No Stranger to Love

Pairing:Eddie Munson X gn!Reader

Summary/Request:@lilithsays666: could you do where reader and eddie first meet like maybe at a record store and they both bond over metal music??

Warnings:None :))

Word Count: 515

a/n: i hope you like this! btw i based this off of the band black sabbath bc eddie references them in one of the episodes lol.

You quickly walked into the record store that was just a short five minute walk away from your house, searching everywhere for Black Sabbath’s new album, ‘Seventh Star’.

It had been released not too long ago and you had been dying to buy it ever since it wasreleased.

Your eyes were darting all over the store, in search of the album cover or the section labeled ‘Black Sabbath’ in the midst of the stores large catalog.

A few minutes into your search, your eyes finally found the album. It was in the front of the bands section and you were so caught up in trying to find it that you didn’t even see the boy who was now standing right next to you.

And just as you were about to grab it from the shelf, another hand, rings covering the upper half of his fingers, went for it at the same time. Your fingers lightly brushed against each other as you then started to peer over to the boy next to you and quickly apologize.

“Sorry,” you said with an awkward chuckle as the handsome boy in front of you invaded your senses, “You can have it.” you told him as you gestured to the record with your dominant hand.

“Black Sabbath, huh?” he simply said in response, looking you up and down while he spoke, his fingers lightly resting on the edge of the shelf.

“Yeah, they’re one of my favorite bands.” you told him with a soft smile on your face.

“Mine too.” he replied, smiling back at you.

And as he smiled at you, it seemed as though there was a sparkle in his eye.

“Really? Most people think their music is bad.” you said to him whilst you raised your eyebrows in shock.

“I get where your coming from, most people don’t have a good taste in music, unlike you, sweetheart.” he told you with a wink, causing you to blush a little.

“I’m (y/n), by the way.” you made known to him as you held out your hand.

“I’m Eddie.” he told you in response as he shook your hand, his rings pressing up against your skin.

He opened his mouth to speak again then paused for a moment. You were incredibly beautiful and he knew he wanted to see you again, he just didn’t know what to say. So, he said the first thing that came to mind.

“How about this, we’ll compromise, I’ll let you have the record and in return you give me your number.” he suggested to you as a smirk rolled out across his lips.

You smirked back at him, “Deal.” you replied, now pulling a small piece of paper and pen out of your pocket.

And once you had finished writing your number down, you handed him the piece of paper and he handed you the record.

“I’ll see you around, Eddie.” you said with a wink as you headed over to the nearby register to pay for the record.

“See you around.” he replied before he quickly walked out of the store.

Follow my library account to keep up to date with the things i write!

Navigation

I may have just finished a nearly 6k word slowburn/mutual pining fic for Eddie where he surprises the reader by taking her to prom…

It definitely needs a bit of editing, but I’m excited to share it later this week.

「 drunken confessions 」

eddie munson x reader

summary: after years of friendship, eddie finally goes to a party to be with you, but your fuzzy mind can’t filter any of your thoughts.

requested: no

word count: 4.7k

warnings: slightly angsty, use of drugs and alcohol, pet names (princess, darling, honey), mentions of getting sick, mentions of hangovers, implied slight ‘nudity’ 

a/n: i know, i know, i know that everyone is seemingly on an eddie kick, but can you really blame us? he’s adorable. anyways, here’s my go at a fic for him. feedback is appreciated & you can certainly send in stranger things requests if you’d like!

Sitting front row a section down from the Basketball team, you can’t help but internally groan at the sheer amount of noise there is.

You’ve never minded the games themselves, long as you sit towards the back of the crowd with a friend or two, but since becoming a cheerleader there’s been never ending noise. 

If it’s not the squad cheering for the team and trying to rile up the crowd, then it’s all the shallow-minded ‘golden girls’ complaining about their most recent date or their boyfriend who didn’t do what was expected of him, or whatever it is they wanted to complain about.

It actually makes you sick how entitled most of these girls sound, and act, just because they’re in the popular clique. You hate it, and you half regret ever joining the team to begin with.

That is until you catch a glimpse of the messy mop of curls and addictive smile that you’ve come to adore, attempting to blend into the crowd even though it’s nearly impossible for him to do so.

Eddie Munson has been a friend of yours for about as long as you can remember. Ever since you moved into the trailer diagonally across the road from his, at least.

Your mom left your father when you were five. Without her to stay home and help care for you, he had to cut back his hours at work for a while, meaning he didn’t have the income to keep the house you’d been living in. Not that it mattered though. Not when the trailer was decent enough, and you got to meet eddie.

Of course he was a few years older than you, but that didn’t matter. Especially when his uncle and your father would hang out from time to time. 

You can’t even begin to count how many times the two of you would spend the afternoon watching movies as the adults watched a game on tv, usually drinking. It was him who introduced you to your first horror movie, and thus helped you realize you really didn’t care for the genre. 

It was he who introduced you to the wide variety of metal music, even if you weren’t a fan of all of it. It was he that would tease you for the mainstream pop music and romcom or plain old comedy movies you enjoyed, yet it didn’t take much convincing to get him to sit there and listen to it all.

In fact, although he was shocked to hear you say it, and even teased you a bit for it, he was the one that really encouraged you to try out for the team. Since then, you’ve noticed that he’s been coming out to almost every game, when before you’d actually have to drag him to one. Even then you could rarely get him to go.

Now he claims he only comes to the games because all his ‘customers’ are there, but you’d like to think there’s a part of him that’s there to watch you. God knows you’ve had a little thing for him since the start of high school.

You watch as he gazes over the crowd, smiling as he spots you. You can’t help but smile back as he sends you a head nod to greet you, not liking to draw attention to either of you at school.

He knows you’ve got a reputation of sorts to uphold as a cheerleader, and he likes to uphold his reputation as the freak. Therefore, once you told him that you made the team, he made the pact to keep your friendship on the down low at school. The last thing he wants is for you to get bullied by the people you were on a team with.

“Let’s go, Tigers!” Chrissy shouts, clapping with her poms as her boyfriend gets possession of the ball.

You sigh, dropping your head for a second as you’re pulled back to the reality of your current situation. As much as you’d like to go see Eddie, you’re expected to sit here and cheer.

“Let’s go, tigers.” You mutter, building yourself up to actually cheer and rile up the crowd as you get closer to half time.

~.~

“Come on, y/n! It’s going to be a hell of a party.” Chrissy tries to persuade you as she hangs onto her boyfriend, Jason.

Excitingly, Hawkins High won the game, all thanks to a freshman you know from Eddie’s D&D group. You knew Lucas had it in him, he just needed the time to prove it.

Soon as the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the game, you made sure to congratulate him, having noticed none of his friends were in the crowd earlier to have seen his win.

Now, the majority of the team and some of their friends were heading over to this big party, but you really didn’t want to go.

“I’m sure it will be, Chrissy, but I’m really tired. I’ll come to the next one. Promise.”

“But we’ve got to celebrate the team’s win!” She practically whines, trying her absolute best to persuade you into coming.

“You guys go and do that for me. You’ve got enough celebratory energy for the both of us.”

“It’s not the same without you there, though. You always make these things so much more fun.” She pouts.

“Next one. I promise. Go and have fun.” 

“You promise you’ll be at the next one?”

“I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.” You state, getting a giggle from her as she nods. 

You have to admit, out of everyone on the team, you really don’t mind Chrissy. Sure she can seem a bit ditzy and spoiled at times, but she’s actually really cool.

“I’m holding you to it. Have a good night, okay?”

“I will. You guys too. Be safe.” You smile, pulling your team jacket around your body as a slight breeze runs through the parking lot.

She nods, blowing you a kiss as Jason pulls her away and towards his car.

You can’t help but smile, shaking your head as you turn to start heading home, walking past the back of the school.

Just as you start to cross into the shadows, since the school apparently can’t afford to light the entire grounds, you feel someone grab you around the waist, drawing a scream from you as they lift you up and spin you around.

Within a second you hear laughing from behind you as you get set down, and you immediately know it’s Eddie. Especially when he leans forward to rest his forehead on your shoulder, his arms still draped around your waist.

“Eddie, you asshole! You just about gave me a heart attack.” You huff, slapping his biceps as you turn in his arms to face him.

“I’m sorry, princess. I couldn’t help myself. The opportunity was there.” He laughs, smiling and showcasing his beautiful dimples.

“You owe me. Better find a way to make it up to me.” 

“You know I will. I always do, don’t I?” He smiles, his laughter dying out as he looks down at you, having about six inches on you.

“Mhm.” You hum, looking back up at him as a moment of silence passes between the two of you.

“Uh, you did well back there. Seems like you’ve been practicing hard lately.” He mentions, clearing his throat as he backs away from you a little, moving his arm up around your shoulders as he begins to walk you over to his van.

That’s another thing he’s been doing since you joined the team. Not only does he come to pretty much every game, but he makes sure to give you a ride home every time as well.

“Thanks, Eds. I’ve been trying, but I still don’t think I’m getting it quite right.” You frown.

“It looks like you are.”

“I don’t know. Thank you, though.” You smile.

“Of course, princess. I mean, if you’re really that worried that you’re getting it wrong, you could run the routine by me sometime? I can tell you if anything looks off.” 

“You’d do that?” 

“Yeah. I mean, you’re my best friend, and getting it right is important to you.”

“You’re such a sweetheart, aren’t you, Munson?” You smile, leaning into his side as he chuckles, smiling down at you as he shakes his head.

“Hey, I’m just trying to be nice.” he teases, opening the door of his van for you as the two of you reach it.

“You’realways nice, Eddie.” 

“Mm, only to you.” He mumbles, rolling his eyes as you climb into the passenger side seat.

~.~

You can’t help but relax as you lay on Eddie’s bed, your head resting on his stomach as Motley Crue plays in the background.

“So you’re a secret party animal, huh?” Eddie questions, his one hand absentmindedly running through your hair as the other holds a joint.

“Hmm?” You hum, brows furrowing as you tilt your head back to look at him.

“I could hear you talking to Cunningham in the parking lot there. Said something about you making things more fun?” 

“Oh. Yeah. I mean, I guess.” You blush, turning your attention back to the ceiling.

“You guess?” 

“Yeah. I mean, I don’t really think I make things more fun, but then again I usually can’t remember everything of the night before anyway.” 

Eddie can’t help but raise his brows at your admission, especially since you said it in such a nonchalant way. He’s seen you drink before, and he’s seen how giggly you get when you’re drunk, but he’s never known you to get blackout drunk.

“Hmm, guess I’ll have to come to one of these parties sometime. See for myself if you really make things more fun or not.” He teases.

“It’s only because the things are so boring that I drink enough to get drunk.”

“I’veseen you drunk, princess, and you always know what you do the night before.  You have to be wasted at these things.” He states, sitting up against his pillows, causing you to have to move to get comfortable again, which ends up being on your stomach, looking up at him.

“I don’t just drink at these things, Eddie.” You admit, reaching for the lit joint in his hand.

“You smoke with these people?” He questions, eyes slightly wide at the thought.

He watches as you shrug, nodding in response, taking a hit from the joint.

“Yeah, I mean, you sell to the majority of them, don’t you? I know your stuff is good.” 

“I mean, yeah. I do sell to quite a few Hawkins High students, but I don’t know. How do you know what they’re smoking is mine?”

“I don’t. Not for sure, at least. I just figured. Why’re you upset about this?” You frown, brows furrowed as you watch him.

“I’m not upset, y/n. I’m just, worried.” He sighs, running a hand down his face as he reaches for the joint.

You take one last hit from it before handing it back to him, slowly exhaling the smoke as he takes his turn.

“Why’re you worried, Eds? It’s not like I don’t know how to safely smoke. And I’ve always made it back home safe, haven’t I?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, you have. I’m sorry. It’s not my place to worry.” He sighs, taking another hit, inhaling deeply as you frown.

You’ve never seen Eddie act like this. You know he cares for you, but it’s not like he needs to worry about you. He never has before.

~.~

Like you promised, the next party came around and you’ve dragged yourself out to it, much to Chrissy’s excitement. Of course you lost her within ten minutes of arriving though. 

Since then you’ve been downing drinks rather steadily, chatting with people as you bump into them, but you’re still not really having fun. Especially since your conversation with Eddie plays in the back of your mind as you take each sip.

People have been smoking for the last few hours, the house being submerged in a layer of smoke as joints get passed around groups of friends. As much as you’d like to take some, you can’t help but remember the worry on Eddie’s face when you said you do so.

You don’t want to worry him, so you’ve been keeping your distance from the drug, even though it seems to be calling out for you.

“Fancy a joint?” Someone questions you, and you go to reach for it before hesitating.

“It’s alright, princess. I know you want it.”

At the nickname, you look up to find Eddie smiling down at you, a large smile breaking out on your face.

“Eds!” You smile, practically throwing yourself into his arms in a hug, drawing a chuckle from him as he wraps his free hand around you.

“Hey, princess. How’re you doing?” He questions, for once not worrying who is seeing this interaction.

“Better now. You’re here.” You admit, smiling a bit dumbly as you slur your words.

Eddie can’t lie and say your words don’t make his heart race. He knows that you’re definitely drunk at the moment, but any time you mention liking his presence he can’t help but feel soft.

If he’s being honest with himself, he’s liked you for quite a few years. He’s not sure when exactly it happened, but at some point he stopped finding your reactions to horror movies funny, but rather adorable. He found himself giving into your pleas to watch romcoms and comedy’s more and more with less resistance. 

At some point he found himself taking notice of your appearance more too. He suddenly noticed the way you would do your makeup and style your hair, especially for school. With him though, you always did less, not feeling the need to try as hard, if at all. 

He began noticing the way you filled out certain pairs of jeans, and how your shirts occasionally gave a great view of your cleavage. God forbid the few times you’ve worn his clothes. As children he never thought anything of it, but sometime between middle and high school he found himself nearly losing his breath at the sight.

Don’t even ask him about your cheerleading uniform. The amount of times the image of you in the green and white fabric crossed his mind late at night. That’s half the reason he finds himself coming to these obnoxious games; so he can watch you dance around in that pretty little uniform of yours.

“Come smoke with me?” You question, your voice pulling Eddie from his thoughts.

“Smoke with you? You sure you want that, princess?” He teases, already knowing he’s going to.

“You should already know that I do.” You quip, giving him a little pout that sends a little fire throughout his middle.

~.~

You smile, dumbly, as you watch Eddie smoke beside you, seeming so peaceful looking up at the night sky as he exhales.

“You’re so pretty, Eds.” You murmur, your filter nonexistent as the weed and alcohol make your head foggy.

“Not as pretty as you, y/n.” He smiles, and you can’t help but take his response as a mindless joke to your statement.

“I’m serious, Eddie.” You pout, crossing your arms over your chest. 

“You’re really pretty.”

“I’m being serious, too, princess.” He chuckles, watching as your pout deepens.

“Why’re you upset, darling?” He hums, putting out the joint as it gets to the end.

“You’re not list’ning.” 

“I heard you say I’m pretty. I appreciate it, princess. I think you’re real pretty yourself.” 

As he speaks, he grabs your hand and pulls you over to sit on his lap, your hands resting on your lap, atop your little cheer-leading skirt.

“No, Eddie. You’re not getting it.” You sigh, playing with his fingers, occasionally spinning his rings as you study them like they’re the most interesting thing in the world.

“Honey, you’re drunk. I don’t know what you’re trying to get at.” 

“I like you.” You mumble, making Eddie chuckle as you continue playing with his hand.

“I like you too.”

“Nooo.” You whine, frustrated that he’s not getting what you’re trying to say. 

“I like you a lot, Eddie. More than a friend.” 

He nods, jaw dropping lightly as he finally understands what you’ve been trying to say. He can’t lie and say it doesn’t make his heart race and his stomach flip, but he can’t know for sure how much you mean it when you’re this far gone. 

“Yeah? Let’s get you home and we can talk more about it, okay?” 

A moment passes as he waits for your reply, but you take it to try to stop your heart from breaking.

“You don’t like me, do you?” You all but whisper.

“I never said that, princess.” He softly explains, having never seen you like this.

“You don’t have to.” 

“I know you only see me as a friend.” You cry, dropping his hand as you wipe at a few tears pooling in your eyes.

“Hey. I told you that I like you.”

“As a friend. You didn’t say anything when I told you I liked you more than that. Y-you changed the topic.” You sniffle, curling into yourself as he sighs.

“You’re drunk, y/n. I don’t want to say anything you might not remember in the morning.”

“I’m not that drunk, Eddie.” You argue, raising your voice in frustration. 

“Let me get you home, okay? I promise we’ll talk about it there.” 

“No. I-I’ll stay here. You go, though.” 

You can’t help but sniffle as you reply to him, wiping at some more tears as you try to get up from his lap, but he grabs your hand, pulling you back down to him as soon as you’re standing.

“I’m not leaving you here, princess. Not all upset like this.” 

“Don’t call me princess. Please.”  You plead.

“And it’s not your decision whether I stay.” 

He can’t help but sigh as your stubbornness starts to pop out. He’s seen this plenty of times when you were children, and luckily, he knows how to handle it.

“Y/n. You know you’re not being rational. Let’s go home. We can stop by that 24/7 diner you like.” 

A silence settles over the both of you as you take in his words and he waits for your reply. He knows that you’ll never turn down a trip to the diner. 

“The one with the pancakes?” You ask after a moment.

“The one with the pancakes.”

Sighing, you get up from his lap and hold your hand out for him, deciding some pancakes sound amazing, even if you are a little heartbroken.

Smiling, he grabs your hand, getting up from the lawn chair he had been sitting in. Soon as he’s standing, he drapes his arm around your shoulders, never letting go of your hand as he leads you back towards the house.

Walking through, he notices Lucas seemingly drunk out of his mind. He knows him from Hellfire, having taken him and his friends in to be a part of the group, and he’s sure that he’s never had alcohol before in his life. The poor kid is going to be in hell come morning. Realizing that, Eddie takes pity on him, wrapping an arm around  his shoulders and leading him out of the house as well.

Never did he think he’d be a babysitter to his best friend and some freshman, but here he is. Maybe he is nice like you constantly tell him.

~.~

When you wake in the morning, the first thing you notice is just how much your head aches and how dry your mouth is. Groaning, you turn over onto your side, pulling the covers further up your body.

Unfortunately the feeling of having to pee hits you. Begrudgingly you roll yourself out of bed, realizing you’re not in your room, but Eddie’s, wearing his shirt.

You can’t help but smile, but you don’t linger on the thought for long as you go back to feeling like you have to pee.

As you get closer to the bathroom, you hear someone getting sick and you frown, knowing it’s extraordinarily rare for Eddie to drink enough to get sick. Looking into the bathroom, you frown as you see Lucas getting sick into the toilet, looking worse for the wear.

“Aw, Lucas, hon.” You pout, stepping into the bathroom and rubbing his back as he groans.

“You gotta take it easy drinking. Especially your first few times.” 

All you get in response is a groan and you can’t help but feel sorry for the kid, knowing he only wanted to fit in with all his older teammates.

“You done?” 

“I think so.” He murmurs, sighing as he takes a deep breath.

“Rinse your mouth out and go lay down, okay? I’ll be out in a second to find us some pain relievers.”

“Okay.” He groans, begrudgingly pulling himself up from the floor and over to the sink.

You watch, sympathetically, as he does what you say, seeming exhausted as he does so. You pout slightly as he stumbles back out to the couch where Eddie must have placed him last night.

Not that you remember getting home, though. You vaguely remember Eddie showing up to the party, which surprised you, but after that it all became a massive blur.

Regardless, you do your business and wash your hands, rinsing your face as you do. Opening the medicine cabinet you find a bottle of Advil, grabbing the container and making your way out to the kitchen.

You grab a glass from one of the cabinets, filling it up with tap water before making your way to the couch.

“Take these, hon. It’ll help. Trust me.” You state, handing two pills to Lucas before handing him the glass of water.

“Thank you, y/n. You’re nice.” He mumbles, eyes already closed as exhaustion creeps up on the kid.

“Of course.” You smile, fixing the blanket over him as the trailer door opens.

“Morning, princess.” Eddie greets, flashing you his signature smile.

“Morning. Where’ve you been?”

“We didn’t have much food, so I went out and got some so you two alcoholics can eat the hangover away.”

“Be nice to us, Eds.” You tease, knowing he’s only joking with you. 

“Especially, Lucas. You know how it is wanting to fit in with the big kids. Poor baby must’ve taken any drink those guys handed him.” 

“I know. I’m only teasing. I’m honestly surprised you’re up and about right now.” 

“Hmm, it’s not my first time drinking.”

“Iknowthat.” He sighs, rolling his eyes as you chuckle.

“But I’ve never seen you so drunk before.”

“Because you’ve never gone to a party with me before, and I typically don’t see you until the majority of the hangover is gone.” You state, only telling him the truth as he walks around the counter to wrap an arm around you.

He hums, nodding in agreement and you can’t help but wonder what you might’ve said or done last night.

“Speaking of which, how do you feel about laying back down?”

“I’d be happy to.”

At your reply, Eddie breaks out into a smile as he leads you back to his room where you crawl into bed beside him.

“Is it okay if I lay on you a bit?” You ask, wanting to curl up into his side some.

“More than okay, princess. Want you to be comfortable.”

You smile, pulling yourself into his side, a hand and your head resting on his chest as you prop one of your legs up on his hip.

Soon as he feels you settle in, he lets his hand closest to you play with your hair, drawing a soft hum from you.

“Do you remember anything from last night?” He suddenly asks.

“Not much. I remember you showing up, but then everything gets blurry.” 

“I didn’t do anything dumb did I?” You question.

“Depends on your definition of dumb.”

“Anything I’d be embarrassed about?”

“No. No, you were deceptively sober to most.” He shares, chuckling at your question.

“You did say some things, though.”

“Like what?” You question, tilting your head to look at him, his eyes already focused on you.

“Well you called me pretty.” He chuckles.

“I mean, you are.” You chuckle, blushing ever so slightly.

“I know I am, but I appreciate the compliment.” He jokes, making you roll your eyes.

“Anything else?”

“Yeah. You said you liked me.” 

“I do like you. You’re my best friend.” You state, but he’s cutting off the end of your sentence.

“As more than a friend.” 

You nod, taking a second to comprehend and figure out how to go about this. You could play it off as drunken rambling, but you have the slightest inkling that he’d call bullshit if you did. 

“Oh…Wh-what happened after I said that?”

“Well, you started to cry and I had to take you to the diner to calm you down.” He states, in an ever so slight teasing tone.

“That…sounds like me.” You chuckle, sighing as you do. You’ve definitely noticed you can get super emotional when you’re drinking.

You sigh, pushing yourself up into a sitting position, not able to look at Eddie, too afraid of the expression he might hold. You’re not sure you can take any sort of rejection right now.

“Hey,” he calls, sitting up himself and situating himself behind you.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing really.” You state, swallowing back any fear you hold to look back at him as he pushes some of your hair off of your shoulder.

“Mm, don’t do that.” He hums, pouting.

“Do what?”

“Shut yourself up like you are. You’re afraid of being vulnerable.”

“I am not.”

“Are too. Tell me, do you like me? As more than a friend?” He questions, holding your hair away as he looks at you, hovering over your shoulder.

“I…”

You look down at him and feel whatever resolve you had in you breaking. You can’t lie to him, and you’re sure that he knows it.

“You already know the answer.” You sigh, feeling his smirk as he ghosts his lips over your shoulder.

“I want to hear it.” 

“I like you. I like you a lot, Eddie Munson.”

At your admission you can feel him grin, his lips pressing to your shoulder before making their way to the base of your neck where you can’t help but let out a soft whine.

“I like you a lot, too, y/n y/l/n. Have for a while.” He murmurs, pulling you back so he can reach your lips, kissing you upside down until he shifts your positions.

You can’t help but groan into the kiss, slightly confused as you try to wrap your head around what he’s said. You can’t find it in you to pull away from him, though. Instead, you only relax further into his hold as your lips mold together.

“God you’re perfect.” He groans, seeming dazed as he pulls away for air.

“Not as perfect as you.” You huff, pulling him back in for another kiss.

He can’t help but groan into the kiss as he smiles at your words and just the idea that he’s finally kissing you after all these years.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” You hear Lucas gag, you and Eddie pulling away from each other to find him standing in Eddie’s doorway.

“What do you want, Sinclair?” Eddie asks, displaying his signature smirk as you sit up behind him.

“I was going to say I’m hungry, but I don’t think I can eat after that display.” 

“Oh, knock it off. You’ll be doing the same someday soon.” Eddie dismisses, getting up and leading the younger teen back towards the living room, sending a wink back at you from over his shoulder.

“You were sucking her face off!” Lucas exclaims, still disgusted by the sight of you two kissing.

You can’t help but chuckle, knowing he’ll soon grow out of that disgust, no matter how disturbed he is by it right now. You smile, still feeling Eddie’s lips on yours, confirming that the entire conversation you just had did happen. He likes you back, and you can’t be happier.

if you’d like to be tagged in stranger things content, pls keep an eye out for an updated taglist link i’ll be putting up!

Heaven Can Wait- Eddie Munson

w.c: ~1.4k

a/n:i’m back! heyyy sorry it’s not animanga content! if you want to interact w/ me or watch me cry over eddie, my sideblog is @sl4sherfilmz!not proofread

additional tags: very very light (and unintentional) sexual tension, hurt/comfort, panic attacks (brief), kissing, hand-holding, gender neutral reader (black-coded though)

It’s a quarter past twelve, and you and Eddie rest in the safety of each other’s arms. Your fingers are laced together, palm to palm, and only then, your skin remains the same shade. The lines adorning your palms are fitted, locked together like a complex puzzle — like the unsolved rubix cube lost somewhere deep inside Eddie’s bedside drawers. You remember scavenging through them like it was yesterday. His scent clinging to the trailer carpet, his warm blanket, the guitar he kept attached to his wall (he’d flirt with it more than he’d ever had with you). The recoil of his curls as you play with his hair, bouncing back into place as if you never touched it in the first place. Bunched up napkins and ripped joint paper left discarded, notepads of incomplete thoughts— or were they lyrics? — disregarded. Despite the stark differences, his home wasn’t as divergent as your own.

You had only realized much earlier.

Eddie’s silhouette was undeniably his, tucked away in the corner of your bed, terror etched into his features, laid bare and vulnerable as his white, muddied shoes dug into your bedsheets. Your face briefly contorted, sour, as you gingerly lifted his legs, one by one, to pry off his shoes. His breath trembles, moonlight seeping through the slightly drawn curtains — you’d let him inside discreetly, after all. And perhaps you felt ashamed for thinking it, but the natural light kissing his face made him ten times more beautiful.

“Eddie,” You murmured, voice laced with patience and heavy with thought. His response was delayed, a wordless shake of his head as his cotton socks dampened with unlaundered mud. Hickory eyes flickered across the expanse of your bedroom, anxiously settling on the worried expression bewitching your face. “I believe you— whatever it is. I believe you, okay? What happened?”

“I’m not crazy,” He started, hands shooting up in self defense. Dread coursed through your bloodstream, half-expectant to hear his own interjection, a raised finger and wide smile as he yells, ‘Well, I kind of am.. But I guess that’s what you like about me.’ But, unfortunately, that wasn’t what you received. He inhaled sharply, as if all the air in the room was evaporating before his eyes. “I swear— I’m not… Her body— Chrissy,she just… like, lifted, y’know? Into the air and, uh—”

Eddie whimpered, occupying himself with the rings that suddenly felt much too tight for his fingers, like they’d snap the bone clean off, like the joints would bend just as Chrissy’s had before. Silence filled the air, a secret exchange between the two of you as Eddie hugged himself, swallowing the lump in his throat.

You wanted to— no, yearned to hold him, feel his chest rise and fall as he breathed— as you breathed. To remind him of his life, the life he has ahead of him. To absorb your scent, to break down and press himself into the comforting heat of your body. To confide in your judgement, your presence. Even just a little, just for now.

Maybe it was embarrassing, shameful, even, to feel your heart somersault into your throat as he spoke to you. You couldn’t help it, nodding along and consoling his cries— your chest tightened for more reasons than one. And Eddie, eyes red-rimmed and raw, couldn’t quite register his voice as his own. It was all drowned out, buzzing in his ears like the cicadas outside your window. His heart hammered in his chest, thrumming against his ribcage as he watched your impassioned expression.

After readjusting your position, you placed your hand over his heart and breathed deeply. It hammered into your palm, erratic and rushed until the man was able to follow your lead. His shoulders rose slowly, and with each passing second, the longer he soaked in your presence, the more he felt his apprehension dissipate into the nightly air.

“I… I believe you,” You whispered, falling silent on ears other than his and your own. Color slowly returned to the brunet’s cheeks, his eyelashes were long, dark and damp as he sniffled. For a moment, it’s unbelievable— unearthly. The thought of such a thing just happening, something you can’t really fathom or put into words. The shock of acknowledging the death of someone you’d once known, even if you weren’t close.

You could only imagine how Eddie felt.

Your core trembled as you subconsciously shuffled closer to Eddie. This time, his hands remained planted in his lap. Firmer this time, you cleared your throat. “Really, I do.”

He took a moment to really look at you now, now that the air was forced back into his lungs. Now that his senses are flooding back. He could smell your bare scent, warm and comforting. His lips twinged with the salt of unshed tears, his fingertips brushed against denim, seeking a warm hand to hold. The gentle moonlight caressed his cheeks, leaked into the loose spirals of curls that cascaded down his back. It trickled onto you, so delicate and forgiving despite the harsh realities that keep his footing unsteady. You’re stunning. Unequivocally, downright, stunning. Tonight, that was one thing he’s sure of.

It’s almost unfair.

Awkwardly, cool rings pressed into your arm as he drove a gentle punch to your shoulder. The cold metal spread goosebumps across your skin, Eddie’s knuckles brushing against each raised bump. His smile was watery, but no longer drowned and insincere, “Sorry, that was pretty stupid.”

“Shut up,” You scoffed, molding your hand into a fist just as he had, pressing your bare skin against the black leather encased around his arm. He dramatically flailed at the gentle gesture, laugh lines pulling at his cheeks as he threw himself off your bed. Swallowing a hearty laugh, your eyebrows furrowed. “How is that stupid?”

Sensing the unresolved tension, Eddie holds up his hands in surrender, swiveling his hips in your relative direction. Picking himself back up to lay beside you, his dark eyes narrowed into lazy slits as he looked up at you, concealed exhaustion on his face. Your hands are dangerously close now, barely an inch separating your pinkies. Your left hand sits beside the right-side of his head, and Eddie closely watches you through his curls. Your warmth is radiant, drawing his palm closer and closer.

“Well, aren’t you up close and personal,” The corner of his lips curl upward, a mischievous and giddy glint cascading over the sharp edge of his pearly, canine teeth. His eyes trail down your face, studying your nose, your cheeks— how soft your lips look. “I can basically count your eyelashes right now. ”

“Shutup,Munson.”You repeat, reminiscent of a broken record, only breathless and hushed this time. Your breath pans against his face, lips briefly parted to wet them. Suddenly, the air feels much more dry.

“This is gonna sound…strange.. but,” Eddie’s lips, plump and pink, tighten into a line as his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. Butterflies flutter in his stomach, catching in his throat while he struggles to gather correct words. “Can I.. Your hand looks very hold-able right now. Wow, is it always like that?”

“Like what?” You bark out a laugh, a genuine and large smile pulling at your cheeks. You take the opportunity to interlock your pinkies, electricity and stardust shocking your entire nervous system. Eddie briefly pauses, wide eyes sparkling just like they had on your first date— maybe this was the brightest you’ve ever seen them. His hands are calloused yet soft, rings on three of his fingers that distract you from the sweat on his palms.

Not that you particularly mind.

“Really soft, apparently.” His thumb rubs untraceable patterns into your skin, and it feels like you’ve fallen for him all over again. You can hear him further whisper, seemingly entranced in the softness of your skin: “Wow! That’s crazy..”

“Eddie.” His train of thought is lost, stuck between a rock and a hard place as his glassy eyes bore into yours. He blinks once, twice, three times, before nodding along, lips pursed together as he hums:

“Hm?”

“I think we’re way past holding hands.” But even then, as you lean over to gently press your plush lips against his own, your hands remain fitted. Palm to palm, where your skin remains the same, his pulse beats violently when your lips crash together. It feels like home, like a freshly dried blanket. It feels like cherries in the spring, like breathing for the first time.

Most importantly, it feels like Eddie.

taglist:

@ryoukuna@indigowren21@cannedfoodisbestfood@junkwhoore@dilfchoso@sanderssidesangsttrash@i-d0g@kaito-asmr@jream-23@mhasimp666@princejasno@onehellofasimp@corporeal-terrestrial@angelaturservice@shadows-of-nightmares@double-homiecide@saturnsbend@trailsnix@luckduckanon@oddball215@toodeepintofandoms@devilgirlcrybaby@playb0ysuna@uwiuwi@yuzukeni