crazy train

mental wounds not healing

          life’s a bitter shame

                 i’m going off the rails on a crazy train  [meet: eddie munson]

.

steve loved holding eddie like this. he loved it when the two of them were alone, enjoying every moment of it. they had been so busy fighting rabid dogs and having everyone around them that they barely could find the time to be alone together. and now that they were, steve was going to make sure to enjoy every minute of it. he closed his eyes as he let his head rest on the other’s shoulder for a couple of moments, pulling him closer to him. this felt nice, steve thought to himself. through all of the relationships he had been through, he had never had one like the one he had with eddie. and he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t find anyone like him. at least he hoped that eddie was the one for him, but maybe it was too early to talk about it. 

he let out a small chuckle as he heard eddie speak, being dramatic as he usually was. that had been a part of why steve had grown to like eddie so much. he opened his eyes and looked over at him with a smile on his face. he was glad that the other liked the haircut - it would have been bad if he had gotten one and suddenly he lost his boyfriend. it wouldn’t be very good to his self-esteem. “well, i’m glad you like it.” he said, before kissing his cheek.

once they were both settled on the couch, steve watched as the other draped his legs over his lap and smiled as he pulled him slightly closer to him. steve let out a sigh of relief once he felt his knee relax a bit, even if he had just been standing for a bit. it definitely wasn’t the worst injury he had ever had, but it definitely bothered him a bit. he was just hoping that it wouldn’t turn into anything serious. he let his hands rest on eddie’s legs as he slowly caressed them, looking over at his boyfriend. “we need to rest for a bit. i’m not opposed to that either, but… let’s just talk for a bit. you know, i think talking is… important, right? what did you do today?” he asked with a smile.

steve chuckled lightly as he watched his boyfriend shake his head at the thought of him having short hair. “i doubt that you wouldn’t be able to rock it. trust me, i think you would look hot.” he said, blushing lightly. “but you’re right, the long hair does suit you. and i do love it a lot.” he smiled.

+++

a content smile on his face, eddie hummed, tilted his head to press a quick kiss to steve's temple. they hadn't been able to get moments like these lately, just the two of them. the two of them, as happy as can be, considering everything that was going on around them - a little slice of happiness if you will. good for the soul, kept you from going completely mad. he nuzzled his fave into steve's freshly cut hair, greedily inhaled the scent of his shampoo and various other hair products, eyes nearly rolling back into his head.

it wasn't quite cuteness aggression that drove eddie to give into his impulses and tilt his head again to - gently - bite the tip of steve's nose, but it was something along those lines - happiness aggression, maybe? 'being content in your boyfriends arms as you share a small moment of peace and quiet in the midst of a whirlwind that could very well lead to the end of the world, once again' aggression. in any case, eddie munson had never been one to deny himself impulsive actions. with a wide toothy grin he fell back against the couch, giggling to himself. he smoothed steve's nose with his thumb, muttering a quiet 'sorry' into the couch cushions.

he blew a raspberry, taking a strand of steve's hair between his fingers, twirling it around. "fine", he groaned with a playful roll of his eyes. "you're no fun, harrington - but fine, ignore my shameless flirting, let's just talk. talking is good. I agree." and he over accentuated his nod to show just how much he agreed. "what did i do today, let's see... uh, i rubbed some suspicious smelling ointment on this fucker right here." he wiggled his injured foot to the best of his abilities, had to hold back a pained wince as he did so. "re-wrapped it and shit. watched tv. wayne made me some eggs and tea and stuff, all that yucky healthy shit. i get up every half hour or so to walk around, curse my dreadful existence and wait for my handsome soldier to return from the war and come back to me." eddie sighed dramatically, the back of his hand against his forehead before he leaned in to press a quick kiss to steve's lips." and here you are, returned to me at last! i rejoice!"

a suddenly bashful smile on his lips, eddie was sure there was a red tint to his cheeks now and he quickly pulled some of his own hair to cover his face. "oh, stop it - you have to say that, you're my boyfriend. what if i show up rocking a mohawk one of these days? what if I go insane and buzz my hair again huh? id look awful, im telling you." he cringed as he remembered his buzzcut era. no, yeah, he was definitely going to stick to long hair for the foreseeable future." however.... flattery does work with me, stevie, be careful. you call me hot one more time and im afraid im gonna have to jump your bones."

.

it was funny to think that steve used to think that he would never make his way inside of eddie’s trailer when he was younger. the two were apparently incompatible back then, but now, steve would gladly spend his days with eddie if he could. it was better than spending time at his place, especially when his parents were around. steve also wasn’t sure when eddie’s opinion became so important to him, but it was definitely important now. that’s why he was sort of nervous to show him his new haircut. who could tell what his reaction was going to be? maybe he liked his hair the way it used to be, and he had to admit that the other’s face scared him a bit once he first saw it.

smiling once the other approached him and kissed him, steve smiled as he wrapped both of his arms around the other’s waist and brought him closer to him. “do you really love it or are you just saying that because i’m your boyfriend? because you have to tell me if you don’t.” steve said with a small chuckle escaping from his lips, before he kissed the other’s cheek. steve could feel his knee starting to hurt, mostly because he had probably been standing for too long now. he knew that they both needed to sit down, especially since eddie had messed up his ankle pretty bad. he looked down to check out the other’s ankle and frowned when he noticed that it was wrapped in bandages.

“what are you doing up? i thought we both agreed that we’re supposed to… you know, get some rest and all of that. you’re hurt.” steve said as he shook his head slightly. he could feel his face turning hot, but he thought that might have just been from being in eddie’s presence. who could blame him after all? “c’mon, let’s sit down.” steve said as he let go of the other and sat down on the couch carefully enough not to hurt himself. that area was a sensitive one, but he wouldn’t admit it out loud, even if eddie wouldn’t make fun of him. 

steve smiled up at the other as he watched him, feeling himself relax on the couch. he was used to this couch now, but who could blame him? he spent a lot of time there. he ran a hand through his hair, a little shocked when he felt it so short. it was hard getting used to it, but he knew that he could probably still rock it. “it’s weird getting used to have short hair…” he said, nodding his head. “you know, i think you would look pretty good with short hair too. maybe you should try it out.” he said, a teasing tone in his voice as he looked over at eddie. he knew how much the other liked his hair, and who could blame him? he looked good.

+++

eddie was glad for the support that steve's arms around his waist proved to be, relaxing ever so slightly, he wrapped one hand around the back of steve's neck, the other resting on his biceps. it allowed to him to shift his weight, relieving his injured ankle of the burden of fully supporting him. still, eddie tried his best to keep his reaction under control - no need for steve to worry, after the man himself had only recently gotten out of hospital. this was a minor injury at best, fat more benign than the wounds steve had suffered. so he put on a brave face, gave his boyfriend a smile.

"oh, so you think you have me totally at your mercy, huh? that you've wooed me into being a dishonest man? why, i detest your accusation!" said with all the theatrics and bravado he could muster up - lacking in execution but not passion. eddie gave a slight chuckle." no, steve, princess, I assure you that i love it. totally honestly. cross my heart, and all that. "

a sharp pang of guilt in his chest, he grimaced as steve took note of his injury. eddie waved his hand, but stopped himself shirt of saying 'it's nothing'. instead he sighed, rolled his eyes and plopped down on the couch next to steve, swinging his legs over his boyfriends lap. "yeah, yeah, sorry. ill rest. im resting now, aren't i?" then, snuggling closer, he took hold of steve's arm and added : "not that id be opposed to not-resting. cause that new hair of yours is really making me want to not rest, babe." and eddie wiggled his brows suggestively, added a wink for good measure.

soon replaced by a frown, he fervently shook his head. "me with short hair? no man, i definitely can't pull that off. besides - that's sort of my whole thing here. ever seen a metalhead without long, luscious locks?"

who: steve harrington & @eddiemcnson·

where: eddie’s place / the trailer park

what: steve gets a haircut (looks like this)

his hair had always been a part of steve and he took it very seriously. after all, it had given him his reputation for all of those years, he couldn’t deny it. he was still steve ‘the hair’ harrington, even if he had been slightly slacking ever since he graduated from high school. after being a couple of days in the hospital, he thought it was for the best if he got it arranged, or at least, a few trims so it could go back to the way it looked when he was in high school. he always thought that it had looked the best back then. what he didn’t expect was for the hairdresser that he would usually go to cut it a little bit too much. it wasn’t terrible to say the least, in fact, steve enjoyed it more than he thought he would. maybe he would keep it like this for quite some time, even though he was sure that people would comment on it, but it wasn’t like he was concerned about people’s opinions on him anymore.

he knew that one of the people that would probably notice it the most would be his boyfriend. steve wanted him to be the first one to see, so he didn’t waste his time in driving down to the trailer park once he was out of the hairdresser. steve knew that eddie would probably be there. he parked his car and quickly got out of it, making his way towards the door, opening it and walking inside. he had been doing this for a couple of weeks now and he knew that eddie wouldn’t mind. wayne was probably working too. “eddie?” he asked out loud. “okay, i know that you love my hair a lot, but… you know, i needed to do something different or i might have just gone crazy with my hair looking like that.” he said right off the bat, only to realize that the other wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “are you here?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked around for a bit.

+++

eddie hadn’t gone out much since what he had dubbed the ‘junkyard incident’. partly due to the fact that he, quite literally, couldn’t go out, seeing as his ankle was wrapped in bandages and he’d been advised by the doctor to let it rest as much as possible. the antibiotics he was on - because doppelganger or not, rabies was still a thing - made him drowsy, too, and so eddie had spent most of his time lounging on the couch in the two or three positions he could comfortably rest in. until, inevitably, his foot would fall asleep and he’d have to get up and move around a bit. 

wayne was at work and so eddie couldn’t whine and ask him to do all the tedious stuff, like making snacks or refilling the electric kettle so he could keep himself from sleeping through the day by drinking copious amounts of coffee. so here he was, shuffling into the bathroom since the tap in the kitchen didn’t have a water filter - it had broken and wayne had promised to pick one up after his shift - to refill the kettle. rubbing at his eyes as he let the water run, wobbly on his feet. 

eddie turned off the tap, startled by a sudden noise coming from the living room - wondering if there was really someone there or if he was that out of it. sure enough the voice persisted, and a voice he knew all too well, and so, with a stupid wide toothy grin, eddie walked back - and nearly dropped the kettle. in his right mind to put it onto the kitchen counter, all he could do was stare, gape, really, chin dropped, eyes wide.

no, yeah, that was steve, undoubtedly. but ... unlike eddie had ever seen him. not sporting his signature, gravity defying hairdo. eddie never thought he’d live to see the day. he brushed a lock of hair behind his ears and came closer to inspect it, running a hand through steve’s hair, ruffling it. an incredulous chuckle fell from his lips, he softly shook his head in disbelief. “my, my.... well, it’s my pleasure to welcome you back, steve ‘the hair’ harrington.” he gave him a nod, then took his face in his hands, pressing a kiss to the space between steve’s brows. “i love it.”

𝐖𝐇𝐎: Chrissy Cunningham & @eddiemcnson··

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓: Chrissy and Eddie are just friends, oh no! sound off the homophobes :/

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: Junkyard bus

This was not normal. None of the last month was normal. It hadn’t been easy, accepting that she had died years ago. In fact, she hadn’t fully processed it. It defied everything that she had been taught. Science said it wasn’t possible, even religion said it wasn’t possible (except in very specific cases and Chrissy was sure that she, along with all the other commune people, were not messiah’s of any sort). Yet, she was somehow brought out of the soil and was now breathing heavily, her back pressed against the cold steel of the bus, legs outstretched on the seat after what could only be described as hellish. From rabid undead dogs to Max Mayfield backhanding her, she was, for once, ready to be back at home in her own bed.

She felt so useless the entire time. When people started asking her questions, she tensed up and barely said anything, choosing to lie to protect herself more than anything and when it came time to fight, Chrissy had to stay back with Jack so no one got hurt. Even if she had knocked over one of those dogs, she didn’t feel good about it. It just made her feel queasy, regardless of the circumstance. Once they had gotten out of the junkyard and Dustin’s driving steadied, Chrissy peeled herself from the seat and attempted to make herself useful by finding Lucas Sinclair’s backpack and grabbing his first aid kit. Growing up, Chrissy had always been taught practical skills that were deemed ladylike. First aid happened to just fall under that.

She walked back down the aisle, first aid kit in hand as she sat next to Eddie, making herself known. The last time she had seen him she had all but stomped into his trailer demanding to know what happened to her. Since then, she had gotten pieces, but never a concise story. She remembered being at his trailer last and even Chance said that he thought it had been Eddie who murdered her. It sat in the back of her head that maybe there was truth to that. “You probably want to get something on that soon,” she pointed out, looking down at his ankle where the rabid dog had attacked him. It didn’t look bad, per se, but it seemed like an injury that shouldn’t be left out to breathe either. She popped open the first aid kit and pulled out a tube of ointment, holding it out in his direction. “How’s it feel?” 

+++

his vision was a little blurry, thoughts hazy, but one thing was for certain - whomever had taught dustin henderson how to drive was a threat to society who thrived on chaos. eddie had gripped the backrest, holding on for dear life. eyes screwed shut, lips tighthly pressed together, making way for the occasional curse, as he tried to fight off the oncoming wave of nausea. breathing in through his nose, out through his mouth - or the other way around? 

whatever. at least he was breathing, he thought with a weak scoff, and the sickly, bittersweet sensation returned to the pit of his stomach. eddie placed a hand over his belly button, as if that would help anything. the spotty, dark visual of his eyes squeezed shut proved to be a perfect projection space as his mind forced him to replay the events past - the bickering about who to sacrifice to lure out the doppelganger, how max hadn’t hesitated to throw a punch chrissy’s way, earning the blow herself. how he’d approached the dog, how it had multiplied, how it had something to do with the fucking diner - and how they’d made it out miraculously, by the skin of their teeth. not completely unharmed, but out, at least.

in time, dustin’s driving had steadied and eddie had exhaled shakily, shifting to make himself more comfortable, only to be reminded of how he counted as part of the ‘not completely unharmed’. a sharp hiss, a curse, eddie didn’t managed to fight the urge to reach out, roll up his pant leg and inspect the injury, touch it, even. his face twisted into a grimace, he was almost annoyed at how fast the nausea managed to resurface. not that it looked that bad - just ... not good, either.

and another hit to his stomach as he looked up to find chrissy cunningham with a first-aid kit in hand. immediately, involuntarily, an aimge of her with her bones snapped and eyes rolled back floating on the ceiling of his trailer came into his mind and he had to look away, squeeze his eyes shut to force it to stop. chrissy was back now, she was alive. and eddie couldn’t go and panic at the sight of her face forever. so, reluctantly, he met her eyes, if only a for a few seconds, gave her a weak smile. “uh. well - not ideal but, uh, i’ll live.” he gave a nod. not too convinced with his own words. “uhm, how - how are you feeling?”

eddie looked between her and the ointment, then held up his hands. “i’ve got, like, demon-dog goo and grime on my hands, not really sure i should be rubbing anything into anything.” a little chuckle, he craned his neck to peek at the first aid kit. “you got any, like, bandages in there? gauge, maybe?”

Favourite stranger things scenes??

hey!

just off the top of my head, i'd say the running up that hill scene (sadie sink my beloved!) in s4; then when they found will's fake body in s1 - heroes playing in the background, the joyce and jonathan scene, poetic cinema ; the sauna scene in s3 because dacre montgomery's acting is insane and, of course, how could i ever forget 'don't ya, big boy?'

honorable mention is the ted wheeler slander here:

steve smiled at eddie, nodding his head slowly. he let out yet another chuckle as he watched his now boyfriend, taking him all in and staring at him lovingly. “you really were trying to steal my title for best hair… back in high school, right?” he teased with a chuckle. it was still weird to think about how different they were in high school and how they were both still so different from each other, but still had managed to find each other and be together. steve wouldn’t let that change anytime soon. he closed his eyes for a couple of moments when he felt eddie run a hand through his hair, smiling at the touch. he didn’t even want to think about how his hair looked right now. he had been in that hospital for long enough time for it to become a mess and only he knew how much time it took him to get it ready. “right… probably looks like a mess right now…” he said quietly, before letting out a sigh. “i’ve been thinking about cutting it anyway.” he said with a small nod of his head.

at the other’s question about joining hellfire club, steve couldn’t help but to smile and shrug his shoulders slightly. “listen, i wouldn’t join for… the game. or whatever it is. i would join so i could look at you.” he said, a smile on his face, a charming one for that fact. if there was something that time or that explosion didn’t take away from him was his natural charm, or at least he thought so. but that was only focused on eddie now. he didn’t want anyone else. “i mean it, ed… i would join just for you. even if… i’m pretty sure i wouldn’t know what’s going on… most of the time.” he said, pausing for a bit to take a breath, nodding his head slowly.

while steve had been pretty jealous that dustin had been hanging out with eddie more and more when they had first met, steve was glad that dustin had eddie as well. dustin needed them, or at least that’s what he liked to tell himself. he was glad that eddie cared so much for him that he would keep an eye out for him. it was clear that the two were worried about him, especially with everything that had happened. he pursed his lips together, as he let out a sigh. “i’m glad… he’s okay. he goes through too much…” he said, shaking his head slowly. he thought that all of the kids went through too much for their age, but yet again, they were at the age where steve had burned down those tunnels. hawkins definitely wasn’t a good place to live in. “i know you will, but take care of him… okay? he needs someone there for him.” he said with a smile, knowing that eddie wouldn’t fail him.

he was touched when eddie had offered wayne to stop by with some food. steve was glad that he had someone from his family that cared for him like this. he nodded his head. “okay… that sounds nice.” he said simply, as he looked at his boyfriend. they sat there in silence for a couple of moments, steve smiling at him the whole time until he finally spoke. he let out a small chuckle that only hurt his ribs slightly, but he didn’t show it. “i’m… i’m real. we’re real, eddie. we’re… dating, you know?” he said, smiling at eddie. even with everything, steve was glad that he still had that. he wouldn’t let it go. “kiss me again? i like kissing you.” he said with a nod.

+++

eddie snorted. "back when we were in high school together, you mean? nah, man, my hair looked like shit back then, that weird growing out phase after i buzzed it." he'd sported a mohawk for a week or two, before he'd decided that that looked too punk-y for him and that he was a metalhead now. "you know", he said, moving his hand out of steve's hair as gently as possible to take a strand of his own hair between his fingers, inspecting and then twirling it, "a lot of hard work and dedication went into these locks." a lot of arguments with wayne where he refused to acknowledge his split ends, his uncle trying to talk him into getting that 'wild mop of hair of his' under control. eddie smiled to himself, pulled his hair over his face for a moment before letting it fall to the side again.

"are you for real right now? you want to cut it?" he pursed his lips, eyes squinting and his head tilted to the side as he tried to imagine steve without his signature gravity defying hairstyle. he hummed a question. "whatever you want to do, sweetheart - but the offer still stands. I'm a master of detangling hospital bed induced matting."

eddie chewed on his bottom lip, gave a weak nod but looked away, blinking to fight the oncoming tears. there'd been enough crying today. "i will. you know i will.", he paused for a moment, let out a shaky breath. "don't... don't talk like that, man." like he wasn't going to be around for much longer. like he was passing the torch of care to eddie.

how eddie had talked to dustin, when he'd had his head in the boys lap, drawing shaky, ragged breaths, the sting of his wounds slowly fading as he himself had faded into a blissful oblivion. "you're sticking around, harrington." it was a demand, if anything. "you *have* to, now. you can't ask me to be your boyfriend and then kick the bucket. nobody would believe me. id look like some pathetic loser going around telling everyone steve harrington was actually my secret boyfriend all along." cope with humor. he let out a dry chuckle.

and he nodded in confirmation, a smile playing at his lips. "yeah, we sure are." eddie thought about how he'd never dated anyone, not seriously, not as long term as this was going to be - because there was no chance in hell that eddie was ever going to break up with steve. And by the looks of it, the look that steve had in his eyes as he looked up at him, asked him for another kiss, it seemed like steve had no intention of doing so, either. the upside down was going to have to pull its biggest stunt ever if it wanted to separate the two of them. and eddie wasn't going to let it.

he grinned, all wide and toothy, and bent down to give into steve's request. connecting their lips in a sweet kiss, lips lazily moving against one another. there was no rush here. eventually, they'd have to face the fast pace of life in hawkins again, gave whatever the universe was going to throw their way next. but not now.

when eddie pulled back he placed a short peck on Steve's forehead, brushing some hair out of his face. "im getting you some ice chips, stevie. go rest a bit. that's an order." and with a wink, he detached himself from his boyfriend and walked out the room, feeling like he was floating.

WHO: cassie conrrad & @eddiemcnson· WHERE: skull rock

In the weekend of the Fourth of July, Cassie had learned a lot. Hawkins was under attack by some supernatural creature, no one could leave, the government may or may not have been covering the whole thing up, and the girl Cassie thought she’d seen in her head the night at the graveyard actually hadn’t been dead. Which meant that she had some sort of apology to give to the nice guy with the rockstar head of hair she’d seen on her way to the library when she’d been looking for more information: Eddie Munson. After describing the cheerleader in her head, Eddie had proceeded to practically run in the other direction, and Cassie couldn’t help but dig into why. 

As it turned out, Eddie had been some sort of town-declared freak, after all. They’d thought that he was responsible for the cult in the woods or something like that, all because of playing Dungeons and Dragons. But, after talking to Lucas and finding out that there was no way some teenager could have done this singlehandedly back then, Cassie had come to realize just how horrible Hawkins had been to the guy. 

Which was why, upon seeing him at the rock where another one of Mike’s friends had apparently gotten possessed, according to Nancy, Cassie didn’t turn in the other direction. She also didn’t want to scare him into thinking she was there to pick a fight, so she approached with her hands in the air, notebook full of DnD notes she’d taken in one, as this was supposed to be a research trip.  “Please don’t run away this time, I come in peace,” she pleaded, taking cautious steps forward. “I promise. I have a whole lot of explaining to do and a pack of cigarettes in my pocket, half of which could be yours,” Cassie offered, lowering her hands slowly with a grin. 

+++

this was stupid. stupid, stupid, stupid. eddie truly didn’t know what had posessed him when he’d stormed out the trailer, headphones clasped tightly on his head, blasting the sisters of mercy’s 1987 ‘floodland’. coincidentally the same album he’d listened to over and over again following the months of spring break ‘86. the tape was worn out, sounding mangled at times, he didn’t care. it still provided him an odd sort of comfort. 

perhaps it had been wayne’s concerned nagging, or the way eddie still felt the bruises callahan’s handcuffs had left on his wrist. or it had been the fact that, once again, he couldn’t show his face in town without being subjected to scrutiny. maybe it had been eddie’s own doing, in the end, his constant overthinking that had caused him to snap at his uncle - who only meant well, of course, and eddie knew this - and leave the trailer to go on a walk. clear his head. not that he could take any of his usual routes, not if he planned on coming back home unharmed, anyway. still, he wondered why his feet had carried him to skull rock. muscle memory, maybe. just like it had been muscle memory in ‘86 when he’d fled to the same place after a run in with jason carver that had very nearly cost him his life, hadn’t vecna claimed his next victim at a particularly convenient moment.

being back at that spot did nothing in terms of calming his jangled nerves, made him feel worse, if anything. the feeling of worse-ness heightened by the fact that he’d forgot his cigarettes at home. bullshit. a voice cut through his incessant thoughts and eddie jumped, ripped his headphones off his head, ready to make a run for it. wasn’t that - oh. right.

a frown settled on his features, he eyed her with suspicion, a couple of beats passed. finally, he nodded apprehensively. “hand ‘em over.” and he nodded for her to go on.

-

Eleven beamed happily when he complimented her roll, although she really hadn’t had much to do with it. It was all luck. But still, it was definitely exciting to think about it, and to hear again how great it was from someone who knew what he was talking about. “Thank you!” she said brightly. She thought about it for a second. “My friends like to play,” she said. “I would play with them. I think they would like it if you played, too.” She paused, looking up at him. “If you wanted to play,” she added. Just to be polite. 

El understood what it was like to be judged by something far less than your actual self. When she had first started school, everyone had treated her like she was…well, a freak. And she could understand that, in part. It wasn’t like she was normal. But she was more than what she had gone through, more than the vestiges of trauma – of living like a rat in a cage, with no autonomy, no future, no love – that it had left her with. Underneath all of that, like Eddie, she was a good person. She was soft. And all she wanted was the opportunity to be soft, to find others to cushion the blows from the world, people she could offer the same protection. 

She couldn’t help but giggle at his reaction. “Yes,” she said, clearly pleased. He thought she was a superhero – only superheroes had superpowers, after all. “I can show you?” She sounded eager to do so, especially since he was clearly so excited. El gave another little giggle. “It’s lovely to meet you, Eddie,” she said, with the good manner that Joyce and Hopper had taught her.

+++

and this was why he played, why he’d dedicated every lunch period to scanning the cafeteria for lost soulds. that smile, that happy beam. the excitement so clearly audible in her voice. god, yeah, he fucking missed it. “well, i’ll have you know that i would like it if played too. i used to run hellfire, you know. and  - don’t tell anyone this - “, he wiggled his brows suggestively, put one finger over his mouth in a ‘shh’ motion - “but i may or may not have been planning another one of my notoriously and epically sadistic campaigns these past few months.”

though even the thought of playing dnd or proposing another campaign of his own had been pushed far, far into the background by the continuous tragic events befalling the town. and it was refreshing, talking about something so normal for a change, admist all the crazy that was going on.

not that eddie would necessarily deem the topic of ‘superpowers’ normal but hey, this was hawkins, after all, and superpowers seemed somehow more ordinary than half the stuff that was going on. he eagerly nodded at her suggestion, an excited glint in his eyes. “would you? i mean, you don’t - like, you totally don’t have to. i mean, i bet there’s loads of people asking you to show them your tricks or something, right? so, totally up to you, kid.” throwing her a look that both said ‘i respect whatever choice you make’ and ‘ please, please, please show me your superpowers’.

Dustin was just glad to see that Eddie was safe, for now. He’d been pulled into this shit so unfairly two years ago, and it was bullshit that he was back to being a suspect for yet another thing he hadn’t done. If anyone deserved to catch a fucking break, it was Eddie Munson. All of them did, honestly, but Eddie somehow always seemed to get blamed for everything. It wasn’t fair that it kept happening, just because Eddie was different than the usual suburban, cookie cutter stereotype most of Hawkins fit into. Dustin wished that they’d been able to do something to keep him from getting arrested, but what were their options? Without Hopper in charge of the police force, it seemed like they were pretty fucking powerless here. “I’m fine,” Dustin assured Eddie, knowing that he’d scared him. Fuck, Dustin had been scared. But Suzie was there, ready and willing to disarm the bomb, so he’d been beside her to support her the entire time. “I couldn’t just let her go through that alone, though. What would you have done if it had been Steve?” Dustin pointed out, raising an eyebrow at Eddie. Thank god it hadn’t been, though. Dustin couldn’t imagine what would have happened if either Steve or Eddie had had to deal with one more terrifying thing that night. 

Dustin followed Eddie easily, sitting down and turning to face him. He let out a deep breath as Eddie explained the situation, frowning at how unfair it all was. “This is such bullshit,” Dustin scoffed, hands balling into fists. “You weren’t holding the fucking lighter, you weren’t even that close to the fireworks! If anything, Billy should take the fall.” That might not be entirely fair, but neither was Eddie being blamed for it. He’d had nothing to do with any of this, and Dustin was sick of seeing Hawkins make him into a villain. “I am worried about you, though.” He frowned, hating feeling so helpless. This entire mess was such a shit show, and it pissed Dustin off. He just wished there was something he could do about it. 

+++

eddie scoffed, a small smile playing at his lips, he nodded, raised his hand to give dustin a loving pat on the back. “yeah, yeah, i know you had to go after her. you’re made of real hero material, henderson.”, he mused, nodded again. the smile didn’t waver, but there was a sad glint over his eyes. it seemedto him that, as similar as the two of him were, dustin never seemed to run from danger, but rather towards its open arms. and eddie? well, it was as if it didn’t matter whether he ran or not, he was doomed either way. “but you gotta start taking better care of yourself, man. or you’re bound to give me a heart attack sometime soon.”

a stern, scolding look on his face, soon broken by what could almost be called a ‘laugh’. then promptly replaced by a frown again, oh, today really was a rollercoaster of emotions, huh? “well, now, can’t say i’m particularly fond of the guy but from what i’ve seen he wasn’t responsible either. or, well, not, like, fully responsible. he might’ve done something, i don’t know.”, eddie shrugged, sunk further into the couch cushions behind him, wondering if, provided he lean back far enough, they would swallow him entirely, pull him in. a deep almost frustrated sigh was drawn from his lips. “but that wouldn’t be exactly fair on him, either. i don’t know. that police department is a fucking joke.” 

stating the obvious here, eddie began playing with the rings on his fingers, nervously fidgeting to calm himself down. moving them from one finger to another. hearing that dustin was worried about him made him quirk a brow, a fond smile tugging at his lips, he looked up to meed his eye. “yeah, kid, me too.” me too in the sense that eddie was worried about dustin, too - but he was similarly worried about himself. it was a mess. “you know, i can’t do this without you, henderson.” a more serious tone to his voice now. ‘this’ in the sense of ‘whatever the hell is going on in this godforsaken town again’ - but also in the sense of ‘everything, ever’. ‘life in general’. “how’s suzie doing? she okay?”

.

steve smiled at eddie’s reaction, and he couldn’t blame him. steve himself was a little surprised that he was dating eddie. he was dating him. that was real. king steve wouldn’t believe it either if this had happened during high school, but he was too busy being an asshole to eddie. to everyone. it was weird to think about how he used to do that. he didn’t like looking back to high school and be remembered of all of that. while in the end of their friendship he had blamed tommy hagan and carol for everything, the truth was that he was as much to blame as the two of them. he didn’t even know why eddie had chosen to forgive him for allowing his friends to torment him, but… this was definitely going well for the two of them now. they were dating. and for as long as steve could predict, there was nothing that could separate them. and steve liked the idea of that - with nancy, there had always been doubts. with eddie, there was nothing in their way.

he had been lost in his thoughts. he kept his eyes glued to eddie. it was addicting to look at him and he couldn’t get enough. he was glad that no one else had access to his thoughts, because he was pretty sure people would make fun of them. but steve really did like looking at eddie - and before all of this, he would do it when no one was watching. or at least, when he thought no one was watching. and now he was all his to look at for as long as he wanted. a small smile formed on his lips, not leaving his face for a long time as he watched his now boyfriend so close to him.

“i am not… a dork, eddie munson. i was popular because i was… co-captain of the swimming team and i was also in the basketball team. and… i had and still have great hair.” he said with a small chuckle, looking over at eddie with a smile. “i would have never joined hellfire club back then… but now, maybe… i would. for you. and you know, i would have to say that it was because of dustin too, or else he would be jealous.” he said with a small chuckle again, holding on to his chest for a few moments as he took a deep breath and looked at eddie. “speaking of… dustin… have you talked to him? he seemed… pretty upset last i saw him.” he said with a sigh. the two cared too much about the kid, he was family for both of them at this point and they both hated when he was down, although it was sort of impossible not to be after what happened.

steve didn’t like talking about his family, in fact, he hated it. he knew that eddie had meant well when he had brought it up, but he couldn’t help but to be a little sad about it. he knew that most parents would visit their kid if they were in the hospital, but steve’s parents weren’t like most. but that was another story for another day. he didn’t feel like talking about. he looked over at eddie as he talked about wayne and his casserole, a small smile forming on his lips again as he heard him talk. steve knew that eddie’s parents weren’t that present either, but at least eddie had wayne. and wayne was a sweetheart, from the interactions steve had with him. nodding his head with a smile, he looked at the other. “i… i would like that a lot, eddie. you can tell him… but only if it’s not… a burden to come visit me or whatever. i don’t want to bother him.” he assured the other with a sigh.

+++

eddie waved it off with a dramatic eyeroll. “yeah, whatever you need to tell yourself, man. though i gotta agree with the great hair part. can’t deny it, much as it wounds me.” a melodramatic sigh, it soon shifted and made way for a light-hearted chuckle as he lifted his hand to gently card his fingers through steve’s hair. awfully careful, so as not to pull too much and end up hurting him. “i’m afraid that best feature of yours has seen better days, sweetheart...”, he muttered, lips twisted into a pitying crooked smile as he absent-mindedly scissored his fingers to detangle a knot in his hair. “but i got a couple of tricks up my sleeve. don’t you worry, we’ll get you back that title of steve ‘the hair’ harrington in no time.”

he kept his hand there for a moment, contuing to detangle steve’s hair, eddie grinned, all wide and toothy. “you would willingly join hellfire, huh?” the thought alone seemed outlandish, with a stifled chuckle eddie recalled the wheeler’s bbq, when steve had sat on his lap, looking all sorts of lost while eddie had attempted to explain the rules of dnd to him in hushed whispers. “you know, there’s no need to sweet talk me anymore, harrington. already got me wrapped around your finger.”

the mention of dustin brought that same worry wrinkle to his brows that was seemingly ever present on steve’s face, he nodded. “i’ve seen him, yeah. he came by. he’s - he’s alright, i think. seemed fine. considering.” he twisted his lips into what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, yet eddie couldn’t completely shake his worries off. the second he’d seen him and suzie go into that tent his heart had dropped, a feeling he’d not forget too soon. there was no parallel universe where eddie wouldn’t worry about dustin. there was none in which he wouldn’t care. there was a running joke, about how steve and later eddie had sort of adopted dustin. eddie didn’t have any siblings, or none he knew of, but he rather thought that this was how one felt about a younger brother. a son, even, if you will.

eddie mirrored his smile, nodded too. “i’ll let him know. it’s on his way, anyway. and he offered, so.” a shrug, eddie fell silent for a moment, simply looked at steve. it was as if he could feel his heart swell, and he wondered if it would always be like this when he looked at steve. when eddie spoke a couple of beats later his voice was soft, low. “you’re so beautiful, steve.” and, adding a pained timbre to his voice, he added: “i was so worried. i ... still don’t - i’m afraid this isn’t real. does that make sense?”

.

max was comfortable with silence, silence was safe most of the time. she could live there for a while if needed. she knew full well that she wasn’t the best with words, and usually, if ever, people didn’t come to her for her motivational speeches. more often than not, it looked like this, max going to someone and offering herself up as a shoulder, someone to share the load of a burden with if only for a little while. at least, lately, that’s what it looked like. 

she watched eddie not speaking, setting her bowl down when he did, quietly indicated, nah, me either. it was the thought that counted or whatever, right? when eddie frantically verified that she was alright, max kept an expression of stone as she nodded. she was more or less in one piece, so was he, so was steve, so was everyone. now she wasn’t happy all of this had happened, but the relief that came with doing her rounds and seeing her friends alive and breathing was enough to propel her through a sleepless twenty four hours at the hospital, and a long ride on her board back home. 

their wordless processing ended though as eddie confessed, his voice uneasy. max hadn’t really seen him like this. not for a long time, not since they’d gotten closer. instantly, she jumped to all of the ways she could fix this, which started with calming eddie down and ended with something along the lines of throwing callahan in a deep deep pit he couldn’t crawl out of. “you’re not a monster.” she said swiftly and with such conviction she hoped it knocked into him like a punch, like he’d have no choice but to believe it. “you were innocent then and you’re innocent now.” max wouldn’t tell him it was okay because she knew he didn’t feel like it was. “they haven’t released names yet, i don’t think anyone other than…us saw it happen.” she used reason to talk him down.  

when none of that seemed to work and he shook his head and began a spiral, max yelled, hopping to snap him out of it “eddie!” she took his hands and offered the following words like a get out of jail free card, “steve will not let anything happen to you. i will not let anything happen to you.” she laughed a wryly, hoping to make everything feel less heavy, “you think robin, and nancy, and literally anyone else would let that slide? fuck no.” she shook her head, then offered her final comfort, “we’ve figured it out like four times before, we’ll do it again. you’re a vet this time, munson. you just gotta screw your head back onto your shoulders.” 

+++

eddie scoffed, slumping further back into the couch, wishing it would swallow him whole. “yeah, and just like ‘86 nobody’s gonna believe me. real fucking nice.” he didn’t mean to snap at her, neither of them had anything to do with the utter chaos that was currently playing out in hawkins. but the rational part of his brain had long since bid its farewell and he simply hoped that max knew this. what did it matter if he was innocent or not? when people already stared at him , mistrusted him without a solid reason. now they had one and eddie didn’t want to imagine what the scalding looks burning into the back of his head could soon turn into. because he knew it, he’d lived it, and he couldn’t again, never again.

he gave her hands a short, tight squeeze before he relased them, carding his fingers through his tangled hair. taking deep breaths, he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. this was just max, just max. meaning only good. trying to calm him. there was no reaosn to get upset, not with her. his mouth felt awfully dry. when he opened his eyes again they were fixed to the ceiling, looking at nothing in particular. “yeah, yeah, well, you remember what happened last time, right? i’m a vet, sure, but ... i almost wasn’t. almost wasn’t anything anymore.” and his lip quivered slightly at the memory, it was still fresh as day. a swarm of demobats circling around him, knocking him to the ground. a sharp sting in his side soon followed by agony and a fade to black, a teary goodbye, a faint white light. a faint white light that, for some reason, perhaps divine intervention, had faded into a shrill green-ish one, the distinct hue of hospital fluorescents. 

but what good had it ever done, dwelling on the past? dwelling on what almost had been, eddie munson, only good for running, it seemed. ‘don’t try to be cute, don’t try to be a hero’. he should’ve just listened to steve, stayed a decoy. heroism clearly didn’t suit him. thinking of... he sat up a little straighter. “how’s - how’s steve? have you seen him?”

—  ❤ —

Ginny hadn’t been back in town long. It had only been about a month since she walked that Penn State stage and she had spent a lot of time catching up with her selected family and Cal. After all, they were the ones at the top of her list. Everyone else just eventually fell below that until she either ran into them or bothered to pick up the phone and call anyone who’s number she could remember. 

It was hot out on this particular day in Hawkins. Probably something to do with all that talk her dad did about global warming. After getting done with her shift, she went out of her way to stop by Melvald’s to pick up a few things, still in her swimsuit (with a totally appropriate pair of short on over!). Turns out, her dad didn’t exactly stay stocked up on Ginny’s favorite snacks. She had a basket in her arms full of chips, sugary drinks, and ventured into the dairy aisle to hunt down enough yogurt to sustain her for the next week.

She almost didn’t notice him, masked by pulled up hair and an uncharacteristic shirt, but she’d recognize Eddie Munson anywhere. Even in a crowd of a thousand people. Ginny had lost contact with a lot of people after high school, including Eddie. At one point in time, they had been close. In some ways, she’d still consider him one of her closest friends. They were both outsiders, losers, and while high school was one of the most miserable times in Ginny’s life, Eddie had made it… slightly tolerable.

“Now, Edward, I don’t think we have to have a lesson in manners, do we?” She teased, her face not moving from its cool state as she walked towards him. "I heard you’re wanted again,” she pointed out, as if he didn’t know. She had read the paper and seeing his name in big black letters surprised her. He should be in Chicago, slumming it up with the other like minded freaks of the world. “Please tell me that’s the reason for this sad ensemble,” she pulled at the collar of his flannel. “You can’t go changing on me.”

+++

eddie frowned, his brows twitching as he looked at her. god, he hadn’t seen her since ... he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen her. must’ve been sometime around graduation, some two years ago. before eddie had booked it out of hawkins at the first opportunity, leaving his old life behind - that meant friends, too, of course. wasn’t a big deal, right? lots of people lost contact with their school friends over the years, time passed, life went on. for eddie it was all a bit different, seeing as he didn’t have many school friends to begin with. less people meant they were more important to him, less likely to be forgotten and left behind. ginny driscoll however was a face he truly thought he’d never see again, save for the odd high school reunion (that he probably wouldn’t attend, anyway). 

they’d been close in school, two outsiders who’d formed a caharacteristic acquaintance. then came spring break of ‘86, the witch hunt instigated by one jason carver, the upside down. weeks spent in the hospital, a silent walk across the stage at graduation. he’d flipped off principal higgins as promised, had agreed to a small graduation celebration at the new trailer and in the morning his van had left hawkins for the last time in months. he hadn’t told anyone, had barely talked to anyone except for the people who’d been through the whole vecna situation with him. that hadn’t included ginny.

he gave her a nod, fumbled awkwardly with a loose thread on his sleeve. “yup. heard that too.” it was ironic, how he’d just listened to ‘wanted man’ by ratt back in the van. everything about coming back to hawkins seemed ironic lately, and also fucking tragic. “that’s exactly why i’m dressed like my uncle right now. better to blend in when you’re wanted for arson, right?” and he gave her a weak chuckle, more of an amused scoff, pulling his sleeves further down. “you’re one to talk. seems like you’ve done an awful lot of changing. didn’t even recognise you at first. what’re you doing back in hawkins?”

@eddiemcnson··

While El didn’t know Eddie very well, she could tell there was an inherent kindness in him. Even if his appearance may frighten those who were…well, who were close-minded, if not outright bullies. In any case, she knew everyone who had been down in the basement the night of the Wheeler’s barbecue was a good person. She trusted her friends’ respective judgment, and they had all seemed to like Eddie. It made her smile to think about the way Steve had been sitting in Eddie’s lap. She had the sense that it was not simply due to a lack of seating. If that was the case, she thought maybe she would have liked to sit in a certain someone’s lap, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t available.

The sight of Eddie pulled her from her thoughts, and she approached him with a little bit of shyness. Making friends was a skill that still felt fragile to her even after all this time in Hawkins, around people her own age. “We met at the Wheeler’s,” she said. “Do you remember? I was playing DND. It was my first game. I rolled a 19.” She smiled at the memory, still pleased, recalling how excited everyone had been. “But I didn’t tell you my name,” she added, frowning a little. Had that been rude? There were so many people in the basement, and everyone had been focused on the game. “I’m Eleven,” she said finally, offering him a soft smile. “People call me El.”

+++

see, eddie wasn’t really used to being ... approached. he’d been told he wasn’t very approachable, with his long unruly hair, his gory bandshirts, the tattoos, the rings, it all played into his mean and scary metalhead image. however, anyone who’d ever so much as exchanged a word with him had soon come to know that eddie munson was, in fact, extremeley approachable. tough on the outside, soft on the inside, that whole shtick. not that eddie would ever admit this to someone out loud, but yeah.

so it surprised him to say the least when he saw her come up to him out of the corner of his eye, all nerves and smiles. eddie in turn couldn’t help but mirror her smile, he nodded. “yeah, yeah i remember. gotta say, that was a wicked roll for your first ever game, man. ever thought about joining a party?” being back in that basement, steve on his lap, eddie had found himself wishing he could go back to a simpler time. when all he cared about was passing his senior year - third time’s the charm, right? - and planning wicked hellfire campaigns. he missed the club, missed dnd, missed ... everything. living in hawkins had ben literal hell on earth, but it did have its moments.

“holy shit.” there it was. of course, she’d seemed familiar - maybe he hadn’t seen her around before, but he sure had heard descriptions. holy shit. “holy shit, you’re - el. yeah, you are. you’re the...you know, the superpower girl, right?” an excited glint in his eyes, eddie smiled a wide and toothy grin. “it’s, like, so great to meet you. i’m eddie.”

EDDIE THROUGH THE YEARS + THE SONGS HE LISTENED TO