#hellcheer asks

[justhere4thevibez]

I've got some kinda cold/illness thing so I'm bored af but can't do a whole lot. Send me hellcheer asks/headcanons/whatevs and I'll answer and expound as best I can. Pls. Save me from my boredom.

[a-strange-inkling]

4, 19, 29 from the couple questions, please!

4. How do they compare to each other's exes? Are they the same "type" or an upgrade/something different?

Well, for Chrissy, her only boyfriend before Eddie was Jason. So yes, certainly an upgrade to say the least. But, while the obvious answer is that Eddie shatters the mold of what would be considered her type, because Eddie and Jason could not be more different (especially aesthetically speaking) from one another… Chrissy actually still might have one in some ways.

Because, Jason and Eddie oddly do have a lot in common. (And not just the same taste in women 😝)

I don’t think they’re opposites so much as they are one anther’s antithesis. Two sides of the same coin, parallel chess pieces, the white and dark knight, etc…

They both have similar attractive qualities:

They’re the kings of their own respective kingdoms. Jason as the captain of the basketball team and king of Hawkins High. Eddie as the DM of Hellfire and the king of the freaks (the boy is literally sitting in a throne and no one crosses him).

They’re leaders. They both inspire and excite their underlings/followers.

They are both feared and respected, listened to and obeyed by those around them.

They’re performative. They have a commanding presence, they demand attention and can maintain an audience.

Before Jason goes nuts, they both look out for the younger members of their circle.

They’re physically attractive and charismatic, confident and strong, they draw people in.

There’s also similar negative traits too.

They both can be assholes when they don’t get what they want and when things don’t go their way.

I imagine they’re both jealous types.

They don’t like to be questioned or second guessed.

Their differences are who they truly are at their core. Eddie’s a good person, Jason is not. Eddie will choose others in the end, Jason will choose himself.

(I could talk about this for hours probably write a 100,000 word analysis, so I’ll stop and get back on point lol)

I think both Chrissy and Eddie are aware of this to some extent. Their differences are more obvious, but their similarities are still there.

For Eddie, I’m still developing his “exes” which are more numerous but way less serious than Chrissy’s three year relationship with Jason. I imagine most of the girls he was with before are very different from Chrissy (fiery, alternative, possibly a little mean 😬) but a few may have reminded him of her. Not as many and they wouldn’t have lasted as long because being similar to her, but not her was probably too difficult for him.

Overall, Chrissy is the first to really love him for who he really is and not who he pretends to be or what he can do for her. She’s so gentle with his heart and all his vulnerabilities that he’s never dared to share with anyone else. There is a strong devotion and affection between them that he has never known before. She sees all of him and believes in him.

19. What values do they not share? How do they reconcile those differences?

Answered that here.

29. Where is their relationship lacking? What could they do to improve it?

Nothing. They’re perfect.

Sorry, jk lol. They have a healthy, loving relationship as a whole, because they nurture it and work on any of their difficulties. But, I think sometimes they can lack communication. They both, Chrissy especially, can hide their hurt and burdens to try and spare the other. They can (and usually always eventually do) be more open about their feelings and confront problems rather than hide them from one another.

Thank you 😘😘😘

[freya-ulfsdottir]

How are you in your 40s and shipping an underage girl with an adult man🤨

I'm so glad you asked Anon 🙄

Because I ship an 18 year old and a 20 year old. Chrissy is not underage. They are both consenting adults. Who also happen to be fictional characters. There are real actual humans in real actual relationships with far wider age gaps, but thank you for your high-horse-self-righteous and completely bullshit "hot take".

And yes, I'm in my 40's now, but I wasn't always. I was also once a teenager with a metalhead boyfriend. That's the beautiful thing about fiction my friend. It lets you explore many facets of the human condition.

So go be judgy elsewhere, you missed your mark with me.

[fanaticloser]

I need a tag that says “Fake dating but one of them thinks it’s real and the one who knows it’s fake actually falls for them and there’s angst but they end up together in the end”

[ebongawk]

kiss prompt 42 would be super cute!

remiss to admit I already wrote this one and Tumblr glitched and deleted it so I hope it actually posts this time 🥲

42. A clumsy kiss

It was late.

Eddie was still laughing to himself, despite how fucked up it was that everyone had ditched to avoid helping with cleanup duties. Like, alright, maybe he'd gotten on a power trip and decided to kill off Jeff and Grant's characters during their second-to-last Hellfire meeting of his high school career.

So what?

It was their own goddamn fault, negging him at lunch today. So maybe he'd ditched their morning chill session after Chrissy stopped by to say hi and he followed her like a sick puppy in desperate need of attention.

Could he truly be blamed? It was Chrissy Cunningham.

And he was friends with her.

(Actually he was fucking head-over-feet crazy about her, thinking so endlessly of her and their weird, unexpected friendship that he'd drawn a picture of Sune, the goddess of beauty and love, and accidentally made her look exactly like Chrissy, but. Semantics.)

They should've anticipated the consequences. Was no small matter, giving the dungeon master shit when he held the fate of their characters in his notoriously ruthless hands.

But their total shock and disdain when he'd killed them? Hilarious.

As he swept up the endless Doritos crumbs from the theater room's wood floor, he laughed again at the memory of Jeff shouting so loud the acoustics carried his voice through the entire space and back.

Grant went full Pavarotti when his elven archer fell to the depths of the Underdark.

Served them right.

Still, they were dicks for not staying to take care of their own messes. The younger kids he understood – curfew to adhere to and all that – but Jeff, Grant, and Gareth had straight up left with loose excuses that they all knew were bullshit. And if the drama room was left untended over the weekend, Eddie was the only one that would be in hot water with Mrs. Thames, since he was the one she entrusted with the key.

A soft knock yanked him out of his aggressive sweeping, looking up just as Chrissy peeked her way through the ajar door. He'd forgotten that she stuck around tonight for junior varsity tryouts for the coming year.

"Oh, you are still here," she breathed. "I saw your van in the lot on my way out, but I wasn't sure if you were here or if you were in Principal Higgins' office doing something, um, untoward." She looked around as she stepped through the threshold, the door clicking shut behind her. "Where are the guys?"

See, that was the thing. Chrissy wasn't just friends with him. The entirety of Hellfire was fucking batty over her. So why did he get all the shit?

"They ditched," Eddie snorted as he swept the crumbs into a dustpan, emptying it into the garbage can he'd stolen from the janitor's closet.

Chrissy quirked a brow at him. "What'd you do?"

"Egads, Cunningham!" he shouted, slapping a hand over his heart as he staggered toward her. "Must I be at every fault in your judgmental eyes?"

"Not every fault." She hummed, leaning against the table. Eddie scoffed, grabbing a notebook to start notating where the minis were before tossing them in a storage box. "But this one seems a little obvious."

Eddie finished his scribbling quietly, mulling this over. He didn't have to be entirely honest.

"Alright, so maybe I killed Jeff." Chrissy gasped. "And Grant."

"Eddie!" Chrissy chastised. "How could you?"

"It's fine!" he cried. "They were so angry about it that they fucking forgot that Sinclair found the Hand of Kelemvor buried in that chest in the Shadowfell. He can use it to bring them back!" Eddie snorted. "Serves them right, though. They'll have to scrounge up new character sheets before next week that'll be entirely useless."

Hoisting herself onto the table after he'd haphazardly wiped it down, Chrissy cast him a critical eye.

"Wouldn't Lucas have to, um, sacrifice something to use that?" she asked.

This was still kinda novel to him. He and Chrissy had been friends for a while now, and when they first started hanging out, she asked him about his DnD stuff. Well, actually, she asked him to explain it to her to verify that it wasn't a cult, as her ex-boyfriend so stupidly believed, and then after that she just... kept asking how the story was going. What they'd done that week. Not only that, she retained it. Filing away little pieces of information and gasping when she later realized how they tied into the greater plot of the story.

"Are you really even interested in this stuff?" he'd asked at one point. She was sitting on the floor of his bedroom, feet tucked under his thigh as they ignored the small stack of homework and he recounted the previous day's campaign. "Or are you just humoring me?"

"I like it so much, Eddie," she'd replied around a soft smile. The one he fucking prayed was reserved just for him. "It's like you're writing this whole fantastical story just for me."

"Just for you, huh?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm the only one lucky enough to hear it."

"He will," Eddie verified Chrissy's inquiry. Leaning up against the table beside her and shrugging. "The deity he ascribes to is kind of temperamental. She'll probably ask for his life in exchange for theirs."

Chrissy gasped in horror.

"Eddie, that's awful!"

"It's necessary!" he cried in response, chuckling at her genuine astonishment. "Listen, we've all done it, okay? Before I became DM, I sacrificed myself twice for the greater good. Gareth has lost three characters, and Grant and Jeff have both lost one. The younglings have played it too safe up 'til now, in my opinion. It's about time they accept that which they cannot control: change."

Chrissy blinked, her lips parted as she looked at him.

"It comes for us all, Cunningham," he said, his voice softer. Gaze dropping around a forced chuckle. "No matter how much we wish it wouldn't sometimes."

And that–– that was entirely too fucking revealing.

It was something they hadn't quite discussed, really. What they were going to be when she was off working her way through her scholarships in Portland and Eddie was who-fucking-knew doing God-knows-what away from this shitty ass town.

Honestly, he kinda figured she'd forget about him. This little stint of friendship had maybe opened her up to not judging books by their covers, if she ever had (Eddie knew she hadn't), but once they were no longer convenient, he figured he'd just become a fond memory for her. A soft little smile as she flipped through her yearbook in the coming decades.

A past she was happy to move on from.

Whether that made him want to kick his own teeth in was completely inconsequential.

"Change isn't always bad," she said, her own voice having dropped to a whisper. "Is it?"

He let his eyes drift back to hers. Meeting the determined storms he could see swirling there.

But he didn't have a chance to answer.

Because she was surging toward him, eyes scrunched closed, and he knew, he knew what she was trying to do, but she completely overestimated her aim. Lips landing clumsily on the small stretch of skin between his upper lip and nose, and her own nose mashed painfully just under his eye, making him wrench himself backward with a grunt.

"Oh–– Oh my God––"

"Aw, fuck."

"Oh, God, Eddie, I'm so––" Hands covering her mouth, she looked horrified all over again for an entirely different reason. "I-I'm so sorry, oh my God, did I hurt you?"

"It's alright––"

"No, it isn't, oh my gosh! This is so mortifying, God––"

"Hey––"

"I'm so sorr––"

"Hey," he said, wrapping one hand around her wrists and easing them down. "Chrissy. It's alright." She still looked entirely humiliated, and Eddie couldn't help but laugh. "I mean, as long as you–– Did you–– Were you–– Uh. Were you trying to kiss me?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Chrissy let out a little trembling laugh herself.

"Trying being the operative word, I guess," she replied shakily. "I... I mean, nuggets, Eddie, I've wanted to kiss you for ages. And then, that whole thing with change and stuff, I thought, maybe this could be a good change. For us, you know? Because I just–– I like you so much, and––"

That was enough.

Cupping her cheek with his free hand, Eddie took the lead. Gently pulling her in, the little furrow between her brow not registering his intention until he was pressing a soft, chaste kiss to her lips. Cutting off whatever apology she was likely to spew next with a little gasp that he greedily swallowed down.

He pulled back the tiniest bit, and Chrissy was quick to close the distance again. Extracting her wrists from his grip so she could wrap her arms around his shoulders.

She tasted like the wild freedom of his feelings for her. This endless stretching of wilderness, trees and foliage entangled with meadows of wildflowers that grew without reservation. Sprawling landscapes that infiltrated his very being, until she'd suffused herself into every blade of grass and knob of dirt that had sprouted within him.

It was fucking insane, how well his hand fit in the curve of her waist. How easily his lips molded against hers. How good and right and natural it felt to have her fingers tangled in the hair at the base of his scalp.

"Good change," he acknowledged easily when they finally broke apart for air. The little giggle she let out washed across his lips, lingering on his tongue with the yellow sunshine happiness of his wooded being.

"Amazing change," she agreed before leaning in to kiss him again.

kiss roulette!

[magniloquent-raven]

making myself sad thinking about this

being the first moment in their conversation that really caught eddie's attention, and then him spending the rest of the season fixated on how he ran away after she died

[empress-of-snark]

giving you a character: how about chrissy cunningham? :)

My girl!!

How I feel about her: She’s an angel, she’s an icon, she’s a lovergirl, and she is the moment. I loved her the minute I watched her scene with Eddie in the forest. She was just too sweet.

All the people I ship romantically with her: Eddie, first and foremost. For a delusional twenty minutes after their scene, I actually thought they were gonna be the new romance subplot of season four 🙃 I also very much ship her with Jonathan. Those are my main two Chrissy pairings, but I also like her with either Steve or Robin. She’s very shippable lol.

My non-romantic OTP for her: The characters I most love seeing her platonically interact with in fics are Nancy, Max, Dustin, and Will. Joyce and Wayne are also contenders cause the girl could always use a positive parental figure in her life.

My unpopular opinion about her: I don’t know if I have any about her specifically, but I guess one unpopular opinion about how people ship her is that it’s okay if not every Hellcheer fic is like love at first sight, y’know? I got the sense that some of my readers were getting impatient about how I made them friends first in my long fic but it just felt more realistic to me.

One thing that I wish had happened in canon: That she’d lived past episode one 🥺

Thanks for the ask! ♥️

[rose-n-gunses]

okay here we go hellcheer church camp au

(you might have to get creative with this one)

Omg hi I tooootally didn't forget I had this in my inbox 👀🫢

I did have to do a little research on this one because I've never been to a church camp unless you count a one-day confirmation retreat (which I don't) or actually any kind of overnight summer camp! SO:

Eddie has finally gotten arrested for dealing and, because it's technically his first offense (yeah, he's surprised about that too -- the juvie record got expunged and Hopper's been soft on him since), he's sentenced to however many hours of community service. He was able to choose between picking up roadside trash or serving food to all of the camp groups at Camp North Star. He'd much rather play lunch lady than spend the whole summer out in the hot sun, so he picks the camp.

Chrissy is a counselor for the elementary-age campers. She's not a huge fan of the camp; she thinks the morning and evening worship sessions are a little much and they spend way too much time indoors for being in such a beautiful area, but between her mother and Jason (also a counselor) she doesn't have much of a choice. (It's still better than being home all week.)

Jason is immediately antagonistic once he clocks Eddie in the kitchen the first evening. He throws a tantrum to the adult leaders about how they're allowing Satan's demonic influence into their godly refuge. Chrissy is mortified and on her way through the lunch line she apologizes and tells Eddie that Satan was still an angel at one point. He replies that Chrissy is an angel now and forever and gives her extra mac n cheese.

One afternoon while all of the campers are having their free swim time in the lake, Eddie makes a trip out there to drop off a cooler full of drinks. He overhears Jason bitching at Chrissy about how her bathing suit is "immodest" (and if he glances over to see it so what! She's got more skin covered than Jason does, anyway). Chrissy gets upset and tells Jason she's done with him and she doesn't care if God said she's his future wife, God is telling her that she should put her foot up his ass for being a dick and storms off back to her cabin to change.

That night after dinner and evening worship and cleanup Eddie sneaks across the camp to Chrissy's cabin and knocks on the door. She opens it thinking it's going to be Jason but is pleasantly surprised when it's not. He says he heard that she didn't get to swim earlier and asks if she still wants to. She changes back into her swimsuit and leads him by the hand down to the dock, where he'd already set up a lantern and some now-warm beers. He cannonballs in and she dives in after and they splash around for a little bit before he works up the nerve to say that he also heard that she got told off for her "immodest swimwear" but he thinks it's really cute, actually.

BONUS:

Chrissy says she'll be back in two weeks as a camper for her own session and asks if Eddie will be there. He salutes and says he's there all summer or until someone decides that he's done his penance. When she comes back he always gives her extras of her favorites and if anyone notices her missing from every single evening worship session that week, they don't let on 😉

1 AU, 5 facts

[shieldofiron]

Hiii I just wanted to know if you had any nsfw for Harringrove or Hellcheer 🙏

(Btw I really like your writing)

YK WHAT ACTUALLY... thank you so much ❤️And also I should write more hellcheer so have a hellcheer ❤️

They don't have sex.

Chrissy's not sure why. She wants it kind of really bad. Purrs it in Eddie's ear when they're in the middle, paints a picture in words that make her blush later.

But this feels so good. Eddie wears these tight jeans, and when he slots between her thighs, pressing her panties against her and rutting just right.... her brain goes all hazy and she can't remember what she's supposed to do besides what feels good. When they start, they don't want to stop.

And Eddie's so sweet, but he treats her kind of dirty. Which she loves. She's not precious when he has her panting and grinding back against him, when they're sweaty and shivering in the back of his van. She's not breakable, or too pretty, she's...

"Chrissy," He gasps, like it's some sort of magic spell, silvered at the edges. He has his hand up her shirt, thumbing a nipple while she's using the seam of his jeans to get herself off and he's leaning close, his hair forming a curtain around them. It feels so safe. and it's so perfect.

"Eddie," She whispers, straining so she can see how wet she's gotten, white cotton showing the edges of reddish-blonde curls, and Eddie's jeans, darker in one spot.

It's almost filthier than sex, like this. She tugs his hair so hard when she comes she ends up with a little pile of strands in her fingers. He comes in his jeans not long after, chanting her name over and over. They laugh drunkenly afterwards, and kiss and kiss.

They will have sex. Someday, she knows they will. But she hopes they never give this up either.

[staceymcgillicuddy]

💋 Kiss Tag 💋

Rules: From your Story/WIP, share a kiss. It can be any kiss—from familial pecks on the cheek, forehead kisses, platonic smooches, to full-blown makeouts. Spread the love! ❤️

Thanks to @pipergirl17 for the tag! Now that I'm writing again, I might actually have something to share. Let's see...this one is from my as-yet-unfinished next chapter of crimson and clover pulling overtime which I have not posted on in uh... over a year. Yikes. This has not been edited or rewritten or existed as anything other than first draft blechiness so... enjoy?

Eddie laughs, too. A startled bark of a thing, followed by a grinning chuckle when he reaches for her. Pulls her against him with her shirt still around her shoulders and asks if she hurt herself.  “Just a bump,” she says, and then he kisses the spot she’d smacked and it’s probably the most romantic thing that’s ever happened to her, ever. She goes warm all over as she finishes fixing her shirt and Eddie tucks himself back into his shorts and they don’t stop laughing until they do, and she’s left leaning against him without the pressure and the worry and the looming threat of a penis she doesn’t want anywhere near her mouth.  “I really thought it was gonna jump on my dick,” he says around a sigh.  “I know. You said.” 

(As for what "it" is? Guess people will find out when/if I ever post the chapter!)

I don't know who's active and writing currently, as I've been MIA, so anyone who has a kiss to share, please share it?

[elleryd]

🥧aka the Waitress/Kevin Can F**k Himself mash up nobody asked for

🎸 instead of a baby, it's a murder plot

🥧 #Hellcheer #Hellcheerau #Eddisy #Hellcheertextfic

🎸T until it's not, we'll see

🥧I'll do my best with updating. My goal is every Saturday

SUMMARY: Chrissy should never have gotten married out of high school. Things only get worse when Jason fails his bar exams, and he insists on keeping up appearances by lying to everyone about it. She's stuck until a new friend enters her life & she walks into the new local record store.

🥧🎸🥧🎸🥧🎸🥧🎸🥧🎸🥧🎸🥧

Part 1

[justhere4thevibez]

bout to get some cavities filled and i HATE the dentist. would love to get out of there with some tasty asks if any of you are willing! headcanons, well wishes, questions/comments about my fics/wips/future wips. whatever you feel like sending my way 💛

[a-strange-inkling]

Haunted bookshop AU for the thing <3 <3

this has awakened things in me! 📚 👻

• chrissy desperately needs an after school job to earn enough money to get away from her mother. she applies at all the small businesses along main street. she gets a few call backs, but none are as peculiar or intriguing as mayflower books, a small antique bookshop that does not bear any resemblance to its fresh, springy name.

• the bookshop is old, disorganized and completely stuffed full. dusty books stacked haphazardly in every nook and cranny, shelves bursting at the seams. with all the stacks, it’s like a labyrinth, there’s a few hidden rooms and reading corners. her mother would hate it. but there’s something warm and cozy about the place that chrissy can’t explain when she comes in to meet with the owner. something that makes her accept the job and take the afternoon shift from three to eight o clock.

• the owner is a sweet old man who’s so happy to have such a nice girl like chrissy to bring some new life into the place. he’s slowing down in years and would like to have his evenings off, but he couldn’t bare leaving the shop all on its own. he seems to really love his store. he talks about it like it’s a person rather than just a building. the arrangement is perfect all spring and summer long. chrissy greatly enjoys running the front desk, exploring the shop, and finding new books to read. it’s the perfect place for her to escape and hide from her life. she slowly starts to fall in love with it too. mr. munson’s right. there’s a warm presence that always makes her feel so happy and at home.

• however, thing change when autumn rolls around and the days get shorter. chrissy’s a little frightened of the dark. the hour before closing she starts to hear noises, books falling over, strange whispering sounds. it goes on for awhile until one night she’s so scared she begins to cry. one of the ghastly noises makes her duck under the desk. there’s someone in the shop with her. she knows it.

• and then there’s a gentle knock on top of the desk and she finds a boy standing there, well a young man. just a few years older than her maybe. and yes, he’s a little scary, with long wild hair and a big leather jacket, but when he smiles chrissy isn’t so frightened anymore and feels a little silly about it. he asks her why she’s so upset and she tells him about the noises and that she feels like she’s going crazy. she thinks the place might be haunted. he laughs, “oh yeah? do you believe in all that? ghosts?”

bonus:

• she whispers that she doesn’t know, a little flushed. but she likes the sound of his laugh, it reminds her a little of mr. munson’s. she asks the strange boy if she can help him find anything. he laughs again, telling her that he knows his way around. his uncle’s the owner and he used to help him run the store when he was a kid.

• chrissy is fascinated. mr. munson never mentioned a nephew before, but then, he is a private, quiet man. he doesn’t say much of anything. the boy tells her his name, eddie, and chrissy promptly replies “i’m chrissy.” he nods bashfully, like he already knew that. he tells her he’ll stay with her and help her close up, if she wants. he knows absolutely everything about the store, that it used to be called munson books, but mr. munson changed the name to mayflower books after his wife, may passed away. eddie excitedly shows her even more secret places and passageways that she didn’t even know existed. he digs around and finds her book titles that he thinks she might like to try too. it’s like he knows all her favorite authors and genres.

• chrissy begins to look forward to closing time now. eddie stops in every night so she won’t be scared or alone. he’ll help her tidy up and sort the shelves. she never hears the noises or whispers when he’s around, he makes her feel so safe. sometimes they just sit and read together, other times they’ll talk until chrissy’s voice is hoarse. to her amazement, she feels herself falling for him.

• it’s of course, quite a horrible shock when she discovers that mr. munson’s nephew was murdered several years ago.

[cyraclove]

ok a reversal of the basics: bookshop owner chrissy and flower shop owner eddie

okay I love this bc it’s giving Vinny from Atlantis (minus the explosions)

Eddie takes the flower shop over from his mom after she dies

He’d been off trying to make it as a musician and came back home when she started getting really sick

He doesn’t know shit about flowers but doesn’t want to let the shop die because it was his mom’s passion

In desperation he pops into Chrissy’s bookstore and asks her for any and all books on botany, horticulture, gardening, basically any damn plant books that she’s got

Every time Eddie borrows a book, he brings Chrissy flowers in return

[ebongawk]

kiss 17 and or 18 for hellcheer

18. A kiss while laughing

🖤🖤 .

"Did you end up canceling your reservation then, Nance?"

"No," Nancy groaned before sucking up the last few dredges of her drink. She rolled her neck back, covering her face with both hands. "I've had these reservations for three months, and I was praying Jonathan would be better in time. Instead, he's hacking up new ecosystems into our entire life savings' worth of Kleenex."

"Bummer," Robin sighed, stirring her own drink absent-mindedly. "Vickie and I are having a cozy night in that she's really looking forward to."

"I'd take that over spraying Jonathan with Lysol every three minutes," Nancy grumbled.

"He's probably overreacting anyway," Barb interjected with a loose wave of her hand. "Men always think a little baby cold is the coming of Death."

Heather, Robin, and Chrissy all nodded in agreement.

"Jason was like that," Chrissy lamented, rolling her eyes. "I swear, he'd gripe and moan like his organs were failing."

"Was Jason your last Valentine, Chrissy?" Heather asked, pulling the attention of the entire table. Chrissy looked at each of them individually, sinking into her chair a little. Four pairs of scrutinizing eyes sized her up like hungry predators.

"I-I mean," she said, her voice small. "I've–– I've dated other guys, obviously, but––"

"None for long enough to have a Valentine," Heather finished.

"Have you ever had a Valentine?" Chrissy shot back, trying to yank the blanket of attention off her head.

"Nah." Heather flapped her wrist as she pulled from her straw. "But I don't want one, babe. I'm the free spirit. Every girl group has one."

"What does that make me?" Robin asked curiously.

"The comedic relief," Heather said with a shrug. Robin nodded appreciatively. Pointing toward Nancy, she continued, "The brains-slash-getaway driver." With Barb, "The sensible one." And, back to Chrissy, "The romantic."

Murmurs of agreement made Chrissy bristle.

"I am not the romantic," she argued, immediately regretting her decision when everyone's attention fell once again to her. "I–– I've basically been single for, like, four years now! How does that make me the romantic?"

"Because you believe in true love," Heather sighed dreamily. "C'mon, Chrissy, you can't lie and say you aren't holding out for that spark."

Blinking, Chrissy shrank even further into her chair. Staring at her own colorful drink and ruminating. Because Heather was right, and that was mildly infuriating. Chrissy was perpetually single, though not because guys hadn't expressed an interest.

It was because that instant jolt of connection hadn't run through her. Because the Hollywood drama of love-at-first-sight hadn't hit her, a strike of pink lightning igniting her inside and out. She'd settled for adequacy for years with Jason, and once the shiny newness of first puppy love had rubbed off, Chrissy was left trapped in a relationship of cooling embers and strange, unnamable guilt.

It took her a lot longer than she cared to admit to finally leave him.

"Y'know, I've got this friend," Robin started, glancing from Chrissy to Nancy. "I mean, he's a bit of a weirdo, but pretty much exactly what I picture for you. A romantic at heart. Single."

"And I do still have those reservations..." Nancy hedged, connecting the obvious dots Robin was spooning out.

"No," Chrissy stated, slashing her arms through the air in an X. "Absolutely not. I am not letting you guys set me up on a blind date on Valentine's Day."

The other four girls at the table all smiled, broad and a little maniacal.

🖤🖤🖤 .

Against her will, and with Nancy's extremely persuasive bullying nipping at her heels, Chrissy found herself rushing through her makeup routine the following evening. Nuggets, she was already running late, jumping into her heels and wrenching the front door of her apartment open just as the phone rang.

"Let the machine get it," she mumbled to herself, slamming her door shut and locking it. "Not a big deal. Not important. Nancy would kill me if me and this guy were both late and they gave away the table."

Not that she expected him to be late. But, in her experience, guys were always late to things like this. If they bothered showing up at all.

Her watch indicated that it was eight minutes past when Chrissy finally burst through the main door of the little French bistro Nancy had given her the address to. The Maitre'd was nowhere to be found, probably helping another couple among the sea of couples, and Chrissy took a cursory glance around the restaurant.

In all her detailing, Robin hadn't given Chrissy much of a descriptor.

"He's, I dunno, handsome, I guess? For a guy?" Robin had shrugged. "Brown eyes, I think? Shaggy brown hair? Probably in jeans?"

There.

In the middle of the restaurant, a guy sat alone at a table for two. Eyes obstructed by messy bangs, he thumbed absently at the petals of a bouquet. Shaggy hair (maybe a little longer than shaggy, actually) – check. Jeans – check, though he had a nice black button-up tucked into them. He looked a little bit more like a rocker than Chrissy was expecting, but it wasn't as though Robin described anything about his aesthetic. Just that she thought they'd look good together.

Chrissy didn't question why. Maybe she should have?

Taking in a deep, slow breath, Chrissy waded her way through the tables before she could lose her nerve. Swallowing something thick and anxious in her throat.

"Hi," she said, breathless despite centering herself. The guy glanced up, eyes widening in shock. "I am so, so sorry I'm late. Initially, it was my own fault, and then it was the bus's fault, and normally I'm early, I swear, but everything just fell apart today."

The guy blinked, lips parted, as he took her in. Eyes raking over the curl of her hair, the fit of her dress. Staring in obvious wonderment, making Chrissy suddenly feel entirely self-conscious.

"Shit," the guy breathed, bringing his gaze back up to her face. "You're gorgeous."

"Oh, um. Thank–– Thank you––"

Oh, God. Oh God, she couldn't remember his name.

"Aw, fuck, sorry, sorry," he said, jumping to his feet. Holding out the bouquet, he said, "These, uh, are for you."

Carefully taking the flowers, Chrissy blinked in surprise. She sort of expected roses, because that was the norm. Instead, in her hands was a beautiful bouquet of red carnations.

"Thank you," she said again, much more softly as the man once more jumped into action, helping her out of her coat and pulling her chair out for her. "Did, um. Did Robin tell you my favorite flower?"

Her question was soft enough that he didn't seem to hear her as he took his own seat again. Tucking a finger into the collar of his shirt, he stretched it a little against his neck as he cleared his throat.

"Sorry," he said. "Sorry, uh, just–– You're not exactly what I imagined when you got described to me."

Chrissy smiled a little, pursing her lips. He still had that awestruck look in his eye, so the small part of her that thought she should be offended was easily wiped away.

"Did I live up to your expectations?"

"Exceeded them," he admitted easily. Making a sound like a bomb exploding, he wiggled his fingers in an arc to emphasize his shattered expectations. "Entirely. Which, I know, I know, makes me sound like a total asshole. Just–– Fuck, this is gonna sound so much worse than I mean it, but, uh, you aren't exactly the type of girl people think to try and set me up with."

In spite of herself, Chrissy giggled. And the guy's eyes brightened, lips parting around a broad, beautiful grin.

Oh, he had dimples. This was dangerous.

"I understand," she admitted. "Honestly, I was expecting you to be different, too."

"By that, I'm sure you mean you're floored by my dashing good looks," the guy said, tucking his fist under his chin and batting his lashes at her. Chrissy laughed again, hiding the sound behind her carnations, as the waiter approached.

"Lovely of you to actually join us this evening," he said with a halting smile. Chrissy tucked her lip between her teeth, chastised, though that certainly wasn't how the waiter meant it. She was barely late. "May I get you started with something to drink?"

The waiter left after taking their drink orders, promising to return with the first course of their meal.

"Can I admit something without judgement?" Chrissy asked.

"This is a judgement-free zone," the guy promised, gesturing to himself. "Obviously."

"I, um. I'm so sorry, but I completely forgot your name."

He laughed. This big, broad sound that filled the candlelight between them, spilling joy across the fancy linen tablecloth with sound that Chrissy couldn't help but mirror.

"Eddie," he said, reaching across the table with an outstretched hand. For some reason, that didn't sound exactly right. Too simple of a name for such an interesting man, maybe.

"Eddie," she repeated, letting his name sit on her tongue for a long second as she reached out and put her hand in his. Something electric rushed up her arm, and Chrissy gasped a little as she looked at their clasped hands.

A moment, a breath, and she finally found the wherewithal to say, "I'm Chrissy. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Eddie gave her a curious look, head tilted to one side as though letting her name roll through his skull, but his eyes kept gliding back to their clasped hands.

Did he feel it, too?

"Trust me when I say," he began, "that the pleasure is all mine, Chrissy."

Conversation flowed like water between them. Picking up little snapshots of their lives like flower petals and rushing them downstream. Each one a little piece of the bouquet she had sitting on the table between them, smiling its gorgeous, red-toothed smile with every new modicum of information.

She found out that he was a writer, and that he was in a band, which made sense. Robin was always finding the artsy types to pull into her circle. He grew up in a small town, just as she had, and they bonded over the absolute shock of discovering how much bigger the world was when they finally left home for good.

In turn, she told him about the studio she was hoping to open someday.

"Music or art?" he asked.

"Yoga," she admitted, and Eddie laughed again.

"Do guys ever take yoga classes?"

"Sometimes."

"And, uh, do the pretty instructors ever give discounts to, y'know, guys they went on a really fantastic first date with?"

Pretending to think it over, Chrissy tapped her bottom lip with her finger. Searching the ceiling for the answer she already had waiting on the tip of her tongue.

"Not normally first dates," she said with a shrug. "But, you know, fantastic fourth, fifth, and sixth dates? Then we might be able to work out a deal."

Eddie's responding grin was so bright, it lit up the entire restaurant.

The food was probably really good, everything a preset menu that the couples around them seemed to genuinely enjoy.

Chrissy didn't taste a morsel of it. Far too wrapped up in the existence of Eddie, she ate blindly and quickly, ready for the conversation to continue before she finished whatever part of the meal was in front of her.

"You took the bus here, yeah?" he asked after paying for their meal. Chrissy nodded, and Eddie helped her into her coat. "Can I drive you home? And I swear, I have no ulterior motive except to, y'know, spend more time with you."

Grinning, Chrissy popped up onto her toes and pressed a kiss to his jaw. Watching in fascination the way color suddenly pooled in his cheeks, staring down at her with that same unmitigated awe.

"I'd like that," she agreed.

Though Eddie turned the radio off completely when they got in the car, the drive was never silent. The brook of their conversation widening into a creek, then a stream, flowing faster and easier and pooling more and more petals of conversation in the basin.

She directed him to her apartment, and Eddie turned off the car entirely to walk her to her door.

"This was really great," he admitted. "I, uh. I'm really glad I took the chance, Chrissy. You're kinda amazing, you know?"

Chrissy grinned, tongue caught between her teeth as she shrugged. Feigning nonchalance.

"You're pretty fantastic yourself, Eddie," she said.

"Thanks," he chuckled, hazarding a step closer to her. "And, uh. Is it–– Is it cool if I, like, call you in the morning? Maybe we can get breakfast."

Still smiling, Chrissy took her own step closer. Having to crane her neck back to keep looking at him.

"That would be perfect."

"Nowhere near that fancy, though," he pleaded. "Like, I'm a fan of being pampered as much as the next guy, but those wine prices? Yeesh."

"Maybe we just don't get wine with breakfast, then."

"I like the way you think, sweetness," he murmured, still grinning. Chrissy, too, couldn't stop smiling, even as she leaned in. Their teeth clacked, a laugh escaping them both at the awkward angle, before Eddie's hands came up to cup her jaw and guide her into a proper kiss.

Incredible.

Sparks ignited up the entire length of her spine. Sitting, warm and bright and real, in the base of her skull as Eddie kissed her softly. Meaningfully. Pulling her close when her arms wrapped around his shoulders and holding her tight.

Holding her like maybe he didn't want the night to end.

And maybe she didn't, either.

"You know," she said, brushing her fingertips against his jaw, "you could always come upstairs. I have wine. And eggs. For breakfast."

"Yeah?" he breathed, tucking a strand of her hair back behind one ear. "You have enough breakfast for two, you think?"

"Definitely."

Chrissy's machine was blinking red when they found their way through her front door, but that was at the bottom of her list of cares as she led Eddie back to her bedroom. Bypassing the wine entirely.

Not that either of them seemed to notice.

The next morning, after waking up with Eddie in her arms, then spending an entire morning rolling around in bed, Chrissy finally donned a robe and made her way into the kitchen to pull breakfast provisions from her fridge as Eddie found his way into the bathroom. Pressing the little red button of her machine out of habit.

"Chrissy!" Robin shouted through the speaker of her phone. "Oh, my God, I hope you haven't left yet. But you probably have, because you're notoriously early. Ugh! Okay, okay, whatever, you'll listen to this when you get back, but please, please don't be mad at Steve. He didn't stand you up, I swear. He came down with whatever baby cold ailment Jonathan has, so he's, like, having a full-on crisis. The world is ending and whatnot. I'm sacrificing my own evening with my girlfriend to take care of this full-grown man, but he definitely wants to reschedule! Just, um, call me, or whatever, when you get home. Sorry. Sorry! He sucks!"

The message ended. Chrissy stared at her machine, confused, just as Eddie emerged from the bathroom.

"What have you got?" Eddie asked, grabbing her hip and smacking a wet kiss to her cheek. "Not to, uh, toot my own horn, but I am the fucking greatest at making a mediocre omelet."

Waggling his eyebrows for effect made Chrissy giggle, rolling her eyes, before she remembered Robin's message again.

"Hey, Eddie?"

"Hmm?" He'd slunk out of the kitchen, making his way over to her tape collection and digging through the music.

"Who set you up last night?"

"Uhh?" He popped a tape into the player, shimmying his hips a little as the music started. "Billy did. Of course. Which, honestly, I'm surprised he wasn't just being an ass. That'd be exactly the kind of bullshit he'd pull to make me make a fool of myself. He did tell me your name was Kristen, though." Rolling his eyes, Eddie took her hand in his and spun her across the kitchen floor. Pulling her back against his chest with a sultry grin as they began dancing off-tempo to her Fleetwood Mac tape. "Whatever. He's an ass, and you turned out to be fucking perfect. I'll have to thank him." Snorting, Eddie shook his head. "Never thought I'd say that out loud."

"How late was I?" she asked. "Last night."

He blinked down at her, eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Did he give you the wrong time or something?" Eddie asked. "He told me to be there at six-thirty."

Chrissy looked over at the carnations on her counter. They were so beautiful. Her favorite flower. She'd just barely managed to get them into a vase last night before she was practically attacking Eddie to get his shirt off.

He was still gorgeously, beautifully shirtless, in fact. She let her fingertips trail against his sternum, swallowing heavily.

"Eddie," she breathed, a tiny bit of anxiety taking root in her lungs. Those carnations weren't for her. "I don't know anyone named Billy."

Eddie pulled their impromptu dancing to a sudden stop.

"What?"

"I was supposed to be meeting up last night with a guy named Steve, I guess," she said, nodding toward her answering machine. "My friend Robin set up my date for seven, but Steve got sick and didn't show. She called me as I was on my way out. I, um. I think maybe we highjacked each other after we both got stood up."

For a long, long moment, there was only the sounds of Stevie Nicks's vocals in her apartment.

Then, all at once, Eddie was throwing his head back and cackling.

"Wait," he said, pulling back far enough that he could look down at her. "Wait, wait, wait, baby, please, please tell me you're joking."

"I-I'm not," she stuttered, looking down at Eddie's bare feet. "I'm–– Nuggets, Eddie, I'm so sorry. That... I really thought––"

"Whoa, hey, babycakes, are you–– Wait, do you think I'm upset?" Putting his hands on her shoulders, Eddie swooped down to catch her eye. She looked at him, something wrapping around the anxiety in her throat. The utter happiness in his eyes had it slowly bleeding away. Dripping down her esophagus and choking whatever response she attempted. "Chrissy. C'mon. How fucking funny is that? We both managed to end up at the same place, at the same time, and neither of our dates show? But we don't even notice because we're having too much goddamn fun? That's incredible, if you ask me."

"Yeah?"

He leaned down, kissing her senseless all over again.

"Yeah," he chuckled, spinning her across the kitchen again. "Sounds an awful lot like fate, if you ask me."

kiss roulette!

[anyataylorsoy]

I would love to know five facts about a hellcheer art school AU 🥰

several days later

1) I think Eddie would probably be a traditional media artist, like illustration. He would be working on his own graphic novel. Chrissy would be more into textiles and she’d tell her mother that she was going to school for fashion, but really she’s making a giant quilt of her mental health journey for the school exhibition 💕

2) Eddie would be paying for school by doing various odd jobs including posing for the art classes, playing guitar in a church’s band on Sundays, and working in a retirement home cafeteria. Chrissy volunteers at the retirement home for her scholarship program and she waits until class to tell Eddie that she noticed him: “you look much better without the hairnet.”

3) Obviously, Corroded Coffin still exist in this universe, and they play in a seedy bar with an alleyway entrance on Tuesday nights. It’s popular amongst the college kids, though, because happy hour is $2 drafts. Eddie finally gets the nerve to invite Chrissy to come see them play. She unfortunately has a panic attack in throngs of drunks and goes home. Eddie shows up to her apartment after the show with his guitar: “I believe I promised you a song.” He doesn’t even get to the chorus before Chrissy is in his arms.

4) Chrissy’s mom finds out she isn’t doing fashion design and is “wasting her life” on an art degree and stops paying for the other half of Chrissy’s tuition. Eddie gets her a job as a barback at the bar. Eventually, the bartender teaches her how to make drinks during the slow times and she gets a promotion. She demands they give Corroded Coffin the prime Friday night spot.

5) They eventually find a converted warehouse apartment and move in together in their senior year. Chrissy’s completed quilt hangs on their wall and Eddie has stacks of his comic book on the coffee table waiting to be sent off to publishers. They’re hosting Wayne for thanksgiving, nothing is going right, but they’re on the third bottle of wine and having a grand time. Wayne’s brought Eddie his grandmother’s wedding ring and it’s burning a hole in Eddie’s pocket, but he’s waiting until Christmas. …or at least the Macy’s day parade.

send more AUs, maybe?