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for-your-modesty-dude · 5 days ago

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Valentine

A/N: Purely self-indulgent. I was in need of a good crashout, and have no one to actually crash out to, so why not do so to the Hellfire boys and my one true love, Eddie Munson? - Hy <3

Summary: The hellfire boys love to tease you for your lack of a love life. It's funny, and all in good fun, until it's not.

Warnings: Maybe based on some true events that hurt my feelings? Angsty. No use of y/n.

Word Count: 1.9k

It was easy to ignore at first, because they were all your friends. Best friends, even. Hellfire was a safe space for all the nerds and outcasts who wanted to play D&D and be terrorized by their resident Dungeon Master. The group had been together in some form since high school - though they’d gone through lots of changes in that time. Members came and went, but a few stuck around. You’d joined halfway through college, when you moved to Hawkins from a nearby town in the same county both to be closer to the college you were commuting to and further from the horrible hometown you’d grown up in. They’d been welcoming, and kind, when you had known no one. You’d run into Dustin Henderson when getting coffee and a pastry at the local coffee shop, and when you’d seen his D&D cap sitting on his curls, you asked if he played - the rest was history. He’d been more than happy to give you all of the information you needed to know this was a group you’d be interested in trying out. After you’d gone to your first meeting, the rest was history. You loved the group, and they took a quick liking to you. For some reason, Eddie Munson, resident DM, had realized you had lots of similarities. You had similar interests, you both loved to talk, and you both loved that over-the-top way of telling stories that had your friends in stitches. It created an easy bond between you both, and soon you were the best of friends.

Throughout your years of friendship, Eddie was known to go on dates, and even had a girlfriend or two. The other guys, too. You watched as they picked up girls, went on dates, broke up with or were broken up with. You were happy for them, sure. They were your friends and you loved them, of course you were happy for them. But they took note that you weren’t going on dates like they were. And at first, the jokes were tame. Again - easy to ignore. You loved them dearly, and they didn’t mean any harm, but it started to get a bit much. They teased you for never missing a session for a date, for never missing their shows for another guy, for never having a boyfriend to get jealous over your best friendship with Eddie. And Eddie often just chuckled along, which stung, but you knew he didn’t mean anything by it, either.

So it was easy. At first. You’d roll your eyes and laugh along with them, or you’d tease them back. When you were teased for making it to a last minute one-shot session, you gave it right back to them, and they’d shut up, laughing and agreeing. But then there was the big Valentine’s session. The night before Valentine’s Day, the boys got together for a brutal one shot. They’d decided somewhat last minute, as Eddie was annoyed and had recently broken up with one of his short-term girlfriends. Even though it was the night before Valentine’s Day, most girls were with their boyfriends anyway, or going on dates then, too. But you were here, with the boys, in Gareth and Jeff’s apartment.

When you’d walked in, nothing happened - at first. But then they started talking about how they all had hot dates the next day, and how Jeff had had to do some serious promising in order for his girlfriend not to be upset that he spent the night before the night of love with his friends instead of her. They started talking about the dates they had the next night, Eddie being the only one with too fresh a relationship end to really have a date planned. Well, Eddie and you. You just stayed quiet, listening and laughing along and asking about the boys’ plans. Gareth should’ve kept his big mouth shut, but he couldn’t resist, and finally asked you “no date again this year? You’re on a worse streak than us, dude,” with a playful laugh.

You knew he didn’t mean anything by it. They saw you as one of the guys, and that was fine. But something about the reminder that it was a regular pattern stung. Still, you kept your smile on, rolling your eyes and opening your mouth to say something when Jeff piped in, also teasing. His joke was a little funnier, and hit less close to home, so you laughed. One of the other boys made another comment, and so it went, until Eddie raised an amused eyebrow at you. “I mean come on, you couldn’t even get a Valentine’s Day date?”

He meant it to sound silly. It felt less silly coming out of his mouth, but he didn’t know how to fix it, so he stayed quiet in wait for a response, not knowing how hurt you felt by his comment. Finally fed up, you stood abruptly, chair pushing out loudly behind you, and gathered your things. You wouldn’t be staying for the special session, damn their plans.

Eddie, not one to know when to back down, instead doubled down. “Oh come on, you know that was just a joke. It’s just surprising to see a girl have worse game than us. And we’re all pretty bad,” he cracked the self deprecating joke, and again - it sounded so much worse out of his mouth than it did in his head.

Something about that final joke was what made you snap.

“I get it, okay?” You hissed. “It’s so funny, ha ha. Laugh it up, boys. You’re welcome to keep talking about how pathetic I am once I’m gone. I’m done. I’ll see you next week for the rest of the campaign.” You were clearly frustrated, and one of the boys tried to make it better, telling you they were just joking. It didn’t help.

“I don’t care if it’s a joke! I don’t care! I’m tired of hearing it! You have no idea how much it sucks to have the people around you all have dates and partners, and never having one for yourself. It’s funny, until it’s not! I don’t enjoy being this way, okay? I am in my mid-twenties, I’m friends with a bunch of guys, and I still am apparently too undesirable to have ever received any romantic attention. I don’t know what it’s like to be flirted with, to be asked on a date, to be loved or even lusted after! I don’t know what that’s like! Is that what you wanted to hear? You’re right! I haven’t been on a date in years, but not because I don’t have game. Just because apparently, I’m not even worth asking for a phone number! You go out, and girls flirt with you! You flirt with them! You get numbers, you go on dates, you have girlfriends! Even the younger kids in the friend group have had partners galore! The girls have had boyfriends, they’ve been fought over! I’ve never even been flirted with. Do you have any idea how humiliating that is?” You hadn’t even noticed you were crying until your hot tears made it hard to see. You wiped at your eyes roughly and took as deep a breath as you could manage. “You laugh, and you joke, but you don’t get it. You’ve never been the most undesirable person in a friend group. Even in a group of self-proclaimed freaks, I manage to be the biggest freak of them all. The girl no one has ever looked at twice. So excuse me if I’m tired of the jokes, okay?” You finished loudly, and held your D&D folder to your chest, shoving your dice in your pockets and turning to leave, barely slipping your shoes on your feet before heading quickly out the front door. The cool fall air helped the tightness in your lungs from all the tears, and you paused just a moment to catch your breath.

What hurt the most about all of it, was admitting it all. Not just to your friends - your best friends - but to Eddie. Eddie, who you’d been harboring a deep crush for since you’d met him all those years earlier. You had no idea how you’d face him now that he knew how absolutely pathetic you were - and had always been. You couldn’t even finish wallowing in peace, because before your feet had gotten you all the way to your car, you heard footsteps behind you, hurrying to reach you.

“Hey, wait!” Eddie called, “listen, I’m so sorry. I feel like such an asshole for what I said back there. I didn’t know it was something that-” he searched for the words, reaching for your arm gently, “I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I never would’ve imagined. You’re like, one of the coolest girls we’ve ever met, none of us ever thought that you’d- be single because you couldn’t-” that sounded better in his head, too, which caused him to sigh deeply. You looked back at him and he was staring at you with those big doe eyes of his, clearly apologetic. “I’m sorry. I’m so bad with my words. You know I am. But for some reason today, I just keep shoving my foot into my own damn mouth. I just mean- you’re awesome. You’re amazing, we all think so. We teased you because we thought you wanted to be single. Independent. Tied to no one,” he finished with a wince, realizing he still wasn’t helping his case.

“Eddie - it’s fine. You couldn’t have known. And I appreciate your sentiment, I really do. I know what you mean. I don’t hold your wording against you,” you gave him a small smile. “But I can’t go back in there. I feel horrible. I hate thinking about all of this, and I especially don’t like telling anyone about it. It feels so… pathetic.”

“Hey,” he stopped you, frowning. “Stop using that word. You’re not pathetic. You’re super awesome. We love you. We all do. And I get it, if you want to leave. But… can I call you once the session is over? I can fill you in on any of the stupid shit the boys do, and maybe I can distract you once you’re feeling up to a distraction.”

You stared up at him, once again in awe of how sweet he could be. It nearly broke your heart in two, because you really did love him. He was so kind. He’d just never be yours.

“Yeah, Ed. Of course you can. I’ll be happy to hear all about it. Make one of the NPCs particularly difficult to deal with in my honor, year?” You joked, smiling shyly at him.

He finally smiled and nodded, “obviously. She’ll be a super cool badass princess, and she won’t stop giving them shit, scout’s honor,” he gestured, and you couldn’t help but to giggle.

“I’ll talk to you later then, Eddie.”

“Yeah. Later. Bye, sweetheart,” he smiled softly, walking backwards slowly, away from your car and back to the apartment. He still felt horrible, but he had no idea when would be a good time to tell you that he’d only ever dated girls who reminded him of you.

It would just have to wait.

#my writing #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson drabble #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fic #stranger things #x reader #hy's writing #chrissy cunningham #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson blurb #my fic #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson angst

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for-your-modesty-dude · 29 days ago

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As Long As You're There

A/N: AHHHHHHHH This is SO intimidating. My first ever fic posted. I don't feel like it's my best work, but if I don't post this now, I'm going to chicken out, and never write anything ever again. I hope you don't hate it, since I refuse to have my first piece beta read for fear of chickening out from that, too. So... no beta, we die like Jason. Feedback appreciated, but please be nice, LOL. I'm sensitive and very new to this. Love you all! - Hy

Warnings: Reader uses she/her pronouns, not beta read, tenses might jump around (i got nervy), generally nervous author, was supposed to be angst/fluff but I honestly don't know how to describe this one, folks

Synopsis: Eddie is sure Chrissy Cunningham is the girl for him. What happens when he is shown she's not?

It is undeniable. Eddie Munson thinks he likes Chrissy Cunningham - especially after that drug deal before the championship game back in high school. He doesn't really, though. Deep down, what it really boils down to is that he craves to be known and liked by the people who torment him. He sees kindness in her, and thinks that maybe - just maybe - if Chrissy can see past the flaws, even a girl like her could come to have feelings for a guy like him. After all, he's always been funny, charming, and larger-than-life. Sure, he talks a lot, he goes on emotional rants, and always has something to tease his friends about. And okay, maybe he's a little bossy. But at the end of the day, he's just a guy with a lot of affection to give and not enough friends to give it to. He tries, he does, to keep his temper tamed and attitude in check, but it's hard for someone with a past like his. He's a little angry at everything. He wants to get out of Hawkins, sure. But most of all, he just wishes he could feel normal. He likes being different, likes being who he is. But he doesn't like what comes with it. The jeering, the nasty looks, the fear - it's all so stupid. Because despite all of his attitude and temper and hardened look, Eddie Munson is a complete dork with a heart of gold. After all, the jocks and preps don't have a care in the world to take those who look like they've got no one and give them a place and a group to be a part of. No, only Eddie does that. He's done it since he was young, and even now, in his mid-twenties and having completed his Associate's degree to make his old man proud (the one who cared for him, not the one who left him), he still finds himself constantly looking out for people who may need a group. All the while, he keeps one eye open in search of Chrissy Cunningham - the girl who went off to college, got her fancy Bachelor's degree, and then, for some reason entirely unknown to Eddie, returned to her hometown to teach at the very same high school they'd both graduated from.

Eddie, meanwhile, had been stuck working at the auto shop since he'd graduated. Wayne had sat him down and insisted he needed to find real work, lest he get arrested for his extracurricular activities. The conversation, of course, had been prompted by Wayne finding a stash of pills his nephew had hidden (and then forgotten) in the bread box. He hadn't been happy, and had told Eddie he would not be going down for 'having them damn pills in my home.' Eddie had been a little embarrassed, but agreed to get a real job- so he'd chosen the shop. Luckily for him, it was in a perfect spot. It was on the street Chrissy Cunningham passed every morning on her drive to school, and every afternoon on her drive home. In the spring through the fall, she even walked most days - which gave Eddie the chance to say hello. He always tried to be as grease-free as he could, but some stains really just stuck, and he had a habit of wiping his face after changing the oil in his customers' cars... it didn't go well for him in the looks department.

What Chrissy thought of it, no one was the wiser. None of Eddie's friends really interacted with her. Half the kids were still off to college, Dustin being the furthest and at an Ivy League, so no one could spy or find information. Sure, El was still around, choosing to go to the local college with Max, but they definitely didn't speak to Chrissy. Mike, Will, and Lucas had their own college woes. And Steve and Robin... well, they'd gotten through community college too, eventually, but they stayed within their comfort zone. They didn't make new friends, and they certainly didn't hang out with the likes of Chrissy Cunningham. Nancy and Jonathan had done what they'd always said they'd do - they took the settlement money from the government and went to NYU together, staying in New York City to work at the Times, as journalist and photographer, respectively.

All of these things meant that Eddie was on his own. Except, of course, for his best friend. One of the craziest things about community college to him was that he met people from other towns. Imagine his shock when he met a girl there from a small town not 45 minutes away from Hawkins, studying music history for fun. He was a lover of music, sure, but he was taking the class for the sake of his liberal arts degree. This girl? She was finishing her Bachelor's at the local university and taking courses for fun at the local college. He'd found her fascinating, to say the least. It helped that she was, like him, a little different from the rest. They had similar (though not quite identical) music tastes, and fashion that made their conservative towns uncomfortable. It sparked an instant bond. He'd invited this girl out to Hawkins once, and they'd never looked back. They'd become inseparable. She'd moved out to Hawkins, somehow a nicer town than her own, especially as its commerce grew, and helped Eddie out of his slump. When Wayne had given him that talk, it was Eddie's new best friend who'd helped him nail the interview at the auto shop. It was she who helped him find his new apartment (conveniently a 5 minute walk away from her own), and it was she who listened as he gushed about good ol' Chrissy Cunningham.

So here you were, once again seated at the register at your job, listening to Eddie go on about Chrissy's outfit that day on her walk home from teaching at the school. Did it bother you? Absolutely not. There was no reason for it to bother you. He was just a friend. Your best friend. But... then why did your stomach sink whenever he brought her up? Why did your chest feel tight? Why did it feel hard to smile when he laughed about how cute she was when she'd dropped her purse, or whatever book she was carrying? Why did you-

The ringing of the bell above the door pulled you out of your spiral, if for but a moment. You looked up, never more grateful in your life than to see the likes of Steve Harrington, who'd been introduced to you early on in your friendship with Eddie. He was a good friend of yours now, and often came to visit you at work, as with the others who’d stayed behind, when they had the time. Often, he wanted to talk about the latest gossip to someone who wasn't Robin (after all, he couldn't very well tell Robin half of the things he experienced, because she was usually there to experience it with him). He gave Eddie a good, friendly slap on the back as he approached the counter, leaning his forearms on the counter and leaning forward to greet you. Eddie made a face, annoyed at having been interrupted, but not annoyed enough to voice it.

"Hiya, Stevie," you greeted him with a smile, eyes communicating your relief at his arrival.

"Hey!” He responded brightly, but your relief was short-lived, as Steve took this opportunity to smile suspiciously sweetly at you, "so, any chance you want to take my shift later?"

Your eyes narrowed at him, "so that's why you're here? To ask for a favor? Even though you still owe me for the last shift I covered?" He had the decency to look at least a little apologetic about that, and nodded.

"I swear I'll pay you back for both. But... remember that girl who's been coming in every week to see me? I ran into her today while getting lunch, and she actually agreed to a date tonight. I swear, I'll more than make it up to you if you just please help me out today. I'll beg, do you want me to beg?"

You put your hands up in surrender, "woah, okay. No need to tarnish your dignity like that. I'm good, I'll stay. It's not like I have plans anyway, so one of us might as well get a date. God knows we could both use the romantic luck," you rest your chin on your hand with a huff, and he thanks you about seven times before running back out, leaving just you and Eddie once again (and, well, the three customers browsing the aisles of the store).

"So..." Eddie started, trying to keep the conversation from awkwardness. "No luck on the dating front, then?"

You couldn't help but to shoot him a dirty look, before you rolled your eyes and sighed. "No. There's no- anyone in this damn town. No one interested, and no one interesting. Maybe I need to expand my horizons and take a road trip out to Indie," you huffed. Eddie shrugged, turning to lean his back on the counter as he continued chatting with you, picking at his nails all the while.

"I think I might ask Chrissy to go out tomorrow night. Think she'll say yes?" For some reason, the fact that your misery led to him talking about his hopeful date sparked anger in you, but you didn't let it show. Did you think Chrissy would go out with him? Maybe. She was so sweet, you didn't think she had any reason to say no. She'd give him a shot, at least. But that was the trouble, wasn't it? If she gave him a shot, she'd see how wonderful he was. And then, maybe, you'd lose him for good. Was that something you were cool with? It wasn't like you were together. It wasn't like he'd ever looked at you the way he looks at her. It wasn't like you were in love with him... was it?

That realization had you smacking your forehead lightly against the countertop behind the register, and Eddie turned around to look at you with a puzzled expression. "You good over there?"

You just managed a frustrated groan and the excuse, "just commiserating that everyone else has successful romantic lives and I'm stuck behind this register. Of course she'll say yes, she's too sweet to reject you, and you're awesome. Anyone who doesn't see my best friend's potential as a boyfriend is stupid and also rude." You finally looked up at him with what you hoped was a convincing smile. He couldn't help his own grin at that, feeling proud.

"It's totally settled, then. I'm going to ask her. What do you think she'll say to going to the new diner that opened up where Benny's old place was?" He asked, and you had to plaster on that fake smile again.

"Eddie, as long as you're there, she'll have a great time. Trust me." At least, it was true for you. If Eddie was present, you knew you’d have a great time. At least, most of the time. When he gushed about Chrissy, you had… less of a good time. But your compliment seemed to work, because he lit up like a christmas tree.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he gave you a beaming sort of smile, leaning over the counter to kiss your cheek. “I think I’m gonna go see if I can catch her on her lunch break. I’ll call you if it goes well!” He turned tail and ran, clearly excited. Luckily, he was gone so fast that he missed the way you deflated entirely.

You were happy for him, and would continue to be if he managed to date Chrissy. But it didn’t change that you’d be jealous of her. A relationship - especially with Eddie - was time-consuming and all-encompassing. He would spend his free time with her, and you’d be left behind. It was natural, after all. What girl would want her boyfriend hanging out with another girl one on one? The thoughts plagued you, until a customer called into the shop asking about whether a certain book was in stock or not. After that, your day managed to go by a little quicker.

You didn’t realize how late it had gotten until you were reading a book behind the counter and heard the bell ring as someone entered the store. Eddie slammed his hands down on the counter with a big grin, “guess what?” You peered up at him over your book and your heart sank, but you kept your expression clear for him.

“Hm… you’re a huge nerd?” You joked, and he made a face in response.

“She said yes! She’s actually going on a date with me!” His eyes were bright and excited. “She said she’s cool with diner food, so… tomorrow night, I’ve got a hot date with Chrissy Cunningham. Will you help me choose what to wear?” And he just looked so hopeful, that you couldn’t possibly say no to him. So you agreed, and he sat around with you until the end of your shift.

You wound up going back to his place that night, to help him in his search for an outfit. He even threw it in the wash so that he could smell good for his date. That night when you went to bed, you couldn’t help but to stare up at the ceiling and seethe for a few minutes, before letting sleep overtake you. Your dreams were the same as they always were - some shenanigans you got into with Eddie. Only tonight they held a different meaning, and when you woke up you were forced to reconcile with the information that was news even to you:

You were in love with your best friend.

You went into your shift early that morning, stopping for coffee at your favorite place before starting your day at the store. You were able to distract yourself then, as Saturdays were particularly busy days for book-buyers. You hadn’t thought about your revelation since you’d had it. You had refused to acknowledge it, in fact. Eddie was your best friend. And he was going on a date with Chrissy Cunningham tonight. There was absolutely no point in thinking any more about potential feelings that may or may not exist. So you spent the day working, and maybe pouting. A couple of your friends stopped by to say hi throughout the day, but noticed your demeanor and ended up just letting you mope.

Before his date, Eddie stopped by your job - and God, did it hurt. He looked so handsome. His curls were freshly washed and styled, his leather jacket hanging off of him like it was made for him, and his freshly washed jeans making him look more cleaned up than ever. When he opened up his jacket, he was proud to show off the button-up you’d helped him choose. ‘Dressy enough to be on a date, dressed down enough for jeans’ was what you’d told him. And his usual worn combat boots looked - almost good as new. When you asked about those, he was proud to say he’d spent his morning cleaning them with carpet cleaner and a toothbrush. Your heart ached that he’d never put that much effort in for you, not in that way.

Before he could leave, you approached him to fix his collar and a stray curl, making sure he looked his absolute best. You refused to meet his eyes for your own sanity, and if he noticed, he didn’t comment. He just let you work your magic, and when you finally stepped back, you gave him your most convincing smile, and wished him well. “Call me if you need anything at all. I’ll be home tonight, and tomorrow morning. I want to hear all about it,” lie. “She’s going to have a great time, not a doubt in my mind,” truth. “I’ll be rooting for you,” lie. “You’re gonna do great,” truth.

He smiled proudly, and thanked you before giving you a big hug. The smell of his good cologne (only brought out for funerals and weddings) threw you for a loop, and nearly strangled you, but you managed to squeeze him back. When he ran out with a quick “love ya!” you just fell back into your seat behind the counter for the last hour of your shift.

If you had any idea what was going on in Eddie’s head…

He’d only stopped by because he figured he should share in this exciting moment with his best friend. But something about your excitement had him feeling a little odd about the whole thing. And then you’d come up to him to help him straighten his shirt and fix his hair and you just wouldn’t look at him. He couldn’t understand why, but honestly, he was too focused on the fact that you were wearing your favorite perfume that day. He could tell you’d washed your hair that morning, too, because he caught a whiff of the shampoo you so loved. So when you didn’t look up and meet his eyes, he had to push down a weird feeling of disappointment. But he’d hugged you goodbye and you’d wished him luck, and that was that.

Or so he’d thought. He showed up to Chrissy’s to pick her up, a cute little townhouse near the center of town, and did all the gentlemanly things he was supposed to do. He’d brought her a small bouquet of daisies, and walked her to the car and opened her door for her - it was all pretty textbook. She smiled and laughed during the drive, and it had Eddie feeling like he was already on the right track with this girl.

Things did take a turn, though, when they actually got to talking after they’d ordered their meals. Because it would seem that Chrissy knew him better than he ever imagined she would.

“Can I ask you a question?” She’d asked him, hands folded in front of her as she leaned close in curiosity.

“Shoot,” he’d leaned back against the back of his seat, smiling.

“I know you mentioned yesterday that you’ve had a crush on me for years, and I found that so sweet of you, Eddie, but… aren’t you in love with - well… you know…” She didn’t say your name, but only because it felt a little major to bring up your name if he hadn’t considered it. But he blinked at her, puzzled, and she realized she had no choice. So she finished her question with your name, which made Eddie’s eyes go comically large.

“Sorry, what?” Was all he managed. His eyebrows slowly rose to his hairline, when she gave him a shy smile.

“Eddie… you hear yourself when you talk about her, don’t you?” She asked, a soft giggle in her voice. “I’m flattered, I am. And I think you’re really amazing, and would love to date you. But only if I thought you actually liked me. I’m not accusing you of lying, I just don’t think you realize just how you sound.”

Eddie was not a man often brought to speechlessness, but Chrissy’s question stopped him dead in his tracks. You? That wasn’t possible. You were his best friend. Comfortably listed in the “friends” category in his brain… or were you? Chrissy, sweet Chrissy, pointed behind him to the entrance, and said “oh, I guess her shift must have ended! She’s here now with someone!”

The speed at which Eddie whipped around to look was nearly breakneck. When he saw you were, in fact, not there, he turned back to Chrissy with a blush and an embarrassed look in his eye. She just gave him that warm smile and sweet giggle, “I’m sorry, Eddie. But that’s not something someone does for just a best friend. Have you ever thought about that?”

He took a moment to rewind and think about his conversation on the drive here. Admittedly, he’d told Chrissy a lot of stories about you. He started by telling her all about how he would gush to you about his crush on her, but then devolved into just telling her about the times you’d hung out, and the fun things you’d done together. When she’d mentioned a restaurant or fun activity, he’d talk about a time you’d discussed the same with him. So, okay, maybe he talked about you a lot. And sure, he had thought about how much he preferred your perfume over Chrissy’s when he’d picked her up at her place, but that didn’t mean anything, did it?

And then he thought about how he’d felt so off when you hadn’t met his eyes when fixing his date night outfit. He’d never voice that one out loud to Chrissy, but he’d wanted you to look up at him and smile, and see how handsome he looked. He’d tried hard. The more he thought about it, the bigger hole he felt he dug himself.

He blinked at her and groaned, burying his face in his hands in shame. “Shit. I think I’m in love with my best friend.”

Chrissy, to her credit, took it so sweetly. She giggled and just encouraged him, telling him he should tell you and get it out in the open. Eddie, however, was so afraid. Afraid he would be wrong about the whole thing and you wouldn’t be interested in him in return. It didn’t matter, in the end, because his date (and now friend) was rather persuasive, and convinced him to do it as soon as he saw you next. And before he knew it, he was paying for their date, and driving her home. He liked being friends with Chrissy, he realized, and didn’t exactly desire any more than that. He’d always wanted her to like him, and now he knew she did - in a more important way than romance. She liked him for who he was, and wanted him to be happy. She wanted to be his friend.

As soon as he dropped her off, she gave him a warning look and told him not to stray from his plan. It would work, and you’d be together in no time. He just thanked her and got back into his truck, driving home. His autopilot must have broken, however, because next thing he knew, he was pulling into the parking lot at your apartment. He sat there and stared at your door, the automatic light coming on and making his heart race. When he looked up, he saw the lights in your apartment were still on, signalling that you hadn’t quite gone to bed just yet. With his last hope of an excuse entirely extinguished, he got out of his car and stood at your front door for a few moments. Luckily, since you lived on the second floor, he got a minute to breathe before you saw him lingering at the door and freaked out about a stranger. So he took a chance, breathed, and did his special knock.

You had been wallowing in self-pity all night, watching your favorite romcoms and snacking on your favorite chips and dip combo. Anything to try and forget about the realization that you were in love with Eddie. It was the worst possible timing, really. After all, he’d been hopelessly single for so long. You had to realize the day he wanted to ask his longtime crush on a date? You spent a long while beating yourself up about that, but eventually accepted your fate and tried to think about literally anything else. Hence, movies and snacks. You’d even tried to pick up a book at one point, but you realized that even that had a romantic plot, and ended up throwing it onto your bed and returning to the movies. At least romantic comedies had comedy. You’d even cried during one of your all-time favorites, which was infuriating - you could hear Eddie’s teasing voice in your head about how crying over a dumb boy was so not metal. If only he knew. So naturally, when his signature knock came from your front door, you were puzzled.

You descended the stairs to the front door with your brows drawn together in confusion, opening the door in your pjs - soft pajama pants and a hellfire t-shirt you’d stolen from Eddie years prior. He was standing there, hands stuffed in his pockets as he stared at the apartment number next to your door. “Uh… hi? Shouldn’t you be on your date right now?” You asked, but opened the door further for him to enter. He shrugged and toed his boots off before heading up the stairs, leaving you to lock up behind him and follow - more confused than ever. “Eddie, is everything okay?”

He fell onto your couch and pulled the bowl of chips onto his lap, putting a chip in his mouth just to avoid answering the question. But you were too stubborn, standing in front of him with your hands on your hips. “Edward. What the hell?” He finally looked up at you with his big brown eyes at that, and had the decency to look a little shy.

“‘M not in love with Chris,” he mumbled with his mouth full. You didn’t quite understand (or, you thought you didn’t) so you made a face at him, and he waited until his mouth was no longer full to repeat “I’m not in love with Chris. She’s- great. But I’m not in love with her.”

Your self-pity melted away for a moment at his ridiculousness, “Eddie, you’ve been on one date. You’re not necessarily going to fall in love over burgers, dude.” You looked at him like he was only slightly insane, which he appreciated.

“Yeah, no, I know that,” he tugged at a strand of his hair. “I know that. I just… I am in love, y’know? Just- not with Chrissy.” And if that doesn’t confuse you even further. Your chest tightens for a moment, but he’s not making any sense, and you really just need him to stop being so cryptic.

“Honestly, Ed, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Can you please just tell me what’s going on?” You sat next to him, facing him with your legs criss-cross. He refused to turn and face you, just setting the bowl of chips on the coffee table and staring down at his lap, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. You stared at him expectantly for a moment, and when he stayed quiet, you lightly punched his arm. “Speak, nerd.”

“Hey,” he finally pouted at you, rubbing his arm as if you’d punched him much harder. “I dunno! Chrissy had some enlightening shit to tell me. Apparently she knows me better than I thought she did. Actually, better than I know me. Which was super weird, by the way. I didn’t like feeling so exposed. But uh… She just opened my eyes. Turns out, I’ve been in love with someone for, like, a stupid long time.” When he stopped there, you almost punched him again, for leaving you on such a cliffhanger. He put his hands up in defense when he noticed. “Hey! Okay! I’m talking!”

He took a deep breath, “so, you won’t totally hate me for this, will you?” He felt he had to ask, and you made another face at him.

“I mean, depends on who you’re in love with. If you have really bad taste, then yeah. I might,” you joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He gave you his most unimpressed stare and rolled his eyes, before tugging at his hair again, a nervous habit you found annoyingly cute.

“Uh- well. You, actually,” he said simply, with a nervous, almost self-deprecating chuckle. You blinked at him for a moment.

“I’m sorry, me? Me what?” You asked, the possibility simply not computing in your mind.

“You. I’m in love with you. Apparently been in love with you for awhile. Just didn’t notice because my head was too far up my own ass,” he said, finally meeting your eyes again, this time looking more sincere than he had in awhile. But you were skeptical, and afraid of having your feelings hurt.

“Eddie, where is this coming from? You’ve always had feelings for Chrissy. It was like, a fact, at this point. The sky is blue, the grass is green, and Eddie Munson has a crush on Chrissy Cunningham. You don’t like me, you never have. Not- like that,” you told him, a little insecure. He didn’t really seem to have an answer except to lean over and kiss your cheek, his own cheeks bright red. Your eyes went wide and you stared at him for a moment, fighting your own thoughts. You stared at each other, equally wide-eyed, until you finally blurted out “I’m in love with you too. And it’s so weird because I never knew I felt this way until yesterday, and I finally understood why it irked me so much when you wouldn’t shut up about Chrissy.”

The admission caught you both off guard, and neither of you really knew how to respond. Eddie let out a curse under his breath before leaning in and capturing your lips in a hasty kiss, just quick and short but enough to have both of your hearts racing. You let out a squeak, and just stared at him again, before throwing your arms around him to hug him close, enjoying the smell of his shampoo, and his good cologne. You had no idea where this would take you, or if it would last. All you knew was that as long as he was there, you’d be just fine. As it turned out, Eddie Munson does not like Chrissy Cunningham. At least, not in the way he thought he did. He liked her as a friend, sure. But his real feelings could be found around the one person who’d been by his side since his first day of his music history class at the local community college. The girl whose nerd matched his, the girl who never needed him to be anything except what he was. A girl to whom he wasn’t too much, or not enough. Instead, he was just enough. Just loud enough, just obnoxious enough, just bossy enough, just funny enough, just clingy enough, just affectionate enough. And now that he had her for real, he would never ever let go.

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