#ambrossart
Text
Out of the Loop
summary: eddie went home with someone after prom, and gareth is determined to figure out who it was.
pairing: eddie munson x dwm!reader
word count: 11k
warnings: language, new relationship, eddie's girlfriend is gareth's arch nemesis, silly childhood rivalries, eddie being happy and stupidly in love, jason being an overprotective ass, chrissy being an adorable little cupcake, the reader is chrissy's best friend, the unnamed freak is named grant in this series
series masterpost | series playlist | fanfiction masterlist
On Monday morning, Gareth peddled to school like a man on a mission.
Nothing was getting in his way today, not his mother, who had accidentally washed his Hellfire Club shirt with all his little sister’s dance clothes,
“You know what, honey, I think it looks better this way…”
not his sister, who had been hogging the bathroom all morning because she couldn’t get her hair right,
“Look, you don’t understand the pressure I’m under right now. Becca Singer is finalizing her birthday party guest list today. I have to look my best if I wanna make the cut.”
not the weatherman, who was painfully misinformed when he called for clear, sunny skies today…
and certainly not the piece of crap Chevy that just cut him off in the middle of the crosswalk.
Gareth swerved out of the way and kept on peddling. The rain pelted his face in a spray of ice-cold bullets.
Behind him, the driver yelled, “Hey, watch where you’re going, you little shit!”
It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Because Gareth was sitting on a goldmine of information right now. It was truly the scoop of the century. Eddie Munson—that’s right, Eddie “the Freak” Munson—had gone home with somebody after the senior prom.
Who was this mysterious (not to mention incredibly lucky) woman? A curious cheerleader desperate to defy her clique? A rich girl trying to piss off her dad? A shy bookworm who wanted to act out the plot of her favorite romance novel? Who? Who? Gareth’s head was spinning! The question hungrily devoured the rest of his weekend (something Gareth wasn’t too proud to admit, of course, but hey, Sundays were always uneventful days for him). He had to get to school quickly and consult his most trusted sources.
He found Jeff and Grant sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria. Grant was eating the school’s hot breakfast while Jeff sat with his head in his hands, lamenting the sorry state of his love life.
“Tara’s still not talking to me. I’m pretty sure she’s gonna dump me for Patrick McKinney.”
Grant put down his fork. “Wait, you two were dating?”
“No…” Jeff heaved a quiet sigh. “But if we were, she’d definitely dump me for Patrick.”
Grant frowned, sympathetic yet envious of his friend’s plight. “Man, I wish Meg would stop talking to me. She had me on the phone all night yesterday. I think she wants me to be her boyfriend or something.” Grant cringed at the thought. He didn’t have the strength to put up with her. He’d barely survived prom.
“You don’t like her?” Jeff asked.
“Not really,” Grant answered. “I mean, yeah, she’s pretty and all, but as soon as she starts talking—”
Gareth slammed a wrinkled piece of notebook paper onto the table. The loud bang echoed through the entire cafeteria, making a few students gasp and flinch in their chairs. Jeff and Grant didn’t move in the slightest. This was typical Monday morning behavior for Gareth.
“What’s with the pink shirt?” Grant asked, unfazed.
“Doesn’t matter,” Gareth said. They had more pressing matters to discuss. He sat down and folded his hands in front of him, his blue eyes clear and focused. He wasted no time getting straight to the point: “Who’d Eddie go home with after prom?”
Jeff and Grant exchanged a subtle, secret glance.
“How do you know Eddie went home with someone after prom?” Jeff asked.
“Because I called him that night.”
“Why’d you call him?”
“Because I’m a good friend, unlike some people.” Nobody had called him asking how his night went. Gareth sat home alone on Saturday night, eating popcorn and watching old sci-fi movies in his basement, while the rest of his friends had a blast at prom. It wasn’t fair. “I wanted to check in on him because I figured he might be a little depressed after getting rejected by Chrissy. Because let’s be honest here, there was no way that Chrissy was ever gonna dance with him. You all agree with me, right? I’m not just being a dick here. Like, yeah, I know Eddie’s riding high right now because he thinks this year is his year and everything, but… yeah, he was aiming a bit too high with that goal.”
“Can you get to the point, please?” Grant said. “My breakfast is getting cold.”
“Well, multitask, man!” Gareth grabbed Grant’s fork and threw it back onto his tray. “What, you can’t listen and eat at the same time?”
Grant rolled his eyes and went back to his breakfast. Gareth carried on with his story:
“So anyway, when I called him on Saturday, I expected him to sound all mopey and depressed, but he wasn’t. Yeah, Eddie wasn’t depressed at all. In fact, he sounded oddly… happy, but also a little bit distracted. You guys see where I’m going with this, right?”
“I hate that I do,” Grant said, struggling to enjoy his food.
“Well, that’s when I started getting suspicious. See, I could tell I didn’t have his full attention, and that’s just so unlike Eddie because he’s normally really good at maintaining proper phone etiquette. Weird, right? So then I got curious and I started listening, and… and I can’t be sure, but I think I heard a girl talking in the background.”
“Maybe it was just the TV,” Grant said.
Gareth shook his head. “No way… I know the difference between a TV voice and a live human voice. Someone was definitely with him.”
“Well, did you recognize the voice?” Jeff asked.
“No, I couldn’t hear well enough.”
Grant’s eyes narrowed. “And yet you’re sure it wasn’t the TV…”
“Oh come on, it wasn’t the TV, you guys. Wake up and smell the coffee! Eddie brought a girl to his house. He brought a girl to his house. She was with him in the room while he was on the phone with me. I could hear her talking. Then Eddie started acting really weird, said he had to go, and rushed me off the phone.”
“Gross,” Grant muttered, sickened. “Yeah, these are details I did not need.”
Gareth’s mouth fell open in a silent gasp. “Wait, do you guys think he slept with her?” and that was more than Jeff could handle.
He buried his face in his hands and said, “Please stop. I don’t wanna go to class with these images in my head.”
Grant shrugged. “Maybe it was just a one-night stand.”
Jeff threw him a sharp, side-eyed glare.
“Just saying,” Grant finished, smirking.
“No, I seriously doubt it,” Gareth went on, completely unaware. “Eddie’s not really a one-night stand kinda guy… not by choice, anyway. No, I think this might be the real deal, you guys, ‘cause listen to this: I went to go see him yesterday. Eddie wasn’t home.”
“So?”
“So I think he was with her. I called him last night and asked him where he was all day. He said he was out running errands.” Gareth scrunched up his face at that, doubtful. “Since when does Eddie run errands? So I said, ‘What sort of errands were you running?’ He said he had to swing by the drugstore. I said, ‘Well, what did you need at the drugstore?’ but he wouldn’t answer that. Yeah, he was being awfully mum.”
“Mum?” Jeff repeated to himself, mystified by his friend’s bizarre word choice.
Grant said, “He was probably annoyed that you were digging around in his business. I know I would be.”
“Oh yeah, he was definitely getting annoyed,” Gareth said. “Then he cut the conversation short and told me he was stepping out for the night. That’s when I knew this was serious. Eddie doesn’t just ‘step out’ on a Sunday night. He hardly goes out any night. If he’s not with us, he’s sitting at home and playing songs on his guitar. Yeah, he was definitely with her last night.”
Grant sighed, hoping they’d finally reached the end of this long-winded story. “Well, I guess you cracked the case then, Gareth.”
“But that’s just it, I haven’t!” Gareth said. Grant let out an exhausted moan. “I still don’t know who this girl is. You guys swear you didn’t see Eddie go home with anybody after prom?”
Another secret glance.
“Nope,” Jeff said. “I didn’t see him go home with anyone that night.”
Gareth nodded, disappointed but not yet defeated. “Yeah, I thought you might say that. That’s why I made this.”
He gestured toward the piece of paper on the table. Jeff picked it up and read it over. Then he passed it to Grant so he could do the same.
“Okay, what exactly am I looking at here?” Grant asked.
“It’s a list of suspects,” Gareth said, a proud smile on his face. “Yeah, last night I compiled a list of every girl I’ve ever seen Eddie interact with at school, and then this morning I whittled that list down to what I think are the most likely suspects.”
“Not a very long list,” Jeff said.
“Really?” said Grant. “I was gonna say it’s too long.”
They shared a little chuckle over that. Gareth glowered at them, unamused. He didn’t appreciate them making little jabs about their Dungeon Master’s love life, stagnant as it was.
“You know,” Grant began with ominous deliberation, “I can’t help but notice there’s a name missing from this list.”
Gareth's head snapped back in surprise. “Who?”
“You know who,” Grant said. Beside him, Jeff was holding in a grin.
A disturbing chill crept up Gareth's spine. Then—
BAM!
Your name cracked down from above like a fiendish lightning bolt, striking Gareth and making all the little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. For a second, he could see your name so clearly. It loomed before him, ugly and terrible, festering with puss and crawling with maggots, getting pecked savagely by vultures and other scavengers. It made him retch with disgust.
“Oh, very funny…”
“Hey, I’m just saying,” Grant said, “there’s no denying that she’s a likely suspect.”
“In fact,” Jeff continued, “some might say she’s the most likely suspect.”
“Yeah, maybe back in middle school,” Gareth said, “but Eddie hasn’t so much as looked at her in years.”
Except for that one time, he thought, remembering the mournful look on his friend’s face that day.
They were all eating lunch when your laughter suddenly sprang up from the other side of the cafeteria, obnoxious and shrill. Eddie glanced your way and his eyes darkened with such hollow sadness. It was as if someone had died.
But that didn’t mean anything, Gareth decided, so he shoved the memory away.
“All right, look, I’ll admit we lost him briefly for that one summer. I dunno how she did it, but somehow she got her claws in him real deep and he was completely under her spell. I won’t deny that. But then Eddie woke up and saw her for what she really is—an ugly green hag! At first, she appears as this beautiful, enchanting woman, but underneath that guise, she’s a wretched old witch who thrives on torment. Yeah, Eddie got over her a long time ago,” and Gareth refused to waste another thought on it.
He snatched the paper from Grant and laid it out in front of him. “Now, here’s what I’m thinking: if we split this up among the three of us, we can get through this list by lunch and then confront Eddie with our findings.”
“Yeah, we’re not doing that,” Grant said.
Gareth frowned. “Why not?”
“Because we already know who it is.”
Gareth’s eyes widened in surprised anger. “I KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT! I knew you two were messing with me this whole time. Sitting there with your smug little faces. Making your little jokes. You know what, screw you guys, I don’t even want your help anymore.”
He stuffed the paper back into his bag, climbed to his feet, and stomped off.
Over his shoulder, Jeff said, “Shoulda gone to prom, man.”
Gareth paused, dejected. “Well, no one would go with me…” He pushed through the double doors and was gone.
Afterward, Grant picked up his milk carton and took a few slow slips.
“You know what,” he said thoughtfully, “Gareth should’ve asked Y/N to prom.”
Jeff chuckled to himself. “Well, she did need a date… Shit, should we have just told him?”
“No,” Grant said. “No, this is something Gareth needs to see with his own eyes.”
Now Gareth, his resolve reignited and burning brighter than ever, was prowling the senior locker area with his suspect list in hand.
Let them keep their secrets, he thought. I don’t need their help. A lot of help they would’ve been, anyway. Yeah, I can solve this mystery all on my own.
And he would.
Gareth was a fantastic investigator, you see. He could win a game of Guess Who? in less than five turns and had a lifetime record of fifty-three wins and only fifteen losses (such losses were unavoidable when you drew an easily guessable character like Anita. Ugh, Anita… with those rosy cheeks and annoying blonde pigtails. His little sister beat him in only two moves after that unlucky draw). Now Gareth would apply those same deductive reasoning skills to this. Ask careful, complex questions. Gather information. Cross those ladies off one by one.
There was only one problem: the girls at Hawkins High weren’t exactly forthcoming about their personal lives, especially when it involved Eddie Munson. In fact, most girls denied ever having spoken to the guy.
Claire Dunnock, the most recent inductee into the popular clique, was being especially difficult.
Her blue eyes shifted back and forth anxiously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, and then leaned forward to make sure none of her new friends were eavesdropping. Claire had to be very careful. One misstep and she would slide all the way back down the social ladder. She couldn’t afford to let that happen.
Gareth sensed her unease. “Hey, relax,” he told her, “I’m not here to ruin your reputation, okay? This conversation stays between us. You have my word.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Claire said. “I wouldn’t be caught dead with that freak.”
“Hey, that freak is my best friend,” Gareth said. “And you and I both know that’s not true, Claire. I saw you get into his van that one—”
Claire seized him by the arm and hissed, “Shut up!” Her eyes blazed with fearful, self-protective rage. “Look, that was a year ago, okay? I was a stupid junior who didn’t know any better. Eddie and I had a class together. I guess I got a little curious, but that’s it. We hung out once and I never spoke to him again.” Loosening her grip, she said, “Besides, he was nothing but a big disappointment, anyway.”
Anger flared in Gareth’s chest. “All right, that's it. I’m not gonna stand here and listen to you slander my friend.”
“It’s not slander if it’s true,” Claire said.
Gareth didn’t know how to respond to that.
“Look, just answer my question, okay? Did you go home with Eddie after prom or not?”
“Of course not,” Claire answered, practically cackling at the thought.
(Why were high school girls so needlessly cruel?)
“I went to prom with my boyfriend. I was with him all night. Ask anyone.” Claire swung her locker door closed, put her hand on her hip, and raised her eyebrows impatiently. “Are we done now?” She walked off to join the rest of her friends.
Gareth glared at her back, his insides boiling with indignation and righteous fury.
You got curious and Eddie got his heart broken. Again.
He crossed out Claire’s name with his pen.
Two suspects down. Eight more to go.
He tucked his pen behind his ear, turned, and suddenly the hallway froze over! Okay, that didn’t actually happen, but a bitter wind did blow. Gareth felt it on his face as soon as he saw you step out from around the corner.
Coincidence?
Doubtful.
You were wearing blue jeans and a Fleetwood Mac shirt. Yeah, you would like Fleetwood Mac, Gareth thought, scoffing. As usual, you were walking side by side with Chrissy Cunningham, your best friend since elementary school. She was smiling and laughing at one of your jokes. Laughing out of politeness, probably. Why you two were friends, Gareth would never know. Chrissy was sweet like cotton candy and you were so… so…
(evil, pure evil)
rotten to the core, like moldy fruit.
“I swear,” you said with a groan, “it’ll be weeks before your mom lets me into the house again. God, she’s such a prude. How was I supposed to know she was gonna invite the whole family over for Sunday brunch? At least I was dressed up for the occasion.”
Chrissy looked at you in baffled amusement. “You were still wearing your prom dress.”
“And it was a very nice prom dress. Your grandma even complimented it. She said it made me look like Madonna.” You weren’t too thrilled about that comparison, but who were you to pass up a free compliment? “Now your mom, on the other hand… man, if looks could kill… I probably would’ve choked on one of those blueberry scones she was serving, which were a tad overbaked if I’m being honest.”
Chrissy went to her locker and fiddled with the padlock for a second before opening it. You stood patiently beside her, the wall clock barely within view.
It was a quarter past eight, you noted with a frown. Was Eddie here already or…?
While hanging up her pink backpack, Chrissy said, “Yeah, she definitely had some colorful words to describe you last night.”
You turned your attention back to her. “Your mom called me a slut, didn’t she?”
Chrissy didn’t answer at first. She was busy unloading her homework. While she was doing that, one of her fellow cheerleaders snuck up behind her, tapped her on the shoulder, and gave a cheerful, heartfelt hello. Chrissy hugged her and asked how her weekend was. The two chatted casually for a minute and then the girl went on her way. Never so much as glanced at you.
“Umm, I believe she used the word harlot,” Chrissy said to you afterward.
“Oh, she got biblical, huh?” Great, you thought, as if that woman didn’t despise you enough already. “You know, I don’t understand your mom. First I’m too fat to be your friend. Now I’m too much of a slut. That lady needs to pick a lane and stay in it… and then drive herself right off a cliff.”
Chrissy threw you a friendly glare.
“Just kidding,” you said. “You know I love your mom. She keeps me grounded. Without her, I might develop a healthy self-esteem, and we all know how dangerous that is. Yeah, that might lead to confidence and success… perhaps even lifelong happiness.”
Ignoring you (or pretending to), Chrissy started digging through her backpack again. “Dammit,” she said under her breath, “I think I left my pencil case at home.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure Jason has a pencil for you.” You smiled inwardly—a willful, wicked smile. “Then again…”
Chrissy pushed her locker closed, grabbed both your hands, backed you up against the lockers, and brought her face really close to yours. “Shut up,” she whispered in half-hearted anger, a rosy blush blooming on the apples of her cheeks.
You took one look at her and busted out laughing. Chrissy started laughing, too.
“I hate you so much,” she said, and released you.
“I know,” you replied affectionately. “But see, this is why the whole situation with your mom is so funny to me. I’m the one who’s still a virgin, yet somehow it’s me who gets labeled the…”
You spotted a familiar face down the hall.
“Gareth?” You leaned toward him, squinting. “What are you doing in the senior locker area?”
The sound of your voice made him flinch. “Nothing,” he said, acting strangely defensive for some reason.
That’s when you noticed the piece of paper in his hand. You gestured toward it with your chin and said, “What’s that you got there? Is that a love letter? You finally asking someone out on a date? Will you go out with me? Check yes or no. Who’s the lucky lady? Wait, aren’t you a little young to be dating?”
Gareth hid the paper behind his back and glared at you. “We’re the same age.”
“And yet I’m a senior and you’re a junior. Hmm, how did that happen?” You tipped your head and smiled at him. “You’ve got company, by the way.”
“Huh?” Gareth stepped back and—
A hand landed on his shoulder, closed around his flannel shirt, and spun him around. Gareth jumped back, swallowing a scream. He was now standing nose to chest with Ben Jabruski, outside linebacker and two-time defensive player of the year. Eric Kordell stood beside him, smaller but no less intimidating. His brown eyes gleamed with feral, territorial aggression.
“Get outta here, freak,” Eric said.
Gareth squared up to him, unafraid. “Last time I checked this was a free country.” He wrenched his shirt out of Ben’s grip, careful not to tear his favorite flannel. It was a Christmas gift from his mother.
While he was distracted, Eric reached out and ripped the paper out of Gareth’s hand.
“Hey, give that back!”
“What’s this?” Eric asked. He opened the paper and studied it for a minute. His expression went from amused to curious to downright furious. He crushed the list in his fist. “Why’s my girlfriend on here?”
“Oh…” Panic shot up Gareth’s spine. He took a step back and let loose a nervous chuckle. “Oh… you must be Claire’s boyfriend. You know, I heard you two had a lovely time at prom.”
He turned on his heel and took off running down the hallway.
“Bye, Gareth!” you said, fluttering your fingers as he passed. Then you looked back at Chrissy with a smile. “God, I love that kid…”
You went to your locker after that, ignoring all the busy little voices, the occasional odd glance and stifled giggle you received from the other students. Chrissy followed with her first-period textbook cradled in her arms.
“Just ignore them,” she told you.
“I already am,” you said… but then you saw Sarah, Sally, and Stacy huddled around Stacy’s locker. Talking about their hair. Talking about their clothes. Stirring their black cauldron of boiling bones and animal guts. Sarah looked at you, whispered something to Sally, who passed the same message on to Stacy, and all three of them tittered gleefully at your expense.
“Just ignore them,” Chrissy said.
“I will,” you said, but first—
You whipped around and burst out: “So which one of you got knocked up after prom? My money’s on you, Stacy.”
Chrissy, dismayed but secretly delighted, tugged gently on your right elbow. Before going with her, you tossed Satan’s mistress (AKA Stacy Raab) a snide little wink. Stacy rolled her eyes in disgust.
“Stop it,” Chrissy said.
“They started it.”
“I know… but stop it. You’re better than that.”
At the end of the hallway, you spotted Chance Gallagher standing in front of his open locker, wearing the same green letterman jacket that he wore when he asked you to prom six weeks ago. Chance closed his locker and caught your eye for a moment. Then he gave you a small, apologetic smile.
What was he apologizing for? For asking you to prom, getting your hopes up, and then humiliating you in front of the entire senior class? You weren’t sorry he did it. In fact, you were glad he did it. Yeah, you wanted to go up to him, shake his hand, and thank him for being such a spineless little worm. If he were a decent guy, your night might have gone differently, and you were quite pleased with how your night went. So thank you, Chance. Thank you for being a complete scumbag. Maybe I should write him a thank-you note.
Smiling, you turned back around. As you did, you stole another quick glance at the clock on the wall.
Eight-nineteen…
You sighed.
… and now eight-twenty.
“He’s running late, huh?” Chrissy said. You looked her way and she flashed you a sweet, teasing smile. “I know you’re waiting for him.”
A small flush of heat tickled your cheeks, threatening to set your whole face on fire. Resisting it, you grabbed your padlock and started spinning the dial: three turns to the right, one full turn to the left, another quick turn to the right, and
“Are you nervous about seeing him?”
you missed the last number and had to start all over again.
“Kind of,” you admitted. “Is that weird?”
Chrissy shook her head, her smile growing brighter and brighter. “Nope, it’s totally normal and absolutely adorable.” Giggling, she hugged her book tightly to her chest. If her hands were free, she probably would have hugged you instead. “I’m so happy for you. I really, really am. I swear, I feel like my heart’s about to burst right now.”
“Well, you should probably see a doctor about that.”
Chrissy stuck her tongue out at you. You did it right back, popped off your lock, and pulled on the handle. The locker door swung outward, squeaking on its hinges, and almost smacked Chrissy in the face. “Hey!” she said, laughing. She stepped back, skipped around you, and planted herself comfortably on your left side.
“So did you see him last night?” she asked, practically beaming.
“Nope.” You slipped off your messenger bag and hung it on the hook.
Chrissy squinted at you suspiciously. “Why do I feel like you’re lying right now?”
“I’m not lying,” you told her, only to be betrayed by your blushing face. “I didn’t see him last night… technically it was this morning.”
Twelve-o-two, to be exact. That’s when you saw the headlights flashing through your bedroom window blinds.
“Oh my god,” Chrissy said.
“What? He just stopped by to say goodnight.” You smiled softly to yourself. “It was kind of romantic, actually.”
“Uh-huh,” Chrissy said, laughing at you. “And how long did you two say goodnight?”
“Only for an hour… and a half.”
It was raining last night. You couldn’t invite Eddie into the house, so you two hung out in his van for a while. A very long while. W.A.S.P. was playing on the stereo. Eddie had found the cassette tape while cleaning out his van that afternoon. He was very proud of this accomplishment. It was adorable. He had you listen to a few of his favorite songs, asked you about your day, told you about his, and during “Cries In the Night,” he leaned over the center console and kissed you. Everything after that was a bit of a blur. The last thing you remembered was the horn blaring. You had accidentally pressed it with your elbow.
“Oh my god,” Chrissy said.
“Stop saying, ‘Oh my god.’ You sound like my mom.”
She had said the exact same thing after confronting you about it in the kitchen this morning. Turns out, the car horn had woken her up. Then she caught you creeping back inside through the front door. It was an awkward breakfast, to say the least.
Chrissy poked your shoulder playfully. “That’s how it starts, you know. Late-night visits. Long, drawn-out goodbyes. You two are gonna be inseparable this summer.” She breathed a long, lovesick sigh. “Jason and I used to be like that.”
“You’re still like that.”
“Yeah,” she said, smiling.
“Speaking of…” You saw Jason Carver coming down the hallway, his pants ironed and creased, white collared shirt tucked in, a brand new Rolex glinting on his left wrist (an early graduation present from his father, apparently). He looked like a Ralph Lauren catalog model. “Is it weird that I’m picturing him naked right now?”
Chrissy hid her face in embarrassment. “I swear to God, if you say anything…”
“What am I gonna say to him? ‘Thank you for deflowering my best friend’? ‘I heard your penis is rather pleasing’? I don’t wanna talk to him about that. I don’t even wanna think about that.”
Prior to this weekend, you couldn’t even imagine Jason Carver having genitals. You always figured he was like a Ken doll down there. Nothing but smooth plastic.
Chrissy looked at you, mortified. “Why do I tell you anything?”
“I have no idea,” you said. Then you checked the clock again.
Eight twenty-three.
Where the hell’s Eddie? you wondered, starting to get a little worried.
Jason’s arrival reclaimed your attention.
“Hey, guys,” he said in that smooth drawl that made all the girls swoon.
You expected to find him standing with his million-dollar smile, but he wasn’t. No, today Jason seemed different—humble, approachable, perhaps even a little shy. It was as if he’d reverted back to his ten-year-old self. Little Jason Carver, who could barely dribble a basketball. The boy who stammered when he introduced himself to the rest of the class. The boy who sat down next to you, smiled, and said he liked the character on your favorite shirt. The boy who talked to you every day. Encouraged you. Defended you. The boy you caught staring at your best friend way too many times to be a coincidence.
Then you looked at Chrissy and she seemed younger, too. A blushing, fidgeting ten-year-old who always forgot to stand up straight. She got so excited when Jason offered to walk her home from school. He even carried my books!
Back then, your happiness for them had been counterfeit, complicated, but not anymore. Yeah, now you could say you were genuinely happy for both of them.
This was still awkward as hell, though.
“Hey, Chrissy needs to borrow a pencil,” you blurted out, breaking their amorous trance.
A soft pink flush rose to Jason’s cheeks. “What?”
“Just ignore her,” Chrissy said, struggling to keep a straight face.
Meanwhile, you punched Jason on the shoulder. “Hey, don’t forget about our deal, buddy.”
“I haven’t,” he told you. “I’ll buy your lunch, as promised. It’s the least I can do.”
“What if I want two lunches? And a whole plate of cookies?”
“Then I guess I’m buying you two lunches and a whole plate of cookies.”
Jason smiled at you… but then his demeanor changed, hardening like armor.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
You blinked at him. “Am I okay?” you repeated slowly, a little taken aback. “Well, I did wake up with a strange tattoo on my wrist. It’s like a crucifix, except it’s upside down. Weird… Also, I can’t be sure, but I think I might be dealing with a Rosemary’s Baby scenario. Yeah, I’m definitely gonna be giving birth to the Antichrist in about nine months. Buy something black.”
Jason’s eyes widened in confused horror.
“Oh my god, I’m kidding!” you said. “Eddie was a complete gentleman. He even asked for permission before he impregnated me with his hellseed. Naturally, I gave him the green light because… well, have you seen his face? It’s kinda perfect.”
Chrissy put her hand over her mouth and giggled. Jason didn’t appreciate your joke.
“Come on, be serious.”
“I am being serious. Believe it or not, I actually find him insanely attractive. He’s like a discount version of Eddie Van Halen, and I can’t afford the real thing, so…”
“So you actually slept with him?” Jason sounded disappointed and ashamed. He reminded you of your father.
No, worse than your father.
“Well, no, I was kidding about that. I mean, I did sleep with him, but not in the way you’re assuming. And are you seriously gonna judge me for having sex? It’s been a while since I’ve been to church, but I’m pretty sure the bible condemns hypocrisy. You might wanna reread those sections. I think you’ll find them very enlightening.”
Jason ground his jaw in irritation. “Stop making jokes!”
“I don’t want to,” you said finally, your voice breaking, “because then I’m just gonna get really, really mad like I’m doing right now, and I don’t wanna be mad at you, Jason. I was having a really good morning until you showed up.”
By now, Chrissy had stopped laughing. Her shoulders drooped and she looked at you with a sick, sorry expression.
Jason said, “Look, I just think you’re undervaluing yourself, okay? You can do so much better than that—”
“Oh, please don’t do that. Don’t try to talk to me like you’re my friend.”
“I am your friend.”
“Then be my friend, Jason. Stop trying to ruin my happiness!”
The school bell dinged and students began making their way to class. Jason went, too. Didn’t even bother saying goodbye. Chrissy told you not to worry about him. “Jason’ll come around eventually.” Then she smiled, waved goodbye, and ran to catch up with him.
You weren’t half as optimistic as she was.
This is gonna be a huge problem, isn’t it?
You groaned, dreading it.
Behind you, another wave of students came rushing down the hallway. Brittany Wirth was among them. You knew because you could hear her shrill voice piercing through the dull chatter around her. She was ranting about prom, complaining about the flowers, complaining about the food, about the music, about—
“YOU!”
You flinched and turned around, thinking she was talking to you.
What you saw made your eyes light up with glee. Brittany Wirth had Eddie Munson pinned up against the lockers, and she was jabbing him in the chest with her index finger.
“You, sir, are a total asshole! Do you have any idea how hard I worked on that event? I was planning it for months, planning it to perfection, and then YOU had to go and make it all about yourself, as usual.” She stepped back and huffed, exhausted. “I hope you’re proud of yourself.”
“I’m a little proud of myself,” Eddie replied candidly.
Brittany shot him a deadly glare. “Oh, shut up!” She swept her hair off her shoulder and walked away.
You stopped her as she passed. “You know what, Brittany, all things considered, I thought it was a very successful night.”
Brittany’s jaw dropped and got stuck like that, locked in befuddled rage. Not a single sound came out, but you could tell she was trying to speak. Was this it? Had it finally happened? Did Brittany Wirth actually crack? She worked her lips unsuccessfully for a minute and then closed them again, steaming in her hatred, screaming internally like a boiling teapot. She brushed past you and continued on her way.
Then you heard Eddie approach you.
“Did I really make the night all about me?”
His question made you giggle. “A little bit.” You turned around with a smile, glad to see him, relieved to see him. “I still had a good time, though.”
“Well, that’s all that matters,” Eddie said, but there was something in your eyes that made him frown with concern. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” you said, and blinked that silly little worry away. “Jason’s just being… well, Jason.”
“I take it he doesn’t approve of me.”
“Yeah, you’ve really got him clutching his bible. He thinks you’re gonna drain my blood and sacrifice me to the devil.”
“Really?” Eddie said, his eyes widening in false astonishment. “Well, he just spoiled our next date.”
“Oh, really?” you replied, giggling. “Well, I guess that explains why I’m still a virgin.”
Eddie winced, looked down at his shoes, and grinned bashfully. “Okay, I walked right into that one.”
“Yeah, you did,” you said; and God, it drove you crazy seeing him get so flustered.
Kinda like last night, you thought, startling yourself, and immediately shooed that dangerous thought away. Now was not the time for that, young lady. You still had a full day of school to get through. Somehow.
“You’re late,” you said.
“Yeah, I uh…” Eddie brought his hand to his face and started rubbing it. “I got pulled over for speeding.”
You gasped. “No, you didn’t.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Prove it.”
Eddie pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to you. You opened it and immediately busted out laughing.
“Oh, wow… going fifty-five in a forty-five.”
“Eh, they went easy on me… I was going at least sixty.”
“Wow…”
“Yeah…” Eddie said, tilting his head. “The one time I’m in a rush to get to school.”
His brown eyes sought yours and settled there for a moment, his lips curling into a tender, captivated smile. You smiled back helplessly, feeling girly, feeling giddy, feeling like you were probably grinning like an idiot right now. Embarrassed, you pressed the paper to your mouth in a vain attempt to hide it. When that didn’t work, you thrust the ticket back into Eddie’s hand and turned away, pretending to pull books from your locker.
You felt along the spines like someone fumbling around in the dark. What class were you going to again? History? English? French?
No, you weren’t even taking French.
You spoke to Eddie in a frazzled voice: “Well, since you’re not in handcuffs right now, I’m assuming they didn’t find anything when they searched your van, huh?”
“Luckily, no…”
“Good thing you cleaned out your van yesterday.”
“Mhm…” Eddie said, his voice seeming much closer than before.
Your roaming fingers slowed, then stopped, sliding all the way down the stack of books. With one more step, his presence had consumed you, making you blind and deaf to everything else, everything except Eddie. You could feel him standing next to you, leaning into you, his left hand outstretched and resting against the locker beside you. His voice sent a pleasant shiver down your spine.
“Find what you’re looking for yet?”
You gazed into his eyes and got lost in them. “… I can’t remember what class I’m going to.”
You laughed at yourself sheepishly, senselessly, and saw Eddie crack a small smile: half amused and half… something else, something that brought you back to last night—that quiet, rainy night. Sitting in the dark and listening to music. Eddie humming softly beside you, drumming his right hand on the steering wheel, watching the tiny droplets race down his windshield. You sitting in your seat nervously. Fidgeting restlessly. Running your fingers over the plastic cassette case on your lap. Pretending to take interest in it while secretly watching Eddie out of the corner of your eye. Waiting for him to kiss you. Hoping he’d kiss you. Catching him staring at you with that smile… the same smile he was giving you now… right before he leaned in and…
“Ahem.”
Another student appeared behind you, tapping her foot impatiently. “Uhh, can I get to my locker, please?”
Eddie drew away from you, embarrassed and a little frustrated, and took two giant steps back.
The girl assumed his place without a word, opened her locker, hung up her backpack, her jacket, grabbed her textbook and notebook, snatched a few pens from her bag, and closed her locker again. Before leaving, she motioned between you and Eddie and said, “So is this like a thing now?”
You caught Eddie’s eye for a second. “Uhh, yes,” you said while he fought back a huge smile.
The girl shook her head as if dizzy. “Weird,” she said, and left.
Afterward, you turned to Eddie with a puzzled frown. “Wait, is it weird that I’m dating you or that you’re dating me? I need to know where I rank in this relationship.”
“Maybe you should ask her.”
“Maybe I will…”
Giggling, you stepped past him, spotted your locker neighbor at the end of the hallway, cupped your hands over your mouth, and shouted, “Hey, Carmen!” but you never got a chance to finish. Eddie had grabbed your hand and dragged you back to him, pulling you into his arms, putting you right where he wanted you, intending to pick up exactly where he left off.
The second bell rang before you could even feel his breath on your lips. Eddie closed his eyes tightly, as if pained.
“I really hate that I have to be in school right now.”
“Me too,” you said, staring up at him, your heart still pounding in your chest. “We should probably get to class.”
Eddie wrapped his arms around your waist and held you tighter against him. “Or we could just, y’know, skip first period altogether… since you don’t know where you’re supposed to be anyway.”
He swooped down and placed a few chaste kisses along the side of your head. Blushing, you buried your face into his chest.
“Are you trying to get me to cut class, sir?”
“No, just giving you options.”
“Mhm,” you said, giggling.
While you contemplated his offer, you traced your hand over the button pocket of his denim vest, feeling the fabric, flicking each of his treasured pins one by one: Judas Priest, Accept, Mercyful Fate. You found the W.A.S.P. pin last and focused on it, teasing it with your finger.
“And then what?” you asked, lifting your head to look at him. “We go back to your van and finish what you started last night?”
Eddie’s eyes brightened in surprise. “Finish what you started, if I remember correctly.”
“Was I the one who started it?” You frowned, pretending not to remember.
Meanwhile, your hand had drifted up to the collar of his leather jacket. You nudged it out of the way and started tugging along the neckline of his shirt, revealing a faint pink bruise on the base of his collarbone. Eddie winced as your finger brushed over it. You smiled softly, remembering how his breath hitched when your lips made the first budding mark, how he cursed and moaned while you planted all the others, his hands slipping underneath your shirt and sliding across your skin.
“I may have gotten a little carried away…”
“Yeah, you definitely did,” Eddie said, smiling at you.
“I just really like W.A.S.P.”
“Do you?”
“Mhm…”
Eddie’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he laughed. “Well, I still have the tape in my van. We can go listen to it right now if you want.”
You bit your lip hard, unable to answer right away. God dammit, what had you gotten yourself into? You weren’t seriously considering his proposition before, but now…
“Go to class, please.”
Now Ms. Kelley had come out of her office and was sweeping away the last few stragglers, you and Eddie included.
“I know we’re all a little sluggish this morning, but let’s start this week off strong, okay? There’s still another month before graduation. Don’t lose your focus now.” She looked at you and Eddie tiredly. “You two. Class. Now.”
You sighed as you saw your window of opportunity close. Eddie peeled himself away from you and started down the hallway.
“See ya later,” he said over his shoulder.
“Bye,” you said back, hiding your disappointment behind a smile.
Upon returning to your locker, you grabbed your textbook—the right textbook—and wedged it in the crook of your left elbow. While hunting around for the matching notebook and folder, you heard Eddie’s voice behind you again, catching you completely by surprise.
“Oh, wait,” he said hurriedly, “I forgot to tell you something.”
“Hmm?”
You turned around and felt Eddie’s hands cup the sides of your face, drawing you in for a soft, sweet kiss. You closed your eyes, savoring it. A moment later, he broke the kiss and pulled away.
“See you in third period,” he said, departing with a smile.
It took you a second to recover from that. When you finally did, you clutched your textbook to your chest and smiled uncontrollably, tears brimming in your eyes, your heart racing, stomach fluttering, face glowing with pure, radiant joy.
Under your breath, you whispered, “I hate so much that I have to be in school right now.”
Gareth, on the other hand, was glad to be in school today. Admittedly, his morning had gotten off to a rough start, but things were finally starting to look up for him, and now he felt like he was on the verge of a major breakthrough.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
But he didn’t wanna jinx it.
In first period, Gareth snuck into the library and talked to Matilda Gunn: salutatorian, captain of the debate team, and the third name on Gareth’s list (his new list, of course; the original list was long gone, probably lying in a trashcan somewhere).
Matilda, anyway, was sitting at the back table and studying for her upcoming physics test. Matilda preferred studying in the library over her study hall class because she couldn’t stand the sound of her neighbor chewing and slurping his nails. She wasn’t too happy when Gareth pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. She was even less happy when he brought up Eddie Munson.
“First of all, I’m offended that you would even think I would associate with that moron. I hate the guy. He ruined my GPA. Stupid group projects… God, I hate them!” Enraged, Matilda tore a random leaf out of her notebook and ripped the poor thing to shreds. Gareth watched her do it, horrified, and hoped there was nothing important written on that page. “You know, if I’d known he was gonna slack off like he did, I would’ve just done the whole thing myself. But no… I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I gave him the easiest task and he couldn’t even do that. He said he forgot about it. Said he was busy working on a campaign or something.”
“Yeah, he gets like that sometimes,” Gareth said. “Like last month, he spent the whole weekend learning ‘Master of Puppets.’ Have you heard that song?”
Matilda shook her head, her eyes glazed with boredom.
“Well, doesn’t matter. It’s a very hard song to play. That’s all you need to know. And Eddie became obsessed with it. He locked himself in his room all weekend and practiced over and over and—”
Matilda pressed her hand to her temple and hissed, “Listen, junior freak, I don’t give a shit about Eddie Munson and his fucking guitar. Okay? Second of all, I didn’t even go to prom on Saturday. I was studying all weekend, studying for this test, and if I don’t get an A, I’m gonna hold you personally responsible. Now get lost.”
Gareth lurched back in his seat and felt his mouth go dry.
(Once again, why were high school girls so needlessly cruel?)
“Okay,” he said in a small voice. “I’m, uhh, sorry for bothering you.”
He got up to leave.
“Wait,” Matilda said with a sigh; then after a moment of careful, painful deliberation, she put out her hand. “Gimme your stupid list.”
Gareth held the list against his chest, protecting it. “You’re not gonna rip it up, are you?” he asked, observing the tattered remains of her last victim. “Because I’m getting kinda tired of writing all these names out.”
And some of those girls had really long names.
“I’m not gonna rip it up.” Matilda’s voice was strained with frustration and fatigue, but there was still some warmth hiding in there, dimly glowing beneath the cold black coals of her heart. “I’m gonna help you narrow it down, okay? Otherwise, you’ll never figure it out.” She motioned impatiently with her hand. “Come on, hurry up.”
Gareth handed her the list and she looked it over for a minute, vaguely amused.
“Not a very long list,” she said while uncapping her highlighter with her teeth.
“Well, Eddie’s very picky.”
As he should be, Gareth thought. That man deserved the best.
(much better than you)
Matilda snorted under her breath. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” She rolled her eyes, bent her head, and began marking up the list with her highlighter. Her hand was calm and controlled, each movement deliberate, precise, as to be expected of an advanced test taker. “Okay, she has a boyfriend… she, I’m pretty sure, has a girlfriend… boyfriend… boyfriend… boyfriend… she’s been out of town for a funeral… and she… doesn’t even live in this state anymore.”
She crossed off the last name and slid the paper across the table.
Gareth gaped at it, speechless. “You just eliminated everyone.”
Matilda shrugged. “Like I said, not a long list.”
It was a major setback, the kind of setback that made you want to tear the whole thing to pieces, cut your losses, and give up. Gareth seriously considered it. He almost did it while sitting in his second-period class.
But then an angel appeared. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel named Olivia Kent.
She peered over his shoulder during class. “Whatcha doin’?” she asked, sitting with her chin on her palm.
Gareth considered lying, saying he was working on his assignment or something, but in his current state, he didn’t have the heart to deceive anyone, especially not Olivia, who was so innocent and kind.
“I’m trying to figure out who my friend went home with after prom.”
“Oh? Who’s your friend?”
“Eddie Munson.”
“Oh...” Olivia giggled a silly, unaffected giggle. “Yeah, he had quite the night.”
Gareth turned around in his seat. “You were at prom, Livvy?”
“Mhm! It was a lotta fun.”
“And you saw Eddie there?”
“Sure. I saw him lots of times.”
“Did you see him leave with anybody?”
“Sure did… I saw everything.”
“You saw everything?” Gareth sat back, awestruck, and felt tears come to his eyes. This was it. This was finally it. This was the breakthrough that Gareth had been waiting for. An eye witness—a star witness—had emerged at last, willing and eager to cooperate. “Oh, Livvy, you beautiful, beautiful, heavenly creature, tell me everything.”
“About what?”
“About prom, Livvy.”
“Oh, you wanna hear about prom?” Olivia shrugged, smiled, and said, “Okay! Philip Cuthbert asked me. I didn’t think he was going to, but then he totally surprised me! I wore a frilly pink dress and matching pink heels. Phillip wore a dark blue tux and a black bowtie. I think it was black, but it might’ve been blue, too. Then Philip got me one of those really pretty flower bracelets… What are those called again? Oh, right, corsages! Anyway, we took pictures on the front lawn of my house, then we took pictures at his house, and then we took more pictures in front of City Hall. I don’t normally like taking so many pictures, but I didn’t mind so much in this case. It was a special occasion. Phillip said I looked very pretty. He was really nice to me all night. He held my hand. He bought me dinner. He got me some cake. I actually ate two slices of cake that night, but don’t tell anybody, okay? I was only supposed to have one. And then we danced and drank punch and we danced again—”
Gareth put his hand on top of hers, making Olivia blush and look at him in doe-eyed wonderment. “Livvy, I’m glad you had such a fun time at prom, but since class is gonna be ending soon, do you think you could speed things up and get to the part where you saw Eddie? Is that okay?”
“Sure,” Olivia said, smiling. “I saw him talking to Chrissy.”
“Yeah, he went there to ask her to dance. I told him it was a terrible idea, but he refused to listen to me.”
“Yeah, that was a bad idea. Why would he do that?”
“Because Eddie’s a hopeless romantic.”
“Really?" Olivia frowned, considering it. “He doesn’t seem like one.”
“He hides it behind a mask of cynicism, and he hides it very well.”
“Oh,” Livvy said, mystified by the concept. “Well, I guess that explains why he got up on stage then.”
“Wait, Eddie got up on stage?”
Damn, Gareth thought, that’s actually really impressive.
“Mhm! He gave this long speech and everything. My friends said it was really weird and embarrassing, but honestly, I thought it was kinda sweet. Super embarrassing, but sweet. It was kind of like a… hmm… well, I guess you could call it a love confession. I don’t remember what he said exactly, but it was really adorable, and normally I wouldn’t use that word to describe Eddie—you know, ‘cause he’s so mean and scary-looking—but at that moment, he really was adorable. Kinda like a puppy. And then he played Journey and—”
Gareth’s head rocked back. “He played Journey? Eddie played Journey? Eddie doesn’t like Journey. Nobody likes Journey. Nobody except…”
(you)
Gareth’s eyes widened. His stomach plummeted to the floor. Then he shook his head and the thought was gone.
“Okay, maybe it’s just a coincidence,” he said. “Maybe the DJ suggested Journey. Do you remember what song it was, Livvy?”
“No, I don’t. Sorry, I’m not very good with song titles.”
“Was it ‘Separate Ways’? ‘Any Way You Want It’? ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’? ‘Faithfully’? ‘Open Arms’?”
“You know, for someone who doesn’t like Journey, you sure know a lot of Journey songs.”
And for someone who seemed like such an airhead, Olivia Kent was shockingly observant. Gareth was rather impressed. He couldn’t help but tip his head to her. Touché, fair lady.
“I think it was the last one,” Olivia said.
“‘Open Arms’?”
“I think so.”
“So Eddie played a sappy love song,” Gareth concluded while rubbing his chin. “Makes sense.”
“Mhm… and it must’ve worked ‘cause she left with him right after.”
“You saw the girl who left with him?”
“Yep.”
“You saw her face?”
“Of course I did. She walked right past me.”
“And did you recognize her?”
“Uh-huh!”
“YES!” Gareth pumped his fists excitedly. He almost leaped out of his chair and kissed her, he was so happy. “Who was it, Livvy? Tell me who it was!”
Olivia sighed. “I don’t remember.”
“What?” Gareth’s heart shattered. “But you just said you recognized her.”
“I did recognize her face, but I don’t remember her name… Sorry, Gareth, I’m not very good with names.”
“You’re not good with names,” Gareth repeated softly, beside himself. “She’s not good with names. She’s not good with names. My star witness isn’t good with names.”
He laughed madly to himself, feeling dizzy and delirious, feeling like the whole room was spinning like a turntable. A turntable playing Journey. Journey! Of all the bands in the world, Eddie, why Journey? Why? Why?
Meanwhile, Olivia rested her cheek against her palm and smiled at him. “You have really pretty eyes. Do you want my number?”
Gareth paused, considering it. His face turned bright red.
“Yes, Livvy. Yes, I’d love to get your number.”
“Cool!” She scribbled it on a piece of notebook paper and handed it to him. “Call me sometime, okay?”
So now Gareth was strolling away from his third-period class with a laminated hall pass in hand, Olivia Kent’s phone number in his pocket, a massive pit in his stomach, and Steve Perry’s annoying voice in his head.
Journey.
Eddie had requested Journey.
It wasn’t a coincidence, was it?
Gareth walked past Mr. Prichard’s math class, stopped, and backpedaled a few paces. He pressed his face against the glass and peered inside.
Eddie was sitting at his desk with his assignment out and textbook open in front of him. He had his pencil in his hand, but he had yet to write a single answer. He was just tapping it against his notebook while he stared absently at the chalkboard, stared with a faraway look in his eyes. Gareth knew that look. It meant Eddie was lost in thought, usually about D&D or whatever new song he was learning, but today Gareth had a sneaking suspicion that Eddie was thinking about something else—or rather someone else.
But not you. Please, God, not you.
You were sitting behind him and quietly working on your assignment, just working on your assignment, and that caught Gareth a little off guard. If you had gone home with Eddie (as Gareth begrudgingly suspected now), shouldn’t you have been acting a little… happy? excited? Shouldn’t you have been staring at the back of his head with a dumb, lovesick expression? Daydreaming and doodling about him in your notebook? Naming your future children and planning your destination wedding?
Gareth expected to feel something when he peeked into that classroom. A change in energy. A shift in the natural balance of the universe. Call it whatever you want, but there should have been a noticeable difference in the air, right? Right?
But there wasn’t.
Everything was totally normal.
You and Eddie were acting totally normal.
And that filled Gareth with an exhilarating sense of relief.
It wasn’t you. Thank God, it wasn’t you.
Gareth backed away with a smile. If he had stayed a minute longer, he would have seen the exact change in energy he had been waiting for. If he had stayed a minute longer, he would have seen Eddie turn around and start talking to you. He would have seen you smile and blush and tell him to go back to his assignment (even though you didn’t really want him to go back to his assignment). Then he would have seen Eddie turn back to the front, try to do his work, give up, and turn around again five minutes later.
But Gareth didn’t stay. Instead, he continued down the hallway in blissful ignorance, pulled out his list, ripped it up, and tossed the pieces into the trash.
If it wasn’t any of them and it wasn’t you, there was only one logical conclusion.
“She doesn’t go to school here, does she?”
Gareth forced this treasonous charge onto Eddie as soon as he arrived at the cafeteria. He had found his target sitting at his usual place at the head of the table. The seat of high honor. Eddie’s chair. The king’s chair. Gareth, a once-honorable and faithful soldier, slammed down his tray, leaned forward, pressed his palms into the table, and looked Eddie Munson square in the eye. Unblinking. Unflinching. Unyielding against his Dungeon Master’s powerful, intimidating aura.
A moment of tense silence passed. Jeff and Grant looked at each other and immediately stopped eating. Jeff put down his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Grant screwed on the lid of his soup thermos and set the container aside. There was no telling how long this would take. Gareth had a talent for prolonging his inevitable demise. It was like watching a slow hanging.
Oh, but what a show it would be.
“Who is she, Eddie?” Gareth thrust out his finger accusingly. “Huh? Is she a teacher? A townie? Some drunk chick you picked up at the bar while drowning your pathetic sorrows away?”
“Yikes,” Jeff said, cringing.
And Grant said, “That is quite the allegation.”
Indeed it was, and Eddie didn’t seem to appreciate the open assault on his character. His brown eyes sharpened into a steely glare. They reflected Gareth’s destruction like a black crystal ball. Doom. Doom. Doom.
“Get your finger outta my face,” Eddie said, and that was all he needed to say.
“I’m so sorry,” Gareth said, and fell back into his chair with a thump. His heart thudded in his chest while the color slowly returned to his face. That was as close to death as Gareth had ever come. It was a miracle he’d survived. He bent his head and capitulated: “I sincerely apologize for my previous statement. It was malicious and rude, completely unbecoming of my position.”
Grant squinted his eyes curiously. “And what is your position, exactly?”
“I’m Eddie’s best friend, obviously.”
“Obviously,” Jeff echoed, snickering.
Grant, wryly amused, said, “Uhh, I’m pretty sure Scottie’s his best friend.”
Eddie, having dropped his tyrannous facade, was pretending to listen while absentmindedly picking through his snack bag, his thoughts elsewhere, eyes elsewhere. But where, Gareth couldn’t say. He had strained his neck to see who Eddie was looking at, but it was impossible to tell with so many people in the cafeteria. He could have been looking at anyone, anyone, anyone except you.
“He’s right,” Eddie murmured. “Scottie’s my best friend.”
Gareth shrugged, unconcerned with such trivial technicalities. “Well, then I’m your second best friend, Eddie, and since Scottie’s in prison right now, I have to step in and assume the role in his stead.”
“Ah, the interim best friend. So that’s the imaginary position you gave yourself.”
“Oh, shut up and eat your soup, Grant.”
“I will eat my soup,” Grant said, “and I’ll enjoy it while you continue to embarrass yourself.”
“You’re embarrassing yourself,” Gareth grumbled nonsensically. He stabbed a piece of broccoli with his fork, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. It tasted like dirt. “I’m having a really horrible day.”
“Well, that’s too bad,” Eddie said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Mine’s actually going pretty well.”
Another cryptic response. Gareth simply couldn’t take it anymore.
“You know,” Jeff began, “speaking of Scottie—”
Gareth flung down his fork angrily, sending a spear of broccoli whizzing past Grant’s left shoulder.
“Oh, come on, just tell me who it is already! Enough with the hints and the coded language. I swear to God, you’re driving me crazy, Eddie! You’ve been torturing me for days with this mystery. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t think about anything else. As your friend, I’m begging you to stop. Please, for my sanity, stop.”
Eddie popped a pretzel into his mouth and chewed. “I’ve been torturing you?”
Grant said, “He’s been torturing himself, honestly.”
Jeff nodded, seeming on the verge of laughter. “Yeah, he made a list and everything.”
Eddie grimaced. “Wait, there’s a list? Why is there a list?”
“Because you’ve driven me to madness, Eddie!” Gareth blurted out in blind white rage. “I hope you’re happy because you’ve driven me to complete madness! Who were you with on Saturday? Don’t even try to deny it because I heard a girl talking in the background. It wasn’t the TV. It was a girl. A living, breathing girl. I know you were with her that night, and I know you were with her yesterday.”
“I wasn’t with her yesterday,” Eddie replied, his eyelids heavy with annoyance. “I already told you, I was out running errands.”
“Oh, you’re sticking with that story, huh? Okay, Eddie, let’s assume you were out running errands. Let’s assume you spent your whole Sunday exactly as you said. You got up bright and early, stopped by the drugstore for God knows what, and then spent the rest of the day by yourself at home, cleaning out your van.”
“I did clean out my van yesterday. That’s how I found my lost W.A.S.P. tape.”
“Oh, which album?” Grant asked.
“The Last Command,” Eddie answered, a soft smile touching his face.
Wait, was that another clue?
“Nice,” Grant said. “That’s a solid album.”
Eddie nodded, agreeing, but now there was a distant glimmer in his eyes that wasn’t there before. Gareth couldn’t take his eyes off it. It was as if his friend was lost in a cherished memory.
What significance did this W.A.S.P. tape hold?
Was there any significance?
These questions twisted Gareth’s mind into a pretzel.
And speaking of pretzels, Eddie had set down his snack bag and stopped eating. Weird. He now sat with his arms folded over his chest, fingers drumming impatiently against his right bicep. His wandering eyes kept going back to the clock. Counting down the minutes. What had him so restless all of a sudden? What was he waiting for? His next class? English? Was that significant? Eddie hated English. He dreaded English. He complained about it every day because it meant he had to see—
Eddie pushed off the table and stood up. Gareth climbed up from his chair, too.
“Where are you going, Eddie?”
“Dude,” Jeff said, looking up at him. “You need to calm down.”
“Otherwise,” Grant went on, “you might get demoted to third best friend.”
The two of them dissolved into laughter. Gareth didn’t even hear them.
“It’s happening,” he muttered. “Something’s happening.”
“Yeah, you annoyed Eddie so much that he had to leave to get away from you.”
But that wasn’t it. Eddie wasn’t fleeing for the exit like a coward. No, he was marching straight through the middle of the cafeteria like a lone soldier charging through the battlefield. Charging to victory or to death. He was infiltrating the enemy’s stronghold, impervious to their hostile glares and raised eyebrows. Even Jason Carver himself, who had begun to get out of his chair, could not stop him today. Eddie was a man determined, a man determined to get to
(of course)
you.
He wedged himself between two basketball players, pushed his palms into the table, and greeted you with a charming smile. You gazed up at him in sweet surprise.
“Hi,” you said.
“Hi,” he said back. “You wanna skip next period?”
Chrissy’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god,” she said while you blushed, buried your face in your hands, and giggled.
Gareth, dumbstruck, slumped back into his chair with the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth.
That bitch, he thought. That Journey-loving bitch, she actually did it.
Grant regarded him with an impressed frown. “You know, you’re handling this a lot better than I thought you would. When did you figure it out?”
Gareth sighed. “Second period.”
Eddie just had to play Journey.
There was a moment of solemn silence after that. Then Grant unscrewed his soup thermos and lunch resumed as usual. Jeff took a bite of his sandwich. Gareth, now resigned to his grim fate, stuck his fork into his meatloaf and cut himself a modest slice. The meat looked dry and grey. What a horrible new world he lived in.
But, he supposed, there was something to look forward to.
“I got Olivia Kent’s number today. I think I’m gonna ask her out this weekend.”
SERIES MASTERPOST
FANFICTION MASTERLIST
unfortunately, i no longer do taglists. if you want to stay updated on my fics, you can follow me and/or subscribe to my posts. thank you!
#eddie munson#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x female reader#eddie munson x you#eddie munson fanfic#eddie munson x fem!reader#stranger things#stranger things 4#hellfire club#gareth stranger things#jeff stranger things#jason carver#chrissy cunningham#chrissy x jason#eddie munson x dwm!reader#dancing with myself#dwm#dwm short#ambrossart
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to unwind from stressing about my thesis i decided to reread some random bookmarked fanfic... oh boy did that slam me back into the feels for this idiot. it's been so long since i've drawn ss art for myself, it felt very nostalgic :')
#my art#mine#self ship#self insert#ed#also i still dont care about st... i just care about him#the fic is dancing with myself by ambrossart btw
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💖 Eddie Munson x Reader Fic Recs 💖
I just wanna show some appreciation for a few of my all-time favorite Eddie fics! Here’s a handful of the series & oneshots that have really stuck out to me in all the time I've been reading - there's A TON of great writers on here who have posted really stellar work :^)
List under the cut!
june baby by @luveline - luveline jade u are a celebrity to me. this was the first Eddie story I ever read and it is so beautiful. it's tender. it's melancholy. it's realistic. it's gorgeous. it honestly makes me feel something I've never felt reading any other fanfiction.
oh, baby by @inknopewetrust - another one of my first Eddie fics! the feeling that this series invoked in me is what I aspire to invoke in others for my own writing someday. it's just so sweet and funny and made me nostalgic, in the same way that watching '80s teen films do, except it's even better because Eddie is in this one. I wanted so badly to just dive into the story and really experience it for myself.
hoping I'll find [a glimpse of us] by @inknopewetrust - this smashed my heart into 1000 pieces, and then promptly glued it very sloppily back together and I've reread it like six times just to reinflict the pain. I love rockstar!Eddie stories that maintain some realism about what that type of relationship would look like, and this fic does that SO perfectly. masterclass in angst right here.
dancing with myself by @ambrossart - this one hits close to home! and even though it hurts along the way, there's a happy ending that it builds so nicely towards! it's beautifully paced & the reader is very funny. you can just tell that the her backstory & relationship w/ Eddie was so carefully thought out, it really feels like this was written with so much love! and I LOVE that it doesn't paint Chrissy as a villain.
10 things I hate about you by @spideyanakin - so glad that we all collectively agree that Patrick is Eddie-coded. and in this fic the parallels are there, without Eddie sacrificing his own unique character - that part is handled really beautifully! and the ST characters are worked into the original movie's narrative so well. it's the perfect mix of fluff and drama!
freaky friday by @jo-harrington - I adore this series! I love this version of Eddie so much I could cry, he is so sweet and selfless, I want to give him the entire world. and an Eddie & Steve body swap? 10/10. lindsay and jamie lee, eat your hearts out.
to know you're mine by @blueywrites - oooohboy. I almost didn’t read this one (just because I would normally avoid swinging/cheating in a fic) but I'm so glad I did, because it was like being on the homer's odyssey of 18+ ST fanfiction. it’s wild. bluey girl u were insane for this. and i mean that as an extremely high compliment. i was so damn invested!
i will wait by @abibliophobiaa, @blueywrites, @breddiemunson, @myosotisa, @fracturedarkness - there's three chapters, it's on hiatus, I don't care, I will literally keep reading these three chapters over and over again and just fill in the blanks myself if I must. it's that good. you guys are amazing. I am totally enthralled.
rumor by @msgexymunson - this is what turned me on to older!Eddie. I love him, and I desire him carnally, and specifically this version of him. when I daydream about Eddie sweeping me off my feet, I think about Eddie in this series. he's everything to me. I even wrote my own older neighbor Eddie fic because of this!
trapped under ice by @munson-blurbs - the iron grip this fic had me in...I'm still going back and re-reading my favorite parts. it's beautifully developed. this version of Eddie is so real and believable. Harris is my favorite kid he's ever been given. an all-time, truly, I can't sing its praises enough.
siren!eddie by @parkermunson - a monster-ish Eddie fic! I'm a sucker for anything that incorporates mermaids and sirens and the like, so I really love this concept. it's a great story, I love our protective, doting fishboy, and hope to see more of him!
use me by @reysorigins - simultaneously the nastiest and sweetest fic ever. smut, but it's interspersed with these moments of such deep-seated love and yearning between Eddie and the reader that it made me want to cry! incredible piece.
mine and yours by @muertawrites - ahhhh this one is so so sweet! dating is so fucking hard, I think we could all use a comforting, reassuring moment with a sweetheart like Eddie, who is especially kind to us in this fic. I love the way he’s written here.
our patron saint of the arts by @storiesbyrhi - I love an artsy, crafty reader! I feel like Eddie would be sooo into someone who’s creatively-minded like him. this is the dream relationship, basically, these two are adorable together! (and Eddie in a dress! 😗)
And this is just a sample of what’s out there! Some of these are fics that I read very early on, even before I started this blog. I was more shy then, too, so I feel like I never showed them the appreciation I should have! You guys are all so talented, these works are very inspiring to me.
To readers: I encourage you to let the writers know how much you enjoy their work! Reblog! Leave a comment, even if it’s just in the tags! Write a reply, or send them a message, even if it’s on anon! I’m trying to get better at doing these things myself, too 💖
#eddie munson fic recs#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x you#eddie munson x y/n#eddie x you#eddie munson fanfiction#eddie munson fanfic#eddie munson reader insert#eddie munson oneshot#eddie munson series#eddie munson blurb#eddie munson fluff#eddie munson angst
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as a reader whos been on this app for a year i was always too shy to speak up and compliment writers not realizing how it affected them but NOW i feel its nice to appreciate all my lovely writers on this app , even if i feel its repetitive because i never know if they needed to hear that their writing is AMAZING. if you needed this ; your writing is my textbook definition of perfect & PLEASE never doubt yourself.
also i feel like it would be nice to put a face to all these messages their getting , whether it be their inboxes or their dms but i’m TOOOO nervous so my PFP will suffice for now.
I LOVE ALL OF YOU
YOU ARE ALL AMAZING
truly. 💗❤️🔥💒
@ali-r3n @andvys @ambrossart @abibliophobiaa @boomhauer @blueywrites @battymunson @bimbobaggins69 @cacoetheswriting @call-me-eds @chrissymjstan @doomsdaybby @eiightysixbaby @forays-into-fiction @flowhore @florestmoon @ghost-proofbaby @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @harrywavycurly @hellfire--cult @havecourage-darling @hellfirecvnt @i-me-mine @icallhimjoey @inklore @loeyparker @lovebugism @lithium80sblog @lonelysatellites @masterofmunson @myobmaya @neonghostlights @once-upon-an-imagine @onegirlmanytales @oneforthemunny @pinkrelish @punk-in-docs @queenimmadolla @purplehazed-h @sebuckyverse @spiderrrling @the-unforgivenn @two-red-lungs @tiannasfanfic @uselesssomebody @upsidedownwithsteve @usedtobecooler @word-wytch @trashmouth-richie @reidsbtch
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Stranger Things Reading List (Series/One-Shots) - I (Full)
I made a list of currently reading and recommended Stranger Things fanfics here on Tumblr. All were beautifully written by amazing writers. These writers are incredible and full of brilliant ideas, so please visit their blogs and check all of their works. Happy reading! Don’t forget to comment and reblog their works. You may also reblog this list to share with everyone/blog mutuals. Thank you! (For 18+, MDNI)
Reading List - Part II
Series
Steve Harrington
* Oblivion by @wisteriaah
* Upside Down Feelings by @aristrocrat
* Steve Harrington Series/One-Shots by @harringtown
* In The Dark I Will Call Your Name by @americaswritings
* Soundtrack Of A Life by @mackenzie-is-loading
* Defiance by @wintersxani
* 003 by @homeofthepeculiar
* The Divorce by @asgardwinter
* Strange by @damn-stark
* A Place In This World by @outerspacebisexual
* Touch by @poeticandors
* Dare | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | by @fan-fantasies
* Head Over Heels by @theowritesstuff
* Into Your Arms by @thegettingbyp2
* Ethereal by @rekiilysm
* Out For Blood by @kerstynn
* ST Series: Kate Hopper by @stranger-marauders
* Sex Education by @sortagaysortahigh
* Unlucky by @agentjemmafitzsimmons
* New Journey by @suckerfordylansstuff
Eddie Munson
* Munson’s Mixtape by @burgundybmw
* Right Where You Left Me | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 by @fairy-asian
* TBSY | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 by @edwardmunsonsimp
* Faded Memories | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 by @herroyalhighnessqueenmomo
* Scotty Doesn’t Know by @munsonsbbyg
* Dancing With Myself by @ambrossart
* Eddie Munson Series by @baddiewiththebook
* I’m Not Above Begging | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ED by @chvoswxtch
* Teenage Dirtbag by @kaiasyko
* Meet The Munsons by @mypoisonedvine
* More Than A Feeling by @dingusfreakhxrrington
* Heavy Metal Love Of Mine by @morwap
* Why Can’t This Be Love? by @screwtoddstevesherdaddynow
* My Favorite Henderson by @luvfae
Billy Hargrove
* Lonely Is Our Lives by @thewordswewrite
* Hell’s Bells | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ED by @fan-fantasies
* 18 Series & Billy One-Shots by @perpetuelledaydreaming
* Show Me How by @phobiics
* Biology Of Billy Hargrove by @thatonecurlygirl
* Stranger Than Fiction by @multi-fandomfuckboy
* BH Series & One-Shots by @takemepedropascal
* She’s A Runner | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 by @latelyanobsession
* The Leather Jacket Effect by @beetboxx
One-Shots / Short Series
Steve Harrington
* Losing Game by @mcybank
* Tolerate It | 2 | 3 by @multi-writer
* Ultimatum | 2 by @ficsaregettingstranger
* Tongue Tied | 2 by @sinclaiirs
* Heartstopper by @forever-rogue
* It Must Have Slipped Out | 2 by @girasollake
* Well Don’t | 2 by @skyebounded
* Put It Into Practice | 2 | 3 | 4 by @she-is-juniper
* Unspoken Feelings by @appocalipse
* Kiss Me With Your Fist by @forever-rogue
* VHS Player | 2 by @adriannamunson
* Adult Education | 2 | 3 by @chestharrington
* Micro Touch | 2 | 3 by @bvckybanres
* Kiss In The Rain by @magicchai
* Falling All In You | 2 by @sophia-busch
* The Way I Loved You by @lurkymurker
* Deja Vu by @maximoff-pan
* Operation Love Me by @justburningdaylight
* August by @londonharrington
* Breakups and Makeups by @bellatrixscurls
* The Things We Don’t Say @bimrwolf
* Mean It by @maxmybeloved
* You Belong With Me by @peterbenjiparker
* I Wanna Be Yours by @ourautumn86
Eddie Munson
* The Broken Hearts Club | ED1 | ED2 by @multi-writer
* CBCC | Tears In The Rain | Gone With Sin by @queers-gambit
* Eddie Munson Mini-Series by @strangermarvelss
* Hold On To My Heart by @mypoisonedvine
* Memories by @ur-local-geek-fest
* You Look So Good In Green | 2 | 3 by @shiorinotshiori
* Marigold | 2 by @fallen-stark
* Separate Ways | 2 | 3 by @theveryfires
* False God | 2 | 3 by @goldustwomun
* He Loves Me Not | 2 by @hxneybimbo
* Deja Vu by @marvelsswansong
* I Could Be Your New Spring
* FWB To Lovers
* Love Me | 2 by @steviebears
* Break A Leg, Not A Heart | 2 | 3 by @robynnnhooddd
* They Don’t Love Me | 2 by @neverinadream
* There Are Worse Things I Could Do | 2 by @once-upon-an-imagine
* Safe | 2 | 3 by @loeyparker
* Boyish by @hauntlikeaghost0
* Eddie Munson Mini-Series by @dahliarose3
* Right To The Bone | 2 by @havecourage-darling
* I'll Watch Your Life In Pictures | 2 by @forever-rogue
* Hurt | 2 by @hufflepuffobsessedwithmarvel
* Heartstring Mayhem by @thisismynerdyself
* Baby Munson by @webslinger-holland
* A Little Push | 2 by @ladyfogg
* Eddie Mini-Series/One-Shots by @xcatnapsx
* More Than Friends by @1-800-munson
* I’m A Fan Of Cheerleaders by @coolnamestillpending
* This Could Be The End Of Everything by @andvys
* The Freak And The Cheerleader by @moonlightsolo
* Take You Home | 2 | 3 by @strangernstranger
* Love On A Wire by @mooncakesofpan
Billy Hargrove
* He Needs Her by @steveusesfaberge
* It’s Just Sex | 2 | 3 by @erosso
* The Good, The Bad & The Billy | 2 | 3 by @babyprincessharrington
* No One But You by @waiting4inspiration
* Dark Horse by @greatlampfestival
* Respect And Responsibility by @andormeddows
* Baby Do You Want To Come Home With Me? by @hellfirewhores
* The Biggest Asshole in Indiana by @stever-things
* Ready For Forever by @harcove
Jonathan Byers
* I Wish I Was Her by @lightininglydia
* Drunken Regret by @eddiemunsons-girl
* Jealousy, Jealousy by @lizzie-boo
* Miss You by @iovesteveharrington
* Inside A Photography by @inviswounds
* Back To The Old House by @nancys4gf
* Breath Of Fresh Air by @supervoldejaygent
* Seven Minutes In Heaven by @brighteyedbushybrowed
* Camping by @proudharrington
* Teenage Dirtbag
* Late Night Calls
* Be My Mistake by @steddiehickeys
Mixed Masterlist
* Summer Write-a-thon by @greetings-and-salutations
* Steve/Eddie One-Shots by @upsidedownwithsteve
* Billy/Steve One-Shots by @darling-i-read-it
* Billy/Eddie/Jonathan Series/One Shots by @imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl
* Hanahaki Disease Series by @xoxoavenger
#steve harrington x reader#eddie munson x reader#billy hargrove x reader#eddie munson angst#steve harrington angst#billy hargrove angst#steve harrington#eddie munson#billy hargrove#eddie munson x female reader#steve harrington x fem!reader#billy hargrove x female reader#stranger things fanfiction#stranger things fic#stranger things imagine#steve harrington fluff#eddie munson x you#steve harrington fic#steve harrington x you#billy hargrove x you#jonathan byers x reader#eddie munson fic#steve harrington series#eddie munson series#billy hargrove series#eddie munson fluff#billy hargrove fic#jonathan byers fic#jonathan byers
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some fic writers to read who aren't me
there's so many amazing writers on here who ultimately made me want to contribute to the eddie thirst and it's just nice to have more series to follow and binge so these are all my absolute faves and you should follow and read and drown the writers in praise!
these are just my all time faves but i always reblog what i like so check that out too!
ps: I will make another list of this but exclusively just slutty eddie reads, pure filth
✹ @andvys love will tear us apart series this is absolutely phenomenal, i am addicted! i honestly check multiple times a day for new parts. there's prequels as well to feed my cravings as well
✹ @pxrxcxa opposite ends top tier enemies to lovers fic! dustin's sister is one of my favourite tropes and they do it so well. perfect slow burn
✹ @thefreakymunson anywhere but here i couldn't not give you a rockstar eddie fic and this is one of the best! it's a really unique take on it and just fun, hot and angsty
✹ @nyxoz follow the oz writes eddie munson tag my go to for eddie smut because it's always so fucking hot but there's also some gorgeous fluff bits like i just love their eddie! just check the tag there's so much
✹ @kissitbttr eddie x mean cheerleader but also all the other eddie fics because their fem readers are all loud mouth slightly terrifying girls and i am a true believer that this is eddie's type to the core, they're the perfect match. as a scary loud girl, her characters speak to me
✹ @chaseadrian live wire another novel worthy series that's so original and just stunning! angsty and sexy as hell
✹ @ambrossart dancing with myself this one i hold dear to my heart. i love the concept so much and so much work went into it. i love love the backstory of eddie and reader and the way the characters are portrayed is amazing. a 10/10 chrissy portrayal
✹ @munsonquinns forbidden fruit total unapologetic delicious filth. this is so sexy but also a really sweet storyline and take on eddie?
✹ @inknopewetrust hoping i'll find (a glimpse of us) if you want a one shot, this is it. wanna cry? this is it. it's like a whole short story. i have reread this multiple times and each time i do it's all i think about for the rest of the day
✹ @riotkayla finding the truth this was the first eddie series i read and i adore it. it's just such a good concept and got me hooked on dad eddie
✹ @luveline june baby and eddie and roan (single dad eddie) i feel like if you on stranger things fanfic tumblr then you know them, they've never made a bad fic but these are my favourites. june baby is like a novel, so carefully considered and written. prepare for your heart to swell twice its size
#enam3l x eddie#Eddie munson#Eddie munson fanfic#fic rec#eddie munson smut#Eddie munson fluff#eddie munson headcanons#eddie munson x y/n#Eddie munson x reader
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a non-exhaustive list of fic recs for lockwood & co and stranger things
Under the cut you’ll find my Lockwood & Co and Stranger Things fic recs.
These fics are in no particular order and are the ones that stood out most to me while reading. All of these authors have other writing that should be checked out! Most have their masterlist pinned at the top of their blog, which is why I didn’t link it seperately.
Have fun reading these excellent pieces of fanfiction❤️
Lockwood & Co
George
by @maraschinomerry
How to Stand (friends to lovers, fluff, both povs, George teaches reader how to use a rapier)
Matching Mates (friends to lovers, george has a crush, locklyle teasing him about it, Fittes Ball, bestfriend!Lucy is scheming)
Matching Mates Part 2 (established relationship, fluff)
Stay Safe (Reader and George fight a visitor together)
Important Research (friends to lovers, both povs, george is the sweetest, misunderstandings, fluff)
I’ve got your back (angst + fluff, hurt/comfort, cuddling)
Offerings (angst + fluff, getting possessed by a ghost)
by @givemea-dam-break
Pretty (friends to lovers, bestfriend!Lucy, locklyle, Fittes Ball, jealousy and awkward George, he’s a little idiot tbh)
Little Notes (love confessions through letters)
Touch (Gorge is jealous of Lockwood, fluff, a little angst)
masterlist for Lockwood x reader
by @lewkwoodnco
Wildest Dreams (strangers to lovers, reader works at Fittes, very in-character George, slight angst but happy ending)
Be More (valentine's day, FLUFF, george is a little awkward, food fight!! feels like a warm hug)
by @oblivious-idiot
london calling (reader works at Fittes, friends to lovers, fluff)
midnight comforts (after the boneglass, nightmares, cuddling, fluffyyyy)
the break of dawn (fluff, pizza for breakfast, watching a movie)
late night collisions (friends to lovers, fluff, george is bad at uno, stealing shirts)
the only exception (ghost touch, fluff, george is the swe etest)
Stuck in the middle with you by @stray-kaz (18+ only!, reader contacts the ghost of Annabelle Ward, angst, fluff, smut)
Sleep Tight by @honey-lavender-latte (friends to lovers, comforting George, cuddles, his pov)
Lockwood
Just another love song by @tangledinlove (friends to lovers, fluff, mutual pining, love languages, George and Lucy have to intervene, long!!)
I take you like you do your tea, with lemon and with honey by @lewkwoodnco (first person Lockwood, Lockwood is in love, pure poetry)
Deck The Halls (and not your partner) by @bella-rose29 (long! 12 part series, enemies to lovers, fake dating!! set around christmas time (with everything that entails), fluff, angst, mildly spicy towards the end, lockwood is a little shit from time to time, fantastic couple dynamic)
escapism by @aislinrayne (18+ but no actual smut, reader is drunk, insane tension, lockwood is a simp, lot's of lockwood pov)
Little Pink Heart by @maraschinomerry (SAD, NO happy end, established relationship, reader dies on the job, it's a beautiful read tho)
Locklyle
that funny feeling by @givemea-dam-break (ANGST and only ANGST)
Untitled by @lucelockwood (the most beautiful thing you'll ever read, 100% pure love)
Borrowed Time by @waitingforthesunrise (angst, post Hollow Boy, serial killer prompt)
Policy 8 by @the-biscuit-agreement (on AO3, very long, it feels like reading another Lockwood & Co book, angst, fluff, it has everything)
The Whole World Filled With Silence by @13atoms (focus on Lucy, post canon, talents fading but it's bittersweet instead of angsty)
Just An Act by @czenzo (extremely in character, so funny, the skull is the best)
George & Lucy
5 times George missed Lucy, 1 time he admitted it by @givemea-dam-break & @ikeasupremacy
Stranger Things
Series
Dancing with myself by @ambrossart (finished, fluff and angst, happy ending, ALL the feels and just simply amazingly written, everyone needs to read this one)
You are in love by @missscarlettangel (finished, strangers to friends to lovers, kinda slow burn, just a super sweet feel-good story and absolutely worth the read)
Eddie Munson
Dirty Dreaming by @eddiethefreakkmunson (smut! best friends to lovers, Eddie has a wet dream about the reader and deals with the repercussions)
Listen to the Trees by @ethereal27cereal (includes smut, fluff, best friends to lovers, mutual pining, plus size!reader, ‘there’s only one bed’-trope, a very handsy wet dream, both povs)
My favourite Person by @pollenallergie (best friends to lovers, slow burn, starts out with them as little kids)
Oneshots
by @copycatkillerfics
Head over Heels/ Code Lime Green (fluff, friends to lovers, kinda insecure but very in love Eddie, Dustin plays matchmaker)
Angel/ What’s left unspoken (angst & fluff, friends to lovers, both povs, cliche in the best way)
A spark (angst and fluff, friends to lovers, truth or dare goes a little wrong, butterflies guaranteed)
Since the Sunflowers (angst and fluff, shitty boyfriend alert, Eddie is a sweetheart in love, happy ending)
by @marymunsonloves
Hellfire Babes (best friends to lovers, you wear Eddie’s clothes and he can’t handle it, both povs, halloween party)
All dolled up (angst & fluff, friends to lovers, slight misunderstanding, a little jealous Eddie)
More to love (best friends to lovers, implied plus size reader, Eddie helps you with body issues, accidental confession)
by @munson-blurbs
Flattery works with me (smut, a revealing bikini at the pool is all it takes to get Eddie going)
Clueless (fluff, the hellfire boys push Eddie to ask you out)
Bookworm!reader (fluff, shy reader, Eddie joins reader in detention)
by @singularattitudeofasafetypin
If you wanted me, you really should’ve shown (friends to lovers, kinda shitty boyfriend, Eddie shows you what you’re missing in the most beautiful way)
How you get the girl (friends to lovers, Eddie overhears you telling Steve how to step up his game, Eddie’s pov)
Crazy Forever (established relationship, Eddie is insecure)
by @corrodedcoffins
Different Kind of Jealous (best friends to lovers, mutual pining, jealousy, both povs, all the good stuff)
New Outfit (fluff & angst, friends to lovers, reader tries to appease Eddie by changing her looks, confession during a fight)
Man of my dreams (smut!, best friends to lovers, reader has a wet dream about Eddie, relentless teasing, the gang hangs out together, platonic steve x reader moment, jealous Eddie)
Love comes walking in (best friends to lovers, fluff & angst, jealousy, Eddie is a clueless idiot, Dustin is the sweetest little guy, Eddie makes it up to you beautifully)
by @sunflowergirl522
Teardrops on my guitar (best friends to lovers, Eddie is so in love, jealousy, mutual pining, misunderstandings)
He’s my brother (strangers to lovers, mutual pining, movie nights)
by @forever-rogue
Miscommunications (best friends to lovers, fluff & angst, jealousy, a fight, mutual pining, insecurities)
In which Eddie drives you crazy (friends to lovers, fluff, intense flirting from Eddie)
by @eddie-van-munson
Elvira’s Movie Macabre (friends to lovers, bestfriend!chrissy, fluff & angst, both povs, Eddie is an idiot, but he makes it up to you)
Peanut Butter Cookies (best friends to lovers, jealousy)
masterlist by @ghosttownwherenoonegoes (found it hard to narrow down here)
meet me at midnight by @maria-scribbles (fluff, aquaintances to lovers, new years eve party, henderson!reader)
Are you leaving? by @fluffansmut (fluff, both povs, Eddie is insecure)
The Morning after by @ashtonsbff (fluff & angst, best friends to lovers, insecure reader and insecure Eddie)
is something wrong with me? by @djarintreble (best friends to lovers, mutual pining, some insecurities, Eddie shows you that there is nothing wrong with you)
Taking Eddie’s virginity by @usedtobecooler (smut!, best friends to lovers)
One Call away by @uselessastheginlasagnaa (fluff & angst, best friends to lovers, toxic/abusive relationship but Eddie is always there for you)
I think I’ve loved you forever by @cinemaquinn (smut!, fluff, best friends to lovers, insecurities, misunderstandings, mutual pining)
hold me like i’m more than just a friend by @heartthrobinsficrecs (best friends to lovers, intense fluff, henderson!reader, mutual pining, Eddie is your first kiss, both povs)
Someone that actually likes me by @oddlykilledghosts (aquaintances to lovers, fluff, Dustin’s a matchmaker)
Angels & Demons by @galaxy-siren (friends to lovers, fluff, bestfriend!chrissy, halloween party, both povs)
Have you seen my sweatshirt by @waratah-moon (established relationship, cheerleader!reader, fluff)
On my doorstep by @softharrington (smut! friends to lovers, idiots in love, mutual pining, both povs)
#ficrec#stranger things 4#eddie#eddie munson#eddie x reader#eddie munson x reader#lockwood & co#lockwood and co#lockwood and co x reader#george karim#george karim x reader#anthony lockwood#lockwood#fic rec
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eddie munson masterlist - june 2022
“country girl” by @munsons-maiden
“black sabbath” by @90s-kalivoda 18+
“thigh riding” by @nyxvuxoa-writes 18+
“strange love” by @eddiemunsonssoulmate 18+
“forest rendezvous” by @gxtitobxby 18+
“nanny” by @glacial-snowflakes
“first time” by @steviebears 18+
“my pretty girl” by @greengoblinswifey 18+
“there was one prize i’d cheat to win” by @dyaz-stories
“worlds apart” by @/munsons-maiden 18+
untitled by @luveline
“in my mind there’s no sorrow” by belowva on ao3 18+
“stuck with you pt. 2” by @etherealperrie
“ceasefire” by @/munsons-maiden
“misunderstanding” by @iwritefandomimagines
“you’re my best view pt. 2” by @hawkins-losers
“heaven’s on fire” by @kiwicider 18+
“tapes for my lover” by @skyebounded 18+
“that should be me” by @sapphireplums
“disobedient” by @mywrittings 18+
“honey-soaked sunlight” by @myoddessy
untitled by @ridestomars
untitled by @hxneybimbo 18+
“my favorite henderson part 3” by @luvfae
“rings” by deactivated account 18+
“eddie’s throne” by deactivated account 18+
“thigh riding” by @erosso 18+
“body electric” by @starlightsearches 18+
“being bad feels pretty good, huh?” by @sinnerlillith 18+
“girls night out” by @chxrrysangel 18+
“eddie giving you head on his knees” by deactivated account 18+
“severed ties” by @phuckinphia 18+
“wild child, i want you” by @inklore 18+
“pink is metal” by @/sinnerlillith 18+
“mixtape pt. 2” by @/starlightsearches
“teenage rebellion” by @/starlightsearches 18+
“dealer’s choice | double down | down to the felt” by @ohcaptains 18+
untitled by deactivated account 18+
“heavy metal love” by @/inklore 18+
“spa day pt. 2” by deactivated account 18+
“not the type” by @quinnsmunson 18+
“fourth of july” by @andvys
“shut up. make me.” by @kierasthoughtdump 18+
“strawberries” by @/kiwicider 18+
“just hold still” by @mustyrosewater 18+
“in the shower” by @chaseadrian 18+
“a guide to d&d and dating” by @/munsons-maiden
“just getting started” by @/quinnsmunson 18+
untitled by deactivated account 18+
“my favourite henderson part 10” by @/luvfae 18+
“hands” by @two-red-lungs 18+
“caught” by @doomsdaybby 18+
“picture perfect | part 2” by @/doomsdaybby 18+
“miss you” by @sadiesuns 18+
“the priest’s daughter” by deactivated account 18+
“dancing with myself” by @ambrossart
“be quiet” by @eddiemvnsnluvr 18+
“love letters” by @/quinnsmunson 18+
“red light at the bowling alley” by @/chaseadrian 18+
untitled by @poppy-metal 18+
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꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ 𝖥𝖾𝖻𝗋𝗎𝖺𝗋𝗒 ꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ
[a/n] what a weird month, or is that just me? I have so many fics to catch up on it's not even funny, also since the latest update my tumblr has been glitching so bad so that doesn't help. Anyways as always here is my love month reads, ty to all writers out there! idk how you are so talented but thank you for all your hard work <3
[please respect writers terms, I am not responsible for what kind of content you consume but please be aware that minors will be blocked if they chose to interact with 18+ content.]
more fic recommendations available here
[a/n] when do I ever post these at the end of the month? never so enjoy!
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚｡˚ ⋆ -- vᥲᥣᥱᥒtιᥒᥱs sρᥱᥴιᥲᥣs -- ⋆ ˚｡⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
the letterbox (collection of blurbs for s.t characters!) by @upsidedownwithsteve
valentine's party (collection of blurbs for s.t. characters!) by @luveline
you were always my choice (s.h one shot!) by @sweet-villain
be mine (s.h one shot!) by @underoossss
the forever third wheels (b.b one shot!) by @witchywithwhiskey
14 days of valentines (collection of t.h character fics from various writers!) by @muddyorbsblr
my bloody valentine (e.m one shot) by @joejoequinnquinn
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚｡˚ ⋆ -- 𝖲𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾 𝖧𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗍𝗈𝗇 -- ⋆ ˚｡⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
ruin me by @babyrunsforfanfic
I'm holding every breath for you by @schoopsahoy
can you see me? (the way I see you) by @chelseeebe
let it hurt by @sammy-is-not-smiley
drunk on you by @softharrington
you are the only thing I have by @hellfiremunsonn
I miss you, I'm sorry by @keeryshouse
fight or flight by @munsonsreputation
caramel by @stvharrngton
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚｡˚ ⋆ -- 𝖤𝖽𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝖬𝗎𝗇𝗌𝗈𝗇 -- ⋆ ˚｡⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
dancing with myself by @ambrossart
boyish by @hauntlikeaghost0
saccharine by @whosjunglejim4322
secret by @porcelaindoll-exe
until I found you by @crrddcffn
roommates (new series!) by @sebuckyverse
everlong (ongoing series!) by @andvys
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚｡˚ ⋆ -- 𝖫𝗈𝗄𝗂 𝖫𝖺𝗎𝖿𝖾𝗒𝗌𝗈𝗇 -- ⋆ ˚｡⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
the selection (ongoing? series!) by @lady-rose-moon
lose me to love you (ongoing? dark!series!) by @lokisprettygirl
behind closed doors (series!) by @springdandelixn-archives
underneath the willow tree by @sarahscribbles
hostile f*cks (collection of spicy fics!) by @lokisgoodgirl
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚｡˚ ⋆ -- 𝖡𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗒 𝖡𝖺𝗋𝗇𝖾𝗌 -- ⋆ ˚｡⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
the outbreak by @stxrvel
bad boys do it well by @slyyywriting
the last first kiss by @witchywithwhiskey
arranged (ongoing series!) by @the-fallen-nightmare
forever yours, Bx by @summerofsnowflakes
mess is mine (complete series!) by @scrumptious-delusion
whatever our souls are made of by @msmarvelwrites
I like me better when I am with you by @themorningsunshine
dumb dumb by @nicestgirlonline
liar by @dameronology
do not fall in love by @bucksangel
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
#monthly fic recs#fic recommendation#fic recs#stranger things imagine#steve harrington#steve stranger things#eddie stranger things#stranger things fanfiction#stranger things#stranger things x reader#bucky x reader#eddie x reader#eddie munson imagine#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson#eddie x y/n#eddie munson x you#stranger things fics#joe keery#joseph quinn stranger things#joseph quinn#joe keery stranger things#loki x you#loki fanfic#mcu loki#loki au#loki imagine#loki laufeyson imagine#bucky imagine#bucky barnes imagine
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hi sava! you are the queen of angst(bc i said so ❤️) and so i was wondering if you had an angst fic rec list?
haha thank you! i definitely don't see my self as the queen of angst, but that was funny, thanks
i tag a lot of my fic recs under "eddie munson fic rec" on my blog, but i'll link a few of my favorite ones to cry over right here!
dancing with myself by @ambrossart (series!)
secret by @porcelaindoll-exe (oneshot!)
cherry bloom colored kisses by @queers-gambit (oneshot!)
false god by @goldustwomun (multipart!)
bothering me by @girasollake (oneshot!)
don't forget it by @will-on-the-internet (oneshot!)
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MULTICHAPTER FICS REC
(Characters: STRANGER THINGS - Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson | OUTER BANKS - JJ Maybank)
A/n: I've read so many good fics in here and I just wanted to put them all together so I can look back on them whenever I want. This is just my lil' library. Feel free to recommend me something too! (Especially eddie or steve fics because it's a NEED!)
And to all these amazing authors: I LOVE YOU <3
STEVE HARRINGTON
The boy of your dreams - @thedevilwearsvibranium
8 parts + epilogue
Summary: You are number 9, and have the ability to see visions of the future. After escaping from the lab, and surviving a bit on your own, you get taken under the wing of Jim Hopper. And it’s when you return to Hawkins that you start to get strange visions, filled with strange aliens and a boy with a bat that you need to know.
EDDIE MUNSON
Dancing with myself - @ambrossart
9/10 parts ongoing
summary: eddie crashes senior prom hoping to steal a dance with his dream girl, chrissy cunningham. instead, he spends the night stuck in the ladies’ room with her snarky, insecure best friend.
JJ MAYBANK
You are okay - @collecting-stories
10 parts + 2 bonus
Summary: JJ begins a relationship with the reader, a pastor’s daughter from a fundamentalist church who feels disillusioned by her family, and introduces her to his Outer Banks.
Collateral - @hellimagines
5 parts + epilogue
Summary: JJ’s stunt with Barry bites him in the ass when the angry drug dealer kidnaps you and decides you’re JJ’s collateral for the stolen money.
Solar Power - @throwawayfish
5 parts
summary: it’s never easy to always be in the honeymoon phase of a relationship, but being with the pogue king just needs a bit more effort to keep it that way
I wanna be yours - @cryonme
6 parts
Summary: You and JJ hate each other’s guts, you’re a witty, bitchy kook from Figure Eight with signature red cherry lips, and JJ’s an impulsive, bitchy pogue from The Cut with untreated anger issues. Why wouldn’t you hate each other?
I need a favor - @magpiencrow
6 parts
Sumarry: I need a favor - those were four words Y/N hated to see paired with her friend’s name. When it came to Rafe, there was never a please tacked onto the end. And it certainly was never posed as an innocent question. Rafe Cameron didn’t ask, he demanded.
Dirty little secret - @lunarliza
12 parts
Summary: You’re a new Kook in town who just so happens to be fuck buddies with JJ Maybank behind closed doors, or open ones, with absolutely no feelings involved. Or so you both vowed.
Heather - @pappydaddy
3 parts
Summary: Inspired by Heather - Conan Gray.
Different sides - @talesofphantombandits
3 parts
Summary: Kiwi’s relationship with Rafe Cameron is rocky to say the least, But she mostly stayed to please her parents who wanted a connection to the Cameron's wealth and power. One night while at a party she has a brief encounter with a charming stranger who’s hurt in one of the bedrooms. Little did she know this stranger would turn her world upside down.
Last updated: 08/10/22 (dd/mm/yy)
#steve harrington#eddie munson#jj maybank#steve harrington x reader#steve harrington x you#steve harrington x y/n#steve harrington x henderson!reader#steve harrington imagine#steve harrington fanfic#steve harrington fic#steve harrington fanfiction#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x y/n#eddie munson fanfiction#eddie munson fanfic#eddie munson imagine#eddie munson angst#eddie munson fix it fic#jj maybank x reader#jj maybank x you#jj maybank fanfic#jj maybank fanfiction#jj maybank fic#jj maybank imagine#jj maybank x y/n#eddie munson x you#eddie munson fluff#stranger things x reader#outer banks imagine#stranger things
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Post Prom - "Pillow Talk"
☆ REWRITTEN WITH ADDITIONAL CONTENT
summary: spending the night at eddie’s house sounded like a good idea… until you actually had to sleep.
pairing: eddie munson x dwm!reader
word count: 4,968
warnings: new relationship, very slightly NSFW, mostly just a lot of teasing, some suggestive dialogue, reader has a slight hand fetish, eddie is happy to indulge her, they get a little carried away, but no sex, because they don't have condoms
series masterpost | series playlist | fanfiction masterlist
When Eddie came inside and returned to his bedroom, he was instantly struck speechless.
He had fantasized about this exact moment countless times, in dreams so vivid they made reality feel like an unending, unbearable nightmare, but that did little to prepare him for the rush of emotions he felt when he saw you standing across the room in his Megadeth shirt.
A very good choice, Eddie thought, gratified, but honestly, between Slayer and Megadeth, there was no wrong answer. You could have chosen either shirt, and it would have fit just as perfectly as the other… almost like they were meant for you, like when Eddie found those shirts hiding inside a cardboard box in Reefer Rick’s garage last summer, when he tried to haggle for a good price and Rick said he could just take ‘em, when Eddie drove home, grinning, feeling like he’d just won the lottery, part of him always knew you’d be wearing one of those shirts someday.
And this sweet, serendipitous feeling caught Eddie a little off guard… but not as much as he thought it would. Frankly, he expected to be dumbstruck by the sight of you. He expected to step back, shake his head, and think, Holy shit, this is really happening, isn’t it? But when he walked through that door, all he felt was this wonderful sense of wholeness.
After years and years of waiting, you two were finally exactly where you were supposed to be.
Eddie leaned against the doorframe and observed you for a minute, unwilling to disturb you, afraid that if he spoke or moved in the slightest, this perfect moment would ripple away like a mirage. You were standing with your back to him, preoccupied with all the clutter on his desk. You weren’t snooping, though; no, you were just learning more about him, browsing through all of his junk like they were tiny sculptures in a fine art exhibit, handling each object so carefully, like you were scared you might break it.
Watching you do this, Eddie couldn’t help but smile.
That’s when you glanced over your shoulder and caught him staring at you with gentle, adoring eyes. Your face flushed and your heart started beating a little faster. It was embarrassing to be standing in front of Eddie while wearing his clothes.
Even more embarrassing was how long it took you to put them on.
You spent the first three minutes glaring at them from across the room, thinking (and you hated yourself for thinking this),
What if they don’t fit?
It was such a silly thought. You even laughed when it popped into your head. You weren’t that ugly, miserable twelve-year-old girl anymore, yet here you were, slipping back into those same bad habits: obsessing over whether or not certain clothes would fit you, changing with your back to the mirror because you were too disgusted to look at yourself.
It took you two whole minutes to convince yourself to turn around, and when you finally did, you were overwhelmed by this sudden surge of… joy? Relief? Those didn’t seem like strong enough words to describe it, but whatever that emotion was, it made you tear up as soon as you saw your reflection in the mirror. Then you spent another five minutes just looking at yourself with the goofiest, giddiest smile, mesmerized by how perfectly Eddie’s clothes fit you, how naturally they fit you. You felt stupid for even doubting it.
Of course, to be standing in front of Eddie now, to have him staring at you so deeply… well, that made you feel self-conscious in a completely different way.
You had to break his gaze and turn away for a second to regain your composure. As you did, you noticed a plastic skull sitting on top of Eddie’s desk, half covered by an old denim jacket, and your eyes widened with recognition. You picked it up and spun around to face him.
“You know, sir,” you said while smugly showing off your latest find, “there’s a production of Hamlet that’s been missing this for about three months now.”
“Yeah…” Eddie replied guiltily, holding in a laugh. “But it’s not technically stealing. Mr. Carlson and I have an agreement, you see. He agrees to let me raid his prop room for my campaigns, and I agree to not crash his dress rehearsals.” He punctuated this with a self-amused grin, like he was so terribly clever.
Rolling your eyes, you said, “Just admit you wanna be in theater, already.”
He returned your teasing smile with one of his own. “Pretty sure I just like bothering the girl in theater.”
Your face fell and warm blood flooded your cheeks. As the color deepened, you shyly tucked your chin into your chest and looked away. To Eddie, this was a sweet and irresistibly feminine gesture, its charm highlighted by your stubborn denial of its existence. You raised your chin proudly, as if nothing had happened, and placed the skull back on the desk.
While your back was to him, Eddie said, “Hey, how come you never try out for anything?”
The question made you pause, but only for a second. “Because I prefer to stay in the background and mock everyone.”
“Oh…” he said, “so it has nothing to do with your fear of public speaking?”
“Nope,” you said, and turned around. Eddie was looking at you with a skeptical frown, his dark eyes probing but patient. Frustratingly patient. He already knew the truth, but he wasn’t going to force you to admit it when you clearly weren’t ready. “I suppose I should be more like you, huh? Turn a simple English reading into a dramatic stage performance?”
“Well, no one else was committed. I had to do something.”
“Yeah, but did you really have to walk on top of the desks?”
“Uhh, yes,” Eddie said, and you both laughed. “Besides, whose desk did I always end up on?”
The answer caught you both by surprise:
“Mine,” you whispered, and then you both went quiet for a minute, reflecting on all those little moments that now seemed much more meaningful than they initially appeared.
“You know what’s weird?” Eddie said. “I don’t even think I knew what I was doing at the time. In fact, I know I didn’t. Believe me, it’s not like I was trying to seek you out or anything. I wanted nothing to do with you, but my body just sorta moved on its own… like muscle memory or something. I’d look down and there you were, staring back at me.” He flashed a bittersweet smile that made your heart ache. “Then, of course, you’d shove me really hard and I’d fall off the desk and almost break my neck.”
You smirked. “Well, your foot was on my notebook.”
“Mmm, I think you just wanted to touch me.”
“No, I think I wanted you off my desk,” you said, but there was no denying a small part of you had enjoyed it. Back then, you relished even the briefest touch. They were so rare, practically nonexistent. “I wasn’t really aware of it either, to be honest. I mean, I think there might’ve been a couple times where I thought maybe… but, I dunno, I guess I just didn’t wanna get my hopes up.”
Eddie frowned. “Yeah, well… I guess we were both pretty oblivious.”
“You especially,” you said, simpering at him, “you know, considering I made it annoyingly obvious that I was obsessed with you back in middle school. Seriously, how did you not figure it out? Everyone knew except you… well, you and Gareth, but that kid lives on another planet. He never knows what’s going on.”
Eddie chuckled bashfully. “Y’know, when I think back on it now, it was really obvious, but I swear I had no idea at the time. I definitely should’ve known, though. I mean, you sat outside the school every day, waiting for a chance to talk to me.”
“And some days I had to wait a really long time. In the rain and the snow. I was freezing my ass off.”
That brought a small smile to Eddie’s face. “Well, you don’t have to wait anymore.”
“Yeah,” you replied softly, and let that sink in for a moment.
You didn’t have to wait anymore. After six long years, your suffering was finally over. Thank goodness.
“Are you ready for bed now?” Eddie asked.
“Yes,” you answered, shivering a little.
While he closed the door and walked to the other side of the room, you climbed onto the bed and started crawling toward the middle. As soon as your palms touched down and your right knee sank into the mattress, you froze, looked up at the pillows, and thought with a sudden flush of excitement, Oh my god, we’re gonna be sharing the same bed. How the hell am I supposed to sleep tonight?
Nervously, you dragged your limbs a little further, rolled over to a sitting position, and scooted your hips back a bit more. When you looked up, Eddie was rubbing his face and staring at the bed with a gravely conflicted expression.
“What?” you said.
“Nothing,” he answered. “I’m just not sure how to go about this.”
“What do you mean?” you said. “Just do what you always do.”
“… yeah, I don’t think I should…”
“Why?” you asked, grimacing. “Do you sleep nude or something?”
“No, it’s just…” He scratched under his chin pensively. “I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.”
Eddie gave you a pleading look, like you were supposed to read his mind and instantly know what great conundrum was plaguing him. Unfortunately, you weren’t that far into your relationship yet, so you were lost in the dark.
“I’ll be fine,” you insisted. “Just sleep how you normally do.”
“Okay…” Eddie said with a cautionary tone. Then he crossed his arms in front of him and grabbed the bottom of his shirt with both hands.
Your entire upper body flinched with surprise. Eddie was taking off his shirt right in front of you. Were you supposed to act all coy and innocent? Avert your eyes? Blush and cover your face? Look up awkwardly at the ceiling and whistle “Yankee Doodle” until the coast was clear? You’d never seen Eddie shirtless before. Naturally, you were a little curious. But was that okay? Was it ladylike to look? To actually want to look? Mrs. Cunningham would have said, Absolutely not, young lady. Now you go sit in the corner and pray those sinful thoughts away, but screw that! You weren’t a kid. This wasn’t sex ed (which Mrs. Cunningham did not let her daughter attend because it went against her religious values, and then she banished you from the house for like three days because she thought you were “unclean” and you would tell Chrissy everything… even though you already had, literally as soon as you got out of class). Why should you feel embarrassed? If you wanted to watch Eddie take off his shirt, you were going to without feeling any shame.
So you did watch, respectfully.
You watched him bunch up the fabric until his entire abdomen was exposed. Admittedly, you blushed a tiny bit when you noticed the faint line of hair that trailed down his belly button and disappeared under the waistband of his jeans. You weren’t searching for it; it was just there. But you kept your cool. You stayed calm. Even while your stomach fluttered and flopped, even while Eddie’s muscles flexed gorgeously as he rolled the shirt over his shoulders and pulled it over his neck, his head, while he dragged it off his arms and let it fall to the floor, you stayed perfectly calm. Yeah, up until that point, you had been doing very well.
But then, god dammit, you saw the tattoos on his chest and devolved into a horny monster of a girl.
God, I wish we had condoms right now.
“Yeah, me too,” Eddie said, cracking a smirk.
That’s when it hit you:
“Oh my god!” You gasped and clapped your hands over your mouth. “Did I just say that out loud?”
“Yeah, you did,” Eddie replied, unblushing, now standing before you with a full-on grin. “And thank you, by the way. Glad to know I’m not the only one struggling here.”
Yeah, you were struggling, all right. Struggling to hide your embarrassment. Succumbing to it, you drew in both your legs, grabbed a fistful of Eddie’s blanket, and buried your blushing face against it.
“I’m so sorry,” you mumbled, “I didn’t mean to say that.”
“What are you apologizing for?” Eddie asked, bemused. “If I saw you topless, I’m pretty sure my jaw would be on the floor right now.”
You seriously doubted that. “Eh, they’re not that impressive,” you said, and Eddie’s brow wrinkled with utter bewilderment.
“Uhh, I humbly disagree… and to avoid sounding like a total creep, I’m gonna leave it at that.”
That made your face flare up again. Emboldened by his words, you poked your head out and said with a kittenish look, “So you’ve been checking me out, huh?”
“Oh, constantly,” Eddie replied with a playful, unabashed smile, setting your warm cheeks ablaze.
This time, however, you didn’t hide your face or look away. You wanted to, but Eddie’s deep brown eyes held you captive. Like two beautiful black holes, they sucked you right in and you got lost in them, hypnotized, while he slowly undid his belt, unzipped his jeans, pushed them down, and kicked them away. A flicker of desire twitched through him. Your eyes fell and your breath hitched in your throat.
With a long, tortured sigh, Eddie said, “We really didn’t think this through, did we?”
“Nope,” you said, shaking your head, and Eddie’s face scrunched up with indecision.
“Do you want me to just take you home?” he asked. “I don’t want you to feel weird and not be able to sleep.”
“I’ll be able to sleep,” you said. “Yeah, I’m one of those people who can sleep anywhere, so you don’t have to worry about me.”
That was actually a lie, but…
“Look, I really don’t want you to take me home,” you said, wincing as you heard the fragility in your voice. God, you felt so pathetic. You hugged your knees to your chest and laid your forehead on top of them. “I swear I’m not gonna be one of those annoying, clingy girlfriends or anything. It’s just… I’ve had to go years without you, Eddie, and right now the thought of leaving you just cripples me. I don’t… yeah, I don’t really how to explain it.”
Reluctantly, you lifted your head and saw Eddie staring at you with a soft, empathetic smile
“You don’t have to explain,” he said. “I get it.”
He flipped the wall switch and the bedroom fell into darkness, the covered windows glowing with a soft, silver light. Your heart was pounding with anticipation as you watched Eddie cross the room and climb into bed. He came toward you slowly, wrapped his hands around your ankles, and tugged on them gently, dragging your feet across the mattress, extending your bent legs one by one.
“You can be clingy if you want,” he said. “I don’t mind.”
Eddie moved closer, planted his palms on either side of your hips, and hovered over you. Speechless, you raised your eyes to meet his. As soon as you did, he leaned down, tilted his head, and captured your lips in a slow, sensual kiss that made your thoughts scatter like leaves in the wind. You closed your eyes and surrendered to him. Pleasure prickled up your spine. Goosebumps broke feverishly across your skin. Timidly, you lifted your hand to his bare chest and began tracing your fingers over his tattoos. Eddie shuddered at your touch, pulled away, and let out a low groan.
“What’s wrong?” you asked breathlessly. “Are my hands cold?”
“No,” Eddie answered, “I just, uhh…” He laughed under his breath. “I dunno how I’m gonna be able to sleep tonight.”
“Me either,” you confessed quietly. “This was a really bad idea.”
“Oh, it was a terrible idea.” He placed another kiss on your lips and drew back with a smile. “Now move over, crazy, you’re in my spot.”
You scooted over and Eddie settled into the space beside you, sitting upright in bed with the blanket draped loosely around his naked waist. He looked so beautiful like that, ethereal almost, his silhouette softly illuminated by moonlight. Meanwhile, you sat with the blanket pulled all the way up to your chin. Underneath it, your body felt hot and tense and your heart was hammering wantonly in your chest. It was almost four o’clock in the morning, yet you were wide awake. How could you be expected to sleep with Eddie lying half-naked next to you?
Yeah, this is gonna be a huge problem, you thought, nervous and a little excited.
(Because wasn’t this a wonderful problem to have?)
You closed your eyes, took a deep breath, and released it in a noiseless sigh. Then, just to be safe, you moved a bit closer to the edge of the mattress.
That didn’t help much, either.
Funny, you thought anxiously, somehow the bed seemed much smaller now than it did before. Not uncomfortably smaller, just noticeably smaller. Eddie was inches away from you, close enough to feel his heat mingling with yours, close enough to feel the vibrations of every little move he made, close enough to drive you absolutely fucking crazy. His last kiss still lingered on your lips, sweet and intoxicating. You wanted to be closer to him. You wanted to feel his lips on yours again. Feel his soft, smooth skin underneath your fingertips. Feel his strong hands on your hips, gripping you, guiding you. Feel deep brown eyes piercing into yours while you…
Oh boy, you thought, shuddering, I’m having a lot of thoughts tonight, each more dangerous than the last.
Eddie, unaware of your inner turmoil, switched on the lamp and started taking off his rings one by one: pinching the band between his fingers, gliding it over each of his knuckles, first one, then the other, pulling it off his fingertip and dropping it onto the nightstand beside him. One. Two. Three. Each ring clattered as it landed on the table. The soft rattling sound made you groan.
Dammit, Eddie…
Did he have to take them off so slowly? So teasingly? If you didn’t know better, you would have thought he was doing this on purpose. Couldn’t he sense the torment he was causing? You were teetering on the edge right now, both metaphorically and literally. You couldn’t move any further away from him. It was physically impossible… unless, of course, you wanted to end up on the floor. If he didn’t yank off that last ring quickly, you were gonna—
“What?” Eddie said, staring at you. “You okay?”
His deep voice jolted you from your libidinous thoughts. You looked up at him, blinking, your cheeks tinged with embarrassment. “Huh…? Yeah, I’m okay.”
“You sure?” Eddie asked. He sounded concerned but also, vaguely, amused. The final ring—a fanged skull—still clung loosely to his left ring finger. Eddie had started to remove it, but stopped when he caught you looking at him. Now you could practically hear it taunting you as Eddie said, “You seem a little… agitated right now.”
Agitated, huh?
Sure, Eddie, let’s go with agitated.
“I’m just tired,” you said. Then, in an obvious and pathetic act of bad theater, you covered your mouth with your hand and pretended to yawn.
Eddie’s face wrinkled with teasing suspicion. “Well, you should go to sleep,” he said, and started gently tugging on his ring again. This time you were certain he was doing it on purpose. Helplessly, you followed it anyway. Your mouth hung open as you watched the fanged skull move slowly up his finger, past his first knuckle, past his second knuckle… then slide all the way back down. A frustrated huff blew through your lips. As soon as it did, Eddie’s expression brightened with surprised fascination.
“Wait,” he said, smirking, “do you have a hand fetish or something?”
His accusation startled you. “What?” you said. “I don’t have a hand fetish.” That sounded creepy and perverted, albeit true. “It’s just your hands… and those rings.” Those damn rings. “You’ve been playing with them all night, Eddie. Do you even realize you’ve been doing that?”
“Yeah,” he answered bashfully, “it’s kind of a nervous habit of mine.”
“It’s fucking torture is what it is.”
Your eyes widened. Eddie’s widened, too. Then they drifted back to the skull ring on his hand and settled there for a moment, as if enchanted by some marvelous discovery. Eddie had just found himself some buried treasure and you led him straight to it. You had drawn up a map, marked the X, handed it over, and said, Here ya go, Eddie. Here’s some lovely ammunition to use against me for the rest of our relationship. Did you really expect him not to pull the trigger?
“Interesting…” Eddie said to himself, his voice dropping into that pondering yet provocative tone that meant nothing but trouble for you.
“Oh, don’t do that…”
“What?”
“Don’t say ‘interesting.’ It’s not interesting, it’s just…”
Embarrassing, extremely embarrassing.
Another loud huff escaped you. You turned away from Eddie, lay down, and threw the blanket over your shoulders.
“It is interesting, though,” Eddie went on, chuckling to himself. “In fact, it’s very interesting.”
There was a soft click behind you and suddenly the room collapsed into darkness again. Eddie had turned off the lamp and was now coming over to you. You knew because you could feel the bed shifting underneath his weight, closer, closer, and the closer he got, the deeper the mattress sank behind you. Eddie’s gravity was pulling you backward, drawing you into him. You gasped as you felt your back press up against his bare chest, and gasped again when you felt his right arm slip under the covers and settle snuggly around your waist. Instantly, your face flushed and your heart skipped a beat, but you didn’t try to pull away from him… as if you even could. You lay quiet, captive, waiting.
Eddie lay behind you with his elbow resting on your pillow, leaning against it as he said, “I’m learning a lot of new things about you tonight. I’m learning some things about myself, too.”
A curious smile dragged up the side of your face. “Really? Like what?”
“Like… for instance…” He leaned down and whispered throatily against your ear, “I really like the sound of you begging.”
All the blood rushed to your face. You buried it into the pillow and said, “Okay, now you’re just being mean…”
Eddie laughed at that. The sound rumbled deep in his chest and sent butterflies fluttering through your stomach.
“I’m not, I’m not,” he said. “Listen, just hear me out, okay? I have a point, I promise. Now, this is kinda embarrassing to admit, but… honestly, I always kinda thought you would dominate me.”
“What?” you blurted out, beside yourself with shock. “You thought I would dominate you?”
“Well, kinda, yeah.” Eddie smiled in abashment. “Shit, how could I not? I mean… I mean… Look, it’s like this, okay: for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve always had this really strong, intimidating presence. Naturally, I assumed that would carry over into the bedroom.”
His words made you blush furiously, but they also filled you with a strange sense of confidence. Encouraged by them, you sat up on your elbow, looked over your shoulder, and raised your eyebrows playfully. “So, what, Munson? You want me to climb on top of you, pin you down, and have my way with you?”
Eddie’s brown eyes bulged in the darkness, bigger than you had ever seen. “Do you wanna do that?”
You stared at him for a second, speechless. “Honestly…? I don’t know.”
It was hard to imagine yourself doing something like that.
And yet…
Your confidence fizzled again. Frowning, you sank down and laid your head back on the pillow.
Eddie smiled down at you, impressed by your unexpected boldness, short-lived as it was. “Well, that’s what I thought you’d be like, anyway.” He nuzzled his face into the side of your neck, his warm breath tickling you as he spoke. “But… not gonna lie… seeing you reduced to a quivering, whimpering mess, well… yeah, I kinda like that, too. I like it a lot, actually.”
He swept your hair out of the way and began planting light kisses along your skin. The feeling of his lips made you sigh.
“We should stop talking about this.”
“You’re right, we should,” Eddie said, but his kisses only got hotter and hungrier. Meanwhile, his right hand had slid down from your waist and started caressing your inner thigh, nails dragging, fingers curling, uncurling, occasionally stopping to tease the bottom hem of his boxers. “… except now you’ve got me a little curious.”
“Oh yeah?” Your voice was high-pitched and breathy, delirious with pleasure. “About what?”
“About this little hand fetish of yours…” But honestly, you were hardly listening to him. You were more focused on the warmth of his hand and the deliciously rough texture of his skin. You closed your eyes and breathed deeply. As you did, you felt Eddie’s lips graze the outer edge of your ear. His voice sent a delightful tingle down your spine. “… so, tell me, in all these little fantasies of yours… what exactly am I doing with my hands?”
His question coaxed a moan out of you. You placed your hand on top of his, intending to push it away, but as soon as you felt his hard knuckles underneath your fingers, you became possessed by savage, carnal desire. Your hand started moving on its own, rubbing across Eddie’s skin, scratching it lightly, sliding down and trapping itself in the soft webbing of his fingers. Pleasure rippled through you. All at once, images exploded through your mind like flashes of a camera. Turning around and smashing your lips against Eddie’s. Grabbing his face. Pulling his hair. Pushing him down on the bed and straddling his hips. Dragging your nails down his bare chest.
That knocked some sense back into you. “Eddie,” you said weakly, “may I remind you of the situation we’re in?”
Eddie chuckled against you, unbothered. “Yeah, see, I’ve thought about that and…” He pressed a kiss to your ear, drew back, and whispered, “We don’t need condoms for this.”
You bit down hard on your lip, holding in a moan as temptation tore through you. “Yeah, but do you really trust yourself to stop?”
Silence for a minute.
Eddie knocked his head against yours and grunted in defeat. “No,” he said. “No, I don’t.”
You frowned, equally disappointed. “Yeah, I don’t either, so…”
His hand went limp, fell, and died on your thigh.
“Aw shit,” Eddie hissed through his teeth. Guilt-stricken, he pulled away from you, rolled onto his back, and ran his hands over his face. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I swear, I normally have way more self-control than this, it’s just… shit, it’s just you, y’know? You’re here, you’re in my bed, and you look really good in my Megadeth shirt. Plus I’ve got like, y’know, four years of pent-up sexual frustration that’s just dying to burst outta me, so…”
You turned over, sat up on your elbow, and smiled at him. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”
Staring at each other, you both shared a deep, content sigh.
“C’mere,” Eddie said, beckoning you with his hand. You moved closer and laid your head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you tighter against him, placing a soft, sweet kiss on your forehead.
You lay quiet for a few minutes, feeling his chest rise and fall, listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat.
“What are you thinking about right now?” you asked dozily.
“Honestly…?” Eddie asked, his voice a low mumble. “I’m wondering how long it’ll take me to drive to the gas station and back.”
Laughter bubbled up from your throat. You buried your face against his chest and snickered.
“Well, shit,” you said afterward, “I’d probably go with you… and then we’d end up having sex in the parking lot.”
Eddie’s face broke into a grin. “Really?” he said humorously. “Well, in that case…”
He moved like he was trying to sit up. Giggling, you put your hand on his chest and pushed him back down.
“Easy there, buddy.”
“I’m just kidding,” he said, smiling. “I’d never dream of taking your virginity in a parking lot… well, I would dream of it, have dreamt of it, but I’d never actually do it.”
You laughed quietly and laid your head on his chest again. Humming softly, Eddie started tracing his thumb across your back slowly, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. With each stroke, your eyes got heavier and heavier, until…
“Hey,” Eddie began suddenly, with dull, drowsy panic in his voice “you’re not going anywhere, right? You’re gonna still be here when I wake up?”
You sat up and looked at him, confused.
“Sorry, I know this sounds really weird, but…” He frowned deeply, struggling to make sense of his tired, jumbled thoughts. “It’s just, I finally got you back in my life. If you left now, I don’t think I’d be able to handle it.”
Your heart dropped at those words. You picked it back up, leaned down, and gently pressed your lips to his.
“I’ll be here,” you said. “I promise.”
SERIES MASTERPOST
FANFICTION MASTERLIST
unfortunately, i no longer do taglists. if you want to stay updated on my fics, you can follow me and/or subscribe to my posts. thank you!
#eddie munson#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x female reader#eddie munson x you#eddie munson x fem!reader#eddie munson fanfic#stranger things#stranger things 4#fanfic#eddie munson x dwm!reader#dancing with myself#dwm#post prom#rewrite#ambrossart
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@ambrossart
Evelyn: Henry clearly doesn't care about me. I need to move on.
*meanwhile what is going on inside Henry's head*
#I'm not even going to say how long it took me to photoshop this XD#but it was worth it#are they standing behind the kissing bridge?#maaaaaaybe#we know damn well he wants to put his arm around her#that boy is territorial#I'm a complete sucker for angst#and messy relationships#evelyn tozier#henry bowers#paper men#chapter 31 wrecked me#not my ass low-key rooting for them#what is happening to me?!
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˚˙༓࿇༓˙˚˙ Abracadabra - part I ˚˙༓࿇༓˙˚˙
Eddie Munson one-shot
Summary: Before the jarring events of March 1986 hit The Hellfire Club, a more traditional evil disturbed their nerdy peace roughly a month prior - The Prom. Maia gets an unexpected invitation and gladly accepts, but Eddie is…well, Eddie about it.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫
Notes: weehoo, another one-shot in the Psycho Killer universe! i mean, i planned it as a one-shot but it turned out to be too complex, so i’ll be splitting it into three parts! i’ve had this one up my sleeve for some time now, but i was a bit cautious because i’m very much european and don’t have knowledge about how proms work in america, but i’ve recently read a prom fanfic from @ambrossart (go read it asap!!) and it boosted me into giving it a shot, so here it is!
beware: high school (yes, that’s a trigger warning), very angsty, eddie is an asshole - what’s new?
Masterlist
songs:
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫
WOODLAND FAIRYTALE - PROM OF 86’
Valentine’s Day at the gym hall
You can’t miss this charming sight,
dancing on a Friday night!
The threatening sparkling green-and-purple posters planted on the walls of Hawkins High hallways were greeting Maia at every step as she made her way to her locker. She spotted Mike and Dustin standing in front of one of the monstrosities, chatting. She smiled and threw her books in, closed the locker and approached them, putting her arms around their shoulders. They jumped in surprise.
“Christ, you can’t keep sneaking up on us like that, you’ll give me a heart attack one day.” Dustin put his hand on his chest dramatically, but both of the boys grinned widely, happy to see their friend.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were too preoccupied to see me coming. You plan on going?” she ruffled their hair, pointing at the colorful poster. Mike shrugged.
“I’m not sure, you know that my girlfriend is not here…” he mumbled, clearly deeply upset about the fact. Maia’s smile fell a bit as she nodded sympathetically, stroking his back. Dustin sighed.
“Same here. Unless Suzie’s teleporting here from Utah over the next two days, I don’t have a date.”
“Come on boys, it’s a once in a lifetime thing, you don’t have to come with a girl. You can’t miss that charming sight!” she cringed while pointing at the poster’s slogan, making the boys chuckle. Mike shook his head.
“If we go without a date, the whole fucking school will take us for- “
“Losers? Hate to break it to you boys, but…” she tilted her head and shrugged, eyeing them up and down and stopping at their Hellfire t-shirts.
“Touché…” Dustin mumbled and nodded his head, realizing that there isn’t much damage left to be done. Mike raised his eyebrows.
“Well, are you going?” he questioned and Maia’s eyes widened for a second before she composed back to her usual deadpan calmness.
“Nah, I don’t have a date…” she blurted out before realizing the hypocrisy of the situation and the boys exchanged an amused look. She violently shook her head to shut them up before they could say anything.
“That’s different.”
“No, it isn’t.” Dustin raised his eyebrows, flashing Maia his signature toothless smile.
“Why don’t you ask Eddie? We’re not in the 60’s, it’s not like a girl can’t ask a guy out.” Mike chimed in, nodding enthusiastically. Maia rolled her eyes and let out a sarcastic chuckle.
“Eddie going to prom? Did you fall on the head on your way to school?” she squinted at him, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead, gasping theatrically.
“I feel like you should go lay down, Wheeler. I think you have a fever.”
“Well, you haven’t asked him yet, so you can never know!”
Maia sighed and her face started growing red when she imagined Eddie all elegant in a tuxedo, the image so strange and alien to her that she had to physically shake her head to anchor herself back in reality.
“Hey, I get that you two entered high school with girlfriends and suddenly gained a feeling that you’re fucking geniuses of relationships or whatever. But I’ve already lived through two senior years of Edward Munson and the mere mention of prom made him gag and go on a rant full of his classic noncomformist shit both times. So don’t try to smart-mouth me.”
“Third time’s the charm?” Dustin shrugged and winced in advance, knowing that she’ll immediately give him a disarming scowl. She didn’t dissapoint and threw in a firm slap on the back of his head as well. Mike chewed on his cheeks to hide a smirk and then gasped, a lightbulb switching on in his head.
“Let’s go as friends then! The three of us! We’ll just hang around, eat some chips, listen to the music…maybe we can…you know…” his cheeks grew more and more red as he stumbled over his words, trying to articulate.
“…dance!” Dustin finished his friend’s sentence, blushing as well at the thought of the two self-proclaimed losers bringing a senior to the prom. Maia’s skeptical gaze softened and her smirk grew into a wide toothy grin.
“Am I dreaming or are my padawans asking me to prom?” she giggled, raising an eyebrow. Mike and Dustin exchanged a nervous look, meekly nodding.
“I mean, you don’t have to, it’s just an idea.” Mike shrugged, staring into the floor. He was shushed by a tight hug as Maia threw her arms around the two boys, squeezing them so hard they both let out a squeal.
“You’re so charmiiiiing, how could I say no to such gentlemen.” she smiled widely and pinched their blushing cheeks, making them grin as well.
“Okay then, I’ll go. But you gotta dress appropriately, yeah? I don’t wanna see any jeans or t-shirts.” she raised a threatening finger and put on her best motherly voice, walking next to them to the cafeteria.
・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・● ●・○・●・
While the rest of the club was chatting and drowning in noise of the packed cafeteria, Eddie was lost in his thoughts, mindlessly chomping on the graham crackers that were on his food tray. Another prom, another opportunity to chicken out of asking her out. He hated the prom season and the reason that he gave everyone - it’s a pretentious priviledged shitshow - was just an excuse he was hiding behind.
In reality, it just reminded him of not only being a miserable loser, but also of being a coward. It’s just a sentence. Hell, it can be two words.
Hey, prom?
But no, he couldn’t bear the thought of Maia’s amused face when he’d try to ask her. He couldn’t bear the all the sarcasm. It wasn’t worth it. Did he try it? No, he had two opportunities, but he didn’t. And now the whole school was buzzing with the excitement again and he wasn’t going to risk it. Again.
“What’s up, boys?”
Maia’s voice made him softly gasp and flinch as he jumped out of his deep thoughts, which earned a chuckle from her.
“Guilty conscience, Munson?” she raised her eyebrow as she sat down next to him, Dustin and Mike filling the other empty seats at the Hellfire table. He just stared at her for a few seconds and gulped before scoffing and turning his attention back to the graham crackers.
“You won’t believe me, Anderson…but Sarah is going to prom with me.” Gareth exclaimed with a smug face and Maia’s jaw dropped.
“Sarah Grayson?”
“Yup.”
“Woah, what a fucking heartbreaker! Way to go, pal.” she giggled and gave him a fistbump, but Jeff snorted with laughter.
“Yeah, but you haven’t heard what followed her yes.” he shrugged and took a swig of his chocolate milk. Gareth rolled his eyes.
“Okay, she said that she’ll come only if I pay for it, but that doesn’t undermine my success.”
“I’m proud of you, don’t listen to the haters. In fact, if you’re so snarky, Jeff…an essential question rises - who’s your date?” she squinted at her amused friend, who just shrugged.
“I’m going with Pete. I’m non-traditional, what can I say.”
“We’re just stopping by to eat as much as we can for free, then we dip to get shitfaced somewhere else.” Pete scoffed and got back to picking the corn out of his risotto, not wanting to have anything to do with this conversation.
“You coming, Anderson?” Gareth mumbled as he wiped his chocolate moustache. Maia smiled widely and cracked her knuckles.
“Actually, I am! I have a date, too.” she said nonchalantly and all the boys looked at her with shocked expressions. Dustin and Mike grinned while stuffing their mouths with bread, their chests proudly puffed out.
Eddie’s head snapped in her direction, she caught his gaze for a second and if she didn’t know better, she could’ve sworn she saw a glint of dissapointment in his eyes. She coughed and looked back to her food, waiting for the questions to start bombarding her. She was showered with a wave of whats and whos and she just grinned, giving the two freshmen a mischievous side-eye.
“Well, since you ask…I have not one, but two handsome escorts accompanying me.” she stated without much emotion, waiting for them to put the pieces together. The guys frowned for a second and then it hit them.
The gasping and squealing actually reminded her of a scene she saw in the hallway earlier, when a pack of cheerleaders gathered around their friend after she told them that Patrick from the Tigers asked her out. She giggled as Pete slapped Dustin’s back so hard he made the boy spill a bit of the milk he was holding.
“Holy shit, you’ve been in high school for one semester and you scored a senior as a prom date? Teach me your secrets!” Gareth gasped and shook his head. Jeff beckoned to them with his drink.
“My compliments, I never thought I’d see the day when the cold Lady Macbeth agrees to a date.” he chuckled and took a sip, the youngsters giggling excitedly. As they were chatting, Maia stole a look at Eddie, who was silently chewing on his lunch with an unreadable expression, eyes set on the table.
Is he angry? She wanted to say something, maybe reach out to him, but that idea flew out of her head when he caught her staring, her face immediately filling with a burning blush as she got back to eating.
“What about you, Eddie?” Mike suddenly asked with hope in his voice, which made Maia flinch a bit and close her eyes as she could sense that Eddie wasn’t in a mood for chit-chatting.
“What about me?” he mumbled with his mouth full of rice, not even bothering to look at Mike. Maia turned at the younger boy and shook her head ever so slightly, trying to discourage him from testing Eddie’s thin patience. Mike didn’t get the memo.
“Are you coming?”
Eddie looked up from his food, his eyebrows raised as far as they could go and eyes grilling the freshman. Mike winced a bit.
“You can join the three of us if you want!” he mumbled with a wishful smile but it quickly faded as Eddie swallowed his food and got up from his chair, his movements painfully slow. He leaned on the table and squinted at Mike, tilting his head.
“Tempting, but no.”
Sarcasm seeped out of his words as he took his tray, carried it away to the tray cart and then walked out of the cafeteria without another word. The table sat in silence, exchanging dumbfounded faces.
“Looks like Sleeping Beauty slept on the trailer floor last night.” Pete snorted with laughter and shook his head as they all got back to eating. Maia was still staring at his empty chair, confused by his theatrics.
What the hell was that?
・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・● ●・○・●・
Eddie was on edge the whole night and he projected his mood onto the game. The session had to be moved to this evening, because the usual Friday night was occupied by the prom. Usually, he was a very professional dungeon master, keeping his emotions out of the game so he could be as righteous and neutral as possible.
Today was different. He wasn’t even sure what got him so fired up, maybe the fact that the two freshmen had more confidence than him to ask Maia out. Maybe he was mad that she didn’t think about going with him when she agreed to it.
Nonetheless, he was taking it out on the party.
“Can I, like, investigate all the shit they left behind? All the herbs and stuff, maybe search for some remnants of black magic, rituals, anything…” Maia stared at him through narrowed eyes, completely fed up with his behaviour.
The rest of the group seemed not to notice as much, probably thinking that the difficulty of their previous encounter was a natural part of the story’s progression, but she was cursed with some sort of Eddie radar that started heating her chest up every time he was acting like a little bitch. He didn’t even look at her when she asked, just emotionlessly reading his notes.
“You can try. Throw me an Arcana check.” he mumbled and she sighed, shaking the d20 in her hand before throwing it in front of her. She carefully looked through all her stats, making sure she’s armed with as big of a number as possible.
“22.”
He was silent for a few moments, still staring into his notes. Then he quickly looked her up and down and cleared his throat before dissapearing behind his screen again.
“Not enough, you’re still clueless.”
“The fuck? How is that not enough? What number does a fucking necromancer have to hit to recognize the traces of an eldritch ritual?” Maia frowned and chuckled breathlessly, shaking her head. He didn’t move a muscle, just scribbled something in his notebook.
“Stop arguing with me. Try harder next time.”
The rest of the boys awkwardly shifted in their seats and looked at each other, the tension between the two opposite sides of the table suddenly settling in every nook of the room. Maia blinked a few times and raised her eyebrows, but her challenging look was met with a brick wall. Then the brick wall spoke in an equally blank voice.
“Anyone else wanna investigate?” he looked around the table and Dustin awkwardly shrugged, studying his nest of dice. No one seemed to have any desire to follow Maia’s attempt, so Eddie nodded and ominously rolled a dice behind his screen.
“‘Kay, let’s call it quits here, we’ll continue next time.” he looked up and nodded, frowning a bit when Jeff hesitantly raised his hand.
“Sorry, but shouldn’t we level up? I mean, the fight was pretty huge…” he meekly questioned, the group joining him with nods. Eddie blinked and then moved his attention back to his notes.
“No.” he simply stated and that was enough to dissolve any thoughts of complaining from the party. They just silently nodded and packed their stuff, leaving the theatre room with silent greetings.
Maia wasn’t planning on going anywhere, though. Not until he apologizes. He knew she was still sitting in her place, piercing him with a scolding stare. He didn’t look up at her, he was focusing on folding his screen and annotating his DM guide.
“What the fuck was that supposed to be?” she hissed at him, but he didn’t pay her any attention. She exhaled sharply and banged her fist on the table.
“Look at me, you prick.”
He didn’t flinch at the noise, he just calmly raised his head and looked at her, still keeping his face emotionless.
“I asked you a question.” she said through gritted teeth, growing more and more angry with every second spent looking into his stupidly huge and stupidly brown eyes.
“I don’t know what’s your problem.” he shrugged and leaned on the table. She chuckled darkly and stood up, mirroring his stance.
“You’re my problem, Munson. What’s gotten into you?” she raised her voice slightly, his clueless act pissing her off even more.
“Nothing, you were just out of luck today, that’s all. Anyway…” he checked his watch nonchalantly, “…you should get going, you wanna in get that beauty sleep before the big night.”
Oh.
“Are you fucking joking? That’s what’s going on? You’re angry that I’m going to prom, is that it?” she punctuated the sentence with a harsh laugh, which finally seemed to trigger an emotion in him.
“You think my ego is so fragile to give a shit about a fucking prom? I’m hurt, Anderson.” he raised his voice a bit as well and snickered, his forearms flexing as he gripped the edges of the table tighter.
Her gaze quickly flickered between his face and the exposed skin and she damned her body for shivering.
“If you don’t then what’s this tragicomedy about, huh? You’re pissed that two fresh-faced boys asked me out to prom when you didn’t have the balls to do it for three fucking years in a row?” she barked out, her harsh tone making Eddie flinch ever so slightly, his knuckles white around the table edge.
“I didn’t ask you because I never thought you’d be shallow enough to go.”
The venomous exclamation hung in the air for a few seconds before dropping down on Maia’s head like a bucket of freezing water. She slowly let go of the table and stumbled back a bit, her jaw hanging open in shock. She chuckled, shaking her head as she looked down at her notes.
Without a word, she started shoving them into her backpack unceremoniously. He was frozen in his spot, blinking away tears that started prickling in his eyes upon realizing that there’s nothing to say, nothing that would erase his stupid heartless remark.
When she packed all her stuff, she threw her backpack on and stopped for a second, thinking. Then she walked right up to him, making him turn around and look into her eyes - darkly swirling with pain and fury.
He sucessfully blinked the tears away while she was rummaging in her bag and hid the regret deep behind an emotionless veil that now shrouded his pupils. After holding his gaze for a few seconds, she scoffed and forcefully pushed his chest with her fists, destabilizing his proud posture.
“Fucking coward.”
And with that, she was out of the door, leaving him to crumble down on his throne.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫
Tag list: @kik51199 @preciousbabypeter @sebby-staan @sleepysl0th03 @frozenhuntress67
#eddie munson fanfiction#eddie munson x oc#eddie munson angst#eddie munson fluff#eddie munson oneshot#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson fanfic#eddie munson#stranger things fanfic#stranger things fanfiction#stranger things 4#dustin henderson#mike wheeler#stranger things#stranger things oc
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HELPPP i was reading an eddie fic where he’s trying to crash prom and the reader is Chrissy’s best friend and all that, the fic was divided into part but I lost it bc my phone crashed😭 it started off with him asking reader for her extra prom ticket but he doesn’t know her name so she doesn’t give it to him!!!!! Pls pls help it was so good
EDIT: I FOUND IT! It’s by @ambrossart and I def recommend y’all read it!
#eddiemunson#edward munson#eddie munson st4#eddie munson x y/n#eddie munson smut#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x you#eddie munson imagine#eddie munson
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So uh...
I did a fanart of the fanfiction Papermen by @ambrossart (go read it)
Based on this part. (out of context it's not a spoil)
#it 2017#bowers gang#henry bowers#drawing#fanart#patrick hockstetter#it stephen king#fanfiction#Go read it#I shouldn't add for it#Because it's so good every fic ever will sound lame#But go read it anyway
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