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𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂

𝙼𝙰𝚁𝚅𝙴𝙻

𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙱𝙰𝙽𝙺𝚂

𝚂𝙰𝙼 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝙻𝙱𝚈

𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

𝙻𝙶𝙱𝚃𝚀+

𝙿𝙾𝙲 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚜

𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐

𝙾𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚖

𝚂𝚞𝚋 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙳𝚘𝚖

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜

𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢

𝚊𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚎

𝚂𝙰

𝚎𝚝𝚌...

✍︎︎

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒:

𝗝𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦 "𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗔𝗡" 𝗛𝗢𝗪𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗧 (𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗟𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗘)

ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ sᴏᴏɴ...

𝗪𝗔𝗗𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗦𝗢𝗡 (𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗣𝗢𝗢𝗟)

ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ sᴏᴏɴ...

𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒:

𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚋𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚠 / ⚠️

𝚈/𝚗'𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚊𝚗d 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎. 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚢/𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 ��𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙷𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎... / ⚠️

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚢/𝚗, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍. 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚗𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛

𝚈/𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢/𝚗. 𝙼𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚞𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙼𝚊𝚡𝚒𝚗𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢/𝚗 / ⚠️

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍, 𝚜𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 / ⚠️

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜�� 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙲𝚘𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝 "𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜" 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋. 𝚈/𝚗 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 / sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍!𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢 "𝚗𝚘" 𝚝𝚘𝚘

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢!𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝙱𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚢!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙼𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎'𝚜 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝙳𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚎 𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚐𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚢, 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚛!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝗘𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗢𝗡

𝙶𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝. 𝙴𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝙷𝚒𝚐𝚑 𝚂𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚋𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚠 / ⚠️

𝚈/𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍, 𝚜𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 / ⚠️

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚢 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙-𝙳𝚊𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊 𝚝𝚢𝚙𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙲𝚘𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎, 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝 "𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜" 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋. 𝚈/𝚗 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 / sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 about 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢/𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎en 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐, 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 / ⚠️

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢/𝚗. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎, 𝚢/𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎 / ⚠️

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚘𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚠 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚢/𝚗'𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚂𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚎'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚛

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑 𝚘𝚗 𝚢/𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚑𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛. 𝙷𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛 / ⚠️

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚢𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜. 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚞𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚛!𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚢/𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 / ⚠️

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 . 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝. 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍!𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢 "𝚗𝚘" 𝚝𝚘𝚘

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢. 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚌���𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 / ⚠️

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎. 𝙻𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚅𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎!𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎'𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗, 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛!𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍'𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 / ⚠️ ᴜɴғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚓𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙼𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚌𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚙 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜 / ⚠️

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚢 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚑. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 / ⚠️

𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙼𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛

𝙱𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚢!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙼𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗩𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗢𝗡

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚐𝚎𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙲𝚘𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎, 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝 "𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜" 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋. 𝚈/𝚗 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 / sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚘𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 . 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝. 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍!𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢 "𝚗𝚘" 𝚝𝚘𝚘

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎. 𝙻𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚅𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎!𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎'𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚔𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗, 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛!𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍'𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 / ⚠️ ᴜɴғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙱𝚊𝚋𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑 𝚘𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝙳𝚊𝚍!𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚗𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚘𝚜

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎'𝚜 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝗝𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗩𝗘𝗥

𝙶𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝. 𝙴𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝙷𝚒𝚐𝚑 𝚂𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚢𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙. 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚞𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚛!𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚢/𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 / ⚠️

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢. 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 / ⚠️

𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒:

𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡

𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐? 𝙽𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚢/𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝙹𝙹 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜? sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙷𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝? 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚎𝚟���𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 -- 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚊 𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙-𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 /⚠️

𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍. 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚕𝚏, 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚖 𝚢/𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 ��𝚑𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚘. 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢/𝚗, 𝙹𝙹 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 / ⚠️

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝙹'𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍. 𝙷𝚎 𝚜𝚗𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝙹'𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎'𝚜 𝚎𝚡 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜. 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚗 / ⚠️ sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙿𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝙿𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢/𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 / ⚠️ ᴜɴғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙹𝙹 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚠, 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚕 / ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏᴍ

𝙱𝚞𝚣𝚣𝚌𝚞𝚝!𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚞𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚓𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚞𝚝

𝗝𝗝 𝗠𝗔𝗬𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗞

𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐? 𝙽𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚢/𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝙹𝙹 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜?

𝙹𝙹 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚖 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚠, 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚙𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚕 / ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏɴ

𝙹𝙹 𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚋𝚋𝚢!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜 𝚛𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏𝚏, 𝚌𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝙹

𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗡

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎'𝚜 𝚎𝚡 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜, 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚗 / ⚠️ sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝐓𝐇𝐄 100 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒:

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗠𝗬 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗞𝗘

𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚊𝚑𝚊, 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚜𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚘 𝚋�� 𝚢/𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚠, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚞𝚝 / ᴍɪɴɪ sᴇʀɪᴇs / ⚠️

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚢/𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑. 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚢/𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍

𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢/𝚗 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜. 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚢/𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜. 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚔, 𝚜𝚘 𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕. 𝙷𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚢/𝚗

𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚜𝚘 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚜. 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎, 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎

𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒:

𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗕𝗬 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞

𝙰𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚎, 𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚋𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚢. 𝙷𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗 / ⚠️

𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗. 𝙵𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚗𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚢/𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚝

𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 ��𝚘? 𝙾𝚑, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚎 / ⚠️

✍︎︎

𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐍𝐄-𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓:

"ɪ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ" - ʀᴀғᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴏɴ

ᴋɴᴏᴄᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴜᴘ. - ᴇᴅᴅɪᴇ ᴍᴜɴsᴏɴ

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ ᴏʀ sǫᴜɪʀᴛ? - sᴜʙ!sᴛᴇᴠᴇ ʜᴀʀʀɪɢɴᴛᴏɴ x sᴜʙ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ x ᴅᴏᴍ!ᴇᴅᴅɪᴇ ᴍᴜɴsᴏɴ

ᴍᴇᴀɴ!ʙᴇʟʟᴀᴍʏ ʙʟᴀᴋᴇ x ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅᴇʀ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ʙᴜᴢᴢᴄᴜᴛ!ʀᴀғᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴏɴ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ʙᴜʟʟʏ!ʙɪʟʟʏ ʜᴀʀɢʀᴏᴠᴇ x ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴛ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒:

ғᴏʀʙɪᴅ (ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏɴᴇ)

ғᴏʀʙɪᴅ (ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴛᴡᴏ)

♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎

[idyllicwillowtree]

God Eddie, You're So In Love With Me. (part 2)

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: 1.8k

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

Author’s note: Thank you so much for the positive comments on part 1! I was feeling insecure about this fic so that was very nice y'all are so sweet <3

Enjoy!

Main Masterlist

Part 1

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.” 

All the Hellfire members whipped their heads toward you, witnessing an angry rash spreading across your skin and your breathing becoming audible as you tried to suck in as much oxygen as possible.

Eddie’s heart clenched painfully as he looked down at you, remembering the severity of your allergy after Dustin explained it to him one time. Still, Eddie was taken aback by the speed at which your symptoms were progressing.

You reached a hand out to Eddie as the choked coughs took over. He ignored your hand in favor of catching your body before it hit the ground. With trembling limbs he carefully lowered you to the grimy tile of the cafeteria floor.

“Fuck,” Eddie cursed, “Dustin! What do we do?!”

Dustin had froze. Panic set in as he watched his older sister struggle more and more to take in a full breath. A small crowd began to gather and the excited chatter of the cafeteria simmered into hushed whispers and gasps. Everyone was watching, and not in the way Eddie was used to.

“Henderson!” Eddie snapped. 

At that, Dustin went to work. “Mike, go call 911! Lucus, see if the nurse has an epipen. GO!” The sheep dispersed. Dustin picked up your bag with trembling hands and began digging through your books and school supplies, searching for the epinephrine injector he swears you kept in there.

Eddie turned his attention back to you, trusting that Dustin had the rest handled. At the look of panic in your blotchy and swollen face he almost froze too. A chilling dread spread through his veins as you began clawing at your throat, doing everything you could to open your airways. 

“Hey, hey, hey, look at me princess. You’re gonna be alright, gonna be just fine, you hear me? D-Dustin will getchu your meds and you’ll be good to go,” Eddie rambled, trying to convince himself just as much. He gently cradled your warm face and stroked your hair to try and soothe you.

With every second passing you became closer and closer to death. Eddie looked up in desperation. His red-headed neighbor (Max, he thinks her name is) snatched the backpack out of a distraught Dustin’s hands and turned it upside down, emptying its contents. Robin was there too and put a comforting arm around your brother while Max took over the search for the injector. Eddie was vaguely aware of a teacher trying to pry him off of you but he’d risk getting expelled for shoving a teacher if it meant staying by your side. 

“Got it!” Max exclaimed, holding the orange and clear tube triumphantly. She slid to her knees on your otherside, not hesitating to jam the needle into your leg and holding it there.

Eddie flinched at the force it took to inject you. You took your first full breath, allowing him to take one as well. Your eyes were drooping slightly as the medicine was introduced into your system.

“Hey, there she is,” Eddie said gently.

Your tired eyes met his and he could’ve sworn the corners of your lips twitched upwards.

The paramedics arrived and Eddie hesitantly let you go so they could treat you. It was a blur of navy blue and red as they hooked you up to numerous tubes and slid an oxygen mask over your head. 

You became slightly more alert at the sight of strangers surrounding you as the stretcher clicked into place, raising you a couple feet off the ground. You moved your head tiredly trying to catch sight of anyone you knew. Anyone to comfort you.

“Dustin, go with her,” Eddie told the curly haired boy. He looked up at him with wet eyes that clenched at Eddie’s heart. “She needs you, go on.”

Eddie watched the determination emerge on the freshman’s face as he walked through the paramedics declaring that he was your brother, allowing him to be by your side. 

Swallowing thickly past the dryness in his mouth, Eddie watched you get rolled out on the stretcher. 

He turned numbly to see that Lucas and Mike had returned and started digging through your lunch, in an attempt to find out what it was that could’ve caused your reaction. As the two predictably began to bicker, Eddie grabbed the cup of applesauce and slowly brought the spoon out. To his horror, he scooped out a few small round nuts mixed with the smooth texture of the applesauce. 

His darkened eyes snapped up, immediately finding Jason. He at least had the decency to look scared, his skin white as a sheet. True terror shining through as he came to realize the severity of what he did. He shook his head slightly, pleading with Eddie. For what, he wasn’t sure. But he could give a shit.

The grip on the applesauce tightened, causing it to tremble, before he launched it in Jason's general direction. A fire of rage lit up Eddie's entire being, consuming any reason or restraint within him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! You could’ve killed her!!” Eddie roared, the words ripping from his throat like a thunderclap.  Every fiber in his being screamed for justice, determined to ensure that no harm would ever come to you again. 

“I-I-I didn’t think…I didn’t mean to-” Jason blubbered.

“Not good enough!” Eddie snapped. He charged forward, driven by the need to avenge your pain. Just when he was closing the distance between them a thick arm wrapped around his upper body. “LET ME GO!”

Eddie struggled against the firm grip that held him back from doing to Jason what he should've done a long time ago. If Eddie was strong enough, he could've saved you, stopped all of this bullying in its tracks before Jason had ever even looked in your direction. His strength never came from muscles or brute force, but from his anger—the primal need to protect those he loved. He was so consumed by his rage that a red haze blurred his vision. Or were those his tears?

“Eddie, man, don’t do this,” Doug said, doing his best to calm his friend.

“Please,” Eddie pleaded, losing some of his fight. “Just let me go.” 

“Dude, if you get into a fight you won’t be able to see Y/N in the hospital,” the bassist whispered in Eddie’s ear. He looked over and saw Principle Coleman closing in on them, there wasn’t much time left. “We can handle it, just go while you can.”

A wave of overwhelming frustration washed over Eddie as the struggle against Doug’s hold diminished. Tears welled up in his eyes as his chest released his rage and tightened back up with helplessness and despair.

He didn’t let it consume him though, taking off in the opposite direction of the principle, his sheep following close behind.

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

When the van ripped into the hospital parking lot, Eddie finally took notice of how many stowaways he had. Lucas, Mike, Max, Robin, and even Nancy all burst through the double doors at the back of his skunky smelling van and made their way to the emergency room entrance.

Eddie was the first one through the doors, eyes scanning the waiting area for his curly haired friend. What he wasn’t expecting to see was the one and only King Steve sitting with the boy. 

Steve noticed them first, taking the lead on letting them know what’s going on. He explained that you’d be fine but the doctors are running some tests and getting you hooked up to the necessary machines. It’ll be a little longer before Eddie gets to see you with his own eyes.

Eddie turned on his heel and walked through the doors he just came through as Steve explained that your mom was called but was on a trip with her girlfriends and won’t be able to make it back until tomorrow.

The disinfected smell of the hospital only offered to heighten Eddie’s desire for a cigarette. He finds solace in the only coping mechanism he has under his belt, even if he knew it was bad for him in the long run. The stress of the day weighed heavily on him as he leaned on the brick wall of the hospital outside. The familiar routine of lighting up offered a good distraction, the only way to momentarily ease his anxiety.

That was until your brother found him. He silently stood next to him, not feeling the need to fill the silence with anything but the gentle breeze and the birds chirping in the distance. But it made Eddie feel uneasy.

“I’d offer you a smoke, but I don’t want to corrupt you more than I already have,” Eddie said with a sad laugh.

Ignoring Eddie’s comment, Dustin asked, “you remember that one time when Hellfire came over to my house for a session? When the theater kids needed the drama room at school?”

Eddie nodded his head slowly, releasing the smoke from his lungs as he did so.

“I was still in middle school so I had only heard about you from Y/N. She had this weird way of speaking about you. It was in a way I had never heard her speak about anyone before.”

Eddie’s heart punched against his ribs painfully, his insecurities taking over.

“She was nice enough to let me watch your campaign so I could get ideas for the campaign I was doing with Mike and Lucas, and our other friend Will. I think she regretted it because of the Reese's Pieces incident.”

Eddie couldn’t help but start chuckling embarrassingly at the memory. “God, that was so stupid,” he smacked his forehead in an attempt to stop his mind from reliving one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. 

-

The Hellfire members flooded into your home, bringing chips, candy, and drinks to share. Your first time hosting the club was going great, until Dustin noticed the bag of Reese’s Pieces in Eddie’s hand.

“My sister is too nice to say anything but-” Dustin started.

“Stop, Dustin-”

“-we can’t have those in the house.”

Eddie’s eyebrows pinched beneath his bangs, “what? Why not?”

“She’s allergic to peanuts.”

Before you could roll your eyes at your little brother and reassure him it was fine, Eddie turned and chucked the bag out your kitchen’s open window leaving you standing there in shock and Eddie horrified by his own impulse.

-

“I think that’s when she fell in love with you.”

Eddie’s head whipped over to Dustin. The kid had the audacity to look smug after completely shattering his world view. His mind spun with the revelation.

Love, a word so potent, was now intertwined with his thoughts of your relationship. Eddie knew he liked you, a lot, but his brain never brought him to love. He replayed moments from your friendship in his head, searching for the signs, trying to decipher if Dustin was telling the truth. If the sentiment was truly real. A mix of surprise and uncertainty overwhelmed him, but there was also something warm and hopeful there. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.

He needed to see you and hear it from you directly. A million thoughts and memories raced through his mind, but one thing was clear–he needed to be with you, to tell you how he felt.

part 3

tags: @beeblisss @fishwithtitz @leah-loves-lilies

[harrywavycurly]

“Will you be my husband really quick?”: A fake marriage with Eddie Munson AU.

Part 2: Here

Part 3: Here

A/N: I have been wanting to write this prompt for a while and I’m glad y’all want it too! There’s gonna be a part 2 don’t worry.

TW: Cursing and Eddie hits someone and this eludes that your ex wasn’t the nicest.

Eddie is two beers in on what he figured was going to be a normal Friday night at the Hideout when he feels a hand grip his arm as he’s leaned over the bar grabbing a lighter from behind the stack of napkins and straws. He pauses his movements as he looks down at the hand that’s still on his arm and slowly his eyes move upward until they finally land on your face. He notices your eyes are wide and you’re looking everywhere but at him as you scan the room as if you’re looking for someone, Eddie just stands up straight and places the lighter on the bar next to his half empty beer.

“Will you be my husband really quick?” Eddie knows he must be hearing things as you finally make eye contact with him. He watches as you seem to visibly relax a bit as you stare at him with a hopeful look on your face. “Please?” He doesn’t know what it is about you but he feels like if he tells you no he might actually regret it so instead he takes a quick sip of his beer as your hand falls from his arm and before you can react he’s draping his arm over your shoulders and pulling you into him.

“Who’s the target?” Eddie’s voice is low and you can feel his breath on your neck as he whispers in your ear before placing a quick kiss to the side of your head, already playing into his husband role.

“Red shirt by the door.” You answer as one of your arms wrap around his middle, you feel Eddie lean away from you for a moment so he can get a good look at who you’re talking about.

“Jason fucking Carver?” You look up at Eddie who is glaring at the blonde haired man by the door and you feel yourself tense up as Eddie reaches for his beer so he can finish it off. “He your ex or something?” Eddie asks as he places the now empty bottle on the bar and motions to the bartender for another one.

“Yeah he’s uhm my ex.” Eddie can tell by your tone of voice you’re nervous and it makes him wonder what Jason did that caused the two of you to go your separate ways. “I’m sorry this is dumb I shouldn’t have bothered you.” You mumble as you try to move away from him but Eddie is quick to just pull you into him and wrap both arms around your shoulders making your cheek rest on his worn out Metallica shirt.

“Now what kind of husband would I be if I let you storm off like that?” Eddie begins running one of his hands up and down your back making you let out a soft sigh because for the first time in a long time you felt an odd sense of security and who would’ve thought that of all places it’s while wrapped in the arms of a stranger. “I’ve got you okay?” You look up and Eddie is already looking down at you making you feel even more at ease because his eyes are soft and his smile is sweet as he looks at you.

“Okay.” Is all you can say making Eddie’s hold on you tighten slightly as he leans down and places a small kiss to the top of your head in an attempt to help you relax a little more. “Uh so what’s your name?” Eddie laughs as he looks towards the door to check on the location of your ex.

“My name is Eddie.” You just nod and tell him your name in return as your hands somehow find their way into his back pockets as you wrap your arms around his waist. “I can see my wife is a little handsy huh?” You hide your face in his chest as you try to slide your hands from his pockets. “It’s okay sweetheart we’re married remember? No need to be shy.” You can’t help but laugh as Eddie goes back to running his hands up and down your back.

“So how do you know Jason?” You feel Eddie tense up at the mention of your ex’s name and it lets you know whatever memories Eddie has of him aren’t good ones.

“He was my high school’s official asshole.” You look up and rest your chin on Eddie’s chest as you watch his eyes look towards the door of the bar. “I take it he hasn’t changed much?” He asks as he looks down at you with a raised eyebrow making you look away as some memories of your relationship with Jason reply in your head.

“Yeah he hasn’t changed.” Eddie doesn’t miss the way your voice shakes a little as you answer his question.

“I can kick his ass right now if you want me to sweetheart just say the word and he’ll be on the ground.” You may not know Eddie but something tells you he’s not kidding and that he’d get a lot of joy out of beating Jason up. “Let me add that I feel that since I’m your husband it’s kinda my job to beat up your asshole ex boyfriends.” Eddie smiles to himself when he hears you laugh and just shake your head at him.

“As your wife it’s kinda my job to keep you out of trouble.” Eddie lets out a dramatic huff as he drops one of his arms from you so he can reach over and grab his beer and take a long swig from it. “I uh like your rings.” Eddie’s eyes flicker down to yours as he watches you give the rings on his hand that’s holding his beer a good once over.

“Yeah? Which one is your favorite?” He asks as he puts his beer on the bar so he can let you get a better look at his rings. You unwrap your arms from around him so you can take his hand in yours, Eddie tries to ignore how soft your hands feel as you look at his rings giving a lot of attention to his skull one. “You like the skull?” You just nod making Eddie smile because the skull one was also his favorite.

“What are you doing?” Eddie ignores your question as he brings his hand up to his mouth and you feel your eyes go wide as you watch him take his skull ring off and hold it between his lips for a moment before grabbing it. “I can’t take this.” Eddie rolls his eyes as he gently grabs your left hand so he can slide the ring onto your ring finger.

“How are you supposed to be my wife without a ring?” Eddie asks as he reaches over and tucks some of your hair behind your ear.

“You’ve got the be fucking with me.” You feel your heart drop to your stomach as Jason’s voice fills your ears. Eddie’s arm drops from around you so he can turn and block you from Jason’s view. “Not the freak still hanging around the Hideout.” You see Eddie’s hands form into fists as Jason laughs his almost evil sounding laugh.

“Fuck off Carver don’t you have a ball to go toss into a basket or something?” You giggle making Jason move so he can get a look at you, Eddie is quick to move so he’s still standing between you and the ex jock.

“What the fuck is going on?” Eddie looks at you over his shoulder making sure you’re okay and you just give him a reassuring smile as you place your hand on his lower back.

“Just enjoying a night out with my wife.” Jason’s eyes go as wide as golf balls as Eddie explains what the two of you are doing at the Hideout.

“Your wife? Wow okay I mean even you…Munson the town freak can do better than her she’s-” Jason doesn’t get to finish his sentence before Eddie’s fist collides with his cheek knocking him to the ground.

“Next time you think about saying anything about her,” Eddie kneels down as he speaks so he’s only a few inches away from Jason’s face as he groans in pain. “Don’t.” He spits as he stands up and turns so he can grab your hand and walk you towards the back of the bar. “I’m sorry…I am so sorry.” You just shake your head as Eddie’s hands gently cup your face as he looks you over to make sure you’re okay because he’s never gotten into a fight before let alone knocked someone to the ground and that’s the last thing he wanted you to have to deal with tonight.

“It’s okay.” You reassure him as you place your hands over his that are still on your face. “Thank you.” Eddie just shrugs as he gives you a small smile.

“Like I said it’s my job as your husband to beat up your asshole ex boyfriends.” You laugh as Eddie leans in closer, he pauses as he get a few inches from your face. “Is it okay if I kiss you?” Eddie doesn’t have to wait for your answer because your lips are on his in a mater of seconds for a sweet kiss.

[ambrossart]

Out of the Loop

summary: eddie went home with someone after prom, and gareth is determined to figure out who it was.

pairing: eddie munson x dwm!reader word count: 11k warnings: language, new relationship, eddie's girlfriend is gareth's arch nemesis, silly childhood rivalries, eddie being happy and stupidly in love, jason being an overprotective ass, chrissy being an adorable little cupcake, the reader is chrissy's best friend, the unnamed freak is named grant in this series

series masterpost | series playlist | fanfiction masterlist

On Monday morning, Gareth peddled to school like a man on a mission.

Nothing was getting in his way today, not his mother, who had accidentally washed his Hellfire Club shirt with all his little sister’s dance clothes,

“You know what, honey, I think it looks better this way…”

not his sister, who had been hogging the bathroom all morning because she couldn’t get her hair right,

“Look, you don’t understand the pressure I’m under right now. Becca Singer is finalizing her birthday party guest list today. I have to look my best if I wanna make the cut.”

not the weatherman, who was painfully misinformed when he called for clear, sunny skies today…

and certainly not the piece of crap Chevy that just cut him off in the middle of the crosswalk.

Gareth swerved out of the way and kept on peddling. The rain pelted his face in a spray of ice-cold bullets.

Behind him, the driver yelled, “Hey, watch where you’re going, you little shit!”  

It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Because Gareth was sitting on a goldmine of information right now. It was truly the scoop of the century. Eddie Munson—that’s right, Eddie “the Freak” Munson—had gone home with somebody after the senior prom.

Who was this mysterious (not to mention incredibly lucky) woman? A curious cheerleader desperate to defy her clique? A rich girl trying to piss off her dad? A shy bookworm who wanted to act out the plot of her favorite romance novel? Who? Who? Gareth’s head was spinning! The question hungrily devoured the rest of his weekend (something Gareth wasn’t too proud to admit, of course, but hey, Sundays were always uneventful days for him). He had to get to school quickly and consult his most trusted sources.

He found Jeff and Grant sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria. Grant was eating the school’s hot breakfast while Jeff sat with his head in his hands, lamenting the sorry state of his love life.

“Tara’s still not talking to me. I’m pretty sure she’s gonna dump me for Patrick McKinney.”

Grant put down his fork. “Wait, you two were dating?”

“No…” Jeff heaved a quiet sigh. “But if we were, she’d definitely dump me for Patrick.”

Grant frowned, sympathetic yet envious of his friend’s plight. “Man, I wish Meg would stop talking to me. She had me on the phone all night yesterday. I think she wants me to be her boyfriend or something.” Grant cringed at the thought. He didn’t have the strength to put up with her. He’d barely survived prom. 

“You don’t like her?” Jeff asked.

“Not really,” Grant answered. “I mean, yeah, she’s pretty and all, but as soon as she starts talking—”

Gareth slammed a wrinkled piece of notebook paper onto the table. The loud bang echoed through the entire cafeteria, making a few students gasp and flinch in their chairs. Jeff and Grant didn’t move in the slightest. This was typical Monday morning behavior for Gareth.

“What’s with the pink shirt?” Grant asked, unfazed. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Gareth said. They had more pressing matters to discuss. He sat down and folded his hands in front of him, his blue eyes clear and focused. He wasted no time getting straight to the point: “Who’d Eddie go home with after prom?”

Jeff and Grant exchanged a subtle, secret glance.

“How do you know Eddie went home with someone after prom?” Jeff asked.

“Because I called him that night.”

“Why’d you call him?”

“Because I’m a good friend, unlike some people.” Nobody had called him asking how his night went. Gareth sat home alone on Saturday night, eating popcorn and watching old sci-fi movies in his basement, while the rest of his friends had a blast at prom. It wasn’t fair. “I wanted to check in on him because I figured he might be a little depressed after getting rejected by Chrissy. Because let’s be honest here, there was no way that Chrissy was ever gonna dance with him. You all agree with me, right? I’m not just being a dick here. Like, yeah, I know Eddie’s riding high right now because he thinks this year is his year and everything, but… yeah, he was aiming a bit too high with that goal.” 

“Can you get to the point, please?” Grant said. “My breakfast is getting cold.” 

“Well, multitask, man!” Gareth grabbed Grant’s fork and threw it back onto his tray. “What, you can’t listen and eat at the same time?”

Grant rolled his eyes and went back to his breakfast. Gareth carried on with his story:

“So anyway, when I called him on Saturday, I expected him to sound all mopey and depressed, but he wasn’t. Yeah, Eddie wasn’t depressed at all. In fact, he sounded oddly… happy, but also a little bit distracted. You guys see where I’m going with this, right?”

“I hate that I do,” Grant said, struggling to enjoy his food.

“Well, that’s when I started getting suspicious. See, I could tell I didn’t have his full attention, and that’s just so unlike Eddie because he’s normally really good at maintaining proper phone etiquette. Weird, right? So then I got curious and I started listening, and… and I can’t be sure, but I think I heard a girl talking in the background.”

“Maybe it was just the TV,” Grant said.

Gareth shook his head. “No way… I know the difference between a TV voice and a live human voice. Someone was definitely with him.”

“Well, did you recognize the voice?” Jeff asked.

“No, I couldn’t hear well enough.”

Grant’s eyes narrowed. “And yet you’re sure it wasn’t the TV…”

“Oh come on, it wasn’t the TV, you guys. Wake up and smell the coffee! Eddie brought a girl to his house. He brought a girl to his house. She was with him in the room while he was on the phone with me. I could hear her talking. Then Eddie started acting really weird, said he had to go, and rushed me off the phone.”

“Gross,” Grant muttered, sickened. “Yeah, these are details I did not need.” 

Gareth’s mouth fell open in a silent gasp. “Wait, do you guys think he slept with her?” and that was more than Jeff could handle.

He buried his face in his hands and said, “Please stop. I don’t wanna go to class with these images in my head.”

Grant shrugged. “Maybe it was just a one-night stand.”

Jeff threw him a sharp, side-eyed glare. 

“Just saying,” Grant finished, smirking.

“No, I seriously doubt it,” Gareth went on, completely unaware. “Eddie’s not really a one-night stand kinda guy… not by choice, anyway. No, I think this might be the real deal, you guys, ‘cause listen to this: I went to go see him yesterday. Eddie wasn’t home.”

“So?”

“So I think he was with her. I called him last night and asked him where he was all day. He said he was out running errands.” Gareth scrunched up his face at that, doubtful. “Since when does Eddie run errands? So I said, ‘What sort of errands were you running?�� He said he had to swing by the drugstore. I said, ‘Well, what did you need at the drugstore?’ but he wouldn’t answer that. Yeah, he was being awfully mum.”

“Mum?” Jeff repeated to himself, mystified by his friend’s bizarre word choice.

Grant said, “He was probably annoyed that you were digging around in his business. I know I would be.”

“Oh yeah, he was definitely getting annoyed,” Gareth said. “Then he cut the conversation short and told me he was stepping out for the night. That’s when I knew this was serious. Eddie doesn’t just ‘step out’ on a Sunday night. He hardly goes out any night. If he’s not with us, he’s sitting at home and playing songs on his guitar. Yeah, he was definitely with her last night.”

Grant sighed, hoping they’d finally reached the end of this long-winded story. “Well, I guess you cracked the case then, Gareth.”

“But that’s just it, I haven’t!” Gareth said. Grant let out an exhausted moan. “I still don’t know who this girl is. You guys swear you didn’t see Eddie go home with anybody after prom?”

Another secret glance.

“Nope,” Jeff said. “I didn’t see him go home with anyone that night.”

Gareth nodded, disappointed but not yet defeated. “Yeah, I thought you might say that. That’s why I made this.”

He gestured toward the piece of paper on the table. Jeff picked it up and read it over. Then he passed it to Grant so he could do the same.

“Okay, what exactly am I looking at here?” Grant asked.

“It’s a list of suspects,” Gareth said, a proud smile on his face. “Yeah, last night I compiled a list of every girl I’ve ever seen Eddie interact with at school, and then this morning I whittled that list down to what I think are the most likely suspects.”

“Not a very long list,” Jeff said.

“Really?” said Grant. “I was gonna say it’s too long.” 

They shared a little chuckle over that. Gareth glowered at them, unamused. He didn’t appreciate them making little jabs about their Dungeon Master’s love life, stagnant as it was.

“You know,” Grant began with ominous deliberation, “I can’t help but notice there’s a name missing from this list.”

Gareth's head snapped back in surprise. “Who?”

“You know who,” Grant said. Beside him, Jeff was holding in a grin.

A disturbing chill crept up Gareth's spine. Then—

BAM!

Your name cracked down from above like a fiendish lightning bolt, striking Gareth and making all the little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. For a second, he could see your name so clearly. It loomed before him, ugly and terrible, festering with pus and crawling with maggots, getting pecked savagely by vultures and other scavengers. It made him retch with disgust.

“Oh, very funny…”

“Hey, I’m just saying,” Grant said, “there’s no denying that she’s a likely suspect.” 

“In fact,” Jeff continued, “some might say she’s the most likely suspect.” 

“Yeah, maybe back in middle school,” Gareth said, “but Eddie hasn’t so much as looked at her in years.”

Except for that one time, he thought, remembering the mournful look on his friend’s face that day.

They were all eating lunch when your laughter suddenly sprang up from the other side of the cafeteria, obnoxious and shrill. Eddie glanced your way and his eyes darkened with such hollow sadness. It was as if someone had died.

But that didn’t mean anything, Gareth decided, so he shoved the memory away.

“All right, look, I’ll admit we lost him briefly for that one summer. I dunno how she did it, but somehow she got her claws in him real deep and he was completely under her spell. I won’t deny that. But then Eddie woke up and saw her for what she really is—an ugly green hag! At first, she appears as this beautiful, enchanting woman, but underneath that guise, she’s a wretched old witch who thrives on torment. Yeah, Eddie got over her a long time ago,” and Gareth refused to waste another thought on it.

He snatched the paper from Grant and laid it out in front of him. “Now, here’s what I’m thinking: if we split this up among the three of us, we can get through this list by lunch and then confront Eddie with our findings.”

“Yeah, we’re not doing that,” Grant said.

Gareth frowned. “Why not?”

“Because we already know who it is.”

Gareth’s eyes widened in surprised anger. “I KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT! I knew you two were messing with me this whole time. Sitting there with your smug little faces. Making your little jokes. You know what, screw you guys, I don’t even want your help anymore.”

He stuffed the paper back into his bag, climbed to his feet, and stomped off.

Over his shoulder, Jeff said, “Shoulda gone to prom, man.”

Gareth paused, dejected. “Well, no one would go with me…” He pushed through the double doors and was gone.

Afterward, Grant picked up his milk carton and took a few slow slips.

“You know what,” he said thoughtfully, “Gareth should’ve asked Y/N to prom.”

Jeff chuckled to himself. “Well, she did need a date… Shit, should we have just told him?”

“No,” Grant said. “No, this is something Gareth needs to see with his own eyes.”

Now Gareth, his resolve reignited and burning brighter than ever, was prowling the senior locker area with his suspect list in hand. 

Let them keep their secrets, he thought. I don’t need their help. A lot of help they would’ve been, anyway. Yeah, I can solve this mystery all on my own.

And he would. 

Gareth was a fantastic investigator, you see. He could win a game of Guess Who? in less than five turns and had a lifetime record of fifty-three wins and only fifteen losses (such losses were unavoidable when you drew an easily guessable character like Anita. Ugh, Anita… with those rosy cheeks and annoying blonde pigtails. His little sister beat him in only two moves after that unlucky draw). Now Gareth would apply those same deductive reasoning skills to this. Ask careful, complex questions. Gather information. Cross those ladies off one by one.

There was only one problem: the girls at Hawkins High weren’t exactly forthcoming about their personal lives, especially when it involved Eddie Munson. In fact, most girls denied ever having spoken to the guy. 

Claire Dunnock, the most recent inductee into the popular clique, was being especially difficult.

Her blue eyes shifted back and forth anxiously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, and then leaned forward to make sure none of her new friends were eavesdropping. Claire had to be very careful. One misstep and she would slide all the way back down the social ladder. She couldn’t afford to let that happen.

Gareth sensed her unease. “Hey, relax,” he told her, “I’m not here to ruin your reputation, okay? This conversation stays between us. You have my word.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Claire said. “I wouldn’t be caught dead with that freak.”

“Hey, that freak is my best friend,” Gareth said. “And you and I both know that’s not true, Claire. I saw you get into his van that one—”

Claire seized him by the arm and hissed, “Shut up!” Her eyes blazed with fearful, self-protective rage. “Look, that was a year ago, okay? I was a stupid junior who didn’t know any better. Eddie and I had a class together. I guess I got a little curious, but that’s it. We hung out once and I never spoke to him again.” Loosening her grip, she said, “Besides, he was nothing but a big disappointment, anyway.”

Anger flared in Gareth’s chest. “All right, that's it. I’m not gonna stand here and listen to you slander my friend.” 

“It’s not slander if it’s true,” Claire said. 

Gareth didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Look, just answer my question, okay? Did you go home with Eddie after prom or not?”

“Of course not,” Claire answered, practically cackling at the thought. 

(Why were high school girls so needlessly cruel?)

“I went to prom with my boyfriend. I was with him all night. Ask anyone.” Claire swung her locker door closed, put her hand on her hip, and raised her eyebrows impatiently. “Are we done now?” She walked off to join the rest of her friends. 

Gareth glared at her back, his insides boiling with indignation and righteous fury.

You got curious and Eddie got his heart broken. Again.

He crossed out Claire’s name with his pen. 

Two suspects down. Eight more to go.

He tucked his pen behind his ear, turned, and suddenly the hallway froze over!

Okay, that didn’t actually happen, but a bitter wind did blow. Gareth felt it on his face as soon as he saw you step out from around the corner. 

Coincidence? 

Doubtful.

You were wearing blue jeans and a Fleetwood Mac shirt. Yeah, you would like Fleetwood Mac, Gareth thought, scoffing. As usual, you were walking side by side with Chrissy Cunningham, your best friend since elementary school. She was smiling and laughing at one of your jokes. Laughing out of politeness, probably. Why you two were friends, Gareth would never know. Chrissy was sweet like cotton candy and you were so… so…

(evil, pure evil)

rotten to the core, like moldy fruit.

“I swear,” you said with a groan, “it’ll be weeks before your mom lets me into the house again. God, she’s such a prude. How was I supposed to know she was gonna invite the whole family over for Sunday brunch? At least I was dressed for the occasion.”

Chrissy looked at you in baffled amusement. “You were still wearing your prom dress.”

“And it was a very nice prom dress. Your grandma even complimented it. She said it made me look like Madonna.” You weren’t too thrilled about that comparison, but who were you to pass up a free compliment? “Now your mom, on the other hand… man, if looks could kill… I probably would’ve choked on one of those blueberry scones she was serving, which were a tad overbaked if I’m being honest.”

Chrissy went to her locker and fiddled with the padlock for a second before opening it. You stood patiently beside her, the wall clock barely within view. 

It was a quarter past eight, you noted with a frown. Was Eddie here already or…? 

While hanging up her pink backpack, Chrissy said, “Yeah, she definitely had some colorful words to describe you last night.” 

You turned your attention back to her. “Your mom called me a slut, didn’t she?”

Chrissy didn’t answer at first. She was busy unloading her homework. While she was doing that, one of her fellow cheerleaders snuck up behind her, tapped her on the shoulder, and gave a cheerful, heartfelt hello. Chrissy hugged her and asked how her weekend was. The two chatted casually for a minute and then the girl went on her way. Never so much as glanced at you. 

“Umm, I believe she used the word harlot,” Chrissy said to you afterward. 

“Oh, she got biblical, huh?” Great, you thought, as if that woman didn’t despise you enough already. “You know, I don’t understand your mom. First I’m too fat to be your friend. Now I’m too much of a slut. That lady needs to pick a lane and stay in it… and then drive herself right off a cliff.”  

Chrissy threw you a friendly glare.

“Just kidding,” you said. “You know I love your mom. She keeps me grounded. Without her, I might develop a healthy self-esteem, and we all know how dangerous that is. Yeah, that might lead to confidence and success… perhaps even lifelong happiness.” 

Ignoring you (or pretending to), Chrissy started digging through her backpack again. “Dammit,” she said under her breath, “I think I left my pencil case at home.” 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Jason has a pencil for you.” You smiled inwardly—a willful, wicked smile. “Then again…”  

Chrissy pushed her locker closed, grabbed both your hands, backed you up against the lockers, and brought her face really close to yours. “Shut up,” she whispered in half-hearted anger, a rosy blush blooming on the apples of her cheeks. 

You took one look at her and busted out laughing. Chrissy started laughing, too. 

“I hate you so much,” she said, and released you. 

“I know,” you replied affectionately. “But see, this is why the whole situation with your mom is so funny to me. I’m the one who’s still a virgin, yet somehow it’s me who gets labeled the…” 

You spotted a familiar face down the hall. 

“Gareth?” You leaned toward him, squinting. “What are you doing in the senior locker area?”

The sound of your voice made him flinch. “Nothing,” he said, acting strangely defensive for some reason.

That’s when you noticed the piece of paper in his hand. You gestured toward it with your chin and said, “What’s that you got there? Is that a love letter? You finally asking someone out on a date? Will you go out with me? Check yes or no. Who’s the lucky lady? Wait, aren’t you a little young to be dating?”

Gareth hid the paper behind his back and glared at you. “We’re the same age.” 

“And yet I’m a senior and you’re a junior. Hmm, how did that happen?” You tipped your head and smiled at him. “You’ve got company, by the way.” 

“Huh?” Gareth stepped back and—

A hand landed on his shoulder, closed around his flannel shirt, and spun him around. Gareth jumped back, swallowing a scream. He was now standing nose to chest with Ben Jabruski, outside linebacker and two-time defensive player of the year. Eric Kordell stood beside him, smaller but no less intimidating. His brown eyes gleamed with feral, territorial aggression. 

“Get outta here, freak,” Eric said. 

Gareth squared up to him, unafraid. “Last time I checked this was a free country.” He wrenched his shirt out of Ben’s grip, careful not to tear his favorite flannel. It was a Christmas gift from his mother. 

While he was distracted, Eric reached out and ripped the paper out of Gareth’s hand. 

“Hey, give that back!” 

“What’s this?” Eric asked. He opened the paper and studied it for a minute. His expression went from amused to curious to downright furious. He crushed the list in his fist. “Why’s my girlfriend on here?” 

“Oh…” Panic shot up Gareth’s spine. He took a step back and let loose a nervous chuckle. “Oh, you must be Claire’s boyfriend. You know, I heard you two had a lovely time at prom.” 

He turned on his heel and took off running down the hallway. 

“Bye, Gareth!” you said, fluttering your fingers as he passed. Then you looked back at Chrissy with a smile. “God, I love that kid…”

You went to your locker after that, ignoring all the busy little voices, the occasional odd glance and stifled giggle you received from the other students. Chrissy followed with her first-period textbook cradled in her arms. 

“Just ignore them,” she told you. 

“I already am,” you said… but then you saw Sarah, Sally, and Stacy huddled around Stacy’s locker. Talking about their hair. Talking about their clothes. Stirring their black cauldron of boiling bones and animal guts. Sarah looked at you, whispered something to Sally, who passed the same message on to Stacy, and all three of them tittered gleefully at your expense. 

“Just ignore them,” Chrissy said.

“I will,” you said, but first—

You whipped around and burst out: “So which one of you got knocked up after prom? My money’s on you, Stacy.” 

Chrissy, dismayed but secretly delighted, tugged gently on your right elbow. Before going with her, you tossed Satan’s mistress (AKA Stacy Raab) a snide little wink. Stacy rolled her eyes in disgust. 

“Stop it,” Chrissy said. 

“They started it.” 

“I know… but stop it. You’re better than that.” 

At the end of the hallway, you spotted Chance Gallagher standing in front of his open locker, wearing the same green letterman jacket that he’d worn when he asked you to prom six weeks ago. Chance closed his locker and caught your eye for a moment. Then he gave you a small, apologetic smile. 

What was he apologizing for? For asking you to prom, getting your hopes up, and then humiliating you in front of the entire senior class? You weren’t sorry he did it. In fact, you were glad he did it. Yeah, you wanted to go up to him, shake his hand, and thank him for being such a spineless little worm. If he were a decent guy, your night might have gone differently, and you were quite pleased with how your night went. So thank you, Chance. Thank you for being a complete scumbag. Maybe I should write him a thank-you note.

Smiling, you turned back around. As you did, you stole another quick glance at the clock on the wall. 

Eight-nineteen…

You sighed. 

… and now eight-twenty.

“He’s running late, huh?” Chrissy said. You looked her way and she flashed you a sweet, teasing smile. “I know you’re waiting for him.”

A small flush of heat tickled your cheeks, threatening to set your whole face on fire. Resisting it, you grabbed your padlock and started spinning the dial: three turns to the right, one full turn to the left, another quick turn to the right, and

“Are you nervous about seeing him?”

you missed the last number and had to start all over again. 

“Kind of,” you admitted. “Is that weird?”

Chrissy shook her head, her smile growing brighter and brighter. “Nope, it’s totally normal and absolutely adorable.” Giggling, she hugged her book tightly to her chest. If her hands were free, she probably would have hugged you instead. “I’m so happy for you. I really, really am. I swear, I feel like my heart’s about to burst right now.” 

“Well, you should probably see a doctor about that.” 

Chrissy stuck her tongue out at you. You did it right back, popped off your lock, and pulled on the handle. The locker door swung outward, squeaking on its hinges, and almost smacked Chrissy in the face. “Hey!” she said, laughing. She stepped back, skipped around you, and planted herself comfortably on your left side.

“So did you see him last night?” she asked, practically beaming. 

“Nope.” You slipped off your messenger bag and hung it on the hook. 

Chrissy squinted at you suspiciously. “Why do I feel like you’re lying right now?” 

“I’m not lying,” you told her, only to be betrayed by your blushing face. “I didn’t see him last night… technically it was this morning.” 

Twelve-o-two, to be exact. That’s when you saw the headlights flashing through your bedroom window blinds.

“Oh my god,” Chrissy said.  

“What? He just stopped by to say goodnight.” You smiled softly to yourself. “It was kind of romantic, actually.” 

“Uh-huh,” Chrissy said, laughing at you. “And how long did you two say goodnight?”

“Only for an hour… and a half.”

It was raining last night. You couldn’t invite Eddie into the house, so you two hung out in his van for a while. A very long while. W.A.S.P. was playing on the stereo. Eddie had found the cassette tape while cleaning out his van that afternoon. He was very proud of this accomplishment. It was adorable. He had you listen to a few of his favorite songs, asked you about your day, told you about his, and during “Cries In the Night,” he leaned over the center console and kissed you. Everything after that was a bit of a blur. The last thing you remembered was the horn blaring. You had accidentally pressed it with your elbow.  

“Oh my god,” Chrissy said.

“Stop saying, ‘Oh my god.’ You sound like my mom.”  

She had said the exact same thing after confronting you about it in the kitchen this morning. Turns out, the car horn had woken her up. Then she caught you creeping back inside through the front door. It was an awkward breakfast, to say the least. 

Chrissy poked your shoulder playfully. “That’s how it starts, you know. Late-night visits. Long, drawn-out goodbyes. You two are gonna be inseparable this summer.” She breathed a long, lovesick sigh. “Jason and I used to be like that.” 

“You’re still like that.” 

“Yeah,” she said, smiling. 

“Speaking of…” You saw Jason Carver coming down the hallway, his pants ironed and creased, white collared shirt tucked in, a brand-new Rolex glinting on his left wrist (an early graduation present from his father, apparently). He looked like a Ralph Lauren catalog model. “Is it weird that I’m picturing him naked right now?”

Chrissy hid her face in embarrassment. “I swear to God, if you say anything…” 

“What am I gonna say to him? ‘Thank you for deflowering my best friend’? ‘I heard your penis is rather pleasing’? I don’t wanna talk to him about that. I don’t even wanna think about that.”

Prior to this weekend, you couldn’t even imagine Jason Carver having genitals. You always figured he was like a Ken doll down there. Nothing but smooth plastic.

Chrissy looked at you, mortified. “Why do I tell you anything?”  

“I have no idea,” you said. Then you checked the clock again. 

Eight twenty-three. 

Where the hell’s Eddie? you wondered, starting to get a little worried.

Jason’s arrival reclaimed your attention. 

“Hey, guys,” he said in that smooth drawl that made all the girls swoon. 

You expected to find him standing with his million-dollar smile, but he wasn’t. No, today Jason seemed different—humble, approachable, perhaps even a little shy. It was as if he’d reverted back to his ten-year-old self. Little Jason Carver, who could barely dribble a basketball. The boy who stammered when he introduced himself to the rest of the class. The boy who sat down next to you, smiled, and said he liked the character on your favorite shirt. The boy who talked to you every day. Encouraged you. Defended you. The boy you caught staring at your best friend way too many times to be a coincidence. 

Then you looked at Chrissy and she seemed younger, too. A blushing, fidgeting ten-year-old who always forgot to stand up straight. She got so excited when Jason offered to walk her home from school. He even carried my books!

Back then, your happiness for them had been counterfeit, complicated, but not anymore. Yeah, now you could say you were genuinely happy for both of them. 

This was still awkward as hell, though.

“Hey, Chrissy needs to borrow a pencil,” you blurted out, breaking their amorous trance.

A soft pink flush rose to Jason’s cheeks. “What?”

“Just ignore her,” Chrissy said, struggling to keep a straight face. 

Meanwhile, you punched Jason on the shoulder. “Hey, don’t forget about our deal, buddy.” 

“I haven’t,” he told you. “I’ll buy your lunch, as promised. It’s the least I can do.” 

“What if I want two lunches? And a whole plate of cookies?”

“Then I guess I’m buying you two lunches and a whole plate of cookies.” 

Jason smiled at you… but then his demeanor changed, hardening like armor. 

“Are you okay?” he asked.

You blinked at him. “Am I okay?” you repeated slowly, a little taken aback. “Well, I did wake up with a strange tattoo on my wrist. It’s like a crucifix, except it’s upside-down. Weird… Also, I can’t be sure, but I think I might be dealing with a Rosemary’s Baby scenario. Yeah, I’m definitely gonna be giving birth to the Antichrist in about nine months. Buy something black.” 

Jason’s eyes widened in confused horror. 

“Oh my god, I’m kidding!” you said. “Eddie was a complete gentleman. He even asked for permission before he impregnated me with his hellseed. Naturally, I gave him the green light because… well, have you seen his face? It’s kinda perfect.” 

Chrissy put her hand over her mouth and giggled. Jason didn’t appreciate your joke. 

“Come on, be serious.” 

“I am being serious. Believe it or not, I actually find him insanely attractive. He’s like a discount version of Eddie Van Halen, and I can’t afford the real thing, so…” 

“So you actually slept with him?” Jason sounded disappointed and ashamed. He reminded you of your father. 

No, worse than your father.

“Well, no, I was kidding about that. I mean, I did sleep with him, but not in the way you’re assuming. And are you seriously gonna judge me for having sex? It’s been a while since I’ve been to church, but I’m pretty sure the bible condemns hypocrisy. You might wanna reread those sections. I think you’ll find them very enlightening.”

Jason ground his jaw in irritation. “Stop making jokes.” 

“I don’t want to,” you said finally, your voice breaking, “because then I’m just gonna get really, really mad like I’m doing right now, and I don’t wanna be mad at you, Jason. I was having a really good morning until you showed up.” 

By now, Chrissy had stopped laughing. Her shoulders drooped and she looked at you with a sick, sorry expression. 

Jason said, “Look, I just think you’re undervaluing yourself, okay? You can do so much better than that—”

“Oh, please don’t do that. Don’t try to talk to me like you’re my friend.” 

“I am your friend.” 

“Then be my friend, Jason. Stop trying to ruin my happiness!”

The school bell dinged and students began making their way to class. Jason went, too. Didn’t even bother saying goodbye. Chrissy told you not to worry about him. “Jason’ll come around eventually.” Then she smiled, waved goodbye, and ran to catch up with him. 

You weren’t half as optimistic as she was. 

This is gonna be a huge problem, isn’t it?  

You groaned, dreading it. 

Behind you, another wave of students came rushing down the hallway. Brittany Wirth was among them. You knew because you could hear her shrill voice piercing through the dull chatter around her. She was ranting about prom, complaining about the flowers, complaining about the food, about the music, about—

“YOU!” 

You flinched and turned around, thinking she was talking to you. 

What you saw made your eyes light up with glee. Brittany Wirth had Eddie Munson pinned up against the lockers, and she was jabbing him in the chest with her index finger. 

“You, sir, are a total asshole! Do you have any idea how hard I worked on that event? I was planning it for months, planning it to perfection, and then YOU had to go and make it all about yourself, as usual.” She stepped back and huffed, exhausted. “I hope you’re proud of yourself.” 

“I’m a little proud of myself,” Eddie replied candidly. 

Brittany shot him a deadly glare. “Oh, shut up!” She swept her hair off her shoulder and walked away.

You stopped her as she passed. “You know what, Brittany, all things considered, I thought it was a very successful night.” 

Brittany’s jaw dropped and got stuck like that, locked in befuddled rage. Not a single sound came out, but you could tell she was trying to speak. Was this it? Had it finally happened? Did Brittany Wirth actually crack? She worked her lips unsuccessfully for a minute and then closed them again, steaming in her hatred, screaming internally like a boiling teapot. She brushed past you and continued on her way. 

Then you heard Eddie approach you.  

“Did I really make the night all about me?” 

His question made you giggle. “A little bit.” You turned around with a smile, glad to see him, relieved to see him. “I still had a good time, though.” 

“Well, that’s all that matters,” Eddie said, but there was something in your eyes that made him frown with concern. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” you said, and blinked that silly little worry away. “Jason’s just being… well, Jason.” 

“I take it he doesn’t approve of me.” 

“Yeah, you’ve really got him clutching his bible. He thinks you’re gonna drain my blood and sacrifice me to the devil.” 

“Really?” Eddie said, his eyes widening in false astonishment. “Well, he just spoiled our next date.” 

“Oh, really?” you replied, giggling. “Well, I guess that explains why I’m still a virgin.” 

Eddie winced, looked down at his shoes, and grinned bashfully. “Okay, I walked right into that one.”

“Yeah, you did,” you said; and God, it drove you crazy seeing him get so flustered.

Kinda like last night, you thought, startling yourself, and immediately shooed that dangerous thought away. Now was not the time for that, young lady. You still had a full day of school to get through. Somehow.

“You’re late,” you said.

“Yeah, I uh…” Eddie brought his hand to his face and started rubbing it. “I got pulled over for speeding.”

You gasped. “No, you didn’t.” 

“Yeah, I did.” 

“Prove it.”

Eddie pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to you. You opened it and immediately busted out laughing. 

“Oh, wow… going fifty-five in a forty-five.” 

“Eh, they went easy on me… I was going at least sixty.” 

“Wow…” 

“Yeah…” Eddie said, tilting his head. “The one time I’m in a rush to get to school.” 

His brown eyes sought yours and settled there for a moment, his lips curling into a tender, captivated smile. You smiled back helplessly, feeling girly, feeling giddy, feeling like you were probably grinning like an idiot right now. Embarrassed, you pressed the paper to your mouth in a vain attempt to hide it. When that didn’t work, you thrust the ticket back into Eddie’s hand and turned away, pretending to pull books from your locker. 

You felt along the spines like someone fumbling around in the dark. What class were you going to again? History? English? French? 

No, you weren’t even taking French.

You spoke to Eddie in a frazzled voice: “Well, since you’re not in handcuffs right now, I’m assuming they didn’t find anything when they searched your van, huh?” 

“Luckily, no…” 

“Good thing you cleaned out your van yesterday.”

“Mhm…” Eddie said, his voice seeming much closer than before.

Your roaming fingers slowed, then stopped, sliding all the way down the stack of books. With one more step, his presence had consumed you, making you blind and deaf to everything else, everything except Eddie. You could feel him standing next to you, leaning into you, his left hand outstretched and resting against the locker beside you. His voice sent a pleasant shiver down your spine.

“Find what you’re looking for yet?”

You gazed into his eyes and got lost in them. “… I can’t remember what class I’m going to.”

You laughed at yourself sheepishly, senselessly, and saw Eddie crack a small smile: half amused and half… something else, something that brought you back to last night—that quiet, rainy night. Sitting in the dark and listening to music. Eddie humming softly beside you, drumming his right hand on the steering wheel, watching the tiny droplets race down his windshield. You sitting in your seat nervously. Fidgeting restlessly. Running your fingers over the plastic cassette case on your lap. Pretending to take interest in it while secretly watching Eddie out of the corner of your eye. Waiting for him to kiss you. Hoping he’d kiss you. Catching him staring at you with that smile… the same smile he was giving you now… right before he leaned in and…

“Ahem.” 

Another student appeared behind you, tapping her foot impatiently. “Uhh, can I get to my locker, please?”

Eddie drew away from you, embarrassed and a little frustrated, and took two giant steps back.

The girl assumed his place without a word, opened her locker, hung up her backpack, her jacket, grabbed her textbook and notebook, snatched a few pens from her bag, and closed her locker again. Before leaving, she motioned between you and Eddie and said, “So is this like a thing now?”

You caught Eddie’s eye for a second. “Uhh, yes,” you said while he fought back a huge smile.

The girl shook her head as if dizzy. “Weird,” she said, and left. 

Afterward, you turned to Eddie with a puzzled frown. “Wait, is it weird that I’m dating you or that you’re dating me? I need to know where I rank in this relationship.”

“Maybe you should ask her.” 

“Maybe I will…” 

Giggling, you stepped past him, spotted your locker neighbor at the end of the hallway, cupped your hands over your mouth, and shouted, “Hey, Carmen!” but you never got a chance to finish. Eddie had grabbed your hand and dragged you back to him, pulling you into his arms, putting you right where he wanted you, intending to pick up exactly where he left off.

The second bell rang before you could even feel his breath on your lips. Eddie closed his eyes tightly, as if pained. 

“I really hate that I have to be in school right now.” 

“Me too,” you said, staring up at him, your heart still pounding in your chest. “We should probably get to class.”  

Eddie wrapped his arms around your waist and held you tighter against him. “Or we could just, y’know, skip first period altogether… since you don’t know where you’re supposed to be anyway.” 

He swooped down and placed a few chaste kisses along the side of your head. Blushing, you buried your face into his chest. 

“Are you trying to get me to cut class, sir?”

“No, just giving you options.” 

“Mhm,” you said, giggling. 

While you contemplated his offer, you traced your hand over the button pocket of his denim vest, feeling the fabric, flicking each of his treasured pins one by one: Judas Priest, Accept, Mercyful Fate. You found the W.A.S.P. pin last and focused on it, teasing it with your finger. 

“And then what?” you asked, lifting your head to look at him. “We go back to your van and finish what you started last night?” 

Eddie’s eyes brightened in surprise. “Finish what you started, if I remember correctly.”  

“Was I the one who started it?” You frowned, pretending not to remember. 

Meanwhile, your hand had drifted up to the collar of his leather jacket. You nudged it out of the way and started tugging along the neckline of his shirt, revealing a faint pink bruise on the base of his collarbone. Eddie winced as your finger brushed over it. You smiled softly, remembering how his breath hitched when your lips made the first budding mark, how he cursed and moaned while you planted all the others, his hands slipping underneath your shirt and sliding across your skin. 

“I may have gotten a little carried away…”

“Yeah, you definitely did,” Eddie said, smiling at you.  

“I just really like W.A.S.P.”

“Do you?” 

“Mhm…”

Eddie’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he laughed. “Well, I still have the tape in my van. We can go listen to it right now if you want.” 

You bit your lip hard, unable to answer right away. God dammit, what had you gotten yourself into? You weren’t seriously considering his proposition before, but now…

“Go to class, please.” 

Now Ms. Kelley had come out of her office and was sweeping away the last few stragglers, you and Eddie included.

“I know we’re all a little sluggish this morning, but let’s start this week off strong, okay? There’s still another month before graduation. Don’t lose your focus now.” She looked at you and Eddie tiredly. “You two. Class. Now.”

You sighed as you saw your window of opportunity close. Eddie peeled himself away from you and started down the hallway.  

“See ya later,” he said over his shoulder. 

“Bye,” you said back, hiding your disappointment behind a smile. 

Upon returning to your locker, you grabbed your textbook—the right textbook—and wedged it in the crook of your left elbow. While hunting around for the matching notebook and folder, you heard Eddie’s voice behind you again, catching you completely by surprise.

“Oh, wait,” he said hurriedly, “I forgot to tell you something.” 

“Hmm?”

You turned around and felt Eddie’s hands cup the sides of your face, drawing you in for a soft, sweet kiss. You closed your eyes, savoring it. A moment later, he broke the kiss and pulled away.

“See you in third period,” he said, departing with a smile. 

It took you a second to recover from that. When you finally did, you clutched your textbook to your chest and smiled uncontrollably, tears brimming in your eyes, your heart racing, stomach fluttering, face glowing with pure, radiant joy. 

Under your breath, you whispered, “I hate so much that I have to be in school right now.”

Gareth, on the other hand, was glad to be in school today. Admittedly, his morning had gotten off to a rough start, but things were finally starting to look up for him, and now he felt like he was on the verge of a major breakthrough. 

Maybe. 

Hopefully.

But he didn’t wanna jinx it. 

In first period, Gareth snuck into the library and talked to Matilda Gunn: salutatorian, captain of the debate team, and the third name on Gareth’s list (his new list, of course; the original list was long gone, probably lying in a trashcan somewhere).

Matilda, anyway, was sitting at the back table and studying for her upcoming physics test. Matilda preferred studying in the library over her study hall class because she couldn’t stand the sound of her neighbor chewing and slurping his nails. She wasn’t too happy when Gareth pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. She was even less happy when he brought up Eddie Munson. 

“First of all, I’m offended that you would even think I would associate with that moron. I hate the guy. He ruined my GPA. Stupid group projects… God, I hate them!” Enraged, Matilda tore a random leaf out of her notebook and ripped the poor thing to shreds. Gareth watched her do it, horrified, and hoped there was nothing important written on that page. “You know, if I’d known he was gonna slack off like he did, I would’ve just done the whole thing myself. But no… I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I gave him the easiest task and he couldn’t even do that. He said he forgot about it. Said he was busy working on a campaign or something.”

“Yeah, he gets like that sometimes,” Gareth said. “Like last month, he spent the whole weekend learning ‘Master of Puppets.’ Have you heard that song?” 

Matilda shook her head, her eyes glazed with boredom. 

“Well, doesn’t matter. It’s a very hard song to play. That’s all you need to know. And Eddie became obsessed with it. He locked himself in his room all weekend and practiced over and over and—” 

Matilda pressed her hand to her temple and hissed, “Listen, junior freak, I don’t give a shit about Eddie Munson and his fucking guitar. Okay? Second of all, I didn’t even go to prom on Saturday. I was studying all weekend, studying for this test, and if I don’t get an A, I’m gonna hold you personally responsible. Now get lost.”

Gareth lurched back in his seat and felt his mouth go dry. 

(Once again, why were high school girls so needlessly cruel?)

“Okay,” he said in a small voice. “I’m, uhh, sorry for bothering you.” 

He got up to leave. 

“Wait,” Matilda said with a sigh; then after a moment of careful, painful deliberation, she put out her hand. “Gimme your stupid list.”

Gareth held the list against his chest, protecting it. “You’re not gonna rip it up, are you?” he asked, observing the tattered remains of her last victim. “Because I’m getting kinda tired of writing all these names out.”

And some of those girls had really long names.  

“I’m not gonna rip it up.” Matilda’s voice was strained with frustration and fatigue, but there was still some warmth hiding in there, dimly glowing beneath the cold black coals of her heart. “I’m gonna help you narrow it down, okay? Otherwise, you’ll never figure it out.” She motioned impatiently with her hand. “Come on, hurry up.” 

Gareth handed her the list and she looked it over for a minute, vaguely amused.  

“Not a very long list,” she said while uncapping her highlighter with her teeth. 

“Well, Eddie’s very picky.” 

As he should be, Gareth thought. That man deserved the best.

(much better than you) 

Matilda snorted under her breath. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” She rolled her eyes, bent her head, and began marking up the list with her highlighter. Her hand was calm and controlled, each movement deliberate, precise, as to be expected of an advanced test taker. “Okay, she has a boyfriend… she, I’m pretty sure, has a girlfriend… boyfriend… boyfriend… boyfriend… she’s been out of town for a funeral… and she… doesn’t even live in this state anymore.”

She crossed off the last name and slid the paper across the table. 

Gareth gaped at it, speechless. “You just eliminated everyone.” 

Matilda shrugged. “Like I said, not a long list.” 

It was a major setback, the kind of setback that made you want to tear the whole thing to pieces, cut your losses, and give up. Gareth seriously considered it. He almost did it while sitting in his second-period class. 

But then an angel appeared. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel named Olivia Kent.

She peered over his shoulder during class. “Whatcha doin’?” she asked, sitting with her chin on her palm. 

Gareth considered lying, saying he was working on his assignment or something, but in his current state, he didn’t have the heart to deceive anyone, especially not Olivia, who was so innocent and kind.

“I’m trying to figure out who my friend went home with after prom.” 

“Oh? Who’s your friend?”

“Eddie Munson.” 

“Oh…” Olivia giggled a silly, unaffected giggle. “Yeah, he had quite the night.” 

Gareth turned around in his seat. “You were at prom, Livvy?” 

“Mhm! It was a lotta fun.” 

“And you saw Eddie there?”

“Sure. I saw him lots of times.” 

“Did you see him leave with anybody?”

“Sure did… I saw everything.” 

“You saw everything?” Gareth sat back, awestruck, and felt tears come to his eyes. This was it. This was finallyit. This was the breakthrough that Gareth had been waiting for. An eyewitness—a star witness—had emerged at last, willing and eager to cooperate. “Oh, Livvy, you beautiful, beautiful, heavenly creature, tell me everything.” 

“About what?”

“About prom, Livvy.” 

“Oh, you wanna hear about prom?” Olivia shrugged, smiled, and said, “Okay! Philip Cuthbert asked me. I didn’t think he was going to, but then he totally surprised me! I wore a frilly pink dress and matching pink heels. Phillip wore a dark blue tux and a black bowtie. I think it was black, but it might’ve been blue, too. Then Philip got me one of those really pretty flower bracelets… What are those called again? Oh, right, corsages! Anyway, we took pictures on the front lawn of my house, then we took pictures at his house, and then we took more pictures in front of City Hall. I don’t normally like taking so many pictures, but I didn’t mind so much in this case. It was a special occasion. Phillip said I looked very pretty. He was really nice to me all night. He held my hand. He bought me dinner. He got me some cake. I actually ate two slices of cake that night, but don’t tell anybody, okay? I was only supposed to have one. And then we danced and drank punch and we danced again—”

Gareth put his hand on top of hers, making Olivia blush and look at him in doe-eyed wonderment. “Livvy, I’m glad you had such a fun time at prom, but since class is gonna be ending soon, do you think you could speed things up and get to the part where you saw Eddie? Is that okay?”

“Sure,” Olivia said, smiling. “I saw him talking to Chrissy.” 

“Yeah, he went there to ask her to dance. I told him it was a terrible idea, but he refused to listen to me.” 

“Yeah, that was a bad idea. Why would he do that?” 

“Because Eddie’s a hopeless romantic.” 

“Really?” Olivia frowned, considering it. “He doesn’t seem like one.” 

“He hides it behind a mask of cynicism, and he hides it very well.” 

“Oh,” Livvy said, mystified by the concept. “Well, I guess that explains why he got up on stage then.”

“Wait, Eddie got up on stage?” 

Damn, Gareth thought, that’s actually really impressive.

“Mhm! He gave this long speech and everything. My friends said it was really weird and embarrassing, but honestly, I thought it was kinda sweet. Super embarrassing, but sweet. It was kind of like a… hmm… well, I guess you could call it a love confession. I don’t remember what he said exactly, but it was really adorable, and normally I wouldn’t use that word to describe Eddie—you know, ‘cause he’s so mean and scary-looking—but at that moment, he really was adorable. Kinda like a puppy. And then he played Journey and—” 

Gareth’s head rocked back. “He played Journey? Eddie played Journey? Eddie doesn’t like Journey. Nobody likes Journey. Nobody except…” 

(you)

Gareth’s eyes widened. His stomach plummeted to the floor. Then he shook his head and the thought was gone. 

“Okay, maybe it’s just a coincidence,” he said. “Maybe the DJ suggested Journey. Do you remember what song it was, Livvy?” 

“No, I don’t. Sorry, I’m not very good with song titles.” 

“Was it ‘Separate Ways’? ‘Any Way You Want It’? ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’? ‘Faithfully’? ‘Open Arms’?” 

“You know, for someone who doesn’t like Journey, you sure know a lot of Journey songs.” 

And for someone who seemed like such an airhead, Olivia Kent was shockingly observant. Gareth was rather impressed. He couldn’t help but tip his head to her. Touché, fair lady.

“I think it was the last one,” Olivia said. 

“‘Open Arms’?” 

“I think so.” 

“So Eddie played a sappy love song,” Gareth concluded while rubbing his chin. “Makes sense.” 

“Mhm… and it must’ve worked ‘cause she left with him right after.” 

“You saw the girl who left with him?”  

“Yep.” 

“You saw her face?”

“Of course I did. She walked right past me.” 

“And did you recognize her?”

“Uh-huh!” 

“YES!” Gareth pumped his fists excitedly. He almost leaped out of his chair and kissed her, he was so happy. “Who was it, Livvy? Tell me who it was!”

Olivia sighed. “I don’t remember.” 

“What?” Gareth’s heart shattered. “But you just said you recognized her.”

“I did recognize her face, but I don’t remember her name… Sorry, Gareth, I’m not very good with names.” 

“You’re not good with names,” Gareth repeated softly, beside himself. “She’s not good with names. She’s not good with names. My star witness isn’t good with names.” 

He laughed madly to himself, feeling dizzy and delirious, feeling like the whole room was spinning like a turntable. A turntable playing Journey. Journey! Of all the bands in the world, Eddie, why Journey? Why? Why?

Meanwhile, Olivia rested her cheek against her palm and smiled at him. “You have really pretty eyes. Do you want my number?”  

Gareth paused, considering it. His face turned bright red. 

“Yes, Livvy. Yes, I’d love to get your number.” 

“Cool!” She scribbled it on a piece of notebook paper and handed it to him. “Call me sometime, okay?” 

So now Gareth was strolling away from his third-period class with a laminated hall pass in hand, Olivia Kent’s phone number in his pocket, a massive pit in his stomach, and Steve Perry’s annoying voice in his head. 

Journey. 

Eddie had requested Journey.  

It wasn’t a coincidence, was it? 

Gareth walked past Mr. Prichard’s math class, stopped, and backpedaled a few paces. He pressed his face against the glass and peered inside. 

Eddie was sitting at his desk with his assignment out and textbook open in front of him. He had his pencil in his hand, but he had yet to write a single answer. He was just tapping it against his notebook while he stared absently at the chalkboard, stared with a faraway look in his eyes. Gareth knew that look. It meant Eddie was lost in thought, usually about D&D or whatever new song he was learning, but today Gareth had a sneaking suspicion that Eddie was thinking about something else—or rather someone else. 

But not you. Please, God, not you. 

You were sitting behind him and quietly working on your assignment, just working on your assignment, and that caught Gareth a little off guard. If you had gone home with Eddie (as Gareth begrudgingly suspected now), shouldn’t you have been acting a little… happy? excited? Shouldn’t you have been staring at the back of his head with a dumb, lovesick expression? Daydreaming and doodling about him in your notebook? Naming your future children and planning your destination wedding?

Gareth expected to feel something when he peeked into that classroom. A change in energy. A shift in the natural balance of the universe. Call it whatever you want, but there should have been a noticeable difference in the air, right? Right?  

But there wasn’t.

Everything was totally normal. 

You and Eddie were acting totally normal. 

And that filled Gareth with an exhilarating sense of relief. 

It wasn’t you. Thank God, it wasn’t you. 

Gareth backed away with a smile. If he had stayed a minute longer, he would have seen the exact change in energy he had been waiting for. If he had stayed a minute longer, he would have seen Eddie turn around and start talking to you. He would have seen you smile and blush and tell him to go back to his assignment (even though you didn’t really want him to go back to his assignment). Then he would have seen Eddie turn back to the front, try to do his work, give up, and turn around again five minutes later. 

But Gareth didn’t stay. Instead, he continued down the hallway in blissful ignorance, pulled out his list, ripped it up, and tossed the pieces into the trash. 

If it wasn’t any of them and it wasn’t you, there was only one logical conclusion. 

“She doesn’t go to school here, does she?”

Gareth forced this treasonous charge onto Eddie as soon as he arrived at the cafeteria. He had found his target sitting at his usual place at the head of the table. The seat of high honor. Eddie’s chair. The king’s chair. Gareth, a once-honorable and faithful soldier, slammed down his tray, leaned forward, pressed his palms into the table, and looked Eddie Munson square in the eye. Unblinking. Unflinching. Unyielding against his Dungeon Master’s powerful, intimidating aura.  

A moment of tense silence passed. Jeff and Grant looked at each other and immediately stopped eating. Jeff put down his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Grant screwed on the lid of his soup thermos and set the container aside. There was no telling how long this would take. Gareth had a talent for prolonging his inevitable demise. It was like watching a slow hanging. 

Oh, but what a show it would be. 

“Who is she, Eddie?” Gareth thrust out his finger accusingly. “Huh? Is she a teacher? A townie? Some drunk chick you picked up at the bar while drowning your pathetic sorrows away?” 

“Yikes,” Jeff said, cringing. 

And Grant said, “That is quite the allegation.”  

Indeed it was, and Eddie didn’t seem to appreciate the open assault on his character. His brown eyes sharpened into a steely glare. They reflected Gareth’s destruction like a black crystal ball. Doom. Doom. Doom. 

“Get your finger outta my face,” Eddie said, and that was all he needed to say.  

“I’m so sorry,” Gareth said, and fell back into his chair with a thump. His heart thudded in his chest while the color slowly returned to his face. That was as close to death as Gareth had ever come. It was a miracle he’d survived. He bent his head and capitulated: “I sincerely apologize for my previous statement. It was malicious and rude, completely unbecoming of my position.”

Grant squinted his eyes curiously. “And what is your position, exactly?” 

“I’m Eddie’s best friend, obviously.” 

“Obviously,” Jeff echoed, snickering. 

Grant, wryly amused, said, “Uhh, I’m pretty sure Scottie’s his best friend.” 

Eddie, having dropped his tyrannous facade, was pretending to listen while absentmindedly picking through his snack bag, his thoughts elsewhere, eyes elsewhere. But where, Gareth couldn’t say. He had strained his neck to see who Eddie was looking at, but it was impossible to tell with so many people in the cafeteria. He could have been looking at anyone, anyone, anyone except you.

“He’s right,” Eddie murmured. “Scottie’s my best friend.” 

Gareth shrugged, unconcerned with such trivial technicalities. “Well, then I’m your second best friend, Eddie, and since Scottie’s in prison right now, I have to step in and assume the role in his stead.” 

“Ah, the interim best friend. So that’s the imaginary position you gave yourself.” 

“Oh, shut up and eat your soup, Grant.” 

“I will eat my soup,” Grant said, “and I’ll enjoy it while you continue to embarrass yourself.” 

“You’re embarrassing yourself,” Gareth grumbled nonsensically. He stabbed a piece of broccoli with his fork, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. It tasted like dirt. “I’m having a really horrible day.”

“Well, that’s too bad,” Eddie said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Mine’s actually going pretty well.”

Another cryptic response. Gareth simply couldn’t take it anymore.

“You know,” Jeff began, “speaking of Scottie—” 

Gareth flung down his fork angrily, sending a spear of broccoli whizzing past Grant’s left shoulder. 

“Oh, come on, just tell me who it is already! Enough with the hints and the coded language. I swear to God, you’re driving me crazy, Eddie! You’ve been torturing me for days with this mystery. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t think about anything else. As your friend, I’m begging you to stop. Please, for my sanity, stop.” 

Eddie popped a pretzel into his mouth and chewed. “I’ve been torturing you?”

Grant said, “He’s been torturing himself, honestly.” 

Jeff nodded, seeming on the verge of laughter. “Yeah, he made a list and everything.”

Eddie grimaced. “Wait, there’s a list? Why is there a list?” 

“Because you’ve driven me to madness, Eddie!” Gareth blurted out in blind white rage. “I hope you’re happy because you’ve driven me to complete madness! Who were you with on Saturday? Don’t even try to deny it because I heard a girl talking in the background. It wasn’t the TV. It was a girl. A living, breathing girl. I know you were with her that night, and I know you were with her yesterday.” 

“I wasn’t with her yesterday,” Eddie replied, his eyelids heavy with annoyance. “I already told you, I was out running errands.” 

“Oh, you’re sticking with that story, huh? Okay, Eddie, let’s assume you were out running errands. Let’s assume you spent your whole Sunday exactly as you said. You got up bright and early, stopped by the drugstore for God knows what, and then spent the rest of the day by yourself at home, cleaning out your van.” 

“I did clean out my van yesterday. That’s how I found my lost W.A.S.P. tape.”  

“Oh, which album?” Grant asked. 

“The Last Command,” Eddie answered, a soft smile touching his face. 

Wait, was that another clue?

“Nice,” Grant said. “That’s a solid album.” 

Eddie nodded, agreeing, but now there was a distant glimmer in his eyes that wasn’t there before. Gareth couldn’t take his eyes off it. It was as if his friend was lost in a cherished memory. 

What significance did this W.A.S.P. tape hold?

Was there any significance? 

These questions twisted Gareth’s mind into a pretzel. 

And speaking of pretzels, Eddie had set down his snack bag and stopped eating. Weird. He now sat with his arms folded over his chest, fingers drumming impatiently against his right bicep. His wandering eyes kept going back to the clock. Counting down the minutes. What had him so restless all of a sudden? What was he waiting for? His next class? English? Was that significant? Eddie hated English. He dreaded English. He complained about it every day because it meant he had to see— 

Eddie pushed off the table and stood up. Gareth climbed up from his chair, too. 

“Where are you going, Eddie?” 

“Dude,” Jeff said, looking up at him. “You need to calm down.” 

“Otherwise,” Grant went on, “you might get demoted to third best friend.”

The two of them dissolved into laughter. Gareth didn’t even hear them.  

“It’s happening,” he muttered. “Something’s happening.”

“Yeah, you annoyed Eddie so much that he had to leave to get away from you.” 

But that wasn’t it. Eddie wasn’t fleeing for the exit like a coward. No, he was marching straight through the middle of the cafeteria like a lone soldier charging through the battlefield. Charging to victory or to death. He was infiltrating the enemy’s stronghold, impervious to their hostile glares and raised eyebrows. Even Jason Carver himself, who had begun to get out of his chair, could not stop him today. Eddie was a man determined, a man determined to get to

(of course)

you. 

He wedged himself between two basketball players, pushed his palms into the table, and greeted you with a charming smile. You gazed up at him in sweet surprise. 

“Hi,” you said. 

“Hi,” he said back. “You wanna skip next period?”

Chrissy’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god,” she said while you blushed, buried your face in your hands, and giggled. 

Gareth, dumbstruck, slumped back into his chair with the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth. 

That bitch, he thought. That Journey-loving bitch, she actually did it.

Grant regarded him with an impressed frown. “You know, you’re handling this a lot better than I thought you would. When did you figure it out?” 

Gareth sighed. “Second period.” 

Eddie just had to play Journey.

There was a moment of solemn silence after that. Then Grant unscrewed his soup thermos and lunch resumed as usual. Jeff took a bite of his sandwich. Gareth, now resigned to his grim fate, stuck his fork into his meatloaf and cut himself a modest slice. The meat looked dry and grey. What a horrible new world he lived in. 

But, he supposed, there was something to look forward to. 

“I got Olivia Kent’s number today. I think I’m gonna ask her out this weekend.”

SERIES MASTERPOST

FANFICTION MASTERLIST

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[leesleelee]

The babysitters Chronicles.

Steve Harrington x male! reader

After the events of season 3, Hawkins has settled into a quieter routine. However, the threat of the Upside Down lingers in the background. You, Lucas' cousin has moved back to Hawkins to help out. While helping out, you meet someone who ends up being your teammate.

CW: Mild Language, emotional vulnerability, romantic themes, mention of past trauma, light angst.

Word Count: 6,863

The babysitters.

We were under the same roof.

The summer had passed, but Hawkins was still settling back into some semblance of normalcy.

At least, that’s what your parents told you as they sent you off to stay with your cousin Lucas and his family.

After everything that had happened, it was clear you were needed, even if you weren’t sure what your role would be in all this.

Your first day in Hawkins was quiet, too quiet.

The kind of quiet that made you feel like something important was still lingering in the air. You hadn’t been around Lucas, Mike, Max, Dustin, or the others much before, so you didn’t know what to expect.

All you knew was that things had been... complicated. And now, you were supposed to help take care of the kids. Easier said than done.

The house you found yourself in was familiar, Lucas’ family home, but it felt different now, like the walls carried secrets you weren’t privy to yet.

The laughter and chaos coming from the living room was a clear indication that life here, though quieter, was anything but normal. You hesitated at the doorway, unsure of how to join the group, and whether they’d even care that you’d just moved into town.

The first thing you noticed was the noise. It wasn’t loud, not exactly, but it was constant.

Mike and Dustin were arguing over some ridiculous game on the floor, while Lucas and Max were half-heartedly attempting to referee.

The energy was almost too much; too many moving parts, too many voices, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Just... overwhelming.

Then, your eyes landed on him.

Steve Harrington, leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. His presence seemed to fill the room, not with the usual ‘king of the school’ bravado you’d heard about, but with something warmer;

more grounded.

He was part of the chaos, but he was also a quiet anchor in the middle of it. His eyes flickered over to you as you stood there, unsure of how to make an entrance, but instead of the usual dismissive glance or curiosity, there was a softness in his gaze.

“Hey,” he greeted you, his voice surprisingly calm amidst the rowdy chatter. He offered a small smile, the kind that didn’t try too hard but was somehow inviting.

“You must be the new guy.”

You nodded, not sure if that was the right thing to do.

“Yeah, that’d be me. I’m... staying with Lucas for a while.”

Steve’s expression softened, his arms uncrossing as he straightened up.

“I figured as much. Everyone’s talking about you.” There was no teasing or judgment in his tone, just a genuine acknowledgment.

You glanced at Lucas, who was still in the middle of breaking up another argument between Mike and Dustin, and then back to Steve.

“How do you... handle all of this?”

You asked, half-laughing at the mess in front of you. The kids were all loud, taking sides, making plans for whatever trouble they were about to get into.

Steve looked over at them with a small shake of his head, like he was used to it by now. “It’s... a work in progress,” he said slowly, as if carefully choosing his words.

“You get used to the noise. And the drama.” His smile grew slightly, and you could see how he effortlessly slid into his role as the unspoken leader of the group. “You’ve got your hands full now, though. This lot knows how to make a mess.”

“Seems like they’re good at it,” you commented, your voice dry, feeling the weight of the situation.

You didn’t know how you were supposed to fit in, how you were supposed to navigate being the new person here.

Steve gave you a knowing look. “Don’t worry. We all get thrown into the deep end at some point. You’ll be fine.”

His tone was light, but there was something reassuring about it, as if he genuinely meant it.

You weren’t sure what to say to that, so you just watched as he moved across the room, stepping into the chaos like it was second nature to him.

He bent down to break up a new fight between Max and Dustin, using his usual calm, but firm, voice to smooth things over. There was a practiced ease to his movements, like he had done this a hundred times before.

You stood there for a moment, observing him. He was different from what you expected, much more patient and steady.

You’d heard the stories, Steve Harrington, the former high school king, the one who had been through his own share of messes, but somehow ended up here, looking out for the kids.

He was more than just the nickname.

It wasn’t until you saw him glance back at you, that small, amused smile tugging at his lips, that you realized you’d been watching him a little too intently.

He raised an eyebrow, catching your gaze, and for a second, there was an unspoken understanding between you two, something fleeting but real.

“Okay, new guy,” he said, his voice a little more relaxed, like he was letting down some of his own walls.

“Want to team up? We can tag team this babysitting gig. Trust me, it works better when there are two of us.”

You didn’t know what made you agree, but there was something about Steve, something that made it easy to fall into a rhythm with him, even if it was just a simple offer to help manage the chaos.

You nodded, stepping a little further into the room.

“Sure,” you said, your voice quieter now, more certain. “I can give it a shot.”

For a moment, it didn’t feel so overwhelming.

With Steve, there was a quiet reassurance that maybe, just maybe, this would be easier than you thought. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, helping to take care of the kids and settling into Hawkins.

And maybe, just maybe, there was more to Steve than the stories you’d heard.

As the two of you began working together to keep the kids from escalating into more trouble, you couldn’t help but notice the small gestures, the way Steve made sure you were comfortable and involved, offering quiet smiles and half-jokes when the kids got too rowdy.

It was nothing big, nothing overt, but in that moment, you realized something, this wasn’t just babysitting.

This was the beginning of something new.

And even if it was just a small spark, you couldn’t help but feel like it had the potential to grow into something more.

---

The moment you agreed to help, you immediately regretted it.

Max had suggested they all play a game of Dungeons & Dragons, but somehow it devolved into an all-out war of opinions, everyone trying to one-up each other with the most ridiculous rules.

Dustin and Mike were arguing over whose character was the most powerful, while Lucas tried to keep them in check, but his attention was split.

Max, naturally, refused to be part of it at all, folding her arms and glaring at the lot of them as if she were too cool for the entire situation.

And in the middle of it all, Steve was... well, Steve.

His usual nonchalant attitude made him seem like this was just another ordinary Saturday for him.

He leaned back against the couch, one hand lazily draped over the backrest, while the other played with a half-empty bag of chips.

You glanced at Steve, silently pleading for help. He caught your eye, his lips twitching in amusement, but he didn’t offer any immediate assistance.

Instead, he was waiting for you to jump into the fray. You took a deep breath and stepped into the chaos, walking over to where Lucas and Mike were practically nose-to-nose, arguing over whether a roll of the dice was “totally unfair.”

“Hey!” you called out, a little louder than you intended. All heads turned toward you.

Steve’s gaze lingered on you for a moment, something almost like pride flickering behind his eyes as you took charge of the situation.

“Okay, seriously?” you said, raising an eyebrow.

“We’re gonna be here all day if you keep fighting like this. What’s the point of a game if you don’t even know the rules?”

Lucas shot you a grateful look.

“See? I told them it’s about having fun, not trying to win every single time.”

“I don’t always try to win,” Dustin protested, looking offended.

He glanced at Mike.

“But Mike’s character is completely OP. I mean, who even lets a wizard have that many spells?”

“Yeah, well, you guys aren’t playing right!” Mike shot back, completely missing the point.

Steve leaned in, clearly enjoying the drama. “Boys, boys,” he said, with a theatrical sigh.

“How about we agree that everyone can have their turn to be the biggest nerd, but nobody gets to hog the spotlight? Deal?”

You could practically hear the collective groan of annoyance from the kids, but it did the trick, at least for the moment.

“Okay, okay, fine,” Dustin grumbled, sitting down with a huff.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

Just as things seemed to calm down, a high-pitched shriek cut through the air.

Max had decided she was done with the game and was now attempting to sneak into the kitchen to steal the last of the snacks.

“Hey! Max! Get back here!” Steve shouted, moving with surprising speed as he jumped off the couch and chased after her.

You didn’t hesitate to follow, knowing the chaos would only escalate if someone didn’t stop it.

You found Steve cornering Max at the kitchen table, a small bag of pretzels clutched in her hands like she was about to make a getaway.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Steve asked, his voice amused but firm, his hands on his hips as if this were a routine.

Max rolled her eyes dramatically, holding the snacks out in front of her like they were a trophy.

“What does it look like I’m doing? Getting a snack. You guys have been hogging everything.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen anyone eating pretzels since last week, Max,” you said, crossing your arms.

“You just want to be dramatic, huh?”

Max flashed you a smirk. “If you’re gonna let Steve win, that’s your problem.”

You raised your hands in mock surrender.

“I’m just here to keep the peace, not to pick sides.”

Steve leaned in closer, lowering his voice as if he were sharing a secret.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he said, his words only meant for you.

“She gets really feisty when she’s hungry.”

You raised an eyebrow, fighting back a smile. “Noted.”

Max huffed, crossing her arms, but Steve wasn’t letting her off that easily. He took the bag from her hands with a dramatic flourish, giving her a look of mock disappointment.

“You can have some, but you have to promise to play nice with the others. No more stealing snacks.”

Max rolled her eyes again but grudgingly nodded.

“Fine, whatever.”

With the snack crisis temporarily averted, you and Steve returned to the living room, but not before you heard Dustin and Mike get into another heated discussion about which character was the best choice for their next round.

You exchanged a glance with Steve, who was clearly done with the constant back-and-forth.

“You wanna call it quits for the day?” Steve asked, leaning toward you with a grin.

You sighed, rubbing your temples. “I think that’s probably a good idea. They’re never going to agree on anything if we don’t step in.”

Just as you were about to suggest a break, the sound of crashing plastic echoed from the corner of the room.

You and Steve turned just in time to see Lucas trip over his own shoelaces, sending a bowl of popcorn flying across the floor.

The kids burst into laughter, and even Steve couldn't hold back a chuckle.

You couldn’t help but smile at the mess of it all, and for a moment, it felt like you were just another part of the family.

“You know,” you said, shaking your head,

“I can’t tell if I’m actually helping or just making things worse.”

Steve shrugged, his grin widening.

“Sometimes it’s about surviving the chaos, not solving it. Trust me, you’re doing fine.”

As the room settled into a familiar pattern of laughter and minor bickering, you realized that, despite the madness, it wasn’t so bad.

Steve had a way of making the chaos feel manageable, and it felt like, maybe, just maybe, you could get used to this.

---

The sun had begun to dip below the horizon, casting a warm glow across the room.

The chaos of the afternoon had finally settled into a comfortable lull, and the kids had either scattered to their respective corners of the house or fallen into a quiet, tired stupor.

The game was over, the snacks were long gone, and the living room now felt almost eerily calm in comparison to the frenzy that had come before.

You leaned back against the couch, the soft hum of a television in the background barely audible.

Max was sprawled out in one of the armchairs, her headphones in, while Dustin and Mike were attempting some quiet video game battle in the corner.

Even Lucas had found a moment to relax, reading through a comic book by the window.

Steve, on the other hand, had found a quiet corner near the window, arms loosely crossed as he gazed outside at the fading light.

His usual energy had settled, his expression softer now than it had been all day.

You watched him for a moment, the way the light caught the edges of his hair, how his gaze seemed far away, lost in thought.

It was the first time today that he didn’t seem like he was on high alert, ready to jump in and referee the next round of bickering. He looked... peaceful.

For a moment, you considered just letting him be.

But something about the quiet pulled you closer, a small voice telling you to take a chance, to say something.

“Hey,”

you finally said, your voice barely above a whisper.

It felt strange to break the silence, but you did anyway. “You doing okay?”

Steve shifted slightly, as though your voice had brought him out of his thoughts.

He turned his head slightly, catching your eye. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he uncrossed his arms and sat up a little straighter.

“I’m good,” he replied, his voice low and calm.

“Just... needed a second. Been a long day, huh?”

You nodded slowly, relaxing into the cushions as you considered his words.

“Yeah, it’s definitely been... eventful. But, uh, it’s not so bad. You’ve handled it pretty well.”

Steve let out a small, almost embarrassed chuckle.

“I don’t know about that. Half the time I’m just winging it.” His gaze flickered toward the kids again, watching them interact with a small, fond smile on his face.

“But, I guess it works out. You’re not doing too bad yourself.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Me? I feel like I’m just getting dragged along.”

“That’s part of the fun, right?” Steve said with a shrug, still grinning a little. His tone was teasing, but there was a warmth there, too, a genuine appreciation.

“But seriously, you’ve got a good way with them. They listen to you, which is more than I can say for myself sometimes.”

You chuckled softly, shifting so you were sitting a little closer to him.

“I guess we make a good team, huh?”

Steve glanced at you again, his smile widening just a little. “Yeah, I think we do.”

His voice was quieter this time, more thoughtful. “It’s kind of nice, y’know, having someone to share all this with. Feels a little less crazy when it’s not just me trying to keep everything in check.”

You didn’t say anything right away, letting the words sink in.

You had noticed, of course, how Steve had a way of keeping things under control—of bringing a sense of calm to the madness.

But hearing him say it, hearing the vulnerability in his voice as he admitted he wasn’t always sure he had it all together, made you feel... closer to him, in a way.

Like you weren’t just playing along in his world, but that you were starting to share it.

“You know,” you said quietly, looking out the window where the last remnants of the sunset painted the sky in shades of orange and pink, “I didn’t think it’d be like this when I moved here. All the noise, all the... chaos.”

You laughed softly, shaking your head. “But it’s kind of nice. In a weird way.”

Steve followed your gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked out at the fading light.

“Yeah. It’s nice. I think the chaos makes the quiet moments worth it.” He paused, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was holding back another smile.

“And... I think the quiet moments make the chaos feel a little less crazy, too.”

You smiled at his words, the weight of the afternoon finally lifting off your shoulders.

The world outside seemed a little calmer now, the house filled with the soft sounds of the kids in their own little worlds, and Steve sitting next to you, as relaxed as you’d ever seen him.

There was something comforting about this silence, the way everything felt in sync for once.

You didn’t feel the need to fill the air with conversation or distractions. Instead, you could just enjoy the moment for what it was, a brief, quiet pause in the midst of the whirlwind that had been your day.

Steve’s gaze lingered on you for a moment, and you met his eyes, a soft, unspoken understanding passing between you.

Maybe it was the way the evening light softened everything, or the way his presence just felt right, but in that quiet moment, you couldn’t deny it: being here with him felt... good.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Steve said, the words simple but meaningful, his voice steady and warm.

You nodded, a quiet smile curving on your lips. “Me too.”

---

The days after the babysitting adventure had settled into something like routine.

The kids were still as chaotic as ever, but with each passing day, you found yourself easing into the role.

There were moments of laughter, moments of frustration, and, more often than not, you found yourself alongside Steve, trying to juggle the madness.

It wasn’t so much the kids that had started to feel comfortable, it was being around Steve.

Somewhere between handling arguments over video games, calming Max down after she’d stormed off in a huff, and Steve always having just the right words to make everyone laugh or take a break, you’d started to notice something.

The way Steve looked at you wasn’t quite like it had been at first. It was subtle at first,an extra beat of silence when your eyes met, the small, easy smiles that didn’t feel forced, like they used to.

There was an ease in his presence now, a comfortable kind of quiet that you found yourself craving when the noise of the group became too overwhelming.

Today was no different. The kids were in the backyard, playing basketball, and you’d volunteered to stay inside with Steve, mostly because the sun was just a little too hot, and you both had been the designated “guardians of peace.”

You were sitting at the kitchen table, sipping on a drink, while Steve was lazily washing dishes, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

The rhythmic sound of water running, the occasional clink of plates, and the quiet murmurs between you two were almost soothing.

“So,” Steve said, his voice breaking the silence, “how’s school been? You surviving senior year?”

You glanced up from your drink, considering the question. “It’s been alright,” you replied, a small shrug following your words.

“I mean, it’s school. It’s nothing I can’t handle. But it’s... different, you know? Moving here after everything that happened... it’s kind of thrown me off. I feel like I’m still adjusting.”

Steve chuckled, wiping his hands dry on the dish towel.

“Yeah, I get that. Hawkins has a way of making things feel a little weird, right? Everything’s either too normal or too weird, never just... normal.”

You laughed softly, nodding in agreement.

“Exactly. It’s like one minute, I’m trying to figure out how to survive high school, and the next, I’m wondering if I’ll have to deal with some weird, otherworldly creature again.”

Steve smirked, tossing the towel aside and leaning against the counter. “I’m pretty sure that’s part of the charm of this place. You never really know what’s gonna happen next. Makes life interesting, I guess.”

The way he said it made you chuckle, and for a moment, it felt like you were just... talking.

Not about anything important, not anything heavy, but just sharing a moment of lightness, of understanding. It wasn’t often that you felt that way with someone, especially after moving to a new place.

But with Steve, it was easy.

“You know,” you said after a beat, “I didn’t really expect you to be this... chill.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

“Chill? What, you thought I’d be some angry jock or something?”

You shrugged, trying to hide your smile. “I don’t know. It’s just—well, you’re different than what I thought you’d be.”

Steve laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, I get that a lot. People usually think I’m all about the hair, the car, the ‘cool guy’ persona.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Guess I got that reputation, huh?”

You couldn’t help but smile, amused by his self-deprecating humor. “I mean, yeah, but there’s more to you than that.”

You paused, looking down at your drink as you thought for a moment. “It’s just... you’re not what I expected. But in a good way.”

Steve’s expression softened at your words, and for a moment, you both just stood there in the quiet of the kitchen, the noise of the kids in the backyard still distant.

There was something comforting about the silence between you two, something that felt like it was slowly pulling you both closer.

Steve shifted on his feet, his gaze never leaving you as he leaned in slightly, as though choosing his words carefully.

“Well... I’m glad to hear that. Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect from you either when you moved here.”

You looked up at him, curiosity flickering in your eyes. “Oh yeah? What did you think I’d be like?”

He chuckled softly, his expression light.

“I don’t know, honestly. I thought you’d be like one of those people who just comes in, says ‘hi,’ and disappears. You know, all distant and stuff. But you’re... not like that at all.”

You smiled, a small, genuine smile that came naturally. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

Steve’s grin was playful, but there was something more behind it. “Nah. Not bad at all.”

It was funny, how easy it felt to talk to him.

The way the conversation flowed from one moment to the next, no forced pauses, no awkwardness. It felt natural, like the both of you had always been able to share this space.

The kids outside were getting louder, the ball bouncing off the ground, a few of them laughing at some sort of inside joke, but it didn’t matter.

It felt like you and Steve were in your own little bubble, and for once, the rest of the world didn’t need to intrude.

“I’m glad I’m here,” Steve said softly, almost as an afterthought, as he turned back to the sink, his fingers absently running over the rim of a glass.

“I mean, you’ve made things... easier.”

You watched him for a moment, the words hanging in the air between you two.

He hadn’t said anything too deep, but there was a sincerity in his voice that made your heart skip a beat

You were getting used to this, getting used to him being around, getting used to the quiet moments, to how easy it felt to just be in each other’s company.

“I’m glad you’re here too,” you said, the words coming out quieter than you meant them to.

For a moment, Steve didn’t respond, but the smile he gave you was enough. It was soft, almost shy, but there was something in it that told you he felt the same way.

---

It had been a long week, the kind of week that blended together, filled with the usual mix of chaos, laughter, and quiet moments with Steve.

Every time you thought the day would settle into something predictable, there was always a curveball, whether it was Dustin’s never-ending energy, Max’s occasional storms, or the endless basketball games in the driveway.

But, despite the noise, the moments spent with Steve felt different. Lately, you’d found yourself looking forward to them more than you cared to admit.

It was late on a Friday evening, and the kids had all scattered off to their rooms, giving you and Steve the rare chance for some time to yourselves.

The house was quiet, save for the soft hum of the refrigerator and the distant sounds of the night outside.

You were sitting on the couch, a book in your lap, your thoughts wandering far from the pages in front of you. You could hear Steve in the kitchen, putting away some leftovers from dinner, humming to himself absentmindedly.

The usual chatter and playful teasing had quieted down, and you realized, for the first time in a long while, that you weren’t focused on keeping things light anymore.

You weren’t just babysitting the kids or keeping the peace.

You were... drawn to Steve.

And it wasn’t just about the way he’d smile when he caught your eye, or how he’d laugh when you cracked a joke. It was the way he made you feel. Safe. Understood.

Like you were both in this together. Like this moment, this piece of life, was something worth holding onto.

Without thinking, you closed the book and set it aside, standing up and walking toward the kitchen, your steps slow but deliberate.

Steve was humming louder now, moving around the kitchen, but when you leaned against the doorframe, he paused and glanced over at you, raising an eyebrow.

“What’s up?” he asked, wiping his hands on a towel.

You hesitated for a second, not entirely sure what you were about to say, but knowing that it was time to say something.

Something that had been building up in you for weeks now. Something you couldn’t ignore any longer.

“I don’t know,” you said, the words coming out a little quieter than you meant them to.

“I guess... I’ve been thinking.”

Steve tilted his head slightly, clearly interested, but he didn’t push. He just stood there, waiting for you to continue, his expression soft and open.

“About... us, I guess,” you continued, your heart beating a little faster now.

“About how things have been. How... I’ve been feeling. And, I just—”

You stopped yourself, taking a breath. You didn’t know how to explain it, didn’t know how to put into words what had been bubbling up inside you.

But Steve, in his usual way, seemed to sense what you were getting at. His expression softened, and he took a step closer to you, his voice gentle.

“You mean how it feels like we’ve been getting closer?” he asked, his tone teasing but sincere.

You nodded, looking up at him.

“Yeah. I didn’t think it would happen this way, but... yeah. I guess I’ve been feeling it too.”

Steve leaned against the counter, letting out a small breath as he looked down at his hands.

For a moment, you thought he might change the subject, but instead, his voice softened, more vulnerable than you’d ever heard it.

“You know,” he began, “I’m not always this put-together. Like, I joke around and act like I’ve got it all figured out, but... I don’t. Not even close.”

The honesty in his voice surprised you, and you stepped closer, silently encouraging him to continue.

He glanced at you, his eyes searching yours for a moment before looking away again.

“After everything that happened with... the Upside Down, losing people, and just... everything,” he said, his voice faltering slightly,

“it messed me up. I tried to be the guy who could take care of everyone, who could keep it together for the kids, but sometimes... it feels like I’m barely holding on.”

You felt your chest tighten at his words.

It wasn’t often that Steve let his guard down like this, and hearing the cracks in his usual confident exterior made you realize just how much he carried on his shoulders.

“I don’t know why I’m telling you this,” Steve continued, shaking his head with a small, self-conscious laugh.

“Maybe because you’ve been there too. You get it, in a way that not a lot of people do.”

You reached out instinctively, placing a hand on his arm.

The gesture was simple, but it seemed to ground him. He looked up at you, his eyes meeting yours, and for a moment, the vulnerability in his expression was almost overwhelming.

“You don’t have to do it alone, Steve,” you said softly. “You don’t have to be the guy who always has it figured out. We’ve all been through a lot, and it’s okay to lean on someone else sometimes.”

Steve let out a small breath, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

“Yeah. I think I’m starting to figure that out. Especially with you.”

The words hung in the air between you, and the realization of what he’d just said made your heart skip a beat.

He hadn’t said it directly, but the meaning was clear. You weren’t just someone he was confiding in. You were someone he trusted, someone he wanted to keep close.

“I’m glad I’m here,” Steve said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “And I’m glad you’re here too.”

Your hand lingered on his arm for a moment longer before you stepped back, the weight of the moment settling between you. There was something undeniable in the air now, something unspoken but understood.

The connection between you two wasn’t just friendship—it was something more, something neither of you could ignore any longer.

Steve stared at your lips and cracked a smile.

---

It had been a few weeks since that quiet night in the kitchen when everything changed.

You and Steve hadn’t spoken directly about what happened, but the air between you was different now.

The small moments lingered longer, the playful touches and glances felt heavier, and the teasing banter was layered with something unspoken. Something real.

The kids, of course, hadn’t noticed anything, too caught up in their own world of campaigns, arcade games, and adolescent drama.

But you noticed. Steve noticed. And, slowly but surely, the dynamic between you two shifted into something neither of you could name just yet.

The first time it hit you was at the arcade.

It had been Max’s idea to gather everyone, and somehow, you and Steve had been roped into chaperoning.

The kids scattered the moment you arrived, racing to their favorite machines and leaving you two by the snack counter.

Steve leaned casually against the counter, sipping a Coke, his hair as perfect as ever.

You couldn’t help but smirk at how effortlessly he pulled off the whole "cool guy" look.

“You know,” you said, nudging him playfully,

“you’ve got a serious reputation to uphold. Babysitter extraordinaire, hero of Hawkins… how do you handle all the pressure?”

He laughed, a genuine, warm sound that made your chest tighten.

“It’s tough, but someone’s gotta do it,” he quipped, taking another sip. Then he glanced at you, his expression softening. “I mean, it helps having backup now.”

The way he said it, so casually but with a weight that told you he meant it, made your stomach flip.

You looked away, pretending to focus on the kids in the distance, but the warmth creeping up your neck betrayed you.

“Backup, huh?” you replied, your voice teasing but quieter now.

“Guess that makes me your sidekick.”

Steve nudged you back, his shoulder brushing yours in a way that felt deliberate.

“Nah, more like my boyfriend.”

The word hung in the air between you, and for a moment, it felt like the entire arcade had gone silent.

You glanced at him, and the small, knowing smile on his face made your heart race.

“Boyfriend, huh?” you murmured, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably.

He shrugged, his smile widening. “Yeah. You know… someone I can count on. Someone I can... trust.”

The intensity of his gaze made your breath catch, and you felt like you were teetering on the edge of something big.

But before you could respond, Dustin’s voice cut through the moment, shouting for both of you to “hurry up and come see this!”

Steve chuckled, the spell between you broken but not forgotten.

“Guess duty calls,” he said, giving you a quick wink before heading toward the kids.

You followed, your chest still buzzing from the exchange.

---

The second time it happened was during a late-night drive. The kids were all asleep in the back of Steve’s car after a long day at the pool, and the quiet hum of the engine filled the silence.

You were sitting in the passenger seat, your head resting against the window as the streetlights flickered past.

Steve glanced over at you, his hands steady on the wheel.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice low.

You turned to him, smiling softly. “Yeah. Just… tired, I guess.”

He nodded, his eyes flicking back to the road. “It’s been a long day.”

There was a pause, and then he added, almost hesitantly, “You know, I’ve been thinking… I like this.”

“Like what?” you asked, genuinely curious.

“This,”

He said, gesturing vaguely. “The quiet. The… normal. After everything we’ve been through, it’s nice, y’know? Just driving around with you. Feels... right.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his words, and you couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah,” you murmured. “It does.”

The rest of the drive was quiet, but the air between you was charged, every glance and shared silence saying more than words ever could.

---

The third time it happened was at the Wheeler’s basement, during another one of the kids’ chaotic campaigns.

The two of you sat on the couch, watching the kids argue over strategy, your shoulders pressed together.

Steve leaned in close, pretending to whisper about the game but letting his breath tickle your ear, sending a shiver down your spine.

“Think they’ll ever figure it out?” he teased, his voice low and warm.

“Doubt it,” you replied, trying to ignore the way your pulse quickened at his proximity.

He pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting yours, and for a moment, the world around you seemed to fade.

You could feel the tension building, the unspoken feelings between you growing harder to ignore.

Before either of you could say anything, Lucas shouted in triumph, breaking the moment.

Steve groaned dramatically, leaning back against the couch, but his hand brushed against yours as he did. Neither of you moved it.

It was moments like these, small, fleeting, but deeply significant, that defined the slow burn of your relationship.

Every shared look, every playful touch, every quiet conversation brought you closer, inch by inch, until the line between friendship and something more was barely there at all. And though neither of you had said the words yet, you both knew they were coming. It was just a matter of time.

---

The night was still, the stars scattered across the sky like someone had spilled glitter over velvet.

You and Steve were sitting on the roof of your house, a favorite spot you’d both discovered during one of the kids’ sleepovers.

The chaos of the day had finally settled, leaving behind a peaceful quiet that you’d grown to cherish in moments like these.

Steve sat beside you, legs stretched out, his hands resting on his knees as he gazed up at the stars.

He looked calm, content, but there was something in his posture, his fingers tapping absently against his leg, the way he kept glancing at you from the corner of his eye, that told you he had something on his mind.

“You ever think about what’s next?” he asked suddenly, his voice soft but clear in the stillness.

You turned to him, caught off guard by the question. “Next?”

“Yeah, like... after all of this. The kids, Hawkins, everything.”

He gestured vaguely to the sky, his lips quirking in a small, self-conscious smile.

“I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like this town is all I’ve got, y’know? Like I’ll always be Steve Harrington, babysitter extraordinaire.”

You chuckled softly, nudging him with your shoulder.

“You’re a little more than that, you know.”

He smiled at the nudge, but the vulnerability in his eyes didn’t waver.

“I don’t know. I guess I just... I want more. Something real. Something that makes me feel like... I belong.”

His words hung in the air, heavy with meaning.

You felt your heart ache at the openness in his voice, the quiet longing he rarely let anyone see.

“You do belong, Steve,” you said after a moment, your voice gentle but firm. “To the kids, to this place... to me.”

The last part came out before you could stop it, but you didn’t regret it.

It was the truth, and it was time to stop dancing around it.

Steve turned to you, his eyes searching yours, and you could see the moment your words sank in.

His lips parted slightly, like he was about to say something, but instead, he just stared at you, his expression unreadable.

“I mean it,” you continued, your voice quieter now.

“You’re not just... some guy who keeps the kids out of trouble. You’re more than that, Steve. You’re... everything. To them, sure, but to me, too. And I don’t want you to think you’re not enough, because you are. You always have been.”

Steve blinked, his breath hitching slightly as your words settled over him.

Then, slowly, a small, almost disbelieving smile began to tug at the corners of his lips.

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to hear something like that?” he asked, his voice soft, almost like he was afraid to break the moment.

You smiled back, your chest tight with emotion.

“Maybe as long as I’ve wanted to say it.”

There was a beat of silence, the kind of silence that felt full instead of empty, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

Then, Steve reached out, his hand brushing against yours before lacing his fingers through yours.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way before,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Like... like I finally found someone who sees me. Not just the guy who drives the kids around, or the guy who screws things up half the time. Just... me.”

You felt your heart swell at his words, and without thinking, you leaned closer, your free hand resting lightly on his arm.

“I see you, Steve,” you said softly, your eyes locked on his. “I’ve always seen you. And I—”

The words caught in your throat, but you didn’t need to finish them. The look in his eyes told you he already knew.

He leaned in, his forehead resting gently against yours, and for a moment, the world felt perfectly still.

“I think I’m falling for you,”

he murmured, his voice trembling slightly but filled with sincerity.

You closed your eyes, your heart pounding in your chest.

“I think I already have.”

The confession hung between you, weightless and freeing all at once.

Steve pulled back just enough to look at you, his expression soft but filled with something deeper, something you couldn’t quite put into words.

Then, with a tenderness that made your breath catch, he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours.

The kiss was soft, unhurried, and filled with all the emotions that had been building between you for weeks. It wasn’t just a kiss, it was a promise. A promise that this was real, that whatever came next, you’d face it together.

When you finally pulled back, Steve smiled at you, his cheeks flushed but his eyes shining with a happiness you’d never seen before.

“So,” he said, his voice teasing but warm, “does this mean you’re my boyfriend for real now?”

You laughed, shaking your head as you squeezed his hand. “Yeah, Harrington. I guess it does.”

And as you sat there on the roof, your hand in his, the stars shining above, you knew that this was just the beginning. The beginning of something real. Something that finally felt like home.

Thank you, Hawkins.

---

Credits: The Steve Harrington border I used was made by me, but the blue border was made by: kodaswrld!! Go and support them 🫶🏽

[munsons-hellfire]

I Always Knew | Eddie Munson

SUMMARY: You fell in love with Eddie over the years. But you feared that he never felt the same way. When you finally break up with Jason and decided your ready to tell Eddie you love him. Your reality is crashed when you catch someone kissing him. Only it's not her he loves.

PAIRINGS: Eddie Munson x Reader, Jason Carver x Reader (brief mentions)

CONTENT WARNING: 18+ MDNI, NSFW, the events of season 4 don't happen (which means Hopper doesn't disappear, no one moves to Cali and reader does know about El and the Upside down), best friends to lovers, both kinda clueless about each others feelings, smut with a plot, unprotected p in v (wrap it before you tap it), oral (f receiving), angst, fluff, a happy ending.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It was so good to get back to Stranger Things. I honestly missed writing for Eddie. I hope you enjoyed this one shot as much as I enjoyed writing it. The smut could be a little better but I don't write it as much so this is how it turned out.

WORD COUNT: 3.7K

You had been friends with Eddie Munson from the moment you moved into the trailer park in Hawkins Indiana. Eddie was the first person𑁋other than your father𑁋that you left into your life after your mother. You and your father had moved back to his hometown of Hawkins just months after your mother passed away. You felt stuck, like your feet had cemented to the ground and you couldn’t move forward anymore.

Then one night when you were out stargazing to feel closer to your mother, you met Eddie Munson. From the moment he came over to talk to you, you knew one day that you’d marry him. As the two of you grew older neither of you could be separated from each other. Wayne and Bill𑁋your father𑁋couldn’t separate you two from each other. They both knew collectively from the moment that you met that one day you and Eddie would end up together.

They were shocked that neither of you had come forward and admitted your feelings for each other. But a small rift formed between your friendship when you started dating Jason Carver. You should’ve known better, but Jason had you locked under his spell and you thought it would be a way to move on from Eddie. Here you stood, Jason standing in front of you talking about the basketball game and how positive that they were going to win tonight.

But your mind constantly found its way back to Eddie, no matter how hard you tried to avoid thinking about him, you couldn’t. You especially couldn’t stop thinking about the way he’d feel on top of you. About the way his cock would feel deep inside you. Just thinking about him that way made you wet between your legs.

“Are you listening to me, baby?” Jason questioned, his eyes trained on you. You were pulled out of your delicious thoughts, staring at your soon to be ex. This was your chance, you’d break up with him and then you’d finally go after Eddie hoping that it wasn’t too late.

“No, I’m not.” You whispered, then you sighed. “I can’t do this anymore Jason.” Your voice was steady as you spoke to him. You watched shock slowly morph into his features.

“What are you saying?” You pulled your eyes away from Jason looking around the hallway seeing a few people staring at you two. Almost like they were waiting for the announcement that you were breaking up with him.

A sigh rips from your throat, “What I’m saying is that I’m breaking up with you.”

A shocked noise left Jason’s mouth. “You can’t break up with me, we’re great together.” Jason said, throwing his hands in the air.

“I can and I am. I’m not meant to be with you, I’m meant to be with someone else.”

With those words you turned away from the basketball player and walked away from him as he called out your name. He didn’t however make a move to stop you. As you started on your journey to find Eddie you were stopped by Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will; all of whom were in Hellfire with Eddie. It was nice of Eddie to take the boys under his wing this year, you loved him a little more seeing the way he treated them. They had needed a good role model other than Steve after everything that had happened over the last few years.

But you could all live a normal life thanks to El defeating the Mind Flayer. You wondered where Max and El were considering that they were all inseparable. You were certain they probably weren’t far, or would be joining them soon enough.

“Is there something I can help you with?” You asked, with a raised brow.

“We heard that you finally broke up with Carver.” Dustin said, his smile taking over his face.

“Wow, that happened not even 5 minutes ago and it spread around quickly.” You pause, keeping your eyes trained on the teens. “I did. Why?” A curious expression appeared on your face as you waited for one of them to answer the question.

“Does this mean that you and Eddie are finally going to get together?” Mike asked. All four of them plus everyone else in your friend group including Steve made it very clear to you and Eddie that you both were perfect for each other. You and Eddie were two pieces to the puzzle that fit perfectly together. Never when you were together though, only if you weren’t around each other.

“You four are something, that’s for sure.” You paused, but allowed a smile to break through and plaster your face. “That being said, I was on my way to find him and talk to him. Any of you happen to know where I might find Eddie? I know I should know but I’ve been distracted as of late.”

Even though you’d asked the question, you knew exactly where Eddie would be. But you wanted to make sure just in case you were wrong. He was in the drama room most likely setting up for tonight’s session for Hellfire.

“Drama room!” They all answered excitedly.

“Great! Thank you!”

With a smile still on your lips you turned again and walked in the direction of the drama room. You were more than ready to admit your feelings to Eddie even if it meant you’d possibly ruin your friendship. You opened the door when you reached the drama room, Eddie was already setting up for tonight’s session which you were excited to see. Eddie looked up from what he was doing and smiled at you. His smile sent a warm feeling through your body.

“Hey, I thought you’d be getting ready for the basketball game.” Eddie said, as he looked back down at what he was setting up.

“Uh, actually, I thought I’d skip out tonight and watch your campaign if that’s okay.” Your voice came out soft as you talked to Eddie. But in reality you just wanted to tell him how much you loved him. How you didn’t want to be apart from him anymore. But nothing would come out, your words were lodged in your throat, they wouldn’t move forward.

“Of course, you know you’re always welcome here.”

You walked over to Eddie and sat down in one of the chairs. One by one the boys started to file into the drama room. El and Max were now with them too. Eventually the campaign started and you kept your eyes on Eddie for the most part. You were memorized by how he explained the storyline and the whole premise of the campaign. Things took a turn for the worst when someone else entered the drama room.

All eyes including yours fell onto her, she was so beautiful. You were nothing compared to her, suddenly you felt so self-conscious. You started to fidget with your fingers as you watched the blond walk up to Eddie, interrupting the session.

“Uh, don’t mind me.” She said softly, then proceeded to give Eddie a kiss to his lips, a quick peck.

But that was enough for you to feel your entire world shatter. She sat down next to him and the campaign continued. Eddie took notice of the way your posture and mood suddenly changed. He thought it was odd but shook it off. As the campaign came to a close and everyone started to pack up, you quickly said your goodbyes to everyone except Eddie and the girl that had missed him. With your back to everyone you let the tears roll down your cheeks.

You weren’t upset that you had broken up with Jason. It was better for you, but you had pushed it off too long and now because of that you were too late to get Eddie, the one you always knew you wanted. Climbing in your car you turned it on and drove out of the school parking lot as fast as you could before Eddie had a chance to catch up to you. When you made it home you climbed out of your car and headed towards your trailer. Your dad was outside, a soft warm smile on his face.

“Hi, darling. How was the basketball game?” He asked, curiously.

“I didn’t go. I broke up with Jason because I realized that I’m in love with Eddie. But now I can’t have him because he’s dating someone else.”

You walked up the steps as you answered your father. The door closed behind you as you stepped into the trailer and headed straight for your room. Bill could hear the sadness in your voice. It broke his heart to see you like this. Once you were inside your room you locked the door, collapsed on your bed and let the rest of the tears out.

☾

Days had passed since you broke up with Jason, you’d also managed to avoid Eddie as well. It even included not going to school for those few days. Each day Eddie stopped by your home after school to talk to you, but you weren’t in the right space to talk to him. Your father would send him away saying that you hadn’t been feeling well. But your dad wasn’t home right now and Eddie needed to see you.

He needed to understand why you wouldn’t talk to him. You were curled into your side, your blanket was wrapped around your entire body and you had a horror movie on. You’d normally watch them with Eddie, but you had it on more so for background noise. The sound was up just enough for you to not hear Eddie enter your trailer.

Your eyes were closed and your cheeks were wet with tears. No matter how hard you had tried to stop crying you just couldn’t stop. It hurt too much. Eddie came up to your cracked door and knocked on it softly.

“It’s me, princess.” Eddie called out, voice soft and sweet as you remembered.

“Go away.”

Your voice was hoarse and low. You gripped your blanket tighter. Eddie ignored you, opening the bedroom door and walking in. He closed it behind him, then Eddie pulled his shoes off and climbed into your bed. You felt the dip of your bed and tried to move away. Eddie wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you into his chest.

You were desperate to get away from him. The position that you were currently in wasn’t working for either of you. So Eddie lifted you up and turned your body so your back was on your bed. The metalhead pushed himself in between your legs, and you felt yourself stop breathing for a brief moment. Eddie held your hands above your head, suddenly everything was different.

“Why are you ignoring me?” Eddie questioned, a stern look on his face. You looked up at him finally, his brown eyes staring back at you. But there was something different, his eyes were covered in lust.

“I’m not ignoring you. Let go of me Eddie.” You mumbled looking away from him. Eddie removed a hand from your hands, he reached out and grabbed a hold of your jaw turning it back so he could see your eyes.

“Yes. You. Are.” He paused, eyes skimming down your body before moving back up and resting on your eyes. “I want to know why.”

“Because.” You spoke, your bottom lip trembling as you fought back to hold the tears in. You didn’t need to cry in front of him, not like this.

“Because why?” Eddie pressed.

“I broke up with Jason, because I…” You paused, it was now or never.

“You what?” Eddie let go of your hands and pulled away from your body, he leaned down on his knees but continued to stare at you. You suddenly missed his warmth.

“I broke up with him, I couldn’t bear the thought of being with someone who I didn’t love. Not when the person I love is you. And I wanted to tell you, I did, really. But the words got stuck in my throat and then she came in and kissed you and I knew… I knew that I had missed my time.” You pulled yourself up and moved back towards your headboard, then proceeded to wrap your arms around your legs when you pulled them to your chest.

“That’s why you’ve been ignoring me?” Eddie asked as he paused, running a hand down his face. “Look, she was nothing. I told her she could come watch the campaign session, but I swear I hadn’t planned for her to kiss me, okay. That was the last thing I wanted to happen.” Eddie adjusted himself, coming up next to you and wrapping an arm around you. “I always knew, you know. I always knew that I loved you, and deep down I think I always knew that you loved me too. But I didn’t want to ruin what we had over my feelings. I didn’t want to lose my best friend.”

“Oh, Ed.” You stared up at him, his brown eyes glazing over you. Before you could stop yourself you had your lips on Eddie’s and were kissing him with all the passion you had inside you. When you finally pull back from the heated kiss, you just stare at him. “You could never lose me.”

Eddie closed the space between you, his lips found purchase on yours again. His ringed fingers tangled into your hair, palms resting gently against your cheeks as he continued to kiss you. Eddie helped lower you down on the bed, until he was back between your legs. Your hands tangled into his long brown curly locks as he removed his lips from yours and placed them on your neck. He smirked when a soft moan escaped your lips.

The moan encouraged him to suck your skin in between his lips while his hand wandered down your chest. Finally his hand rested on your breasts, squeezing one before moving to the other. He could feel your nipples grow taut after he touched them. Eddie let off of your skin, pulling back from your body slightly. He looked down at your net to see a bruise forming where he had pulled at the skin. His smirk grew bigger as he stared down at your already blissed out face.

“Is this real?” You asked softly.

“It’s real, baby. Lean up.” Eddie said. You listened to his order and leaned yourself up from the bed slightly. “Good girl.” The words were smooth when they left his mouth, you felt yourself clenching your thighs together as Eddie leaned closer and reached for the bottom of your shirt. He grasped the shirt and started to lift it up your body.

Once the shirt was removed from your body you were left in only your bra, and shorts. Your hair fell back down landing on your chest. He threw your shirt onto the floor then reached forward again. His hands rested on your waist and slid up your back. His fingers unclasped your bra and pulled it off your shoulders. Finally he threw it to the floor and gently pushed you back down towards the mattress.

Eddie leaned down and placed kisses on your chest, slowly moving down. You gasped quietly when Eddie took a nipple into his mouth and started to flick his tongue around it. You closed your eyes, happy with just feeling him on you. Eddie pulled his lips from your nipple and moved to the other repeating the same thing. With his free hand he pinched your other nipple between his index finger and thumb.

Another moan slipped past your lips. He smirked at you, pulling away from your breasts and moving down your body. Eddie left a trail of kisses down your stomach until he reached your pussy. Eddie placed his lips on each thigh, avoiding the one spot you needed him most right now.

“Eddie.” You moaned out, lust filled eyes on him. He looked amazingly handsome between your thighs and you couldn’t help the smile that managed to cover your face. “Please.” You added, your voice barely above a whisper.

“So needy, princess.” Eddie whispered, his hot breath hitting your pussy.

He stuck his tongue out in front of your already wet cunt, then you felt his tongue on you. He licked a strip, moving from the bottom all the way to your clit. He sucked your clit into his mouth liking side to side. Gently he lifted a finger to your entrance and pushed a finger in. You tightened around his finger, a groan left Eddie’s lips causing a shutter to run through your body.

The slurping sound from his tongue ran through your ears, another moan left your lips when Eddie added another finger and curled them inside you hitting that sweet spot. You felt your orgasm inching closer with each lick of his tongue on your clit. You threw your head back, hitting your pillows. Your eyes were squeezed shut, mouth gaped open, your orgasm was so close.

“Eddie, please.” You moaned.

Eddie tugs at your clit, and curls his fingers inside again. When Eddie did that you felt yourself tighten around his fingers. Then he started to pick his pace up, pulling his fingers out only to shove them back inside of you.

“That’s it princess, cum on my fingers.” He whispered.

He stuck his tongue out again softly licking your clit. You shuttered, as you came on his fingers. Your moans echoed around the room as the remnants of your orgasm hit you. Eddie rested his head on your thigh, pulling his fingers from your entrance. You watched with blissed out eyes as he sucked your juices off his digits.

“You taste so divine, princess.” A smile fell onto your lips. Eddie pulls himself away from you, he climbs off the bed and proceeds to remove his clothes one by one. Eddie tugs his boxers off, his cock springs free hitting his stomach, pre-cum drips from the tip. He climbs back onto the bed and hoovers over top of you.

You pull your hand to your mouth and spit on it. Then you reach out and grab a hold of his cock and begin to stroke it. A moan leaves his lips at the feeling of your hand on him. He rests his head against yours. He pushes your hand off his cock and grips it, then you feel him tapping his cock against your clit. A strangled moan leaves your swollen lips.

Eddie smirks, he pulls back, placing his cock at your entrance. You watch as he pushes his cock inside of you. Eddie moans as you grip him tightly. Another moan leaves you, Eddie pushes all the way inside and settles there allowing you to adjust to his size.

“Fuck, I’ve waited so long to feel this close to you.” Eddie whispered.

“Please move.” You stared up at Eddie’s brown eyes. You’d waited long enough too and you needed him to move. He could see the pleading look that covered your face. Eddie pulled back just until the tip of his cock was the only thing that remained inside you. Then he pushed forward slamming back into you. Both of you moaned out in pleasure.

You could feel yourself tighten around Eddie’s cock as he continued the pace he was going. The sound of skin slapping skin echoed through the bedroom. Another moan fell from your lips, Eddie leaned forward and kissed them swallowing your moan. Eddie moves his fingers down to your clit and starts circling the bud. He pulls another moan from your lips, it echoes in the room when he pulls away to kiss your neck.

Your orgasm was getting closer. Eddie’s hips slammed into yours. Continuous moans left both your mouths as both of you inched closer towards your impending orgasm. Eddie could feel you getting closer. A smile brightened on his face. You placed a hand down on your bed and gripped the sheets tightly, arching your back.

“Fuck, Eddie.” You moaned.

“Are you close?” He whispered breathlessly.

“So close.” You mumbled. Eddie kept his finger on your clit rubbing in fast tight circles. His cock hitting that sweet spot inside of you.

“You gonna cum all over my cock, princess?” You could only nod your head, words weren’t forming on your tongue. “I want to feel you cum.”

“Eddie.” Another whimpered moan left your lips after breathing his name. He felt his orgasm getting closer, but he wanted to feel you cum around his cock first.

“Cum on my cock.”

 You obeyed Eddie, a moan falling from your lips. Eddie felt you squeezing him, he went to pull out, however you gripped onto his arms.

“No. Inside.” The words left your mouth and you watched through dazed eyes as Eddie complied and kept himself inside you. He slammed his hips into you a final time cum releasing inside you. Eddie slowed his rhythm down more until his hips stilled. He stared down at you with bright brown eyes. Lust filled eyes, but still bright.

Slowly Eddie removed himself from you, pulling back and climbing off the bed. You stared up at the ceiling, no thoughts in your mind just the blissful aftermath of your post orgasm. When Eddie returned you gasped feeling something could touch your cunt.

“Just cleaning you up, princess.” Eddie threw the cloth in your close basket. He climbed back into the bed and pulled you onto his chest.

“So, what does this mean now?” You asked, finally breaking the silence after the two of you had settled down into the bed.

“It means your mine.” Eddie whispered, placing a soft kiss on your head.

You tilted your head towards him with a smile so bright Eddie always wanted to see it. “I think I can live with that.” You leaned up to him and kissed his lips passionately.

“Good.” You laid your head down on his chest and fell asleep, at some point he had pulled his boxers on and his shirt. And you had your shirt and underwear back on. Finally he fell asleep holding you. An hour later your dad came in calling for you, when he opened the door he stared at you resting in Eddie’s arms. They were wrapped around your waist tightly.

“It’s about damn time.” He whispered, closing the door and walking back down the hallway.

[sp1rit-realm]

༻¨*:· 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 ·:*¨༺

༻¨*:· summary ·:*¨༺ you get paired with Eddie Munson for your ceramics final.

༻¨*:· notes ·:*¨༺ 𖦹 cheerleader!reader 𖦹 eddie calls reader "princess" and "sweet thing" 𖦹 angst for one microsecond 𖦹 closest thing you will get to enemies to lovers from me 𖦹 jason carver. you have been warned 𖦹 im sorry if your name is allie 𖦹 im in love with this fic 𖦹 i actually love the way this came out 𖦹 i did not proofread this⎝(ˊ0ˋ)⎠

༻¨*:· word count ·:*¨༺ 𖦹 3.2k

You hear someone shout. Something about "sheep," and you immediately know who it is. Still, you turn your head to see the person staring at you.

"Oh," He scoffs, "And their leader stares directly at me! Hey, princess! Was there something you needed? Or were you just staring at the freak again?"

You don't answer, turning back to your lunch.

"Yep, that's what I thought!" He yells.

Then, Carver stands up, "Leave her alone!" He yells.

Eddie smirks, "Princess needs her knight in shining armor to save her?" He mockingly croons.

Ignoring Eddie, you look to Carver, "Jason, just—" You take a deep breath, "Just sit down. Leave him alone."

Jason scoffs, "He's picking on you, babe."

"First, don't call me babe. You hear me?" Jason nods, "Second, sit down."

For once in his life, Jason listens.

Eddie smiles in victory, knowing he got you riled up. Even happier knowing Carver got told off.

You walked into fourth period late and sighed upon seeing the only open seat. Silently, you sit next to him. You hear him groan, and you don't need to look to know he's rolling his eyes.

The teacher drones on about the subject, and Eddie watches as you diligently take notes. Your pen's ink is sparkly and blue; he internally scoffs. 

The teacher mentions the words: "Final project." Eddie sighs, and you light up. He despises how happy you look.

Ms. Ronette mentions that this will be a partner project, and this time, you groan. None of your friends are in this class.

Then, she says that you will be working with your seat partner. There's an eruption of both glee and gloom. Some people are indifferent. You're hoping that's how Eddie feels, but you know he's pissed. You and Eddie look at each other, and you offer a hopeful smile. He scowls in return.

As soon as the bell rings, Eddie is out the door. You chase after him.

"Eddie! Wait!" He stops, and you catch your breath, "You would think all that cheering would make it easier for me to breathe after running for five seconds," You laugh. Eddie does not, "Just... get on with it."

You frown, "When should we meet to work on the project? I'm free today after five." You offer.

"I have Hellfire," He keeps walking.

Taking long strides to keep up with him, you continued, "I can wait. How long does it usually run?"

"'Till six, if we're lucky."

"Oh, well, I can sit in." You suggest with a smile, "It doesn't sound all that bad."

He hates how genuine you sound.

"Fine. But," Eddie stops to turn at you, "Absolutely no mocking or making fun of it. Understand?"

You nod.

"Sorry that you have to spend time with the freak," One of the girls on the team says in the locker room.

You shrug, "Y'know, maybe you should give him a chance. He doesn't seem horrible."

"I hear he sacrifices to the Devil." She whispers.

"Oh, I think that's just rumors," You deny the accusation thrown at him. You never liked rumors.

Walking into Hellfire was scary. You weren't sure what to expect, and Allie definitely got into your head with the whole sacrificing thing. She even told you he might lure you into a trap and sacrifice you. You didn't believe it rationally. But, your heart beats as you knock.

"Enter." You hear Eddie say. He's sitting on a throne and looks so in his element.

Nobody greets you, and you weren't expecting them to. Still, it would have been nice.

You pull out your notebook and begin sketching your final project.

Eventually, you give up on the sketch to listen in on the game. It's pretty interesting. There are trolls and elves, and you hear the word merfolk at one point. That piques your interest, and you begin drawing a mermaid. She's demonic and cryptic and freaky, and you smile. She's beautiful.

Everyone's packing up, and you're glad. All you want to do is work on your project.

"We can go to my house?" You propose.

"I smell like weed."

"And?"

He tries to hide his smirk—it doesn't work.

Once you're at your house, you grab your basket of albums.

"Pick one," You smile.

"What do you even have in there? Pop music?"

You shrug, "I think I'll surprise you."

"What, you have one Bowie album in there? Think that'll impress me?"

Why was he being so difficult?

"I'm just trying to put on some music to make this more bearable."

He scoffs, "Fine. Give it to me." 

You hand him the basket, and he's surprisingly careful with it.

His eyebrows raise as he flicks through your collection, "Kill 'Em All?"

You smile. You surprised Eddie Munson.

With the music playing, you pull out your textbook.

"Who do you want to study?"

"I don't care." He shrugs.

"Look, Munson," You cross your arms, "I care about my grade in this class. I know you probably don't, but I do."

"Of course, everything is about you," He copies your movements, crossing his arms back, "I'll have you know, I immensely enjoy pottery."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence falls over the two of you.

"Let's go with Beatrice Wood." He murmurs.

"That's who I was thinking, actually," You whisper, pulling out your sketch.

"Guess we have something in common." He snorts like it's the funniest thing in the world.

"Guess we do."

And with that, you set out on your research.

"It's getting late," You yawn, "Did you want dinner?"

Eddie wants to say no but also doesn't want box mac n cheese again. Ultimately, his guilt wins, "Nah, don't worry about it."

"Nonsense," You dismiss him, "I'll make something."

"Are you sure?" He's growing anxious by the second.

"I'm positive," You reassure.

"You live in a trailer, right?" You ask, blowing on your food.

He nods, "What about it?"

You can tell his defenses are up.

"Just wondering," You shrug.

"You gonna tell all your friends? Make fun of the trailer park freak?"

You furrow your brows, "No. I don't enjoy making fun of people, and I certainly wouldn't make fun of you. If anything, I would make fun of Allie." You state.

"Why? I'm, like, prime 'picking-on' material."

You shake your head, "It's not nice to make fun of someone for where they live or what they do for fun. Allie is the worst if I'm being honest. She's always talking about how much she loves tennis. She's not even good at it."

Eddie laughs, "Didn't you just say it's not nice to make fun of someone's hobbies?"

You smile sheepishly, "Yeah, but Allie's a bitch."

Eddie gawps, "I've never heard you swear."

"I don't do it often," You shrug.

"You should do it more."

Eddie leaves, and you tell him to drive home safely. Maybe working on this project won't be as bad as you thought.

"How was working with Munson?" Allie asks you the next day.

You roll your eyes, "You were right!" Your smile was saccharine sweet, "He tried to sacrifice me!"

Allie gasps, "Really!?"

"No, idiot," You huff, "We actually got a lot done. And then we had dinner."

"Who'd you have dinner with?"

"Carver." You greeted.

"Tell me you didn't have dinner with the freak. What did you eat?" He laughs, "Box mac and cheese?"

You cross your arms, "It's not nice to make fun of people, Jason." With that, you walked away.

"Imagine being named Jason," You murmur, sitting beside Eddie. He laughs, and a sense of pride settles in you.

"Imagine your last name being Carver," He whispers. You giggle, and Eddie is sure it's the sweetest sound he's ever heard. Then, he remembers he's supposed to hate you.

"So..." You're elbows deep in clay at this point, "What exactly is 'Dungeons and Dragons?'"

Eddie is surprised, "Um," He swallows the lump in his throat, "It's an RPG."

"I—" You sigh as your pot collapses again, "I'm not sure what that is." You throw the clay again.

"Role-playing game. I'm the Dungeon Master or DM."

"So you're character is... Dungeon Master?"

He smiles, "Not quite."

"Why do I feel like you're making fun of me?"

"I'm not making fun of you, princess. Promise."

"Stop calling me that," You whisper, though you're smiling.

"Why? You're the princess of Hawkins High."

"No, I'm not."

"Mhm," He nods theatrically, "Sure."

It makes you laugh, and you don't care about the stares you receive from your peers.

"So... You wanna come to my place to work on the project?" Eddie asks at the end of the period.

"Can you drive me?" You ask, hopefully.

"Sure can, princess."

You try to disguise your smile as a scowl at the name. Eddie can see right through you.

"Lots of mugs..." You say, looking around Eddie's trailer.

"My Uncle Wayne's." He answers. "Anyway, this was to my room!" He declares like he's on a journey. You giggle, and Eddie melts again.

Eddie's giddy. He always is when he's thinking about you. Your perfume and that lip gloss that's been used so much that the label has begun to rub off.

"I'm running out," You pout as you stare at the tube of gloss, and Eddie thinks he would buy you all the lip glosses in the world if it meant you would smile at him.

"Hey, shiny lips," You roll your eyes with a smile, "Time to work on this project."

You groan and clutch your chest like you've been mortally wounded. Eddie laughs at your antics.

You settle on his bed, books out, when he asks, "Am I what they chalk me up to be? Have I freaked you out?"

You swear there's almost a sadness in his tone, "No. You haven't tried sacrificing me."

"Yet." He adds, knowing it will make you giggle again. God, he loves that sound. He decides it's the worst thing on the planet because how can you be so lovely and sweet and laugh like that and then expect him not to fall for you? It's cruel, truly.

"Did you draw this?" He nudges the drawing of the mermaid.

"Oh, yeah," You grow warm.

"It's pretty fucking sick," Eddie says as he pulls the drawing out.

"I drew it when you were playing Dungeons and Dragons. Someone said something about merfolk, so I drew one." You shrugged, "It's not that good—"

"Oh, shut up. It's good. Amazing, even."

"You don't have to lie," You murmur.

"I'm not lying! How do I prove that to you?"

You think momentarily, "Hang it on your wall, then I'll believe you."

Eddie smiles and grabs a pin. He hangs it next to his guitar.

You gawp at him.

"What?"

"You actually hung it!"

"Of course I did! It's amazing!"

"Thank you." 

"Don't mention it, princess."

"Stop calling me princess, Eddie," You cross your arms.

"Stop being a princess, and I'll stop calling you princess." He jests.

You find yourself not wanting to leave, "So..." You look around his room, "You sell?"

Eddie huffs a laugh, "Did the princess wanna buy something?"

Your eyes go wide, "No! No, I was just wondering."

"Have you ever smoked weed?"

You nod, "I like smoking. It makes me laugh a lot."

And then, Eddie decides he needs to get you high.

"You wanna smoke?"

"I don't have any money," You shake your head.

"C'mon, it's on me. I've got my own stash," He opens a drawer and pulls out a pre-rolled joint.

You couldn't stop laughing, and Eddie adored it. Your eyes got smaller while the slopes of your cheeks grew. He was sure he was in the presence of an angel.

"And then," You laughed, "She vomited! All over her white clothes!"

"You really do hate this Allie girl, don't you?"

You throw your head back and groan, "She's the worst, Munson. All she does is talk and talk and talk about how much she loves tennis and her boyfriend, and her voice is so nasally. It gives me a migraine."

"Who's her boyfriend?" Eddie asks, intrigued.

"Just... a guy."

"Oh!" He snaps, "It's Gonzalez, right? Michael?"

"Yeah. Can we talk about something else?"

Eddie was quiet, and you were worried you scared him off with your strong reaction.

"Let's talk about Beatrice Wood."

You smiled kindly, glad he didn't pry. You received a smile back from Eddie Munson for the first time, and it felt like you won the lottery.

Eddie decided he hated you. He hated you and your cute face and your stupid laugh. He despised you. You freaky-art-making bubbly cheerleader.

And there he was. Nothing more than an anomaly who reeked of weed and cigarettes. A nerd-game-playing, grumpy freak.

And the worst part? He was falling for you. Hard. Oh, he loathed you because he knew you would never feel the same way.

You were too good for him. Too pretty, too nice, too lovely.

"You weren't here yesterday," You grab some slip with a frown as Eddie sits across from you. 

"Yeah... I was at home."

"I saw you during passing period, Eddie. Where were you?"

Eddie sighed, "I was dealing."

"The whole period?" You threw your slab a little too hard. Eddie flinched.

"Yeah."

You solemnly nodded. There had to be some reason Eddie ditched. Maybe it was you. His whole M.O. was "hating cheerleaders," so would it be that ridiculous to assume he didn't like you? It would, you decided. He liked you. He spent so much time with you. Sure, it was to work on the project, but there was no doubt in your mind that you spent more time together than anyone should during a research project. 

"Whatcha thinking about, princess?" He smirks.

You sigh, "Things I shouldn't be thinking about."

"Like... me?" He hopes he doesn't come off as desperate.

"Maybe," You smile, "Maybe not."

"That wasn't a no."

"It certainly wasn't," You confirm.

Eddie beams.

"You've been spending a lot of time with the freak," Jason says during lunch.

"His name is Eddie, Carver. He's a person." You cross your arms, then mutter: "Unlike you."

"What did you just say?" He asks.

"Nothing, Jason," You glare at him.

"Look," He barks out a humorless laugh, "I don't get why you jump to defend him. He's a freak. He's probably got a sock at home with your name on it. He's not good for you."

And that's when you snap, "Oh, like you know what's good for me! Do you even know my favorite color? Because I'm sure he does!"

Carver has nothing to say to that, and he leaves you alone.

"I am so sick of Carver," You moan in the locker room.

"So am I, if I'm being honest," Allie concurs.

"I literally was not talking to you, Allie." You huff out.

"Jeez," She murmurs, "No need to be so rude."

"Actually, Allie," You turn to her, "There is."

You walk into the drama room, and Eddie greets you. He makes everyone else welcome you. It's a nice feeling that makes you warm inside.

"Sorry it ran late, princess," Eddie apologizes as you sit in his van.

"It's okay," You reassure, "I drew some more."

Eddie nearly slams on the breaks, "You did?"

"I did," You gleam like the star you are.

"Can't wait to see them."

"Sweet thing, these are amazing." Eddie isn't smiling, and it would worry you if not for his tone. He's so sincere, and you melt. "What if you draw something for me?" He proposes.

"I will," You promise, "After we work."

"Take as much time as you need, princess."

You don't understand why everyone seems to despise him. Eddie's a good kid with a kind heart, and you really enjoy him and his company. He's funny and stupid and cute. Yes, Eddie Munson is cute, attractive, pretty, whatever word you want. And you're surprised you didn't notice it sooner, but as he sits on his bed, tongue poking out ever so slightly as he reads, you can't deny how attracted you are to him.

"Allie keeps talking about Michael," You mention. It was out of nowhere. You were both silently writing. Eddie looks up at you, and you look... wounded. 

"Yeah? What about him?"

You huff, "About how he's so great."

Eddie frowns, "Look, sweet thing, I know you don't like Allie, but why are you so upset she's with Michael?"

You look like you're about to burst into tears, and Eddie is scared he's said the wrong thing.

"Because I should be with him." You put and cross your arms.

"You like Michael?" Eddie is surprised because Gonzalez is a douchebag, and you're a sweet angel.

"Not anymore," You harshly wipe at your eyes, "We used to date."

Eddie's heart frowns, "And Allie...?"

"Took him from me!" You sniffle; Eddie's heart breaks.

"I sound childish," You determine, trying to blink back the onslaught of tears approaching, "But she just took him, and she doesn't even care about how I felt. Y'know she told me you were going to lure me and sacrifice me? How cruel is that?"

"That's... wow. Allie really is a bitch, isn't she?"

You solemnly nod as Eddie wraps his arm around you. You soften into it.

"For what it's worth, Michael's an idiot." He mutters into your hair.

"An idiot?" you look up at him, eyes all big and watery.

"An idiot to lose a girl like you."

"Can I kiss you?" You realize after you've said it that you sound lame, but as Eddie ducks down to place his lips on yours, you couldn't care less.

You dial your home's number into the phone, twisting the cord around your finger, kiss-bitten lips, and a wide grin.

The phone rings once, twice, three times, then your mother answers.

"Y/l residence."

"Mom," You all but gush, "I'm gonna stay over at a friend's tonight."

"Y/n? Who?" 

"My friend Eddie," You're quiet, testing the waters.

"Eddie?" You can hear the apprehension in her voice, "A boy?"

"Yes, mom. A boy."

"Honey," She sighs, "You need to wash your uniform. I trust you, but..."

"But?"

"I don't want you staying over at his house. I don't even know him."

You shake your head at an excited Eddie, whose mood sours.

"Okay. I'll see you in a little." You sigh, hanging up.

"No dice?" Eddie asks, already knowing the answer.

"No dice." You confirm, and you both frown.

"Bye, princess," Eddie says as you open the door to the van

"Bye, Eddie," You smile, happy with the outcome of your study sesh.

You scream into your pillow that night, murmuring: "I kissed him." Over and over, still shocked.

"I forgot to give this to you yesterday," You push a piece of folded paper toward Eddie.

"What is it?"

"Just... open the paper."

You've drawn a cute bunny. Eddie smiles, "For me?"

"For you."

"This is so metal, babe."

You laugh, "Are you sure about that? It's a bunny."

"Most metal thing ever." He affirms.

The next day after class, Eddie shows you a tattoo of a small bunny on his arm, right next to the bats.

"You—" You point at his arm, "You got it tattooed?"

"'Course I did, sweet thing. Most metal thing ever, remember?"

You stumble into the cafeteria with Eddie.

"Oh my god!" You laugh, and all eyes are on you. You, the princess of Hawkins High, are laughing—not at, but with Eddie Munson. 

Eddie Munson, the school freak.

"I cannot believe you got it tattooed."

"Believe it, babe."

And, for the first time, you walk right past the "popular kids" table. You sit next to Eddie, unbothered.

thank you for reading, lovely ₊˚.༄

mutuals ଘ(੭ ˊᵕˋ)੭*༺ ♡‧₊˚ @forourmoons @lucasnclair @vampieteeth @sw34terw34ther @imshiningjustforyou @doyouknowwhoyouare13 @maddipoof @meredarling @masivechaos

[drmaddict]

The Lovers

Summary: Jason accuses (Y/n) the town witch that she has cast a spell on him. Neither of them would have expected, what was really behind it.

Wordcount: 7.370

"Ah!" I cried out in surprise, when I heard the crack and the dull bang behind me and whirled around. I had expected to see a heavy branch lying on the ground and not... Jason Carver?

"What are you doing here?" I shouted, still slightly tense.

He got to his feet and knocked the leaves off his jacket. "I could ask you that? What are you doing?", he asked angrily, pointing at the basket I was holding.

I looked at him in irritation.

"What kind of voodoo are you going to do, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow. "They're daisies, you moron." I demonstratively held up one of the small flowers. "You can use them to make an ointment for sunburn." I rolled my eyes. "You followed me all the way through this forest to play witch hunting? How long have you been following me?" He was absolutely crazy.

He came up to me. "Long enough to see that these aren't daisies.", he bit out, holding up the second plant in my basket.

"Yes, this is St. John's wort. My cousin has neurodermatitis. The creams from the pharmacy are all too expensive and they don't want anyone else to pay for them, so I make her one from this. It soothes chapped skin." I grabbed the little plant and threw it back into the basket. "And before you ask.", I continued, reaching into the basket. "Mint. For my satanic tea against bloating."

Jason looked at me dully, then shook his head. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm just here collecting some herbs and you're the stalker, who's been following me through the forest for at least fourty minutes.", I hissed.

Jason took a step back. "I know you're one of those weird wiccans."

"Witch."

"You admit it!"

"I'm correcting you.", I said simply.

He furrowed his eyebrows in irritation.

"Wicca is a religion. Most wiccans are witches. Not all witches are wiccans. It's like quadrates and squares." I teased him. "If you're going to hate me, you should at least use the right terms."

He looked at my basket. "Just because you're not doing anything wrong today, doesn't mean you're otherwise innocent."

I sighed. I just wanted my peace and quiet. "Yes, I'm usually sin itself. Can I have my peace now, please?"

"No."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "You know what? Do what you want." With that, I turned around and tried to concentrate on the plants. "At least don't trample everything.", I snapped at him and kept walking.

"What is this stuff really for?"

"I just told you."

"You're lying."

"I could pass a lie detector test Carver."

I bent down to grab a small wild garlic plant.

"What's that?" Jason asked, almost angrily.

"Wild garlic.", I explained. "It's simply delicious in food." I threw the plant into the basket. "You're welcome to keep stalking me Jason, but try to be less angry."

"Why?"

"Because I want this", I pointed to my basket, "to have positive energies."

"It's a plant."

"Do you pray for other people's misfortune?"

"No! I'm not."

"Then don't spoil my work, wanting to do something good for the people in my life... Even if it's just to help them with sunburn."

Jason stopped short and looked at me insistently. "How do I know you're not lying?"

I looked at him as calmly as you can look at someone who calls you Satan's bitch. It was his upbringing or the media. How was he supposed to know any better? "Look for Hildegard von Bingen's herbal bible in the library. I know everything about medicinal herbs from her."

"I'm not reading the book of some devil worshipper."

"Hildegard von Bingen was a nun.", I corrected him.

Jason faltered.

"If you don't trust me, maybe you trust one of your people."

He walked slowly backwards. "I'll keep an eye on you.", he said emotionlessly.

"I'll see you at school."

"I'm just saying. Be prepared for something to come up today.", I grumbled to Eddie, poking at my salad.

Eddie shook his head, upset. "He's been stalking you?"

"Yes.", I laughed. "If he hadn't been alone, I would have been really worried."

"He's out of his mind."

"Is that news?"

I didn't know what to expect today. That got me down. Ever since my former friend Melody unintentionally outed me as a witch, I never knew what to expect the next day. She had snooped through my things and found the little pentagram pendant. After the whole school knew about it, even the head teacher called me in and told my parents.

My dad thought I had a chip on my shoulder, but otherwise wasn't interested and my mom... Well, before I explained what I was doing and that the newspapers had no idea, it took a good three hours. Three hours with a lot of tears.

I never spoke to Melody again. Eddie had taken me in with the outsiders and Jason and his gang wanted to see me at the stake.

"We'll keep watch.", Eddie said, looking down the hall.

"My heroes.", I sighed dramatically.

He grinned and bowed exaggeratedly.

I was sitting at one of the tables at the edge of the forest, scribbling listlessly on my piece of paper, when a book banged on the table next to me.

I literally jumped up and stumbled backwards, so frightened, that I toppled over the bench and fell onto my back.

I saw blonde hair and a green and white jacket.

I picked myself up stiffly. "What the hell are you?" I grumbled. "Are you making any noise at all?"

I knocked the grass off my butt and gave Jason a dirty look. He looked back just as crossly.

I looked at the book on the table. Hildegard von Bingen. "You've read it.", I said in surprise.

"Skimmed it."

I looked at his angry face and sighed. "What's wrong now?"

"The herbs might be good, but you're doing something."

I ran a hand over my face. "Jason.", I began humbly. "I'll leave you alone. Can't you do me a favor and do the same to me?"

"No!"

"Why not?" I whined.

He was breathing heavily and turned away in a huff. "Because you did something. You did something to ME. ADMIT IT!"

I faltered. "Jason what are you talking about?"

"Why do I feel this way if you haven't done some witchcraft to me?" he hissed, coming closer and closer to me. I backed up until I bumped into a tree. Jason encircled me with his arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about.", I said almost fearfully. "I don't know what you mean Jason."

"Stop saying that!"

"Say what?"

"MY NAME!"

"Jas-" I bit my lips.

He was breathing heavily. "Undo it."

"I didn't do anything. You're scaring me."

"Undo it!", he growled. He looked at me almost frantically.

"You have to tell me what's wrong or I can't help you, but I didn't do anything."

"Then why do I feel like this?", he whispered angrily.

"How do you feel?", I asked, almost pleadingly. Hoping that he would stay calm.

"How do you feel Jason?"

No sooner had his name crossed my lips than he pressed his mouth to mine. Hard and unyielding. His hands held my head in place and his body pressed against mine. I was so caught off guard, that I just stood there, like a pillar of salt, waiting. Not quite grasping what was happening.

He abruptly disengaged and stumbled back. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "Undo it.", he whispered.

I looked at him in disbelief. Not a word escaped my lips. Not a sound escaped my throat. Until a fuse in my brain clicked into place and I ran away. I ran away as fast as I could, not wasting a single thought on my stuff, which were still lying on the table.

"He's did WHAT?", shouted Eddie angrily.

I sat at the kitchen table of the trailer and looked at the tabletop in disbelief.

"I think I'm going to be sick.", I whimpered. No. I really felt sick. I was sick to my stomach. I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. I made it just in time to take the contents of my stomach to the toilet.

Eddie stumbled after me and held my hair out of my face. He stroked my back reassuringly.

When I was sure nothing more was coming, I dropped onto my butt and felt the tears on my cheeks. I wrap my arms around my legs. Eddie held out a bottle of water to me.

"Take a deep breath.", he mumbled.

"They're going to kill me Eds."

"They won't. We'll keep you safe." He pulled me into his arms. "Nothing's going to happen."

My backpack was gone, of course. What had I expected?

I sat in the library and waited impatiently for Gareth to come. I hid behind my book and tried to stay calm. One of the boys had been keeping an eye on me all day. Just in case.

Jason had been like a madman. He'd gotten it into his head that I'd cast a spell on him. He had kissed me. Jason Carver. The poster boy Jason Carver somehow had... had a crush on me and now thought I'd made him. Jason Carver had a crush on me and he hated himself for it. I was startled when I heard a backpack fall onto the table, but before I even looked up, I saw Jason's back disappearing quickly and my backpack in front of me. I reached for it hesitantly. Slowly pulled open the zipper. Carefully peeked inside. Nothing happened.

"Your backpack is back?"

I winced.

"Since when are you so jumpy?" Gareth grinned.

"Since I'm waiting for the Inquisition.", I grumbled.

POV Jason

How had I let myself get so carried away? How could I have been so stupid? Why hadn't I stayed away from her? I had given her far too much power over me.

My head was buzzing with thoughts as I walked into the theater room as Luke's note told me to.

That little witch. Why had she run away, when this was exactly what she had wanted? That had been her goal. To cast a spell on me. Had she realized that this couldn't be love? Had she perhaps really done nothing - I interrupted the thought immediately. Of course she had done something. I would never think like that about someone, who went against everything I stood for.

The door of the theater room slammed shut loudly. I turned around with a jolt and caught sight of Eddie Munson.

"Ball boy. Glad you got my message."

I looked at the note in my hand. How could I have been so stupid?

"I heard about your little meeting with (Y/n) in the woods.", he continued, walking slowly towards me.

I shouldered my backpack and moved towards the door, but Munson grabbed me firmly by the shoulders and stopped me.

"Not so fast. Where are you going?"

"Let me go!"

"Why is that? I guess it's not so much fun being hassled yourself?"

I pulled my shoulders out of his grip and pushed him away. "That's what she wanted! She started this voodoo.", I hissed. "So tell her to undo it or leave me alone!"

Munson laughed. First in disbelief, then louder, harder, until he seemed almost unable to breathe. "Oh God!", he struggled to breathe. "You really believe that."

"What's so funny?", I shouted angrily.

Munson held his stomach and sat down on one of the folding chairs. "You have a crush and you don't realize it." He wiped a tear from his face.

"I don't-"

"You think you're pretty important, don't you?", he interrupted me, still slightly breathless. "Don't you think she'd have better targets, than some bore with a twist in his panties?"

I turned away angrily and left.

"Bother her again and you can find out how to throw your balls with crutches.", he shouted after me.

I pushed the door open hard and stormed through the corridors.

I don't have a crush on that witch. I don't want anything from her. No matter how many dreams I had in which she lay with me and in which she seduced me with her smile and her scent... Those dreams weren't real. They weren't my dreams. They couldn't be mine.

"Jason." my name fell from her lips like a prayer. She clawed at my back. I kissed her neck, marking it as my own, as I thrust into her again and again. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower. I let her dance on the threshold of pleasure. Never quite gave her what she wanted. I devoured her and she gave herself to me. (Y/n's) eyes were glassy and yet warm. Looked up at me with affection and admiration. Her hands caressed my back. Her legs wrapped around my hips. She moved towards me. We were united. Two bodies and two souls in harmony.

She twitched around me. Her body tensed. She collapsed in waves of excitement. She took me with her and caught me.

The fabric under my cheek was damp. I sat up with a jerk. I was alone. Alone in my room. Just me in my bed. Sweat was sticking to my body. I wiped the saliva from the corner of my mouth in disgust. My shorts were sticking to my crotch. I pulled a face.

Why in God's name did I have to be the target of this witchcraft? Why did these dreams have to feel so good? Why did I feel so safe in them? She was a witch! She was evil. She was not gentle and sweet. I had to remind myself that she had cast a spell on me. I couldn't love her!

Where did that word come from? Why did it want to creep into my head?

I felt tears running down my cheeks. I don't want to have these thoughts!

(Y/n)s POV

The last week I had gotten away with it. None of the jocks had hit on me or hinted at anything. It just made me even more paranoid.

I was waiting for a prank. Some kind of humiliation. I was almost longing for it so I could finally get it over with.

I was walking home when a sadly too familiar car drove up slowly beside me. I didn't look up, stubbornly continued straight ahead.

I heard the side window being rolled down.

"Get in!" Jason said stubbornly.

I walked on silently.

"Get in the car now!"

"No!" I replied stubbornly.

The car came to a halt. A door opened. I quickened my steps.

A hand clutched my upper arm. "I told you to get in.", he hissed.

"But I don't want to.", I spat back.

His grip on my arm became painfully tight. "And I don't want to have these thoughts, so get in."

I tried to pull away, but it didn't help. His hands were on my arms like vices.

"What are you going to do?"

"We're going to church."

I looked at him, perplexed. "Is the pyre ready or what? For fuck's sake, Carver! I don't want anything from you except to be left alone! Even if I could do what you accuse me of, which I can't by the way, why would I want the guy who's been spitting on me for months?"

He looked at me blankly. "We'll go to the church now and talk to the priest."

I realized tears were welling up in my eyes. It was all so absurd. It... It was humiliating. Someone had a crush on me and it was so absurd that it was really happening that he suspected I had bewitched him.

"Now come on!" he ordered, pulling me roughly towards his car.

I stumbled after him.

The drive was silent and tense. I had tried to jump out at a red light, but Jason had immediately had grabbed hold of me.

When we arrived at the church, Jason dragged me up the steps of the building and through the door into the large main room.

I had never been in a church before. My parents weren't believers, so there was never any reason to attend one.

He looked at me insistently.

I remained stubborn. "What? Did you expect me to burst into flames?"

His jaw tightened. "Come on." he growled.

Roughly, he dragged me to a small room and knocked.

Priest Mitchel opened it for us. "Jason. Hello... And you must be (Y/n)."

I nodded hesitantly.

"Can you give us a moment alone Jason?" the priest asked, stepping aside to clear the way into his office.

Jason reluctantly let go of me.

I cautiously stepped into the priest's office. I only knew him by sight, but he always seemed nice and friendly.

"Why don't you sit down for a minute? Would you like some tea?"

"Uh... No. Thanks."

He just nodded and sat down on an exercise ball opposite me. "They don't look particularly professional, but they're good for your back.", he smiled.

I just nodded. "My mom has one too."

He grinned. "Very well." He became more serious. "Jason told me about his situation." I stiffened. "Don't worry. I won't drag you to the torture chamber. But whether you've done anything or not... Jason... Got stuck on that idea and knowing the boy, he's not going to let it go."

I sighed. "So you're not getting out the pitchforks?"

He smiled. "No. Believe it or not. My wife went through a phase like you once."

"And if it's not a phase?"

"Then I pray you stay true to the right path anyway."

I looked thoughtfully at the table in front of me. "And how do I get rid of that witch hunter out there now?" I muttered. "You know him better than I do."

Father Mitchel looked thoughtfully at my bag. "You don't happen to have any herbs with you?"

I looked up irritated. "What? No. I was at school. What do I want with herbs there?" 

"Hm... Well, the tea will have to do then."

He reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out a packet of fruit tea. Relaxed, he cut open a good six bags and tipped them into a small decorative bowl.

"What are you up to?"

He grinned. "We're breaking a spell for Jason's sake. Under my supervision, of course, so he'll feel more comfortable and confident about it."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Don't you always say you shouldn't lie?"

"Special situations call for special measures."

"You're a strange priest."

"And I'm very proud of that."

Less than five minutes later, I was sitting behind the church in front of a small bowl of fruit tea, trying to remain serious. Jason and Father Mitchel watched me from a safe distance, how I lit a small piece of paper on which my and Jason's names were crossed out.

Normally, you would use two candels with a connected wick to break a love spell, but Jason didn't know that.

I threw the note into the bowl and watched it burn. The tea left a sickeningly sweet smell, but the light breeze made it disappear quickly.

I waited patiently for the flames to recede and then grabbed the ashes to let them blow away with the breeze for show.

Jason watched everything with eagle eyes, but actually seemed a little calmer with Father Mitchel at his side.

I got up from my cross-legged position and lifted the bowl. A pretty little thing.

I put it in Father Mitchel's hand. He nodded at me with a smile. "If you ever think about it, the church is always open to you."

"That... That's very nice. Thank you."

"Well then. Accounting is waiting." He sighed and walked back around the building.

Jason looked at me appraisingly. I let him.

"Can you at least take me home now? I don't have any money for the bus."

He struggled with himself, but then motioned for me to follow him.

The journey was calm. Tense, but calm.

I quickly squeezed out of the car when we arrived at my house. "Thank you. Bye.", I mumbled and disappeared into the house as quickly as I could.

Hopefully, this haunting was finally over.

POV Jason

She kissed me so tenderly. Her arms were wrapped around my neck. Her body was warm as it pressed against mine. I could feel her breasts through both our shirts. I enjoyed her hands in my hair. I stroked her ribs. She giggled slightly. Bit my lower lip playfully. I laughed. I felt bliss. I felt light. Here in this meadow, lying on a scratchy picnic blanket, with her in my arms. She kissed the tip of my nose. She ran her thumb over my cheeks.

"I love you.", I murmured and gently kissed the diamond ring on her ring finger. 

I woke up suddenly. Annoyed, I hit the alarm clock and buried myself under the thick comforter again. Still slightly foggy, I tried to fall back asleep and continue dreaming where I had left off. I wanted to go back to the meadow and (Y/n)-

I stiffened up. No. No. No!

Why another dream like this? I curled up under the blanket and pressed my hands against my forehead. I tried to push these wishes out of my brain.

But she had dissolved the spell. Father Mitchel was there. That couldn't be. It couldn't be.

I wanted to be normal again.

POV (Y/n)

I sat on my favorite table in the woods and looked thoughtfully at my tarot cards. The lovers had been extremely persistent in my last readings. I threw all the cards back on the pile and shuffled them vigorously. That didn't make any sense. I haven't really felt it anyway.

I shuffled and suddenly one of the cards flew out of the pile. I turned it over and sighed in surrender. The fool glared at me maliciously. "All right. I get it.", I growled annoyed and put the cards on the table.

I heard it crack behind me. I quickly jumped up and looked around.

God no.

"Jason?"

He didn't say anything, just sat down at the table. He looked tired. Listlessly, he threw his backpack in front of him and lay down on it. But he kept his eyes on me. His eyes wandered to the cards on the table. Strangely, he didn't react.

I didn't say anything. I didn't move.

"What do you want here?"

He was still looking at the cards and reached for one that had clearly slipped out of the deck. When he threw it back down, annoyed, I saw the lovers again.

"I give up.", he mumbled. His voice was low and raspy.

I hesitantly sat down next to him. "What are you giving up on?"

"It didn't work... The voodoo from yesterday."

How could it? It was just for show. I sighed anyway. I had somehow hoped that maybe it would influence him enough to finally put his mind at rest.

"Go on, then. Do what you want.", he grumbled.

I furrowed my eyebrows in irritation. "What?"

"You wanted me. Go on."

I breathed in and out in a controlled manner to control my anger. "Jason.", I groaned, annoyed.

He looked at me devotedly. I rubbed my hands over my face. "Okay. How about you pray?"

He sat up. "You want me to beg you too?"

I rolled my eyes. "To your god, you idiot."

He faltered. "Why?"

"Can't you ask him what's right and what's not? Ask him for the truth."

He faltered. His eyes screamed with confusion.

"Come on," I groaned and put my cards away. "I'll even clean up."

He sat up straighter. Watched me. "All right.", he murmured. His hands pushed together almost cautiously. He rested his elbows on the tabletop and gave me another quick glance. "No games.", he ordered.

I held my hands up in the air defensively.

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on his hands. It seemed so... antiquated. The way he sat there mumbling to himself. The way he held his hands. It all looked so ancient.

I went about my own thoughts until I suddenly heard him sobbing.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts. Jason was still in his prayer position but I heard him turn up his nose.

His hands separated and immediately ran over his face. I quickly looked in my backpack and grabbed the small pack of tissues.

"Here." I held them out to him.

He grabbed it without a word and wiped his tears away, blew his nose loudly and then threw it on the table.

"Jason." I was practically whispering. As if every loud noise would destroy the world.

He just shook his head. "You're not supposed to say my name.", he replied just as quietly.

"Then what am I supposed to call you?"

He wiped away another tear. Silently, he looked at the tabletop.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I asked.

He grimaced. "I think we both know that the opposite is the problem."

I shook my head. "No, you're conflicted. You hate the... Interest in me."

He sighed and reached for another tissue. "Why do you have to be a witch?"

I smirked. "That's it?"

"You go against everything I believe in.", he pressed out.

I sighed. "How about you pay your debt?"

He looked at me, confused. "What kind of debt?"

"You dragged me to your priest and now you're meeting one of my friends. Don't worry. She's a Christian... And a witch."

He laughed dismissively. "No such thing."

I held out my hand to him. "Let's make a bet, then."

He hesitated. "What bet?"

I thought about it for a moment. "If I win, you stop putting the basketballtaining on the Hellfire meetings."

Jason's jaw tightened. He reached for my hand. "If I win, you come to the service with me. For a month."

"Deal.", I grinned.

"Deal.", he bit back.

"Here?" Jason asked incredulously as he brought the car to a halt.

My friend's house was a simple terraced house. A small front garden with flower beds and a bright yellow façade.

I just nodded. "Yup. This is where she lives." I got out and waited for him to do the same. We walked down the small driveway and Jason eyed the cross on the thermometer next to the door.

It opened and my friend Jannice emerged. She was in her mid-thirties and, as always, a bit over the top.

"(Y/n)!", she shouted happily.

"Hey Jan.", I laughed and let myself be pulled into a hug.

"You haven't been around for far too long. You really need to make me some of that lavender oil again. I've just dried some. You can take it with you right away. Uh! Who have we got here? Let me look at you!" She hugged Jason, who was completely taken by surprise and just stood there.

"I can't believe you're fishing for such a tasty treat. I would have bet on the curly head with the puppy eyes..."

"Jan, we're not a couple.", I quickly interrupted her.

"Oh... Oh well." She brushed one of her wild curls out of her face. "Well, come in."

We entered the house and went into the kitchen, which, as always, smelled wonderfully of all kinds of flowers and herbs.

Jason stopped in the doorway and looked at a small table with a cross and a candle on it. He looked at them closely. The candle was bright pink. Definitely not a candle that was available at the service.

He turned back to us. "(Y/n) says you are a Christian.", he said clumsily, but Jannice just smiled again.

"Yes, that's right."

"And she says you're a... witch."

She put a tin of cookies on the table. "Yes. That's true, too."

Jason looked at her suspiciously. "But that can't work."

Jabnice laughed. "Oh boy. Have a seat. Eat a cookie and then I'll explain everything you want."

Jason still sat stiffly on a chair. "What's in the candle?", he began and Jannice started.

"But there are rules!" Jason huffed.

Jannice nibbled on a cookie. "I live by the rule of being a good person. How many more rules do you need? Treat your fellow human beings with love and helpfulness."

Jason put his coffee cup down firmly on the table. "But then everyone can do what they want!"

"If the law was repealed tomorrow that killing someone was illegal, would you do it?"

"Of course not!"

"And yet there are people who do it despite the law." She poked Jason's chest with her finger. "Because our ethics aren't always governed by rules."

She leaned back in her chair. "Why do you want to understand it, if you're so sure of your religious interpretation?"

Jason faltered.

They were a mismatched pair. So different and yet so similar.

"Jason wants to broaden his horizons a little.", I interjected.

Jannice eyed him. "To broaden your horizons, your heart has to be open."

Jason sighed. "Open heart. I just don't get it!", he huffed.

Jannice put a hand on his shoulder. "Your head doesn't understand or your heart?"

Jason gave her a pained look. "What's the difference?"

She smiled gently at him, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Because your head only tells you what you've learned. Your heart tells you what you've always known."

Jason's eyes sparkled treacherously wet again, but he blinked bravely.

Jannice's gaze showed understanding. "You were never really allowed to ask questions."

Jason shook his head. "There were rules."

She nodded. "Well. I listen to every question. My door is always open."

Jason didn't respond. Just grabbed another lavender cookie.

He stayed silent for a long time on the drive back. "I really want to understand this," he whispered.

Even though I didn't know what had happened to him, I had seen that something inside him had been shaken awake. Something that he had put to sleep was stretching and trying to understand why it hadn't been allowed to go through all those years.

"These things take time," I replied calmly.

Jason nodded. "Should I apologize?"

I grinned. "What does your gut say?"

He shook his head, annoyed. "I thought we were focusing on the heart."

I laughed lightly. "Everyone gets their knowledge from somewhere else."

He was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry." His eyes shot to me very briefly.

I bit my lip. "It's okay."

"And now what?" Eddie asked me as we lay on the roof of the trailer and looked up at the sky.

I shrugged my shoulders, even though he couldn't see that. "I don't know."

He sighed. "Do you think he'll shut up now?"

I had to smile. "I think it's more likely that things are just starting now. You should have seen them." I let the thought slip away and the confusion of the last few days settled over me. "This is all so absurd.", I muttered.

Eddie laughed. "I still can't believe he thought you put a spell on him."

I sighed. "Why wouldn't he? I'm not exactly his typ."

Eddie nudged me. "Of course you're not. They're completely hollow."

I shook my head. A sad smile spread across my face. "Can you play my best girl-friend for a minute?"

"Shall I get the nail polish?"

I punched him lightly.

"Sure.", he grinned.

I closed my eyes in surrender to make it easier. "It was so far-fetched, that he could really have a crush on me, that he thought I'd jinxed him Eddie.... That's... Why is it so far-fetched to have a crush on me?"

He patted my shoulder. "I'm sticking to the fact, that they're hollow."

I continued to gaze at the stars and fell silent. How could you treat someone you had a crush on with such disgust?

"What's going to happen with him now?" Eddie had turned his head towards me and was looking at me questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, he understood that he thinks you're hot and now what?" He twirled his rings. "Are you going out? Are we still seeing each other? Do I have to find another club witch because you're hanging out with the cool kids now?"

I looked at him, confused. "We're not going out.", I blurted out. "We're just... I don't know. There's a truce?"

Eddie furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "He fancies you (Y/n).", he said forcefully. "We know that now. How do you feel about him?"

I looked at him dully. "I've never thought about it.", I confessed. "Don't look at me like that! I was waiting for the funeral pyre."

Eddie shook his head in amusement. "I don't believe I'm saying this, but you two seem to be perfect for each other."

I nudged him roughly. "That's not funny!"

"Yes it is."

I pouted.

"So. How do you feel about him? Tell your best friend."

I rubbed my face. "I don't know. He... I mean he hasn't exactly been nice over the last few months." I listened to the rustling of leaves around us. "Can you like someone you're supposed to hate?"

"If we asked Jason, he'd say yes. Come on. What do you think of the Bible boy, non-judgmentally."

I sighed. "It's not that simple.... I mean... I don't know... He seems ambitious?"

"Very romantic." Eddie nodded, playing serious.

I groaned in annoyance. "He's probably quite good looking."

A grin appeared on his face.

"But I don't understand how he can dress like that.", I grumbled

Eddie continued to grin. "I knew you had a thing for Andrew!"

"Andrew?"

"Breakfast Club... Jock Andrew."

I blushed. "Shut up."

Eddie chuckled. "Would the basketball shorts on Jason be more your thing?"

"I told you to shut up."

"Oh, no. I'm going to enjoy this. Besides, he's definitely dreaming about banging you. So you can let it all out."

"He doesn't." I blurted out immediately.

Eddie couldn't stop laughing. "He has a cock and he likes you. He definitely dreams about you two fucking."

I gave him a petulant look. "You really are a catty best friend."

"And I love you very much."

"But... You could curse someone?", Jason asked me hesitantly.

We were sitting at the table in the woods again. As usual, Jason had come to me like a ghost and then started asking questions.

"I could probably try it. No idea if it would even work. Anyway. It's not my thing."

Jason looked very thoughtful as usual. "Why are you so insistent on only doing good?"

His blue eyes looked confused. "You could and you don't think anyone will punish you for it. Why don't you?"

"I never said I wouldn't be punished for it.", I objected.

He played with the zipper on his backpack. "And who's punishing you?"

"Karma.", I said simply. "Everything you send out comes back to you threefold."

"Hm."

He was silent for a moment. Let it sink in. "Okay."

Meanwhile, I sat in my seat and couldn't get the conversation with Eddie out of my head. Somehow the fact that Jason had admitted to having a crush on me had made it real. Did he really dream about me? Did I want him to dream about me? My ego wanted it, but did I want it?

I sighed without realizing it.

Jason looked at me questioningly. I waved him off. He looked thoughtfully at the table again. "Is there a spell to get rid of feelings?", he asked quietly.

I looked at him, irritated. "What?"

He rubbed his forehead. "I don't know which synapse has locked onto you, but we both know that there's no future in this. Apart from the fact that I very much doubt by now that you want anything from me." He stood up angrily. "So please. Do something and set me free."

I felt the anger boiling up inside me. First mixed with shame, then all the clearer and stronger.

"Set you free? I'm sorry that your limbic system isn't playing along with your image planning. I'm sorry that it's so disgusting to have a crush on me that you even have to assume you've been cursed. I'm sorry, Carver", I bit out his name, "that I'm not good enough."

I could feel the heat in my cheeks. "But you could at least have the decency not to throw that in my face every time you see me!"

I grabbed my backpack gruffly, which unfortunately only caused my tarot cards to fall out and scatter across the forest floor.

Jason just looked at me dully. A gust of wind hit me in the back and blew the last card away.

Jason bent down for it and held it out to me unseen.

I tryed hard not to crumple it up. The damn lovers. I breathed in and out in a controlled manner.

"I'm sorry-"

"Save it." I interrupted him immediately. I held my hands in front of me defensively. "Just let it go." I put the card with the others and zipped up the backpack.

The wind picked up, but I paid it no mind. I just kept going, no matter how hard the wind tore at me. How could the weather change so quickly?

"Now wait!" Jason called after me. "You can't walk through the forest in a storm like this. Let me drive you."

"No!"

I felt a hand around my upper arm, yanking me backwards. I heard a loud crack. A rumble of thunder rolled through the forest. The ground vibrated.

Jason had held me protectively against him. It was only when I managed to free myself that I saw his shocked face. When I turned around, I saw it.

A not exactly delicate branch was lying right where I was about to go. That thing would have easily broken every bone in my body.

As soon as I'd gotten over the situation, the wind died down, but only a little.

"Come on," Jason said and pulled me along with him. His hands were firmly on my shoulders and he swiftly escorted me to his car.

I stayed still for the rest of the journey. Jason had thrown his jacket on me because he had decided I would definitely be cold. The radio was switched off because it had started raining halfway and the signal was gone.

I hated that Jason's jacket smelled good. He wasn't supposed to smell good. He wasn't supposed to look good. His stupid upper arms shouldn't be so attractive.

Pouting, I averted my eyes.

"I can't see anything.", Jason grumbled loud enough to drown out the pattering of the rain. I didn't look at him. But then I felt the car stop.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't see five feet far. We have to wait for the rain to stop.", he explained defensively. I groaned in annoyance and rolled my eyes. Great. Still sulking, I crossed my arms and sank further into the seat.

He did the same. His upper arms stretched his shirt. I shook my head to get rid of the thought.

"I'm sorry, but you have to admit that I don't really fit into your life either.", he grumbled at me from the side.

I grit my teeth. "You know what? Maybe things would have been different, if you hadn't spent the last few months making my life a living hell.", I spat at him.

He looked back just as angrily. "And I'm sorry! God knows I'm trying to understand, but I can't change the past!"

"Where did your sudden interest in me come from anyway? Heh? How can you be so divided in your desires?"

His hands were clenched into fists. "Because not everyone can be who they want to be!", he shouted. "Because I can't like everyone! Because I can't just feel the way I want to!", he continued to shout, looking at me angrily. "Do you think I care what you do with your herbs? Do you think I want to be like that? I don't want to! I want to be normal, but I can't!" He breathed heavily and narrowed his eyes. "There were always rules. I was NEVER allowed to question them. I wasn't allowed to play with everyone. I wasn't allowed to be friends with everyone.... And I wasn't allowed to fall in love with everyone." He took a deep breath. "And people look... They talk when you don't do what they expect you to do." He looked stubbornly at the steering wheel. He continued to speak so quietly that I almost didn't hear him over the rain. "I'm not supposed to like you. I do... I do, but I'm not allowed to... Not until I... Before I... Before I've moved away and have a life for myself. Before I can... can be new."

And that's when a light went on. The fool. New. "Those were your cards!", I blurted out before I could hold it back.

"Wh-what?" He looked at me, snapped out of his emotions.

I rummaged for my little notebook. "I've been drawing the same four cards over and over again for weeks.", I explained. "The ten of wands. You suppress your feelings and desires and thus prevent yourself from being happy. The lovers. I probably don't need to explain. Then the tower. Tower moments bring down all walls... And the fool. New beginnings... Those were your cards!"

He looked at me, perplexed. "Okay?"

I looked at him insistently. "You... You can't spend your whole life pretending to be someone else!"

He sighed. "Not my whole... Just until... after college... Until I get a job." He closed his eyes. "That's a long time, but... Not forever."

"And then what? Do you just get up one day and become a different person? Ignore all the connections you've made up to that point?", I asked.

I saw the turmoil on his face. "What else am I supposed to do? If it gets out that I have a crush on someone like you, my father will call an exorcist."

I laughed in disbelief.

"I'm not joking! My father... is strict.", he concluded choppily.

I faltered. "How strict?"

He shook his head. I put a hand on his. He exhaled shakily. A tear rolled down his cheek. He didn't wipe it away. The rain continued to pelt down. Shielding us from the outside world.

"I can only really be me in my dreams.", he said more calmly now. "And now you've just snuck in there." He took a deep breath. Seemed to want to calm himself down.

"What am I doing in your dreams?" I asked cautiously.

"You just make me happy," he confessed. "You're there and give me so much affection. I can let myself go. I can laugh and... and... and I know I've ruined any chance of it really being like that." He roughly wiped the next tear from his face. "It drives me insane to wake up every morning and all of this is gone. I have to put that possibility of happiness behind me every morning and pretend that desire doesn't exist."

So that was him. Jason Carver. Behind the speeches and the facade. Behind the perfection and bravado. Broken. Unhappy. Alone.

"Jason.", I whispered.

He shook his head.

"Jason... I understand." I just said. "And... I think I can forgive you... With a little time."

He wiped more tears from his face. I squeezed his hand. "When you're ready, I'd like to meet the real Jason."

"I don't know when that will be.", he confessed.

"I can be very patient. But do me a favor."

He looked at me questioningly.

"No matter when you show the world, please figure out who you want to be by then."

His breath was shaky. "I'll try."

POV Jason

Seven years later

I sat exhilarated at the table of the small café, looking at my watch for the fifth time in two minutes. She probably wasn't coming. God it had been seven years. Seven years since we graduated. Since we only met rarely and secretly in the woods. Seven years since she had kissed me the last time we met. Seven years that I had thought about that kiss again and again, dreamt about it, longed for it. Seven years in which we had only exchanged letters and I had kept them all.

Seven long years in which so much could happen.

Seven years and now she was suddenly standing in front of me again. Grown up and as radiant as ever.

"Hi." She smiled gently at me.

"Hi." I whispered back in awe.

8 years later

She was lying in my bed. She cuddled up to me. It wasn't a dream. It was real. I smelled the scent of her hair. I felt her body against mine. I felt the warmth of her skin. I heard her steady breathing.

I pulled my arms tighter around her naked body and closed my eyes. It was real. We were both real.

9 years later

"Yes. Yes I do!", she smiled at me and euphorically wrapped her arms around me.

I felt a weight fall from my shoulders. She had said yes.

With nervous hands, I put the ring on her finger.

I immediately pulled her into a kiss, unwilling to let her get away again in the near future.

10 years later

I was lying with her in a meadow. The weather was warm but pleasant. The sun danced through the leaves above us.

We kissed lazily. I ran a hand under her shirt and over her ribs. She giggled. Ticklish as she was. She playfully bit my lip. Then kissed me on the tip of my nose. Stroked my cheek. I kissed the ring on her ring finger. "I love you.", I murmured.

She smiled warmly at me. "I love you.", she replied.

I smiled. "I've dreamt about this before.", I whispered.

"And is it as good as your dreams?"

I felt the warmth and bliss inside me and shook my head. "It's better." I kissed her lips softly. "It's real."

[hopelessrromantix]

kinktober blurbs 2023 masterlist

[send asks to choose kinks from the list and characters <3]

cis women dni

top/dom male reader content

1 — somnophilia | morpheus

4 — overstimulation | marc spector

7 — power imbalance + hate-fucking | miguel o'hara

10 — boot-riding | billy hargrove

13 — dacryphilia + lingerie | steve harrington

16 — phone sex | poly!ghostface

19 — feminization + breeding | steven grant

22 — orgasm denial + thigh riding | steven grant

25 — free use | marc spector

28 — hate-fucking | billy hargrove

31 — photos/video + corruption | steven grant

cock warming | feminization | dry humping | breeding | somnophilia | thigh riding | brat taming | masturbation | bondage | phone sex | body worship | overstimulation | drunk sex | hate-fucking | aphrodisiac | boot-riding | free use | lingerie | dacryphilia | first time | threesome | cuckolding | facefucking | daddy/master/sir | praise | degredation | humiliation | orgasm denial | photos/video | bulge | creampie | fingering | power imbalance | corruption

[imaslutforcuddles]

DUMB DUMB

EDDIE MUNSON X FEM!READER

Summary: Your a cheerleader at Hawkins high, Jason trusts you exclusively. Well mainly because your his childhood bestfriend. Yet there is something that no one In the squads know. Your a fantasy lover, and hellfire Is the best fucking thing you’ve ever joined. After being tired of Jason’s bullshit, you decide to mess everything up between the two of you. Best thing yet, he never even saw it coming.

Warnings: Swearing, substance use, smoking, angst (jason), bullying, fighting, loss of virginity, SMUT, p in v, oral (f receiving), squirting, unsafe sex (WRAP IT BEFORE YOU TAP IT), little bit of Dom Eddie :), praise, subby reader, good girl and shit like that, a lot of orgasming lmfao, overstimulation, Eddie is big.

Word count: 2.5k

A/N: OMFG ITS FINALLY DONE. BTW people HAVE SEX IN THIS SO MINORS BE AWARE!!!!!! I’m not in-charge of your media consumption so i can’t make you click off. I WILL BLOCK YOU THOUGH- The title is a song that i found from a movie called Do Revenge (maya hawke acts in it). I fucking love It, def recommend. HERE Is the Spotify official playlist for it, also recommend listening to while reading this. A smut fic bc eddie deserves some pussy.

You reach into your bag grabbing a twenty, “Is it going to be more expensive because I’m friends with Carver?” Eddie chuckles grabbing the cash and hands you a bag of pre-rolls, “Nah, you get a member discount.” You pause looking down, “Well damn.” Eddie raises his brows, “I guess i can’t leave hellfire then.” The both of you start laughing uncontrollably.

You wipe a stray tear off your face while you both get up from the bench you were sitting on. Sighing, Eddie comes closer to you, “Why are you even friends with him?”

“Because I’m going to make him hurt, like he hurt you.”

Eddie widened his eyes and huffed, “Jesus. h. christ.” He cleared his throat and looked away, trying to hide the growing blush on his cheeks. Smiling, you grabbed your bag. “Hey Eds i think we should head back, I don’t want to miss out of the worst fucking school lunch i’ve ever eaten in my life (we can all agree school lunches are vile).” He frowned, but then grinned not wanting to seem too vulnerable. 

“Yep.”

-

Eddie picked through his lunch as always, head in his hand. 

“Hey Eddie are you okay?” Dustin frowned as Eddie raised his head and grinned. “I’m just fine Henderson.” Mike and Lucas looked at each-other sharing a knowing look, “Are you sure Eddie because you kinda look like shit,” Dustin continued. Eddie glared at him, “What did you just say?” Dustin widened his eyes and looked away gulping, “I j-just mean you look a bit tired that’s all!” Eddie shook his head scoffing, “Yeah okay Henderson.”

He looked around and caught your eyes. You winked and smiled at him as he looked away embarrassed. 

“Hey peach who are you looking at?” You winced at the cringe pet name and your grin became a thin line as you realized who had started talking to you, “No one Carver.” He stared down at you for a minute waiting for a different answer before it turned into a glare, “I fucking saw you wink at him.” He huffed. You kissed your teeth and sighed, “Who are you talking about jason?” 

He scoffed, “You fucking know who the fuck I’m talking about Y/n.” Rolling your eyes you turned to meet his, “I actually don’t Jason that’s why I asked.” He tensed up realising you weren’t going to confess. “You were looking at the fucking freak!” He whisper-shouted. Pressing a hand to your temple you sighed, “He’s not a freak Jason.” 

“Oh-ho yes the fuck he is! Why are you defending him?” He fought. “You know what jason?” Pausing you huffed out air you didn’t know you had held in. “The only freak here is you.” You looked everywhere but at his face as he frowned.

As you started to walk off, you turned your head hearing one word fall out of his mouth, “Whore.” You widened your eyes and shook your head. “NOW I KNOW YOU DID NOT JUST FUCKING CALL ME A WHORE JASON CARVER!” If looks could kill, he would be dead on the cold and dirty cafetera floor. His tense figure softened a bit as he started to cower at all the eyes laid on the two of you, “I’m sorry Y/n.” Scoffing at his lame apology you waved your hand and walked off, “Yeah you fucking should be. God you disgust me.”

-

Being in that school was so suffocating that the second you walked out your breath returned to your body, and you could finally breathe.

You dropped your head and closed your eyes. How could he have called you that? He was far from the truth, you were a virgin. You normally don’t take any sort of offense to being called slutty or anything like that, but Jason wasn’t the type you would pin for slut shaming. Or so you thought. And you couldn’t stop the naging words in the back of your mind.

Jason Carver isn’t a good person. He deserves to pay.

-

“The hooded cultists chant, hail Lord Vecna.” You scoff and look over at mike. ‘tf is this dumbass saying?’ You mouth, mike grins at your comment and shakes his head with you. “Hail Lord Vecna. They turn to you,” His eyes jolt to you and you freeze, ‘God damnit i can’t fucking die first again, Hegla is too precious to me.’ You cry to yourself. “Remove their hoods, you recognise most of them from makbar. There is one you do not recognise, his skin shriveled,” He turns his focus onto jeff and your breath steadys a little as Erica gulps next to you. “Desiccated, and something else. He is not only missing his left arm, but his left eye!”

Your face drops and you look to your right, “WHAT!” you shout with dustin. You have already lost so much to Vecna, and you thought he was killed by kas!

You lift your hands up to your face and start fake crying. though you believe you might actually start to cry, “Venca is DEAD.” “He was killed by kas!” Mike agrees. You rub your temple in defeat, “So it was thought my friends, so it was thought. BUT VECNA LIVES.”

You gasp again and drop your body weight into your chair, “We’re fuckin dead, doomed, through. Pack it up people!” 

Eddie chuckles and continues on while others groan and huff.

-

“You are scared, your tired, you are injured. Do you flee Venca and his cultists?” You grip your chair fuming and hopped up on caffeine and adrenaline, “Or do you stay and fight.” 

-

You all sit in silence for a while, even Eddie gets impatient. “Come on,”

You think deeply about the consequence of running away, ‘you’d be a coward. but, you’d live.’

Dustin holds his hand up, debating a wise choice. “I say we fight;” You look over at him and nod a little, “To the death.” You nod and smile throwing down your pencil, “To the death!” Mike and Erica agree and soon everyone has joined in chanting. Eddie starts laughing and lays back in his throne as you all slam your hands on the table shouting, Dustin leans back while yelling “TO THE DEATH!”

-

Erica rolls her D8 and D10 while you all lean closer in anticipation; soon your all shout “YES!” and grinning at the roll. 

Mike rolls his D20 and you all hiss and yell in agony when he fails.

Jeff’s turn ends up with Eddie smacking his character off the board.

-

Win to loss to loss again and again, and again as Eddie laughs maniacally at you all.

-

A timeout is called and as you huddle up gareth says, “Guys i hate to say this but we have got to flee.” Jeff nods and another says, “I concur.” (His name isn’t specified anywhere he literally is just called ‘freak’) 

Erica shakes her head, “Didn’t we literally just say ‘to the death’?” “That wasn’t literal!”

Jeff continues, “Vecna just decimated us, we can’t kill him with three players!” (we’re going to pretend your precious Helga survived) Dustin scoffs, “You too?! He only has 15hp left, don’t be pussies-!” Gareth makes a face, “Pussies, Really? Cause were not delusional?” He whisper yells. You slap a hand to your face to try and stop a laugh, “Gareth i swear to god-” “Delusional? How about not cowards.” 

“Hey.” Eddie shouts, “If i may interject gentlemen, ‘Lady applejack/Knight Hegla’. whilst i respect the passion, you’d be wise to take Gareth the greats concern to heart. There is no shame in running.. Don’t try to be heros, not today. Kay?” His grin widens. You look from Erica to Dustin as he raises a finger, “One second.” Back to your huddle, “What do you think mike?” “How many hp do you guys have left?” He asks, “Twelve.” You three say in unison, “It’s risky as hell, but your the ones on the battlefield. So it’s your call.” You try not to smile as Gareth's face contorts the hole time mike talks.

Dustin inhails, “What do you say girls?” Erica looks from you to Dustin, “Do you really gotta ask?” Dustin then looks at you, you smile and raise a brow. “Do you think i look like a bitch to back down from an ass whoopin?” Dustin takes a second, “Screw it.”

“Lets kill this son of a bitch.”

Jeff huffs and you all get closer to the table, “Chances of success are twenty to one!” Dustin points a finger, “Never tell me the odds.”

“Give me the D20.”

Eddie smirks and tosses him the dice.

Your all huddled around the table and Dustin as he rolls, eleven. You groan as Eddie waves his head up and down, “That’s a MISS.” You all hiss as you barely miss, it’s all up to Erica.

All eyes are on Erica as she rolls the D20, Gareth crying, Dustin shouting, You slamming your fist into your palm. Eddie leans closer to the dice, twenty! Your all shouting in victory. Eddie was yipping and jerking, his hands clapping while he smiled in surprise and also he’s just a proud DM.

-

You decided to stay back with Eddie to help clean the room after the campaign was over and everyone else went home. Eddie came over to you and grinned, “Helga’s still alive ay, you should be proud.” Your mouth hung open and your eyes widened as you punched his arm, “You fucker! It’s not my fault you love to kill us all off like daisies.” It’s true, this is the first campaign you’ve survived. You’ve been in hellfire just over three months. 

Eddie chuckled and nudged your shoulder, “I know i’m proud.”

You stopped picking up pieces and dice looking over at Eddie, blushing when you realise just how close he was to you. “You mean it?” He smiled stepping closer, “Of course, Its difficult to survive such..” Eddie started leaning in, to the point you could feel his hot breath against your face, “Difficult campaigns.” Your breath hitched when his lips almost touched, “Eddie?” You felt something warming up in your stomach, “Yeah?”

“Kiss me.”

His eyes widened as you put your lips on his. His lips felt so right connected to yours and you felt a moan building up as he deepened the kiss. Eddie groaned into you as you pressed your body up against his, “God your so beautiful,” you smiled, “I bet i’d look prettier naked on top of you.” 

He froze, “Are you okay Eds?” “Never been better.”

-

So here you are in his bed with butterfly sheets that he never bothered to get rid of, naked. 

Eddie kissed you on the lips savoring you, “Can i taste you baby? You look so good.” You moaned and nodded, “Please Eddie.” 

“Please what? I want to hear you beg.” 

You clenched your thighs together, “Please eat my pussy Eddie.” He grinned, “Of course, how could i refuse my good girl? Your going to be my good girl aren’t you?” He looked into your eyes sending shivers down your spine, “Of course Eds!” You nod your head, eager to be touched. He chuckles at your obedience and starts slowly kissing down your body, his touch like fire against your skin. It felt too good to be true. The boy that you’ve liked for years, is going to eat you out? You whined as his lips teased your thighs, he kissed everywhere but where you need the most. “Please Eddie.” He looked up at you from in-between your legs and you melted, this fine-ass man was willing to fuck you. Your whines soon turned into moans as he began to kiss and suck your clit. 

You slid your hands into his thick curls and arched your back, “Oh yes! Please!” You almost screamed and he dipped his tongue into your wet cunt, “Fuck Eddie!” He hums into your cunt, “Your pussy is fucking heaven baby.” The flick of his tongue driving you insane and the was his thumb rubs your clit makes you orgasm quicker than you’ve ever cum before. Legs shaking and eyes rolled back you squeal as he continues to eat your cunt like a dessert, “E-Eddie too mu-” He shuts you up with his two fingers sliding into your wet hole. 

Moans are the only noise you make, Eddie smiles into your cunt and keeps sucking and kissing your clit. You cry out and start clenching hard on his fingers, “Are you gonna cum for me again baby?” You can only answer with a whine. He laughs at your answer and starts pumping his fingers faster, hitting your sweet-spot every time. 

Your second orgasm wasn’t the same as the first, when you snapped a liquid starting spilling out of you in heaps. You hadn’t realised just what made Eddie so surprised and wet. “What?” You whine out, he doesn’t say anything for a solid five seconds and then he pounces on you, attacking your lips. “Please let me fuck you, f-fuck i don’t think my cock could take not fucking your pretty little pussy.” You widen your eyes and nod vigorously which makes Eddie smile, “Your so needy for my cock aren’t you?” You shake your head again, “Say it baby. Be my good girl and say you want my cock inside you.”

“Please put your cock inside my pussy Eddie. Oh please!” He groans at your eagerness to be spread open by him.

He starts to pull his cock out of his boxers and you almost cum on the spot, his dick was HUGE. Like pornstar big, at-least nine inches. His smile becomes wider when he notices your reaction, “Is it too big for you baby?” You frown and shake your head no, “N-no way! I can take it.”

“Good.”

Eddie rubs his tip on your clit and you squirm a little, but Eddie grabs your hips. “Be a good girl and stay still.”

When Eddie first pushes into you it burns, you hiss and he pulls you into him rubbing your back. “Are you okay baby?” He looks into your eyes trying to search for something, “I’m okay Eddie, just keep going. Don’t stop.” After the first couple thrusts it becomes completely crumbing, you feel like you could melt away into nothing. The way the Eddie whispers, “Taking my cock like such a good girl.”

He spreads your legs open wider and you moan loud into his ear, “Oh such a good girl, keep moaning. Let me know just how good i’m making you feel.”

You start getting closer with every thrust into your sopping cunt, and he can feel it. He starts to pound you faster and you scream, “That’s it, cum for me.” You shake and squirt all over his chest and dick, he groans and your eyes roll to the back of your head. 

“Can i cum inside you baby?”

You bite your lip and nod, “Please give me your cum, i need it!” 

He cums with a loud grunt and lays beside you, “I think i might love you.”

[hernakedmuse]

Can you imagine being Jason Carver's older sister coming back home from Suffolk University, where she was an art major.

She has come home for spring break and has dropped out of college, but no one knows this.

Jason and her couldn't be more opposite, she was known for her beauty back in Hawkins but she's always been odd and off, she has very Carol Kane-Madison from Splash-Alison Harvard vibes. She was always in her own world sketching or writing, or panting. She makes little dollhouse figurines and keeps to herself, her mother was always disappointed with her, thinking she's mentally handicapped.

Her parents weren't pleased that she decided to pursue art and she had to pay her own way.

In college she was a nude model, she was always known for curves and it madeher a lot of money.

But now she's back home, and she runs into Eddie Munson at Benny's where she's enjoying a strawberry shake and reading The Two Towers.

He has never seen this ethereal beauty before, but that's because Jason's mother had his sister sent to boarding school in Massachusetts.

Jason would call her and tell her about an Eddie Munson who was a freak that would try and steal Chrissy from him, but she had no idea what he looked like.

But seeing the handsome long haired stranger come over to her table, she was in awe. He's so gorgeous, and he knew about Tolkien and they ended up sitting and talking for ever about legends and elves and he found out this girl was more than a beautiful face. She rambled like an excited child, and had to take a few breaths as she showed him the sketches and watercolors she had made for her book.

They began to spend more time together, she would show him her favorite places in the woods where she imagined herself a druid or a wood nymph, lover of the God of the wood.

Eddie couldn't understand why this sweet, beautiful babe had no one else in her retelling, how she would always be alone. When he saw the lines on her arm he wanted to know who caused her such pain he wanted to kill whoever made her feel like she wasn't enough.

[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

[writing-whenever-whatever]

We’ll be ok sweetheart-so Mordor it is

Eddie Munson x reader 

Part 1 part 2 part 3 

Summary :  Eddie is out of the house when you end up in a tough situation hiding under the pool table trying to stay quiet to keep you alive isn’t as easy as it seems, little were you aware of how different today would turn out 

Warning: mdni violence , attack, injury, blood , Jason being an ass hole, anxiety, fear, break in, Passed friendships, hiding, no smug in this bit sorry xx not proof read

———————————————————————

A week passes and we’ve started to run low on supplies eddies called in the walkie talky letting Dustin know but we don’t know how long it’ll take. 

I’m in the house going through the cupboards while Eddie is in the boat house looking the sun is starting to set the sky has an orange haze as I sit on the sofa laying the things I found on my search out on the table some bags of weed, loose cigarettes and a couple of tins of spaghetti I let out a sigh making my way to the living room sitting down laying my head back trying to relax as I hear a car pull up outside the house thinking it’s dusting and the others I don’t bother hiding till I hear a voice I don’t recognise. 

“ looks like ricks had company “ a boy says opening the door walking into the house I quickly get up moving as quietly as possible, I move under the pool table slipping under it holding my breath planning to run as soon as I’m given the opportunity to escape, as I hear the foot steps echoing through the house moving towards the kitchen “ it’s them” I hear the familiar voice of Jason and instantly tense up knowing he’s hunting us down wanting revenge on what he thinks happened to chrissy 

Mean while Eddie in the boat house is calling through the walkie talkie “ Dustin you there, it’s Eddie you remember me right, hey uhh, if anyone’s there I think we’re in a bit of trouble, wheeler, ANYBODY” his voice is low but desperate “ please, she’s in the house and so is Jason and the others she’s in Danger” he rants but no one responds he gets up watching through the window as I stay hidden Jason and his friends searching the house smashing shit up as I hold my breath closing my eyes as tightly as possible trying to not make a sound as things are being destroyed around me. 

“ they’re not here, seriously” one of the boys say looking at Jason his face twisted with a look of resentment “ shut up and keep looking” Jason snaps i can see his feet from under the pool table as he picks up one of the pool cues poking it under things he can’t reach to as he bends down to look under the table there’s a crack from the window which distracts him “ go check it out “ he instructs the others as he continues to poke around as they leave him alone in the house 

he starts to speak “ I know your in here y/n” his voice is dark and angry “ I can smell your perfume” he hesitated for a second taking a deep inhale through his nose

 “ it’s what she gave you for your 17th birthday” I close my eyes tightly as I remember my 17th birthday when Chrissy came to my house for a party bringing Jason with her for the first time, she was dressed in a light blue dress to match Jason’s blue shirt while I was dressed in a red cropped tee with black short shorts a complete opposite to Chrissy’s pastel colour pallet , we had so much fun that night singing and dancing drinking a bit too much even eddie was dancing with us that night as Jason was too drunk to realise who he was, it was a great birthday, it was the last one Chrissy came to as after that she started to avoid me staying so close to her boyfriend all the time they we’re basically attached. as I come back to reality a sob slips from my lips causing Jason to spin around a grin on his face “ found ya” 

he walks towards the pool table leaning down stretching his arm under neath it, I try scrambling away kicking at his hand as he grabs my ankle i let out a scream, struggling as tears stream down my face “ no no please “ I sob as he continues to drag me out. I hold onto the table leg with all my might but eventually my grip becomes to weak and it slips out of my hands. As he gets me from under the table he flips me onto my back so I’m facing up at him as he pins me down to the floor I try kicking at him struggling as much as possible my foot hitting him hard in the chest but he manages to crush me under his body weight limiting my movement completely “ look at you” he tilts his head a small laugh escaping him “ such a little bitch, still breathing after what you did to my girl” his spit basically spraying across my face as I shake my head “ Jason please I didn’t do anything “ I sob uncontrollably “ s-she had a fit, I tried to help her, I would never do anything to hurt Chrissy” I cry as he hits me round the face causing my head to fall to the other side my slamming against the floor with full force 

 “ LIAR” he snaps his as he takes my chin in his hand making me to look back up at him “ please” I sob uncontrollably spitting out blood as I cry “ how could you do this to her, how could you let it happen” he keeps punching me till my head rolls back my vision going blurred as I stare up at him gasping for air, choking on tears “ tell me the truth “ he snarls “ that is the truth “ I wince my voice now weak as he stands up kicking me and stamping on my arms listening to me suffer “ STOP PLEASE STOP ” I scream so loudly I’m surprised the whole of Hawkins didn’t hear it, “ FUCK YOU” I choke out before everything falls black. 

———————————————————————

Next thing I know I’m being carried by eddie out by skull rock as I sit up my head spinning as I look around confused and choking on the air that fills my lungs he holds me close “ shh you’re ok sweetheart “ he runs his hand down my face I whine slightly as I move looking down at my bruised arms and chest I can’t imagine what my face looks like “ just a lot of cuts and bruises is all” he reassures me he looks like he’s holding back tears “ I should have ran” I  mumble “ but instead I hid and I was found there was so many of them and for some dumb reason I thought Jason wouldn’t hurt a girl” I scoff at my idiocy “ now fucking look at me” I sigh as he holds me close “ hey that’s enough of that, you’re not dumb, you just need to stop ” he looks down at me “ I called the others for help they’re bringing a medical kit and food” 

he kisses my head gently avoiding any cuts or bruises that scatter my face “ is it bad” I look at him as he stares at me “ just a slightly broken nose split lip and a small black eye, your head was  bleeding but that’s stopped and you have some bruises along your ribs “ he looks at me sitting up against the rock “ you look fine though sweetheart, it’s nearly the same amount of damage you had when you had a fight with that bitch carol Perkins “ I look at him “ to think my nose was already fucked from that fight” I scoff lifting my hand to touch it hissing slightly at the pain that aches through my nose as I manage to realign it back into it’s original place the blood still pouring from it as I do so I take a deep breath looking at Eddie a small smile on his face “ what” i giggle slightly as he stands looking at me “ you’re just full of surprises” I look at him rolling my eyes as I lean back letting myself relax

A few minutes pass when we start to hear footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves as voices get closer I hide behind the rock as Eddie helps me up holding me gently “ in your face man, in your stupid little cocky face” I hear Steve’s voice loud and clear “it doesn’t make sense” Dustin’s voice is confused as he looks around “ uhh just can’t admit when your wrong you little butt head” Steve grumbles as Eddie jumps out “ I concur you, Dustin Henderson are a total butthead” he takes a deep breath as Eddie hugs him smiling his toothy grin 

 “ Jesus we thought you were a gona” Dustin says his voice slightly relieved “ me too man me too” I step round the corner my bruised face causing Steve to gasp loudly his eyes widening in shock “ Eddie you said if wasn’t that bad” I cover my face with my hands hiding it  as they all look at me “ shit” Dustin stares as Eddie pulls my hands away “Jason really did a number on you” I turn to see Lucas I glare at him slightly knowing how he hangs out with them “ I didn’t even get time to defend myself, it was just blow after blow after blow “  I look down slightly the memory comes rushing back “ your safe now y/n” Dustin sits us both down as Nancy pulls out a medical kit to clean me up

 “ are we though” I snap looking around my mind full of paranoia “ what if that evil wizard freak is watching right now, what if your little buddy Lucas snitched on me to his boyfriend Jason, can I trust anything “ my hands quiver as Eddie grabs hold of me settling me slightly “ no ones gonna snitch he won’t find us again” he holds me as we sit on the dirt Nancy tending to my cuts and bruises to the best of her abilities. 

I hiss squeezing my eyes shut as she uses alcohol to clean the cut on my forehead “ is any of that drinkable” I look at her my body trembling slightly “ it’s best not to drink right now you could have a concussion or something “ she looks at Eddie “ you should have called us sooner” she snaps slightly “ don’t you think I tried, after the attack I got us both to shaw, all my things were drenched my walkie was busted man” he sighs looking at them “ I managed to do the thing I always seem to do now and ran “ he smiled looking down at me “ couldn’t even save my girl from getting her face busted up” I look up at him resting my head back as Nancy finishes up “ do you know what time the attack was”Eddie looks at Nancy  “ yeh of course, my walkie wasn’t the only thing that was soaked” he scoffs throwing his watch to her.

“ 9:27” she states staring down at the watch “ same time our flashlights went cabooee” robin adds looking towards Steve “ which means what exactly “ Steve asks confused “ i never have no clue of what the fuck these people are talking about” I grumble to Eddie causing him to chuckle “ that means the surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick” nancy looks shocked putting everything together like they’re puzzle pieces “ so now you know how he attacks and where from” I look at them raising an eyebrow “ what now” max steps forward “ now we just need to find away into the upside down and put a steak through his heart” I move back into Eddie more “ if he even has a heart “ Robin scoffs as Steve looks more confused “ a steak through his heart what like a vampire is he a vampire “ his face twists in concern making me smile “ it’s a metaphor dumby even I know that “ I giggle “ oh stevie you do make me laugh “ i  smile as he rolls his eyes  “ I’d say bullets would work” Eddie looks at Robin as she nods agreeing with  “ I think we should chop his head off” Lucus adds making me look at him “ and how would you get close enough to chop his head off smart ass” I question my face scrunching up with the thought of getting so close to an undead wizard that has killed so many already “ I think all of the above but we can’t do that till we find a gate way” Nancy cuts in looking over everyone “ we need El to get her powers back” max looks down at her self letting a sigh escape her as Steve goes through having this girl who has superpowers story we’ve already heard suddenly my attention gets dragged away from the crowd and drawn to Dustin who stands pacing back and forth

I lean up to Eddie whispering to him “ is he ok” I look concerned as he continues to pace back and forth confusion on his face. 

“ hey Henderson isn’t cursed is he” Eddie asks looking up at Steve “ cursed no no no he’s fine, mental absolutely” I giggle at him as Dustin whips around flailing his arms in the air “ BOOM” i jump back into Eddie causing us both to fall to the floor “ bada bada boom” he points his finger towards Steve walking towards them “ I was right” he states confidence dripping in his voice “ skull rock was north” he smirks looking at Steve who quickly retaliates “ seriously this is skull Rock ok you’re totally absolutely 100% wrong” he furrows his eyebrows arguing with Dustin who just nods a smile spread across his face 

I look at Eddie whispering to him under my breath “ I don’t mean to be horrible Eddie baby but that boy scares me a little” he smiles at me chuckling “ i know he’s a freak but aren’t we all” he rests his chin on my shoulders listening in on Dustin’s argument “ yes and no, this compass was right when we left the wheelers and when we got in the car on curly but continued to slip the further east we went” he holds the compass up “ when I was leading us here I wasn’t wrong the compass was” he laughs as Steve rolls his eyes “ so now you’re using faulty equipment you’re still wrong “ he exaggerates his hands pointing outwards “ are you ladies done bickering can someone get to the point” I glare at them eddies hand quickly rising to cover my mouth enjoying the drama unlocking in front of him “ my point is that only a strong electromagnetic field can cause the needle to deflect towards the power” I furrow my brows “ I don’t speak science” I grumble from under eddies hand “ it’s pointing towards a gate” Dustin states his face lightning up at his discovery

 “ were no where near the lab” Nancy seems confused “ what if there’s another gate one we don’t know about smaller less powerful “ Dustin explains looking at everyone “ snack sized gate” “ how, why” Steve looks confused “ no idea all I know is something is causing this disturbance and the last time we saw anything like this it was a gate and to be honest I hope it is so we have a way to vecna” he exclaims as I continue to feel confused “ and a shot to free max from this curse” I choke slightly looking at her “ you didn’t tell me” I stand up walking to her “ it wasn’t important” she mumbles as I look at her “ it’s not important “ I scoff looking at her “ that my favourite neighbour is cursed by this freak” I look down at her my eyes squinting slightly trying to hold back all emotions “ I’m fine y/n well sort this and I’ll be back to normal before you know it” I nod looking at her before turning back away towards Eddie “ yeh you better be back to normal” I grumble as he wraps his arms around me looking over everyone as Dustin starts walking away. 

“ where are you going “ Steve asks “ hey Eddie and y/n are still wanted by the police we can’t just go for a hike in the woods” he exclaims as Dustin turns back around to stare at him his head tilted mouth open slightly “ this capsule could be the way to save both them and max” 

I sigh looking at him “ what say you Eddie the banished” he looks down at Eddie his arms open slightly “ I say you’re asking me to follow you into Mordor, which to be straight with you is probably a bad idea but the shire, the shire is burning” he looks at me “ so Mordor it is” I mumble quietly as he nods walking towards Dustin leaving me to walk with Steve “ I love his nerdy shit” I giggle slightly “ what is Mordor” he asks looking confused I ignore him a smug look on my face, as Eddie runs back for the stuff he nearly left behind “ grab your shit man your lady can’t carry it” Steve sways holding his arm for me to take making me smile “ oh stevie such a gentleman” I tease taking his arm as Eddie runs after us. 

———————————————————————

We’re out walking into the night as the sun starts to go down and everything gets dark I can’t help but hold on tighter to Steve’s arm as Eddie stays close to Dustin up front guiding the group“ don’t you think it’s getting a bit dark” I look at Steve “ you scared y/n” he asks teasingly “ don’t he stupid I just think its s bit dangerous “ I sigh looking down as i hear Eddie grab Dustin pulling him back “ watch your step big guy” he looks back “ thought these woods were familiar “ Eddie looks back at me “ lovers lake” Robin looks out at the water “ so you think there’s a gate in there” I ask looking over at Dustin “ when ever the demogorgan attacked it left an opening perhaps vecna is the same” Nancy states as I sigh quietly looking at them “ there’s only one way to find out “ Steve states his face concentrated as I let go of his arm moving to Eddie as he walks towards the boat he hid earlier today “ this good enough to get out there” he asks his eyebrow raised at Nancy as she nods “ yeh perfectly actually “.

Both him and Steve get it into the water Robin climbing in first soon followed by Eddie who helps both me and Nancy in “ is meant to hold 3 people at most but four won’t hurt” he smirks “ you’re only a small one” he kisses my cheek as I sit next to him then Dustin tries to climb in “ hey trying to sink us the boat is full man” he looks at him a fatherly tone in his voice I’ve never heard before “ it’s best this way you guys stay here with Max keep an eye out “ Nancy looks at them “ keep safe” she nods “ you keep an eye out,  this was my discovery “ his voice high and whiny “ you heard nance” Robin bits in “ who made her in charge” he snaps back “ I did” Robin argues quickly as I smile laughing quietly as he passes Nancy the compass. 

 Steve quickly jumps in before pushing the boat out to float “ you said it was full” Dustin snaps “ sorry” Steve whispers a smug smile on his face as I wave bye to shaw still laughing “ bed time at nine kiddos miss you already “ Robin yells making me laugh more “ god you’re funny” I look up at her smiling sweetly “ we should hang out some time once this mess is over” I suggest as a keen smile spreads on her face “ yeh sure” she looks back out watching as the sure gets further and further away.

Suddenly the the needle of the compass starts going crazy as we stop the boat “ it must be here” Nancy looks at Steve as Dustin speaks over the walkie “ why are you guys stopping what’s going on” his voice filled with worry “ your compass has gone crazy” I speak clearly “ yeh Dustin it’s gone from wonky to wonky with a capital wahhh” robin states looking down into the water “ I’m gonna go in” Steve looks at Nancy “ it has to be me” I nod “ i’m not complaining “ Eddie scoffs looking at me “ non from me either” I rest my head on eddies shoulder as Steve starts to bag up the flash then taking his shirt off to prepare to jump in “ good luck down there” Eddie looks at him as I nod as he stands on the edge of the boat.

“ Steve”Nancy looks up at him her eyes glistening with something I’d say was love as their eyes meet I can’t help the smirk that plants it self on my face “ be careful “ she says her voice sweet as Steve turns and jumps in making the boat rock violently to the point it could topple over “ aww you love him” I tease looking at Nancy nudging her “ I don’t start that y/n” she looks at me “ we’re just friends” I laugh “ sure you are” I rest my head in eddie he leans into my ear “ they totally are I could see their love for each other from a mile away “ I smile giggling as he looks at Nancy sitting watching the water with worry. 

Suddenly he comes splashing to the surface “ I found it” he pants trying to get his breath back “ it’s more of a snack sized gate than a mama gate but it’s still pretty damn big” he looks at Nancy their eyes locking together again just for him to be pulled under by something violent I gasp clinging to Eddie tightly “ what was that “I yell looking back down seeing Steve getting dragged down “STEVE” Robin yells “ WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT” Eddie looks into the water just for Nancy to dive straight after him, I scream burying my head into Eddie as Robin purchases herself in the edge of the boat “ no what are you doing “ Eddie looks at her “ don’t go Robin please “ i grab her hand “ please “ I look her in the eyes as she roles back into the water “ GOD DAMN IT” Eddie yells as I look at him “ what now” mutter looking at him my eyes full of fear “ I guess we’ll have to join them” he takes my hand “ I hate water, I can’t swim you know that ” I groan just as he pulls me back into the cold water swimming towards the red glowing light on the lakes floor. 

[bellofthemeadow]

Harrington!reader, Steve’s little sister. Popular, a cheerleader, first time senior and Chrissy’s best friend. But she has a secret that only her best friend knows. She’s had a crush on Eddie Munson since middle school. She’s afraid to tell him, thinking there’s no way he’d be into her. Until one day in the cafeteria, Jason Carver calls Eddie a freak. She confronts him, and punches him in the face, breaking or spraining her hand/wrist. Guess her little secret is out, and she may never be popular again.

OF COURSE MY DEAR ANON! I am so sorry it took forever to address this request! I have just started my final year of Uni, and with four seminars and graduate applications, I have not had any time to write consistently! But this idea was too enticing to pass up, so thank you very much for sharing it! For those waiting on other fics, I am slowly but surely getting back into the groove of writing more consistently so it should all come out sooner rather than later (hopefully) and I always welcome more fics or one shot ideas! Thank you to y'all for bearing with me, I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU SO SO MUCH ❤️❤️❤️

No warnings excpet for some violence (against Jason Carver so thats fine I think) and some heavy make out session

Word Count: 5.3K

Masterlist

Hit Me Baby One More Time

You had gotten your first taste of popularity on your very first day of middle school, a couple of years ago. That entire week leading up to it had been filled with fear and stress about what people would think of you. Overwhelmed, you had spent the last few days of your summer agonizing over your outfit choice, turning your daily fashion show into a reluctant performance for your big brother, Steve. Despite his huffs and puffs, he had reassured you that everything would go smoothly, but you couldn't help to worry. Eventually, you ended up settling on a cute white dress that reached just above your knees, paired with a soft baby pink cardigan. You had hoped it would be enough to get some of the right kind of attention that Steve always talked about.

In hindsight, you realized that you might have been a tad dramatic as when lunchtime had rolled around, a group of girls had approached you, giggling with excitement. "Are you Steve Harrington's sister?" they had asked-whispered with bright envious eyes. You slowly nodded, and with elated giggles, they ushered you over to their table, where the popular crowd was hanging out. It turned out your brother had quite the reputation, and while you knew he was popular, you hadn't fully grasped the extent to which the name Harrington would impact your social life. For you, Steve was just the idiot older brother who used Farah Fawcet's hairspray to keep his dumb hair in place – But to everyone else, it seemed that Steve was a pretty big deal. So, you were, it seemed, a legacy, and the rest, as they say, was history. And that very day, you also ended up meeting your future best friend, Chrissy Cunningham, who you would grow to love with all your heart.

Five years had come and gone, and now, you were finally well-established into your senior year, ready to graduate in the spring. And while it was true that your older brother might have facilitated your initial entry into the realm of popularity, you had since etched out a distinctive name for yourself. As your brother moved on to new chapters in his life (namely an underpaid job at family video), your own journey through high school took a markedly different path. In fact, your popularity had continued to ascend, like a rising star in the night sky.

Though the Harrington name may have laid the foundation, you had meticulously built upon it, brick by brick. You had cultivated your own unique persona, and it had become a force to be reckoned with in the hallways of your school. No longer living in the shadow of your brother's glory days, you had emerged as a charismatic figure in your own right.

You had become The Harrington sibling who truly counted, especially after the dramatic showdown between Steve and Billy Hargrove during his own senior year. In the aftermath of that clash, your brother's social standing had taken a considerable hit, with much of his social credit being seized by the mullet-wearing bad-boy. The Harrington name, which had once been associated with Steve's swagger, now conjured images of a radiant, saccharine smile, cheerleading outfits, and a personality as pinky-sweet as bubblegum.

While Chrissy indisputably reigned as the queen of Hawkins High, some believed it was only because you had no desire to claim that throne—a belief rooted in truth as you had no interest of being the queen of anything, especially Hawkins High as beyond Chrissy, you harboured little affection for the other members of the popular clique. Whether it was Jason Carver and his cronies or the remainder of the cheer squad, you couldn't help but find them increasingly vapid.

Nestled at the popular table right in the heart of the bustling cafeteria, always donning Hawkins’ green cheer outfit, a nagging sensation of inauthenticity always clung to you. Hitching deep into your soul, making you feel like the fraud you’ve always believed yourself to be as although your elevated social status had smoothed your journey through high school, ensuring a constant stream of party invitations, a steadfast companion, and even a few favors from teachers who were drawn to your preppy smile and sunny disposition, it all felt like a facade, far removed from your true self.

You’ve always known how deep inside, there were facets of who you really were that you couldn't openly share with anyone but Chrissy. She alone knew of your profound love for fantasy and science fiction novels. Nothing brought you more joy than retreating home to dive headlong into the mystical realms crafted by H.P. Lovecraft or to lose yourself once more in the pages of your well-worn copy of "Frankenstein." Yet, these passions remained concealed beneath the veneer you projected: the princess of Hawkins High, painted in shades of pink, sweet, and deceptively perfect.

The idea of letting those hidden, nerdy passions of yours see the light of day felt like a risky bet, one that could potentially leave you feeling incredibly alone at Hawkins High. The thought of losing friends and having nowhere to sit during lunch was a constant source of worry. You had faith in Chrissy's unwavering support, regardless of your social standing, but you couldn't bear the idea of burdening her. She was just so kind, always forgiving even to those who didn't deserve it, and you didn't want to be the one responsible for pulling her down.

As a result, the decision to keep these aspects of your identity hidden weighed heavily on your heart. It felt like an unspoken loneliness, a sacrifice you were making to preserve the fragile balance of the life you'd carefully constructed in high school. Hawkins High had its own intricate ecosystem, and you were very much a part of it. Your place within that system was delicate, and you couldn't afford to disrupt it, fearing that it might set off a chain reaction that could destabilize everything. You had no intention of being the one to upset the frail high school biome of Hawkins High.

Now, however, your situation was far from ideal as you found yourself sandwiched between Carly and Tina during lunch, and today, they were even more exasperating than usual. There seemed to be some sort of fallout from Tina's last party, something involving a boy, and now the two girls communicated exclusively through snarky remarks, making the tension rise with every snip from either girl. A brewing headache was beginning to claw at your temples as you were waiting for the explosion to erupt sooner rather than later.

What was happening in front of you wasn’t any better as you were given a front-row seat to the somewhat uncomfortable sight of Jason Carver deeply engrossed in a passionate kiss with Chrissy. She appeared to be on the brink of embarrassment, her attempts to gently push Jason away carried out with shy reluctance. "Jason, please," she implored, her manicured hand finding its way to his chest, a plea in her eyes. "Not in front of everyone..."

In response, Jason merely rolled his eyes dismissively. "Come on, baby," he insisted, his voice low and unconcerned. "No one's even paying attention to us."

You couldn't help but scowl, unhappiness etching your delicate features as you watched the uncomfortable display unfold before you. Finally, you couldn't take it any longer. You cleared your throat and loudly exclaimed, "Hey, Chrissy?" All eyes turned to you, and you continued, "Do you think we could slip away from lunch a bit early to go over the routine we've been practicing for the upcoming game? I really want to make sure I've got it down perfectly before tonight's match."

Chrissy's sigh of relief was almost audible, and you could sense her gratitude. In contrast, Jason huffed unhappily, clearly irritated by the interruption. He muttered something about leaving you girls to your conversation before he got up and headed to chat with one of his buddies at the far end of the table.

You and Chrissy shared a quick, wordless girl-to-girl conversation. All the words you needed were conveyed through a bombastic side-eye from you and a subtle nod of your head toward Jason. Chrissy responded with a playful roll of her eyes and a slight shake of her shoulder, silently agreeing with your sentiment.

As your eyes shifted away from Chrissy, they unexpectedly locked onto the deep brown ones of Eddie Munson. Two distinct emotions surged from deep within you. One was a rush of excitement as the warmth of your crush enveloped you, causing your face to flush as red as a ripe apple under his gaze. But in an instant, that crush felt almost crushing when you realized that it wasn't you that Eddie was looking at, but rather Chrissy's high ponytail that had captured his attention.

Eddie and Chrissy. Chrissy and Eddie. ChrissyandEddie. It was an undeniable fact that the guy you had the most enormous crush on happened to be utterly smitten with your best friend. It felt almost tragically comical, if you were being honest with yourself. Throughout high school, countless guys had mustered the courage to ask you out, but you had dismissed them all without a second thought. Football jocks, band nerds, potheads, music fanatics – none of them could hold a candle to Eddie Munson in your eyes.From the very moment you first crossed paths with Eddie during your freshman year, your heart had been irreversibly, completely, and utterly captivated by the charismatic and outspoken boy. You were utterly unprepared for it, not like you were out there seeking Cupid's arrow to pierce your heart. You had simply been an unsuspecting victim of one of its whims, but the exquisite pain that followed was worth it. At least, you hoped so.

Thanks to Eddie's recurring attempts at redoing his senior year and your placement in advanced classes, your worlds intersected more than once. One particularly unforgettable encounter unfolded in Mrs. Allen's math class, where the teacher had a peculiar notion that pairing the class's worst student (Eddie) with its best (you) would somehow work magic. You were left a bit shy and entirely tongue-tied in his presence, but Eddie had an uncanny talent for leaning in close and delivering a barrage of side-splitting, utterly inappropriate observations about Mrs. Allen that left you snorting with laughter. For a glorious three months, Eddie was your math partner in crime, and during that time, you dared to believe that something more could evolve from your interactions. If only you could string together coherent sentences without tripping over your words.

However, as fate would have it, the teacher eventually grew tired of her seating arrangement, deciding it was high time to shake things up. This twist in your high school narrative resulted in you and Eddie being separated, an alteration you weren't particularly thrilled about. The new arrangement effectively put a damper on your burgeoning connection.

It was in the midst of this seating shuffle that Eddie tossed a rather loaded question your way, catching you off guard. "Your friend Chrissy," he began, as you felt yourself shrink under his gaze. "Is she still with that Carver douche?" Your gaze faltered as you met his, a nod escaping your lips as a wave of disappointment surged within you. Inwardly grappling with the sting of unspoken heartache, you found yourself clutching the hem of your cheer skirt almost desperately. Without another word, you retreated to your newly assigned seat, a sense of melancholy lingering like a shadow and bitter disappointment coating your tongue.

Even now, your gaze would involuntarily flicker to Eddie whenever you found yourself in the same room. Often, he'd be engrossed in conversations with his bandmates or his D&D group, leaving you on the outside looking in. It was a conflicting sensation, feeling his presence so near yet so far away. If only you could gather the nerve to strike up a conversation with him, but you hesitated. After all, you were the popular girl, the one who played by the rules, and good girls weren't supposed to mix with people like Eddie, no matter how much you desperately longed for it. Perhaps during math class today, you thought, you might find a plausible excuse to approach him. Maybe something as simple as asking about the homework or...

"And what the hell do you think you're staring at, Freak!?" The sudden hush that swept over the cafeteria was palpable as every head turned toward Jason, who had abandoned your table and was now striding purposefully toward the one where Eddie and his friends were seated. A chill coursed through your veins, causing your face to pale. You couldn't tear your eyes away from the unfolding drama as Eddie rose from his seat. While he appeared outwardly confident, the telltale clenching and unclenching of his hand betrayed the nervousness bubbling beneath the surface. It was clear to you that what he was displaying might just be a facade of bravado.

"Did you dribble that orange ball a few too many times, Carver?" Eddie sarcastically chimed in. His words hung in the air, an open challenge that seemed to stoke the flames of Jason's anger. In a fit of rage, Jason lunged forward, grabbing Eddie by the front of his well-worn jeans jacket. The cafeteria held its breath, anticipation hanging heavy in.

 A gasp escaped your lips, a sharp, involuntary intake of breath as the dramatic confrontation unfolded before your eyes. Abruptly, you shot up from your seat, causing Chrissy to turn around in surprise. She sent you an uncertain look as you started to stride toward the two boys. It was as if you were possessed by a force stronger than yourself, you couldn’t let whatever was happening continue – you had to do something!

"Don't try to bullshit me, freak!" Jason's voice reverberated through the cafeteria, anger and scorn dripping from his words. "I saw you looking at Chrissy. You think you can just lay your eyes on her, you freak? She isn't yours; you're nothing but trailer trash! Don't you ever dare to look at her again, alright? Or I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!" Jason was so close to Eddie's face that his spittle sprayed across the other boy's features. He shoved Eddie backward, and it was at that moment, as you were making your way between the mass of students that had clustered around Jason and Eddie that you felt a surge of red-hot anger like nothing you had ever felt before.

"Do I make myself clear, freak?" Jason continued, his voice dripping with malice. "Or do I need to send my boys to deal with you and your pathetic group of losers?" Eddie looked incensed, but he cowered under Jason's menacing threat.

"I...wasn't...looking," Eddie enunciated each word through gritted teeth, avoiding Jason's eyes. Jason burst into fake laughter, glancing around at the onlookers.

"Does the freak have a crush?" he taunted, his voice cruel and derisive. "That's hilarious. You honestly think you'd have a chance with Chrissy? Be realistic, freak. What is it now, twice repeating your senior year?" Eddie's face turned a deep shade of pink, shame washing over him as Jason's taunts struck at his insecurities. His shoulders sagged with each insult, and he struggled to maintain his composure.

"Everyone knows anyway that the only way a freak like you could ever get close to a girl is when you and your little cult of Satan practice some sacrifices," Jason continued, his words laced with venom. "I'm even surprised they let people like you in here. Everyone knows what kind of trash your dad was, it ain't surprising that the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree…”

You pushed your way through the crowd, determination propelling you forward. Without a second thought, you strode purposefully toward the back of Jason. Eddie's surprised gaze locked onto you as you confidently approached them.

You extended your arm and lightly tapped Jason on the shoulder, effectively cutting off his rant mid-sentence. The abruptness of your action prompted Jason to whirl around to face you, his typically handsome features now contorted into a repulsive mask of anger. It was a stark contrast to the carefully cultivated "cool-guy" image he often projected. But deep down, you knew this enraged countenance was his true face, hidden behind the facade. In fight or flight mode, you recalled your brother Steve's advice about fighting, which you had stored away in your memory, "Sis," Steve's voice echoed in your mind, "when you throw a punch, put your entire body behind it."

And that's precisely what you did. With every ounce of your body weight, you thrust your fist forward directly into Jason's face. The cafeteria was filled with a sharp crack, echoing through the room, followed by a collective gasp from everyone present. An eerie silence descended upon the cafeteria.

Jason lay sprawled on the floor, a violent stream of blood gushing from his nose, while you clutched your hand close to your chest. Tears welled up at the corners of your eyes. No one had ever warned you that hitting someone would hurt like an absolute nightmare! It ] wasn’t like that in the movies!

Your gaze landed on Eddie, and you noticed a peculiar expression take over the young metalhead’s face –  His brown gaze held something unfamiliar, a look you had never seen throughout the time you had been admiring him from afar. I was as though he were seeing you – like he was attempting to decipher the mechanics of your very being. It caught you off guard, this intensity in his stare, and you couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.

“YOU BITCH! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!!!” Jason roared from his sprawled position on the ground.

Reluctantly tearing your gaze away from Eddie, you redirected it toward the fallen boy who cut a rather pathetic figure at your feet. Curling your lip in disdain, you adopted your most haughty tone and huffed, "You, Jason Carver, are the problem here!"

Jason, still sprawled on the floor with a nosebleed, glared up at you, his anger palpable, "You little—"

Before he could finish his sentence, you cut him off with a stern gesture. "Save it, Jason. You had this coming."

A stunned silence blanketed the cafeteria, every eye fixed on the unfolding confrontation. It was as if time had frozen, and the entire room held its breath in rapt attention as Hawkins' princess unleashed her verbal assault on the school's reigning king.

In that moment, you felt like you had the entire cafeteria in a chokehold, and you were determined not to let this opportunity slip away, not after what Jason had put Eddie through. Gathering your resolve, you continued, your voice dripping with disdain, "Do you honestly believe you can bully and belittle people just because they don't conform to your narrow definition of 'normal'? Well, I've had enough of your toxic attitude! You, my dear Jason, are the most insufferable idiot I've ever had the displeasure of encountering in my entire life! And I am done catering to whatever you and your dumb friends say!”

Jason struggled to get up, wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. Turning back to Jason, you crossed your arms and delivered your final message with authority. "Consider this a warning, Jason. Mess with Eddie or anyone else again, and you'll have me to answer to."

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" Principal Higgins' thunderous voice pierced through the otherwise eerily silent cafeteria. In an instant, your confidence evaporated, leaving you feeling pale and exposed. You were caught off guard, unable to process what to do or say.

Before you could even react, a familiar, warm hand firmly grabbed yours, yanking you along as they sprinted in the opposite direction, forcefully pushing people out of the way. It was a grip you knew well, and you didn't hesitate to follow Eddie as he practically dragged you toward the exit of the cafeteria.

The scene you left behind was nothing short of chaotic. The entire school stood in a collective stupor, mouths agape in disbelief. Jason Carver, his face an alarming shade of red, appeared on the brink of an aneurysm as he struggled to regain his composure. Principal Higgins, in his authoritative fury, barked orders at the bewildered students, demanding answers and an immediate end to the commotion.

As you reached the exit and the clamor of the cafeteria began to fade, you couldn't help but let out a giggle of exhilaration. Eddie continued to lead you, now behind the school building and into the dense woods that bordered the campus. The farther you ventured into the secluded forest, the more you appreciated the sudden escape from the madness. Eventually, Eddie brought you to a worn-out picnic table, the wood weathered by years of exposure to the elements. Eddie finally managed to catch his breath. He exhaled heavily and asked, "What the hell... hfff... was that?!"

You leaned against the picnic table, still catching your own breath, and grinned at Eddie. "That, Eddie, was me finally giving Jason Carver a taste of his own medicine. That douchebag had it coming!"

Eddie let out a loud surprised laugh while still trying to catch his breath, his eyes still wide from the unexpected turn of events. "Well, I've gotta say, sweetheart, that was quite the show back there. You really let him have it, you got a mean hook princess." A warm flush of pride swept over you as you soaked in Eddie's praises. How long had you waited to hear him say something like that—to acknowledge you and gaze at you as if you were the most wonderful girl in the world? It was a feeling you had been yearning for so long, and if you were to die right now, you would die happy!

Eddie's warm, chocolate-coloured gaze landed on you, and it felt as though it softly swept over every inch of your being. He spoke, his voice filled with curiosity, "I don't think anyone was expecting Hawkins' princess to come to the defence of the 'freak.' You know they won't let you forget this, right? Why would you risk all that for little old me, Harrington?"

You let out a sigh, the weight of his inquisitive gaze pressing on you. As you closed your eyes briefly, you grappled with the emotions that had been swirling within you since the first time you had laid eyes on Eddie. A small smile crept onto your lips as you slowly opened your eyes, fixing them on the boy of your dreams. "You're worth it, Munson."

Eddie drew in a sharp breath, taking three steps closer to you. His large, warm hands, bearing tiny scars from playing the guitar, gently swept across your cheeks as he gazed intently into your eyes. "Do you mean that, Harrington? Because there's no going back if I kiss you right now—it's you and me, the princess and the 'freak.' You won’t climb back from that fall.”

You glanced at your right hand, the knuckles scraped and the skin raw, with a slight swelling on your wrist. "I think it's a little too late for that anyway," you sheepishly admitted. Eddie smiled warmly, his eyes filled with admiration, before gently taking your hand in his two larger ones. He slowly brought your bruised knuckles to his mouth, planting a soft kiss on each of them, causing your breath to hitch.

"Who knew that the princess of Hawkins High was Indiana’s future boxing champion," Eddie softly joked, his voice laced with affection. "I just feel bad for this pretty, soft hand – all bruised and battered to protect me, like the prettiest knight in pink armor coming to my rescue." You couldn't help but swoon at his words as Eddie continued to softly kiss your hand, his gaze slowly lifting to meet yours, his eyes filled with… Love? Tenderness? A girl could dream.

A warm smile curved across Eddie's lips, and he leaned in, capturing your mouth with his in a searing kiss. As you both savored each other, Eddie's hand slowly wrapped around the base of your neck, holding you close to him. As you were trying not to faint from the sheer pleasure this moment was bringing you, a flash of remembrance rushed through you, snapping you back from your trance and causing you to break the kiss and catch your breath. You whispered softly against Eddie's lips, "What about Chrissy?"

Eddie nuzzled your face with his nose, his lips brushing lightly against your skin. "What about her?" he retorted playfully. "I mean... I thought... I thought you had a thing for her," you admitted meekly.

Eddie smirked against your cheek. "If I did, I wouldn't be kissing you right now, right?" His voice held a teasing edge as he continued to shower your neck with tender kisses.

You closed your eyes, feeling a mix of contradicting emotions – wanting to keep going to feel more of him, wishing him to stop playing with your heart because you weren’t sure you could take it anymore. "I mean it, Eddie... I don't want to be your second choice."

Eddie stopped his ministrations and returned to your face, holding your gaze with his. "You were always my first choice, Eddie," you confessed, tears gathering at the corner of your eyes. "And I don't think I could handle being your backup plan."

Eddie's whispers were tender as he wiped away the tears that had begun to roll down your cheeks. "Nononono, sweetheart. Don't cry, please," he implored softly. "You were always my first choice." His words held a reassuring sincerity that began to soothe your racing heart. But you wouldn’t be so easily swayed, as much as you loathed Jason Carver, you had witnessed first hand how Eddie seemed enraptured with Chrissy.

You huffed in disbelief, but Eddie insisted, urging you to meet his gaze. "No, it's true. Hey, look at me," he gently encouraged. "I never thought I would ever have a chance with a girl like you. You know, you're like my dream girl, right?" You gave him an uncertain look, still wrestling with your doubts. "You always stare at Chrissy, though. And you did ask me if she was still with Jason, remember?"

Eddie released your cheeks and took a step back, embarrassment tinging his cheeks as he used a piece of his shaggy hair to shield himself from you. "I wasn't looking at Chrissy. You're always with Chrissy, so I was looking at you," he admitted, his voice tinged with shyness. "And I only asked you that because I panicked. I was going to ask you out, but the guys had been teasing me for weeks, telling me I was too much of a coward to do it. I guess they were right because I chickened out."

As Eddie continued, his embarrassment grew, and he took another step back. He held the piece of hair in front of his face, as if to hide himself from you. "I've actually had a crush on you since last year," he confessed, his words shocking you.

"Are you joking?!" you blurted out, astonished.

He shook his head, his warm brown eyes holding your gaze. "Not at all, princess," he began with a soft smile. "It was last year. You were on your way back from cheer practice, and you were in a hurry, holding a huge backpack. It happened so fast that you didn't even realize a book had fallen out."

His eyes sparkled as he continued, his tone becoming more animated. "I saw it lying there, and curiosity got the best of me – I picked it up, and to my surprise, it was a copy of 'The Hobbit.’” He grinned as if sharing a secret. "I was planning to return it to you, honestly, but then, when I opened it, I saw that there was a bunch of notes in the margins." Eddie started grinning even more as he continued “All there in the margins, notes, thoughts, musings. It was like reading your mind with every turn of the page. Your insights, your emotions, your laughter, and even your frustrations were all there in the margins. I knew I had stumbled upon the most precious treasure in the universe – it was a private window into you."

Your breath hitched at his words, and as Eddie spoke, you felt a warmth spreading through you, "It felt like we were close," Eddie continued, his gaze never leaving yours. "I couldn't put the book down. It was like having a conversation with you, even when you weren't around. I realized how much we had in common, how you saw the world, and it fascinated me.”

The thought that Eddie had held onto that copy of 'The Hobbit,' with your notes and thoughts, all this time was both surprising and heartwarming. Damn, he was perfect.

"Fuck, I sound so creepy," Eddie confessed, breaking your reverie. He scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.

But you weren’t creeped out, far from it. For the first time in your life, you felt completely understood by someone – inside and out. "No, Eddie," you whispered softly, your heart swelling with love. "You don't sound creepy at all. You sound... perfect." A sweet cocky grin got etched on Eddie’s lips “Perfect, eh?”

Getting overwhelmed by his stare, you tried to play it cool and diverted his question by teasingly asking, "So you’ve had a big fat crush on me for a while, right?"

Eddie chuckled, taking a step closer to you, his gaze locked on yours. "Don't get too high and mighty, princess," he said with a warm smile, his voice laced with adoration. "From the looks of it, you've got a pretty big crush on little old me too…"

Your heart skipped a beat at his words, and you let out a soft giggle, feeling a delightful warmth in the pit of your stomach. "I can neither confirm nor deny that," you replied in a sing-song voice, your eyes never leaving his.

Eddie's smile deepened, his gaze filled with affection. With a tender touch, he placed his hands on your waist, and before you knew it, he had spun you around. You couldn't help but let out a joyful squeak as you twirled together in a sweet, romantic dance. As he gently lowered you back to the ground, his strong arms remained securely wrapped around your back, pulling you close.

In that intimate moment, it felt as though the world had faded away, leaving just the two of you entwined in each other's embrace. Your breaths synchronized, and you lost yourselves in each other's eyes, the unspoken promise of a beautiful future passing between you.

"Hey, Eddie," you whispered, your voice barely above a breath but filled with affection and longing.

Eddie's gaze softened even more, his eyes filled with tenderness as he held you close. "Yeah, princess?"

With a radiant smile, you leaned in closer to him, your heart singing with love. "I've got a big fat crush on you too."

A soft, contented sigh escaped Eddie's lips, and he held you even tighter as if he never wanted to let you go. "Good." And without another word, he pressed his lips to yours in a bruising kiss. Nothing ever tasted sweeter.

“You gonna be alright sitting with the freaks now?” “As long as I sit with you Eddie, I could not care less.”

The fallen princess and the freak," you thought contentedly, "that has the ringing of a love story for the ages.” And all it took was that punch you threw at Jason Carver's face for you and Eddie to find your way to each other.

[st-loveconfessions]

Firstly, this is such a cute little idea, so shoutout to the mods here! And secondly, a shoutout to some of my favorite Stranger Things blogs. <3 Highly recommend these blogs, the mods are so nice from what I've seen and they have some of the funniest/best takes.

@shieldofiron @corrodedcorpses @hellfire--cult @harringroveera @lovebillyhargrove @camaro-and-smokes

[mayaluvzyou]

Popular

Eddie Munson x Cheerleader!reader

Warnings: Swearing, abusive relationship, subtle mentions of sexual assault, angst, kinda slow burn, pining, drug usage, f!reader, eventual smut, use of Y/N.

w.c: 1.8k

A/N: IT'S FINALLY HERE!! I know that the song came out in the 90s, but I love it so much and the lyrics are just so fanfic worthy. Btw this takes place in 1989 purely because I want it to. Also, this will have multiple parts !!!

I know this is kinda rushed but we're going to pretend it's not ♥️

×××××××××××××××

Today was the day. You had put off breaking up with your shitty boyfriend, Jason, for weeks now. If you had been dating anyone else, you wouldn't have hesitated to speak up about the issue. But, this was Jason Carver you were talking about. The school's most popular douchebag.

Everyone was almost always jealous of you for being Jason's girlfriend. Practically the whole school of Hawkins High was drooling over him, so, naturally they'd envy you.

You walked towards the cafeteria in a more stiff manner than usual. Could anyone blame you? No way. You were about three and a half minutes away from being the center of a new wave of drama, therefore you had more than enough reasons to be scared.

Taking a breath deeper than it should've been, you strutted into the cafeteria with the most faux confidence known to man- or to you, at least. Though nobody could tell you were feigning aplomb, it felt like you wanted to run out of there and shrivel up somewhere quiet.

You didn't feel like eating, so, it wasn't a surprise when you sat down at your usual table with no tray or lunchbox. Nobody seemed to notice. Jason certainly didn't.

Mere seconds after sitting down next to him, he uncomfortably snaked an arm around your waist with a smirk. He always did this. It was nice the first few times, but it didn't take long to get weird. It definitely was not as nice anymore. The two of you always sat at the head of the table, having nobody else directly next to either of you. This constantly gave Jason advantages, advantages you didn't like at all. One time, he made an attempt at touching you from under the table that was far from indisputable. The worst part was that you couldn't say anything about it. That was unless you wanted to end up bruised again.

Shuddering at the horrid memory, Jason started to speak, his hand now rubbing your side a little.

"Hey, babe, I was thinking of hosting another party at my place. You in?" He questioned, that disgustingly familiar smirk still plastered on his face.

"I- uhm..." You stuttered, unsure of how to go about this without the whole table hearing and going into a fit of whispers. "Just- c'mere- for a moment.." The tone you spoke in was unintentionally soft. There was no way in hell you'd ever raise your voice at him.

Pulling Jason along with you, you walked back out to the lockers closest to the entryway of the cafeteria, making sure there were little to no students roaming the halls for fear of them overhearing. "Jason, I just... I've been thinking," you took a shaky breath.

"I don't really think that this is.. that this is working out." You had never averted your gaze quicker in your life.

"Wha-" he paused, letting out an amused chuckle. "What do you mean, baby?" His smile was very slowly fading. He knew what you meant. No doubt about it. He just wanted to truly hear it from you.

"I mean I think we should, y'know, leave it here." The way you avoided the words 'break' and 'up' was so undeniably obvious- to both you and him.

"You're saying we should break up? Is that it?" Jason's smile had fully gone away, now replaced with a nasty scowl that made your heart rate increase. "You're saying you wanna leave me for some other dickhead?" With a snarling tone, his words soon became more rhetorical than ever as he shoved you into a cold, metallic locker behind you.

You gasped and winced at the aggression, though it was far from something new. "Jason, please! This is exactly why I'm saying this!" You retored, tears stinging and bubbling in your eyes.

"You know I'm the best you've ever had- and don't try and lie to me like you won't be choking on some other guys dick tomorrow!" Jason snapped back, the words hitting you like a ton of bricks. You wouldn't consider yourself a prude, but sex wasn't a frequent thing for you. It was almost entirely his fault that you knew as much as you did about it.

"Jesus fucking Christ- this is your problem!" You snapped back at your now ex-boyfriend.

"You get all pissed off when things don't go your way and blame it on anyone else but yourself! Just.. Just fuck off!" That was it. The first and most likely last time you had ever bitten back at him.

His immediate change from anger to both shock and fury in expression was enough. You ran off down the hallway before he could say anything more, tears burning and blurring your vision as they streamed down your flushed cheeks in warm lines.

You dashed down the hallway in uneven and uncoordinated steps, quickly barging into the closest bathroom you could find.

The door squeaked a little as it opened and closed. You went directly into the nearest stall, locking yourself in there for god knows how long.

Sinking down against the wall of the cramped bathroom stall, the overwhelming wave of emotion got the best of you. Nothing could stop the fact that you were full on sobbing at this point with zero care if anyone heard you.

It'd been five minutes. Five minutes of wholeheartedly crying your eyes out. That was up until you heard a familiar squeak. The bathroom door.

Shit.

"Hey, uhh.. R'you alright?" They asked, the only thing unusual about it was the fact that it was clearly a male student speaking. A male student. Why would a guy be in the girls bathroom?

You scrambled to wipe your tears and silence your whimpers, but it was too late. Someone had obviously heard you.

"Sh-shit.. Yeah, m'fine.." You somehow managed to mumble out in a small voice, just barely above a whisper.

There was a moment of silence. It seemed like he realized something too, though neither of you thought to mentioned anything about it.

Your eyes fought to find a semipermanent spot to rest for the awkwardly quiet conversation. They eventually landed on the pair of scuffed, white, Reebok sneakers creeping towards the bathroom stall you'd secluded yourself in. The shoes stopped moving about a foot away from the door.

"Can I, y'know, come in?- Or open the door, I guess?" The unknown student questioned, his tone uncertain whether or not it was a normal thing to ask.

The more he spoke, the more you felt as if you knew this boy. Since you didn't recognize his voice right off the bat, it was evident that you two didn't know each other too well.

"Uhm... I guess so.." You answered, the same level of uncertainty in your voice. With that, the door opened slowly, the anticipation to find out who this mystery student was becoming worse. Lo and behold, the schools freak stood towering over your body that was currently shriveled up in the dirty corner.

There was a subtle sense of recognition in his confused gaze. Did he know you or something? Of course he knew you. Everyone did. You aren't exactly a secret after being a school's most popular cheerleader.

"y/n..?" The boy spoke again, more confusion flooding into his single word than before he'd unmasked you. Everyone in the school thought you were perfect, not a single flaw in your soul. So, imagine the surprise of seeing you, crumpled up like a discarded note in the corner of a bathroom stall. Not exactly ideal.

You couldn't say anything. There was nothing to say. The most you could do was peer up at him with red, glossy eyes and mascara stains all down your flushed cheeks, limbs uncomfortably scrunched together.

"There is- so much to unpack here," Eddie stumbled on his words, eyes searching around frantically to no specific destination. "Shit.." His mind was running a mile a minute to think of something- anything to say.

"What're you," he took a breath, eye narrowing. "What're you doin' in the guys bathroom..?"

Your eyes went wide. As if this wasn't already an atrociously awkward and embarrassing interaction, he had to go and ruin it even more. He was unmistakably horrible at comforting people.

"Fuck!" You gave up, too much was happening in too little time. You let your head drop into your knees with another sob of more emotions than you could comprehend, and Eddie couldn't do much but watch your entire breakdown, making things about a million times worse.

Suddenly, Eddie acted on impulse, dropping to his knees to make somewhat of an attempt at helping you.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay." His hands twitched with hesitancy, hovering above your shoulders. Should he touch you? Could he touch you? What even happened? Hundreds of thoughts flooded his mind as he stayed there, unable to do much but stare at the way you crumbled into a shaking mess of tears.

Throwing all caution into the wind, he placed his ringed hands on your shoulders and just kept them there, hoping that would do at least a little good in trying to calm you down.

"y/n, look at me." His tone was gentle. The care in his voice clashed with his intimidating appearance. A lot.

Inhaling a shaky breath, you looked up at him with puffy eyes and trembling lips.

"D'you wanna tell me what happened?" Your brain went haywire at the simple question, but you did the best you could at remaining physically (somewhat) calm.

Wiping your stinging tears with the sleeve of your cardigan, you nodded softly. "Just- please don't tell anyone. I don't need everyone in the school to be talking about me."

"Pinky swear." He stated genuinely, holding out his pinky finger to you. The child-like way of promise made you chuckle just a little bit.

You took a breath to recollect yourself before speaking.

"I broke up with Jason."

"Holy fuck."

"I know- I don't.." You sniffled, reddened eyes filling up with water for what felt like the millionth time in the past fifteen minutes. "I don't know what to do, because I know for a f-fact he's gonna start some stupid rumor about how we broke up."

"Like what?" Oblivious to how insensitive that may have sounded considering the current circumstances, Eddie couldn't help but wonder what kind of shitty things the blonde jock would conjure up as a way of dramatic retaliation.

That was a low blow, even for the school's freak. At least that's what you thought.

Looking up at him with wet eyes and a look of disappointment, he immediately took back his previous question, scooting backward to give you a little space.

"Right. Sorry.." Eddie muttered an apology awkwardly, nothing but the chatter of students leaving the cafeteria heard between the two of you.

It took Eddie a minute-- or six-- but, he managed to think of something that he thought would help lighten the mood of the saddened cheerleader before him.

"How about we skip next period? Have a little fun, yeah?"

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This is such a short fic but wtv

I hope it was kinda enjoyable anyway 🫶