Corroded Coffin of Quinn

Your life had taken on new meaning once the final battle against the Netherbrain was won. Throughout your journey, you thought that the one thing you wanted more than anything was to return to your old life - to go home to the familiarity of Baldur's Gate. But when you had met Halsin - and subsequently fell in love with him - everything had changed, and you found yourself back in the Reclaimed Lands with the Alderman himself, becoming the unofficial parents of more children you had ever expected to have.

Of course, some adults came to the Reclaimed Lands to start anew as well - people pushed out by the curse returning home, or some wanting a fresh start. The little village you now claimed as your own was growing by the week, and nothing filled your heart more than knowing the love you and Halsin had put into cultivating the safe space.

A mere two months after you had gone home to the Reclaimed Lands, you discovered you were with child, baring the tiny bulge of Halsin's baby. It was no surprise to either of you - the elf who wanted to do things "as nature intended" acted on those natural instincts as often as they found him, and the idea of starting a family together was something both you and him couldn't get out of your head.

Once you had become pregnant, Halsin was unsurprisingly the perfect partner. Caring and attentive, you never needed nor wanted for anything. As if he could read your mind, before you could even ask, Halsin would appear with whatever you seemed to crave. Whether it be the particular berries near the river you seemed to want at night, a massage under his giant hands, or even a shoulder to cry on whenever your ankles swelled or back ached, Halsin was there to provide for you.

Your lovemaking never ceased while pregnant, either - in fact, your sex life with Halsin seemed to do nothing but increase. Often times, you caught Halsin staring at you while you absentmindedly cleaned up after dinner, or played with the children during the afternoon - his eyes falling to your growing belly. At night, while you sat on top of him, legs wrapped around his hips as he thrusted into you, he sucked and nibbled on your swollen breasts, his hands gently caressing your belly and large behind.

"How beautiful you are," He would breathe into your ear, your bodies slick with sweat, "Creating this beautiful life inside of you. You are ethereal...I am in awe. I am not worthy of your beauty." He'd cup your cheek and suck on your bottom lip as you quietly cried his name, tears overflowing from your eyes from both pleasure and love.

When Halsin was feeling more territorial, taking you from behind, but still being more gentle than usual, he would lay his chest flat on your back so he could be as deep as his cock would allow. "Knowing that everyone can look at you and see that I did this," He would grunt, his thrusts strong and pleading, "Knowing I filled you with my seed. That I love you so often and so well that the future is growing inside of you. I need it. I crave it," His would say through gritted teeth, "Everyone knows you're mine. And I am yours. Forever."

Once Loradove was born, your sexual appetite had basically ceased. Nights that were once full of screaming and thrusting and panting were now full of changing diapers, aiding cries, and soft lullabies. Halsin, of course, was the most doting father - taking Lora without asking so you could rest, playing with her so you could do some chores, or even doing the chores himself. He was the perfect father - you knew his urges to have you were increasing tenfold as every month passed that you didn't make love. But you also knew he would never complain...thinking only of his sexual urges made him feel selfish, you knew, and he would never want to act selfishly towards you.

It had been five months since Halsin last touched you in that way. Truth be told, it wasn't just that you were too busy with the village and children and your own daughter to have sex. You also couldn't bare to look in the mirror at your newfound "mother" body. A body that, once, when fighting goblins and monsters alongside Halsin and saving Faerun, was taut with muscles and curves. Now, your belly was soft and expanded, the defined muscles you once had nowhere to be found. Stretch marks decorated you stomach and thighs, and you needed a completely new wardrobe. You dreamed of being the type of mother you had known throughout your years - weeks after giving birth somehow going back to what they once were - small and desirable.

You only felt ugly. Looking at Halsin's body, rock solid and sexy, there was absolutely no way - in your mind - he could have found your softness alluring, especially when he had met the smaller, more attractive version of you. The idea of being fully naked in front of him used to send shivers down your spin and make your heart race, but now, it was enough to make you cry.

A child's playful laugh snapped you out of your day dream, your hand limply holding on to a bundle of mugwort that you had pulled a few minutes prior. Shaking your head, you placed it in the basket near your feet, watching Halsin appear into the village around the bend. A few children had run over to him, immediately hanging on his large limbs like he was a tree branch. He smiled and lifted them in the air, sending them flying before he caught them, gently kissing their temples and placing them on the ground.

As his usual way, he scanned the village, his eyes softening when they found you. You stopped weeding and stood, your smile matching his. A few moments later he was by your side, the children trailing behind him. He bent his head to give you a soft kiss - one that still gave you butterflies.

"My heart," He spoke gently, his hand immediately finding your waist. You winced inwardly as he gripped the soft rolls of your side. He slowly pushed back the cloth wrapping that hid Lora's face, and when her eyes met his, she instantly cooed. The smile Halsin reserved for her appeared on his face, and he gently pulled her from the cloth, holding her close. "My little one. How beautiful you are! Were you helping your mother today?" He eyed you, his eyes glittering. You chuckled.

"Quite so. If she wasn't swaddled, I'm sure she'd be reaching for the belladonna to try and have an afternoon snack," You sighed, smiling and wiping your brow, "She's lucky she's so cute."

"Cute?" Halsin asked, his eyebrows raising, "She's magnificent. Breathtaking. She is perfect...cute is nowhere near the word to describe Loradove Silverbough." Suddenly, Lora screeched, causing Halsin to furrow his brows immediately.

Laughing, you gently placed your hand on his bicep, "I think she also is tired."

He chuckled, pressing a small kiss on her cheek, "I will put her down for her nap. Go, do whatever your heart desires, my love. I will see to it that you have the afternoon for yourself. Daddy's got it from here." He winked, causing you to blush.

How the word "daddy" had changed in your lexicon in 9 months.

A few minutes later, you found yourself at the nearby creek on the outskirts of the village, your sweater off and laid beside you in the afternoon heat. Your feet dangled in the cool water, the laughter of the children still around you as you dozed in and out of a nap in the sunlight. Moments like this one were not rare - with Halsin, it truly was a partnership, splitting responsibilities 50/50.

When you opened your eyes again, the sun was setting, a sure sign of heading home. It was almost dinner time, you knew, which meant that you had spent at least a few hours dozing off by the creek. Your feet, wrinkled from being submerged for so long, felt chilly as you took them out of the water. Holding your shoes in your hands, you made the short walk home, passing by the children being herded inside by the adults.

As you opened the front door to your cottage, a whiff of food hit your nostrils, sending your stomach growling - some sort of roast was being prepared, with the sounds of banging pots and giggling coming from the kitchen.

"My heart!" Halsin cried, "Is that you?"

"Yes, I'm home, Halsin." You shouted back, dropping your shoes by the door.

"Lora! Mama's home!" You heard Halsin proclaim, to which Lora responded with a delightful squeal. You smiled, wiping the immediate happy tears from your eyes.

Lucky, lucky, lucky.

As you rounded your way to the kitchen, you found Halsin plating up dinner, Lora in her little feeding chair, bits of mushed food all over her face. She immediately reached for you when she saw you, so you scooped her up, grabbing a towel from a nearby table and wiping her face gently.

"My precious angel, you eat like such a little whirlwind." You murmured, kissing her eyelashes. She cooed and grabbed at your hair as felt Halsin's hand on your shoulder. Turning towards him, he smiled and leaned down to kiss your cheek, then slowly moved to your earlobe.

"My love," He breathed, his voice low. A shiver went down your spine as you leaned into his body. Your eyelids fluttered shut, the familiar feeling of comfort warming your body. He sighed contently and ushered you towards the chair nearest you, "Sit, my heart. Dinner is ready."

You sat, opening your eyes again and smiling. He placed the plate in front of you, and was about to take Lora from your hands but you shook your head, holding her closer.

"I missed her."

Halsin chuckled and sat across from you, "Of course. If she gets too rowdy while you try to eat, I'll put her back in her chair." He made a face at Lora, who made the same one back - their version of a secret handshake.

Idly chatting about your days, you ate dinner slowly, savoring the moments with the two of them. Soon Lora was starting to fuss, alerting the two of you to her nearing bedtime.

You bathed and dressed her, putting her down in her crib while Halsin washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Walking into your bedroom, he was discarding his clothes for the night, slipping into the bed the two of you shared. As you walked in, he smiled.

“Did she go down easy?” He asked. You nodded.

“For the most part. Some tears when she realized that it was bedtime, but she was so exhausted that she went down almost as soon as her back hit the bed.” You took a sleep dress from your closet, putting it over your day clothes. Underneath the dress, you slipped the straps of your shirt off, and then your pants; the way you had gotten changed every night since Lora was young. Halsin said nothing of the intricate dressing, but you knew he watched you every night, probably wondering why his love wouldn’t stand naked in front of him. You turned and he smiled softly, patting the bed next to him.

As you laid next to him he tucked the blankets to your collarbone, kissing your forehead. “Early night? I have quite the day ahead of me tomorrow.” You yawned and nodded, nuzzling into him.

“Yes. I, myself am also exhausted.”

Halsin blew out the lamp and wrapped one of his strong arms around you, falling asleep almost instantly. You closed your eyes as well, but sleep came harder for you - the nap you took earlier in the day apparently robbing you of sleep this evening.

After an hour of tossing and turning, Halsin’s voice spoke in the dark room. “My love…are you alright? Your stirring woke me.”

You huffed as you moved on your side, throwing your arms at your side in the blankets, “I’m sorry, Halsin. I’m having a hard time falling asleep.”

Halsin was silent for a moment, but you felt him move closer to you, as he had drifted a bit during sleep, an arm wrapping around your waist. He started to pepper kisses on your neck, his breath hot in your ear. Eventually, his hand lightly palmed at your breast, your nipple gently pinched in between his fingers.

“Well…if you can’t sleep…maybe we can make use to the extra time given to us.” He whispered in your ear, rolling your nipple in his hand. Your heart fluttered, but you felt your stomach drop. Gently pushing him away, you turned to him.

“Halsin…” You started, unsure of what to say. This wasn’t the first time Halsin had tried to have sex with you since Lora was born, but every time he had tried previously, your excuses of being tired seemed more plausible. Now that it was five months, you weren’t quite sure what to say.

The hand that palmed your breast found its way to your cheek. “Please, my heart. Talk to me. I don’t want to pry, especially after you have given me the gift of our beautiful daughter…but why won’t you let me make love to you?”

In the darkness, you felt like you could cry. How could you explain to this man - this sweet, caring man - how you felt so uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping together? How you were afraid to show him what your body had become…how you were afraid that, if he saw you, he wouldn’t think of you the same?

It wasn't as if you didn't want to have sex with him - your heart stirred often when you saw him. There were so many nights where you just wanted to reach out to him - to bury his head in between your legs, or take his member in your mouth. Often you were so pent up with sexual frustration that when Halsin left the cottage, and Lora was down for a nap, you had to pleasure yourself in order to find some sort of release.

As his thumb stroked your cheek with such care, you knew it wasn’t fair to him to leave him in the dark like that. To leave him wondering if he had done something wrong, no matter how embarrassing your reasonings seemed.

You swallowed your nerves, placing your hand on his. “My body…” You started, your voice low. You could already feel the tremble in your voice as you held back tears, uncomfortable with your admission of these feelings, “My body is not the same as it was when we first met. When we…first fell in love.”

“Of course it isn’t,” He spoke plainly, “You have given birth, given Lora the gift of life. It is as nature has intended it - change is inevitable, and your body is meant to change when you grow full as one does when pregnant, my love.”

“No, that’s - that’s not what I meant,” You sighed, trying again. “What I mean is…my body is not…as nice as it was when we met. As…beautiful. As…sexy. I’m afraid you’ll look at it and be…disappointed. Dissatisfied.” Though you couldn’t really see him, you cast your eyes down to your sleep shirt, unable to look in the direction of his eyes.

A large span of silence passed. Slowly, he lowered the hand cradling your cheek. Heat rose in your body, flushing your cheeks.

"How...could you say something like that?" Halsin eventually asked, "Your body is beautiful, no matter what it looks like. You think a little softness will deter my yearning for you?"

"It's not just 'softness', Halsin," You said, the tears spilling from your cheeks, "It's...rolls. It's stretchmarks. Dimples and expanded skin where there was none before."

Suddenly, the oil lamp on the bedside table was lit. Halsin stared down on you, his brows furrowed in sadness. He took your face in his hands, kissing away the tears that had spilled.

"Oh, my love," He sighed in between kisses, "If only you could peek inside my heart...inside my brain. So you knew that my words match how I really feel, that I am not exaggerating," Pulling away, he smiled softly and looked into your eyes, "Your body. Is beautiful. It is a beautiful work of nature - of art. Your size does not dictate how badly I want to be inside of you. Your soul does. I love your body in every way it comes...would you stop stirring for me if I had added rolls and marks? If I had dimples on my thighs, or added skin on my belly?"

You smiled at his tenderness, which you always somehow knew he would respond with. "Of course not."

"So please know that when I mean my body stirs for you, I mean it. I would never want you to feel pressured or uncomfortable, but know that I have fantasized about ravaging you ever since the cleric gave us permission to make love after Loradove's birth. If you'll have me...please let me show how much I yearn for you."

You bit your lip, looking at him. He was completely nude - as he slept every night - and was on top of you. The very sight of him was causing an ache in your core, and you pressed your thighs together. Slowly, you leaned your head forward, pressing your lips to his.

At first, it was gentle, but as you felt his body press into yours, you very quickly found yourself get carried away, your tongue pressing into his mouth. Very gladly he opened his mouth, his tongue dancing with yours. He immediately wrapped his arms around your waist, and as you felt his erection press into you, you moaned. Nervously, you reached down to the hem of your sleep dress, but desperate to feel Halsin's skin on yours (and to get it over with), you grabbed the dress and pulled it over your head, discarding it on the floor.

There.

It was over with.

The one thing you had been so anxious over - finally being naked with Halsin again - had finally happened. You had discarded your clothes in front of him, being fully naked with him for the first time since you had given birth. Holding your breath - wracked with nerves - you watched his eyes take your body in. He didn't speak for several moments as his eyes moved from your head, all the way to your feet multiple times. He moved one of his hands from behind your back, to slowly tracing lines down your body, sending shivers up your spine. Dipping his head to your body, he started to slowly kiss you, gently planting kisses on your stomach, on your thighs, paying extra attention to the stretchmarks that covered your lower half.

Finally, he looked into your eyes, and you realized they were glassy with tears. He shook his head slowly and he enveloped your lips in a kiss that was so passionate, it knocked the wind out of you. When he pulled away, he cupped your cheeks once more.

"For you to think that you are anything other than beautiful is a thought I never want you to have again," He spoke, his voice low, "I covet every mark, every dimple, every soft roll on your body. Regardless if you gave life or not...your body is a beautiful work of nature, and if I need to make love to you every night in order for you to see it, I will gladly sacrifice." He smiled lightly, kissing you again. Shivers ran up your spine as he lowered his fingers to tease your clit, his fingers weaving in between your folds. Once he felt how wet you were, he moaned into the kiss, "Silvanus help me, you're going to make me finish before I even start."

His touch sent shockwaves through your system - five months of your pent up sexual desires for Halsin were starting to unravel, causing you to careen to your orgasm faster than you ever have in your life. As Halsin rubbed circles on your aching clit, you whimpered, your arms finding their way around his neck. He held you close as he brought you to him, leaning you forward so you were mere inches from his face.

"My gorgeous, gorgeous, girl," He whispered, kissing your temple. The combination of his increasingly deep movements on your clit, and the tender whispered nothings in your ear was leaving you overstimulated.

"Halsin...I'm already close." You whined, gently biting down on his shoulder. He chuckled and growled at the bite, taking his fingers off of your clit and inserting two of them inside your cunt.

"Already? My heart...I'm afraid I will be sending you over the edge many times tonight if that's how long you are going to last." As he pumped into your pussy, you threw your head back, pressing your back into the bed. Quickly, he slid down your body, gently kissing you along the way. He never stopped pumping his fingers, but as soon as his head reached your core, he pressed your legs open with his nose to suck on your clit, taking it in his mouth in its entirety. He moaned loudly, his tongue lapping over your entire pussy, the wet sounds emanating from the two you absolutely sinful.

Arching your back, your vision started to fuzz as you squeezed your eyes shut. As you looked down at Halsin, he seemed absolutely enthralled by you, his face reminiscent of the eating a delicious meal. His fingers curled upwards as he continued to switch between sucking on your clit, to lapping at your folds with his large, flat tongue.

"Gods, I'm going to come!" You whined, gripping his hair as he sucked. He didn't deviate from his movements, completely focused on making you feel his ecstasy. As you bucked your hips into his face, your orgasm crashed around you, Halsin inserting one more finger to pump into you to send you over the edge.

You screamed his name, so loudly you felt like you were going to blackout. Halsin continued on for several moments before he pulled away slowly, taking in the sight of you writhing underneath him. His chest was heaving as he gripped your thighs, his eyes dancing as he took you in. When you finally calmed down enough, you opened your eyes, looking into his.

Immediately, you burst into tears.

"I was so scared to do that." You confessed, your tears spilling over. You laughed, embarrassed, as Halsin leaned forward to kiss you.

"Never," He said, his tongue sliding on your lower lip, "Never be scared with me. Never again."

Resting your hands on his solid chest, you felt your desire focus, watching Halsin stroke his cock above you. You moaned at the sight of him - large, and beautiful, and fucking perfect.

You would never go this long without him again.

"Halsin, if I don't have you inside of me soon, I think I'm going to go crazy." You said, reaching down to help him with his strokes. His mouth fell open and he lolled his head back, murmuring your name. He took your hand from his erect penis to his mouth, kissing it gently before he lined himself up with you.

"Anything you desire, my heart." He said, before taking your hands and pinning them above your head. He held your wrists with one hand as he slowly slid inside of you, never breaking eye contact. The further he slid in, the more you two moaned, brows furrowed. Once he bottomed out, he growled. "Hells - I do not think I'll be lasting too long, either."

You laughed and he chuckled, winking at you before he began to thrust. Slow and deliberate, he grunted with his movements, his name falling from your lips like a prayer.

You couldn't help but moan - there was no trying to stay quiet anymore. The past few months of not having Halsin had made you so pent up, that any touch from him seemed to cause your core to stir.

Picking up his pace, the headboard creaked. Halsin palmed at one of your tits, dipping his head to suck on your nipple. You arched your back so he could take you deeper in his mouth, and soon, he started to suck on the skin around your nipple. Heat rushed to your head as waves of pleasure continued to spread throughout your body.

As the two of you fucked, you were sloppy, messy. Noise and juices and movements shared between the two of you with no regard, with no holding back. Both of you were desperate for each other's touch, your whole body felt like it was on fire.

Eventually, as Halsin thrusted into you, he spread your legs with his other hand, abandoning your wrists above your head. After he spread your legs, he pressed one of his large fingers to your clit, circling it slowly.

"You, are so beautiful," He spoke, every word accentuated with a thrust, "The most beautiful creature nature has ever created. The most beautiful creature I have ever seen."

"Gods, Halsin - you make me feel so good. You fuck me so good." Your whimpers were bordering on incoherent as he fucked you, but it didn't matter. You were safe - you were fucking the love of your life, and Hells did it feel good.

"That's it," He spoke, moving your legs so you were on your side. He stopped thrusting for a moment to adjust you, closing your legs on his cock so he could thrust deeper, "That's it, my beautiful goddess," He be began to thrust again, and palmed at your tits, "I love this body. You are so beautiful. I love you."

"I love you too," You moaned, your back arching, gripping the sheets underneath you, "Daddy, I love you."

Halsin's eyes were set ablaze at your words. Your use of Daddy before Lora was around during sex, but you had a feeling that it took on a whole new meaning while you fucked him. He smiled, wiping the sweat from his brow. You could tell by his thrusts that he was nearing his edge, which was soon for Halsin.

It seemed the five months had the same affect on him, too.

"Daddy's fucking you good?" He groaned, grabbing a fistful of your ass. He squeezed hard before winding his hand back, giving you a tight slap on one of your cheeks, "You like it when Daddy fucks you like this?"

"Yes!" You screamed, grabbing hold of his forearm, "Gods, you make me feel so good!"

His grip on your ass tightened as he started to switch between his thrusts - slow and measured, and rough, pounding into you so hard his cock coming in contact with your cunt made a loud SMACK noise with every movement. Your walls clenched around him as he roughly gripped your hips, his hair becoming wet with sweat. Every time you clenched around his cock he growled, a noise that reminded you of an animal - feral, full of wanting.

"You're going to make me come," He said, his chest heaving. The sound of his cock and balls slapping against your wet core filled the room at an increased pace, and he didn't stop. "I'm going to fill you, my heart."

"Fill me," You commanded, looking into his eyes. Halsin groaned and leaned forward, his forehead touching yours. With three more thrusts, he growled and released, filling you with his orgasm. A silent scream came from his lips, followed by him murmuring your name over and over again. He bucked his hips a few more times to drain himself in you before he slowly slid out, immediately cradling you in his arms.

Both of you were panting, sweating, but you didn't care. You were holding on to each other for dear life, thankful for how the night turned out.

Halsin kissed every inch of you from your chest up, cupping your face with the utmost care. Pulling away, he looked at you.

"You put the stars in the sky, my heart," He spoke, gently kissing you. "The moon...the sun...they pale in comparison to your beauty," Gently running his hands over your body, he titled his head, "How do you feel?"

Still catching your breath, you smiled at him, "Incredible. Beautiful." You answered, honestly.

Halsin's face lit up and he pressed a kiss to you again. His tongue found its way into your mouth, and soon, his body was pressing against yours again, his pent up desire found his movements.

"If you give me just a bit of time, I would love to make you feel beautiful again." He spoke, sending shivers up your spine. Brushing a piece of hair out of your face, you were about to reply.

Suddenly, Lora cried from her room. Both of you stopped in your tracks, and when you realized she wasn't going to stop, you bot started to laugh. You went to get up from bed, but Halsin gently pushed you down, springing up himself.

"Rest, my love. I have her," He started to walk out of the room, but turned back quickly, "When I come back into this room, you better not have put your clothes back on."

You giggled and titled your head, feeling seductive for the first time in Gods knows how long, "Mr. Halsin, if you don't watch yourself, you're going to have put yet another baby in me."

Halsin's eyes darkened, and you knew you hit his desires on the head. His cock twitched and he coughed, trying to control himself. "Who says that's not the plan?" He asked, before slipping into Lora's room.

You laid back down on the bed, your breathing returning to normal. From the other room, you heard Halsin speaking softly to your daughter, singing her a lullaby to get her to go back to sleep. Pulling the covers over your body, you relished in the feeling of the blankets on your naked skin. Sighing happily, you moved your legs around in the bed, the sensation spreading warmth throughout your body.

How lucky you were.

---

“Eddie? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to have a meeting with Dustin and Mike?” At least that was what you'd overheard. Well, they'd talked about it loud enough for pretty much everyone to hear.

“Nah, already finished with that.” He pushed away from the car he was leaning against, grinning to himself. “Planned it so I was finished when you got off work.” Closing the distance between the two of you, he pulled a single sunflower from behind his back and held it out to you. “Didn't think I'd forget your birthday, did you?”

“I...” You didn't know what to say, because yes, you'd thought all of them had forgotten, but that Eddie was the one to remember made you heart beat faster. The sunflower was a nice touch as well, made your smile widen even more when you took it in your hands. “Thank you, that's really sweet.”

“You deserve it.” For a moment there, his grin turned into a warm, sweet smile. A smile that you didn't see often, but that you loved all the more.

Eddie and you had been friends for roughly two years now. You were the new kid, shy, hiding behind books, but Eddie hat taken it upon himself to draw you into his group of friends, after you'd bonded over The Lord of the Rings, the books he'd always seen sou read at lunch break. At first, you'd been apprehensive about the whole situation, but you'd soon discovered that you fit right in with him and his friends. After the first evening you'd spent together just the two of you, you'd fallen for him, but had never said a word about it. To anyone. Moving to Hawkins had been hard enough as it was for you, so you'd been more than happy to finally have made friends. Ruining this by telling the one person who'd gotten you out of your shell again, that you were in love with them could ruin all of that. That's why you'd kept this to yourself and had enjoyed the friendships that had bloomed in this time. You couldn't imagine your life without this assortment of different people, because they all had a special place in your heart, but Eddie was still in its throne.

“Hop in.” Eddie opened the passenger door to his car for you, gesturing for you to take a seat.

“Where are we going?” Not that it really mattered, because you were already getting in, going wherever he'd take you with him. Spending your birthday with Eddie? That won over pizza and a movie all by yourself.

“Now, now, it's a surprise. See it as an adventure.” With a wink he closed your door and got in on th other side, firing up the engine.

“Adventures are nasty disturbing uncomfortable things that make you late for dinner, remember?” you said with a grin on your lips, never one to pass upon a Tolkien quote.

“Want me to call you hobbit then?” Eddie stole a quick glance at you before he kept his eyes on the road ahead again.

“I don't think they'd accept me as a hobbit. I'm too tall for one, my feet are not hairy, but I would love to attend one of their parties, that's for sure.” You closed your eyes for a moment, enjoying the warm breeze that came in through the open windows. “Besides, hobbit or not, I'd always join you in an adventure.” You still kept your eyes close so that you wouldn't see his reaction. It wasn't exactly something that showed what you really felt for him, but to you it felt like he could see right through you. Better not look at him.

“And I'll always make sure you won't be late for dinner. Though dinner might consist of takeout now and then.”

His words made you laugh. Takeout was more than fine, and for the first time today, you felt yourself relax completely. Not all of your friends had forgotten your birthday. Eddie had remembered.

When the car slowed down and stopped, you opened your eyes, only to find yourself in front of the trailer Eddie was living in.

“You do know that I’ve been here before, right?” Raising a questioning eyebrow you look at him. What kind of adventure was this?

“Trust the process,” he simply said before he got up to open the door for you again. Eddie extended his hand so that you could place your hand in his and you did. Trust the process.

“You’re not gonna show me your collection of magazines, are you?” Another grin appeared on your lips, making Eddie roll his eyes.

“Only if you want to see them,” he managed with a chuckle. “Come one, we need to get inside.”

“And I won’t break an ankle trying to walk through your room?”

“Bet you’ve never seen it as clean as today.” Of that much, he was sure. He’d done his best to tidy his room, clean up, and he was rather proud of himself. Sure, you’d seen it in all kinds of states, so he really didn’t need to worry about what you might think, but it was your birthday, and he had a plan. That plan included a clean(er) room.

“Close your eyes,” he said, unlocking the door and leading you inside the trailer, but instead of closing them, you narrowed them at Eddie “Really? Okay, then you leave me no other choice, my lady.”

Eddie was behind you in a second, covering your eyes with his hands. Your back hit his chest, making you hold your breath for a moment. There had been body contact here and there, once you’d even kind of wrestled because he’d wanted to get a book out of your hands to see what you were reading, but this… this felt different. The warmth from his body seeped into your skin, as the smell of cigarettes mixed with his cologne and his own scent filled your nose, leaving you a little lightheaded.

“Ready to walk?” Eddie’s voice was so close, his breath tickling your ear, sending a shiver down your spine. There were no words coming out of your mouth, but you managed to nod, putting your right hand on his forearm to have at least something to hold onto, while you walked step after step into his room.

When he eventually took his hands from your eyes, breaking the contact when stepped next to you, you wanted to protest, but didn’t say a word. That would only lead to problems that you didn’t need. So, instead you blinked to get accustomed to the dim light in here, and looked around.

“Eddie Munson, I never thought I’d see the floor of this room one day, but apparently… it does exist.” Turning your head to look at him, you couldn’t help but grin. Was he blushing? It was probably just a trick of the light in here, but it did look like it.

“Well…” he said, looking for the right words, running a hand through his unruly locks. “While I’m proud of that achievement, that’s not what I brought you here for.” With another wink, he walked up to his bed and picked up the guitar lying on top of it. It wasn’t his usual one - his baby was still hanging on the wall - but apparently a new one. A beauty, that much was for sure, but none that you’d seen here before.

“You got a new guitar! She’s beautiful!” Not that you were able to play, but you knew a couple of things about instruments, guitars especially. 

“It’s not mine,” he said, sitting down on his bed, patting the spot beside him. You follow this invitation and sat down next to him, a frown on your face waiting for him to explain further. “It’s yours.”

“What?” Surely, he must have been joking. Yeah, you’d always said that you wanted to learn how to play, but you’d never been able to teach yourself

“You said you wanted to learn how to play. Means you need your own guitar so you can practice.” He handed it to you, positioned it in your lap. “Happy birthday, princess.”

His gentle words, the soft voice with which he said them, and the way he called you princess made your eyes water for a moment. All this was more than you ever could have expected. Your birthday had turned from a miserable day into a rather special one, where the guy you had feelings for, was the one to give you one of the best presents you’d ever gotten. Why? Because he’d listened to what you’d been talking about, had listened to what you really wanted, had remembered that and gotten you a guitar.

“Thank you, Eds!” Blinking away the tears, you turned a little so that you could hug him, press a kiss to his cheek. When you sat up again, you could see the sheepish smile on his face, because he hadn’t expected that kind of reaction.

“But I still need lessons. You know I suck at teaching myself.”

“That’s the best part, sweetheart. That guitar comes with a teacher.” Eddie winked at you, before he reached for the guitar again to adjust it so that you could get a good grip on the neck of the guitar. “I’ll teach you.”

“You’d really do that?” You didn’t even know why you were surprised, because as much as Eddie portrayed the metalhead, he had a really soft heart, and that was one thing you really loved about him. You’d never met anyone as genuine, as caring as him, which especially showed when he was with the other guys, with the younger ones that still needed a little guidance here and there.

“Who else is going to teach you to play Dio’s Sacred Heart?”

True. At every guitar course, they’d come up with all kinds of songs, but not the ones you’d want to learn, and ever since Sacred Heart came out, you’d heard it once a day at least. It was one of your favourite songs at the moment. You couldn’t help but giggle at his words, while you nodded. He definitely had a point there.

“C’mere!” He gestured you towards him with his hands, but then he thought better of it and got on his knees, moved around a bit so that he could sit behind you, his legs to your left and right, your back leaning against his chest again. “Here…” His hand covers yours, adjusting your fingers on the strings. “The first chord.” His head nearly leans against yours, distracting you, so you need a moment to react and play the first chord, but you manage to do it. His locks are tickling your cheek, the plec on his necklace dangling just right above your shoulder. “And the next one.” His voice was now barely above a whisper. How were you supposed to concentrate, when he was practically hugging you to his chest? You were closer than you’d ever been before and the certain kind of intimacy wasn’t lost on either of you.

“Okay,” you still managed to whisper back, letting your fingers be guided by him, trying your best to memorise what he’d just shown you.

“Now just switch between these two chords. You can do it.” He let go of your hand, let you try that all by yourself now.

Your nose scrunched up in concentration, as you positioned your fingers on the right strings. It sounded right, but still a little bumpy, which was only natural. After all, you were just a beginner. Still, your fingers didn’t start cramping up which they’d done the first time you’d picked up a guitar just to try it out.

“Perfect,” you heard Eddie say as his hand landed on your waist. He didn’t need to adjust your hands anymore right now, because you knew where your fingers belonged and were getting better and faster at switching from one chord to the next. Eddie wasn’t looking at your fingers, though, he was looking at you.

“I'm far from perfect, but I’m trying.” With a laugh, you turned to look at him and found him looking straight at you. The grip he had on your waist tightened just a fraction, but you felt it in your whole body.

“Maybe that’s your point of view. But to me, you’re perfect.”

“Eddie…”

He hadn’t planned on this day turning out like this, had kept his feelings to himself, because he hadn’t wanted to ruin a wonderful friendship. Losing you was something he wouldn’t be able to deal with. Dustin knew about his feelings, because Eddie had told him at one point, but he’d made him swear that he’d never breathe a word. Dustin had also been the one who’d told him to shoot his shot or regret it, because you would find someone else. Little did he know that you didn’t want anyone else, because you’d kept your feelings completely to yourself.

“No, I mean it.” His right hand came up to brush some loose strands from your face, tuck them behind your ear, his fingers lingering for a moment before he cupped your cheek. “You’re kind, you’re intelligent, you’re funny, you’re-”

“Eddie!” you stopped him. If he kept on talking, you’d probably melt completely, while your heart gave out due to his words, to this moment. You knew that it was the right moment, to show him what you thought, not with your words but with your actions. And so you leaned in, placed your hand on his chest and brought your lips to his.

It was almost innocent, lips lingering on lips for a moment, before you drew back a little bit, suddenly not so sure anymore whether this had been the right decision or not. Doubt was clouding your eyes when you looked at him, but the grin on his lips eased that doubt at least a little bit.

“My, my, who would have thought that you’d be the one to surprise me today.”

“Believe me… that wasn’t on my agenda at all,” you whispered, leaning your head against his shoulder and closing your eyes, hoping that you hadn’t interpreted his words wrongly and ruined a wonderful friendship now.

“I think that should be on your agenda every day.” His chuckle vibrated through his whole body, as he put his fingers beneath your chin to make you raise your head again. “On our agenda,” he corrected himself, before he let go of your chin and instead ran his fingers through your hair to pull you close and kiss you again. Not another innocent kiss, but one that made your toes curl as you felt his tongue against the seam of your lips and you opened them for him. Eddie managed to snatch the guitar from your hands and put it aside so that he could pull you completely into his lap. Your fingers raked through his hair, your fingernails scraping against his scalp until you reached the back of his neck, enjoying every second.

It almost felt like a dream. A dream that was interrupted by the phone ringing, that you could only hear because for once Eddie wasn’t blasting some music - due to teaching you how to play guitar.

He ripped his lips from yours, as the phone rang for the second time. There had only been a couple of seconds between these two phone calls.

“You need to get that?” you asked with a chuckle, lips slightly swollen from the kiss you’d just shared that was still leaving you a little lightheaded.

“Nothing important,” he said, his eyes still fixed on you, dropping to your lips, then back up to your eyes. His hair was dishevelled due to your hands, so you tried to smoothe it down a little bit. 

There was silence for a moment, before the ringing picked up again, making you laugh.

“You sure? Don’t think they’ll leave you alone.”

“Fuck,” he grumbled. Heaving a sigh, he lifted you from his lap,turned around with you to prop you up against the pillows. “Don’t go anywhere!”

It was a fair warning, but you really didn’t want to be anywhere else than here right now.

“For fuck’s sake, WHAT?” he said as he answered the phone. You could hear every word of that conversation, were rather sure that he’d tell the person on the other end to go to hell and leave him alone, but that was not what happened. “Ah fuck… I forgot the time. Be there in a minute.”

You sat up, scooted to the edge of the bed, waiting for an explanation when he returned to you. He was already donning the puppy eyes as an apology.

“We have to get going. There’s another surprise I got for you.” Well he didn’t technically have that surprise for you, but he was supposed to take you to that surprise.

“Okay, let’s go.” When you got up, you reached for your guitar but then thought better of it. Eddie wanted to teach you, and this was the perfect place, wasn’t it? As long as you didn’t get distracted again, but with that distraction, you were willing to put off learning how to play the guitar a little bit longer.

“Can’t wait to get out of here, eh?” he teased, reaching for your hand and not letting it go until you were at his car again.

“I’d love to pick up where we left off,” you admitted with a sheepish grin. “But since your first surprise was already wonderful, I’m curious about this one.”

“Fair enough.”

You both got in, but before Eddie started the engine, he stole another kiss from your lips. Something he wouldn’t get enough of, especially now that you both didn’t need to worry about how the other felt. That had been pretty evident in his room just minutes ago.

When he stopped the car in front of your house, though, you were a little confused.

“Why are we at my house?”

“Patience, sweetheart.” He knew that you weren’t the most patient person out there, which was why he took his time getting out of the car. You would have already been halfway to your door if it weren’t for him reaching for your hand again, slowing down his steps a little more.

“Eddie, come on.” You couldn’t help but chuckle. He behaved as if he’d rather stay out here with you than get inside, which… was the truth. He’d rather have you to himself a little longer than share you with your friends again, but that was why he’d brought you here. There wasn’t even a chance to tell you this, when the door opened and Dustin appeared.

“Finally, we’ve been waiting for you!”

“What?” You looked from one to the other, confusion clouding your face, but in the next moment, Dustin was by your side, taking your hand and practically pulling you inside.

Every one of your friends was here. They’d asked your parents if they could arrange this, and they’d happily agreed, were even staying the night with some friends, knowing that they’d only be in the way. Your friends had arranged this without you even having the slightest idea - and Eddie had kept quiet about it as well, as he’d spent the afternoon with you. 

“Surprise!” they yelled in unison, though Dustin’s voice was the loudest of them all. They’d decorated the living room, had taken care of food and drinks, and the music was already playing. Just a little get together between friends. It was perfect and a real surprise after you’d thought that all of them had forgotten. Your friends had really managed to lead you on.

“You’re crazy! All of you!” you managed to choke out, wiping the few tears away that had fallen.

“Nah, we just love you, so we made this plan.” Dustin spoke up again, grinning at the others. “Eddie was supposed to distract you until we were finished here to surprise you. And it worked.”

You stole a glance at Eddie, who was already on his way with a drink for you, trying to hide his grin behind his own glass.

“I’m surprised none of you blew this,” he said with a laugh, handing you the glass that was meant for you.

“We did our best. It was an important matter,” Steve chimed in carrying what looked like a birthday cake to the table. He only lit the candles before he gestured for you to come over. The cake looked delicious, though all of you would probably get a sugar rush from all chocolate, but honestly? Who cared?

“Make a wish when you blow out the candles,” Eddie reminded you, placing his hand on the small of your back, a smile on your lips.

Surrounded by your friends, having spent the afternoon with the man who’d stolen your heart, what was there left to wish for? The two of you would have to talk about what this was, where this would lead at one point, but right now, you were more than happy. So you blew out the candles, made your wish, and got ready to enjoy the rest of your birthday with the people you loved.

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