Halcyonfrost

Hopper isn't Eddie's biggest fan because of the drugs thing. The kid's a fucking nightmare to get through to, but Wayne's a good man, a vet, and he deserves to know the truth as to why his nephew is in the hospital. On top of that, he squares things with Wayne's job to make sure he's not fired for absence, and takes the time to explain the past few years of hell in Hawkins to him. The more they talk, the more Hopper realises what they've been through, and how much bad luck and prejudice has forced them into near poverty.

Joyce stops by with Murray, and between them they manage to get the Munsons the same governmental protection and compensation that they have bargained for. There won't be any fees for Eddie's hospital stay, their old debts are wiped, and they get a new home (a house!) to replace the one they lost. The government agents are good, but Joyce is better, and Murray is terrifying.

Claudia Henderson stops by with meals, treats and books, often bringing her son with her. Eddie saved her boy's life, she says, and she'll do whatever she can do repay them both. She's the one who gets Eddie his diploma, getting him graduated on a technicality, and Wayne cries when he finds out. She's sweet and unrelenting, and a wonderful, wonderful lady. (Wayne won't admit it, but he's very much tongue-tied and brain-soupy when she's around.)

It takes a few weeks for Eddie to wake up, and a few months before he can leave the hospital. In that time Wayne realises that he has a new network of people he can rely on. For the first time in years he's out of debt, has enough cash to spoil his nephew like he deserves, and an actual house for a home, instead of that fucking trailer.

Y’know, I’ve seen a million takes on the handkerchief Eddie has in his back pocket. I’ve seen people who prefer Eddie as a top in fanworks point at it and say, “there’s your proof, no point in denying it.” On the other hand, I’ve seen people who prefer him as a bottom say that he is unaware of the implications of the bandana, or simply write his bandana to be in his other pocket. I even saw a fanfic where it was because Eddie didn’t know his left from his right.

But I think there could be more subtly to it. As a gay guy, I gotta tell you, there’s a million reasons for Eddie to have that bandana in his pocket.

One is the obvious — he’s flagging his preferences so other queer men know what he’s looking for. The pocket he wears it in canonically would indicate that he prefers a top/dominant role in the bedroom. Now that could meant submissive top or dominant bottom, not just dominant top. The color is another issue. A black hanky is indeed representative of S/M, but in the 80s, around the time of the HIV/AIDS crisis, black and white hankies were worn to represent safe sex. Basically, “Hey, it’s cool if we hook up as long there’s protection.” Does Eddie have handcuffs hanging in his room? Yeah. Would that indicate an interest in S&M? Yeah. But the black and white hanky DID have another meaning at the time the story takes place.

Another option is that Eddie wants other queer people to think he’s a top, even if he may not identify that way. As a short king myself, I have to say that in certain situations (see: gay bars), I tend to attract more aggressive guys. By dressing and acting in a more aggressive, masculine way, I can sort of deter those kinds of guys when I’m not looking to hook up. I found that was less true when I lived in San Francisco, but while living in a small town (like Hawkins), I see a lot more of that “masculine tops” and “feminine bottoms” mentality. Also a lot more of the “no such thing as a true switch” mentality. Now, I’m not old enough to tell you what it was like to be queer in the 80s, but there wasn’t nearly as much information about being gay back then. You could only learn from other individuals — no looking up how gay sex works on Google. So it wouldn’t shock me if that whole “who’s the man in the relationship?” thing was something queer folks had to reckon with way more than we do now. Basically, for Eddie, that bandana could be a sign to other queer folks that he’s a safe person to talk to, while simultaneously working as a deterrent to “doms” who wouldn’t know safe, sane, and consensual is it slapped them on the ass. And, even today, there’s a lot of those.

Or, given Eddie’s, er, career path, it could be a sign to potential buyers. If you’ve never been a gay man, you might never have heard of poppers. In the 80s, it was known as the gay drug. And honestly, it still sort of is today. In a queer space, you can say poppers and everyone will know what you’re talking about, but I’ve mentioned it to straight friends and had to explain it, since they’d never heard of them. I’m one of those so-sober-he’s-boring people. I’ve never done recreational drugs, and I rarely drink. I’m often the designated driver, and I’m happy ordering a Shirley temple at the bar while my friends get sloshed. And I still know about poppers. The idea is to make anal sex more comfortable and enjoyable. So, by flagging, Eddie could be signaling that it’s safe to ask him for some.

If Eddie is flagging for non-sexual reasons — just trying to signal to other queers that he’s safe — the pocket he chooses could be incidental. What if he’s a switch? I’ve read articles saying that you can take a bunch of bandanas, tie them together, and wear them like a belt to show you’re a switch, but as far as I can tell, that wasn’t a thing back then. Whether or not it should be a thing now, from a fashion standpoint, is another issue. Something that I like about Eddie is that he does actively go out of his way to create a safe space for other “freaks.” It’s a really endearing part of his character, so flagging without sex being his actual goal makes sense for him.

The last possibility I want to address here is probably something that angst writers will eat up. I’m gonna tell a personal story here, just heads up. What if Eddie has been TOLD that he is a top? I was in a long-term relationship with this guy — I mean we were living together and talking about marriage, adopting kids, it was serious. And he basically said that I was bad at bottoming. Really, he just wanted me to top all the time, but he got it in my head that I wasn’t a good bottom, that I made unattractive faces, or it took me too long, or fucking whatever, but after we called it quits, I didn’t have sex for four years. Because I thought that the way I enjoyed having sex wasn’t enjoyable for my partner. If Eddie did have a partner who made him feel insecure about his preferences, he could be flagging as a top, maybe even believing that he is a top, because his experiences bottoming haven’t been great. In truth, he could be a switch, or hell, just a straight up bottom, but not want anyone knowing about that side of him.

Finally, just to wrap this up, I want to point out that this was all just food for thought, not what I see as the “correct” way of viewing Eddie’s bandana. Basically, I just wanted to show writers that they don’t have to say Eddie didn’t know he was flagging if they want him to bottom in their fics. I honestly think the fanfiction community gets hung up on top vs bottom way more than is actually realistic. While I am one of those people who does have a definite preference, I think I’ve run into more switches than tops OR bottoms, doms OR subs. And at the end of the day, we’re all just getting off to fictional characters, trying to find content that caters to our own preferences, so there’s absolutely no reason to fight each other about it.