#mention of hellcheer

[ebongawk]

number 5 for the meme

5. A firm kiss

They were friends.

Best friends, actually.

Like, the best of friends.

And Eddie had never been so goddamn remiss about something in his entire life.

Don't get him wrong, he loved being Chrissy's best friend. She was smart and funny and brave and drop-dead gorgeous.

He also just kinda loved Chrissy, so. Y'know. There was that.

And yeah, okay, so maybe he'd been carrying this little torch for nigh on fifteen years now. So, like, over half his life at this point. And, yeah, alright, sue him, he'd never told her that, but what was he gonna do, drop to his knees and profess his love? Squash the friendship they've worked so hard to build when she laughed in his face?

Nah. Fuck that.

They'd only reconnected post-high school in the last few years. And so what if Eddie hadn't, like, looked at another girl since Chrissy unexpectedly stumbled back into his life in fucking Philadelphia, of all places? So what if he spent his free time away from the studio with her, watching movies and cooking meals and doing all the cutesy date shit he'd seen other couples doing without actually dating her? So what if the guys ribbed him constantly for being a rocker on the verge of stardom who was whipped by a girl he'd never even kissed?

So fucking what?

He would probably move on someday. Once Chrissy ended her years-long dry spell and found some nice guy to settle down with, solidifying the inevitable depths of their friendship that he hadn't quite come to terms with yet. Then he could dive headfirst into the women who were constantly hovered around him like bees around some extra-pollinated flower without feeling this insane sense of guilt for cheating on the gorgeous, eternally-out-of-his-league girl he wasn't even dating.

Someday.

Maybe today?

They'd just played a fucking phenomenal show. Put their entire souls into it, actually, because Jeff had on good authority that the label they'd just signed with had some bigwigs in the crowd to observe them. Find out just how much potential the band had so they could promote them properly.

There was a girl in the crowd that kept making eyes at him. Pretty enough, he supposed, with dark makeup and dark hair. Tall. Standing on the edge of the stage with a little smirk designed to hide the type of unspoken promises that had his gut curling.

And, y'know, not with guilt. Of fucking course not.

He and Chrissy were the best of friends. And, he reminded himself as he slipped his way backstage, if something was gonna happen, it would've happened by now.

This girl just happening to be Chrissy's polar opposite in every conceivable way was meaningless.

They packed up their gear into the van over whoops and hollers. Talking at length about how fucking incredible they just were, because vanity had no jurisdiction amidst their accomplishment. Once that was loaded up, Eddie bid the guys farewell with every intention of going to find that girl.

When he got back inside, however, he felt like he got socked in the fucking gut. In the bad way.

Chrissy was there. Sitting at the bar, sipping on a drink. Legs crossed under a little pink skirt that made him lose his fucking mind as she leaned toward the person sitting next to her.

The guy sitting next to her.

What the fuck. What the fuck? He hadn't even known she was coming tonight. And who was this fucking clown looking at her like she was the most charming person to ever grace his presence? She was, of course, but who fucking gave him the right to look at her like that?

Taking a deep, slow breath, Eddie reminded himself through a little mantra that she wasn't his. She was just his friend. And she was allowed to sip her drinks and bat her lashes at whoever the fuck she wanted.

Even if the thought made steam blow out of his ears.

"Hey," someone called over his shoulder. Eddie whipped around to see the girl from the crowd there. Sauntering up to him with swaying hips and that same smirk that made his uncomfortable stomach roil. "You're the guitarist, right?"

Fuck. Fuck.

"Yeah," Eddie responded. Puffing out a breath and pulling his best nonchalant grin out of his ass, he said again, "Yeah. That's me, honey."

He leaned up against the nearest table, putting Chrissy in his periphery. Watching her from the corner of his eye as she laughed at probably the worst joke known to humankind, as told by a clown.

The new girl looked him up and down, appreciation obvious, and her grin grew. Showing off sharp canines and a knowing glint in her eye.

"You guys played really good tonight," she continued. "Though I've been to a few shows now, and you're always pretty fantastic."

"Oh yeah?" Eddie responded, crossing his arms and popping his eyebrows. "What, you consider yourself a bonafide fan, then?"

She giggled, introducing herself with a name Eddie immediately forgot. Glancing over right as Chrissy looked at him, finally seeming to register his presence.

Was it just him, or did something in her face drop all at once?

The girl continued talking to him, but Eddie could not reiterate their conversation if someone held a gun to his head. Instead, he watched curiously as Chrissy left her half-finished drink on the bar and said something to Bozo before getting up and bolting out the front door.

Huh. What the fuck was that?

"So," the girl said, tilting her head to one side and catching his attention. "Are you gonna buy me a drink? Or should we just get out of here?"

"Yeah, uh, gonna have to pin that shit right here, actually," Eddie responded as he jumped to his feet. When did this girl get so close to him? No wonder he felt claustrophobic and a little nauseous. "Sorry, kid."

"Another time?" she asked, pouting a little. The snort Eddie stifled came out as a cough.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Eddie said before giving a meager salute and taking off after Chrissy. He heard the girl shout something at him, maybe trying to entice him back, but Eddie's ears were no longer open to the voices of anyone else in existence.

Chrissy was a full block away already. Brisk pace making her little skirt swish back and forth in time with the rapid beating of his heart.

"Chrissy," he called as he jogged after her. Watching her shoulders freeze, her gait coming to an unexpected halt. She didn't turn around, her body curling away from him as he caught up to her. "Hey! What, uh. What're you doing here?"

Why'd you run away?

"Hi, Eddie," she replied, her voice soft. "I, um. I just came to see you guys. Jeff said it was supposed to be a big show."

Ducking down, Eddie tried to catch her gaze. Something caught in his throat when she resolutely turned away from him.

Swallowing it heavily down, he stood up straight again. Fully taking a step back.

"Yeah? What'd you think?"

"You guys played really well," she said, though not with the enthusiasm with which she normally praised the band. "You, um. You really blew the roof off that place."

God. He'd never heard her sound so... lifeless. Why the fuck was she so upset?

"Yeah, uh, thanks, sweetness." She didn't respond outside of a brusque nod, and Eddie cleared his throat. Grasping at straws without understanding why he was reaching for nothing when conversation had never been so stilted between them. "I wish you'd've told me you were coming out. Coulda, like, I dunno, made a night of it or something."

"Seems like you had your night pretty well figured out," Chrissy shot back, something dark and viscous replacing the absence of emotion in her voice.

"Uh?"

"Why did you even come after me, Eddie?" Chrissy spat, finally, finally reeling on him. Anger blazed brightly in her eyes, taking Eddie aback so fully he flinched. The abrupt change in her demeanor had him so goddamn confused his mind whited out for a second. "Like, what's the point? Why are you here?"

"Why are you here?" he volleyed back, unconsciously matching her tone. "Huh? Why didn't you tell me you were coming? Or did you even come to see us?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

Eddie scoffed. "I saw you with that fucking clown in there."

"What does that matter?"

"What do my evening plans matter?"

"Because you were flirting with that girl!"

"So were you!" Eddie fired, fully stepping into Chrissy's personal space. "You were acting all coquettish and shit, I saw you! And it doesn't even fucking matter if I was flirting with her, because I fucked off as soon as I saw you run out! Which is so damn stupid on my part, because you don't even want me!"

"Of course I want you, you moron!" she practically screamed in his face. Bringing him entirely up short, all of the upset she still displayed draining out of his bones. "That guy in there? I was playing you up for him! He's with your freaking studio! I've wanted no one but you for years! You just don't even see me!"

That brought the anger right back. Completely disregarding her admission of trying to cozy up to the bigwig Jeff had mentioned. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Cupping her cheeks in his hands, Eddie pressed closer. Forcing her to grab the lapels of his jacket to hold her balance. "I don't see anything else, Chrissy. You live in the back of my brain, hovering around with your pretty pink nails sunk into the membrane. Every–– Every time I close my eyes, every time I blink, it's with your imprint behind my eyelids. And then I go to bed at night and fucking dream about you and me and all the shit I fucking wished we had and––"

He didn't get to finish.

She pushed up onto her dainty little toes and cut him off with a kiss.

It was firm. Warm. A little hard, still stuck on the leftover vestiges of her anger. The slight click of teeth, but Eddie was already holding her. It took nothing, nothing at all, for him to kiss her back. To hold her in place and fucking devour her with every piece of himself she already held in her palms. All of the soft, gooey pieces of him she could smush into the fucking concrete beneath their feet if she so chose.

She didn't do that, though.

Instead, she threw him straight into the void of space. His body coming to rest across a bed of stars that fizzled and popped across his skin. Bursting on contact, the sparking pieces embedded themselves into his skin. Burrowing beneath flesh and muscle and wrapping like vines around his bones.

The buzz of his starry new veins didn't fade until she slowly lowered herself back to the ground, then ignited anew when Eddie chased her lips. Slowing the desperation of their kiss until she was the soft, gooey pieces he had no choice but to hold aloft.

As though he ever wanted anything else touching his hands.

Finally, after an eternity in the stars, he pulled back to let her breathe. Resting his forehead against hers so she was nothing but a blur of flushed cheeks and stormy blue eyes.

"I've wanted to do that," he began around a stuttered exhale, "for so goddamn long."

He watched her eyes flick back and forth between his. Felt the expanse and collapse of her chest as she took another slow, deep breath.

"I was afraid," she admitted after a moment. "I was terrified, actually. That you'd... That you didn't want me the way I wanted you. And that, if I told you how I felt––"

"It'd ruin us," Eddie finished. Chrissy nodded.

"But I've wanted that, too," she said. "I've wanted you, Eddie."

The next kiss was a slow evolution. A soft, exploratory expanse of new beginnings hidden in the uncharted depths science couldn't possibly discover alone.

"You have me, sweetness. You have me."

kiss roulette!

[spookystarfishzombie]

[blueflamehellfire]

If Not For You (Hellcheer) pt 1

Eddie Munson hadn’t left Hawkins like he always planned, instead he went to a trade school after ‘86 and got his ASE certification. He found a small shop that was abandoned, paid the property taxes, and opened his business. He quickly became the best mechanic in Hawkins and thanks to his uncle managing the books he has been able to focus on fixing the cars.

However things weren't going smoothly due to Eddie having to make the appointments, leave time for walk-ins, etc. He needed help on that front so over dinner at Benny’s he asks about Wayne possibly hiring a person to make appointments. Wayne says of course and a few days later he calls Eddie into the office.

“The new hire is coming in soon. She’s a single mother and needs to bring her daughter with her for now. I set up a playpen for the girl.” Wayne says motioning to the corner behind the desk. “I expect you to be nice Eddie Munson.” he says firmly. “Wayne, I'm not going to ruin my business by being a jerk to whoever it is you hired.” He says sighing as he pours him some more coffee into his cup, “How old is the kid? I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“She’s 2. I’ve explained to her mom that she’ll need to keep her with her or in the playpen.” Wayne says and Eddie nods. “You have a customer.” He says pointing to the burgundy 1983 BMW 733i that just pulled in causing Eddie to take one final drink and set it down before walking out. Eddie is busy talking to none other than Steve Harrington to notice Chrissy walking into his shop with a blonde toddler on her hip and a baby bag on her shoulder.

“Wayne, I need to order a new camshaft for the Bmw 733i.” Eddie calls as he walks through the door stopping short when he sees Chrissy behind their little desk on the phone with a client writing something in a notebook and then she hangs up.

“Hey, Eddie.” She says nervously, “Your uncle hired me.. I hope that’s not a problem.” She nervously played with the hem of her skirt.

“It’s ok.” He says giving her a small smile before walking over and taking the phone dialing a number. He gets the part ordered and has Chrissy write down when it’ll be in. He hangs up and looks at her, “If you can stay a bit later I’ll tell you what I need you to do around here.” 

She nods, “I can stay later. It’s just me and Beth now so I don’t have any reason I can’t stay.” She says quietly and Eddie nods.

“Ok thank you.” he says before leaving back to the garage part of the shop. He explains that it’ll be a few days and that Steve is welcome to use the phone in the shop to call someone to pick him up. Then his appointment arrived so he parked the BMW and hung the keys up.

It’s 6 hours later when Eddie closes up shop and walks into the office as the last customer was leaving. He has oil and grease on him from the cars, but he looks happier than he ever had in school. Chrissy iss swaying side to side with her daughter who looked like she had just got done crying.

He washes up and sighs, “I’m hungry. Are you guys?” He asks, looking at Wayne and Chrissy. Wayne nods, but Chrissy shakes her head.

“I don’t have extra cash for anything but essentials.” she explains and both men look at her then each other.

“My treat.” Wayne says, straightening up and grabbing his keys. “Come on we’ll get Benny’s.” He says and Eddie hums with a nod.

“You really don’t have to feed me. I can make something at home. It’s no problem.” she argues and Wayne looks at her with a small smile.

“Miss Cunningham, you’re a part of us now so we’ll take care of you as we would each other.” he says and pats her shoulder “You’re not a problem at all.”

Chrissy nods and grabs her diaper bag following Wayne out of the shop leaving Eddie to lock everything up. He had just bought Wayne a new truck since his truck had crapped out on him. Eddie opened the door for Chrissy who crawled in and buckled her and her daughter in with a soft thank you.

Eddie climbed in the front and looked at Wayne, “Let’s stop by the general store really quick.” He says and he turns down the radio.

“So what are you going to need from me?” Chrissy asks nervously as she holds the little girl’s hands.

“I’m sure Uncle Wayne explained most of it, but I need you to make appointments and order parts.” He says looking at her. “You’ll handle the money and I’ll need to make you a cheat sheet for what are problems and what questions to ask the people who call in.” He says making a list of things he needed to do, causing his uncle to laugh slightly at his nephew’s antics.

“Eddie slow down a little bit. It was her first day, there's no need to cram everything into one day.” Wayne says after he caught the panicked look on Chrissy’s face.

“Right. I’m sorry. The second half was more for me, not you.” He says twisting to look at her again. He studied her face a moment before humming, “What’s your little girl’s name?” 

“Elizabeth.” She says quietly and smiles at her. “She’s two and my whole world.” Chrissy says it proudly as if being 21 with a 2 year old was the best thing to happen to her.

“I see. She’s adorable. She looks like you.” He says reaching back to offer his hand to the little girl who just stared at him with big blue eyes. He laughs and pulls his hand back as they get to the general store.

Everyone in town knew who the father was; The Cunninghams and the Carvers made a huge deal out of their families merging and becoming one when Chrissy and Jason got married in September of ‘86 when they were just 19. Eddie, being 2 years older, couldn’t imagine being married with a kid at 19 let alone now.

“Chrissy, can you come in with me?” Eddie asks as he gets out of the truck. He helps her out and Wayne comes around to take Elizabeth promising to take care of her.

Chrissy nods and follows Eddie in, “What did we stop here for?” she asks, looking up at the curly haired man. “Well if we’re going to be feeding you and Elizabeth at the weekly business dinner then we’ll need to get a carseat for the truck. I also want to get some things to keep at the office in case you run out.” He says looking at her.

“I plan on getting a babysitter once I have a steady income. I just need to bring her for a little bit.” She says looking down. “I just have to find someone who would be willing to do it.”

“Why don’t you try Steve Harrington? A friend of mine says he’s great with kids. I could talk to him for you. I know he’s in between jobs right now.” Eddie says looking at the car seats he looks so lost as he reads about the features and safety things. He picks out one that sounds really good and looks at Chrissy in question. “That’s really expensive, Eddie. We can get a cheaper one.” She says, sounding like she’s panicking a little bit. It’s obvious she’s already thinking of how to pay him back.

“Hey don’t worry about paying me back. I want to make sure the little one is safe and has what she needs.” He then turns red, “Not that you’re not doing a good job. I just remember my mom and uncle telling me that sometimes you can have everything you think you need and then something happens and you need something else that you don’t have.”

Chrissy nods slowly, “Ok…you don’t have too though. I know you need office space for the business.” “We have a closet that holds the coffee, filters, snacks, and personal things. We can just put her stuff there.” He says smiling softly. So they spend a good 20 minutes making sure to get Elizabeth everything that Chrissy may need while at work including fruits and veggie snacks.

Once they are done and back at the truck Eddie installs the car seat properly and smiles, “There we go.” he says and takes Elizabeth and sits her in the car seat buckling her in with a big smile and puffing his cheeks out. The little girl giggles and grabs a handful of his hair causing Eddie to squawk and grab her little hand gently. “Gotta let go of my hair, pretty girl.” he says as Chrissy works to untangle her hand from his curls.

She finally got it undone and the girl starts whining so Eddie smiles, “How about I sit back here by you?” he asks looking at Chrissy for her ok. Once she nodded he climbed in and sat by Elizabeth entertaining her while they drove to Benny’s and then they took Chrissy and the baby back to her house bidding her good night.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

In season 2, Steve mentioned that Chrissy was going to be at the party. I know it wasn't planned. . .that Chrissy wasn't added until later, but I like to think canonically that Chrissy was friends with Steve and Nancy when they were dating, and even though they vehemently hated Jason they supported her. I also like to think that Nancy was friends with Chrissy since, according to the Duffers, Nancy was briefly on the cheerleading squad. I also like to think that's how Nancy caught eye of Steve and that Chrissy told Nancy that of all the jocks, Steve was one of the good ones. I highly doubt they're going to reveal that in season 5, but it would be nice to see Chrissy come back and show that she knows them. Much like Eddie and Robin, she's a big Stancy shipper and just as supportive if they turn it into Stoncy, especially since she herself is a bisexual woman. At least, that's how I headcanon her, and these are my thoughts. I love the idea of Nancy and Chrissy being friends who occasionally fooled around. The same goes for Eddie, Steve, and now Jonathan. All of them, really including Argyle and Vickie. . .I mean Robin only with the women, of course. Not Vickie with Chrissy because I headcanon them as being cousins. Endgamers are still Stoncy, Hellcheer, and Rovickie. I just love a Nancy, Chrissy, and Steve friendship before season 4. Maybe they tried to help her with her mom, and it ended badly. Nancy, Chrissy, and Steve are all preppy. While Nancy is a nerdy prep, a prep she is.

[percypanda21]

@hellcheerweek day 3:

Forced to walk to her doom chrissy is stopped by a creature she knows nothing about only that they have kind eyes and stitches keeping their face together.

What will she do?

[vulpixsworld]

Has anyone read Stranger Things: The Dustin Experiment yet? If so, what did you think of it! I’m gonna read it soon but I’m so anxious about it now.

[hellcheer-prompts]

idk if this is a crack fic or not but hear me out

Chrissy goes to Eddie to buy some fancy new laxatives to help with her insane bad dieting and Eddie obviously doesn’t have that but he can get it

And he promises he’ll bring it to her as soon as he gets it

She hugs him and thanks him and that’s that

Until

Eddie gets the stuff and calls Chrissy’s house and finds out she’s at a party and he could just wait until tomorrow at school but he’s made a promise so he goes to the party

And he gets harassed by the basketball team who steal the “drugs” he has on him and kick him out

Chrissy hears what happened and follows Eddie out and they’re just talking alone in his van and he’s apologizing for losing the laxatives and promises to get her more

That’s when they realize that back inside the party everyone took the “drugs” and a literal shitstorm is going down

[hellcheercaine]

The last day of 1989

Billy wakes up after a long night of drinking and reminiscing about his newfound friendships. He glances at the black book on his table and Steve, who is asleep on the couch.

Billy begins to flip the pages of the journal Steve bought for him and readies to hold his pen.

Writing has become Billy's refuge, and he has learned to open up, especially when things get tough.

As much as Lucas, Mike and Will empathise with Billy's plight, he can't help but feel sorry for himself, thinking of the skirmish he almost had with Lucas when they first met.

However, as of now, all is good. Lucas often asks Max about Billy and sometimes joins him for swims, which Billy often uses to cope with his daily stress.

It was through that year that Billy slowly saw a change in himself. He is no longer the person who tries to put on a tough front, even when things aren't going well.

Billy has finally learned to speak up with Steve's help. It is hard, but he is still trying. Sometimes, it is okay to ask for help—it has become a daily reminder that Billy is trying to grasp while not returning to his old ways of concealing his struggles. Billy glances at his watch, flips over the last blank page of his journal and begins journalling his thoughts. When he is done, Steve wakes up.

Although the journal is one of Billy's personal possessions, Steve respectfully and curiously inquired, "Mind if I take a look?"

"Sure," Billy smiled and looked at Steve. A warmth spreads through him as though welcoming Steve into his memories encapsulated in the journal.

Steve begins to flip the pages of Billy's journal. The journal was a canvas of the struggles and turmoil he faced within himself in moments when he tried to open himself to others or cope with his daily life.

In the midst of it all, there are light-hearted moments, such as the fishing trip he had last summer with Lucas, Max, Eddie and Chrissy. Laughter and gasps filled the room while Billy and Steve read the journal.

After reading the last page of Billy's journal, Steve sheds a tear with a genuine smile on his face. "Billy, this is beautiful. I'm proud of the person you've become, ever since when we first met."

Billy gives Steve a hug. It was the tightest, warmest, and longest hug Steve had ever felt. As they walked out of the house, beers in hand, they clinked their bottles as the clock struck midnight.

1990. The start of a new year.

"Here's many more with you," Steve smiled. "Never stop changing for yourself."

Billy nods. He gulps his beer, looking at the stars. As the fireworks filled the sky, Billy and Steve welcomed the year with a newfound joy and gratitude, hopeful of what the new year would bring for them.

[friendsdontlieokay]

I'm not saying he's a bad character, of course not, but I wasn't really a great fan of Eddie until the last episode, not precisely because he sacrificed himself, but the fact that he was afraid, so afraid that he always ran, and it's a known fact that he was way more scared than the others, but he was scared of losing the people he love, the town he loves more than he was scared of sacrificing his own self, the fact that he cut open the rope so Dustin couldn't come back, or so he couldn't go back until everyone was safe is extremely emotional yet so so beautiful.

And man, Dustin's conversation with Uncle Wayne made me tear up and fall apart more than I already was, especially the part where he says that Eddie sacrificed himself for the people and town that hated him, I mean my oh my, I didn't realise it back then and if I'm being utterly honest, I wish I didn't realise it and I wish my first impression of Eddie was stuck till the end, I wish I was still unable to understand his true self cause I wish it didn't hurt as much as it hurts now, I think it kinda hurts me everyday to think about it but I'm afraid that it'll never stop, and I kinda kinda wish I wasn't attached to a fictional character so much but well oh well.

[bisexualchrissycunningham]

22 and 52 for the OTP ask game!

22. What reminds each of their partner? 

I answered this once a long time ago and one of my answers still sticks with me–the long-haired male models on the covers of Harlequin romance novels remind Chrissy of Eddie. She reveals this once to him while she’s a little bit drunk and he NEVER lets her live it down. He loves striking cover poses for her at random times, and they have way too many photos of them posing like those couples (though Chrissy is a bit embarrassed about the whole thing so Eddie is diligent about keeping the reason he’s always ripping his shirt open and pretending to stare at her heaving bosom a secret inside joke just for them). 

For Eddie–I mean… cheerleader porn. Lol. But also daisies and skinned knees and dainty white sneakers and every single princess character he ever writes into a D&D campaign. 

52. Describe their weekend getaway?

Pretty low-key. I don’t think they would go away too often, mostly because they wouldn’t really have the money, at least not while they’re young. Sometimes they would go away for shows in Indianapolis or Chicago and stay in shitty motels, drinking a little more than they usually would (I think they both prefer drinking to weed, even though that seems to be a minority opinion) and just feeling free exploring together at night and talking to random people, sometimes making up ridiculous backstories for themselves with strangers (this has been used a few times in different fics and I love it everytime). I’m a big fan of Chrissy being a lil bookworm and loving the vibe of used bookstores, so I like to think every once in awhile they’ll spend weekends exploring bookstores in nearby small towns, thoroughly scouring their fantasy and romance sections. They both love each others’ favourite genres and read out loud to each other in bed a lot. Eddie is the most theatrical about it of course with all his voices, while Chrissy’s soft voice usually lulls him to sleep. 

[ebongawk]

ok ok ok ok ok HOW ABOUT a drunken kiss with hellcheer 👀 and if u make it sad so help me god i WILL fly to u and beat ur ass

4. A Drunken Kiss

They were playing fucking spin the bottle.

What kind of full-fledged high school seniors played spin the bottle? Wasn't that reserved for, like, thirteen-year-olds? But Stacie Mancini had drunkenly shouted, "Oh, my God, we should play a game!" and someone had suggested this, so now a bunch of almost-twenty-somethings were gathered in a half-assed circle as an empty bottle of vodka spun around and around.

Stacie landed on Andy Fuckface, and she looked mildly disgusted, which. Good for her. She still sucked his face for a solid five seconds. Andy landed on Tracy Mathews, Tracy landed on Jason Carver. Jason didn't even look at his fucking girlfriend before he stuck his tongue down Tracy's throat.

Chrissy, for all intents and purposes, looked like she didn't even want to be there. She flinched when Jason leaned toward the center, but otherwise made no show of being an active participant in the game.

And Eddie, with his front row seat to the action from the dealer's perch in the corner, had to wonder why no one seemed to fucking notice how uncomfortable she was.

Staying sober for these gigs was a goddamn chore. While it used to be fun to watch the chaos and debauchery unfold, being privy to the disgusting nature of inebriated human teenagers got old.

Maybe he was a little cynical. Because this shit had stopped being fun around the exact same time he caught the aforementioned Ball-Fondling Carver sneaking upstairs at a different party with Theresa Peretti.

It was the first and only time he'd ever considered getting involved.

Like, okay, so maybe sometimes he felt a little bad when he caught people who had significant others mackin' on those who were not the aforementioned significant others. But fuck it. Not his circus, not his monkeys, right?

He'd ruined that little unspoken rule of his that Monday at school. Seeking Chrissy out, small and drawn and sad as she was, and had straight up told her what he saw. No beating around the bush, no bullshitting.

Whether or not that had anything to do with the fact that Chrissy treated him like an actual human being was meaningless.

She'd just blinked at him. Then, instead of the anger or upset he'd been expecting, she let out this vague little laugh.

"Oh. Um. Thanks, Eddie, but... Could you maybe keep this between us?"

"What? Did you hear me, Cunningham? That asshole--"

"No, I know. And, truly, I appreciate you telling me. Just... Just trust me, okay? I'll handle it."

He'd wanted to scream. To rip his own hair out and throw it at her like that would lift the starry-eyed curtain she was clearly hiding behind. But that was, like, two months ago, and he still saw her tucked under Carver's arm day in and day out, so Eddie had resigned himself to bearing witness to her silent suffering on the off chance he caught a glimpse of her in the hallway or any of their shared classes.

Why the fuck anyone would stay with a whole ass cheater made no sense, so Eddie stopped trying to understand the popularity masses.

"Oh, shit, that's pointing at the freak," someone whispered, drawing Eddie's attention out of his own head and back into Chance Kinicki's hazy basement. He blinked, meeting Chrissy's gaze from the other side of the room, and put the pieces together.

It had finally been her turn to spin the bottle, and it had landed between two of the nearer bodies and was trained on him.

Which. What the fuck.

"Nah, man, let her spin again," Carver slurred, waving a loose wrist in the air. "She's not gonna lock lips with trash. Right, babe?"

Oh, he was such an asshole. Eddie wanted to knock him down a peg or five. Preferably while sober, so he wouldn't have the excuse of his intoxication to blame getting his ass handed to him by quote-end-quote trash.

Chrissy said nothing. She just stared at him, wearing something in her expression that Eddie couldn't identify. After a few tense, quiet seconds, Chrissy stood, stumbling a little through her own drunkenness, and made her way across the room. Shaking off Jason's grabby hands as she stepped around people and bottles before coming to a swaying stop directly in front of Eddie.

"Hi," she muttered, looking down at him with ruddy cheeks and glassy eyes.

Shit. Shit. What the fuck was happening? Eddie's hands twitched where they were sitting on his thighs, staring up at her like she was an angel come to deliver some new commandment.

Thou Shalt Not Lust After Unattainable Girls Who Are a Little Too Intoxicated to Make a Rational Decision. Or something.

"Uh," he managed, the word strangled up from his throat like she'd wrapped her dainty little fists around it. Like all of his oxygen already belonged to her. Fuck, all the oxygen in the room belonged to her. "Hey, Cunningham."

"'M supposed to kiss you," she continued, tilting her head to one side as her eyes wandered along the grooves of his face. Settling on his lips once she'd taken her fill. "The game says so."

"I wasn't playing the game, princess," Eddie reminded her gently, glancing around her to see the audience watching them with rapt eyes.

Chrissy just shrugged. Like that was enough of an explanation.

"That's okay," she answered. "The bottle knew, Eddie. Right? It knew that I..."

Then, before he could react or breathe or fucking think, she was petting his hair back from his face, leaning down, and pressing a slow, soft kiss right to his lips. Like a fucking deer in the middle of the road, he froze, unable to parse together half a thought that wasn't whoa.

Fucking fireworks.

He finally got enough wits about himself to pull away, because she was drunk and he wasn't and none of this was right, which wasn't fair but that was neither here nor there.

"Oh," she breathed, blinking at him, some of the haze in her eyes clearing. Her cheeks had gone even pinker, lips still half-puckered like she wanted to lean back in and taste him all over again.

"Hey!" Jason barked, struggling to stand from the floor, blazing eyes staring daggers at Eddie. "Get off her, freak!"

Dude, he wasn't even touching her.

"Shove it, Jason," Chrissy responded before Eddie could ask him if he was serious. She leaned toward Eddie, half-shielding him with her body, and he really thought she was gonna fall into his lap, she was so goddamn unsteady. She managed to stay firmly planted, using a hand on his shoulder to keep herself straight, and actually stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend.

Eddie wanted to die, it was so fucking cute.

"Babe--"

"I'm dumping you."

The fucking gasps that erupted across the room were actually comical. Eddie couldn't have stopped himself from laughing if he'd tried. Which, he did not, because it was too goddamn funny. The cackle he let out drew the attention to him, but, Jesus, fucking worth it.

Before he realized what was even happening, Chrissy was taking his hand, pulling him along behind her as she escaped up the stairs. Her considerable strength barely gave him a moment to grab his box of tricks as she hauled him from his gig as the weekend fun-bringer.

Why he was part of her little storm-out, he couldn't explain. But he wasn't exactly unhappy about it, either. As it was, for effect, he raised a devil horn at Jason's flabbergasted glare on his way out.

"Wow," Chrissy said as they escaped into the chilly April night. "Wow! I just did that!"

"Yeah, uh––"

"Oh, shoot, we gotta get outta here," Chrissy stated, glancing back over her shoulder. Grimacing and rushing him toward his van just as the front door of Chance's house swung open, an absolutely irate Carver standing in the muted light.

They ran, Chrissy surprisingly steady on her feet, and laughed the whole way to his van. He unlocked the passenger seat, diving across the center console and yanking Chrissy in after him. Carver had slipped at one point, the alcohol probably rushing around painfully in his head, and was struggling back to his feet just as the rest of the laundry basket team finally came out. Chance and Patrick were both obviously trying to hold back their laughter, but Eddie didn't bother finding out what happened next.

He started the van and peeled the fuck outta there.

Chrissy was still laughing, although it was much quieter now. No longer filling the night air with little tinkling notes of her joy, it was more like the soft music of wind chimes outside. Following them as they ate a few miles of concrete in the otherwise sleepy town.

"So, uh. You want me to take you home, or––?"

"No." He kinda expected her to be staring out the windshield or her window, but instead she was looking directly at him. Not offering him a modicum of relief from the weight of her gaze. "I do not want to go home like this, Eddie."

"Uh..."

"Can we, like, go to the lake or something? Please?"

Well, how the fuck was he supposed to say no to that?

The back of the van was stuffed full of blankets, pillows, a mattress from Gareth's younger brother's bunk bed and a few couch cushions off the spare couch on the porch, because he and the guys had gone down to Indianapolis to see Metallica during the week and had slept in the van instead of coughing up the dough for a motel room.

Chrissy made herself right at home, making the bed until it was nice and soft before throwing open the back doors of the van where he'd parked at Rick's house. Staring out over the lake as it twinkled with starlight. Like a bunch of white Christmas lights were hidden beneath the lapping waves.

He sat next to her, trying to breathe around the way she cuddled into him like she fit right in the circle of his arms. Which. Yeah. She did, but if he thought about it too much, he'd drive himself crazy, so.

They talked a little bit about how she'd just publicly dumped her boyfriend. About how relieved she was, now that the farce was finally over, because she'd been wanting to do that since way before he told her about the cheating. How happy she was to be there with him.

Which. He didn't know how to comprehend that, really. So he let it sit in the air, soft and gentle as the breeze that made music of the leaves outside, and breathed it in. Pulling it into his lungs like her little admission would coast through the oxygen in his blood and make itself part of his fucking DNA.

"Hey, Eddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you again?"

God, how was she so cute? The sleepy cadence of her tone, still slightly slurred with alcohol.

Shit. Denying her felt stupid as fuck.

"Ask me again when you're sober, yeah?" he said, desperately playing at lighthearted. "Might change your mind in daylight."

"Mmm," she hummed, her voice so fucking adorable. "Doubt it."

Hand to God, he hadn't fucking meant to fall asleep. He didn't know where Chrissy lived, exactly, but he figured he'd let her sleep off the drunk for a little bit before he roused her awake and got her address.

Yeah. Stupid move on his part, awakening when the sun hit his eyes first thing in the morning.

Because now he knew, intimately, the way Chrissy blinked back into consciousness in the morning light. The way the sun's rays, just barely peeking up over the wooded horizon, hit her hair and made it glow like fire. The way she sniffled, looking around in confusion before her eyes landed on him.

The way she smiled, bright enough that her eyes slipped closed and her nose scrunched up.

"Morning," she breathed, rolling over from where she'd been plastered to his side so she could stretch. Said so casually, like she wasn't ruining his entire fucking life just by existing.

"Uh," he started, his voice gravelly. Half-choked and terribly embarrassing. "Morning, Cunningham. Shit. Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Chrissy hummed, finished with her stretching. Then, like it was the most natural thing in the world, she rolled right back into him. Tucking her face into his shoulder for effect.

Yeah. He was dead. He'd, at some point between school yesterday and Chance Kinicki's house, died, and now he was having those crazy imaginations where his unstated dreams were coming true.

"'S'okay," Chrissy mumbled into his chest. Prompting him to wrap his arms back around her. Because why the fuck not? "I, um. I definitely didn't mind."

Yeah. Heart attack. Stroke. Car accident. Something.

"Hey, Eddie?"

"Yep?" God, the way his voice broke, you'd think he was going through fucking puberty again.

"Can I kiss you again now?" A breath, like she heard the way his goddamn heart skipped a beat, before she added, "I promise I'm sober now."

Oh fuck him.

"You, uh––" He coughed, clearing his throat. "You actually want to?"

Shit, she giggled, and he fucking felt it against his ribs.

"Yeah," she said, easy as pie. Easy as Sunday morning. Easy as anything. "Yeah, I've, um. I've wanted to for, like, a while now."

He would've sworn he felt Cupid's arrow hit his blackened little heart.

"Chrissy, you can kiss me whenever you want," he croaked. "Like, uh. Now, later, tomorrow. Y'know. Open real estate here for you."

Christ, that giggle. He wanted to swallow her whole.

She tilted her chin back, that gorgeous grin lighting up his dingy van better than any spotlight ever could.

"That's good," she murmured, staring up at him. "'Cause I get the feeling I'll take you up on every offer."

Jesus Christ, he hoped so.

(And she did.)

kiss prompt!

(and a very happy birthday to @astorytotellyourfriends 😘🩷🖤)

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

The Vampire Bandit

Summary: Instead of a raccoon messing with her trashcans, Vickie finds a supposedly dead Eddie Munson hiding amongst them. She ends up hiding him in her house, and they bond over her cousin, Chrissy. Rovickie with a side of Steddie.

When Vickie heard about the members of Hellfire being hunted down, she had been furious even more so when she heard they were doing it in Chrissy's name. Her cousin wouldn't have wanted that, and she felt so much anger for Chrissy as well as Hellfire, as well as Eddie. Vickie wanted to do something, anything, but she didn't know what to do. It wasn't just for Chrissy, though. She knew that some of those guys were Robin's friends, too. She didn't know what Robin did, but during the manhunt something went down. The police had cleared Eddie of any wrongdoing, but there was still an ongoing investigation, then shortly after they announced Eddie's death.

"In the woods, I just - I felt so safe with him," Chrissy had said.

That's what she told Vickie, one of the last words she had said. Vickie cried as she hung up the phone. She wasn't upset that she had just ended her on/off relationship for good. It was the fact that she couldn't pick the phone back up to tell her cousin about it. She would never talk to Chrissy again. Vickie let out a sob and leaned against the wall, letting it hold her up. Suddenly, there came a loud crashing sound outside, and she straightened up. She glanced at the phone. Her dad had gotten called into work, and so, she was here all alone. She grabbed the baseball bat from the hall closet and stepped out the back door. Vickie did the stupid thing they all did in horror movies.

"Hello?" She called out.

There was a rustling sound from the trashcans. Vickie sighed. It was probably just a raccoon or opossum. She didn't drop the bat, though, as she moved closer. She moved the trashcans and found a bloody Eddie Munson laying behind them.

"Stay away from me!" Eddie whimpered.

She froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, and then knelt down next to the trashcans.

"Eddie," Vickie said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I never believed that you did any of those things."

"I-I'm different," Eddie said.

"Yeah, I heard those rumors, but I would be a hypocrite, Eddie," Vickie admitted, smiling as she thought about Robin.

"Y-you're a vampire too?" He sniffled.

"What?! Um. . .no. I, uh, was talking about something else," Vickie said, blushing.

Eddie moved forward, and Vickie could see his face as he moved out of the shadow. His face was glistening with tears, and his mouth was covered in blood. His skin was gray, his eyes red, and she could see fang peaking out of his mouth.

"I drank a raccoon," Eddie said sadly. "I like raccoons. They have little hands and built-in bandit masks. I was just so hungry."

He started crying, and she realized he was lying next to the dead raccoon. It was hard to be scared of this man.

"Okay. Well, how about we bury him, pay our respects, and then we get you cleaned up?" Vickie asked.

"Yeah, okay," Eddie sniffled and cradled the body into his arms.

After they buried the body, there was a moment of silence, and then Vickie brought him inside to let him use her shower. She left some of her dad's old clothes out for him and waited in the kitchen for him. He walked back, looking much better. His skin was less gray, his eyes were now brown, and his fangs had slid back into place.

"So, this must freak you out?" Eddie asked.

"Um, yeah, a little, but I want to help you," Vickie said. "Is there anyone that I should call for you?"

"They all think that I'm dead," Eddie replied.

"Then we should definitely call them," Vickie said with wide eyes.

"I don't know . . . I'm not sure if I'm ready to face them yet. Listen, I'll get out of your hair," Eddie said. "Thank you . . . "

"Vickie. Vickie Fisher," she replied.

"Thank you, Vickie," Eddie said. "I'll be going now."

"Eddie! I can't let you go out there! Look, you can stay here for a few days until you're ready," she said.

"Why?" Eddie asked suspiciously.

"Well, one, even though you've been cleared by the public, there are still people in town who are out to get you," Vickie said. "And two, you really shouldn't be alone right now."

"Uh, what about your parents?" Eddie asked.

"Well, since my mom died, my dad hasn't stepped foot in the crafting shed. He doesn't have to know," Vickie said. "Come on."

She smiled and led him out back to a blue wooden shed that looked more like a small house.

"Okay, when you said shed, I was thinking more like, well, a shed and not a really tiny house," Eddie said, and Vickie laughed.

"My mom wanted a place to craft her jewelry," she said. "So, my dad built this for her."

"Aww, that's love, man," Eddie said.

She unlocked it and welcomed him inside, turning on the light. There was a small couch in the corner, and next to it was her mom's crafting station. Some of her toys were in here, and a sweater of Chrissy's that she had forgotten lay on a hook. Vickie smiled a sad but fond smile as she recalled all the times they played in here while her mom worked. Sometimes, they even helped her.

"Aww, is that you and your mom?" Eddie asked as he looked at a board filled with photos. "You look like her."

"Yeah," Vickie replied with a shrug. "I don't know. Most people say I look like my dad."

"I see it in the eyes and the smile," Eddie shrugged. "Wait. . .is that Chrissy?"

Vickie glanced at the picture of a young Chrissy and Vickie.

"Yeah," she paused, sucking in a painful breath. "She's my cousin."

"Fuck," Eddie said and looked at her. "I am so sorry."

"Why? You didn't kill her," she replied. "The last time we talked, she was telling me all about your meeting in the woods. The last thing she told me was how safe she felt with you, and if she said that, then it was probably true. "

"Shit," he said and rubbed his eyes.

He pulled her tightly into a hug. They stood like that for a while, holding each other tightly as they cried.

"Helping you out is the least that I could do, Eddie," Vickie said, as she pulled back from the hug.

Getting Eddie settled and hiding him from her father wasn't a problem. He was a doctor, so he worked a lot anyway. The next couple of days flew by, and Eddie was still with her. He would occasionally sneak out at night to feed on animals, having figured out how to do it without killing them. Besides that, Vickie was actually having a lot of fun spending time with him and getting to know him. They talked about Chrissy, and Vickie told him about what it was like growing up with her. She told him about the fallout between their parents. She told him about how Laura Cunningham hadn't even allowed her own brother and niece into the funeral.

"Oh!" Vickie exclaimed, putting her spoon back into the bowl.

They were currently talking at the kitchen table and eating ice cream when Vickie recalled the notebook that Chrissy had left in her room.

"Brain freeze?" Eddie asked, sympathetically. "Thank God, I don't get that anymore. . . OH! OW! I spoke too soon!"

"I'll be back," she said and ran out of the room.

She came back and threw a notebook down in front of him. It was covered in butterfly stickers.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It's Chrissy's," Vickie replied. "It's filled with her drawings. She used to do it all the time before her mother sucked the life out of her."

"Uh, I don't know about this," Eddie said.

"She'd want you to look at them," she said softly.

Eddie carefully opened the journal, looking through drawings of flowers and butterflies that Chrissy always loved to draw. There were also a couple of drawings of Vickie and her mom. Matilda Fisher had been more of a mother to Chrissy than Laura ever had. She knew how hard it had hit Chrissy when she died and spent the next couple of weeks living in Vickie's room. When Laura forced her to stop coming over so much, Chrissy spent much of her time running away and disobeying Laura. Eddie had laughed at that and paused at a drawing in the notebook.

"This is me," Eddie said. "This is me at the talent show. She acted like she didn't remember me."

"It's because she had a crush on you for the longest time," Vickie said. "She was either trying to hide it, or she was making a move on you."

"You're saying that I had a shot with her?" Eddie asked, raising his eyebrows and blinking rapidly. "Fuck."

"Yeah. . . sorry," she said softly.

"Yeah, I can draw too, although nowhere near as beautiful as Chrissy," Eddie said.

"I can't draw for shit. I like to write though. Me and Chrissy used to talk about creating children's books together," Vickie said sadly. "It was always our plan after high school."

"Sorry," Eddie said softly and Vickie glanced at the phone on the wall. "I noticed you keep staring at the phone. Expecting a call?"

"I gave Robin my number the other day and I thought for sure that she would call but I don't think she's going to. Maybe she lost the number or maybe she doesn't . . . " Vickie started to ramble and quickly stopped.

"Wait, Robin Buckley?" Eddie asked and then he grinned. "Your heart is racing awfully fast. Wait. . . is that the rumor thing you were talking about? Yeah, that one isn't true. I mean, it's alright if you are."

"Hmm, I would have figured with the way that you were talking about Steve Harrington the other day," Vickie said.

"Well, I mean, it's just a surprise how much of a good guy he because all that I've heard about him is that he's an asshole from other people. It's stupid now because I normally don't listen to rumors. It was just easier to think that he was a jerk like some of the jocks that bullied my friends, you know? Steve Harrington, not a jerk? No, nope, no way! So, not only is he pretty on the outside, but he's pretty on the inside, too. I mean, yeah, if I were a girl, I would totally date him," Eddie said, scoffing and bit into a scoopful of ice cream. "OW! Brain freeze."

"Wow, I don't think even I rambled that much before," she squinted her eyes at him. "Eddie, you know you don't have to be a girl to date him. Eddie, you do know about gay people right?"

"I know gay people exist," he laughed. "You're sitting right next to me."

"Eddie . . . ," she giggled. "I'm bisexual."

"Pardon?" he asked.

"I like guys and girls," Vickie said.

"Oh. . .oh . . . OH! I do NOT have a crush on Steve Harrington! Nope!" Eddie said, shaking his head and staring at his bowl of ice cream for the longest time. "Jesus H Christ! I have a crush on Steve."

"So, how many guys have you said, 'oh, if I were a girl, I would date him' about?" Vickie asked.

"Shut up, Fisher, it's not funny. I just accepted the fact that I'm a vampire and now I'm having a sexuality crisis," Eddie pouted. "Let me freak out in peace, please."

The phone rang, and Eddie grinned gratefully. Vickie answered the phone and held back a squeal when it was Robin who was on the other end. About halfway through with talking to her, Vickie realized that she was keeping a giant secret from her, and she felt her heart rate pick up in a bad way. Eddie must have picked up on it, too, because he cocked his head to the side and looked at her in concern. Vickie hung up the phone.

"Robin just invited me to hang out with her over at Steve's place tonight," Vickie said. "She said that it was a last-minute thing and I said I would go. They're having a little get together."

"Okay, why are you making it out to be a bad thing?" Eddie asked.

"You have to go! I can't keep something like this from her!" Vickie pleaded.

"We've had this conversation," he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, and I told you it's stupid," Vickie sighed.

That had been a difficult conversation when he sat down and told her what happened, how they narrowly avoided the entire town being split open. He had told her about Vecna and how Chrissy died. That had been difficult, and Vickie was pretty sure that she would have nightmares for life. He had told her about dying himself and about how when he awoke Vecna tried to make him his minion. Eddie was no one's bitch and so, Eddie killed him which didn't take a lot of power because he pretty much had one foot in grave already. Eddie still felt guilty about not following the plan and was worried about how'd they would react to him being a monster.

"I'm a coward, Vick, I'm just not ready," he said, looking at her with big brown eyes. "Please."

"Fine, but you owe me," she replied and kissed him softly on the forehead. "Idiot."

"Good luck with Robin!" he said cheerfully.

Vickie cursed Eddie all the way to Steve's house. With her heart pounding out of her chest, she walked up to his door and knocked. Steve answered the door.

"Hey, Vickie," Steve said.

"I didn't realize that Steve Harrington knew my name," she said teasingly.

"Well, Robin did mention that she invited her friend, Vickie, over to my house," Steve shrug.

"I was going to say that you were a really good guesser or that you're psychic," Vickie laughed.

"Oh, yeah, totally psychic," Steve laughed awkwardly.

Oh, right. Eddie mentioned something about that they knew a girl with superpowers. Shit, she was already putting her foot in her mouth. Steve let Vickie in and showed her to living room where there were a bunch of kids as well as Robin. Vickie grinned when Robin's eyes lit up at the sight of her. She hopped over to Vickie and moved to hug her but then pulled back. She stuck her hand out and then yanked it back. Vickie laughed and hugged her.

"Thanks for inviting me," Vickie said.

"You're welcome," Robin said, blushing. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Thanks," Vickie smiled.

She was about to say something else when a curly haired boy in a hat approached them.

"You must be Vickie, Robin's friend? You know, Steve is single - ," the boy started to say.

"NO!" Vickie exclaimed and blushed.

"Well, that was a little quick. I'll have you know that Steve is - ," he started to say.

"Dustin!" Steve exclaimed.

"It's not that there's anything wrong with Steve," Vickie said quickly. "It's just that I just broke up with my boyfriend and I like someone else."

"Damn, sorry, Steve," Dustin said.

"How about apologizing for interfering in my love life and Vickie's?" Steve asked and then softly. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, buddy, but it's not necessary."

"It's just that ever since Nancy - ," he said.

"It has nothing to do with Nancy!" Steve exclaimed. "Now, we're trying to have a good night here, I do not want to be thinking about my love life."

Vickie noticed that there was a sadness in his eyes like he was missing someone who was no longer here. She wondered if Eddie was the only one who felt the same. The guilt that was eating at her grew a thousand fold as she watched Dustin hug Steve and then pulled back.

"Sorry, Vickie, we went through a lot recently, and I just want Steve to be happy," Dustin said. "We lost Eddie."

Vickie felt like someone punched her in the stomach, and she gave a nervous grin.

"I get it. I just lost my cousin, Chrissy," Vickie said.

Everyone turned to look at her. Robin looked at with wide eyes.

"I didn't know Chrissy was your cousin," Robin said softly.

"Yeah, Chrissy's mother didn't want it to be public knowledge, completely embarrassed by the fact that she's related to me that she didn't even let me go to the funeral. It's okay, I have my dad and this new friend. Who's been really great, and even though he's been in my life for like three days, I couldn't even imagine my life without him," Vickie said. "You know, if someone doesn't stop me or I don't stop myself when I get like this, I just keep talking."

"Hey, Robin's the same way," Dustin grinned, and Robin hit him. "So, is this guy the one you like? Just kidding! No interfering."

"Because I like you, I'll tell you that no, definitely not. In fact, the idea makes me shudder. Not because of who he is as a person, but because the idea of romance is just. . . Icky," Vickie said, and she could feel Robin smiling at her.

"Would you say this guy is your platonic soulmate?" Robin asked, and Dustin groaned.

"Oh, I like that! Who's yours?" Vickie asked, and Steve nudged her, wiggling his eyebrows. "Oh, that's cute! Can I use that?"

"Absolutely!" Robin exclaimed.

"Can we watch the movie already?" A pale boy asked.

"Does he always scowl like that?" Vickie leaned in to whisper to Robin.

"Yeah, that's Mike. He has a very serious disease. He has Astickuphisbuttitis, a very serious condition that mostly affects teenagers," Robin said and Vickie giggled.

"Oh, I heard about that. I think you need surgery for that," Vickie said seriously. "And I should know. My dad's a doctor."

Robin giggled, and Vickie couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was when she did that. She watched her lips as she introduced the others: Will, El, Lucas, Max, Nancy she knew, Jonathan, and Argyle. Once the introductions were over, Vickie made sure to settle down next to Robin. Max grinned at Steve as she put in the tape. Everyone in the room laughed in Steve's direction when it was revealed to be Mr. Mom.

"Seriously?!" Steve exclaimed.

The kids all laughed and shared a look before looking back at him.

"We love you, Mr. Mom!" They said in unison.

"Yeah, love you too, assholes," Steve said, as he threw a pillow at them.

He was smiling fondly at them, zero heat behind his words.

"In case you didn't get it, there's a running joke that Steve acts like such a mom," Robin whispered to her.

"Yeah, I got it," Vickie giggled.

During the movie, Vickie inadvertently ended up leaning closer towards Robin and hearing Steve whisper something to her.

"I wish Eddie were here," he whispered, his voice thick.

"I know, Steve," Robin whispered back. "I know."

With a lump in her throat, Vickie struggled not to cry. She felt sick to her stomach. She leaned over to whisper to Steve.

"Hey, Steve, I just remembered that I need to call my dad. He's working the night shift, and if I don't call him, he'll get so busy that sometimes he'll forget to eat," Vickie whispered.

"Sure," he said. "It's in the kitchen."

Vickie hurried to the kitchen and picked up the phone to dial her home phone, hoping that Eddie would hear it. With his vampire hearing, he should. A few rings later and Eddie picked up the phone.

"Heeelllllooo?" Eddie asked.

"Hey, it's Vickie," she said.

"Hey, Gingersnap, how's it going with Birdie?" Eddie asked.

"Is there someone around that you need to use codenames?" She asked with a giggle.

"Nah, just trying out nicknames," Eddie replied.

"I don't think I can keep this up," Vickie said. "I can't keep lying to them. They really miss you, and it's breaking my heart. I don't think they're going to care as long as they know you're alive."

"I miss them too, but what if they try . . . " Eddie trailed off.

"Then I'll stand in the way," Vickie said.

"I can't ask you to do that," Eddie said.

"Well, it's a good thing you're not asking me," she replied.

"Vickie," he said softly.

"Look, they've been through so much because of Vecna this might just be the thing that puts some of their broken pieces back together," Vickie said.

"Okay, okay, but can we do it tomorrow?" He asked.

"Fine," she sighed. "I've got to go. Stay out of trouble."

"You know me," Eddie said in amusement. "Bye!"

Vickie chuckled and hung up the phone. She turned around, and her heart leaped in her throat when she saw Robin standing there looking confused. There was also a little bit of distrust in her eyes and Vickie hated that.

"What did you hear?" She asked meekly.

"Something about Vecna and broken pieces," Robin said. "What the hell? Who told you about Vecna?"

"I can't tell you that," Vickie said wincing.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because you won't believe me unless you see it for yourself and the proof is at my house," Vickie said. "I was asked by my friend not to say anything like a personal request because he meant a lot to Chrissy, and I trust this guy. And I really hope you trust me too because I really like you. Like, I don't mean any harm, and this guy doesn't mean any harm. I'm not like out to get you or anything. If you want to come to my house to see him. I'd have to call him and tell him a change of plans."

"This guy. . .is he your platonic soulmate?" Robin asked softly.

"Yeah, I think so," Vickie said, biting her lip.

"So. . .you like me, huh?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"In what way? As a friend or. . . .?"

"Oh, definitely not a friend."

"Good."

Robin cupped her face and kissed her. Vickie squealed against her mouth, and Robin laughed as Vickie kissed her back eagerly. Robin gripped her hips, picked her up, and set her on the counter. She stepped in between her legs as she kissed Vickie with the same amount of enthusiasm, her lips soft and wet against hers. Vickie felt hot, her heart racing as she squeezed Robin's hips with her legs, and she thrusted her hips. Robin's tongue pressed against her lips, and Vickie moaned, opening her mouth as she allowed Robin entry. Robin's hand was pressed gently against her throat and slowly moved down until her fingers slid under her blouse. She paused on the first button, almost questioningly, and Vickie nodded. Robin popped the first couple of buttons and slid her hand into her shirt. Robin broke the kiss and moved her lips to her neck, her hand moving under her bra to cup her breast. Suddenly, Robin pulled away from her like she had been burned, her eyes wide.

"I forgot where we were for a moment," Robin said. "The kids could walk in at any moment."

Vickie giggled, her lips feeling very swollen. Part of her shoulder was exposed, and her bra strap was hanging off her shoulder as well. Her skirt had ridden up. Robin looked just as thoroughly kissed out as she did. Vickie squeezed her legs together. God, she wanted to wrap her legs around Robin's head, and she was ready to actually do so if Robin didn't stop looking at her like that.

"What?" Vickie asked.

"You're so sexy," Robin giggled.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Vickie squealed as she started fixing her clothes as Steve walked in. Robin hurried to stand in front of her.

"Woah!" Steve exclaimed and started to walk out.

"Wait, Steve, I need to talk to you," Robin said.

"Uh, okay, am I supposed to ignore the fact that Vickie's buttoning her shirt?" Steve asked and placed a hand over his eyes. "If you want me to talk you through anything, I'm not doing that. We have to have some boundaries, especially with the kids in the other room. God, Robin."

"What?! No, dingus!" Robin exclaimed, and Vickie giggled.

"I'm decent now," Vickie exclaimed as she straightened her skirt, and Steve removed his hand.

"I have completely forgotten what I needed to say. My head's all foggy," Robin giggled, and Vickie leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Oh, right! Vecna!"

"Robin!" Steve screamed.

"Oh, she already knows because her platonic soulmate told her, and now we need to go to her house to see for ourselves," she said and paused. "I trust her."

"You do?" Vickie asked.

"I wouldn't have stuck my tongue in your mouth if I did," Robin replied. "You said this will put some of our broken pieces back together, right?"

"Yeah," Vickie said softly.

"Then let's go to your house," Robin said. "Call him first, though."

Vickie squealed and kissed her before hopping off the counter. She grinned when she heard Robin whispering and giggling with Steve as the phone rang.

"Change of plans," Vickie said when Eddie picked up.

"Ookay?" Eddie asked.

"Uh, Robin overheard me so we're all coming over," Vickie said.

"Well, it is your house," Eddie sighed. "I guess I have to face the music eventually."

"So, you'll be there?" She asked.

"Yeah."

They walked back into the living room, and Vickie watched as Steve turned off the TV. Immediately, everyone started complaining.

"What the hell, Steve?" Max asked.

"Change of plans. We're all going over to Vickie's," Steve said.

"Why?" Nancy asked.

"I have a surprise for you all," Vickie said. "And it's a good one!"

"And it can't wait until the movie is over?" Lucas asked.

"Nope!" Steve exclaimed. "She promised to explain when we get there."

"Why can't she tell us now?" Mike asked.

"Because it's something you won't believe until you see it for yourself," Vickie said.

"If Vickie says she has a good surprise for all of us, then she does. I trust her," Steve said. "Let's go!"

Vickie drove to her house with Robin in the passenger's seat. She was relieved that everything was going to be revealed, but she was still a little nervous. Suddenly, Robin took her hand and laced their fingers together. Vickie grinned. She felt a little less nervous. She pulled into her driveway and walked with Robin to her front door. She paused and waited for everyone to crowd around her.

"I just want to say that my friend is probably more scared of you and himself than you are of him," Vickie said.

"Okay," Mike scoffed. "Can we go in now?"

Vickie bit her tongue, but she so wanted to say that her dad was a doctor and she could get him to remove that stick for free. She decided not to say anything. She opened the door and went in with everyone following behind her.

"Hello?" Vickie called out softly. "We're all here. It's okay."

She heard the shuffling of feet, and then Eddie walked into the room. He was wearing a blanket over his head, completely covering his face and part of his body.

"What the hell?" Steve asked.

"Seriously?" Vickie asked with an amused sigh and Eddie shrugged.

"Uh, there's no reason to be scared of us. We're not going to hurt you. Mike might scowl you to death, but he doesn't mean anything by it," Robin said, and the blanket snorted. "That's just his face. He's really a teddy bear."

Vickie sighed and moved under the blanket to join Eddie.

"Okay, we're going to do some breathing exercises, okay, and then we're going to come out from under the blanket together. Okay?" Vickie asked, and he nodded.

Vickie and Eddie breathed in together and then breathed out together, holding each other's hands tightly. She gave him an encouraging look and moved out from under the blanket, expecting him to follow her. He was still under the blanket. She rolled her eyes and started to tug at it, but he was holding onto it. With a sigh, he let go of it, and Vickie took it off.

"Eddie!" Dustin shrieked.

He rushed towards him, and Eddie quickly backed away. Dustin looked hurt, and Vickie rushed forward to explain while Steve put an arm around him. She told them everything about the day she met him. How he was a vampire, how he killed Vecna, and the raccoon he had felt guilty about.

"Eddie," she said softly. "You aren't going to hurt them. We spent days together, and you didn't hurt me not once. You have your hunger under control, Eddie. You don't even have to kill animals to feed off them."

Eddie sighed and opened his arms for Dustin, who ran immediately into them. They hugged for a long time and cried just as long.

"I'm so sorry, man. You shouldn't have had to watch me die," Eddie said.

"You're back now though," Dustin said, sniffling. "I love you."

"I love you too, shrimp," Eddie said.

Once they broke the hug, the other kids rushed forward to hug him. Well, Will, Jonathan, and El simply patted him on the back. Argyle, of course, completely embraced him.

"Hmm, a guy with long hair and stinks of weed," Eddie said with amusement. "You guys trying to replace me?"

"Nah, brochacho, they love you too much to replace you. Besides, I may respect all music, but metal is not my music. It's yours, man," Argyle said. "You're also much cuter than I am, man."

"Hey, you're a handsome motherfucker and I would totally date you," Eddie said, winking at him.

"I am available, dude," Argyle grinned.

Steve coughed loudly. To Vickie's amusement, he was crossing his arms and scowling at them. It was a clear sign of jealousy.

"Glad you're back, Eddie," Nancy laughed.

"So, were you really afraid that you'd hurt us?" Mike asked.

"He cried over a raccoon, man," Lucas scoffed.

"That's true. I mean, it was just a raccoon," Mike said.

Eddie let out a sob and collapsed into the nearest person's arms, which happened to be Steve’s.

"They don't understand how cute raccoons are, Stevie! With their little hands and masks. All they want to do is steal other people's trash. It's not like people are using them. Why can't they just have them, you know?! They're just just little trash bandits," he said, sniffling. "That raccoon was just minding his own business until I came along."

"That's a little bit of an emotional reaction," Max said and scoffed. "I don't know how anyone ever thought you were a killer."

"Uh, yes, I think as a vampire, his emotions might be hightened," Vickie said with a grin.

Eddie wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist and buried his face into his neck. Steve smiled and squeezed him tightly, pressing his cheek against his hair.

"I missed you, big boy," Eddie whispered.

"Missed you too," Steve whispered back.

Eddie moved his head back, and clearly, he was not thinking. He pressed his lips against Steve’s. Nearly everyone gasped. Steve was surprised too, but he responded to the kiss eagerly and cupped the back of Eddie's head.

"Aw, man, the cute ones are always taken," Argyle said.

Eddie and Steve broke the kiss, their faces red.

"Sorry," Eddie said meekly.

"Really? I'm not," Steve grinned.

"Me neither," Eddie said. "If the kids have a problem with it, we can just put them up for adoption."

"We don't!" They exclaimed quickly, and Vickie laughed.

"I think this is so cool!" Duatin exclaimed.

"Really? Because I thought you'd be sad that you'd only get two Christmases instead of three now that your two dads are together?" Max quipped.

"Shut up, Max!" Dustin exclaimed as the other kids laughed.

"I like her," Vickie whispered.

"Hey, if Dustin is Steve and Eddie's kid, does that mean Max is ours?" Robin whispered.

"She does have my red hair," Vickie giggled and Eddie laughed.

"Can he hear us?" Robin asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, vampire hearing," she whispered.

Robin grinned and put her arm through Vickie's.

A FEW MONTHS LATER. . .

Things were settling down now that Eddie was reunited with everyone, including his uncle. Wayne didn't even care that he was a vampire now. He was just glad that he had his boy back, which Vickie thought was so sweet. Robin was a hit with her dad, who got really excited for Vickie when he found out that she had other friends like her too. He had really taken a shine to Steve and Eddie. So much so that Matthew invited them over for breakfast, which is what they were doing now. They sat around the breakfast table, chatting comfortably when Matthew smiled at his daughter.

"Hey, Vickie, dear?" Matthew asked.

"Yes, Daddy?"

"How come you didn't tell me you hid Eddie in your mother's crafting shed?" Matthew asked, and everyone froze. "I'm not mad."

"You know?" Vickie asked with wide eyes.

"I thought he knew," Eddie said when Vickie glanced at him.

"Just let me know the next time you decide to hide a metalhead in the shed," Matthew said gently. "You know that I'd help you with anything."

"Okay," Vickie said softly. "Sorry, Daddy."

Eddie leaned over to Vickie to whisper.

"So, you're dad's basically the kind of guy who would help you bury a body, isn't he?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah!" Vickie grinned.

"Damn."

[slumped-in-the-arms-of-fiction]

"I could fix him" well I could be the one person he's nice to and soft with, while he remains just as unbelievably awful as ever to everyone else <3

[vulpixsworld]

Chapter 8 is late but posted!

Enchanted - Chapter 8 - Vulpixhc86 - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

[hellcheercaine]

Despite their love for animals, Eddie and Chrissy didn't want to keep pets as they didn't have the time, energy and money for them. The thing is, they didn't step into an animal shelter for once in their lives until they received a volunteer invitation from a long-lost friend, Billy, who runs an animal shelter for stray and abandoned animals.

"You ready for this?" Chrissy inquired, her arms wrapped around Eddie. "Yeah." Eddie smiles. "Volunteering in animal shelters is on my bucket list, although not so to most people as they've done it before." He pushed the creaky wooden door of the animal shelter and was greeted by chirps, barking and meows that tugged at their hearts.

Eddie stares at the cockatiel in the cage and teases it lovingly, making Chrissy laugh to calm themselves as they have no idea what to expect as first-time volunteers. Billy, the shelter owner, greets them with a warm smile.

"Having fun eh, Eddie? That's the cockatiel that Harrington adopted. She's our shelter mascot." "Speaking of Steve, where is he?" Eddie replies. "Harrington? He took the day off to clean the house." Billy looks at the clipboard, flipping through the papers on their tasks. He puts his clipboard on a table and introduces Eddie and Chrissy to the tasks for the day.

Of course, their first job was to clean the kennels. Eddie grabs a spray hose and sprays down the kennel as Chrissy scrubs the stubborn dirt and grime off—hard work, but it was worthwhile to them.

As time goes by, Eddie and Chrissy start getting good at their duties, and discover ways to connect with the quirks and personalities of each dog and cat. On a fine day, Eddie and Chrissy take a break from their work, spotting a playful beagle that was playfully wagging its tail. It reminds Chrissy of the family dog she had years ago, since she was a child. Despite its passing, there was never a time that she did not think of it and she often shares her stories with it to Eddie, although she stopped recently. Until now.

It seems like Eddie could read Chrissy telepathically as he pops the question: "I have been thinking about it, it's time we give this beagle a home. What do you say?"

"Let's do it," Chrissy spoke, her eyes feeling with tears of joy. "That is exactly what I was hoping for."

[cunninghamchrissie]

hellcheer mention in 2025 i know that’s right!!!

“characters who made the most impact with the least screen time, explained” by the take on youtube