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motomamita · 2 years ago

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Blood, Sweat and Ice.

Part. 2

Pairing: Dark!Eddie Munson x Female!IceSkater!Reader

Summary: Before finishing her off, eddie is determined to fuck her one way or another, even if he has to fake his identity to get it done.

Warnings: smut, +18, false identity, unprotected sex, creampie, mask sex, mentions of drugs, alchohol and blood, violence, idk sis.

A/N: Somewhat inspired by the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan scandal. Ofc, this is more dark.

Do not translate or copy this!

With a joint dangling from his fingers and several litres of alcohol inside of him, Eddie Munson thought his afternoon was going to end the same as all the previous ones: with him sleeping on the bathroom floor, a puddle of vomit around him and his album favorite playing all the way in the background. However, Nancy Wheeler knocked on his door with a favor she needed from him.

"I just need it to be a scare, like an warning that makes her miss the competition this Saturday." The girl clasped her hands in front of her chest, as if she were praying. "Please, Eddie! I'll pay you a good dough!"

Nancy Wheeler has been ice skating since she was 8 years old. She was good, she tried hard and, just like in school, she was diligent. However, that was not enough to guarantee a place in the competition that would take place that weekend. It wasn't if she had to compete against that girl.

"What do you mean 'a little warning'?" Eddie leaned against the old refrigerator and took a drag on his joint before speaking again. "Do you want me to send her a threatening email? To bug the wheels on her bike? To shit on her doorstep and leave a sign saying 'don't you dare enter the competition, bitch'?"

"Yeah, it could be something like that. As long as it ensures it doesn't steal my first place, it's fine." The calmer Wheeler spoke "Please, Eddie. I know you've done worse in the past, Mike told me about it."

And yes, he had.

Alcohol and drug abuse, along with the fact that he dropped out of high school, had given Eddie a need for constant adrenaline. That adrenaline was obtained by carrying out unlawful and unethical acts. He first started stealing cars that were staying late in the Starmall parking lot. When he didn't get something of value, he had fun breaking the windows and scratching the doors. Then he went on to steal inside houses and spend hours hiding inside them even with their owners going about their daily lives. That unleashed in Eddie the interest to watch people closely without them knowing it. It was amazing how much one could find out about a person just by following him for a couple of hours in his day.

Last but not least illegal were street fights. Eddie had become addicted to them. When he felt boredom eat him up, he'd grab his truck, a couple of beers, and wait outside the town's strip club for some old or young man who wanted to fight him. As the weeks passed, Eddie stopped having opponents and that led him to look for other ways to have fun. He waited for his, now, victims in some dark alley and silently pounced on them. In a matter of minutes he left them almost dying in a pool of blood until some citizen found them the next day. Sometimes he used a weapon like a baseball bat or a heavy wrench that was used to repair his truck, other times he only used his hands.

Soon those acts alerted the entire town to the existence of an individual who beat his victims almost to death. Nobody knew who it was, just a few people, like Mike Wheeler. For that very reason, he wasn't surprised when Nancy visited him days ago in his trailer with a tempting offer, and not just for the money.

As he drove downtown to the ice skating rink that Thursday, Eddie Munson thought about his next victim. He knew quite a bit about her, all kinds of information he could get in a whole day of following her around. He knew her hours, where she lived, who she was dating and her weaknesses that would serve him for his 'mission'.

She was the only child of a middle-class family. Her parents moved to Hawkins when the little girl was 6 years old and continued to live there, with no plans to leave. Her parents both work at the mayor's office in not so high positions but enough to be able to travel every summer to Houston, where she was from. She had practiced ice skating since she was 4 in almost professional rinks, which favored her compared to her other opponents in Hawkins who had to settle for their most basic rinks. She was an excellent skater by nature, Eddie could see as he watched her skate from a dark corner of the place.

From the way her coach gave her instructions, he assumed that this routine full of jumps and somersaults was the one she was going to present on Saturday in front of the judges. Nancy Wheeler definitely had no chance against her.

He stayed until she was the last to leave the track. By that time, the other girls had already left several minutes ago, leaving his target alone for a few minutes on the track.

Walking out, Eddie caught a keen eye of the conversation she and her coach were having as she walked to the locker room. She planned to stay the next day, Friday, a few more minutes on the track to prepare as much as possible for the big day. Her coach, a woman with curly hair and brown skin, agreed with her decision but informed her that she would train alone because she had paperwork to do. They talked a bit about topics not very relevant to him and then they said goodbye. Eddie a few meters behind the coach and prepared to smoke in one of the seats outside the place while he saw how the woman got into her car and headed home.

After 25 minutes counted by the clock, she left the place with her wet hair and her heavy bag. The instant she stepped into the parking lot, a blue Camaro pulled out of the parking lot and came up to where she was standing. Billy Hargrove. Eddie laughed bitterly. She and Billy had been dating for a few months. It was not known if they were already a couple but evidently something was going on between them and it was very intense. They were like 'Beauty and the Beast'. She was a flower, so delicate and fragile, while Billy was anything close to a boundless animal.

Billy grabbed her bag and put it in the trunk and then opened the passenger door for her, like a real gentleman. The couple avoided all physical contact until they reached the lovers' lake, where the show for Eddie began several meters away.

As the temperature rose in the blue Camaro, so did Eddie's truck, who was not only seized by fever but also by jealousy. It had been weeks since he had been with a woman intimately, and years since he had fallen in love with one. Of the girls he had met in high school none had managed to capture his attention, not even Chrissy Cunningham who on more than one occasion had tried to reach more with him. Getting so involved in that skater's life had awakened such a strong desire within him, something he had never experienced before. He wanted to feel her the way Hargrove was doing right now. The memory that he had to hurt her at some point crossed his mind and it made him a little sad. However, his own body called his attention to the growing problem forming in his pants and he had to take charge.

...

That Friday he arrived at the track around sunset and stayed in his truck for a couple of minutes. Soon, the same people who had been yesterday were now leaving the place with their bags in the direction of their cars. He waited a few minutes before getting out of his truck and stealthily entering the area. Luckily for him, despite wearing long hair and unusual clothes, Eddie had always managed to go unnoticed everywhere. That served as an advantage in situations like this.

From a distance he saw her on the track, alone and without the slightest idea that he had been watching her for minutes. She was wearing a light green sweater and black leggings that accentuated her figure. Her white skates kicked up the ice with every hop and turn she took. Eddie smiled seeing her so focused on her routine, as if that were the only important thing in the world.

He walked to one of the vending machines when he noticed how she left the track and collected her things with the intention of going to the locker room. Eddie lowered his gaze and counted 3 times the few coins that lay in the palm of his hand, acting disinterested when she passed behind him and was lost among the aisles. He put two coins in the machine and took out a Dr. Pepper which he drank carefully as he looked around. He was practically alone in the place, him and her. The manager who closed the track was now up on the machine that cleaned the track and which in turn made an annoying and loud noise. It was perfect to carry out his mission. No one was going to hear her scream.

Eddie tossed the can into a nearby trash can and walked purposefully toward the women's locker room. The sound of water falling from the shower led him through the wide space to the area where she was. Eddie stood in the middle of the hallway, motionless until the sound of the water stopped completely. Delicately, he took out a ski mask that he kept in one of the pockets of his jacket and put it on, hiding his characteristic long hair and revealing only his lips and eyes.

She wrapped herself in her towel and got out of the shower. A scream escaped her throat at seeing him there, standing with his face covered and staring at her. The shock lasted a few seconds, seconds in which she hugged her towel even more and looked around in search of something or someone that would help her. Eddie remained silent, forcing her to speak for the first time.

"What... what do you want?" She asked, not quite sure that he would answer her. "Please don't do anything to me." She whispered taking a few small steps back and walking to her clothes on a bench.

Eddie didn't answer and watched her movements carefully in case she tried to run away, although he was going to catch her anyway before she went out the door.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" Unanswered. "Who you are?" Unanswered. "Billy?"

Bingo. She had fallen into his trap.

"Billy, this is not funny. Stop right now." She asked a little less upset but still with her agitated voice.

Eddie had discovered more about the couple than he would have imagined. He knew that her parents didn't want Billy and that's why they saw each other in the lake of lovers after each practice. She knew that Billy was annoyed when she drenched the seats of his Camaro with her wet hair and that's why he placed a towel on the seatback before looking for her. As he also knew how much she liked him to fuck her with a ski mask he had under the seat of his car.

The place wasn't fully lit and Eddie had taken it upon himself to dress in the most similar way to Billy's. So he could easily fool her.

"Didn't you hear me? Wait for me in the parking lot." She removed the towel from her, exposing her body.

Eddie swallowed hard and carefully admired the body of the naked girl in front of him. Now the distance between them was shorter and that made it possible for him to memorize every curve of her body. Soon his member woke up and he knew he had to act fast before someone discovered them.

He approached and hugged her from behind, placing his hands on her stomach, caressing her wet skin. He brought his nose to her hair and discreetly sniffed at her hair and the sweet shampoo she had used minutes before.

"Billy, stop!" She spoke now laughing when Eddie's hands tightened on her hips, digging his fingertips into her skin. "Do you really want to do this now? Here?" she asked as she felt his hard erection against her bare ass.

She turned to look at him, not closing her distance. Eddie nodded and prayed to all the saints that she wouldn't notice the chocolate color of his eyes, very different from Billy's blue. The girl let out a loud sigh and looked at the clock hanging on one of the walls.

"Okay, we have some time."

Eddie didn't wait any longer and pushed her slightly against the wall causing her to let out a moan almost in surprise at the abrupt movement. He knelt in front of her and brought one of her legs up to his shoulder, leaving her pussy available to him. Without thinking twice, he brought his mouth to her clitoris, sucking lightly on it and then massaging it with his tongue. She moaned loudly and then covered her mouth with her hand, she didn't want them to be found out. With his hands he massaged her thighs, supporting her from the way her legs trembled.

"Shit, Billy..."

Gradually, his ski mask began to soak with her fluids, impregnating her sweet taste and aroma into the fabric. Eddie went from the clit to her entry which was already fully weat. He licked her with his tongue, collecting all the fluid and bringing another wave of pleasure to the girl.

He glanced at the clock and knew he had to hurry. As much as he would have loved to continue savoring her, he wanted to feel her even more. He quickly got up from the ground and she had to grab the wall to keep from falling from how weak her legs were. She tried to kiss him but Eddie dodged her, avoiding any contact that would give him away.

"Baby, let me feel you..." she begged with her breath coming fast.

Hearing her, Eddie whispered a 'shit' only audible to him, he was too hot. He approached her again, grabbed her by the thighs and supported her again against the cold wall. For her part, she began to unbutton his pants and lowered the same along with his boxers, releasing his hard cock. Eddie rushed into her before she realized it wasn't Billy. She moaned again when Eddie's member mercilessly entered her and began to move at an accelerated pace. The girl tried to kiss him again but this time Eddie had to place one of his hands on her cheek, moving her head to the side and avoiding as much eye contact as possible.

Eddie's gaze was now fixed on the way her breasts bounced with each thrust, inviting him to taste them, which he did.

"Mmh, so good.." Eddie's wet tongue tasted first her left nipple and then moved to her right, continuing to move inside her.

The sound of their skins colliding and her moans were enough to drive Eddie to the extreme, who had been dreaming of that moment for days. He would have liked to have given her more pleasure, massaging her clits and whispering dirty words to her but it was not the moment. The only thing that was going through his mind was the need to come, even though he knew that he would have to break her legs later.

Eddie did his best not to make a sound but to no avail, the walls of her were sucking him so deliciously that when he came inside her, her name slipped from his mouth.

It took him a few seconds to understand what had happened and how much he had screwed up, all to fulfill his sexual desire. Eddie came inside her and released her without any finesse, letting her fall on the locker room floor. He pulled up his pants and adjusted his ski mask that had moved slightly from all the action. When he lowered his gaze, he met hers, she was scared.

"Who you are?" She whispered on the verge of tears, covering her body with her towel and feeling how the hot semen of that stranger came out of her.

Again Eddie didn't answer and stared at her. So fragile, so defenseless, so corrupted. He smiled slightly as he imagined Hargrove's face when he found out that a son of a bitch had ended up inside his girlfriend, and in the amount of money that Nancy would give him tomorrow after the championship.

She tried to get up from the ground but Eddie stepped on her hard on one of her ankles. The girl screamed that went unnoticed by the manager who was still cleaning the skating rink. Eddie provided more pressure on her, who was trying to get his foot off of her unsuccessfully. He was much stronger than her, it was clear. Eddie looked around for something that would hurt the girl even more, and he found it.

Eddie slipped his foot off her ankle and walked over to where her skating shoes were. The girl tried to stand up and escape but she couldn't, her ankle was already beginning to swell. Eddie grabbed one of the shoes and removed the safety band that covered the sharp metal blade.

She whimpered when she saw how he approached her with her shoe in hand, she knew what was going to happen to her. She had no escape, she was finished.

Eddie gripped the shoe tightly and landed the first blow on one of her legs, cutting her both clean and deep. He repeated his action several times with both legs, making sure not only to make her unable to walk for a long time, but also to leave marks for a lifetime.

When he was satisfied, eddie left the place with a smile and the sweet scent of her on his face.

#eddie munson x reader #joseph quinn x reader #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x you #joseph quinn #eddie munson smut #dark!eddie munson

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munsonology · 2 years ago

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so I noticed when I was in my stripping days, the plain looking underwear did better then the lace lingerie.

I feel Eddie is the same way. He appreciates a good lingerie, but something about a simple cotton underwear and bra gets him going. And im talking the cute ones that aren't big ol granny panties, like a bikini or midrise or whatever. He was a penny pincher growing up, Wayne always made sure he had enough, but he cannot imagine spending a lot of money on something he's gonna rip off anyways. (Plus, when yall get really freaky and rough he rips them off, you csn always just go buy another 6 pack somewhere)

First! I support our troops on the front lines at the clubs so thank you for your service 🫡 and thank you for sharing!

I’m super surprised the plain lingerie did better than lace. This is so fascinating! I wonder if the familiarity of seeing everyday style lingerie is the reason. Now that I think about it the girls on youtube show their new outfits and I don’t remember seeing any lace.

And I agree about Eddie liking you in basic pieces. Wayne did the best he could but money was still tight. Eddie wore his clothes and shoes for an extra season or even an extra year before he had to get new things, and only the necessities. So when you get back from a girls day in Indianapolis he’s kinda indifferent to see you dangle a bag from Saks in front of him. And when you take out the fanciest lingerie he’s ever seen his eyes widen more than his bambi eyes ever have before.

When you’re in the bathroom getting ready for bed, he sees the price tag and his heart drops to his stomach. “$200 for underwear?! Baby, what were you thinking?”

You poo into his room, face mask on and your toothbrush hanging out your mouth “I had some extra money from my overtime pay. It’s just as much for you as it is for me.”

“That’s a lot of money for scraps baby…”

“Sexy scraps,” you tease.

He doesn’t wanna say anything else because he sees how your eyes light up having something fancy to wear for him. He’s extra delicate with you when you’re wearing this new set, careful to not rip or stain anything.

But the next week when he sees you with a bag from the local store and there’s a pack of those Sunday-Saturday panties!!!!! and they have little roses on the waistband and a scallop edge!!! It’s fuckin ON!!! He’ll tear your ass all the way up 😭😭 these are his favs because the cotton is so soft on his dick!! Yeah he jerks off with these while you’re getting ready for work just to stuff the cummy panties in your mouth as he fucks you stupid 😭😭😭😭

Unrelated but my dad’s cousin managed a strip club and this wasn’t just any club it was known as being the most scandalous club in the city 😭 it had everything! Prostitution, drugs, fights, at least a few shootings, the police were there like every night!

And his cousin asked him if he wanted to help him out because the owners wanted to turn it around. so my dad picked me up from school (I was around 14 think) to see this club and we went inside and i immediately got sent back to the car because this place was FILTHY. Like used condoms on the floor filthy 🤮

and my dad was like hell nah I’m never coming in here again 😭 And the club closed like a year or 2 later because it was deemed a danger to society!

The one and only time I’ve been to a strip club lmaooo

#eddie munson/reader #eddie munson x female reader #fem reader #eddie munson fem!reader #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fan fiction

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madelynraemunson · 9 months ago

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🥺🥺 thank you so much

CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT 𓆩♡𓆪

(strip club owner!eddie x fem!exotic dancer!hargrove!x reader)

𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐔 18+ MDNI

Book #1 of the Hellfire Gentlemen's Club series (currently in progress)

* loosely inspired by Sara Cate’s “Salacious Players Club” series

🔥 EXTRA CONTENT HERE 🔥

↳ chapters: 001, 002*, 003** , 004**, 005 , 006 , 007* , 008**, 009, 010, 011, 012* , 013**, 014** , 015, 016** , 017, 018, 019, 020 (all coming soon)

* = somewhat smutty chapters , ** = smut chapters

Summary: 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓. After getting kicked out by your brother, you have no other choice but to take off your big girl pants and add stripper to your resume. Desperate to pay the bills and support your little sister, are you willing to accept the risks that come with such a perilous profession? With the stage name ‘Shy Girl’, you take the leap of faith, weaponizing your divine femininity to steal the hearts of all the bachelors in Hawkins — including Eddie Munson’s, the owner of Hellfire Gentlemen’s Club.

warnings & disclaimers — slow burn, eventual smut (a lot of it), voyeurism, mutual pining, sexual tension, jealousy, drug/alcohol, profanities, sexual harassment, domestic violence

Welcome to Hellfire.

theme song: meet you in hell by jade lemac “Look me in my eyes. I know that you’re scared. You see yourself and you cry for help. Look me in my eyes. Tell me it’s not fair. If you taught me well, I’ll meet you in hell.”

Chapter 001: Wolves

The Hargroves are cursed. Generationally, that is. One night Billy takes it too far, costing him the only thing he had left... his sisters.

TW — abuse, domestic violence, blood, profanities, implications of infidelity, death

word count: 8.5k words

author's note: there are four different acts to this introductory chapter :) so much foundation to lay down and i spent forever on this to craft it perfectly for you guys. thank you for being as excited about this fanfic as I am releasing it. i hope you all enjoy! -madelyn

tags: @changemunson , @the-fairy-anon , @ali-r3n

_______________𓆩♡𓆪_______________

"Once I ran to you. Now I run from you."

♡

Duality of man. Mom was always a firm believer in that notion. In fact, she always used to say, "Inside of you, there are two wolves: a good one and a bad one. Depending on which mouth you feed, one will triumph the other.”

It became more evident when she died.

“YOU FUCKING SLUT. GRAB YOUR SHIT AND GO.”

Once identical in every aspect, the differences between you and your brother slowly began to unravel over time.

Being ‘good wolf’ was impossible while living under the same roof as Billy. So you settled for neutral wolf instead. Meanwhile, the big, bad wolf possessed him at age 15, when he realized hitting your father back would get him to back off.

It was 2010, post-homecoming game.

Dad nearly flung Billy into another dimension when he came home. The preferred alternative would have been attempting to reason with one another, but it just wasn’t something that was normalized in the Hargrove household. Communicating with words was a daunting task; but not nearly as daunting as accountability.

“I’M DONE WITH YOU, BILLY. GRAB YOUR SHIT AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FUCKING HOUSE.”

“I’m a literal minor, you can’t do this, Dad!” Billy wailed. "PLEASE!"

Over a football game.

The Friday Night Lights were a staple of Vista Palms High School. That and all of its nacho-eating, pot-smoking, LMFAO-playing, neon-filled goodness.

"C’mon V-P, c’mon, let’s beat S-D!” For weeks Billy had been chanting that mantra. There was no clearer indication that it’s where he would be the night of the championship game. He didn’t communicate it, of course, but it was implied. But still, it didn’t cross Dad’s mind.

Any parent who thought their child was coming home on time — and sober — that night was a foolish one. Especially if their kid was a sophomore with senior status.

“You sure as hell don't act like one,” Dad spat. “Coming home, acting all grown." Little did Dad know Billy was there for community service. Billy was a good student. More than anything he wanted a full ride to a UC, mainly to get away from home. Either that or military. Maybe then, walking on eggshells and being accused of something he didn't do — like drinking and doing drugs — would be a seasonal occurence instead of daily. "ACTING LIKE YOU PAY THE BILLS. YOU DON'T. YOUR MOM AND I DO.”

Dad knew he hit a nerve. It was his signature move aside from alienating his victims to establish control. While the feeling of getting your wings clipped really did you in, reactive abuse was Billy's top trigger, especially when Mom was mentioned. After all, Billy was the one who found Her.

Through glassy eyes and gritted teeth, Billy closed up his fists before mustering up the courage to say, “I’m…not…calling Sue... the operative word.”

Dad snarled. “Like there’s anyone else physically here you’ve reserved that title for?”

Oh.

"This tainted love you've given-"

Billy took the bait, lunging forward to grab Dad. As if on cue, Dad winded up his arm, assuming his usual position. You managed to assert yourself between in hopes of stopping them. Suddenly the back of Dad's hand collided with your cheek, sprawling you onto the couch. Billy watched horrified while you fought to keep your eyes open, growing anxious when all you could hear was the room pulsating around you at the highest frequency you had ever heard in your 15 long years of life. Enough was enough.

One punch. Bridge of the nose. Game over. The control Dad had over you both had ceased.

Billy rushed to your aid while Dad took a few moments to gather himself. It was then his beat-in, throbbing eyes realized that the little boy he mercilessly pushed around was no longer there. His own little Frankenstein had taken his place.

"I gave you all a boy could give you"

"Oh my god, Sissy," Billy cried, crouching down to run a soothing hand through your hair. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," you sniff, wrapping a hand around his arm. "I'm fine, Billy. I promise."

"I'm not gonna let that son of a bitch hurt you ever again," he vowed. "I'm gonna fuck him up and anyone else who tries."

"I love you, Brother."

"I love you, Sissy." The magnitude of power that surged through Billy melted into every neuron in his body, the warmth of its adrenaline imitating a tender — long overdue — embrace. He became fully enveloped in what was like an electric current, its tide higher than any wave he's ever surfed. It became more exhilarating than cruising down the I-5 in his Camaro at 130 MPH, and more intoxicating than any keg of beer he's ever swigged at a Wanna-be Project X Party.

It was the rush Billy had been searching for his whole life.

Every high Billy ever pursued before that rapidly declined in value. He would trade in anything for the static that had encoded itself into him. He felt untouchable, a luxury your father couldn’t afford his wife and children.

"YOU PUT YOUR HANDS ON HER AGAIN, YOU'RE DEAD DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

From that day forward, feeling respected was a freedom Billy was not willing to sacrifice, ever.

"Take my tears and that's not nearly all-"

But now Billy is the abuser, something you never imagined happening given his innately soft personality.

"Oh, tainted love. Don't touch me! Please.”

Slapping. Biting. Choking each other out. Pulling each other’s hair. Calling each other names. Spitting. Throwing things. Who would’ve thought the Hargrove twins were capable of the same horrors as their parents?

Yesterday was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Billy’s voice, like nails on a chalkboard, clawed at your brain in agonizing intervals.

“That’s all Max is. A pathetic little liar.”

“She will do anything for any bit of attention…even whore herself out to all the men in Del Mar.”

“You can get out. And stay out. Since you wanna act so grown all the damn time.”

He became the very thing — or person rather — he sought to destroy. The very person who indirectly, but explicably killed your mother.

And deep down you feared that if you and your stepsister Max don’t get out of that house, you’d both suffer that same fate.

“It's fucking JULY and 90 degrees out!” your sister retaliated. “What do you want me to wear to the beach? Fucking sweats?"

Max was out with friends the night prior. They hosted a birthday bonfire for her at the beach. She broke curfew and got a ride home from a friend. A guy friend. Billy wasn’t having it.

Max always got the short end of the stick. She was an easy target for Billy’s antics. Being the literal carbon copy of the woman he hates the most didn’t make it any better, and neither did taking the bait whenever Billy dealt it to “keep the peace”. Max believes being and acting helpless would get Billy to back down. It was far from the truth. In reality, she was feeding him his supply.

And what a volatile supply it is.

Mom also had another saying: "Anger is just grief with nowhere to go".

So you watched Billy and Max go back and forth with their pickleball tournament-o-insults, shouting at one another to their lungs’ capacity, their dead, black pupils strangling each other mentally while they gathered the physical strength to do so as well. You kept an arm halfway up and torso slightly turned in case you needed to butt in.

“I do this because I love you, Maxine,” Billy insisted. “So just SHUT UP and stop being a little cunt. Okay?”

“You stop being a presumptuous asshole first,” Max fired back. “We’re fighting again — why? Because someone with a penis drove me home? And we broke curfew by 10 minutes? I don’t control traffi-”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” he dismissed her. “Just say you wanted some dick and call it a night.”

Classic slut-shaming, as if Billy’s Instagram following wasn’t all models, strippers, and OnlyFans girls.

Before you could even process what was happening, the blurbs of their argument skidded to a halt when Max finally broke. Billy watched in subtle amusement as she screamed, her fist meeting the wall repeatedly out of frustration.

Reactive abuse is Billy’s favorite abuse tactic.

“Someone who’s not guilty wouldn’t react like this,” Billy quipped in a sing-song voice, eyeing the new hole in the dry wall that Max had created.

There was no sense in backtracking if Billy already got what he wanted. Max just needed the last word. Before any of you could process it, an acrylic storage box soared through the air, hitting Billy right in the groin. He roared in agony while Max attempted to collect herself off to the side. She still saw red.

That’s when the knife came out.

One slice to the brow and it was over. To ensure the last word was his to keep, Billy ended up chucking a knife at your sister.

“OHMYGOD!” Max shrieked repeatedly, entering the ‘freeze’ stage of her shock. “OHMYGOD, OHMYGOD, I’M BLEEDING! I’M BLEEDING, THERE’S BLOOD!”

It was then you realized, the little boy you vowed to protect and refused to leave behind was long gone. Dad’s essence had taken his place now.

“You just don’t know when to FUCKING STOP, do you?” you exclaimed, putting pressure on Max’s eyebrow with a washcloth as she wailed. Suddenly it was Dad you were talking to. They had the same apathetic, dead look in their eyes. “I don’t care who said or did what, throwing a fucking KNIFE?”

“Me?” Billy tutted. “You wanna call me crazy, who did that?” He was referring to the hole in the wall. “And who was the one to throw shit first? EXACTLY. EXACTLY.”

While Billy was technically correct, he would never admit to what he did to provoke you two.

“So you can both get out if you’d like. Be my fucking guests.”

You and Max exchanged one look. The look. It was time. You both were ready and now had the green light. Now was the chance to bolt without immediate consequences.

So you and your sister spent several minutes rummaging through your pre-packed belongings while Billy continued to shit-talk aimlessly around the rental you shared. The place soon reeked of cheap bud and gas station gin. Trash bags were soon filled with your favorite clothes and you shoved them into as many of your childhood suitcases as possible. Struggling to see past your tear-coated eyes, you reached for your books, the ones you've hollowed out 300 pages deep to pocket all the tips from your waitressing job, and shoved the loose bills into your crossbody. You’d sort through them later. Lastly, you popped the cap off the bottom of your salt lamp. There was a pre-paid Visa you bought several months beforehand waiting for you. With trembling hands, you grasped it and whispered a gratitude to the Universe before tucking it neatly into the back pocket of your Levi’s.

When it was all said and done and everything was loaded into your car, you focus on the hole in the dry wall one last time.

Never again.

Billy was complacent throughout the entirety of the event. You glared at him while he continued to soothe himself with drugs and alcohol, refusing to own up to the irreversible damage he caused your little family.

“SIS,” Max boomed from outside. “LET’S GO!”

A part of you used to pity Billy, but now his destructive behavior took away any ounce of guilt you felt for leaving him.

You never fought back until you had no other choice. Similarly, and tragically, Billy shared that very sentiment.

Who the villain is in the narrative relied solely on whose lens you are looking through.

It took you by surprise all the time. How could identical twins, who grew up in the same environment, end up so different from one another?

“I love you, though you hurt me so. Now I’m gonna pack my things and go." - Tainted Love by Soft Cell

There are two wolves inside of everyone.

——————————𓇼——————--------

"Are the pieces of you in the pieces of me? I'm just so scared you're who I'll be. When I erupt just like you do, they look at me like I look at you" - DNA by Lia Marie Johnson

The heart-wrenching ballad by Lia Marie Johnson dissolves as you crank the dial to the left. Music is always depressing when Max has the aux chord.

"Did you hear what I said?" you question her.

Max abruptly sits up and reorients herself, attempting to shrug off the trance “DNA” had put her in for a few minutes.

"No, sorry. What'd you say again?"

"Do you need a bathroom break?"

"I'll go at the airport.”

"Okay, but if you change your mind and decide to take a leak one last time, I'll be happy to oblige.”

Swami’s is also an exit away and you’re just fixing for a hot meal before takeoff. But you don’t directly say that. Besides, Max loses her appetite when she’s upset and may only have room for shitty airplane food.

“I’ll just eat on the plane.”

Stale pretzels and flat soda it is.

Despite the decrease in appetite, Max is holding up well. As well as anyone-who-was-nearly-stabbed-by-her-brother-and-is-now-moving-states-away-from-everything-she’s-ever-known-with-her-sister could be.

It wasn’t your first choice to leave California. In fact, you did everything you could to avoid it. But nonetheless, anyone with a conscious and only $4,000 to their name would make the wise decision to move away to somewhere more affordable.

Enter your online friend, Robin.

Working ungodly hours six days a week to pay the bills took up so much of your time that you had no friends in San Diego — albeit high school friends who would have never guessed how you and Billy turned out. Those friends had happy families anyway. They couldn’t hold space for you. Your online friend Robin, who you met on an art forum, however knew your family dynamic and was there for everything. But she lived in Indiana with her partner and was never able to offer you any physical comfort.

You entertained Robin’s idea of moving to where she lives, a small town in Indiana called Hawkins just 20 minutes southeast of the city. Living under the radar to get your ducks in a row seemed like such a perfect plan, but you didn’t want to do so at the expense of Max losing her only support system she had outside of you.

Moving would’ve also meant pulling her out of school, which wouldn’t be possible because Billy was her legal guardian. Now that she’s graduated high school, and today is her 18th birthday, the game has changed completely.

“Donovan texted me happy birthday,” Max reports, finally disclosing a fragment of her inner conscience. “Thought it was sweet.”

You can’t help but smile. "You thought he wouldn’t?”

She refrains from rolling her eyes and shifts them towards the rocky beach cliffs outside her window.

“You know,” you add. “I really think you two could make long distance work. I’ve never seen so much chemistry between two people before.”

Max scoffs. "Yeah right. Long distance with a guy going to Santa Barbara for college?” She fiddles with the strings of the knit poncho resting atop her lap. “I'd be breaking my own heart."

You bite your lip to stop the waterworks. Max doesn’t deserve any of this. She deserves to enjoy bonfires with her skater friends, surf all the tubular waves, and go on all the nature hikes without worrying about her stepbrother’s codependent-fits-of-rage waiting for her when she comes home. She deserves to eat fried funnel cake at the county fair and share a kiss with the boy of her dreams atop a Ferris wheel on the 4th of July. She deserves a San Diego summer, not a summer spent in hiding from her abuser in the middle of buttfuck nowhere.

Max decides to change the subject.

“So what’s Robin like? Your online friend.”

“She’s very sweet,” you breathe. “Been, uh, telling her about Billy for a long time now. Her arms have been open since day one.”

“And her girlfriend?”

“Vicky’s the best,” you insist. “A match made in heaven for sure. It’s like they’re the same person, just different font.”

You get a giggle out of Max. Her laughter during such a turbulent time is like music to your ears. The non-depressing kind.

“I’m really sorry I couldn’t get you a gift this year.”

She side eyes you.

“What are you talking about? You quite literally gave me the best gift of all.”

“Did I? What did I give you?”

“You gave me safety.”

And with that, you give yourself a mental pat on the back, confident you made the right choice despite how foreign everything currently felt. The conversation dies down while you and Max ride on, driving further and further away from the Park and Ride you spent the night at, off Coast Highway, and onto the I-5 one last time.

Boarding the plane is a swift process. Your plane is a two-seater, so Max gets the window and you get the aisle. After receiving your snacks and drinks, you decide to play white noise and dissociate for the next five hours. It’s safe to do so, anyways. Liminal spaces were not something you took for granted.

Meanwhile, Max looks out the window, watching as the world she has come to know her whole life shrinks right before her eyes, before disappearing underneath a quilt of soft white cumulus clouds.

“This is 18.”

Goodbye, San Diego.

—————— ✈︎ ———————

Hello, Hawkins.

“Please, make yourself at home,” Robin incites, trudging through the miscellaneous projects that sit at her feet. “As if we weren’t DIY freaks enough, the pandemic really just amplified that.”

The pandemic was a hard time for everyone. You lost your fine dining gig and abruptly switched to UberEats to adjust to the flow of takeout. Billy couldn’t go to the gym, his happy place, and it took a toll on him mentally. Max broke quarantine multiple times to see Donovan, which didn’t sit well with your brother. He of course lashed out on her and also proclaimed that people like her were the reason why America hadn’t opened up yet.

“And I get no time at the gym!” Billy screamed. “So now I have to do this—”

You learned that a decent lamp costed $70 that night.

That wasn’t your first rodeo though. You and Billy grew up replacing furniture all the time. You two would gather up your money and spend it on replacing whatever needed replacing for Mom’s birthday. She always wanted to make your house feel like a home. Feel lived in. You and Billy thought you were heroes doing it, but it dawns on you now that you two were just babies.

“Oh!” Vicky interrupts. “Before we forget…”

You and Max watch her as she scrambles around, looking for something that she seemed ecstatic about.

“Happy birthday, Max!”

“No way, Kate Bush!” Max exclaims as she accepts the gift, an original Kate Bush vinyl record of her album Hounds of Love.

"Wow," you beam, rubbing your sister’s back. “Way to fuel her 80's hyperfixation, huh?"

“We found this at the thrift store,” Vicky boasted. “Knew we had to get it for ya.”

“It’s the real deal too," Robin adds. "Look, printed 1985.”

“It’s perfect,” Max gushes. “Can’t wait to play it on my Crosley.”

She thanks them both and hugs them before running back to the living room to get the rest of your belongings. You listen as she hums some of Kate Bush’s discography along the way.

You then observe Max as she unpacks her things one by one, slightly peppered with remnants of the California sand and the snobby fee it took to ship it all here via cargo. She then proceeds to sit on the new bed to check the springing quality, testing its bounce factor and comparing it to that of her old bed.

You let out a bittersweet sigh.

Suddenly you're eight years old, doing the same thing at the local motel Mom managed to snag a couple nights from when Dad trashed the house.

You turn to look in the mirror atop your new dresser.

Suddenly, you're Mom. Quite literally. You both have the same wavy blonde hair, scattered freckles across your nose that Billy used to call “stardust”, and the same tsunami blue eyes. It makes it no wonder why you and Dad never got along. You are Mom’s spitting image — and Billy is Dad’s.

Funny how life turns out.

You graze the crows feet at the outer corner of your eyes, realizing now how many years have silently passed you by, and then take note of the stress-defined scars in the form of eye baggage from all the sleepless nights that came as a souvenir.

You’ve put up with so much. For so long. The trauma is starting to manifest itself physically.

Robin snaps you back into present day. "So I was thinking we go to Applebee's for dinner, walk around Old Town, get you guys settled and unpacked when we return, Jenga at night, and then-"

She stops when she sees the horrified expression on your face.

“Hey…” the pitch in her comforting, raspy voice heightens. “What’s the matter?”

Your voice breaks. “It’s…” you manage. “It’s been a lot.”

Robin pats your back. “I know. I’m so sorry.”

Without looking, Robin snags a few tissues from a box laying around and gives them to you. You blot the tears away, careful not to mess up the makeup you had on with the intention to make you look less…dead.

“Sue didn’t even call and wish her happy birthday. Her own mother.”

“I’m so sorry,” Robin repeats.

“Every day I watch Max store her trauma in the box... and just shove it into the corner where it gathers dust,” you continue. “If she doesn't unpack it..."

You didn’t even want to think of the collateral damage you and your brother caused her. A part of you wants to think Maxine has remained untouched from that side of you, but the dry blood on her outer brow was a reminder that it was far too late to shelter her from that.

"You see yourself in her."

"And my mom in myself,” you admit. “Now more than ever.”

You rub your eyes.

“I’m rambling, I know. It’s just… SO aggravating. Max deserves better.”

“She’s handling it really well.”

“We don’t know that. I know Max. She’s a pro at hiding her feelings.”

“She’s being strong for you, like you are for her. It’s very endearing, whether you both admit it to each other or not.”

She rubs your arm.

“For as long as Vicky and I are here, you and Maxine have a soft place to land. We are here for you. Y’all are safe.”

You two glance over at Max, who is now unpacking your Zen Basics Himalayan salt lamp. She sets it on top your new bedside table, a reupholstered one whose old wood was painted over by an earthy olive green, the old hardware replaced by eccentric shaped, neutral-toned knobs. Her Crosley sits on your floor, now playing a track off Kate Bush's vinyl while she stares out the window. Your new view for the foreseeable future.

Can't you see where memories are kept bright?

Tripping on the water like a laughing girl

Time in her eyes is spawning past life

One with the ocean and the woman unfurled

Holding all the love that waits for you here

Catch us now for I am your future

A kiss on the wind and we'll make the land.

Dinnertime comes fast, but you blame it on the time zone difference. You call shotgun and ride with Robin in the passenger seat, catching up with your best friend while Vicky and Max watch YouTube shorts in the backseat.

Robin gives you a backstory of everything you pass on the way to Applebees, from the schools to churches to family-owned gas stations. She and Vicky seem to know everyone by a first-name basis, naming random people off and knowing exactly who that is every so often. You try to stay engaged, but the only thing on your mind is where you’re going to apply for a job.

Robin drives into a plaza next.

"This used to be a mall, but now it's completely empty," Robin continues pointing to an empty building with remnants of a star symbol etched on it. "E-commerce really turned this strip into a ghost town."

"So basically, if I wanted a job, it would have to be any of these food places, an office of sorts, or an off-brand Blockbuster store?"

"Family Video is closing too," Vicky chimes in. "It's sad. But I guess Hawkins needs yet another overpriced coffee shop."

"You could always work at the gentlemen's club," Max jokes, pointing off to the side.

You turn to where she’s pointing and take note of the matte black rectangular building by the Sizzler’s. It didn’t seem out of place, but the silhouette of an exotic dancer with devil horns gave the sinister establishment away. You couldn’t read the name of the club, but a part of you tries to.

Robin slightly turns and nods in that direction. "Oh yeah. I heard the girls there make bank in tips."

“I made bank in La Jolla doing fine dining,” you point out. “Maybe I can do the same thing here. But at a similar establishment.”

“Fanciest restaurant you’ll get here is Benny’s,” Vicky says. “You’re gonna have to go to the city for fine dining. I don’t think the commute is worth.”

“Guess stripper is your best option,” Max nudges you.

You shoot a glare her way. “Very funny.”

"I know, I was joking," she scoffs. "Billy would kill you anyways."

Billy would literally go insane if you dared to work at a strip club. The slut-shaming would never end. Not that he never slut-shamed you anyway. There was always something for him to be misogynistic and hypocritical about.

Then it hits you. Billy isn't here. And you really need the money since in this day and age, $4,000 meant nothing. You peer over at the gentlemen's club one last time as it shrinks out of view the further Robin drives.

HELLFIRE.

-----------𓆩♡𓆪------------

Dungeons & Dragons.

Of course one of the very few strip clubs in Hawkins has to be the dorkiest.

But you understand the vision. Beyond the cobblestone entrance, the veil between real life and fantasy thins.

As you near the club with nothing but a purse and car keys in hand, you notice that there’s already security by the door. You’re surprised to see a leaner guy, tall and slender with soft blonde hair and a soft grin to match. He catches sight of you and greets you with a nod.

“Good afternoon,” he says. “How are you today?”

“I’m good,” you nod. You reach for your wallet and give him your ID. Typical screening process. “Yourself?”

“Not too shabby,” he replies.

He examines your ID card. You notice his surprise when his eyes slightly widen before retracting shortly after. You guess that he was wondering why you are here out of all places. You peer over at his name tag while he concludes his screening. Henry.

Upon verification of your identity, the friendly security guard returns your card to you.

“Let me give you a wrist band.”

He motions for you to hold an arm out. You extend your right arm to him and watch as he gracefully pulls a paper wristband out of his pocket, clasping it into place with the side that read “21+” facing upwards.

You take the time to admire the gentleness of this man. The softness of his face. His dreamy gaze.

“Any weapons on you?”

“Uh…” you stammer. “Just pepper spray?”

A laugh escapes from his nostrils. “That’s fine, my dear.”

“I hope I don’t have to use it.”

“Don’t worry, darling. Under my watch, you won’t.”

Henry gently strokes your hand before motioning you inside.

“Enjoy the show.”

“Thanks,” you smile politely.

It’s a slow afternoon, but granted no one goes to a strip club at 2 PM. The Hellfire Gentlemen’s Club was comprehensively laced with playful innuendos. The accent wall by the entrance showcases an array of chains and handcuffs. Kukris, nun-chucks, and flails all of different variants and sizes are displayed on the walls, the point of balance being a vintage pulp print of a metal puppeteer. On the print, "OBEY YOUR MASTER" is written in edgy bubble letters.

Kinky.

And there’s a bonus of this themed club: the ladies are dressed in cloaks. You watch as beautiful women from all walks of life strut around the joint, leaving the clients with only their imagination to guess what’s underneath the tantalizing, medieval velvet.

There are LED signs that lit up corners of the space, indicating what they were for. KAS’ KORNER: GRAB A BITE, DRAGON'S BREATH: HOOKAH LOUNGE, and POTIONS — the bar.

You catch a glimpse of the private show rooms, or at least what you think are the private show rooms.

The LED sign to those rooms read, "I PUT A SPELL ON YOU AND NOW YOU'RE MINE."

The general seating area for the main event reads VECNA’S LAIR.

The Dungeon Master of this joint thought of every possible detail he could and ironed it into perfection.

Surely, someone who truly plays would adore every aspect of all the details, but it was evident that everyone came here for the same reason:

Girls, girls, girls.

You walk over to the bar to see two men conversing behind it.

One looked to be in his late 20s, with scruffy chestnut brown hair, some tired eyes, peach fuzz, and a patterned shirt decorated in a kaleidoscope of colors — a shirt meticulously calculated by quite possibly a girlfriend.

The other looked like he had another year left before being allowed to be behind that counter... of course judging by the “Hawkins High School class of 2021” on his insulated water bottle in his hand, a cracked iPhone in the other, and Beats with a small basketball sticker on it.

When you appear in their periphery, the conversation between the two gradually comes to a stop.

“Whoa,” the younger man hums. “New face. Welcome.”

“Hi. What do you recommend?”

“In terms of what?” the younger man questions slyly. There’s a timidness to the young man’s spirit, making his flirtatious demeanor somewhat dorky. The age appropriate bartender nudges him.

“Drinks, hotshot,” you refrain from chuckling. “Drinks.”

“Depends what you’re into,” the younger man replies, the slyness continuing. “If you’re into light liquors, Jonathan can make you a mean Cîroc with pineapple juice. But if you’re more into the dark stuff…”

He gestures up and down on himself.

“Then look no further.”

“That was very painful to listen to,” the older one who you assume is Jonathan cringes. “Can you get anymore corny?”

“Ta-ha!” the younger one tsks. “He said could I get any more corny. Can you get any more bitchless?”

“I have a girlfriend, Lucas.”

“Emphasis on the singular sense.”

“Nance is all I need.”

"Nancy is all you can pull," Lucas chuckles. "With that goofy ass shirt, man. Stop playing with me."

So you weren’t the only one who thought the shirt was absolutely ridiculous. It had "Bad Bitch Repellant" written all over it.

Jonathan whacks Lucas with the cloth that was sitting atop his shoulder. You request a double Tito’s straight on the rocks from Jonathan to which he automatically starts to make. Lucas continues to interrogate you.

“As you heard, my name is Lucas. Lucas Sinclair.” He extends his hands to you. “But my favorite ladies call me 'Dark Chocolate'. You can call me, 'The Man of Your Dreams' though.”

You take the youngster’s hand in yours and shake it. His heavy locker room cologne makes your nose swell, an uneven mix of what you believe is Axe and — is that Dior?

You tell Lucas your name then hit him with a, “But you can call me ‘When You’re Thirty’.”

Lucas laughs at your joke, beaming up at you as he does so. Then he nods to communicate a gracious fair enough. The flirting, you could sense, was in good nature, playful.

“It was worth a shot,” he shrugs. “Do you have a younger sister by any chance?”

“Oh in your dreams, mister.”

Jonathan chuckles and rubs Lucas’s back.

"That’s enough man, can you go buss that table over there?"

Lucas gives a thumbs up before putting his Beats on and walking away. You divert your attention back to Jonathan who is now done with making your drink.

“Alright… I got a Tito’s double shot — straight — on the rocks,” Jonathan announces as he slides your vice on over. He studies you as you take the drink and request to keep the tab open. “I’m inclined to ask. Are you okay?”

When you’re not around Billy, you wear your heart on your sleeve. It wouldn’t hurt to trauma dump on a stranger. Especially one who asked.

“Pretty far from okay,” you answer before chugging it. “Can’t you tell? It’s 2PM and I’m consoling…” You slosh the drink around in your hand. “…my man Tito.”

“I see that.”

“It’s been a long day,” you continue. “It’s my second day in Hawkins so I thought I’d scope this place out. Dilly dally for a bit.”

“Second day?” Jonathan questions. “As in…ever?”

“Yeah, just moved here.”

The bartender looks around as if he’s missed something. “But…why?”

It’s a fair reaction. If the welcome sign is correct, Hawkins only has a population of 1,314 people. 1,316 now including you and Maxine.

“My friend lives here and convinced me to make the move,” is what you explain, though it only seems to make Jonathan more confused. “Couldn’t take the heat Cali was dishing out. Hawkins seemed like the perfect place to slow down.”

“Oh man,” Jonathan mutters. “California to here, what a change.”

“You lived here long?”

“Lived here my whole life,” he answers as a matter of factly.

“What made you get a job at Hellfire?”

Jonathan didn’t have to think. “I love booze.”

You laugh together, raising your half-empty class to clink his invisible one.

“I hate 9-5s,” Jonathan draws on. “Working from home ‘bout damn near drove me insane, don’t know how my mom does it with such ease. My boss here smokes me out on occasion and my friends make me nachos.” He smiles. “Can’t think of anything better.”

“There we go.”

"I’ve also just been looking out for women my whole life," he adds. "Bout time I get some financial compensation for it, no?"

“Amen to that,” You chug the last of your drink. “Thanks for your service.”

"Pleasure is mine. Anything else I can do for ya?"

You think. "Hm, probably not you, but maybe the hiring manager can do something for me."

"You're looking to work here?" he clarifies as you nod. "Oh sweet, you're going to wanna talk to Eddie. He's the owner."

"And a dweeb," says a significantly younger looking fellow as he slides into the conversation.

“Here we go.”

In front of you now is a gentleman around Lucas’s age with wild curly brown hair. You watch as he helps himself to a club soda, dunking three large wedges of lemon into his cup as well.

The guy offers you a playful, pearly white grin. “Eddie may own a nice club with some smokin' hot babes, but he's got no game whatsoever."

“Hey Dustin.”

“Sup, man.”

“You think so?" you challenge him.

"I know so,” the boy who you now know as Dustin insists. “Can't talk up a chick to save his life."

"Yeah," Jonathan says, half-jokingly. "He's the bitchless one."

Dustin glances between you both, slightly puzzled.

You shake your head. "No way."

"I wouldn't say he's that bad," Dustin says. "I actually think he's seeing someone casually. But in general, dude's got zero rizz."

"Projecting are we?" Jonathan nudges him.

“HELL. NO.” Dustin booms. You attempt to refrain from laughing. “My game is what got me the baddest gal at science camp. Eddie? Clumsy as hell, stutters on his words, he's got the anxiety level of someone who drinks cold brew on an empty stomach… Now that I say it out loud, I think he does drink cold brew on an empty stomach. Some chicks dig it though, which is good for him.”

Curly was fun to observe. Once he’s done talking down on the club owner, Dustin politely walks over and shakes your hand, bowing to you like you’re a princess of sorts. You later find it that like Lucas, Dustin works as a bus boy and server, and his girlfriend makes sure that he remains in Kas’ Korner at all times. Dustin has about two years left before legally being permitted behind the POTIONS bar, but that doesn’t stop him from using it as his own storage shed.

You watch as he grabs some deodorant and hair pomade from an old shoe box under the counter.

“Anyways, later,” Dustin holds up a peace sign, starting towards the door. “I'm not on today, I'm just hitting the gym with Steve."

“Later, man!” Jonathan calls after him.

“Deuces. Say hello to Dark Chocolate for me.”

Before he could get any further, the loud swinging of a door closeby causes him to halt in place.

“ALRIGHT!” a loud, gruff voice booms from that direction. “Which one of you shitheads forgot to take inventory on the 10th?!”

You can’t help but turn your body towards the ruckus. And to your own pleasant surprise, you don’t regret it. Emerging from the door comes the possible shift lead, a tall and broad man with medium length wavy brown hair, chocolate-colored, youthful doe eyes that contradicted the deep lines on his face, bleach white Chuck Taylor’s, ripped black jeans, and a Hellfire Club baseball tee with the logo smack-dab in the middle.

The man looked to be in his mid to late 20s, with an assertiveness in his stride. His lips, a perfectly formed bow with a smirk-like undertone. The cool rings that rest upon his fingers look icy as they sway at his side, shining in contrast to his dark clothing.

The man is too tunnel-visioned to see where he was going. But that doesn’t stop Dustin from looking absolutely mortified.

“The 10th and the 11th,” the man clarifies. “So for all we know, we might need new kegs and ground chili, which is one more thing I have to d-”

Finally he looks up, with you being the first thing he sees. Proximity taking him aback, he snaps out of his stress-induced trance and softens up at the sight of you. You meet his eyes, big and beautiful with long wispy lashes and you can’t help but mimic the flutter in your heart in the form of a smile.

“Whoa.” He says, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Whoa, indeed.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s Eddie’s first day back, he tends to get a little in the zone,” Dustin explains.

Eddie.

Does that mean…

“Are you the hiring manager?”

You didn’t know who you were expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the man in front of you. He must be proud of himself, having such a successful business so early in the game.

Eddie gathers himself quickly.

“Dungeon Master, hiring manager, manager, owner, sanitations, re-stocker,” Mr. Jack-of-all-trades confirms. “I do it all.” He grimaces at Dustin. "Since you know, some people don't wanna work."

"You said I can have off!" Dustin exclaims defensively. "I worked for you before the weekend already and I wasn’t even on the 10th and 11th, fuck outta here."

All it takes is a scowl his way from the boss and Dustin is radio silent. The look on Eddie's face definitely said "Watch your tone". Eyes are all on you once more soon after.

Eddie’s gaze softens when he looks at you.

“Were you…looking to apply?”

“Yeah,” you reply sheepishly. “As a dancer. I’d like to perform here.”

“You don’t sound too confident.”

“Some guys like shy girls,” you shrug.

He laughs, a dark honey kind of laugh that just oozed from the back of his throat. “That they do.” His voice deepens drastically. Eddie studies you. “Any dancing experience?”

“Dancing, yes.”

“Stripping experience?”

“None.”

“Hm,” Eddie says. “What do you have experience in?”

“I danced for a bit…I have good core strength,” you explain vaguely. “And I’ve worked in the restaurant industry so I’d say customer service is my superpower.”

Eddie soaks in the information.

“I know how to talk to people,” you continue. “I know the right things to say. Favorite pass time is upselling drinks. And dessert…”

You wait for Eddie to take the low hanging fruit. He doesn’t.

"Any experience with the pole?”

Your cheeks grow hot. You decide to lie.

"No.”

“Kinda essential for this profession, sweetheart.”

"I know," you respond humbly. "I wouldn’t doubt it for a second..." you scan the room. “So uh, do I need a permit to perform here?”

“Nah, Hawkins is a lawless wasteland pretty much,” he sighs placing his hands on his hips. “And my club does things a little different anyways. The ladies also don’t pay to perform, we pay them to.”

Shit. Strippers pay to perform at venues?

“The dining experience is what brings the base revenue in,” Lucas explains, returning from wherever he had been. “The ladies are a luxury.”

“And should be treated as such,” Jonathan chimes in.

“I take it you don’t work at any other clubs?” Eddie questions judging by your wide eyes attempting to take in every bit of information that has been dumped on you. The man sees right through your mask.

“No, but I-”

“I personally like to give everyone a chance,” Eddie says. “So don’t worry babe, you’re good. Even though you don’t have any experience, your energy tells me that you have potential. Wanna show us what you can do?”

Your heart sinks. The handsome club owner called you babe. And you’re also being asked to perform with the little experience you have — in front of girls who had tons of experience.

“Here? Now?”

Eddie nods.

You weren’t prepared to dance today. But with your sister and the mountain of debt on your mind, you are willing to do anything. So you walk over to Jonathan and tell him what song you feel most comfortable performing to and stretch as he takes the time to find it. When all is said and done, you make your way to the icy pillar made of chrome steel that was calling for your attention.

You exhale deeply.

Back to the old stomping grounds. The last time you worked with a pole you were wearing Heeley’s and light up sneakers. Of course in place of the horny spectators there were playground supervisors, and the only “bars” there were monkey bars. Oh, and you were 8, not 28.

The slut-shaming still existed, though. One time a boy told you that you were acting like a ‘hoe’ for trying to do a trick upside down. To Billy’s retaliation though. Before you knew it, the same boy was being shoved down and dragged across the wood chips, acquiring a series of splinters along the way. Admin phoned home. You and Billy got spanked. But, of course, Billy had no regrets. While you both cooled off together, you remember him grazing your hand, telling you he’d beat that kid up “a gajillion times over”.

He kept that promise. Except as you two grew older, it was you he was doing it to. A gajillion times over.

You laugh at the bittersweet nostalgia.

“Whenever you’re ready, babe,” Eddie says.

You give Jonathan a thumbs up to play your song selection. Soon, Hellfire Gentlemen’s Club is filled with the catchy, seductive tune hat is Layla by Eric Clapton.

You start with a small stroll around the pole. Then a dramatic dip to flaunt your bouncy golden locks. Soon, the women of Hellfire gather around with the men following soon after to watch you work your magic in Vecna’s crowded Lair.

If muscle memory is in your favor, they are in for a good show.

What will you do when you get lonely

No one waiting by your side?

You've been running, hiding much too long

You know it's just your foolish pride

Eddie claims a seat at a throne directly in front of the pole. He studies your technique, your movements, your facial expressions. You aren’t sure if reality is projecting onto you or if you’re dizzy from all the spinning, but you almost see a slight smile spread across the club owner’s face. It prompts you to keep going.

Layla, got me on my knees

Layla, begging, darling, please Layla

Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?

It’s a lot harder, your techniques and tricks. Most likely since you weigh more than 50 pounds now and had to exert more energy to keep yourself balanced an aligned. But nonetheless, you persist.

Tried to give you consolation

Your old man had let you down

Like a fool, I fell in love with you

You turned my whole world upside down

You buck your hips upward from you back arch to go into an upside down position. It earns you some hooting and cheering from the crowd.

“You better work, mamas!” a dancer cheers.

“I KNOW THAT’S RIGHT!”

“YOU GO GIRL!”

“YAAAS!”

Layla, got me on my knees

Layla, I'm begging, darling, please Layla

Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?

Eddie watches intently, leaning backwards with his hands clasped forward. You feel his eyes burn through you, from the top of your head down to your toes. You feel as if he’s mentally scoring you like you’re at a competition, but the sisterhood that cheers you on makes you feel slightly less intimidated.

“SHE’S SO GOOD!” comes a high-pitched voice in the crowd. “I FREAKING LOVE HER!”

You turn to look at your own personal cheerleader, a bright-eyed cute little redhead with pigtails with an outfit that looks like an ode to Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time”. She has cherry hair ties that hold her two pigtails at the bottom.

You watch her clap and jump up and down, cheering you on with a beam in her eyes that made you feel like your souls have been friends for decades.

Motivated to attempt more risqué moves, you jump into the splits before kicking your legs around to end on your knees.

Clapping and whistling erupts from the lair. Once it dies down, Eddie stands up, offering you a delighted series of slow claps as he makes his way towards you.

"That was really good, Shy Girl. I like how you finished your set."

“Aw, thanks Eddie.”

He walks around you.

"Go like this?" Eddie does a stretching motion, lifting his hand up.

You imitate him and reach up.

"Okay, and... turn like this? Then pop your ass out a bit more."

The word rolled off the club owner's tongue like it was nothing. It was done in a way that was professional, a hint of respect in his tone with no sort of ulterior motive.

You swallow hard, attempting to internally tame the goosebumps on rising upon your skin. He’s just giving feedback, he’s just giving feedback. This is a professional line of work.

You do as he says as he circles around you, fingers grazing on the cool floor of the stage just inches away from your thighs. He taps them in thought.

"For a beginner you’re pretty damn good,” he says.

“Yeah?” you look up at him and smile.

“Yeah,” his voice deepens. “You’re a natural. All that shyness just went away.”

Well, it’s about to return, you think to yourself.

“Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”

“Not in this specific setting.”

There’s a slight shift in his eyes as his imagination wanders. The dimples at the side of his mouth concave slightly.

“I gotcha.”

Eddie clears his throat. “So uh, when can you start?”

Today is Wednesday. You have tomorrow, Friday, and the weekend to settle you and Max in and make any last minute stops. Then the appointment with the other loan officer and DMV appointment on Monday. Tuesday afternoons are dry — everywhere so that left the earliest you can start as

"Next Tuesday? In the evening?"

A soft snort escapes from the club owner’s nose.

"Driest night of the week," he comments, looking around his club.

He turns back to you.

"But a good time for orientation. Works for me, Shy Girl. Can I call you that?”

You smirk. “So I got the job?”

He nods.

“Then you can call me what you want,” you smile shaking his hand. “In this case I’m Shy Girl Hargrove.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he smiles. He knows you’re flirting. Eddie accepts your hand and shakes it firmly.

“Eddie. Pleased to formally meet you. And welcome to Hellfire.”

You two exchange contact information for professional purposes before he leaves. You study Eddie as he sees himself out, planting a firm, teasing smack on Lucas’s stomach on his way and whispering something to Jonathan as well.

Your cheerleader from the crowd excitedly makes her way over.

“I know a dancer slash gymnast when I see one,” she chirps. “I’m Chrissy. Stage name is Cherry.”

You two shake hands and exchange further compliments with one another. Your heart swells when you realize you’re slowly starting to find community.

“It’s so nice to meet you.”

Others come and say hello, but you’ve tuned out all the faces because all you can think about is Eddie. His demeanor. The way he carries himself. His presence alone was something so intoxicating that it lingered around the place in his absence.

Your heart flutters.

“Oh, Hargrove!” Jonathan says. “Before you go I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to worry about the drink.”

“Oh?” you respond. “No?”

“Eddie says it’s on the house.”

You smile and Jonathan returns the favor, making sure you see him when he voids your entire tab. As you wave bye to all your spectators, you release a grateful sigh. You felt very humbled about this new, yet unexpected beginning.

The happiness soon wears off when the events that just unfolded dawn on you. Suddenly, the flutter in your heart moves to your stomach, settling in a way that feels eerie. The unknown is pestering you again. Wrong, but oh so right and necessary.

You take in the area around you. You have a place to call home. You’re a stripper now. Your boss just bought your drink. You’re going to have money coming in. Oh, and YOU’RE A STRIPPER NOW.

Then it dawns on you. You need to go shopping.

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ladykailitha · 3 months ago

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The Hellfire Exotic Club Part 1

September was way too far away for the release of this story. It was just becoming too fun not let you see it. So here's a sneaky peek before my hiatus on the 18th.

Rated M This story is not for the under 18 set. Like this whole story deals with sex and nudity. Might even make it a hard E to be on the safe side.

Summary: The Hellfire Exotic Club was the hottest ticket around. The best male and female exotic dancers in the whole god damn state with each night a deadly sin. When owner, Eddie loses his Envy because the guy fucked the wrong person, he has a week to find a replacement. But when Steve auditions with Julia Michael's Heaven, it turns the entire club on its head.

Now Eddie must deal with the usual nut jobs trying to close him down, dancers not liking the new changes, and his former Envy causing trouble, all this on top of having budding feelings for Steve.

But if Eddie is anything, he's resilient and stubborn. Come hell or high water, him and his club is going to come out of this just fine.

The Hellfire Erotic Club was the hottest ticket in town. Known for two things. It’s hellish theme and its eccentric owner and lead dancer Eddie Munson. It was mainly a burlesque club with some stripping involved. But that’s not why people came in droves. Eddie was Lucifer, king of hell and his dancers all had demon names: Lilith, Astraroth, Mephistopheles, Beelzebub, Leviathan just to name a few.

There were women dancers, but the main draw was men in shapes and sizes, dancing. Each night was a deadly sin. With Lucifer on Saturday night as Pride. The only colors allowed seemed to be red or black with little variation, but what they lacked in originality they made up for in style.

Their outfits were always the titillation of the crowd even before they came off. Not that they always did. It was entirely up to the dancer. One of everyone’s favorite nights was Mammon the demon of gluttony. He was a heavy set man who could out spin anyone on the pole and always stayed dressed for the whole show. Except on his nights when he was bathed in an glittering yellow glow, he would get as far as just his pants on. Regardless of what did or didn’t take off, Mammon attracted quite the crowd every Tuesday night.

Eddie loved what he did. His demons were the talk of the town and everyone who was anyone came through his doors. But he had a problem. His demon of Envy Billy Hargrove got caught with the daughter of the mayor. The very married daughter of the mayor. By her husband on what was supposed to be their wedding anniversary.

And while Eddie liked to court controversy, not that kind. It was bad for business if people thought they could get into the g-strings of his dancers. It set a far too dangerous precedent that he really didn’t want to set.

Billy got nasty when Eddie decided to let him go, which only further cemented his decision to do so.

So now he was down a deadly sin and only three days to fill it. To say that he was sweating bullets would be an understatement. He was on his thirteenth audition in as many days and his head was pounding. This was the last one of the day and then he could go home and wallow in his misery.

Then the first notes of Heaven by Julia Michaels filled the air and Eddie looked up. The dancer was gorgeous. He was fit in a way that reminded him of classical ballet dancers. Thin and yet strength showing in every step.The way he moved was like wind on the water. Each move, each step was sensual and sexy as hell.

Eddie scrambled to find the guy’s application. Steve Harrington. And yep, three years of classical ballet at the local dance company, two years on the pole at strip club. And...oh that was interesting. A year teaching pole dancing at a local fitness club to rich bitches.

The song ended and the guy cracked a wide grin at him, nearly ending Eddie’s life. He was elbowed in the ribs by his choreographer and partner in crime, Chrissy Cunningham.

“What made you decide to try out for this position?” Eddie asked, still looking at the application.

“You’ll probably laugh,” Steve said with a disarming smile, “but me and my best friend have always worked together and she recently got a job here as a waitress, so I thought why the hell not, and decided to audition after I saw the flier when I dropped her for her first day of work last night.”

“Robin Buckley is your best friend?” Chrissy asked, her eyes wide.

This time it was Eddie’s turn to elbow his best friend. She already had a crush on the new waitress.

“I have to say,” Chrissy said, leaning on the table with her elbows, “the size of your balls of bringing a song titled ‘Heaven’ to club known for its Satan iconography must be really off the charts.”

Steve threw his head back and laughed. “Did it work?”

Chrissy and Eddie shared a glance. And then Eddie leaned forward next to her, mirroring her pose.

“Yes,” he said with a matching grin, “You’re hired.”

To say Eddie was impressed with Steve’s dancing would have been an understatement. The guy had moves that he had created himself. Hell he had an entire routine on a chair that made the “Flashdance” one look tame in comparison.

Fuck, even Chrissy was super close in asking him to teach her some things, because on top of dancing like a sex god, he had the patience of a saint when it came to teaching.

Eddie had fifteen dancers, well technically fourteen because he was one of the dancers. But he had seven principle dancers (again including himself) and eight backup dancers. All named after demons and evil gods. Beings that belonged to hell.

But they were having a hard time figuring out what to name Steve. Billy had gone by Asmodeus even though he had been Envy and not Lust. Envy because he wanted the job of Lust soooo badly.

Steve was okay with taking up the position of Envy. He was the new guy after all and beggars couldn’t be choosers.

But there was something about Steve that made it hard to pick a name for him. So he went hunting down demon and devil names. He already had quite the roster of best Hell had to offer with his backup dancers.

Like his Seven Deadly Sins they were all shapes and sizes, not being able to get work anywhere else because they weren’t the ‘ideal’ body type for dancers.

Fuck, three of his Sins weren’t even ‘thin’ or ‘built’ by any stretch of the imagination. Mammon, Lamia, and Rosier all had body types that would have made other erotic clubs balk.

Mammon, his Greed was more like the comic book character The Kingpin. He was built like a tank and was fucking sexy for it. His curly hair was styled 1920s chic and it made for a rare week day being popular.

Lamia, his Wrath was voluptuous and curvy. She wasn’t ‘fat’ or whatever, but she wasn’t dancer sleek either. Her dusky skin tone and long black hair made her exotic and interesting. On the nights it wasn’t her Sin, she did belly dancing and she was enchanting.

And finally Rosier, his Lust. This is where Eddie courted controversy in the best ways. People could get behind Wrath or Greed not being conventionally attractive, but Lust? That was different. Rosier was a black man who was built, but not in a Chippin’ Dales or Magic Mike kind of way, more in a boxer kind of way. He was barrel-chested with thick thighs. But there was no doubt Rosier was the it guy for all the bachelorette and even a couple of bachelor parties.

Yeah, sure, Gluttony, Sloth, and now Envy were all dancer builds, but the fact that the other half wasn’t? That’s what made The Hellfire Exotic Club so special. That’s what got people through the door every night.

While Hellfire was open every night, Eddie was the only dancer who was there all week. He was the owner and had to be there, but he always made sure each dancer had one night if not two a week they had off.

That was another thing that they were having trouble finding for Steve, what he could do on the nights he wasn’t Envy. Because everyone had something. Stella, his Lamia belly danced; Jeff, his Lust, sang; and even his Sloth, Gareth, played piano.

It wasn’t until Chrissy suggested that the two of them, her and Steve, dancing together as angels on their off days, did it all click.

Steve would dance Monday through Saturday as Samael and then “fall” during his final dance with Chrissy on Saturday to dance Sunday as the envious Satan.

Plus it gave the club a chance to shake up the program in a way that Eddie would have never thought of before hiring Steve.

“And five, six, seven, eight!” Chrissy called out time as Steve hurried to learn a new a dance in three days.

He stumbled and the whole dance crew gasped.

“Hey, Dingus!” Robin called from behind the bar were she was learning the different drinks for Wrath Thursday. “Don’t break a leg, this isn’t theater and they really don’t want to have to hire someone else. Plus, I’d kill you.”

Eddie and Chrissy gave each other concerned glances before Steve burst out laughing.

“If you think this is so easy, bitch,” Steve sassed back, “you get up here and shake your ass and I’ll do the waiting table bit!”

Robin gasped in outrage. “How dare you presume that I couldn’t!”

“Robs,” he said with a sneer, “you have all the coordination of a three hour old baby giraffe and the spots to match!”

She threw down her towel and chased him around the stage, both of them giggling like children.

“Cher,” Eddie said to Chrissy, “how’s that crush coming now?”

Chrissy hit his arm. “Oh yeah, it was bad enough when she was just a cute waiter, but now she’s got this weird sibling relationship with the hottest dancer you’ve ever hired, this is way worse.”

“Glad you made the distinction about hired dancer,” he huffed. “If I‘m not the fairest of them all, I start throwing apples.”

Chrissy’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, we should have a fairy tale night where everyone dances to different fairy tales. With your looks you’d be perfect for Snow White. The pale skin, the dark hair, just add the red lips and it would be perfect.”

Eddie rubbed his chin. “We could even do it on a Sunday, because most of the fairy tales are about envy right? Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, even Hansel and Gretel. Start coming up with fairy tales you’d want to do and we start practicing for it.”

“You’ve got it, babe!” Chrissy said with a kiss on his cheek. She turned back to the stage. “Hey Robin! You can’t murder the talent.”

Robin stopped in her tracks and turned slowly toward the front where Eddie, Chrissy and the rest of the dancers were watching their antics with varying degrees of amusement and shock.

“Shit.” She turned back to Steve. “You live today, dingus. But I’m watching you.”

Steve laughed out loud, his head thrown back, his eyes crinkled, his nose scrunched up, and his mouth wide open as his body just shook with the mirth. “You love me!”

Robin put one hand on her hip and tapped her lips thoughtfully. “Yeah, I suppose.” She went over and kissed his cheek before hopping off the stage and trotting back to the bar to finish being trained.

Chrissy blinked at Steve for a moment before shaking herself off. “Starting at the top?”

“Sure thing!” he chirped happily and got back into starting position.

“Hey, Chris,” one of the backup dancers said shyly.

“Oh hey, Stolas,” she greeted him by his demon name. “What’s up?”

Stolas chewed on his lip and twisted his fingers together. “This might be out of line, but I think I know why he keeps flubbing up at the turn on the second chorus.”

The whole place went dead silent. Eddie opened his mouth to tell him to keep to his place when Steve spoke up.

“Why’s that?” he asked jutting his chin up.

“He’s trying to do the turn as he would in ballet and pirouette,” Stolas said meekly. “But it’s coming off too weak for the move, so he keeps falling.”

Chrissy and Eddie’s jaws dropped. They weren’t the type to see a ballet much less having danced it. Chrissy had a background in cheer and gymnastics, while Eddie had always done burlesque. Eddie knew what to look for when interviewing dancers, of course. There was a certain style and strength that came from doing ballet. Hell, Steve wasn’t his only former ballet dancer. Stolas was one. Leviathan was another. He even had a couple others that started in ballet but moved to other styles of dance.

But Eddie wouldn’t have known why Steve kept fumbling that part.

“Can you show him how to do the turn?” he asked.

Stolas nodded. Eddie waved his arm in the direction of the stage and Stolas hopped up to the stage.

“All right, Stolas,” Steve said with a grin. “Show me what you’ve got.”

And fucking hell, the instant Stolas got into position Eddie could immediately tell the difference between Steve’s and Stolas’ stances. Stolas planted his feet differently.

Eddie watched as Stolas and Chrissy worked together to help Steve get the dance down.

God, he loved his people.

On nowhere else could he have found such a great combination of dancers and good people. Yeah, he got to dance with his best friends, play his guitar, operate a club that was world renown, but knowing that he attracted good people, too? Yeah, that was what made Hellfire so special.

And Steve was going to fit right in.

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

Tag List: ONE SLOT REMAINING

1-@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @cryptid-system

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @justforthedead89 @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji

5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes

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thefreakymunson · 2 years ago

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Leather and Lace, Chapter 7

taglist: : @fuckmeupeds @xcatnapsx @sidthedollface2 @aysheashea @eddiemunson95 @micheledawn1975 @sherrylyn628 @themrsmunson A/N: Not much longer until i bring this fic to a close. Hopefully you'll all enjoy it! LEATHER AND LACE MASTERLIST

Luna stared into the abyss that was the leftover medical equipment in her mothers bedroom. The hospital bed sat untouched, the linen still the same as the day she passed away. It had been nearly three days now and the funeral planning had been hard. They settled for something small and intimate. Cremation was the cheapest route, and they were able to rent a casket for a few hours, cutting costs significantly. If it wasn’t for the payment option, there was no way she would’ve been able to afford to pay for it.

The person she thought was her best friend, Elizabeth, didn’t show her face during the entire process, but she wasn’t alone like she thought she would be. Eddie was there, standing quietly as he watched the entire process. He rubbed her back when she started crying, walked around the funeral home with her, and offered support where he could.

When she needed a break, he walked with her outside and leaned against the van with her, lighting the end of her cigarette. He made sure she remembered to eat, having to force her a few times, but as easy as it was to get lost in the grief – he was there to remind her to take care of herself, too.

She thwarted herself back to the present as she moved through the room and sat down on the mattress, taking a deep breath. The company would be back to collect the oxygen supplies and assistive devices. This would just be an empty room, but the memories would still be there. She started by stripping the bed of its linen, tossing them into the corner to be washed, laughing to herself as she found a rolled joint tucked away in the side of the bed, and then an idea popped in her mind when she remembered Eddie was outside of her trailer, working on her car.

He had been bugging to get at it since he learned it was broken down. Now that her secret was out, there was no reason to stop him. The car would’ve been a dead giveaway if he had paid any attention to the parking lot at the club, but now there was no need to hide it. He pulled the tarp off of it and popped the hood immediately when they got back to the trailer park and had been outside ever since. It was time they had a little bit of fun after this past week of actual hell.

She stood on the porch, watching him for a few minutes. His hands were covered in grease plum up to his elbows, his hair was tied messily on top of his head, there was a sheen of sweat covering his arms from the hot Indiana sun beating down on him. The flannel he was wearing earlier was tied around his waist, the black tank top soaked in sweat. He stood up straight, wiped his brow on his forearm, and cursed loudly as he looked down at the car underneath him.

“Is it broken for good?” Luna asked, the screen door slamming shut behind her as she walked down the steps.

“Not for good, but I am going to have to go bug Wayne to have him help me get the transmission off.” Eddie sighed.

“The what?”

“Transmission blew,” Eddie nodded, “It’s not a cheap fix, but I can get a deal on a used one down at the dump. The owner owes me a few hundred bucks anyway.”

“No, I don’t want to put you out.” Luna shook her head, “I can pay for it.”

“Doll, you’re not putting me out of anything. I’m never going to see that money…the least he can do is give me a good transmission,” Eddie shrugged, watching as she leaned against the side of the car.

He tried to keep his eyes from trailing over her body, but he couldn’t. The shorts she was wearing and the tank top that showed her black bra underneath it was enough to nearly drive him crazy. The last time they kissed was just a tease. It kept him up at night, the way her body slotted against his when he pinned her against the wall.

“I found us something,” Luna said as she walked closer to him, drawing him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah? What’s that?” Eddie quipped as he leaned forward, resting his hands on the frame of the car in hopes to hide his growing erection.

She silently held up the perfectly rolled joint vertically in front of him, “One of Lori’s finest.”

“Shittt,” he laughed, “Light it up.”

“While you’re busy?” Luna laughed.

“Well,” he huffed as he bent down under the hood again and yanked on something metal. He stood up straight, tossed whatever it was that he removed to the side, and then smiled wickedly down at her, “I’m not going to stop working, but…you can hold it for me, hm?”

She felt every ounce of blood in her body rush to her core at that exact moment. She had to remind herself to breathe, despite the flood of warmth that radiated between her thighs and also across her face. She told herself days ago, even promised herself, she wasn’t going to falter. She said they couldn’t be a thing and she meant it…but God was he making it impossible and she was sure he wasn’t even aware that he was doing it.

She reached into the front of his jeans where she knew he kept his lighter and hiked her ass up to rest on the side of the car, supporting herself on one leg as she lit the joint and took a drag from it, watching as the amber glow burned towards the center. He watched her out the corner of his eye, biting on his bottom lip as she leaned back a bit and let the smoke flow from her lips with a soft exhale.

“What is it?” He nodded towards her hand.

“I’m not sure,” she shrugged, “She has a few plants outback. You can have ‘em if you want them.”

She placed the joint in front of him, watching as he leaned forward and took a puff from it as well, and she uncharacteristically leaned against his arm, ignoring his slight protest.

“Gonna get you dirty, doll.” Eddie said, looking down at her as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

“What if that’s what I want?” She asked, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked up at him, “What if I want you to get me dirty?”

“I think you’re just saying that,” Eddie smirked, “You’ve turned down all of my other advances.”

“You haven’t tried since before Elizabeth friend dumped me,” she shrugged, dragging her thumb over his bottom lip softly before placing the joint back between his lips, “There’s nothing in my way now.”

He took a long drag from the joint and then leaned down, pressing his lips to hers as she stood on her tip toes. The kiss was intense, her free hand sliding to the back of his head as she stood on her tip toes to be able to fully reach him. He stepped closer, absent mindedly moving his arms around her waist, before he realized he was still covered in grease. He leaned back and looked down at her, suddenly aware that this might not be the best idea. She had been through so many things – so many heartaches within the past day. He didn’t want her to regret him, ever…

“Luna…” It was a quiet whisper, but the look on his face said a million things.

Please don’t kiss me if you’re not going to truly want this.

Please don’t kiss me and then just pull away. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath in. Things had sucked for her these past few days and maybe she wasn’t thinking clearly. Between being slandered at school and her mother dying, all she had felt was disappointment after disappointment – heartache after heartache. She was tired of hurting.

“Isn’t that why you’re still hanging out with me?” She shrugged, but the tears stung the corner of her eyes and she swallowed thickly, “Or is it that you want Liz, right? I can go put on the mask and one of my outfits…make your fantasies come true right? You get to fuck the school’s resident whore?”

“What-“

Luna sighed, watching as he wiped his hands off on a towel he pulled out of his back pocket, “You’re turning me down, but I can guarantee that if I was in my Liz attire, you would be all over me, wouldn’t you?”

“Stop,” he said, softly but sternly, “I’m not turning you down, I’m just making sure this is something you really want to do. You’ve been through a lot these past two days, Lu…I don’t want you to wake up tomorrow morning and realize you regret it.”

“Regret it?” She looked genuinely shocked, “Eddie, I’ve had a crush on you for years. You were the first person to talk to me when I got to high school and the only one who has stuck beside of me through Elizabeth’s bullshit. I just wanted to say thank you, I guess, in more ways than just one….” She scoffed and shook her head again, “Regret you…that’s impossible, Eddie.”

“You don’t have to thank me. Not with your words or your body.” Eddie shrugged and took a deep, slow breath in. “Can I be honest with you over something? And you not laugh at me?”

“Of course,” she frowned, “I’m not going to laugh at you over anything.”

He chewed on his bottom lip a moment, big brown eyes staring down into the motor as his cheeks tinted red. She could tell whatever he was getting ready to say was something he deemed embarrassing. She slid her hand up over his forearm and leaned against him, “Whatever you’re going to say, I’m not going to judge you on. You should know that.”

He took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled it, sighing as he did so.

“I’m still technically a virgin,” Eddie muttered, causing her to stand straight up and look at him skeptically.

"But I thought-“

“No.” Eddie quickly shook his head, “We went down on each other but I’ve never actually…ya know.”

“All the girlfriends you’ve had-“

“Just never felt right,” Eddie shrugged as his cheeks reddened even deeper, “I know that makes me sound like a pussy, hm? Most guys are just gunning for whatever they can stick it in but I’ve just wanted the first time to be more than some random house party or a quickie trying not to get caught by parents.” He was quiet for a moment before he laughed, “God, I do sound like a fucking loser.”

“No, you don’t. There’s nothing wrong with having expectations of your first time.” Luna shook her head as she threaded their fingers together, “I didn’t know or I wouldn’t have just thrown myself at you like that. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Eddie shrugged, “I just – fuck, I don’t know. You’re just…you’ve always seemed off limits to me, but no one else felt right until I kissed you.”

And maybe it was the selfish part of her coming to light, slipping free of the confines that she kept her locked in…but the fact that Elizabeth hadn’t sunk her nails into him completely was a win in her book. Kissing him felt more than right. It felt…good. It was a deeper connection, the way their bodies slid together made her mind go blank. She could still feel her body buzzing from the kiss just a few minutes ago. She realized she was still absent mindedly rubbing his forearm, lightly raking her fingernails over his smooth skin as she leaned into his side, when she made the mistake of looking up at him.

Long black hair was falling into his face as he looked down at her. Pink tinted cheeks, a mixture of the embarrassment of their conversation and the heat from the weather, lead to kiss reddened lips. The look in his eyes sent a wave of need through her body. He was beautiful like this, flustered and laid wide open in front of her.

She had opened her mouth to say something, but she was quickly cut off by his lips on hers. The kiss was soft and pliant, the taste of the joint still lingering on their tongues as she stood up on her tip toes to kiss him deeper. The giddy, bubbly feeling rose in her stomach again as she felt his arm move to wrap around her, undoubtedly smearing a few grease stains into her white tank top.

“We don’t have to,” Luna whispered against swollen lips, “We don’t-“

“Oh how the tables have turned,” he laughed softly, “I…I want to. I think I do anyway. I can always say no, right?”

“Of course,” She gave him a soft smile, “You can always tell me no or to stop and I will…I promise.”

He shut the hood of her car and she linked their fingers together, ushering him inside her much cooler trailer. He looked over at her and gave her a small smile as she shut and locked the door behind them, suddenly feeling awkward and unsure of himself. He walked over to her kitchen sink and scrubbed the oil from his hands and arms, feeling arms snake around his waist and she pressed open mouth kisses over his shoulders, her hands sliding under his tank top.

He had been here for the past two days basically and just realized he had yet to step foot in her room. She laced their fingers together and walked towards the opposite end of where her mother’s room was. When she pushed the door open, he wasn’t sure what to expect. There was no way to truly describe Luna, but he wasn’t surprised to see it was tidy. The bed was made up, there were no clothes strewn everywhere. There was a big mirror on the side of the wall with a string of fairy strung up over the corners and fake greenery hanging over every corner of her room. He cleared his throat and she let him step further in. She was the exact opposite of him. Where her room smelled fresh and was tidy, his smelled of weed and hadn’t been cleaned in weeks – months, more than likely. It fit her nicely.

She crawled into the middle of her bed and turned around, laughing softly as she saw him standing awkwardly in the middle of her room. Never in her years of knowing him had she ever seen him so…antsy. “Come here,” she said softly, patting the space in front of her. “I meant what I said…we don’t have to do anything. We can just lay here, yeah?”

He nodded and sat down beside her, untying the flannel from around his waist and tossing it to the corner chair. She slid over a bit further, allowing him space on the queen sized bed. He leaned back against the headboard, wrapping her into a hug as she tucked herself under his chin. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead as she drew lazy circles over the zombie head tattoo on his chest and glanced up at him.

“You know, Elizabeth laughed at me when I told her I was a virgin,” he muttered.

“Yeah, well, she’s a bigger cunt than I realized she was.” Luna sighed, “Like I said, there’s nothing wrong with waiting until you’re ready. I wished I would’ve waited a bit longer.”

“Yeah?” Eddie asked, “Can…can I ask who you had sex with first or is that too invasive?”

“Not too invasive, but you’re going to judge me.” She laughed softly.

“No judgement zone.”

“Tommy,” she nodded, “Freshman year – well my freshman year. It was a few years before I started stripping, there was a party at Steve’s house and I went thinking I could be apart of the cool crowd…he wasn’t gentle and there was nothing special about losing your virginity in a closet.” She didn’t see the way his jaw ticked at the mention of Tommy. They had some unsquashed beef anyway, but knowing he hurt Luna angered him on a deeper level than it probably should have. This sweet girl laid in his arms deserved everything good – all the bad things she had went through in the past week would’ve burned anyone down, but yet she was resilient through it all. Strong. He loved that about her.

“You and Steve are close, huh? I seen him at the club a few times.”

“Not close in that way.” She shrugged, “Just friendly. He’s turned out to be a good guy. He caught me walking in to the club one day without my mask on and I was scared shitless he was going to blab, but he never did.”

It fell silent for a few minutes and she almost thought he had fallen asleep when he shifted a bit and pulled her up to eye level with him. Warm clean hand threaded through her long dark hair and she nuzzled her cheek into his palm as she looked up at him, moving to straddle his lower stomach as she felt his free hand trail over her thigh. His fingers bunched in the back of her head as he pulled her down to his level, pressing his lips against hers again, tongues brushing against one anothers. She experimentally rolled her hips, grinding herself against him as she whimpered into the seething kiss. He licked his lips, the lingering taste of her chapstick flooding his mouth as he watched her pull her tank top off and toss it to the side. Her bra was next, exposing her bare chest to him fully for the first time. His hands slid up from where they were resting on her thighs up to her chest, feeling her arch into his palms as she sighed ever so softly. Her hands slid down over his chest, fingers threading through the straps to tug him up into a sitting position and then pulled the tank top off completely and tossed it to the side. Another sloppy kiss shared as her hand snaked between their bodies, palming him over his jeans as he whimpered against her lips. “Still okay?” She asked quietly, eyes searching his face. “Yeah,” he said just above a whisper as he nodded, “Yeah, it’s okay.” She gave him a soft smile as she stood up off the bed and undone her shorts, sliding them down her thighs as she watched him lift his hips to remove his own jeans and boxers, kicking them off the edge of her bed. She took just a second to stare at him, taking in the sight of him fully naked. Pale white skin, tattoos decorating his skin in various spots, a few scars – no one would ever believe her, and he wouldn’t either, if she said just how beautiful he was. He watched with big round brown eyes as she straddled him again, his hands coming up to rest on her hips. He took in the sight of her – seeing her like this was different than he expected. She wasn’t Liz – she wasn’t hidden. She was Luna – the girl who was getting ready to take his virginity, and there was no hesitation on his part. “Do you want to get on top?” She asked quietly, her hand reaching for his hard cock that was resting against his lower stomach. He was thick and warm in her hand, heavy and throbbing already. Her pussy throbbed even harder as she watched him bit his bottom lip and shake his head slightly.

“No…you can,” he said, nearly whimpering as she swiped her thumb over his tip and stroke him a bit faster, “But what about a condom? I – I didn’t – fuck.” She bit back a laugh, letting go of his cock and bringing her thumb up to her lips, licking the precum off of her fingertips as she stared into his eyes. “Eds, I’m on birth control. We’re covered on that part, and I’m clean. If that’d make you more comfortable-“

“Nonono,” he shook his head, “I’m clean, too.” “Good,” she gave him a small smile, “So…you want to continue or…?” “Yes,” he nodded quickly.

She grinned teasingly, walking her fingers over his lower stomach“Are you sure? We can-“

She squealed when he wrapped his arms around her waist and flipped their positions so she was laying on her back in the middle of the bed, the two of them laughing. It felt good to laugh, the two of them sharing a small smile as he settled himself between her legs. She grinned as he knocked her legs open a bit wider, his lips leaving wet kisses over her neck. He slid his fingers through her slit, groaning as he felt just how wet she was.

She spread her legs wider, reaching down between them to grip his cock guide him to her throbbing cunt. She stared up at him, searching brown eyes as she felt him right against her entrance. He pressed his lips against hers as he pressed into her. Shared gasps left their mouths, causing her to shudder as he stretched her open slowly inch by inch.

“Holy shit,” he panted once he had slid as deep as he could, his forehead resting against hers as he panted, “Jesus, Luna…fuck.”

She locked her legs behind his waist, lifting her hips up against his as she kissed him hungrily. Embarrassingly, she wasn’t going to last long. It had been a while for her since anyone else had been allowed to touch her. He was quiet, sans a few soft grunts and whimpers as he thrust lazily against her, getting used to the wet warmth wrapped around him.

He buried his face in her neck as his thrusts became more calculated, having found a rhythm that felt amazing. He tried to hold off, knowing all the jokes about virgins not lasting long, but by the sounds she was making, she wasn’t going to last long, either. He watched as her fingers worked quickly over her clit, her cunt pulsing around him, and before he realized what was happening, she was clinging to him entirely as she cried out his name. His moans were muffled by her neck as he came right after her, his hips snapping into hers as he felt her trembling underneath him. His weight pinned her down to the bed as they both lazily ground against each other, riding out the waves. She cradled the back of his head to her chest, fingers digging into his back. She shuddered slightly as she felt him pull out of her, watching as he moved to lay beside her. She grinned to herself, watching as he stared up at the ceiling and then glanced over at her, her smile spreading to his face. “Was that okay?” She asked quietly, reaching over to tuck his hair behind his ear, giggling as he captured her palm in his larger one and pressed it against his face.

“It was perfect, are you kidding me?” Eddie huffed as he looked over at her.

She moved closer to him, watching as he turned to lay on his side facing her. She could’ve laid there like that for the rest of her life and been happy. The world was crumbling around her, she had lost two very important people to her…but she didn’t feel as alone as she thought she would. She watched as his eyes drew heavy, brown eyes fighting to stay awake, matching her own dreary stare.

“Can I ask you something else?” He mumbled as she moved closer to him, their legs tangling together as he draped a protective arm around her waist.

“Hmm?”

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

#Eddie Munson #Eddie Munson x OC #Eddie Munson fanfic #Smut #Angst #Leather and Lace #thefreakymunson

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