Swimming Pools, Eddie Munson

Save A Little For Yourself | Eddie Munson x F!Reader

Eddie ran a hand down his face. He pushed his chair away from the table and grabbed his jacket. He was fuming. Didn’t any of them care about you? “Just because she hasn’t asked for help doesn’t mean she doesn’t need it.”

“Where are you going?” Steve asked, gesturing his arms out to the 3 large pizzas on the table.

“To go check on our friend.”

Or,

You find your worth in being helpful to others but you have a hard time asking for help yourself.

content warnings: emotional/hurt comfort, comfort, fix-it of sorts [post s4: eddie survives but max has her injuries], also there’s no ‘earthquake bc i didn’t want to write it in, brief food mention, eddie takes care of you, cuddling 🥺

additional notes: This is for all my type 2 enneagrams out there. You do not have to give yourself away to be valuable! Every enneagram type is valued, but as a type 2, I really just wanted to write this comfort fic for anyone like me. I'm hoping everyone can enjoy this, no matter what enneagram you are. If you haven't taken the enneagram test, here is a free one!

word count: 3k

masterlist

read on ao3 or continue reading on tumblr ⤹

Save a little for yourself, never give it all away

Save a little for some help, you know you're gonna need someday

You've got a lotta love, enough to go 'round

- Mandy Moore

The burden of carrying everyone else’s problems and emotions was weighing down on you, more than you’d like to admit. Well, you didn’t admit it at all. You’d smile and say everything was fine. You were just tired. A little overworked and overwhelmed. But nothing you couldn’t handle. 

You were walking out of the main building at school when Nancy called your name. Please don’t ask me for a favor, you thought before turning around with a small smile. “Hey, Nance.”

Nancy hooked her arm through yours while you walked out to the parking lot. “Will we see you tonight?” 

Your mind started reeling, thinking about what would be on the calendar for tonight. You had to make dinner for your neighbors when you got home because Mrs. Zimmerman broke her wrist. Her kids were too young to help and her husband was as helpful as a potato, so you offered to make a couple of meals for them. 

You needed to visit Max and make sure Lucas was doing okay. You also needed to check in with your friend Jessica, who’d been feeling overwhelmed by her parent’s divorce. Recently, you had been spending more time at other people’s homes than your own. 

“What’s tonight?” 

“Pizza with everyone at Tony’s,” Nancy answered. “You’re coming, right?” 

Crap. Pizza night. How could you forget? It had only been a tradition for the past 4 Fridays since you all defeated Vecna together. Your very own band of misfits— the 2 popular girls, the gay band geek, the freshmen, the freak, and the post-graduate who needed to find friends his own age. They were the unexpected family that you’d do absolutely anything for, even if it meant losing yourself in the process. 

You sighed, feeling defeated over everything you’d said yes to. You had to go to pizza night, though. That was important. “I’ll have to move some things around, but I’ll be there.” 

Nancy smiled widely and squeezed your arm. “Yay! 6:00 at Tony’s. I’ll save you a spot next to Eddie,” she teased. 

Your cheeks went hot. You hadn't shared your more than friendly feelings for Eddie with Nancy and you weren’t ready to admit those feelings yet. “Oh, my God, Nance. It’s not like that. We’re just friends.” 

“He talks about you all the time, you know.” 

Don’t get yourself too excited, now. She could be bluffing to get a reaction out of you. “I bandaged his wounds and made him meals for 2 weeks, he better talk about me all the time.” 

“Mike told me he made a new character based on you in Dungeons and Dragons.” 

Your cheeks now felt like there was a fire burning beneath them. “Wait, he did what?” 

Nancy raised her eyebrows, giving you the look. The I know there’s something you’re not telling me look. 

“Nance, what did he say?” 

“He didn’t explicitly say it was after you, but it seemed pretty obvious. Eddie described her as having your hair color and eyes. And she’s like, some sort of healer who would do anything to help her friends.” 

Your heart was thumping so loudly, you could hear it in your ears. Pull yourself together, this was second-hand news! You needed to hear it from the source. At pizza night. You’d ask him about it after his 6th slice of pizza when he’s mostly made of mozzarella and marinara sauce.“It could be a coincidence.” 

Nancy rolled her eyes. “I’ll get those feelings out of you eventually.” 

You opened your car door. “Oh, really? When are you finally gonna admit to yourself that you like Steve again?”

“I- I do not! We were talking about you.” She was flustered. Bringing the conversation back to you. Yup, she totally liked him. Even if he did want 6 kids. Good luck with that, Harrington. 

As most of the parking lot had cleared out, you checked your watch. Your thumping heart sank to your feet. It was a quarter to 4 already. There was no way you’d have time to make dinner for the Zimmermans and visit Max and Jessica before 6. You’d have to visit them after pizza night. 

“I gotta go, Nance. If you’re not gonna admit your feelings, then I’m not going to admit my feelings.” you slid into your car, turned on the ignition, and rolled down the window. 

“What I’m hearing is that you have feelings to admit.” 

“I’m driving away now!” 

Steve, Eddie, and Dustin were pushing together three tables to form one long table to seat the group. Everyone assumed their usual spots at the table— with Nancy leaving the seat between her and Eddie open for you. Lucas was with Max but Erica never missed out on free pizza. (The ones with jobs always split the bill). 

It was well past 6:30 and you still hadn’t shown up. It was incredibly unlike you. You were never late to anything, and if you were, you’d call ahead. Eddie was tapping his fingers on the table, drumming an anxious beat. He was biting his nails on the other hand. 

“Would you cut that out?” Erica demanded. 

Eddie stopped abruptly. “Sorry. I was thinking about Y/N.” 

“Oooooooh,” Dustin, Steve, and Mike all chorus. 

Eddie didn’t even bat an eyelash. He was too worried about you to care about what the boys thought. “Have you guys noticed anything weird about her lately? She’s never late.” 

Everyone at the table thought about Eddie’s question. They’d all known you longer than Eddie had, but you’d spent quite a bit of time together while you were playing nurse. You told him you liked taking care of him. You talked about being motivated by feeling wanted and needed. That is, being helpful to others in order to feel their love for you was justified. Maybe you were being too helpful. Stretching yourself too thin. 

Dustin spoke first. “She’s been visiting Max like, every day. I don’t know, that would make me pretty depressed if I was going over there every day.”

“Didn’t she say something about making dinner for her neighbors because they broke their arm or something?” Steve added. 

“She’s also been helping Jessica cope with her parent’s divorce,” Nancy piped up. 

“Hasn’t she also been helping at the soup kitchen on the weekends?” Robin said with pizza shoved in her cheek.

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie exasperated. “And nobody’s thought to check on her?” 

They all shrugged. “She hasn’t asked for any help,” Robin noted. “I thought she had it all under control.” 

Eddie ran a hand down his face. He pushed his chair away from the table and grabbed his jacket. He was fuming. Didn’t any of them care about you? “Just because she hasn’t asked for help doesn’t mean she doesn’t need it.” 

“Where are you going?” Steve asked, gesturing his arms out to the 3 large pizzas on the table.

“To go check on our friend.” 

When Eddie got to your house, he wasted no time pounding on your front door. It swung open to reveal your mother with a disapproving frown on her face. It only softened slightly when she saw it was Eddie who was the culprit. Much to your surprise, your parents were more open to your newfound friendship with Eddie than you thought they would be. Your mom said he was “sweet” but your dad said not to date him. You agreed with your mom but you couldn’t make any promises to your dad. 

“Sorry about that, Mrs. Y/L/N. Is Y/N here?” 

“She’s upstairs talking with a friend on the phone. Is everything okay, Eddie?” 

“Can I come in? I need to see her. Everything’s fine. I think. I just need to see her.” Eddie was chewing the inside of his cheek. 

Your mom opened the door to let him in. “What is all this about?” 

Eddie paced the foyer, thinking of how to approach the conversation with you. He’s known you the shortest amount of time, why was he the one who had the decency and care to show up for you? “I’m- I’m worried about her. She’s been spending a lot of time helping other people and I’m worried she’s not taking care of herself.” 

“I’ve noticed it, too. She won’t listen to me when I tell her she needs to slow down. Maybe you can talk some sense into her.” 

“Can I go upstairs?” 

Your mom nodded. “Keep the door open, please.” 

Eddie hopped up the stairs, giving your mom a thumbs up. Your door was cracked ajar, soft yellow light seeping into the hallway. He brought his hand up to knock but he hesitated when he heard you end the conversation. 

You placed the phone back on the receiver, rolled off of your bed, and opened your door. You were more than startled to have an Eddie-sized wall in front of you. You collided with his chest, overtaken by his scent for a brief second. You took two steps back. His hair was its usual wavy mess and he was wearing a Black Sabbath t-shirt underneath a jean jacket decorated with buttons on the chest pockets. His eyebrows were creased together.

“Ed-Eddie. What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at pizza night?” 

“Because you weren’t there.” He slipped passed you and into your bedroom. It was clear you hadn’t changed it since you were young. It looked very much like Nancy’s— pink walls, frilly curtains, and pictures of your friends on your mirror. You had some eyeshadow and lipstick thrown about on your dresser, though you hadn’t been up for wearing much makeup recently.

 It felt so personal to be in your space. Like Eddie had just crossed a line he didn’t know was there. Like knowing you had a Rob Lowe poster on your wall changed the level of your friendship. 

He came to your house because you weren’t at dinner? What did that mean? 

“I was coming, I just needed to tell my friend I couldn’t come over until after dinner and she talked longer than I expected. But I was going to be there. You didn’t have to come all the way here.” 

Eddie sat down on your bed. “I did. I’m… I’m worried about you.” 

“Why are you worried about me? I’m fine.” you crossed your arms defensively. 

“That’s exactly what someone who’s not fine would say.” 

You walked over to your dresser and rested your hands on the edge. Eddie swung his legs over your bed to look at you in the mirror. You met his gaze and there was so much concern in his big, beautiful eyes. Did you put that concern there? Your nose began to burn as tears pricked in your eyes.

“Talk to me,” Eddie said softly. “You can trust me, you know.” 

You sniffled. Crying in front of the boy you were crushing on was not on your agenda for today. Or, ever. It was too late now, though. The floodgates were open and they needed to run their course. You dropped to the floor as you broke out in a sob. Your head was rested between your knees, your tears falling onto the carpet. 

Eddie quickly shuffled off of your bed and met you on the ground. He wanted to hug you, to hold you, but he wasn’t sure if that was comforting. He didn’t know if that was crossing a boundary you weren’t okay with. So he placed his hand on your arm, gently running his thumb back and forth. “Hey, hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” 

All you could do was nod. Words would just be swallowed by your violent cries. Your throat was tight and your chest was heaving. You couldn’t catch your breath and everything felt like it was on fire. You fell into Eddie and he immediately wrapped his arms around you. He adjusted you so you were on his lap and his back was against your bed. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” 

He cradled you like a baby and began rocking you gently. In any other circumstance, it would’ve felt ridiculous, but this was exactly what you needed. The physical contact was grounding you, his gentle words were calming you. He ran his hand over your head, holding you close to his chest. Even through your stuffy nose, you could smell the weed on his clothes. It sort of made you smile. You two were so different from one another, and yet, you understood each other. He cared enough about you to miss pizza night. 

“You’re okay. It’s alright.” Eddie soothed. He continued to rock you until you calmed down. 

The feeling of air started to return to your lungs and you took a deep breath through your mouth. “I’m sorry,” you choked out.

“Why are you apologizing?” 

You wiped your nose with the back of your hand. You lifted your head from Eddie’s chest, making you extremely aware of how close you were to his face. You could probably count every eyelash decorating his gorgeous brown eyes if you wanted to. He was so beautiful and there you were with sticky cheeks and snot dripping out of your nose. How attractive. 

You stood up from Eddie’s lap and grabbed some tissues from your nightstand. You blew your nose. Wow, even more attractive. You tossed it into the trash bin. “For just… breaking down in front of you.” 

Eddie got up from the floor and sat back down on your bed. “You’re doing too much. You’re making dinner for like half of Hawkins.” 

He almost got a laugh out of you. “Because they need help and I can give it to them.” 

“Not to the point where you’re giving everything you have away to other people. You can’t take care of anybody if you don’t take care of yourself. You realize that, right?” 

You huffed. You knew that Eddie was right, you just didn’t want to admit it. “There’s just a lot going on right now. People need me.” 

“What about what you need?” 

“Since when did you become my shrink?” You sat next to Eddie. 

“Shut up,” he nudged his shoulder against yours. “You’re my friend and you’re hurting. I want to make you feel better. What makes you happy?” 

All your friends made you happy. They took up so much room in your heart. Even Eddie—especially Eddie— who was more caring and thoughtful than you’d ever anticipated. He was the one who came to you. He was the one who just held you when you broke down. He was the one that was here.

“You,” you looked up at Eddie. His lip quirked into a small smile when he heard your answer. His eyes brightened as if he’d just won pit tickets to Metallica or Dio. “Being with you makes me happy.” 

You didn’t know it, but his heart was beating at 220 beats per minute at your admission. Being with him really made you happy? It was a good thing being with you made him happy, too. 

“Then I’m not going anywhere, angel. Is there anything I can do for you?” 

It was like you were back at his new trailer when you started taking care of his injuries and cooking dinner for him and his uncle every other night. I want to help you, Eddie. Is there anything I can do? 

When his uncle was working night shifts, you would still go over and have dinner with Eddie. So it’s not like you’d never been alone with him. But this was different. This was at your house, in your bedroom. He’d seen the chair that you put worn-once-so-it’s-not-quite-dirty clothes. He’d seen your messy dresser and pink-colored walls. 

“I- um… I…” Yeah, there was no way you could look him in the eyes when you said this. You looked at your hands in your lap instead. “I liked it when you were… when you were holding me. Do you think we can just… cuddle? For a little bit? If you’re not comfortable then-” 

“Big spoon or little spoon?” Eddie interrupted. You brought your eyes to his. It was a genuine question. 

“Little spoon.” 

“Okay.” 

You lay down on your bed, fluffing your pillow beneath you. Your back was to Eddie, leaving you to stare at Rob Lowe. You really needed to take him down. 

Eddie followed suit, the bed bouncing as he assumed the position behind you. Your breath hitched when you felt his legs hit yours and he rested his head on your pillow. All he was smelling was your coconut shampoo which made his stomach flip. He timidly placed his arm over your torso, his hand on your belly. “Is this okay?” Eddie whispered. 

“Yes,” you matched his volume. You slotted your fingers through his and nuzzled yourself closer to him. Your back met his chest, your bum against his waist. You slipped a leg between his, making yourself more than comfortable with his body. You needed to feel as much of him as possible. 

It was more than strange how much comfort Eddie brought you. It wasn’t easy for you to express your emotions, let alone such emotional emotions. But Eddie had carved his own spot in your heart, separate from the spot where all your friends lived. 

“You have so much love to give,” Eddie began. “We all see that. But promise me you’ll start saving a little for yourself. You can’t give away what you don’t have.”

You were silent. That was a big promise to make. 

“Promise me, angel. You’re loved no matter what.” 

Loved no matter what. You held onto Eddie’s hand a little tighter. “I promise, Eddie.”

Voices from the television downstairs served as a sort of white noise while you and Eddie cuddled. Your breathing settled and Eddie’s heart finally calmed down when he got out of his head and just let himself enjoy holding you. Because he did. He enjoyed having you wrapped in his arms. He never wanted to let you go. 

You were both quiet for so long, that each of you thought the other had fallen asleep. 

“Eddie?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I like cuddling with you. You make me feel safe.” 

“Me too.”

i hope you enjoyed this! like i said, i wrote this for myself but i wanted to share it with all of you. please take care of yourselves. you are valued no matter how helpful you are to other people. all my love to you 🤍

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The person I reblogged this from deserves to be happy

I tried to scroll past this. I really did

EIGHTEEN, CRAZY (Part IV/?)

"Corroded Coffin"

Summary: With her highschool experience coming to an end, Y/n finally grows tired of her parents' long lasting effort to make her the perfect girl; if they refuse to let her live her best life, she'll make them live their worst— and what can possibly be worse than having your lovely daughter mingling with Eddie Munson?

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Genre: mostly fluff/fake dating

Tags:

Eighteen, crazy: @greetings-and-salutations @ozdramaqueen

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog @amourtentiaa @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @comfort-reads

Warnings: probably just language? Damn

A/N: this one's a little bit longer but it's fine bc we get a glimpse of corroded coffin and we love that. I saw someone name Unnamed Freak #1 Grant bc of the actor, so we're sticking with that. Enjoy<3

Prologue Part I Part II Part III

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

"—and when I tell you she was ruthless... Ugh." Lizzy's eyes rolled back in annoyance, fingers carding throw her hair to move it out of the way as we walked the halls in her locker's direction. "Anyway, my point is, you made the right choice by not coming to Tina's yesterday."

"Not much of a choice there, was it?" I corrected her, keeping my eyes front. "I had to tutor Eddie."

A single amused laugh left my friend's mouth. "He's a bit of a nightmare, isn't he?" Before I could agree with her, Lizzy pointed at four punk boys idling near Ms. O'Donnell's classroom. "Speaking of the devil."

To the blonde's surprise —and mine—, I jogtrotted to the group until I was at arm's reach and tapped Eddie's back, until then turned to us.

"Hey!" He seemed taken aback by my cheerful demeanor and took him a painfully long instant to snap out of the confusion and jump into character, a toothy grin tugging on the corners of his mouth as he turned his body to face me.

"Well good morning, m'lady." Stealing a quick look at his friends, I wondered how much they knew about our arrangement. Taking in consideration their distrustful visages, probably not a lot. "Hey, Lizzy."

My head spun to see my friend, who had caught up with my quick pace, and was now subtly waving her hand at the metalhead.

"How was the test?" I inquired, returning my attention to Eddie.

"Oh?" He shifted awkwardly in place, clearly not expecting my question. "It was good, I... think? Dunno, I don't wanna jinx it." He grimaced, scratching the back of his neck. "I'll get the grade next week."

"I'm sure it'll be a good grade." I reassured him with a genuine smile. "Next time we should start studying earlier, though. Not just, you know," I vaguely gestured with my hand. "The day before."

"Yes, ma'am." He teased, leaning forward for a second, only to retreat back fast as lightning, undecipherable brown irises staring straight into my own. "Is that it or...?"

"Uh, yeah." I gave him a short nod with pursed lips. "Yes, that's it."

After a second of awkward silence, I cleared my throat and excused both me and Lizzy before waving the boys goodbye.

"There was absolutely no need to make it that awkward." Lizzy commented in a whisper.

"Shut up, okay?" I mumbled mortified, fighting the urge to run into the nearest bathroom and die because what the fuck was that.

We didn't get far before my name was called from the history classroom's door, loud enough to be heard above the usual hubbub caused by the seniors and underclassmen.

"Y/n! Hey!" In a couple of strides, Eddie was once again in front of me, looking as fidgety as I had ever seen him. "Hi. Again." With a nervous titter, his bravado demeanor was completely gone, so much that he averted his gaze from mine. "Uhm... You know, I'm— I'm in a band?" He questioned more than stated, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, Liz told me." I credited my friend, pointing my thumb at her.

"Nice, so" He shot a silent cry for help to what I figured were his friends. "We gig at The Hideout on Tuesdays, at 10pm."

"Really? That's really cool."

"Yeah, pretty cool," he finally gathered the courage to make eye contact. "we actually got a crowd of five... Drunks." After tearing a laugh out of me, his shoulders began to relax. "You should come see us. If you want."

"Oh." Oh. My face tightened, sympathy getting in the way of rejection. "Actually," Already knowing the answer, Eddie's shoulders slumped. "We got a Calc test tomorrow and I kinda suck at it so—"

"That's okay." He gave me an understanding nod, shoving his hands on his back pockets. "I was—"

"You said you play every Tuesday?" I cut him off, brewing what I knew to be a crazy idea in my mind.

"Yeah, every Tuesday. Unless it gets cancelled."

"Well, don't cancel the next one." The ghost of a coy smile appeared on my face at his wide eyed expression.

"Alright, we gotta go." Lizzy announced, situating herself behind me to push me forward. "Bye Ed."

"See you, ladies."

One Week Later

"Y/nnnn!" I barely had time to close my locker and turn at the singsong sound of my name before two ring clad hands spun me around, making me squeal in the process. "Y/n, my beloved, my sweet darling, my saving grace." He listed the titles with unnecessary dramatism and a lot of gesticulation with both of our hands, as he held my palms on his own.

A confused giggle escaped my lips, unknowingly returning Eddie's touch by rubbing the back of his hand with my thumbs. "Okay, what's going on?"

He halted his movements, letting go of me to dig in his backpack. After shuffling through it, he pulled out a piece of paper with a cocky grin. "I got a C+ in Ms. O'Donnell's." He announced, chin tilted up while he handed out proof of his words.

Effectively, a big 'C+' had been written and circled in red ink on the top corner of the sheet. "WHAT? OH MY GOD!" My chest unreasonably swelled at the grade, wide eyes ping-ponging between the test and Eddie's toothy smile. "That's great, that's actually great. Well done Eddie!" Without thinking twice, I threw my arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a quick, euphoric hug.

Even though he was quick to hide it, I didn't fail to notice the initial sheepishness taking over Eddie once I pulled away. "Gotta give you some credit for putting up with me, huh?" He pointed out in a joking manner.

"We should go celebrate." I suggested, spinning to shut the locker, which had been left open behind me.

"No can do." Eddie let his shoulder fall on the row of lockers in order to re-enter my visual field. "Got band practice and then—"

"The gig at The Hideout, yeah."

"You remembered." The boy seemed somewhat surprised. "You coming?"

"I'm thinking about it." I tried my best to play contemplative and hold back the suggestive smile. It's supposed to be a surprise, I reminded myself, mirroring Eddie's posture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jesus Christ!" I could see my best friend's grimace reflected on her vanity mirror, in front of which she sat retouching her eyeshadow. "Gag me with a spoon."

"Don't be mean, Linda." I chastised her from the heavily cushioned bed, helping Lizzy pick up her Calc notes that, with any luck, would get me from a D- to a B.

"Is this, like, important to you?" George questioned from the rug without looking at us, eyebrows furrowed at his notebook.

"It's part of the deal." I lied. Why did I lie?

"Oh, spare me." Liz snorted, inquisitive eyes digging holes into my elusive frame. "You're dragging that excuse now."

"Okay, it's not a part of the deal! So what?!" I glared at my friends in vexation, slamming the notes on the mattress. "He's putting up with so much shit lately, so forgive me if I wanna do something nice for him."

A tense silence flooded Linda's bedroom, which was broken as soon as a swift exchange of glances took place among my friends.

"I'll phone Steve." Linda began. "See if he can help."

"I can call Tina." Lizzy followed.

"Someone's gotta make sure none of Tommy H's friends show up so," George sighed, finally rising from the floor. "I guess that's me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why?"

"Oh, I just wanna know if I have to practice extra hard later." I tilted my head at his playful tone, unable to tell if he was joking or not.

"Well I—"

"Eddie, c'mon! We gotta get going, dude!" A passerby's hand yanked the long-haired boy's sleve, making him roll his eyes.

"Alright, sweetheart, duty calls." He took a step forward and planted a soft kiss on my temple before taking off while I stayed helplessly frozen in place. "see you around!"

It took a good minute for my body to start functioning again, and when it did, my face felt burning hot. God, I hated it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

EDDIE'S P. O. V.

"EDDIE!!"

I seethed at Gareth's voice, pausing my motions when I heard his quick steps coming my way from the inside of the bar.

I had used the establishment's back door —as per usual before every gig— to go out, tune my guitar and have a smoke. It was my little ritual, a brief but effective alone time moment before the show. Apparently, not even that was allowed.

"What." I spat at the youngest bandmate, throwing the cigarette to the concrete and stepping on it.

"It's— they're— there's—" I frowned at his stuttering and the way he frantically motioned into the bar with his drumsticks. "Jeez, just— you gotta see it. C'mon!" He urged, gesturing me to follow him back in, which I reluctantly did.

I was about to tell him off for interrupting my routine for something stupid, but then we turned the corner to get to the poor excuse of a stage we played on and I froze.

There was, objectively, a lot of people —and I mean a lot—, most of them around our age; considering we usually played for five to seven middle aged men... Well, the current situation was a bit overwhelming at the very least.

"I think your girlfriend brought them." Gareth whispered, trailing after me while I climbed up to where Jeff and Grant stood confused.

I couldn't find it in myself to face the crowd just yet, so instead of skimming our incoming audience, I asked, "Y/n's here?"

"Uh... Yeah." Grant bobbed his head at where the bar counter was, prompting me to look. I peeked over my shoulder and instantly met Y/n's gaze. She gave me a timid wave, which I returned with a snort because why on earth did she look nervous? It was us performing in front of classmates that called us freaks in the high school halls.

"Okay. Listen up." I leaned into my bandmates, hanging the strap of the guitar across my chest so I could clench and unclench my fists in an attempt to rid myself off the anxiety. "This may be new, but a crowd is a crowd; doesn't matter if it's five people or fifty, alright? We're performers. We perform. Got it?" They all gave me a swift, resolved nod. "Don't get nervous and don't fuck it up. We got this."

There was a wave of murmured agreement preceding our retreat to our respective spots on the stage, which left me at the very front, exposed to all those eyes.

"Alright, guys." I spoke into the mic. I refused to sound somewhat shy or unsure, and therefore overcompensated by raising my voice as much as I could without screaming. "This is Corroded Coffin. I hope you're ready to rock, 'cause we sure as hell are." I shot a look over my shoulder at my three friends, who gave me their unanimous approval.

Breathe in, breathe out.

"Y/n!" The girl shot me a panic-stricken look, eyes going comically wide when I turned all the attention to her. "This one's for you."

I couldn't help the amused grin tugging up the corner of my lips when I heard the nosey, unintelligible whispers that followed my shameless wink at the blushing mess of a girl Y/n had turned into.

Oddly enough, that granted me the confidence I needed to shred my guitar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

READER'S P. O. V.

Only good things had come out of the gig, I thought to myself as everyone began to exit the place in order to return to their respective cars.

Eddie got his big crowd —who enjoyed the music more than they'll ever admit—, I had the privilege to see him play guitar, and people had approached me at least five times to ask me to congratulate my 'boyfriend' for his guitar solo, which I was gladly going to do.

The bar was still reasonably crowded when I approached the stage. While two of the band members helped the drummer dismantle his instrument, Eddie picked up the amplifiers and sends at the edge, which situated him just in the right spot to see me walk towards them.

"Hey there, sweetheart." He greeted me, crouching for us to be eye to eye.

"That was amazing."

Eddie motioned at the wide open front door, through which the multitude of classmates could still be seen by the cars. "You brought them all?"

I shook my head no, a smile escaping my lips are Eddie's raised brows. "I just... spread the word. Live music at The Hideout every Tuesday."

The boy before me observed my form with a mildly squinted, undecipherable gaze that made me both want to hide and get lost in his dark eyes.

"Are you gonna go home now?"

"I mean," I tittered nervously, toying with the hem of my short skirt. "I wasn't supposed to be out at all."

Eddie visibly pondered something, his lost irises landing on his black combat boots. "Okay hold on." Placing the wires and amps on the side, he climbed off the stage, adjusting his belt before letting his hand dig into every single one of his jeans' pockets until he found the keys to his van. He whistled at his bandmates until he drew the attention of one of them. After throwing him the keys, Eddie's focus returned to me. "Can't leave them stranded."

"Stranded?"

"I'm walking you home." He clarified, intertwining his fingers with mine in order to pull me close to his side and drape an arm over my shoulders. "C'mon, m'lady. Got a long walk ahead of us."

And just like that, we walked out of The Hideout, waving my friends goodbye and trying not to snicker at the looks everyone gave us while we crossed the parking lot.

Only when he considered we were completely out of sight, Eddie put some distance between us, making me miss the warmth of his body.

We walked in silence for a good while until sneaking glances at each other and flashing smiles wouldn't cut it anymore.

"So," Eddie began, eyes glued on the pavement and hands on his pockets while his foot kicked a rolling stone. "What'd you think? Did you like it?"

It took me a second to understand he meant the music. "Oh! Yeah, I think it was awesome! Weird, but awesome." He echoed my sentence in low, amused voice, the ghost of a smile making his dimples show. "You know? You looked a bit like uh..." I'm snapped my fingers repeatedly with a focused frown. "What's his name? Ugh!"

"I'm kinda scared of the comparison you're about to make." Eddie quipped.

"Why? I'm sure you know him." I groaned, pulling on the strings of my memory in hopes of remembering his name. "Lizzy has a crush on him. This one guitarist—" I clapped my hands, doing a little jump on the spot. "Eddie Van Halen!"

"Oh." Eddie's eyes went wide. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah. Oh my God, are you blushing?"

"Pfft no I'm not." He unconvincingly stated, his voice going up an octave. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything." I breathed out an amused laugh, raising my hands in surrender.

"You don't have to, I hear your thoughts." He whispered, pulling a caricaturseque scary face whilst bending in my direction.

"Creep." I playfully shoved his arm, earning a cackle from him.

"Lizzy has a crush on Eddie Van Halen?" I hummed affirmatively and he clicked his tongue, tilting his head to the side. "The lady's got taste."

"I think she might have a crush on you too."

"You think so?"

"I mean... You look a bit like him. And you play guitar." I pointed out, motioning at his fit and guitar, strapped to his back. "Liz loooves guitarists." I shrugged, putting my hands behind my back. "If you want, when this is over, I can set you guys up."

"Nah." Eddie shook his head no, eyes falling back down from me to his boots. "Lizzy's cool and all, but I don't mingle with the popular crowds. Oil and water."

"You mingle with me."

"Yeah, 'cause we got a deal."

"Uhm Y/n?" Eddie spoke again refusing to walk in silence for another couple of minutes. "tell me something about you."

Ouch.

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just stayed quiet, forcing myself to ignore Eddie's inquisitive irises on me and choosing to observe the poorly lit suburban street instead. Luckily, we were close to my house.

"Something like what?"

"Dunno, favorite book?" I quirked a brow at the metalhead and he sighed, overtaking me to walk backwards before me. "We're supposed to be 'dating', and if someone asked me what you like, I wouldn't know how to reply."

"Fair point." I agreed, deciding to indulge him. "Alright, favorite book... Probably Jane Eyre."

"Jane Eyre?"

"Yeah."

He snorted. "You're weird."

"What's yours— if you even read."

"Ouch!" He mockingly stabbed himself on the heart, throwing his head back.

"I'm kidding, I swear!" I assured him with a surprised laugh, my hands reaching out to stop him from tripping.

"Okay, mine's Lord Of The Rings."

"Oh! Which part?"

"You've read it?" My eyes followed his movements while he retreated to his original position to walk by my side. "Obviously not, 'cause your favorite book is Jane Eyre." The side of my fist bumped his arm in feigned outrage.

"I tried, but I never got past the Ents."

"What?!" Eddie nearly jumped at my statement.

"The Ents" I groaned dramatically. "They're sooo annoying!"

"How dare you!"

"They're insufferable."

"You're insufferable." I slapped away Eddie's accusing index finger with a smile.

"Oh," I halted my steps, eyes fixed on my house. 'this is perfect."

"What's perfect?"

"My mom's by the window."

"D'you want me to put on a bit of a show?" Eddie's tone was dangerous; he had 'trouble' written all over his face.

"Yes."

With a wink, he took my hand in his and led me to the front sidewalk of the house, only stopping when he was sure my mother had an acceptable view of us.

"Is making out still off the table?"

"Eddie." I warned him, seeing the grin dancing on his lips as he turned to face me, readjusting the strap of his guitar so the instrument wouldn't come in the way.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. C'mere."

My eyes went wide when Eddie's ringed fingers found the right side my waist, slowly drawing me in. "What are you doing?" I muttered, trying not to panic when he more hesitantly placed his free hand on my left hip.

"Put your arms around my neck." I did as I was told, feeling his breathed whisper fan on my skin due to the lack of distance between us. "Is your dear mother looking?"

I peeked over Eddie's shoulder to see my mother standing by the window with a folded arms. "Yeah." I barely had time to return my attention to Eddie before he dove in, body arching into mine while our noses bumped.

But that's all he did.

"woah."

"Don't laugh now." He chastised me, anticipating I would most likely burst into nervous giggles due to the situation.

"I'm trying my best." I assured him, gnawing on my lower lip to try and comply, which almost led Eddie himself into a fit of laughter.

His lashes fluttered close as he forced himself to stay in character instead of pulling away to chuckle. Taking a deep breath, his lids opened once more and he leaned a but further, planting a kiss on the corner of my lips.

My racing heart was nearly put under cardiac arrest when my front door bursted open. "Y/n! What in God's name are you doing?!"

Eddie hissed, pulling away just enough to meet my eyes. "She's religious?"

"Mhm." I confirmed, finally allowing my shoulders to shake due to my chuckling. "Devoted."

"Get inside!"

"Coming, mother!" I shouted, letting my hands slide down from Eddie's neck until they rested atop his chest.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He announced, squeezing my side before letting me go.

"Eddie? You got my phone number right?" He gave me a quick nod while I took a step back and circled him. "Call me when you get home, okay?"

"As you wish. Hey, Y/n," his digits brushed mine, stopping me from taking another step further in my mother's direction. "Thanks for tonight."

As a response, I briefly took his hand in mine, rubbing the back of it with my thumb before resuming my walk.

Due to my back being turned to Eddie, I missed his puzzled half smile, and the way he almost tripped when he began to undo our path.

𝖂𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝕳𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊 𝐈𝐈𝐈

pairing: Eddie Munson x gn!reader

synopsis: You love listening to Eddie read- but someone had to confess their feelings and surprisingly enough.. Eddie beat you to it.

warnings: pg-13 if you squint [heavy kissing sortof], drug use, but really just Eddie being cute. Cheesy DnD reference.

word count: 1858

parts: [𝐈][𝐈𝐈][𝐈𝐈𝐈]

Your eyes were glued to the TV screen wide and curious as you listened, or tried to listen, to Eddie reading out loud to you. Ever since that first initial movie night it had become a regular thing, you going to his trailer or him showing up on your doorstep every other day just to read or watch movies. You always enjoyed the time you spent with him, whether it be curled against his side sat atop the old but comfortable couch in his trailer- or cuddled up on the stiff sofa your mother had bought just a few weeks ago that very badly needed to be broken in.. you always enjoyed being around Eddie. He had very quickly become a big part of your life, just as you had become a large part of his. He taught you the basics of DnD, even helped you build a character that you could use if you ever decided to join in on a campaign- you weren't ready but he was a patient man.

The two of you shared a love for fantasy, for castles and dragons and wizards and princesses. You shared a mutual love for Tolkien, and when you told Eddie he reminded you of Aragorn you swore he looked like he was going to lift you up in his arms and kiss all over your face.. but he didn't. If there was one flaw in your relationship it was that things never went past heavy flirting and cuddling. You could tell he was holding back, tell he wanted to do so much more- he wasn't exactly hard to read, you just weren't sure why he refused to take things even a fraction further. You had come up with a number of reasons all less plausible than the last, the most reasonable of the bunch being that he was just trying to take things slow but the more time you spent with him the less feasible that seemed. Eddie was not the sort to do anything slow.

With two fingers twirling in his hair and your head resting on his chest to listen to the rhythm of his heartbeat as he spoke. "Fire leaped from the dragon's jaws." He paused, pressing the joint to his lips to take a long hard drag. He held it in his lungs for a moment, a wicked grin pulling at his lips as you glanced up at him. You squinted your eyes knowing full well what he had planned, waiting for him to begin speaking again so you could watch. You loved it when he read the hobbit books to you, Smaug being both yours and Eddie's favorite antagonist of the series. Smoke billowed from his nostrils as he hunched forwards slightly, a deep guttural growl rumbling in the confines of his chest as smoke swirled around you and down over the book in Eddie's hands. "He circled for a while high in the air above them lighting all the lake; the trees by the shores shone like copper and like blood with leaping shadows of dense black at their feet."

As the seconds ticked on his words grew muffled, like static background in your head as you just stared up at him watching him speak. You weren't a heavy believer in true love, or love in general. It just seemed silly, unattainable and unrealistic and those that pursued it always seemed to wade right through it only to come out on the other side with tragic stories to tell. Your mother and father were no exception, and you'd had a long history of shitty relationships yourself. You had partners that cheated, lied, manipulated and used you. You'd had people talk to you as a joke, as a dare from their friends.. so the concept of love and being with someone who really truly unconditionally cared for you just seemed so wild. You weren't stupid, you could recognize the stirrings of a strong crush and normally you tried to squash them down but every time he smiled at you.. ever time his hands lingered at your hips after you hugged or whenever he brushed a stray hair behind your ear your feelings grew even more. Like wildfire they spread until Eddie Munson was nearly 90% of your waking thoughts. You dreamed about him, thought about him all the time and Dustin had relayed to you multiple times that Eddie was much the same. He always spoke about you, daydreamed about you which even trickled over into his DnD sessions which had ironically become quite an issue due to his party being sick of hearing about you whenever you would miss sitting in on a campaign. While you believed your little brother there was a part of you that was scared- terrified to confront him about your feelings but you knew it had to happen eventually.

A large ring-clad hand waving in front of your face pulled you from your not so momentary daze, cheeks flushing a light shade as your eyes met deep brown and Eddie raised a brow. "You alright there? Space out or somethin?" You just nodded a bit, clearing your throat as you prepared for the inevitable. You had to say something.. he wasn't going to- it had to be you. You opened your mouth to speak, jaw however almost immediately snapping shut as Eddie glanced off to the side. His leg was bouncing, something he did when he got too nervous or overwhelmed, and you pulled away slightly to get a better look at him. He had his lip wedged between his teeth, eyes glancing almost frantically around the room. It was your turn to arch a brow as he faced you, chuckling quietly as he whispered a soft "fuck it" and snapped the book shut. The noise startled you, causing you to jump slightly against him as he continued to stare into your eyes. His brow knitted, the both of you just sitting there in complete silence for a moment. He slid the book onto the cushion beside him, raising that same hand to card his fingers through your hair as he slowly dropped his head down to rest his forehead against yours. "Á mele ni, mecin.." he spoke so softly you had nearly missed it, your own eyes widening as his slid shut. Now you weren't exactly an expert when it came to elvish, quenya specifically. You'd picked up a bit from the books, enough to know the full translation of those words. Do love me, please. It was as if he were pleading with you, asking if his feelings towards you were reciprocated and wanted.. and for a second you were shocked into silence. Leave it to Eddie Munson to confess his feelings for you in a language damn near nobody fully knew yet or understood.. and after you were so convinced he wouldn't ever confess.

Eddie was nearly shaking with panic, his breathing controlled.. in through the nose out through the mouth as his eyes squeezed shut. He didn't want to face you, the fear of rejection nearly palpable on the back of his tongue. It sat there hot, heavy, and bitter as the seconds ticked on and then suddenly you were laughing and cupping his face in your hands. Slowly he cracked one eye, and once greeted by your wide smile he opened the other. Your smile was bright, so bright and warm and infectious that he found himself smiling right back at you. His fears were still there of course, still very real as he gently scratched at your scalp. "What's so fuckin funny?" His grin widened as you just leaned your head further into his hand, sortof nuzzling it as you hummed. "carinyë." And as quick as lightning his eyes went wide. You had understood.. and you? Liked him too?

You couldn't count the number of times you had thought about kissing Eddie on both hands. It was in the hundreds at this point, but who could blame you? With his big brown eyes and full lips- the way he looked at you, the way he listened to you.. like every word that came out of your mouth was the most interesting thing he had heard in all his life. He was your best friend within a matter of days, and so much more than that. Time seemed to slow as he lowered his face, lips brushing against yours so softly as the hand cradling the side of your hand slid down to cup your jawline. "You've been paying more attention to the books than I thought-" you couldn't contain the soft giggle that escaped you, smiling wider against his lips as your fingers slid up and through his mess of wavy chestnut hair. "What can I say- you have a nice voice. I like listening to you read." He just hummed, finally sealing your lips with a proper kiss. It was gentile and slow at first, even as Eddie lowered you onto your back without missing a beat. One hand found its way to your hip, sliding down to hike your leg up to wrap it around him as he pressed his body flush against yours.

It didn't take long for the kiss to turn heated, panting softly into eachothers mouths as your fingers tangled in his hair tugging at it as you greedily tried to pull him even closer. With his full weight on you, sandwiched between him and the couch cushions, you couldn't think of a single place you'd rather be. Having waited so long for this it was everything you'd wanted and more. Eddie rolled his hips, pulling a soft gasp from you as your body shuddered and your breath hitched. You wanted more, so much more- but your desire to tease him was much stronger, and as he pulled away to look down at you with nothing but adoration in his eyes a wicked smirk curled at the corners of your mouth. He just snorted, going back in for another kiss however you stopped him with an index finger pressed against his lips. He was shocked for a moment, head cocking slightly to the side as he watched you. "You.. want me to stop or? I mean we can stop.. we don't have to-" your finger pressing harder against his lips cut him off and his other brow arched in surprise. Your smile only widened, barely able to contain yourself as you very softly said "Roll for initiative." You swear you'd never seen a man roll off the couch so quickly, scrambling into his room only to return with a bright red D20. His hair was sticking up in every direction from having your hands running through it and he was panting heavily from having basically ran into his room but as he held up the D20, arching a brow to test whether or not you were being serious you just sat up, looking him over before he gave the little resin piece a quick kiss before sending it clattering to the table. No matter what it read.. you wanted to continue- but seeing him so eager was definitely worth the wait.

authors notes: tried to stay as close to canon Tolkien elvish as possible- and I will not apologize for the shitty DnD "Roll for initiative" bit♡ it's crucial for the next part which will be nsfw so I am beating the minors off with a stick! Seriously, stay back.

[Sorry you're getting tagged in this one twice guys, Tumblr screwed me and removed all the hashtags so I'm reposting this]

tag list: @rome-alone @gamegirl1996-blog @mightiestheroes @what-the-heckin-heck @nerd-of-karasuno @ladychoco @intoanothermind @the-chocoholic-writer @my-infiniteuniverse @mymaraudersmen @kiszkathecook

If you'd like to be added to the tag list [or if I've missed you] please leave a comment!

#sure jan

I have never been so disappointed in tumblr

This is a public call: does anyone know of any good George Harrison fics?? I have read so many but I need more!! Can be any type of George; teddy, beatle, dilf, gardener, au, ANYTHING😭 any recommendations are appreciated

As the World Falls Down

Eddie Munson x Reader (Friends to lovers!)

Synopsis: Reader and Eddie go to see a new movie together. Reader is obsessed with the movie, and one particular song in it. Eddie learns it to impress her, fluff ensues.

A/N: This is not meant to be part of the lil miniseries I've been working on. The idea struck me when As the World Falls Down from The Labyrinth started playing while I was doing homework and I thought this was just too cute not to write. Also, I think the Labyrinth came out in June of '86 so they wouldn't have been in school because summer, but we are going to ignore that plz and thank you. As always, any feedback is welcome! Enjoy :)

*GIF is not mine, but I wish Eddie was*

"Are you busy this Friday?" You bounded up to your best friend's locker, effectively startling him.

Eddie jumped a little at your sudden appearance. "What'd you have in mind?" He shut the door and walked with you to the cafeteria. He had made plans with Henderson, but he wasn't one to turn you down when you wanted to hang out.

"You know that new David Bowie movie that just came out? I thought it looked really good. Wanna go?" You offered him a little smile. One that he soon returned. "It's got goblins and like a shit ton of other cool fantasy creatures!" He couldn't help the lovesick feeling he got in his chest at the way your face lit up when you rambled about the movie.

"Yeah, sounds cool. What time should I pick you up?" You both took your seats at the table. "Well there's a showing at 4. We could go to that and get dinner after?" He nodded at this.

He knew it wasn't a date.

You two hung out together often and considered the other to be your best friend. He knew he didn't have a chance with someone like you, and he sure as hell wasn't going to confess and risk your friendship.

So instead he settled for stolen glances, fleeting touches, and little scenarios that played out over and over again in his head. He wished for more, but he was content being in your life any way you wanted him. Even if that meant being just a friend.

Friday rolled around and it was time for you to get ready. When you got home from school you immediately began looking for an outfit. Something cute, but not trying to hard.

You knew it wasn't a date.

You and Eddie had been friends since you'd moved to Hawkins your freshman year. He was a year older than you. You two had been glued at the hip since your first week when you stood up to Jason for picking on him.

Eddie had always been sweet to you. He would always offer to give you a ride (even though you had your own perfectly good car), hold your backpack when the two of you would walk to class, and even let you sit in his throne during Hellfire meetings. Not that you would actually play; you just sat there, looked cute, and added into the conversation when you could. Occasionally you would actually participate, but your knowledge was limited and Eddie would have to hold your hand through the entire session.

You snapped out of your thoughts as you entered your room. You had about an hour to pick out an outfit and freshen up your hair and makeup before Eddie would arrive.

Even though this was just two friends hanging out you couldn't help your desire to look nice for him.

After getting changed you went to touch up your makeup and hair, slip on your shoes, and add a cute little accessory to enhance your look. You knew you looked adorable. Despite knowing he would never feel the same, you could never shake the hopefulness you'd felt when he'd give you a compliment or use one of his signature pet names. Obviously, he didn't mean anything by it but a girl could dream.

Before you were able to get too engrossed in your wishful thinking, your doorbell brought you back to reality.

As soon as you opened the door Eddie's breath caught in his throat. Of course, you got all dolled up to go out. You always did. And it caught him off guard every. single. time.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart." It was your turn to feel butterflies now as that stupid name left his lips. You had to play it cool. He didn't mean anything by it.

"You don't look too bad, yourself, Munson." You walked down the steps with him to his van, hopping in after he opened the door for you.

After the movie ended you could not stop gushing about two things.

1. Bowie in those tight ass pants.

And 2. The ballroom scene.

The movie overall was amazing, but you couldn't help how much you loved the ballroom. You loved the costumes, specifically Connelly's dress; the atmosphere in the scene; and most importantly, that song.

At the diner you talked Eddie's ear off about how beautiful you thought the song was and how you just had to buy the soundtrack on cassette. He didn't mind thought. He loved watching you talk about something you were passionate about.

Even when you went on and on about that damned song, face full of burger, he thought you were the prettiest little thing he'd ever seen.

After that night at the movie Eddie got an idea. He wasn't good at many things, but definitely knew how to shred his guitar.

His feelings for his best friend had grown every stronger, and he felt like this could be his opportunity to win her over. After all, it was their senior year and he knew she was planning on leaving for college once she graduated. This could be his only chance to confess his feelings before she's out of this shit-hole town and on to bigger and better things.

Two weeks had gone by since they had gone to see that movie. He had two weeks of practice under his belt, and was finally confident enough to execute his plan. He just hoped he wouldn't lose his nerve.

"Hey, sweetheart, wanna come over Saturday?" He hoped she hadn't notice the slight shake in his voice. "Yeah that sounds good." She nodded with that sweet little smile that he loved so much.

She assumed it would be like any other time the two of them would hang out. Watch movies, talk, share a joint, maybe order a pizza. Eddie, however, was finally ready to make his move.

When she arrived at the trailer Eddie was already waiting for her on the couch.

He took her bag for her and put it in his room while she made herself at home. When he came back out a few seconds later, guitar in hand, she didn't think much of it. It wasn't out of the ordinary for him to lazily pick at his guitar while she was there.

Initially, Eddie was going to wait a little bit before he carried out his master plan. But he grew more and more nervous as it got closer to the time was expected to come over. He knew it was now or never. He had to jump into it before he lost his nerve completely.

He took a seat on the couch next to her. He was worried his hands would be too shaky to play at this point, but he pushed on.

"Hey," He grimaced internally at how weak his voice sounded. "I, uh, l know you really liked that one song. So I learned it. For you." He hated how awkward he sounded. He had gone over what he was going to say beforehand, but forgot everything as soon as he opened his mouth.

He felt that dull ache in his heart. It hurt, feeling like he wasn't good enough for you. He was unapologetically himself, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't started to feel like he really was a freak after hearing it so often.

Your gasp brought him back to the present. "That's so sweet, Ed! Can I hear it?" His heart clenched, seeing those big doe-eyes looking up at him. Thought it made him nervous, he loved being this close to you. He adored these moments when he was able to really take in your features and envelop himself in your scent.

He was a sucker for your signature cotton candy perfume that you wore religiously. He even had a habit of waiting to wash shirts or jackets of his that you'd borrowed, wanting to keep the lovely fragrance around as long as possible.

Eddie only nodded in response. After taking in a shaky breath he began playing the guitar portion that was towards the end of the song.

You watched him with wide eyes. It was always so beautiful to see him doing something he loved. He was so talented with his guitar. You knew that one day he and his band would make it big, and you always told him so.

He looked downright heavenly when he was in his element like this. You couldn't resist staring at the way his fingers so smoothly plucked at the strings of his guitar. You'd bet he learned this song in no time. He always picked new ones up so effortlessly.

After he played the last note he set his guitar down gently, hands shaking. "Oh, Eddie, that was- that was amazing!" Before you could stop yourself you threw your arms around his neck. Instinctively, his arms wrapped around your torso. "I'm glad you liked it sweetheart."

When the two of you pulled back the energy had shifted. You could tell he was nervous about something. "Everything okay?" You put a hand on his forearm, concern growing.

Eddie let out a shaky breath. He knew that what he was about to do would change your dynamic forever, he just hoped that if things went sour you two would at least stay friends.

"Actually, I need to talk to you about something." You looked at him expectantly, letting him know you want him to go on. "(Y/n)... Sweetheart. I- fuck." He laughed dryly at his inability to form a sentence.

"What is it Eddie?" You looked up at him through your lashes, hand still on his forearm.

This had all gone so much more smoothly when he planned it out in his head. He had been confident and knew exactly what he was going to say and how he was going to see it. All of that went out the window when he looked into your eyes.

He felt like if he said the wrong thing he would lose the most important person in his life. He had allowed you to break down his walls and now he was at your mercy. He was, effectively, wrapped around your finger. Reduced to mush any time you came around.

"I'm in love with you." And it was the truth. He was truly, madly, deeply, in love with you. Unable to make eye contact, he looked to the floor. Suddenly, the carpet had become very interesting.

A hand turned his face towards the girl he had been dreaming about for the past four years. "Do you mean that?" Your voice was a whisper. It was all you could muster at this point.

Eddie's hand reached up to hold the hand still on his cheek. He was gentle, as if his touch could break her. "I do. But I won't hold it against you if you don't feel the same."

It was crazy how he had been reduced to a shy little boy in this moment. He had always been softer with you. But seeing loud, boisterous Eddie 'larger than life' Munson in this state was unnerving.

A smile spread across your face at his confirmation. You leaned in slowly, pressing your lips to his. The kiss was slow, tender, but filled with passion. Years worth of pent-up affection finally able to be released.

Your hand slid up his arm to grip his bicep, while he pulled you closer by your waist. After a moment you pulled away, letting out a soft breath. "I'm in love with you too."

At this a dope, lovesick grin spread across Eddie's face. He pulled you in for another kiss, and you obliged without hesitation. You knew you had a lot of lost time to make up for.

From here on out you two would have each other fully. Maybe it would be a challenge after graduation. You were going away for college, but you knew Eddie hated this town. Maybe he wouldn't be opposed to moving with you.

Whatever happens you knew you would always have each other, even if the world fell down.

hey! if you're taking requests, would you consider writing something for eddie munson? something with a little mutual pining??

*comes out of hiding, writes an eddie fic, disappears again*

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader word count: 2.7k summary: during a heat wave, you find yourself at eddie's trailer. turns out the two of you aren't as over one another as it would seem. warnings: (+18 MINORS DNI): mature themes, adult language, drug use / mentions of drug use, sexual tension & implied smut, use of pet names (princess), allusions to battling addiction, parental issues (deadbeat dad), a little angst, a little fluff - unedited - pls let me know if i missed anything!

The summer season this year was a lot hotter compared to last.

Starting as soon as mid-May, it brought with it harsh humidity, sweltering sun, and a drought comparable to the 1936 North American heat wave. It was the sort of hot weather that could quite possibly boil the blood of those who did not or could not find a way to cool down. And the news reported it was unfortunately only supposed to get worse.

You, like pretty much everyone in Hawkins, found the heat unbearable.

A week ago you sat in your room with the blinds closed, but sadly now that wasn’t an option because the air conditioning at your house broke and your dad was too conked out on the sofa to even look at it. Normally you would call someone to fix it instead and that is what you wanted to do this morning, however when you reached into your wallet you were greeted with a big fat nothing. 

Actually, no. There was a note.

‘Add it to my tab. Love, dad.’ — Well, that explained where he got the money to get himself in the state he was in.

At that point in the afternoon, anywhere you could have remotely hidden from the sun was unattainable, especially and most regrettably the community pool which was overcrowded with stupid little kids. That is why you ended up where you did. Definitely not where you wanted to be, but in your own defence you were on the verge of a heat stroke and not thinking clearly. 

With your index finger bent ever so slightly, you knocked three times on the trailer door. 

You could hear a slight commotion inside, from abrupt coughing to shuffling footsteps and random clanking. When the door swung open, you caught a whiff of the reason why.

“y/n—” Eddie choked out, clearly surprised to see it was you standing on his doorstep. Surprised yet oh so very relieved.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Eddie stepped to the side, allowing you to squeeze past. His gaze stuck to your frame, following you around his living room until you reached the rattling A/C unit at the window. 

“I- eh, I’m sorry about the smell,” he uttered, running a hand through his hair, “I-I wasn’t expecting company.”

You hummed in response. Or perhaps you said it was okay. Eddie couldn’t really tell since his mind was working a little slower than usual (due to the activity he was partaking in not even a minute ago).

Although, he was alert enough to note how your whole body gradually relaxed as the somewhat fresh air blew against your skin. All of a sudden, and only for a split second, you looked incredibly at peace. 

Eddie bit on the inside of his cheek, fighting back a smile. “You okay there, princess?”

Wait. Princess? Princess… What the fuck? He shut his eyes momentarily and clenched his jaw, hating his big mouth for letting the word slip. Like, yeah, he still thought about you sometimes, but it’s not what he called you anymore. It wasn’t his nickname to use anymore.

“Mhmm, better now,” you mumbled, seemingly unfazed by the moniker (you could argue the heat messed with your receptiveness), before shifting in your spot to look at the curly haired teen. “So much better.”

With the A/C now behind you, there was a slow gust of wind blowing through your top. The nickname debacle running through Eddie’s mind faded as quickly as it occured. Fuck— princess. How in the hall was he going to concentrate now?

“Good, goodie, good.” He bopped his head and licked his lips.

Oh sweet lord. He was doomed.

“Sooo… to what do I owe the pleasure?” Eddie inquired, plopping down on the couch.

You couldn’t help but notice how his t-shirt raised in the process, revealing his lower abdomen. It was your turn to crumble. God he was always so fucking hot. With his impeccable facial structure, perfect smile, big doey eyes that literally made you melt, long fingers, soft touch—

You cleared your throat, eyes lingering a little too long on his exposed stomach. 

He noticed. He liked it. Fuck. Not surprisingly Eddie always liked that kind of attention from you, and he secretly thought it was a real shame he was no longer on the receiving end of it. Not as often as he used to be anyway.

“The air con at my place broke overnight and, well, I don’t know, I just couldn’t think of anywhere else to go,” you admitted, meeting his big curious eyes.

He extended an arm to gesture around the trailer.

“Mi casa es su casa.”

You smiled at him. “Thanks, Munson.”

Anytime… princess, he thought. Or wait, did he say that out loud? Lord. He needed to get a grip. There was nothing there, with you, not anymore.

Honestly, the situation between the two of you was odd to say the least.

Simply put, the curly haired teen used to be your dealer. Well, actually, your dad’s dealer. You did the grunt work while your old man reaped the benefits. It was a strange arrangement, even for Eddie’s standards, but you clearly had your reasons and he wasn’t one to pry. You appreciated that about him. He kept his nose out of other people’s business. These days in Hawkins, it was hard to come by folks that stuck to their own shit.

You actually ended up appreciating a lot of things about Eddie. And the feeling was definitely mutual.

The secret meet ups in the woods or at his trailer blossomed into a friendship, then into something more, and then into complete shit. Moral of the story, never do your dad’s dealer - that’s what you would say. Eddie, on the other hand, has very little regrets. The only one being letting you move on so easily.

You ran a hand across your forehead, wiping away any reminiscent of sweat. Bopping your head back slightly, lips ajar, the cool air from the A/C doing wonders for your sticky skin.

Eddie watched you attentively. With every passing second he felt less aware of his surroundings, completely losing himself in you as his mind now raced with thoughts, (memories), too filthy to say aloud.

Once upon a time he would have been able to leap across the room and plaster his lips against yourss then lick the trickling sweat down your neck, down, down, down, as your fingers tangled themselves amongst his curls, tugging lightly when his tounge reached— Fuck, he wanted to scream.

“Can I ask you something?”

Yes, yes, thank you. Eddie straightened his form on the sofa, trying to look as normal as possible, right arm landing across the cushions. 

“Anything, princess.”

Princess.

“Did you sell stuff to my dad recently?”

The question caught him off guard. Shit, maybe silence was better.

He cleared his throat. “Uhm, not since you asked me not to.”

“Oh,” you hastily exhaled a sigh of relief. 

There was a brief moment of silence during which you moved away from the window and glided across the room to sit next to him. Sinking into the spot, your head unintentionally rested against Eddie’s arm. The sudden contact caused his heart to skip a beat, but he couldn’t think about that right now.

“Is he—” Eddie began but you knew exactly what he was going to say.

“Yeah,” you cut off and looked up at him, “hence the broken unit at my place.”

His brown locks bounced lightly as he nodded, a little slower than intended because the scent of whatever perfume you had put on that morning just hit him. Combined with the heat (and also the drugs), well, full transparency, it took all the power he had not to lean across and kiss you.

Bad timing, bad timing, bad timing.

“You know, I-I could take a look at it for you,” Eddie offered, trying to literally think about anything different to how close you currently were, “if you’d like?”

“No way,” you protested, “You’re in no state right now. Plus I’d have no way to pay you for your troubles since dad took the cash out of my wallet.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I am in tip top shape,” Eddie defended and you couldn’t help but scoff.

“Munson, you are one joint away from—”

He lifted his left hand, almost pressing a finger to your lips. “Unless you’re about to say - Munson, you are one joing away from a killer nap - I don’t want to hear it.”

You laughed while rolling your eyes. “That only proves my point.”

He pressed his hand to his chest, pretending to be offended. “Cheeky one, aren’t ya? I invite you into my home, let you use my air conditioning, and in return you just poke fun at me. I’ll be honest, princess, that’s a little rude.”

With that, he hopped up onto his feet and stumbled towards the fridge. You sat up a little wanting to make a snarky comment in response, but as you watched him manoeuvre around the small open kitchen, no words came to mind.

You watched as he reached for two glasses and inspected them under the minimal natural light to determine whether they were clean enough to drink from. Watched as he swayed on his heel, turning towards the fridge. Watched as he leaned slightly on the door of the appliance, head inside the cool interior, rummaging for something to drink.

A smile circled your lips. There was no denying that Eddie had this calming aura about him. Everything he did, even the smallest and most menial tasks, were soothing your soul. Once upon a time you would have thought this was love.

“Eddie?” 

(God. The way his name fell from your lips was heavenly.)

“Yes, princess?”

Fuck sake. He really needed to put an end to that shit.

“Why did you stop selling to my dad?”

His head popped up at the question, attention once again landing on you. “I already told you. You asked me not to.”

You lifted your legs off the floor and onto the couch, bringing your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms around them. “Right, but, well, I guess what I want to know is why did you listen? Like, we weren’t anything at that point and I would’ve thought business is business, or whatnot.”

Eddie swallowed his breath. Partially because of where this conversation was heading, however primarily because you pretty much just flashed him. Holy shit. Unintentionally, obviously, but he saw your panties clear as day. Dark green. Lacy. New. Hot. 

Nope. No. Fuck. Fuck.

What was going on with him? Navigating his thoughts this whole afternoon was considerably harder than one of his D&D quests. He could have sworn he was over you, and then you waltzed in here with your short skirt and sweet voice, he was hooked yet again.

Well, one could argue that for a blissful moment Eddie forgot the circumstances of your relationship, hence the trouble in differentiating in how he should and shouldn’t act around you right now. Because you weren’t really exes, you have to officially call yourselves something while you’re seeing each other to classify as an ‘ex’. You weren’t really friends, not anymore. Maybe just acquaintances or two individuals with a past.

God, he was an idiot. The two of you had so much potential. Why did he ever let it get to this point?

“I mean you don’t have to tell me,” you babbled, breaking him away from his thoughts.

Eddie straightened his form and closed the fridge, a chilled bottle of Coca Cola in his hand. He proceeded to then split the contents between the two glasses before making his way back towards the couch. He gave you one glass, making sure to alter his fingers when you reached over to ensure there was no accidental touch (because he simply wouldn’t be able to handle that right now).

He once again made himself comfortable beside you and took a big gulp of the drink, smacking his lips in the process.

Eventually, he looked at you again. “The truth?” 

You nodded an unspoken ‘please’ and Eddie clicked his tongue in response before nodding slowly.

“The day you asked me, you just looked really defeated, you know?”, he began, “Tired and upset. I’ve never seen you like that before so I figured it must’ve been important that you asked and that I listened.”

He shrugged before continuing. “Couple days later your dad came to the trailer, he was definitely on something, and kinda seemed like he hadn’t slept in days, so I told him supply was low and he never came around again.”

Pause. 

“I-I just pictured your face from when we last spoke and it hurt, you know?” 

At that point, the two of you were clinging onto your drinks and staring blankly ahead. He wondered if he perhaps said too much and you wondered whether he would’ve been as honest if he wasn’t high.

Mostly however, mostly you were glad Eddie still gave you reasons to appreciate him more.

“He’s on probation,” you stated eventually, “That’s why I always got the drugs for him. If he got caught… I know he’s no exemplary father figure but he’s still my dad, and he can’t be my dad if he’s rotting in jail.”

Eddie glanced at you. “I didn’t know.”

“Not exactly something I advertise,” you pointed out and took a sip of your drink. Swallowing the fizzy gulp, you shrugged. “Sure, life is shit, and then you die.”

Eddie couldn’t help but laugh. One of those loud, genuine, and hearty chuckles. He didn’t mean for it to happen, truly, and again he blamed the devout friend still actively seeping through his system.

‘Life is shit, and then you die’, he swore that quote was going to be his next tattoo. Might even ask you to design it. He figured you’d like that. Brand him as your own. That’s all he ever wanted to be. Yours.

He thought he could only hope there was still a chance, but judging by how a smile broke your features as he laughed, and any tension you were feeling about the conversation you were having melted away, he had nothing to worry about. It was in your eyes, in the way your whole face changed from concern to joy. You wanted to be his too.

SImply a matter of time for forgiveness to kick in.

“You know,” Eddie began as the laughter died down, “I’m glad your A/C broke.” 

On instinct, you smacked his arm. “Hey!”

“Don’t ‘hey’ me, princess!” Eddie exclaimed. “You’re seriously not even a little bit glad you ended up here today?!”

You shook your head dramatically and teased, “You’ll never hear those words from me, Munson.”

He scoffed and waved his arm, pointing to the door. “Then off you go, please, go back to your stuffy home while I enjoy a killer nap in my cool and cosy bed.”

Not wanting to be the first to break during this little charade, you handed him the half-drank Coca Cola glass and stood up. Your skirt capered with every step, Eddie’s eyes burning into the back of your legs. Was he really about to let you walk out of here?

“Always a pleasure, Eds.”

(The answer was no).

“Wait, wait, wait.” He hastily placed the glasses on the floor, almost causing a massive spillage, and hurried towards you.

“You don’t gotta say anything,” he chimed, stopping right in front of you, “In fact, my bed, as you already know or at least hopefully remember, is big enough for the two of us—”

The air suddenly felt tighter, as if the unit at the window suddenly stopped working, even though you could still very much hear it rattling.

“— And I am known to make exceptions,” Eddie noted before leaning in a tad bit closer with a sudden boost of confidence, “for the right people.”

For a split second, his gaze shifted to your lips and everything faded into the background. The sound of your heart thumping overpowered the surroundings and all you could think was how if he kissed you right now, you wouldn’t even be mad.

Instead his fingers grazed briefly against yours.

“Let’s go take a killer nap, princess.”

-

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NO girl dont ruin your early 20s by staying home every saturday and lamenting the death of your childhood while also being afraid to even act like a 20 something year old bc you still feel so young yet so old and lost all at once haha you’re so sexy!