Deadly Reunion|Chapter 5

Deadly Reunion | Chapter 5

Eddie Munson x female!reader // a stranger things apocalypse au

summary: You and Eddie have been best friends since childhood. But when the outbreak happened five years ago, you were torn from one another in the chaos. but now you’re left alone, after your group was killed by another radical crew, leaving you to seek out what was once home. // zombie apocalypse Hawkins set in 1993

warnings: angst + adult themes w/ descriptions of violence, blood, torture + other zombie apocalypse related issues

word count: 2.4k+

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As you followed behind Hopper you noticed the side eyes and glances from those you passed, and you couldn’t help but feel a bit of shame and nerves. One of the first things you noticed was how everyone was oddly clean. Looks of freshly washed hair and groomed faces. You could only imagine how you looked walking through their seemingly perfect world. You couldn’t even remember the last time you bathed, possibly somewhere near the border. But a washup in a river or creek was far from a proper cleanup.

“Where are you taking me?” You asked, turning your gaze back to Hopper in front of you. He turned to look over his shoulder at you before looking back forward. “Said it was some sort of quarantine?”

“Where are you taking me?” You asked, turning your gaze back to Hopper in front of you. He turned to look over his shoulder at you before looking back forward. “Said it was some sort of quarantine?”

“It’s become our sort of…holding cell area. We have gone months without someone being Flayed within our community and I am not risking that – even if I did know you in the past. We must be careful. I’m in charge of these people, and I’m not risking losing more because I was careless.”

You nodded your head, “I understand, I mean, I’m coming willingly.”

Hopper stopped short causing you to do the same. Looking around him, you saw that the two of you had come across an elevator. You only had to wait a few seconds before a significant lift appeared on your floor. The two of you stepped inside, Hopper moving to the opposite side and leaning against the back wall. You moving to stand on the opposite side.

It amazed you how even over the years, Hopper looked and acted exactly the same as when you last saw him. Except there was something in his eyes that were a little more hardened than usual. It made you fear him a little like he would hesitate if you made the wrong move.

“Came looking for you and your mom when everything was going down. But when we came by the house…everything was gone.”

“Mom and I left the moment news broke in the city.” You spoke, turning your eyes away from him. “She was scared. So we packed what we could and headed south. Only made it halfway before we got caught up in a hoard. Came across a group that helped us out and we stuck with it.”

Hopper made a deep noise within his chest, nodding his head, before speaking, “Where is your mom now?”

The familiar burn in your eyes quickly came back. Your gaze was more focused on the wall beside you as the two of you traveled downward. A tense silence came over the both of you. Hopper let out a heavy sigh, knowing that your non-answer was answer enough.

“I’m sorry, kid,” Hopper spoke softly, just as the door of the elevator opened. You didn’t speak, too afraid of what your voice would sound like with the tightness in your throat. Instead, just nodded your head.

Turning and stepping out you were welcomed to a long hallway that had doors lining the white tiled walls. They were heavy-duty doors with slots in the middle and a small window. That feeling in your stomach before turned to lead and dropped in your stomach.

You continued to follow behind and for a moment thought if you were naïve to follow along for this long.

Hopper grabbed a set of keys from the pocket of his pants before opening one of the doors. When he opened the door and stepped side, you saw it was a small room. A single bed pressed in the corner with a small desk and a shelf. Another door was inside what you assumed was the bathroom.

“Go ahead and take a shower, there should be fresh towels in there. I will bring down some clean clothes and place them through the slot for you. After that, someone will be down to do an exam. Make sure you don’t have any bites or scratches or signs of an infection. Once that’s been confirmed, you’ll be here for a few days as clearance – then you can acclimate with the rest of the Camp.”

Your eyes darted from between him and the inside of the room a few times. Hopper could see a clear hesitation and fear set in your eyes.

“Someone will bring down your food, three times a day, a walkie is inside in case you need anything. But a camera is on the room as well, someone will be watching for any signs of infection.”

You swallowed the lump at the back of your throat before nodding your head. Hesitantly you moved to stand in the doorway of the room, before walking forward. When the door slammed shut behind you, you couldn’t help but jump. You turned quickly to look through the small window and saw that Hopper was still standing there. Your heart raced against your chest as you stared back at him with fear-wide eyes.

“Go ahead and wash up,” Hopper nodded his head before he disappeared from the view of the window.

It was only then as you listened to the sound of his footsteps fading away that the realization of being alone hit you. Your heart hammered and raced in your chest as your eyes darted wildly around the sterile room. Your breath came out labored and hard as you bent forward and placed your hands on your knees. The pressure of your pack on your back was too much, so you rushed to toss it toward the floor.

“Come on, come on, come on,” You whispered to yourself between each harsh breath. It didn’t take much deduction to realize you were on the brink of a panic attack.

One of your hands raced to your chest and gripped it tightly with the necklace around your neck tightening within your grasp. You closed your eyes tightly and concentrated on your breathing. Panic attacks weren’t something that was usually an issue for you. Not until recent months as the nightmares no longer stayed within your dreams.

It took you a few minutes to calm down. You stood straight, wiped the few tears on your cheeks away, and walked toward the bathroom. Your body felt as if it was on autopilot as you moved about the small bathroom. It had a standing shower, toilet, and sink. On the shelves above the toilet were nicely folded towels. Everything for a moment felt foreign as you slid the door open to turn on the water. A light childlike laugh left your lips as the warm water rushed from the spout.

You stripped out of your old, stiff, smelly clothes before stepping into the warm water. The water pressure wasn’t the greatest, but it was better than anything else you used over the last few years. You stood there for a long period of time as the warm water cascaded down your body. You cringed as you watched the dirty water circle around the drain. You scrubbed your body till your skin felt raw with the generic soap that was inside the shower along with the cloth. The scars your body had collected over the years became more noticeable and brought a frown to your lips.

Memories rushed back to you as each new one appeared.

A soft knock on the bathroom caused you to jump again, a small squeak sounding from your lips.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle,” a female voice spoke from the other side of the thin door. “I-I’m Joyce, Joyce Byers. Hopper sent me down to do an exam. I-I’m ready whenever you are. I also have clean clothes for you.”

You reached clumsily for the handle of the shower and turned it off. You grabbed the towel you left on the edge of the sink for yourself to do a quick dry off of your body. Before opening the door, you wrapped the towel around your body and were welcomed by a woman. She looked vaguely familiar, but your mind couldn’t make out exactly how. Her face was framed off with long brown hair with strands of gray. Her smile was gentle and hesitant as if she was just as nervous.

“I got you some comfy clothes for while you’re down here.” She gestured with the folded clothes in her hands, before placing them down on the end of the bed. “I am sure Hopper explained why I am here?” You nodded your head slowly but kept your grasp tight on your towel. “Sadly, I need to do a full exam…so I can make a clear report.”

You hesitated for only a moment before dropping the towel down to your feet. A shiver came over you as your arms moved to gross over your chest for some semblance of privacy. Joyce was quick and didn’t do anything to add to the uncomfortableness of a stranger seeing you naked. But even if you understood the reasoning behind it, didn’t mean you were exactly welcoming to it.

“You’ve been through a lot, I see,” Joyce spoke as she walked over to the small desk, grabbing a piece of paper and writing down a few things. You took that as a chance to put on clean clothes.

“Am I clear?” You asked, ignoring her statement. “No infection?”

Joyce turned around and gathered the small notebook, “No. You’re cleared of any bites. But we still are gonna wait a few days, make sure you’re not sick of anything else.”

“Ok.” You spoke, “Can I see my friend? Or at least speak with him?”

“I’ll pass that question off to Hopper.” Joyce nodded and made her way to the door. “Someone will bring down some food, believe we’re having hamburgers for dinner.”

A loud grumbling sounded from your stomach at the mere mention of food. A soft laugh came from Joyce as she moved to leave out of the door. This time you didn’t miss the sound of the lock going into place as she left. A deep and heavy sign passed your lips as you sat down on the stiff bed.

A dark feeling of loneliness comes around you like a blanket.  Your eyes close slowly as the fatigue and exhaustion of the day hit you.

The dreams weren’t as welcoming as you hoped they could be.

Fall, Hawkins 1987; Six Month’s before Outbreak

“Why are you fuckin’ being like this! I thought you’d be happy for me?” You spoke, voice cracking as you stared back at Eddie.

His face twisted with nothing but anger as he looked at you. His entire body was stiff with his arms crossed at his chest. He scoffed as he heard you, completely ignoring the pain that was forming in his chest as he watched you cry in front of him. Rarely did the two of you ever fight. And when you did, it was over small shit that resolved hours later. But this, this was something that the two of you couldn’t get over.

“You promised that you were coming with us!” Eddie screamed “Remember, the two of us were gonna get out of here and leave this shit fucking town behind. Start a new life, together!”

You groaned and closed your eyes in frustration as your hands fisted tightly at your side. This argument had been going around and around in circles ever since Corroded Coffin officially got signed and was now traveling to LA to record the debut album. It was a few months after the scout had come to the Hideout to see them. It took less than a week for the agent to reach out. Corroded’s popularity was growing and growing faster than anyone imagined. Eddie’s dreams were finally coming true, the only thing missing was you.

“I can’t leave my mom behind. Not after my dad just fucking ditched and left. She’d be alone.”

“Oh my god! She’s a grown adult!” Eddie screamed louder, his face turning red with anger.

You flinched back away from him, something you’d never done before. You weren’t exactly sure why you did. Your body just reacted naturally, though deep down you knew, Eddie would never touch you. That caused him to snap out of it for a second. Pacing away from you as his hands moved through his long curls.

You two stood there outside his trailer with the tension growing thick between the two of you. Inside you knew that Sarah, Gareth, and the others could hear the two of you screaming. But everyone knew it was better than to interfere with any argument you and Eddie had. Eddie reached into his pocket and pulled out his smokes before lighting one quickly and taking a long drag. The smoke danced through the cooler fall air in front of him before he placed it back into his mouth again.

“I know what I promised, but things change, Eddie. I can’t leave knowing my mom is going to struggle if I don’t help her out. I can’t do that in LA.”

“Fuckin’ bullshit,” Eddie spat, his dark eyes glaring. “That’s fuckin’ bullshit and you know it.”

“Eddie…”

“No! I’m fuckin’ done,” Eddie threw what was left of the cigarette to the ground, before smashing it with his boot. “Didn’t think you’d be on the list of people that would abandon me. But guess I was wrong.”

“Eddie…please…”

        You went to reach for him as he moved to pass you, but he pulled his arm out of your grasp. Your heart felt like it stopped within in your chest as he walked away from you. Stomping up the front steps of the trailer before throwing the door open. The violent sound of it slamming against the side of the trailer caused you to jump back.

For the first time, it really felt like Eddie was walking out of your life.

Tears cascaded down Eddie’s face as he rushed past the others sitting in the living room and went straight to his bedroom. He thought it was a for sure with you coming with them to LA. Not only based on the promise you’d made to one another. But because you said that you were in love with him.

Even if you still didn’t know what you’d told him that night.

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The next chapter is going to be more on the reader and Eddie going over the time they've missed together. A little preview on what/why they weren't together during the Outbreak. Please leave thoughts, I love love reading them, or come and chat in my inbox!

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👀👀👀... that last line...

Everlong / part seven

Warnings: 18+, angst, physical fight, blood, sexual harassment (someone touches readers thigh without permission but she stands up for herself and Steve defends her), reader uses a gun, smut, breeding kink, jealous!Eddie, daddy kink, mentions of pregnancy 

Pairings: Eddie Munson x fem!reader / Steve Harrington x fem!reader / implied Steddie x fem!reader (?) 

Summary: After weeks of avoiding you, Steve finally finds the courage to face you and apologize to you which may or may not end with a broken heart. 

Series masterlist 

-

The hideout was never really crowded, only a few town residents occupied the tables and the chairs at the bar, though the group of men that would always sit at the biggest table by the windows were loud enough to for you to think that half of the town were in here, no one ever minded them though, they are kind and never start any fights.

There’s five of them– the five drunks, Eddie always jokes about.

Tonight, the bar is more crowded, you don’t see many women around and it makes you a little uneasy. Usually, Robin and the rest of your friends would be here to watch Eddie play but Robin and Nancy left for college again. 

Continua a leggere

unexpected - Steve Harrington one-shot

steve harrington x fem!reader

warnings: 18+ (minors dni), smut, swearing, underage drinking, teasing, hair pulling.

summary: sometimes two opposites can make a whole

The day you walk into Family Video with your cousin is when Steve Harrington truly falls in love. He leaned against the counter, listening to Robin ramble about the newest French film they were showing in Kokomo and how Steve needed to broaden his horizons outside of teenage comedies and explosions.

She notices how Steve perks up when you walk in with your cousin. He knew your cousin, sure. Everyone knew everyone in Hawkins, but he sure as shit didn't know you.

He also knew you were her cousin because she'd been eagerly talking about you visiting for weeks.

"Ladies, ladies!" Steve says, perking up and ensuring his hair is flicked the right way. "Welcome to Family Video. The place for the finest entertainment needs in Hawkins. I am Steve Harrington, and I'll be your humble guide on this cinematic journey."

He watches, still flashing that Tom Cruise smile as you glance at your cousin before dissolving into giggles and leading her away.

"Smooth, so very smooth." Robin chuckles next to Steve who slumps back onto the counter.

But he notices how you glance over your shoulder to get another glance at him.

And yeah, a shoulder glance always meant he had a chance.

He watches you walk around the store, his eyes never leaving you as he watches you pick up a copy of Dirty Dancing. Examining it carefully before putting it back on the shelf.

"If you keep staring long enough, your eyes will fall out of your head, and you may have a restraining order," Robin says softly.

"Robin, pinch me," Steve says, groaning when she reaches out and pinches his arm roughly. "Metaphorically, Jesus!"

Rubbing the pinched skin as he glared at her.

"I think I'm in love, Robin."

And all Robin can do is roll her eyes.

"Weren't you in love with Belinda Carlisle last week?"

"This is different this time, I swear it. She's something special."

He's working a rare solo shift. He studied his neat stack on the counter but did not want to put them back. Really he only kept this job because of Robin and because his asshole dad was still threatening to cut him off if he didn't keep a job longer than a few weeks.

His chocolate eyes flicking up to the door as he hears the familiar, grating sound of the bell ringing.

His eyes widen when he sees you walking in. This time without your cousin, looking around before your eyes land on Steve, a small smile coming across your features.

"Gonna meet my entertainment needs?" You laugh softly as you approach the counter. Placing your hands on it gently as Steve stares at you with wide eyes, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Any you may have. Any at all." He manages to get out as you smile at him.

"I'm looking for a fun movie. Something that isn't too serious, you know? The type that helps you switch off for an hour or two."

Steve nodded his head, trying to think of some of the movies that Robin had rambled about. Maybe something that would make him seem cultured and worldly.

Maybe he did need to extend his movie interests outside of boobies and explosions.

"Do you have a copy of Fast Times?" You finally ask.

Steve eagerly nodding his head, scrambling for one of the copies behind the counter and holding it out to you.

"Small problem though." You say.

Steve's brow crinkling in concern, wondering what could be wrong.

"I'm not actually a member here." You say, leaning across the counter. Steve gulps as he catches sight of your cleavage in the loose-fitting summer top. "So I was hoping we could make a deal."

"We can definitely make a deal, yeah. Of course, we can do that." And Steve is almost embarrassed at how quickly he agrees to something.

Smooth Harrington, smooth.

Robing wasn't here, so he needed to keep himself humble.

"Maybe you could maybe just rent the movie for me?" You ask in a soft voice. Steve felt his heart thunder at the big, bright smile. "And maybe kind of watch it with me?"

And were you asking him out? Before he got the chance to ask you out?

"You wanna watch it together?" Steve asks.

You laugh once more, him sucking in a breath as he watches your hair bounce around your shoulders as you giggle once more. "Sure, why else would I come in here? No offence, but it really isn't the entertainment hubbub in here. You only have one copy of The Outsiders."

Well, shit. He couldn't help but agree.

Steve is leaning on the counter with one arm, his hair flicking out of his eyes as he nods. "I can pick you up tonight, say 8? My parents have a country club event, so we'll have the place ourselves."

You smile brightly at him, holding out your hand to him and closing it. "Pen?"

Steve fumbling as he grabs one of the pens, quickly handing it to you.

Him watching, memorised as you grab his arm, carefully writing your cousin's address on his arm.

"No funny business tonight, Harrington. I'm a respectable young lady."

You were definitely something different.

And he kind of liked it.

He waits outside the house, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he watches you shut the front door carefully behind you. Steve feeling his breath get caught in his throat at the sight of you; a tiny little dress that showed off all those delectable curves but you still somehow made it look innocent.

You smile brightly as you practically skip down to his car. Happily opening the passenger door and falling in. "Sorry I kept you waiting a little." You say, sounding slightly out of breath.

"It's honestly fine."

"My cousin insisted on-" You clear your throat awkwardly and look away. "It doesn't matter." You giggle softly.

Steve sometimes hated bringing people to his house. The opulence of it all, how it was all so perfectly curated by his parents. Nothing out of place, the perfect family portrait hanging in the entryway. It alluded that they were a happy family when his mum went everywhere his dad did so he didn't end up in bed with some cocktail waitress. Steve being a typical latch-key child, once he was too old for nannies, he was simply left alone.

He hated these nights. When he was left alone without a second thought.

Just like tonight, except he had your flowery scent filling his nostrils and your body heat mingling with his as you stood awkwardly beside him, taking in the Harrington home.

"Your house is amazing." You finally breathe out, smoothing out the hem of your dress awkwardly.

"It's okay. Too big. I'd like something smaller."

He pictured raising his kids in something smaller. A lovely three-bedroom home where they were close together. Where they could have campouts in the backyard, the kitchen was big enough to cook a family meal, but it wasn't too big that it seemed cold. There'd be toys and family things scattered everywhere, things out of place.

It would look like a home, not a house.

You laugh gently beside him. "No, you don't. I grew up in a small house, and it sucks."

Steve reaching down and boldly taking your hand as he led you into the entertainment room. The newest television and basically unused couch staring back at him. The stark reminder that he had never watched a movie with his parents in this room. Even though his mother had insisted it was for family nights when she had it decorated.

Family nights, such bullshit.

"That television is huge." You laugh, shaking your head at Steve. "How rich are you folks?" You tease.

"Rich enough that they don't need to raise their son."

Your brows crinkled together slightly but said nothing, simply brushing your hand against his before bouncing to the white, leather couch and happily falling onto it. Stretching out and laughing. Your eyes glancing over to the lightly illuminated pool in the backyard.

"Even have a fancy pool." You giggle as Steve falls down next to you.

"Maybe we can swim later?" He teases and you waggle your eyebrows playfully at him.

"I don't have a swimsuit." You reply.

"Who says we need one."

Steve can't help but laugh and pretend to be wounded as you playfully swat at him.

You end up in the pool, but Steve chivalrously lends you a pair of shorts and a shirt. You giggle as you tug on the oversized shirt, noticing Steve staring intensely at you. "Don't laugh. I look ridiculous."

Steve shook his head, his brown locks bouncing upon his head. Someone had never looked so gorgeous wearing his clothes before. "You look great." He says honestly.

Steve also notices the way your eyes flick down to his bare chest. Taking in the firm, lean muscles of his stomach. How broad his chest and shoulders were, the freckles and moles littered his slightly tanned chest. You quickly blush and look away when you notice Steve still staring at you.

Smiling at him, your teeth sink into your bottom lip as you walk towards him. Steve stares at you curiously before letting out a yelp as you push his chest and watch as he topples into the water, the water splashing around him as you giggle.

You still hadn't told Steve that you had been slightly late because your cousin had been shoving condoms into your purse. "Harrington is a hound dog." She had said, rolling her eyes. "Better safe than sorry."

Your cousin wasting no time telling you about Steve's reputation in Hawkins. He had been the King before he fell due to being heartbroken, and he seemed intent on sharing a bed with every eligible female in Hawkins to make up for the aching heart. He had been a heartbreaker before and now seemed desperate for someone to pay attention to him.

"That wasn't fair," Steve gasps as he rises from the water, pushing the hair from his face. "I wasn't ready."

Standing over him as you continue to giggle, shrugging your shoulder innocently. "Always expect the unexpected, Harrington."

Such as Steve reaching up and grabbing your ankle, knocking you into the water. The chlorine and water fill your senses. Your eyes opening as you reach the bottom of the pool, staring around at the blurry masses and the chemical making your eyes sting before flicking your legs and swimming to the surface.

Steve grins at you as you reemerge. Wiping your face and shaking your head. "Unexpected?" He laughs as you grin back at him.

"Unexpected."

You didn't end up doing anything that night except share an awkward kiss when Steve drove you home. Him tapping the steering wheel nervously as you look at him. Your body soaking through your dry clothes, your hair sticking to your back as you stare intensely at him.

"I'll see you another time?" You say softly as you climb out of the car. Steve nodding at you.

He didn't expect you to run back to the car a few moments later, practically climbing through the window before roughly grabbing his face. Pressing your lips passionately against his. He could taste the chlorine and the faintest trace of strawberries as he kisses you back.

You seemingly disappearing just as quickly as you had appeared.

Definitely unexpected.

Steve spends every moment he can with you. He knows this romance has an expiry date; it's a summer fling. The type you tell your Grandchildren about, reminiscing about the youthful daze of the biggest worry is having somewhere private to make out.

Which you do, a lot.

In his car parked in a dimly lit street.

The guest bedroom of your cousin's bedroom when the rest of the family is asleep.

His pool when no one else is home.

The storage room of Family Video while a grossed-out Robin is on Keith and customer look out.

Steve doesn't pressure you, but he does push his boundaries slightly. His hand slides a little higher up your thigh, grazing your breasts as it travels down to rub your hip. He wonders if you're a virgin, it doesn't matter to him if you are.

"Have you ever had sex?" He finally dares himself to ask.

You sitting cross-legged next to him on the living room floor.

He sees your eyes widen slightly and the way you fiddle with the fraying denim of your shorts.

"Once." You finally mutter out.

"Didn't like it?"

"No, I liked it. The guy was just an asshole. I thought he liked me; he just wanted to tell everyone that he got my cherry." He can see the way your eyes are downcast at the painful memory. Giving something away to someone who didn't deserve it.

"He told everyone that I was easy." You added, shrugging your shoulders helplessly.

"That guy sounds like a grade-A asshole," Steve mutters.

Had he not once been the grade-A asshole himself? Calling girls sluts, publicly displaying it when he was hurt. Actively using girls and then tossing them away like they were nothing when they had given him so much?

Your story giving Steve the cool sting that he was probably the grade-A asshole in some girls sad story too.

You jumping slightly when Steve reaches out and squeezes your hand softly.

He wasn't that asshole anymore.

"I promise that I won't hurt you. You know that, right?"

You offer him a small smile. Though he can still see the sadness beneath it.

"I know, you're one of the good ones, Harrington."

The first time you finally have sex. Steve thinks he is more nervous than you are. HIs hands curl through yours as you stare at him with wide eyes. That captivating, intoxicating small little gasp as he pushes into you, the way your back arches off the bed and the small whimper of pleasure and pain filling his ears.

"Easy, easy." He coos out, his hand pushing the hair from your forehead and offering you a gentle smile.

And it's mind-blowing. The type that you spend the rest of your life thinking about. Steve is amazed at how your body feels made for him. Those delectable sounds he draws from your mouth as your eyes clench it, your nails digging into your shoulders as you come undone. How his name is the only thing that comes out of your mouth as you tighten around him.

Your sitting quietly next to him on the bed afterwards. Braiding your hair, your teeth nibbling on your bottom lip as Steve runs a hand through his hair.

"That was better than the first time." You finally say.

Steve glancing at you. "I mean, it usually is."

You shake your head, smiling softly at him as you wrap the hair tye around the end of your braid.

"I think it was because it was with someone I know cares about me."

And shit, Steve knew exactly what she meant.

That soul connection seemed to overpower the physical. That invisible tug between you, seemingly tethered together forever now. It may not been the first for either of you but Steve is pretty sure it's the first time in a long god damn time that he doesn't feel that bitter emptiness sinking in his belly.

"I only have two more weeks in Hawkins." You say.

Steve swallowing the lump in his throat as he nods his head.

"We always knew this had an expiry date, right?"

Your last night in Hawkins. Steve is actually thankful his parents are out of town for the night. He orders at Enzo's because it's the only place in town that does decent breadsticks and ensures he has a copy of Fast Time's ready.

You're wearing the dress from the first night you were together. It looks even better on you than before. Your skin more sun-kissed than the beginning, the way you walked with more confidence.

You don't even make it halfway through the film before Steve is on you.

Pinning you to the couch and peppering your neck with desperate kisses. He wastes no time in tugging the dress of you, happy to see you that you aren't wearing anything beneath it.

The perfect mixture of innocence and corruption.

The sex this time is something else entirely.

Steve swears he can feel it in his heart, all through his body, as he moves above you. Your strong legs wrapped tightly around his waist as you whimper and beg beneath him.

Your intoxicating eyes flicking open and staring intensely at him. A mixture of passion, longing, pleasure and sadness, Steve knows his eyes also mirror those emotions. Your delicate hand comes up and cupping his gently, still watching him intensely as you both fall apart simultaneously. Steve mumbles your name into your neck as he has the sick realisation that this will be the last time this happens.

Steve Harrington may have fought monsters from another dimension.

But the thought of not seeing you again is the scariest thing he's ever faced.

You sit next to him softly on the couch. Your legs tucked beneath you as your hand came up, playing with your lip nervously as Steve cleared his throat awkwardly.

The unspoken longing vibrated throughout the room.

Neither of you wanting to utter those words and make this harder.

"What time is your flight tomorrow?" Steve finally asks.

"Lunchtime." You answer back quietly and he nods.

"Need a ride to the airport?"

Glancing at him before shaking your head.

"My cousin is taking me. Thanks though."

Steve wished he could be the last thing you saw before boarding that plane.

"My cousin is a shitty driver, though." You say after a moment's silence.

Steve understood what you meant.

"I'll pick you up at ten?"

All you do is nod.

The ride to the airport is mostly silent. Only sharing a few light memories of the summer. What your plan was for your senior year and what Colleges you were applying to.

How you weren't sure if you wanted to go straight to college.

Steve spoke about wanting out of Family Video and maybe travel.

"Seeing the coastline would be pretty cool." You said in agreement.

Watching the way the sun reflects on your hair in the passenger seat. The way the shadows seem to create little shapes on your legs. The way you always nibbled your lip when nervous or lost in thought.

And he wonders if he actually dreamed you into his life.

Maybe all those stupid shooting stars Robin always insisted they wished on had been leading you to him.

The girl he had been searching for so long, even before Nancy.

You stand awkwardly at your gate. Steve standing beside you, hands stuffed into his jean pockets, rocking on his heels.

"Thanks for driving me to the airport." You say quietly.

Steve nods his head, you holding the boarding pass tightly in your hands.

"Okay, you can call me stupid," Steve finally says, facing you as you stare at him with wide eyes. "But I don't want this to end. What's another couple of months? We can write and talk- I'm a loser done with high school. I can visit you, and we can make this work."

"Steve.." You say quietly.

"Just let me finish, okay. We both feel it. I think you're the person I've been waiting for, and I'm yours. You're smart as hell, making me feel like I'm worth something. Shit, I think I'm in love with you, and if there is one thing my douchebag old man taught me, it's that you take the bull by the horns."

Your eyes flicked to the people boarding your plane as you stared helplessly at Steve. Shaking your head as you step away from him, clutching your boarding pass tightly in your hands as you approached the check-in gate.

Steve feels his shoulders slump and maybe this had just been him dreaming of something more again.

This was nothing more than a fun summer fling for you.

Steve had misread all the signals.

Like he did every single time.

Maybe this was his punishment for being such an asshole in the past.

He's shocked when he sees you running back towards him. Practically jumping into his arms as you kiss him passionately. Cupping his face like you had the night you shared your first kiss in his car.

You roll your eyes as you hear the final call for boarding. Smiling at Steve.

"I love you too, you doofus."

And maybe Steve Harrington had finally gotten it right.

Everlong // part six 

Warnings: 18+, angst, mentions of death, nightmares, mentions of anxiety and depression, smut, unprotected sex

Pairings: Eddie Munson x fem!reader / Steve Harrington x fem!reader

Summary: As Steve remembers the night of the party, he suffers through the guilt and the aftermath while you and Eddie get even closer. 

Author’s note: Don’t really like with the way it turned out but I struggled with this part and kept going back to change things. Definitely not my favorite part but I hope that you’ll like it though! 

Series masterlist

-

Steve woke up with a pounding head the next morning.

Groaning in pain, he keeps his eyes shut as he puts his hand on his forehead. His nose is aching and so is his jaw, his mouth feels dry, like he hasn’t had any water in days.

The noises downstairs startle him and he opens his eyes, groaning again as he accidentally looks directly into the sun that is shining through his open window.

“Fuck,” he mumbles, closing his eyes, he runs his hand over his face as he sits up on the bed, placing his feet on the carpeted floor, he leans his elbows on his knees and buries his face in his hands as the nausea rushes through him.

Continua a leggere

Disjointed: Twenty-Six

Summary: Jealousy is as fierce as the grave.

Word count: 8.4k

What to expect: Smut/Lemon (-18 kindly dni) Angst.

A/N: Howdy, friends. Welcome back! I hope you guys enjoy this one. Let me know if you do!

Special thanks to the hive for brain storming with me. Because this one was annoyingly difficult. ❣️

The new year in the surgical ward meant scut work for everybody. The only surgery cases coming in were from the emergency room, and even then most patients were trying to bargain their way into just being patched up until the later months once they paid off the newly reset deductible. No one wanted to pay for surgery without the little percentage that insurance covered once the out of pocket payment was met for the year.

With there only being an average of three cases a day, the idle nursing staff were responsible for the mind numbing task of taking inventory. All the instruments had to be counted, re-logged with their serial number, and reordered if there was any deficit. The same went for the supplies in the wing, such as soaps, solutions, dressings, and everything else under the sun a doctor may need during a procedure. The autoclaves, oxygen tanks, and other necessary equipment had to be serviced by the manufacturing company and given the bright orange sticker that signified a passed inspection and logged into a binder in case anyone from the state quality control agency came snooping.

The downside to this was that with six unoccupied nurses doing the same task for twelve hours in the morning shift, and twelve hours in the evening, everything had been completed within a few days. Dr. Erlich wasn’t too keen on paying six nurses to sit around and gossip about Fisher being caught with his pants around his ankles in the chapel with Delia, so Dr. Erlich made Beatrice reintroduce flexing.

At first, only working six hours a day made you worry about losing too much money, but when the check from all the accumulated overtime from December hit, the concern was quickly forgotten.

You had never received a check large enough to have a comma in it, so when you did all your financial worries subsided for just a second. Eddie wanted to blow it on a microwave, but you talked him out of it. Instead, the money went to a house full of food which Eddie said was the first time he ever got to buy name brand cereals instead of generic, and a couple pounds of top sirloin steak. Eddie looked too damn excited over slabs of beef to not give in to his plea, and when he pulled “Think of Wayne. A Sunday spent grilling steaks? It would mean the world to him,” it was impossible to deny him. Not that you were planning to anyway—he was so cute when he thought he was getting away with something.

The rest of the money went into the bank for a rainy day. Well, more like what you owed Steve for the tools, what Eddie owed the shop, what you both owed the hospital, a prom dress, and whatever incidentals that were flung your way. It fucking sucked being in debt. And no matter the cushion in the account, the thought of owing so much was a looming shadow over everything. Would saving the $1.87 difference between Chocolate Sugar Puffs and Coco-Puffs really matter much in paying off the collective debt total of over $10,000? Unlikely. Even so, the guilt of having a simple novelty weighed heavily on you once the rush of being able to “afford” such a thing wore off.

Eddie sure enjoyed having you home before him, and it felt almost like normal again. It was…weird at first to have him missing from the house after school. He often invited you to come to Gareth’s garage when he went to band practice. Sometimes you did, sometimes you didn’t—not wanting to be the clingy and annoying girlfriend loitering about. And without another girl to hangout with in the small garage, it was easy to feel that way.

Eddie having a job was even stranger. You drove him to work on Saturday mornings in his cute jumpsuit looking dangerously sexy, leaving you alone in the house until late afternoon when you went to pick him up, his idea to squeeze a few extra minutes together.

Having time to yourself outside of sleeping was totally new. As much as you loved him, Eddie being absent was kind of nice once you got used to it. He wasn’t around to ask for things he was either too lazy or too blind to see (‘Where’s the remote? Are we out of ketchup? I don’t see it in the fridge. Have you seen my bandana?’), nor did you have to sacrifice a sizable bite of food to what was known as ‘the husband tax’ when he got a peek into your cereal bowl. (‘Really, babe? I said a bite not a nibble.’) You could watch the TV in peace without Eddie’s constant commentary drowning out the actor’s line of dialogue, and you were able to explore your own body in a way you hadn’t since moving into your new home. Of course it didn’t feel quite as good as when Eddie used his fingers on you, but the ability to try without an audience or potential interruption made up for it.

Now that you were the one coming home early on the weekends when Eddie worked, you took over making dinner. You checked on the tenderness of the beef roast in the oven, hoping Eddie would like it. You had yet to find something he wouldn’t eat, but you feared the day was soon to come.

“Another hour or so,” you muttered to yourself after poking the hunk of meat. Checking the time to see when dinner would be ready, you hadn’t realized that you were supposed to already be on the way to the garage to pick up Eddie.

Though you’d rather he put off working and stay focused on finally graduating, you couldn’t help but be proud of him. He hadn’t skipped any scheduled shifts, nor did he show up late. He told stories of his coworkers. There was Travis, his son Trevor, Caleb, and an old guy named Scooter that left most of his brain cells back in the 1960s. Eddie seemed to get along with them, you supposed. He never said that he didn’t, nor did he come home bellyaching about any of them. Besides the time one of them microwaved fish for lunch and had the whole break room smelling like ass and a half for two days.

He had plenty of stories about customers who tried to bandage something in their car with the wrong part, laughing and snorting as he called them idiots. Much like when he talked about DnD, You honestly hadn’t the faintest idea what he was talking about, but you nodded and agreed with him wholeheartedly anyway. It was nice seeing him passionate about his work, and knowing that he was doing what he could to help shoulder some financial responsibility made you feel much more secure with him in a way you hadn’t realized you weren’t before.

It was also a real treat to see him sweaty, grimy, and tired from what Wayne would call a day of honest work. While Eddie was attractive in almost any state, seeing the skin of his taut biceps glistening with sweat and marked with smudges of motor oil was oddly alluring.

Pulling into an empty parking space, you quickly killed the engine and started to jog into the storefront. While the glass thermometer on the doorframe said it was 25 degrees outside, each inhale of cold air felt like a flurry of pin needles stabbing your nose and throat. It didn’t matter that you were in your warmest pair of fleece bottoms and winter coat—the few seconds of exposure had the chill seeing into your bones.

You sighed with relief as the warmth of the lobby met the skin of your frozen cheeks. The owner, a ginger bearded mountain man named Trevor, leaned back in his desk chair to peek through the open door of the office. Once he realized it was you, he gave a small wave, let you know Eddie was still messing around in the garage, and turned his attention back to his desk disappearing from sight.

Trevor was the only coworker you had been formally introduced to and it was awful. Apparently he thought Eddie was pulling his leg when he said he was married and no, it wasn’t a shotgun wedding since there wasn’t a teenage pregnancy involved. With those missing elements, Trevor believed Eddie was just talking out of his ass because why would a guy his age ‘saddle himself with a ball and chain so early in life without reason?’ The sentiment was insulting enough, but the fact that Trevor said it to Eddie in front of you like you couldn’t hear him was horrifically disrespectful. Eddie laughed awkwardly and made haste in ushering you out of there before anything else could be said.

The other guys you met only in passing—a wave from the van or in Scooter’s case, when he came to the car window to presumably introduce himself, but somehow decided reciting Ronald Regan’s entire filmography in alphabetical order was a better conversation starter. Another bizarre encounter Eddie had to intercept.

The wall adjacent to the garage was made of glass panels for customers (and likely Trevor) to see the progress being made in the garage. Eddie was at his workstation wiping down his fancy chrome set of tools before filing them away. It seemed no matter the weather, Eddie couldn’t be bothered to keep his jumpsuit on all the way. Though, at least this time he had on a long sleeved shirt to accommodate the cold before tying the sleeves of his canvas suit around his waist. You couldn’t help but smile at him. Hair pulled back just enough by his bandana to keep his bangs from his eyes, but allowed his wild curls to frame his smudged face, Eddie was as handsome as ever.

Unfortunately, you weren’t the only one to think so.

From seemingly out of nowhere, a slim woman no older than twenty-five with blue eyes and blond hair teased to high heaven sauntered into the garage, taking extra care to swish her hips with each step of her heeled boots.

You made no attempt to hide your eye roll. Who wears heeled suede boots when the street is filled with black ice? Was she asking for a broken neck just for the sake of fashion? The rest of her outfit made even less sense. Sheer tights covered her legs under a tight sweater dress with no coat or hat in sight. If you still worked in the ER, you felt comfortable betting money in seeing her skimpy ass on a gurney seeking treatment for pneumonia.

Your annoyance with her impracticality just to show off her body turned into full fledged anger when she stood next to Eddie, grabbing his wrist with a manicured hand and smiling up at him through her lashes.

The pathetic attempt at a pout on her cherry red lips sent your heart racing fast enough to where your chest began to ache. The hussie couldn’t have missed the ring on his finger, the one thing that damn near sparkled on his dirty hand, which of course happened to be the one she was grabbing. As soon as her thumb started to sweep over his wrist, a move you often did to him when you held his hand, you saw red.

Scoffing aloud to yourself, you marched toward the glass window pane with flared nostrils and a clenched jaw. Surely once she saw you smiling at her with eyes full of venom and flashed your ring at her, she would get the hint and take her paws off your husband.

But, as you neared the window, your own reflection pulled your attention away from your mission.

Where this mystery woman had styled hair, your own was tucked under a knitted beanie that Eddie’s big head outgrew long ago. Your puffy maroon winter coat made you look like the feminine version of the Michelin Man, not a full figured woman like her. Slimming sheer tights and heeled boots made your fleece pajama pants and no-slip work shoes look downright barbaric.

Actually, the longer you compared yourself to her, the more you realized you looked homeless rather than just homely. Your hands were dry and cracked from the cold and insane amount of times you washed your hands at work, and your face bore no makeup.

Rage melting into despair, you watched Eddie, still seemingly unaware of your arrival, nod to whatever she was saying with a lopsided grin on his face—big enough for one of his dimples to dent his cheek.

While you didn’t expect Eddie to shove her across the garage, you did expect him to at least look uncomfortable or try to weasel out of her grip. Maybe find an excuse to point out his wedding band and force her to acknowledge its existence. If he’d just look to the left and through the window, he’d see you standing right there. But no. He remained engaged in whatever conversation he was party to.

Your heart sank farther into your stomach the longer he remained in her grasp. The desire for him to wiggle away from her molded into the realization that maybe he didn’t want to. Though it pained you to say it, she was pretty, and if he looked at you at that moment, he would see that you weren’t.

You tried to tell yourself that you were being ridiculous, but you didn’t have enough time to complete the thought. Because when that woman curled his hair around her finger and giggled at him, you had seen enough.

——

No one ever accused Eddie of being a genius, but he didn’t have to be one to know you were mad. He could see it through the hazy mist from the garage as he pulled the door shut behind him.

He hoped it had something to do with work, but again it didn’t take a whiz kid to know that it wasn’t.

Eddie hadn’t seen you arrive or make your way into the warm sanctuary of the store, but he did hear you stomping back out to the car loud enough to wake the dead. He directed the customer that insisted on tangling his already matted locks with her eagle talons to Trevor in order to work out the payment—something she not so subtly tried to convince Eddie should be lowered—as he watched you climb into the passenger side of the Mystery Machine and slam the door so hard it made him worry about the window cracking.

If the stomping wasn’t a sign, you getting in the car that way certainly was.

It had become a bit of a game between the two of you when you came to pick him up. Once you saw him starting to lock up his box, you’d go back to the van and sit in the driver’s seat while he gave you enough time to do so. Then when he made his way over, he’d tell you to ‘scoot your boot’ and either offer you the easy or hard way out. ‘Easy way’ was him being charged 1-3 good kisses before you slid over to the passenger side. The ‘hard way’ was a smart smack to the thigh and Eddie trying to climb his way onto your lap until you relented and moved out of the way—still often followed by the same parameters as the ‘easy way’.

Maybe Trevor said something to you that made you mad enough to decide sitting in the car was better than waiting in the warmth. It wouldn’t be the first time Trevor said something stupid in front of you.

Preparing to hear about what his asshole boss said now, he climbed into the van and placed his tools on the floorboard behind the seat before attempting to smile at you.

“What did he do this time?” Eddie asked as he clicked his seatbelt into place.

Instead of looking at him and launching into a story about what went wrong in there, you clutched your arms tighter against your chest and looked out of the passenger side window.

“Helloooo?” he questioned, waving his hand around the side of your head. “I said, ‘what did he do this time’?”

When you still didn’t answer him or turn your head his way, he grumbled a ‘Guess I’ll just go to hell then,’ before pulling out of the driveway and onto the main road. He didn’t turn on his Judas Priest tape just in case you felt the urge to spill the beans, and got increasingly worried the longer you remained silent. By the time he passed the corner store three miles from the shop, he finally got a word from you.

At first he didn’t hear you, having spoken too softly for him to make out more than a syllable or two. When he asked you to repeat yourself, you once again didn’t speak any louder than a whisper.

“You’re mad because Trevor called you pretty?” Eddie guessed with confusion. “I can’t exactly hear you when you’re talking to the window.”

“She was pretty,” you replied a little louder.

“Who?”

You finally turned to meet his gaze with a blank expression. “The woman at the shop. Couldn’t have missed her, Eddie, she wasn’t but a hair width away from your face.”

He nearly swerved into the left lane when he snapped his neck to look at you with utter disbelief. Dumbfounded, he asked, “What?”

You rolled your eyes and went back to looking through the window.

Eddie kept staring at you as he wracked his brain for the reason behind the bite in your words, and only one possibility came to mind.

“You mean the chick with the she-mullet?” he questioned incredulously.

“I don’t know. Was there more than one girl with her hands in your hair today?” you snapped bitterly.

Eyes flickering between the road and what he could see of your hidden face, it took a second for the implication set in. When his brain made the connection, he started cackling.

“That’s what’s got steaming coming from your ears?” he chuckled. “Jealousy?”

When you didn’t respond, he laughed even harder.

“Babe, come on,” he continued to snicker. “You have no reason to be jealous of anybody, okay? You know I’ve only got eyes for you.” He leaned over to give you a peck on the side of your head, but you moved farther away from him.

Eddie smirked. “Really? Come on. Give me a kiss.”

You ignored him completely.

Eddie’s grin slipped from his face. With furrowed brows, he leaned over to try and catch your line of sight. “Hey,” he frowned. “You know I only have eyes for you, right?”

He was once again met with silence.

Pulling up to the stoplight, Eddie tried again. This wasn’t funny anymore. “Y/N. Please tell me you know that.”

Startling him with your sudden movement, Eddie’s eyes bulged as he took in your expression, scowling at him like he just said this most offensive thing you’ve ever heard.

“I don’t think even you know that,” you spat.

Eddie’s frown turned into bewilderment. “The hell does that mean?”

You huffed sharply before answering. “It means exactly what I said. How do you know? That you ‘only have eyes for me’?” The use of air quotations sent aggravation prickling through Eddie’s nerves. “You’ve only ever been with me, so you don’t know that.”

Eddie couldn’t be more confused as to what you were on about. When he said as much, you sighed in exasperation.

“I’m saying that you’ve only been with one woman. Me. You don’t know any different.”

“So? Who said I wanted different?”

“It’s like saying your favorite flavor is strawberry when you’ve never been offered any other kind. Once someone dangles a taste of rocky road in front of you, then what?”

Lost in staring at you incredulously, Eddie hadn’t realized the light had been green for several moments before the car behind him started to blare the horn in rapid recession. Eddie raised his hand up in a quick apology before accelerating. Though he should have kept his eyes on the slick road, he couldn’t tear his glance away from your angered glare and wonder if you were really putting down what he was picking up.

There was only one way to find out. Trying not to be offended, Eddie asked, “You’re saying I’m only with you because you’re the only girl who’s ever paid attention to me?”

“Am I wrong?” You challenged bitterly.

“Fucking—YES!” Eddie shouted angrily. “You’re absolutely fucking wrong about that!” Forcing himself to focus on the road, he kept his face twisted with fury. “Nice to know that’s what you really think of me. How would you know, anyway? I’m the only dude you’ve ever really been with. Are you only with me because I paid attention to you?”

“It's different for me,” you replied sharply.

“Why? Cause you had a ten second tumble with some guy in your friend’s car?” he spat venomously. “I wouldn’t exactly call that trying another flavor.”

You scowled at him. “No, asshole. It’s different because I love you more than you love me.”

Eddie’s foot slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road, surging both of you forward into the dashboard. For what felt like the hundredth time in the last few minutes, Eddie shrieked, “What? What did you just say?”

You couldn’t be serious. This had to be some sort of sick joke. Things had been fine. Better, actually, now that you weren’t as busy. He hadn’t felt this close to you ever—not before New Years at least. The phrase from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas often ran through his mind when he looked over your sleeping form at night—Heart growing three sizes and whatnot. He couldn’t have possibly gotten it this wrong.

“I thought you finished your period last week. Are you on it again? Because you sound fucking insane.”

“This whole time, Eddie, I’ve had to convince you that I want you. I’ve had to show you over and over and over that I choose you. I’ve been away from Hawkins. I’ve been to college. I have gone out on dates before you. I know you’re the one I want. Seeing that harlot all over you made me realize that you probably only think you love me because yeah, I’ve been the only one around.”

He wasn’t sure if it was because you were saying these things so matter-of-fact or that you looked like you truly believed them, maybe a combination of both. Whatever it was, his eyes started to sting from the pain of his heart breaking.

“And you got all of that,” he began with a croak. “From a chick with a mullet trying to get a discount on her oil change?”

Your bottom lip started to tremble, though Eddie could see your effort in trying to stop it. “Well. If not her, then I’m sure someone out there in the real world will turn your head.”

The sound of another blaring horn snapped him out of his thoughts, remembering he was just sitting in the middle of the single lane road. Eddie wiggled his nose in an effort to keep his tears from betraying him and hit the gas.

“You’re wrong,” he sniffled discreetly. “So very fucking wrong.”

The remainder of the short drive was as silent as a morgue. Eddie propped his elbow on the ledge of his window and leaned against his knuckles as he drove. He’d glance over at you periodically, but you stayed in the same position—whole body turned towards the passenger side door and pressed against it like a lifeline. Shoulders trembling every once in a while let him know you were crying though he couldn’t hear a sound.

He couldn’t decipher what he was feeling. Offended as all hell because you thought he was some loveless loser who will just take whatever he can get. Pissed off that you were treating him like an ignoramus that was too stupid to know what or how he felt. Aggravated that you would try to tell him to his fucking face that he didn’t love you the same as you did him. And most of all, devastated that you believed it.

He sighed heavily when he spotted the rusted sign for the trailer park. The irony was not lost on him that it was he who was usually on the other side of the conversation. Of the two of you, you were the sensible one. The one who kept things grounded. The one who managed the episodes of catastrophizing that took place every one in a while. Watching you believe wholeheartedly in something that couldn’t be farther from the truth was new to him.

He knew exactly what you were feeling since it had been a battle he often lost with himself, and unfortunately the subject of a few disagreements. He knew why he felt that way—He was broke, still in fucking high school at 20 years old, immature at times, and the best night of his week was playing a board game with a bunch of kids at least thee years younger than him—most not even old enough to drive a car.

But why would you think you weren’t good enough for him? And why was some random chick touching his hair against his will the catalyst? It’s not like he did anything wrong. He didn’ flirt, touch, or do something that could be perceived as cheating. So what the hell?

He fully intended to ask these questions once you were both at home and no longer at risk of holding up any more traffic. But when he pulled into the drive, you opened your own door and bolted up the concrete steps. He tried to catch up to you to at least open the door for you, but flung it open yourself and nearly took him out with it.

The house wasn’t as warm as the store front, but 60 degrees was far more comfortable than 25. His stomach growled at the smell of hot food wafting through the air, and he quickly kicked off his boots to enjoy dinner.

He carefully approached you as you pulled a chipped ceramic pot from the oven, setting it down onto the coils of the stove. “What’s to eat?” He asked delicately.

You pulled off the mismatched oven mitts and threw them onto the counter with more force than necessary before mumbling, “Food,” and storming off down the hall.

Eddie rubbed his palm over his forehead as he watched you slam the bedroom door shut. He didn’t know how, but he was going to have to fix this.

——

Numb was the best way to describe your current emotional state. No longer upset, not angry, not even hurt. Just void of any and all emotions.

Though he didn’t believe you now, Eddie would realize you were, as usual, right. You were sure the more he hung around other women, the less he’d want to be with you. There were plenty of prettier, interesting, more feminine girls around that would love him. It was an easy thing to do.

Goofy, endearing, handsome, selfless, talented, and kind—these were only a few things that made Eddie one of the best people you’d ever met. Sure, he was fucking stupid at times and would get carried away with Dungeon Master persona around his friends, and by god did you wish he’d stop waiting until you were mid shower to burst into the bathroom to take a shit—but all that aside, he was without a doubt a good man.

It seemed unfair you were only a placeholder until someone better came along.

Buried under the cold sheets of the bed, you shuffled as close to the edge as you could. Trying to fall asleep as a way to escape your thoughts of him when you were surrounded by everything Eddie was nearly impossible. He was everywhere all the time—his scent on the sheets, random strands of his hair stuck to your clothes, the smiley face he drew on the top of your oxfords for work, the occasional hickey or too that had to be covered by makeup. You gave up on the idea of trying to drift into blissful unawareness and just blankly stared at the posters on the wall, not really seeing them.

Mindlessly picking at the singed hole in the gray sheet, likely from Eddie’s smoking days, you nearly jumped out of your skin when the door suddenly flung open.

Keeping your back towards the door, the scent of Irish Spring invaded your nose. You hoped he would go to the living room and watch Mork & Mindy or something, maybe fall asleep out there so you didn’t have to be near him right now.

But of course that didn’t happen. Instead of going away, Eddie’s weight made the lumpy mattress dip beneath him as he settled next to you. You rolled your eyes and burrowed deeper under the blanket.

“Why?” He asked aloud.

“No,” you answered simply. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Well that shits because I do,” he argued. “You had your time to mope. Now let’s fix it.”

Sneering, you replied “There’s nothing to fix, Eddie. Just drop it.”

He sighed and shuffled around. “You know I do have eyes right? You’re not the first girl I’ve ever seen, and I’ve talked to other chicks before, too. Just because I never did anything with them before you doesn’t mean I saw you and went ‘Wow. She kissed me and now she’s topless. I’m never gonna have this chance again. Can’t let her go.’”

You scoffed. “That’s not what I said—“

“Yes, it is!” he snapped. “You’re making it sound like you’re the only chick to ever look me in the eye and that I’m fucking desperate. And I’m not.”

Electing to ignore the point he made, you said, “I know you have eyes, Eddie. That’s what I’m saying. You’ll see someone prettier and that’ll be it. You’ll come home reminding me that this was supposed to just be for the insurance anyway and that we can still be friends later even though we both know you won’t mean it.”

“Why do you suddenly think I’m gonna run off?” he asked. “You’ve never thought that before—that I know of at least—so what the hell makes you think that now?”

True, you never considered it before. But you also never saw anyone else give Eddie the kind of attention you did. You didn’t think you had any competition since it has always just been the two of you and a bunch of dudes, save for Robin and Nancy. But seeing someone better looking at him the same way you do…

You rolled over onto your side to face him and propped yourself up on our elbow, unknowingly mirroring his exact position. He hadn’t bothered to put on anything other than his boxers, letting water droplets from his wet hair slide down his chest and arms—a sight that made your frown deepen.

“What do I look like to you right now?” You questioned.

Seemingly irritated, he ran his eyes over your body and shrugged. “Annoyed?”

“I’m serious,” you deadpanned.

“So am I!” he exclaimed. “I don’t know what answer you’re looking for! Cold? Comfortable? Like you’re ready to go to sleep?”

You huffed. “How about like I should be begging for change at the stoplight on Main?”

The corner of Eddie’s mouth ticked up into a small smirk. “You’d make a pretty sexy panhandler.”

“Oh for God’s sake, Eddie, just stop!” You shouted angrily, throwing your hand up in Exasperation.

Eddie threw his head back and let out a frustrated groan. “Can we stop playing guessing games? Just fucking tell me what your damage is. Since when have you not believed me when I call you sexy?”

You studied his disgruntled face with equal agitation. “You didn’t move!” You yelled. Flinging yourself onto your back and crossing your arms over your chest, you continued. “There was another woman with her hands on you and you didn’t move.”

He snorted and rolled his eyes. “Uh, well, she’s a customer so I can’t exactly suckerpunch her in the throat,” he replied sarcastically. “And I did move after she grabbed my hair. Actually had some of it pulled out ‘cause it got stuck on those beads or whatever she had glued to her nail.” Eddie wiggled closer so he could look you in the eyes. Brow furrowed, he said, “I get being jealous, but I don’t understand why you think some random chick is gonna all of a sudden whisk me away.”

“I told you,” you spat. “She was pretty.”

“And you’re not?” he challenged.

Attempting to keep him from seeing the pained expression on your face, You looked away from him and directed your gaze towards the hand drawn Led Zeppelin poster on the opposite side of the room without answering him.

Eddie’s annoyance fizzled into concern as his face softened. “Wait—seriously?” he questioned with disbelief. “You really think that?”

You scoffed at his dismissive tone. “My hair is always in a bun or ponytail. I’ve had the same clothes for the last two years. My hands are about as smooth as sandpaper and look like they belong to an old man. Wouldn't even know how to stand up in a pair of heels let alone walk in them. Probably smell like bleach and guts all the time from work.” You wiped away the rogue tears that seeped from the corner of your eye and sniffled. “I’m about as glamorous as a fucking turnip.”

Unable to keep the sob at bay any longer, you turned your back to him once again. Or at least attempted to. Eddie wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you with him towards the middle of the bed despite your verbal insistence through throaty sobs to just leave you alone. You didn’t want him to lie in an attempt to make you feel better. You knew you weren’t going to be like the girl from the shop, or as cute as someone like Nancy with her permed hair and stupid round bambi eyes.

“Hey. Hey. Stop,” Eddie demanded softly as he fought against your determination to get away from him. He managed to get you on your back, and cage your head between his elbows as he braced himself on his forearms. When you tried to wiggle away, he put more of his body weight on yours. “Look at me.”

Hiccuping, you tried to calm yourself down enough to oblige even though you really didn’t want to. He wiped the wetness from under your eyes and cheeks, and even went as far as wiping your nose with his bare hand before wiping it on the sheet without a second thought.

“Gross,” you muttered quietly.

Eddie ignored your comment and rested his forehead on yours, forcing you to look at him, though you were fairly certain that you were now cross-eyed as well as snotty and tear stained.

“Wanna know what I think?” He asked gently.

You sniffled and cleared your throat. “Not really.”

Eddie chuckled lightly. “Well, too bad, because I’m gonna tell you anyway.”

He leaned on his arm so he could free up his other hand to grab yours. Bringing your fingertips towards his mouth, he places soft kisses to each one.

“These hands are beautiful because,” he paused to turn your palm over to pay equal attention to your knuckles and wrist. “They heal the sick and wounded. Create kick ass food. Keep mine company. And hey, the hand jobs are pretty stellar, too.”

That earned a watery chortle and an eyeroll from you as you tried to pull from his grip. “Just what I always wanted to hear—“

“I’m not done,” he scolded, lacing his large fingers between yours and placing a final smooch on the back of your hand. His lips traveled up your arms in a session of gentle kisses until he made his eyes level with your again.

Pressing his lips on your forehead, he continued. “The brain you got in here could make us millionaires if we got you on Jeopardy. Got a lot of knowledge, wicked ideas—I mean wicked as in cool—and wit sharp enough to carve glass. Oh, and the crinkle right here you get when you’re scowling at me? I know I’m not on your nerves until I see It.”

He made sure to give every bit of your body a visit from his lips. Saying your eyes were his favorite color and he loved the way they lit up with joy over small things—like when you noticed the dishes were washed and put away. He claimed your cheeks were perfect real estate for raspberries and made sure to gift one to each side before adding, “oh and here, too,” and burying his face in your neck to provide another. He smiled at the quiet laugh you let out at that.

Stroking your bottom lip with his thumb, he grinned. “Gorgeous lips, devilish tongue that you most certainly have used for evil on me, and the voice of an angel.”

“You're so full of it,” you said bashfully.

“Full of love,” he jested with wiggled eyebrows.

You leaned in to press your lips to his, but he pulled back. “No can do, sweetheart,” he shook his head. “Cause if I do that I’m not gonna be able to finish my guided tour.”

You wanted to argue with him that he could indulge just a little, but he refused and continued his journey down your cloth covered chess.

“You’ve got to know how much I love my girls,” he said. Propping himself up on his elbows to get a good handful, he stared at you with his mouth agape. “You came to work in the freezing cold with no bra on?” he said gleefully. “Fucking hell you’re gonna kill me.” Not bothering to lift your shirt up, Eddie’s tongue went to work.

Despair was rapidly morphing into desire at the sensation of his teeth gently scraping across the sensitive flesh—the texture of the cotton adding extra stimulation. Closing your eyes to get lost in the feel of it, you hand found refuge over his kneading one.

He moved on faster than you would have liked, giving attention to your sternum. “Got a good heart, too. Loves pretty hard when you decide someone earned it. Damn sweet if you ask me.”

Though initially brushing off his attempt to make you feel better, it was starting to work. He lifted your shirt to give two well placed hickies above your belly button to make it look like a face with an open mouth. Snapped the waistband of your lounge pants and said that they were his favorite because your ass jiggle like jello with every step you took while wearing them.

Despite the countless times you’d been wrapped around him, being under his adoring scrutiny had an element of discomfort that he seemed to ease away with the delicate trace of his fingertips along the way.

He skipped over where you really wanted him, once again citing he’d get to it at the end so he could remain on task. Sliding your pants and underwear slowly down your thighs, decorating them with feathery kisses along the way sent your chest heaving with ragged breaths. Eddie’s lips dusting lightly over your knees, caressing your permanently sore calves in the way he knew you liked as he continued toward your ankles was becoming more and more dizzying.

“Ew, don’t kiss my feet!” you exclaimed through giggles when Eddie got too close to your toes.

“Why not?” he mused, ignoring your request completely. “I think they’re cute.”

Mouth tickling the tops of your toes, you winced and wiggled until he pulled your pants off completely and repeated the journey up the other leg, grazing over your belly again, and adding an afterthought when he got to your other hand.

“How could I forget? These hands are also willing to cut people who’ve tried to kill me so that’s a nice perk, too,” he smirked.

Settling his hips between your thighs and nudging his nose against yours, he asked quietly, “Now that I’ve told you how beautiful you are, can I show you?”

A small frown tugged against your lips. The issue wasn’t if he loved you now, but later. When you expressed this to him, Eddie sighed and cradled the side of your face, thumb gently caressing your cheek.

“No one is gonna take me away from you. Not now, not in ten years when all the twizzlers I’ve ever eaten start to catch up with me, not when I’m fifty and graying. You have to trust me on that,” he said sadly.

That was rich, coming from him. How many months had you spent telling him the same thing? “And you?” You retorted with a raised brow. “Do you trust me that I’m not gonna high tail it alongside some jerk with a scalpel? Or hop on his tour bus when Mellencamp comes back for his other knee replacement?”

He snorted. “Since I know for a fact you think he looks like a foot, I can confidently say John Mellencamp doesn’t worry me.” His thumb trailed down to your bottom lip and lightly traced over it. Voice losing all humor, he said, “I know it’s taken a hot minute but yes, I do trust that you’re not gonna disappear on me.”

The tension that seemed to have been there since christmas, or maybe even before, eased away completely. Eddie must have sensed it too, because his faint smile grew a little more lopsided. “Let me show you.”

He was so gorgeous with those big round umber eyes and downright kissable lips. Tucking a piece of his drying hair behind his ear, unable to hide the smile that spread across your face at the shudder Eddie gave when your fingers brushed against it, you gave a small nod of approval.

Light as a feather, Eddie slotted his lips against yours as he continued to cradle your face. You slowly moved your mouth against his, slinking your arms around his bare back and relishing in the weight of his body fully pressed against yours.

Parting long enough to remove your shirt, he last article of clothing for you, Eddie kicked off his boxers and went right back to where he was—the heat of his cock brushing against our center. You tried to slide your hand to grasp him, but he pulled your hand away, interlacing his fingers with yours and held it by your head firmly against the mattress.

Eddie took the whine of disappointment as an opportunity to lick into your mouth. Tongues curling around each other, your breathing became more and more ragged. The warmth from his body, the feel of his chest brushing against your peaked nipples, his hot breath fanning across your cheek with each exhale from his nose was intoxicating and banished all thoughts from your brain.

Trailing his mouth down your jawline and finding a new home in the crook of your neck, electric jolts pulsed through you as he rolled the flesh there between his teeth, nibbling and sucking hard enough to surely leave a mark. In desperate need of friction, your hips bucked on their own accord, sliding deliciously against his hardened length pressed against your center.

Though he groaned and panted against the other side of your neck where he was trying to give a matching mark, Eddie didn’t pay much mind while he worked on driving you insane with the placement of his lips, the rolling of your nipple between his fingers, and tickle of his breath on your neck. At least, not until the head nudged your sensitive button and made both of you gasp.

“Relax,” he whispered, returning his face level with yours. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Opting to acknowledge all intentions of that statement, you kissed the tip of his nose and whispered back, “I know.”

His mouth found yours once again, languidly mounding to yours as his fingertips drifted down the side of your thigh, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake until he reached your knee and hooked it around his waist.

Your fingers began to ache with how tightly you were gripping his back. Feeling him poised at your entrance but making no effort to go any further was maddening. “Eddie,” you whimpered against his lips and opened your eyes to meet his. “Please.”

“Don’t close your eyes,” he instructed, lips still touching yours. “I want you to look at me.”

It was a struggle to do as he said—slipping in slow enough to be borderline torturous, but you obliged and watched his kiss-swollen lips open in a silent ‘O’ as he pushed himself in till the hilt, a simultaneous exhale fanning over each other’s face.

Eddie tightly gripped the doughy flesh of your thigh wrapped around his waist as he steadily rocked his hips against yours. He had never been this delicate before—this slow—and it was wonderful. Taking the time to fully enjoy each other without rushing to quench a primal need, feeling the goosebumps erupt across his skin as you slid your hands down his back, memorizing the flex of every muscle. His thrusts were slow yet powerful, taking your breath away with each bump against the spot within you that only he could reach.

With foreheads touching, noses nudging, and lips skimming in the ghost of a kiss you each inhaled the other’s moans and gasps, the breathless “I love you”s and sigh of each other’s names. Taking what the other gave and breathing as one.

Complying with his command to keep your eyes on him was becoming more and more difficult. Tummy tightening from the tantalizing friction of the coarse patch of hair on his pelvis grinding against your clit was pushing you closer and closer to the edge. Eddie slid his arm under the small of your back, angling your hips in a way that shattered the coil in your belly almost instantly.

Eddie wasn’t far behind, sliding his tongue against yours in a sloppy kiss as he groaned through his release while you mewled through the aftershock of yours.

Sweat slicked chests heaving in unison, you didn’t break away from Eddie’s kiss until the pulses of pleasure subsided. He rested his head in the crook of your neck, catching his breath and preening at your touch as you happily carded your fingers through his hair, peppering his shoulder with kisses and reveling in the salty taste of his skin.

There wasn’t a more perfect moment than this—being held tightly against Eddie’s naked body, the ache in your abdomen sated, all doubt of being inadequate now or later were long gone. This memory would be your first line of defense when the voice of doubt decided to make itself known. Eddie loved you with everything he had: body, mind, and soul. There was no way to part without losing half of himself, or taking half of you with him.

“Okay,” you hummed in content. “I believe you now.”

“Good,” he replied. “But I must warn you, if you ever say I don’t love you like you love me ever again…I don’t know what I’ll do but that shit hurt. Probably keel over and die honestly.”

You frowned at the recollection of your foolish words. “I’m sorry. You’ll be glad to know you convinced me otherwise.”

Eddie pulled his face from the refuge if your neck and rested his head on his propped up palm, his other hand fiddling with the opal pendant between the valley of your breasts. “Yep. I love you even though you lied to me.”

You blinked at him in shock. “Lied to you?” you repeated harshly. “When the hell did I lie to you?”

“So I’m in the garage working on your rickety Nissan and I’ve got the stereo on. A Lesson in Violence is playing and I’m certain I’m in a dream because goddamn it you keep surprising me. And then, all of a sudden, I hear this opening riff to a fucking Ratt song!” he scoffed. “The woman who has claimed for years that she hates hair metal has Lay It Down on a mixtape. A mixtape with Exodus on it no less! Total treachery.”

You rolled your eyes and tried to bite back the smile of being called out. “It’s one song, Eddie. And it’s a song that makes me think of you! It’s not like I’m gonna go out and buy a copy of Out of the Cellar.”

Eddie deadpanned. “I’m disappointed you can even name an album of theirs.”

“How do you know I was right unless you know it, too?” you challenged with a smirk.

Eddie dodged the question. “Want me to ask Gareth if you can borrow Pyromania? I’m sure he’d lend it to you if you asked real nice.”

“You’re the one that was learning Def Leopard songs, not me,” you teased. “I like one Ratt song! I don’t tease you for liking Woody Guthrie or Hank Williams, good lord.”

“Hey, you hush,” he replied, flicking your sternum. “I never said I didn’t like country. I’ll own my obscure tastes instead of hiding them like some dirty secret. Besides, do you think Wayne owned any other 8 tracks besides Waylon—“

Eddie’s train of thought was cut off by a loud bang that sounded way too close to the house for comfort. He looked at you with a furrowed brow, silently asking if it was his imagination or if you heard it too. You both remained silent, staring at each other for reassurance as your ears strained to hear for any more noise. Sure enough, you heard a muffled clang and felt the trailer rattle.

“Someone’s in the house.”

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