“‘Forests have secrets,’ he said gently. ‘It’s practically what they’re for. To hide things. To separate one world from another.’”
— Catherynne M. Valente, Deathless (via natural-magics)
Like excuse me-did you not hear what I just said 🙄😒
Summary: The preacher’s daughter has always been pure and unmistakably good, but meeting the leader of the Hellfire Club may change her ways.
Warnings: Swearing, religious manipulation
-
Y/n was unlike many of the girls her age. She didn’t fool around with guys or do anything so daring as cheat on a quiz. She had never been on a date with a guy due to her father watching her like a hawk and speaking against dating. Each time Y/n would ask her father about the dating rule, he would still insist she was too young, even at the age of seventeen. Despite how simple it may seem, being the preacher’s child was difficult. Church twice a week, nightly prayers, rants fueled by fire and brimstone, and daily bible reading made life exhausting.
Y/n set her book bag down by her chair, prepared to listen intently to the class lecture just like she listened to her father’s sermons every Sunday. Today; however, the teacher did not begin a lecture but instead began writing names on the board. Two by two, names were written next to each other. Students gossiped amongst each other about what the names meant. Perhaps they were in trouble? Or perhaps they were going to receive a new seating chart.
Y/n was perfectly happy with where she sat; the left side of the classroom in the second row. Next to her sat Ramona Andrews, a girl with a mediocre personality but enough kindness to leave Y/n alone. Y/n didn’t want to sit next to someone who would make fun of her or try to cheat off her homework.
“These are your assigned partners for the upcoming project. I will hand out the rubric for the project at the end of class, but right now I want to explain it to you.” Mrs. Weatherall spoke, her hair done in a bun which was beginning to unravel.
As the teacher droned on, Y/n scanned the board for her name, praying she would have a good partner.
Darn it, She thought as she read the name next to hers.
Eddie Munson.
Just then, a body plopped down in the seat next to hers. Eddie himself sat to face Y/n, a smug smirk on his face.
“Looks like we’re partners.” He smiled mischievously.
“Looks like it.” Y/n forced a small smile, trying to hide her despair.
“I had to take this class last year and I still have my project leftover from that, so we could take a look at it if you want. Use it for inspiration.” He suggested in a surprisingly helpful manner.
“Oh, uh, sure. That would be great. What did you get on it?” Y/n responded.
“I got an F, but it was a high F! Right on the cusp of being a D.” Eddie announced proudly.
“Yeah, we can look at it. Maybe use it as a guide for what not to do.” Y/n mumbled under her breath, eyes fixating on the rings he wore.
“Was that sass? Coming from the preacher’s kid?” Eddie grinned, teasing her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude, I just-” Y/n sputtered, afraid she had been unkind.
“It’s okay, Y/n. I was just teasing you. I thought it was funny.”
“Okay.” Y/n said softly, still feeling guilty for being rude.
“Lighten up. I’m not gonna bite your head off.” Eddie twirled a pencil between his fingers, doodling a little smiley face on their rubric.
Y/n decided to start working, and to her surprise, Eddie wanted to help. Their project required them to create a presentation on one of the scientists of the 17th century, and their contribution to the scientific community. After flipping through the textbook Y/n made the decision to present on Robert Boyle, as Eddie insisted he didn’t care who they presented on.
Eddie would write facts and snippets of information then slide the notecards to Y/n, who would subtly correct them while he wasn’t looking. By the time the bell rang they had a stack of notecards with incorrect information on some which Y/n could not fix in time.
“Wicked work. We make a great team.” Eddie commented as he handed her the stack of notecards.
“See you tomorrow, Eddie.” Y/n murmured as she exited the room.
Y/n was still a bit scared of Eddie, or rather, she was scared of how enchanting he was. The little jokes he made throughout the class had her resting the urge to giggle. His hair framed his face perfectly, even if it was horrendously frizzy. His round eyes seemed to see her far better than even the eyes of god had, and she couldn’t tell if she loved it or hated it.
Eddie was quite entranced with Y/n. He had always seen her walking through the hallways, quiet as a mouse. He thought she was the most gorgeous girl he had set eyes on, but refrained from speaking to her all these years because of her father. Eddie knew the pastor disapproved of people like him; heavy metal listeners and DND players with long hair. He knew she would never go for him, but he still felt his heart beat a little faster when he thought of her.
-
Y/n shivered as she walked through the parking lot, the brisk air nipping at her skin. She got frustrated with herself for not bringing a warm jacket. Her house was a ten minute walk from the school, and she began to walk begrudgingly when a large van pulled up beside her. Loud music rang out from inside and in the driver’s seat sat the one and only Eddie Munson.
“Do you need a ride?” He offered.
“Oh, no, that’s okay. I don’t want to inconvenience you. It’s only a ten minute walk.” Y/n replied, despite truly wanting to get in. The cold air still stirred around her, penetrating her cardigan.
“It’s not an inconvenience, and you’re shivering. Come on, I don’t want to be responsible for you getting hypothermia.”
Y/n contemplated her options for a few seconds, then opened the door and hopped into the passengers seat. It was warm in the van and Eddie turned down the music as she entered.
“Thanks, Eddie.”
“It’s the least I could do. You’re the one helping me get a good grade on this project.”
“You’re helping. You’re doing a good part of the work.” Y/n replied, admiring the way his rings glinted in the light.
“You’re the one correcting my work.”
“You saw that?” Y/n cringed internally, wishing he hadn’t seen it.
“Yep. You write pretty fast, but you’re not as discreet as you think you are.” Eddie smirked.
“What’s this song?” Y/n asked after a moment of silence.
“This song, my dear, is Highway to Hell by ACDC.” Eddie tapped the radio.
“Oh.” Y/n was clearly taken aback by the name, not expecting to hear a song with such a name.
“Why do you ask?” Eddie wondered.
“I don’t know. Kinda catchy I guess.” Y/n mumbled the last part, ashamed to admit that she enjoyed the song. Songs like that were never allowed in her house. When they did play music, it was gospel music and light-hearted tunes from years ago.
“What was that last part?” Eddie questioned.
“I said it was kinda catchy.” Y/n repeated, her head hung abashedly.
“No way. No fucking way! The preacher’s kid likes Highway to Hell?” Eddie laughed in disbelief.
“I never said I liked it.” Y/n protested, but Eddie wouldn’t have it.
“You didn’t have to say that. You said it was catchy, which means you like it.” Eddie smiled widely.
“Please don’t tell anyone, Eddie.” Y/n pleaded, horrified that her father would find out.
“Oh, I’m gonna tell everyone, princess.” Eddie leaned closer to her as he smirked evilly. He noticed her eyes getting wide with anxiety, her eyebrows furrowed in distress at his words. “I’m kidding, Y/n. No one will know. Our secret, okay?” Eddie soothed Y/n, holding out his pinky to her.
“Promise?” Y/n looked up at him with big doe eyes, still rattled from the image of her father finding out that she liked such a vulgar song.
“Promise.” Eddie spoke. With that, Y/n took his pinky in hers, holding it there for a few seconds before releasing it.
“Thanks again for the ride. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Y/n said as she got out of the van which was parked haphazardly in front of her house.
“If I decide to come to class tomorrow.” Eddie spoke, making Y/n give him a slightly agitated look. “I’ll be there tomorrow, Y/n.” Eddie sighed, detesting the idea of going to school.
-
Y/n quietly shut the door to her house, setting her book bag down by the coat rack which stood next to the door.
“Who drove you home?” Her father asked harshly as he rounded the corner.
“Just someone from school.” Y/n murmured, eyes looking at the floor to avoid her father’s iron gaze.
“Who from school? I want a name.”
“Melissa. Melissa Hart.” Y/n felt bad for lying, but she knew he would never approve of someone like Eddie driving her home. “She’s in my English class.”
“Very well then. I’ve heard she’s a kind girl. Her mother comes in to pray on Sundays.” He commented, his eyes still boring into her.
“She is very nice.” Y/n desperately tried to end the conversation, wanting nothing more than to escape upstairs. At last, her father left the room and she darted to her bedroom. Y/n slumped down on her bed, her conscience beginning to gnaw at her for lying to her father. She had to, she told herself. She had to or her father would have gone berserk for no reason. Still, despite her guilt she could not shake the interest that she had in Eddie Munson.
did that elvis fic called tempt by the hour just completely disappear? i wanted to reread it and i can’t find it anywhere
from Tiny Beautiful Things, adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos.
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
<3
I tried to scroll past this. I really did
one of the most important things, perhaps the most important thing I have learned in my life is that nice people can fuck each other up in monstrous ways. people can be bone deep kind and loving and self reflective and still lash out under pressure. people can be earnestly neighbourly and charitable and hospitable and generous and still find themselves in situations where they become selfish. people can be well meaning and easygoing and gregarious and hold deep seated opinions that turn them into vicious little bullies under the right conditions. nobody is just one thing, and nobody stays one way. every person is a kaleidoscope and they will surprise you. you will surprise yourself. it's not a warning and it's not a judgement and it's not an excuse, and it's certainly not a reason to stop trying or to stop trusting. it is just a fact.
oh my god she's attempting a series.
I got a lot of nice feedback on this one shot, so I thought I just want to give a series a go!
Eddie Munson x female!reader Words: 2.3k+ Warnings: Other than the odd swear, none. It's a bit of a slowburner oops
Then
The curly haired boy who sat in front of you wasn’t in class today. He had been missing a lot of school recently, but that was okay. You would see him tomorrow, updating him with todays mathematics that you had drawn little stick figures over. You drew him little pictures to give him on his return, like usual, but this time they had started to pile up in your desk. You were just going to give them to him tomorrow.
Your eyebrows knitted together at the realisation that your friend hadn’t been at school for almost a week now, which was very unlike him. He would occasionally miss the odd day, not being allowed to tell you why - but a week was the longest he had been gone.
You missed him a lot. No one wanted to play with you at recess, and you were the last to be picked for teams. You also wanted to tell him of the gnarly scrape you got on your knee, but you were scared it would have healed by the time you finally got to show him.
Your friendship had kindled almost the moment you met at Hawkins Elementary. A scrawny young boy donned in clothing that were far too big on him had run up to you on your first day, as you clutched on to your parents hand - the knees of his trousers were completely scuffed from a previous tumble. You had eyed him curiously as he grinned at you manically.
“Hi! Are you new? I’m Eddie!”
You looked up at your parents for reassurance.
“Say hi, honey,” they smiled at you. You nodded back at Eddie.
“Hi,” you whispered, mustering up the courage to give the excited boy a small smile.
“I’ve not seen you around before! Where did you come from? Was it bigger than here? Did you fly here?!” His eyes lit up. “Did you turn in to a bat? My dad says that if I’m naughty, Ozzy Osbourne will turn in to a bat and come to get me in the night!” You looked at him confused.
“…Ozzy?” Eddie nodded.
“Ozzy Osbourne? Black Sabbath? My dad says they’re the best band ever!” Your parents had exchanged looks, slightly besides themselves that this small, scraggly six year old had even listened to a Black Sabbath song, let alone knowing the singers name.
The bell went, releasing your parents grasp from your hand.
“Good luck honey! We’ll pick you up after school okay? Have a good day!” You nervously looked around, seeing that Eddie was waving after your parents too.
“Come on! You can sit next to me!” Eddie bounded off, and you instinctively followed after him.
Eddie finally arrived back at school the following Monday, your excitement to see him did not seem reciprocated. The childlike wonder in his eyes had dulled, now replaced with dark circles under them. You soon came to learn that he had been taken to live with his uncle, his dad was never mentioned again.
You invited him to your birthday outing to the park, which he originally declined. After weeks of begging ( “But seven is my lucky number! You have to come!”), his Uncle finally convinced him to go. He had bought you a present, but for the most part, he sulked under the slide, only coming out when you forced him to play pirates.
His sparkle slowly came back in time, but as growing up became tougher and kids became meaner, he had built up his own wall. Wayne Munson had a lot on his hands raising a rebellious Eddie, who had decided that he was not going to conform to the ways of society.
This had also rubbed off on you, and the two of you became misfits together - your parents and Wayne at a loss for ideas on what to do with the pair of you.
Despite everything, you had always stuck together. Through the school crushes to crashing the school dance (Eddie's idea), to playing your first gig at The Hideout with Eddies new friends. Eddie had encouraged you to pick up the bass when he was given his first guitar in middle school (“Imagine how metal it will be!”), and together, with Jeff and Gareth, you created Corroded Coffin.
You had movie nights every Friday, alternating between whose place you stayed at - a tradition that had been going on for as long as you could remember.
Together, you had been called in to the principles office, and told you were going to be retaking senior year.
September 1985
“We are not listening to this again, surely?” Eddie poked fun at The Cure’s new album 'The Head on the Door' playing in your car as he chucked his bag in the back seat.
You shrugged. “I’m nothing if not consistent! Plus, it's only been out a couple of weeks, I need to give it a really good listen.”
“For the 100th time?" he jested, as you nodded intently. "Well, lucky for you, I’ve bought Sabbath along for the ride,” he grinned, holding the tape up to his face. While the two of you had always experimented with various styles, Eddie’s contagious smile was a staple. It was one of his most charming features, as it crinkled in the corner of his large brown eyes. You sighed, a smirk tugging at the corners of your mouth.
“You, are unbelievable Munson.”
“I’m nothing if not consistent,” he quoted, swapping the cassettes over. Rolling your eyes, you turned out of the driveway from the trailer park and headed towards Hawkins High. You had sworn to yourself that this was the year you were finally going to graduate, and you’d be damned if you didn’t drag Eddie up on that stage alongside with you.
You had both agreed on carpooling this year, using it as a strategy to plan out the nights you were going to study in between the evenings where you had band practice, gigs, and Eddie’s D&D campaigns. He had enthusiastically expressed how this year, he wanted to encourage some of the new freshman to play, acting out in exact detail how he was going to entice them to join Hellfire Club.
“We need some fresh blood” he had joked, but deep down you knew he was nervous that Hellfire would be no more once he graduated.
Eddie found it incredibly difficult to find people who wanted to play, due to people’s fear of the game. Media had spread propaganda that it led to cult like antics, and with Hawkins being a small (and cursed) town, the citizens had clung on to every word. The only people that remained in Hellfire now were Eddie, Gareth, Jared, and the odd person who would decide to see what it was about, before never being seen again.
You had played a couple of games, having read through Eddie’s rulebooks when he first took an interest. The stories that he came up with fascinated you, his creative side really shone through as he tactically laid out his next big twist - his mind not faltering for even a second. No one would see what the boy had planned, and sometimes he’d even keep it from you, so you could join in on the groups loud reactions, even if you didn’t play. The passion that Eddie had for creating the perfect campaign was the glue that kept his club together.
If only he had that passion when it came to creative writing at school.
“So,” you started. “Did you manage to find any new recruits for Hellfire this week?”
Eddie grinned.
“Oh yeah!” You raised your eyebrows at his response.
“Yeah?”
“Well, I haven’t spoken to them properly yet. I invited them to lunch yesterday while you were at the library, to see if they clicked with the group. One of them was wearing a Weird Al shirt on his first day! Pretty bold, right?”
You nodded, as Eddie rolled down the window, the breeze picking up in the vehicle instantly.
“As bold as you jumping out at Jason last year and scaring the living daylights out of him for, oh yeah, no reason?”
“The shit deserved it,” he muttered, examining the end of the lock of hair he had wrapped round his finger.
“‘The shit’ ended up almost breaking your arm,” you reminded him, the flashback of Jasons cronies having to force Jason off of Eddie as you, Gareth and Jeff tried to get him up. It had earned him detention for two weeks.
“But he didn’t,” he pointed out matter-of-factly. Clicking his tongue, he continued. “Anyway, the kids - they’re great, but I just think they need a bit more encouragement. They’re obviously well trained in the game, I just need to see that spark.” His hands began to drum against his legs.
“Oh! Talking of sparks, Steve mentioned that I can swing by Family Video later and pick from one of the newest releases for movie night tonight!” A tradition you’d both had since you were younger.
Having recently befriended Robin Buckley, you had realised that Steve Harrington came as part of a package deal type thing, much to Eddie’s disgust.
He snorted. “Good old Steve Harrington hey? Definitely not the type to do whatever a pretty girl says without any intention.” The spite in his voice suggested he wasn’t joking.
“And what, exactly, do you mean by that then?” Eddie would spurt out anything that was on his mind without thinking, a trait he shared with his Uncle. He raised his hands in defence.
“Woah, hey, nothing. I just think you should be careful with him, you know?” He turned back to sit fully in his seat. “He goes through a girl a week, I’m pretty sure.”
You chuckled. “Eds, he graduated last year. I think he’s moved on from that now, don’t you?”
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you when we go in there to pick a film.”
“Are you sure he’s not just watching to make sure we don’t steal anything?”
“Jesus H Christ that was one time and it was a complete accident! I forgot it was under my arm!” You rolled your eyes, remembering how you’d had to beg Steve and Robin to not ban you both from the shop. Thankfully for you, they didn’t want to admit they messed up to their boss - so you were let off pretty easily. You let out a small laugh at the memory, but Eddie didn’t find it as amusing.
“Okay but look, you can’t just judge the guy on his love life through high school! He may be a changed man,” you shrugged.
“Like he didn’t judge us for being freaks?” Eddie spat back, making you recoil slightly at the venom in his tone. You threw him a quick look, and he knew he’d gone too far.
An awkward silence fell between you, as you turned in to the school parking lot, as you tapped your fingers against the steering wheel.
You’d learned to pick your battles when it came to arguments with Eddie, and this was not one of the ones you wanted to continue.
“So you’re at Hellfire until…7?”
He nodded, turning to grab his bag. It was never big enough to fit his books in, but big enough to store todays lunch and whatever stash he had to sell without arousing suspicion.
“Don’t scare the freshman out of their wits, okay? And please, don’t be late,” you added softly, and he smiled.
“When, my lady, am I ever late?” Rolling your eyes in response, you parked up and grabbed your own backpack, slinging it over your shoulder.
“I can count multiple times in our friendship…” You were silenced by Eddie waving his hands in your face with a multitude of shushes as you playfully swatted his hands away, sending you both in to a fit of laughter.
“Okay okay okay, right. I won’t scare the freshman, I promise. Recap the plan for tonight for me?”
Falling in to a slow walk towards the science block, you began to recite how the evening was going to work.
“I’ll leave here after school, head to Family Video. Pick up the movie for tonight…”
“Fright Night.” He interrupted, not missing a beat.
“Right. Grab some snacks, hang out with Robin for as long as I can before Keith comes and kicks me out. That then gives me an hour to quickly drive home, grab my over night bag for yours, and I’ll be in the parking lot bang on 7pm!”
Eddie had always enjoyed listening to you - whether it was about the things you were passionate about, or even as something as mundane as the route you were taking to the video shop. You could ramble on for eternity, bringing in about five different stories before going back to the original point of the conversation, and he was always willing to listen.
He was snapped out of his daydream of you when he realised you were clicking your fingers in his face.
“Earth to Munson? Does that sound okay to you?”
“Yep! Parking lot by 7, got it.” He was confused when you threw your head back and laughed.
“I actually asked if I should bring my bass to yours so we can have a bit of a practice before we see the guys on Monday? We could do it tomorrow!”
Yes, 100 times yes. I don’t think I could say yes any more times to that question, his mind raced, as he managed to blurt out a “Oh, yeah no that sounds great!”
You smiled.
“Great, then I’ll make sure to grab that too then!” Stopping outside your classroom, you reached out to put a reassuring hand on his arm. “I know it’s the end of the week, and I know Mrs. Click is a hag…but I want this to be our year, okay?”
“Yeah, it’s our year.” A small smile appeared on his lips, as you patted him on the shoulder before turning off.
“And don’t be late!” Your voice rang out before disappearing in to the crowd towards your class. He scanned the hallway, but you were already gone.
With you by his side, Eddie Munson felt invincible.
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