#this isn’t Eddie’s first time being in this situation and he’s learned a long time ago that you can’t give in to Steve’s puppy eyes

[morganbritton132]

Eddie posts a Tiktok of Steve laying in bed. His eyes are shut and he has on one of those cooling gel eye masks. Eddie is zooming in and out on his face. He’s quiet for a second and then asks, “Steeeevie?”

Steve: I’m fine

Eddie: Do you have a headache?

Steve, for the hundredth time: No

Eddie, in a sing-song as he zooms in on the moles on Steve’s neck: I don’t believe you. This isn’t my first rodeo

Steve: You’ve never been to the fucking rodeo

[eddiesghxst]

PRICE OF FAME (PART 4/12)

AHHH HERE WE GO, ENJOY!!!

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18+ — MINORS DNI

pairing: rockstar!eddie x journalist!reader

summary: wayne is in town and eddie thinks he kind of hates you... maybe

contains: enemies to lovers trope, smoking, drug and alcohol use, scary and sticky feelings, king richie being king richie, and eddie thinks you taste sweet <3

word count: 3.8k

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Eddie’s going insane, he thinks.

There’s something wrong with him. Something seriously wrong.

It’s been two days since Eddie slept in your room. Forty-eight hours have passed since you so graciously offered him the peace and solace of your extra hotel bed, and Eddie has yet to stop thinking about you.

The morning after sleeping in your room, Eddie snuck out as quietly as possible to avoid any awkward conversation, even if nothing was particularly awkward about the situation. He didn’t want to have to thank you for letting him stay with you, and he knew that if he’d waited until you woke up, he would have to thank you. So, he escaped first thing in the morning, as any avoidant and coward-like person would do.

He spent all day with fleeting thoughts of you— remembering the sight of you smiling under the light of the TV, the sound of you laughing, the visual of you swallowed beneath fluffy sheets and pillows, pouty lips parted to let out the cutest, most annoying, and fucking nerve-grating snores that gently lulled Eddie to sleep. 

He spent time wondering what you were doing, how you looked and sounded in the morning, and being annoyed with himself for depriving himself of the chance to witness that. He wondered if you looked for him when you realized he was no longer in the room— if you were annoyed that he left without saying anything, or if you didn’t care. God, why does he care? It’s not like you two fucked, he just crashed in your room.

That same morning, Eddie had the phantom of your scent all around him. Soft, inviting, and all things alluring, and Eddie wanted to sink his teeth into it and gnaw at it like some fucking teething dog. What the fuck?

There’s something wrong.

However, those weird and unwanted feelings have died down since Eddie hasn’t seen you in the past forty-eight hours. Granted, that’s probably because he’s been subconsciously avoiding you like the plague, which has been relatively easy, considering they’ve been on a short break.

Thankfully, Eddie had a solid reason as to why he fled your room so early that morning— to pick up Wayne from the airport. He took Wayne to a breakfast diner and treated him to a warm meal and coffee to ease the stress of traveling from his bones. 

And Wayne has never been to New York, so Eddie took the time to show him around. Eddie’s been to the city many times, and he likes to think he’s somewhat of a pro now that he knows his way around the subway. Eddie swears learning the subway was easier than passing senior year, and that says something.

After breakfast, Eddie took Wayne to the Brooklyn Bridge, where they could see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. From there, they took a cab to Times Square so Wayne could witness the absolute chaos that is New York City. They spent some time in Times Square, watching street performances and snacking on greasy foods, and they had a good time until a few people spotted Eddie.

Wayne always tells Eddie he doesn’t mind fans coming up to them and enjoys watching Eddie interact with his supporters. Still, Eddie gets weary of crowds becoming rowdy around anybody he loves, so he tries to keep the interactions to a minimum when he’s out with company.

And Wayne isn’t much of an expressive person, but Eddie’s been around him long enough to read his microexpressions easily and understand that Wayne seemed to like New York so far.

Eddie hasn’t told Wayne about Gareth, partly because he knows he’ll get a long talk about how violence solves nothing, but more importantly, because Eddie doesn’t want to admit that Wayne was right about Chrissy. 

Wayne never trusted Chrissy all that much. Chrissy was friendly, respectful, and all things socially acceptable, but she lacked in the caring department. Wayne didn’t like that Chrissy never supported Eddie’s dreams, never showed up to a single show, or didn’t even bother learning the lyrics to at least one song. She didn’t care to show up for Eddie, but Eddie was always there for her. Always.

Chrissy was greedy with love, and Wayne saw right through her innocent act.

And given that Wayne is quite the expert at seeing people for who they really are, Eddie doesn’t understand why he doesn’t see through your innocent act.

It’s Wayne’s third night in New York when you finally cross paths. You’d been passing by each other in the hotel lobby; Eddie, Wayne, and Richie leaving while you were on your way in— and Eddie was content with ignoring you, but god, you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?

 “You must be the infamous Wayne,” You smile as you shake the older man’s hand. Eddie stands between Wayne and Richie as he stuffs his hands in his pockets while Wayne greets you, pursing his lips and rocking on the heels of his feet as you and Wayne share a short introduction— Richie snickers beside him.

“You three look fancy; what’s the occasion?” You wonder aloud. Wayne smiles, and Eddie doesn’t know when Wayne became so kind to strangers, especially annoying strangers. “Eddie here is treating us to dinner,” Wayne explains, reaching over to pat Eddie’s stiff shoulder. Eddie thinks that may be your indication to leave, but he’s sadly mistaken when Richie adds, “Have you eaten yet? Would you like to tag along?”

Eddie thinks the age is getting to Richie’s head because Richie must be out of his fucking mind. 

His head snaps to glare at Richie, about to cut in until you speak up, “Oh! I couldn’t; I don’t want to impose.” You shake your head with a kind smile. Good, Eddie thinks. Don’t impose, stay far a-fucking-way.

But Richie— god, Eddie can’t believe Richie, “Ah, the more, the merrier,” he waves you off, “And the rockstar will pay for us. Who turns down a free meal?” Wayne jumps in, causing you to erupt in soft laughter.

Eddie has to end this, obviously.

“The reservation is for three,” Eddie chips in, and finally, the three of you acknowledge his presence, turning to him as he shifts on his feet. “And we don’t have time to wait for you to get ready.” He adds, pursing his lips and shrugging in an ‘oh well’ gesture.

If Eddie weren’t watching you so intently, he wouldn’t have noticed the tiny shift of you caving into yourself, but he does, and he kind of feels bad for a quick second. He doesn’t know why he feels bad because he wasn’t even lying. The reservation was for three, and with New York traffic, they should’ve been on their way roughly fifteen minutes ago.

You open your mouth to respond, probably throw in the flag and let the three men be on their way, but Richie opens his fucking mouth again, “Well, we can wait, and I’m sure you can pull some strings for a third chair, son.”

And Eddie could. He can definitely get a fourth seat because he’s friends with the restaurant owner, but Eddie doesn’t want to. And he sure as hell doesn’t want to pay for your goddamn meal, but, as always, despite Eddie’s wishes, Richie insists you tag along. 

He, Wayne, and Richie end up sitting in the lobby waiting for you to get dressed in your room. Wayne and Richie are sitting on opposite sides of the couch, Wayne quietly flipping through a magazine and Richie mindlessly people-watching as Eddie impatiently bounces his leg and pouts in the seat across them. Wayne doesn’t bother looking at Eddie when he says, “You’re gonna leave a dent in the floor, son.”

Eddie glares at Wayne and Richie, “Why did you invite her?” He snaps.

Wayne flips the page of the flimsy book, heavily sighing and shifting in his seat, “This is the girl you mentioned at breakfast, right?”

Richie snickers and raises an eyebrow at Eddie, “You mentioned Birdie at breakfast? That’s interesting.” He jokes, to which Eddie grumbles a short and snippy, “Shut up.”

And yeah, maybe Eddie did mention you to Wayne, but it wasn’t… it wasn’t like that, okay? You just piss Eddie off, and now that he’s not on good terms with Gareth, and Jeff is too busy with his head stuck up his girlfriend's ass, Eddie has nobody to turn to for a good rant, and Wayne— well, Wayne was just there. 

“Yes. But did you also hear me mention that I can’t stand her, or did you just stop listening after I said her name?” Eddie grumbles. Wayne smiles behind the magazine, and Eddie can hear it in his voice when he responds, “No, I heard it all… sounded like a load of bullshit.” 

Richie laughs, but Eddie ignores it as his face twists in confusion at Wayne’s words, “Excuse me?”

Wayne closes the magazine and looks at Eddie, “Boy, did fame take away what little common sense you had? You don’t hate the girl.”

Before Eddie can respond to Wayne’s encrypted comment, you appear, pulling their attention, “Thank you for waiting; I hope I wasn’t too long,” you huff while hastily adjusting the strap of your bag over your shoulder.

For a moment, Eddie doesn’t remember what he was groveling about or that he kind of hates you.

And you’ve always been pretty. Eddie never thought you were ugly, and quite honestly, if you’d met under different circumstances and you weren’t a pain in the ass, Eddie might’ve fucked you. But Eddie’s hatred for you outshined your beauty… most of the time. However, that film of dusty and grey disdain has been clearing recently, and Eddie’s not sure if he should turn away or keep looking because you’re breathtaking.

He doesn’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the dress you’ve chosen and how perfectly crafted it is for you, how the colors compliment your skin in an achingly perfect way. Maybe it’s the way your eyeliner is slightly smudged and smoky from your rushed movements to avoid being late for the reservation. Or maybe Eddie’s just lost his mind right along with Wayne and Richie. For now, he’ll stick with the latter.

Eddie stands up with a loud huff, “Let's go. Before they give someone else our table.” He grumbles, brushing past you and walking off without another word.

Eddie misses the slight and amused smirk on Wayne’s lips.

Wayne, you come to learn, is funny.

You’d thought the ride to the restaurant would be awkward, given that Eddie clearly doesn’t want you here, but Wayne and Richie left no room for the tension to rise. They both told stories and jokes the entire drive, and by the time you arrived at the restaurant, your stomach was sore from laughter. Honestly, you’re not sure how Wayne raised Eddie only for Eddie to end up like… Eddie. Wayne is kind and inviting and all things opposite of Eddie. You almost believe they’re tricking you.

“Since when did you become a stand-up comedian, Wayne?” Eddie sarcastically asks as he opens the door to the restaurant. Wayne had just made a joke about how Eddie was a troublemaker in high school, which Eddie clearly didn’t think was funny, given the scowl on his face.

“I’ve always been a comedian, son.” Wayne pats Eddie on the back as he steps into the fancy establishment. You glance at Eddie and thank him for holding the door as you follow behind Wayne, Richie stepping in behind you.

Eddie was able to get a change of tables, so you were able to join, and you thanked him on your way to the table as the waiter walked you all to your new designated seats. Eddie either didn’t hear you, or he didn’t care to respond; either way, you don’t take it to heart.

Once you reach your table, Wayne and Richie take the seats on the other side of the table, leaving you no other option but to take the seat next to Eddie. Eddie scoffs upon this realization, and you subconsciously chew the inside of your cheek as you settle in the chair.

For the most part, dinner goes by smoothly. You suppose Eddie’s distasteful attitude diffused once the food satiated his hunger— and you think Eddie has the character of a toddler that’s missed their nap time, and a part of you thinks it’s cute, watching him huff and fuss until he’s happily eating. You try your best to focus on the plate of food in front of you and the conversations between the four of you, but you often find yourself glancing over at Eddie. 

Because the way Eddie moves is like a movie.

Animated and smooth and all things annoyingly beautiful. The way he speaks with his hands, the way his hair brushes and sways back and forth over his shoulders when he shifts, the sound his rings make when clinking against the silverware. The way his cheeks carve lines when his lips stretch in a smile-soaked laugh, and his eyes widen when he gets excited while telling a story.

It’s captivating.

And a few days ago, you’d thought the wine was the cause for your unwanted attraction, but alas.

You blink away the haze of your short-lived trance and resume eating. Better to leave that road untouched.

Despite Eddie’s low expectations, dinner was good.

He had a nice plate full of food he couldn’t be bothered to learn how to pronounce and a glass of whiskey to wash it down. Wayne and Richie held a good conversation, though those two have always gotten along well since Richie entered Eddie’s life. Richie and Eddie tell Wayne all about life on the road, updating him on the craziest shows and sights, and Wayne informs Eddie about everybody back home.

The kids are soaking up their last weeks of freedom before college, and Max even got a nose piercing, “Somehow, that made her even more of a firecracker, that kid.” Wayne joked.

Wayne says he doesn’t know much about the older half of them, but he runs into one of them every now and then at the grocery store and such, and Eddie makes a mental note to call and check in before the holidays.

And then there’s you.

Eddie wanted to believe you were ruining the vibe of dinner, but you annoyingly made it… better. 

You eased into the atmosphere as if you weren’t a complete stranger, asking questions about Hawkins and adding stories of your childhood in Michigan. Eddie had expected you to shy away for most of the dinner since they were mostly discussing things you weren’t there for, but you were as involved as the three of them, if not more.

And Wayne and Richie adore you.

Richie has always made it known that he has no problem with you, and some might even think the two of you have a relationship akin to a father and daughter. But Richie has always been that way. He’s always quick to accept people into their circle and give them a chance. 

But Eddie didn’t expect Wayne to warm up to you as quickly as he did.

Wayne is usually wary of strangers, and just like Eddie, Wayne hates the media. Wayne witnessed the hell Eddie initially went through with the press— messy rumors and misconstrued words— and when Eddie almost threw in the towel for good, Wayne was there to wrap it back around Eddie’s knuckles and shove him back into the game. So, you can imagine the confusion reeling through Eddie’s mind when Wayne immediately becomes fond of you.

It’s annoying and stupid, and Eddie thinks you might be a witch because you have everybody under this weird spell that makes them like you. 

After dinner, everyone decided to enjoy the nice weather on a walk back to the hotel. Even though Eddie would’ve much rather liked to call a car and make it back to the hotel in less than ten minutes, he can admit that it feels nice to just walk around in light conversation. He doesn’t get much of this anymore. Most days, Eddie is busy doing shows, writing songs, talking to the press, and rolling through each day, so he doesn’t have the time to have simple and lighthearted moments like these.

He’s walking beside Richie, blowing through a cigarette and listening to Richie ramble on about… well, Eddie’s not sure what Richie is talking about because he’s so focused on you.

A few paces ahead of Richie and Eddie, you and Wayne walk together, wrapped up in an intriguing conversation, considering how intently you seem to be listening. You’re watching where you’re stepping, but you routinely turn to Wayne and nod to let him know you’re listening, and every now and then, you even glance back at Eddie and Richie with a soft smile.

And you’re so fucking cute for that.

Eddie thinks he might admire you for that— for being so kind and attentive to Wayne. And you’re like that with everyone: kind and perceptive in a way that makes people feel like they matter, like every word they speak matters. But this… this is different, Eddie thinks.

He’s unsure what it is, but seeing how you interact with Wayne makes his chest warm— like he’s drinking tea on a cold autumn day. Like he’s spent the day shivering in a cold building only to step out into a sunny sky and thaw the cold from his ribs.

It’s endearing, watching you.

Chrissy was never close with Wayne in any way, shape, or form. And although Eddie would’ve loved to see Chrissy interact and get along with Wayne, it just never happened. Not because Wayne was adamant about hating Chrissy or because Chrissy hated Wayne but because they just… never clicked. (And yeah, maybe Wayne disliking Chrissy had something to do with that, but that’s neither here nor there.)

And Wayne is a big part of Eddie’s life. He’s the main reason why Eddie is where he is today and not following in his deadbeat father's footsteps. 

Wayne is Eddie’s family.

And the fact that you can acknowledge that and treat their relationship with such respect and care— it makes Eddie feel things that he’s not very keen on feeling.

But the moment of admiration for you is quickly shattered when he catches a snippet of your and Wayne’s conversation.

“You’re a good journalist, I take it. Will I be getting interviewed for this article, too?” Wayne jokes, and you laugh, “If you’d like to, I'm sure I can make the time before you leave.” You respond.

And Eddie doesn’t like that. He hates that actually.

It’s nearly one in the morning when Eddie knocks on your door. They returned from dinner hours ago and called it a night, but Eddie is standing at your hotel room door, knocking at one in the morning. It’s a heavy and loud knock, enough to wake you out of the deep slumber you’d been in, given the way you grimace when you open the door.

You rub your eyes, blinking a few times before settling into a visible state of confusion once you realize the person in front of you is Eddie. You clear the sleep from your throat before sleepily blinking at Eddie and asking if everything is okay. 

Eddie doesn’t waste time cutting to the chase, “Are you trying to get my uncle in your piece?”

And yeah, maybe the question could have waited until tomorrow, and maybe the question is dumb and not all that serious considering it was clearly a joke, but Eddie smoked a blunt and couldn’t stop thinking about you— and looking at you now, god, Eddie believes if he hadn’t smoked too much to teeter on the edge of paranoid, he’d kiss you. You’re so cute; painted toes digging into the plush carpet (he thinks he should ask if you’ve iced your ankle tonight), oversized shirt hanging over your body like a blanket, messy imprinted lines of sheets on your cheek from your slumber, and a cute little frown gracing your lips. Eddie’s chest tightens.

“…Huh?”

Eddie almost forgot you were stupid.

“Wayne. Are you interviewing him for the article?” Eddie repeats.

You blink a few times, glancing around the empty hallway and shaking your head, “Eddie, this— this couldn’t have waited?” Your voice teeters on the edge of whiney as you speak.

Eddie raises an eyebrow, and you huff, rubbing your eyes again before shrugging, “No, I— I don’t think so. I mean… he’s the one who offered to talk. I’m down to do it if he’d like—” “That’s not happening.”

Your eyebrows pinch together in confusion, “Excuse me?”

Eddie shakes his head, “Leave Wayne out of your stupid piece, okay? I don’t want you interviewing him, asking him stupid questions, and twisting his words. He doesn’t need any of that shit.”

And you blink up at him like you’re having trouble processing what he’s saying, and Eddie really wants to fucking kiss you. 

Too much weed, he thinks. He should’ve never smoked that much after such a long T-break.

“Um,” you hum, taking a moment to register Eddie’s words before speaking, “Okay… I didn’t realize I had overstepped. I won’t interview Wayne.” You respond. Kind, polite, sweet, and all things that make Eddie’s brain waves spike.

You yawn into the back of your hand, “Can I— can I go back to sleep now?”

And you’re standing there, blinking up at Eddie with these soft and pretty eyes, and Eddie thinks… Eddie thinks, fuck it.

Now, Eddie hadn’t exactly planned to come here and kiss you. Or maybe he had; he’s not exactly sure at this point, but he can’t find it in himself to care because kissing you feels better than any drug Eddie could ever get his hands on.

Your lips are soft and sweet and taste like the lip balm you’d applied before bed. And here, this close to you, Eddie can smell the shampoo in your hair, the clean, scented body wash you use, and the fresh linen lingering scent of the hotel sheets, and it’s intoxicating. 

You’re shocked at first; Eddie can tell from how still your lips are, but when you realize that Eddie is kissing you, god, Eddie nearly melts.

You kiss like nobody Eddie has ever kissed before. Like you’ve spent years perfecting every single move, calculated and precise and all things electrifying. And if this is how you kiss when you’re grumpy and sleepy, Eddie can’t imagine how you kiss regularly.

But he shouldn’t be imagining that, and he shouldn’t be kissing you, and he shouldn’t even be here, for fucks sake! 

It takes nearly everything in Eddie's body and soul to pull away from you, and it pains him when he loses the feeling of your lips against his, but Jesus Christ, Eddie doesn’t know what came over him.

You look at him in shock, almost like you’ve seen a ghost, and Eddie doesn’t know what to do or say.

All he can do is turn around and go back to his room without another word, leaving you speechless and confused, with only the echo of his door slamming to aid both of your whirling thoughts.

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part five

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a/n: GASSSPPP A KISS ?? LMAOO NEXT PART WILL BE A BIT MORE DRAMA FILLED SO LOCK IN BESTIES! AS ALWAYS, I LOVE ALL AND ANY FEEDBACK SO PLS LMK HOW U FEEL <3

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cutie lil taglist: @mastermindmiko @whataboutbibi @ryanmxrie @ihatepeanutss @tlclick73 @motherfckerrr @emxxblog @jesssssmaybankk @eddiesguitarskills @bibieddiesgf @chloe-6123 @micheledawn1975 @demxnicprxncess @emma77645 @sidthedollface2 @mvnsonslvt @s-u-t @hereforshmut @welcometohellsock @lma1986 @animechick555 @sheneedsrocknroll92

[hellfirenacht]

Wing Man Part 3

A/N: This fic is all vibes, no plot so it's hard to write lol. I have a few ideas now thanks to the wonderful @crocwork-clockodile and @hellfiredarling 💜

As usual, typos are fixed live and in post lol

Fic Summary: Steve ‘the Hair’ Harrington is your best friend, and is constantly striking out. Sick of this, you two make a deal; you’ll wing man for each other. Hooking Steve up with dates is easy, but he finds himself struggling to find you a date. At least, until Dustin starts talking about his new cool friend Eddie. 

Chapter Summary: You really should be trying to flirt, but somehow you and Eddie can only ever talk about Chris Morrison.

5k words

Part 1 Part 2

Steve did not show back up for at least a half hour after he ‘went to the bathroom’. Had you not been in your current situation, you would have made fun of him for being ‘backed up’ or something along those lines.

But in all honesty, you hardly even noticed that he was gone. When Eddie dropped the puck the world had faded into a whirlwind of clacking, yelling, and pitting children against each other. With the sudden death match, Dustin had won. You had taken Mike's place, giving him a condescending pat on the head. He hadn’t been pleased about the situation, but at least it kept him from saying whatever rule-grudge that he held against Eddie.

To your surprise, Eddie had stuck around to watch the match between you and Dustin. You tried not to be too nervous as the match went on, but your freshman friend was your saving grace even as he kicked your ass.

“Eddie’s been the leader of Hellfire for years now.” Dustin said, dropping the puck down and hitting it. “He’s always been the DM.”

“Except for Chris Morrison.” you said.

“Yeah except that guy.” Dustin nodded.

“He started the club, but I made it the merry band of bandits and misfits that it is today.” Eddie said, his hands resting against the side of the table, leaning forward. You’d only been chatting with him and Dustin for a few minutes, but you had quickly learned that Eddie was not the type to stay still for very long.

“You’re gonna get your finger smashed if you keep your hand there.” you said, glancing at how close his fingers were to the smooth surface of the rink. “You’re putting a lot of trust in geometry that this puck isn’t going to crush your hand. It’s already tried to kill me once.” You doubted that the heavy silver rings on his fingers would help at all.

Eddie looked down at his hands and pulled back, just in time for the puck to nearly hit where his fingers had been. “Shit, I didn’t even notice.”

“I notice everything.” You said, not noticing as Dustin smacked the puck at an angle that went directly into your goal. “I notice some things.”

Dustin laughed, and Eddie even grinned at the joke. With that point it was game set and match, or something like that.

“Alright, I’m going to go win some tickets now.” Dustin said, putting the clacker? Paddle? Not-Hockey Stick? Down. You still didn’t know what it was called, but luckily air hockey probably wouldn’t come up again later.

You expected Eddie to leave again, but instead he leaned back against the table, now free to let his fingers dangle without fear of being crushed.

“So you really were interested in Hellfire when you were still in school?” he asked, tilting his head over at you. That same distant and unreadable expression on his face. You really wished that you knew what he was thinking right now.

“Yeah, I saw you guys always having fun so I thought I wanted to try.” you said. “But, you know. Chris Morrison.”

“Forget about Chris Morrison.” Eddie turned towards you, standing upright and looking down at you. How did he feel so tall all of the sudden? How did he keep doing that? What magic switch was he able to turn on and off in his brain to make him go from ‘just a guy’ to ‘hey, I’m in charge here.’? “What made you have an interest in Dungeons and Dragons?”

“The dragons first, and then the dungeons.” It was the first thing that popped into your head, and you immediately realized it was maybe a little stupid and sarcastic. To be fair, you also were a little stupid and sarcastic, but with the way he was looking at you, Eddie wanted a real answer. The look on his face was actually a little funny, the way his whole face fell in annoyance.

Right, he didn’t know you. You didn’t know him. He was still trying to decide if you were some sort of friend or foe. You suspected that if Dustin hadn’t chatted with you so easily through your match with him Eddie wouldn’t have bothered talking to you more.

Maybe you should fire Steve and make Dustin your wing man instead.

He didn’t immediately leave though, which made you assume that you were being given a second chance to give him a real answer.

“Alright, I played a lot of make-believe as a kid.” you said. “Then as I got older, people stopped playing, but I wasn’t ready to be done. Then when I heard about this club where you could play make-believe again, I thought it would let me have that feeling again. I thought it’d be cool to, I don’t know, have people to play with again.”

It was a childish answer, but it was a real one. Everything in your life after middle school had been a steady monotonous stream of ‘work, home, work, school, home, school function, work, home’.

“Hellfire Club isn’t Make-Believe Club.” Eddie said, still staring you down. “Yeah, it’s a fantasy game but we take it seriously. It’s not all princesses and fairy tales.”

Actually, this guy might be getting on your nerves now.

“You’re taking my answer awful personally.” you said, straightening up under his gaze. You didn’t care how intimidating he was trying to be right now, he had pissed you off. “You asked why I wanted to play, I gave you my answer. You don’t have to like it, but there it is.”

He seemed taken aback by your bluntness. He blinked, his round eyes shifting to something else. “You’re right.” he said finally with a subtle laugh. “That was a dick thing to say. I really sounded like Chris Morrison for a second.”

“Yeah, you did.” you agreed. “You always this cynical about people?”

“Well, when you’re the town freak it comes with the title.” he shrugged.

“Does it come with a sash too? Or perhaps a crown?”

“No, unfortunately Hawkins High didn’t have that in the budget this year.”

“You should take that up with the student council.”

“Or City Hall.”

He was smiling at you now, and you hated how that smile was brighter than any of the flashing lights of the arcade. The longer you looked at him, the more attractive he got. God, you were going to kill Steve for delivering something you couldn’t have.

Eddie’s demeanor changed as you two bantered, no longer on edge now. Now that he seemed sure that you weren’t here to cause problems or were just looking to laugh at the freaks, his stance was much more relaxed. You looked him over again, taking advantage of his gaze drifting to where two other members were hunched over an arcade cabinet.

He had long wavy brown hair, and you tried to place how you could have missed that in school. Surely you would have remembered someone like him, right? It felt so much like you were missing something, but you couldn’t place where you knew him. It was going to drive you insane.

“So it looks like I’m done here.” You jumped as Steve appeared behind you. You looked over at him, your face reading with panic at the idea of him ditching out on you now. Yeah, things were going a lot better without him here, and he had not been very helpful-

Okay, maybe he didn’t need to be here to help with your attempt to flirt but you still weren’t exactly eager to be left alone.

Eddie looked between the two of you and you turned to Eddie. “I’ll be right back, I’m gonna see him off.” You said.

“Right, yeah.” Eddie nodded. He was on his guard again and you felt bad that Steve’s presence caused that.

Eddie and Steve looked at each other, a tension between the two of them. For five full seconds they just stared at each other with you in the middle, wondering what the actual fuck was going on.

That’s when Eddie threw up his hands over his hand in an imitation of horns and sputtered at Steve who was immediately taken aback. It was so out of left field, and you let out a laugh before covering your mouth and grabbing Steve and dragging him away towards the entrance.

“What was that about?” you asked as you two stepped outside. “And where the hell were you for the past half hour?”

“I was giving you space because you weren’t going to get anywhere with me around.” Steve said, looking back over his shoulder. Eddie had disappeared into the arcade with his club. “He really does live up to his nickname.”

“Nickname? You’re trying to set me up with a high schooler with a nickname?” You sighed.

“Yeah, and you were basically drooling over him the whole time you were talking so, you know, you’re welcome about that.” Steve said. “Everyone called him a freak in school so, Eddie ‘the Freak’ Munson.”

“Yeah, he mentioned something about being the town freak.” you said. “Why’s he a freak exactly?”

Steve tilted his head, as if he couldn’t tell if you were joking or serious. “He runs a club called Hellfire, plays that weird game you and Dustin keep talking about, and just- look at him! With the long hair and the chains and metal patches.”

“According to you, I was looking at him.” you snorted. “So he plays games and dresses differently and has taste in music. Doesn’t make him a freak.”

“Right, I forgot you’re a total weirdo who’d be into that.”

“He was your idea!”

Steve couldn’t argue with that. All the things that he would have found off putting to him in high school now seemed to parallel and fit with someone who he now considered a close friend. He’d been wrong about a lot in the past year, maybe he’d been wrong about Eddie too.

“So are you gonna actually flirt with him when I leave or are you just gonna stand there and make small talk?” Steve asked, crossing his arms. “I introduced you two, at least tell me you’re going to put in the effort.”

You winced and glanced back to the arcade, you couldn’t see Eddie but you knew he was still in there.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Steve gawked at you. “This whole thing was your idea and you’re not even going to try?”

“Listen, Steve, I like him. I do. That’s the problem. You actually hit the nail on the head, and he is absolutely my type.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“I’m not his type.” you admitted. “See, I know guys like Eddie. I’ve fallen for guys like Eddie. Funny thing about a lot of male weirdos, freaks, and outcasts, is that they still loooove themselves some popular girls. Girls like that love them because they’re trying to either fix them or piss off their parents. Freak guys don’t like weirdo girls.”

“You’re being the biggest dingus in the world and I think you’re full of shit.” Steve said bluntly. “Nice try, but you’re gonna go in there and flirt with him. Did he actually say that he was into that type?”

“Well, no but-”

“But nothing!” Steve sighed. “Listen, you’re cute, okay? I’ve seen what you look like when you’re not at work.” He gestured to your outfit. “If I took you to a party or a bar I’d be able to help you get at least six numbers by the end of the night.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “So why are you so bent out of shape about Eddie?”

“Because you’re picky, and you’re my friend.” It was a surprisingly nice sentiment. “I’m fine dating around while I figure out what I want, but you’re not the same. You need someone who is going to understand what you’re talking about, and he is the only person in Hawkins who would also bite a head off a bat.”

“You know, everyone wants to talk about how Ozzy bit the head off a bat but no one wants to talk about how that whole thing actually happened-” you started.

“Nope. Not me. Don’t tell me, tell him.” Steve cut you off. “I should be telling you that talking about biting animal heads is not the best way to flirt but he might be into it. Just promise me you’ll at least try okay?”

Steve gave you a pleading look, and you couldn’t say no. You didn’t have the heart to. He was right, you’d given up before you’d even tried. Steve went out of his way to hand pick a potential date for you, someone he never would have even bothered talking to before. You had to try.

You breathed in the cool night air deeply, holding it before exhaling slowly. “Alright, I’ll try.” you promised.

“I expect you to tell me everything tomorrow!” Steve said as he started walking towards the parking lot you found yourself following him, your body reacting to all the times you two had parked next to each other at work.

“Yeah, yeah, you get first dibs on any kiss and tell!” you shot back. “After the details you gave me from your dates, I promise I’ll be worse.”

Steve pulled you in and gave you a hug, and you squeezed him tightly in return. You never would have thought that Steve Harrington of all people would end up such a good friend, but you were glad he was there. You two said your goodbyes before he got into his car. You waited until he’d pulled safely out of the parking lot before turning back into the arcade.

Just go in there, crash the Hellfire Club meeting again, and shamelessly flirt with Eddie Munson. Three things, that’s all you needed to do.

You pushed the doors of the arcade open and walked back inside.

You wander around the arcade.

You’re alone.

Shit.

There was no sign of Eddie or any of the Hellfire Club. You were completely alone in the arcade now and there was a pang in your stomach. You had told Eddie you’d be right back, but he was gone. Maybe your comment about still wanting to play had totally fucked over your chance to talk to him more after all.

You made your way back outside, just in time to see a van peel out of the parking lot. Your eyes widened when you saw Dusting looking out the window with an apologetic look and mouthing what you assumed to be the word “Sorry”.

Eddie must have gathered up the club to go somewhere else. You wanted to be fine, you wanted to shrug it off as you had every other time you’d failed to impress a guy, but you felt disappointed. Really disappointed. Sure you’d only talked to the guy for a half hour, most of which was spent talking trash as you all played air hockey, but you’d had fun. More fun than you’d had in a while with a guy, Steve notwithstanding.

It felt like Chris Morrison all over again.

You sighed to yourself and made your way to the car. Of course the second you wanted to try you ended up alone again.

Well, that killed it for tonight. You pushed the rejection out of your mind and made your way back to your own car, thinking about how you were going to tell Steve that you’d blown your chance.

Eddie Munson didn’t know what to make of the fact that Steve Harrington of all people was at the arcade. Popular? Played sports? Someone like him didn’t hang around at the arcade, not under any normal circumstances. The only thing that made sense about him being there was that he was with a girl, one that didn’t match up with the normal type that someone like Steve should be dating.

He had planned on avoiding Steve, choosing to focus on his club rather than antagonize the former king of Hawkins high. Really, he did. But then that shrimp Henderson had made his way over to Steve and his date. The kid already talked about Steve too much as it was, always going on about how cool he was while also dodging questions about how the two had met and become friends. Eddie had long since given up on asking about it, not that he cared. Not that he was jealous that the kid he was growing to see like a little brother already had another older male friend in his life.

That wasn’t Eddie’s style.

But this was Hellfire Club, and Eddie wasn’t about to lose another member to the dark side. Dustin had been looking forward to this rare gathering of the club outside of school, more than usual actually. He’d been wearing that same shit eating grin he always did when he was about to pull some bullshit at the table. Now Eddie knew why.

This little shit was trying to introduce him to Steve. Dustin talked Steve up so much, and now he just happened to be here on a date the same time as Sidequest Day? That was too convenient. Eddie shouldn’t have been surprised that Dustin was trying to bridge his friends together, but he was.

So, when Eddie saw Dustin watching Steve and his date chatting and playing Q*bert, he could have ignored the bait. He should have ignored the bait. But then Chris Morrison’s name was mentioned, and curiosity got the best of him.

Plus how could he ever resist talking shit about Chris Morrison.

So he walked up to the group, fully prepared to make agonzing small talk with Steve for thirty seconds before dragging Henderson away to focus on the real reason he was there. It wasn’t often that everyone had the time or money to come to the arcade like this, and Eddie had been lucky enough to make a special sale that day to some senior from the art department. He didn’t often have spending money for something like the arcade. He’d prefer to go to the movies or get his supply from Rick or buy anything to maintain his guitars, or upkeep of his van. Arcade time with Hellfire was something that happened once a semester at best, with the promise of him giving out advantages during the campaign he was running.

“Henderson is right. Morrison was the biggest asshole that Hellfire has ever seen. Worst DM too.” Eddie said, glancing between Dustin with a warning glare and Steve with a weary look.

He didn’t expect you, the girl playing the cabinet, to be the one to speak up. You knew Chris? This night kept getting weirder. When Eddie turned to Steve, to ask about what he was doing at the arcade, just to appease Dustin, Steve directed his attention back to you.

That made more sense, Steve Harrington wouldn’t be at an arcade on a Saturday night unless there was a girl involved.

When you turned around to face him, he noticed the way your eyes looked him down and up quickly. That was something he was used to with most people in Hawkins. They’d size him up just so that they could try and tear down the freak. There was a look in your eyes that he couldn’t quite catch before it turned into one of... disappointment? Discomfort? Shit, it was all the same to him.

Dustin made quick introductions of everyone, and Eddie was surprised when you offered your hand so easily despite the look in your eyes. Well, at least you were polite. It hadn’t even been two minutes and Eddie was already itching to get back to spending time with his club rather than crashing whatever meeting Dustin had clearly planned here.

But he’d be polite, humor the kid for just a second. If Dustin wanted him to meet Steve, then Eddie would be the contrarian and make small talk with his date instead.

You two would have graduated the same year, had Eddie not been held back. Yeah, it was starting to come back to him. He remembered you.

And that was enough of socializing with the upper class for the night. Eddie started directing Dustin back to club activities before Steve spoke up again.

“So, my friend here actually had an interest in Hellfire Club back in the day.”

It could have been left at that, but Eddie was getting more and more irritated over this situation. He looked at you, who looked like a deer in the headlights. Of course, Dustin might have seen something in Steve but he was no different now than he was back then.

“Really?” Eddie said. “And what about our little club was so interesting to you?”

He shot a glare to Steve, but looked down at you with a frown. You’d always seemed nice at school, but he’d made that mistake before. Eddie always liked the groups that kept to themselves and didn’t whisper behind his back or cause trouble for his friends. It was a shame he had been wrong about you.

But when you answered awkwardly about asking Chris to join, there was something in the way you spoke that was genuine. Either you were a really good actress, or you were being serious about it. Eddie might have been the biggest cynic in Hawkins, but he always did have a weakness to cute girls.

The conversation fizzled out quickly, and as much as Eddie didn’t mind talking to you he still wasn’t interested in crashing your date or getting to know Steve at this time. Not when his club started going wild across the room as Lucas was scoring big at a game.

So he turned around and left the two of you alone, running off to see what the jackpot prize was that Lucas had claimed.

For about ten minutes everything went back to normal. He was in the middle of an intense racing game against Jeff, when suddenly he heard Dustin screaming for him, causing his car to spin out and lose spectacularly.

Tonight was not going well at all for Eddie Munson.

Pushing down his irritation, he could hear it in Henderson’s voice that he was about to start trouble again. Of course as he made his way over to the hockey table, there you and Steve were again. Great. Eddie was so excited to be the third wheel during his club’s meet up.

But then Steve disappeared to take a shit. Well, he didn’t say that exactly but it made Eddie feel better to think of Steve having a miserable time in the bathroom. Jealous? No. Not at all.

Maybe a little.

You didn’t seem to like that Steve had left you, and Eddie figured you were uncomfortable without your date around. Dustin only ever talked Steve up, but had never mentioned you to his knowledge.

When the puck went flying towards your face a moment later, Eddie’s eyes widened with shock as you caught it with a laugh. The way you spoke to Wheeler and Henderson was familiar, as if you’d met them before. How did they know you? You were cuter when you were laughing with his friends.

As Eddie watched the chaos of you bantering with his freshmen, his mind wandered to what you would have looked like in the darkness of the prop department wearing the Hellfire shirt. With how easily you got along with Henderson and Wheeler he was sure you would have fit in.

Damn Chris Morrison and damn Steve Harrington.

He snapped out of his thoughts when you spoke up, a glint in your eyes as you handed over the puck.

“What say you, Eddie of Hellfire?” The way you spoke to him, a hint of a laugh in your voice but not in the normal mocking way he’d hear from others at school, made him break out into an unabashed grin as he took the puck.

“Sudden death it is.”

Making small talk with you was easy, and it wasn’t long until Eddie had forgotten about Steve completely as Dustin decided to bridge the gap between the two of you. You were the assistant manager at Family Video, had helped Dustin and Mike with homework on occasion, and were a regular at the Rocky Horror Picture Show that played at the seedy theater on the outskirts of town.

Eddie was starting to like you more the more the three of you chatted. When the topic od D&D came back up, your answer had struck a chord with him.

“I wasn’t done playing.”

Those words would tumble around in the back of his mind for the rest of the evening. They had been honest, raw words. There was a weight to them that he’d carried himself for a long time. Growing up with Al Munson didn’t exactly give him the idyllic childhood that one would see in movies or tv. Play time wasn’t exactly a priority when you were just trying to fucking survive.

He’d challenged your answer, when he knew in his cynical heart that he was the same. Between Hellfire and his band, there wasn’t much else he had going for personal enjoyment. Of course there was time to hang out with his friends and the occasional odd night where he crashed at Rick’s place when his home with Wayne felt too small or cramped.

Eddie wanted to ask you what you’d play, if you ever did have a chance to join a campaign. He wondered if you enjoyed fantasy the same way he did, if you were a fighter, a spell caster, or a healer.

Then Steve showed back up.

Right, you were here with Steve on a date. A date that had way too much fiber and had probably exploded the toilet while he left you hanging for going on forty minutes now. And now Harrington decided that the date was over? Jesus, this guy didn’t know what he was missing out on. Eddie felt for you, he’d been on his share of bad dates in the past too, and bad nights that he wished were dates.

He shook the image of Paige out of his head.

You gave him a smile as you said goodbye. Well, you said you’d be back in a moment but Eddie knew that the night was over. You walked out of the Arcade with Steve, and that would be that.

Sidequest day was always short, with limited spending money between members and the machines eating quarters like candy. Soon his little sheepies were gathered around him again, talking about their winnings and who deserved to get some sort of perk for the game. It was almost unanimously decided that it would go to Lucas, after he’d nearly broken the basketball machine from how fast he had been throwing balls.

Eddie still had a bill burning a hole in his pocket, having spent more time talking to you than playing games. He had to get this weird night out of his mind, and turned towards the group, knowing that he was going to regret this.

“Whoever has any money left, pool it in I’ll take us to get pizza.” He said. This was followed by cheers and a scrambling of pulling out loose quarters, dimes, and even a five that Gareth forgot he had in his wallet. Eddie lead them all towards the parking lot, his eyes scanning the parking lot for you.

You and Steve were chatting by his car and laughing the same way that you had laughed with him before Steve pulled you into a tight hug. Maybe your date wasn’t a bust after all. Eddie didn’t know why he cared, this was only the third time you’d met. You didn’t know him.

Dustin nudged Eddie, that same smug grin on his face.

“Pretty fun night, huh, Eddie?” he said.

“Your plan didn’t work, shrimp.” Eddie said. “I know you were trying to set something up and I’m not interested.”

Dustin looked surprised, and looked like he was going to argue but a sharp glare from Eddie shut him up. Eddie never had an interest in meeting Steve, and it was clear Steve felt the same way, going so far as to ditch his date to hide in the bathroom the whole time. Eddie didn’t know what the kid saw in Harrington but Eddie was less than impressed.

“Geeze, sorry.” Dustin sighed. “I thought you two would get along.”

“You know, a little humility wouldn’t hurt you.” Eddie said before grabbing his shoulder. “Next time you decide I have to meet someone, don’t make it during Hellfire, mk?”

Dustin looked disappointed but nodded as everyone piled illegally in the back of Eddie’s van. As long as Eddie didn’t drive like a madman (a difficult feat) it would be safe enough. He’d put the seats down to haul equipment years ago, and never could get them to come back up. He could fix it if he wanted, but there was never a real reason to.

As everyone got settled, Dustin looked over at Mike with a shrug. The two of them had thought that things were going well between the two of you, but the look in Eddie’s eyes had said otherwise now.

“Maybe she just wasn’t his type?” Mike said, as the rest of the club chatted. “Eddie doesn’t really talk about those things anyway. Maybe he doesn’t even want a girlfriend.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t see the way they were talking. Even if he wasn’t into her like that, they were still getting along.” Dustin sighed and shifted to look out the window as Eddie started up the van. Everyone in the back held on for dear life as Eddie started out of the parking lot.

As they passed your car, Dustin caught your eye just as you stepped out looking dejected.

“Sorry” Dustin mouthed to you.

It had been a bust tonight, but something felt off. Why would Eddie have such a clearly good time talking to you, just to turn around and say he wasn’t interested?

Dustin made a mental note to drop into Family Video tomorrow to talk to you and Steve.

Part 4

Dividers by @strangergraphics

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Comments and reblogs help me know that y'all read and enjoy it, which feeds my excitement to write!

[eddiemunching]

I actually love your writing so much! Would i be able to request an eddie x reader where the reader is newish in town, moved into trailer park and needed a new dealer so robin sent her to eddie. After meeting a few times there's obvious sexual and romantic tension. So when the reader gets locked out of her trailer in the pouring rain she ends up at eddies and spicyness ensues

In desperate need for more fics where reader isn’t a cheerleader

Warnings: 18+ Reader, mentions of weed and smoking, sexual intent ??

Stick Around (Part 1) - Eddie x Reader

Being new to a place meant that you had to familiarize yourself with new things. These things including a new dealer. Sure, you didn’t want to ask around but you needed some form of sweet release that you knew only came from weed.

It had been a few weeks since you moved to Hawkins, becoming friends with some band kid you shared a science class with was your only chance of finding a dealer. You had seen her smoking in her car, sharing with some boy with ridiculous hair. Not wanting to ask outright, you decided you might as well have a friend in such a dreary town. There you learned, that her name was Robin — and she knew exactly what you needed.

You found yourself sitting on chairs outside of your mothers trailer, leaning back to avoid the sun while talking with Robin about your ongoing boredom associated with the heavy lack of weed. “You could’ve just told me you needed a dealer.” Robin sighed. “You could’ve had weed the first time we talked.”

“I didn’t know anyone who had any.” You shrugged, putting your sunglasses back on your face.

“The answer to all of your problems is right there.” Robin pointed towards another trailer situated a few ways down your road. “Eddie Munson.”

The name seemed somewhat familiar to you. Maybe someone you had a class with or had heard a rumor about in the hallway. “You’re telling me he’s been here this whole time.” You gasped. “Introduce me to him?”

It was important to get to know someone first — right? You at least thought with Eddie you could let him know your name before you decided to give into what he offered, no matter how much you wanted to be high right now. So there you were, stood at his door with Robin by your side, nervously picking at her chipped nails. “What?” She whispered. “I don’t do this talking shit for a reason.”

Three knocks was all it took for you to fully understand the nature of Eddie Munson. His curly hair, falling below his shoulders. The tattoos he had littered across his arms and whenever else you longed to see at another time. How he owned the door with a sort of gentleness you didn’t expect. “Uh, sorry for disturbing you.” You smiled apologetically, looking directly into his eyes. “I just wanted to introduce myself because I just moved here and I want to be neighborly.” You let out and awkward laugh, accompanied by a sigh from Robin.

He held his hand out, rings on full display as he smiled down at you. “Nice to meet you, Y/N”

“I didn’t tell you my name yet.” You said, confused, eyeing Robin suspiciously.

“Ah. You’re in one of my classes. Not like I show up often but. I never forget a pretty face.” He winked. “Maybe I’ll show up more to talk to you. Nice shirt by the way.” He smirked before shutting the door. Looking down at your shirt, you saw the bold logo of Black Sabbath staring back at you.

“He’s a metal head?” You turn to Robin awestruck.

“You’re seriously into that guy?” She laughed, pulling you back towards your own trailer. “Maybe you do need some weed.”

—

After your first encounter with Eddie, you found yourself looking for him more often. Catching his eyes in the hallway, or giving him a quick wave across the cafeteria was a clear indication that he was on your radar.

“Hey Robin.” You said in a sweet voice, sitting next to her at the table. “Do you happen to know where Eddie’s dealing spot is?”

“Him again?“ she groaned before giving in. “In the woods behind the school. He’s probably going there now.”

“I love you Robin Buckley.” You declared, kissing her cheek before running off to catch Eddie.

You were not expecting to find a picnic table in the middle of the woods, a perfect clearing for such a risky thing. Knowing this is exactly where you’d find Eddie, you placed yourself on the closest bench and waited.

“If it isn’t my favorite neighbor.” Eddie said suddenly, making you jump from the sudden noise. “Looks like you know what my job around here is.”

“Maybe I just wanted to see you again.” You taunted.

“You’re definitely here for some weed.” He deadpanned, gesturing to the small box he carried with him.

“Can’t smoke without good company.” You smiled up at him, tapping the table so that he would take that as an invitation to join you.

He waltzed over, practically bouncing. You watched as his swung his legs over the opposing bench, brushing his jeans against the coarse material. “You’re a sly one.” He said laughing. “Nothing I can’t handle, though.”

“Oh really?” You lifted your eyebrow. “I think I could get away with not paying but I want to support your business, of course.”

“Maybe another time.” Unlocking his box in a swift movement, he held a baggie in-front of your face. “$15 for now.”

“I’m definitely not complaining about your prices.” You said, digging into your pocket for the money. “How are you not out of business yet?”

“This isn’t the regular price.” He smiled innocently. “Think of it as a welcome gift.”

—

The prices never changed. After going to Eddie for a few weeks, it was always the same exact reasoning for the pricing. Who were you to argue with such a steal. You would’ve paid a lot more to see Eddie alone but buying from him gave you another reason to visit him.

This time you were at the infamous Munson trailer, sat on his couch twirling your hair between your fingers and waiting for him to come in.

“Hey there.” He grinned. “My favorite customer shouldn’t be kept waiting.” Placing the joint in your mouth, he used his other hand to light it, letting his fingers linger near your lips.

“I didn’t bring any money.” You said, inhaling slowly.

“This one is on me.” He patted his chest, letting the material of his shirt move. “But what are you doing here if not for my services?”

“I can’t come visit my favorite dealer from time to time?” You pouted. “And you have services plural? You offer something else I don’t know about?”

“I’m your only dealer.” He corrected. “Maybe I’ll show you some other stuff another time.” He smirked, eyes pointing to what you assume was his bedroom door.

—

Contrary to popular assumption, Friday nights were the worst. Especially the kind of Friday nights that were drowned out by pouring rain and booming thunder. You had just gotten off of your shift from the Family Video and Robin’s friend Steve had just dropped you off at your doorstep. With an exasperated sigh, you go to turn your door, met with no sign of opening. “Shit.” You cried, pushing against the door harder.

The only other option was to camp out at Eddie’s while you waited for your mom to come home. You knew he wouldn’t mind, and hey, you might get a free high while you were there. Walking to his house was dreadful. The echoing rain bounced off of your uniform and soaked it, establishing a new form of uncomfortable you has never experienced before.

Knowing his schedule by now, Eddie would be home alone. With his uncle at work until morning and Eddie himself most likely practicing guitar in his room. There was a faint sound of thumping coming from the other side of the door but you attributed that to his stereo, probably producing some song that he liked.

You didn’t even have to knock for the door to open with a thud, Eddie beckoning you in quickly. “How did you kno-“ you began before he cut you off.

“Saw Steve’s headlights. Knew it was you.”

“You know my schedule?” You walked past him, sounds of rain drops hitting the ground as you moved.

“You’re gonna get sick standing in those wet clothes.” He dismissed your initial comment. “Let me borrow you something?” You nodded reluctantly, not wanting to be a further burden.

He threw over some faded shirt with an unrecognizable logo, accompanied by matching black boxers. Not wasting any time you threw your wet clothes onto a bag Eddie had supplied you with, quickly changing into the new clothes, letting Eddie have a complete view of your half naked body as you changed.

“I was gonna say you could change in the bathroom.” He chucked, an obvious blush across his cheeks. “But you had other ideas.”

“It’s not like you won’t be seeing me like this anyway.” You shrugged.

“So tell me.” He started, a mischievous glint in his eye. “What are we doing in the future that requires minimal clothes?”

End of part one. Let me know if I should continue this.

[screaming-universe]

eddietommy sparring date

It’s their second date and Eddie is thriving. He hasn’t sparred in so long, hadn’t really trained even all by himself for a while. Tommy is good though, really good. He’s probably better than Eddie. His reach is longer than Eddie’s, if just barely, and he is definitely stronger. Looking at Tommy’s arms though that hardly is a surprise: Eddie’s not exactly weak but his arms aren’t nearly as big. He’s worked out with Buck and Buck is stronger than Eddie—not that Eddie would admit that out aloud—and Buck’s arms aren’t quite as thick as Tommy’s either. 

Tommy is in very good shape, that is for sure. And Eddie sure gets to learn that close-up. Muay thai allows for clinching: to try and grab your fellow fighter and hold them. More than once, Tommy puts Eddie in holds that he cannot escape from, no matter how he tries to use his elbows and knees. That also puts him into direct contact with Tommy’s chest, face-first, more than once. And there’s something to think about later.

Tommy’s definitely winning their sparring match: he’s better trained, he’s stronger. Eddie though is not above fighting a little dirty. There’s a move that is certainly not part of muay thai but it allows him to trip up Tommy and then they are on the ground, Eddie half on top of him. 

To be fair: Eddie maybe managed to trip up Tommy but he certainly wasn’t prepared for it to work so easily. Before he can pin Tommy’s arms to try and hold him down, Tommy flips them and he certainly remembers to pin Eddie down. The hands around his wrists hold him tight but not so much that it hurts and the leg across Eddie’s thighs is enough to immobilise his legs, especially when Tommy shifts his weight. Eddie tries to wriggle out of this situation he’s put himself in, but he’s not very successful. Or at all. He gives up and looks up at Tommy. 

Eddie doesn’t really like being pinned down. There is the aspect of losing, obviously. Then there are the times in his life where he has been pinned down for real, be it by a shower of bullets, by mud or by his body refusing to move after being shot. Then there also is what Shannon accused him of and she was definitely right about: his need to be in control.

It feels like Eddie is balancing on the edge of a knife: on one side lies a panic attack and on the other side something Eddie doesn’t want to let himself think about. Yet. To be pinned and held down like this requires trust, a lot of trust, at least for Eddie, and he’s not there yet, with Tommy. Tommy though seems to understand because his face moves in a way that Eddie isn’t sure how to interpret and then Tommy lets go of his arms, kneels by his side but not touching.

“Are you alright, Eddie?” Tommy asks and Eddie blinks a few times; he’s been lost in his thoughts.

“Yeah,” he says and runs a hand over his sweaty face. “Sorry, just made me think of something.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tommy asks and sits down cross-legged by his side, his head resting on one hand. Eddie stays where he is, looking up at the ceiling.

“I was, uh–I was an Army medic,” he begins, maybe somewhat at random. Tommy nods; they’ve talked about their times in the Army, though just shortly. Another similarity they share. “I got honorably discharged after getting shot.” He pulls the tank top aside to show the scar on his left shoulder, then points to the one he knows Tommy can see on his right thigh and lastly to his left wrist which has miraculously healed so well that there is barely a scar to be seen. It’s a wonder he retains as much mobility in it as he does but he knows he has lost some. The doctors said it was a flying splinter of something that wounded him, not a bullet.

“We got shot down and then were pinned down while they were firing at us.” He trails off there but a quick look at Tommy shows him nodding, understanding.

“I was lucky,” Tommy says when Eddie doesn’t go on. “Only got a graze and that’s it.” He points to the scar along his right forearm. Eddie wraps his hand around the arm and lets his thumb run over it. The scar is pinker than the rest of his skin and he can feel the raised edge of it.

Eddie keeps his hand on Tommy’s arm as he goes on. “In my second year with the LAFD we were rescuing a young boy who got stuck in a well.” Tommy moves his arm slightly and now they are holding each other’s wrist, if just barely, very loosely. Eddie’s fingers touch the scar from the grazing shot and Tommy’s cover the scar on Eddie’s wrist, both of them actually. Eddie squeezes Tommy’s arm in return, to let him know that this is okay. That this is good.

“I remember that,” Tommy says and yeah, that call certainly did make its rounds. 

“I went down to get him and then–then stuff happened and the boy was safe but the hole we dug collapsed on top of me. Trapping me. I had to swim—dive—my way out of there, through old feeding pipes and some of them were so tight–” he shudders involuntarily. He could have easily drowned that day, he knows that but sometimes he thinks about and is back in the pipes and stuck. A gentle squeeze of Tommy’s hand brings him back.

“And then I shot in the middle of the day, in the middle of the street,” Eddie goes on without even taking a deep breath. “Some guy had it out for firefighters and I was right there.”

“Fuck,” Tommy says, worry apparent on his face. “I certainly do remember that too. Why have I known you for years now but only from some of the calls that the whole LAFD was listening to as they happened?”

Eddie barks out a laugh at that, not particularly happy but yeah: how does the 118 and specifically A shift keep doing that? Maybe there is something real about curses after all. 

“That’s where I got these from,” he goes on and pulls his tank aside to show the horrendous mess that is his right shoulder but especially the thoracotomy scar. Tanks rarely cover the scar on his right shoulder and this one sure does not and for a long time Eddie has felt very insecure about that. He still sure does not like it.

“I got this,” Tommy says and pulls up his shirt to show the scarred skin high on the right side of his torso, “from a factory explosion. Punched right through the turnouts. And then I was knocked out by gas another time. If Howie hadn’t carried me out–” Eddie feels his eyes grow wide, “–he’s really strong–if he hadn’t carried me out, I’d be dead.”

Before, Eddie might have been leaning over the knife’s edge on the side of panic but he feels himself relax as they talk. Calming down until he feels like sitting up. They talk some more as they walk up the stairs to Tommy’s house and then they stop talking so they can both shower and put on less sweaty clothes. But they keep talking right through dinner—Tommy is an amazing cook—and don’t stop until Eddie lingers on the front step when he has to get home to Chris. Then they just stand there, looking at each other for a minute. Eddie really loves looking at Tommy’s face. It’s a very nice face, definitely attractive but also just nice. He looks at Eddie like he’s somebody worth looking at, interesting, maybe even special, and Eddie wants him to keep looking.

“Thank you,” Eddie finally says, “‘I’ve had a very good time.”

“Thank you, Eddie,” Tommy says and leans in. Eddie holds his breath, involuntarily. A hand on his elbow turns Eddie ever so slightly and then Tommy presses a light kiss to Eddie’s cheek. Eddie feels like he’s melting, a warm feeling spreading from his very core. He is also very definitely blushing and looking at Tommy with wide eyes as he leans back.

Tommy looks surprised for a second, and incredibly vulnerable the next, but then he is–he is smirking at Eddie? Eddie feels himself blushing even more.

“Wanna go play basketball with me?” he asks and then wants to kick himself. Tommy’s flown him around in a helicopter, has invited him to his house and cooked dinner for him. And Eddie’s asking him to go play pickup basketball with him?

But Tommy just smiles—genuinely smiles—and says, “it’s a date, Eddie.”

“Yeah,” Eddie says and smiles back. “It’s a date.”

[navnae]

How about stuck up city boy Eddie who’s used to the fast way of living and he’s always on the go, that would explain why being on tour for him was always an outlet because he never stopped moving. One day his tour bus breaks down in Hawkins near a farm and it looks like the bus isn’t going to be running any time soon. Him and his team are all out of luck until a guy around Eddie’s age come up to the bus wearing some overalls that were extremely dirty, he looked concerned. He asks them what happened and the whole situation is explained, he tells them that they can crash with him and his parents for awhile until things are settled. Eddie later learns that the guy name is Steve and so far he’s pretty okay but Eddie doesn’t make things any better with his slick comments about his clothes, basically telling him that he needs a makeover. Even with all those comments Eddie was throwing his way Steve still managed to laugh about it and even tease Eddie back. Steve has come to the realization that Eddie only spits out a snarky remark when he gets flustered or blushes, Steve knows that Eddie has a crush on him but he just sits back and waits to see what Eddie is going to do about it. Eddie is so used to getting chased by anyone who wants him, they’d even beg on their knees to be with him and it was killing him that Steve wasn’t doing any of that.

Eddie goes out of his way to get Steve’s attention even if it meant wearing those dirty overalls, milking cows, washing horses, and feeding the chickens. The farm life was nothing like the Hollywood life that Eddie has spent years living. Steve loved every second of it too, making Eddie do unnecessary chores that he made up on the spot and he was actually stunned by the lengths Eddie would go through just to get Steve’s attention. This goes on for several weeks since the bus is still a wreck and it’s hard for Eddie’s team to get in contact with anyone to help them. Overtime the two start to bond and grow closer, they talk about how different they are from one another but they work so well. It doesn’t take Steve long to catch himself almost failing at his own game with Eddie and he’s so close to giving in and blurting out how he feels about him. The tension between them is insane especially when they get in each other’s face just have that last word after a remark and one of them will slowly close the gap just to rile each other up. Eddie feels like he’s going to lose his mind because the longer he stays the more he falls in love with Steve everyday and all of this e feelings starts building up inside of him until he just explodes.

One night Eddie pulls Steve by the his shirt making their faces come close and they could feel their breath tickling each other’s lips. Eddie’s eyes flicks to Steve’s lips the entire rim his looking at him and honestly he didn’t really care at this point, Steve did the same thing and a smirk played on his lips. They didn’t know if they were going to rip each other’s clothes off or passionately makeout until both of them were exhausted. All of it was a complete mystery as Eddie finally got the courage to speak up.

“Listen here cowboy, I’ve been busting my ass for weeks and sacrificed my fashion sense because I wanted you to look at me. I’m done with all the games you either like or you don’t, which one is it?” Eddie tried to keep up that confident voice that he had when he first got here but his voice cracked slightly through his sentence. Steve smiled before putting his hands on Eddie’s waist then pulling him forward, a light pink blush could be seen on his cheeks.

“I’ll stop playing when you tell me how you feel,” Steve whispered near Eddie’s ear making him shiver slightly. Steve wanted to hear Eddie say it, if he could say whatever he wanted on a stage in front of millions he knew Eddie could confess his feelings for him in a small town in a little shed with only them in it. “The stage is yours.”

“Don’t get smart with me asshole and fine I like you, shit I’ve liked you ever since I saw you come towards the bus. You’re sweet, funny, caring, hard working how could I not? So yeah, Harrington. I really like you… happy?” Eddie was a blushing mess when Steve cupped the side of his face and started closing the gap between them. He’s never had someone make him into a pile of mush the way Steve did and he fucking loved it.

“Very.” Steve said as he leaned in closer to Eddie’s face. Eddie felt like Steve was taking to long and he just pulled Steve by his shirt so their lips could finally connect after weeks of waiting. The kiss started off slow then eventually it became rough while their hands were rubbing all over each other’s bodies. Both of them becoming breathless once they pulled away.

“Let’s put those hours of horse back riding to good use, yeah?” Steve said lowly before lifting Eddie up and he wrapped his legs around Steve’s waist. Eddie’s eyes widened at the implication that Steve was making. For the first time in forever Eddie was speechless, Steve smiled before he pulled him in for another kiss.

[bmodiwrites]

Here is part two to what I'm calling Always Love You More. You can find the first post here - for sure read it before you take a gander at this one!!

Sitting at the table, Eddie contemplates the paper in front of him for the billionth time. The words are there but they just aren’t right, not for the situation. Maybe nothing he can think to say ever is.

His fingers are covered in little dots of ink from his nervous tick of clicking the pen. It’s a surprise it still has any ink in it as he presses down and signs his name at the end. Despite that being the customary way to say goodbye, it doesn’t feel like enough.

Ever since the notion to write the stupid letter came to him, nothing’s been enough.

Eddie closes his eyes in a desperate attempt to push away the feelings that won’t stop plaguing him. It works for a grand total of one millisecond before the swell of want comes back and settles even further within his gut, making a permanent home for itself. There’s no use in trying to deny something Eddie knows with his entire body (and maybe his whole soul, too).  

And see, it’s not fair to be so overtaken by an immovable affliction now that Eddie’s finally got his life together. Moving away from Hawkins, giving up Steve and the life they were building together – it’s still the hardest decision Eddie has to make. Because, in the most basic way, Eddie still has to choose to be gone when his head leaves the pillow each time a new day starts. Something calls him back and it’s getting harder to ignore it.

Besides, it’s not a something that’s screaming out his name so desperately. There’s no dog or park or figment of Eddie’s imagination drawing on him with imaginary strings. Hawkins is the place where his heart learned how to love but Steve Harrington is the thing that makes the blood in his veins sing that particular song. That someone is the only person who’s ever crawled under Eddie’s skin and stayed there. With or without permission, Steve Harrington is a part of him.  

No matter how many times they broke up or grew apart, Eddie always found a way to make it back to Steve. Until the very last thing that pushed Eddie far enough away to skip town and try something new, their impending route to forever was already set in stone. That’s one of the main reasons Eddie ran away and continues to choose to do so every day. The ring in Steve’s sock drawer haunts him. It’s what should be in the same way that it keeps him at arm’s length. Eddie sometimes sees it as a prison, boxing him in.

Instead of saying something or speaking the truth, Eddie packs his things and runs.

And though it’s stupid and ultimately not right for him to do, Eddie tries to love someone else. He gets to know Jeff, a man who immediately makes him feel like he’s finally meeting the male embodiment of everything he wants from a person (of everything that Steve’s not). Jeff is charming and new and someone who doesn’t have a past for Eddie to cling to and use as a weapon. The slate is clean and for a while, it’s all Eddie can ever need.

To think it’s the subtle slip of Jeff’s hand into Eddie’s that bounces him right back to a place where Steve is everything again feels like blasphemy. They do this every day, why is it suddenly so different now?

His mind easily recalls the long nature of Steve’s fingers, how they were calloused by the folds because of all the weight lifting he does to stay in shape. It’s easy to forget that Jeff isn’t Steve in that moment, so he tightens his hold, as if gripping harder will keep that memory (and Steve) close.

Though Eddie feels immediate disappointment when he’s met with the cool nature of Jeff’s skin against his palm instead of the scorching warmth of Steve’s. It’s unfair not to tell Jeff that things are over in that moment (the realization is that sudden and final), Eddie knows it even as he keeps his mouth shut with every intention to never say a thing.

That’s until he decides to sit down and write Steve a letter. There’s no coming back from the words that are sitting on the tips of Eddie’s fingers, just waiting to be put down permanently on paper. His decision is already made before he starts to write, though it still takes him quite a bit of time to get his thoughts in order and deliver them the way he wants.

After he signs his name and sits back in his chair, Eddie looks around the small studio apartment he rented out when he first got to Ohio. All of his bags are packed now but he can see its previous layout clearly. It served him well and will do so to the next lost person moving in behind him. He hopes they find the things they’re looking for like Eddie did.

As he makes his final call to Jeff and dumps the keys in the landlords office, Eddie allows himself a second to take it all in. It’s funny to think that he’s excited to be going home – he ran so far away so fast it’s almost a little ludicrous to even acknowledge the hard thump in his chest.

Maybe it’s the time away or maybe it’s the realization that home can mean lots of different things but he’s finally satisfied with the direction his life is taking him. He’s not afraid to plant roots down in a place that always felt like a prison – with a little attitude adjustment, Eddie sees the green pasture of Hawkins for what it is - home.

Never mind the fac that the person he’s growing the damn tree with is more than worth doing a thing Eddie always swore he’d never do.

Eddie sends the letter to Steve on his way out of town, hoping it makes it there before he does. His plan is to make the drive back to Indiana with a few stops along the way. If his knowledge of the postal service is correct, he’ll make it back a couple of days after the letter gets there. He’s hoping to catch Steve after his ex is done processing the words Eddie blurted out onto those pages, after he’s had a little time to think.

As it turns out, Eddie’s timing is less than perfect. Though it’s so very right, all the same.

He’s stepping away from the door to wait for any sign of life within the day he bucks up the courage to finally approach Steve, when the man in question opens it, Eddie’s letter still in hand. The stricken look on his face almost makes Eddie turn around and run. Yet, for the first time in his life, Eddie stays. Something in his gut shouts at him to stand up and be there when Steve eventually gets it together.

He's so happy to do exactly that.

It’s hard to say what happens in the next handful of moments that follow – it’s all a blur of arms opening and soft sighs and a full body hug that makes Eddie feel complete for the first time in months.

When Steve pulls back, there’s tears in his eyes and a confusing smile on his lips.

“It’s about time you came home.”  

There is lots more to say and plenty to catch each other up on but Eddie decides in that moment that it all can wait. He’s done running away from a warm embrace that calls to him and a love that he knows he’ll never feel anywhere else. Eddie’s heart beats in time with Steve’s – there’s no business doubting it any longer.

Eddie’s hands move from their spot on Steve’s hips to grab at his cheeks, instead. Both thumbs trace soft skin and delicate bone and the smallest bit of facial hair Steve probably missed shaving that morning. The reality of him is enough to leave behind notions of anything but this, Steve’s presence, his face in Eddie’s hands, meaning the world to him.

With the slightest of tugs, Eddie pulls Steve in so their lips can touch in a soft kiss. It’s a welcome home and apology and sigh of relief wrapped up into one.

It’s everything.

[lonelychicago]

seven sentence sunday

tagged by @lostinabuddiehaze @buddierights @rogerzsteven @spotsandsocks @elvensorceress and @monsterrae1 thanks for the tags, loves!

this is for my prince buck au!

Eddie would not recommend that anyone fall in love with a prince. It is, objectively speaking, a terrible idea. It can only end in heartbreak and it’s not worth it.

Except it totally is, of course.

But it's so stupid, feeling the way he does, because the first thing Eddie learns about Buck is that he's going to marry someone someday— preferably a nice girl, from a wealthy family and good reputation. It’s the first thing that Queen Margaret told him when she hired Eddie to protect his son— or more like, to make sure her son doesn't get in trouble.

Eddie thought it'd be perfect. The job pays extremely well, he's far away from his parents and he can give Chris a comfortable, nice life.

Except, is not easy to be the personal bodyguard of one Evan Buckley.

The guy is reckless, pulling stupid stunt after other to mostly piss off his parents. He's too cocky for his own good, stubborn to a fault and he makes Eddie's job harder than it needs to be.

Evan Buckley is a pain in his ass, if he's being completely honest.

And yet… Eddie went and fell in love with him.

Eddie's never been the type to ask very many questions; he tends to stay quiet and observe, and he's good at it. But when it comes to Buck… he can’t. The prince just has this talent to push Eddie’s buttons in the most infuriating, intoxicating way.

Their first meeting hadn't been the best— not at all like Eddie picture it would go the first time he met a prince.

The thing is, Evan Buckley isn’t every other prince in the world. Other princes would have had Eddie punished, when they first met, because it was not, by any standard, a good meeting. It was the end of a long day of talking to all of the people forming the security staff of the Bukingham palace. He found a lot of stupid little mistakes that could potentially cost the royal family's safety and Eddie was just in a sour mood. So of course Buck came in making demands to go to this stupid party with zero time to plan anything.

Eddie told him right then and there that if he wasn't willing to treat him with a modicum of respect, Eddie wouldn't respect him. (It was an incredibly stupid thing to say to a prince, by the way. He definitely doesn't recommend doing that.)

He remembers how Buck opened and closed his mouth twice before leaving without another word.

The next day, he apologized. "I'm sorry about yesterday. It was— I just— I'm always here, you know? And if I'm not, I'm always with my parents or where my parents tell me to go." Buck had explained to him, surprisingly open and honest. "And I know you must be thinking I'm a spoiled brat… I just needed one day to go out and breathe, I guess."

And in that moment, Eddie had felt a connection to the prince. This sort of kinship. Because even if the situations weren't the same, Eddie could understand where the guy was coming from. He remembered how it felt when he was just a stupid teenager and got his high school girlfriend knocked up. Eddie's parents had been relentless and overbearing— Eddie could understand what Buck was saying it's all.

tagging: (im sure im late and idk who's done it already so feel free to ignore me) @bekkachaos @fatedbuck @loveyourownsmiilee @swiftiebuckleys @the-likesofus @wheelsupin-five @maygrantgf and whoever else wants to do it!

[blakeswritingimagines]

Eddie Munson Blurb

Fluff prompt of “I’ll support your decision 100%....as long as it isn’t the dumb one”

Day in and day out you were constantly on Eddie’s side with most of his decisions no matter how crazy it seemed, Even when trying your best to keep him busy and get his attention on to something else that wouldn’t easily get him in trouble one way or the other.

Eddie likes to think that he never makes the dumb decisions, but sometimes that's easier said than done especially when he would jokeingly agree that Hellfire was a devil worshipping reject group or when he would be running after poking fun at the basketball team. Sometimes, he can be reckless and make decisions without really thinking them through. he has a tendency to jump into things head first without really considering the consequences.

He also has a tendency to be very stubborn and set in his ways, which can make it difficult for him to hear constructive criticism or suggestions. He has a tendency to be very secretive and guarded, even with the people who are closest to me. He has a hard time trusting others and opening up, but he’s trying to get better about that more so around you and when your both alone so he’d doesn’t have to worry about how others view him in that moment.

there are plenty of times where he’s done something and then immediately regretted it - like when he accidentally broke an antique vase at an old antique shop or sometimes will say things without thinking them through first, which has gotten him into some trouble a time or two or five. And of course, there's the whole "running around with a pack of teenagers while hiding a monster from the government" thing...

He’s most impulsive decision was when he lashed out at you when his temper wasn’t the greatest because of how bad his whole day had gone wrong and he probably shouldn't have done it. He was just feeling really upset and frustrated by the way the everything was going and he let his emotions get the best of him. But looking back, he didn't think yelling at the you was really going to do any good which it didn’t except make him feel even worse about it.

Both of you were just hanging around in the room where Hellfire meets as you both waited for everyone to show but you stayed for some quiet time since you had wanted to help him relax, He slowly made his way to you and sat down next to you keeping some space in case you weren’t happy with him still then he quietly spoke out loud to you “That was definitely a mistake on my part. I got so caught up in the moment and I just wanted to get everyone riled up. But I should've shown more restraint. I'm still learning how to control my emotions and I'm trying to work on being more aware of the consequences of my actions”. He said trying to ease the situation between you both.

Eddie sighed before speaking again as a way to let his walls come down for you “Honestly, it hurts. Because I know that I'm not a freak, I'm just different. I’m just trying to be myself and it hurts to have people judge me for that i think that people are so used to seeing the world in a certain way that it can be hard for them to accept someone like me. So when people call me a freak it feels like they're saying that I don't belong and that I'm not worth their time”. Feeling his words tug harshly on your heart strings knowing he never truly meant to hurt you or your feelings since he always did his best to even make sure you felt heard no matter what was going on.

Letting out a sigh as you thought over everything he had said before looking into his dark brown eyes and spoke softly “I’ll support your decision 100%....as long as it isn’t the dumb one” You said with a giggle which only made him laugh as well, Gripping his jacket tightly in your hands as he gently held your face in his hands just to lightly kiss you on the lips which showed you were really okay now then you both pulled each other closer as Eddie started to kiss you longer.

You barely pulled away from the kiss as you both panted from lack of air then you both looked each other in the eye feeling a new kind of tension rise in the air, Eddie gave you a playful grin before pulling you onto his lap as he placed feather-light kisses on your neck before sliding his hands up your shirt knowing if it was too much you’d pull away from his touch which he noticed you only leaned more into.

[upside-down-low]

No so true, I hate Steve stans who are Stancy shippers because they just don't get it. Regardless if Steve has feelings for Nancy that relationship isn't good for either of them. I don't find it also too ooc for him to have still feelings, as he didn't get closure, aka him knowing the full extent of Jancy, in season 2. And him wanting to have a huge family because he loves the kids and longs for something like that as he grew up as a single child with neglectful parents is also in character for him. Imagining a future with Nancy, because for him she was his first love and he blames himself for everything that went wrong during that time and now that he has matured and thinks he could be better for her isn't this horrible thing the fandom makes it out to be. People act like he forces Nancy into it while in reality he thought he was about to die so he wanted to get it off his chest. I hope we'll get one scene in s5 where Nancy comes clean to him, explaining how it was always Jonathan from the beginning and that she's sorry she couldn't love him. Then he can finally truly move on. I also think he has to learn that platonic relationships matter just as much, if not more. Him leaving the show with Robin and Dustin would be the happiest ending for him. Fr as an outsider I don't get why people are rooting for a toxic relationship, but I also get Steve's view because he doesn't have the information we have.

(I would like to say upfront that the love triangle annoyed me and I wanted platonic stoncy since s2, so that is gonna color my answer a bit)

Perhaps still having feelings is not necessarily ooc, but at the same time each season is like a check-in every few months. If Nancy’s all cool with the boys going into s2 after the shit they pulled s1, and I just have to assume there’s been room to have better conversations pre-s2 when there’s no monster to pursue, I was assuming there’s been room for them to come to terms with the situation at any point in time before s4. Idk I’m just pretty tired (not to mention how Eddie, Robin, and Dustin were encouraging it)

And yeah, I don’t think a dream of having a big family in itself is terrible. I do understand the speech in context—they are driving into possible death, a “hey, if we die” kind of thing; I still think it’s weird like the other attempts to push them together, while she’s still in a relationship. But if I’m being honest, I don’t seriously think it was an instance of ‘he cornered her just to say weird things to her’—they just came from a death dimension and had to go back to the death dimension. So I mean. If that’s the last thing he wants her to know from him, ok

I just don’t like how some people took it and ran with the Nice Guy thinking of “aww well ykw he deserves Nancy and to fulfill that dream with her” and throwing characters like Jonathan and Nancy under the bus on behalf of Steve in the process, which isn’t a new phenomenon, unfortunately

Aside from how I think much of the romance is done, the platonic and family relationships are always what I appreciate a lot from the show, and yeah, it’d be nice if Steve ends up content with the family he has acquired

[farfromharry]

The angel and the devil | Eddie Munson fic

Summary: The two of you met at a halloween costume in polar opposite outfits. What started as Eddie being a gentleman and helping out a drunk girl, turned into a rapidly blooming crush. He believed it to be one sided after he thought you were avoiding him, but you were falling hard too, just too shy to admit to the guy you nearly puked on that he was kind of cute. 

Word count - 9463

Warnings - lots of mentions of throwing up, language, talks of drinking

a/n i dont really like how i ended this but it was the best i could come up with. this man has had me a chokehold for nearly two weeks now 😭

━━━━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━━━━

Eddie wasn’t one to usually go to parties, let alone parties thrown by people on a different level of social popularity than him, which was most; almost all, but when he was invited to a Halloween party by none other than Steve Harrington, he felt obligated. After all the shit that went down in Hawkins with Vecna just a short while ago, he and Steve had gotten to know each other pretty well. They saved each other’s lives more than once, and had become, he might even say, friends. That was part of the reason he didn’t feel like he could turn down the invitation to the party.

Regardless of his concerns he showed up anyway, in a poorly thrown together devil costume that people probably expected him to show up in. A dark red button up, black jeans and some plastic horns? That was good enough for him. What else would Eddie Munson be for Halloween? If anything he was only reinforcing the belief he was actually part of a cult, but that was part of his charm around Hawkins. If he could terrorize the insufferable members of the basketball team with one simple look, then what was the harm in the rumour, really?

He hadn’t been there long when he swore he fell in love. The first time he saw you that night, you were halfway across the room with some friends, dressed in the cutest little angel costume he had ever seen. He thought it was quite ironic, he dressed as the devil, you as an angel. You looked like an angel in your own right though, the way you laughed at someone’s joke, the smile that was almost permanently planted on your face. God he couldn’t take his eyes off of you.

He probably looked creepy, standing in the kitchen, looking through the crowd of people right at you; but he couldn’t help himself. All those people and he felt as though you were the only one he could see. He just felt drawn to you, but you probably didn’t even know his name. If you were friends with Steve then he could pretty much guarantee it, hell Harrington only knew his name because he had to learn it in a life or death situation. And on the off chance that you did know him, you probably knew him as the freak. 

He wished he had the courage to go over there and talk to you. From the minimal, and he means very minimal, interactions you had had with each other over the years, you seemed like a really sweet girl. But the fact you were surrounded by so many of your friends just made the idea all the more terrifying. That isn’t to say he’d have the balls to ask you out if you were alone either. 

In retrospect, if he wanted to ask you out tonight, or maybe ask you to dance, he should have done it sooner rather than later, because now you were stumbling into the kitchen after one too many drinks, looking for something to sober you up. Not that there were any drinks in the entire kitchen that weren’t filled with alcohol.

That was when you found Eddie, leaning against the counter, not so subtly watching you over the rim of his solo cup. After you caught him you apparently just couldn’t keep your mouth shut. He was cute, even cuter when his cheeks flushed after realising he had been caught staring. He didn’t think you would approach, he thought maybe after the glance his way you would rush off or just ignore him, but that didn’t happen.

You stumbled over your own feet when you made your way over to him, slipping past a few people who were getting themselves drinks. “You were staring,” you muttered, stating the obvious. He laughed nervously, nodding his head as he made a short routine out of looking to the ground bashfully, then back up to your face, and back to the ground again. On the spot he tried to come up with something he could say as an excuse. He didn’t have the kind of confidence a lot of Hawkin’s students did to just come out and say he was mesmerised by you. “I, uh– I like your halo,” he stuttered, motioning to the shitty, makeshift halo that sat on your head. It had been thrown together last minute with a random headband and some glue you found, simple yet effective for your costume. Which is why you didn’t really believe that was his reasoning, but you let it slide, you didn’t care all that much. 

You reciprocated the compliment. “I like these,” you said, raising your hand to his head to mess with the plastic that sat, now tangled, in his curly mane. When you took in his full costume it actually made you giggle, you fucking giggled. Eddie preached it was the sweetest noise he had ever heard, and if he wasn’t falling head over heels before then he was now. He was falling hard. “Oh cool, a devil. And ‘m an angel, s’like we were meant to be, huh?”

He didn’t say anything, fuck, he didn’t know what to say, staring at you like a fish out of water. He knew you didn’t mean that in the way he would have liked you to, but his heart didn’t know that. “You’re Eddie,” you muttered, lightly jabbing your finger into the middle of his chest as though you were proving a point, also bringing him back from his thoughts. He nodded, a little taken off guard that you actually knew his name.

He couldn’t help it though, a small grin split on his face at how cute you were. “That I am. And you’re drunk.” 

You chuckled, nodding your head. “That. I. am,” you teased, slinging your arms around his neck. It was more so a balance thing than anything else. You couldn’t seem to stop your body from swaying and you didn’t want to fall on your face right in the middle of a party; that would have been painfully embarrassing. And if Eddie minded your touch he didn’t complain. “I never see you at parties,” you observed, a small crease appearing between your eyebrows as they furrowed. 

He was so close to your face that he could actually see each crease and tiny detail of your skin, his breath hitching in his throat after he consciously realised the proximity. His hands lifted to settle on your waist after a few seconds of contemplating it, seeing it the most efficient way to help you keep your balance. “‘M never usually invited,” he answered. 

You seemed to study him closely for a few minutes before you spoke again, having changed the subject entirely. “Are you really in a cult?” you slurred, glazed eyes staring up at him wide, full of curiosity. He chuckled, thankful you probably wouldn’t remember the flush on his cheeks after tonight. “No, I’m not.” He may have enjoyed that rumour when it came to teasing the basketball goonies, but with you he felt like he could be honest; plus he didn’t think you were going to remember much of this interaction anyway by tomorrow. 

There was a sudden twist in your features that had concern bubbling in his chest, his head ducking a little bit to catch your gaze that had fallen to some place over his shoulder. “Y’okay?”

You shook your head, pulling back from him a little bit as your stomach churned. “Think ‘m gonna be sick,” you muttered, forcing his eyes to widen. He certainly couldn’t let you throw up where you were in the middle of the kitchen surrounded by people. He jumped into action quickly, as calmly yet hastily as he could, he guided you to the nearest bathroom, assuring you you would make it in time and be okay. 

Thankfully he was right, and within minutes he was holding your hair back out of your face as you threw up from all the alcohol you had ingested during the night. At some point when you started to sober up a little, you became more conscious of the hand stroking your back and the presence behind you. A groan slipped past your lips as you sat back on your feet, under the belief that you were finally done. 

“Feel any better?” he asked.

The two of you shuffled until you were sitting across from each other on the bathroom floor, knees brushing every now and then from the closeness. The more you thought about it the more mortified you were to think you just spewed your guts in front of Eddie Munson. “No,” you whined, clutching your stomach for dear life. “I’m sorry you had to see that, that must have been so unattractive.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Sweetheart, you don’t feel good. The least important thing right now is looking attractive.” Your eyes locked with his wide puppy ones and you felt something turn in your stomach that wasn’t the alcohol this time. Sweetheart. Oh.

Never once had you thought about the boy that way, in all the years you had known of him, but apparently one single night was changing all of that. You never realised quite how charming he could be. He would say he wasn’t, he didn’t have a way with ladies at all. He was a huge nerd and ‘the town freak’, and neither of those things are exactly considered chick magnets. But maybe he didn’t need any flirting ability or a special way with women to press the right buttons, him being his sweet self was doing that for him. 

The bliss of your thoughts didn’t last long before the uncomfortable feeling was back in your stomach, your nose scrunching from the discomfort. “What’s wrong?” Eddie questioned, reaching forward to place a hand on your knee. The simple touch was like the catalyst, your body spinning as you barely made it back over the toilet again. Even with your discomfort, one of the thoughts that was now plaguing your mind was that you nearly threw up on Eddie, how were you supposed to live that down? You could’ve even sworn you saw the fear in his eyes where he thought you were going to. How you wished the ground would open and swallow you whole.

You were very surprised he was still sitting in the bathroom with you when you were done for the second time. “You don’t have to stay. I’ll be fine.”

If you thought he was sweet before, he was certainly continuing to rack up the brownie points with you now. “No. I want to make sure you’re okay.” Your heart fluttered, but you didn’t get long to think on it before you were bracing yourself again. 

Coming into the party tonight you certainly never would have expected to be spending a lot of your night in Steve Harrington’s bathroom with Eddie Munson, especially while you were throwing up. Heck you wouldn’t have even expected to be in the same room as Eddie at all; but now you wouldn’t have had it any other way. You actually would have liked to have spent more time with him afterwards, not in a bathroom puking of course, but that was only if you could muster up the courage to face him again after almost spewing your guts all over his attempt at a devil costume. 

»»——⍟——««

Having to head to work the day after a booming Halloween party felt like some sort of penance for an evil deed you didn’t commit. Your head was pounding, stomach occasionally still churning and every possible light was too bright. The issue was that you couldn’t just wear sunglasses inside all day while you did your job, but there were too many lights in the store to stop your head from throbbing for more than thirty seconds. 

When you walked through the door of the video store, Steve spotted you, grinning like a maniac at the state of you. Usually you were pretty well put together, but today your hair was a mess, face dull, sunglasses on and you were much more delayed in your movements. Oh yeah he could tell you had a bad hangover, but just because you were friends didn’t mean he had to approach you with caution for the day. “Good morning, my favourite co-worker!” he called loudly, relishing in the way you winced at the volume of his voice. 

There was a cough that could be heard from behind him, and when he turned his head he saw a very unimpressed Robin watching him. He realised his mistake, but he actually jumped at the opportunity to torment you again. “Sorry,” he muttered to the girl. “Good morning, to one half of my joint favourite co-workers!” 

This time around you let out a loud groan as you reached the counter, crouching down so you could rest your head against the cool surface. “Steve, shut up.” You heard him laughing at your misery, leaving you to blindly swing your arms until they collided with his body, silently punishing him for being an asshole.

“Shouldn’t have gotten so drunk the night before a work day,” he teased, shrugging his shoulders as though he was entirely innocent in this situation. Like he wasn’t the one who threw the party in the first place, and actually supplied you with all the drinks. “It was your party, dickwad. And I swear you had more drinks than I did, how are you not dead?” 

You finally raised your head from the counter and the cocky look on his face made you want to hit him before he even spoke. “You see, I have this thing called a tolerance. Which is where–” You scoffed, rolling your eyes before you walked away, leaving him to finish his sentence without an audience. Even though you did sneak into the back room to get away from Steve, it was also to soak up the last few minutes of silence and a calm atmosphere before you officially opened for the day and were met with a wave of noisy customers. 

It really was no time at all to get yourself together before Robin was forcing you back out to the front with a fake smile planted on your face. You had to at least look a tiny bit alive to greet and help customers, even if that felt impossible at the moment. 

To your luck, there weren't many people filtering in and out of the store, meaning it was pretty chill. Robin was manning the counter in case anyone did come up wanting to rent, and you and Steve were stacking the shelves with new releases, making light conversation as you did so. Occasionally Robin would contribute, but for the most part she was stuck watching some random movie she decided to put on. One of the perks of working at a video store you supposed. 

“So, where did you disappear to last night? One minute you were there, then you were gone. No one knew where you were,” he said, bringing up the memories of your time with Eddie. The ones you had been trying to suppress for various reasons. You considered not telling him, or making something up, but you weren’t a brilliant liar and the man knew you too well to not suspect you. 

“Please don’t make me talk about it,” you whined, your face scrunching up in distaste at the embarrassment you still felt. It only intrigued Steve more though. 

“What could have happened that has you so mortified?” he asked, placing a hand on his hip sassily as he turned his full attention to you, leaving the videos unattended and unfinished on the shelf. If you had an embarrassing story to share then he definitely wanted to hear it. He also would never let you hear the end of it, and you knew that, but he also wouldn’t let this go until he got the story. It was a lose/lose situation for you really. 

You groaned, a groan that was meant to be in your head but just so happened to be out loud instead. “I nearly threw up on a guy in the bathroom,” you said simply. You didn’t particularly want to relive the memory, but it was obvious Steve was going to make you do exactly that because he believed your story was much too vague. He was a sucker for details. 

“What guy?”

Your whisper of the culprit’s name was too quiet for your friend to hear, so he made an obnoxious ‘huh’ sound in true Steve fashion and basically forced you to speak up. “It was Eddie Munson,” you stated, keeping your voice low just in case anyone was around and eavesdropping. Steve’s teasing you could deal with it, but if anyone else found out, especially one of the kids he was friends with? Oh you truly would not be able to handle it. 

He seemed shocked, wide eyed as a thousand thoughts swam in his head. “Eddie?” he questioned. You nodded your head, hiding your features behind your hands as embarrassment racked your body. “Eddie Munson? Really?”

“Yes, really, Steve.”

“Well, tell me everything.”

You rolled your eyes, setting down the video that was in your hand so you could turn to face him. Now neither of you were doing the jobs you were supposed to be doing. It probably wouldn’t be a very good look to your boss but thankfully he was rarely ever here to see it anyway. You internally decided it would be easier to tell Steve the most basic rendition of the events of the prior night. He didn’t need to know about the pet name Eddie threw out there, and he certainly didn’t need to know how it made you feel– or rethink every thought you ever had about the metal head. “I was heading to sober up, found him in your kitchen, we got to talking about our matching costumes– He was a devil, I was an angel,” you clarified for him. “And then I ran to the bathroom, and, viola.”

“So, he went with you? To watch you throw up?” he checked.

You huffed at the weird implications he was trying to imply. “Just because you wouldn’t help a drunk girl who needed to throw up, doesn’t mean everyone wouldn’t. Some people are gentlemen, Steve.”

His eyebrows raised and his face split into a grin, the warning sign that what was about to follow was not going to be very pleasant for you. “Oh, so you think Munson’s a gentleman now?” He had never once in his entire time of knowing you heard you mention Eddie for any reason, not even to jump on the bandwagon of making fun of him like most of Steve’s buddies had done over the years. So he thought it was ironic that the first time you did, it was only a few short weeks after he had befriended him. If that wasn’t the universe telling him to meddle then he didn’t know what was. 

“Shut up,” you muttered, swatting his arm. You had been hitting him a lot today it felt like, but he earned it. “H-He’s sweet.” That was the safest compliment you could throw out there, not wanting your friend to catch on to the feeling of butterflies in your stomach that appeared when you thought about Eddie for too long. Specifically thinking about his kind smile. But the flustered aroma surrounding you might have given that away without words. “Now can we move on, maybe do our jobs?”

He studied your face for a few more seconds until you turned your head away from him, not liking the harsh stare he was imposing on you. It felt like he was trying to look into your soul and you hated it. Eventually he gave in, raising both his hands in defeat. “Alright, alright. Whatever you want.” But deep down he was already plotting. 

»»——⍟——««

When Steve planned to meddle, he planned hard. You were none the wiser of what he was doing, but the sneaky bastard kept inviting both you and Eddie to the same place; telling neither of you he was doing so, to try and get you to talk. Though his plan was severely failing on the you-side. Eddie, who knew part of the plan as he was often persuaded to go places with the promise you’d be there, was actually eager to talk to you again.

It had been days since the Halloween party, and you had seen Eddie on a handful of occasions. Had you spoken to him once though? Nope. You were definitely avoiding him, and the hurt look on his face every time you saw him and dashed from somewhere, told you he knew as well. You felt bad, you did, but you couldn’t stand to face him if he were to bring up the events of the party. 

One day you knew you would have no choice but to talk to him again, you couldn’t avoid him forever. In such a small town that would have been physically impossible. But you didn’t think the day in question would have been today. When he showed up at your work there was literally anywhere for you to escape to.

The bell above the door was what indicated your arrival, your eyes jumping in the direction to see who entered. “Oh, shit,” you cursed, whipping your body around so your back was to the door, silently praying that Eddie didn’t recognise you. Upon hearing your curse Steve’s interest was piqued, his eyes following every inch of the scene. “What’s wrong?” the brunette teased, biting back a smile as he watched you freak. Oh he knew full well what was wrong, he was the one who went out of his way to drop by the Munson’s trailer this morning to tell him you would be working all day. “Eddie’s here,” you whined. 

Steve faked a gasp, the over exaggeration bringing you to roll your eyes as you tried to busy yourself. But to your dismay there was nothing for you to do. At least until Steve spoke up and you thought you might have had a shot at escaping a highly awkward encounter with Eddie.

“I think our customers need a little assistance,” he said, glancing between Eddie and the elderly woman who looked to be struggling to even read the movie titles on the video cases. 

“You take him, I take the old lady?” you suggested, already heading in her general direction. Steve chuckled, shaking his head before setting his hands on your shoulders. He turned you around, pushing you in the opposing direction with some force. At times like this you really wished you were a thousand times stronger than him, or maybe just a lot more stubborn. If you knew how to properly stand your ground then you would be well on your way to assisting the old woman by now. 

As you moved to head away from Eddie, you noted Steve was walking backwards towards your other customer, amusement sparkling in his eyes. You glared. “Steve, don’t you dare,” you whisper-yelled, shaking your head as you watched him come close enough to the woman that she noticed his presence. Within seconds she was asking him a hundred questions, the man’s bright grin never leaving his face as his scheme was set into motion. You threw your head back with a quiet groan before getting yourself together to go and talk to Eddie. 

When you turned on your heel to face him you caught him staring, the boy’s eyes widening as he quickly turned his head to face the other direction. Even from that angle you could see the blush that had fallen on his cheeks at the fact he’d been caught; just like the night of the party all over again. You got yourself together, giving yourself a quick pep talk before heading over to him; he was conveniently in the romance section. 

“Hi,” you greeted, simply. 

He turned to look at you and something you couldn’t make out flashed behind his eyes. “Hi. I was just, uh, looking for a movie to watch.” He pointed to the stack of shelves he was standing in front of, as well as the random VHS that was in his hands which he had just picked up on a limb as he saw you approach. He didn’t want you to yet again think he was some creep, though he really needed to get better at lying if he was going to continue to do it. 

You held back a laugh, nodding your head. “Yeah that’s what people usually do at video stores.” You wished you could have taken a picture of the look on his face when the realisation hit him. His mouth had been working a thousand times faster than his brain, so he didn’t know what he was saying before he said it. Thankfully you saved him from the pain of trying to dig himself out of that deeply embarrassing hole. “Didn’t take you for a romance kind of guy though.” 

“You’d be surprised. G-Given the chance I could woo your pants off like one of these romance guys.” He watched your features contort, his heart sinking into his stomach now he realised how dumb that sounded.

“Oh, that was terrible,” you cringed. “Did you get that from Steve?” You were sure that had worked for Harrington before, but it wasn’t the line itself that usually did it for him and the ladies. The women under this town were under some sort of spell with him, and his overconfidence really helped sell the show too. But Eddie had neither of those, stuttering through a pick up line meant it really didn’t have the same effect.

Eddie looked like he’d seen a ghost, a wave of humiliation hitting him full force at the thought of having ruined his shot with you by being a douche. You saw his eyes flicker over your shoulder in a nervous glance, nothing but a noise coming out of his mouth as his brain tried to come up with something to tell you. When you followed his gaze you watched as Steve’s hands dropped to his sides, the man trying to act natural and like he wasn’t saying something to the poor boy in front of you.

“W-Was it really that bad?” he asked.

You laughed, nodding your head. “It was so bad.” The sound of your sweet laughter gave him hope that he hadn’t completely messed up though. To him it sounded like amused laughter, not patronising laughter. He’d heard enough of that in his years to know the difference. The atmosphere quickly grew uncomfortable, and there was a clear shift in the conversation.

“I’m sorry, I just—“ he paused, inhaling sharply as he decided to lay it all out for you. “I really wanted to impress you. At the party I thought you looked so beautiful, a-and I think I got a bit of a crush,” he admitted. “But every time I’ve tried to talk to you since… you just walk away.” It was clear that what you had been doing was wounding him, and part of you knew that all along, but now it was presented to you right from the source, you felt guilty.

This was your chance to finally get yourself an answer. To find out if he’d been thinking about your near miss accident as much as you had. “I was embarrassed,” you muttered. The furrow in his brow felt like a good sign.

“About what?” 

Your eyes bulged. “I nearly threw up on you.” 

“When?” 

You scoffed. All that worrying you had been doing and the boy didn’t even remember. Or if he did, he didn’t care. “You really don’t remember?” you questioned. He shook his head, lifting a metaphorical weight off of your shoulders. It felt like you could relax for the first time in days when you thought about him. It was actually a pleasant feeling. “Well that makes me feel so much better actually.” 

The obvious tension that surrounded you both seemed to subside, the two of you gazing at each other with soft smiles. “So I didn’t completely mess up?” he asked. You shook your head. “Not at all. I actually really enjoyed talking with you the other night, even though we were in a bathroom.”

It looked like something clicked in him from that moment, his features lighting up and his posture straightening out, although it seemed he was looking anywhere but you. “Well, in that case, I was wondering–” When his eyes met yours he was ready to chicken out. Eddie Munson had never asked a girl out in his life, and he never even considered asking one out that was as enchanting as he found you. To say he was scared shitless right now would be an understatement. 

You got the gist of what he was probably going to ask, but the longer it took for him to spit out the words, the more worried you got that he’d changed his mind halfway through speaking. So, you did it yourself, removing the pressure from him. “Would you like to go out with me sometime, Eddie?”

You watched him let out a breath of relief, shoulders sagging again and a grateful grin splitting on his face. “I’d love to.”

»»——⍟——««

The night of your date had finally arrived and you were so nervous. You had spent the entire day stressing over every tiny detail, even the ones you couldn’t control. Both Robin and Steve had been driven crazy the whole time after you invited them over for their help and reassuring words. To be fair, you were driving them crazy too though.

You must have shown them six different outfits you could wear at this point, each one pretty much the same as the last. You had messed with your hair, whining to Robin about how it just didn’t look right, even though she assured you it was perfect. Then came the issue of makeup, all of which Steve seemed to complain he didn’t understand. He never cared about any of these things when he was going on dates with girls. But maybe that was just him.

“Y/N, he likes you, he isn’t going to care,” Steve said, believing he was making the situation better. That only made you feel worse, throwing yourself face first down onto your bed, groaning about how nothing was going to go right and you had made such an effort only to have one of your good friends throw it right back in your face like it was nothing. Robin scolded him, slapping his arm as the two whisper-yelled to each other in the hopes you wouldn’t hear them; but you did.

“Steve’s a dick, don’t listen to him. You look good, and Eddie’s gonna think you look good too,” she said, hand rubbing over the expanse of your back in a comforting gesture.

You lifted your head from where you’d buried it, glancing at your friend with a hopeful expression in your eyes. “Really?” you asked, earning a nod from her. “You look smokin’, he’s lucky to be getting this time with you,” she said.

As you moved to thank her your eyes caught the clock on your night stand, eyes growing wide at the fact he’d be showing up in no less than half an hour and you still didn’t have an outfit selected. Your friends saw the way your face contorted into fear, ushering you up from your bed so they could get you together and ready in enough time. And although Steve’s previous attempt at a pep talk had gone horribly, this time around he was calming you down just fine.

It felt like almost no time had passed when you heard the expected knock on the door. Robin had picked the perfect thing for you to wear, your hair looked good, and you felt beautiful. Part of you wouldn’t ever admit you were dressing to try and impress some boy, so the fact you felt so pretty was good enough for you.

With one last reminder that you could do this, you pulled open the door. “Hi,” you said, standing shyly on your doorstep. At first he just looked at you blankly, and you weren’t sure what you were supposed to do. You shifted a little awkwardly on your feet before turning to send a glance to Nancy and Steve. They didn’t help, just offered you a thumb’s up as it looked like Eddie finally came back to reality. “W-Wow, hi. You look beautiful.”

Your skin burned hot at the compliment, and you took in how he looked standing there. The jeans had no rips on them for a change, though he still had his tell tale chain dangling from the material. His shirt wasn’t any familiar band tee that he usually wore, but instead replaced with a white button up that showcased the effort he had put into looking good for this date. Not that he needed to put much effort in to look good. His many rings still adorned his fingers, and his hair looked a little more tamed, though it was clear he had been messing with it. “You clean up well, Munson.”

You saw his cheeks flush and it was the cutest thing, unable to bite back the smile that crept upon your face. “Shall we head out?” he asked. You tried to hide your excitement as you nodded, but you probably looked incredibly eager anyway. As you tugged the door closed you heard Steve and Robin muttering about ‘how they grow up so fast’ leaving you to sneak your hand through the gap to flash them a middle finger before you really left.

Even though the walk from your front door to where his car was parked at the end of your driveway was short, that didn’t stop him from shyly lacing your fingers together to lead the way, the feeling of his warm palm sliding across yours making your heart race. How did a guy you only really noticed for the first time, maybe a week ago, have such a hold on your heart already? He was magical.

You were snapped from your gaze when you felt his touch leave you, a little sad if you were being honest, but that was replaced with yet another flurry of butterflies at his next actions. “M’lady,” he said, pulling open the passenger door for you. You climbed in with a grin, thanking him for the gesture. “Thank you, kind sir.”

He swore he fell even more in love right then.

You had exactly two seconds to gather your thoughts before he was climbing in the driver’s side, and then your eyes were on him. This could have been the only chance you got to really study his features; when he literally couldn’t remove his eyes from the road. The more you looked at him, the more handsome he seemed to become. Though a lot of people hated the hair, it suited him well, you couldn’t imagine him without it; it was just so him. The way each strand curled perfectly, how it framed his face. You noticed every so often it’d get caught in his eyes, but he must have been so used to it that it didn’t bother him. With a quick shake of his head it’d be fixed.

His eyes, oh they were so enchanting. They had been one of the main things that sent you haywire when you looked at him. They were like a void, just a space you could so easily get lost in if you looked long enough. But they were dangerous, one glance from those puppy eyes would have you bending at his will in seconds.

You didn’t get to look at him for as long as you would have liked. He’d realised you weren’t saying anything, and when he glanced over you were just staring, in some sort of trance. But the expression on your face was too blank, too unreadable. “You ready, sweetheart?” he asked, softly, wondering if the silence was you changing your mind. There was that nickname again. The one that made you feel all fuzzy inside in a way you didn’t think you could describe with words. “So ready.”

The ride to your mystery location was pleasant. It was filled with chatter between the two of you and the sound of music through the tape in the player. It was some metal band that you weren’t really too fond of, but whatever made him happy. Conversation seemed so easy with him, so effortless, and you found yourself not wanting the night to end already and you hadn’t even left the van yet.

At first you didn’t know where he was going, driving down unfamiliar roads and heading in a direction you didn’t recognise. “Where are we going?” you eventually asked. You partially trusted him, but it was dawning on you how little you actually knew him. Going to an unfamiliar place with a man you didn’t know all that well probably wasn’t the best idea, but it was a bit late for second thoughts now. He glanced over briefly at the sound of your voice. “It’s a surprise. Trust me, I know a place.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, but settled back into the surprisingly comfortable passenger seat of the van. Another ten or so minutes passed by before the roads got darker, shrouded with trees and away from almost any civilization. It was like that for a little until the engine cut off, your eyes scoured your surroundings seeing he’d brought you to a clearing in the woods. Given the secluded location you felt like you had to ask the question plaguing your mind. “You aren’t about to murder me, right?” you asked, half-joking, half-actually-serious.

He laughed, shaking his head. “No, I’m not. I thought you believed me when I told you I wasn’t in a cult.”

You rolled your eyes. “‘S pretty easy to deny. ‘Oh are you in a cult?’ No.” You shrugged to emphasise your little show, hearing him chuckling to himself as he stepped out of the van. “See, easy. How do you know I’m not in a cult?” you questioned him as he pulled open your door for you again.

The grin on his face was positively precious, and the easy banter between you must have eased up his anxieties a little bit. His hand raised to lightly brush his thumb and pointer finger against your chin. “You’re too cute to be in a cult.”

You scoffed, eyes trailing his figure as he headed over to the sliding door on his van. “And you’re not? Munson you, so, aren’t the badass everyone thinks you are.” His eyes flickered over to you, his head cocking and the corner of his mouth curling up as if he was amused with what you were saying. “Oh really?” he queried. You nodded your head. “What am I then?”

“Deep down, you’re a big softie.” He didn’t protest what you were saying at all. He wasn’t like one of these egotistical freaks that felt they had to keep up a reputation. If you thought he was a softie it was because he was a huge softie for you, and he didn’t care who knew it. “Only for you, sweetheart.”

The look of utter adoration on your face was hard for him to ignore, he desperately wanted to let it go to his ego, but he couldn’t.

You cleared your throat when the initial flood of cloudiness subsided. “So, what’s in store for us?”

The smile on his face didn’t give anything away, other than the fact that whatever it was he was proud of. Your eyes followed his movements as he tugged open the sliding door, holding his arms out to showcase the inside of the van. It wasn’t at all what you expected. You were met with an adorable sight. He’d set the inside up like a bed, a mattress crammed in, some pillows and a couple blankets for you both. He’d even gone as far to add some fairy lights to brighten the place up, and you had to admit it did make it feel more romantic. “I, uh, I thought we could watch the stars. No one ever comes out here so—“ He trailed off when it looked like he remembered something else. You watched him lean into the van, doing who knows what before the soft sound of music started to play inside the vehicle. “And there’s music, and some food.”

When he turned to look at you he noted the frown on your lips, taking it as a sign he had gone way too over the top or maybe let your expectations down. He felt the need to suddenly apologise. “I know it’s probably not what you expected, but I—“ You cut him off with the touch of your fingertips on his cheek, turning his head to face you. Those puppy eyes of his seemed to widen when they realised how close you both had gotten, he wasn’t expecting to almost brush noses with you when he looked in your direction. “It’s perfect, Eddie. No one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”

For a moment his eyes flickered between your gaze and your lips, weighing out the pros and cons of leaning in and kissing you right now. But once again at the last minute he chickened out, leaving you a little disappointed if you were being completely honest. You didn’t say anything though, putting it down to the poor man’s nerves. “‘M glad,” he muttered.

He offered out his hand to help you climb into the back. Truly he didn’t need to, it wasn’t difficult to get into, but he felt like that was what guys should do on dates. You took a seat on the shockingly soft mattress, crossing your legs over one another as you waited for him to join you. When he finally did he let out a sigh, offering you a grin.

“So, what’s on the menu, chef?”

He stretched his arm behind him, bringing to your view a familiar looking box. It was from the pizza place that you were practically obsessed with. You would basically force Steve and Robin to order from there every time you hung out at your house. “Pizza for the lovely lady.” It was like he knew you were suspicious of him the second you saw the box, your eyes narrowing in his direction as you lifted the lid to find exactly what kind you expected.

“Who told you?”

He shrugged shyly. He had never put this much effort into anything, not even D&D or his band, especially not a person. So he didn’t really know how to act nonchalant about the reaction he was getting. He was quickly realising he loved the tiny twinkles of joy in your eyes every time he did something that made you weak in the knees. “I may have had a little talk with Harrington.”

“You sneaky bastard.”

He reached back behind him a second time, this time drinks were dangling from the grip of his fingers. “And I got beer.”

It didn’t take either of you long to dig in, especially seeing as you couldn’t shut up about how good the pizza was for at least five minutes before you started eating. Eventually he had taken to basically shoving a piece into your hand and then up to your mouth, laughing about how if you love it so much you should actually eat some. Once again conversation flowed smoothly between you, talking about your friends and how Eddie had managed to become friends. He left out the obvious crazy monsters bit, you were on a need to know basis, so it was pretty much all a lie.

You hadn’t been on that many dates in your time, the boys in Hawkins were grade-a-assholes ninety-percent of the time, but you could say wholeheartedly that this was the greatest one you had ever had. It might have been the only one you truly enjoyed. Eddie just had this thing about him that you couldn’t pinpoint, but it made him so easily likeable. You understand how Steve, a rather judgemental friend actually, could come to befriend him so fast. He was nothing like his reputation stated.

After you ate the boy shifted his position, taking to lying on his back with his head practically hanging out of the van. It actually gave him a perfect view of the stars. He patted the space beside him as he motioned for you to do the same. You didn’t hesitate, following his lead and realising that in fact the view was beautiful. “Wow.”

“Wow, indeed,” he muttered. His stare basically burned holes into your cheek, and with an eye roll you turned your head to the side to face him. You caught his eye and his smile only grew.

“Is this one of the ‘romance guy’ clichés you know?” you teased.

He could’ve died right there on the spot thinking about that moment in the video store again. It certainly hadn’t been one of his best moments, and he wanted to move on from this topic very very quickly. “Just shut up and look at the stars.”

You must have spent hours gazing up at the sky, having Eddie point out what he said were various constellations, only to later come clean that he was lying out of his ass. It made you laugh nearly hysterically, the beer getting to your head a little. But all he’d been doing in his lies was trying to get that kind of reaction out of you. He’d found that in such a short time he’d quickly come to adore the sound of your laughter.

“Do you actually know any constellations?” you asked, grinning from ear to ear as you turned your head to look at him. The smile on his face was unmatched, and you’d argue that his eyes twinkled more than every star in the sky did.

His confession came with a slightly scrunched nose and red-twinged cheeks. “Nope. I’m repeating my senior for the third time, d’you really think I paid enough attention in school to learn about the stars?” he laughed.

“Fair play.” The words died on your tongue as your eyes locked, feeling like the biggest movie cliché was playing out in front of you. It would have been funny to point out how painfully ironic it was if you weren’t stuck in some lovesick trance. You tried to make it obvious that you were eyeing his lips, and you thought you had, but he didn’t seem to be making any first move.

Again, like back in the store, you felt you needed to make the first move or it would never happen. “Eddie,” you whispered, gaze unfaltering as you stared into those large doe eyes. You could and certainly had gotten lost in them, they were just so mesmerising. They held so much emotion in them, so many unsaid things that you were desperate to hear. He didn’t say anything, didn’t want to ruin the perfect little bubble you had found yourselves in, instead he just hummed as quietly as he could. “Please, kiss me.”

Now that he knew you wanted him to, he didn’t waste another second, leaning forward to finally meet your lips for the first time. He couldn’t help but note you tasted like beer and the coconut chapstick he watched you apply earlier, his new favourite combination he thought to himself. You were thinking the same, though he tasted like beer and a faint taste of weed. A strange two things to enjoy the taste of, but it was just so him.

As your lip-lock grew more intense he shifted again, rolling onto his side so he could get a better hold of you. He rested on his elbow, his other hand, the one with the chunky rings on, cradling your cheek gently, like you were made out of porcelain or something.

Your arms had found themselves snaking around his neck, wanting to desperately pull him closer to you. However, with that brought the tickling sensation of his hair hitting your skin, forcing you to part from him to let out the laughter that was building up. At first he didn’t know what was going on, a smile growing on his face nonetheless at the joy written all over your face. But you could tell he was confused. “Your hair… it’s tickling me,” you managed to get out through laughs.

To hear more of the angelic sound, he shook his hair against you, laughing with you as you called for him to knock it off.

When the laughter died down the two of you were left laying side by side, grinning like idiots at the ceiling of his van. The joy of just a few minutes ago was very much still present, neither of you spoke for a bit, just enjoyed the happy aura that engulfed you in your silence. That was until Eddie spoke up to break the silence, saying the four words you had been dreading all night. “We should head back.”

He heard you whine but unfortunately you couldn’t stay. “Steve’ll have my head if I don’t bring you back tonight. Or I would say we stay in a heartbeat.” The knowledge that he wanted to stay with you longer made your heart happy, and made you more willing to agree to heading home. He was right when he said Steve would be on him, because you knew if you had a phone with you right now he probably would have been blowing it up like your mom.

“Yeah, you’re right. We should do this again though some time.” You barely got your sentence out when he was leaning in to steal another quick kiss from your lips. For the first time since the party, when you looked at him he didn’t look nervous to have done something so bold. “Absolutely.”

»»——⍟——««

The drive home, though just as pleasant as the drive there, held a different atmosphere than it had before. Your hands were locked over the console, stealing glances at each other when you didn’t think the other was looking. It all felt so… blissful; natural. It was a feeling you hadn’t felt with any other boy you knew. You didn’t even need to communicate to know you both felt the exact same way.

When he turned the corner to your street you felt your heart sink a little bit, you really weren’t ready to leave him just yet. But you didn’t have much of a choice when the vehicle came to a stop at the end of your driveway. Eddie watched you pout, thinking it was the cutest thing. “Walk me to my door?” you asked, trying to grasp any extra time you could spend with him. He agreed instantly.

He caught you off guard when you got out of the van, where he was sweeping you into his arms, his lips capturing yours. It made your head swirl, giving you a sort of drunken sensation from just his kiss. “If you keep doing that, I dunno how you expect me to leave you.” His lips curled into a smile against yours, teeth clashing for a second which forced the two of you to pull away. “Maybe that’s my plan.”

You rolled your eyes, he was the one that wanted to take you home so he didn’t have to deal with Steve’s wrath, now he was proposing other ideas. “Thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun,” you told him genuinely, twirling a strand of his curly hair around your fingers. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Me too. You’re not as bad as I thought you’d be, Y/L/N.”

“Asshole,” you chuckled, hitting his shoulder with the heel of your hand. You heard him laugh as you stepped past him, eyes set on the entrance of your home. You had barely made it a few steps closer to your front door before he was spinning you back around, his hands firmly planted on your waist. He too didn’t want this night to end, and if he had to stall you at your doorstep until the sun rose, he absolutely would.

“Okay, okay. But jus’ think, this all started because you make a really beautiful angel,” he murmured, brushing the tip of his nose against yours affectionately. He watched the smile bloom on your face, his heart fluttering. “You make a pretty hot devil, too.”

His lips were once again on yours, a feeling you had started to really enjoy since the first time it happened. You hoped it would have been happening a lot more from this point too. He pulled back at the feeling of a stare burning into him, his brow furrowing as he searched for the culprit. You saw his gaze flicker behind you, focusing on something for a second before he looked back to you. “Y’know they’re watching us through the window right?” he muttered. You audibly groaned, rolling your eyes as you leaned your head forward to dick it into his chest. “They’re insufferable.”

It was mere seconds before you heard the click of the door, followed by hasty, heavy footsteps that could only be from Steve. You pulled away from Eddie to stand beside him, still keeping close proximity, but just so you could see your friend. “Dude, what the hell? I told you to have her home by ten. It’s nearly three am!” he yelled. Robin sent you a sorry look over his shoulder. It looked like she had tried to keep him inside when they had heard the van pull up, but obviously wasn't very successful. And he clearly had no regard for your poor neighbours.

“You didn’t specify, I thought you meant ten am,” he teased, twisting his wrist so the clock face of the watch that decorated it was facing up towards him. “And in that case I actually brought her back early.” He looked over to you and flashed you a wink. You had to stifle a laugh so Steve didn’t turn to yell at you too.

The Harrington boy’s anger could be felt even from the distance you were at, and despite the lack of light you were sure you could see a vein popping out of his face too. “Don’t get smart with me Munson, I’m gonna kick your ass.”

With a sigh you took a step in front of Eddie, acting sort of as a human shield if your friend decided to take his little charade as far as that. “Okay, momma bear, calm down.” He looked almost offended that you weren’t taking his side. “Let’s not forget you lose every fight you participate in. Please don’t embarrass yourself more.”

Steve scoffed, his mouth gaping at you. You could hear Eddie laughing behind you, as well as Robin giggling behind her hand so your friend didn’t hear her. “I beat Billy the other year,” he tried. You pursed your lips, cocking your head as if to ask really? Surely he didn’t believe that. The look made him give in. “Okay, fine. I didn’t beat Hargove. I could take Eddie though.”

You took the time to size them both up, looking at Steve’s build compared to your dates. They were both pretty similar, but Eddie had a make believe hard exterior, and chunky rings donning his fingers, Steve didn’t have any of that advantage. He was pretty much all talk. “Yeah… no. Sorry, Stevie.”

“Y’know what?” he said, resting his hands on his hips as the infamous motherly side of the man appeared to your eyes. “Inside.” He pointed to the front door with his finger, forcing you to bite back a laugh as he tried to treat you like one of the kids he was always babysitting. “Now, missy.”

“Yes, mom,” you sighed, turning over your shoulder to glance at Eddie as you started stepping closer to Steve. You blew him a teasing kiss, holding your hand up to your ear in an imitation of a phone. “Call me, Munson.” With the promise that he would, you scurried inside with Robin, leaving the two males to sort their issues out together, as you recounted the entire night to your best friend starting with one word to sum it all up. Magical.

[morganbritton132]

Does Steve have to regularly remind students what to do if he has a seizure in class? Have a sign up on the wall of what to do? Do they add “DM his husband on TikTok” on their own? (While respectfully not ever filming him while he’s having one)

This is a great question

Steve loves the first day of school but he also kind of dreads it because he knows that he’s going to have to have the epilepsy talk. Every year starts out with a get-to-know-you game, class rules, and a PowerPoint on how we treat service animals.

He explains to his students what epilepsy is and what it looks like on him. He tells them that often it will look like he’s frozen or that he’s spacing out, but sometimes he’ll have a big one and it will look more like what you see in the movies. Sometimes he can tell when a seizure is about to happen or Ozzy will alert him, and he’ll try to let the class know. Sometimes, they are very sudden and he can’t do that, but he doesn’t want them to be scared.

Steve knows from experience that just having something to do during a high stress situation can do a lot for your anxiety, so he gives his students jobs. It’s one student’s job to alert the teacher across the hall, Mrs. Nolan. It’s another student’s job to call the nurse’s office and let them know. It’s a different student’s job to keep the class under control. A different student’s job to time how long the seizure is. Another’s job is to lower the lights. And all of them – if they are comfortable – are allowed to talk to him. He lets them know that hearing voices really helps him in recovery.

He explains what after a seizure looks like, how he can be really confused and really tired. He tells them that Ozzy is trained to help with seizures and the recovery so let him do whatever he’s trying to do. He tells them that sometimes he might need a few minutes, an hour, or the whole day to recover.

Once Eddie’s Tiktok account gets popular, Steve explicitly tells his students not to message him if he has a seizure. Steve’s very independent and very stubborn when it comes to his disorder, if he can go rest in the nurse’s office and then get back to teaching in some capacity then he will. Otherwise, he’ll call Eddie himself. The students are trying to help, and Steve understands that, but 10-15 middle school kids DMing his husband with messages ranging from ‘Mr. Harrington is being weird today’ to ‘Mr. Harrington is dying’ isn’t comforting.

Now, if they listen to that is another story.

Steve only knows of one occasion where a student filmed him having a seizure, but it’s happened a few times. The time that he knows about happened before he had Ozzy and it was a big seizure that came on suddenly. It ended up on YouTube – which Dustin found and contacted the school about the student taking it down. The school made a big deal out of it and held an assembly about how it was bullying which was mortifying to Steve – both the assembly and the video.  It really hurt his feelings and it made Steve want to quit teaching for a while.

Middle school kids are grappling with learning how to be real people. They are learning empathy and about consequences, and sometimes they post things on the internet not fully understand the effect they’ll have on someone. Sometimes they’re just being mean, but Steve is a beloved member of that school. Students and staff are protective of him so those kinds of videos don’t stay up for very long. Steve is, for the most part, blissfully unaware that this has happened more than once because he is not online.

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[p0und-cake]

The Dead Kid’s Brother and the Freak (Part Two)

Part One - Part Three

eddie munson x male!hargrove!reader

STRANGER THINGS SEASON FOUR SPOILERS

plot summary - this is a three parter! first part is about how reader and eddie met, second is how they got together, third is the reader being infected with vecna’s curse !

warnings - mention of death, mention of attempted unaliving, mention of homophobia, censored f slur, cursing, mentions of abuse, mentions of drinking/alcohol, implied sexual themes

———————————————————————————

Ever since meeting Eddie Munson at the quarry, things progressively got better. You’d discovered Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair were apart of the Hellfire Club. They were a little hesitant in playing Dungeons and Dragons with their friend’s older sibling, but Eddie practically made them let you play. You worked with Eddie in coming up with a cool character, learning the rules of the game along the way. And it turns out, you were pretty fucking good. You ended up helping the party out of some pretty sticky situations.

Pretty soon, Eddie got you a Hellfire Club shirt, and you couldn’t be more happy. You finally felt apart of something. You had somewhere to call home. Somewhere where you actually belonged. You felt happy there. You hadn’t expected to actually make friends with Mike, Lucas, and Dustin, but you did. You and Dustin were pretty close. Of course, no friendship you made with the other members of Hellfire compared to you and Eddie. Eddie practically became your lifeboat. He would occasionally check in to make sure you were feeling okay, but he never was suffocating about it. This boy just seemed so…perfect. Yeah, he may still be in school after being held back and not graduating, but he really did care about you and you cared about him.

This was part of why your heart just ached for him while you sat at Skull Rock late at night. You tried not to think about it, sitting at the top of the rock and staring at the stars. You were of course thankful for the group helping you two out, but why did it have to be one of the sweetest people in Hawkins that was getting framed? Eddie may look absolutely fucking insane (he kind of is sometimes) but Eddie Munson would never hurt a fly. It was a little cliche to say, but nobody else knew Eddie like you did. You knew how sweet he was, and how caring he was for others.

You couldn’t imagine the guilt he felt too. You, his boyfriend, were getting roped into this heinous situation and there was nothing he could do about it. You had heard whispers after Billy had died. You’d heard a couple people at his funeral say you did it instead of the ‘mall fire’ killing him. You wanted to tell Eddie everything, now that he knew about the Upside Down, but it was just so hard to think about.

You were pulled out of your thoughts by Eddie, who had climbed up the rock and was now hovering over you.

“I was getting lonely down there, Hargrove.” He hummed, trying to keep the shakiness out of his voice. He was scared out of his mind, but he didn’t want you to know that. “What’s up?”

“I dunno…just thinking, I guess.” You sat up and breathed out, letting him just take a seat in your lap. Your hands found their way to Eddie’s, lightly playing with the rings on his fingers.

“Heh…it’s weird, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“This is where you asked me out, ‘member?”

He was right. This was where the both of you got together. At this very spot.

“Wow…you’re right, Ed. Although it was more of a demand than a request.” You chuckled a bit, the memory playing through your head. “That felt like so long ago. The last time I cried that hard was when we first met at the quarry.”

“Mmm…yeah. You look pretty when you cry.” He said absentmindedly, making you smile.

“Maybe I should cry more.”

“Wait- that’s not what I meant-!” He panicked, and he would have definitely tried to apologize if you hadn’t kissed him to shut him up. His muscles untensed and he calmly kissed back. It occurred to you that you hadn’t kissed him in a while. Sure, you kissed his knuckles or his forehead to try to reassure him or calm him down, but you hadn’t fully kissed him since before Chrissy’s death.

You pulled away when you couldn’t breathe anymore, but Eddie just pulled you right back in. Almost like he needed more. You understood pretty quickly once you felt soft tear droplets fall onto your shirt. He was crying. Eddie never usually…cried. Once you caught him crying after a nightmare he had once, but that felt like a while ago.

You kissed Eddie for as long as he needed, which you didn’t exactly keep track of how long that was. When he pulled away, he clung to you and nuzzled his tear-stained face into your neck like a child clinging to their mother.

“I’m…so, so sorry.” He whispered, his voice like a heartbroken little boy’s. “I never meant to get you wrapped up in this…fucking mess. Not after what you went through. You don’t deserve any of this shit.”

“Oh…I know, I know.” Your voice was a hushed whisper, moving him into a cradling position. He always liked it when you held him like this. “None of this is your fault, okay? We were both just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe that would have happened to Chrissy either way. You had no way of knowing.” You knew your words wouldn’t make anything completely better, but he needed to know nothing was his fault. You gently ran your fingers through his wild hair, kissing the top of his head.

Eddie cried softly for a little longer, pulling away when he was done. His angelic face was red and his eyes were puffy, so you kissed all over it. He chuckled a little and pulled his face away more.

“Don’t be too loud, idiot.” He hummed, going back to sitting on your lap.

“Oh yeah, yeah.” You laughed softly, ruffling his hair.

“…you remember how our first kiss was on top of this rock?” He hummed. “The first time you actually opened up to me was here, too.”

“Yeah, I ‘member.” You chuckled. This rock was so important to the both of you.

Susan had been drinking that night, and Max had shut herself in her room. It had been about nine months since Billy had died, and Eddie knew that. You were about to just clock out, but there was a little rapping on your window.

“Hargroooove…open up…” The unmistakable voice of Eddie Munson was muffled from outside your window. It was almost embarrassing how quick you jumped from your bed and went to the window, opening it.

“Eddie, you goof, why are you here?” You chuckled, trying to be quiet. “Just because you live across the street from me doesn’t mean you can come Romeo and Juliet me or whatever.”

“What? Why not?” Eddie pouted. “I just wanna see you.”

“Well, not in here. Susan and Max aren’t in the greatest of moods.”

“Then come on..!” Eddie grabbed you by the wrist and carefully tugged you of the window. “I wanna take you somewhere.” He shut your window quietly, ignoring your questions as he dragged you to his van.

You tried to hide a smile as you hopped into the passenger seat. You turned on the radio as Eddie drove off, cranking the volume up like the two of you liked, not noticing Eddie’s fond smile.

He parked near Lovers’ Lake, and led you into the woods nearby, holding your hand.

“I hope you aren’t about to murder me.” You joked, hoping it was too dark for him to see your red face.

“Ah shit, you caught me.” He said, before swooping you up into his arms. He was surprisingly strong. “Gotcha!!”

You yelped out, your yell soon morphing into laughter as Eddie ran with you through the woods.

“You weirdo, what are you doing?!” You exclaimed, cackling with no shame as Eddie carried you.

“We’re here!” He announced.

“I can’t see, jackass.” You huffed out, considering he had thrown you over his shoulder. Eddie turned around, not bothering to put you down. You saw a huge rock in the shape of a skull. “Isn’t this that place where people come to make out?”

“That’s not what we’re doing, dumbass.” He sassed, putting you down finally and climbing on top of the rock. You brushed yourself off and climbed up with him.

“The view is really pretty.” You commented as you looked at the stars.

“Yeah…it really is.” Eddie softly said, and you turned to face him only to discover he wasn’t looking at the stars. He was looking at you. You blinked and looked away with a clear of your throat.

“So, Munson. Why’d you take me here at however late at night?”

“I dunno, you just seemed kinda down lately.” Eddie shrugged, pulling his legs into a criss-cross position. “I figured you would appreciate this.”

Your face turned even redder. “That’s…really nice of you.” You stammered out. “Thank you.” How could he read you so perfectly? Or maybe he was the only one that gave a shit. You both were silent for a while, before Eddie pulled out a walkman from his inner jacket pocket and started playing some music. He knew you hated things being quiet.

“Hey…Eddie?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you stop me from jumping off the quarry?”

Eddie blinked, obviously not expecting that. “What?”

“Why did you stop me? You had no clue who the hell I was, but you stopped me.”

“Who wouldn’t stop someone from jumping off the edge of a quarry?” Eddie said, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You just…looked like you were in so much pain. I couldn’t ignore that. Yeah, I didn’t know who the hell you were, but what kind of a person would I be if I just let you jump?”

You were silent, letting your mind think back to that day. You didn’t get to think about it very long, as Eddie laid his hand on top of yours to pull you back to reality.

“I mean hey, I’m glad I did. You’re one of the greatest people I’ve ever fucking met. You make me really happy, y’know that? Yeah I’m friends with the other members of Hellfire, but you aren’t like them.” He hummed out.

You turned to look at him, and you could tell he was being genuine. How did you get so lucky? You didn’t feel like you deserved that. Not after Billy. Not after what a horrible brother you were to him. You almost didn’t even realize the tears that were bubbling until he said something.

“Hey woah, what’s wrong?” He jumped up and sat in front of you. “Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?” He placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. You tried to not cry, but just like at the quarry, you couldn’t stop the onslaught of tears that came rushing out. “Shit, c’mere…” He scooted closer and wrapped you in a hug, letting you openly weep into his chest. Your chest and throat constricted, body shaking like a leaf as you clutched onto Eddie.

“I don’t deserve this, Eddie…” You managed, trying not to cry on his clothes. “You don’t understand why I was there that day…”

Eddie gently moved away from you and gingerly laid his hand on your face, the cool metal of his rings helping ground you.

“Then tell me.” He cooed softly.

With hardly an ounce of hesitation, you spilled everything. How you and Billy endured the abuse of your father after he drove your mother away. How the two of you gradually grew apart. How you realized how horrible of a brother you were.

“He must have hated me, Eddie…” You sobbed. “I left him alone in a house but not a home. I just couldn’t stand getting beat and getting called a f*g on a daily basis. I fucking failed him! Now my little brother is dead and I can’t fix anything! Why wasn’t it me..? Billy could have gone on to do so much good…he was my baby brother…and now I can’t apologize or anything…and now I’m failing Max just like I failed Billy.”

“…shit, Hargrove…” Eddie whispered. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that alone…” His voice was gentle, like he’d break you if he spoke too loud. His thumb rubbed your cheek, allowing you to focus on that movement. “But…I don’t think Billy ever thought you failed him, you know that? All of this shit is the fault of your shitty dad, you understand? That’s not fair of him to put that blame on you.” He allowed his voice to become a little sharper so you’d pay attention. “No horrible brother would be here sobbing and regretting the way he treated his sibling, y’know? But there’s nothing you can do now, I’m sure you understand that much. Sitting here and crying won’t fix anything, but you know what will? Learning from that shit experience and being a better man, like your brother would want. Living your life to the fullest and being happy, but also keep him alive in your memory and all that shit, y’know?”

“Eddie, I-”

“And I’m gonna help you in any way I possibly can. No person should have to handle all that alone. You’re not alone, y’know? It’s okay to rely on other people sometimes.”

You stared at him, tears still in your eyes. The genuine care and compassion in his eyes made your heart beat faster and faster. That’s when you realized how close your faces truly were.

“I…Eddie..?” You whispered out. “Can I…tell you a secret?”

“Anything.”

“I think I might be in love with you.”

…

His silence scared you. He stared with wide eyes, and you were unable to read the boy’s expression. Did you go too far?

“Just kick me off this rock please.” You mumbled, going to turn away. “I should go, I’m so sorry, forget i said anything.

“I love you too.” He blurted, leaving you to be the one with wide eyes.

“H-huh?” You stammered. Real smooth. “You- are you serious?”

“One hundred percent.” He breathed out. He was just as nervous as you were.

“You’re…not playing a sick joke or anything, right, Ed?” You mumbled, even though Eddie had kept his large hand on your cheek.

“No.” He said, a little firmer. “I’ll prove it if you don’t believe me.”

You almost thought you were dreaming.

His lips were on yours.

He was kissing you.

His lips weren’t the softest thing on the planet, but you didn’t mind. They were a little chapped, but you really couldn’t care less. They were perfect. He was perfect.

He realized you weren’t kissing back, so he went to pull away, but you’d only pulled him right back to you as to savor this moment you never thought you’d experience anywhere outside of your dreams. He decided to savor it too. Both his hands were holding your face, and your hands were holding his. You felt like two lovesick teenagers only without the lust. All of it was love and passion. You’d never imagined this moment would actually come. You told yourself to keep the idea of this locked away in your wildest dreams. You wanted this to happen again.

“Go out with me.” You breathed out once his lips left yours.

A wide, goofy, love-struck grin spread across Eddie’s face. “What’s the magic word?”

“I don’t need a fucking magic word, just say yes, dumbass.” You pouted out.

“Say it, Hargrove~”

“Ughhh, please?”

His lips were on yours once again.

“As you wish.”

~

You didn’t remember much after that. You had woken up in a soft bed in a room that wasn’t yours. You quickly deduced that it was Eddie’s room, his guitar catching your eye as soon as they got adjusted to the light. You could see your shirt, jeans, and shoes strewn about the floor, along with Eddie’s outfit from yesterday too.

You gently lifted the blankets to see that you had been dressed in some of Eddie’s comfier clothes. Did he do that? What a sweetheart.

Speaking of, two arms pulled you close, and you realized Eddie was next to you. He was in nothing but his underwear, which made your face turn bright red. His arms were around your torso, and his legs were all tangled in yours. He looked so innocent.

And that’s how you decided you gained the title of The Luckiest Boy in Hawkins, Indiana.

[flowersforbucky]

What Is and What Should Never Be {one-shot}

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem reader

Word count: 2.9k

Summary: reader and Eddie are separated from the rest of the group in the Upside Down. they end up at Hawkins Lab where they get into a predicament with SEX POLLEN

Warnings: SMUT. dub con. please do not read if you’re not comfortable with dub con. fuck or die situation. language, unprotected sex, oral sex (female and male receiving), vaginal penetration.

reader is an adult, minors do not interact 💕

——-

Time didn’t exist in the Upside Down.

It could have been hours or it could have been days at this point - you and Eddie had been trekking through the woods of Indiana (technically it was Indiana - even if it was the Indiana of an alternate world) for an ungodly amount of time.

The two of you had been separated from the group ages ago - the sudden attack of hundreds of demo-bats sending everyone in different directions, running for safety - you’d learned from their first attack that it was best to find shelter and hide.

You and Eddie both ran towards the woods, taking shelter in a small cave until the bats flew past.

You didn’t know how long ago that was. You didn’t know where the others were, or if they were okay. You’d gone back to where you’d last seen them, of course - but there was no sign of anyone. You didn’t know if that was for better or for worse. You prayed that it meant they were still hiding out.

You weren’t even sure what it was you were hoping to find - your friends, civilization, a gate back to your home dimension - you were just walking aimlessly, desperately wanting to find your way out this creepy, vine-infested forest.

All you knew was that it was dark, and cold, and your legs felt like jelly from walking for so long.

“Are you sure you don’t want my jacket?” Eddie offers for probably the dozenth time at the chatter of your teeth.

“I do want your jacket,” you admit. “But I won’t take your jacket, because then you’ll be even colder, too.”

He sighs, accepting your answer for the time being.

“I’m less worried about being cold and more worried about the fact that my stomach feels like it’s eating itself,” he complains. You feel it too - the pizza you’d eaten for lunch felt like it had been digested a lifetime ago.

“Well, if one, singular, lone demo-bat comes at us then we may have a chance at harvesting his flesh.” You were too focused on the ground beneath you, making sure you didn’t trip on any of the large, veiny vines, to notice that Eddie had stopped dead in his tracks. “I’m not necessarily keen on eating bat meat but if the alternative is starv—”

You come to a sudden pause when you feel Eddie’s hand gripping the top of your arm.

“What?” Your gaze snaps up to look at his face - he’s staring off in the distance, squinting his eyes tight.

You follow his gaze, immediately seeing what had grabbed his attention.

A building - a huge building, fenced and gated. You’re not convinced it isn’t a prison. There’s no lights on that you can see, and it looks seemingly as abandoned as the forest surrounding it. Like the rest of the Upside Down, it’s covered in noticeable large vines.

“I’ll take my chances checking that out,” Eddie sighs resignedly. “Because I’m not eating fucking bat meat.”

There’s a heavy, sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realize what the building is as you get closer.

Hawkins National Laboratory

“Nothing good happens at Hawkins Lab,” you caution. “I doubt whatever we find here is going to be a hot meal.”

“I doubt that, too,” Eddie huffs. He approaches the gate to the chain link fence, freezing when it comes open without any trouble at the first pull. “But maybe we’ll get lucky and there will be some expired cereal or something. People had to eat here sometimes, yeah? And even if there’s no food, there’s bound to at least be something I can bandage this bad boy up with.” Eddie lifts the tail of his shirt, exposing three shallow but long scratches from a bat that had got to him. The bleeding had stopped a while ago, but he was still at risk for infection.

You follow him through the gate. There’s no sign of any living being and you don’t even know if anyone has ever been here, to this lab in this world.

The front door opens as easily as the gate did.

There’s no electricity - you’re not surprised. The only bit of light is what little trickles through the windows from the red-tinted sky outside. The hallways are vast and empty, as are most of the rooms you peek into. A few rooms contain old computers, others have typical equipment found in labs - microscopes, Bunsen burners, empty freezers. The whole place smells old - sour and musty and there’s a thin layer of grit and grime on every surface.

It’s eerily silent except for every footstep that seems to echo for miles.

Eddie stays a step ahead of you the whole time, his body shielding yours - from what exactly, you didn’t know, but you felt safe nonetheless.

You search the whole first floor without any success. No food, no running water, no means of communication.

“Bat meat is starting to sound more and more tempting,” Eddie mudders under his breath as you walk down the flight of stairs to a lower level.

The basement is darker - you pull out the one flashlight the two of you had been sharing from your coat pocket and shine the light ahead of you.

There’s a set of large double doors at the end of the hallway with the word INFIRMARY in bold red letters.

“Let’s find something for me to clean your wound with,” you tell him.

To call it an infirmary would be generous. The room is large, but mostly empty - there’s one hospital bed and several cupboards that are nearly all bare, except for one.

You spot a bottle of rubbing alcohol, amongst a bunch of other various vials and glass cylinders, on one of the higher shelves.

It’s almost too tall for Eddie to reach. Even on his tippy-toes, it’s a stretch. He lunges for the bottle but misses, knocking several over in the process. One rolls off of the shelf, falling at least ten feet to the concrete floor. You jump out of the way right before it shatters.

“Shit,” Eddie mumbles, still reaching for the bottle of rubbing alcohol.

“Maybe you could try to lift me up?” You suggest. “I could put my feet in your hands and you could give me a boost—”

Eddie’s body goes rigid. You point the flashlight at him, noticing that his eyes are darting around frantically.

“Eddie? What’s wrong?” You take a step towards him.

“Don’t!” He shouts - it echoes. “Don’t step any closer to me,” he adds in a quieter voice.

“What the fuck is going on? You’re scaring me.”

“I don’t - I don’t know - fuck, what the fuck.” Eddie starts to walk backwards, distancing himself from you. You stay where you’re at, but follow him with the light of the flashlight. He’s hunched over, in visible pain, as if there’s a knife in his stomach. Your first thought is that the cuts from the demo-bats are hurting him, but he’s been completely fine up until this point.

No, this is too sudden. This is something urgent.

“What the fuck was in that vial?” Eddie curses through gritted teeth.

You turn to the pile of glass on the floor a few feet away from you - there’s a layer of red dust coating the floor around the shards of glass.

You take a cautious step towards the mess, noticing a label still attached to one of the larger shards. You squint to read the small print.

Caution: potentially fatal

PROCREATION POLLEN

“Something is really fucking wrong with me,” Eddie gasps. “I’m covered in sweat, I can’t breathe, I feel like I’m going to explode, like my skin is crawling and I need to.. need to..” he trails off, pacing with his fists in his hair.

Procreation Pollen. It wasn’t something you knew existed but the name on the label was relatively explanatory. And given the place that it was found, a laboratory infamous for its experiments, and the behavior that Eddie was exhibiting, you pieced together what the dust was meant for.

“Have sex?” You finish his sentence. He doesn’t respond at first, just focuses on breathing - his chest is heaving. He has a feral look to him.

“I- I think I’m going to fucking die if I don’t,” his voice cracks with fear.

You walk over to him and he holds his hands up in front of himself.

“I’m serious, sweetheart, don’t. I’m barely controlling myself right now,” he pleads with you.

“Eddie, this feeling isn’t going to go away unless you do something to make it go away.” You try to reason with him.

“You’d really rather die than have sex with me?” Your voice is almost teasing - despite the serious situation at hand, you and Eddie had been playing a game of “will they, won’t they” for far too long.

“No!” Eddie gasps - whether it was out of shock or discomfort, you’re not sure. “Of course not. I just don’t want it to be like this, don’t want it to happen here, like this. This isn’t anything like I imagined it. I don’t want you to fuck me just to save my life.” He laughs but you can hear the pain behind it.

“Oh? How did you imagine it then?” You walk towards him slowly, until you’re less than a foot away from him.

His body freezes again. It looks as though he’s trying to hold his breath - like your scent could send him over the edge.

You sit the flashlight you’d be holding on the nearest countertop surface before closing the gap of space between you. You put your hands on either side of his abdomen and he groans. His muscles are taut and he feels feverish even through the fabric of his shirt.

“Because I’ve imagined it so many different ways,” your voice is just above a whisper. “I’ve imagined it happening in your room with Black Sabbath blasting at full volume to drown out the noise. I’ve imagined it in the back of your van when we’re stoned out of our minds because we’ve smoked one joint too many. I’ve imagined sneaking you into my room after my family goes to sleep and you covering my mouth with your hand to keep me quiet. And I absolutely would fuck you to save your life but I would fuck you any other time, too.”

“It hurts,” he whimpers. “My whole body hurts.”

“Let me help you,” you plead. “Can I please help you?” You’re scared that he’ll refuse - and you’re terrified of what will happen if he does - but you still need to hear him say it. Still need to know that he wants it - really wants it, and not just because he could die if he doesn’t.

His mouth opens but no sound comes out. He hesitates for a moment longer before his lips are on yours.

He pulls you flush against him - the heat from his body instantly makes you feel the warmest you’d been since you all jumped into Lover’s Lake after Steve. His kiss is desperate; fast and messy. He tastes like the last of his cigarettes that he had chain-smoked in the woods of the Upside Down.

You can feel that he’s already hard through his jeans. You palm at him through his pants and you feel him twitch. He groans again, but this time it’s more of a growl.

He picks you up, your legs instinctively wrapping around his midsection as he carries you to the creaky hospital style bed.

There’s an urgency to his actions, but he’s still gentle.

You shrug out of your jacket and toss it on the floor before tugging your shirt over your head. You’re left in only your bra from the waist up. Eddie removes his own shirt before kissing you again, pinning you between his body and the hard mattress.

His skin is covered in a thin layer of sweat that quickly smears against your own stomach and chest.

He kisses you softly once more before hovering above you - his fingers hook into your bra and he glances at you before pulling the fabric out of the way.

“It’s okay,” you assure him.

He tugs the cup of your bra to the side, exposing your breast. The chilly air of the laboratory instantly hardens your nipples - his mouth encases one a second later.

You arch into his touch. His free hand goes to your other breast, pushing your bra out of the way.

“You’re so fucking hot,” he croons when he pulls away. He sits back on his knees and you sit up too - your face level with his stomach. It’s mostly pitch black, the only light coming from the flashlight on the other side of the room, but it’s more than enough to make out his silhouette.

You press your lips to his belly, trailing kisses down his happy trail before pausing at the hem of his pants. You pop open the button and help him shimmy out of them, his underwear quickly following.

His dick springs forward, almost hitting his belly button.

You waste no more time before taking his tip into your mouth. He lets out a visible shudder when your mouth closes around him. You use your tongue to clean up where he’d already leaked around his slit.

His fingers thread through your hair - his hands keeping your head in place. He bucks his hips as you work him with your mouth and you can tell it’s taking all of his restraint to not shove himself deep into your throat. His movements are erratic and you feel him twitch in your mouth. You bob your head a few more times, taking in him little by little until your lips are at his pubes.

“Not gonna last long, sweetheart,” he says in a strained voice. You pull yourself away from him with a pop, replacing your mouth with your hand as you continue to pump him.

“Isn’t that the point?” You chuckle, looking up at him through your lashes. “Make you come so you don’t die?”

He strokes your hair with one hand, the other coming to cup your face as he rubs your lower lip with this thumb.

You can vaguely make out a smirk on his face. He chuckles, then leans down to press a soft kiss to your lips.

“I’ve waited way too long for this,” he murmurs against your mouth. “I’ll take my chances with dying before I pass up the opportunity to eat you out.”

He doesn’t give you a chance to object. He lays you down against the mattress and yanks both your pants and panties down in one quick motion.

He spreads you in front of him - nestles himself between your legs and splays his hands across the squish of your thighs.

The feeling of his hot breath against your center sends goosebumps across your skin before his lips make contact with you.

Despite the pressing matter of time, he’s thorough with you. Drinks from you like a man starved. His hands wrap around your wrists, keeping you where he wants you - mewling beneath him.

You’re almost over the edge when he pulls away. He looks up at you almost apologetically and starts to speak when you shush him.

“Come here,” you command him. “I want you inside me.”

“Need to be in you,” he says, out of breath. He angles himself over you, lining himself up at your entrance.

His forehead is pressed against yours, his sweat mixing with your own. He pushes in gently - pausing when you both hiss in pleasure - before filling you all the way up.

“Shit,” he breathes. “You feel fucking perfect.”

He starts to move, slowly at first before working up to a steady pace. You’re already soaked from his work with his mouth and it takes no time for the vacant laboratory to echo with the obscene noises that came from between your two bodies.

He kisses you as he fucks you - moans into your mouth.

Circumstances aside, it’s better than you’d ever daydreamed of. Years worth of pent up feelings and desires are released as he thrusts into you.

“Need to come, baby,” he grunts. “Want you to come with me.” He reaches his hand between the two of you, finding your swollen sweet spot and massaging quick circles.

There’s a familiar heat building in your lower belly. His thrusts become messy and sporadic - you’re both close.

You wrap your legs around him, pulling him as far into you as he can get. You clench around him as you come and he loses it when he feels it.

He fucks you through both of your orgasms and then collapses on top of you.

“Are you okay?” You ask him as soon as your breathing levels out. “Did it work? Are you still in pain?”

He pulls back to look down at you.

“I’ve never felt better,” he promises.

You breathe a sigh of relief.

“Can’t believe it took you being poisoned in an abandoned laboratory in an alternate dimension for us to finally hook up,” you laugh under your breath.

“We’re pretty fucking stupid, huh?” He agrees before kissing you again. He takes his time now, there’s no longer a frantic urgency.

“Just promise me—” he interjects in between kisses. “That we won’t be stupid anymore when we get back home.”

Oh, you promise.

—

MY MASTERLIST

thank you for reading! ♡

[matan4il]

Buddie 408 meta

In the first call of the ep, Buck and Eddie were paired up as partners and with the jumper call, we see them having parallel conversations about the problems that dating has introduced into their lives. That’s on top of the parallel dating timelines that I mentioned in my 407 meta and continues in this ep. Basically, no matter where the show takes them, it also links them together, even through the small things. Always.

* * *

During Ana and Eddie’s ‘big date’, we learn that he spends his time solving math problems, which… what kind of a date even is that? And the flirting in the scene doesn’t quite work for me personally, because not only do we not know Ana as a character, we also don’t know them as a couple. ALL we’ve had so far is flirting, but where are the bits where they connect, where you can see how they fit as people in real situations? When a show is invested in a Love Interest, it gives us those scenes. Not just heavy handed flirting. Same goes for Ana meeting Chris at the end of the ep, we don’t know what she’s like with him, only that he loves her because she used to be his teacher, which is a very lazy way of establishing their bond. And the most meaningful scene in the ep? Didn’t involve Ana or Chris with her. She’s still not being invested in. So yeah, she’s around, but she still doesn’t feel like she’s meant to be long term.

I found it jarring (in a good way!) that right after his date, not only does Eddie come home to Buck (let’s not talk about how Buck walks into the scene a bit like a revealed love interest would, for example like Athena’s walk into the restaurant revealing her as Bobby’s date in ep 110) and it then plays as such a domestic scene (given the bit of teasing with “you’re late!”, and how Buck is shown to be so great with Chris, as well as being there for Eddie), the fact that this happens right after the almost completely contentless date is a contrast that emphasizes just how much more meaningful this relationship is. It also served as a reminder that while Eddie hesitated in re-introducing Chris to his own mother, while Eddie was now unsure and uncomfortable telling his son about the woman he’s dating, when he met Buck, there was no hesitation. Just like Eddie instinctively knew he and Buck would have each other’s back, he knew he could trust Buck when introducing him to his son. Again, the comparison screams how meaningful the Buddie bond is and has been since day one! This is not how you sell a new Love Interest to the audience. Or get shippers to stop shipping.

And I couldn’t help but notice that Eddie’s date gives us a scene of both Buck and Eddie returning home. Eddie is completely comfortable and happy when he returns to his house, because he’s in his element, seeing Buck and Chris (other than the moment when he doesn’t feel comfortable telling Chris about Ana). Buck in comparison is highly uncomfortable returning to his loft, due to Veronica being there and his sense of Albert’s betrayal. This continues the theme of showing that really, Buck’s home is with the Diaz boys.

* * *

In contrast with Ana, Taylor has been back for only one ep and already has been shown more as a character on her own, getting a mini redemption arc, as well as having a more developed and multi-faceted history with the guy she’s been brought back for. Taylor will clearly continue to show up, and I think a friendship between her and Buck could be interesting. At the end of the day, I can’t ignore that the biggest thing she said to show she does know Buck isn’t what she spewed in a moment of anger. It’s that he already has meaningful relationships - with the 118. Which of course includes, as this ep highlights, Eddie and Chris. Who knows? Maybe at some point, she’ll get to say something about this to Buck.

* * *

Speaking of friendships, I love so many of the platonic ones on this show. Athena and Hen’s just rules, Bobby and Michael’s is so freaking pure, and now I’m also adoring Buck and Albert’s. I LOVE that Al chose friendship over romance. That we got the show saying good friendships matter more. I love that Buck got to see his friend putting him first. I wanna take a sec to applaud this! (that Al and Buck are roommates as well and still less domestic and each other’s partner than Buck and Eddie are is just a bonus)

* * *

The date scene’s only meaty part is establishing the problem Eddie has: he’s not comfortable yet with telling his son about Ana. Normally, him resolving that would have been the climax of his story arc in this ep. Instead, his coming to terms with having to tell his son about his dating is played semi-comically, against the backdrop of the guy whose jumping from the roof the team is betting on. His scene of talking about it to Chris isn't the climax either, since it isn’t the one where Chris gets to open up and share his feelings, allowing emotional progress. Instead, that climax scene happens between Buck and Chris. And why would Eddie’s dating dilemma climax happen with a scene between his son and his best friend? Showing us how deeply they’re tied together? That’s not how these stories usually unfold... (another symbol of that is that dating stories with an interrupted kiss are usually resolved by seeing the couple getting to kiss after all before the end of that storyline, but Eddie and Ana don’t get that)

Not to mention that when Buck talks to Chris, he already knew about Christopher’s outburst, meaning he was updated about this right away, despite this being the night of his weird double date (not for example the next day), and Eddie had to have told him before he told Ana. Buck is SO Eddie’s real partner. I also found it interesting that what Chris confesses is his fear of more people he loves leaving. But who is he scared will leave? Eddie dating doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere. And Chris can’t be that afraid of losing at some point this new person that he doesn’t even yet know if he’ll like. So who might drift away if Eddie starts dating? It’s “Dad’s friend”, whose house is the place Chris chose to run away to. The guy whose reassurance - that he will always be in Christopher’s life - is what calms down this confessed fear.

And if that doesn’t say everything about how central Buck is to Chris as more than just his dad’s friend, consider the fact that Chris’ fear of being abandoned parallels Buck’s as he had expressed it to Maddie in 316. This scene might have used the word ‘friends’ for Buck and Chris, but in every other way, it presented them as a family (and by extension, Eddie too). And this is a show that repeatedly points out how real family matters more than anything else, in whatever form it may come. That it’s a bond that cannot be broken. And that’s what these three have.

Thank you endlessly to my amazing friend @bicepsie​​ for making her incredible gifs for this meta post! xoxox Also, if you like my takes on Buddie, you can find more of my meta and fics for them here. Thank you in advance for any like, comment and of course reblog, they all help so much! As we go into this break in eps, I’ll still be here, making content and answering questions for anyone interested. Have a pleasant hiatus everyone and be well! xoxoxox 

[marthamaewhovier]

never let a love get so close

buddie - rated t - 3167 words

Three times Buck holds Eddie in his arms and one time they hold each other.

read on ao3

Spring, 2020

Eddie’s lost track of the time. If he had to guess he’d say it’s somewhere around two in the morning, and he hasn’t slept a wink.

It’s his third night in Buck’s bed. His third night away from Christopher.

Logically he knows it’s not his fault. He knows that leaving was the only real option he had, if he wanted to keep Christopher healthy and fed.

But it doesn’t stop him from lying in bed, each and every one of Christopher’s tears a shard of glass in his heart.

The first couple of days had been far easier than he expected. Christopher had thought Pepa coming to stay with him and school now being on the computer had been a fun adventure, and even though Eddie had told him he didn’t know how long it would be, he could tell it didn’t really sink in.

Day three had apparently been the breaking point, and he could only blame his parents.

They’d called, and learned that Pepa was staying there and that Eddie had temporarily moved to Buck’s, and they’d had a royal fit about it. And Christopher had probably had at least another day, maybe two, before it all really started sinking in, but then they’d started making noise about how well maybe we need to just come get you and take you back to Texas with us at least until all this is over and that had made it very serious for Christopher, very quickly, because it was one thing to be twenty minutes away from his dad and a whole other to be multiple states away.

There had been…a lot of yelling. He feels a little bad that he probably alienated any of Buck’s neighbors that had chosen to be out on their balconies during it, but in the end he’d gotten the point across that if they so much as set foot in California there would be hell to pay.

And he knew when he was on the phone with them, and he still knows now lying in Buck’s bed, that it was the right decision. He’d gone just a few months prior and changed his will so Christopher would never end up in their care, that doesn’t change just because it isn’t Buck taking care of him right now.

But rationale and logic don’t always enter into the equation, so he’s been lying here staring into the dark for hours, feeling like he’s fucked up again.

It’s not just the shit with his parents. That factors in, but it’s also the guilt. He’d promised Christopher he wouldn’t leave him again, and he has. He’s right back to only seeing his son through a computer screen, and he can’t decide if it’s better or worse that he’s only a short car ride away this time.

After he’d settled everything with his parents he’d FaceTimed Christopher, to explain that he’d be staying home with Pepa just like they talked about, and Christopher had asked when he was coming home. And he’d been forced to explain, again, but this time with Christopher understanding the severity of the situation, that he just couldn’t be sure.

And he’d been forced to watch as Christopher’s face had crumpled, unable to reach across the distance between them to wipe his tears away or comfort him in any way. Had to watch as Pepa had intervened, comforting his kid because he wasn’t there to do it.

It’s for his health, Eddie reminds himself as he remains sleepless in Buck’s bed. It’s for his safety.

Eddie sighs, rolling onto his side away from Buck, resigning himself to a sleepless night.

But then Buck shifts, rolling behind him, slotting his body behind Eddie’s with an ease like they’ve done it a thousand times instead of never. His arm wraps around Eddie’s middle, his fingers tucking between Eddie’s side and the mattress, his nose, for the briefest of seconds, nuzzles into the short hairs on the back of Eddie’s head. He breathes a deep, content sigh, the rise and fall of his chest felt against Eddie’s back before his breaths even back out into sleep that Eddie’s not sure Buck even left in the first place.

Eddie, for his part, goes entirely rigid.

He stays that way for a count of five, but Buck doesn’t stir, the only motion the continued rise and fall of his chest. And slowly, Eddie relaxes into the hold.

It’s—nice. It’s really fucking nice. It’s not something Eddie has much experience with, being held. Shannon held him once, the first time he woke up from a nightmare after coming home with three bullet scars he hadn’t left with, and he could tell the entire time that she didn’t know how to deal with the version of him that came back. So he’d learned how to not wake her, and when he couldn’t manage that he’d retreat to the bathroom, or the couch instead of dumping his mess on her when she was trying to sleep.

But this, being held by Buck. It’s comforting. Already Eddie’s mind has settled. Maybe it’s because Buck’s just a little bigger than him, but he feels…safe.

To his shock it quickly becomes hard to hold his eyes open, when just minutes before he’d been wide awake.

He gives in, his eyes fluttering closed, as he lets sleep envelope him.

Summer, 2021

He should probably be embarrassed by the frustrated tears threatening to fall, but he’s too tired and in too much pain to have room for embarrassment.

Buck, patient, beautiful, endlessly kind Buck, kneels in front of where Eddie sits on the edge of his bed, eyes filled with so much compassion it nearly makes the tears fall.

“What’s going on, Eddie?” He asks, eyes flicking to the sling like it contains all the answers.

Eddie takes a shaky breath. “It’s—fucking stupid,” he mumbles.

“It’s probably not,” Buck argues, his hand on Eddie’s knee, thumb rubbing smoothing circles.

“I can’t just fucking lie down,” he admits. Buck’s brow creases in confusion, so he goes on. “That’s like the one thing you can do when you feel like shit, you know? You can lie down on your bed, and maybe it helps, maybe it doesn’t, but you can at least lie there,” he gestures at his sling, and his shoulder. “But I can’t fucking lie down, because that just makes it worse.”

Understanding flickers across Buck’s face. “Ok. Well, we can try to recline you with some pillows, maybe get you a little more horizontal than you’ve been.”

Eddie knows that’s not going to help, but he doesn’t know what else to do. “Yeah, ok,” he agrees, unable to keep the note of resignation out of his voice.

Buck doesn’t respond, just looks at him thoughtfully, bottom lip tucked between his lips in thought. “Ok,” he says after a moment. “Do you trust me?”

Eddie blinks at him, his unshed tears catching in his eyelashes and blurring his vision a little. “Of course.”

“Ok. Let’s get your sling off,” Buck says, and they work carefully to get it off as painlessly as possible. Eddie had taken a pain pill a little while ago, but it’s still not a pleasant endeavor, and he hates the way Buck winces every time Eddie makes any kind of signal of pain, like it’s his fault. But they get it off, and Buck sets it aside.

Eddie stands uselessly off to the side, arm clutched to his chest as Buck turns the bed down. He watches as Buck props pillows up, and comes closer when Buck beckons him. He cooperates as Buck gently manhandles him into the center of the bed, a little confused that he’s not against the pillows, but then Buck turns the lamp off and slides into bed behind him and it clicks.

“Buck,” he says, sharper than he intends, and Buck freezes. He softens his tone, “You can’t sleep like this all night.”

Buck relaxes and continues situating himself until his legs are bracketing Eddie’s hips and he’s easing Eddie back against his chest. “I’ve slept in worse positions, it’ll be fine,” he murmurs, his words a rumble against Eddie’s back. One arm wraps loosely around his middle, and he uses the other to support Eddie’s right arm. Eddie would have doubts about Buck’s ability to support that arm once asleep if he hadn’t seen with his own eyes Buck’s ability to fall asleep on the couch with a bottle of beer in his hand and somehow never spill a drop.

Buck slowly eases them back, supporting all of Eddie’s weight. He’s not fully horizontal once settled, of course, but he’s more horizontal than he could comfortably be on his own, and being surrounded with Buck’s warm body is probably the most comfortable he’s been since before he was shot. It’s enough to let a couple of his tears finally break free, and he’s thankful that Buck’s behind him and can’t see them.

“Is this ok?” Buck asks quietly, his mouth so close to the shell of Eddie’s ear that his breath ghosts over it, giving Eddie goosebumps. “Are you in any pain?”

There’s always, no matter what he does, a thrumming ache, but it’s more muted and distant than it has been since they took him off morphine, so he shakes his head. “No, I’m good.”

“Good,” Buck replies, and Eddie marvels that he can already hear the sleep in Buck’s voice. Apparently turning himself into a giant pillow isn’t enough to stop him from falling asleep, so Eddie relaxes. He listens to the sound of Buck breathing, measuring his own breaths to match Buck’s as he falls asleep.

Eddie drifts into somewhere between waking and sleeping, conscious of Buck’s body behind him, his arms around him. He’s utterly defenseless against his own brain when the thought flickers by that he wouldn’t mind falling asleep in Buck’s arms every night.

He pushes the thought away. They both have girlfriends, and even if they didn’t, that kind of thinking…it’s not for Eddie. He’s not–he’s just not. Buck’s just a comfortable human pillow, and Eddie is drugged and exhausted and in pain, and everyone has stray thoughts they can’t control under normal circumstances, so of course he feels comfortable, and safe right now with his best friend. He’s not–he’s not–

He’s not sure how much longer he can keep lying to himself.

Spring, 2022

He wakes up and for a split second he doesn’t remember where he is or why his face is pressed into someone’s chest. A bright, hot bolt of panic shoots up his spine before the night comes flooding back to him and he remembers that this is Buck.

He must not have moved in his split second of panic, because Buck doesn’t stir as Eddie slowly pulls back to look at him. The other two times Buck’s held him as he slept he hadn’t been able to see Buck’s face. He looks his fill now, the moon shining bright enough through the window that Eddie can make out his features. He looks peaceful, and with a start Eddie realizes it’s the first time he’s seen Buck’s face this relaxed in longer than he can remember.

Eddie untangles himself further, sitting up and looking around his room. It’s–calling it a mess is generous. The potted plant on his dresser is overturned, dirt spilled over the top of the dresser and all down the front onto the floor, and Eddie’s pretty sure he sees a big chip in the pot. The art hanging next to the window is facedown on the floor, and his treadmill, well, he doesn’t think the extended warranty is going to cover mental breakdown induced damage.

He’s so embarrassed that Buck was here to witness it, and so thankful that Christopher wasn’t. He looks down at Buck again. He may be embarrassed that Buck saw all that, but he’s also so incredibly thankful. He truly doesn’t know what he might’ve done if Buck hadn’t shown up when he had, and it’s that thought that terrifies him more than the destruction he’d wrought on his bedroom. He’s never felt so out of control in his life, like a stranger is piloting his body.

He has to actually go to therapy, properly. Not just sitting in Frank’s office, offering snarky, combative retorts to everything Frank says and hoping that will somehow fix everything that’s broken inside him.

You’re not broken, Buck had said when Eddie had finally been able to breathe well enough to choke out the words. He’d had tears in his eyes as he’d sat on the floor, hand on Eddie’s baseball bat, grip firm, but not taking it away from him until Eddie was ready for him to. You just need help.

Easy for Buck to say when he can’t see the black hole inside him. Never will, if Eddie has any say in the matter.

It’s just that–sometimes Eddie looks at Christopher, and Buck, and everyone else, and he sees all the ways he hurts them. He tries so hard but he hurts Christopher every day, by making Christopher fear for his safety, or feel responsible for Eddie quitting firefighting, or by just not being able to hide his deteriorating mental state well enough. He hurt Buck when he quit too, even if Buck put on a brave face about it, and he hurts Buck every day he doesn’t come back, even though he wants to, so much, but he just can’t quite fool Frank into thinking he’s ready.

He hurts Buck by being in love with him, even though Buck doesn’t know. It’s the one thing Eddie’s probably doing right, because if Buck did know it would only manage to hurt him more.

Sometimes he wishes he’d died on the street that day last May.

It’s not–he knows how that sounds. He’s glad he survived, most of the time. And he’s not a danger to himself, right now, outside of the bruised and bloody knuckles department, but he’s not–nobody needs to worry about him.

But he’s thought about the shooting. Worked out exactly how it probably should’ve gone down to be the best for everyone. It’s simple, the bullet should’ve hit just a few inches to the left, passed straight through his heart. That way–that way Buck wouldn’t have to feel guilty. There never would’ve been a chance of saving him, a bullet of that caliber through the heart would’ve been instant, easy peasy, lights out. They would’ve mourned him, he knows this, but it would’ve been like one last hurt instead of a whole lifetime of them.

But that’s not what happened, and most days he’s grateful for it.

Today just wasn’t one of those days.

Buck mumbles something in his sleep and rolls onto his back, his arm stretched out beside him like he’s inviting Eddie back in. Eddie doesn’t even remember falling asleep, just remembers Buck bundling him onto the bed, both of them still in their jeans, and sobbing brokenly into Buck’s chest. He must’ve cried himself to sleep.

It’s the first real sleep Eddie’s had in God knows how long. He’s still exhausted, because a few hours of sleep aren’t near enough to make up for the lack he’s been having, but his head doesn’t feel quite so heavy.

He shouldn’t. He knows he shouldn’t. But he can’t stop himself from slowly curling up against Buck’s side, resting his cheek on Buck’s chest. He flattens his hand over Buck’s heart. He doesn’t press hard enough to feel it beating, doesn’t want to risk waking Buck up, but he can feel the rise and fall of every breath, and that’s just as good. Buck shifts again, and Eddie holds his breath, thinking he might be waking, but Buck just moves enough to rearrange the arm Eddie’s partially laying on, bringing it up to wrap around Eddie’s back, his hand resting heavy and warm on Eddie’s waist.

Eddie closes his eyes, and pretends.

Fall, 2022

Something touches featherlight to the tip of Eddie’s nose, and he opens his eyes. They nearly go cross looking at Buck, who is barely an inch away.

“Did you just kiss my nose?” Eddie mumbles, closing his eyes again, still on the edge of sleep.

“Maybe,” Buck responds, and Eddie’s lips curl up at the note of bashfulness in Buck’s voice.

Eddie expects Buck to say something else, or kiss him again, maybe on the lips this time, but it’s just silence and the sensation of a body pressed to his from chest to toe. Awareness fills Eddie’s body slowly, the way their bodies are tangled together, both of their arms tight around the other. The delightful soreness in his body from last night’s activities that’s both unfamiliar and yet oh so very welcome.

He cracks his eyes open and finds Buck staring at him, a slightly wary expression he’s trying and failing to hide.

“Why do you look nervous?” he asks, voice still thick with sleep.

“I’m not,” Buck says, looking perhaps even more nervous. Eddie just raises his eyebrows, and Buck sighs. “I just–we’ve never, y’know, woken up together before.”

“That’s not true,” Eddie points out gently, and Buck sighs again.

“Ok, but, we’ve never woken up together after having sex the night before.”

“Ok, that part’s true.” Eddie studies Buck’s face for a moment before it clicks. “Buck, I’ve told you every day for the last two weeks that I love you. I’ve felt it for a hell of a lot longer than that. Having sex with you didn’t suddenly change that, but just in case you think it did,” he leans in and captures Buck’s mouth in a sweet, closed mouth kiss, his thumb stroking the broad expanse of his naked back where it rests. “I am hopelessly, head over heels, ass over teakettle, irrevocably, unendingly in love with you. Infatuated, besotted, enamored, smitten. Just absolutely fucking gone on you, and there will never be a morning I wake up and that isn’t true.”

Buck smiles, tears shining in his eyes. “Are those all the synonyms you could come up with?” he jokes.

Eddie kisses him on the tip of his nose. “No. But I gotta save some for the vows.”

Buck’s eyes go as big as saucers. “I–was that–are you–”

Eddie cuts him off with another kiss. “Not yet. We’ve only been together for two weeks. I was dreaming about calling you my boyfriend for so long I don’t want to let go of it so quickly.”

Buck’s smile lights up the room brighter than the sunlight streaming through the window. “I suppose I can wait, since I love you too,” he says, bringing a hand up to cup Eddie’s face.

“Don’t worry, probably won’t be too long. I’ve wanted to call you my fiancé for almost as long.”

They don’t leave the bed for a long time.