped and even prayed that things would all go well, it was that serious. She braced herself for her parents to be mad or to not understand, but she didn’t know what she would do if they punished her again.

She prayed she wouldn’t have to find out either.

By the time dinner was ready, Y/N’s stomach was clenching and her heart was racing. Her parents were delighted by the surprise, blissfully ignorant to the request Y/N was about to make as they all sat around the table.

Dinner started with compliments by her parents on how delicious the food came out. Y/N just meekly smiled and thanked them, gathering up the courage to ask for what she wanted.

Her parents talked about menial things like their plans for the next day and some of the errands they would have to run. But it all just became noise before Y/N couldn’t take it anymore.

Her silverware clanked against the plate as she loosened her grip, “I have something to say.”

Her parents and sister looked at her blankly. Her parents looked at each other in confusion when Y/N opened her mouth but nothing came out.

“What’s wrong Y/N?”

Y/N looked at the three sets of eyes glaring at her and instantly chugged from her glass of water.

She set the glass down and cleared her throat, “Um, there’s something I wanted to, um, say.”

“Okay,” her mother said earnestly.

“I…I just, um…”

“Just spit it out Y/N,” her sister said before returning to her own plate.

Y/N glared at her before remembering the task at hand.

“I, um, I got an acceptance letter from Purdue in the mail earlier this week. And a waitlist letter from Notre Dame.”

That is not what Y/N meant to say, but for some reason it felt like she needed just a bit more ammunition.

“That’s great honey,” her mom said with a smile.

“Your mother’s right. We’re very proud of you,” her dad added.

“Thanks mom and dad. It’ll still be a while before I hear from U Chicago, but it’s good to have other options till then.”

Her parents nodded. And now, she has them right where she wants them.

“But in the meantime, there’s something I wanted to…”

Ask? Say?

“What is it sweetie?”

Y/N gulps, “I, um, I wanted to talk about, um, the house rule… about boys a-and dating.”

Her dad quirks an eyebrow at her as he brings a forkful of food into his mouth.

“Oh, well, what’s there to talk about?” Her mom asks casually.

“Um, I just wanted to say that I see the logic behind the rule, but, um, would like to counter with the proposition that even though I’m not in college yet, I will be in a few months. I’ve already gotten accepted to one and my grades are still good. And-”

“Y/N, we’ve talked about this,” her dad dismisses.

“I-I know, and I-I’ve learned my lesson but I think I’ve proven that I can be mature and not let boys distract me from my educational goals.”

Y/N’s dad chuckles, “Don’t be so naive, Y/N.”

Y/N’s stomach turns. “B-but I’m not. I-I know I’m capable of handling the demands of both school and a relationship on top of my family, friends, and everything else.”

“School comes first in this house, always. Relationships come and go, but no one can ever take your education away, you know that Y/N,” Y/N’s mom says.

“I know, but why can’t I have both? Why does it have to be one or the other?”

“Y/N this is about establishing priorities. We want you girls to place a high value on your education. For any young woman, it should take high priority over some short lived high school sweetheart.”

“I know. School i-is important. I’ll never lose sight of that. I’m just saying that, yeah, school will always come first, and family comes after that but, don’t you think third or fourth place are up for grabs on the ol’ list of priorities,” Y/N nervously smiles, feeling like she’s some kind of stand up comedian hoping the joke lands.

“Y/N, you know our decision was final. You made a mistake and you learned from it. Now it’s time to move on and focus on graduating,” Y/N’s mom counters.

Y/N presses her lips together and silently fumes in her seat.

It’s not a question about whether she will graduate or not. She’s on track to graduate as third in her class. What gives?!

Y/N’s parents look at her blankly and Y/N turns to her sister, pleading with her eyes to help defend her.

Her sister gives her a blank stare, but she can see something going on behind those eyes. Y/N can’t tell what it is or if it will even break the threshold of their dinner conversation. But she has to keep trying.

She didn’t want to have to resort to this, but she has one last card to play. She’s practiced this speech for a while now, but she never thought she’d have the chance or courage to ever actually deliver it.

“Well, if I’m being honest, I think you should know that I love you both and I care a lot about what you think. But the truth is, for the past few weeks, I’ve been feeling like-like I can’t breathe. Like nothing in life even matters besides getting into UChicago. A-And that’s no way to live.

And I know, there were things I did that weren’t okay, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry I lied. I’m sorry I went behind your backs. And I’m sorry I broke the rules.

But… But I’m not sorry about my feelings for Eddie. I like him a lot and I’m tired of hiding it. Eddie’s a good person. He makes me happy.”

Just thinking of Eddie makes Y/N’s lips quirk up slightly and she sits up straighter in her chair.

“I-I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, and I’m well aware of what the consequences might be. I know the likelihood of heartbreak. But I'm willing to take that risk. And I know that longevity may be an issue, but I’m not too concerned about that. Whether this relationship lasts till the time I go to college or not, I think I’ll be okay–”

“Y/N, I know you must–”

“I’m not finished,” Y/N declares, looking her parents square in the eye despite the tremble in her fingers or the red hot fire flowing in the blood in her veins. Instantly she knows she’s set off a bomb in her parents by the look on their faces, but she has to deliver the rest of her speech before it goes off and demolishes everything in their wake.

“A-and I’ve made my decision. I-I’d rather take my chances and take months to recover than to spend years regretting what could have been. I’m determined to explore what this could be. I say this with all the love and respect in the world, but at the very least, I hope you can trust the daughter that you’ve raised. I know I’ve proven time and time again that I have a good head on my shoulders and that I’m on the right track, so I hope this choice doesn’t make you think any differently. Because I’m still the daughter you raised to be trustworthy, responsible, and a good judge of character.”

For a moment, all Y/N’s parents can do is look between each other and her. The smoke coming out of their ears has seemed to fade, so now, Y/N can’t tell if they’re only fuming inside or if the ice coating their hearts is beginning to crack.

The silence continues as her parents ruminate over her proposition. But the silence is threatening to slowly kill any dream Y/N might have had about being with Eddie.

Right when Y/N’s parents are about to say something, Y/N’s sister clears her throat and the attention of everyone around the dinner table turns to her.

“I had a boyfriend in high school,” Y/N’s sister says casually before bringing a forkful of food into her mouth.

Y/N’s mom nearly chokes on her drink and Y/N’s dad bursts into a hearty laughter.

Y/N’s eyes widen as she looks at her sister in awe.

“I’m serious. It was Daniel. We dated for almost two years.”

“Daniel? Your friend Karen’s brother?” Her mom asks irately.

“Why is this the first we’re hearing of it,” her dad asks as he drops his silverware onto his plate.

Y/N’s sister shrugs and briefly makes eye contact with them, “Because I knew you and mom would act just like this. And unlike Y/N, I don’t need your approval to live my life.”

Her parents look from one daughter to the other.

“Did you know about this?” Y/N’s mom asks.

Y/N looks at her sister then at her mom but doesn’t say a word.

Y/N’s mom raises a palm to her face, “Oh, dear God, where have I gone wrong? What did I do to deserve such disobedient daughters.”

Y/N sighs while her sister rolls her eyes.

Her dad softly calls her mom by her name and places a hand on her arm. Not as distraught, but newly concerned by all these skeletons making their way out the closet.

“Mom, please,” her older sister scoffs, “I may not be at UChicago but I’m at least in community college, I don’t do drugs, and I’m not pregnant. Y/N’s on a much better path than I am. I’m pretty sure you’re doing just fine in terms of parenthood.”

Y/N’s mom drags her palm down her face and looks between Y/N and her sister. She looks over at Y/N’s dad who subtly nods and shrugs.

“You’re right,” he says before Y/N’s mom can. “Perhaps your mother and I have been…”

Her dad pauses and looks over at Y/N’s mom, his own pride getting in the way of admitting his faults.

“We’ve been too hard on you girls haven’t we?” Y/N’s mom asks, as though the thought is revolutionary. But Y/N’s just relieved that her parents have come to this conclusion on their own.

Y/N’s eyes widen as she looks between everyone at the table, unsure if she’s dreaming or if the moment is just unfolding at light speed in front of her.

Her mom sighs and her dad grabs her hand.

“We just didn’t want to see you girls have to go through the same struggles your mom and I went through. We thought you'd be better off for it,” her dad says.

“But we didn’t realize how much it was affecting you. We never wanted you to feel like you had to lie or suffer in silence,” her mom adds.

Y/N squeezes the napkin in her hand. There’s no way this is real life. Her parent’s apologizing? Admitting their shortcomings?

Even Y/N’s sister looks at her in concern.

“We swore we’d never be like our own parents, yet here we are,” her dad says in a teasing tone.

Y/N feels a pang of guilt hit her chest, even though none of what her parents just said is her fault.

She always thought that her parents were so strict because that’s just how they are. Parents are supposed to be hard asses. But it never occurred to her that they act that way because of experiences they had in the past. That they had fears and dreams beyond parenthood too.

“It’s that MTV rockstar looking boy you want to date, isn’t it?” Y/N’s mom asks with no hint of disappointment or anger, only wanting to understand.

Y/N wishes she could shrink to the size of a mouse and just crawl in the cupboard, but now is her moment.

Even then, all she can do is meekly nod, but it seems to be enough when her mom says, “Well, if that’s the case, then you’ll need to bring him home so we can properly meet him.”

“We’ll need to see if he’s good enough to date our little girl,” Her dad says and pauses before adding, “But if he can manage to get in our good graces, then we might just see about you two dating.”

What?

Is that what Y/N thinks it is?

Is this her in?

Sure she’ll have to bring Eddie over and he’ll have to meet her parents. Face to face. And make a good impression.

But her parents are theoretically almost okay with her dating Eddie! And somehow that was more than she was expecting.

“Really,” she squeals as she clasps her hands together.

Her parents nod and Y/N practically shoots out of her seat and runs over to give each of her parents a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She yells in their ears as she wraps an arm around each of their necks, pulling them closer to her.

“Slow down, honey,” Y/N’s mom says.

“We’ll have to lay some new ground rules,” Her dad adds.

She squeezes them tight and holds on for a second before letting them go, resulting in a loud and exasperated sigh from both of her parents.

She pulls away and looks between them, “May I be excused from dinner, please?”

Her dad looks at her in confused amusement while her mom also amusedly asks, “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I need to make a phone call,” Y/N says cautiously, trying to subdue the excitement bubbling in her stomach. “Pretty please?”

“You can call after dinner okay, missy, we need to discuss new ground rules,” her dad orders.

Y/N pouts and reluctantly returns to her seat. As she finishes the rest of her plate, her parents begin throwing around ideas like how Eddie won’t be allowed upstairs, how they’ll need to meet Eddie’s parents, to which Y/N has to correct them and say they’ll meet his uncle, how her sister will have to chaperone their first few dates, and something about a new curfew.

It’s not music to her ears, but it’s waayyyyy better than a big fat NO.

After dinner, Y/N runs to place her dishes in the sink and zips her way up the stairs and runs to her room. She softly closes the door behind her and practically gets carpet burn from sliding across the floor and over to her nightstand.

She picks up the phone and dials Eddie’s number before flopping onto her bed and sighing as the phone rings.

Eddie picks up on the first ring and frantically answers, “Hello? Y/N?”

“Eddie, baby, it’s me,” she answers in a honey sweet voice

Y/N doesn’t know where that came from. She’s never called Eddie, baby, before. She’s never called anyone that before. Before Eddie, she might have thought it cringey or grounds to throw up on whenever she heard anyone else say it to their significant other.

But, now, it’s like the word was invented for her and Eddie. Like no one was ever anyone’s baby till Eddie and Y/N were.

And if Y/N’s not mistaken, she hears the sound of a muffled groan over the receiver before Eddie’s gruff voice says, “What happened?”

Y/N pauses for a moment, not to give Eddie any further anxiety from the anticipation but to figure out how to describe what just transpired.

“Th-They said yes. They’re letting us date!”

“Fuck! Are you serious? They really said that,” Eddie asks and Y/N can hear the excitement in his voice.

“Yeah, well, on one condition though.”

“What is it,” Eddie asks in alarm.

“They want to meet you.”

“They… what?”

“They want to meet you and get to know you. You know, properly interrogate you to make sure you’re good enough to date me,” Y/N says in a naive attempt at a joke, making fun of her parents words and easing the tensions from the daunting proposition.

But it doesn’t land, and all she hears is silence from the receiver.

“Eddie,” Y/N asks in concern.

“Yeah,” Eddie responds neutrally.

“Doing alright over there?” Y/N asks as she twirls the cord of the phone with her fingers

“Mhm, juuuust trying to figure out how I can spontaneously transform myself into whatever Prince Charming your parents want me to be,” Eddie sarcastically responds.

“Michelle and the girls seemed to do a good enough job of that this morning,” Y/N teases again, but it’s as though she can hear Eddie gulp over the phone.

“Baby, it’s gonna be okay,” Y/N says, surprising herself with how natural it feels to say the term of endearment but also hoping he’ll like it enough that hearing her say the word will help soothe him. “Look, we both know that you’re the perfect guy for me. There’s nothing you need to prove to them, you know that right?”

“Kinda feels like the opposite if we’re being honest here princess,” Eddie says teasingly, hoping it hides the nervousness he’s feeling.

“I know Eddie, but I promise it’s not. My parents just want to know you. I know you, but to them, you’re still a question mark, you know?”

Eddie barks out a laugh which takes away the tension in Y/N’s shoulders.

“And besides, I wouldn’t change a hair on your head. If they have any shit to say, they’ll have to get through me first, okay?”

Eddie makes a noise between a laugh and a sigh before tauntingly saying, “Yeah tough girl? Gonna talk back to your parents for me?”

And sure, the words Eddie says aren’t meant to be menacing but by the way he says them? They are most certainly a threat. And Y/N can feel their impact in the sudden fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach.

Now it’s her turn to audibly gulp over the receiver. “I think my good girl wants to bring her bad boyfriend home, doesn’t she?”

“E-Eddie,” Y/N asks as she clutches the phone in both of her hands, her mind entering a haze. She takes a breath and Eddie can hear the shakiness over the phone.

He hadn’t meant to turn the phone call in this direction but by god is it sweet sweet music to his ears to hear her react this way, just for him.

It’s relieving to know that even after all this time, it didn’t have to take much to know he still stands right where he wants to be.

But as much as he wants to be the biggest tease in the world right now, he knows he has time for that.

He’ll have plenty of time to find out how to make Y/N’s skin crawl in the best possible way or discover just what makes her tick.

Little does he know, he’s giving Y/N plenty of material to report back to the girls over brunch tomorrow.

***

May 3rd, 1986

Y/N looks at herself in the mirror, swiping on a coat of lip gloss on her lips and adjusting the wisps of hair framing her face. She takes one last look, searching for any other imperfections.

Tonight's the night. If she plays her cards right, something very big could happen.

This sort of thing used to frighten her, but for him, she welcomes the possibility. She wants it to happen with him. There’s no one else she’d rather do it with than him. They’ve even gotten close, but it hasn’t happened yet. And it very well could… tonight.

Ding dong.

Y/N hears the front door open and a series of muffled voices.

“Y/N,” her mother calls out from downstairs, “Your date is here.”

Y/N takes a deep breath in and smooths out her puffy light pink gown. The smooth satin above layers of tulle run under her soft fingers.

Y/N smiles at herself and takes one last look around the room, making sure she hasn’t forgotten anything. Her eyes land on her shimmering silver heels set out next to the door and she walks over to put them on.

She leaves the room and slowly descends the stairs, clutching onto the railing so as not to trip and fall. She’s too lost in concentration to focus on the party’s reception of her below.

As she makes the final step, she looks up into a familiar pair of warm brown eyes who look like they’ve just landed on an angel, sent straight from heaven.

Y/N’s eyes meet his and her smile widens from ear to ear.

He’s wearing black jeans and a soft white dress shirt with a black bow tie to match. The ensemble is complete with his signature leather jacket sans jean vest, chain hanging from his hips, combat boots, and silver jewelry adorning his skin.

His hair, as beautiful and long as ever, with wispy bangs covering his forehead, is organized in loose neat curls falling down his back.

“Hi,” Y/N says breathlessly as she takes the final step on the ground floor.

“Hey,” he whispers, simply gleaming at her.

Y/N slowly walks toward him and stands arms length away. She could just kiss him or hug him, but she isn’t quite comfortable doing that sort of thing in front of her parents.

Even though they’ve been dating for almost six months now, Y/N doesn’t think she’ll ever feel comfortable enough to put on a public display of affection in front of her parents.

But for now, the two smile and gaze into each other's eyes until a bright flash and the sound of a snap can be heard from the polaroid, Y/N’s mom is nearly shoving into their faces.

“Agh, mom,” Y/N whines as she brings a hand up and blinks to regain focus from the dizziness of the bright light.

Eddie takes this moment to also snap out of his gaze. “I, uh, I brought you this.”

Eddie holds up a plastic container with a rose the color of her dress.

“Is that a corsage,” Y/N smiles and cocks her head to the side. Her eyes land on the boutonniere placed on the lapel of his jacket, matching the corsage in the box.

She smirks, as if to taunt the freak for going so conformist on her. And sure, it isn’t very metal to be doing the tux and prom thing in front of mommy and daddy, but love has made him do stranger things.

Eddie nods sheepishly, unaware of the subtle pink tint to his cheeks as he shakily reaches for her wrist and places the corsage gently along the soft delicate skin.

Y/N gleams at him, feeling like an absolute princess, “I love it! Thank you, Eddie.”

Eddie sighs and smiles in relief.

“Alright you two,” Y/N’s mom coos from the side, “Let’s get some more pictures.”

Her mom whips out the trustee Polaroid camera and begins snapping a few more photos. The unexpected flash startles them.

“Mom,” Y/N complains.

“Okay, now Eddie, put your arm around Y/N,” Y/N’s mom smiles while her dad supervises from her side.

Eddie awkwardly places his arm around Y/N and the two forcibly smile. The flash nearly blinds them again.

“Ok, another one!”

Y/N and Eddie resume their smile as the flash pops again.

“Okay, mom we gotta go,” Y/N grabs Eddie by the wrist and nearly drags him out the door.

“Wait,” Y/N’s mom calls out and Y/N and Eddie freeze in their spots, hand just about to touch the doorknob.

“Here you go, Eddie,” Y/N’s mom says as she hand’s one of the polaroids to Eddie and smiles at him, “For a night to remember.”

Y/N’s mom hugs Eddie and then turns to hug Y/N. Before she pulls away fully, she raises her thumb to Y/N’s head and does the sign of the cross while saying, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” in Spanish.

“Mom,” Y/N whines as she flushes underneath, knowing her mom only ever does the gesture before any major life event or if she does something risky like when she took the SATs or went off to summer camp for the first time.

“You two be safe out there, okay,” Y/N’s mom pleads.

“Have Y/N home by midnight, you hear,” Y/N’s dad orders and Eddie straightens his posture, nodding profusely.

Eddie opens the front door and ushers Y/N to walk through first.

“Bye you two, have fun,” Y/N’s mom calls from the front door as Y/N and Eddie make their way over to his van.

“But not too much fun,” her dad forcefully adds.

“Bye,” Y/N turns over her shoulder and waves.

Eddie opens the passenger door for her and helps her into the van before closing it and jogging over to the other side.

He puts the key into the ignition and turns it on, making the van roar to life. He’s just about to lean over the edge of his seat to give her a kiss when she gently nudges his shoulder and pushes him away.

She shakes her head and looks over to the open doorway where her parents are waiting for them to drive off, “Not till we’re out of sight.”

“Afraid we might get caught?” Eddie teases her.

Y/N rolls her eyes, “No, it’s just weird. I don’t want them to see me kiss a boy.”

“What about kissing, a man?”

Eddie closes his eyes and leans forward, puckering his lips to a comedic extreme.

“Shut up,” Y/N shoves him away harshly and laughs. “Just get us out of here and then we’ll talk.”

Eddie backs out of the driveway and turns onto the street, pausing to wave to Y/N’s parents who are still waiting in the doorway.

Eddie smiles and leans close to Y/N’s ear to huskily say, “Oh trust me sweetheart, we won’t be doing much talking if I can help it.”

Y/N tenses and her smiles fades, arm frozen mid-wave.

And then Eddie drives off and before they know it, they’ve arrived at the Hawkins High School gym.

Trust a town as small as Hawkins to have an event as big and extravagant as prom to be held in the town’s only high school’s gym.

But as Y/N and Eddie meet up with Y/N’s friends and their dates, they enter the gymnasium and are welcomed by a space absolutely decorated to the nines.

There’s no way this is the same place that’s home to sweaty jockstraps and musty basketballs.

Instead there are dozens of lights strung about the ceiling, twinkling like stars above them, with a disco ball as full as the moon in the center of it all, reflecting light onto the blue and cream colored streamers hung in waves all around them.

Y/N and all her friends' dates run off to get them punch while the girls find a place to sit. They find a table at the edge of the dance floor and gush over how pretty they all look in their dresses or how well their dates, especially Eddie, cleaned up.

When Eddie arrives with a cup for Y/N, he takes a seat next to her and Y/N looks at him as if he hung the moon up in the night sky.

Eddie smiles in confusion as he settles in and wraps an arm around her, “What?”

Y/N smiles and shakes her head. Without warning, she leans forward and presses a loving kiss to his lips. And for the first time that night, she can smell the cologne he’s wearing. She’s used to him smelling like cigarette smoke and irish spring soap, a scent she’s come to love, but something about the cologne ignites something animalistic in her.

When she pulls away, it’s the second time tonight Eddie’s blushing. He lightly chuckles and squeezes the hand placed on her shoulder, “What was that for?”

Y/N leans forward and chastely kisses him again, “Nothing.”

“Feels a little more than just nothing,” Eddie innocently teases, attempting to read the look in her face or gleam in her eyes.

Y/N places a hand on the top of Eddie’s thigh, close to his knee, and gently runs her fingers along the fabric.

Eddie knows whatever it is, she must be feeling good. It took him almost three months to get her to initiate any sort of PDA and even then, she only ever does it first whenever she’s really in the mood, always preferring for him to lead the way.

Y/N shrugs but the grin never leaves her face, “I'm just really happy we’re here. That I get to share this moment with you.”

Eddie almost wants to give her some smug look and tease the hell out of how gushy she’s being right now, but he can’t even properly make fun of her because he feels the exact same way.

So his only natural response is to lean forward and let his lips do the talking, and by talking, they practically give a speech dedicating his devotion to her, even though it means he’s gotten some of her lipstick on him. But it’s okay, he’ll be sure to give her a good amount of hickies later tonight to get even.

Midway through practically making out, the DJ plays Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” and Y/N breaks away from the kiss and shrieks.

“I love this song,” Y/N squeals and shoots up from her chair.

Eddie, still lost in the haze of the kiss, looks up at her in confusion. Y/N grabs his hand and drags Eddie to the dance floor.

Eddie stumbles along with her, wondering how the moment got away from him.

As they make their way across the waxed wooden floor, Eddie leans close to Y/N’s ear and yells so she can hear him say, “Uh, I don’t dance.”

“Well, sweetheart, you are tonight,” Y/N smirks back at him as she continues to lead the way to the pit of students smushed together moving their bodies to the beat of the song.

And now he really knows she’s so far gone. This is Y/N’s night now and the last thing he wants to do is get in her way.

As they find a spot on the dance floor with her other friends and their dates, Y/N faces Eddie and starts swaying her body to the rhythm.

“Uh,” Eddie says under his breath but it’s too loud for anyone to hear. He looks at her and forcibly smiles while mechanically trying to mimic her movements. He figures that if he can focus on her, maybe he can forget about the many pairs of eyes staring at him right now.

“You’re too stiff,” Y/N huffs as she places her hands along his biceps and squeezes them.

Eddie tries to loosen his limbs but the apparent lack of alcohol or THC in his system is making itself a problem right about now.

“I told you babe, I don’t dance,” Eddie says apologetically.

“Edward I’ve seen you dance, you just didn’t know it,” Y/N says with attitude. It should be annoying that she’s calling him out like this, but it’s kind of hot when she gets feisty, especially since it doesn’t happen so often.

“Just pretend you’re doing a set with Corroded Coffin. Move your body to the rhythm. Let the music flow through you,” Y/N says as she guides the movement of his arms to the guitar solo at the end of the song.

Eddie starts to loosen up a bit and then the song transitions to “If You Leave” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and that’s when things really click for Eddie.

Y/N loved that Pretty in Pink movie so much, she made Eddie watch it with her in theaters three times. Against his will, he knows the song like the back of his hand. But it’s proving to come in handy right now as he slowly starts to loosen up and match Y/N’s energy as she dances along to the beloved song.

Months ago, he never would’ve expected to see Y/N like this. Back then, he never would have thought it possible for her to be able to just let go and have fun, but he likes to think her ability to do it now is partially his own doing.

Even as “I Melt With You” by Modern English comes on next, Eddie can’t help but laugh and smile as he terribly dances along with Y/N and her friends.

Never in all his years did he think he would ever even go to prom, let alone have fun at it. But Y/N seems to be his lucky charm in that way.

He thrashes around with Y/N as “Blue Monday” by New Order comes on next and the rest of the crowd has been long forgotten at this point.

Y/N does zany silly moves to make Eddie laugh, not even caring what anyone else thinks. And Eddie does the same, knowing there’s only one person he would be willingly looking like an idiot on the dancefloor with.

From “Rio” by Duran Duran to “Come On Eileen” by the Dexys Midnight Runners, Eddie would never admit to any of his friends just how fun it is to dance to stupid Top 40 stuff.

In a way, he’s sort of relieved that none of them came because they’re too young or didn’t have a date. This is a side of him that he isn’t ashamed of, but is much more comfortable showing knowing he won’t be teased.

But another part of him knows he and the boys would absolutely demolish the dance floor without a regard for what anyone thinks. It would have been so much fun to show up to prom with his boys and prove high school didn’t break them.

He hopes that no matter what happens, his younger friends can have the time of their lives like this too. That they can experience more joy than what Eddie’s had over the past six months.

High school was a shit show for him, but it’s ending on a pretty high note. But the night isn’t over just yet.

When the DJ plays “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins, a song that apparently annoys Y/N for some reason, as though it isn’t the same flavor of bubblegum pop as the other songs, at least to Eddie’s ears.

But Y/N tells Eddie she wants to take a break and get some punch so Eddie walks her over to the refreshments table.

The chaperone behind the table, undoubtedly some member of the PTA, smiles at Y/N and hands her the cup of punch.

“Hey Munson,” someone calls over from the other side of Eddie.

Eddie turns in the direction of the voice, leaving enough room for Y/N to see a face that’s familiar but she doesn’t exactly remember why.

“Carver, to what do I owe the pleasure,” Eddie asks with gritted teeth.

Y/N doesn’t know the blond boy or how Eddie knows a guy who would wear a varsity jacket to prom, but the tension in his shoulders and grit to his voice say it’s not for a good reason.

Y/N takes the opportunity to snake her arm around Eddie’s waist and hold on to him, leaning into his side as she gazes at the boy across from them, hoping to comfort him from whatever is unfolding.

The sudden motion catches the boy’s attention and his eyes move from Eddie to Y/N. If Eddie’s not mistaken, Jason’s eyes seem to widen a bit and linger on Y/N for more than he’d like, so instinctively, Eddie wraps his arm tightly around Y/N, pulling her into him even more.

“This your girl,” Jason asks as he juts his chin out in Y/N’s direction.

The motion isn’t threatening but something about it makes Y/N want to crawl out of her skin.

Y/N and Eddie look at each other before looking at Jason.

“Yeah, what’s it to you,” Eddie asks menacingly.

Jason throws up his hands in mock surrender, “Nothing man, she’s just pretty is all.”

Jason continues to oogle a bit longer at Y/N but she can’t even figure out what to say to make him stop.

“How’d a freak like you manage to get a girl like her?” Jason asks with a sense of genuine curiosity. Like their relationship is the big bang theory and he needs to ask questions to make any sense of it.

And then it hits Y/N that she does know him. It’s Jason Carver and she tutored him before basketball season in junior year. He was struggling with physics but would spend half the time flirting with her even though he had a girlfriend on the cheer team. It always made Y/N uncomfortable, no matter how nice it was to hear that she was so smart and pretty.

“Doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out, Jason. But for you, maybe a little tutoring might help,” Y/N says with a smirk.

Eddie looks at her in confusion while Jason looks just about like he’s been caught red-handed, realizing just where he knows Eddie’s girlfriend from. All the embarrassment from her rejection comes back to him in waves.

“Newton doesn’t have any laws of physics to explain it, but I’m sure it can’t be that hard to believe a smart girl with a pretty face could be into such a hunk with a heart of gold like Eddie,” Y/N adds before innocently taking a sip of her punch.

Jason’s jaw drops and is rendered speechless as Y/N smirks at him confidently.

Eddie has so many questions but more than anything he just wants to take Y/N to the back of his van and have his way with her, but there’ll be time for that later. For now, he kisses the top of her head and smirks back at Jason.

The instrumentals to “The Promise” by When In Rome begins playing from the sound system, prompting Y/N to let her fingers drag behind Eddie’s back down to his hand. She holds his hand but walks forward to Jason

“If you’ll excuse me,” She says as she hands the cup to Jason, “I’m gonna go have the time of my life with, the freak, out on the dance floor.”

Jason looks at her as if he’s frightened by any move she makes.

Y/N takes another step and whispers into his ear, “And by the end of the night, he’ll probably take my virginity too. And I don’t know if that’ll make me a freak or not, but all I know is that if you ever have a word to say about Eddie Munson, I can promise you, I will hunt you down and make you regret ever using your tongue against that boy. Am I clear?”

Y/N pulls away slightly, just enough to be within earshot and still look into Jason’s blown out dark blue eyes.

“Say you understand,” She yells at him authoritatively, still close enough to hurt his eardrums.

“I-I I under st-stand,” Jason says as he winces.

“Now apologize to Eddie,” Y/N commands.

“I-I’m sorry man,” Jason blinks nervously.

“Say it like you mean it, Carver. I know you can do better than that,” Y/N goads.

“I-I’m sorry Munson. For everything. Really.”

It’s taking every fiber of Eddie’s being not to bust out laughing at the sight of a flustered Jason Carver. It’s not even like he’s dreamed of this moment either. He wasn’t exactly banking on ever seeing remorse from one of his bullies, but he sees the effort Y/N is putting into getting justice for him and he couldn’t be more head over heels in love with this girl.

Eddie tries to hide his smile and nods but he can’t even bring himself to thank Jason or accept the apology.

Y/N’s the one to thank here. He does so by leaning forward and capturing her lips in his.

Y/N kisses him back before pulling away and saying, “C’mon baby, let’s go dance.”

Y/N takes his hand and leads him back to the dance floor where the DJ has now transitioned the set to play “Hold Me Now” by The Thompson Twins.

Y/N and Eddie join the other couples slow dancing and Eddie is grateful the positioning is hiding the front of his pants. The scene back there kind of awakened something in him.

Y/N wraps her arms around Eddie’s neck as Eddie wraps his arms around her waist before slowly dragging them to her hips and landing on the softness of her behind.

“Goddamnit sweetheart, I don’t know what’s gotten into you tonight but I’m fucking obsessed with it,” Eddie groans in Y/N’s ear.

She can feel something hard against her leg and the resulting heat it brings to her cheeks. She nervously giggles, unsure of how to acknowledge his words or his body’s reaction.

Eddie moves his head back to look into Y/N’s soft eyes. Y/N smiles shyly at him and he wants nothing more than to make her smile like that for the rest of his life.

But now that the heat of the moment is over, Eddie’s mind won’t let him get past the thing we’re all wondering: What the hell was that? How does Y/N even know Jason?

So as they slow dance, Y/N explains everything. She even mentions how she remembers Jason teasing Eddie in the cafeteria at lunch. She always knew Jason was a dick, but at the time she never knew Eddie and now that she does, she wanted to do what was right and stand up for him.

“It was fuckin’ hot baby. I’m pretty sure you either made him jizz or piss in his pants. I was trying so hard not to laugh”

Y/N rolls her eyes and smiles, flushed at Eddie’s crass words, but agreeing with them nonetheless.

“I love you Eddie,” Y/N says as she holds him tighter, “And I told you, I won’t let my parents or any high school dickhead get in the way of that.”

Eddie chuckles and holds Y/N tighter against him, firmly squeezing her ass in the process.

Y/N lets out a small yelp in surprise as Eddie smirks at her.

It’s not long before one of the chaperones, Eddie’s English teacher, scolds him and commands the two to be “arm’s length apart.”

But as soon as she’s out of sight, Eddie resumes their position and Y/N lays her head against his chest.

Eddie and Y/N hold each other and sway in silence till the song ends and “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper is played next.

Y/N stiffens slightly and pulls away to look into Eddie’s warm brown eyes.

“What?” Eddie asks in concern.

Y/N lets out a small breath. The first few notes of this song always take her back to when she was grounded for going out with Eddie. The Dark Ages.

She would listen to this song and think about him. She would imagine what it would be like to ever talk to Eddie again. What she would say or how she could ever move forward from the time they spent together.

But in the end, she always had hope that she could have a somewhat happy ending. That with time, things would get better, even if it meant not being with Eddie in the way she wanted.

And then it played on the radio that one day he gave her a ride home. And just like the song said, Y/N was lost but Eddie looked and he did find her. Time after time, Y/N fell but Eddie caught her and waited for her to return home.

Time after time, Y/N never would have thought she could make it to this moment. After all the sleepless nights and headaches and puffy eyes. She can’t believe she’s here with Eddie at prom. They’ll be graduating in a few weeks. And in a few months, she’ll be headed off to Chicago.

“Baby, what’s wrong, why are you crying,” Eddie asks as he cups Y/N’s cheek and wipes away the stray tears slipping down her cheek.

Y/N leans into his touch and closes her eyes as a few more sobs escape her.

“I’m sorry Eddie,” is all she can manage to choke out.

“Don’t be sorry princess. What’s going on?”

“I’m just,” Y/N sniffles, “I’m so happy. I can’t believe I get to be here, with you. It feels like a dream come true. I love you so much, I can’t handle how happy I feel.”

Eddie smiles, feeling that same wave of unbridled emotion wash over him. Now, it wouldn’t be very metal of him to be crying in front of all these people, at prom no less, but when the girl he loves is crying before him because she’s so happy to be with him that it feels like a dream, well he’ll be damned if that isn’t enough to make a grown man cry.

Eddie pulls away slightly and looks Y/N the eye, “Let’s get out of here.”

Y/N pauses for a moment and looks around. Some of her friends have started to leave and a few couples are walking out the gym doors.

Y/N looks down at her wrist and realizes she left her watch at home.

“What do you say, Cinderella, it’s only 9:30,” Eddie adds.

Y/N looks at him and wipes a tear from her cheek and nods.

Eddie wraps his arm around her waist and leads her to the doors of the gymnasium. Before they walk out, Y/N looks over her shoulders and looks at the room one last time.

A night to remember.

And then Eddie whisks her away to his van and the two go for a drive. Eddie puts in a tape and Y/N is sure he must have made it for tonight. It isn’t playing the normal zany stuff he likes. It’s slow and melodic. Borderline sensual but still with that rock edge.

Plus, there’s a bit more Journey and Foreigner than she imagined Eddie would have listened to.

Among the myriad of questions in her mind, “Where are we going,” is the first to come out of Y/N’s mouth.

Eddie briefly looks over at her from the driver's seat as “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner comes on next.

“I thought we might make a pit stop at the trailer,” Eddie says casually as his gaze returns to the road before him. “Wayne’s got the night shift, so it’ll be just us.”

Y/N looks at him nervously. This isn’t the first time she’s gone over to Eddie’s place at night when Wayne wasn’t there. But none of those nights ever had the kind of possibility tonight has.

Before she can even begin to think or overthink the events of the night, Eddie pulls up to the trailer and turns off the ignition, effectively killing the song before it has the chance to reach its prophetic chorus.

Eddie gets out of the car and walks over to open the door for Y/N. He holds his hand out for her to grab as she carefully steps out of the vehicle.

He cautiously leads Y/N to the front door and nervously fumbles with the keys before unlocking the door and holding it open for her to go in first.

Y/N steps in and awkwardly stands in the kitchen, watching as Eddie closes the door and locks it before mechanically taking off his jacket and hanging it on the nearest chair.

He walks over to Y/N and gently caresses the skin of her cheek before leaning forward and kissing her.

Y/N feels stiff against him and he can feel her try to loosen up, but something won’t let her so he pulls away.

“Sorry Eddie, I-”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Eddie reassures her as he runs his hands up and down her arms.

He looks into her eyes and says, “This is just like any other night, okay? I’ll only go as far as you let me.”

Y/N looks away and nods.

Y/N and Eddie hadn’t exactly planned to have sex for the first time on prom night. Neither really acknowledge the possibility in the weeks leading up to it. Eddie has been respectfully going at the pace Y/N is comfortable with, but the tension has been running high.

Y/N wants to and he knows it too. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want it either. But in Eddie’s mind, tonight may be the night, or it may just be another night. If she feels up for it, that’s great, but he doesn’t want her to feel any pressure just because it’s prom night.

“C’mon,” Eddie says as he grabs her hand softly and slowly guides her to his room. He flicks on the light of one of his lamps and motions for her to sit on the bed.

Y/N follows his silent command and watches as he puts in a tape in the sound system in his room. It has the same tape from the car and is now playing “Fluff” by Black Sabbath, one of their favorite songs.

Eddie smiles shyly at Y/N and walks over to her. He kneels on the ground before her and gently takes her left foot in his hand. He slowly undoes the strap of her heel and removes the shoe. He lightly massages her foot and Y/N softly groans.

Eddie smiles and moves on to repeat the process for her right foot.

“Thanks Eddie, my feet have been killing me,” Y/N says appreciatively.

“Anything for my princess, so pretty in pink,” Eddie teases and Y/N blushes.

Eddie rises to his feet and proceeds to undo the bowtie around his neck. He moves down to unbutton the buttons of his dress shirt when Y/N rises to her feet and makes a closed-mouth noise.

He looks at her in confusion but she just waves away his hand and starts undoing the rest of the buttons herself. Her nimble fingers shake as she breathlessly undresses him.

Eddie can sense her nervousness as says, “It’s okay baby, you’re doing great.”

Y/N slightly chuckles and whines, “Eddie, this isn’t…”

This isn’t some marathon race she needs to be cheered on for. It’s just a normal night at Eddie’s trailer. She’s been here hundreds of times. She’s made out with Eddie on his bed hundreds of times before.

Why is tonight any different?

“C’mon, let’s just lay down for a bit and cuddle,” Eddie offers.

Y/N weighs the proposition and decides to accept.

“Should I take off my dress?” She asks as she looks down at the layers of fabric.

Eddie shrugs, “If it’s more comfortable.”

Y/N looks at him and nods. She turns around and asks him if he can undo the zipper. As he does, he can feel shivers run down her spine as the skin of his fingers brush against her back.

The dress pools down to her ankles, revealing her in a matching white lace bra and panties.

Eddie hisses at the view from the back, trying to contain himself knowing it’ll be even better from the front.

“C’mon,” Eddie’s voice cracks as he closes the door to the room and walks over to the bed.

Y/N mechanically mimics him and the two get under the covers. Eddie shimmies off his jeans and moves closer to Y/N. He wraps an arm around her, pulling her close to his side. Y/N snuggles him, but stiffly drapes an arm over his warm and bare stomach.

“Did you have fun tonight?” Eddie asks as he draws small circles into her arm.

“Mhm,” Y/N responds with her cheek pressed against Eddie’s chest.

“What was your favorite part?”

“Seeing you dance,” Y/N giggles.

Eddie scoffs and rolls his eyes even though she can’t see from her vantage point. “I told you sweetheart, this body was not made for dancing.”

“No, but it was so good. I don’t care if you’re a good dancer or not. It was so much fun. All my favorite songs were played. All my favorite people were there. Tonight was perfect,” Y/N says and then shuffles to look up at Eddie.

Tonight has been perfect and it’s not over yet. And as she looks into his eyes, she realizes she has nothing to be afraid of. It wouldn’t be the perfect end to a perfect night without the perfect boy to be a part of it.

So she grins from ear to ear and leans forward to kiss him. Eddie is slightly taken off guard, so it takes him a moment to readjust to her lips, but when he does, it’s like nothing he’s ever felt before. Like he’s kissing her for the first time all over again.

He brings a hand up to cup her cheek and kisses her passionately back. Without breaking the kiss, he gently nudges her to lie back. He rests his forearm against the mattress for leverage and leans over her.

As Y/N lies back on the mattress with her head resting against the pillow, she brings her hands forward to cup Eddie’s cheeks, his soft lips never leaving hers.

Eddie uses his other hand to gently trail from Y/N’s shoulder to her arm, and lowers down to her waist. He moves his touch to her lower back and firmly presses her body against his.

Y/N gasps in the kiss and Eddie smiles, using the moment to slip his tongue past her lips, wanting to taste every bit of her he can.

Y/N whimpers, quickly turning into a puddle of goo at the lightest touch. She lowers one of her hands onto his shoulder and uses the other to slide past his scalp and run through his hair, tightening the hold on particularly pleasurable moments.

Eddie continues to touch along her skin and feels a sense of pride whenever her body reacts to it. The squirms and moans all rev his engine to the point where Y/N can feel him against her.

Without breaking the kiss, she reaches down and touches him, making him groan and fall out of the kiss.

He hovers over her breathlessly, his curls hang in a curtain over her head.

“Hold your horses there princess,” he says in his theatrical D&D voice making her giggle. “We’ll have time for that later, but tonight is about you.”

“I want it all Eddie,” Y/N replies simply. It’s simultaneously a plea and a command. “I want to feel it all with you.”

“Yeah,” Eddie asks incredulously.

Y/N nods underneath him and pulls him in for a chaste kiss.

“If at any moment you ever want to stop, just say the word and-”

“I know,” Y/N smiles at him shyly, grateful that he’s being so careful with her.

“I love you,” Eddie whispers before moving down and kissing her with more passion and fever than he even knew was possible. Y/N returns the kiss in a similar manner, as though she were in a desert and Eddie was her lone source of water.

But the warmth of the soft touches and loving kisses doesn’t nearly compare to the heat of Eddie’s touch as it migrates south. Touching her in places she’d dare not let anyone else go. Pushing buttons only he knows exist. Loving her body the way only he can.

Eddie’s tongue and lips move expertly as he gives her the pleasure he knows she deserves. With Eddie’s head between her thighs, Y/N’s almost certain this must be heaven on earth.

That is until he begins using his fingers and the feeling is just too good, but she knows she wants more. No needs more.

She needs Eddie unlike anything she’s ever needed before.

And as the night progresses to where Y/N and Eddie are joined at every possible place, she knows she’ll never get enough. To feel so full and complete with Eddie like this is a feeling unlike any other.

Eddie’s own body is electric. Red hot blood pumping violently throughout his veins.

He sloppily kisses Y/N between thrusts and Y/N can barely think or breathe. All she can focus on is Eddie and how good he feels and how much she loves him.

Y/N’s arms are wrapped around Eddie’s neck and her legs lock around his hips, holding him closely to her. As though any inch spent apart is too far.

Something primal overcomes both of them as they consummate their love for one another.

With no one around to hear, they cry each other's names out with each rocking motion. The slapping of skin and sounds of haggard breaths fill the air.

It all just feels too good, like unearthly good. Eddie’s never even felt this way before. Like he was just made for loving Y/N.

“It’s okay, let go for me baby,” he coaxes. Y/N is on the verge of tears. The pain and pleasure become all too much for her.

The coil of tension within her snaps. She cries out Eddie’s name in release and soon he’s crying out hers too.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” he whispers into her neck.

Y/N whimpers and shudders under his touch as she sees stars. He rocks her through her pleasure as she comes down.

She breathes heavily and as the sensations slowly subside, she lays down blissed out with Eddie and his heavenly body lying next to her.

After a moment to catch their breaths, Y/N and Eddie turn to face each other. Eddie pulls her body against his. He wraps his arm around her waist to hold her close.

Y/N closes her eyes and smiles in bliss. Eddie places soft kisses on her lips and ends on her forehead.

Y/N hums contentedly and nuzzles her head into his chest.

While trying to catch her breath, Y/N manages to say, “Oh Eddie, that was-that was so good.”

“Yeah? You liked it?”

You run your fingertips along the plane of his shoulder, “Mhm. Did you?”

“Every second of it. You did so well, baby.”

Y/N’s heart flutters at his words. “I love you Eddie.”

“I love you too baby.”

Eddie says he loves Y/N all the time. It’s not like it’s the first time he says it at all. But after what just happened, Y/N feels like it has a whole new meaning. Like he loves her for the first time in a way that is much deeper than any other time he has ever said it before.

She looks over at him and admires his full lips or soft cheeks. She can’t believe she gets to be here with him like this.

Far from her mind are the thoughts or what happened months ago or what will happen months from now.

All she can think about is how happy she is and how much she loves the boy lying next to her.

***

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#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson headcanon #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst ##stranger things fanfic #stranger things s4 #stranger things season 4 #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfiction #urfavstargirl1

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pricelessemotion · 2 years ago

Text

Lectori Salutem | E.M.

Summary: [5.1k] you and eddie shoot pool and spill secrets.

Pairing: rockstar!eddie munson x fem!music journalist! reader

Warnings: drinking, language

Notes: things are finally picking up! next chapter will include some 18+ content so you must have your age in your bio for the taglist!

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Eddie clambers into the passenger seat of your car. Upon leaving the diner, you managed to convince him to let you drive to your next destination, citing a general need to live.

The drive back to Eddie’s was considerably less nerve-wracking. This go around, he decided to obey the speed limit and not split lanes like a maniac. Not only did he give you peace of mind but he also spared the delicious french toast that you ate from making a reappearance.

Turning the key, the car starts with a light rumble. The sound of electric guitars and heavy drums shatters the silence between the two of you.

Fuck.

You still had the Corroded Coffin tape in your stereo.

Eddie is turned away from you, grabbing the seatbelt. At the sound of his own voice being played back to him, he slowly turns around to look at you. The grin on his face would put the Cheshire cat to shame.

“I didn’t know you were a fan, sweetheart.” The nickname is saccharine coming out of his mouth.

“I–” You sputter, trying to come up with a good defense. “I’m thorough in my research.”

Eddie is obviously amused at the fact that he’s caught you red-handed. His seatbelt is already buckled, but it’s stretched thin as he leans across the center console. He smells like syrup and cigarettes. For a second, you consider turning the stereo off completely.

“Should I be scared? Do you have a shrine to me in your room? Do you have my face tattooed on your ass?” With each question his voice gets louder and louder, filling the tiny space with his velvety timbre.

Though your face is hot with embarrassment, you’re secretly relieved. Any semblance of tension from bringing up Evelyn at the diner has dissipated. It’s been shredded with every strum of a guitar. You find it’s easier to be around Eddie this way. It’s easier to give in to his playfulness, rather than try to maintain the facade of professionalism.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” You say, casting him a sideways glance.

Eddie, for the most part, remains stoic. But you catch the twitch of his mouth and see the tell-tale shade of pink flood his cheeks. If anything should be indicative of the fact that you’ve stunned him, it’s that he’s stopped talking for the first time since you met him. Another thing you’ve learned about Eddie Munson: He never shuts up.

You release the parking brake and peel off into the streets. If Eddie is at all bothered by listening to his own music, he doesn’t show it. In fact, he takes the opportunity to quietly sing along, only stopping to pepper in commentary about the track or to give you directions. The richness of his voice is so distracting that you haven’t even noticed that you have no idea where he’s taking you.

Trying to find street parking in East Hollywood is a fruitless endeavor. You almost wish you had taken up Eddie’s offer to ride his bike. Eddie directs you around the backside of a building where a sign indicates that it’s a private parking lot, not meant for public use. He assures you that you won’t get towed.

The Blue Line is a bar tucked in between a Thai restaurant and a dry cleaners. Walking up to the doors, you’re hit with the clashing scents of peanut sauce and fresh linen.

There are very few people inside, given that it’s a bar and it’s barely even five o’clock yet. The soles of your shoes stick to the floor, making a quiet but awful velcro-like sound with every step you take.

“Buckley!” Eddie’s voice booms as you enter the establishment, echoing off the concrete floors and exposed brick walls.

A tall, freckled girl springs up behind the counter. At the sound of her name, she grins, her dark lipstick contrasting pearly white teeth.

“Munson!” She yells back. The few patrons that linger around various areas of the bar are evidently disturbed by the sudden change in volume, turning their heads and scowling. She doesn’t seem to care. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Just looking to shoot some pool in the best bar in L.A.” Buckley audibly snorts at the last part of his statement. “My tab still open?”

“Always.” She shakes her head and raises her brows at him as if to say, of course. She turns to look at you. “Who’s your friend?”

Your mouth opens, but the words die on your tongue. You and Eddie are not friends. At least, you’re not supposed to be. But you don’t know if you want to tell this woman, who Eddie is clearly close with, that you’re here on assignment to try to cherry-pick the best parts of him and turn them into something palatable.

At your hesitation, Eddie swoops in and makes the introduction for you. He doesn’t mention the fact that you’re a journalist. Whether the omission is for your benefit or his, you’re not sure.

“Nice to meet you,” She throws the rag she was using to wipe down the counter over her shoulder and extends her hand. “I’m Robin.”

Her handshake is firm, but her eyes are soft. The fine bottles of liquor behind her are backlit by an unseen light source, giving the illusion of stained glass. She quickly turns around and rummages through the minifridge and grabs two beers.

“You know the rules, Munson, don’t get too rowdy and clean up when you’re done.” She says, popping the caps off of the beverages and setting them down on the counter.

“Me?” Eddie grasps his chest in faux incredulity, sarcasm dripping from every word. “Too rowdy? Never.”

Robin sticks her tongue out at him in response right as she’s being flagged down by a customer at the far end of the bar. She salutes the both of you, flouncing away to refill the man’s old-fashioned.

To your right, there’s something akin to a hall of fame. A collage of pictures of different celebrities that have visited the very room you’re standing in. You wonder if Eddie is up there, but you don’t dare to go see for yourself.

“Can you play?” He asks, walking towards the pool table.

You make a noncommittal noise. You had played your fair share of games of pool, sure, but never in a setting quite like this. Never with someone like Eddie. Setting your bag down on one of the empty tables that lined the perimeter of the room, you pull out your tape recorder.

“You mind?” You ask, holding up the device in Eddie’s direction.

Eddie grimaces and shrugs off his leather jacket, draping it over a bar stool at the opposite end of the table. The motion draws attention to the plethora of ink that litters both of his arms.

“Do we have to?” His face scrunches up as he asks the question, a slight whine in his tone.

You almost feel inclined to say no, if only just to see the wrinkle that has formed between his brows disappear. Another thing you’ve learned about Eddie Munson: he is very hard to say no to. That’s how you ended up in this bar in the first place.

It would be easy to forgo the tape recorder and pretend that the two of you are just friends hanging out. But if there’s one thing that you know, it’s that the human memory is fallible. You can't risk the quality of your article for the sake of his comfort.

“It’s what I’m here for.”

Eddie bristles at your response but says nothing. He takes a square of blue chalk and thoughtfully rubs it on the end of his pool cue. The sunglasses he took off are tugging down at his v-neck, exposing sharp collarbones and even more ink.

“I have a proposition for you.” Eddie declares.

You raise an eyebrow.

“For every ball you sink, you get to ask me a question about my life. For every ball I sink, I get to ask you about yours.”

You let out an incredulous laugh, thinking that he can’t possibly be serious. But he just stands there, staring at you as he sets the blue piece of chalk down at the edge of the table.

“Final offer. Take it or leave it.” He throws both palms up in the air, pool cue tucked into his side.

For the second time today, you take Eddie’s words as a challenge.

“You’re on.”

Eddie takes his time setting up the game. While he’s leaning over the side of the table gathering the scattered spheres, you can’t help yourself from admiring his silhouette. The back of his shirt rides up, revealing a strip of skin that you cannot tear your eyes away from.

Oh my god.

Eddie Munson has a tramp stamp.

A chaotic collection of branches and thorns surrounds a Latin phrase: lectori salutem. You rack your brain, trying to remember the one semester of elective Latin that you took back in freshman year of college when Eddie suddenly turns around. You quickly look up to meet his eyes, but the smirk on his face reveals everything.

For the second time today, Eddie has caught you staring.

“Ladies first.” He says, grandly gesturing toward the table.

You break the rack. A blur of colors bursts forth in every direction. Despite your best efforts, none of the balls make it into a pocket. Looking back at Eddie, you see he’s still got that smirk on his face. He leans over and effortlessly knocks a ball into a pocket. Stripes.

“Where did you go to school?”

“NYU.” You reply, having been asked this question so many times that the response is practically automatic at this point.

Eddie lets out a low whistle. “Out-of-state tuition must’ve cost a pretty penny.”

“I had a scholarship.”

“Wow. Pretty and smart. You’re kind of the whole package, aren’t you?” The teasing lilt in his voice doesn’t take away from the sincerity in his words.

The compliment flusters you, which you’re sure is the whole point of Eddie’s making it.

“Only one question, remember? It’s still your turn.”

Eddie sees right through your attempt to deflect. Graciously, he doesn’t point it out. He just leans down once again and lines up a shot. Stripes Twelve. Right lower pocket.

“Why do you hate New York?”

The sureness with which he asks the question throws you for a loop. Whatever you had expected to come out of Eddie’s mouth, it definitely wasn’t that.

“What makes you think I hate New York?”

“Tsk tsk. I’m asking the questions here.” Eddie scolds, but his voice is devoid of any real ire. He plants his hands on the table, leaning towards you. You can just barely see the faint outline of a gravestone on his right forearm. “You don’t hate it, but you don’t love it either.”

In the five minutes that have passed since he started questioning you, Eddie has managed to see right through you. You’re starting to wonder if you’re actually that transparent or if he is just that good at reading people.

“I don’t know. My dad is from there. Whenever he talked about New York, it always seemed like some mythical place. He always said ‘Don’t live in New York so long it makes you hard. Don’t live in California so long it makes you soft.’ I guess I went to New York to prove to myself that I could, y’know. Prove that I could leave the nest and not fall flat on my face.”

Heat blooms in your chest during your ramblings. The pressure you feel is so much that you’re surprised steam hasn’t started coming out of your ears. Despite knowing exactly why you went to New York, you’ve never said the real reason out loud. It didn’t seem like it mattered to anyone but you.

Eddie has a thoughtful look on his face. “3,000 miles is a long way to go to prove a point.”

You shrug. Eddie pauses for a moment, waiting for something. At the realization that you’re not going to say anything more, he leans over the table and shoots.

Stripes. Thirteen. Top right pocket.

“Did you?” Eddie posits, elaborating on the quirk of your brow. “Prove your point?”

You want to laugh. That’s the same question you’ve been asking yourself since you made the move back west. The prodigal daughter returned with nothing to show for it.

“I proved that living in California my whole life made me soft.” You admit, gazing down at the table, the floor, your shoes, anywhere but his face.

Eddie frowns in your periphery. He has a clear shot at the far end of the table. You wish he would take it already.

“It’s not a bad thing, y’know.” Eddie’s fiddling with his pool cue, generously rubbing more blue chalk on the end. You don’t know much about pool, but you doubt that it’s necessary. It seems like he’s doing it more to prolong the inevitable. “Being soft.”

“Isn’t it?”

You’re almost sure that he’s joking. Actually–you’re sure that he’s making fun of you. He must be. The notion makes you angry. Oh, of course, the heavy metal rockstar is extolling the virtues of being soft! You look up, a snide remark already on the tip of your tongue. But when you finally meet his eyes, his gaze is intense. Contemplative, even. You take another sip of your beer and hope it washes away the lingering bitterness.

Eddie Munson and his damn sincerity.

He looks as if he’s about to say something, but then decides against it. He leans over, lining up that clear shot that you had spotted earlier. His necklace hangs from his neck, the red guitar pick grazing green cloth.

Stripes. Nine. Middle left pocket.

“So,” Eddie starts, smiling satisfactorily to himself. “Do you actually have my face tattooed on your ass?”

If his earlier question about hating New York shocked you, then this one was like being struck by lightning. You gape at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. You should’ve known that this would come back to bite you.

“It’s just a question.” He defends. “I’m genuinely curious.”

“No, Eddie, I do not have your face tattooed on my ass.”

“But you do have a shrine of me in your room.”

“I am this close to using this pool cue to poke both your eyes out.” You threaten, absolutely buzzing with mortification.

“Fine! Fine, I’ll let it go.” He concedes, before saying the next few words under his breath. “For now.”

Eddie is the opposite of a bad sport when he misses his next shot. He only clicks his tongue and gives a slight shake of his head. You’re relieved that you finally have the chance to get out from under his microscope.

Solids. Four. Bottom left pocket.

“What do you like most about living in LA?” You ask. You know that it’s cliché, that everyone who moves here is asked the same question. But you can’t help but want to hear everyone’s answers. Each person you meet paints a picture of your hometown with vibrant colors. It’s always refreshing to hear a new perspective.

“The food, oh my god, the food!” He practically moans. “I swear whatever bullshit they were passing off as Mexican food back in Indiana should be investigated.”

Eddie goes on a whole tangent about tortillas that could easily be used in a commercial advertising the food scene of southern California. All of the talk about tortillas reminds him of his favorite food truck, located in East Los Angeles. It’s parked right across the street from a record store. He discovered it while trying to visit every record store in the city.

“And speaking of record stores… I mean, fuck, you can’t find half the obscure shit that you have here back in Indiana. There’s no point in shipping your shit out to the midwest if no one’s gonna buy it I’m guessing.”

“I never even thought of that.” You admit. Every time you walked into a music store, there was always a new shipment waiting for a band you had never heard of. “Growing up, my favorite thing was always to go to the record store. Even if I didn’t buy anything, I would just sit in one of the booths and listen to vinyl.”

You smile at the memory of the sun streaming through windows and chunky headphones too big for your adolescent head. The nostalgia clouds your mind so much that you fumble the next shot, accidentally knocking a striped ball into a pocket and giving Eddie the chance to ask you yet another question.

“Do you regret going to NYU?”

“No.” You say, and you mean it. “I think it’s good to get out of your comfort zone. I think… I think it’s important to figure out what’s wrong for you. Maybe even more important than figuring out what’s right.”

Eddie hums in agreement and excuses himself to go to the bathroom. You take the opportunity to eject the tape from the recorder and put in a fresh one. Tucking the tape into your bag, you remember that you still have the mixtape Eddie made for you. You make a mental note to listen to it on the way home.

“Having fun?” Robin appears next to you, gathering a few bottles that hapless patrons have left behind. She lifts Eddie’s off the table and adds it to her collection. You hadn’t even noticed that he had finished it.

“Eddie is absolutely kicking my ass at pool right now.”

She barks out a laugh.

“I know the feeling. We used to play with each other all the time back in Hawkins. I think I only won once, and that was because he was high off his ass.”

Your ears perk up at the mention of the small town in Indiana. You could tell from their interactions that they were close, but this was a whole other level. Does she know about 1986?

“Maybe he’ll have mercy on me.” You muse, slightly wincing at the doubtful look Robin gives you.

“I have faith in you. Don’t let Edward get into your head.” She squeezes your shoulder as she leaves, the glass bottles clinking in her wake.

So, you think to yourself, Eddie stands for Edward. It’s a regal-sounding name. A little too refined for the rockstar who’s rough around the edges.

When Eddie returns from the bathroom, he holds two more beers in his hand. You’re about to say that you still haven’t even finished your first one. That you think one is enough. You still have to drive back, after all. But he sets both of them down next to his leather jacket, making it clear that they’re both for him. He sniffles as he approaches, giving a small cough to clear his throat. His knuckles brush the tip of his nose until it glows an angry red, even in the dim lighting. He pulls up his pool cue right to the edge of the green-striped ball. He’s got a clear shot.

He shoots.

He misses.

You quietly breathe out a sigh of relief. Despite the fact that your job is to get into the nitty-gritty of people’s lives, you’ve never been on the receiving end. It’s unnerving. There’s a reason why you’re a writer. You like the control of rough drafts and rewrites and edits. It leaves less room for misinterpretation.

Circling the table, you hope to find an easy shot.

“You have to actually hit the balls with the stick for them to go anywhere,” Eddie says, taking a long sip from his second beer. “Just wanted to make sure that you knew that.”

You roll your eyes at his obvious attempt to psych you out. Leaning over the far end of the table, you balance the pool cue delicately between your fingers. When you finally make the shot you smile to yourself as not just one, but two of the balls go careening into pockets at opposite ends of the table.

“You know, I’ve half a mind to think you were hustling me, sweetheart.” Eddie takes a long sip from his second beer, the condensation dripping down his hand.

“It’s not hustling if you just assumed I would be bad at it.” You’re so proud of yourself that you can’t help the smugness in your voice. “What’s your middle name?”

“Now you’re crossing the line.” He deadpans. “That’s just too far.”

“Oh come on, Edward.” At the sound of his legal name, Eddie’s facade drops. The reaction encourages you to continue your teasing. “It can’t be that bad.”

“How do you know that’s what Eddie stands for?”

“I have my sources.”

“Your sources could be wrong. It could stand for Edison. Or Edmund. Or Edgar.”

“Something tells me my sources are correct.” Your eyes flick over to the freckled girl behind the counter. Eddie catches your glance and kisses his teeth, shaking his head in exasperation.

“What if you’re secretly a fairy who’s trying to get me to say my full name so that I’m indebted to you for the rest of my life?”

“Fine. Don’t tell me your middle name.” You concede, trying to come up with a better question. “How did you know that I was a writer? Back in your room–when I picked up the book–you called me a writer.”

“Isn’t that like, your whole thing?” Eddie waves his hand flippantly.

“Yeah. But there’s a difference between journalistic writing and fiction writing. How did you know that I do both?”

Eddie takes another drink from the beer in his hand, thumb grazing the label.

“Maybe I’m ‘thorough in my research’ too.” He says, quoting your words back to you.

It’s a non-answer and both of you know it. You decide not to press the issue. Maybe Eddie isn’t such a good sport after all. You started winning and he stopped playing fair, dodging your questions left and right. For someone who is supposed to be getting interviewed, he isn’t doing a very good job. You settle on a topic you hope he’s willing to actually talk about.

“Patsy Cline.”

“What about Patsy Cline?”

“She didn’t exactly fit in with all of the metal.”

“My Uncle Wayne loves Patsy Cline. He would always play her records whenever he was cooking or cleaning. I guess listening to it reminds me of home.”

“So do you actually like it? Or do you just find it comforting?”

“Is there a difference?” Eddie muses at you from behind the lip of his beer bottle, before taking a long swig. “Wayne actually gave me that vinyl as a parting gift. He said it’s for ‘when you want to listen to real music’. He was only joking. Kinda.”

Eddie visibly softens while recalling the man who raised him. His tense shoulders have drooped and his jaw unclenches. He speaks of the older man with an unmatched fondness.

“Wayne sounds like a funny guy.” You smile, sidling up to Eddie. “What’s he like?”

“He’s the best. He took me in when I was just about this big.” He juts his palm out at his waist. “I had big ears, a buzzcut, and a gigantic chip on my shoulder. I was so– I was so angry at the world. He was the first person who told me it was okay to feel that way.

He was a trucker before I came along, but then he quit and started working at the plant so that he could be there for me. Everything I do, it’s all for him.”

The words make your heart clench. Sparing yourself the embarrassment of revealing just how much his words got to you, you take your next shot. With misty eyes, you see the flash of blue make its way across the table and into a pocket. You already know what you’re gonna ask him.

“Say you get everything you want. You win Grammys. You sell out Madison Square Garden. What next?”

“Shit, I don’t know.” Eddie polishes off the third beer. “I’d probably start by buying Wayne a house, but that’s if he’ll even let me. He’s always saying that I’m the kid and he’s the adult. That he’s supposed to be taking care of me, not the other way around.”

He lets out a quiet burp, which he muffles with his fist. His pool cue has been long forgotten next to him. The configuration on the table before you tells you that you can win in just two more rounds. You’re not sure if you want to. You try anyway.

Solids. Three. Middle right pocket.

“Does your reputation actually matter to you?”

“That’s a loaded question.” Eddie leans backward. He’s a little unsteady on his feet, the effects of the alcohol seeming to finally kick in. “Off the record?”

“Off the record.”

You make a show of grabbing the tape recorder and clicking the stop button. You slide it over the wooded lip of the table, proving to him that the device really isn’t recording anymore.

“Of course, my reputation matters to me. Anyone who says they don’t care about their reputation is lying. Sure, you learn to brush it off. You learn to expect that everyone you meet is gonna have preconceived notions about you. Whatever. People have always had some shit to say about me, I say let ‘em talk.

But it never gets any easier realizing that everyone you meet thinks they know you just because of some shit they read in a magazine. It never gets easier knowing that nothing you do belongs to you anymore.”

Eddie’s words weigh on you. Whether or not he realizes it, you fall into both those categories. You had turned your nose up at the lousy headlines. You had thought he was just another reckless rockstar. Now, you’re tasked with writing him a new one, one that’ll make people like you see him in a better light. It's still the same. He still doesn’t get to control how this story ends.

“Is that why you agreed to this interview?”

You know you’re essentially wasting a question. Whatever his answer will be won’t matter in the long run, because you won’t be able to use it. You want to know the answer anyway.

Eddie looks down at the table and then back to you. You know that he could tell you that you used up your question. That if he was a little less drunk he would probably diffuse the tension by quipping back to you, only one question, remember? He doesn’t. He sees that you have the winning shot perfectly laid out for you. This time, he doesn’t prolong the inevitable.

“Yeah, it is.”

You make the shot. Just like that, the game is over. Your victory feels hollow.

A blue-striped ball sits lonely on the table. A question left unasked. An answer left unheard.

Eddie puts his leather jacket back on and brings the empty beer bottles back to Robin. You pick up the tape recorder. It feels like dead weight in your hands.

You meet Eddie at the counter, where he’s happily chatting with an amused Robin, all previous tension regarding your last question seemingly forgotten. You bid your goodbyes. The two of you shuffle awkwardly together towards the entrance before Eddie gets distracted by something.

“Oh my god, I love these!” Eddie regards the gumball machine full of small, shitty prizes with a childlike wonder.

He grabs his wallet from the pocket of his jacket, dutifully pulling out two quarters. He shoves them both into the coin slots and cranks the handle. The machine spits out a plastic capsule with a bright green lid. He takes the prize and thrusts it into your hands.

“For you.”

You’re confused by the sentimental gesture but decide not to question it. Shaking the contents out into your hand, the prize reveals itself to be an 8 ball keychain.

“Hey! We match!” Eddie pulls out the motorcycle keys from his pocket, and sure enough there’s an 8 ball hanging from the key ring that’s identical to the one you’re holding in your hand.

“Yeah.” You smile to yourself, twirling the small sphere between your fingers. “We do.”

The drive back to the house in West Hollywood is quiet this time. You elected to switch from the cassette to the radio as soon as you got in. The sounds of classic rock drift between the two of you. Eddie spends the entire drive looking out the window, proving himself to be a quiet and contemplative drunk rather than an obnoxious and outspoken drunk.

Pulling up to the curb, you feel slightly awkward. You’ve never been good at goodbyes.

“You doing anything tomorrow?” Eddie’s head flops in your direction, his body language giving away the depth of his inebriation.

“Um.” You hesitate for a moment, unsure of what he might be planning. “It depends. What time?”

“Around noon? We have a recording session tomorrow and I just thought maybe you’d like to hear some of the stuff we’ve been working on. Plus you’d get to meet the other guys. It would be good, right? For your article.”

He says the last sentence as if it’s an afterthought.

“For the article.”

“It’s at the recording studio near Sunset? Big red sign, can’t miss it.” He’s using his hands again as he talks. The silver rings glint under the yellow of the street lamps. “Can I have your number, though? Just in case it gets canceled or something. I don’t want you to show up and think I’m sending you on a wild goose chase.”

“Sure.” You rattle off the number for him. Eddie continues looking at you, glassy-eyed and rosy-cheeked. “Are you sure you don’t want me to write it down for you?”

“I have a good memory.” He grins toothily, tapping his temple with his index finger. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, he tumbles out of the car and stumbles to the front door. You watch his retreating figure with the realization that you’ve barely scratched the surface of who Eddie Munson is.

You remember to swap cassettes before pulling away. As you begin mentally writing the beginnings of his article in your head, the mixtape plays softly in the background.

Living in a world of make believe

I can hide behind what's real

But wearing your emotions on your sleeve

And they all know what you feel

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