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eddiemunsonssoulmate · 2 years

Text

Say you'll still be by my side

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Word Count: 6k

Summary: Eddie made it out of the Upside Down, barely alive. He’s in a coma now but you refuse to let him go.

Warnings: Hurt & Comfort, Fluff, Trauma, Scars, Light Angst

Available on: AO3

A/N: Another Fix-It but this time with the reader taking care of him. The Duffers have to pry him off my cold hands if they want me to let him go because there’s no way this is happening any time soon. Hope this gives you as much comfort as it gave me while writing it. Eddie is alive and I accept nothing else.

“I can’t believe we did it!” Robin said and hugged you while your eyes were fixed on the bloody ground in front the villa. Was that really it? That…easy?

You hugged her back, but your mind was already wandering towards the two people who were supposed to distract the bats. It must have worked because you didn’t see a single one.

“Let’s get back to the others quickly,” you suggested and she let go of you, your eyes finding Steve’s and he gave you a nod.

There was this feeling in your stomach and a painful tug on your heart. The four of you quickly made the way back to the trailer.

They would be fine. They promised they’re not heroes, promised they’d run as soon as it got bad. You would have stayed with them, but Eddie absolutely refused to let you join the ‘Bait Party’ how he had called it.

He had been the bait and yet, he had been so worried about you.

Letting go of his hand as you split up had been the hardest thing you had done in your entire life.

As the trailer park came closer, your steps became faster without even realizing it until you broke out into a full jog.

“Y/N, wait!” Steve yelled after you, but you didn’t hear him. Your heart was pounding in your chest and you felt sick in your stomach.

As you broke through the tree line, you could hear someone crying and your stomach dropped. You looked around frantically until you saw Dustin, holding someone in his arms.

No.

You sprinted over to him. “Dustin! Eddie!”

He looked up at you as you basically fell to your knees next to him, his eyes red and puffy, tears straining his face.

No. No. No.

Eddie was in his arms, not moving, blood covering his face, the bats lying dead all around them. His body was covered in bites and scratches, his clothes were painted in red and it made you so, so sick.

“No,” you whispered in disbelief and Dustin wanted to say something but only violent wails came out of his mouth.

You took Eddie’s head and put it in your lap, moving the hair out of his face, wiping the blood of his cheek. It was only a very faint movement, but you felt his breath on your hand. He was unconscious and barely breathing.

“He’s alive,” you whispered, and Dustin looked at you with big eyes, his wails stopping. “We need to get him out of here.”

Dustin seemed to need a moment to actually realize what you said and then nodded, swallowing hard. “I’m sorry, I-”

“Don’t be sorry, he will be fine.” You were convinced of that. You needed to believe that, or you'd break apart right here, right now. There was also no way you’d let Dustin take any kind of blame. He was too young for that.

The other three came through the tree line and Steve immediately came running as soon as he saw Dustin’s face, taking him into his arms and then looking down at you and Eddie.

“Is he…?” he carefully started to ask but you shook your head.

“Can you carry him? We need to get him to a hospital,” you said and swallowed, tears in your eyes. The way he lay there, bruised and bloodied, it broke your heart into a thousand pieces.

Your heart was beating in your chest and despite the anxiety eating you alive inside, you tried to stay calm. Hoping that if you were calm around Eddie, he would feel it somehow.

Steve nodded and let go of Dustin, Nancy placing an arm around the young boy instead to comfort him.

Your friend crouched down next to you, and you tried to lift Eddie up on his back so he could carry him better.

It worked, somehow. You stayed by Eddie’s side the whole time, taking one of his hands in yours. “I’m here, Eddie. I won’t leave you.” It was only a soft whisper in the darkness of the Upside Down but you were sure it would get through to him.

Dustin explained what happened as you were on the way to the portal, and you didn’t know if you were sad, angry, worried or everything at the same time. He wasn’t supposed to play the hero, but you understood why he did it.

The anxiety inside of you made it hard to breathe. He had to be okay.

---------------------------------

The doctors didn’t give you a lot of hope.

‘If he makes it through the next two nights, he might live.’

Eddie was too strong to die, you were sure of that. He couldn’t. You needed him more than anything in your life. He was your home and your heart and there was no way you’d let him go.

They warned you the hospital costs were high, especially for a criminal like that and you wanted to punch them in the face right there. Nancy was already on it, talking to the government about making the murder charges go away.

The medical costs were something you would worry about later; you’d pay them on your own if you had to. Your parents would understand. Hopefully.

In the end, he was in a coma to let him recover from the blood loss and so he wouldn’t feel the pain. The wounds weren’t deep but there were so many of them. Attacked by wild dogs was the excuse. The doctors looked like they didn’t believed you but you couldn’t care less, they would never understand.

This town was fucked anyway.

Your days were filled with visiting him at the hospital. After Vecna had opened the portals through Hawkins, everything was a mess but all you cared about was him and Max. Every time you went to get a coffee, you also checked on Max who was in a room nearby.

She had always been like a little sister to you, especially after losing Billy, but you couldn’t split yourself apart, so you were thankful that Lucas was here for her every day.

At the beginning, the nurses kicked you out at night. No visitors allowed bullshit. Sometimes you sneaked back in. After Eddie was declared innocent, thanks to the whole government relationships you had, the nurses accepted you here around the clock. They know they couldn’t keep you away.

Suddenly it was okay. It made you angry, but you didn’t want to project any bad energy to Eddie, so you always swallowed your anger when you entered the room.

You were always holding his hand, letting him know you were here. You talked to him, sang to him, playing his favorite songs after basically bringing all his cassettes that were intact from his trailer. Sometimes you read to him from your favorite book, the one that he wanted to read just because you told him it was your favorite.

You told him a lot, about yourself, about your friends, about what was happening in Hawkins. All you wanted for him was to wake up and you had heard talking to a person in a coma would sometimes trigger something in them.

There was not a single day that passed where you didn’t tell him you love him. Placing kisses on his cheek, his forehead, his hands but you never got a reaction back.

He just lay there, eyes closed, his body bruised and battered and sometimes you weren’t even sure if he was still breathing. It hurt so much and it felt like a part of your soul was missing.

You frequently brought him flowers, sometimes you bought them, sometimes you just picked them randomly. It was important for you to let him know that someone had been here in case you weren’t present when he woke up.

You had no doubt that he would, one day.

Every time the nurses changed his bandages, you stayed in the room even though they always told you to get out. At this point you could probably change them by yourself from watching them so much.

The wounds were bad and nasty and some of them were even infected. They looked disgusting and would for sure leave some scars all over him. Nothing compared to the little scars he had before from falling off a bike or getting into a fight with someone.

Every time you saw the bat tattoo on his arm it made you sick. He really needed to get that replaced at some point, so you asked the nurses every time to cover it up with the bandage. They did it and you were grateful for that. You were sure if you had to look at it for too long, you’d break down crying.

Twice a week you shaved his beard, the small stubble that was growing. You knew he didn’t like his beard, so you made sure he didn’t wake up with one. One day, you’d ask him why he didn’t like it, he hadn’t told you yet and the curiosity has always been there. You assumed it might remind him too much of his father.

“Please, wake up, I need you.”

It was the plea that followed you through your everyday life now. You needed him so much and not hearing his voice was breaking your heart. The rare times you were at home you listened to the mixtape he made you where he had recorded himself singing songs that he had written for you.

It was the only way to hear his voice at the moment. You didn’t know how long you could do this anymore.

On the day where Hellfire would normally be, you’d bring D&D supplies to his room. You rolled some dice and talked about your characters and new campaign ideas. If he had a list with things he loved most, you were first, his guitar second and D&D was third.

He had promised you to teach you how to play the guitar one day. You kept reminding him of that, saying he couldn’t leave you until he taught you how to play Master of Puppets.

Days became weeks and sometimes there was this little voice in the back of your mind that told you he wouldn’t wake up anymore.

Things you didn’t want to hear. Your anxiety speaking.

You wouldn’t lose hope. He would wake up one day and even if it would take years, you’d be here for him. Moving on was not even an option.

Eddie was your entire life; you couldn’t let him go.

Wayne told you that he couldn’t pay for all the bills after so many weeks, but you just shook your head, telling him you would take care of it. At first, he refused but he loved his nephew like a son so in the end, he gladly took the offer.

It took some time to convince your parents as they hadn’t been fond of Eddie before but now with him in a coma and you barely at home, they realized how much he meant to you, so they agreed. Grateful wasn’t even enough to describe what this meant to you.

“You’re going to wake up,” you whispered to him that night. No matter how long it would take. You believed that he was strong enough to battle whatever was going on inside of him. There was no way he wasn’t able to defeat whatever was holding him captive inside his mind.

After you and Wayne, it was Dustin who came by most. The boy felt so guilty about everything that had happened, but you reassured him that he couldn’t have done anything. Eddie would be fine, no matter what. Dustin was too young to take any guilt inside of him.

The two of you grew even closer when you were sitting in the hospital room, talking to each other about your memories of your Dungeon Master. You hoped he could hear how much Dustin adored him.

“Your hair has gotten longer recently,” you told the boy, and your eyes went towards Eddie, then back to Dustin. “Got inspiration?”

Dustin chuckled and looked a little embarrassed. “Maybe?”

It was clear as day that he was growing out his hair so it could match Eddie’s and you thought it was really adorable. Steve was mostly acting like a babysitter and like a mother to Dustin, while Eddie was a big brother or father figure.

Eddie was a role model for Dustin, they were the same in a way and it was heartwarming to watch. You prayed to God that you could see their interaction again soon.

“He’ll wake up,” you promised Dustin and took his hands in yours, looking at him.

“I know. I just wish he already did,” he sighed, and you gave him a small smile. You understood that.

“On the bright side, your hair has more time to grow,” you teased and tugged a little on one of his long locks.

“Oi!” Dustin laughed and shook his head, eyes finding Eddie’s unmoving face again. “I miss him.”

“Me too,” you admitted and turned towards Eddie. It hurt to see him like that. Even after all this time, you couldn’t get used to it.

Spring turned into Summer and while the gang tried to figure out what the portals were and where Vecna went, the town slowly started to believe that it hadn’t been just an earthquake, starting to make conspiracy theories that the government was behind all of it.

But all you cared about was Eddie.

You didn’t give a shit about the town. You barely cared if any Demogorgons came to eat you alive because life isn't worth living without him anyway. All you wanted was to hear him say your name again.

It had been a long day at the hospital again and you could barely stay awake. You were holding his hand, your face on top of the bed and sleep was slowly washing over you. It was so hard to keep your eyes open and the last few months had left traces on your body and mind.

Coming here every day, caring for him, worrying about him, it was physically and mentally exhausting. Some of your friends from school had asked if you were sure about this, that you should take a break and stop completely but there was no way you’d leave him alone. He needed you. No matter in what dark place his mind was in the void of the coma, he wouldn’t be alone.

Your dreams were filled with memories of you and him. Epic adventures during Hellfire. Him and you hiding from everyone at the beginning of your secret relationship. The first time he told you he loved you. Introducing him to your parents and dealing with their wrath. Running away together for a week without telling anyone. The first time he truly made you his.

While your dreams made you smile in your sleep, you didn’t notice the squeezing of your hand at first. Your dreams were deep and beautiful, and you didn’t want to wake up to a world where he couldn’t tell you that he loved you.

“Y/N.” Your name was a hoarse whisper in your dreams, and it made you smile even more. You missed him saying your name so damn much.

It took a long moment for you to realize that it hadn’t been in your dreams. Slowly but steadily, you woke, not wanting to leave the memories of him in your dreams but when you opened your eyes, you saw him looking at you.

At first, you thought this was still a dream. His brown, tired eyes were fixed on you, his hand squeezing yours and he was smiling a little. This had to be a dream.

“Y/N,” he said your name again and as soon as it fell from his lips, you knew this was real. Tears shot into your eyes and immediately started to fall. You couldn’t believe it. He was awake after all that time.

“Eddie,” you choked out and jumped out of your chair, hugging him. He let out a huff of pain and you almost pulled back, afraid to hurt him more but he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to his chest.

“Don’t let go,” he begged with a rough voice, and it must be so hard for him to talk.

“I never did,” you said and buried your face in the crook of his neck, tears straining the pillow behind him.

The way he hugged you told you that it had been the right choice.

As soon as you were able to breathe again and tears stopped, you moved away, looking at his face. He was also crying; his bottom lip wavering and you placed a soft kiss on it.

“I’ll get a doctor. I must call the others. I-” You started babbling and he laughed weakly.

“Calm down,” he said with a soft smile, and you raised an eyebrow at him for a moment before returning the smile. Hearing his voice felt so good, your whole body was warming up and it still felt like a dream.

“I need a doctor to tell me you’re actually awake.” You sighed and placed another kiss on his lips. They moved slowly against yours, as chipped and broken as they were but you didn’t care. You needed his lips on yours. The soft movement of love.

After you pulled away it looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t, so you just smiled at him before leaving, looking for a doctor.

It was the middle of the night, so you had to look for quite some time to find one that was available but as soon as you told them, they immediately went to check up on Eddie. This time, they didn’t let you into the room as three doctors were swarming him, calling it a miracle and all of that.

Bullshit.

Miracles didn’t exist. Eddie was just so strong he got back here all by himself.

Normally you’d call at least his uncle, but he was working at the moment and there was no way to reach him. Your friends would be asleep and could wait until the morning.

Maybe it was a little selfish of you but right now, you wanted it to be you and him, at least for a little while.

The doctors left his room and told you briefly he looked fine, the few tests they did on him were positive and that they would do more in the morning. He’d need a long way of recovery to get back to a normal life but all of that didn’t matter to you now.

He was awake. After months.

When you entered the room again, he smiled at you weakly, and you sat down at your usual spot.

“You should rest,” you told him, looking at his tired eyes but he just shook his head.

“They told me I was in a coma for months. I think I’ve rested enough,” he said, and it made you laugh. Always so stubborn.

“How’s the pain?” you asked but he just shook his head.

“I barely feel anything. They said it will take at least a day for all of it to come back. Can’t wait for the pain.” He grimaced and you took his hand in yours, placing a kiss to the back of his hand.

“I missed you. So much,” you told him. He just nodded, looking deeply at you. It probably didn’t really hit him yet that he had been gone for so long. It must be so weird for him.

“I know.” He was quiet for a moment. “I…heard everything. Well, maybe not everything but a lot. How you were here every day. How you told me some very embarrassing secrets about yourself. How you talked with Dustin.”

Tears were gathering in your eyes again when he told you what you had hoped. He had known he wasn’t alone all this time. You bit your bottom lip, trying to stop the tears from falling down your cheeks again.

The way he looked at you made you weak and God, you missed this.

“Knowing you were here every day, it made me fight even more. I wanted to come back to you, so badly.” Well, there goes your plan with not crying because those words had you bawling.

He looked at you so softly as he raised his arm, wiping the tears away with his thumb.

“You made it. You’re back,” you whispered between sobs, and he nodded at you. You didn’t even know if you said it to him or more to yourself.

“It’s going to be okay now.”

--------------------------------------

Everyone was so relieved to see him awake and talking, it warmed your heart. The next day you had immediately called his uncle who came by within a couple of minutes, dead tired but just wanting to see his nephew.

Briefly after that you called your friends and they barely fit into the room, bringing him balloons and flowers and all that shit he would normally hate.

Not now.

Now he was just happy to see everyone alive and happy for him. Well, except Max. He asked about her and Lucas took the time to explain. A pained expression was on Eddie’s face afterwards but then he said if he was able to wake up, she would too. You had also explained to him that the cops were not after him anymore, that everything was taken care of.

In the end, not much changed for you. You were still here day and night and didn't want to leave him alone. You were with him through all the treatments and tests he had to go through. He was always so exhausted at night, but you told him you were here for him, watching over him and nothing bad would ever happen to him again.

During the night he would wake you up from time to time. Not on purpose but it was the way his body jerked, how he whimpered and sometimes even screamed. When you finally asked him what all of that was about, he just went quiet for a long time.

“The bats. They follow me in my dreams. They rip me apart again every night,” he admitted, and you felt like crying for him. Of course, the bats. The trauma was sitting deep in his bones and mind, and you weren’t even sure how to handle that.

The next day you bought him a dreamcatcher and tied it above his bed.

“Isn’t that quite superstitious?” he asked you with a raised eyebrow, but you just stuck your tongue out.

“I chose it with love and love will keep the nightmares away, okay?”

In the end, they did. Or he simply started to come to terms with what had happened to him, but he woke you up not as often anymore and you wondered what he was dreaming about instead.

The first time he was able to take a shower he didn’t want you there and it hurt a little.

“You sure? Do you really want me to get an old nurse instead of sexy me to undress you?” you teased, and he groaned as he was sitting at the edge of his bed.

“I just…” He trailed off, running a hand through his greasy hair and you waited for him to finish, your hands on his legs. “I don’t want you to see.”

“See what?” you asked confused, you were quite sure you knew his body quite well at this point in your relationship.

“The scars,” he whispered and then it dawned on you. He was ashamed of all the bitemarks and scratches the bats left behind. It broke your heart to see him like that, thinking that it was something to be ashamed of.

You took his face in your hands and lifted it, so he had to look at you.

“Eddie Munson. I was here the whole time. I saw the bites turn into scars every time the nurses changed the bandages. I saw how infected they were and how they healed. They’re not something you need to hide from me,” you told him with a stern voice, and he smiled slightly at you.

“But they’re ugly and all over me. I hate them, I can’t even look at them,” he admitted before you kissed him, deeply, pouring all your love into it.

“They just prove how brave you were back then. They’re battle scars and that’s pretty metal if you ask me.” You grinned at him and then put your forehead against him. “They prove that you’re a hero. My hero.”

That was enough to make him get up from the bed and accept your help. You walked with him to the small shower in the bathroom, helping him out of the hospital clothes.

When you got a full look at his naked body for the first time, you realized how bad it actually was. Especially his stomach and chests were covered with bites and tiny claw marks but also his legs and arms, even a part of his neck. Scars that would never fade away.

“Don’t look at me like that, please,” he begged, and you noticed how he was watching you run your gaze over him while leaning against the cold tiles, his legs shaking a little.

“What do you mean?” you asked, and he shook his head.

“With pity,” he muttered, and you slightly hit his arm where you knew there were no wounds.

“I’m not looking at you with pity, Munson! I just haven’t seen your naked body in a long time,” you told him with a wink that made him laugh. “Can you stand alone?”

“I can try,” he replied but it was all too wobbly and not safe enough in your opinion.

It was a split second where you decided to get in with him, fully dressed, just holding him, and washing the places he couldn’t reach.

You made sure to touch every single scar on his body, wanting to show him that you weren’t disgusted by them or anything, placing kisses on the ones that you could reach with your mouth while holding him steady.

You weren’t quite sure because of the water pouring down on you but it looked like he was crying. Your heart broke for him, again. You couldn’t express the emotions that were truly inside of you because that would mean you had to explain your love for him and words were not enough for that.

He had been so innocent in all of this and yet, he had suffered the most next to Max. It wasn’t fair and if Vecna showed up again, you’d personally make sure to rip his head off.

“I need to get this covered,” he said as you walked out of the shower, drying him, and then shrugging out of your wet clothes.

You followed his gaze to his arm where he just looked at the bats and you nodded. He was shaking.

While he was asleep after the shower, you already started to draw a new motive, one that would cover it up well enough and had a meaning to you both.

He cried the next day when you showed it to him and you promised him, as soon as he was out of the hospital, you’d find someone to get new ink under his skin.

Recovery was a long and hard road for him. He even admitted that sometimes he just wanted to give up because everything hurt and he couldn’t do this anymore.

Every single time you reassured him that he had been strong enough to pull out of a coma after everything and he would sure as hell be strong enough to get back on his feet.

Even though he didn’t seem to see his own progress, you did. It was better every day. At some point he was even able to play D&D with you at the small table of his room, out of his bed. It was so good to see him as a Dungeon Master again, but you also noticed how he left out monsters he used to love simply because they reminded him of the Upside Down.

Eddie asked you multiple times how Hawkins looked, and it was so hard to explain to him without him being able to see it. You always said that it looked like hell, but you’d figure everything out and he should just focus on his recovery. Everyone would be safe. You needed to convince him as much as you needed to convince yourself with your words.

You knew that he was afraid that things were crawling out of the portals would hurt him again. He was terrified and you understood that; you would be too after everything he had endured. Hell, every normal person would be.

Weeks into his recovery, he started walking on his own again, without help, but wasn’t allowed to leave his room. Dustin had brought his Walkie Talkies so you could talk to each other whenever you went out to run an errand for him. As soon as his appetite had come back, he had been craving different things the hospital wouldn’t let him eat.

Sometimes it was pizza, sometimes just something small like pretzels. The nurses were adamant when it came to his diet, so you were basically smuggling all the different foods into his hospital room. Seeing how he devoured them with the appetite of a teenager during a growth spurt made it all worth it. It was a good sign.

He had been so slim and weak after the coma, him getting his weight and muscles back was such a wonderful thing to see.

When the doctors finally told him he would be released in a week you were ecstatic for him, but he seemed to be bothered by something.

“What’s wrong?” you asked him and tilted your head while he was just looking out of the window as soon as the doctors left.

“My uncle said he lives in a motel for free because he’s working for them after our trailer got ruined.” He sighed and turned to look at you. “I really don’t want to live in a motel.” A frustrated laugh left him, and he shook his head.

“Don’t worry,” you said and put a hand on his cheek. For a moment you pondered how to tell him until you grinned. “You’re going to live with me.”

He frowned at you, clearly confused. “With you?”

You nodded. “I talked to my parents. You can come live with us, your uncle too. They know how much you mean to me, and they also know your uncle is the only family you have left. He still needs some convincing but I’m sure if you ask him then he’ll agree.”

You saw how his brown eyes turned glassy, tears gathering in them.

“I love you so fucking much,” he said and leaned forward, placing a kiss on your lips. “I don’t know how I deserve all of this. Deserve you.”

You felt the little sting in your heart, despite everything that he did for you and the town, he still didn’t believe he deserved any of the good things that were happening to them.

“Because you’re a better man than you think you are,” you breathed against his lips, kissing him again before wrapping your arms around his neck. “And I love you more than anything, so please stop doubting yourself all the time.”

He and uncle moved in with you as soon as he was released from the hospital.

Eddie lived in your room with you, there was no other option you had accepted.

Wayne was offered the big guest room at the end of the hallway, but he chose the small bungalow out in your yard, not wanting to disturb family life too much, just grateful to have a normal roof over his head. He promised to get himself a new trailer as soon as he had the money, but your parents just smiled at that. They would let him live in the bungalow as long as he needed to.

The first night you shared your bedroom with Eddie was also the first night he made you his again. It was slow and full of love, and it made you cry. In the end, you had to take the lead because it was too much for him, but it was all worth it. Just his hands on your naked skin and him inside of you proved how right you had been about staying with him during all those months. He made you feel so alive.

Afterwards you let your fingers run over all his scars again and again like you had done during the last few weeks too. It had been a slow and long process but now he was slowly starting to accept them. They were a part of him and his history and one day, he’d be proud of them, you were sure.

The next day you woke up early to prepare a few things. When you came back to the room, he was still asleep.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” you whispered into his ear before biting his earlobe softly.

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled and turned away from you, but you just laughed, ruffling his hair a little until he looked at you.

“I’ve got a surprise.” A big grin was on your lips and your words got his attention.

“What is it?” he asked, sitting up and letting out a big yawn while stretching.

“Remember I promised that as soon as you’re out of the hospital, we’re getting those covered?” you nodded at his arm where he wore a bandage around the bats. He kept the bandage on because he couldn’t stand to see the bats. “I found someone, and we can visit them right away.”

His whole face lit up and he basically jumped at you, tackling you to the bed with joy.

During the whole procedure, he didn’t look at his arm once until the tattoo artist told him that it was done. The beautiful new motive was covering the bats and he had to hold back tears, making you emotional too.

“I love it,” he said and smiled at the inked man in front of him before turning to you. “And I love you.”

“I love you too,” you told him.

As you were making your way back to your place, he couldn’t stop staring at it. All the weeks before, he couldn’t even look at his arm and now he couldn’t take his eyes off.

“It’s fucking perfect,” he muttered, and you smiled at him before taking his wrist, making him stop in his tracks.

“No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you,” you told him, and you didn’t even know why you had the urge to tell him this now. It just felt right. “No matter if Vecna comes back or what the portals are going to do, I’ll always be by your side.”

He smiled widely at you before stepping into your personal space, pulling you into a strong hug. “And I’ll always protect you, no matter what.”

The words were sweet but also hurt at the same time. The last time he protected you and the rest of the gang, he almost died. You couldn’t go through this again.

“Just promise me you won’t leave me behind. The next time I want to stay with you, let me. I don’t want to be separated from you again,” you choked out, a single tear rolling down your cheek.

He winced a little at your words but nodded. You had told him before that you were mad at him for running out of the trailer like that, basically trying to sacrifice his life.

You had told him that there was no shame in running, repeating his words from a lifetime ago.

“We’ll face that fucker together, I promise,” he whispered into the crook of your neck, placing a soft kiss there. “There’s no way I’ll let go of your hand again.”

Your heart skipped a beat, and you couldn’t stop the rest of the tears escaping.

You’d love this man until your last day.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfiction #stranger things #hurt/comfort #canon divergent #fix it

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eddiesmxse · 2 years

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Though I predicted Eddie’s death considering the duffer brothers are too pussy to kill off any of their main characters so they just bring in new (and always) beloved characters to kill off.

Eddie’s death is the worst I’ve seen in Stranger Things period.

I get what they were doing with the “I’m a coward but not anymore” bullshit they tried to pull but all of Eddie’s running is totally TOTALLY fucking valid. He’s 20 witnessing one of his peers float in his trailer and start snapping bones out of nowhere and then DIE right in front of his face. I would run too the fuck?! Now he knows he’s being hunted by the damn town and those fuckface jocks, another time he’s valid for running. HE DID NOTHING WRONG. Then the demobats get introduced, girl I don’t even wanna talk about that shit cause it’s so fucking corny my god.

He didn’t need to prove he was a hero bc he was the minute he agreed to going with the Hawkins crew to the gate. The second he jumped into the lake and going through the portal, helping Robin and Nancy save Steve. The moment he got on that damn trailer and played his little metal heart out to distract those stupid ass bats.

It was a cheap and easy way out and knowing it was the duffer brothers who worked on the last 2 episodes makes so much sense. Pretty sure they didn’t know how to deal with Eddie going back to Hawkins with the whole town after him so they just decided to kill him off but whatever.

Ps || That two day time skip was such a stupid fucking thing to do. Just so EASY. Everything they did was EASY. Rip Eddie Munson, you would’ve loved hot topic and the back part of Spencers

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #stranger things #eddiemunson #eddie munson x y/n #st4 #eddie stranger things #joseph quinn #stranger things season 4 #stranger things volume 2 #stranger things spoilers #Hawkins #strangerthings #fuck the duffer brothers #kill your main characters for once you freaks

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strickland527 · 2 years

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Jonathan Byers

So I’m gonna come back and dip my toes in the stranger things fandom for a hot second here, as I’ve binged the show with the kids (who love it).

I keep reading on here that Jonathan has “regressed” as a character (especially compared to Steve as that’s who Jonathan is always compared to) this season and I kinda wanna know what show these people are watching? Look, the Duffers aren’t especially great or especially subtle writers, but Jonathan DOES have a solid arc in season 4, certainly compared to seasons 2/3. And he has a larger arc across the series.

Steve’s arc is simple: become a better and less selfish person. Stip being an asshole. And he does it with aplomb. It’s easy to see the growth from season to season.

Jonathan’s arc is more complex: he’s already a pretty good guy and about as selfless a character that exists on the show when it starts. Instead, he’s gotta become less solitary, less walled off, less “acting like he’s all alone in the world”. Because as Joyce says, he’s not.

But that’s a process for Jonathan. Season one ends with him going from no friends outside of his brother, to one friend. Nancy. Now there’s a whole other post about that relationship, but needless to say as season two starts, Jonathan is talking to an actual person in school about stuff. He walks the halls with Nancy talking about plans and smiling. Compared to the only school scene in season one he has where no one talks to him, Nancy aside, and he leaves after placing a poster on the wall.

Season three is mainly about the relationship with Nancy. How it deepens and grows, how they challenge each other and push each other. But even in a season where he doesn’t grow much, Jonathan is still shown opening up more. His argument with Nancy is revealing about his fears, his role in his family and shows a kid who’s had to eat a lot of shit in life to provide for his family. The scars slowly open and get some sunlight.

Which brings us to season four. Jonathan is thousands of miles from Nancy and on his own. He’s smoking pot (good for him, he needs it) and, most importantly, has an actual friend. That he has actual conversations about his future and his past and his feelings with. Jonathan Byers is actually sharing his feelings with people. He’s opening up to someone other than Nancy. He’s literally progressing as a character.

Jonathan is literally coming out of the shell that circumstance and Lonnie beat him into. He’s also freed of a huge amount of responsibility now that his mother has a good job and he’s not required to work to help pay the bills. So he gets stoned a lot. And again, good for him. This kid hasn’t had much of a childhood. He didn’t get to “act like teenagers” as Steve once put it, because he couldn’t. He had too much responsibility.

But even as a stoner, he’s still not “regressing”. Dude applied to a community college and got into it. He’s gonna graduate high school. He’s welcomed Eleven into his family, considers her his “sister”. And before he does all that, he’s gonna get a little high as the season opens and ignore the looming responsibility.

But he’s Jonathan Byers, so he can’t ignore it for long. He senses Will’s emotional turmoil brewing as the season opens. And eventually he acts on that turmoil, in a way that his brother desperately needed. It’s the picture of him and Nancy that spurs him on, essentially setting the Cali crew’s escape and eventual rescue of Eleven into motion. He’s pushed (yet again) into a position of leadership and responsibility and he takes it on.

Yes, there’s still things with Nancy to work out because the show isn’t particularly well written and the writers wanna milk out the drama the triangle brings, but even then he’s seen facing the horror of what’s coming with the rest of his family, (the family that’s at the heart of the entire story) hand in hand with Nancy.

Jonathan HAS progressed as a character. It’s not really subtle at all. He’s becoming a more open and social person. Compared to where he started it’s a massive improvement. And it’s progress. It’s just not the obvious kind of Steve Harrington progress so it gets ignored and swept aside. Which is a shame.

#stranger things #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #steve harrington #i just think he's a good dude that the fandom shits on for some reason #am i back on this hellsite?#maybe for a little while i guess

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nervousgardenerkid · 2 years

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Welcome to the final show

a/n: holy shit oh my god it's DONE😭😭i honestly can't believe it holy shit and yes i ended it on another cliffhanger!! if the duffer brothers can do it then so can i LMAO i really hope you guys enjoy this and are happy with how it ended cause honestly i am lol credit to the gif owner! <3

part one | part two | part three

You should be amazed right now. The way Eddie is killing it on the guitar is absolutely phenomenal but given the circumstances, you can't find it in yourself to enjoy the free show. You look over at Dustin feeling yourself ease up a bit when you see him nodding his head along to the music. Your eyes fall back onto the empty street in front of you and you can't help but worry about each and every one of your friends. Having this plan in action meant Max was currently under Vecna’s curse. It meant that Nancy, Steve, and Robin were stepping foot into the creel house.

Your hands tighten around the bat you're holding when you see Dustin look into his binoculars. They're coming, and the horrible gut feeling you have has yet to disappear. If anything, it's gotten worse.

“Guys!” Dustin shouts over the loud music. You and Eddie are quick to look his way making sure he was okay.

“Lockdown in t-minus thirty seconds!”

Eddie nods his head and your eyes fall back onto the sky when you hear the all too familiar screech of the bats. You don't usually pray, you don't even consider yourself a religious person but right now, in this very moment, you find yourself praying to God that everyone is okay and that they're going to be okay.

“T-minus 20!” Dustin shouts.

You close your eyes and take deep breaths trying to ease the nerves that are overpowering you. An adrenaline rush would be very appreciated right now.

“Ten seconds!”

Your eyes shoot open and it feels like a hundred things are happening all at once.

“Five!”

Five seconds left. How the fuck are there already five seconds left?! You find yourself shaking your head. No, no this isn't right. You guys shouldn't be here, none of you should be here.

“One!”

It's like your brain goes on autopilot. The three of you were quick to jump off of the roof and onto the truck that was parked on the side trailer.

“Move, move!” Eddie shouted.

“Let's go!” You shouted.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Dustin shouted while running as fast as he could to open the gate. The three of you fell into the entrance out of breath and terrified.

“Shut it, Eddie! Shut it!”

The gate is slammed shut and Eddie locks it before a bat throws itself against the gate trying to get to you all.

“Get inside, hurry!” you shouted while opening the trailer door. Once you saw everyone was inside you slammed the door shut and leaned against it with your eyes closed. The only thing that could be heard was everyone panting to catch their breath and the screeching from outside.

“Dude,” Dustin rasped out. “Most. Metal. EVER!” he shouted while jumping up and down with Eddie.

Their screams mixed with each other and even though you all could've died, you couldn't help but smile at the two boys letting loose. The three of you jump when the screeches get louder and you hear the bats start to crawl up in the ceiling. Your backs are all pressed against each other as you start to circle the room, then you're met with silence. The screeches and banging come to a halt and you feel Dustin and Eddie relax a bit, but you know better.

“Hey, dipshits!” Dustin shouts. “Give up that easy, huh?”

Eddie shushes him and you shake your head.

“Is that really necessary?!” Eddie whispered aggressively.

You hear banging on the ceiling return and your eyes shoot up to find the source.

“They're on the roof.” You said while looking up, your eyes following wherever the bat was crawling.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Dustin whispered.

The three of you walk forward following wherever the bat was, then you see it. There's a vent on the roof. Your heart drops to your stomach and you push Dustin behind you.

“They can't get through there, can they?”

As if answering his question the bat pushes the small vent cover out and screeches at you before trying to come in. Eddie and Dustin are quick to use their spears and stab away at the two bats that were fighting their way in through the small hole.

“Die! Die! DIE!”

You watch with wide eyes as Eddie and Dustin try their best to stop the small creatures trying to get in the trailer.

“Y/n! We could use your help here!” Dustin shouted.

Finally snapping out of it, you look around the room quickly and an idea pops into your head when you see one of the shields next to a small dining chair.

“Move, move, move!” you shouted while grabbing the shield and dragging the chair below the small vent. As soon as Eddie and Dustin see you step onto the chair they move the spears and watch as you slam the shield into the ceiling. You hold the shield there for a second before you drop your hands to your side and let out a sigh of relief when it stays put.

“Smart.” Dustin pants out. You look toward him and shake your head.

“You just had to torment them?!”

Eddie chuckles at Dustin who's now looking down at his feet.

“I thought we won.”

You jump down from the chair and grab the bat that you abandoned.

“We don't win till we're all together again. Let's just hope everyone else is doing okay too.”

Steve grunted as he landed on one foot trying his best to avoid the hive mind. Stealthy like a ninja Steve he thought to himself. He grabs onto the railing of the stairs where vines aren't wrapped around and makes his way to where vecna could be. He heard robin grunting and panting behind him and he was praying that she doesn't stumble on her own feet. Once the three of them were on top of the stairs they grabbed their weapons and got ready to walk in.

Before they could even take a step the house begins to shake and Steve is quick to reach out and grab Nancy. The three of them stumble around trying to stand still and not disturb the hive mind. Once the shaking stopped Steve looked over at Robin and Nancy, a sigh of relief leaving his lips when he saw they were both okay. Robin lets out a sigh and looks at Steve before she hears something slither against the floor. All eyes fall to the floor and they freeze when they see something wrap around Robin’s ankle.

Robin screams when she gets pulled to the floor and is held against the wall. Before she has time to process what's going on her wrists are tied and pinned down and she can't ignore the cold feeling that's on her neck.

“Steve!” she shouts out. “Nancy!”

Nancy is quick to hit the vines that are wrapping around Robin with the end of her shotgun, and soon Steve joins in and tries to slice them away from his best friend. He slams his axe into one of the tentacles and pulls it out getting ready to put it back, but instead, he feels himself getting pulled away. He turns around and sees his axe trying to get ripped away from his grasp. Steve tries his hardest to pull his axe back to him but he reluctantly lets go when he feels himself getting lifted into the air.

His hands fly to the tentacle that's wrapped around his neck and he swings his feet trying to kick away the vines that want to wrap themselves around him. A gasp leaves Nancy but she can't even wrap her head around what's happening because she falls to the floor fighting the tentacle that's trying to bring her the same fate her friends may be facing. Nancy tried several times to reach for the gun that fell out of her hands but it was no use. Soon she feels herself being pinned to the wall and watches in horror as her friends start gasping for air with her.

Steve has come close to death many times, but each time was different. He doesn't want to sound cocky but he was pretty positive that he'd make it out alive back then, but now? Now it's different. Now, Steve is fighting for his life trying to find a fresh breath of air. His mind suddenly thinks about you. You were always a fresh breath of air to Steve but he fucked all of that up now, there's no way you'd go near him even if you had a six-foot-long pole. He was supposed to fix everything between you two. He was planning on apologizing and slowly start to pick up the pieces of your semi-broken relationship, but now he can't.

He fights against the strength of the tentacles that are holding him down. If he could break out of them and rip off the ones that had held onto his neck, then he'll be fine. He could save Robin and Nancy and everyone could get the hell out of here and be fine, but he can't. Steve can't break out of the vines, he can't fix your relationship, and he can't breathe. He just hopes you're doing a lot better than he is right now.

“Are there any other vents?” Dustin asked while looking at Eddie.

“Shit,” he whispers before he's running to a corner of the trailer to open the door to one of the rooms. You and Dustin are quick to follow him and scream when multiple bats break through the small vent that was on the floor. Eddie shouts at you both to get back before he slams the door. You're all eyeing the door with caution, weapons ready in your hand for when they break through.

“That's not gonna hold!” You shouted.

“Let's go!” Dustin shouted while standing under the gate.

You crouch down and link your fingers together to give Dustin a small boost to climb up.

“Eddie go!”

Eddie shakes his head. His sight leaves the door for a second to look at you.

“I'll go after you! Go!”

You stand next to the makeshift rope for a second, dropping your bat onto the floor as your heart sinks into your stomach. He isn't coming. You think to yourself.

“Y/n c’mon! What are you waiting for?!” Dustin shouted up at you. You look up at the gate and back at Eddie.

“Promise me you're coming!”

“Of course, I'm coming! I'm not gonna die here!”

That's all you needed to hear before you start climbing up to Dustin, a grunt leaving your mouth when you fall face-first onto the mattress. You roll off of it and join Dustin to get ready for Eddie.

“Eddie c’mon!” he shouts. Eddie drops his things on the floor and grabs onto the sheets that are waiting for him. He starts to climb but stops halfway up. You start to shake your head slowly when you see him turn to look at the door the bats are behind.

“Eddie! C’mon, let's go!” Dustin shouts again.

He's not coming. He's not coming. He's not coming. This is the only thought running through your head right now.

“Eddie you're so close! Let's go!” Dustin is screaming as loud as he can, he knows Eddie can hear him, he's just not listening. Eddie falls back down onto the mattress and is looking up at you and Dustin with wide eyes.

I'm sorry. He wants to say, but his eyes are saying it for him. He looks back at the door and you see him leave for a split second. Before you can even register what you're doing, you grab onto the sheets only stopping when you feel Dustin grab onto your shirt.

“No! I am not losing the two most important people to me! You're staying here!”

You laugh. It's the only thing that you can do without showing how fucking scared you are right now.

“I’m telling Steve that Eddie and I are the two most important people to you.”

Then, you start to climb. Dustin is shouting for you to stay but you can't hear him. You see Eddie standing with the spear Erica and Lucas worked on and you start to climb faster when you realize that Eddie planned on cutting sheets. Eddie moves fast to cut them, but you move faster and fall through the gate just as the spear slices through the cloth.

“Are you two fucking insane?!” Dustin shouts at you two. You jump off the mattress and shove Eddie's chest.

“What the fuck is your problem?! Why the hell are you trying to sacrifice yourself?!”

The banging and scratching on the other side of the door are getting louder.

“There's a time and a place for questions but right now isn't a good time!” Eddie shouts.

“What the hell are you two doing?!” Dustin asks in a shaky voice. You look up at him and feel your heart break when you see tears falling from his eyes.

“Eddie, stop! Stop it, Eddie! What are you doing?! Tell me!” He begs as Eddie flips over the mattress that you landed on seconds ago. Eddie’s eyes lock on yours and it's like you two are having a conversation without saying anything at all. You grab the bat that you abandoned a while ago and Eddie grabs the shield.

“I'm buying more time.”

Eddie grabs your hand and starts to run to the front door of the trailer, Dustin’s protests being the last thing you hear before the bats overpower him. You and Eddie get onto the bikes that were left in his front yard and start pedaling to God knows where. Your legs feel like they're on fire and you're too scared to look back to see how far away you are from the bats. You're guessing they're not too far behind you because you can still hear their screeches as clear as day. Eddie glances behind you two and pedals even faster than before.

“Motherfucker.” you groaned before speeding up next to him.

“Come get me you sons of bitches!” he shouts.

God, he's just as bad as Dustin is. You let out a yelp when a bat swoops down at you trying to knock you over. You chuckle when it misses but stop when you see Eddie get knocked down. You stop pedaling, throw the bike down, and sprint over to him to help him up. Your hands are holding onto each other tightly as you both start printing away from the bats. You feel your arm get tugged on and you stop running to look back at Eddie.

“What are you doing?!” you pant out. “We need to run!”

Eddie looks back at the bats and shakes his head. “We'll never make it. We need to fight, no more running.”

You let go of his hand and grab your bat that was slung over your shoulder, lifting it to get ready to swing at whatever was coming your way.

“What happened to not being heroes?”

Eddie grabs his spear and shield. He's standing next to you and throws a smile your way before looking at the bats that were coming your way.

“Plans change.”

Eddie lifts his shield in front of him and wraps his arm around your waist to bring you close. Before you can ask what he’s doing the both of you are screaming as the shield blocks you from the bats that are flying toward you at full speed. Once they stop, you and Eddie are back to back watching as they swarm around you both.

“We're trapped,” Eddie said while looking around trying to find an opening.

You open your mouth to say something but stop when you see a bat flying toward you.

“Step back!” you shout as you swing at the bat. You try not to gag when you feel some blood splatter on you and swing at the bat again once it is on the floor. You and Eddie let out grunts and screams every time you hit a bat, your arms feel like they're on fire and you can't tell your left from your right because of all the quick spins you're doing.

“Come on!” Eddie shouts at the bats.

“What the fuck,” you grunt while hitting a bat. “Is up with you and Dustin tormenting these things?!”

Eddie turns in your direction to answer you but stops when he feels something wrap around his ankle and drag him to the floor.

“Shit!” you shout while swinging at the bat. Eddie kicks it away from him and stands back up hitting them away with the spear.

“Stupid,” hit. “Fucking,” hit. “Bats!” hit. You raise your bat high to hit the screeching animal but stop when you see an opening in the swarm. It's small, but if you time it right, you're pretty sure one of you can get through it.

Don't be a hero. You hear Steve's voice in your head.

Don't be a hero.

Don't be a hero. Please.

You shove Eddie out of the circle the bats have made around you and smile when you see him tumble through the other side unharmed. You hear a screech from your left and get ready to swing when you feel your bat get yanked out of your hands. You turn around trying to find where it went but then you fall to the ground. You sit up and see a bat’s tail wrapped around your ankle. You kick at it with one foot but scream when a bat wraps itself around you, before you know it your arms are pinned down and you can hear Eddie screaming your name. You open your mouth to tell him to stop and go find the others but all that comes out of your mouth is a gasp.

You feel a tail wrap around your neck and tighten. You squirm around trying to break free from everything but stop when you feel a sharp pain on both of your sides.

You let out a cry and thrash around trying to shake them off of you.

“Eddie?! Y/n?!” Dustin shouted.

You were dying. You had to be, there was no way Dustin managed to get back into the upside down.

“Dustin!” Eddie grunted out. He took his spear out of the bat he hit and looked over at you.

“I'm gonna get him! You'll be okay, I'll be back!” Eddie knew you weren't listening, he's not sure why he told you where he was going. Maybe because he felt like you'd fight harder that way, but you didn't. You got tired, and you got tired fast. The grip on your neck was getting tighter by the minute and your vision was getting spotty. You tried your best to keep your eyes open but with every new wave of pain, you felt your eyes stay shut as you screamed in pain.

Then, it stopped. The bats that were flying around you fell to the ground, and the tight grips that were holding onto you finally loosened up. You gasp for air and cough a bit, wincing from the pain you felt on your sides. Quiet screams left your mouth as you pressed one hand on your side to place some pressure on your wound, but you were too tired to keep it there. Your breathing is rapid and unsteady as you look into the inter-dimensional sky, gasping when a flash of red appears. You fight to keep your eyes open trying not to scare Eddie for whenever he comes back, you figured he wouldn't appreciate another scaring memory to keep him awake at night.

“Five minutes,” you whisper to yourself. “Just…close ‘em for five minutes.”

Steve feels his eyes widen as he gasps for air and falls to the ground. He, Nancy, and Robin were all coughing as they gasped trying to catch their breaths while standing. They watched as the tentacles that were wrapped around them slithered down the stairs

“I don't believe in a higher power or divine intervention. But that was a miracle.” Robin panted out. The three of them stood tall as they turned around facing the door that Vecna was behind.

“Then we better not waste it.” Nancy said while taking a step forward.

“Phase four.” Steve said.

“Flambé.”

The three of them walk into the room, hands on their weapons ready for a fight. Vecna is in his “resting” state and the three of them stare up at him with determined eyes. Steve grabs a glass bottle from his bag and places the rag over the fire from the lighter he had stashed in his pocket. When he saw the rag was on fire he lifted his arm and threw the bottle at vecna, his hand going in front of his face to block the debris that came his way. Vecna let out a scream as his body went up in flames and fell to the ground, catching himself a bit as he looked up at the three of them.

Steve was thankful he was the first person to throw. He's frozen in his spot as vecna begins to stand up and slowly walk toward them. Robin flicks the lighter that's in her hand, lighting the rag as Steve did before and throwing it toward vecna. They watched from behind their hands as the bottle hit his arm and made him stumble back from them. Nancy acts fast and aims the shotgun at vecna and takes a step toward him. Vecna stands tall as he watches Nancy come forward and pull the trigger, shooting him in the arm. He grunts out in pain and steps back from the impact of the bullet as Nancy cocks her gun and aims for him again. The bullet flies into his stomach causing him to stumble back some more, she cocks the gun again and aims for his other shoulder.

When the bullet hits him he stumbles onto the window behind him, catching himself on the window sill he turns around to face Nancy. Nancy cocks her gun one more time as vecna stands tall and lets out a scream. Steve and Robin hold on tight to their weapons getting ready to help Nancy whenever she needs it. He begins to take some steps toward her as she aims the gun at him again. She pulls the trigger one last time and watches as the bullet hits him in his stomach once more and sends him flying out the window. The group runs toward the window and watch as his body hits the roof on the way down. They quickly run downstairs to check and make sure they actually beat vecna, but when they were outside his body was gone. They looked around them with wide eyes trying to find any clue as to where he went but they were greeted with nothing.

“No way.” Robin panted out. “There's…there's no way- Nance?”

Nancy was shaking her head. “I don't…I don't understand. What happened?!”

Then they heard the chimes. Their posture stiffens and they all look at each other silently questioning if they all heard that. Another chime sounded off and they all ran into the creel house stopping in front of the clock by the time of the fourth chime.

“Four chimes,” Robin said while looking back at Nancy and Steve.

“Max.” Nancy panted out.

Steve’s heart stopped as soon as the name left Nancy’s lips. Before Steve could process what happened, the house began to shake again. The three of them stumbled around trying to find something to hold onto for balance, they expected the shaking to stop soon but it never did. The world kept shaking and the chimes kept going. The three of them latched onto the railing, trying their best to stay steady but not even that helped. Eventually, the shaking stopped and it was only then that the three of them had the same thought running through their mind.

This might be a fight they can't win.

You're not sure how long your eyes were closed, you're guessing it was longer than you expected because you hear Eddie's feet come to a stop when he sees you on the floor.

“Shit, shit, shit!”

“Oh my god. Is- is she dead?!”

Your eyes shoot open at the sound of Dustin’s voice and a sigh of relief leaves their lips.

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie mumbles while sitting on his knees next to you. “We thought you were a goner.”

You gently shake your head and look over at him. “Gonna…gonna take more than bats eating my flesh to get rid of me.” you slurred out. Dustin feels tears begin to form and he limps his way over to you, helping Eddie as he lays your head on his lap.

“How the hell did Dustin get here?”

Dustin wipes his tears away and clears his throat.

“I uh, I jumped through the gate. Pretty sure I broke my ankle or something.”

You hum and reach out to grab his hand, forgetting that your hand was painted with your blood.

“‘S okay dusty. You're strong, y-you'll heal up fast.” you feel heavy, like there's weights on top of you, and you're too tired to take them off.

“Hey, hey keep your eyes open sweetheart,” Eddie says while grabbing your face to make you look at him.

“It's bad, isn't it?”

“No, no you're gonna be fine y/n! We just have to get you to the others!”

You shake your head and don't even bother to try and hold back your tears.

“I told you. I had a bad feeling about this.” you whimpered out.

“Hey, you're gonna be fine. We just have to get you up.” Eddie grunted out while getting ready to carry you.

You shake your head trying to stop him, the position he had you in making you more uncomfortable.

“Eddie, stop.”

“Y/n you gotta let him, please.”

“Ow- Eddie stop, it hurts,” you grunted out while pushing yourself away from him. You let out a sigh and shake your head.

“Just…just give me…a minute,” you mumbled while closing your eyes.

Eddie squeezes his eyes shut and opens them again hoping this is some kind of nightmare. Maybe if he thought hard enough, the scene in front of him would change and everything would be okay when he woke up, but this wasn't a dream. This was real life and you were dying right in front of him.

“Why the fuck did you sacrifice yourself?!” he whispered while pushing some hair out of your face.

“It's your year, Munson. Wasn't gonna let it go to waste.”

“That doesn't mean you-”

“It was either you or me.”

Dustin nudges your arm lightly.

“Hey, open your eyes.”

“‘M tired.” you slurred out while trying to open your eyes but were unsuccessful.

Eddie tries picking you up again, his heart falling into his stomach when you don't try fighting him like before. You're getting weaker, they both know it.

“Hey,” Eddie grunted out while standing to his feet with you in his arms. “We still have that concert. Don't even think about leaving me to go alone.”

Dustin unties the bandana that's around his head and places it on your side hoping it'll help even just a little bit.

“Steve.”

“What?” Dustin asks while leaning onto the spear for balance.

“Take Steve. H-he’s…he's gonna need a friend.”

“Steve has friends,” Eddie said while trying his best not to move you around as he made his way to the trailer quickly.

You shake your head. “Take him. Please.”

“Okay, I'll take him.”

“P-promise?”

Eddie sniffles and nods his head only to realize you can't see him cause you still have your eyes closed.

“I promise sweetheart.”

That was the last thing you remember before you were embraced by the cold quiet darkness that engulfed you. You're not sure how long you were out, but you certainly didn't expect to wake up in a hospital room with Nancy humming a soft tune. Your eyes flutter open and you squint from the bright white lights that were in your room.

“Ow…” you groan out while your hand falls to your sides. You look under the gown and see your midsection wrapped up in bandages.

“O-oh my god! You're alive!” Nancy exclaimed while setting down the book she was reading.

You wince from the sudden loudness and smile at her. “I hope so.”

“This is- holy shit. I'm gonna grab a nurse! I'll be back!”

She runs out of the room and into the hall leaving you alone in your hospital room. You look around the room smiling when you see balloons and a card that says get well soon, but that's not what catches your eye. On the small table beside you is a Tears for Fears t-shirt and on top of that is a polaroid of Eddie and Steve at the concert.

“I see you got your shirt.”

Your eyes quickly follow the voice that came from the door and you feel yourself smile when you see Steve leaning against the doorway.

“You're alive.” you breathed out.

“You're alive,” he said while walking toward the small chair Nancy was in earlier and taking a seat. “Jesus, I thought we lost you back there.”

You clear your throat and shake your head. Steve grabs the small cup of water near you and brings the straw to your mouth, smiling when he sees how fast you're drinking.

“How's Dustin? What about Eddie and Robin? Are they okay? Have you heard from Max and-”

Steve shushes you and places the back of his hand on your forehead.

“Easy there, tiger. You just woke up, take one step at a time.”

“I need to know if my friends are okay, especially Max, Lucas, and Erica.”

“Lucas and Erica are fine.”

Your blood runs cold. “And max?”

Steve avoids eye contact with you.

“Steve, how's max?”

“Let's just wait for the doctor to get here, okay?”

Tears start to form and your gaze falls to your hands that are resting in your lap.

“Oh.”

Steve grabs your hand and places a kiss on the back of it.

“Listen, there are some things we need to talk about.”

“Like what?” you whisper.

Steve sighs. “You know what.”

“I- are you really trying to talk about the fight right now?”

“No! I'm just…I’m saying we need to talk about it.”

“Oh my god, Steve there's more to life than us right now!”

“Not to me!” he said loudly. He lets out a deep sigh. “Not to me.”

You open your mouth to say something but stop when you hear a boom of thunder from outside. Your eyes look at the window and you furrow your brows as you watch the world outside get darker.

“Help me up,” you say while tossing the blankets off.

“What?”

“Help me up.”

Steve rushes to your side and helps you out of the bed.

“Jesus, where are you go…” he trails off when he helps you walk to the window and sees what you're seeing.

White things float in the air, something that can easily be mistaken for snow but it's not. You know in your soul that it's not snow, you've seen snow before but you've also seen this.

“Is that…?” Steve asks quietly.

Your breathing gets rapid and your heart is pounding out of your chest. No, no. It can't be. Your hand tightly holds Steve's shirt as you watch a small crowd gather in front of the hospital but then you see something worse.

Plants and trees that surround the hospital start dying before your very eyes, but that's not even the worst part. There's smoke. Huge black clouds of smoke start to fill the once bright sky of Hawkins and along with it are familiar flashes of red.

“Did you guys ever see Vecna’s dead body?”

“I-i don't know…”

You nod your head. You understand now. The “earthquakes”, Max not being okay, the all too familiar darkness, the white specs in the air. You knew, you knew that you lost the battle, and the war is just getting started.

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#stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader #stranger things blurb #stranger things angst #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington angst #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson angst

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bippot · 2 years

Text

Summary: Eddie Munson needs some encouragement to want to graduate and his best friend is more than willing to give it to him. Or, not give it to him. That's a more accurate description.

Tags: Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Competition, Fluff and Smut, Non-Penetrative Sex, Trauma, Eddie Munson Lives, fuck the duffer brothers

Music Recommendation: Eddie My Love by The Chordettes

Stranger Things, Eddie Munson Masterlist - here

Being held back two years is not something Eddie is particularly proud of. Okay? Sure, it's kind of his fault. Sleeping through tests is a great way to fail them. So is scribbling pentagrams on the back of the piece of paper. Yeah, it also didn't help that he may have skipped a few too.

Still, he wanted to graduate. He was going to graduate. He was certain of it, despite what others may have said to him.

When something is said to you once, you can brush it off. Twice? Maybe you'll think about it for a day. But, when something is said constantly, you start to internalise it.

Oh fuck. He's never going to graduate. That's what everyone else says. Some days the words get to him. Other days they break him. Today was a bad day.

And that's why he walked into the mall and straight to Merry-Go-Round because that's where Y/N worked, and Y/N would make him feel better.

The mall was busy. Crowded. So many voices chattering, and people jostling. It was overwhelming. It was loud. It was a humongous mess of people and food and capitalism.

He scanned the floor for Y/N. She was easy to spot in the bright uniform they forced her to wear. If he didn't know better, he would have said she looked bored as she sung a little song to herself. But, that couldn't be right because Y/N was never bored. Or, maybe she was never bored when he was around.

She was standing with her back to him, mindlessly folding clothes that annoying customers had messed up. It was perfect. She'd never see his attack coming. Tip-toeing silently until he was close enough to wrap his arms around her waist from behind, he lifted her up off the ground and cheered, "I've caught her. The one stealing, I've caught her."

"Eddie, put me down," she chastised, playfully slapping his arm. She let out a squeal when he spun her around so he was in front of her. "You're such a dork, Edward."

No shit. Everyone knew that.

"Yeah, proud to be," he said, shrugging. He let her go, but kept his hands on her waist, just in case. Not because he liked touching her. No. Definitely not. But, he felt a need to feel connected to her at this moment. He needed it today. "When does your shift end?"

"In, like, half an hour," she said, looking down at the clothes to avoid eye contact. He was agitated. She could feel it in his fingertips, in the way they curled and curled tighter and tighter around her waist. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy," he replied in a sing-song voice, exaggerating his smile and running a hand through his hair. That was his thing. Making strange noises to make her think he was okay when he was, in fact, far from it. "I've been thinking."

"Oh, that's never a good thing," she joked. She smiled, hoping to take his mind off whatever was making him act so weird. Well, weirder. "What's got you thinking?"

"You," he replied quickly, as if he were trying to reassure her. "And, you know how you used to be like really good at school without even trying much and maybe, if you want to and have time, just maybe, you might teach me how to do that."

Y/N laughed. It was sweet. Nothing like what she thought he was going to say. She was flattered that he wanted her to teach him, but she didn't have a clue whether she could teach him or not. Despite everything, he was really smart. He just never gave a shit before. How do you teach someone to give a shit?

It was moments like this that she wished he wasn't so cute. Immediately giving in, she walked to the back office, grabbed her stuff and yelled to her colleague, "James, stop hot boxing the supply room. I've got a family emergency, so get out onto the floor."

Technically, she was his superior so he had to do what she said. Whether he would or not was another thing. Not that she really cared.

On her way back to Eddie, she noticed the bowl of fabric patches by the cash register and held up an ABBA one. "Want it to add to your collection?"

"Never in a million years." He rolled his eyes and shook his head dramatically, waiting for her to reach him before he opened the door for her, playfully bowing as she passed. "Come on, we need to get to yours before I turn to stone."

"Shut up. You're such a drama queen."

"Did you walk to work?"

"You know I don't have a car."

Soon they were at Y/N's house. She grabbed some food whilst he made himself comfortable in her room. When she walked in, he had taken his jacket and shoes off, and had flopped face first onto her bed. With a chuckle, she sat against the headboard and waited for him to look up, to meet her eyes with his. As soon as he did, he noticed the necco wafers in her hand and opened his mouth for her to feed him one, which she did with a smile.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong or am I going to have to keep feeding you?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"You know what I mean," she said, narrowing her eyes. She placed another necco wafer in his mouth. Maybe bribing him with food would work. It usually did.

Instead of answering, he manoeuvred so he was sitting in front of her, in the space between her legs, leaning back on her chest. His face went serious and, although he tried to hide it, she could tell by the set of his jaw that he was agitated. And by the way he took the packet from her hand and set it on the duvet next to them so he could fiddle with the rings on her hand, she could tell he was nervous.

Most people see the metalhead exterior and think Eddie's a big, tough guy. That is not true. Everyone who knows him is fully aware of how much of a softie he is. But, only Y/N gets to see how clingy he is. Especially when something is bothering him. He'd always been like this. For as long as she'd known him. For as long as she'd been his friend. In public, it's all dumb jokes and wild gestures, but as soon as he's alone and feeling shitty, he turns into a complete mess. A bundle of nerves and self doubt.

Another thing about Eddie that only Y/N knew was that he's like a cat. He pretends to hate all the touchy feely shit, but as soon as her hand finds that one spot just left of the nape of his neck and softly scratches it, he turns to mush. His brain goes blank and his worries float away for a moment. And now, that's what he needed. So, that's exactly what she did.

She found the spot and gently grazed the area with her nails, moving in circular motions. He quickly turned into a puddle in her lap, his eyes fluttered shut and his breathing deepened. She continued to run her fingers through his hair and over his scalp as she did her best to keep him calm, whispering softly into his ear, "Tell me what's on your brain, Eds."

Due to his new sense of relaxation, his mouth moved faster than his brain even had a chance to stop himself from saying, "You, Y/N. Always you."

It was quiet for a moment until he sighed. Why the fuck had he admitted that? Yeah. There was no way she could misinterpret that. There was nothing platonic about that statement. Sure. Why not? He was in love with his best friend. Big whoop. Call the cliche police and arrest him on sight. The feelings were there, plain and simple. And, no amount of thinking or rationalising was going to change that. No matter how hard he tried.

Mentally, she had no idea how to comprehend that. Emotionally, though? Man, she felt it. Deeply. Completely. He opened one eye to sneakily look up at her, needing to know what expression was on her face. His breath caught when he saw her smiling, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling. And then, his lips curved into a grin of his own.

Still, she knew there was something else going on and that's why she playfully teased, "So, you're saying that I'm the reason why you've had a shitty day?"

"Who says I've had a shitty day?" Gesturing to the way he was still fiddling with the rings on her fingers, she raised an eyebrow. It was obvious that he had. "Fine. I've had a shitty day."

Y/N scrunched her eyes and laughed. She rolled her eyes and softly quizzed, "What's up, big boy?"

"Don't call me that," he argued, his cheeks becoming redder. Her fingers sped up a little, adding a little more pressure to her scratches, causing him to let out a low groan. "I hate it when you do that."

Total fucking lie, and they both knew that. The sound he made was a clear indication of how much he liked what she was doing. "No, you don't. Now spill. What's going on?"

He cleared his throat. Okay. He basically admitted being into her. He could tell her what was up. "Do you think I'm going to graduate?"

"That all depends."

"On?"

"Do you want to graduate? You have a habit, Eds: it's impossible to get you to do something you don't want to do."

For some reason, that made him question it. Did he really want to graduate? She was right, like usual, and he only tended to try at things if he wanted to do them. That's when he came to the conclusion, "I want to want to graduate. I want to be able to stop going to fucking high school, but honestly, as soon as test is in front of me, I couldn't give a shit whether I pass it or not."

An idea formed in her head. All she needed to do was to give him the promise of positive reinforcement when it came to tests and he'd succeed at them. She'd change his association, give it some pavlovian pzazz. All he needed was a little encouragement and he'd be good to go.

Stopping her hand, which resulted in a disappointed whine, she pressed a kiss on his cheek and waited for him to swivel his head around to face her. When he did, she brushed her thumb across his bottom lip and flirted, "I have an idea that I think will motivate you to pass."

All his focus was on her lips as she spoke. He was ready for her next sentence, but she didn't speak. Her hand came to cradle his cheek to move his mouth closer to hers. He closed the small gap, softly pressing their lips together in a searing, hungry kiss.

Turning to hover over her, his tongue slid into her mouth and his hand grabbed her butt to pull her against him as the kiss deepened. He moaned into her as he tasted her, and that's when she knew that her idea was going to work.

With a soft nip on his lip, she broke the kiss to seductively explain, "If you graduate, I'll let you do whatever you want to me."

He let out a rough groan, a sound of desperation that only turned her on more, and she could practically feel his arousal pressing on her stomach. He grabbed the back of her head and tried to get back in to deepen the kiss, but she stopped him, laughing as she confirmed, "I'm being serious, Eddie."

There was a short pause, and then he spoke with a voice filled with uncertainty, "You'll only be with me if I graduate?"

"Oh my God, no. No. That's not what I meant," she apologised, comfortingly brushing her thumb across his cheek. "I want nothing more than to be with you, Eds." She brought her lips closer to his ear as she whispered, "But, I won't fuck you until you graduate. And judging by the boner in your pants, you better get that done as quickly as you can."

At that moment, his mood completely shifted from shitty day to glorious day. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, his grip on her tightening. His breathing was heavy. Aroused. He was on board. That was clear.

"Fuck. Looks like I've got to study now." As he spoke, his hand found its way to her thigh and began slowly shifting upwards but she slapped it away. "You'll have to help me."

"I will," she agreed with a smile, and he let out a relieved breath. With that, she eased back and shifted to lie down. His hands cupped her waist as he followed her down, bringing his head to the crook of her neck and resting against her. She didn't have to look at him to know that he was smiling.

Honestly, after the day he'd had, he was absolutely shattered. He managed to stay awake for a bit, happily chatting to her, occasionally lifting his head to place gentle pecks against her neck and cheek, but it was no use. As soon as his eye started to droop, her fingers began to caress the spot on his head again, and he quickly fell asleep.

The first test he did and got the results back was shoved in her face the moment he saw her next. It was a Tuesday, so it was time for his gig. She arrived at The Hideout early to pep up his confidence before he started playing.

"Hey, hot stuff," she called out as noticed the back of his denim vest, stepping up on the stage as he started setting up.

Eddie smiled and turned around to face her. "Hey, gorgeous." He rifled through his pockets and proudly brought out the test, flicking it as he showed it to her. "No big deal, but I totally got a C+. 78 per-cent."

Even though they were in front of his band mates, she brought her hand to his cheek and lightly patted it before kissing him on the other side of his face, whispering so only he could hear, "I'm so proud of you." His face lit up as she moved across to place a soft kiss on his lips. "Now go out there and kick ass."

He beamed at her and gave a mock salute. "Will do, Captain."

The rest of the night went off without a hitch. A fair few people showed up. Maybe around twenty. That was more than usual. He didn't really notice though, he was too busy focusing on if Y/N was enjoying herself, which she was.

Watching him perform was always a thrill, and tonight was no different. He was at his best when he was relaxed and performing for a small crowd. Before every song started, he'd make sure to find Y/N's eye and wink at her. He'd always done that, even when they were 'just friends'. After all this time, it still made her blush like crazy.

A song or two before the end of Corroded Coffin's set, Y/N felt a tap on her shoulder and when she turned around it took her a while to recognise the guy. "Chase? Didn't think that this was your scene," she said loud enough that he wouldn't have to lean in.

Chase was one of her older brother's friends. Technically, he was in the year Eddie was supposed to graduate in. Hawkin's High Seniors of 1984. He was one of the jocks, just like her brother.

"Could say the same to you, little L/N." He grinned, a wide, toothy grin. She forced a laugh and rolled her eyes. "What brings you here? I mean, other than the cheap booze and the fact that they don't check ID's."

"I'm an amateur groupie," she joked, raising an eyebrow.

Taking a swig of his beer and pointing to Eddie, Chase teased, "Don't let Munson hear that. He always had a thing for you."

"Oh, that's good. Real nice to hear," she replied. When he looked confused, she added, "Eddie is my boyfriend."

"Really? Shit. Didn't know that. I mean, I didn't expect you to go for the, you know, freak types." Y/N was about to say something snappy back at him, but he cut her off. "I don't believe you. Are you fucking with me right now?"

At that moment, Eddie got to his guitar solo and decided to slide onto his knees as he shredded. He managed to land right in front of where she was standing, facing away from her as he slowly lowered himself until his back was against the floor and his head hung over the edge of the stage. He looked up at her as he plucked at the strings of his guitar and made it very clear that he was staring at her lips.

Giving him exactly what she knew he wanted, she lowered his lips to his and gave him a small kiss in front of everyone. Everyone and Chase. There were a few whoops and wolf whistles from the audience as she pulled away.

"Guess you weren't fucking with me."

"Nope, not one bit," she replied.

As soon as the gig ended, Corroded Coffin took their bows and made it off the stage. Eddie practically pounced on Y/N. He was still high off the adrenaline (and the teeny tiny bit of jealousy that he felt after seeing her talk to Chase Icklesham). She had been trying to end the conversation with Chase for a while now. Luckily, as soon as Eddie arrived and protectively placed an arm around his girlfriend's waist, Chase decided to leave.

"Later, Chase," Eddie said, giving the jock a quick wink and smugly waving his hand.

"Whatever. Hey, Y/N, don't let him stay out too long, he's got school in the morning," Chase replied and sauntered away.

Ignoring that insult, Y/N wrapped her arms around Eddie's shoulders and cooed, "Hey, rockstar." He grinned up at her, his face soft and his eyes full of affection. "You know," she purred, getting closer to his ear, "You look incredibly sexy right now. All this sweat and this 'hot n bothered' look is really doing something to me."

He couldn't help himself and brought his hand to her ass, squeezing roughly as he pulled her closer to him. "And you look incredibly hot like usual," he said seductively.

"Hmm. Then why aren't you making a move on me right this second?"

"Oh, so my hand on your ass isn't enough?" He teased, leaning in and kissing her cheek, which wasn't enough for her since she placed her hand on his chin and tilted it so she could kiss his lips. His response was instant. His tongue immediately entered her mouth and he reciprocated, a fervent kiss that was just as heated and passionate as all the others they'd shared.

When he finally stepped back, he held her gaze as he took in a deep breath. "Does my princess want a drink?"

Y/N took Eddie's hand and taunted, "I was just about to ask you the exact same question." He grinned triumphantly and happily let her pull him to the bar, where a bartender noticed them and immediately made their drinks. They were regulars after all. Despite neither of them being 21.

"How was I?" he asked as he slipped his hand into the back pocket of her jeans, staring into her eyes to make sure she understood just how much he loved her.

"Sensational," she replied, closing the distance between them so she could kiss him again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

It was after midnight when they finally got out of the bar. His bandmates insisted that they all went to a diner because they were starving. So, they were all huddled in a booth. All smelling of booze and sweat. The other members of Corroded Coffin were used to Y/N. Gareth had actually been tutored by Y/N in middle school so they knew each other fairly well.

And they could all vouch for how in love Y/N and Eddie were. Honestly, the pair used to get teased for it. And, still did. Finally getting together didn't stop with the comments.

"Loverboy, what do you want to eat? The nice waitress just asked," Jeff pointed out, nudging Eddie so he'd stop staring at Y/N and notice someone other than her for once.

"I'll have a cheeseburger with bacon and fries," Eddie said in a bored tone.

"Make that two of those," Y/N added and smiled at the waitress as she walked away, heading back to the kitchen.

Since they were all so close, the banter flowed easily. They all knew each other so well that they were able to talk about random nonsense without really thinking about it. It was like a game they played. They never knew what would come up in conversation or when someone would say something that would make the rest of them break out into hysterical laughter.

When their food finally arrived, they dug in. Y/N watched as Eddie ate like an absolute pig. He made a big mess of his food and took his time with it. But she didn't care. Not one bit. He got sauce all over his mouth so when he was done, she got a napkin and wiped it away for him.

And every time he looked at her with a goofy, googly-eyed look, she gave him a little smile.

Eventually, when he had dropped everyone else off, they decided to go to his place. Sure, her room was bigger and had less stains, but his was comfier despite everything. Plus, she was sure her parents would be upset if she woke them up at 2 am.

Humming as she watched as he drove, his hands drumming against the wheel, she leant her head against his shoulder, a little confused that he hadn't turned the radio on. She expected him to put a cassette in, but he didn't. He was too focused on figuring out what song she was humming. She hummed it often. It must be her favourite song, he concluded. Still, he had no idea what it was.

When they got to his place, she wasn't surprised to see his uncle wasn't home. Wayne always worked nights. Eddie opened the door and gestured for her to go in.

"What a gentleman," she complimented, turning to face him so she could grab his hands to pull him inside the trailer with her, giving him a kiss as she pressed her body to his. In an instant, he picked her up and started walking to his room.

Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pointed out, "You didn't close the door."

"Oh shit."

With her still firmly attached to him, he turned around and let her lean away from him to find the door handle, pulling it shut as soon as she made contact. He didn't put her down though until they reached his room. He paused, turning to face her. "You honestly want to stay here tonight? With my dirty sheets and the hard mattress?"

"The dirty sheets are part of the experience," she joked as she ran her hands up his chest. He laughed at her response and sat her down on the corner of his bed, kneeling before her. "Why are you on the ground?"

"Because you look so beautiful from this angle," he said, looking into her eyes as he undid the button on her jeans. She stopped him by placing her hand over his. "What? Me eating you out is not us fucking. Technically."

He had a point. She gave in and wiggled them down, letting him pull them off and throw them somewhere in his room, mixing with the clothes that he'd previously discarded. She smiled as he ran his hands up her legs, his rings leaving trails of coldness as they came in contact with her warm skin. His head dipped down and he gave her an intense, lustful look as he pressed his lips to her, eliciting a moan of pleasure to fall from her lips. He moved up to her knees and started kissing his way up her legs, making gentle, lingering contact with each spot along the way.

And her soft moans only encouraged him to keep going, to keep making her feel so good. He made his way to her inner thighs and she arched her back, pushing her pelvis into his face as a plea for more. He obliged, teasingly licking her through her underwear.

"Just checking, are you sure about this?" he checked. She nodded back, pushing her legs further apart for him. He chuckled and hooked his finger under the hem of her underwear. "Okay then, take these off."

She did as she was told and he removed her panties, tossing them carelessly to the side. He looked up at her, eyes locked with her own as he removed the rings on his right hand, placing them carefully on the ground next to him.

"Don't want to lose them, you know, when, uh, I finger you."

"Don't get all shy on me now, Romeo," she teased, caressing his cheek before it went back between her thighs. He chuckled and leaned forward, pressing his mouth to hers. She opened for him, her hands running through his long (and at this point, knotty) hair.

The kiss was slow and hungry, and she let him take control, his fingers making their way to her pussy, his mouth feasting on hers as his digit moved over her clit, her body ready to receive his touch.

Breaking the kiss, he whispered, "You're so fucking beautiful." Then, he pushed his finger into her.

A moan escaped her mouth as he pushed a little deeper, and she was unable to form any coherent words as he started to move his hand in a sensual, teasing rhythm. He kept up this pace for a little while, before pausing. "You want more?" he asked, his eyes intense.

Finally doing what he intended to, he looked up at her, eyes locked with her own, before he slowly lowered his mouth to her pussy. She gasped and dug her fingers into his hair, holding him to her as he licked and kissed his way up her slit, making her wetter and wetter with every passing moment. He smiled against her, moving his tongue in a very slow, precise manner around her clit and making her entire body shake and quake as a litany of praises poured past her lips.

Chuckling, she taunted, "Fuck, who knew the freak was so...uh, so good with his mouth."

"You're just lucky," he noted, adding another finger, making sure to hit all the right spots along the way as she bucked against him. "You're lucky I like it when you call me a freak."

She couldn't help but laugh as he continued. Neither of their social standings were particularly favourable.

Admittedly, she had been a little more popular than him. There was a small chance that she could've been more popular if she had wanted to. She didn't. Out of everyone, all of the cliques, she hung out with Eddie and the rest of the freaks.

And for that, he was eternally grateful.

"You taste so good, princess," he murmured against her, his tongue making a lazy pattern that sent shivers through her core. She arched her back, digging her heels into his back, moaning out his name as her entire body started to tighten in response.

It wasn't long before she climaxed, her orgasm sending a tidal wave of pleasure through her entire body and making her cry out his name.

Licking the last remainder of herself off his lips, Eddie lifted his face, grinning at her. "Was that good?" He asked, then placed a final kiss to her thigh, anxiously waiting for her response.

Did he even need to ask that?

"Oh my god, yes," she complimented, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of his stubble against her skin. She placed her thumb and pointer finger on his cheeks, squishing them together as she leant down and pressed their lips together. "It's your turn now, rockstar."

At her words, he leaped up, pulling her into his arms and kissing her with a wild, passionate ferocity, his hands searching for every part of her that he could find. Her whole body was alive and full of energy, wanting him and needing him in equal measure. It took only a moment for them to get involved in the heated, intimate making out session that they couldn't seem to get enough of.

As soon as she was sure he was distracted, she slid her hand down into his trousers, grabbing his hard cock through the material of his tight jeans. He let out a groan at the contact, his hips moving in an excited manner in an effort to get closer to her. She unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down, freeing his cock from its prison as his mouth moved to her neck.

"Mouth or hand?"

"What...whatever you want," he whined out as she began running her fingers up and down his length, making him jump and twitch in delight.

Truthfully, it's best to give back exactly what you got, right? That is the golden rule. Treat others as you'd want to be treated. And, Y/N had already been treated well. So why shouldn't she return the favour?

She released his cock from its confines and wrapped her fingers around it, pumping it slowly but steadily. He let out a pained, desperate sound that was adorable, so she increased the pace, smiling when he let out another little yelp.

Holding her hand out, she ordered, "Spit." And lo and behold, he did without hesitation.

Then, she started to stroke, keeping up the faster pace until she was sure he was about to cum. His breathing quickened and his hips started to thrust, growing more and more impatient with every passing second.

"Come on! Please, I need it," he begged. "Please, baby."

That was all the inspiration she needed to stop her hand and replace it with her mouth, starting by licking a long strip of his cock along the underside, all the while keeping her eyes locked with his. She moved her mouth up to the head, taking him deep into her throat as she started to bob her head up and down rapidly. His hips were getting wilder and wilder, going from a slow, steady beat to a frenzied pace in a split second, his breathing growing ragged and erratic.

Bucking up, it was about three seconds before he was spent, his hips jolting up in a final burst that filled her mouth. It really turned her on to know that her oral abilities had such an effect on him.

Moving before she could argue, Eddie took his trousers off but pulled his underwear up, and hurried to the kitchen to get her a drink so she didn't have to continually taste him. She could taste him anyway, of course. He was in her mouth, her throat, her whole body. Just as every pore in her skin and every hair on her body was saturated with him.

Obviously, she didn't mind. Not one bit.

Once he returned with the drinks, he immediately sat down next to her on the bed and handed her a can.

"Drink up, loser."

Taking a sip, she complimented, "You, dear Eddie, are too sweet for your own good," before taking another big gulp of the cold, refreshing liquid.

With a devilish gleam in his eye, he asked, "So Y/N, my very hot, very sexy girlfriend, what do you give that out of ten? How do I rank?"

Bumping their shoulders together, she gave him a coy smile and admitted, "I think I'd give you a perfect ten, stud." He grinned widely from ear to ear, nodding his head in approval. "You'd definitely get an A from me."

"Just an A? Not an A+."

"Oooh, it's slipping to an A- due to all of the backchat I'm getting."

Leaning forward to press a slow and sleepy kiss to her lips, Eddie whined, "You're so mean," before dramatically flopping back on his bed. "Come here, I'm tired."

Flipping him off, Y/N stretched out next to him, her eyes heavy after such a long night.

With a groan, he wrapped her arms around him and snuggled up so the tip of her nose would brush against his collarbone as they slept. "God, I could sleep for days. Days and days and days..."

"Eddie."

"What?"

"Don't you want to say a prayer before going to bed. I know how religious you are."

"Shut the fuck up, princess."

Giving him one final kiss on the side of his neck, Y/N curled further into his chest and hooked her leg over his thigh. She was asleep within seconds. And, she slept soundly against him, knowing full well he was sleeping peacefully too.

More and more tests were completed. Each one had a result that was higher than a fail. He'd managed to get an A twice and Y/N spoilt him as a gift. She'd taken him to a Twisted Sister concert and gave him a blow job on the way back, so he was thrilled.

Who knew that actually putting effort into things reaped rewards?

Still, every day, he was becoming more restless. He couldn't get enough of her, and he spent every waking moment thinking about her. It was fatal. He was sure of it. She was the same, the same as she always had been, and he was hooked on her.

As hooked as the day he met her. She was perfect in every way, and he was desperate to have her. He craved her. Needed her. Felt like he would die if he didn't get her. It was that kind of desperation that had him questioning every little thing, obsessing over every little thing.

"Hey, Dustin. Mike," Y/N greeted the boys as she walked into the Hellfire Club. The session was yet to begin so the rest of the boys hadn't arrived yet. "Do either of you know where Edward is?"

Dustin snickered before blurting out, "He's in the bathroom. He's been in there for like, ever."

Oh. He's getting high. Good for him.

Whereas, Mike noticed what was in Y/N's hands and exclaimed, "Is that Eddie's DM notes?"

"Yeah, he was working on it at my place yesterday and accidentally left it there," she explained, slapping Dustin's hand away when he tried to touch the book. Mike looked like he was going to say something, but changed his mind, shaking his head. She knew what he was going to say. "Wanna sneak peak?"

"Always," Mike answered.

She knew for a fact what page would be best to show them. It was near the back. She'd watched as Eddie did it. She showed the two of them the page of his notes, with his messy, scrawling handwriting at the bottom that simply said 'Excelsior!' that was adorned with a bunch of little penis drawings above it.

Dramatically, Y/N found the page and ushered the boys to her side so they could look.

"Aw fuck you, Y/N!" Dustin let out. They got got.

That was the moment that Eddie walked in and playfully declared, "Henderson, how dare you use such vulgar language in front of the finest maiden in all the land," as he grabbed her from behind and tugged her close to him. He looked down at the open page and joked, "Y/N, now they know they're going to fight a cock monster."

"They're actually pretty good. Size accurate and everything," she teased, lowering the book closer to his groin area.

The two boys laughed, but not too hard. Eddie could seriously kill their PC's if they annoyed him too much.

"And weirdly, strangely, he's also got seve-"

A hand was put over her mouth before she could carry on making jokes about his dick and the other took the book from her hands and slammed it shut.

"This is classified shit." His voice was low and falsely serious. "If you had seen anything of importance, you know I'd have to kill you, right?"

"Right," the boys answered in unison, moving to sit in their seats and prepare for the session.

Turning his attention to Y/N, he let her mouth go and spun her to look at him. Instantly, she peered over his shoulder and locked eyes with the boys as she continued, "As I was saying, he's got seven penises. Seven. It's why people call him a freak." She held up a hand and poked out two fingers from the other just below the pinky. "It's sort of like this, actually. Like a really freaky looking peacock. A peacock of penises."

Both boys let out a little giggle.

"You're weird, you know that?" Eddie teased, though Y/N could hear the smile in his voice. He moved closer to her ear and explained, "I thought you were going to admit something that two freshmen don't need to know."

"Oh, ye of so little faith." She gave him a cheeky grin, enjoying the moment.

By the way his eyes were, he was either high or in love with her. It was 66.6% both. The other 33.3% is adrenaline from the excitement of DMing.

When the boys looked up again, Eddie was too busy to notice the other PC's walking in. He was too busy making out with Y/N, full on making out. His hand was cupped over the back of her head, holding her still as he deepened the kiss.

The PC's ignored the make out session and continued to discuss their plan for the battles.

"It still feels weird playing AD&D: we're so used to playing the expert set with our friend Will. He's great," Mike explained to the other members.

"You'll get used to it. It took me four, maybe five sessions to get accustomed to the new system," Gareth reassured, patting Wheeler on the shoulder.

Eddie pulled away and looked at the table behind him. "Oh shit, when did you guys get here?" Y/N stepped back from his lips, her face bright red. "Sorry, intrepid heroes."

Lucas decided to speak, "Y/N's hot. We understand."

"Thank you, Ser Lucas," Y/N replied, curtsying at his compliment.

"Don't hit on my girl right in front of my eyes, Sinclair." Eddie's eyes shifted from the boys to Y/N before settling on the boys once more. "I think we're ready to start."

Saying goodbye by kissing Eddie on the cheek and waving to the others, Y/N left the boys to get on with their game of Dungeons and Dragons, warning them, "Watch out, he's high as shit and has a detailed plan on how to kill all of your characters. I know, I've seen it."

It wasn't true. She just wanted to freak them out.

Later on that evening, as Y/N was mindlessly humming to herself as she flitted about her room, clearing up and putting her laundry away, a strange voice behind her asked, "Are your mummy and daddy home?"

Jumping, she instantly swivelled around to find Eddie climbing through her window with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Fuck you, asshole." She swatted at his chest, which he easily batted away. He grabbed her wrist and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. "You can use the front door. You know, like a normal person?"

"We both know that I'm not normal. That's why you like me so much," he flirted, keeping eye contact as he pressed his mouth further and further up her arms. "And I know that you love it when I do this."

Pretending to push him out of the window, she answered, "To answer your very creepily phrased question, my parents are on holiday." She stopped to poke him in the chest. "And if you listened to me, you know that."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Did you tell me when a) you'd just gone down on me, or b) I was high?"

Looking into her memories, she realised that they'd just shared a spliff and had some fun times. So, both. Yeah, there was no way he was focused on her words at that point.

Laughing, she let him pull her into a hug. "You're too smart for your own good, Munson," she complimented, stepping away from him and going back to finish her chores, the same melody from before falling from her lips.

Kicking off his shoes, he practically jumped on her bed and posed provocatively as he watched her bend in that short skirt of hers to close the window. One hand behind his head and the other resting on his hip.

For the life of him, he still had no clue what fucking song that was.

"Hey, hot stuff, what song is that?"

"Huh?"

"The one you're humming. The one you always hum."

Honestly, Y/N had no idea that she did that. It was one of those unconscious things that she just did. So, she got him to replay it back to her.

She knew that song. Her mother gave her the vinyl of that song, so instead of telling him, she rifled through her collection and played it on her record player. Already blushing, she dropped the needle and waited for him to realise.

🎵 Eddie, my love, I love you so

How I wanted for you, you'll never know

Please, Eddie, don't make me wait to long 🎵

Listening to the lyrics, his eyes widened. This was the song. As clear as day. As he listened, he grew more and more giddy. This was about him. He'd known her to hum this song since they'd met and it was about him.

"Y/N?" He said her name quietly, teasingly. She made a noise in acknowledgement. "Look at me."

🎵 Eddie, please write me one line

Tell me your love is still only mine

Please, Eddie, don't make me wait too long 🎵

Oh no. She did as he requested, reluctantly. He looked so happy that her heart skipped a beat as he spoke, moving so his face only a few inches from hers. He looked so sincere, he looked so, so in love.

What he did next, she'd never had expected. He placed her arms on his shoulders and clamped his hands on her waist, slowly swaying side to side.

🎵 You left me last September

To return to me before long

But all I do is cry myself to sleep

Eddie, since you've been gone 🎵

Metalhead Eddie Munson was slow dancing to The Chordettes. Nobody would've believed her if she told them. Nobody.

If she'd placed bets on what would've happened when he climbed through her window, she would've lost a lot of money. Still, he looked to be enjoying himself.

🎵 Eddie, my love, I'm sinking fast

The very next day might be my last

Please, Eddie, don't make me wait too long 🎵

"What are you doing?" she asked, still not quite believing it. All he did was shake his head slightly in response, not breaking his gaze. "Edward?"

Shushing her, he softly responded, "Just go with it, baby." She couldn't help herself. She giggled like a tween girl interacting with her first crush.

🎵 You left me last September

To return to me before long

But all I do is cry myself to sleep

Eddie, since you've been gone 🎵

It was the most ridiculous, sweetest thing she'd ever seen. She loved it. "You are just the most adorable thing," she complimented, smiling.

"I know," he said. "I'm kinda cute, right?"

🎵 Eddie, my love, I'm sinking fast

The very next day might be my last

Please, Eddie, don't make me wait too long 🎵

After a few more seconds of them staring at each other, he gave her a tender peck on the forehead and muttered, "I want you to know that I'm not good at -"

She placed her index finger against his lips. He froze mid sentence. A serious, no smiling at all, look. She took his hand, pressed it against her lips and turned it so their fingers were entwined.

🎵 Please, Eddie, don't make me wait too long 🎵

With that the song ended.

"You don't have to say it."

"I know." He cleared his throat and just let it out. "I'm not good at... you know, being romantic. But, I do, uh, I, Edward Munson... I do love you."

"I, Y/N L/N, love you too," she said, smiling widely at him, unable to stop. "I mean it. I really, really, really mean it."

Jokingly, he took her head in his hands and teased, "Would've been really awkward if you didn't say it back," and leaned in to kiss her before she had a chance to respond.

Replying by placing her hands in his hair, leaning in and pressing their foreheads together, Y/N was able to deepen the kiss, to feel his lips against hers, to be in control of the movements of their bodies as she backed them to her bed. She pulled back slightly after the kiss to look him in the eyes. He had slightly flushed cheeks and his hair was a mess. His clothes were rumpled, he looked adorable and he was, well, he was her boyfriend. And he loved her. That was enough.

Yet, it was nights like this that she almost gave in. It would've made sense, right? Fucking after professing their love for each other. But, what if he went back to his old ways of flunking every test? He would never graduate.

"Since my parents aren't here, you can always stop the night. And tomorrow. And the day after. But, not the day after that. They get home then."

Frankly, it hurt his feelings a bit that her parents didn't let him stay over. (Not that he obliged by that rule as he often snuck into her room.) Despite this, he still jeered, "Aw fuck, I was really looking forward to the day after that."

"Shut up, you little bitch," she taunted, playfully slapping his cheeks, tilting his head back and forth between her hands as she straddled his lap.

"Ow! Kiss it better. Now." He lightly pinched her side and she squealed in delight, giggling as she placed pecks all over his face and neck, each accompanied by an annoying 'Mwah' sound. Unconvincingly, he whined, "Stop. Stop it."

"You're just a big softie, aren't you, baby?" She finally placed a kiss on his lips and whispered into his ear, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"You better not. I've got a reputation to uphold." He reached up and pulled her down to kiss her again, dragging her hips against his growing erection as he mumbled, "Please," into the side of her neck. He started to pull at her shirt and she helped, by unbuttoning it and pulling it off. His hands began going through her hair as he passionately kissed her neck. She moaned into his ear, enjoying his touch.

"Remember. You still haven't graduated."

"I know." He bit her ear, hard, a small growl escaping his mouth. His hands travelled up to the clasp of her bra and ripped it open, freeing her breasts. He began fondling them, his large hands covering her entire bust, his thumbs brushing against her nipple.

Y/N arched her back in pleasure and squirmed against him. His kisses and touch had been driving her crazy with anticipation, but her arousal was instantaneous and she was desperate for more. She quickly undid his belt buckle, unzipped his pants, and pulled down his zipper. His cock was clear to see through his underwear, full and hard.

"Holy shit, you've got to take this skirt off or I will fuck you in it," he whispered into her ear, before kissing his way down her neck and over her breast. "Oh yeah, I need to let you up so you can do that."

"Yeah, you fucking idiot," she teased, getting off his lap and pulling his trousers fully off him. When she turned around to ensure that her door was fully closed, he slapped her ass cheek in response to her insult, his rings surely leaving marks where they made contact. "Wow, freak and woman beater. Munson, you've got it all."

More derogatory names is not what he needed. Yet, it was Y/N, so he knew she was being facetious. "That's not even funny."

"I think it's funny." She dropped her skirt to the ground and hovered over him once more. He leaned in to kiss her again, but she put her hand on his chest and pushed him back, ordering, "Shirt off."

He chuckled, "You're so bossy sometimes," and did as she said, tossing his shirt aside. She loved his body, loved that he was hers. Her fingers travelled up and down his chest, pausing to kiss the tattoo above his peck. He slid his hands up her bare legs, stopping at her hips to grind them against him.

"You feel good, baby," he rasped, his eyes fixated on her face as she let out a moan.

"Mmm, you too." She rubbed her breasts against him, relishing in the feeling of his hard-on against her wet, swollen sex. They started off slow, gentle, but quickly picked up the pace. She rode his lap wildly, loving the feel of his hands holding her hips as he kept up the pace.

His mouth was on hers, hot and demanding. She opened for him, her tongue dancing with his, her hands clutching at his back and shoulders as his hands gripped her ass.

"Fuck, yeah," he groaned into her ear as a loud, long moan escaped her lips. He squeezed her ass tight, hard enough to bruise her, and she liked it. She could feel his orgasm build and he pulled her hard against him as he came in his underwear.

As the last shudder of his orgasm passed through him, he manoeuvred her so she was just moving against his thigh, rubbing her clothed clit against bare skin. "Holy shit," he let out, watching her in awe then attaching his mouth to her breasts, sucking and nipping at the skin there, causing her eyes to roll back in her head.

"Riding a thigh is kind of slutty, don't you think?" He baited as she started to run her hands through his hair. "Are you my little slut, Y/N?"

"You bet, big boy."

Slapping her ass once more, he chuckled and said, "That's my girl," and ogled her as she came apart. He kept her pinned to his body, his mouth finding hers as she shook against him. His breath was hot on her neck as his hands found her breasts once more, squeezing them gently so she'd look at him as he softly asked, "You good?"

"Mm-hmm." She smiled, her entire face, all the way from her eyes to her cheeks, turned up in a huge, goofy grin. Reaching down to the ground, she picked up the first shirt she found and, of course, it was his. Slipping it over her head before he could refuse (not that he would've), she tried to get up but he wouldn't let her.

"I'm cold and I need a pee, let me go."

"Nope, you're not leaving." He buried his face in her neck as his hips stayed her attempt to move. She couldn't help but laugh as he kissed the side of her throat. "Stop laughing."

"I'm not laughing!" she lied, then whispered in his ear, "Let me go, you Brian May looking fuck."

"That's not even an insult. He's an amazing guitarist." She squirmed and giggled and he stayed pressed up against her, his hands not budging.

Time to change tactics. Being bratty hadn't worked. She found the spot on his head and got to work, itching his skin and sucking on the pulse point on his neck. He let out a groan and his hold on her loosened. "You little fucker," he yelled as she hurried out of her room.

Returning, she found him with a lighter and spliff in hand. "I was planning on asking this before, but, wanna smoke?" She answered by re-opening her window and sliding beside him on her bed.

Soon, she sat there puffing on the spliff, watching the rain run off the window and down the street while he watched her. She felt his eyes on her and turned to look at him. "You're staring at me."

"You are very distracting and I like looking at pretty things." He snatched the joint from her lips, took a drag, blew the smoke out of his nose, and continued, "And, I think you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

After a beat, he nervously chuckled, took another hit, and told her, "It's a tough toss up between you and Carrie Fisher, but I do think you beat her by, like, a smidge."

"A smidge? I'll take it." His eyes gleamed as he took another hit and she placed a hand on his bare thigh, comfortingly squeezing it. He looked at her, inhaling deeply as he handed the spliff over. "You know what, I think you're way hotter than Brian May."

Graduation was quickly approaching, but Eddie had been through a lot. Especially after all that went down at spring break. Y/N vividly remembered getting a call from Dustin.

"Hey, you being Eddie's girlfriend and that, you'd know where he is, right?"

"What has he done now?" she asked, feigning annoyance. "Henderson, how did you even get my number?"

From the other line, she heard, "Oh, I have ways, you know me. Listen, I really need to talk to him, like, now. Something's come up."

Y/N knew exactly what had 'come up'. Eddie had hurried away from his trailer and driven himself to Y/N's house, climbing into her window as soon as he got there. She watched as he flopped inside and instantly wrapped his arms around her, his grip tight, almost as if he was afraid that she'd lift off the floor or something.

Leaning away, she took his head in her hands and noticed that not only was as pale as a sheet, but he was shaking too. "What's wrong, baby?" she asked, her voice soothing as she brought her hand to the back of his head and pulled it to her chest.

"She's dead," he cried, his voice muffled by her shirt.

"Wha—who's dead?" she asked, her heartbeat starting to spike. "Who's dead, Eddie?"

He sobbed into her chest. "Chrissy." It took a few seconds before Y/N truly comprehended what he'd said. "She wanted ket and when I went to look for it... fuck, this is going to sound crazy, but I think she was, uh... possessed."

"Chrissy? Chrissy, what's her face...Cunningham?" He nodded. "How did—you found her?"

"I found her in my trailer. I was looking for the special K and I saw her. I saw her. Her body all contorted, her head thrown back. It was... was horrible, Y/N. S-so, so fucking horrible."

Oh boy, that was a lot to take in.

"Okay, baby. Take a breath," she tried her best to comfort him, caressing his hair as he sobbed. She needed him to slow down and focus. "Slow, deep breaths."

"I'm sorry, I—I'm sorry," he stammered, pulling away from her. He took several deep breaths, calming himself down before he continued, "I don't know what came over me. I just ran."

She sat him down on her bed and kneeled in front of him, talking his hands as she declared, "I'm trying to understand, I really am, baby. You have to tell me what exactly happened. Step by step, okay?"

So, he did. He told her to the best of his memory everything that happened on that day. And, he was so shaken up, it had to be true. Despite how outlandish it seemed, she believed him.

Hawkins is a weird place, you know. It's got weirdness going on all the time.

However, having a dead girl in your trailer is not a good look. Not good at all. She racked her brain for things he could do. Calling it in would be a sure fire way of getting arrested. And Eddie looking the way he does and acting like the so-called 'freak' that they call him, yeah, there was no way the police would believe him.

A levitating cheerleader who was mangled by an invisible force? No way. None.

Then again, the body could be removed. But based on all the crime shows she'd seen with her parents, tampering with a crime scene was not a good idea. Plus, he was so shaken up that going back to his trailer would not be a good thing.

"When does your uncle get back from work?" She asked, rubbing circles into his jeans with her thumb.

"I...I don't know. Sometime before 7."

There was enough time to come up with a flimsy plan. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best she could manage. "Is there somewhere you could hide out?" Y/N asked, her tone as soft and caring as she could make it. "I would say here, but my parents will ring the pigs as soon as they notice you."

They paused. He looked at her, his eyes red and puffy. He sniffled and came up with an idea. "Rick went to jail months back. His house has got to be free. Right?"

Great idea. Y/N's ears pricked up. It was better than any of her ideas. "Right." She crawled into his lap and hugged him tightly. She started blurting out what she was thinking, "You're going to be okay. We're going to be okay. I promise. Stay here till the morning then drive out to Rick's. That's a plan. A good plan? A plan. It's a plan."

"I left her, Y/N." He buried his face into her neck and continued crying. "I left her there to die."

So much was going on in her head. She was trying her best to come up with the perfect solution, but she was failing. Long term? How would he survive?

"Honestly, sweetheart, I don't think there was much that you could've done." His sobs grew worse as he pulled her closer, soaking her shirt with his tears. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm sor—I'm so sorry."

The rest of the night was hellish for the both of them. More tears. More sadness. Neither of them slept, nor could have if they tried. Eddie was quieter than he'd ever been before, while Y/N's head was swimming with so many ideas she'd been tossing around since she'd started thinking about the situation at hand.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered, her fingers playing with his hair, assuring herself more than him.

In the early hours of the morning, Eddie decided to leave. Reefer Rick's boathouse was the destination. But beforehand, he needed to say goodbye to Y/N. For all he knew, he could be dead soon.

"I'll be back. I swear," he whispered into her hair, leaning in for a kiss. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. He wanted to believe it was genuine, but he couldn't be sure.

"I'll be waiting." She waited a few seconds to joke, "Yeah, we still haven't fucked yet, so.."

Laughing, his heart felt as heavy as a bag of bricks as she cradled his face, bringing him in for what could be their last kiss. It was slow and gentle. Neither wanted it to end. He stroked her hair and whispered "I love you," as she pressed her lips to his.

"I love you too." She let out a sad chuckle, nodding as she ordered, "Go. Now." He kissed her one last time, giving her a small grin and wiped the tears around her eyes. "Goodbye, rockstar."

"Bye, princess."

Then, he went. Just like that. He snuck out of her bedroom window, leaving her in peace. But there was no peace for him. He knew that much.

Unsurprisingly, the police knocked on the L/N household not long after Chrissy had been found. They were told, as a family, that the girl had gone to visit Eddie and had been found in his trailer. Dead.

Y/N was questioned extensively. She told them everything she could. Speaking candidly about how sweet Eddie was. Telling the truth until they got to the subject of last night. Then she stopped being honest. She'd do anything to protect Eddie and that included lying to the cops like it was nothing.

Chapter 2

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson & reader #Youtube

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hogwartsandhawkins · 2 years

Text

Prove Me Wrong

Prologue: We're Not Friends

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Masterlist

Ok here it is! The prologue for my nine (maybe longer) part fic for Billy Hargrove. I haven't written anything for a very long time, and I've never written an imagine or fic before so be mindful and go easy on me! But hopefully, it's well-liked despite the trash writing.

Also, I gave her a name, considering I'll be writing the same character for 9 parts, I feel like not giving her a name wouldn't feel right.

Summary: Max convinces you to watch over Billy.

Word Count: 1992

Warnings: Mentions of blood. Lots of swearing. I mean it's Billy Hargrove. Let me know if I missed anything

Author's Note: Please, do not steal my work. This prologue and all the following chapters of this story are my original work, and I have worked very hard on each part I post. Reposts are always appreciated but copying and pasting any of these and posting them as your own is not, including translations without my permission.

The characters from the Netflix series are not my own, excluding the OC, and belong to Netflix and the Duffer Brothers.

Jess Logan sat at the edge of the Byers’ couch, anxiously staring at the floor, or rather, the person laying on the floor unconscious. Blood slowly found its way from the boy’s nose to the wooden floor. Jess was unsure whether to stay seated or to hurry and wipe the blood away, ensuring Joyce would not have to deal with a stain later. She began to rise, but then the sound of leather rubbing against the floor disrupted her and forced her back down. A feeble attempt to stand up from the boy was met with a groan.

“What … the fuck?”

Billy Hargrove held his head between both hands and began to look over his setting. He wasn’t at a party. The house was much too empty for that. He also could hold his liquor, so this couldn’t be a hangover after blacking out. Did he get knocked out? Lose a fight? Hell no. He was Billy fucking Hargr- wait. It started to come back to him. Max. Where was she? Panic began to kick in as he realized where he was and why. He started to look around much more frantically, making his head spin and his eyes water.

Jess did nothing except hold her breath and sit completely still, hoping that maybe, Billy would miss her entirely. It was only when Billy propped himself on his elbows did he notice the girl staring right at him. She looked as if she has just seen a ghost, and that if she were to move, a bomb might set off, disintegrating the entire house. Embarrassment began to set in, which quickly turned into anger as he realized she has been here the whole time, witnessing him like this. He was about ready to unleash this anger on her for continuing to stare wordlessly when he suddenly hears Max’s voice in his head. SAY YOU UNDERSTAND. He winces at this, remembering the numbness traveling through his body and the sound of cracking wood.

Jess notices this reaction as well but chalks it up to be pain. If this monster even feels pain. Jess too has a flashback from earlier this night, but it included what happened before Billy’s memory. It included how Billy wouldn’t stop, even after Steve didn’t, couldn’t, fight back. It included Billy’s pin-pointed yet blank eyes, hyper-focused on her best friend’s pain-stricken face as he continued to wail down on the helpless boy, wearing what Jess remembers as a smile on Billy’s face, as if he was enjoying the show he put on only for himself.

He shifts his wince to a sweet, charming smile, quite different than the one Jess remembers earlier, scrunching his nose ever so slightly, and begins to devour every inch of this girl with his eyes. He quickly recognizes her as the co-captain of the cheer team, Jessica Logan. He then slowly drops his grin, morphing it into a smirk as he continued to eye her, hoping to have some effect on her, waiting for her to relax her features at least slightly. She doesn’t move. He again flashed her his winning smile, and threw in a head nod, hoping to get her to budge, but what little effect his silent advances would normally have on Jess were further dulled by the blood-caked teeth, bloodied nose, and split-opened knuckles, which further reminded her of why she couldn’t wait to be out of his presence and made her even stiffer, if possible. When it became obvious the girl across from him had no intention of breathing, let alone talking, he sighed and decided to break the silence, dropping his smile once more.

“Sorry, dollface, but cou- “

“Don’t call me that.”

So she speaks. “What?”

“Dollface. Don’t call me that.”

“Okayy... so what do I call you then?” His question dripped with honey as he attempted to shift himself closer to where she was sitting. He watched her intently, shifting the inside of his cheek between his teeth as he did so. He watched as she squirmed, trying to think of how to answer him, and he enjoyed the effect he had on her, the effect he thought he had on her.

“Jocelyn.”

“Isn’t your name Jess?”

Shit “Well yeah.. but it’s my middle name.” She beat herself up for one, thinking about the ridiculous idea to try and lie about her name, and two, for continuing the ridiculous lie after she’d been caught, but she prayed that this would be their final confrontation, and she’d graduate, or even better, he’d drop out sooner than she graduates, and they’ll never have to see each other again…

“… Right. So, uh, Jess Jocelyn,” Billy continued to eye her until turning his attention to the now empty kitchen, the last place he remembered Max being. Still propped on his elbow, he continued, “would you be able to tell me where Max is?”

“Uh, your sister? Well she’s-“

“Don’t call her that.”

“So what do I call her then?” She mimicked the way he previously asked this question, leaning in as if she was interested. She hated the way Billy treated his stepsister. At least, hated the fear in Max’s eyes when she talked about him. Jess never saw anything behind the scenes, but she didn’t have to. She could recognize that kind of fear from anywhere.

Billy genuinely beamed this time, finding her mocking tone amusing, even if it was a jab at him. “Just call her Max.”

“Right, well,” Jess began to falter. She couldn’t exactly tell him where she was, let alone why she was there, “Max. She’s gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean gone?” The anger crept in again, and when he reached for his keys, he had no intention of keeping it in any longer. “Where. the FUCK. are my KEYS.” He was no longer looking into the empty kitchen, but straight back at her. He was no longer smiling. Instead, he attempted to sit straighter than he was previous and sent an icy cold stare at Jess, jaw clenching as he did so.

“likeisaid. She’s gone.”

Jess tried to force herself to become smaller somehow and avoided Billy’s piercing eyes, finding the Byers’ random array of throw rugs a better sight than Hargrove’s angry gaze. His eyes widened at her answer. “No. nonono this cannot be..” Panic began to replace the anger. He started to pat himself down, hoping that Max and her stupid friends left by anything other than his beloved Camaro. How was he going to bring her home now? “How long ago did they leave?” Desperation coated his question, and Jess almost started to feel bad for him.

“Dunno, awhile ago, Billy. Wait!”

Billy began to turn from his elbow onto his palm and pushed himself up. His head began to spin as the blood found itself elsewhere, but Billy could not focus on that right now. He needed to leave, he needed to catch up to them. “Where did she g-“and with this, he stumbled, causing Jess to leap to steady him, which she instantly regretted as he may have fallen unconscious after falling, maybe hitting his head, and that seemed to be a better alternative to him conscious and asking all the wrong questions. Maybe if I just dropped him… She shook these intrusive thoughts from her head and brought him over to where she was sitting for the entirety of their interaction and helped him lean against the back of the couch.

“Shit. SHIT.” Billy smashed the backside of his fist against the couch, making Jess jump. “Sorry.” Billy sighed, then his smirk slowly made an appearance again, but this time it wasn’t aimed at her. He began to chuckle at himself and continued until he started shaking his head. Acceptance replaced the fear in his tone, and he knew. He was utterly screwed. “Fuck Jess, I can’t leave here without her.” He was looking up at the ceiling now, the back of the couch pushed up against Billy’s neck, perfectly cradling his not-so-steady head. and Jess looked up as well, wondering what he could be possibly staring at. “Neil is going to kill me.”

“Is.. is Neil your dad?”

“Mm.”

She looked back over at him as she continued, “Well, she’ll be back, and then you guys can go home.” At this, Billy looked over at the clock which indicated it was already midnight.

“Great.”

Billy cracked a smile again, chuckling at what awaited him at home. “Could you maybe rinse your mouth with water or something?” Billy immediately dropped his smile and looked over at her with confusion, visibly hurt by this request. Billy proceeded to lift his hand to his mouth, but before he could try and “discreetly” gage his breath, Jess began to laugh while wildly shaking her head back and forth. “No! No, it’s just, you know, the blood.”

Billy had somehow forgotten his fight with Harrington but was relieved to know it wasn’t a lack of personal hygiene that was causing her to wince at every smile this whole time. Jess then hurried to the kitchen, avoiding the smashed plate and the fallen clutter on the floor, to grab a glass and fill it with water. She then proceeded back to Billy and began to attempt to bring the glass to his lips.

“I’m not paralyzed, you know.”

“Right” She hands, more like pushes, the glass into Billy’s palm, causing some of the water to spill onto Billy’s arm, however, he doesn’t even notice as he starts to realize how thirsty he truly was with the reminder that water exists in this house. He washed the glass down within seconds of it reaching his hand and gives it back to Jess. “You were supposed to – “

“Yeah. Uh, could you?”

“Yup,” and you’re up again, soon handing him another glassful. This time, he takes the water and swishes it in his mouth, then stops, unaware of whether he should spit it back into the glass or swallow it to save you from having to see the orange-red liquid return into the cup. As if she was able to read his thoughts, she nods and tells him to “go ahead”, and Billy does as he’s told, spitting the water back into the glass.

“Uh, Sorry.”

“Don’t worry bout it.”

She takes the cup from him and pours the liquid down the drain and rinses out the glass thoroughly. Poor Joyce, she thought as she maneuvered through the kitchen one last time, returning to Billy with a different glass, again full of water. Billy thanked her, and without another word, downed the water with two gulps and set the glass between his legs. He then repositioned back to where he was previous, and Jess followed suit.

“So why are you here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you here, and not with them?”

“Someone had to stay here and make sure you didn’t get into any more trouble.”

“Yeah, but why you and not someone else?”

“Max thought you would be more civil since, according to her, we run in the same circle, and well, Steve wasn’t in any position to stay…”

The thought of Steve having to be carried away stuck with Jess, and it was her turn to be angry. “So Max told you to stay. I didn’t realize a thirteen-year-old child ran this shit show. I guess she’s right though, considering we’re friends now and all.” Billy now stared back at her, and she didn’t like this new twinkle in his eye. He then flicked his lips with his tongue and flashed yet another not-so-original smile, one she could see right through, one that he seemed to have practiced in the mirror a dozen times before this interaction, and though his mouth was no longer dark red, she liked this smile much less than the ones previously.

“Steve Harrington. He’s my friend. You and me. We’re not friends.”

#billy stranger things #stranger things #stranger things 4 #billy hargove x reader #billy hargrove #billy x reader #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove antis dni #billy hargrove x female reader

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bylerschmyler · 1 year

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I know that frame by frame analysis are not 100% reliable cause some things can really be production errors but I found something interesting about another time fuckery.

If we believe Jonathan's watch it's about 01:20 AM when they go to sleep after the UD/Demogorgon situation in the woods.

If we believe the alarm clock on Nancy's night stand it ~9 o'clock (PM).

I know that the alarm clock is a very background Details. But the fact it's in the shot is giving me headache. They could have easily cut out before it was shown or hid the pointers better. But they didn't they showed us the alarm clock and then cut.

But let me give you perspective on this.

Logically speaking it's way more likely that the alarm clock is right. Why?

Well Nancy just had a fight with her mother because she came back after 10:00 o'clock a couple off days prior when she was at Steve's party. Them being home very late only a couple off days later especially when Nancy tells her mom that she thinks something bad happened to Barb is not very logical. I know that the Wheeler's aren't parents that really know what their kids are doing. But considering the general situation I doubt that Nancy would have been allowed too late again.

On another note we see Steve stopping by.

Yes obviously that was before Nancy even went under the shower. But I doubt that Nancy went to the shower hours after getting home. And doubt too that Steve, Carol and Tommy are out until 12-1 am just driving around. I could be wrong but even after Steve's party the were home sooner (I think). But I could be wrong.

But still I think the alarm clock has a more realistic time than Jonathan watch.

So Jonathan's watch could just be wrong?

Yes but that's very unlikely (imo)

They showed us the watch in the center of the picture and while it's blurry you can't dismiss that you can easily see the time. The thing is that especially with Jonathan the Duffers like to hide the pointers off his watch. I am aware of multiple shots were Jonathan's watch has no pointers (or at least seems like that). And also it would have been easy to hide the watch.

Just take a look at the shot with the alarm clock again.

A few moments before he move to his side Jonathan is lying on his back and could have slept in exactly the same position like did when we can see his watch. But rather than doing that and therefore most likely revealing the time fuckery he move to his side an very obviously hides his watch from us.

Also you can see what I mean when I say sometimes Jonathan's watch doesn't seem like having pointers some times

@aemiron-main @henrysglock

For your collection of timeline fuckerinos

#stranger things #timeline weirdness #jancy #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler

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henrysglock · 10 months

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Hey, I know you do some movie analysis and one of the movies I recently watched is “The Good Son” which is on the inspo board. Spoilers, but the plot is literally about a “child psychopath” named Henry who murdered his infant brother in the backstory and in the story proper tries to murder his sister and especially hates his mother for catching on to his troubling behavior and for trying to have him institutionalized (so he tries to kill her in the climax but he dies himself after his mother concludes that he was born evil and the movie lands on that message). I am curious as to what yours and aemiron’s take on this is movie is because of how clearly this is inspiration for Vecna’s backstory and just how contradictory it’s messaging is to what you guys interpret/theorize about it. I’m on anon because I don’t want to get ostracized for even suggesting that Vecna was born evil (I disagree with that message but I’m being neutral on whether the duffers agree with me), and this is why I decided to just ask the experts.

Personally, I haven’t seen The Good Son, so I can’t speak in depth about that movie’s specifics.

However I think it’s important to remember that inspiration ≠ direct copy. We should also keep in mind that there are a multitude of contradictory plot points in Henry’s backstory.

For one: He physically could not have killed Alice (I’ve made this point several times across the past months). Alice was still clearly alive before Victor went into his trance. As we know from later in the season, given that it was a critical and heavily focused on part of Nancy’s plan: Vecna can’t do anything else while he’s trancing someone. Thus, Henry could not have killed Alice, since she was still alive when Victor enters his trance.

Point blank. He could not have killed Alice.

Second: He never says he despised his mother. He says his mother despised him. Very different things.

Third: There are a multitude of signs that Virginia was less than stellar as a mother (including but not limited to whatever the hell her bathtub vision was referring to [shudders] egh), but relatively few signs that Henry was anything but weird. Virginia was planning to ship Henry off to MARTIN BRENNER at a DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY MKULTRA LABORATORY. I mean, my god. Henry was twelve. Victor describes Henry as sensitive, the same way Joyce describes Will as sensitive.

Fourth: As I’ve detailed here:

Henry doesn’t meet any of the markers for conduct disorder (child psychopathy doesn’t exist, anon).

It’s also important to remember that the Duffers love a good twist…which is what I absolutely believe they’re setting us up for.

The Good Son feels more like an inspiration for this cover story to disguise the twist, if you ask me.

We’ve only been shown the briefest, most disjointed glimpse into Henry’s childhood. On the surface, before you actually study the scenes, it may seem like “oh he’s a psycho killer monster, that’s easy and simple”…But that’s NOT what Stranger Things has ever been about. It wasn’t like that for Billy, or El (who, for her age, has a FAR higher kill count than Henry at the same age), or any of them. Everyone is a product of their circumstances, and there are no innate monsters. Just people.

I mean this with all the kindness in the world: You have to actually watch what’s happening in the scenes, Anon. There’s a ton of shit that doesn’t add up.

You have to pull back the curtain, Anon. This is the “common interpretations aren’t the right ones” show. They literally tell you to look “too deep” in S1-3. Henry’s story is no different. Henry is not exempt.

#asks #henry creel #stranger things

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gracegrove · 1 year

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15. What does Steve like about Billy?

Honest to god I there's so many things,

But I think one of the main things, especially in the beginning that Steve likes about Billy, is that Billy is someone genuine. He's someone that Steve can be around not because he feels he should or that he has to, but because he wants to.

It seems like Steve spends so much effort throughout all of the seasons operating and conducting himself around preconceived notions that others have for him. In the first season it's his parents and also Tommy and Carol, in the second season it's Nancy and what Steve thinks should stem from his attachment to her, in the third season Steve is starting to flounder a bit. He has Dustin as a small buoy, but it's not much, and Steve tries to glom onto Robin and gets thrown when Robin discloses that she's a lesbian. In the fourth season, Steve again finds himself relying on others and their thoughts and opinions about him and his life to try and craft a path for himself.

I recognize a lot of this is solely due to poor writing and choices in execution by the Duffers, however, I also know people like this. People who bob along in life, relying heavily upon others to help determine their path. There's a lot of anxiety in their lives and a lot of uncertainty. It's almost as if they sometimes believe it may be safer to trust the opinions and validation of others than to have trust in how they view themselves. They don't want to leap even though they looked.... they want confirmation that the bridge is there from others. It's a huge blow to their autonomy, but this often stems from earlier issues, such as an overbearing parent that would make all the decisions for them, or family dynamics that hold Everest-level height expectations and are overly critical when their children stray from 'the plan'.

I think it's almost too easy at times for Steve to like Billy, to a degree that it might startle Steve sometimes... Because no one told Steve he had to like Billy. Or to hate him. No one told him one way or the other anything about Billy truthfully. Steve got to feel and mold his own appreciation and affection for him.

I think Steve likes how similar and yet how opposite they are at times. That they both have veins of resentment against their parents and yet they manifest so differently. Steve feels like he may not feel enough at times, and it seems like Billy feels everything all at once to a degree that it's excruciating. How they can seem like the most charming people at the party, and both know that one another can be at their loneliest when surrounded by a sea of people.

I think Steve likes Billy's sharp tongue and dry wit. Steve likes his authenticity... even if that's enveloped by a closed fist to the gut. He loves Billy's panache and his flare, it reminds Steve all too much of his not-too-distant self. He likes that Billy is raw and unbridled. That he feels. That he's unreserved and rude. That he hasn't been bent to anything or anyone. And Steve may even have some misplaced envy to that.

Billy just lights up every neuron Steve has. Makes him feel everything from blind rage to anguish to enthusiasm to love. And Steve fosters his sense of self in that. Starts to trust himself more and recognizes that he has good sense the more he hangs around Billy. Billy anchors down that autonomy that Steve was willingly handing off to others for a long time but he's now investing in himself.

#took me a bit to get to this #this turned into an essay bc i let it sit in my inbox too long so now you must suffer #Jess answers #harringrove #billy x steve

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spicybylerpolls · 3 months

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Wow, love the dynamism of that post from Anon about fantasising not being inherently bad.

To me, it's not about fantasising, but rather voyeurism and the taboo of how we spend time.

For example, I definitely need to check my own double standards sometimes. I judge the idea of someone who engages in fandom obsessively and doesn't go out and live a real life of their own, yet I allow myself to sit and scroll the byler tag as much as I want because I enjoy it and I'm not viewing myself from the outside. But to others, I probably seem really sad!

Of course fantasising itself is normal. But check out this sentence: the duffers have almost certainly been fantasising about byler for over a decade.

Because, by your definitions, they have been dreaming them up. And yeah, verbatim: but the implication and subtext is pretty different, isn't it? It makes it sound like a couple of middle aged dudes have been getting off to a gay teenage couple for a quarter of their life.

Who are we to judge? But we will. Cos humans judge people. It's what we do.

And it's pretty easy to see how some people might feel grossed out by that, and not want to look deeper into what it could mean. They freak out and flee - fight or flight mode.

So yes, fantasising is ok and normal, but much of the fandom are (rather ineloquently, i'll concede) expressing judgement, disgust and pity at the fact that a large portion of bylers seem to be over-indulging in sexual fantasies, possibly as a way of avoiding sexual expression in their own real lives.

it's not about sex or perverts. It's about the adorable patheticness of being an obsessed fan who dedicates more time to fictional characters than their own experience of life.

But here I am too - so who am I to judge?

all very interesting points!

#byler #spicy byler #mike wheeler #will byers #no poll

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eclipsebyler · 2 years

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Mike Wheeler and his love for D&D (ST Comics Thoughts + Long Analysis)

Note: The comics aren't written by the Duffer Bros themselves so we can't say they're fully canon. However, the D&D Issue comic is very canon to me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it especially bcs it gave us a Mike POV and it's interesting that it makes so much sense for how he acts in the show. So, I made an unnecessarily dramatic analysis about it. Take it with a grain of salt.

—

Contrary to popular belief, Will Byers isn't the biggest nerd and lover of Dungeons & Dragons among the party. Mike Wheeler is.

In the comics, it's Mike (along with Lucas) who first discovered this fantasy board game in an isolated library. They excitedly talked about this with Will, who then shared their enthusiasm about the game and the three of them made it their goal to save up and trade books in exchange for the complete set of D&D. They met Dustin along the way because of it too, and the core four party was born.

(Look how cute they are. The party even helped in the final touches of Castle Byers in the comics.)

Among the four of them, it becomes clear that Mike is the most invested. He enjoyed being the Dungeon Master — learning about the game's mechanics and creating imaginative adventures for the party's campaigns (and we can see that in the show, too. It's the very first scene we get with the party being established as the dorky nerds: a game of D&D, and Mike as their enthusiastic DM. Mike even gets frustrated when Karen calls him up because their game got cut off.)

And considering how Mike's career goal is being a writer — it's easy to connect it with his love for world building in this game. A lot of his childhood traces back to his memories with the party and D&D. It's a comfort game to him.

However, that changes after the tragic night happened. After S1's Upside Down fiasco, he started harbouring negative feelings about it; worrying if it's still worth playing at all for numerous reasons.

For the party, especially for Mike — D&D isn't just a game. It became a way to navigate and decode the world around them.

Teamwork, bravery, and empathy are some of the values in-game that bled through the party's real life dynamics. It brought them closer together.

D&D empowered Mike to be a brave, courageous hero not just in game, but also in real life too. He became less scared and slowly learned to stand up to the bullies. To protect his friends in his own ways. To be the leader— someone who comes up with a plan and inspires the party into action. Just like he does as the Dungeon Master.

So for this same game that only held good memories to suddenly be replaced by the worst ones — ones that involve real supernatural monsters, his friends being put real danger, and an interdimensional world that turned their lives into a nightmare — it's easy to see why Mike starts despising it.

Most especially because the two week planned campaign of his, the one they played before Will bid him goodbye — it had all turned to reality.

The Demogorgon got Will. He vanished. He almost died. He lost his best friend.

And while they got Will back in their lives, a part of him died in the Upside Down. Mike knows and sees it, and it upsets him.

To some extent — Mike might have blamed himself for what happened. As the Dungeon Master who came up with the failed campaign that became a little too real; what if the next stories he writes lead to a traumatic real life experience again? What if he loses Will again? What if he wasn't really a good DM at all? What if they didn't play that night? What if he asked Will to stay? If only...

As much as Mike loves playing again, he feels like everyone doesn't want to anymore. This game isn't worth it, after everything that happened.

Because what is the point of playing adventures that spoke of bravery and heroes saving the day — when he couldn't do that in reality? It's stupid. Mike feels stupid.

And yet, he couldn't let go of it completely. If anything, these feelings pushed him to write a perfect next campaign for the party.

Maybe he just needed to fix their last failed session, to make things better. Maybe he could bring back the party together in their favorite game and lead them to victory. Somehow, he feels like the party's dynamics is at stake in this next game so he puts his all to it.

He hated how things were changing. He longed for things to be normal again.

He beat himself up over writing the best campaign story to the point Nancy had to check on him in the basement and tried to help him out despite not knowing about D&D.

(One of my favorite moments in this issue. Nancy indulging Mike on his interests and comforting him? I need more of the Wheeler siblings in S5.)

What struck me the most was how much Mike cares about Will and how considerate he was in everything (even with his character in the game). He wanted Will the Wise to be the one to kill the monster and bring them victory. He needs him to win, unlike last time.

"He needs to be a hero, not a victim."

He wanted to create a special and perfect campaign for the party, but most especially for Will. This campaign is for Will.

Mike is scared of repeating the last failed campaign. He's scared of having to worry about their fantasy game turning into reality. He's scared of how everything changed after that night.

He wants to go back to the old times, before Will had gone missing. He wants the old, carefree and happy party back. He wants to have Will back.

“Dungeons & Dragons kept you guys together, Mike. Isn’t that worth celebrating?”

This game brought the party close together. But it’s also the same game that reminds Mike of bad memories: like his campaign that caused them to be separated to Will. He has mixed feelings about it.

Eventually, he finishes writing the campaign and plays it with the party. As a desired outcome, Will was able to kill the monster— the Thessalhydra, and wins this time.

It's the same campaign we saw the party playing at the end of S1. (And the last campaign we saw them playing as a party. The last we see of Mike as the Dungeon Master).

Their last D&D session was a special campaign he wrote especially for Will.

Considering all of Mike’s POV in the comics into the canon universe, it makes so much sense as to why he started drifting away and repressing his want to play it. Because just when things are getting back to normal again -- he loses Will again to the Upside Down in S2. To a creature that is reminiscent to one of D&D’s monsters again. The Mind Flayer.

He watched Will get haunted by the Upside Down and being stuck in two worlds. He watched him get possessed, slowly lose his memories and turn into a different person. He watched him thrash in pain and suffer to an almost death. And add to that - El coming back, he finds out she’s still alive and he’d been lied to, only for her to leave again and Mike could only watch.

He could only watch and hope that they are both still alive. And at the end of the day, Mike is still just a kid. It’s easy to feel hopeless, powerless, and for trauma and fear to consume him. It’s easy to see why his insecurity grows and for him to feel like he isn’t doing anything worthwhile for anyone.

And seeing as how Mike spent Season 3 focusing on his relationship with El instead, to impress the girl that has taken interest in him and doing the traditional heteronormative couple behaviors - it makes so much sense. This is Mike trying to grow up. Trying to do things differently rather than reverting back to the old habits like playing games -- especially a game that surrounds him with complicated feelings, no matter how much he loves it. Repressing his interests.

“What did you think, really? We’re just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?”

This is definitely him projecting. This is what he wants but he’s trying to let it go. Him dismissing Will’s campaign because it’s scary to play D&D with the party again, especially with Will. He’d lost Will two times already.

But clearly, he hasn’t let go of his love for D&D just yet. He reacts when Will donates his book. He worries that Will wants to join another party. And when the Byers-Hopper moved to Lenora, he joined a D&D club in S4: The Hellfire. He enjoys playing again - in a larger party, and with another skilled Dungeon Master. This is the first time we see him as one of the players, and not a DM. He’s slowly going back to his old habits, but not quite fully. He’s still trying to be normal. He still wants to seem like he’s growing up.

And weirdly, he only shows this repressed side of him to El and Will. The two people he keeps losing and gaining back. But evidently we see him doing this with Will the most.

He has no problem being a nerd with Lucas and Dustin and Max. He has never really shown El this side of him.

But why Will? Who has known him since he was a kid, who knows and accepts this side of him and yet he refuses to play with him again. Because of his trauma, probably. Or there's something more to it.

“We could just play D&D and Nintendo for the rest of our lives.”

“Yeah. Totally.”

The way Mike responds to this is as if he’s dismissing it. As if it’s an idea he didn’t want to do. And yet the next moment, we see his face lighting up with a huge smile when Will gives him a painting - a D&D painting - an imagery of his character in the game and Will telling him that he’s exactly just that in real life too. Everyone needs him. He’s their leader. He’s the heart. It’s Mike being reminded of who he truly is - of who he’s trying to repress within himself, and Will is telling him -- he is loved and worth it for just exactly who he is. And that means the world to Mike.

It's clear how much this speech meant to him because it's what pushes him to say I love you to El. (That godforsaken monologue which there's so much to unpack from. That's for another conversation.)

—

In conclusion to this long analysis of Mike Wheeler from both comics and the show — D&D is a big part of the party's lives but most especially Mike Wheeler's. And his mixed feelings about it mostly centers on one person: Will. The night Will vanished was the night everything went to hell, the night of Mike's campaign that turned to a hellish reality.

D&D reminds him of what he gained and what he lost time and time again. D&D reminds him of what he hates and what he loves. D&D reminds him of who he is and who he wants to be.

Mike Wheeler is a huge nerd. He badly wants to repress it for several reasons but he'll always fall back to where he's always meant to be. One day, he would be able to play games for the rest of his life without having to worry about losing someone again.

One day, he's going to truly have Will back in his life and he would stay with him, and then home will be the same again.

#I can't believe I spent time dissecting Mike Wheeler's brain #this is an unnecessarily long post about D&D and nerds who love it #Mike Wheeler is the biggest nerd of all #I will die on this hill #If you squint this post is pointing towards Byler #I make everything about Byler sorry #the ST comics is good you guys should read it!!#So Much Thoughts in my head #This post is me trying to make sense of Mike's weird behavior towards Will and his refusal to play with him #He's just scared of continuously losing him...#D&D is byler's love language #Will draws and paints for Mike #Mike writes him campaigns #nerds in love #byler

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