#his yearbook on the photo of Eddie

[corrodedcoughin]

How many times has corroded coffin tried to incorporate ‘pyrotechnics’ into their performance (eddie lighting the spray from an aerosol can on fire and screaming because he scared himself. Then the rest of the band screaming because he turned to face them while still spraying the can and almost melting an amp, Jeff’s eye brows and a drum) before they had to be stopped?

[thepastdied]

Amped Up (p.2)

perv!virgin!eddie munson × virgin!fem!reader

MDNI 18+ ONLY.

Word Count: ~8k

<- previous part

The stickiness in Eddie's boxers began to irritate him.

He'd been sitting there for an hour, watching as you picked at random strings on his guitar. A piece of hair hung loosely as you kept your head bowed down, your eyes flicking back and forth between both of your hands.

"I'm gonna change into some comfy clothes." He broke you out of your hyperfocus. You looked at him and muttered a 'uh huh' before bowing your head again.

He quickly stood up and pulled his shirt down, walking backward toward the dresser on the other side of the room to avoid showing his front to you.

Eddie grabbed a pair of loose dnd pajama pants before he scurried into the bathroom, shutting the door a little too hard behind him.

"Fucking IDIOT." He slapped himself in the face and stared at himself in the mirror, both arms straining as he braced himself on either side of the sink.

He wants to ask you to stay the night. Figured you'd shower here, your naked body getting all wet and soapy in his tub. He'd fucking lick the soap off your tits if you let him. He'd beg on his knees to let him clean you with his tongue. He'd be a sneaky fuck and take your underwear while you're in the shower and cum on it. You wouldn't even notice, only thinking that you had a little too much discharge that day.

Maybe you would wear his boxers instead, and he wouldn't wash them afterward. He'd hold them to his face while he jerked off to your yearbook photo. Maybe he should cum in his body wash bottle. God… you'd be rubbing his cum all over your body. But then again, he lives with his uncle and wouldn't be able to buy new soap before he got home from work in the morning. There's that extra toothbrush.. he could-. Eddie, stop. He is sick and fucking twisted.

His dick was hard again. It throbbed and it hurt.

Eddie turned the shower on and stripped himself, deciding that he'd rather not clean his dick and whole groin area in the sink. His cum was everywhere, including his inner thighs.

He quickly rubbed soap all over his body and ran his fingers through his hair, lathering it up with shampoo before rinsing.

Eddie stepped out and shook his head, water sputtering everywhere, as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

"Eddie? You okay in there?" You tapped on the door a few times.

He walked over to the other side of the door, mustering up the courage to pop the question. He took a deep breath.

"Just got my shower done, hun. By the way, did you uh... wanna stay? I mean it's late and you could just continue your reading here." His voice was low, shaking anxiously.

You were quiet just for a moment, trying to decide if the 30-minute drive to the other side of town was worth it at this hour. He would have to also drive back home. You felt kind of bad making him have to take that roundtrip. Meanwhile, Eddie was biting the shit out of his thumb and tapping his foot impatiently.

"Hmm... why not, sure. Would be easier on you, right?" You shrugged and excitedly smiled before turning to go back into his room.

"-and..and! You should shower. Like, right now. The water is hot." He shoved his face in the crack of the door as he spoke, trying to catch you before you retreated back to his room.

"Erm.. okay." You tilted your head quizzically and lightly laughed.

Eddie sighed, fist bumping the air before shaking the nerves out of his hands. He quickly dressed himself and rubbed the towel through his hair.

Your head snapped over to the door as he stepped out wearing his pj shorts and a very loose plain tank top, his guitar pick necklace in full view and most of his chest tattoo standing out against his pale skin. You dropped your gaze to his pants as he reached to the top shelf of the closet right next to his bedroom door to grab you a towel. Air got caught in your throat when you realized he wasn't wearing underwear.

Eddie looked over at you, eyes widening just a bit when he realized where you were looking. He notices your thighs clench, and it makes his dick twitch. His face burned as he quickly grabbed the towel from the shelf and tossed it over to you.

"Whenever you're ready, sweetheart."

You fiddled with the threads of the towel before nodding and brushing passed him to go into the bathroom.

Eddie pursed his lips and turned to go into his room, abruptly stopping as he realized he left his clothes on the floor and not in the laundry basket. His blood ran cold and his heart hammered in his chest. With an ear pressed against the door, he listened for the shower to turn on. You didn't lock the door.

He paced back and forth right outside the bathroom door, fanning his face to try to cool off. You were staying the night. You were naked in his bathroom. He fucking came in his pants while looking at you, and those pants are on the floor in plain view for you to see. He had to get them.

But he couldn't stop thinking of all the things he could do while you slept. Could smell your hair or touch it, take pictures, jerk off to you. God, he could even cum on you if he was that sick. Maybe he was.

Eddie sat at the edge of his bed with his chin in his palm, leg bobbing up and down. He had to give you something to wear, but all his bottoms would be baggy on you. He wanted something tight, that could press right against your cunt and get stained with your juices while you watched the hot movie he had planned for tonight. He wanted to make you ache like he does.

He sighed, falling back onto the bed with his arms sprawled out and eyes closed as he willed his boner to go down. There were too many things going on in his brain right now. Fuck adhd. His eyes snapped open before he bolted to the bathroom door as he suddenly got an idea.

"Hey- y/n? I forgot my uh.. aftershave?" He cringed at himself. He didn't even shave today. Idiot. "Could I grab it real quick?" He pressed his ear to the door and held his breath.

"Sure! Doors unlocked!" You called out.

Eddie grabbed the doorknob with a shaky hand, pushing the door open and breathing in the steam that swirled in the air.

His bottoms were on the floor, right next to yours, and he thanked the gods that you couldn't see his cum stains. He lifted them up and felt the wet spot, looking down at your shorts. He licked his lips and picked them up, rubbing his cum on the inside of the crotch area of your shorts, before tossing his clothes in the laundry bin and grabbing his aftershave.

Eddie wheezed when he exited the bathroom, the adrenaline coursing through his whole body as he grinned. His dick was so hard that he swears he could feel the precum dripping down his shaft.

He rubbed a hand over his face before looking down at his hand and gasping loudly.

Eddie was holding your fucking underwear.

What the fuck was he thinking!? He began to panic, debating whether he should toss them back into the bathroom or-

No way in hell.

He looked at them, feeling the lace between his fingers and running his thumb over the wet patch on the soft crotch of your underwear. It was from when you were watching him just moments earlier, though he didn't know that.

"God fucking damn.." He licked his lips as his mouth watered, pupils blown wide as he stared at your wetness. Without a second thought, he brought them to his mouth, licking your juices. His breath shuttered at the taste, his whole body going hot and his dick throbbing. He bit down onto your panties, holding them in his mouth as his chest pounded. He clumsily pulled his dick out, rubbing his swollen head with the palm of his hand and then taking the panties from his mouth to place his cock on the wet cloth. Eddie pumped himself a few times, mixing your juices with his precum together.

"Bet you'd love to wear these panties.. all soaked with my cum. Fuck.." He hissed and leaned his head back against the wall, his hips bucking forward as he swallowed moans.

He jumped, his legs almost giving out underneath him as you turned the shower off. The sound of the curtain being pushed back causing him to literally run into his bedroom. Eddie fisted your underwear tightly before frantically looking around his room, deciding to shove them into the pockets of his pants instead.

"Uh.. Eddie? Could you grab me a shirt?" You said, voice muffled by the bathroom door.

He nodded to himself before rummaging through his dresser, pulling out a homemade Corroded Coffin shirt that was black and red tie-dye.

You were definitely going to wonder where your panties were, and he racked his brain to find a way to get them in there. He held his forehead, fidgeting nervously with the curls of his bangs before snapping his fingers and smirking.

"Here you go, sweetheart. Special shirt for the special lady." He tapped the door and stretched his arm inside as you giggled. The bundled up shirt was in his fist, while your underwear was just hanging underneath it by his pinky. He leaned his head as far as he could against the door, peeking to see you in the mirror.

Eddie almost groaned when he saw the towel tightly wrapped around you. Your tits were basically popping out, your nipples just barely covered. He let the underwear fall by unhooking his pinky just as you grabbed the shirt, not noticing it falling to the floor.

"Did you need some boxers too?"

"Uh.. no thanks, just gonna use mine." You replied.

"Well, alright." He nonchalantly said, but his jaw fucking dropped. God is on his side tonight.

He crouched down to the floor after you shut the door, taking deep breaths. He just risked your entire friendship, pulling sick shit like that. But he loved the thrill of it, and he planned to continue despite him almost dying of relief in the hallway that he didn't get caught.

Meanwhile, you were looking at your underwear with your eyebrows scrunched together. You didn't realize you got that wet while staring at the outline of Eddie's dick. You shrugged before putting your panties and shorts on.

You exited the bathroom while you dried your hair, peaking into Eddie's room to see him sitting on the floor with his box of vinyls, his fingers slowly flipping through them. He didn't acknowledge you as you sat on the edge of his his bed, legs almost touching his shoulder. He wasn't even looking for anything in particular, really, but didn't want to just be sitting on his bed daydreaming about you when you came in.

"Did you need any laundry washed?" He asked, eyes still focused on the vinyls.

"No, I just changed the shirt." You kicked your dangling feet back and forth.

You saw Eddie tense up, his hand that was thumbing through the vinyls pausing for a moment as he cleared his throat before continuing. You couldn't see, but he had looked up at the ceiling and mouthed a 'thank you' to whatever God was giving him the best night of his life.

His precum and spit was rubbing into your pussy right now. His entire face flushed at the acknowledgment, suddenly feeling his body begin to sweat.

" 'kay. So, you wanna watch a movie?" He twisted his body toward you and raised and eyebrow.

You noticed the tint of pink on his cheeks and squinted, leaning forward.

"Sure.. but, are you okay?" You placed the back of your hand on his forehead and then cheek. He was warm.

Eddie's eyes widened before he slapped your hand away and stood up.

"Psh, what're you talking about? It's hot in here." He turned away from you and huffed out a laugh.

You stared at his back and watched his shoulder muscles move as he rummaged through the many vhs tapes he owned, hands blindly moving through all the random movies.

You bit your lip as your eyes ran down the length of his body, his tank top bunched around his waist. A hot feeling spread between your thighs and you rubbed them together, swallowing down a moan as you continued to stare at him. His hair was mostly dry, the back of his shirt still wet. You could see some of his torso from how large the armholes of his tank top were, and his pj pants were tight enough to see the general shape of his ass and thighs.

"It's hot?" You asked, trying to continue your previous conversation.

Eddie shut his eyes and breathed out his nose, willing you to just drop it.

"Yeah. It is." He said flatly.

"Then take your shirt off." You immediately replied.

Eddie looked at you through the mirror that was partially in front of him where his guitar would usually be.

You weren't looking at him, instead looking at your toes as you ran them across his carpet.

"Take.. take my shirt off?"

You finally looked over at him and shook your head as you squinted your eyes.

"Yeah? You said you're hot and you're burning up. Was just a suggestion." You rolled your eyes and crawled up to the top of the bed to get comfy for the movie.

"It's alright.." He mumbled before picking out a random tape. He was supposed to play a dirty movie but chickened out. If he became putty from you looking at his dick, the movie would certainly backfire on him.

Eddie looked over at you. You'd picked up one of your books while you waited for him, knees pulled up so you can rest your book on them.

He gulped as he looked in between your thighs.

You were wearing those panties.

"y/n." He blurted, causing your eyes to meet.

"Can you help me plug in the tv?" He pointed to the area under his desk, even though he was standing way closer than you.

You, oblivious, didn't think twice before hopping of the bed and crouching down to your hands and knees, your ass in the air.

"I dont see the cord."

Eddie didn't hear you, too busy checking out your ass and the way your little shorts wedged in your pussy lips.

"Eddie? I don't see the cord." You turned to look at him.

"Oh, its there hun. Keep looking." He nudged his chin up for you to continue.

You huffed as you leaned further down.

He reached a hand into his pants and grabbed his dick. It was only half hard as he felt it grow in his hand. He licked his top lip as he moved to stand directly behind you.

"Mhm... maybe it's one of those cords to the right.'

You spread your legs a little further to support your body as you leaned to one side.

He sighed and smiled. Fuck, he'd love to rail you just like that.

Eddie pumped his dick fast, trying to get some precum onto his hand. He has been just torturing himself all night, hasn't he?

"Gonna get us some water, you just keep looking."

You waved him off as he walked into his kitchen.

Eddie pulled down his pants so his dick was out, jerking himself fast and clenching his jaw as he suppressed moans. Precum finally began to leak from his tip and he grabbed a cup, filling it with water before collecting it onto his finger and smearing it around the rim.

"God, I'm sick." He smiled mischievously.

He fisted his cock harder as he set the cup down, one hand holding his hair back as he looked down at himself.

"Bet you'd wanna drink my cum, wouldn't you baby."

"You'd lick it right up, just like a good girl. Cause that's what you are." He jaw went slack as he nodded.

"A good-" he pumped himself hard, thrusting his hips into his hand "-fucking" another thrust "girl" his knuckles were white with the grip he had on his hair.

He quickly pulled his hand away, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. He felt like a feral animal, pupils blown wide and eyes wild.

The precum dripped down his shaft and he took his whole dick this time, rubbing it on the rim of your cup.

"Eddie!" You shouted.

He fumbled with his pants as he tucked himself into the waistband before returning to his room. You stood there angrily with one hand on your hip, the other pointing to the cord which was connected to the TV.

"Dude! It wasn't even close to where you said."

He scratched the back of his neck as he looked to where you pointed.

"Sorry bout that.. Here, you haven't drank water today." He shoved the cup in front of you.

You rolled your eyes and took the cup from him before setting it down on his desk.

He eyed it, flicking his eyes between you and the cup.

You groaned as you layed back onto the bed, the wetness in your underwear making you remember how horny he made you.

You looked at him and down to his dick.

You could clearly see the outline of his hardened length, his dick tucked into his waistband.

You breathed out a hot breath, his eyes ripping from the cup and landing on yours as you kept staring.

He froze. Shit.

"Eddie, c'mon." You patted the bed beside you and bit your lip.

He shook his head from side to side dumbly.

"Why not..?" You innocently said.

"Cause I forgot my water." He mumbled, turning to exit his room.

You perked up from the bed and reached for his arm.

"Just have mine." You offered.

He shook his head again and you grumbled.

"What, you think it's poisoned or something?" You stood from the bed and grabbed the cup, drinking from the cup and pausing for a moment.

He closely watched you, his mouth slightly agape.

"What?" You licked your lips.

Eddie was frozen. He didn't move a muscle, besides his dick involuntarily. Your eyes instantly snapped down to it just as it twitched. His face got hot and you waved your hand dismissively.

"Whatever. Let's watch the movie, c'mon.. I got it ready." You slowly crawled onto the bed, your ass facing him as you arched your back, smirking as you heard him curse.

You were soaking and were positive it was seeping through your panties and shorts.

And it was. Because Eddie could confirm it.

You sat back against the pillows and motioned him over.

"I dont want to watch a movie yet" He said after a moment, noticing your hooded eyes roam his body.

"Why not?" You tilted your head.

" 'cause I want to show you somethin' on my guitar." He turned from you to grab it from his chair before climbing on the bed, sitting it on your lap.

"Again..?" You looked up at him, his face inches from yours as he leaned over to put the strap over your shoulders.

"Mhm." He replied quickly.

You gasped as he lifted it up and placed one of the sides directly between your legs.

"You okay?"

"Y- yeah.."

He moved the guitar again, eyes glued to your face as he rubbed it against your pussy.

Eddie saw the way your cheeks began to flush and how you swallowed.

"Gotta just get it in the right position.." He leaned over you again, his hair brushing against your cheek as he moved it to the side one more time.

You accidentally hummed and covered it with a cough.

"Can I have my water?" You squeaked.

He rolled his tongue in his mouth and had a smug smirk plastered on his face, nodding as he leaned over to grab it, and giving you a knowing look.

Your pussy ached for more friction and you could tell Eddie was watching as you squirmed uncomfortably.

"You sure you're okay sweetheart?" He leaned forward and brushed a small piece of hair from your face.

"Well, alriiiiiight. I wanna watch the movie now. Forgot what I wanted to show you." He dramatically shrugged and pressed play on the movie when you only gave him a confused nod. You sat there blankly for a moment.

"Fuck, it is really hot in here." He fanned his face, looking right at you. "-or maybe it's just you?" Now a cheeky smile.

You giggled and rolled your eyes at him, slapping his shoulder.

Eddie's smile dropped as he quickly licked his lips and swiftly pulled his tank top off, his tongue in his cheek as he squinted at you.

"You should be watching the movie, not me, hun."

He expected you to be flustered, but you weren't at all.

His breath caught in his throat when you shamelessly looked down at his dick and back to his eyes, laying your back against his pillows as you slowly shifted your hips up into his guitar that was still on your lap.

"Wh-wha.." His eyes studied you closely, watching as your clothed pussy rubbed into his guitar, the neck being squished between your tits.

You hummed again and didn't try to hide it this time. Eddie sat up onto his heels, his hard-on very obvious now as he watched you grind up into his guitar.

"It.. feels good." You whispered.

"Yeah, I bet it does." He replied just as quietly.

He grabbed the edge of the guitar that he came on and placed it over your pussy, lightly pushing it down. You moaned quietly and closed your eyes.

"Oh my god, sweetheart." He puffed out a breath.

"Mmm.." You continued to roll your hips as you watched him marvel at you with half hooded eyes.

"You know.." He started.

You stopped your movements and waited for him to continue.

"No, no.. keep going. Yeah, just like that.. good girl." Eddie pushed it down against you again and gave you a seductive smile as you opened your legs more.

"You know.." He said again. "I came on this guitar, right over there-" He motioned his head toward the empty seat. "- while I watched you read a couple hours ago. You're so pretty, the prettiest girl I've seen." Your body shivered at his confession, your hips moving a little faster.

"Shh, shh.. slow down. Look, baby." Eddie moved the guitar so you could see where he came and your mouth watered.

"O-oh my god.." You ran your fingers across the now rough surface where is cum stain was.

"I've done other things too." He scooted a little closer to you, legs touching and one of his hands still holding the neck of the guitar.

"w-what did you do.." Your eyes were glassy as you panted and waited for his answer. Your juices were soaking your folds.

"You really wanna know?" His voice was low and you nodded while watching his lips.

"I licked and sucked on your panties. The ones you're wearing right now." His eyes looked down as he spoke.

You gasped in shock and moved your hand toward your waistband. His jaw was set hard as he watched your fingers slide into your shorts and over your panties, chest moving up and down with each of his deep breaths. You skimmed your fingers over your clothes pussy and mewled.

"And.." He put his face closer to yours.

"I rubbed my precum all over them. Right where your soaking pussy is." Eddie looked deeply into your eyes, pupils so large his eyes looked black.

You opened your mouth to speak but nothing came out, instead grabbing his hand and moving it to your core. He tossed his guitar to the other side of the bed, his fingers lightly grazing over your puffy clit, the wetness coating his fingers even through the fabric. You moved your hips up and he pressed his hand down harder, thumb rubbing circles into your sensitive bud.

"Oh, you want me to rub my precum into you?" He taunted, his body almost pressed into you now.

"u-uh.. uh huh. I do." You stammered.

Eddie lifted a hand to your face.

"I used this hand to jerk off and rub in the precum." He wiggled his fingers.

You licked your lips and eyed his long fingers.

"Can I.." You started.

He cut you off my sticking his fingers in your mouth, groaning when your tongue swirled around and your lips sucked them in.

"Fuck.. such a good girl... One more thing sweetheart."

You removed his fingers from your mouth and eyed him.

"I also put some on your cup." He carefully said, hoping it wasn't out of line.

"Oh. my. God." You gawked at him in disbelief for a few moments. He was disgusting, and it made you unbelievably feral. You wanted to jump his fucking bones.

So you did.

You roughly pushed Eddie onto his back and climbed onto him, a cheeky smile never leaving his face as you straddled him and ground down into his dick. His hands gripped onto your ass hard and making a loud slap. His moans echoed throughout his room as you rolled your hips over his dick. If he listened close enough, he could hear your pussy squelch.

"Mmmm.." You placed your hands onto his chest and arched your back, your head rolling back as you slowed down your movements.

Eddie's breathing was hard, his thighs clenching under you as he watched you moan and use him. Sweat began to collect on his face, his curls sticking to his face and a few on his lips. He never thought in a million years that the girl of his dreams would be getting off on humping his dick.

And here you are.

"E-eddie.. gonna cum.." You mewled as you picked up the pace.

He abruptly stilled your hips and you groaned in frustration.

"Not yet... want you to.. want you to cum in my mouth." He was flushed from his chest to his face as he shyly looked up at you.

His entire body was buzzing and, honestly, he mainly stopped you because he didn't want to cum. You huffed out a laugh and bit your lip, nodding your head that you understand.

"Yeah.." He nodded back, sniffling before he breathed out of his mouth in a sigh.

"If I cum in your mouth.. will you cum in mine?" You gave him a sultry look.

Eddie mumbled a few curses before scrambling to sit up and grabbing you by the back of your neck, roughly smashing his lips against yours as he used his other hand to push you harder into his cock.

You moaned into eachothers mouths, your fingers moving into his hair as he bit at your bottom lip and ran his tongue along it.

"Want you first, sweetheart." He mumbled into your mouth, your mouth muffling most of it.

"Mhm.." You nodded into the kiss as he rolled you onto your back.

Eddie's tongue explored every area of your mouth that he could, raking one of his hands up your body and smoothing over your chest. Your fingers were woven into his hair, clinging to the nape of his neck as you pulled him into you. He ripped his lips from yours to attack your neck with bites. You inhaled sharply and rolled your hips up as he continued to nip and lick as your soft skin, his groans vibrating against your throat.

“Been wanting this for so long..” He breathed into your neck, nuzzling into your damp skin that was covered in a sheen of sweat and his spit.

“Just wanna…” He huffed and mouthed at your collarbone before licking a stripe from one side to the other, his hand pulling down the neck of the shirt so he could sink his teeth into the swell of your breast.

Your breath hitched in your throat when he began to knead the pillowy flesh and buck his hips up into you. Eddie groaned against your neck and you hummed in pleasure while you held his face against your chest by his hair.

“Just wanna fucking… fill you up with my cum. Make you go a whole day with it leaking down your thighs.” He roughly rutted against you. “Wanna cover you in it..”

He began to slide down your body, placing sloppy wet kisses down your stomach and over your shorts.

Eddie kissed your clothed cunt, a needy open mouthed one, and moaned loud enough to make you jolt at the feeling of it against you. He snickered, opening his mouth to stick his tongue out, moving it over the wet patch on your shorts. The material was so thin that his spit was already seeping through and onto your folds. You whined and moved your hips up to meet his mouth, but he pulled back and roughly pushed you down with one hand. Eddie wrapped his arms around your thighs and continued his assault on your pussy with his mouth.

“Please.. take them off.” You begged, placing your hands on his forearms that were wrapped around your thighs.

“Mhm.. just cause you asked nicely.” He mumbled against you and nodded, smirking when you shivered.

Eddie hooked his fingers onto the waistband of your shorts and pulled them off, leaving your panties.

“W-wait-“

“y/n.” He gave you a stern look. You shut your mouth and pursed your lips as you frowned.

“Good girl.. fuck. You are just so good, you know that?” He huffed and shook his head with a grin, rubbing his hand over the soaking panties.

You wiggled around as he teased you, biting your tongue to not make so much noise.

“You made a mess in your panties, baby. Our juices are all mixed up in here.” He lightly slapped your pussy and looked at you through his bangs, eyes dark and brooding.

His tantalizing made you ache even more, your walls clenching around nothing. You yelped when he nibbled at your clit through your panties. His breath felt much hotter without the fabric of your shorts. He flicked his tongue over the soft thin cloth, kissed, licked more, and sucked. Your head was already spinning. Your thighs shook and you whined before he pulled away from you, lips glistening.

“Oh, were you about to cum?” He tilted his head at you. Your hands balled into fists and your teeth clenched.

“You.. you fuc-“

Eddie ripped your pretty lace panties to the side and licked a wide tongued stripe through your folds, your juices making a squelching sound against his mouth.

“O-oh mY GOD.” Your moans were pornographic, fingers fisting roughly into his hair.

He moaned against you and huffed out a laugh before swirling his tongue around. Your breathing became faster and faster.

“Baby.. please. Need to drink you up..” He breathed into you, your legs going slack in his arms and feeling numb.

Eddie’s fingers dug harshly into the meat of your thighs, his hips grinding into the mattress as you rolled your own up into his mouth. He whimpered when you said you were close, his own adrenaline kicking in even more as he was nearing the moment he could swallow your cum.

“Please.. please.. please..” He repeatedly mumbled and whined against your pussy, begging for you to give it to him.

He stuck his tongue out as far into your hole as he could and moved his pillowy lips over your clit. You lurched forward as he tongue fucked you, babbling curses as your legs shook uncontrollably, his tongue continuing to explore your insides. You swear you saw white and lost your hearing for a good moment as you cried out, climax hitting you like a freight train.

You lightly shoved his head away, heaving as you let your arms give out and flipped back onto the bed. Your body twitched from the overstimulation. His shirt you wore was clung to your body due to the thick layer of sweat on your skin, your hair all disheveled and wet. You were numb and in a daze as you stared at the ceiling and tried to catch your breath. You didn’t even feel the bed sink as Eddie moved up to you, his head leaning over yours and long curls ticking your face.

“You okay, sweet puss?” He smiled, his lips crooked and swollen, his hair a lot messier than yours.

You opened your mouth in disgust and furrowed your eyebrows, swatting his hair away from your face.

“Sweet pus-“ You sputtered.

“Yeah, cause your..” He motioned to your pussy.

“Okay- okay… I get it. Anyway, we are not done.” You waved your hands and slowly sat up, giving yourself a minute to fully collect yourself before looking him over. So. Fucking. Hot.

You moved onto your knees, his Corroded Coffin shirt draping down to your thighs and making you feel not so bare. You leaned forward and rubbed your hands on his knees, slowly working up to his pelvis. Eddie hissed when you dragged your nails across the skin of his torso to his collarbone. You placed your finger there, pushing him back lightly so he could sit up against his pillows. You caressed his chest, shoulders, and neck, feeling goosebumps spread across his skin. You kept one hand on the nape of his neck while you let the other wander down to his pants, groping his sick over the cloth of his pjs. His breath staggered hot against your ear, quiet hums coming from his throat.

Eddie turned his head to kiss you and you leaned away, shaking your head and smiling. It was your turn to torture him and he knew it, suddenly regretting his previous actions. He gulped anxiously, eyes glassy with lust.

He whimpered when you latched your lips onto his neck and sucked hungrily, the hand that was on his cock beginning to palm him harder. You messily kiss up to his jawline and across to the other side, the stubble a clear indicator that he lied about needing the aftershave. You smirked as you pulled back, looking at his hazy puppy dog eyes.

“Aftershave, huh?”

Eddie chewed on the inside of his lip and shrugged, looking away from you. “Can I.. uh” His eyes roamed his room. “Can I get a kiss?”

He looked up at you when you didn’t respond, his lips turning into a frown.

“Oh my god.. why do you have to look.. fuck.” You huffed before pressing your lips onto his, his arms leaving your sides almost immediately and holding you close.

You pulled away from him to kiss down his neck and chest, pushing your ass up as you licked down his body, resting your cheek against his clothed cock and looking up at him with doe eyes.

Eddie’s nostrils flared as he sharply inhaled, his chest rising when you nuzzled into his swollen head and kissed it.

“Awe.. got some precum already.” You licked at the cloth and gripped his shaft as you mouthed at his tip, salty fluid seeping onto your lips.

“H-holy.. fucking shit-“ He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned it back, his upper body going slack while his legs tensed underneath you. He looked at you through half hooded eyes, his pupils blown wide as you sloppily mouthed at his cock, and panted out praises.

You sat back on your heels and moved beside him. Eddie looked at you quizzically.

You pulled his guitar across the bed and placed it between your legs, quiet moans coming out as you rubbed your hips up into it.

Eddie palmed himself and groaned, licking his lips while he looked at where your pussy was meeting the edge of his guitar. He could see your slick smearing against the surface.

“Lick it.” He said, nodding his chin down toward the guitar. “Where my cum is, lick it.”

You nodded and wrapped your hand around its neck, moving your hand up and down slowly in a jerking off motion before laying it flat on the bed and licking where your hands just were- just like you did on his cock.

Eddie’s legs squirmed, spreading wider as he shoved his hands past his waistband and lightly pumped himself, thumb smearing his precum around his tip.

“Gonna jerk off while I watch you, hun.. keep going.” He sighed and bit down on his lip as his eyes stayed trained on your body. Your back was arched and ass in the air, shirt barely covering your skin.

He groaned with his jaw clenched when you licked down the neck and to his cum stain, licking around in circles. His breath was erratic as he stroked faster, eyes trailing over to your half empty glass of water.

He grabbed it with a shaky hand and reached it out to you.

“This too..” He quietly muttered, almost embarrassingly, as he continued to jerk off.

You smirked and grabbed the glass, finishing it off with one big swig before swirling your tongue around the rum and tasting his cum, moaning.

“O-oh my.. f-fucking hell” His whole body stretched out and he slid down the pillows, only half sitting up now. He let his head slack to the side, closing his eyes as he fucked up into his fist.

“Wanna- ahhmmm” Eddie whimpered and gasped for air as he was approaching his orgasm.

“Wanna fuck your throat darlin'… please, please. Need to cum in you.” He sputtered quickly, reaching for you with one hand while he jerked off with the other, his fingers only able to graze your arm.

“Oh.. is pretty body desperate now?” You tilted your head mockingly as he pouted and nodded, scooting up to him and leaning to place your hands on his thighs. You kneaded into his flesh and slid them up to his dick.

You pulled his waistband down and bit your lip, eyes widening when his dick popped out.

“God.. Eddie.” You gasped, hungrily dipping your head down and messily kissing his tip, one of his hands suddenly flying into your hair as he stuttered.

Your lips were all wet and sticky with his precum. He looked down at you, mouth slightly agape as his breath faltered.

Eddie grabbed his dick and pushed the tip harder against your lips, smearing it around like he was putting on lipstick for you.

“I could cum in your lipgloss, huh?” He whispered loud enough for you to hear.

“Look so pretty with it on, baby. Could taste me all day while in school..” He mumbled as he swiped the tip of his cock back and forth against your bottom lip.

You hummed and nodded, sticking your tongue out to lick the fluid off your lip and moaning at the taste. He laughed in pleasure like a mad man.

“Woah-ho-ho… ahh- you're so fucking perfect. My fucking sweetheart, just look at you. Jesus H CHRIST.” He grinned as you flattened your tongue, slapping his cock against it, and lifted his lips up to push it deeper into your mouth.

You closed your lips and gently sucked, your tongue working in slow circles around his swollen leaking head. Saliva began to dribble down his shaft and onto his fingers, coating his big rings and making them shine as he jerked himself into your mouth.

You moved his hand and pushed your head down more, his cock going further into your mouth until it met the back of your throat.

He moaned, head hitting against the wall as his pelvis flexed and his fist tightened in your hair.

“Shit shit shit… you can do it, Princess. Just hold it.” He encouraged you as you gagged and garbled. He knew you were inexperienced. But so was he.

You bobbed your head a few times before pulling away and gasping for air, tears rolling down your cheeks.

Eddie smiled proudly at you, humming as he wiped the tears and pushing you roughly back down.

“Mmm.. took me so well. C’mon, do it again. Proud of you, baby.” He slowly pressed your head down once he was in your mouth again, humming as you wiggled your tongue.

You sucked and licked as deep as you could without gagging for a couple minutes before taking him deeper, craving more praises from him. You held a deep breath as you moved your head back and forth to shove his cock into your throat.

He was about to say something but stopped, only stutters and loud pants pushing past his lips.

Eddie’s fist pulled your head back just a little before pushing it down again, repeating the movements a few times before beginning to fuck your throat. His flushed face was covered in a sheen of sweat, droplets rolling down his temples and into his hair.

As much as you wanted to open your eyes, you couldn’t. You were too focused on taking him as deep as he was pushing you, and flattening your tongue against his shaft. He fucked your throat as he whimpered and breathed erratically, fist shaking in your hair as he got closer to cumming. You moaned around him and gagged.

He pulled a hand up to his face and covered his eyes, scrunching them together as he struggled to hold in his orgasm. You’d only been sucking him off for not even ten minutes and he was already going to bust. He was embarrassed, to say the least. You noticed that he was silent for a moment and pulled off of him, sputtering and gasping as you finally were able to take in air.

"Eddie.." You looked at him with lust filled eyes, wrapping your hand around his cock and stroking him, fingers tightly gripping.

"Where do you wanna cum?" You asked, pushing your face closer to his.

"Here?-" You pointed to your mouth, sticking your tongue out. "- or here?" Then to your pussy.

Eddie looked like he was drunk, his eyes half closed and mouth lazily hanging open.

"I… I wanna fill you up everywhere, baby.." He softly said, sighing in pleasure as you jerked him faster.

"Ahhhh shit… fuck.. Mm, just like that-" He pulled you in for a kiss, licking into your mouth and groaning.

"Your…mouth. You're g-gonna swa- SHIT…" He mewled when you bent down and took his entire length into your mouth, sucking hard and bobbing your head, gargling saliva at the back of your throat as you drooled messily all over his dick.

"I can't.. mmmm- shit. I'm gonna cum."

"Uhhhhuh.. that's g-good. That feels a… w-wow.. amazing. Fuck.. FUCK"

His jaw dropped, eyebrows furrowing as he watched his cock disappear into your mouth, filthy slurping sounds filling his bedroom. You felt his dick harden even more, knowing he was very close. You hummed and moaned, hollowing your mouth a bit and making the lewd sounds louder.

"You're s-so beautiful, so good..taking me so good.. gonna fill you-..mmmm "

"g-gonna feed you my c..-cuhhm- oh shit oh shit Jesus fucking-" A guttural moan bubbled in his throat before it filled the room, incoherent babbling spilling from his lips as he road out his high. His hot cum spilled over your tongue and you immediately swallowed it as it continued to flow into your mouth. His window was open, and you suddenly heard the dog across the way starting to bark.

You sat up and coughed, not used to blow jobs at all, and swallowed a few times to clear your cum filled throat. It was a lot.

Eddie stared at you, his tired dark brown eyes glossed over and unmoving. You looked back and felt a blush creep onto your cheeks. The high had faded, and you were suddenly all too aware that you just had a very intense session of foreplay with your best friend. You were both inexperienced, so this whole thing was kind of intimate to you. You couldn't speak for him, though, and it made your stomach twist with anxiety.

You looked down to his softening cock, pulling his waistband up to cover it. He hissed at the contact, still sensitive from the intense orgasm.

"S-sorry.." You pulled your hands back to your lap.

"No, sweetheart, c'mere.." He held a limp arm out, motioning for you to lay with him.

Eddie's lips pulled into a grin that widened the closer you got to him. He rubbed your arm soothingly when you laid your body against his, propping yourself up on one arm and playing with his hair with the other.

"Pretty girl.." He muttered, lifting a hand and holding your cheek, rubbing his thumb on your cheekbone.

You scrunched your nose and looked away. His gaze was so heavy.

"That was craaazy." He chuckled, rubbing a hand over his face and sighing as he turned his head to look at the ceiling.

You hummed and nodded in agreement, still feeling self conscious. Eddie's eyes flicked over to you when you didn't say anything after a while, eyebrows pinching in concern.

"Hey.. what's up?" He pulled you in with both of his arms so that your chest was pressed into his, your head laying against his tattoo.

"Don't want anything to be weird for us… you know." You mumbled, finger poking at the random freckles on his chest.

He huffed at a laugh and looked at you like you were stupid, pushing hair from your face and pressing into your forehead with his finger.

"Wow. You're dumb. Like, more than me." He blew a raspberry and shook his head, a wide smile returning to his face as he looked at you lovingly.

You smiled and hid your face. It's Eddie.. of course he wouldn't let this ruin your friendship. You couldn't let your nerves take over. You felt dumb, as he said, for even allowing yourself to think so.

Eddie took a deep breath and sat up with you in his arms. He cradled you and bowed his head down, hair curtaining around both of your faces as he rubbed his nose against yours, pecking your lips a couple times before pulling away. You moved off of him before he rolled off the bed. He stretched and groaned, twisting his body around and rolling his shoulders before squinting at the clock on his dresser. His eyes widened.

"Shit! It's 1am!" He put a hand to his head and looked at you in shock. "We were at it for almost 2 fucking hours!?"

You giggled and shrugged, holding a pillow tight to your chest.

"We have to sleep.. got school in the morning and still need to swing by your place in the morning for clothes.." He walked to the edge of his bed to fix the pillows, head still shaking in disbelief at the time.

Eddie gave you a glass of water and a clean towel so you could clean yourself off, slapping your ass before you slid into the bathroom. He prepared his stuff for the following morning and shut off the TV.

Once you were both tucked into his bed he set his morning alarm and stole a few glances at you. You were in deep thought as you looked at the posters on his walls, head resting against his pillows. He wanted to wrap his arms around you and nuzzle his face into your neck. Instead, he turned off the light and silently laid beside you.

"Sweetheart…" He whispered, toes wiggling against your foot.

"Hm?"

He was silent for a moment.

". . . I'm hungry."

"Eddie. Go to sleep." You groaned and laughed into the pillow.

He dramatically whined and kicked his feet before turning on his side. It was silent for about twenty minutes and you were sure he was asleep, until he silently scooted himself backwards so you were pressed into his back. You smiled to yourself, warmth spreading inside your chest. You leaned your head into his shoulder blade and fell asleep shortly after.

🖤

Taglist:

@brainwashedkitten

[exhuastedpigeon]

What are the chances that Eddie (and Shannon) buried some kind of time capsule or little box in Eddie's parents backyard when they graduated high school. Maybe they were a little drunk from a party on graduation night and decided to bury something that they'd dig up before their 10 year reunion because that seemed like a lifetime away. Maybe that was the last thing they did together before Shannon found out she was pregnant.

What are the chances that the crew who digs out the hole for the pool Helena wants to build for Chris find it and suddenly Chris can't hide from his dad or the ghost of his mom anymore. There they are in silly little photo booth photos from prom. In a yearbook with signatures and silly little notes from their friends. In a handwritten note from both of them to their older selves talking about where they hope to be in 10 years. In a a baseball from his dad's final game. In a copy of his mom's favourite book.

What are the chances Chris comes face-to-face with the fact that his parents were people not much older than he was before he was born. When you're a kid your patents seem like giants - like they know everything. But maybe Chris is forced to confront the fact that they were only 5 years older than he his now when they had him. Maybe Chris realizes that his parents were perfect, but that's okay because no one is. Maybe Chris realizes that he can never get time with his mom, but his dad is still here and he doesn't want to lose more time with him.

[idyllicwillowtree]

God Eddie, You're So In Love With Me.

Genre: Eddie Munson x Henderson!reader, fem!reader, angst/fluff, hurt/eventual comfort, friends to lovers

Summary: Being in Hellfire, you’ve been exposed to your fair share of bullying. One day, Jason takes it a step too far.

Word count: 1.9k

Warnings: bullying, anaphylaxis, poisoning, no physical descriptions of Y/N so you don’t have to look like Dustin, reader wears makeup, reader uses she/her, reader has a peanut allergy, reader is called princess, swearing

Author’s note: I got this idea from an episode of Freaks and Geeks (which is an awesome show I totally recommend). Peanut allergies weren’t so common in the 80s so that’s why Jason is so ignorant and dismissive about it.

Sorry I haven’t written in a while, I was hibernating.

Enjoy!

Main Masterlist

Part 1:

Eddie proudly sauntered into first period with his head held high and a smirk on his lips. His mouth was watering in anticipation. He plopped himself down in the seat next to yours, wide eyes and a wicked grin plastered on his face, an eager hand open towards you.

“Wow Eddie. It’s 7:29, you got here with a minute to spare,” you said as you leaned over to grab the bite size Laffy Taffy from your backpack to place in Eddie’s hand. “I think this candy reward system is really working.”

“Of course it worked, it was your idea after all. But today’s a special day, I was definitely not going to not be here,” Eddie said with too much energy for this early in the morning. He stuffed the yellow taffy into his mouth and chewed it like a happy 5 year old, wiggling in his seat with excitement.

“Are you talking about the photo?”

“Yeah! Hellfire finally gets a spot in the yearbook. We shall finally leave our mark on this cesspool we call a school,” Eddie said through the glob of candy in his mouth. He swallowed the treat harshly as he got a good look at you, “you look great by the way.”

“Yeah?” you said shyly, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks. You started fiddling with the hem of your Hellfire shirt, “I thought I’d go with a bit more eyeliner today.” 

“Yeah, you did a great job princess.” With the excuse of admiring your eyeliner, Eddie was able to take a moment to study your features. Your gaze stayed on your hands, picking at a loose thread.

“God, Eddie. You’re so in love with me,” you said with a teasing smile. 

Eddie barked out a laugh, dimples on full display as he tried not to let your words affect him too seriously. 

“Great, the flirting freaks are back at it again.” Jason remarked from a few rows behind you. Both of you turned around in time to see Andy dramatically fake gagging.

Before you could hurl an insult back at them, Eddie took notice of what Jason was snacking on.

“Hey asshole, you can’t eat peanuts in class.”

“Yeah? And who’s gonna stop me, Munson? You?” Jason said through a full mouth, spitting out chunks as he laughed obnoxiously with Andy.

You simply rolled your eyes at Jason, annoyed with the jocks and their willingness to tease and fight so early in the morning.

Eddie’s grip tightened on the back of his chair. His white knuckles caught your eye and you reached out to sooth him, hoping he wouldn’t start a fight he couldn’t finish. The second your hand landed on his, the tension in his shoulders deflated and the fire in his eyes was snuffed out as he sent you a reassuring smile. 

Jason waved around his ziplock tauntingly, “Seriously freak, let’s see if you can actually take these from-”

“I’ll take those,” Mrs. O’Donnell said as she walked in behind Jason and snatched the bag. “Mr. Carver, you know you’re not allowed food in my class, let alone peanuts.”

“But coach said we have to protein-load before the game tonight,” Jason wined.

“Too bad. Some allergies can be very serious,” You shrunk in your seat as the other students turned to stare at you, knowing you were the one she was referring to. “You can get these back after class,” Mrs. O’Donnell said as she rounded the corner of her desk to address her students. “Now, everyone, please open your textbooks to chapter six.”

You, being the diligent student you were, immediately followed orders. Eddie on the other hand didn’t even remember to bring his book bag to school, but at least he got his candy. 

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

“I’m serious guys, I might have a crush on Mrs. O’Donnell now,” Eddie said to his bandmates as they sat in their unofficial assigned seats in the cafeteria.

“Just because an older female authority figure agreed with you and shut down Carver, doesn’t mean you should crush on your teacher dude,” Gareth said, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all.

“Besides, you already have a crush,” Jeff added with a teasing smile, the metal on his teeth catching the fluorescent lights.

“Are you guys talking about my sister?” Dustin said while throwing his lunch tray on the table, taking a seat next to Eddie. The rest of his sheep following close behind.

“No-”

“Yes,” all three of the older Hellfire members said in unison.

Eddie shot them a look that would’ve shut them up if the metalhead’s pale cheeks weren’t tinted pink. 

“Gross,” Dustin added.

Mike’s brows did their signature furrow under his dark bangs, “I don’t get it, why doesn’t he just ask her out?” he said, purposefully ignoring Eddie’s presence at the table.

“GROSS,” Dustin repeated, hoping the subject would change. 

Eddie was right there with him, picking up a pretzel and hurling it at Mike’s head, “I’d rather not share the complexities of the friendship-to-relationship pipeline with a baby freshman. And I. Don’t. Like. Her.” He growled, punctuating each word with a pretzel.

The metalhead’s angry scowl melted off his face at the sound of your laugh echoing through the high ceilings of the cafeteria. You were standing near the entrance with your Wonder Woman lunchbox in tow, tilting your head back as you chuckled at something Robin Buckley told you. 

That was until Jason and his entourage of goons followed him in.

He had that damn bag of peanuts in his hand, swinging it around mockingly. Eddie watched as you became tense, eyes wide and glossy. You are practically hiding behind a fuming Robin.

Before the blonde could hurl her trumpet case at the jocks, Eddie stepped up behind you both, placing a ring clad hand gently on the small of your back to let you know he was there. 

With his hand grounding you, you finally found your voice, “seriously Jason, if I come into contact with a peanut I could die.”

“Oh come on,” Jason said through a chuckle, “you’re that much of a freak that a little peanut is enough to kill you? I think you might be overreacting just a little.”

“Actually,” Dustin said as he came over to stand next to Eddie, “Anaphylaxis is incredibly dangerous. Allergic reactions to the proteins found in peanuts are cause by immunoglobulin E antibodies and can trigger severe inflammation and-”

“Dude, even her brother is a fucking dork,” Andy spat.

“Hey, don't talk to him like that,” Eddie said, stepping forward. You have always admired his fierce determination when defending your brother and the other freshmen. It’s part of what drew you to him in the first place. But this time there was no snarky comeback to Jason’s bullying. The severity of the situation on top of the jocks’ disregard for your safety was just pissing him off, making him uncharacteristically no-nonsense. 

The group of letterman jackets erupted in a chorus of ‘oooohs’. The leader just licked his lips, eyeing Eddie before smirking at you.

"You know, you might be pretty if you actually tried." 

It doesn’t have the effect on you that Jason had hoped, you could care less if he thought you were pretty. But before your athletically inexperienced friends could take on the basketball team, you plastered on your best fake smile. 

“Thanks Jason, see you guys later,” you said as you pulled your friends away leaving him confused and unsatisfied by your reaction.

“What the hell, you’re just going to let him talk to you like that?” your brother protested.

“He’s never going to change, Dustin. I might as well play into it since he’s just trying to get a rise out of us.”

You wave bye to Robin as she went to sit with her band friends, all of them decked out in their extravagant green and yellow uniforms. Eddie slid Dustin’s tray away from the spot next to him so you could set your lunchbox there and sit at his left hand side. Dustin was muttering something about losing his seat but still scooched down, knowing there was no use in fighting it. Eddie always had you right next to him.

The next few minutes of lunch went by rather smoothly. Groups of students were taken out sporadically to go to the photo room and get their yearbook club photo taken with Nancy. Occasionally, you’d catch Jason sending you angry glares but you just ignored him in favor of listening to your fellow Hellfire members. They were rambunctiously throwing out theories about tonight's campaign while Eddie just sat there with his version of a poker face, not willing to spoil anything with a teasing grin plastered to his mouth.

His eyes connected with yours, feeling you staring at him. The moment he looked at you you bashfully lowered your eyes to the cup of applesauce you were stirring around. Eddie kept his gaze on you until Nancy walked up behind him.

“Alright Hellfire, you’re up,” Nancy said with a smile. 

This was the first year Hellfire club was getting any sort of recognition in the yearbook. Previously, the teachers and students didn’t want to draw any more eyes to the alleged cult and their leader. Now that Nancy worked for the school, she played a big part in securing a photo for her brother’s club in the yearbook. Even though Eddie never liked conforming to frivolous High School expectations, he still felt honored. It was his last year after all (hopefully) and he wanted to make his mark.

You and the rest of the Hellfire members left your things at the lunch table and walked out of the cafeteria for the yearbook room down the hall. Your open applesauce was forgotten about as you followed Eddie out.

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

Your shoulders were still buzzing after taking the photo. Eddie had thrown his leather clad arm around you, pulling you closer to him, while his other hand did the sign of the horns. The smell of his cologne and the texture of his battle vest overwhelmed you so much you hoped it didn’t show in the photo. Although, the smirk Nancy sent you tells you it might have.

You and the rest of Hellfire sat back down in your original seats, besides your leader. As expected, Eddie had a lot of things to say in honor of your club getting recognized so he opted to stay standing.

“Hear ye, hear ye! Rejoice, for this day shall be etched in the annals of history as a testament to our unwavering spirit and valor!”

Going back to your lunch, you scoop up the velvety applesauce to resume eating. Expecting the familiar taste of sweet and tart, you flinched at the salty crunch and swallowed it on instinct. 

“Let it be known that we have weathered the raging storm of schoolyard bullies, and emerged victorious! Our banners flying high, unfurled in the winds of destiny,” Eddie continued, not noticing your trepidation.

You frowned at the tickle in your throat that only continued to build as you tried coughing discreetly. The rest of the boys grinned, believing this was your way of hinting at Eddie to wrap up his speech.

“Let us raise our voices in jubilation, for today, we have proven that nothing is insurmountable to those who believe in their cause!” Eddie looked to you, hoping to see you looking up at him and smiling that way you do whenever he uses his renaissance voice. Instead he met your panicked eyes.

“Hey Henderson,” Jason called from across the cafeteria. “What happens now? Should we call an ambulance?” Andy shoved at his shoulder playfully and chortled alongside Jason.

Panic gripped you as you connected the dots.

“Yeah,” you wheezed, “call an ambulance.”

Part 2

[therosietoesy]

Shout at the Devil

Warning: riding dick, smut, choking, spitting, hair pulling, unprotected sex, breeding, cream pie.

A/N: reposting my first ever Eddie fic

You and Eddie are a match made in heaven. Although everyone is confused on how the photo editor of the yearbook ended up with the resident freak. It happened during the summer before your senior year. You were at Hideout photographing the bands playing, it was then you were introduced to Eddie’s band Corroded Coffin. You were the last person he expected to see there but it created a friendship that was golden.

Soon Eddie asked you out and you were inseparable. You could not have asked for a better partner. He was beyond supportive of your dreams and you of his. Anytime Corroded Coffin played he made sure that you were their photographer nobody else could be but you. Which you truly appreciated and found beyond adorable.

It was a typical night that Corroded Coffin had a show to play that evening. You met Eddie at the hellfire club room they were playing their campaign before their show which their set wasn't till very later that night. It looked like they were cleaning up the session and getting ready to go for the show. Everyone else has left for the evening expect for Eddie who was waiting for you to arrive. “How was tonight’s session Dungeon Master?” You asked. He let out a chuckle “It was great, those dorks won’t know what hits them next session when the big storyline is introduced.” He pulled you into a hug and placed a kiss on your forehead. “Well, it sounds like you had loads of fun.” You replied. His eyes kept going back and forth between your eyes and your lips. “Why don’t you just kiss me Eds?” You joked and he finally pressed his lips against yours. A simple kiss turning to a heated make out session and he led you to the infamous Dungeon Master throne. He took his rightful place and pulled you into his lap continuing the heated kiss. We'll continue in kissing it turned into grinding on each other. Thank Ozzy you wore a skirt that day so you could really feel your cunt against the roughness of the denim of his jeans. He began to groan out your name “Y/n, please don’t stop.” You just giggled and continued your movement against his crotch. This kept going on for a few moments until his hands gripped your waist and stilled your movements all together.

“Babe.” He mumbled against your lips, you nodded in response. “Ride me, please.” He whispered softly. You never moved faster to remove each article of clothing, but a firm hand stops you from removing your skirt, you glanced up at him. “Keep it on” he spoke and you nodded your head in agreement. He removes your panties from underneath and lifted you up over his dick. Carefully placing you down on his dick and holding your hips letting you adjust. You both let at a moan of the feeling of being connected. A whine leaves your lips and you begin to roll your hips. Eddie hands hold on to your waist as soon as you start picking up your pace. Bouncing up and down over and over again moans flying from your lips. “Y/N!” Eddie started chanting your name over and over again like a beautiful song. One of his hands came to your neck and he started to apply pressure to your neck which made you open your mouth and his other hand held your jaw so that way he can spit into your mouth. “Swallow “ He grunted and you swallowed thus resulting you sticking out your tongue to show him and he groaned out at how obedient you are for him.

His grip started to get frimer and slightly painful in a good way. “Eddie, baby, please oh please.” You whined and picked up your pace.He started to tease and groan with how you felt wrapped around him. “Begging to cum already hun? You want to breeded don’t cha?” He quipped while running his hand through your hair and he yanked it. You moaned out a loud yes and kept begging him. “Eds, please breed me. Fill me up with your cum. I need it.” You whined and felt the glorious burn in your legs and stomach. He soon felt your pussy start squeezing him for what he’s worth and then his fingers fly to your clit to began to circle it to bring you over the edge. Shouting of his name “Eddie, Oh my fucking god!” as you came all over his cock. Thus he started bucking up into you faster and faster once he was close stopped his movements and held you in place as he released his cum into you and filling you up. Pants and sighs fill the Hellfire club room and soon enough soft laughter. “Wow, that was something babe.” Eddie remarked and held you close to him. You giggled, “I love you Eddie. Don’t forget you have a show to get to.” He groaned “Fuck, I don’t want to go.” “Common Rockstar, we gotta get going.” You said getting ready to climb off his lap. Once you both gotten up and stretched out, both began to redress and you slipped on your underwear while being bent over Eddie came and placed a slap on your cum filled pussy to remind you of this moment when you watch him on stage tonight and felt some of his cum leak down your thighs.

[hbyrde36]

STWG Daily Prompt 04/28/24

as chosen by our own @penny00dreadful

Fairytale✨

He was never going to find her.

Steve sighed heavily, letting his lunch tray drop to the table as he plopped down into his seat next to Nancy and Jonathan, the spot he’d been occupying ever since he’d had some sense knocked into him and dumped Tommy and Carol as friends for good. 

He’d gotten a lot of funny looks for that move, not only because he’d nuked his popularity along with his friendships, but because Nancy had dumped him for Jonathan, or so the rumor mill said, and yet here he was beside them. The truth was that their uncoupling had been a mutual decision, they just didn’t care enough to correct the narrative. 

But, back to Steve’s lament. 

It’d been almost a week since he saw her, the mystery girl that he’d spent almost the entire Halloween Ball with. They hadn’t spoken at all, the music had been too loud for that, but they’d stuck close to each other all night, danced, shared a few laughs as they pointed out their classmates' costumes–both good and bad– and shared a brief, but earth shattering kiss in a dark corner of the gym.

Now normally, Steve wouldn’t have been caught dead at one of the school’s dances, but his high school career was rapidly coming to a close, and honestly he was just trying to get himself out there, make some better memories before he was forced to grow up and enter the adult world.

Also… Nancy and Jonathan had made him.

Then they’d ditched him to go make out in the darkroom, but that was fine, It’d all been worth it to meet—her.

Steve only stepped away for a moment to get them a couple drinks, but when he returned to their spot by the bleachers, she was gone, the only evidence that she’d ever been there at all was a ring left behind on the floor. He picked it up, remembering how she’d fiddled with them a lot, her many rings, and must have dropped this one without realizing. 

He pocketed it, knowing it would be the key to finding her again.

Because, and this was his dilemma, on top of not knowing his mystery girl’s name, he also had no idea what she really looked like. While his Indiana Jones costume had left no question as to his own identity, she’d been dressed as a mummy, wrapped up in layers of gauzy fabric, only showing off her long dark curly hair, the biggest most gorgeous brown eyes he’d ever seen, and perfect pink pouty lips.

After spending the last several days combing the school, asking every brunette he came across if the ring was hers—to no avail—Steve had all but given up, assuming the girl had been someone’s friend or cousin visiting from out of town.

“What’s all this?” Steve asked, finally noticing the stack of photos Jonathan had spread out on the table around them. 

Jonathan took a bite of his sandwich, answering with his mouth still half full. “group shots of all the clubs for the yearbook, I just got them developed.”

Steve pushed his own lunch away, not hungry, and pulled a few of the pictures closer to him. He wasn’t really looking, looking, there wouldn’t be anyone in those pictures he hadn’t already seem roaming the halls, or so he thought. Then he spotted a familiar piece of jewelry on the finger of someone entirely unexpected. 

Eddie Munson, head of the Hellfire Club. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled the ring out, keeping it hidden under the table as he looked between it and the one in the photo. Same band, same stone, same black nail polish on the hand’s fingers too.

Dark curly hair, check. 

Big beautiful brown eyes, check. 

Soft pouty pink lips, double check.

Okay, so, the mystery girl wasn’t a girl at all. It explained why he’d had so much trouble finding her at least.

Steve sat with that fact throughout the rest of the lunch period, and by the time the bell rang had decided that it didn’t change a thing. He wasn’t freaked out that he’d kissed a boy, he didn’t even care that it was Munson, certified freak and D&D nerd. He was a little embarrassed that he’d assumed his special someone was a girl just because he had long hair and pretty eyes, but moving past that—

Now Steve just had to woo his man.

“Hey, Munson?” Steve called out as he jogged down the hallway, approaching the other boy from behind just as he was closing his locker. 

Eddie startled, his eyes going wide as he turned to see who had snuck up on him, but recovered quickly.

“Steeeeeeeve Harrington, what can I do for his former-royal-highness?”

Steve stepped in close, glancing around to make sure no one was watching them before he took Eddie’s hand, gently turning it over, and placed the ring in the center of his palm.  

“I think you dropped this.”

Permanent taglist (open): @penny00dreadful @pearynice @hitlikehammers

[bugsbenefit]

hellfire in s5, and how it's Really not looking good for the members

the hellfire club is, in my opinion, one of the most obvious set ups for s5 and i never see enough people acknowledge how blatant the show actually is with it. because it's a directly addressed ongoing issue that slowly worsens over time and directly threatens three main characters (Dustin, Lucas, and Mike), at Least

there's a clear structured progression of the threat getting worse, with a major part of the s4 Hawkins plot being only Jason and his team chasing Eddie down, and by the last episodes of the show the rest of the town sides with them and joins the objective. however, we never get any consequence of the town agreeing with Jason, aside form the kids parents getting reaction shots looking insanely worried. the only thing even resembling partisan participation is a dogwalker (the same man that agreed with Jason first and then caused every other member in the town hall to also agree) informing Jason and co about there being someone in the Creel house. a single character ratting someone out is not pay off for a scene that rallies the entire town with anger and fear. especially because he was the First one to agree with Jason, arguably the next reaction, in parallel to the town house scene, will have everyone else also involve themselves

and everything Jason actually said in the town hall looks INFINITELY worse by the end of the season because he not only died the same day (how odd that must look), the town was also hit by a severe earthquake. (and hell-gates open in town but we don't know how people will react to that yet, or if it will even be immediately obvious to them)

like. it's a Terrible look. and with Eddie being dead now, the main target that represented the hellfire club in s4 and got the primary share of blame is now officially un-prosecutable

s4 also goes out of it's way to associate Lucas, Dustin and Mike explicitly with the hunt on Hellfire, ages before the whole town gets involved

Lucas is put on edge by the basketball's team hostility towards his friends constantly and has to actively lie his way out of the line of fire multiple times. the basketball team is also looking for Dustin to question him about Eddie's whereabouts, even going to his house where a confrontation only doesn't happen because he's not home. and they even manage to go out of their way to drag Mike into it despite him being out of town, when Jason starts a conversation with Nancy specifically to threaten her and then asks about Mike right after

which leads to the other thing; not only are all the kids already on Jason's radar, he's also getting more and more direct with the fact that he doesn't just want to have a nice chat with them (culminating in actually physically attacking Lucas by the last episode)

and if them setting all of the kid members of hellfire up for a bad time wasn't obvious enough, it's also fascinating to see the posters of hellfire we get over the season also show a clear shift in focus

when we see the hellfire club year book photo for the first time the focus is on Eddie. he's who Jason sees as the main culprit and when we get a close up of the burning poster we see Eddie

but when we see the hellfire club photo again 4 episodes later the focus isn't on Eddie anymore. not in dialogue and not visually

the shot is from the Wheeler's pov (Karen's specifically), and the only part of the picture that's in focus is the far right corner, with Mike and Lucas. (makes sense that's her son that's currently being implicated in satanic murders). Eddie never gets unblurred, he's not who the audience is supposed to look at in this shot. verbally Jason is also explicitly blaming the whole club now. it's not just Eddie who's "crazy" and killed Chrissy, it's the whole club who's responsible (it's also very notable that he's handing out yearbook photos of the whole club, not just Eddie. a really distinct prop choice. everyone in town now not only thinks hellfire is directly responsible for multiple ritualistic murders, they also know Exactly who's in the club)

and looking back at the season in hindsight, there's actually more than enough instances that would make the members of Hellfire look kind of guilty, or shady at best, even if someone were to do some research. there's multiple instances of hellfire members lying to the basketball team about hellfire member's whereabouts which definitely doesn't make them look more innocent in the team's eyes. not only do Eddie's band members try to brush them off, Nancy pretends to not even know about Hellfire when Jason asks about Mike, and Lucas goes out of his way to keep Dustin and Eddie's locations from them by deliberately lying and sending them to wrong locations

and that's on top of the entire montage of Dustin and Mike trying to find a substitute player for a single game on the same day a student with no previous affiliation to Eddie Munson dies at his trailer? that looks Horrible in hindsight. especially with them asking pretty much every other student, from almost every club, while both prominently wearing hellfire shirts. if anyone actually remembers them and thinks about the events post Chrissy's death they could definitely make some assumptions

it's just bad looks all around. and that's not even mentioning how they have the potential to look even worse in s5. if it got out Lucas was with Max when she somehow died and broke all her bones? would look horrible. or Dustin now associating with Eddie's dad? and we don't even know how he'll fulfill Eddie's wish to "look after the little sheep"

and even Mike, who didn't even have the chance to attract suspicion post e1 due to being out of town has a whole thing going on with his image paralleling Eddie, with being the other DM and having his s4 style be directly in reference to Eddie's looks

while there's building hostility towards the hellfire members, and the focus (both visually and vocally) switches more to the members Other than Eddie, by the end of the season there just hasn't been a chance for the townsfolk to respond to Jason's speech yet. they all agreed with him, but everything immediately went to shit the same night. however, even the last few minutes of the show, that always have the most direct foreshadowing for the next season, include a shot focusing on the rise of religion and the fearmongering that started with Jason's speech

which serves as a great reminder that the entire town hall just agreed with Hellfire being a satanist cult they need to stop

s4 ends with the hellfire set up being one of the most explicitly obvious plot threads that are about to be a problem for multiple main characters in s5. like the few other obvious established about-to-be struggles: the gates opening, Vecna still being alive, Max being "gone"; we've gotten a full set up there but no payoff yet

and then there's obviously the question of what the people would even DO in s5? they all agreed that Hellfire needed to be stopped, so... what now?

on one hand there's the interesting concept of the town refusing to help the protagonists but they could also be acting as a hostile force against them

say anyone tried to warn the town about the upside down or it's creatures, the chances of people listening to them talk about actual "demons" and reacting in any positive way is probably near 0. even if you saw a Demogorgon nibble on your neighbour an hour ealier, would you really listen to someone you think intentionally opened the Hellgate that let the creatures through in the first place?

but then there's of course the active antagonistic angle they could also take. Jason was calling for Hellfire to be actively opposed and stopped, not passively. and the show Does go out of it's way to show the overcrowded weapons store in multiple shots post Jason-speech

we're supposed to know these people are armed going forward. whether they're buying them to go hunting, or wanting to go shoot Eddie Munson, the weapons are there now... also ignore the 7 separate hellfire wanted posters in the opening shot of the store alone 💀(it's actually 9, i didn't circle the two that are cut off in the bottom corner. that whole board is just plastered with that one photo)

(the implication of what the guns are for couldn't be more obvious if they tried. again, also the scene where Jason tries to intimidate Nancy and directly asks about where Mike is. also the scene where Erica and co try to hide from the basketball team members in the store. the scene features, guns, hellfire posters everywhere, and characters specifically asking about the whereabouts of a member while other people are actively hiding)

and the weapons could play out in a positive way in s5 too, say the lady from next door gets hands on involved and takes shots at the Demobats in her front yard

but the reactionary, scared, and angry town that blames a specific small group of people for everything that's happening could also lead to MCs having to actively worry about getting shot by someone they've seen at the supermarket for 10+ years on top of the supernatural threat

TLDR: re Hellfire, none of these members will have a good time in s5

Edit (because i forgot to include these images and am silly)

Hellfire even makes it on the local news by the end of the season

and in line with the focus shifting from Eddie to the other hellfire members, the news anchor then goes to say that Eddie Munson is presumed dead after the earthquake but that that isn't enough for the town. the news even mentions the conspiracy theory that the hellfire murders CAUSED the earthquake. so anyone who hasn't heard Jason's speech, now they're getting it from a "reputable" source too. call that high quality journalism, let's throw the local highschoolers under the bus

we're supposed to remember the fear of the "satanic cult killing children" that Jason spread to the town. it's still there. and it's not just in the local town hall anymore, its being broadcast on live television. so just in case you didn't catch wind of who caused a "gate to hell" to open in your suburban neighbourhood the first time, the news anchor thankfully tells you who everybody Says is responsible, it's the 14-18 year old satanist serial killers duh

[hellfirenacht]

Plus One Chapter 2

Summary: Once upon a time, you made a deal with the school freak that if he ever got famous then he'd invite you to be his plus one at a red carpet event. Now a decade later an invite shows up at your house asking you to be the +1 to Eddie Munson, front man of Corroded Coffin. (1)

Tags: modern!au, Eddie and Reader are in their late 20's/early 30's after the deal is made. Rockstar!Eddie. Friends to strangers to friends to lovers, references to Flight of Icarus characters. Eventual smut. No use of y/n, reader description is as vague as possible

No beta, we die like Jason Carver.

Eddie Munson

The name echoed in your mind for the rest of the day, bouncing around and trying to connect a name with a face the whole time you were at work. Of course this was the one day that you had forgotten to charge your phone, and were stuck in an endless loop of trying to figure out who it was.

Without your phone you were stuck listening to the radio on the way home. You flipped through the different stations, trying to find any channel that was playing music and not on a commercial break. The screech of an electric guitar gave you pause, giving the song a good five seconds to impress you before you continued your channel surfing.

The sting of the guitar rocked through your car and penetrated your brain in a way that felt electric. In five seconds you had removed your hand from the radio dial and were focused on driving again. The roads were empty this late at night, allowing you some extra room in your mind to enjoy the song. Vocals came in, scratching your brain in a pleasant way as you caught the final chorus before it faded out and the DJ came back on.

“And that was Corroded Coffin with their latest single Storm.” Announced the DJ, and you nearly slammed on the breaks from shock.

Corroded Coffin. The invitation. Okay, so it had to be a joke, right? There was no way that the letter that had appeared in your mailbox was really addressed to you from them.

It was only by pure luck that you were able to speed home without any cops pulling you over. You rushed into your apartment and grabbed the invitation that had been left on your counter before shoving your charge cable into your phone.

When it didn’t turn on right away you hurried over to your laptop and opened it, thankful that there was no delay. You made quick work of typing in ‘Eddie Munson’ and ‘Corroded Coffin’ into the search bar.

The results were instantaneous as pictures of a band popped up, as well as a flood of articles about the band’s latest goings on. You scanned the results and pulled up the latest one about how the band had been nominated for Best Metal Album at this year's Hellfire Awards. You quickly learned that the Hellfire Awards were a pretty big deal in the alternative music scene as everything was decided by the fans rather than a panel of industry judges.

You pulled up another article focused on Eddie himself and you stared at the picture as you started to remember who this man was. You got up and went to your closet, haphazardly pulling out boxes and bags until you found an old stash of high school memorabilia that you never looked at but never could bring yourself to toss.

At the bottom of the box was the thick yearbook from your graduating year. You flipped through it quickly to the Senior photos, singing the alphabet song in your mind as you made your way to the M’s for-

Eddie Munson. (insert funny senior quote here)

You stared at the picture for a good long while as you tried to comprehend what was actually happening. You brought the book to your laptop again, comparing the pictures of the Rock God on your screen to the awkwardly smiling kid in the photo. Yes, that was definitely him. He hadn’t changed much physically, his hair was still long and wavy and he still had bright and expressive brown eyes.

Memories began seeping in, as you thought back to the few weeks before high school ended. You flipped to the front cover of the book now, scanning the many signatures of long forgotten friends and the few of those you still talked to. There in the corner of the page was a message in scratchy handwriting, as if the pen had been refusing to work.

See you when I’m famous! Eddie Munson

You grabbed the invitation again.

A deal’s a deal.

His handwriting was somehow worse. Didn’t he have to write his autograph a million times a day? How was it worse? But it was still the same, and you found yourself laughing. Actually, you were in damn near hysterics as you pressed your face against your hands. This had to be a joke, right? One of your friends realized that someone that you both went to school with was famous, and had made this elaborate invitation to...

A deal’s a deal.

And if you forget to come back for Madame Zeroni, you and your family will be cursed for always and eternity.

You set the yearbook aside, sliding the invitation safely inside. Turning back to the computer, you started looking through Corroded Coffin’s past accomplishments; they'd been on the scene for a few years now, but had exploded in popularity in the past year and a half. They’d even played in Indianapolis just a few months ago and you were none the wiser.

That night was spent in a spiral of reading over articles, and (admittedly) stalking social media. Each of the band members had their own socials combined with the main Corroded Coffin page. You also skimmed the socials for WR Records, but didn’t find much interesting other than tour dates and updates on the other artists under the label. Oh, and you now knew that Eddie was about two years older than you. Huh.

The band was... chaotic. They posted a lot of videos behind the scenes, of them playing pranks on each other, lip syncing to other songs, and there seemed to be a running joke of everyone hiding Gareth’s drumsticks in weird places.

Magazines also seemed to love getting Eddie shirtless, especially tattoo magazines. They also liked him not wearing pants. They liked him in as little clothing as they could legally get away with.

It’s research. You told yourself, attempting to justify it. He has nice tattoos and I just want a good look.

Managing to tear your eyes away from the photos, (and ignoring any warmth you felt in your stomach from them) you found yourself smiling as you turned on their music as you watched years of curated material unfold in front of you in a few hours. Their music was good, really good, and you wondered why you hadn’t heard them until recently.

Oh right, you were stuck on listening to the same couple hundred songs since high school. You really should branch out.

It was really late when you finally forced yourself to close the laptop and go to bed. You laid down and stared at the ceiling, holding the heavy yearbook on your chest thinking back to those last few weeks of school. Some memories were sharper than others. You closed your eyes trying to remember as much as you could. Eddie. An old notebook. A stupid worksheet. His smile. Some were less clear. Prom night. Graduation, forgotten small talk in the hallways.

Your crush.

Your heart jumped in your chest as you remembered that. Oh, right. You had a crush on him for those last few weeks, hadn’t you? You pressed your face to your pillow and let out a groan. Actually, this was no longer today’s problem. This could be tomorrow's problem. You put the yearbook aside and turned off your lamp and went to bed.

---

So as it turns out, tomorrow’s problems do, in fact, become today’s problems. You weren’t very thrilled about this as you read the invitation for the hundredth time over breakfast. How the hell were you even supposed to respond to this invitation? There was no RSVP or return address or phone number!

Maybe it was a prank? But the only other person who would know about that deal you two had made was Eddie right? Or maybe you’d told one of your friends back then? But then why would they just now try a prank?

Your phone buzzed and lit up next to you and you looked it over. A notification from WR RECORDS was blaring at you from your screen. You turned the brightness down on your phone hoping that it would help lessen the shock. It did not.

With shaking hands you fumbled to open the message. It was clearly addressed to you.

“Hello! This is Paige Warner from WR Records reaching out on behalf of Corroded Coffin to confirm that you received the invitation that we sent out for this year's Hellfire Awards.”

You stared at this for a long time. You closed the message and checked the account that it was sent from. It had the official small check that meant it was a verified account. You felt like you were going to be sick.

You re-opened the message, read it again, closed it, checked the account again to make sure that your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you, panicked again, set the phone down, did a lap around your house and opened the message again.

This cycle would repeat at least two more times before you finally forced yourself to type a reply.

Which you instantly deleted and opened the message on your laptop instead, as if changing the technology you were viewing it on would somehow make this any different.

Read receipts were on. FUCK.

You googled how to turn them off for this platform. You could not. Double FUCK.

You’d left WR RECORDS on read for going on 45 minutes. Triple FUCK.

“Got it!!”

You sent the message before you could stall any longer. You cringe at the two words. Why did you double up on the exclamation points? Anxiety was spiraling through you at a million miles per hour before another messaged popped up.

“Great! Would you have a moment to talk to me about making arrangements? I have a few moments free right now.”

You hadn’t felt this nervous since you interviewed for your current job.

“Yes, I have time!”

Your answer looked so robotic and generic on the screen, but there was no time to think about that as your laptop screen lit up and started ringing. A video call. WR RECORDS was trying to video call you. This had to be illegal. It had to! You were in your fucking pajamas and WR RECORDS was trying to video call you.

You spent ten seconds trying desperately to make yourself look presentable and threw on your robe over your pjs. At least the robe was clean and didn’t have any holes in it. You tightened it around you as much as you could. Took a deep breath and answered the call.

A woman a few years older than you appeared on screen. She had short dark hair and a face full of freckles. “I’m so sorry for the last minute call.” she said. “I’m Paige Warner, I’m the manager for Corroded Coffin.”

Your throat felt dry as you choked out your name with a nervous smile. Of course you’d left your drink in the kitchen and there was no graceful way to grab it now.

Paige wasn’t here to waste time or make small talk, she jumped right into it. She didn’t even blink at your outfit. “The annual Hellfire Awards will be held a month from now. We are willing to offer you travel expenses and hotel to come down, and the band has also agreed to pay for any hair and make-up as well as an outfit to wear onto the red carpet.”

“Red carpet.” You said dumbly. Wait you were going to- they wanted you to what.

“Yes, Eddie specifically requested that you join him on the red carpet.” Paige said, furrowing her brows. “He said that you would remember your deal.”

“I, uh...”

Paige looked at her watch and you could tell that she was starting to get antsy. “I can have plane tickets and a hotel booked for you by tonight. All I need is for you to sign this agreement and have it sent back to me before 5 pm PST. I’ll have it sent to your email. Now, about your involvement with-”

She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence as there was suddenly a lot of background noise as it sounded like people were filing into her office.

“Paige, can you hide the drumsticks this time?” came a voice off screen. “We’re running out of ideas.”

“Jeff, I can’t right now I’m currently talking to-”

“OH! Is that her? Let me see!” Jeff suddenly ran on screen and your eyes nearly popped out of your head at the site of the bass player appearing behind her.

“Hi! You’re Eddie’s friend right?” He smiled wide at you, and all you could do was nod.

Friends? That seemed generous for the situation but it would have been rude to say otherwise.

“Oh shit, I should go get Eddie to say hi!” Jeff said, tossing the drumsticks down onto Paige’s lap and running off.

“Jeff, no!” she called after him but you had a feeling that her protests weren’t going to mean anything. You froze up as the idea of seeing Eddie again started to sink in.

“I’m so sorry for him, they all get excited too easily.” Paige said. “Jeff, I said no I need to finish this call and then I have other work to do! Work on this computer!”

Jeff just appeared again, grabbed the back of her chair and rolled her away with the biggest grin. “You can pretend to be us and post boring updates on our account later. The internet isn’t going anywhere.”

The absurdity of this was not lost on you and you covered your mouth with your hand to stifle a giggle. This was playing out as if it had happened a hundred times before, and off screen you heard Paige’s exasperated sigh. “Five minutes.” she said firmly.

“Thank you, five” Came the sound of not just Jeff’s voice but another voice.

The sound of another rolling chair echoed through your crappy computer speakers and at first all you could see was the lower torso of a t shirt as someone moved into frame before they sat down in front of the camera.

Eddie Munson. Eddie ‘the Freak’ Munson.

Eddie Munson of Corroded Coffin.

“Uh, hi.” he said with a wide grin, and a wave and you desperately tried to reconnect the wires in your brain to say hi back.

Last night you’d seen carefully curated pictures of him, making him look untouchable. You’d seen him on stage holding his guitar, looking like a Rock God. You’d seen him spread out over pages of magazines, wearing clothing that was specifically tailored to make him look like, well, like he was better than any normal person. You’d even seen him wearing damn near nothing, covered in tattoos making him damn near look like a porn star.

Now he was sitting across from you (virtually) with his hair pulled back in a sloppy bun, and a faded t shirt with a questionable stain on it. There was unshaven stubble that looked like it didn’t know if it was growing out or if he’d forgotten to shave for the past few days. For five seconds, you felt like you were in high school again, as you finally managed to talk.

“Hey.” you said back. Nailed it.

“So you’re coming right?” Eddie said eagerly, and even with the lower quality of the video call (which was because of your internet, and not Paige’s webcam, you were sure of), you could see the way his large brown eyes showed excitement.

“You really want me to?” you blurted out. You couldn’t help it, none of this seemed real. Hell, you hardly believed that someone from Hawkins High School had managed to get out of the sad town and become famous. This was a lot to learn in two days.

“We had a deal, remember?” Eddie said. “And I’m not gonna risk you cursing me because I forgot to invite you the last four and a half years.”

“Well... I guess I should go then.” you replied. “I mean, if I don’t then I’m going to have to learn how to curse-”

“You’re allowed to say ‘fuck’, we do it all the time!” yelled out Jeff from behind Eddie.

“Shut up, Jeff!” Eddie grabbed a piece of paper off of Paige’s desk, crumpled it up and threw it at his bandmate. He was laughing through and when it made contact with Jeff, he fell down dramatically. “Ignore him, we’re all idiots.” Eddie turned back to you.

There had been a time in high school where Eddie Munson was regarded as a freak, a delinquent, a druggie, someone dangerous. When you had been paired together for a worksheet, you found yourself at ease with him, talking to him as naturally as you would any other friend. And now, nearly a decade later, he was a celebrity, a legend, constantly being swarmed by fans and groupies and paparazzi. Yet here you were, laughing at his antics the same way you had all those years ago.

Freak. Rock Star. Eddie Munson.

You found your shoulders relaxing and you were smiling at him. “It’s fine, I guess I’ll start with cursing Jeff and working my way through the band until I get to you.” you told him.

“You can’t!” protested Eddie. “I’m holding up my end of the deal! We said five years and if you don’t come to this one you’ll have to come to the Accolades and I think you’d curse me for that one anyway because it’s so boring.”

“Boring? The Accolades? You mean the biggest event of the year for all the tabloids?” you asked. It was hard imagining any of Eddie’s life being boring.

“Worse than Higgins’ speech for our graduating class.” Eddie said seriously. “You thought he was long winded? The Accolades are just a bunch of old farts who like to pat themselves on the back and insult anyone who doesn’t meet their standards.”

You nodded. “Alright, yeah, I guess I would have to take up witchcraft for that.”

“Wait, is she actually a witch?” Jeff said, finally getting up and walking back over.

“If she comes to Hellfire we won’t have to find out.” Eddie laughed and looked directly into the camera. It was unnerving, because that meant that he was getting as close to direct eye contact with you as he could in this current situation. Your heart jumped as his expression shifted. “You are coming, right?”

Maybe it was his big brown doe eyes, or the sincerity in his voice. Maybe it was the small ember of a crush that you had long thought was snuffed out. Maybe it was the way you had already exhausted yourself from your earlier anxiety. Hell, maybe it was the fact that you’d seen him nearly naked for a magazine spread just hours before.

You couldn’t say no, even if you wanted to. And you really did not want to.

“Yeah.” you said quickly. You’d figure out getting time off somehow. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Just tell me where to go.”

Eddie’s chair was pushed away and Paige returned to the camera with a small protest. The five minutes were up.

“I’ve sent you an email with an NDA. Sign it, and we’ll get everything taken care of.” she said.

You wasted no time pulling up the email on your phone, giving it your electronic signature, and sending it back. Though, maybe you should have wasted a little time reading a legal document. Well, it was too late now.

“Alright, you two need to leave now.” Paige said to Eddie and Jeff. “I have to finish up with her here.”

“Wait, what about the drumsticks?” Jeff asked.

“I already hid them.” There was a light in her eyes that you liked. She wasn’t all business, it seemed.

Eddie stuck his head back into view, giving you a full smile with teeth. “I’ll see you when you get here!” he said before Paige shooed them both away again.

The last words you caught from Jeff were a muffled ‘day off’ and ‘campaign’, followed by the clicking of a door.

The next few minutes was Paige gathering your information and giving you a brief rundown of the papers you had just signed. She said that she’d be in touch with you within the next week to send you all of the travel information and to email her with any questions or concerns.

When the call finally ended, you were left staring at the last message sent by WR RECORDS with Paige’s personal email address. It wasn’t even noon and you’d already talked to a former-classmate-turned-rock-star, dodged allegations on being a witch, spoke to the manager of a metal band that you had only just started listening to the night before, and RSVP’d yes to walk the red carpet for one of the biggest alt music awards shows.

You closed the laptop, called out of work, and went back to bed.

---

Please comment and reblog 💜

Tag list: @hellfiredarling @crocwork-clockodile @hitoshislut @kurdtbean @kennedy-brooke @daisyridleyyyy @akira1803

[sp0o0kylights]

 armed your words with explosive devices and put the trigger on your tongue.

I never know if a kiss will kill me. 

It's a joke. 

Or at least, Eddie meant it as one. 

He was flicking his hand out with the intention of pretending to "push" the weight off Steve's shoulders, following a joke about how he looks like he's carrying the whole world on his back.

Beyond the general air of a frazzled single mother, Harrington had been down to clown. He'd laughed at Eddie's first few jokes, even made a poor attempt at making one back.

So it surprised both of them when Steve flinches back, hard, sucking in a noisy breath.

For a moment he holds it in and Eddie mimics him, hand frozen midair. 

They breathe out almost together as Eddie slowly lowers his hand.

"Steve." Eddie starts off, voice soft. 

Steve jams his hand in his hair, face flushing red. "Sorry man, jock reflexes."

He catches the second Steve forces a smile back on his face, the way his desperate attempt at tugging on his own hair changes into a move designed to fluff it up. A laugh makes its way out of Steve’s mouth and to his credit, it sounds natural. 

This, Eddie realizes with an abrupt clarity, is Steve caught wrong-footed in public. This is Steve being off and fixing it before he breaks down. 

It’s a good cover, excellent even, and if Eddie hadn’t been watching for the signs, if he hadn’t started looking closer and closer at Harrington after finding him drunk and bloody in Tina’s bathtub, he might have brushed it off. 

Thought of it as Steve being a jerk, a jock, a guy who didn’t want to touch the filth that was Eddie Munson and was now trying to hide it.The same way so many others did, because they’d learned the hard way that a pissed off dealer won’t sell you any drugs. 

Eddie could even see him spinning this as having an off day. Maybe Steve was sore, maybe he was annoyed, maybe he was six other million things that he’d lead you to believe. 

Worse than knowing that he’d have bought Steve’s cover though, is that Eddie recognizes this. 

Has seen it before. 

Or micro versions of it. 

In class, when Steve’s asked a question he doesn’t know. In the hallways when someone tells a joke about his parents. In the parking lot when those kids snap at him, rolling their eyes and throwing their hands around.

Even the one basketball game Eddie attended, during his ill-fated attempt at joining the yearbook club before he finally started Hellfire. 

There had been a moment where Tommy had briefly turned on Steve, got some of the other boys to snap and snarl at the King in the face of a bad score. 

Called him stupid. 

Spineless and gutless. 

(Steve hadn’t even been the captain, back then.

 They held him responsible anyway.)

Eddie had thought it well deserved--even funny at the time-- considering what made up a man like Steve Harrington. 

Get big movie star hair, combine with no parents, and add tons of money. Shaken and stirred with little bits of never-ending popularity and girls swooning left and right over him, and you got Hawkin High’s most popular guy.

 Good to buy you whatever you needed, with a famously sharp tongue that he used in place of his fists. 

Grant still had nightmares over some of the names Steve had nailed him with. 

He was the school’s most desired bachelor until Nancy Wheeler took him down, proved even kings could be cheated out of their kingdoms. 

(One of the teenagers at the famed Starcourt fire, a hero in the papers for saving half a dozen kids. The pictures the news still occasionally shows often pin up those pictures of Steve, wearing this exact smile. 

It’s the same one he’s wearing now, as Starcourt burns in the background of each and every photo..)

The realization comes with a flood of knowledge--that Steve knows how to hide his issues, that he’s had issues for far longer than whatever--or whoever--is beating him up. 

Longer than Eddie himself had caught onto too--and Eddie had prided himself on seeing through people’s bullshit. 

If he does what Steve wants, let’s this drop, Steve will go on acting like everything’s fine. 

Just like everyone else does.

Eddie can’t do that. Has never been able to do that. 

"We both know that's bullshit." Eddie says, and he knew calling it out would get a reaction, but he’s not expecting the sheer strength of it. 

How Steve looks like he’s taken a punch, mask breaking fast on his face to reveal the hurt underneath. 

"Don't--" He tries to start, tries to breathe again and Eddie's not sure what caused it, but he knows the beginning of a panic attack when he sees one. “Don’t, please--” 

It’s the please that gets Eddie, the word sounding bruised. Like it hurts Steve to say it, that he only uses it as a hail mary that it may somehow help ward off whatever is coming. 

Eddie fights not to put his arms around Steve.

Protect him from whatever the hell is happening. 

"Hey." Eddie says, softly but clearly. "I’m sorry. Tell me what I did and I won’t do it again.” 

They’re in the middle of the school parking lot and neither of them can afford to misstep here. Not in a town like Hawkins. Eddie has a choice to make--to sweep Steve to somewhere safer, or to give space, back off so the younger man can regain control of himself and pick this up later. 

Steve takes a shuddering breath, hugs himself and bows his head. 

Eddie wants to go to him, to touch and comfort, but instead just hovers ever so slightly closer. “I’m here.” He whispers, just loud enough for Steve to hear. 

Steve takes the moment he needs, and Eddie knows he can at least give him that. Shield him from any onlookers with his own body. Use himself as a distraction if anyone comes up. 

His cheeks are wet when Steve raises his head. He wipes his face, bites his lip. 

It takes far less time for him to return to normal than Eddie would have ever thought, but then Steve Harrington keeps surprising him. 

“Shit.” He says, voice in a sort of croak. He clears his throat once, harshly. “Sorry.”

“I set you off, this ones on me.” Eddie says, keeping his voice smooth and calm. “I don’t want to push you, but I need to know what I said to upset you, so I can prevent it from happening again as best I can.” 

Steve looks up for a moment, away from him. Eddie allows it, acknowledges the move as Steve gathers the strength to face whatever hurt him enough to send him spiraling. This isn’t an easy thing he’s asking, and they’re in the worst place to do it--a potential audience can appear at any time. 

Eddie doesn’t want to lose this thread, though. Knows instinctively, how important it is. 

“It’s stupid.” Steve’s struggling to sound more normal, but the real surprise is that he’s starting to manage it. “It’s so stupid, but it’s--the word.” 

Short-term memory recall isn’t exactly a talent of his, but Eddie’s had plenty of practice with D&D. He runs the conversation back, and there’s really only one option that makes any sense. He almost says it again, but catches himself.

Thinks quickly on his feet. 

“Adult male cow crap?” He says, and tries to make his tone a little light. This is a calculated risk, Steve may very well believe he’s being mocked or teased.

The younger man snorts a laugh and thankfully doesn’t appear to take offense. “Yeah.” He drawls out, a tinge of embarrassment flushing across his nose.

It’s fucking adorable, and Eddie has to bite his lip to keep interrupting, inappropriate thoughts at bay. 

“Nance--when we--” Steve huffs an annoyed sigh, arms having shifted long ago to more of a defensive cross, nails digging into his sleeves while he taps his foot, aggravated. “It’s fucking stupid man, but that word got tossed around.” 

“Got it.” Eddie nods his head. “It’s gone.” 

“You shouldn’t have to do that.” Steve says, and it's got an angry undertone to it. “I need to get over it anyway. It’s been long enough.” 

The anger, Eddie decides, is self directed. 

He cocks his head. “Do people tell you to do that a lot? To just get over it?” 

Steve finally looks at him and to his credit the guy’s managed to go from actively falling apart to merely appearing cold and annoyed, as if the redness in his face itself is trying to help hide his emotions. 

That hurt thing flickers in and out of his eyes though, covered by an edge of something else, something stubborn. 

Yet again, Eddie finds himself wondering if he’s found Steve’s limit. If this is when he finally gets pushed away and threatened over all the things that have been revealed to him. Steve hasn’t made that move yet, but Eddie thinks that's mostly because Eddie keeps catching him off guard. 

To be fair, his own reactions are, at times, catching him off guard. This defensiveness of Steve, the way he wants to go slam whoever has hurt the younger man into a wall, to try and make everything better for a guy he previously hated…

Eddie knows what’s gotten into him. It’s his own personality, combined with his own inner sense of someone lost and hurting. Someone who needs to be rescued. 

He just never expected to have it pointed at Harrington. 

“Maybe.” Steve admits finally. “Doesn’t mean they’re wrong though.” 

Eddie can’t help himself. It’s a puzzle in front of him, dangled in the form of Steve and his weird injuries. Steve and his odd reactions. 

Beautiful, gorgeous, straight Steve Harrington, who once pressed his cheek into Eddie’s hands and closed his eyes like he’d found a slice of heaven. 

“Why?” Eddie challenges. He’s still close. Close enough that they’re going to have to pretend to be fighting if anyone else starts making noise. Eddie’s lost track of time entirely, can’t recall what period this is. Where he’s even supposed to be.

Hell, he never even asked why Steve was here. 

Steve’s mouth opens and closes, like he had an answer but suddenly thought better of it. 

He’s still tapping his foot. 

“Why would they be wrong? ” And at first Eddie thinks Steve is turning the challenge back on him, until he clocks the confused crinkle in his forehead, right between his eyebrows. 

Like a dog who just wants to be a good boy, and doesn’t understand why he’s being shouted at. 

‘Eddie, for once in your fucking life, focus!’ He thinks furiously at himself. 

“Because it hurts you. Because all of us “get over” things in different ways, at different paces.” He makes the quotes with his fingers, putting on a fun voice just to try and make even a small smile appear on Steve’s face.

It works, and Eddie grins despite himself and the seriousness of the moment. 

“Doesn’t matter how stupid it is, Steve-O. Our brains don’t care.” He knocks on his own to make his point. 

“I guess.” Steve says, and it’s not an agreement but Eddie will take it. 

Will take anything Steve will give him, which just shows how badly he’s screwing himself.

Straight boys, even ones wrapped up in some kind of mystery and sprinkled with dozens of other things that catch Eddie’s attention like Steve’s his own personal brand of crack, typically don’t mean anything good for him.

This time, he just hopes it can mean something good for Steve.

Eddie might not know much, but he knows Steve deserves something good.

[steddieunderdogfics]

I'm gonna rec Lycantunnel by Paryton (https://archiveofourown.org/works/54660313)

It's an underdog fic in a very different sense. Because it's full of dogs who are under. (the ground). It was also really good and I think more people should see it :)

Lycantunnel by Paryton

Rating: Mature

37,344 words, 18/18 chapters

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Season/Series 02, Werewolves, Werewolf Steve Harrington, Werewolf Dustin Henderson, Werewolf Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Werewolf Lucas Sinclair, Werewolf Mike Wheeler, Werewolf Eddie Munson (eventual), Canon-Typical Violence, Body Horror, Blood and Gore, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Steve Harrington, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Good Babysitter Eddie Munson, Getting Together, Sharing a Bed, Cuddling & Snuggling, Sexual Content, Grinding, Marking, Scenting, baby birding, Pack Dynamics, these aren't fluffy actual wolf werewolves fyi, some demodogs are eaten rip and also ew

Summary:

Hawkins has something of a missing persons problem. What with Will Byers, Barbara Holland, and, not even a full year later, four more missing kids and an equally missing teenager. Hawkins PD probably had an official story, but the stories Eddie heard were shaped by the Hawkins High gossip mill. Mostly, Eddie remembers the posters, hung up in the high school hallway with their bold print names and grinning, guileless faces: Michael Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Maxine Mayfield. And, accompanied by a picture cropped from the basketball team yearbook photo: Steve Harrington. Missing. "Holy crap." Eddie whispers in jarring recognition, staring out into the shadowed tunnels with a lighter in his hand. The five wolves stare back. *** Steve and the kids don't make it out of the tunnels in time. Trapped below, they do whatever it takes to survive, even if that means becoming something new. Six months later, Eddie Munson faces a similar fate. But with him he brings hope: If he got in, then there must be another way out.

Thanks for the rec!

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[ashwhowrites]

Hello! If you’re still taking requests for Eddie and cheerleader reader, could I request reader decorating his locker? A big football or basketball game coincides with a big night for hellfire so like all of the other cheerleaders who are decorating their jock boyfriends’ lockers, reader decides that Eddie’s needs to be decorated as well :)

This is absolutely adorable. I hold you don't mind I made this into a headcanon :)

I giggled the whole time. I love the fluff and my heart needed it 🥹 thank you so much

Y/N, a name everyone in the school knew

A senior on the cheerleading team

A sweet girl but has a very mean edge

A big lover but huge fighter

And also the freaks girlfriend

Yeah....as in Eddie Munson

A huge talk around the school

No one understands the pair

But those two were in love and it was easy to see

Y/N adored that Eddie was more into the nerdy things than sports

She may cheer, but basketball and football? Hella boring

Nothing was more entertaining than watching her man lead his hellfire club into battle

The way he loses himself in it

His sexy voice narrating the story

She honestly would record his stories to fall asleep at night, if she was crazy enough

And hellfire, she adored those boys

Loved how they protected her baby when she wasn't around

But one thing she hates about Eddie not being a jock

She misses out on all the cute couple things that the school pairs up

The football and cheerleading dance routine ( where she had to dance with a loser on the team while her boyfriend was in the stands)

Or basketball and their stupid "make a sign for your player" she didn't care to have a player, her player was on the other side of the school perfecting his campaign. And looked hot as hell doing it, she just knows

BUT!

One thing she could do....

Decorate his locker

The basketball team was going to state (woohoo)

And it was tradition to decorate the teams lockers

She still decorated a random players locker with basketball stickers and his number

But no heart in it

She had the idea to also decorate her boyfriend's locker

It was the final night of his campaign

Months and months of all of his hard work came to the big final battle

And she hated that she had to miss it

Wishing more than anything to watch how it all played out

She knows if she asked, Eddie would direct it play by play just for her

Basketball Is going to state- blah

Her boyfriend's final campaign - now that deserved real decorations

She spent the whole night drawing the hellfire logo

Drawing all his characters

Creating stickers of the weapons his boys use

Sneaking in a few little pictures of them together- photos of their relationship and some of just him that she took

Some photos she took of hellfire mid session

Some photos of him with hellfire

And of course she printed out the yearbook photo

She may have a copy in her room for personal reasons

Little lipstick marks with her kiss on post it notes

She drove to school herself, she went early so Eddie was easily not interested

She taped up everything she made the night before

Excitement filling her stomach as she looked it over

The whites, reds, and blacks all blended perfectly

The pictures fit perfectly

Her kiss marks taped to make the shape of a heart

The stickers she made scattered around

EDDIE MUNSON <3 written in her red lipstick across the bottom

She was proud and knew he was going to love it

"damn, poor Brandon. He got like two basketballs and his number" Chrissy teased as she passed the locker

"is it too much?" Now she was worried

Maybe her boyfriend wouldn't like all the attention on him

"god no. You two are literally the it couple of this school. He's going to love it" Chrissy reassured her, both heading their side of the school where their lockers were

Eddie Munson hated school

He had bullies who made it hell

Then he fell in love with her

And she had no problem telling people where exactly they can go if they are mean to him

Walking into school he wasn't shocked to see people looking at his locker

He spent many days cleaning the mean words off of the metal during classes

It was like a show for everyone. Let's all see what's written on the freaks locker today!

Eddie sighed and walked closer

"excuse me" he shoved himself through the crowd

But froze when his eyes landed on it

It was decorated for sure

But it wasn't painful to see

He actually felt himself blushing as he looked it over

Moving closer to trail his fingers over the photos

Smiling as he remembered every single memory

Smirking to himself when his fingers traced the post it notes with her kiss on it

His name written in his favorite shade of lipstick

"awww look at what your little girlfriend did" Dustin awed

Eddie blushed deeper and shoved his shoulder, "zip it"

"and he looooooves it because he looooooves her" Gareth teased, making kissing noises

Eddie rolled his eyes but a smile was on his face

Pushing Gareth's head into the locker

He noticed the jocks sending glares his way

He knew he had a target on his back dating her

Everyone wanted her

And they didn't like that they lost to someone like him

He flipped them the finger as they stared

Eddie couldn't keep the smile off of his face all day

Making up random excuses to why he needed to stop at his locker after every class

He also snatched one of the kiss marks off the locker - keeping it in his wallet

When the day ended, he was kinda sad

He didn't want to leave it at all

"do you want me to decorate your closet door at home baby?" She appeared out of nowhere

Wrapping her arms around her boyfriend from behind

"you don't have to...." He said, trailing off

"okay baby. I'll bring over my supplies after the game and after your amazing campaign"

Eddie may have struggled through life

But he got rewarded for it

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @slightlyvicked @micheledawn1975@ago-godance@magnificantmermaid

[resident-gay-bitch]

steve’s pov here :)

prey.

lots of prey.

that’s what eddie knew.

he watched them enter his land through that… thing. that hole in the ground that let off a high pitched sound and kept him in line. it scared him and his brethren. none of them could go near it. it hurts if you do. they’ve all learnt the hard way, whilst trying to escape. it burns your body to touch and turns your brain dizzy.

but the prey passed through it without an issue.

eddie watched from the top of the tree he was perched in, crowded around by his resting family, his cousins and friends. he watched the prey make their way through his world, listened as his master told him to kill.

eddie attacked when they least expected it.

he swooped down and swiped at one of their necks with his claw. he would have gotten it, if that one with curly hair didn’t scream his name.

it sent eddie flying back- he recognised it, the voice. the face.

it wasn’t prey.

it was a friend.

eddie flew away. too scared of what would happen if he stayed.

he couldn’t stay.

his master was mad. beyond mad at him.

he threatened to kill eddie if he didn’t complete his task. he’d send his brethren on the prey and himself.

eddie didn’t want that. he wanted the prey to live, he thought. well… the curly haired one. he didn’t know about the rest. but if not for that curly haired one, eddie might let master carry out that promise. he didn’t like this world. it was cold and dark and he felt dirty and he only remembered pain.

he flew back to his home, to his nest in a place he felt most safe. a safe place that was still standing. his old home, the one with who he thinks is his father from the other world, now destroyed to the hole that was too big and too loud and hurt too much if he flew near it.

his home in the drama room at school. he’d dragged mattresses and pillows and blankets back into the changing room and built himself a nest, collected all his favourite things.

he had a pile for his father, flannelette shirts all piled up on a bunch of random mugs. he had his sweetheart there too. he’d been collecting dice from everywhere he could find them, all different shapes and colours, they were scattered around his nest, and he played with them when he got bored and couldn’t sleep. he had a picture frame shoved there somewhere with a photo of his mother, a flower pressed under the glass that was her namesake. it was the only name eddie could remember; petunia. and he had the mangled old teddy bear she gave him as a baby that he curled up with every night.

but he had his most favourite pile there too, at the place where he lay his head every night. in the pile was a green and white jacket with a name eddie couldn’t read written across the back. there were shirts and two jumpers, a red and a yellow one. he had three odd socks and one pair, and some underwear, and a singular sneaker. he’d taken them all from a large house on the nice looking side of this world, from a room he didn’t like very much, but he remembered the boy that owned all those things was very special to him.

he couldn’t remember his name or his face though, and eddie cried about it every night.

he pottered around his nest, moving his things about and settling down in it. he hurried out and to the other side of his home where he had a pile of things he’d collected that took up too much space in the nest. he sifted through them; some more mugs, a weird al shirt, a pair of drumsticks, some comics, a bunch of action figures, a green ribbon, an old year book, some novels, an acoustic guitar, car keys, a cheer skirt, journals, a lunchbox- all things that made his heart clench to look at, to touch, but he couldn’t remember why.

except for the yearbook.

when he found the yearbook he got so excited he’d stretched out his wings and started flying in the tiny little room. he knocked over a rack of costumes with them, fucked up his nest, and put a hole through the wall. he didn’t care though.

he had the year book almost permanently open to one page. a page he remembered looking at a lot when he was younger. on the page was him, the man that eddie couldn’t remember the name or face of. the one he loved so much. and beside him was another man with eddie’s old face! he’d made it. he remembered making it. he wrote something, but eddie couldn’t read that either.

after finding that year book, eddie looked at the page every day and every night, whenever he could. he often went to sleep with the page open, he’d sometimes just sit there and look at it. he’d draw his claw lightly over the man’s pretty face and sometimes he’d lick it when he particularly missed him.

oh eddie loved him so much.

so that’s what eddie did now. he sat down in his nest and drew over his pretty face and he stretched out his long tongue until it touched the page and then he smiled.

he smiled so much his heart squeezed.

he missed his boy.

but his master was not happy with him. he made eddie go back out to kill them.

eddie promised himself he wouldn’t kill the curly haired one.

he flew out until he found them, and then he swooped down over their heads to give the prey a scare and perched himself atop an electricity pole. he crouched there with his wings hanging heavy down behind him and looked at his next meal.

only, he didn’t attack. not straight away.

there was something familiar about one of them. the one holding a bat over his shoulder, scowling at eddie. he had floppy hair and strong shoulders. eddie thought he’d put up the biggest fight.

but there was something about him.

eddie cocked his head and looked at him some more. looking looking looking. trying to figure him out. he ignored everyone else. the man adjusted his grip on his weapon, ready to swing it at eddie if needed.

eddie moved his head forward because… no…

no it- it couldn’t be.

it was him.

the boy in the picture.

the one he loved!

he straightened his back out in a flesh, sitting up tall, perched on the pole, and he let out a screech of excitement. he hoped the man was just as excited as he was.

his love leered forward slightly, looking ready to fight… to protect. oh, he looked so strong and brave like that, ready to defend his own brethren. eddie admired him so much. he was so beautiful. so strong. so handsome.

eddie stretched his wings out and stood, he let out another thrilled sound because- oh, because he was here! the one he loved was here… in his world! and eddie could have him.

eddie clutched at his heart like he’d just been struck by cupids arrow and fell backwards off the pole, like he was fainting. he was swooning afterall. he hoped to impress this man too.

eddie had to impress him.

so he free fell and right before he hit the ground he stretched his wings out further and lifted himself high into the sky. way higher than he needed to go. he looked down at the one he loved and- oh goodness, he just couldn’t help himself. he tucked his wings around his body and nosedived straight for him.

it’s what he’d seen his family do, when they found their love. one would fly high in the sky and barrel roll into the other, catch them, and take flight again.

it was their mating ritual, so it’s what eddie would do.

he crashed into the pretty golden haired love and had to take a moment to just look at him as he wiggled around on the ground beneath eddie. eddie tired to pin him down, to show him he was safe… it was just eddie. he tried to communicate, clicking his tongue to say “hello, it’s me, i love you” but he didn’t seem to get it.

that was okay.

eddie would show him.

but before he had a chance his wing was struck with an immense amount of pain.

he stretched it out to look, and found a hole clean through it, and he lowered it just enough to see one of his prey, standing there, a gun aimed right at him.

you hurt me, eddie thought, you tore me.

he was going to make her death the most painful. save her for last.

he looked back at his love and grabbed him tight and lifted up info the air. it made him scream, and eddie thought it was a nice sound. similar to his own happy call. eddie really liked this man.

he took him to his home, sweeping through the crack in the roof, down into his little home, and he lay him down in his nest. his love is the only other being allowed anywhere near his home.

the last being to try - his brother and friend - was ripped to shreds by eddie’s own teeth. no one breached these walls again.

eddie laid him down and crawled back to sit by his loves legs, crouched there and waiting. he looked at him curiously. he looked quite different than the picture. he had lighter, floppier hair, and some scruffy fur around his mouth, and he had this thing on his face that made his eyes look a little bigger than usual, and… clothes. in the picture he only had little swim shorts on. eddie hoped his love might take these clothes off soon.

oh eddie thought he was just neat.

the perfect new item to make home of his nest. he’d keep him here forever, that was for sure.

he was eddie’s now.

he looked a little confused, but that was okay. eddie would help him understand anything he needed. all eddie wanted to do was look after his love.

oh. the picture. that would help him understand. that’s how eddie could tell him he loved him.

great idea!

he crawled over to get it, leaving his love in the nest for a little moment. he sifted through some of his other things before retrieving it. he grabbed the book with his teeth, and crawled back over to pretty man, and perched himself as close as possible. he dropped the book between his own feet and pressed his hands on top of it to keep it safe, and waited.

when he turned back around to look at eddie, he freaked out a little. eddie thought it was very sweet. eddie wanted to see every face this man could make, they were all so beautiful. he cocked his head to the side and looked at him some more, trying to figure him out.

to ask if this was okay.

his love held up the jacket with the name eddie couldn’t read. he looked at the jacket, then back at his love, then back at the jacket, then back at his love and he felt warmth bubble up in his chest. he purred, hoping to let his love know what this meant. hoping to let him know he was happy that he was here. that he wanted his love to wear the jacket.

eddie noticed how his love was wearing one thing that meant a lot to eddie himself. a vest. one covered in patches and pins that he used to wear every day. eddie lowered his head to bump his loves shoulder and blinked at him once.

“it’s yours.” his love said, and it made eddie’s heart flutter so much! he loved the sound of his voice. it was so soft and smooth and eddie wished he could talk the same. his love tugged at the sleeve of the vest, “i know, i’m sorry. i hope you don’t mind. it helped ground me on the bad days.”

don’t mind? don’t mind!?

why would eddie mind about that? this was the best day of his life. not only was his love here, but he was here and collecting eddie’s things too.

eddie cocked his head, trying to communicate that of course he was okay with it. that he was okay with anything his love wanted.

“can you understand me?” he asked.

eddie nodded.

“can you talk like me?” he asked again.

eddie really wished he could. he wanted nothing more than to say that he loved him. he wanted to ask his name.

“i’ll take that as a no.” he hummed, and it made eddie’s chest vibrate, “you have a lot of my things.”

eddie wanted to collect more of them.

he dropped the book on his loves lap and watched curiously as he opened it. eddie’s heart was about to leap out of his chest when the man found the page eddie wanted him to see.

his pretty pretty love drew his finger over the page and read out the words eddie had written there many years ago… the words eddie had longed to be able to read or remember, and now he’d know, “by the time you graduate, this will be real, and he will be nice and want you back.”

oh… right.

yes. eddie loved him. he knew now. didn’t he. his love knew and- oh, he was laughing.

eddie didn’t like that. why was he laughing? did he not love eddie too.

eddie screeched at him and pouted because… because why would he laugh? that’s mean. it hurts eddie. it hurts eddie a lot. he would just like to love his love.

oh eddie loved him so much.

he watched with sad eyes as his love realised how much it was hurting eddie, and then he said, “you technically still haven’t graduated, you know?”

oh goodie. his love wanted him too!

he loved him so much he just- oh, he just couldn’t hold back any more. he flicked his tongue out and licked up his loves cheek and it was so much better than licking the picture. this time, when his love laughed, eddie liked it.

this was a good laugh.

“licking? really?”

eddie smiled at him and nodded his head because, yes. of course! he had to show his love and that’s how he did that. that’s what he knew. he hoped his love would lick him back… but maybe that’s not how those creatures showed their love.

that’s okay. eddie would learn eventually.

eddie helped shuffle his love back to cuddle because he didn’t care how mad his master got right now, eddie had his love and he’d finally be able to sleep well. he was sure this would be the first sleep he got without crying since waking up down here, in this world.

he curled up with his teddy and wrapped his wings around his love, curling into his lap and chest. eddie pressed his ear up over his heart to listen to the steady drum beat of it inside. it was one of the best sounds in every world. eddie started to purr again, feeling warm and dizzy against his love. he smelt amazing, and eddie nuzzled his face under the vest to get closer to him.

eddie felt his love pet his head softly and hold him a little tighter. eddie didn’t think he could love something any more than he loved this being right here. he was going to keep him forever. protect him and make sure he was safe, and well fed, and warm. he’d stay here, in eddie’s home, where no one else was allowed to go so eddie could keep him for himself. if he wanted anything, eddie would fetch it for him.

eddie would love him with every fibre in his body and more.

he’d do anything for his love.

he was sure of it.

if only he could remember his name.

[storiesbyrhi]

Eddie's March 1986 Timeline

I've spent too long thinking about how hungry Eddie must have been, and how he probably just wanted a hot shower and warm bed. Now you have to think about it too.

Feel free to reblog with thoughts, feelings, additions, corrections, or anything else. xo Rhi

FRIDAY 21 (The Hellfire Club)

BALLS into LAUNDry baSKETS

mEAN an' scARY?

The Hellfire Club campaign ends with Vecna's defeat at the roll of Lady Applejack's 20

Eddie witnesses Chrissy's murder and runs

He arrives at his chosen hiding place of Reefer Rick's boathouse at some point between Friday night and Saturday morning

SATURDAY 22 (Vecna's Curse)

Days without a proper meal or shower: 1

Food: beer and what appears to be a few bags of snack food; Max finds the trash for these in the boathouse

Dustin, Max, Steve, and Robin search for Eddie, after Max's statement that he probably witnessed Chrissy's death

They find him in Rick's boathouse hiding under a tarp, using a broken bottle as a weapon

The public is not yet aware of Eddie's connection

SUNDAY 23 (The Monster and the Superhero)

Days without a proper meal or shower: 2

Food: three bags of snacks including Yoohoo and Honeycomb cereal

Eddie is still wielding the broken bottle and sleeping in the boathouse when the same group brings Eddie supplies and news

The police are proactively searching for Eddie as their prime suspect

The public is still not aware of Eddie's involvement

MONDAY 24 (Dear Billy)

Days without a proper meal or shower: 3

Food: the snacks from the previous day should have lasted till now

We don't know what Eddie does on this day

TUESDAY 25 (The Nina Project, The Dive)

Days without a proper meal or shower: 4

Food: SpaghettiOs from Rick's kitchen cupboard

Eddie calls the gang asking for a food drop and a six-pack' it appears to be the first time he goes into Rick's house; Rick's neighbours notice the movement inside

Jason and co. find Eddie, he escapes as Patrick is murdered by Vecna over Lover's Lake

He spends the night wet and wandering the forest, eventually landing at Skull Rock

(The Dive) Jason gives a statement to law enforcement that Eddie is a vessel for Satan and is killing people with demonic powers

WEDNESDAY 26 (The Dive, The Massacre at Hawkins Lab, Papa)

Days without a proper meal or shower: 5

Food: the supplies the gang brings him at Skull Rock

Law enforcement gives a press statement that names Eddie as a person of interest and give notice of a town meeting that day for the public to attend

Eddie steals a construction site radio and is reunited with the party at Skull Rock

At the town meeting, people ask why Eddie has only been officially named now and why he hasn't been arrested already; Jason makes his case to the town about the murders being "ritualistic sacrifices," and calls Hellfire a cult, handing out the club's yearbook photo; the parents of the gang are visibly shaken while the rest of the town stand up and begin a witch hunt

Meanwhile, Dustin hypothesises there is a gate nearby; they begin to search for it, eventually locating it in Lover's Lake

Steve dives for it but is pulled back under the water and through watergate into the Upside Down

(The Massacre at Hawkins Lab) Nancy, Robin, and a reluctant Eddie go through watergate after him

While the fruity four are in the Upside Down, the kids are with their parents and law enforcement; the two groups eventually find a way to communicate

On their respective sides of the world, the two groups travel to the Munson trailer

Sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday's early hours, Robin and Eddie go through the trailer's gate

(Papa) On her way through the gate, Vecna catches Nancy and shows her his vision of the future - it's a message; Vecna lets Nancy go, and she and Steve go through the gate

THURSDAY 27 (Papa, The Piggyback)

Days without a proper meal or shower: 6

Food: none that we see

The party is reunited and relocate to Max's trailer; they listen to Nancy's experience, then form a plan

After Eddie hotwires an RV and a trip to The War Zone, the party stops in a scenic field to create weapons and prepare

(The Piggyback) That night, their plan is launched

After, they believe they have won against Vecna, at least for now, with his 'physical' body in the Upside Down being attacked as well as his supernatural abilities/his mind; it is ambiguous if the gates have closed for good

In the fight, Hawkins is ripped apart along four lines (likely not actual geographical fault lines) that meet in the town centre, resulting in a blast felt by everyone

Max barely survives the fight; she has been blinded and her limbs broken, but El manages to save her; she is left in a coma

Eddie deviates from the plan and appears to die in Dustin's arms

"2 DAYS LATER" / SATURDAY 29

The news reports, "It's been less than 48 hours since a 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the quaint town of Hawkins" and says seismologists are calling it "A natural disaster of near-unprecedented scale"

It's still reported that Hellfire is a cult led by Eddie, who remains the prime suspect in the murders but is presumed dead; a local church has a banner with the bible verse Jason quoted out front - the town of Hawkins will always hate Eddie

Dustin meets Wayne, who routinely replaces Eddie's 'missing' posters due to hate graffiti; Dustin gives him his nephew's iconic necklace and calls Eddie a hero; we, like Wayne, are to assume Eddie is dead

Eddie's body is never discussed or seen again; he was likely left in the Upside Down

Will tells Mike that Vecna is hurting but definitely alive; Will has been connected to One/Vecna since season one, and his connection is stronger now he has returned to Hawkins

Upside Down 'particles' begin to fall from the sky as dark clouds roll in, the 'earthquake' fissures are still smoking and glow red, the clouds are nearly black, and the grass and flowers wilt and rot

Vecna's red lightning appears in the sky promising he will return, but... will Eddie?

[1lostsoul0fishbowl]

@corrodedcoffinfest seven deadly sins halloween pop-up

dividers by @strangergraphics-archive

prompt: wrath ~ word count: 666 ~ rating: M - pov: Gareth ~ relationships: none ~ cw: canon character death, use of song titled “goodbye cruel world”

summary: school has reopened after the so-called earthquake, but Gareth is not thrilled to be returning without his best friend.

author’s note: written in the style of a script. the 2.5-minute soundtrack, found here, is absolutely essential to this fic.

**the song “goodbye cruel world” is used in reference to Eddie’s decision to sacrifice his life for his friends. it is not in any way intended to represent Gareth experiencing suicidal ideation. but please, if you need to, take care. 💜

SCENE: HAWKINS HIGH

The song begins with crashing sound effects; the final crash aligns with the visual of a car door being slammed shut.

LYRIC: I DON’T NEED NO

Closeup on a pair of heavy black combat boots, stomping across the parking lot toward the school.

LYRIC: ARMS AROUND ME

Cut to Gareth POV; a group of girls give him frightened looks and scatter at his approach, leaving him a wide path through the crowded hall.

LYRIC: AND I DON’T NEED NO

Closeup on Gareth’s nose and lips only, as he takes a deep drag from a cigarette and exhales smoke through his nose. His lip is pierced with a silver hoop ring. He carelessly throws the cigarette aside.

LYRIC: DRUGS TO CALM ME

Closeup on the cigarette, rolling across the tiled floor, still lit and trailing smoke.

LYRIC: I HAVE SEEN THE WRITING ON

Cut to: Inside of a locker. The Hellfire Club yearbook photo is taped to the inside of the door. A note has been shoved through the vent, which is abruptly ripped free. He throws a book inside, scattering papers everywhere.

LYRIC: THE WALL

The locker slams shut, revealing graffiti all over the front. The word SATANIST is clearly visible, and the camera slowly zooms in on it.

LYRIC: DON’T THINK I NEED ANYTHING AT ALL

For the first time we see a full view of Gareth as he stomps down the school hallway, scowling fiercely. He’s wearing his Hellfire shirt and red flannel vest, but over it a black leather jacket decorated with metal studs and chains. Ripped black jeans and the aforementioned heavy black boots complete the undeniably Eddie-like image, a stark contrast to the colorful summery outfits of the preppy kids surrounding him.

LYRIC: NO

Gareth roughly shoves aside a kid in a sports uniform. The kid is bigger than him, but looks scared of him.

LYRIC: DON’T THINK I NEED ANYTHING AT ALL

Camera shifts to a wider perspective as Gareth stalks away. Kids mostly ignore him, continuing to give him a wide berth. At the strong GUITAR CHORD he turns abruptly and though he doesn’t speak audibly it’s clear that he snaps “fuck off!” at a group of little band nerds who were staring at him. They jump back, frightened, and immediately scatter. Gareth disappears around the corner.

LYRIC: ALL IN ALL IT WAS ALL JUST BRICKS IN THE WALL

Closeup on Gareth’s hand, adorned with chunky silver rings nearly identical to Eddie’s, shoving open the door of the gymnasium. Pan around gym; it’s obviously a “first day back to school” pep rally or assembly of some sort. The gym is a riot of school spirit and colors and perky happy kids.

Gareth storms right past Jeff and Grant— who exchange worried looks— without acknowledging them, and climbs to the very top of the bleachers, sitting far away from all the other students.

LYRIC: ALL IN ALL YOU WERE ALL JUST BRICKS IN THE WALL

As the music fades into the next track, Gareth slumps against the wall, crossing his arms, glaring around the room as if daring anyone else to approach. Pan out reveals he’s sitting beneath a hand painted banner that says KEEP OUR SCHOOLS SAFE! with two large crosses and ichthys symbols painted on either side of the words.

Cut to Lucas, Mike, Dustin, and Will entering the gym; Dustin starts heading in Gareth’s direction but is quickly stopped by Jeff.

LYRIC: GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD, I’M LEAVING YOU TODAY

Gareth glares daggers at his friends.

Former friends?

LYRIC: GOODBYE, GOODBYE, GOODBYE

He unfolds the paper that was in his locker vent. It’s Eddie’s missing person poster.

LYRIC: GOODBYE, ALL YOU PEOPLE

Gareth's fingers briefly caress photo-Eddie’s face.

LYRIC: THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN SAY

Scrawled across the bottom of the poster in bright red ink are the words YOU'RE NEXT, FREAK!

LYRIC: TO MAKE ME CHANGE MY MIND

Gareth angrily crumples the poster and throws it as hard as he can.

LYRIC: GOODBYE

END SCENE

thanks a million to @the-unforgivenn for beta reading!

[moonchildreads]

small town

Chapter 23 - Cum on Feel the Noize

IN THIS CHAPTER: Yearbook messages, unlikely friendships, and Corroded Coffin puts on a show [13.8k]

WARNINGS: mentions of dead parents (eddie's mom), child neglect (not very graphic, eddie as kid), underaged drinking (no one gets drunk), low self-worth

A/N: i know. i promise you, i know. but i did say i was never gonna abandon this fic, so if you didn't believe me, that's on you, buddy. blame my job for my two month absence - three new people joined my team and one of those left last week, it's been hectic. this is an extra long chapter as a sorry for making you wait for so long. i hope you are all okay and still interested in my dumb little story, we have a lot more to go before we say goodbye. <3 (btw lemme know if you wanna be added to the taglist!)

masterlist - prev - next | playlist

Girls, rock your boys We’ll get wild, wild, wild

Monday, June 9th - 1986

The last Monday before graduation was Kyle Foster’s most anticipated day of the year; not because it meant that school attendance was officially an afterthought for most of the school’s population, but because it was the day the overpriced yearbooks he had been working on all these months were ready to be picked up, their pages waiting to be filled with doodles in colorful pens and silly stickers. He was particularly proud of this year’s edition, with its green leatherette hardback cover and bright photos printed in glossy paper, everything on them carefully arranged by the Yearbook Club with evident care and love for their craft. For a few hours, Kyle got to feel like he was hot shit. Teachers congratulated him and his fellow club members for their wonderful work, people he’d never talked to before in his life asked him to sign their yearbooks, and the basketball team kept patting his back in the hallways in between classes to thank him for the double spread with pictures of them lifting their championship trophy. Life was good, but even though he was enjoying his surely short-lived popularity, there was only one person Kyle was particularly looking forward to seeing. As faith would have it, he found that exact guy leaning against his locker waiting for him between third and fourth period, a yearbook under his arm and a piece of minty gum in his mouth.

“Hey, man,” Eddie greeted, pulling him into a bro-ey side hug that didn’t suit his personality in the slightest. “Nice work.”

“What’s up, Munson? Heard you’re finally leaving this place.”

“Yeah, about damn time,” the tall metalhead laughed, and Kyle thought he’d never seen him carry himself with such levity before. “Wanted to thank you, y’know? I mean, I know I kinda bribed you to do it but you came through for us and went above and beyond with the design and everything, so, thank you.”

“Ah, it was nothing, dude. Couldn’t ruin the yearbook by giving your club a shitty spread,” Kyle downplayed his work, but they both knew he had enjoyed the secret assignment.

“Well, then. Would the artist care to sign his masterpiece?” Eddie joked, extending his yearbook to Kyle with a jet black pen tucked into it.

Kyle nodded, surprised by the request, and went straight to the blank pages at the back. From what he could see, no one had signed it yet. He realized then this was Eddie giving him a definitive olive branch, whatever feud they’d had over his little debt more than ready to be buried in the sand and thoroughly forgotten. He quickly penned a generic “have a good summer!” message at the top corner, slowing down while writing his name when he felt Eddie’s hand slip something into his front jean pocket. Ah, there it is, Kyle thought, smiling to himself as the weight of the small weed baggie Eddie had promised in exchange for his rule breaking could be felt through the rough fabric. He gave the book back to his newest acquaintance before opening his messenger bag and retrieving his own, shocking Eddie with his silent offering. Kyle was not only accepting his olive branch but returning the gesture, and so Eddie signed his name in a little unoccupied corner, adding a smiley face with devil horns under it for good measure.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Foster,” he said genuinely, tucking his trusty pen into his back pocket.

“Likewise, Munson.”

“We look so fucking badass,” Gareth said, eyes stuck to himself holding a knight’s helmet under his arm in the Hellfire section of the yearbook.

“I know, right?” Jeff said, giddy. “Kinda wanna get it framed. You think they’ll give us copies if we ask?”

The Hellfire Club was enjoying a peaceful lunch outside, the day still perfectly warm despite the constant clouds that perpetually obscured the sky over Hawkins, Indiana. The older boys were doodling on each other’s yearbooks, laughing about bad portraits and accidental funny faces belonging to classmates, while Dustin and Mike quietly muttered to one another at the head of the picnic table. They looked like they were arguing about something important but no one else seemed to have noticed - if they did, they were giving them space to resolve it on their own. Pretending like she wasn’t eavesdropping while she wrote a heartfelt message in Donny’s yearbook, Dottie listened carefully, worried about Dustin who seemed to be particularly distraught at Mike’s disinterest in cooperating with him.

“I’m just saying, aren’t you tired of acting like you’re still upset with him?” Dustin asked.

“I’m not acting, I am pissed off,” Mike huffed. “I don’t get why you aren’t. He cut us off and he’s never coming back, get it through your head.”

“Well, maybe he feels like we cut him off. Have you even tried talking to him since Spring break?”

“No, why would I?”

“Mike,” Dustin was nearing his breaking point.

“What? Did you?”

“Yes!” he threw his hands in the air. “I called him the next day because I’m not an asshole!”

“If you talked to him, why isn’t he here then, huh?” Mike asked, icy. “Why is he still hanging out with them?”

“I said I called him, not that I talked to him,” Dustin grumbled. “He wasn’t home, he… he was at a party with the jocks- Look, all I’m saying is that I feel like shit, okay? I think we’re all being idiots right now and we should talk about it. This is just like what happened when we found El and-”

“This is nothing like what happened with El. He was just scared-”

“We were twelve, Mike. We didn’t know what we were doing, maybe- maybe he was right and we should have been scared! And maybe he shouldn’t have to be the one to always apologize first!”

“He ditched us!”

“Oh, grow up,” Dustin said, getting up from the bench with his yearbook in hand and hurrying to catch up with a redheaded girl who looked about his age.

Dottie watched how Mike gathered his things and disappeared into the cafeteria without saying goodbye, giving off moody teenager vibes to anyone who dared to cross his path. Meanwhile, Dustin was now animatedly chatting with his mystery friend near the doors - the girl he was talking to was signing his book and rolling her eyes at something he was saying, a shy but still clearly fond smile on her face. Dottie felt like she’d seen her before somewhere, but never talking to Dustin. She seemed nice, if a little sassy. I guess that’s why she’s friends with Dustin, she thought.

“Really? You got him a sweater? In June?” Jeff’s laughter brought back her attention to the table: she quickly doodled a little daisy next to her name at the bottom of her message and gave the yearbook back to Donny.

“He’s always wearing sweaters at the office, okay? And also, it’s not like he’s gonna grow two sizes before Winter starts,” Gareth defended himself. “It’s still gonna fit him in a couple of months.”

“What are we talking about?” Dottie asked, leaning her head onto Eddie’s shoulder as he stole one of her apple slices.

“Father’s Day. Gareth got his Dad a wool sweater.”

“It was on sale!”

“What did you get for your dad, then?” she asked Jeff.

“New slippers. His old ones were falling apart.”

“Very thoughtful. You?” she turned to Donny.

“Nothing yet. I kinda wanna get my Dad a funny shirt but I haven’t seen any good ones around. D’you think it’s too late to get one printed?” he asked at large.

“Oh, Eddie bought a cute one the other day!” Dottie said conversationally, looking up at the long haired boy from her place on his shoulder. “They had a bunch of graphic shirts at that store near Melvald’s, right?”

“On Mulberry? Sweet, what did you get?” Donny asked, munching on some grapes.

“Found this ugly thing with a brown Care Bear at the front that says World’s Best Grandma,” Eddie said, half a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. “Thought it was funny.”

“You’re gonna get your teeth kicked in if you wear a Care Bears shirt in public, dude,” Gareth snickered.

“Well, good thing I’m not gonna be the one wearing it then.”

Father’s Day was historically somewhat of a weird day for Eddie. When he was a little kid and still hadn’t developed a mouth filter, other moms at the park or strangers at a store would sometimes see him wandering around unsupervised, think he was lost, and ask him where his Mom was; he’d always reply with a simple “oh, no, my Mom is dead”, like the answer wasn’t absolutely devastating to hear coming from someone who hadn’t learned how to tie his own shoes yet. Like clockwork, they’d all sputter out an awkward apology, feeling sorry about unknowingly asking a young child about something so painful like losing a parent at such a tender age. A couple of times some of them went so far as to offer to buy him a snack, as if that could distract him from the tragedy of his Mom’s untimely death and, in turn, make themselves feel better about being nosy. Eddie, however, didn’t mind the questions. He liked telling people that Maureen was dead, because he learned very quickly that those were the only times people saw him as someone to take care of; just a little innocent boy having to grow up without the woman who’d loved him most, instead of shunning him as soon they inevitably found out he was Wyatt Munson’s devil spawn.

Another thing Eddie learned very early on, was that his Dad didn’t care about Father’s Day, mainly because most of the time he didn’t even care to acknowledge he had a son unless it was useful to him. And so, after the second year in a row Wyatt threw into the trash can the crafts Eddie had done for him at school without so much as looking at them, the drawings stayed in his backpack and the treats the teachers gave to all their kiddos to gift to the most important men in their lives got hidden in an old shoe box underneath his bed. There they waited until the older man passed out on his couch with a beer in his hand, and the littlest Munson got to eat them in secret without anyone calling him a pig for smearing chocolate all over his face and fingers. No, Father’s Day had always been a weird day for Eddie - at least until he moved in with Wayne.

The first Father’s Day Wayne and Eddie spent together came after almost eight months of living together. There had been a Halloween, a Thanksgiving, a Christmas, Eddie’s 9th birthday, and a Mother’s Day spent along with Grandma before that, but Eddie’s little stomach still churned with the thought of Wayne dismissing him on a special occasion like Father’s Day. He quietly waited in bed after the sun rose, ears perked up for any noise coming from the living room but the minutes ticked by and Wayne didn’t get up, busy catching up on some much needed sleep after a long week at the plant. The youngest Munson impatiently crept along the hallway until he reached his Uncle’s side, kneeling on the carpet next to his fold-out bed and observing his chest go up and down with each breath he took.

“Uncle Wayne,” Eddie whispered, but the older man didn’t so much as flinch. “Uncle Wayne,” he tried a little louder, softly shaking his arm.

“Huh?” Wayne opened his eyes, startled to find his nephew’s tiny fingers wrapped around his forearm. “What’s going on? You okay, Ed?”

“Mhm,” he nodded, wild curls bobbing along with the movement. “I- I made something. At school.”

“Yeah? What d’you got there?”

Eddie lifted a piece of paper, the sun filtering through the moth-eaten curtains helping Wayne read along. Happy Father’s Day, said the handmade card written by a teacher and decorated by his nephew, each letter colored inside with a different crayon. Wayne’s heart sank when he realized he’d forgotten what day it was. He didn’t even know which hole Wyatt was currently being kept in, but he guessed he could call his Ma and ask her about it if Eddie wanted to pay his Dad a visit. Or at the very least, he could take the kid to the post office to mail his shitty excuse of a father a letter he most likely didn’t give a damn about. Wyatt hadn’t called once since he’d gotten himself locked up, and Wayne tried not to think too much about Eddie stiffening up whenever the phone rang when he first moved into the trailer with him. He didn’t want to do it, didn’t want to have jackshit to do with his little brother anymore but he’d do it anyway even if he knew it was a bad idea, because Wayne Munson would have walked barefoot to the end of the world if it made Eddie happy, and God only knew that that boy deserved a small mercy for once.

Wayne peeled the card open curiously and felt his chest tighten up when he saw how wrong he’d been. Inside there was a crude drawing of two figures, one bigger than the other one: it was him and Eddie, standing on bright green grass, a big yellow sun with a smiley face at the upper left corner of the page, and a tree with juicy red apples to the right side. The figures were holding hands and Wayne was wearing a trucker hat - the same blue one that was resting on the kitchen counter next to his keys. At the bottom right of the card, written with the nicest calligraphy Wayne had seen from his nephew yet, was a simple I love you in purple crayon.

“You drew this for me?” Wayne asked, trying to get his emotions together.

“D’you like it? Miss Mullins gave us Hershey’s Kisses too,” he lifted a little paper bag that looked like it had been squished in transit. “I’m sorry I ate one without asking. I wanted to know what they tasted like, but I can buy you more! I have money left over from my birthday-”

“That’s okay, Ed. You can have as many as you want if you brush your teeth after,” the eldest Munson sat up tiredly and pulled his boy from the floor into a hug. “Thank you for the card. You’re very good at drawing, y’know that?”

“Miss Mullins says I’m good at art and music,” Eddie beamed. “And sometimes Math too but I get distracted. She says my reading’s not very good though.”

“You’re a smart boy, just keep practicin’ and you’ll get better,” Wayne said, feeling his nephew’s body sink into his arms the longer he held him. “Hey, how ‘bout you go get ready while I take a shower, huh? We can go get pancakes at Benny’s.”

“Really? Can I get whipped cream on mine? And chocolate chips?”

“You can get whatever you want, boy. Go on, go get dressed,” the older man ushered him down the hallway towards what used to be his bedroom and locked himself in the bathroom for a little privacy.

Wayne cried in the shower that day, much like he’d done after Thanksgiving dinner, when Eddie said he was thankful he got to live with him, even if it was just for a little bit. He got Wyatt to sign away his parental rights before Christmas came around after that. Wayne stuck the card to the fridge door with a carrot shaped magnet and drove himself and his nephew to Benny’s where Eddie ordered chocolate chip banana pancakes that Wayne ended up eating half of after the 9-year-old’s tummy became too full to keep going. Upon returning home, they spent the rest of the day watching cartoons and practicing Eddie’s reading during the commercials. When the littlest Munson fell asleep on the couch after the sun had set, his energy finally depleted, Wayne helped him put on his pajamas and tucked him to bed, stopping to kiss his curly head before he retreated back to the living room for a nightcap.

“Good night, son,” he’d said, turning off the lights, and for once, Eddie didn’t go to sleep wishing he was Wayne’s, because he knew he was and Wayne knew it too.

“You got Wayne a World’s Best Grandma shirt for Father’s Day?” Donny said, amused. “He’s gonna think you knocked someone up.”

“Of course not,” Eddie scoffed at him like he’d just said the stupidest thing ever. “He’d think I knocked someone up if it said World’s Best Grandpa, but it doesn’t say that, does it? Therefore, funny shirt.”

“You were there with him and you let him buy it?” Jeff looked at Dottie, whose cheeks felt like they were burning upon remembering Wayne’s resigned attempt at a Birds and The Bees talk two weekends prior.

“I… I thought it was funny too,” she admitted sheepishly.

“You two are spending way too much time together,” Gareth shook his head. “When did you even go shopping?”

“Last week after band practice,” Dottie said, mischief in her eyes. “Don’t tell my Dad if you see him because I told him I was at yours all afternoon so he wouldn’t snoop around and find his gift.”

“What did you get him?” Donny asked.

“A bunch of candy and a book. The guy at the store recommended it, he said it was pretty new. It’s called Ender’s Game, I think?”

“Oh, I read that one,” Jeff said, frowning.

“What, is it bad?”

“No, I think your Dad might like it," he shrugged. "But you know me, I don't like military shit.”

“How could we forget about you being Mr. Pacifist,” Gareth poked fun at him goodnaturedly and Jeff shoved him gently in return.

“Hey, speaking of band practice,” Eddie said, lips curling upwards as he leaned into Dottie’s personal space. “You think your Dad's gonna let you come to The Hideout tomorrow?”

“On a school night? Keep dreaming.”

“Oh, come on, no one’s even taking attendance anymore,” he pressed on.

“I’m pretty sure Mr. Russell took a nap in class today,” Gareth said, spreading a rumor he’d heard about the old Algebra teacher.

“He did. I was there, I heard him snore,” Donny nodded.

“There you go, darling. Not even the teachers give a shit anymore. So, what do you say?" Eddie batted his eyelashes dramatically.

"You know I wanna go, I just don't think he's gonna let me. Can't you wait one more week? He promised I won’t have a curfew anymore after graduation," she bargained.

"You say that like you don’t already know we’re gonna ask you to come next week too," Gareth said, grinning. “Besides, what kind of manager are you if you don’t come to all our shows?”

“Wasn’t aware I had signed any official contracts. Do I get health insurance?” Dottie joked.

“You get one box of kiddie bandages and we’ll drive you to the hospital if and only if any bones stick out,” Donny said.

“Wow, what a deal. I’m in,” she laughed.

“You’re gonna come then?” they all looked at her expectantly.

“Alright, fine, I’ll ask him. But if he says no you aren’t allowed to be mad at me because it’s definitely not my fault,” she finally relented.

“If he locks you up we’ll help you escape the tower, princess, don’t worry about it,” Eddie said, his breath ghosting the side of her head, and she shivered in anticipation for the new adventure that was to come.

James working past the time Hawkins High School let its students out had proven to be heaven-sent to the new couple looking for places to hang out without any prying eyes around. Eddie and Dottie were lying on her bed, hiding away from the world in her room, the radio on at a low volume playing Top 40 hits. Van Halen’s Why Can’t This Be Love was setting the perfect mood for Eddie to kiss his not-yet-girlfriend stupid - their movements still shy and exploring, neither of them rushing to get ahead of themselves. In recent days, they had progressed from chaste and giggly pecks to something much more slow and romantic, making the most of their moments alone to make each other feel comfortable and loved. Eddie hovered over her, tummy pressed against Dottie’s while supporting most of his weight on his elbows, his hands free to gently caress her cheekbones and jaw between kisses, stopping every so often to look at her dazed smile if only to will himself to believe that the girl he was so in love with was as equally smitten with him as he was with her.

Dottie let her fingers wander up his arms, one of her hands tangling in his unruly hair and occasionally pushing stray curls behind his ears to get a glimpse of those deep chocolate colored eyes she adored so much. Her other arm sneaked into his t-shirt sleeve, nails drawing barely-there patterns on the back of his shoulder, making him hum like the stray cats at the trailer park when they let him pet them after being fed. The delicate white curtains swayed calmly, brushing against the pillows in the windowsill, the gentle breeze outside rustling the leaves in nearby trees. Everything felt so peaceful, warm, and cozy. She felt like she could spend an entire lifetime like this, with the boy that had swept her off her feet so thoroughly that she almost felt like she was floating whenever he was around.

“What are you thinkin’ about?” Eddie asked in a soft voice, index finger brushing down the slope of her nose.

“You.”

“Me?”

“Mhm,” she smiled, fondly. “You’re so pretty.”

“You’re pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous even,” he lifted his eyebrows and pouted, making her giggle at his antics. “I wanted to play a song for you tomorrow but the guys said it didn’t fit with the rest of the setlist.”

“Which song was it?”

“Nope,” he shook his head, curls tickling her. “I’m not telling you. We’ll play it in Indy.”

“I have to wait a whole month? That’s so rude!”

“It’ll be worth it, you’ll see,” he muttered, leaning down to kiss her again, and she accepted his love eagerly.

The low rumble of a car pulling into the driveway burst their cozy bubble, Eddie groaning as his head fell forward onto Dottie’s shoulder, making her snort loudly. He scrambled off her bed and dropped himself on her desk chair, fingers dancing on top of her scented Mr. Sketch markers before settling on the brown one and lifting it up to his nose to smell the cinnamon embedded in the ink. She watched him with an oddly enamored smile on her face, like him sniffing her stationery supplies was the most charming thing she’d seen him do yet. He twirled a marker between his fingers before drumming with it once on her yearbook resting unassumingly on her desk.

“Can I draw something for you in here?” he asked, tapping the hardcover again with the cap of the marker.

“Can I write something sappy in yours in exchange?”

“Knock yourself out, darling,” Eddie smiled, pulling his yearbook out of his ratty backpack and tossing it onto her bed where it made a soft thud upon colliding with her comforter.

When James climbed up the stairs to greet his daughter after a long day at work, he found both teens deeply engrossed in their tasks: Eddie’s long hair was draped like a curtain obscuring his sketch from view as he worked steadily with his chewed up pencil while Dottie was lying on her front decorating a corner of a page with her colorful pens. James leaned onto the door frame when she looked up, gifting him the same smile she used to give him as a toddler when he picked her up from daycare.

“Yearbooks are out?” the eldest Burke asked, nodding towards the book in her hands.

“Yeah! Ed’s drawing in mine but look, we got a full page!” Dottie said, rising onto her knees to show him Hellfire’s spread.

James sat at the foot of her bed, glancing at the glossy pictures in front of him. He couldn’t recall Dottie being so excited about a yearbook before, but he supposed she’d never really been a part of any club at her old school and this was an important first for her. There was Dustin front and center, arms and legs bent like a lifeless puppet being held by strings, Erica’s hand poised in the air as if she was the one controlling him while Mike and Gareth lifted her up in a  princess-like manner, a tiara glinting on her head and a school flag draping down her back. Jeff and Donny scowled at each other dramatically, engaged in a lethal fight that Jeff was clearly winning, his sword pressed to the middle of Donny’s golden scepter. But it was his own daughter and the boy that kept smelling markers before he put them to paper a few feet away from him that really caught his attention.

Eddie lounged on his throne with a fake skull in his hand, rings twinkling in the room’s moody light, and legs spread out like he was a despot king about to order someone’s head to be cut off. Dottie stared at the camera with a mischievous smirk, hands cradled around a crystal orb, looking like she knew something no one else did and was more than ready to drop a cryptic riddle that would ruin your entire life. They were playing characters, just like everyone else in the picture: Mike was the loyal knight, Dustin was the terrifying jester, Erica was the bratty princess. Except Eddie’s arm was curled around Dottie like she was his most prized possession, devotion noticeable in his seemingly innocent posture. He might have been the one sitting on the throne and she on the chair’s arm as his trusty advisor, but it was very much clear to anyone that stopped to truly look at them that even though he was the King, she had him wrapped around her finger. It shouldn’t have been a surprise - after all, since 1953 the song did say God save the Queen, not the King.

“It looks super cool, right?” Dottie asked, eyes shining. “Jeff wants to ask the Yearbook Club if we can get copies, I’d love to put one on my corkboard.”

“That sounds great, honey! It’s very theatrical,” James agreed, scanning down the list of names: Edward Munson - Chapter Leader, Donatello Andrea Vitale - Treasurer, Jeffrey Thomas Patton - Secretary… “Who’s Lucas?”

“Huh?”

“Lucas Charles Sinclair?” he asked. “His name is on the list but I don’t see him in the photo.”

“Oh, that’s Erica’s brother. He was in the club before I joined, right, Ed?”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, lips tight. “He, uh- he quit before Spring break. Conflicting schedules.”

“Ah, that’s a bummer,” James nodded, knowing first hand how scheduling was the greatest enemy of a D&D party. “Why isn’t Erica on the list though?”

“She’s still in middle school so she’s not, like, entirely allowed to be in the club actually?” Dottie grimaced. “But Eddie thought she should at least be in the picture. I mean, I’m there and she’s known these guys for longer than I do.”

“She only joined a couple of weeks before you did,” Eddie shrugged. “But a member is a member, no matter when they joined.”

“Spoken like a true leader,” James smiled, flipping the pages to find the senior portraits.

He reached the B section and immediately found his daughter, her red knitted sweater barely visible, the picture cutting off just below her shoulders. She was smiling in it, yes, but she didn’t really look happy. She seemed nervous, perhaps even a bit apprehensive. Her eyes were dull despite the bright lights behind the camera, and the little dimple below the right corner of her lip that she’d inherited from her Mom was nowhere to be found. In comparison with the wicked witch that had been staring at him in the Hellfire Club’s group photo, this girl looked like a shell of herself. Empty. Lost. Scared. Two months had passed between the two pictures, and one more since the last one had been taken, and James realized he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her glow as much as she did every day now. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he looked at her and wondered why he hadn’t done anything to prevent her light from dimming so much right in front of him. Bitterly, he realized the proper question wasn’t why he hadn’t done anything, but instead why hadn’t he ever noticed it had been dimmed in the first place up until that moment.

“I’m so proud of you, honey,” he muttered, pulling her into a hug and letting out a heavy sigh courtesy of his own inadequacies as a parent.

“You’re not gonna cry, are you? Because you’re gonna make me cry if you cry,” she said in a joking manner, tears already threatening to climb up to the surface.

“You’re just really big now and it sneaks up on me sometimes, that’s all. I’m getting emotional in my old age,” he laughed, turning back the pages to Hellfire Dottie - the happier Dottie. “Your hair looks really pretty like this.”

“Yeah. Feels more me, I think,” Dottie agreed. “I need to get the ends trimmed before graduation, though.”

“If it keeps getting shorter I’m afraid you’re gonna end up bald soon.”

“I’ll go to a salon this time, promise,” she laughed.

“Still can’t believe you just-” James did a cutting gesture with his index and middle fingers. “-went to town on it.”

“Wait, what? You chopped off your own hair? When?” Eddie asked curiously, reminding them both that he was listening to their conversation.

“I thought you knew about this!” Dottie said. “I had really long hair back in New York.”

“It reached the top of her jeans,” James added.

“No way! Why did you cut it?”

“I just needed a fresh start, y’know? New school, new haircut. It wasn’t that big of a deal,” she shrugged.

“Honey, you snipped it all off at the first gas station we stopped at on our way from New York. Almost gave me a heart attack when you came out of that bathroom.”

“You’re kidding,” Eddie stared at her in disbelief.

“Nope,” said James. “Had to take her to a hairdresser to even it out as soon as we got here.”

“In my defense, it didn’t look that bad. It was just… very layered,” Dottie said.

“You’re lucky you chickened out and didn’t cut it shorter or you’d be looking like a boy right now.”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, I’m not a hair stylist. I’ll stay away from scissors and let the pros handle it next time,” she rolled her eyes at her Dad.

“Well, I’m gonna go get a shower,” James announced, returning Eddie’s yearbook to his daughter. “You staying for dinner, Ed?”

“No, thank you, sir, Wayne’s waiting for me. Just gotta finish this drawing and I’ll be out of your hair for the night,” Eddie said, lifting the book in his hands as if to demonstrate he wasn’t just wasting time.

“You’re never a bother, kid. You can stay as long as you’d like.”

“T-thank you, sir,” he said in a small voice when James walked past him and ruffled his hair affectionately as he left.

“Dad? Wait, hold up-”

Dottie launched herself into the hallway and caught up to her Dad when he was halfway through his bedroom door. She nervously looked up at him and James lifted an eyebrow, curious.

“Would it be okay if I went to The Hideout to see the guys play tomorrow?” she asked, chewing on her own lip.

“Honey, it’s a school night-”

“I know but the teachers aren’t even taking attendance anymore. And I swear I’m not gonna skip the next day! Please, I’ll be back before midnight.”

“Dot-”

“You know Jeff’s dad wouldn’t let him do it if he was coming back home at 3 am every week on school nights. Please let me go? I really, really, really wanna see them play.”

“Would you be riding with Eddie?” James sighed.

“Yeah, he’s Gareth’s ride. His drum kit doesn’t fit in Donny’s car.”

“Okay, you can go-”

“Thank you!”

“-but! You gotta be back by midnight, okay?” he said, stern. “I don’t care if the teachers aren’t doing their jobs anymore, school’s not out until Friday. You’re not on holiday yet.”

“I know, I won’t break the curfew, I promise-”

“And you can’t drink any alcohol either. If I have to pick you up from the station for any reason, you’re grounded until September.”

“I won’t drink a drop, Dad, I swear. I just wanna see the guys play,” she pleaded with doe eyes.

“Fine. You can go,” James finally relented.

“Thank you!” Dottie shrieked, hugging her Dad and shaking him in her excitement. “Thank you, thank you, thank you-”

“Alright, alright, calm down. Just be careful, okay? And call-”

“Call you if anything happens. I know. Thank you,” she kissed his cheek and ran back into her bedroom where James heard Eddie scream “fuck yeah!”, followed by a loud thump and bright laughter.

That night after dinner, Dottie sat on her windowsill looking at the inside of her wardrobe, mentally putting together an outfit that wouldn’t make her stand out like a sore thumb in the dingy bar. Jeans and sneakers are fine, Eddie had said when she asked him about it, but she knew the guys dressed up for their gigs, and she wanted to fit in. Maybe she should have asked her soon-to-be-boyfriend to lend her one of his band t-shirts, but then again, Eddie had a tendency to get grabby whenever she wore his clothes lately, even if it was just a borrowed sweatshirt when she got cold during a movie night. It was better to be lowkey about this; they were already pushing it a lot lately with the secret daily hangouts and the doing errands together thing. Borrowing his clothes in such a public event like his own band’s gig was as big a declaration of love as they came.

Yes, it was best to keep this under wraps, for the sake of all their friendships with the rest of the boys. She’d wear her own clothes to her very first Corroded Coffin show, and she’d be extra careful with her yearbook when she gave it to her friends at The Weekly Streak to sign. No one had to know that Eddie had drawn a very realistic looking arrangement of daisies on a corner of a page, along with an incredibly telling message that would be hard to explain if anyone read it. However, nothing was stopping her from letting the words he’d written in his usual chicken scratch form behind her eyelids as she let sleep take her under, a perpetual lovesick smile tattooed on her face.Thank you for believing in me, darling, he’d said. I love you now and always. Your Endearing Eddie.

Tuesday, June 10th - 1986

If there was anyone in Hawkins who had bad timing when it came to scheduling business transactions that happened outdoors, it was Eddie Munson. He was in such a hurry to sell most of his stash before he was due to start his first ever real job at Thatcher Tires the following week that he’d failed to account for the permanent drizzle that haunted Hawkins most of the time, and thus, had to move from his preferred selling spot in the woods to the back of the East classroom wing, his back pressed to the warm brick to shield himself from the droplets falling from the sky.

While he was busy earning much wanted cash so he could take his still-not-official-girlfriend out on a date to celebrate their graduation, Dottie and Gareth were lounging in his van, side door cracked open to let some of the day’s heat out. The almost empty parking lot looked menacing surrounded by a thick haze, a moderate breeze directing the drops of water to hit the van’s windshield in a comforting rhythm. Gareth was, as usual, being a menace. He was going through Eddie’s tapes, exchanging their cases to mess with his friend, and never letting a song reach the end before he was skipping forward to the next one. Dottie would have complained about it if she wasn’t so concentrated on her knitting, the summer baby blanket she was working on spread out over her legs. She was in the middle of calculating if the soft cotton yarn she had left was enough to finish the row she was currently knitting when Gareth turned around in the passenger seat to catch her attention.

“You excited about tonight?” he asked, glancing at the songlist at the back of a mixtape.

“Yeah, it should be fun! Though I’m not sure what I’m gonna wear yet,” she put down her needles and stretched in her seat. “Eddie said sneakers and jeans were fine, but I don’t wanna look lost, y’know.”

“Pick the oldest, shittiest clothes you have and you’ll fit in just fine. Most of the drunks in there go after work, it’s always a lot of plaid, jeans, and dirt.”

“You’re not selling this to me very well.”

“I don’t have to,” he grinned. “Eddie says jump, you jump.”

“No, I don’t-”

“Hey, there you are!”

She was about to tell Gareth off when Chrissy appeared from the mist, shielding herself from the rain by holding her cheer cardigan above her head. Immediately, Dottie slid the van door open a bit more so she could climb in, moving all her knitting supplies to her lap so the strawberry blonde girl could sit next to her. Gareth looked at both girls awkwardly and muttered a quick hello before turning in his seat again and busying himself back with the mixtapes.

“I didn’t know you knitted,” Chrissy said, thumbing the corner of the blanket. “This is so pretty.”

“Thank you,” Dottie smiled. “It’s a gift for my Aunt, she’s having a baby in a couple of months.”

“Aw, that’s sweet! Let me guess, a girl?” she said, pointing at the baby pink yarn.

“How could you tell?” Dottie said with good natured sarcasm. “Her name’s gonna be Rose so… pink for Rosie! It’s not very original but I’m hoping she still likes it even though she’ll be born in the middle of summer.”

“I’m sure she’ll love it. I used mine until I was in preschool, there’s no age limit for a good blankie,” Chrissy said, kindly. “I wish I could do creative stuff like this, it looks fun. I tried to learn to sew when I was younger but my Mom’s so not a good teacher. She made me cry once because I forgot to put the presser foot down.”

“I could teach you a few things if you want,” Dottie offered. “I’m not an expert, but my Aunt is, like, the most perfectionist person on the planet and she taught me everything I know so…”

“You’d do that?”

“Do what, teach you?” the blonde nodded in response. “Of course! We’re friends! And it’s a great skill to have, it comes in handy more than you think.”

“We’re friends?” Chrissy asked, eyes suddenly shiny.

“After everything you’ve done for- Chrissy, of course we’re friends,” Dottie said, grabbing the other girl’s hand.

“Oh, thank goodness,” she breathed out, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. “I feel so much better about asking you to sign my yearbook now, I didn’t know if I was being weird or not.”

“For future reference, we like weird here,” the brunette said in a stage whisper, leaning down to get her own yearbook out of her backpack. “Besides, I kinda wanted to ask you to sign mine too so we’re even.”

The girls exchanged books and quickly got to signing, aware that Gareth was pretending like he wasn’t in the same vehicle as them. He didn’t want to turn up the music and rudely drown their conversation, so he distracted himself by drumming on Eddie’s dashboard with two pens, wondering what on Earth had Chrissy done for Dottie that made her so thankful towards the cheerleader. Dottie grabbed her nicest black pen and found an empty space under Eddie’s message. He’d written Don’t be a stranger, Chrissy the Cheery (and thank you for the advice! See you at the wedding) next to a crude drawing in blue ink of a girl with a ponytail lifting one pompon and doing devil horns with the other hand.

After thinking about what she wanted to say to the cheerful blonde, Dottie settled on a nice simple message that was cryptic enough should anyone else read it, but also something that conveyed just how truly grateful she was for this new found friendship. Have a fantastic summer!, the note opened. Thank you for everything. Call me whenever! At the end, right next to her name and a little daisy, she wrote down her phone number. The word everything was underlined twice. When she gave it back to her rightful owner and saw the message Chrissy had written on pink ink on her yearbook, she let out a girly giggle. It was so lovely to get to know you, have a good summer! Let’s hang out soon, it read. Below, Chrissy had also written down her phone number. Both teens looked at each other with a knowing grin and hugged, not paying any attention to the metalhead who’d put them on each other’s path hopping onto the driver’s seat of his van, hair damp from the rain.

“Aw, aren’t you two cute,” Eddie said, grinning. “Did she sign it?”

“We both did,” Chrissy said, returning the smile. “How were the sales?”

“Great! I’m selling my last bit on Thursday and then I’m keeping the rest for myself. A man’s gotta have his vices.”

“What a shame,” the blonde shook her head. “Hawkins is losing its nicest dealer to the workforce.”

“I’m the only dealer you know, sweetheart.”

“Because you’re the nicest one, keep up! I’m gonna have to buy from sleazy dudes now, ugh,” she said while she gathered her things to leave.

“You should have enough to last you until you leave for your pre-season with what I sold you today,” he frowned, concerned that every time Chrissy bought from him, the amounts she asked for kept increasing.

“Yeah, maybe,” she said and shrugged, sliding the door van open and hopping off. “See you around, guys!”

The three of them watched her jog towards the school with her cardigan draped over her head again, her petite figure losing definition in the haze. Eddie clicked on his seatbelt - a habit he’d picked up since he started driving Dottie around - and pulled out of the school’s parking lot, winking once at the girl on his backseat when he put his hand on Gareth’s headrest to reverse into the open road. Dottie rolled her eyes at him, picking up her knitting needles once again. Gareth stared at the school building until it disappeared from sight before he turned to his friends.

“I still can’t believe Chrissy Cunningham is not only super nice to us freaks, but also smokes weed,” he said, making both of the other teens laugh.

James Burke did not think that moving to the town he had grown up in as a quiet wallflower would result in an exponential growth in his daughter’s social life, but truth be told, he wasn’t exactly upset about it. Before packing up her whole life and facing the Big Drive to Hawkins, Dottie had never once gone out for the night on a weekday, much less during the school year. But James had agreed to it, and Dottie had promised to be home before midnight, which brought them to the living room where the tired father sat in his armchair and amusedly watched his daughter pace the entirety of the room swinging her arms around with each step she took.

“You’re gonna burn a hole in the carpet, honey.”

“Good. This carpet gives me allergies.”

James chuckled, following her with his eyes as she padded her way to the window once more and peered outside yet again despite knowing that she would hear Eddie’s van first before seeing it, as per usual. She sighed dramatically and resumed her pacing, glancing at the clock on the wall anxiously. Mildly embarrassed upon noticing that her friends were still perfectly on schedule, she took a few deep breaths and tried to get her emotions in control before their arrival.

“You know you can call me if you get there and want to leave, right?”

“I know, Dad,” she rolled her eyes at him. “Stop offering to pick me up from places, you know Eddie’s gonna drive me back whenever I ask.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t exactly comfort me as much as you think it does, honey. That van looks like it’s gonna die on him at any second.”

“Oh, come on,” Dottie argued. “He loves that van, he takes good care of it.”

“The fumes that come out of that thing say otherwise, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since he’s gonna be a mechanic and all now.”

And speak of the devil, thought James, as the aforementioned smoky van appeared down the street while playing loud metal music. Dottie hurried to grab her keys and a jacket, ready to bolt out of the door and get to the damn dive bar already, but her Dad insisted on walking with her outside to say hi. Eddie and Gareth waved at them as they approached, lowering the music so they could greet the older man properly.

“Good evening, boys,” James said, hands on his hips in a typical Dad pose but with a friendly smile on his face. “How are we feeling? Excited for the show?”

“Hell yeah!” Gareth said, grinning. “We’re gonna kill it, the setlist is awesome tonight.”

“You let him add an Anthrax song to it, didn’t you?” Dottie laughed knowingly, sliding the side door open and climbing in.

“We’re closing with Metal Thrashing Mad,” Gareth looked at her with an expression of triumph.

“Sounds like it’s gonna be a riot,” James chuckled and turned to his daughter. “Have fun, but don’t get into too much trouble. Midnight, okay?”

“I’ll get back here by 11, sir, I promise,” Eddie said, nodding once.

“Midnight’s okay, Ed,” the eldest Burke said, putting his trust in the young man’s hands; Eddie nodded again in understanding. “Have a good show!”

The man patted the side of the van as a goodbye and headed back inside, privately enjoying how much he could make Eddie squirm with just a few well placed words. He liked Eddie, he really did - he was polite, unapologetically himself, resourceful, kind. He loved his friends and wore his heart on his sleeve. And he loved Dottie, that much was clear to literally everyone that surrounded the teens. James didn’t know what the situation was like between them at the moment, but he could tell something had shifted based on recent interactions he’d witnessed. In his opinion, there seemed to be some sort of deeper connection between them since that fateful party they had gone to just a handful of days earlier, but James had to admit, albeit a little reluctantly, that even though he had been on the lookout for signs of a romantic relationship developing, not a lot had truly changed.

Eddie and Dottie had always been unusually close even upon first meeting, that was an undeniable fact about their friendship. It was hard to pinpoint if anything romantic had blossomed between them when Eddie had been calling her darling since the very first moment he laid eyes on her, or when Dottie gravitated towards him at any given moment, even in rooms filled with other people. Their hugs, while always having lasted longer than a regular friendly hug, were chaste and innocent, their main purpose always to comfort and to reassure. Eddie’s hands always stayed above her waist, not even so much as accidentally dropping to her hips in James’ presence, and any compromising position he’d found them in was at best playful, certainly never inappropriate.

It wasn’t that James was particularly concerned with the nature of the teens’ relationship; after all, he had been a teen himself once, he wasn’t an idiot. If anything was bound to happen, they weren’t going to ask for his permission beforehand. No, his worries were more about the knowledge that Dottie and Eddie dating while having the same group of friends could make a potential fall out incredibly painful for both of them, and the poor man was just desperately trying to protect his daughter as best as he could. He already felt like he had failed her once, he couldn’t let her down again. And yet, despite being cognizant of the dangers ahead, James found himself trusting Eddie because if Dottie trusted him, how could he not trust that his daughter knew better than her own Dad did about the matters of her heart?

“Okay, be honest, guys. How do I look?” Dottie asked, shoving half her body between the front seats so they could look at her better at the first stop sign.

“You look gorgeous, princess,” said Eddie.

“Like a toddler,” said Gareth, at the same time.

“Gareth, what the fuck,” Eddie deadpanned, swatting at his friend’s chest.

“What? She’s lucky they don’t ask for IDs,” he said, doubling down.

“You don’t tell a girl she looks like a toddler when she dresses up, you asshat,” Eddie said. “See, this is why you can’t get a girlfriend, you know nothing about women.”

“How would you know any better, you don’t have a girlfriend either!” Gareth retorted, making Eddie snort. If he only knew…

“You two bicker like an old married couple, did you know that?” Dottie said, settling back on her seat.

“That’s because we are,” Eddie joked, grabbing Gareth’s hand and giving him a kiss on the knuckles, making his friend yank his arm out of his grasp while the older boy laughed loudly.

Everyone was in good spirits as they journeyed to The Hideout, but whether she wanted them to or not, Gareth’s words made Dottie pause. Both boys had told her dark, casual clothes would be okay when she’d asked them for advice, so she’d gone with a striped dark blue and white t-shirt and black jean overalls, her trusty Reeboks matching Eddie’s keeping her feet comfortable. She glanced at both of her friends through the rearview mirror and compared her clothes to theirs, but that would never be a fair fight: they were dressed for the stage, not to be a spectator like she was. Gareth was wearing a loose shirt with the sleeves cut out, leather bracelets with spikes decorating each wrist along with his usual rings perched on his fingers. He had a flannel tied at his hip and his jeans were incredibly distressed, something that his Mom hadn’t been too happy about when she found out he’d ripped them himself on their driveway with a sharp rock. Eddie sat next to him, tapping on the steering wheel lightly as they talked about the setlist, looking like a vision straight out of his wildest rockstar dreams in acid wash denim and chains. Admittedly, his eyeliner did look terribly smudged, but he more than made up for it with enthusiasm and a giddy grin etched permanently into his features.

There was no comparison and there would never be one. Dottie simply didn’t fit in. They were undiscovered rockstars, masters of their craft who had poured blood, sweat and tears into a yet unfulfilled dream, and she was just the high school friend who was lucky enough to meet them before they blew up. She tried to be excited for them, to join in on the fun, but all she could think about was how Eddie was destined for bigger things than to be chained to an elementary school teacher and the white picket fence she had always dreamed of when she was living in a tiny apartment with her Dad back in New York.

Unaware of her inner turmoil, Eddie pulled into The Hideout’s parking lot next to Donny’s car, Gareth excitedly hollering out of the co-pilot’s window to get their friends’ attention. Donny took one last drag of his cigarette before throwing it to the side, and hurried to meet them along with Jeff, hugs and pats on their backs exchanged before immediately busying themselves unloading both vehicles. Dottie was quick to mask her discomfort by helping out; a task that forced her to stay focused was always a welcome distraction for her worried brain. The boys chatted loudly, their tired grunts filling the eerily empty parking lot as they moved heavy amps and Gareth’s drum kit into the bar through a service door to the side of the building, leaving Dottie to trail behind them carrying cables and drumsticks.

“Hey, you okay?” Jeff asked, taking a mic stand from her hands, back pressed to the metal service door to keep it open.

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m just nervous,” she lied, her smile failing to reach her eyes. “Never been to a place like this before.”

“No one here bites, I promise,” he nudged her shoulder. “And if they do, we’ll fight them for you. You’re with the band, you’re a VIP now.”

“My heroes,” she said, pretending to swoon.

The small exchange might have gone unnoticed had Eddie not become finely attuned to the girl’s emotions even when she wasn’t sharing them out loud. Something wasn’t right, he was sure of it, and he was determined to find out what it was before their set started. He wanted her to enjoy this, to see him doing one of the things he loved most, to let her into a space that up until now had been sacred for him. The Hideout’s little stage wasn’t the Madison Square Garden, but with her in the crowd, he felt like it was the most important show he’d ever play in his entire life.

“I really like your shirt,” Dottie was telling Donny about his Iron Maiden tee, holding his bass for him as he searched for a pedal that had gotten lost in the back of his car. “The black makes your eyes pop out.”

“But I need my eyes,” he whined jokingly.

“You know what I mean, dumbass,” she laughed, softly hitting his leg with her sneaker.

“I was gonna wear something else actually but I couldn’t find it,” he said, frowning at his car’s messy floor. “I have this Halloween shirt- aha!”

“Did you find it?”

“Yep, it was under the mat,” he climbed out of the car and pulled his pants up higher. “My ass wasn’t showing, was it?”

“I would never let you show your ass in public,” Dottie said, giving him back his bass. “We got everything? What do we do now?”

“Yeah, we just need to set up and-”

“Hey man, can you start without us?” Eddie asked, sitting on the back of his open van and patting his pockets for his cigarettes. “Need her help with something.”

“Uh- yeah, sure,” Donny said, looking at both of them suspiciously and noticing how Dottie appeared to be as equally confused as he was. “Don’t take too long.”

Donny hoisted his bass case over his shoulder and disappeared into the building, throwing one last look at them for good measure. While Eddie busied himself lighting up a cig, Dottie shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously. What on Earth could Eddie want her help with right now? Was he… was he going to tell her to leave? Had he realized this was no place for her and didn’t want anyone to see she was with them? Or with him?

“Come ‘ere,” Eddie said, widening his legs so she could stand between them. “You gonna tell me what’s going on or do I gotta tickle it out of you?”

“You know I don’t like tickles.”

“Then I guess you’re gonna have to spill, don’t you, princess?” he flicked some of his ash to the side and wrapped an arm around her hips to bring her closer. “What is it, huh? My eyeliner’s that bad you can’t even look at me?”

“No,” she muttered, lips curling into a resigned pout. “You look pretty.”

“I look like shit. People might confuse me with a raccoon.”

“A pretty raccoon,” the right corner of her mouth lifted into a tentative smile and he took that as a win.

“If it’s not my eyeliner, what’s bothering you then? You wanna go home? ‘Cause I’ll drive you back right now if you want me to, just say the word.”

“No, no,” she quickly shook her head, curls bouncing around but her eyes were still stuck to his knees. “I wanna see you play.”

“Baby, I know something’s upsetting you. Talk to me, come on. We’ve been good at that lately,” he pleaded, thumb sneaking into the side of her overalls and under her shirt to rub comforting circles on her skin.

“It’s just-,” Dottie huffed, crossing her arms and curling on herself. “I feel weird, okay? I look like an idiot.”

“What are you talking about?” Eddie frowned.

“Ed, I’m wearing overalls.”

“And?”

“What do you mean, and? You look like a fucking rockstar and I’m some random toddler following you around. I don’t fit in, Gareth’s right.”

“Okay, first of all, fuck Gareth,” she opened her mouth to argue but he beat her to it. “No, no, fuck Gareth. He doesn’t know shit about fashion, never trust anything he says, okay? He used to wear polos every day before he met me, you knew that? He can’t judge anyone. And I love your overalls. You look adorable in them.”

“But I don’t want to look adorable!” Dottie stomped on the ground, which only furthered his point. “You look so badass, why couldn’t I look like that?”

“You wanna look badass? I’ll give you any of my shirts next time, I promise,” Eddie pulled her closer until she uncrossed her arms and rested them on his shoulders. “But don’t listen to that dumbass. I love how you dress. I really fuckin’ do, babe.”

“Yeah? The toddler thing gets you going?” she asked, melting under his earnest eyes.

“Nah, that’s all you, darling,” he stretched himself up to kiss her gently. “You get me going. And you always fit in with me, alright?”

“Okay.”

“Nope, come on, you gotta say it.”

“Eddie.”

“I’m waiting,” he sang.

“You’re insufferable sometimes,” she rolled her eyes, but this time her smile was much more genuine. “Fine. I fit in with you.”

“Always.”

“Always.”

“Good,” he took one last drag of his cigarette and threw it away, lifting himself up to close the van doors and direct into the bar. “We’re gonna talk about this later though. I know you’re still thinking about it.”

“It’s scary how much you know me,” she mused, leaning onto his side for courage as they walked to the front door.

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t pay attention to you?” he said, opening the door to let her in.

Boyfriend. He had called himself her boyfriend. They hadn’t discussed what they were yet; Eddie was adamant about asking her out properly on Graduation Day but it felt good to hear that he knew what he meant to her. That he wanted the same thing she did, even if her anxious heart got in the way sometimes. Dottie was so sure he’d get bored of her once he realized how truly boring she was, but failed to consider that in all their months together as friends, Eddie had learned to love their differences and cherished them deeply. Why would he want someone who was just like him? He was an idiot in his opinion, he’d hate it if she was equally impulsive, messy and brash as he was. She was soft where he was rough, logical where he was a dreamer, practical where he was ignorant. And in turn Eddie felt capable where she was inexperienced, bold where she was shy, and calm where she was nervous. Two puzzle pieces that are cut the exact same way never fit, and Eddie was confident in the knowledge that they were alike, yet different where it mattered the most. It was just a matter of time until she got to see things like he did, and he’d be damned if he didn’t help her get there faster.

“Dave! What’s up?” Eddie hollered as he approached the bar, a bald man with a bushy beard greeted him with a big smile.

“Hey, Ed! The guys told me the big news, I’m proud of you, kid,” Dave said, putting down his rag and a glass to pat Eddie’s back over the counter. “You brought a new friend today?”

“Thanks, man. Yeah, this is Dottie,” he introduced them. “Dot, Dave, he’s the owner - Dave, Dot. Treat her right, okay? She’s our manager.”

“No shit,” Dave laughed. “How did that happen?”

“I got them a gig in Indy next month and they offered me the job,” Dottie said, slipping onto a bar stool next to Eddie. “We should talk business sometime.”

“That’s my girl,” Eddie beamed, squeezing her hand before walking backwards to the stage. “Give her anything she wants, I’ll cover her tab!”

“So, you’re Eddie’s girl, huh,” Dave said, eyes glinting.

“I guess I am,” Dottie smiled, before her expression dropped in realization. “Could you- We’re not, like- The guys-”

“Secret’s safe with me, doll,” he winked at her. “I knew something was up when Ed started adding ballads to their setlist. Now, what’s your poison? On the house.”

“Would root beer be an acceptable choice?” she asked, cheeks burning under her skin.

“Depends. You want ice cream with it?” he threw his rag over his shoulder.

“I’ll never say no to a little vanilla.”

“Attagirl. I can see why he likes you,” Dave said, and disappeared down the kitchen door in search of a scoop of ice cream.

Dottie turned around in her stool to look at her friends happily setting up for their show, palpable excitement coursing through their veins. Gareth was hunched over his drum kit, tightening and loosening the skin until it was perfect while he heard the story Donny was retelling, Eddie laughing loudly and Jeff cringing while uncoiling a cable. They looked happy, barely controlled energy bouncing around the room much to everyone’s amusement. Two older men sat in a corner of the bar, mugs filled with frothy beer and a bowl of peanuts shared between them - they lifted up their drinks and smiled at her in acknowledgement when she glanced their way. Dave was funny, charming and a little bit kooky, all the right ingredients for a good bartender. He kept Dottie busy by telling her stories about every regular that was in the bar, and introduced her to the two men as “the boys’ boss, so no funny business with her”. Rudy and B.B. ate it up, calling her bosslady in all further interactions, asking her about their friendship with Corroded Coffin and telling her silly stories they had collected about her friends over their years as The Hideout’s only band with a permanent slot.

It was clear to Dottie that this was a family built on routine and comradery. They had nicknames for each other, knew about beverage preferences and medical conditions, asked about parents, wives and children. B.B. was all too glad to have someone new to show off the pictures he kept in his wallet, his five grandchildren looking up at Dot from the glossy paper as he shared names and little anecdotes about them proudly. When it was time for Corroded Coffin to finally start playing, everyone paid attention and even cheered when the first few notes of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid began. Dottie sang along to every single word that came out of Jeff’s mic, thinking about that very first time she’d seen them play in Gareth’s garage. This felt equally warm, homey, and handcrafted. A labor of love.

Corroded Coffin was a sight that begged to be seen. They were loud and unapologetic; they crooned to the outcasts, the freaks, the weirdos. Lee with his prosthetic leg and handlebar mustache, Rudy with his white hair and beer belly, Shonda with her leather vest and scary-looking motorbike parked outside. These drunkards were their very first fans, and they enjoyed the Tuesday night gig as much as anyone could enjoy first row seats to a Metallica show in a big arena. During a water break between songs, Lee asked for a Judas Priest song and the boys indulged him, Gareth immediately launching into a complex beat that made him break one of his drumsticks in half at the end. He looked the happiest Dottie had ever seen him.

The half hour show came to a close, and Corroded Coffin said their goodbyes with pure elation and sweat dripping down their faces. Dottie wanted to help them load everything back into the cars, but Shonda kept her busy and glued to her stool talking about New York and the best food places she had encountered on her travels. If Dottie recognized some of the mentioned spots as known queer hangouts she’d always wanted to go to but couldn’t because she was underage, she said nothing, but the knowledge only endeared the older lady more to her. When the guys had finished putting everything away, they surrounded Dottie at the bar and Dave presented them with a beer each. Yes, it was illegal to serve alcohol to minors, but no one cared. They’d earned those fair and square, and what was the big issue with a little toast between friends to the Hellfire Class of ‘86 who would be graduating in just a few short days?

“Since when do you go dry after a show, Ed?” Dave said, grabbing the bottle Eddie had pushed back into his hand.

“I’m driving her around tonight,” Eddie said, nodding towards Dottie who was lost in conversation with Jeff. “Her Dad might kill me if we get pulled over and I’m drunk, and I actually like being alive.”

“She’s got you whipped,” B.B. commented, making the rest of the older men laugh while Eddie’s ears burned red at the light teasing.

“Good for her. Someone had to do it at some point,” Rudy said, lifting his frothy beer to his lips, and truth be told, Eddie was more than happy to admit they were right.

Dottie was not expecting Eddie to pull over halfway between her house and Gareth’s after dropping him and his drum kit off, but it soon became clear that he wasn’t about to let her go to bed without talking about what had happened earlier. He was still a little jittery from the show, adrenaline starting to run off now that they were surrounded by the quiet of the night in a deserted street, truly alone for the first time all day. After reaching to click her seatbelt off, he helped her crawl sideways onto his lap, resting her weight half on him and half on the driver’s door, legs draped over the center console and stretching towards the co-pilot’s seat. Despite the fact that he’d just played a 30 minute set and still felt a little bit damp with sweat from his performance, he took the time to bask in the sense of calm that washed over him. This is the best part of my day, he thought, lazily pressing kisses to the side of her head as she played with his rings, a dazed smile on her face.

“I fuckin’ love you,” he whispered, pushing her hair behind her ear and making her squirm in delight when he pressed another kiss to her temple.

“I love you too. You’re my favorite rockstar,” she muttered back, nosing his cheek.

“You had a good time?”

“The best. Everyone was so nice.”

“They better be,” he said dramatically, lifting his hand into a menacing fist. “Or else I’d have to kill them.”

“Stop,” she laughed, arms wrapping around him. “I’m sorry if I worried you earlier. I was being silly and got too into my own head.”

“You gonna tell me what that was about? And don’t say it was about your overalls, because I know it wasn’t,” he lifted her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles gently.

“I don’t know, I guess… I was just thinking about the future, and-”

“Uh-oh. Is this it? Are you breaking up with me? Shit, I knew that old dog Rudy was gonna take you away from me.”

“Shut up,” Dottie slapped his chest lightly as she laughed and he pretended to be in excruciating pain, slumping against his seat. “I… I was just wondering if there’s gonna be a place for me, y’know? In your future? And I got upset thinking that maybe there wouldn’t be.”

“Why would you think that?” Eddie asked, uncharacteristically serious.

“I mean… I dunno,” she admitted. “You’re gonna be a huge rockstar and I’m just, like… your boring high school sweetheart that wants to become a teacher. Is that really what you want for your life?”

“Yes. I want you.”

“Eddie, I’m being serious.”

“Yeah, me too,” his hand came up to hold her face. “I’m not gonna become a rockstar, Dot. That ship sailed a long time ago.”

“You’re only twenty-”

“It’s not about my age. Jeff’s leaving Hawkins and he’s gonna be a fancy businessman with a- a fuckin’ pacifist non-profit org or whatever people do in West Virginia,” she snorted at his words and he continued. “Gareth’s probably gonna become the greatest studio percussionist in the world for all we know, and Donny has his family’s restaurant to take care of. We’re all going separate ways, and I don’t wanna do the rockstar thing without them. Like, that’s my band, y’know? I’m not gonna go solo, it’s all of us or no one.”

“I get that, I do but… I just don’t want to be the reason you give up on your dreams,” she admitted. “You’re gonna resent me if you do, and I don’t want you to wake up one day and realize that you are unhappy and you hate me.”

“I could never hate you and I’m not giving up on anything because of you, darling, I promise. Is it really that hard to believe that I want a normal, peaceful life with you?” he shrugged.

“But you hate normal.”

“No, I don’t. I thought I did but… I can’t be hanging onto a maybe forever, babe. I can’t do that to Wayne. I want to help him out, have a good job so I can pay for things around the house, move out before I turn 30. Give him back his goddamn bedroom, for fuck’s sake,” Eddie scoffed bitterly, thinking about his poor Uncle’s back after years of sleeping on that shitty fold-out bed. “I want to make his life easier. He deserves that much.”

“But you could help him out even more if you became a rockstar. You could- you could buy him a big house, and he wouldn’t have to work anymore, he could just retire,” Dottie pressed on. “Didn’t you want to get out of Hawkins? Travel the world?”

“Yeah, but I think I’d miss you too much if I was away on the road all the time. I’m already suffering about you going to Michigan and that’s only three hours away. I can’t get on a tour bus and not see you for eight months, you know I’ll die if you don’t kiss me regularly,” he joked.

“What makes you think I wouldn’t be right there with you on the tour bus if you asked?” she joked back but her voice was so, so earnest.

“Darling, I could never do that to you. I could never ask you to give up on a full ride scholarship for me, fuck. You earned that shit, you have to go and get your degree so I can brag about how smart you are to everyone I talk to.”

“But who’s gonna keep the groupies away from you if I’m not there?” she whispered dramatically.

“I’ll chase them out, let the guys have all of them. Got the best and only groupie I need right here,” he squeezed her to make the remnants of her insecurities go away before kissing her forehead.

“I’m not a groupie though, I’m your manager,” Dottie reminded him. “I’ll have you know, Dave and I are gonna discuss business soon.”

“Yeah? You gonna look out for us? Read all our contracts before we sign them?” Eddie played along, smirking up at her.

“I’ll get you moved from Tuesdays to Thursdays, you’ll see.”

“God, you’re so hot when you know what you want.”

“Eddie!”

“What, my girl is the smartest manager in the world and I can’t find that hot? Fuckin’ sue me then,” he laughed and leaned in to kiss her, feeling incredibly lucky about the fact that she chased his lips for more when he pulled away. “I’m being serious, though. I know you don’t believe me when I say I don’t want that rockstar shit anymore, and this is way too brave of me considering we haven’t even gone on our first official date yet, but… I dunno. I kinda really like the idea of coming back home after a long day at work and getting to hold you like this. I used to think having a normal life was so lame because I never had it and now it’s all I can think about.”

Eddie had told himself throughout his whole childhood that he didn’t want to live like his classmates. He didn’t want to have family dinners every night like they did, because it meant he would have had to eat vegetables like broccoli and carrots instead of whatever unhealthy snack he could make for himself while his Dad was out of the house for the night. He didn’t want to have perfect attendance at school, because he liked whenever he could sleep in until late before “going on an adventure” on Wyatt’s Good Days. He liked spending his summers with his Grandma, stuffing his face full of ice cream and pie, and he liked when Wayne had a few days off from his job as a trucker and returned to Hawkins bringing dumb trinkets he had probably bought at a gas station on his way home, but felt like treasures to the youngest Munson. Eddie had told himself he didn’t want anything more than what he had throughout his childhood, because Wyatt said whining was for pussies and for girls, and his son wasn’t either of those things, are you?

It wasn’t until Eddie moved in with Wayne that he found out he really liked carrots because they were unexpectedly sweet and that he didn’t like grapefruit because it was bitter. He didn’t skip a single day of school for a month and his teacher put a gold star next to his name on the wall. His clothes were now always clean, and he didn’t have to wash ketchup stains in the school’s bathroom anymore to hide them from his Dad because his shirt would be hanging from the clothesline the next day like the offending red splat had never been there in the first place. Eddie thought that living in a real house was bullshit, because he lived in a trailer now and the trailer park was fun. He could feed and pet the strays and go to the playground whenever he wanted, and the people who lived there said hi to him when they saw him collecting flat rocks to skip at the lake when Wayne took him fishing on weekends, and sometimes the old lady next door would give him a bite of watermelon if he asked nicely.

But now Eddie was 20, and he wasn’t scared of admitting he wanted more. He wanted a water heater that didn’t randomly die on him, and a bedroom without mold stains, and Wayne to have the privacy he so very much deserved after 12 years of sleeping in the living room. He wanted a garage like Gareth’s, a backyard like Jeff’s, and a loud but loving family like Donny’s. And whenever he thought about those things lately, he always ended up dreaming about lying on a big comfy couch after a hot shower with his sleepy girlfriend pressed to his side and the decadent smell of a roast cooking away in the oven. No rush, no worries. Just love.

“I think about it too,” Dottie said quietly, jostling him out of his cozy fantasy.

“You do?” he asked, surprised.

“I never had a house until we moved here, I’ve always lived in small apartments before. And it’s not like that’s a bad thing, because it isn’t! I’m really grateful I always had a roof over my head. But I used to dream a lot about having a house like my grandparents when I was younger, and… I don’t know. When I think about it now you are there too. I know, I know it’s a lot, we haven’t even, like, talked about-”

“No, no, that-,” Eddie said, an unfamiliar warmth spreading in his chest. “That sounds really nice, darling. Tell me more? About our future house?”

“Well… it changes all the time. When I see something I like, I add it so it’s always different,” she said, cheeks warm at his soft gaze. “Like, it didn’t have a front porch until I met you, but now I know I definitely want one.”

“Why did you add a porch when you met me?”

“Because you have one! I love it when we sit outside when it’s rainy, it feels really peaceful. And also I think it’s really cute that Wayne waits for you there sometimes. I… I kinda wanna do that.”

“You wanna wait for me to come home on our front porch?” Eddie asked, grip tightening around her waist.

“Mhm,” she buried her head on his neck, closing her eyes like she could see themselves in the future. “We should get a swing, I can make cushions for it. And plant fruit trees in the backyard.”

“We could set up the basement to host D&D nights,” he continued. “And a dog. We should definitely get a dog.”

“Yes. A big dog.”

“A big black dog, and we can name him Ozzy,” he smiled.

“Aw, I wanted to name him Bilbo,” she pouted.

“You can’t name a black dog Bilbo, that’s a name for a brown dog,” Eddie argued.

“We can have two dogs then, one black and one brown.”

“That’s too much, we need space for the kids.”

“K-kids?” Dottie lifted her head and stared at him like he’d just grown two heads.

“I thought you wanted kids?” he was confused.

“I do, I just… I didn’t think you wanted kids,” she admitted. “And we’re still so young, it feels strange to talk about that.”

“I mean, I definitely don’t want kids right now but maybe in like… five years-”

“Ten,” she said, in a tone that left no room to argue.

“Ten years sounds great. We could have kids in ten years, right? I’m not gonna be a loser by then.”

“Eddie, you’re not a loser,” she frowned.

“Wait until after graduation to make big statements like that, babe.”

“You’re not a loser. You’re the best rockstar mechanic in the world and Ozzy, the kids and I love you.”

“Fuck,” he groaned, wiping his face with his hand. “Princess, you can’t shit like that or I’m gonna ask you to marry me before our first date.”

“Ed?” Dottie said nervously; his hand fell from his face to her thighs and he looked at her. “Are we… are we moving too fast? We haven’t even been on a real date and we’re already talking about, like, marriage and living together-”

“We’re just goofin’ around, babe,” he said, grabbing her hand. “We don’t have to do anything until we’re ready. You gotta go to Michigan first and get your degree, and I have to move out of Wayne’s, we have time. I’m just, uh, putting my cards on the table early so you can yell at me if I start being stupid. That alright with you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s alright with me,” she smiled back at him.

“Besides, everyone at The Hideout knows you’re my girl now. That’s bigger than marriage - if we break up they’ll take your side.”

“Am I?”

“Huh?”

“Am I your girl?” Dottie asked, knowing the answer but still wanting to hear it from his lips.

“You know you are,” he pulled her into a kiss before singing softly. “My girl, talkin’ ‘bout my girl… my girl!”

“You’re so silly,” she giggled, noses bumping in the dark.

“But I’m your silly. You’re mine and I’m yours, okay? So no more getting upset at whatever bullshit Gareth says. I’ll kick his ass.”

“It’s not his fault. My brain just hates me sometimes.”

“I’ll fight your brain,” he said, making her giggle again. “You’re It for me, darling. We fit in together. It’s just that easy.”

“Easy,” she repeated.

Eddie had told himself a lot of lies growing up, but the biggest one was that he didn’t want a normal, quiet life, because that was lame and he wasn’t going to conform to the system like everyone else did. He understood now that maybe, just maybe, having the most regular, happy, love-filled life he could get with his high school sweetheart turned elementary school teacher and a big black dog named Ozzy, in a house with a swing on the front porch, enough rooms for children that didn’t exist yet, and a basement where he could DM as many campaigns as he could think of, would probably be the biggest act of defiance he could do in the eyes of a town who thought he would never be deserving of the common luxuries everyone else got to have without having to fight for them.

taglist: @munsonology @kurdtbean @every1lovesanunderdog @eg-dr3amer3

[smallandalmosthonest]

fuck it friday~

tagged by @sibylsleaves

i've been swamped with work these last few days so i'm soooooo behind on where i wanted to be but here's a snippet from my sanctuary (you're holy to me, you're holy to me) ch2 (still in progress i'm sorry):

Tommy tilted his head thoughtfully. Then, he said, "Come here for a second." Buck turned to him, mouth full, eyebrow raised. "I'm right next to you." But Tommy was pulling his phone from his pocket. "Just get over here, Evan." And he was leaning over in his seat, wrapping his arm around Buck's shoulders, camera app open.  With the selfie instincts bred into any millennial, Buck instantly leaned into Tommy's side, smiling the classic photo-ready smile he'd perfected for his high school yearbooks the instant he got his braces off. But instead of Tommy leaning their heads together, he turned and pressed a kiss to Buck's temple, just at the edge of his birthmark. There was something so comforting about the warm, gentle press of his lips at the edge of his hairline, that Buck found his carefully-posed expression relaxing into an easy, genuine smile that he couldn't wipe off his face if he tried.  Tommy chuckled a little as he pulled away, tilting his head down to his phone, thumbs flying. "What are you doing?" Buck asked, settling back into his seat and resisting the urge to crane his neck to see the screen.  Tommy smirked. "I believe this is what you kids call a 'hard launch'," he said.

and here is a snippet from the bucktommy 5+1, aka "five times Eddie Diaz almost walks in on his best friend having sex with a man, and the one time he absolutely does"

Buck's body froze before his mind could catch on - his ankles dug the bar into Tommy's back and his hips stilled, and it wasn't until Tommy's eyes locked on his that he realized what was happening.  "Hey, Buck," Eddie's voice carried through the apartment. "Saw the Jeep in your spot - I just dropped Christopher off on a dinner date, can you believe that?"  Tommy's eyes were the size of dinner plates. Buck had stopped breathing. "The kid seriously asked me for an advance on his allowance to take this girl out to that new taco place by his school... I think he's crushing pretty hard." Eddie's booted footsteps were clearly coming around the corner below them, heading towards the living room, when they came to a halt.  "Are you upstairs?" Eddie called.  Tommy found his voice. "He has a key to your loft?" he hissed under his breath.  Buck couldn't answer, because he had a gag in his mouth. He had a gag in his mouth, all four limbs bound, two fingers knuckle-deep in his ass, and Eddie was downstairs.

reply if you wanna be tagged in such things!!!!!!!! everyone's urls are changing and idk who y'all are anymore