REBLOG PARTY🤍

You tried to mitigate the effects. First, it was the travel size bottle of tums that you kept in the glovebox of your car. Next it was the bottle of pepto that you kept in the kitchen, in addition to the one in the medicine cabinet, just in case.

Then, one day, came the end. And, oh boy, did you think it was Capital-The, Capital-End.

Heartburn, the likes of which you'd never experienced before, took you by surprise. You were innocently sitting at your desk at work when it started. A hot sensation in your chest that slowly overtook your abdomen. Just a constant, searing feeling that practically took your breath away after enough time passed. You thought it would just go away; you figured a handful of tums and you'd be fine. Until you weren't. Until you were sitting through a meeting wondering if you were actually having a heart attack. Until you excused yourself and belched obnoxiously as soon as you crossed the threshold into the bathroom.

You could taste the taco pasta bake Eddie insisted on making the night before. Layers of cheese, meat, beans, sour cream and extra, extra pickled jalapeños on top. It was rich and decadent. Delicious.

And it was going to be the thing that killed you.

Your boss, thankfully, saw how miserable you were and sent you home. But home offered no respite.

You dropped your work bag haphazardly by the door, and you stripped down to your underwear; the tight waistband of your pants was doing you no favors. You had the foresight to grab a glass of ice water and place it within arms reach on the edge of the coffee table, before you fell into the squishy cushions of the couch. As you settled into the most comfortable position you could find, the heartburn subsided and the mother of all stomach aches began.

Time passed with only three certain facts: You were gonna puke. You were gonna poop your pants. And then you were going to die.

"Honey, I'm home!" Eddie's voice cut through your agony, and you slowly cracked your eyes open to stare at the ceiling. "I saw your car outside. And your clothes on the floor? You home early as a surprise? Are you naked in bed?"

No, you obviously forgot one certain fact; you were going to kill him.

But as you opened your mouth to yell, your stomach cramped painfully and you let out the most pitiful groan.

"Babe?" The playfulness in his voice was gone, replaced by concern. "You ok?"

"I'm dying," you muttered weakly.

He scoffed immediately, concern vanishing. You both had an understanding: if you were feeling good enough to be dramatic, you were feeling good enough. Typically, it applied to Eddie more than it did to you—he was the biggest baby when he was sick—but you had your moments. Regardless, he took pity on you as he dropped to his knees in front of the couch.

“Alright, the doctor is in,” he joked. “What’s the preliminary diagnosis? Terminal illness? A parasite? Do we need to amputate?”

His fingers reached your bare side and he tickled you gently, wincing as your instinctive laughter turned into another groan.

"Ah, I see." He stroked his invisible beard with one hand and flattened the other so he could rub over your sore belly with the utmost care. "Any other pain? Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, and dare I ask, diarrhea?"

"I took some pepto earlier," you explained. "Didn't help."

"Well of course it didn't." He now put on an invisible stethoscope. "You didn't have a proper examination."

"It's just a stomach ache," you deadpanned as he started to lean down and inspect you. "You put too much sour cream in the taco bake."

“Nonsense, there’s no such thing as too much sour cream!” He curled his fingers into his palm, and then kneaded your belly in a way not unlike a cat. Of course, a little too much pressure caused a very gentle toot to inadvertently escape you. He wrinkled his nose and you covered your face in embarrassment. “Ok, maybe in this case I was a little heavy-handed.”

He went back to gentle rubbing and then adjusted his invisible stethoscope.

“Let’a give it a listen shall we?”

He leaned his head down and gently placed his ear against your abdomen, readjusting his head a few times before he hummed.

“Ah, well well well.” He lifted his head for a moment. “Seems I found an extra terrestrial creature.” You rolled your eyes as he went back down. “Chest burster? Giant worm of some sort? We’ll get you the bottom of this. You’re lucky I’m a xenoglot. I’ll translate.”

Your stomach, clearly working with Eddie on this comedy act, suddenly made the most embarrassing sound. It was wet and bubbly, and you felt it rumble right below his ear. What did he do in return?

“Gur-gur-gur, blblblbl.” You couldn’t help but laugh as he mumbled stomach noises and resumed kneading and rubbing. He looked up at you, utterly serious, and shushed you. “I’ve made contact. I need concentration if I’m gonna make a proper diagnosis.”

Despite your condition, and the fact that said condition was his fault, you couldn’t help but look at him and be overwhelmed by all the love you felt. From the way he dropped everything to check on you as soon as he got home, to now when he couldn’t help but make you smile as you felt miserable. This idiot—your idiot—had charmed you beyond your wildest imagination, and you didn’t want him to stop.

“Alright Dr. McCoy,” you joked and rested a hand atop his head, giving him an appreciative little scratch. “Or are you Uhura? Communications officer?”

“My legs would look good in that dress.” Your stomach grumbled again. “It agrees. Now shut up. I need to do an advanced procedure. Very delicate.”

You thought his kneading was as far as he was gonna take it. But leave it to Eddie to commit to the bit. He straightened up, shook out his arms, cracked his neck. Then he leaned down and blew the biggest raspberry on your stomach, and in turn you couldn’t help but laugh. You also couldn’t help but pass gas through your poor, unsuspecting ass.

Oh, so you were gonna have the hot poops later. Take back everything you thought about loving him, this was not gonna be fun.

"See, gastrilitis superioris." Eddie nodded sagely, still touting some fake-doctor bullshit. "Also known as a stomach ache. Or, as I like to call it, a case of the Gurgles.”

Of course he had a cute little name for it.

“What’s the treatment doc?” You questioned. “Aside from never letting you cook again?”

“The treatment is 50cc’s of ginger ale,” he ignored your comment, “and letting me feed you saltines as I continue rubbing your tummy for the rest of the night. How does that sound?”

It sounded perfect.

“I think you’re missing something,” you lied. Well, it wasn’t really a lie.

“I am?” Eddie frowned, and straightened his spine. He looked around the apartment as though he expected to find the answer lying about. He saw the telltale pink bottle on the counter in the kitchen and his brows jumped. "Pepto? Because babe, I will pour that pink crap down your throat all night if you need it."

You rolled your eyes and forced yourself upright, just so you could gently cup his face in your hands.

"I hate to ask, doc, but I think the usual treatment also includes 10ccs of smooches."

It was a lightbulb moment, and you were sure that you saw hears in his eyes. His arms snaked around you.

"You already have a prescription for that, sweetheart. Endless refills," he muttered and leaned forward to press his lips to yours.

And you melted into him.

Until you felt your esophagus quiver with an impending burp. You pulled away to try and spare him, only to belch loudly right in Eddie's face.

"Ok," he winced. "Now that was pretty gross."

---

A fond, appreciative hum left her throat. Eddie heard the sound and paused mid-motion, glancing over his shoulder with a grin already tugging at his lips.

“Mmm?” he repeated, one eyebrow lifting. “Someone’s up early.” His voice was low, still rough with sleep but already carrying that familiar teasing tone as he turned toward her, the shirt he’d grabbed left hanging loosely over his shoulder instead of being pulled on.

“Mhm,” her eyes closed briefly as she nodded once.

Eddie chuckled softly before tossing the shirt onto the bed beside her. A second later, he crawled onto the mattress, his weight dipping it beneath him as he hovered over her, bracing himself on his forearms. The warmth of his freshly showered skin and the clean scent of his cologne wrapped around her instantly, caging her comfortably against the bed. His beard brushed across her skin as he nuzzled into the curve of her neck.

“Good morning,” she hummed with a smile, slipping her arms out from beneath him so she could loosely wrap them around his neck.

“Mornin’,” he mumbled back, the word muffled against her skin.

Her fingers moved absentmindedly through his hair, still slightly damp from the shower he’d taken after waking up, while he slowly pressed further into her. His face stayed tucked into her neck as more of his weight settled over her, drawing a laugh from her the more dramatic he became. His arms slipped beneath her, trapped between her body and the mattress just so he could hold her tighter. He was heavy, all warm muscle and weight, but she loved the way he always seemed to melt against her like this.

They stayed like that for another couple of minutes before Eddie finally lifted his head, his face hovering only inches from hers when she met his eyes. He leaned down first, placing a lingering kiss to her cheek before beginning to pull himself away. But before he could fully lift himself from the bed, her hand reached up, fingers gently catching the silver chain dangling from his neck.

Eddie froze mid-retreat, blinking down at her with amusement flickering in his eyes. A slow, knowing smirk crossed his face — one that only deepened when she tugged lightly on the chain still clasped in her fingers.

“Oh?” he questioned. “You wanna play before work?”

“I absolutely do,” she mumbled softly, eyes wandering over his face. “Unless you have to get going...”

Eddie let out a breathy laugh, his pretty brown eyes slightly hooded as he looked down at her. His nostrils flared faintly before he settled his weight back over her again. 

“Baby, who’s gonna write me up for being late? Me?” he said with a small grin, dragging his fingers through her sleep-mussed hair. She smiled at his joke as his hand moved down to gently grasp her wrist still holding his chain, guiding it away before pressing her hand firmly into the mattress beside her head.

Her expression softened as she bit down on her lip, her free hand slipping between them to push the blankets aside in a messy heap near the edge of the bed. Warmth bloomed through her cheeks, anticipation curling low in her stomach as Eddie dipped his head and kissed her softly, unhurried and lingering enough to make her melt beneath him. Her hand drifted upward, fingertips gliding over the broad slope of his shoulder before settling around his bicep. She could feel the subtle flex of muscle beneath his skin as he shifted over her, solid and heavy in a way that always made her feel completely surrounded by him.

The belt buckle clicked as Eddie freed it one-handed, his fingers working without hurry — a sharp contrast to the way his mouth moved against her neck, teeth grazing sensitive skin in gentle, teasing bites. He hummed deep in his throat at the way her breath caught, her fingers tightening against his arm as he tugged his belt free from the loops and let it drop carelessly to the floor with a muted thud.

“You just look so good getting ready for work,” she whispered near his ear, slowly dragging her knee along his side.

Eddie’s beard tickled her skin as he laughed softly against her neck, taking her hand and guiding it smoothly to the waistband of his pants. “Undo these for me, pretty girl.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, unable to hide the subtle excitement in her voice as her fingers moved to undo the button of his pants. The rasp of Eddie’s zipper filled the room as he helped her guide it down, his breath warm against her lips when he leaned in to claim hers again. She opened her mouth to him as her hands cradled his face, breathing deeply through her nose. The kiss deepened naturally, full of the same passion he always gave her, steady enough that she could savor every second of it.

Eddie shifted his weight onto his left elbow, while his right hand worked his pants open just enough to free himself. His fingers trailed down her thigh, lifting her leg just enough to drape it over his hip as he settled himself between hers. She could feel him pressing against her, slow and teasing at first, until a quiet hum came from her throat as she tilted her hips upward to meet him. Eddie groaned softly against her mouth, fingers tightening around her thigh as he pushed forward, slipping inside with one smooth roll of his hips. 

“Fuck,” he breathed, pulling back slightly from the kiss. His forehead pressed against hers as he buried himself fully into her. “Morning sex is so fuckin’ good.”

His hips rocked into hers at first, each movement lazy and thorough, dragging soft gasps from her lips while his fingers traced idle patterns along the skin of her thigh.

He kissed her again, swallowing her quiet moan as he pushed himself deeper, setting a steady rhythm that quickly had her arching into him, chasing every careful thrust. Eddie laughed low in his throat at the reaction, pressing his lips to the curve of her neck. 

“That’s my girl,” he murmured against her skin, biting lightly at her pulse point. Her fingers curled into his hair, nails barely scratching against his scalp as he shifted his weight, adjusting himself onto his forearms for better leverage. The new angle sent him deeper, earning a loud moan from her lips as her hips moved to meet his thrusts. Eddie groaned, his breath hot near her ear as he quickened his pace slightly, just enough to draw more of those pretty sounds from her throat.

“Eddie,” she mewled, fingers tightening in his hair as he lowered his head to leave open-mouthed kisses along her collarbone. His name spilled from her lips again, quieter this time, barely more than a whisper as his hand slipped under her shirt, fingers teasing just beneath the curve of her breast.

Eddie hummed against her skin, his hips thrusting deep and slow as his thumb brushed over her nipple, prompting a sharp gasp from her mouth. He lifted his head just enough to meet her eyes, his own darkened with pleasure as he watched her lips part on a moan.

“That’s it,” he cooed, squeezing her breast gently in his palm. “Lemme see you.”

She arched into his touch with a faint whimper, her nails dragging lightly down the back of his neck as she let her head tip back against the pillows. The heat of his hand on her skin, the rhythmic push of his hips — every sensation tightened the heat already curling low in her stomach with each deep roll of his body against hers. Her breath came in short, uneven gasps, her legs tightening around his waist as she pulled him closer, craving the weight of him pressing her into the mattress.

Eddie growled, low and rough, when she clenched around him, his fingers flexing on her side as his hips stuttered slightly. His lips found hers again in a slow, open-mouthed kiss, his tongue dragging lazily over hers while his free hand slid down her body, slipping between them to press into the heat of her. The first brush of his fingers against her clit drew a sharp cry from her, muffled by his mouth as she writhed beneath him, pleasure coiling tighter in her stomach.

“Fuck,” she hissed lightly, pulling back from the kiss as her nails dug deeper into his shoulders. The tension pulled tighter with every deliberate stroke of his fingers, every deep thrust of his hips — her body trembled beneath him, heat pooling low until it threatened to spill over. Eddie watched her unravel with dark, possessive satisfaction, his rhythm faltering as her thighs clenched around him.

“Atta girl,” he rasped, breath ragged against her ear as her back arched off the mattress. The back of her head pushed into the pillow as she came undone beneath him, every muscle tensing before sinking into the sheets — Eddie watched her fall apart with heavy-lidded eyes, his own release chasing hers with a groan muffled against her shoulder.

He stayed inside her for another moment, savoring the way her body still fluttered around him before finally pulling out with a quiet exhale. His fingers brushed stray hairs back from her forehead as his thumb traced the warm flush high on her cheeks.

“Damn good way to start the day,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her nose before rolling off the bed with a quiet grunt.

“Ugh,” she whined the second his weight disappeared from above her. Chuckling as he stretched, Eddie tossed her wink while adjusting himself back into his pants.

“C’mon, don’t make that face,” he teased, bending to retrieve his belt before giving her thigh a playful swat. “If I’m any later, Ray’s gonna start thinkin’ I died.”

She smiled, huffing a quiet laugh through her nose as she rolled onto her side to watch him fix his belt and pull his work shirt on. Eddie stood from the bed afterward, grabbing his watch from the nightstand and fastening it around his wrist with practiced ease. When his gaze lifted back to her, a dimple pressed into his cheek as he smiled.

A second later, he crossed back toward the bed, bracing a hand beside her as he bent down to leave one last soft kiss against her lips before pulling back just enough for his face to hover above hers.

“See you later, angel,” he murmured, “I’ll call you on my break.”

“Okay, baby,” she smiled sweetly. The way she looked up at him — soft and sleepy, skin still flushed from the morning they’d shared — made something tighten warmly in his chest. His hand came up to cradle her face, thumb brushing lightly along her cheekbone as he leaned down once more, his voice dropping into that quiet, intimate tone she adored so much.

“I love you,” he said.

She looked at him softly, the sincerity behind it was unmistakable. “I love you.”

His thumb lingered against her cheek for another second before he finally straightened with a reluctant sigh, reaching for his keys on the dresser, the soft jingle of metal filling the room.

“Don’t go back to sleep before you eat something,” he said, glancing back at her with that familiar fondness and slight bossy tilt of his chin.

She mirrored the look with exaggerated seriousness. “Will do.”

"I-"

"Shut the fuck up," you snap immediately, trying desperately to keep pressure on way too many wounds at once while Dustin is scavenging for anything to bind them with. Your brows are drawn together in concentration, and despite the blood and demo-bat viscera splattering your face, you look damningly cute.

Spots dance across his vision, blurring you. Fucking rude. If he's going to die after all of this, you should be the last thing he sees. He should get to keep looking at you, the way he's always been.

Over his shoulder in the cafeteria, where you'd sit right at his back on the next table over, flipping your hair obnoxiously often, half in his face, just to piss him off.

Through the shelves at the record store, where you'd purposefully scrunch your nose or raise your brows whenever you shelved the new arrivals. Few things got your stamp of approval, but one of his recs once made it to the in-store record player while you were on shift. You'd denied it to hell and back, but he was thrilled you'd actually listened to him. And his music.

At the hideout, when you came to pick up your dad from the crowd of five drunks watching Corroded Coffin play, and actually stayed till they finished their set. You looked like you were both intrigued and angry about it, and Eddie couldn't help but lean right into your face off the stage, delivering lyrics straight to you. He'd never seen your cheeks this red before. He felt a little drunk off it, with the music and the lights and you sticking out your tongue at him before retreating to the bar. He'd wanted to kiss you so badly it hurt, but you'd dragged your dad out of there the second they were done playing.

Wasted time. Wasted opportunities. This is it.

He tries again: "I think I-"

"Will you STOP!" There's desperation in your tone. He only notices your hands are shaking when he covers them with his own, unsteadily, weakly.

Adorable as your efforts are, they're not gonna change a thing, and he really really needs to get this out now while he still has some focus left. "I'm-"

"You are NOT dying, Eddie Munson. Not today. Not on my watch. Absolutely fucking not. So just shut up and-"

"I love you."

That stuns you to silence. Finally. Good. Your mouth works like you're chewing on a reply, but nothing comes out. Can't exactly give a dying man the brush-off, he knows, but he's not expecting anything. He just needed to tell you. To see your face while he does. His chuckle is laced with blood.

He squeezes your hands, once, and the spots in his vision take over. Vaguely, he hears Dustin in the distance, and feels a bit sorry he won't get to say goodbye. But as last words go, a love confession is pretty epic, if he says so himself.

He wants to hear your reply. He wants to ruffle Dustin's hair and push his Hellfire kids around. He wants to play on a big stage with his band and he wants to hug his uncle again.

The future slips away in the dark. It may be a shit ending, but at least it's a heroic one.

Between the sun and the reflecting white of everything in the room, Eddie's eyes burn. There's something stuck in his arm. And in his nose. Everything itches and scratches and hurts. If this is Vecna's idea of hell, the bastard needs some pointers. The torture aspect is on point, but the aesthetic could use some work.

His throat is too dry to even cough, but as he slowly blinks, two dark shapes in the too-bright room take form. One of them, still in a chair by his side, is his uncle, and Eddie can feel his eyes tear up at the sight. The other one moves, a flash coming from the window sill, and he only recognizes your face when it's right in front of him.

You look worried and desperate and strung out and tired. "Hi," seems like the best way to approach this. His dopey smile doesn't seem to chase your tension away, though. It seems to make you furious.

"You fucking dumbass idiot asshole!" you whisper-scream, evidently trying not to wake up Wayne before you could get your tirade off your chest. "What the fuck were you thinking? Oh, what nice day to die? What a cool way to leave all of my friends fucking mourning? What a great fucking storybook-ending to say that and then-"

Well. Good to know it did have the desired effect, then.

"Sorry if I killed the vibe, b- OUCH." his voice rasps out an almost-scream when your fingers claw into his arm. Through the blur of pained tears in his eyes, he only barely realizes the tears in your own.

"Oh? Does that hurt? Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Asshole."

And then you kiss him. And he thinks, alright, if this is hell, maybe he can live with it. It's over far too soon, not much more than a peck, and you ease up your grip and pull his covers back straight and check on his IV and seem altogether very much too busy to acknowledge his even dopier smile now.

Eddie was sure he could handle it. 

That it'd be easy, even. All it really amounted to was roleplay, after all, and he was nothing if not a veteran of make-believe.

It had started with a request that Eddie be a little rougher. You’re sort of shy when it comes to speaking—struggling usually to talk about your activities in the bedroom much more than you ever did participating in them—so he was ecstatic to hear you ask him for anything at all.

It was while laying together in bed after a quick shower that you brought it up. Two rounds apiece had worn you both out, and maybe it was being cradled so close to his heart, the comfort of warm skin pressed together and the dreamy lull of sleep that had relaxed your anxious tongue enough for the words to escape. Eddie, ever gently, eased you back enough to see your face and smiled.

He hummed as he watched you, endeared to the moon and back by the bashful little look on your face—the way you can barely meet his eye. “...How rough are we talkin’ here?”

He’d left a bruise or two on you before by accident, and as much as he felt bad for hurting you, he also couldn’t deny the appeal of knowing he’d made a mark on you. Flesh and blood evidence of the pleasure you'd shared; the grooves of his hands embedded beneath your skin. He’d also carefully pulled at your hair once or twice, even smacked your bottom, albeit more as a joke than anything carnal.  

It took you a moment, staring at his mouth and his chin while you gathered the courage. “I… Well, I like it when you’re…pushy,” you admitted. 

Eddie grinned even wider. “Oh yeah? You want me to bully you a little? Toss you around?” That would be no problem at all. 

His knowing intonation made you purse your lips to fight a smile. “Yeah, I like that. But also…”

“...Also?” he prompted with patience. “Don’t hold out on me, sweetheart.”

“I don’t know.” You stared down at the sheets with a strained, twitchy little smile. “I just sort of have this…weird fantasy, I guess. Can't get it out of my head.”

Now you’re talking. He took care not to look too ecstatic, lest he scare the nerve out of you. “Tell me all about it,” he encouraged, “and I might be able to help you out.”

You hesitated. The sheepish smile fell away, and your eyes seemed to turn in on themselves, unfocusing. Right on the precipice of changing your mind, waving it all away. Something was scaring you inward. Eddie’s brow furrowed and he softly lifted your chin, startling you back to the present.

“Sweetheart, I’m the last person that’s ever gonna judge you for wanting to try something kinky, or…unusual,” he assured you. Serious but without pressure, smiling warm and fond. You don’t have to tell him anything, but he needs you to know that you can. “I’m not gonna look at you differently, or love you any less. That’s a promise.”  

He already felt like the luckiest guy on the planet just holding you as he was, watching you watch him with love and trust and melting reservations in your eyes. If you also happened to possess even half of the freakiness that he’d been valiantly keeping at bay from the first time you touched, he might just dissolve into a pile of lovestruck mush.

-

Eddie never thought he’d have you, so he has a tendency to do anything—anything—that he thinks might help him keep you. It’s a bad habit of his (in your mind, at least) that he’s kept hidden almost as well as his less savory appetites, his more cringeworthy fears. You’ve noticed it a couple times. The way he grits his teeth and bears things you would’ve gladly relieved him of, that you’ve never asked of him in the first place. Eddie knows it’s stupid; unhealthy, even, to treat your relationship like a rolling audition he’s always in danger of losing, but there’s some misshapen part of him that just can’t help it. You don’t need him to be anything more than he is, to give more than he has, and he knows that, he really does, but he could. If you wanted him to, he could.

Just start and don’t stop. That’s how you explained it to him, more or less.

Eddie was to do what he was going to do, and while you might squirm and struggle, tell him no and don’t and stop it, you assured him plenty that it’d just be for show. To fulfil your half of the little fantasy you’ve trusted him with—and he could see on your face how much trust it really took. Unless you use your safeword, you don’t really want him to stop; you want him to ignore it; to fight you right back; to make you.

And that’s simple. He’s the bad guy, the bully—a role he’s uniquely accustomed to—and you’re the poor maiden he’s meant to distress. He isn’t sure he’ll get as much out of it as you will, if the suppressed thrill in your eyes as you spoke about it is to be trusted, but to put it frankly, Eddie loves fucking you. He could do it for hours, for days, probably until the combined forces of exhaustion and dehydration knocked him out cold, if he lost his grip on restraint. It never really occurred to him that this could be any different. 

You decide on a Friday, after dinner. Plenty of time for both play and comfort, no looming alarms to dread come morning. The day went by as usual, but when you sit down to eat, neither of you have much to say. He catches you staring. Again and again, cutting your eyes away in shyness each time. Getting impatient.

For once, you eat faster than him. When you’re done, you stand to put your plate in the sink and return to him with awkward, scattered energy, crossing your arms like it’s your first time trying to. 

“...I’m gonna get ready for bed,” you tell him simply. 

Eddie lets out the smirk he’s been sitting on. “Okay, baby.” It does something to you, makes you twitch. He stops you before you rush down the hall to escape. “...You’re sure you still wanna do this?”

Your feet catch awkwardly on the carpet as you turn back to face him, and your smile, unusually wide and giddy with nerves, makes his chest swell with warmth. If it was up to him, he’d jump on you right here and now, but probably not in the way you’d want him to. “I’m really sure.”

“Great,” he says. “Then… I’ll be right behind you.”

Eddie takes his time. Finishes his food, packs away the leftovers, washes the dishes in the sink—wouldn’t want them to crust over. There are a few stray food scraps on the floor, close to hidden beneath the cabinet ledge, so he decides to go ahead and sweep the entire kitchen, neglected lately.

Then, he heads for the bathroom. Turning off lights as he goes, Eddie squints through the dark and thinks that this feels correct. This is where he should be, preparing for something like this. He really wants to see you but he isn’t sure he’s ready yet, and he wants even more to get it right for you. He’s so happy, so happy that you found it in you to share it with him, knowing how awful it could be in the wrong hands. When you’d gone to sleep that night, Eddie stayed awake a while longer and teared up at the thought. No one else, you’d said. You never told anyone else but him. 

Eddie brushes his teeth, washes his face. He fiddles with his hair, for some reason. As if a wayward strand might ruin the fantasy for you. He considers taking a shower, too, to cool himself off, but he knows both of you will need one afterwards anyway, and you must be getting antsy waiting for him. He pictures you squirming, sighing, grinding your needy thighs together. 

And he thinks about your thighs, and the precious flower between them. How it opens up and takes him in, holds him tight and loves him just as much as you do; gushes with it. Your stomach, round and plush, his favorite plane to sink his teeth into. The swell of your chest and the pretty little jewels that dot either side, that tense and stiffen under his fingertips. Every bit as meek and sensitive as the rest of you. He figured it’s for the best if he’s already there before he gets started, and knowing he’ll get to touch you soon, to ravish you just the way you want, it doesn’t take long at all.

Eddie pushes the door in and finds you waiting with purposeful unawareness, your back to him at the far side of the bed. For a moment, he just smiles, and his nose scrunches with endearment. Your shoulder tensed up to your ear at the sound of his arrival, and it stays there as you sit in anticipation. Stepping inside, he closes the door behind him and makes his way towards his side of the bed, pulling the unneeded shirt over his head, tossing it aside.

“...Baby, you awake?” He knows you are, but he gives you the chance to pretend anyway. Your answer is a non-committal hum that scrunches his nose a second time. 

He kneels onto the bed and crawls nearer, watching your partly-obscured profile. His hand lands on your upper arm and squeezes and you hum again—more distinctly reluctant this time. He figures that’s the go-ahead.

Eddie’s much more heavy-handed than usual in stealing a kiss from you; starting the game. Leaning over you, he takes you by your jaw and turns your head towards him, smashing an indulgent kiss into your lips and drinking in your cute, startled peep. 

Only, then, you try to make him stop—tugging at his wrist, turning your head away from him—and on instinct he lets you go with a hot prod of anxiety. Did he fuck it up already? Is this not what you wanted?

But when you mumble your timid complaint (“I’m not in the mood, Eddie”) and turn away from him again, it clicks into place. 

…Right, yeah, that’s how this works. You’re going to reject him, unambiguously, over and over and over again, and he’s supposed to ignore it every time. He knew that on paper, but seeing it in action, experiencing what it feels like to be told no by you and pretend it doesn’t matter, hits him somewhere hard to place.

But it’s what you want, so he keeps going. He grabs your shoulder far meaner than the real Eddie ever would and yanks you onto your back, lays himself over you to plant his mouth onto yours again, and when you whine into his lips he pushes even harder, forcing his tongue inside. You don’t mean to moan, probably, but when you do, Eddie’s tension deflates with a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Squirming beneath him, you push at his chest with both hands, harder and harder until he finally relents and gives you room to breathe.

“What are you doing?” you gasp, wide-eyes flitting all over his face, and it gives him pause again. He’s…doing what you asked him to—what you want him to, even if it feels like anything but. 

“Need you bad, honey,” he murmurs, playing his own part a little belatedly, and his hands slide down to squeeze at your thighs. “Open up.”

“I told you, I’m not in the mood tonight.”

“It won’t take long,” he assures you. “Open up.”

Your brow furrows deep and tight, somewhere sadder than confused. “I don’t want to.”

Eddie pushes out a sharp sigh, gives you a look. He knows what to say, but it takes a moment to convince himself to let out with it. “...Sweetheart, I’m not asking.”

That clearly did it for you—nearly sent your eyes rolling back. There’s a fire in them, a pinprick of red-hot excitement even as you press your thighs even tighter together, and he realizes, once again, that you aren’t going to help him out at all. 

He forces his hands into the space between your thighs and abruptly wrenches them apart, and the gasp you suck in at the feeling of it is definitely real. Eddie stifles a grimace. He hopes that wasn’t your full strength he was fighting. If it really is that easy to make you, he could’ve gone his whole life without knowing it. 

You have made it easy for him in one regard. Between your nightgown—really just an oversized tshirt, already riding up above your hips—and the thin, lacy excuse for a pair of panties you’ve got on beneath it, he has as much access as he possibly could without having to try and wrestle you out of your clothes. He’ll hardly even have to move anything out of the way.

You’re also fucking soaked, thank God. More than you usually are without a little help, but maybe you’d been helping yourself while you waited for him. It’s a strange feeling. Relieving for substantiating how you truly feel about what he’s doing, a little concerning (or, at the very least, puzzling) for whatever the hell that might mean. What is it that this asshole is doing for you that Eddie himself is failing to? 

He takes himself out of his pants, still pulsing at the thought of you, and sucks air through his teeth as he drags his fist from base to tip, trying to work himself up a little more. When he goes to line up, your hands fly between your legs, trying to hide yourself from him, but it isn’t too hard to snatch them up and hold them out of his way. You aren’t really fighting back, just trying to seem like you are. He tugs the thin seat of your panties aside and notches his cock at your entrance, then lays his weight over you. 

“Don’t,” you beg. “Eddie, please don’t!” The drop of panic in your voice is way too convincing. His heart sinks a few inches in his chest.

“Stay still, honey,” he tries to comfort—that part at least comes naturally. He’s psyching himself up to it. You told him explicitly not to prepare you; that it’s okay if it hurts a little, that you even sort of want it to, but he didn’t realize how intimidating that request really was until now. “...It’s okay. Just stay still.”

“No, baby, you can’t—”

He jerks his hips, pushes halfway in with one sharp thrust, and hisses through his teeth as he does. He’s never felt you like this before, without having been teased open on his fingers or his tongue first, and you’re wet enough for the sound of it to squelch, but he’s surprised to discover he can feel that it isn’t quite right all on his own. It’s too tense, shocked rigid, trying to evict him. At the same time, you gasp like his penetration removed some deadly blockage from your airways, and Eddie freezes, watching your face with cold sweat dripping down his sides. Your jaw hangs open, panting, brow pinched and hips squirming with overwhelm. When you meet his eye and find him staring, waiting, gritting his teeth, you give him the slightest nod you can manage, and Eddie continues. 

He slowly pulls his hips back and snaps them in another mean thrust that delves even deeper, sending you moaning in pain or delight. Mouth dipped down beside your ear, he shushes you as sweetly as he can while doing such an awful thing. Grasping for any gentleness he can find. He’d like to kiss you again, but he’s reluctant to create any obstacle if you need to tell him to stop.

“It hurts,” you whine. 

It’s supposed to, he reminds himself. You might even be pretending. “...It’ll pass, sweetheart, I promise.”

One more thrust, a kiss to your neck in tandem, and he’s fully sheathed inside. You cry out, and he’s pretty sure it’s pleasure—your thighs twitch like they always do when you’re excited to be full of him. Eddie pulls out again and sinks right back in, starting up a deep, powerful rhythm that makes you mewl beneath him. It almost puts a smile on his face.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” he teases, planting a kiss on your cheek.

“No,” you insist, indignant. You’re still putting up your weak impression of a fight, pushing at his chest and digging your nails in, scratching him, but every ruthless thrust he gives you punches a clipped little moan out of you, surprised by the force each time.

Eddie dips his face into your neck, starts to work his teeth into you. “Don’t lie to me, baby,” he murmurs. “Know just what you like.”

He does his best to hold you still, pin you down. He’s been too focused on you to really think about his own pleasure, but when it finally occurs to him to take stock, he startles. It’s not that you don’t feel good—you always feel good—but it’s almost like he’s slowly going numb to it. Eddie abruptly picks up the pace, trying to remedy it, and you cry your noisy pleasure beneath him, but it doesn’t change much. It’s hot and slick and tight, and it’s you, but there’s no…momentum to it, no steady build-up for him to manage, no urgency. 

And that wouldn’t really matter to him, since the point of all this is getting you off, but he can feel himself waning. The aching tightness he always succumbs to when you play with each other begins on its own to slump in disinterest, and the frustration of it grits his teeth together. 

There’s a cold little pit in the bottom of his gut warding off the blood that should be pumping excitedly through it, and it dawns on him that, for the first time, entirely in absence of weed or alcohol or pure, concentrated nerves, Eddie probably can’t keep it up long enough to get you off. And just then, while he’s already flirting with the dread of poor performance, your voice warbles out once more, as frail as he’s ever heard it.

“...Eddie, please.”

The hair on the back of his neck stands up. It’s a sob. You sound like you’re going to cry; like you’ve been crying, and crying, and you just can’t seem to stop. Like you’re miserable, devastated, and it’s entirely and exclusively his fault. A ripple of intense aversion whips down his spine and spreads to the end of each limb, abruptly contracting his muscles to push and tear him off of you, out of you. Sitting back on his knees, eyes squinted shut, he grunts and shakes his head to cast away the awful feeling.

“...Eddie? Are you okay?” He can feel you shifting, starting to sit up.  

“Fuck, I’m sorry, baby,” he says, rubbing sweaty hands over his face. The shame hits him next, sinking him lower—knowing that he’s done it again. He should’ve hit pause as soon as something felt off or done anything other than grit his teeth and assume it’ll pass, and now you’ll think it’s your fault. “I… Shit. I don’t think I can do this.”

A little silence stretches out. Eddie drops his hands to hide his wilting dick away and finds your big eyes flitting all over him, stunned; your hand trembling in front of your mouth.

“...Okay.” You hardly manage to squeeze it out. He can already hear the lump in your throat. “...I’m sorry.”

The thought of you crying scrubs his nerves even rawer. “No, no, c’mere.” He guides you to sit up with him all the way so he can wrap his arms around you, touching you with the warmth he’s been dying to all along, and he sighs in relief. He presses firm kisses to your temple, your cheek. “S’not your fault, not at all, okay? I’m fine, we’re both fine.”

You wrap your arms around his back, holding him just as snugly, and your voice is muffled into his chest. “I don’t wanna make you do something you don’t like.”

“You aren't, honey, I promise,” he assures you, squeezing you even tighter. “I said we'd try it and we did. That's exactly how it's supposed to work.”

You say, “Okay,” and nuzzle into him harder, and Eddie rests his head against yours as you breathe together, calm each other down. But a frown starts to grow on his face. He knows why he couldn’t do it—it curdled his stomach to make you feel like that, like the months he’d spent adoring you mattered less than a few minutes of empty pleasure, make-believe or not—but he can’t for the life of him figure out what you found enjoyable in all of that. You like it when he’s a little mean, he knows that, and he likes giving you a hard time just as much. But forcing himself on you; this quiet tragedy you’ve been so eager to play out. His heart pounds with anxiety just thinking about it. He never thought it would feel so real.

“...Maybe I just don’t understand,” he says. “The…appeal of it, I guess. What you’re getting out of this.”

You freeze up in his arms. “I…”

Carefully, he eases you back until he can see you, your eyes flickering over his chest in unease, and he holds both your hands in his own. “I’m not judging you, sweetheart, I swear to God. I get being…rough, y’know, and pushy. But I… can’t really wrap my head around why you’d want someone to treat you like this.”

“...I don’t know,” you mumble, but Eddie’s eye is well attuned to you. He thinks you might know, but you’re too frightened to admit it.

He sighs. “I just… I really hope you don’t think you deserve that, or—”

“No, it's not— I don’t,” you sputter out, reassuringly horrified. “I promise I don’t. It’s just… I don’t know. It's only because it's you.” 

Eddie frowns, unsettled on instinct by the sound of that, but he stays quiet. Leaves you the room to creep out of your shell on your own. You chew hard on your bottom lip before your mouth opens again, and he gives your shaky hands a squeeze.

“...Because I love you, and I trust you, and…you're safe,” you go on. “I know you'd never really do anything like that, and…I like making you feel good.”

Eddie’s heart crushes in. He presses another firm kiss to your temple. “I love you too,” he tells you, but that doesn’t quite explain anything. “...Can you tell me a little more?”

You lick your lips and wrestle yourself to continue, his sweet girl. “The thought of you…needing me that badly, that it makes you mean, that you don't even care. Like I only exist to make you feel good, and that's all that matters, and I’d still love you anyway. …Sometimes I do feel like I'd let you do anything you wanted to me, even things I know you'd never actually want to do, so… it's like, I get to…give you something you'd never even ask for. Something that's sort of…dark, and intense, that I'd never give to anyone else. I don't know what’s…wrong with me, why I like it so much. But it's only because it's you, Eddie.”

“Nothing’s wrong with you, baby,” he reminds you softly, cupping your cheek and stroking his thumb over it. You aren’t crying outright, but the extra water in your eyes is torture. “I told you, I don’t like you talking about yourself like that.” Eddie looks at you and sees the purest fucking angel he’s even known.

“I know,” you sniffle. “I’m sorry.”

He smoothes his palm over your back as he thinks it over. “I…think I get that, sort of, but...you’re making it sound like you’re doing this for me, and I don’t—”

“No, it’s— It’s for me,” you correct. “I know it’s for me, and I know it’s…a lot to ask, so we don’t have to do it again. I don’t ever wanna make you do something that upsets you, Eddie. I’m really sorry.”

When your face starts to contort and your teary eyes blink faster, Eddie sucks his teeth and pulls you back in, and the way you cling onto him brings about a little sting behind his own eyes.

“I’m not upset,” he assures you softly. “Not anymore. Just…worried about you. Makes me scared you don’t love yourself like I do.” 

He sways you lightly back and forth, spreading warm pressure over your back with gentle hands. Relishing the weight and feel and scent of you, the privilege of shrouding you like this.

“I love you so much, Eddie.” The evidence of it trickles down his throat, collects in the pocket of his clavicle.

“God, I love you too, baby.” He still hasn’t found a way to tell you that feels strong enough.  “Like you wouldn’t fucking believe.”

When you settle yourself and your tears have dried, you press your lips to his skin, kissing, kissing, kissing. Soft enough to make him shiver. 

“It’s like…a horror movie, kind of,” you muse as it occurs to you, ticklish against his neck. “It scares you, but…in a good way, cause you aren’t really in danger, and you can stop it whenever you want.” 

Eddie’s mind chews on that and swallows. It goes down much easier than any other way you’ve put it. “...You want me to scare you a little bit.”

You nod into him, and his brain sparks and flares like a firework.

“...I can't do the begging, I don't think,” he decides. “It's just—too real. You’re too good at it. Makes me feel like I'm really hurting you. But…”

He can feel his synapses firing. His eyes flit around as he pieces it together. You want him to scare you, to take from you even if you refuse, but there are a lot of ways to say “no” that don’t make him feel like he should be thrown under the jail and left to rot.

“What if we…kept it physical?” he suggests. “Like play fighting, almost. I'll still, y'know, pin you down and shove it in if you want me to, but it'll be less…”

“Real,” you finish for him. You push back on your own this time, your rosy, searching eyes finding his.

He nods and gives you a little smile. “Not so dark, y’know?”

“...Okay,” you agree. “That sounds good.”

And then, when it looks like you have more to say, Eddie doesn’t even need to prompt you.

“...Could you still say things?” Your stare jumps around, skittish, only landing back on him for a split second at a time. “I just… I like it when you talk.”

He grins and cocks his head to the side. “You mean like, evil asshole things? ‘I'm not asking’ and all that?”

You breathe a laugh out of your nose and bob your head in a timid nod.

“...Yeah, I think so,” he says, scratching his jaw as he thinks about it. “We’ll try it.”

Starry-eyed as you are, Eddie can’t fight the urge to kiss you, and you melt happily into it. Arms thrown around his neck, fingers in his hair, you kiss him like you need him to breathe, each insistent press longer than the last. Eddie’s well and truly love-drunk, humming pleasedly into your mouth, but he doesn’t miss the urgency in it, the way you press yourself into him as close as you can; almost like you’re trying to rile him up, and it isn’t not working. He aspirates a laugh as he finally escapes your affection.

“Wow,” he says, close to breathless. “Did, uh… Did you wanna try it right now?”

“Is that okay?” you breathe, suddenly rigid. Then, quickly: “We don’t have to.” 

He must’ve left you very frustrated, or maybe renegotiating the approach worked you up again. He pinches his eyes at you in fondness.

Eddie thinks about himself, really thinks about it. The dread pit has dissipated, knowing that he doesn’t have to be that guy anymore, seeing you smile again. He feels off, sort of, some distant imprint of it stuck in the back of his mind, but even more than that, he loves you, he loves you, and he wants you. Wants to show you how much he loves you. He was still planning on making you feel good if you wanted him to, even if he couldn’t personally summon the interest to have it reciprocated, but now, he’s probably a fourth of the way hard again already just from the fever in your kiss. If you wanna roughhouse with him so bad, he’s having trouble locating any real desire not to.

“...Yeah, I’m down,” he says, trying not to look too smug at the sight of your relief. “You wanna start right now?”

“Um… First, I should—” 

You cut yourself off to shove your hand into his pants and fish his dick back out of them—bold in your actions if not with your words—and Eddie chokes on a gasp.

“Christ,” he giggles, grunting as you squeeze and tug at him, rub your thumb beneath his slit. “You really need it, huh?”

“Shush,” you tell him.

Either impatient or just suffering a craving, you scoot back, stoop down, and ease him into your mouth. The soft, wet presses of your tongue against his skin open the floodgate, sending the blood rushing in.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he groans, head tipping back in bliss. “...You’re too fuckin’ good to me.”

You keep it up until he’s hard again and a little longer after that, stroking him leisurely with your lips while Eddie pants and shivers above you. Then, you stop. Pull back completely and stare at him like you’re waiting for something, and Eddie’s brow furrows. Is he supposed to start it? He sort of thought you were, but all you’re doing is staring.

You blink at him a couple times, and just before he can ask what you’re doing, if you’re alright, if you still want to do this, you scramble off the side of the bed. He watches you with a frown for three leisurely steps, but when you throw a coy glance at him over your shoulder, it snaps into place.

A big, wolfish grin tears across his face. “Where do you think you're going, missy?”

Eddie starts after you with enough speed to make you gasp, easily catching around the middle, dragging you back towards the bed.

“Let go,” you complain, but his arms don’t budge.

“Not a chance.”

Eddie braces himself, squats down a little, and then lifts you clean off your feet, throwing you face-down onto the bed and grinning wider at the squeal that flies out of you. He grabs you by your hips and turns you onto your back, and you stare up at him with bewildered eyes and a disbelieving smile, like you didn’t think he’d actually be able to toss you around like this. Naturally, it goes straight to his head.

Then comes the fighting. You raise your arms and your legs trying to fend him off, shield yourself; shoving away his attempts to tug at your dress or stick his hand between your thighs, and neither of you can stop from smiling as Eddie struggles to push his way in, finally securing your wrists over your head and yanking your dress up. 

“No, Eddie, stop,” you whine, still squirming. It's petulant, the same tone you use when he's acting immature, annoying the hell out of you for fun.

“Nope,” he says, remorseless. “You're all mine.” He slaps his fingers down over your slit to prove it, and you jolt in surprise.

“You're being mean!”

He scoffs at the accusation. “No, I'm not. You got me hard as a fucking rock, babe, and your actions have consequences.”

You laugh—it bubbles out before you can stifle it—and Jesus Christ, this is so much better. You’re defiant, sure, putting up a fight and playing annoyed as much as you can, but you aren’t resigned to hopeless sorrow like earlier. There’s a buzzing energy between you, a tension of excitement more than sheer intensity—you fight like hell to keep the smile off your face and Eddie lets his stretch deviously across his cheeks, feeling closer to a raunchy cartoon villain than any sort of genuine predator. 

“But I don’t want to,” you whine again, frowning your sweet face up at him. Eddie grabs you by the jaw, and your eyes pop wider.

“You’re adorable, sweetheart,” he coos, squishing your cheeks and staring down his nose at you with all the love in the world. Your pupils spread wide and dark, inviting him into their fire. “...Since when have I ever gave a shit what you wanted?”

-

The TV hummed softly in the background, filling the otherwise quiet trailer. The two of you were sprawled across the couch – well., you were. Eddie was sitting like a normal person, while you had somehow managed to claim every single cushion and half of his lap in the process.

“Uh…” he said, sounding far less casual than he had intended. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you want, baby.”

The faint furrow between Eddie’s eyebrows only deepened when you quietly climbed off the couch and knelt in front of him, your knees pressing into the cold linoleum floor. He didn’t dare comment on it, though.

Warm amber light spilled from the kitchen into the living room, catching in your already glimmering eyes when you lifted them to his. Your hands came to rest gently on his knees.

The crease between his eyebrows softened, giving way to a look that was still confused but far gentler than before. He felt your fingers twitch against him before they slowly trail higher along his thighs until they found the zipper of his jeans.

Eddie’s heart rate spikes as your hands continued twitching in anticipation, pulling down his zipper and tugging his pants down. He blinks down at you, his thoughts slowly turning into mush the more you tug down his pants. He then inhales sharply when your deftly hands reach for the elastic band of his boxers, curling your fingers into the fabric and pulling it down. The warm trailer air felt cool against his exposed skin, sending a shiver down his spine.

He can’t tear his eyes away from you as your face comes level with his soft cock, completely transfixed by the sight of you burying your nose in his trimmed balls. The faint scent of sweat mingles with the musky aroma of his skin, creating a heady fragrance that fills your nostrils. You breathe it in deeply, your mind turning into mush by the primal and raw essence that was so uniquely Eddie.

The crease between Eddie’s eyebrows returns, and a sharp breath escapes him when you nuzzle closer, the warmth of your breath sending a shiver racing across his silky skin, tracing delicate patterns that make his balls tighten slowly. The sensation leaves his fingers curling tightly against the couch cushion beside him.

Then, with a confidence that steals the air of his lungs, you rest your cheek against the underside of his cock and draw in a slow breath. The familiar scent of him settles around you – clean skin, traces of soap, and something unmistakably Eddie beneath it all.

Eddie wasn’t the first boyfriend you’d ever had, nor the first guy you’d been involved with, but he was the first one who genuinely seemed to care about his hygiene. Daily showers, the occasional spritz of cologne, and a level of self-maintenance that never went unnoticed. How could you not be obsessed with him?

His cock twitches against your face, betraying his nervous anticipation. For now, though, you ignore it, content to linger exactly where you are, committing every detail of the moment to memory.

“You always smell so good, Eds,” you hum against his skin, sounding soft and content. Your eyebrows knit together ever so slightly as you nuzzle closer, eyelashes fluttering when you draw in another slow breath.

Eddie’s breath hitches as your lips trail feather-light kisses along his hardening length. Each touch sends tiny sparks of pleasure racing through his veins, stoking the fire burning low in his belly. When you reach his balls, lavishing them with tender pecks, he can’t hold back a low groan.

Your fingers dance across the silky skin of his sack, exploring and caressing. The dual sensation of your lips and hands working in tandem is maddening, driving him to the brink of desperation. His cock throbs urgently, now fully hard, aching for more direct attention. But he doesn’t dare voice the plea lodged in his throat – not yet. He needs to see how far you’ll take this teasing exploration.

Your eyes are glossy with anticipation as they trail up to his face, watching every flicker of emotion that crosses his features. Your lips continue to brush soft kisses against the sensitive skin of his cock, lingering just enough to make his breath hitch again. Slowly, you part your lips, wetting them with a swipe of your tongue before lowering your mouth back to his balls. Spit glistens against his skin as you pull away, your gaze never quite leaving his as you bring your lips back to him, this time giving him a delicate yet determined suck.

He’s so captivated by the sight of you – so enraptured by his scent and his taste, your pupils are blown wide and cheeks warm with arousal against his sack. Eddie’s hips twitch upwards, seeking more of that delicious friction you teased him with. His cock juts out proudly, flushed an angry red and leaking with pre-cum. He’s aching, desperate for you to just do something, but holds himself back, wanting to prolong this moment you for as long as you needed.

Eddie lets his head fall back against the couch for a brief moment before straightening up again, unable to keep his eyes off you for long. His curls shift with the sudden movement, and his chest rises and falls with a slightly uneven rhythm. Slowly, he brings a ringed hand to your cheek, his thumb brushing gently across your skin.

“Jesus, sweetheart,” he murmurs, his brows pulling together as he looks down at you. “You’re killing me here.”

“’M sorry, Eds,” you mumble with a small, shy smile tugging at your lips before pressing another kiss to his cock.

He lets out a shaky breath when he notices the way your eyes turn glossy, almost as though you were getting drunk on his scent alone. The sight sends a warmth curling low in his chest that spreads all the way down to his feet.

Your fingers twitch against him before drifting across the base of his cock, slow and absent-minded. Then you lean in again, pressing another sloppy kiss to him, your attention fixed entirely on him.

Eddie lets out a shaky breath when he notices the glazed, almost dreamy look in your eyes, like you’re getting drunk on nothing more than him. You rest your head against his thigh and slowly open your lips to take him into your mouth, the wet heat engulfing his sensitive tip. A deep, guttural moan rumbles from his chest at the sensation, his lips twitching and accidentally pushing more of his length past your lips.

“Sorry, baby,” he breathes out, dragging his free hand through his messy curls.

You hum as your tongue swirls around him, lapping at the milky pearl of pre-cum beading at his slit. Each lazy suck and pull sends jolts of pleasure shooting down his spine as he tangles his fingers in your hair, gripping lightly but not urging you to quicken your pace.

You shift awkwardly between his legs, almost wincing at the uncomfortable pool of arousal that started to seep into your panties. Reaching for him, you trail your free hand across the couch until your fingers find his, quietly threading them together as you take him deeper into your mouth with a deep sigh leaving your nostrils.

“You’re taking me so well, baby. So good f’me, hm?”

The grip on your hair tightens just slightly with your lips stretched taut around his girth, fighting the urge to thrust into the velvety confinement of your mouth. With a broken moan, he arches into you, chasing the pleasure without shoving more of his cock into your throat. The coil of tension in his lower belly winds tighter with each pass of your mouth, threatening to snap at any moment.

Eddie watches, transfixed, as you let go of his hand to trail it down your body until it disappears beneath your — his, actually — oversized shirt. The sight of you touching yourself, lost in the pleasure of his cock, is almost too much for him to bear. You slowly circle your clit a few times before you trail lower until your fingertips find your sloppy slit. The obscene squelch of your fingers dipping into your messy cunt fills the living room, mingling with the lewd pops and slurps and sighs of your mouth on his cock.

“Are you–” he groans and closes his eyes for a split second. “Jesus, baby. Are you fucking yourself?”

God, you looked so pretty like this – cheeks warm, your eyes glossy as they stares up at him, your hair slightly dishevelled from the absentminded grip he still had on your hair, drool and affirmative whimpers trickling down on his sack while you desperately fingered yourself. You’re so high on his smell and heavy cock, you grind down on your hand until your velvety walls flutter around your fingers.

Eddie lets go of your hair, petting the crown of your head as his thighs twitch under your face while he lets you work his cock in lazy yet greedy sucks and licks.

“Fuck, baby. I’m– I’m about to cum,” he manages to groan out. “Where do you want me, sweetheart?”

You maintain your pace for a few sucks more before you gently pull your head back, breathless from having him down your throat while your fingers continue pumping desperately in and out of your sloppy cunt. Your glossy eyes are still glued to his when your hand wraps softly around his cock. Your fingers look so small around him while you lazily jerk him off.

Eddie doesn’t last long at the vision of you between his twitching legs, one hand tightly wrapped around him while the other still thrusted desperately into yourself, expectant eyes looking back at him and drool pooling under your cheek and onto his thigh.

“Fuckfuckfuck,” he moans out desperately, refusing to close his eyes as he watches each milky white spurt he gave you painting your face until your nose and chin is dripping with his cum.

You straighten yourself up just a little bit and open your mouth, sticking your tongue out to catch the last few ropes of cum and swallowing it down. You place soft kisses against his overstimulated and already softening cock as you let go of him.

But what really gets him is how you remove your sodden fingers out of your pussy and lick them clean, before wiping off his seed from your nose and chin, and bring your cum tainted fingers back into your cunt.

“Jesus, sweetheart,” he groans out almost painfully, his sensitive cock twitching at the sight of you fucking yourself and pushing his cum deep into your pussy. “Look at you; so beautiful and desperate. Are you gonna cum f’me, hm?”

“Fuck, Eddie. I’m–” you cut yourself off as high-pitched whine escapes from your lips.

You don’t dare to look away from him, eyes wide and shiny with desperation, as low curses fall out of your swollen lips when the heat in your lower stomach begins to become too much. Your slick walls clench hard around your fingers, almost hard enough to halt your movements when you finally push yourself over the edge.

With one last high-pitched whimper, you fall back onto his lap, nose brushing against his cock while you try to take deep breaths. His hand finds your hair again, softly brushing strands away from your eyes.

“Pretty baby likes sniffing my cock, hm?” Eddie purrs, his chest still heaving heavily. You blink shyly and hide your face against his cock. “C’mon baby, don’t be shy now.”

His ringed fingers trail down your face until they come to rest beneath your chin. Gently, he tilts your head back, the tip of your nose brushing against his cock as he guides your gaze upwards until your eyes meet his once more.

“You know you could’ve asked me for this sooner, right?” he whispers as his fingers brush down your face.

“I-I didn’t know if you’d be up for it,” you whisper back.

Eddie’s dark brown eyes glimmer with affection as he looks down at you. A soft smile tugs at the corner of his lips, warm and impossibly fond.

“I want everything that you want,” he murmurs, his gaze lingering on your face. “I love you.”

The confession makes heat bloom across your cheeks. Unable to hold his gaze for long, you hide your face against his thigh again.

“I love you too, Eds,” you mumble, your words muffled against him.

The best part is you’re pretty sure it’ll be an even playing field with Eddie. In his crude nature, with sex jokes and innuendos, it was hard to decide whether or not he has but you’re almost certain he hasn’t. 

Almost certain. 

“Are you a virgin?” You ask, words spilling from your lips before you can stop them. 

“What?” He laughs. You shrug before realizing that maybe that question is outside of your realm of friendship. Maybe what you actually want to ask him is eons outside of your friendship. 

Sure, you’ve been friends with him for a few years now but you’re not the best of friends. Good enough friends to hang out a couple times a month doing nothing beyond enjoying each other's company, but it’s not like you’re best best friends. 

“If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine. I guess that was super weird for me to ask, sorry.” You say, going back to hiding your face in his book. 

“No— no, not weird at all.” He says with a nervous chuckle. 

You give him a moment to answer the question but he doesn’t. When you peek out from behind the book again, his gaze is fixed forward, stuck in a trance of thought.

“Sorry.” You say again.

“No— don’t be.” He shakes his head, blinking away whatever he was thinking. “I’m um, uh— not really?” He says, adding an inflection to his statement like he’s asking you.

“Not really?” You ask, looking for clarification but he just shrugs. You assume the conversation is done but as soon as you go back to the book, he speaks again. 

“I… have done stuff. You know, a little rub and tug from the hideout’s finest,” He says, making a crude pumping motion with his fist over his guitar covered crotch. “but… to elaborate, uh— no actual penetration, I guess.”

“Penetration?” You say, laughing softly at his choice of words. 

“Yeah… never put it in?” He says again like he’s asking you if it’s an okay answer. 

“Fair enough.” You smile, nodding your head. 

The both of you sit in silence, Eddie shifting uncomfortably in his spot. You expected him to counter ask your question, but he just sits there, fingers drumming on the body of his guitar.

“Why did you ask me that?” He asks with a genuine curiosity, finally breaking the silence. 

“You don’t want to know if I’m a virgin?” You ask, purposefully ignoring his question. 

“Are you?” 

“Yeah.” 

Eddie’s eyebrows rise, hiding beneath his bangs before he comically relaxes himself, putting on an image of indifference. “Oh… me too.” He says coolly.

“So I’ve heard.” You reply, rolling your lips inwards to try and hold back your laugh. You twist in the bed, putting the book down on the floor.

“Why are we talking about this?” He asks quietly, following your lead and setting his guitar down on the bed beside him. 

“Do you… want to…” You ask, trailing off, shrugging your shoulders.

“Want to…?” He asks, sitting up straighter. 

“You know?” You say, raising your eyebrows hoping he says it so you don’t have to. Faux indifference thrown to the wind, his own eyebrows rise once again, eyes going wide in disbelief. 

The silence goes unperturbed until his mouth pulls into a flatline before dropping agape, his eyes narrowing in on you. 

“I think you’re gonna have to spell this one out for me, cause I think I know what you mean, but I am not gonna look like an idiot if I’m thinking something entirely different than what you’re thinking.” He rambles, hands working overtime twisting his rings mindlessly. 

“Do you not want to?” You ask, your eyes flitting to his nervous habits on full display. 

“No I do!” He says a little too loudly, cheeks going red in embarrassment. “But… clarify please cause I really don’t want to be reading this wrong.” He says, flattening his palms on his legs, as he clocks that you’ve noticed his fidgeting. 

“Do you want to have sex with me?” You ask as plain as can be. All of Eddie's fidgeting stops immediately. He freezes, his eyes going wide, and you feel your own nerves pick up.

It takes a moment but when he comes back alive, his eyes finding yours. “You’re not joking right?” He asks, his gaze penetrating so deeply it almost becomes too much.

“I’m not joking.”

“Uh— then… yes.” He says calmly.

“Try not to sound so enthusiastic.” You laugh nervously, feeling uncomfortable in the thick tension of the room.

“Shit— I’m sorry. I’m just— it took me by surprise. But I do! Really do, seriously!”

“Okay then.” You smile, feeling your nerves relax. “Do you want to… now?”

He nods his head vigorously before pausing with a look of defeat. “Shit, yeah I do but Wayne was supposed to be helping a friend fix up their car. He might be home in a few hours.”

“A few hours? Is it… is it gonna take that long?” You laugh.

“Probably not.” He says, cheeks flushing dark red. He starts wringing his hands again, his nervous habits becoming more and more prominent by the second.

“Eddie, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, you can tell me if you don’t want to. I won’t be upset, I swear.” You say, sitting up straighter to look at him. 

“No— no god no. I mean yes— I do. I want to. I just— fuck, I didn’t think we’d be doing this today.” He says, eyes flickering over the room before meeting you with a sheepish smile. 

“Should I take my clothes off?” You ask, toying at the hem of your shirt. 

“Oh shit— yeah. Yeah, and I’ll take mine off?” He asks, grabbing at the hem of his own shirt. 

“Yeah. I think so.” You smile, pulling your shirt off. 

“I’m just gonna— yeah, just gonna move this first.” He says, picking up his guitar and pushing himself up off the bed. When he turns from hanging it up, he stops, eyes flickering over your shirtless body. Trying not to lose your nerve, you quickly unclasp your bra, pulling it down your arms, and dropping it off the side of the bed. Eddie’s unwavering eye contact with your chest makes your skin heat, playing on your nerves, especially since he's stood in the middle of his room not saying anything.

“Eddie.” You say, folding your arms over your chest. 

“Right.” He mumbles, jumping into action, pulling his own shirt over his head. He moves quickly to unbutton and unzip his pants and with a deep breath, you shimmy out of your own, pushing them off the edge of the bed. 

“Underwear too?” He asks, still standing in the middle of his room.

“I guess.” You laugh.

“Right. Stupid question.” He says, shaking his head. You watch as his hands go to his boxers and within a blink he’s pushing them down until they pool around his feet, his hard length becoming your main focus as it bobs against his lower belly. You take in the sight of him, still standing in the middle of his room, naked. Your eyes linger on his erection until his hands cover it. 

“Sorry.” You mumble shyly, shifting on the bed to tug down your own underwear. 

“Don’t be sorry.” He says, clearing his throat. 

“Are you going to come over here or…” You ask, dropping your underwear to land in the pile of your other discarded clothes. 

“Yeah.” He says, swallowing harshly. He steps to the edge of the bed, about to climb on until he stops. “Condom, uh— gimme a minute.” He says, eyes darting around the room. “I have one somewhere, just…” He mumbles as he bounds for his desk.

With his back turned, you let your eyes rake over him. He’s cute, very cute. His nerves are endearing; however, Eddie’s always been brash, you didn’t expect him to be so jittery. In a weird way, you like it, because it’s distracting you from a lot of your own nerves. You trust him, entirely. You’ve never not trusted him.

He opens drawer after drawer scrambling through his belongings until proudly holding up the little silver square.

“Right, good.” You say, trying to sound casual. 

“Are you okay, like, do you need anything?” He asks, stumbling his way back to the bed over his messy floor. 

“No, I’m good. Just need you, I guess.” You say, motioning down to his crotch, cringing at yourself for saying it like that. 

“Right. I’ll… put this on then.” He replies. He settles on the bed beside you, pausing before tearing open the condom package. He pauses again.

“Do you need me to… help?” You offer, hoping you don’t sound as dumb as you think you do.

“Uh, I’m good. I think, just— slide it on there.” Eddie says, rambling as he fumbles with the condom. “Just like… that. There. Okay.” He coaches himself, turning his upper body towards you when it’s finally on.

“Do you wanna…?” You ask, motioning for him to get on top of you. 

“Yeah, sure, yeah.” He rambles, pushing himself up. You spread your thighs for him, his hips fitting between your bent knees. His movements are awkward, which you also didn’t expect from Eddie. Normally, he’s clumsy but he’s very forthcoming, very sure of himself. You're used to the way he thrashes through life, kind of like a bull in a china shop, but right now he’s tiptoeing, treading very lightly.

“Should I put my arms here?” He asks leaning forward so a hand rests on the bed next to your head.

“However you’re comfortable.” You say softly, trying to coax some of his nervousness away.

“Let me… just… figure this out.” He rambles again, adjusting his body first with both hands caging you in, then switching back to just one, before leaning back and resting on his knees.

It takes you a minute, but you clue in that every adjustment is centered around the least physical contact between the two of you. “You can touch me, Eddie.” You say, hoping he’ll ease into the moment.

“Right. Yeah of course.” He says, shaking his head. He tentatively lets his hands find your bent knees. His touch is feather light, obviously unsure.

“Should I just…” He asks, looking down between where your bodies almost meet. His eyes linger between your thighs, hands gripping harder on your knees, and it makes your belly flip. A good flip, more like a flutter. You like how his eyes become darker, and his mouth slightly drops. It’s cute. He’s cute. 

“I’m ready when you are.” You exhale, trying not to laugh as his eyes glaze over in a dazed look, still focused between your legs.

“I’m ready, so if you’re ready.” He replies mindlessly, still not looking up. 

“Eddie, you can put it in.” You laugh softly. His eyes finally flicker to you, catching your smile, and he mirrors it as best as he can, albeit with a blush of pink across his cheeks for being caught staring so long. 

“Right… I’ll do that.” He replies. He takes his length in his hand, running his fist up and down once. It’s a casual action, practiced, and you get a glimpse of what Eddie’s really like without the jumbled nerves. 

He leans in the slightest bit and you feel the tip of his head prod at your slit, sliding down slowly. He works himself down, parting your slit until he’s resting just at your opening. You think he might start pushing in, but he pauses, keeping himself entirely still. 

“Uh— sorry but, this is the hole right?” He asks, cheeks flaring red.

You don’t blame him, there is a lot going on down there and you know he just wants to be sure. He's being careful, asking questions when he’s unsure, he doesn’t want to hurt you, but it still makes your face turn the tiniest bit hotter because of the intimacy you’re not used to. 

“That’s the one.” You say awkwardly, moving your own hand down to your center to help guide him. 

Before you can even wrap your hand around him, he interrupts you, making you draw your hand back. 

“Wait do we— I don’t have lube or anything.” He says, eyes flitting to yours. 

“Maybe… spit? That’s what other people use, right?” You offer with a shrug.

“Yeah… I’ll just…” He says before dribbling over you. Missing completely, his glob of spit lands on your lower stomach making you laugh. He looks embarrassed at first, but as he watches you laugh, his lips slowly break into a smile before he eases into his own laughter. 

“Why are we being so awkward? We’re friends, this is fine, right?” You say, exhaling, trying to compose yourself from your laughter.

“Yeah, we’re friends… having sex.” He says with a heavy exhale.

“I’m still me and you’re still you, we don’t need to be nervous.” You say, looking into Eddie’s eyes. He nods, taking another deep breath and letting it out and you can feel some of his nerves leave him. He nods again and you smile at him. 

“I’m still me, you’re still you.” Eddie echoes. He takes a final deep breath before looking at you, returning a flash of a smile. 

You spit in your hand, bringing it to your core, getting yourself wet. You motion for Eddie to come closer and when he does, you wrap your fingers around him enough to line him up with your entrance. 

“Okay, so just push in. But slow please.” You guide. 

“Slow, got it.” He replies, hips beginning to move towards you.

He takes your words to heart, pushing in extremely slow. So slowly, you aren’t even sure if he’s moving, apart from the noises he’s trying to hold back— and there’s a lot of them, which must mean he’s getting something from this. 

You move your hand to his hip, pulling him towards you and he moves a little faster at your guidance. You start to feel a pinch, then it turns into a stretch. He continues pushing in slowly, the stretch turning to a very mild burn.

“Are you almost in?” You ask, squeezing your eyes closed.

“Almost, like another inch, maybe?” He says, hand squeezing your knee.

“Okay— good.” You breathe.

“Are you okay?” He asks, movements stilling.

“Just stings, but keep going.” You say, trying to unclench the muscles you keep tensing by accident. He complies, pushing into you slowly again.

His hips finally press flush against yours and Eddie stills. Looking up at him, you see his mouth working back and forth, eyes glancing over your body like he’s trying not to look too hard or too long at any particular spot. You’re about to tell him that he can touch you again but his mouth opens, sucking in a breath like he’s about to say something. 

“You’re really warm. Like… inside.” He says. His voice sounds strangled but you can tell he’s trying to come across as casual. You can’t help but laugh.

This is what you wanted. It’s easy. You feel comfortable enough to laugh. You trust Eddie and despite his nerves, he’s doing a good job. 

With your hand on his hip, you keep him still, giving yourself time to adjust, and he complies, taking deep breaths that you subconsciously align your own breathing to. 

When the sting relaxes into a dull ache, you take a final deep breath before relaxing your grip on Eddie.

“Okay, you can move, Eddie.” You say, pushing against his hip. He looks up at you long enough to nod, before moving his eyes back down to your center.

He pulls out slowly, just a touch faster than he pushed in and it’s such a foreign feeling to you. It’s on the cusp of being something you might enjoy… but not quite there. 

When he pushes back in, it’s a little quicker and you get the same almost pleasure feeling. 

“Fuck.” Eddie groans, hands squeezing harshly on your knees.

“It’s okay?” You ask. The tone of his voice catches you off guard. You’ve never heard Eddie sound like that before.

“Y-yeah. You’re really tight.” He says in that same tone. It’s deep, it’s raspy, and he sounds out of breath. It’s hot. Your stomach twirls, and you watch his face as it contorts in pleasure, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth and his brows pinched harshly together. 

He looks like he’s really enjoying it, but… apart from seeing him like this, you aren’t.

You shift your hips, trying to find any ounce of pleasure but if anything, it just feels like he’s prodding at you. Not uncomfortable but definitely not pleasurable.

“Eddie, does this… feel good for you?” You ask tentatively. You know the answer, you can tell by the way his breathing has turned into little pants but you figure there must be something you’re missing. You can’t help but feel a pinch of jealousy that it feels that good for him. 

“Fuck. Yeah, feels really good.” He groans, his thrusts slowly picking up in pace. 

You lay still, watching Eddie thrust in and out of you. The image of him, face contorted in pleasure, and all the breathy little gasps spilling from him makes a hint of heat pool in your lower stomach, but this isn’t at all like you thought how sex would feel. 

Maybe your next question comes out a little mean, but his radiating pleasure taunts you. It’s juvenile, but you can’t help but think how it’s not fair.

“Aren’t you gonna ask me if it feels good?” You watch as Eddie’s mouth drops open even further, his chest rising and falling harshly. His eyes squeeze shut and you aren’t even sure if he heard you. 

“I’m gonna cum— shit. I’m sorry. I can’t- f-fuck.” He groans, his thrust becoming uneven, stuttering against you. 

“Oh.” You say quietly. His thrusts are short and shallow until his movement still, cock pulsing inside you. 

And just like that, it’s over. 

“Jesus Christ.” Eddie groans, his hold on your knees becoming almost bruising. You feel a little more heat pool in your core seeing Eddie come undone but at this point, you know it’s over.

You continue laying still, watching Eddie’s face slowly unwind, eyes fluttering open. He pulls out, moving his way to lay back beside you on the bed, his breathing still harsh and ragged.

You watch as his head hits the pillow, eyes closing as he sucks in a deep breath, exhaling it harshly. His eyes open again, meeting your gaze. 

“That was— holy shit.” He says breathily.

“Yeah?” You ask, trying not to sound disappointed because that most definitely was not ‘holy shit’ to you. Quite frankly… that was just shit. You’re not upset, not in the slightest, just jealous. Envious that it was so easy for him and not you. It’s irrational, and you know you shouldn’t be mad at him, but it doesn’t stop the bud of spite inside of you. 

“Did that— sorry. Was that good for you?” He asks, head tilting towards you. 

“No.” You say flatly. Your eyes go wide at your answer because you most definitely didn’t mean to say that, it just slipped without thinking. 

And as you watch his face fall, every ounce of jealousy, envy, spite, anything you were feeling just seconds ago leaves you entirely, being replaced with regret for that one little word. You shouldn’t have said that. 

Eddie was nervous. He was shy. He was tentative. Gentle. Careful. Respectful. 

It was endearing. You found him cute. 

You wanted it to be with Eddie because you trust him. He did everything you wanted. 

It was his first time too.

“Oh” He says, eyes going round with disappointment. 

“No! I mean it was fine. You did good Eddie, we’re no longer virgins!” You say excitedly, trying to fix your slip of the tongue. You smile but his face falls flat. You feel your heart pang as he deflates in front of you. 

“Yeah… I’m sorry. Maybe— uh… I don’t know. I’m sorry.” He says quietly, hand raising to his face, rubbing aggressively over his mouth and chin. You can tell he’s not buying your cover up and you genuinely feel bad.

“Don’t worry about it, Eddie. It was just the first time. I'm sure it’ll get better?” You say, trying to fix the sad look in his eyes but it only gets worse.

“That bad, huh?” He asks, and his demeanor breaks your heart. You should have kept your mouth shut.

“Don’t feel bad!” You say, sitting up to get a better look at him.

“Fuck— I’m so sorry.” He huffs, hand going back to rubbing over his jaw.

“No, don’t be sorry! It can only go up from here, right!” You try your best to fix your mistake but it’s not working. 

“It was that bad.” He groans, hiding his face in his hands. 

“Eddie, please don’t feel bad.” You say, moving to be able to fully look at him. “I wanted to lose my virginity to you because I trust you, Eddie. And it was perfect in that sense. You didn’t hurt me at all, and I really, really don’t want you to feel bad.” You say genuinely. You let your hand rest on his arm, trying to pull his hands away from his face.

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” He says again, palms pressing harder into his eyes despite you trying to pull them away.

“Eddie. I’m so serious. I wanted it to be with you for a reason. Please, please, don’t feel bad.” You try a final time.

He stays, hands covering his face for a while and you don’t know what else you could say to make it better so instead, you opt for getting dressed. Even when you shift on the bed, he doesn’t move.

It only takes a few minutes for you to be fully dressed. He laid still the whole time, hands pressed to his eyes, and you’re convinced he fell asleep.

“Maybe I should go?” You whisper quietly. His hands fly away from his face, eyes widening. His gaze takes you in, realizing that you’re fully dressed and he sits up quickly.

“You don’t have to.” He rushes out, his wide eyed gaze meeting yours.

“I probably should, right? It’s getting late.”

“Right…” He agrees sitting up. “I can drive you, if you want?”

“It’s nice out, I can walk.” You offer.

“I'll drive you, just give me a minute.” He replies, brushing off your comment.

“Sure.” You say politely, grabbing your bag from the floor.

You wait for him in the living room and it’s only a few minutes before he’s fully dressed. Wordlessly, you both go outside, and get in the van.

After a silent ride, he parks in front of your house.

“Eddie, I’m sorry. I feel like I ruined your first time.” You say.

“Shit. You have nothing to feel sorry about. I’m the only one who should be sorry.” He says, huffing an almost laugh.

“Don’t be sorry. Eddie, I told you already. I trust you and because of that it was a great first time.” 

Eddie shrugs, not accepting your sentiment. 

“I’ll see you?” You ask quietly.

“Yeah, see you.” He nods.

‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹

It's been just over a week since you and Eddie slept together. A week of radio silence. Sure, it’s not like you two hung out everyday before, but you thought that, maybe, that might be different after you slept together. But nope. 

You waited a while to call, trying to give him space since that night didn't exactly end as you hoped. While you waited, you hoped he would call, but he didn’t. 

Eventually, you ended up calling, but you got his uncle, who said Eddie’s been busy the last few days and he hasn’t seen him much. Later that night, Eddie called, but your mom answered since you were staying at a friend's house. You called again yesterday, Eddie wasn’t home. You had expected him to call that night but he didn’t. And you’ve been thinking about it all day since it’s summer vacation, your parents aren’t home, and you just have a lot of time.

When there's a knock at the door you fully expected it to be a salesman or jehovah witness, but you were surprised to see Eddie. You didn't even have a chance to speak before his hand was on the door, pushing it open as wide as it could go.

“I want to try again.” He says, a slight breathiness to his voice as if he just rushed his way over here.

“What?” You ask confusedly.

“I want to try again.” He says a little louder before shrinking a little. “If you’ll let me, I mean. Only if it’s okay with you.”

“You… want to try again?” You ask, finally clueing in to what he’s talking about.

“Yeah. I feel fucking bad that I came—” He stops himself, turning around, looking to the street. “Can I explain inside?” He says, wincing slightly. 

You usher him inside, spotting your neighbor on their porch and you pray to god they didn’t hear Eddie and if they did, they remain oblivious to what he was getting at. 

As soon as the door is shut, Eddie’s speaking again.

“I meant to start with an apology.” He says, voice softer and less breathless.

“Eddie, I really don’t want to hear you apologize again. It was fine.”

“It wasn’t.” He states, raising his brows. He relaxes into sincerity, meeting your gaze. “I want to apologize for what happened after.” He says, pausing for any objections from you. You let him continue. “You were being really nice about it and I… I was being selfish. You already didn’t enjoy yourself, and then I made it your job to make me feel better about it. That was really shitty of me.” 

“I felt bad, you know. It was your first time too.” You shrug.

“But you shouldn’t have had to coddle me like that. It wasn’t fair to you. I’m sorry.” He says softly. You can tell he’s genuinely sorry for it and you really do appreciate it. You nod, and he rolls his lips inwards, nodding back. 

“Thank you.” You say. He nods again.

The room stills, the both of you in silence. You can tell Eddie wants to keep talking. 

“So… outside you were saying?” You lead, prompting him. He catches your eye, smiling appreciatively for you being the one to break the silence.

“I was saying outside that I feel terrible that I came so quickly and it wasn’t good for you and I want to try again.. if you’ll let me.” He blunders out. 

You raise your brows. This is more like the Eddie you know. Straight forward, to the point. 

“I um— I don’t know what to say.” You laugh softly. You do feel a hint of apprehension. You’ve already accepted that the sex was bad but the part that really got you was what happened after. Not his sulking, but after you left. The not talking part. That was the last thing you wanted to come from this.

Despite your feelings, you can’t help but light up a bit at Eddie’s enthusiasm. His eyes are wild with it. 

“You don’t have to say yes. But I did a fuck ton of research and look—” he says pulling out a folded piece of lined paper from his back pocket, starting to uncrumple it. “I took notes and everything. I want to do it right, so if you’ll let me…”

“You took… notes?” You ask amusedly. He holds the paper out to you and you cautiously take it.

“Yeah. I’m dedicated to this. I told you, I feel fucking terrible. I should have listened more, asked you questions, done so many things differently. So I just— I don’t know.” He says shrugging, hands wringing themselves.

You glance down at the paper to see his scribbled writing covering every inch of the paper. Your eyes gravitate to a very technical diagram of a vagina that he drew out. 

“I don’t want to look at this.” You laugh, shoving the paper back to Eddie. 

“Shit, sorry.” He laughs nervously. He goes pink in the face. Not exactly out of nerves like before, but more so flustered. It’s cute.

You can’t help but bite. 

“So… what exactly did research entail?” You ask, holding back your smile.

“I went to the library first. Looked at some books there. Read some magazines… asked a few people.”

“People?” You question worriedly.

“No— no don’t worry! I didn’t tell them it was you or anything. It was mostly just books and magazines that I read, I swear. I just wanted to make sure some things were actually true.”

“And… you really want to do this?” You ask. You're intrigued and his effort is very endearing. You did say that it could only get better…

“Yes! But only if you’re comfortable with it. Doing it once was generous— so if you say no, I understand.”

“Generous?” You laugh.

“Yeah. Like, that was a cool thing to do, you know?” He shrugs, cheeks flaring. 

“Cool?” You laugh again.

“Yeah.” He replies, cracking a smile.

Your eyes gravitate to the sheet of paper in his hand. You don’t really have anything to lose, right? You’ve done it before and if he really is dedicated to this like he says he is… might as well give it a shot?

“Yes.” You say firmly, your mind made up.

“Yes?”

“Let's try again.” You exhale.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I mean, I didn’t do any research but… if you’re okay with that, my answer’s yes.” 

Eddie perks up, eyes becoming filled with excitement. He looks at his sheet of notes for a moment before his gaze finds yours again. 

“Do you have a calendar?” He asks plainly. 

“A calendar, Eddie? What?” You ask, feeling confused all over again.

“I just… yeah. Just like a regular calendar.” He shrugs.

“In my room.” You lead him upstairs, pulling the calendar down from your wall and handing it over.

“Okay, thank you. And when was your last period?” He asks, laying the calendar down flat on your desk, fingers drumming over the dates.

“My last period, Eddie, what the fuck?” You laugh.

“No, seriously. If you’re ovulating it’s supposed to be better, so last period was…?” He says, fingers gliding over the calendar.

“Like two— three-ish weeks ago?” You say, pointing at the general days on the calendar. 

“Okay, okay. Just gimme a minute.” He says, flattening his notes down on the surface next to the calendar. “Alright, so if this was the first day of your period, then you should be ovulating? Or almost ovulating?” He says, fingers sliding along the weeks, counting quietly under his breath. 

“Eddie, it sounds like you’re trying to get me pregnant.” You laugh nervously.

“No! No, I swear to god, no! I just- I read that it’s supposed to feel better for you during that week, so, like, now would be a really good time for me to… you know, try to make you feel good.” He says, eyes going wide as he turns towards you, looking the slightest bit mortified.

“Oh…” you respond, brows raised as you try not to laugh in his face. It’s endearing it really is, but… this boy is so odd. “Alright then.” You nod, your lips tugging into a smile. 

“Yeah. So I can check that off.” He says, grabbing a pencil from your desk and physically checking off one of his notes. “So next, is foreplay.”

“Foreplay?” You parrot, laughing in disbelief.

“Yeah. I think that’s where I really fucked up last time. I mean, I didn’t even kiss you, for christ sake. And I didn’t touch you at all before, so yeah. Foreplay.” He says, exhaling harshly.

“You want to kiss me?” You ask nervously. Your heart picks up as your gaze flickers to his lips.

“I mean, yeah.” He says, going shy. “But I didn’t know if you would have wanted me to cause we’re not… you know, together.” He shrugs his shoulders.

“You could have kissed me.” You smile at him, your stomach going fluttery at the thought. 

“Really?” He asks in disbelief. 

“Yeah.” You affirm, feeling your cheeks heat up.

“Cool.” He nods slowly, smiling.

“So.. are you going to?” You ask, sheepishly. He meets your gaze, eyes slowly lowering to your lips. He nods his head, stepping closer to you.

When your eyes flutter closed, you feel his lips press against yours, soft as a feather.

He pulls away and you almost think it’s over until he pulls you back in, hands on your waist, bringing you closer to him. His lips meet yours again and it’s entirely different from the first. His lips work against yours and it leaves you dazed, struggling to keep up with the unexpected, but it’s perfect.

His hands still on your waist, he guides you to lean against your desk, his body pulled flush to yours. His hands rub up and down your sides slowly, adding to your fluttery dizziness. 

The kiss deepens, his tongue licking along your lower lip and you part your mouth. He’s gentle with you, tongue imploringly licking into your mouth, almost as if he’s testingly seeing what you like best. It gives you butterflies, something you’ve tried to not dwell on getting from Eddie in the past.

His hand trails up your waist, taking purchase on your jaw, guiding your mouth against his until his kisses slow, his lips meeting the edge of your mouth before trailing down the side of your face.

You swallow harshly before speaking. “That was really good.” You say, clearing your voice. You practically feel Eddie’s lips turn up in a smile against your jaw.

“Yeah?” He asks breathily against your skin. 

“Yeah. I think your research is working so far.” You say, squeezing your eyes shut as his kisses trail down your neck. 

You open your eyes when the kisses stop and you feel him pull away. 

“Yeah?” He asks excitedly, making eye contact with you. His gaze is a combination of shock, disbelief, and amusement and it’s adorable. It pulls on all of your heart strings at once.

The attentiveness, effort, the everything from right now mixes with everything from before. Gentle, careful, respectful, you trust him. You trust him and you think he’s cute, endearing, adorable, and you want him.

“Keep going.” You say, your own voice going breathy.

“Right.” He mumbles, face pressing against your neck again. 

You bring your hand to the back of his head, fingers entwining in his hair. As soon as you do, you feel a nip of teeth that makes you gasp. He cleverly soothes the area with his tongue after, making a whimper rise in your throat that surprises you when it falls from your lips.

“Eddie, who’d you get that from?” You whisper curiously, voice sounding pathetically whimpery. 

“Dunno, s’just something I picked up.” He replies, pulling away enough for his breath to fan over your damp skin, giving you shivers. 

He nips again, chasing it with a harsh suck that makes your head spin. You can’t help but feel like he’s showing off now but you don’t care, you let him. He has you at a place where you’re his for the bending, malleable in his hands. 

“W-what’s next on your list?” You stutter through his kisses.

“Not done with this yet.” He says, voice gravelly and low. You nod your head, not bothering to try to speak again.

His kisses work lower and lower until they meet the neckline of your shirt. You feel his fingers on your hip playing with the hem of your shirt, tugging and lifting it just enough to get your attention. You nod again, wanting it off.

“Eddie.” You whine, pushing your chest against his when he doesn’t do it right away.

He pulls away from you again, and when he looks at you, he looks surprised. 

“What?” You question, feeling embarrassed.

“N-no! Nothing, that was just.. really hot. Wasn’t expecting that s’all.” He stutters, both hands now on your waist, rubbing up and down.

You feel your face burn, feeling shy all of a sudden. You know he picks it up because his eyes focus on you, pausing everything.

“D’you want me to keep going?” He asks, and you nod your head.

“Want you to take my shirt off.” You whisper.

“Yeah?” He laughs.

“Eddie.” You whine, feeling embarrassed at how much he’s affecting you.

“C’mon let’s get your shirt off, pretty girl.” He coos and you feel your stomach flutter. His hands lower to the hem of your shirt, tugging it up and you raise your arms cooperatively. 

“You think I’m pretty?” You ask just as the shirt pulls over your head.

“Hell yeah. I think you’re beautiful.” He says, stopping to look into your eyes as he says it. You lower your gaze, fixing it on your shirt in Eddie’s hands.

“Which is another thing I fucked up last time, by the way.” He adds, dipping his face to meet your gaze.

“Hm?” You hum, head spinning too fast to keep up.

“Last time. I didn’t tell you how fucking beautiful you are.” He says. His eyes flutter over your face, hand moving to tuck your hair behind your ear. “I didn’t know if you wanted me to, so I didn’t. But believe me, I thought about it.” He says, dipping his face down to press a chaste kiss to your shoulder. 

“Eddie.” You reply not knowing what else to say. Your heart beats faster and it’s all consuming, adding sweet to your ever growing list of things you like about Eddie. He’s always been sweet, but this feels bigger, and it makes your heart squeeze.

“Want me to take this off?” He asks, fingertips sliding under the strap of your bra. 

“Please.” You whisper, using all the air left in your lungs to muster the single plea.

His fingers trail behind your back, tickling you along the way until they reach the clasp, unfastening it hook by hook, letting it fall to the floor.

“You’re so fucking beautiful. So perfect. Wish I had said it the first time.” He says lowly, between kisses on your shoulders.

You hum, both because you don’t know what else to say and also because you are so fully absorbed by Eddie. You watch him as his kisses get lower on your collarbones

“S’this okay?” He asks, kisses stopping before reaching your chest.

“Uh-huh.” You breathe. Your hands move the back of his head again, tugging him lower until his kisses meet your chest. His hands rise tentatively until they press against the roundness of your breasts. Another moan falls from your lips and that spurs him on enough to more confidently massaging you, adding kisses to the mix.

“C-can we lay down.” You stutter, trying to catch your breath. 

“Anything you want, pretty girl.” He replies, continuing his kisses. He guides you, taking steps backwards to the bed, turning you so the backs of your knees hit the mattress.

You lay down and he follows, hovering over you more comfortably than last time. 

You close your eyes, absorbing the weight of Eddie on top of you, and you feel hot everywhere. It’s completely contradictory to last time and he still has every piece of clothing on. Before you can even think of asking him to take off his clothes, you're startled by the wet, hot feeling of his mouth on your nipple. 

“Eddie.” You moan. Embarrassment isn’t a feeling you can harbor anymore, Eddie has you so entranced. Your chest rises and falls harshly, panting as his tongue swirls around your sensitive nipple. You feel like your skin’s prickling and your heads empty, the only thing that exists right now is you and Eddie. 

He switches, paying the same attention to your other breast and you spread your legs further, letting Eddie fall closer to you, hips pressing against yours. 

“Want clothes off.” You whimper, his teeth grazing before sucking harshly on the delicate skin.

“Mine or yours.” He mumbles, words vibrating against your chest and you’re sure you’re covered in goosebumps.

“Both, Eddie.” You moan. 

He makes quick work of pulling his shirt over his head. His hands go to the button of your shorts, stopping to look at you first. 

“I want to try something first, if that’s okay?” He says, dipping down to meet your gaze. 

“Eddie.” You whine, not caring the slightest, you can only think of wanting your clothes off. 

“I can take these off?” 

“Take them off.” You reply, getting impatient. He watches you, and he still looks surprised. You bring your own hands down, and it sets him in motion, popping the button open and pulling them down your legs. 

“Baby, you’re doing okay?” He asks, as he tosses your shorts to the side.

“M’doin’ good Eddie, keep going please.” You breathe, squirming on the mattress. 

“Fuck, okay.” He replies, voice gravely again. He tugs your underwear down, tossing them to the floor and begins shifting backwards on the bed. It surprises you, pulling you out of your spinning daze as he disappears between your legs.

“Eddie, what are you doing?” You ask, sitting up slightly.

“M’gonna eat you out. That okay?” He asks, lifting his head to look back at you. You’re obviously familiar with the term, but you’ve never had anyone do it to you before, making his actions unexpected. You don’t know what you thought he was gonna do, but it wasn’t that.

You lay back down on the mattress, exhaling deeply.

“Hey? Is it okay? I don’t have to.” He says softly, getting your attention. His hand finds yours, intertwining your fingers.

“You can.” You reply nervously. He squeezes your hand.

“We can stop anytime, okay?” He says, eyes searching yours and making it clear that he means it. 

Trust is starting to seem more like an understatement. All of the good things you like about Eddie, you’ve always liked about him. Maybe it’s the way your head is spinning or maybe it’s just how Eddie’s always been, but you get a burning feeling for him. Not a desire or a neediness born from the heat of the moment, but like an adoration, like a particular thump of your heart exists just for him. 

“Okay” you reply, nodding your head.

Still holding your hand, he lowers himself again. His breath reaches your cunt and you feel shivers erupt up and down your spine, excitement blooming in your belly. 

“Just gonna ask you one thing, okay? Need your help a little, just tell me what you like, gotta tell me what feels good, okay?” He says softly, popping up once again to look at you. 

You nod, squeezing his hand, and he lowers his head again.

Your whole body jerks as you feel his tongue lick up your core. It’s wet and hot and something you’ve never felt before.

“Holy shit.” You gasp, squeezing his hand again. 

“Good or bad?” He asks from between your legs.

“Do it again.” 

He does it again and it’s good. Definitely good. 

“Good, Eddie. Really good.” You reply breathily. He squeezes your hand in acknowledgement before his tongue is on you again. The warm heat of his breath and his tongue meet your slit, licking up, parting your folds and catching on your clit, making you jolt again. 

When his thumb on the back of your hand starts running back and forth on your skin soothingly, you melt entirely. Relaxing into everything. 

His tongue explores your cunt, lapping up and down before he focuses on your clit, making you gasp. It feels like the almost pleasure you got last time but a million times better. It’s actual pleasure this time, not almost. It tingles all the way up into your belly and you can’t help the way your breathing turns into soft moans.

His tongue swirls around your clit and your mouth drops as your mind reels at the feeling.

“F-fuck.” You gasp when he switches to sucking, making your hips buck against him. “S’really good, Eddie.” You moan.

“You’re so wet this time, baby.” He groans, the vibrations of his words against you making you whimper. The tingles traveling to your belly start to tense, making your breathing turn into quick pants. You want to tell Eddie he’s doing a good job but you can’t get the words out through your gasps, so instead you find purchase on the back of his head with your free hand, tangling your fingers in his hair, hoping he’ll understand.

He switches between lapping at you, flicking his tongue, and sucking your clit. The wet sounds of his mouth against your cunt filling the room, adding to the way your body’s growing impossibly hot, stomach tightening into a tight knot. 

When you feel his fingers at your entrance, you gasp. He squeezes your hand and you squeeze back. 

He pushes in one finger first, it’s similar to the prodding from before but much better with his mouth working against you. 

He works his finger in and out of you before slipping a second in and the slight stretch that comes with it leaves you reeling. You think that feeling alone is fantastic until he curves his fingers upwards into an almost hook shape. 

Prodding turns into straight pleasure as he wiggles his fingers in and out, hitting a place inside of you that leaves you gasping for air.

“Eddie. G-good.” You moan, your stomach tensing harshly. You feel your thighs start to shake as moans, gasps, and whines leave your mouth unwillingly. 

“You're getting really tight.” He hums, lips barely leaving your clit. All you can do is whimper as the vibrations of his voice push you further and further into pleasure. “Baby, you gonna cum?” He hums again. 

You nod your head ferociously not being able to produce words.

“That’s it, cum for me, baby.” He groans between flicks of his tongue. His words travel straight to your stomach adding to the pulsing knot.

Your hips buck insenstantly and you feel like you’ve lost total control of your body. All that you can feel is pleasure rippling through you like waves, hitting an all time high, and you break. You cum, harder than ever before. You’ve tried on your own before and it’s barely been worth noting, but this.. this is earth shattering. 

You feel weightless, floating, all of the tension leaving your body. It’s magnificent, perfect, it feels like you’re in a dream. The only thing that tethers you to reality, is Eddie’s hand in yours and the way his thumb gently pushes into the back of your hand. 

You feel yourself settling down from your high, but as Eddie’s mouth keeps working against you, you feel the edges of your vision go dark. Your body fights with prolonging and pushing away the pleasure as it takes you whole. 

“E-Eddie.” You choke out, squeezing his hand. Your hips buck, and he understands, slowing down.

Sucking in a deep breath, you squeeze his hand again and his motions come to a slow halt. 

You are astounded.

Absolutely astounded. 

You have no words.

You tug him by the hand, you need him closer.

“You okay?” He whispers, as he moves up by your side. You pull him by the hand, willing him to hold you as you turn on your side. He complies, giving you everything you need.

You take steady breaths that help you settle back into your body. It could be seconds, could be minutes, could be hours that pass, but eventually you catch your breath, finally grasping the moment. 

“Holy shit.” You exhale. Holding onto Eddie’s arm wrapped around your stomach.

“Was it good?” He asks nervously. You lean back, turning to lay flat on your back so you can see him.

“Was it good? Eddie, holy shit.” You say, widening your eyes as you take in his nervous features and flushing cheeks. Your eyes trail down to his slick coated face. His lips slowly curl into a smile and fuck, you finally understand how he felt after the first time. 

“It worked?” He laughs. 

You take his face in your hands and you kiss him hard. Yeah, it fucking worked, holy shit.

His tongue licks into your mouth immediately, his slick coated lips giving you a taste of yourself. Keeping your hands on his cheeks, you continue kissing him, tongues working in sync until you can’t keep up.

He kisses you breathless. When your head goes dizzy, all you can focus on is the reemerging pulse between your legs. 

Lowering your hands to his hips, you guide him on top of you. He tries to lift himself, hovering not to put all his weight on you but you need it, so you pull him until he rests flush against your body. 

Your hands explore up his chest, wrapping around his sides until you take purchase on his back, pulling him as close to you as you can.

Through his clothes, you feel his hardened length resting against you, and you roll your hips up looking for relief, making Eddie gasp into your mouth.

You do it again and his mouth stops moving against yours, feeding a whimper right into your lungs. 

“Clothes.” You pull away just enough to whisper, grinding your hips upwards against him. 

Eddie’s lips still against yours, he’s resolved into quickened breaths in and out, breathing into your mouth.

“Want you Eddie.” You whine, not getting enough relief from your grinding. 

“Clothes.” He echoes mindlessly, swallowing harshly. He doesn’t move, so you take to moving your hands down, folding your fingers under his belt, blindly searching for an edge to pull at.

“Take them off.” You say a little louder. 

“Right. Clothes.” He says, finally snapping out of whatever transfixion he was stuck in. 

He pulls away, and you miss the feeling of his chest against yours immediately. You watch as he undoes his belt and pants, pushing both his jeans and boxers down his thighs, struggling to get them off. Eventually, he takes to standing, nearly falling off the edge of your bed, making you giggle. When he finally has them off, he’s quick to resume his position overtop of you. 

“I’m getting ahead of myself. Need to make sure you’re doing good.” He says, blinking back the glazed over look in his eyes. 

“I’m doing so good, Eddie.” You purr, hands trailing up the expanse of his back. 

“Everything feels good? Do you need me to do anything else?” He brings a hand to the edge of your face, pushing your hair back, making your heart flutter and core ache at the same time. 

“Want you inside.” You whisper.

“I can do that.” He laughs breathily. He reaches down to the floor, his body weight laying on top of you as he reaches for his discarded pants. After a bit of fumbling, he sits up again, condom in hand. His hands slip on the packaging until he grows frustrated, ripping the corner of the foil open with his teeth. You feel heat pool in your core at the sight, wanting him more than you’ve ever wanted anything. 

“Eddie, you’re so pretty.” You say breathily, his eyes flicker up to you from his focus as he rolls the condom down his length. You see pink raise on his cheeks as his lips turn up at the corners.

“You think so?”

“Know so. So beautiful and cute and adorable and hot and I want you.” You ramble, feeling absolutely drunk off of how insanely fast he has your head spinning with lust. You want him in a lot of different ways, every way. You raise your hands to his shoulders tugging him closer.

“My pretty girl.” He whispers, dipping his face down to kiss you.

“Yours.” You mumble against his lips right before they meet yours. It rolls off your tongue naturally and it feels right. You’re his. Entirely enraptured by him, entirely swept up by him. 

You can pinpoint the exact moment he processes what you said. He had started kissing you hungrily, then it was like it hit him. His mouth stopped moving against yours, and when you slid a hand up to hold his jawline, his mouth started to move again, but differently. 

The kiss turned sweet, gentle, tender. It turned meaningful and slow, like every touch of his lips against yours and every caress of his tongue had purpose. You indulge yourself in the change of pace until you can't anymore.

“Eddie, please.” 

“I got you, sweet girl.” He whispers.

The sunsetting leaves the two of you in the low golden glow. Eddie’s face illuminates with the light bleeding in through your sheer curtains and your heart beats a little faster as you watch him lean back, his cock in his hand, rubbing his fist up and down his length once before lining it up with your entrance. 

The confidence he holds now, compared to last time, makes you swallow thickly. Last time it was cute and endearing, this time, he works you into pleasure and it leaves you reeling for more. This time he says you’re his, and you agree. You always have been in a way. Trust was a disguise, trust was a front. You like Eddie. You always have. 

“Ready, pretty girl?” He asks, voice low as he stares into your eyes. You feel his head at your entrance and you clench in anticipation.

“Ready.” You chorus, relaxing yourself. It’s literal in the way you relax your muscles, but it’s also metaphorical in the way you open yourself up entirely for him. This isn’t your first time, but it’s the time that matters. It’s the time where he is completely himself and you are completely yourself. It’s everything you wanted and more— more that you didn’t realize you needed until now.

He pushes in and you both sigh in tandem. Your sighs mature into moans as he slowly pushes in, fully bottoming out inside of you.

“Does it hurt?” He asks, voice quiet and carefilled.

“Not like last time.” You answer.

“Sorry, baby.” He whispers, dipping his face to yours, pressing a kiss to your lips. “Sorry it hurt last time and I didn’t even kiss it better.” He continues, pressing another gentle kiss to your lips.

“S’okay, Eddie. You’re doing so good now, feels so good.” You reply, voice just as quiet as his. You pull his face down, pressing your own tender kiss to his lips before trailing your hands down the front of his chest, rounding them to hold his sides. 

He shifts his hips, withdrawing from you slowly. You guide him with your hands, willing him to keep going, and he does. 

“S’feel okay?” Eddie says through a strangled breath. 

“Feels good.” You breathe.

“You sure? We can put a pillow under—” he starts to explain, slowing his already slow motions.

“Want you to go faster.” You interrupt.

“Faster.” He echoes, almost like he’s coaching himself. You hum as he complies, drawing his hips and pushing them back into you at a quicker pace. 

Him filling you up and stretching you out felt entirely different this time, way better, and it has you absolutely dizzy. It’s not prodding this time, it’s more like a roll that leaves you breathless, panting just to fill your lungs. His cock grazes your sweet spot with every pump into you and with every other thrust, his hips meet yours completely, teasing your clit with their contact. 

“Harder.” You whisper, and he complies silently apart from the way he harshly sucks in a breath.

His hips begin snapping against yours, the slap of skin on skin echoing in your room mixing with the obscene, wet noises of his cock pushing in and out of you, complimenting the breathy moans and whimpers coming from both of your mouths. Each thrust hits your clit, making you shudder, hips jolting and stuttering with your pleasure.

You feel your insides start to tense and you know you’re close. His thrusts start to falter as his breathing turns ragged.

“So close Eddie, please.” You whine. He breaths a whimper, hips picking up again, returning to his quick, hard pace. 

“Cum for me, baby. Need you to cum for me.” He says breathily, voice pitching up. His hand reaches down past your belly, fingers finding your clit, rubbing it and it sends your hips into a spasm of stutters.

“Eddie.” You cry. You feel your body go rigid before your pleasure explodes, freeing you from the reigns of tension and pushing you into pure ecstasy.

Eddie only musters a few more thrusts with the way your cunt clamps down onto his cock, fluttering and pulsing all around him as your orgasm takes you over. Strangled whimpers pull from his lungs as he prolongs your pleasure until he breaks alongside you. 

“F-fuck. Shit. I’m c-cumming.” He grunts, cock twitching inside you as his balls press firmly against your ass. His hips stutter, shallow thrusts pushing in and out, the warmth of his cum filling the condom. With your half lidded eyes, you watch Eddie— his face contorting in pleasure, and you enjoy the moment, committing it to memory. 

Eddie stills completely apart from his heavy breathing that matches yours. He surprises you when he rolls onto his back, taking you with him, pulling you over his chest, his cock still firmly pressed inside of you. 

“Eddie.” You laugh breathily. 

“J-just need to feel you for another minute.” He replies hazily, eyes squeezed shut. His hands wrap around your back, hugging you closely and you relax into him tentatively. His hands pull you down again, and you have no choice but to put all of your weight on him.

When your combined panting resolves to steady breathing, he breaks the silence. “Was that better?” He asks, pushing his head back into the pillow to look at you.

“That was… better than better. Way, way, way better.” You say whimsily. It was perfect, it was everything, you don’t have any words. 

“Yeah?” 

“That was like… I don’t even know. I can’t even describe it, just so so good. Really.” You say in awe, reflecting on what just happened.

“You can tell me the truth.”

“Eddie.” You say warningly, lifting your head to really look at him. “If you studied like that for all your classes you’d be valedictorian. A++, honestly Eddie.” You say.

“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?” He asks, still sounding unsure.

“You should frame those notes you wrote, hang them up like a diploma in your room.”

“Okay, now you’re just teasing me.” He laughs, turning his head away from you to hide his smile. 

“No! And you wanna know how serious I’m being right now?” You say, reaching up and taking one of his curls, swirling it around your finger, grabbing his attention.

“How?” He asks, turning back to you. 

“Because I’m already thinking about doing it again.” You whisper. You watch Eddie as his smile grows. 

“Really?” He asks, eyes beaming.

“Yes.” You nod, pressing your lips together as your smile grows. 

You watch Eddie as a whirlwind of emotions take over his face, it’s disbelief, happiness, excitement, a few you can’t parse, before it settles into nervousness. It makes your belly knot in nerves immediately. 

“Last time… I was— after, I was so upset because…” He starts, eyes fluttering over your face, avoiding your gaze. He takes a breath before continuing. “I was so upset because I wanted to ask you out, and then after the sex was bad, I kind of figured you’d never go out with me.”

“You wanted to ask me out?” You say, pushing yourself up with your arms to see his full face. 

His eyes flood with worry, and you reach down, pushing his damp bangs from his forehead. He finally looks at you and all you can do is smile. His nerves settle the slightest bit as he relaxes into his own sheepish smile. 

“I would still like to, if that’s okay with you?” He asks, shyly.

“It’s really okay with me.” You reply.

“Maybe I can ask when I’m not still inside you?” He laughs softly, eyes flickering to your lips. “Not that I don’t think this is romantic, but…” he trails off when you start laughing, watching you closely as you do, dimples set deeply in his cheeks.

You nod your head before lowering your face to his. He meets you halfways, pressing his mouth to yours, kissing you sweetly. 

“My pretty girl.” He whispers as he pulls away. 

“Yours.” You whisper back, smiling. 

‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹

After a few more moments of you resting on top of Eddie, the two of you begin to shift, slowly separating from one another. Lazily cleaning yourselves up, trading discarded clothes as you pick them up from the floor, it’s a good memory, one you want to keep forever. 

The sun now tucked beneath the skyline, your room glows in the low light form your lamp, Eddie’s heartbeat serving as the background music to this moment. You settle deeper into his chest, and he hugs you tighter.

It wasn’t the first time, but it was the time that mattered the most. 

As far as silent moments go, there’s not many with Eddie. He breaks the quiet of the room, shifting to look at you. 

“I think I might want to be a vagina doctor, I know so much shit about vaginas now.” He says, completely serious. You choke on a laugh, surprised by his comment.

“Really?” 

“No.” He says, tilting his face so you can see his smile. “Just know a lot now.” He laughs.

Eddie huffed out a laugh. “Alright, Princess. A date it is. What were you thinking of doing?”

“Um,” your cheeks heated, “Well this is about as far as my thinking went— hey, don’t laugh. Why are you—listen, if you don’t want to it’s okay! We don’t have to! I know we haven’t really decided what’s going on between the three of us—“

“Sweetheart,” Eddie cut you off, getting to his feet and walking over to you. “I said yes. You’re just being cute.” 

“Oh. Well. What would you like to do then?”

“Dinner and a movie? A classic.”

“I’m not—“ Steve interrupted, briefly holding his hand out but then stepping back nervously. He cleared his throat, and at first you thought he was turning you down, but he explained: “I’m not ready. To, uh, be out? This is a small town and I don’t want to worry about others yet, you know? I don’t know if that sounds shitty of me—“

“It’s not shitty,” you assured him. “You’re right. Dustin will never shut up about this if word gets to him.”

Eddie smirked, “I'm pretty sure Dustin already knows we are a thing?”

“Pssh, no he doesn’t,” Steve scoffed. Although he didn’t quite believe his own words. 

“We could do a drive in movie?” Eddie suggested. 

Steve leaned against the counter. “And have one of us third wheel in the back the whole time? No thanks.”

Eddie winked at him, “Squish into the back seat with me.”

“Uh, then we can’t see the movie?”

“Feelin’ shy now?” 

You pursed your lips, hating how frazzled Steve looked. Out of all of you, he had the most to lose if it came to the wrong person seeing you three together. Together, together. People knew his parents; they had a reputation. He didn’t know how they’d take him being queer, in whatever the sense. 

“Stevie, if you don’t want to come, it’s okay. We don’t have to do something—“

“No, no,” he raised his hands up a little, afraid that you were already backing out. Then, he snapped his fingers in the literal sense. “Let’s go on a picnic.” 

Eddie snorted. “A picnic?”

“Don't look at me like that. It’s romantic.” Steve’s ears blushed at the word. Who knew he’d get so flustered about wanting to give the two of you a little romance. 

He approached you and Eddie, still nervous, but he seemed more sure of this. “We could pack snacks, maybe some wine? Be nice and classy?”

You bit back a grin. “We could find somewhere private. Get out of this damn trailer. Maybe go by one of the lakes?”

Eddie looked between you two, an entertained grin on his face. “Didn’t know you two were so cheesy?”

Steve laughed lightly, “So what?”

Eddie swung his arm around Steve, one of his fingers playing with a curl at the end of Steve’s hair. “Why don’t we go all out and go to Lover’s Lake?”

“I mean, if you really want to,” Steve teased, although he was grinning like an idiot again. He didn’t back up as Eddie’s face got closer into his space. He just accepted Eddie’s nose as it nudged his cheek. 

“Okay, so. Picnic at Lover’s Lake?” You wanted to clarify. “A date. In a romantic sense. The three of us.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Eddie smiled at you brightly. 

“Then, um, let’s talk logistics.”

“Now, that doesn’t sound romantic.”

You giggled a little and shook it off. “I just mean, when should we go! Do we all meet up and go together? Or, I don’t know! What time of day? Who brings the snacks!”

Eddie reached out, his arm around your shoulders as well, pulling you in toward the two men. “Now, sweetheart, relax. We’ve got it covered. I’ll pick up snacks. You bring drinks. Stevie here can drive and maybe bring a blanket.”

“I don’t have a picnic blanket,” Steve told him. 

“Then get one. You’re the one who suggested this.”

“Alright, alright.  I can pick you both up, and drive the three of us out. Are you both free tomorrow afternoon?”

“I don’t work?” You shrugged. 

“Same,” Eddie said, “And classes are done for the semester.”

“Can I take you both out tomorrow then?” Steve looked at the both of you. His normal self was coming back, ready to charm. “I don’t think I can wait more than a day. I’ve been wanting something like this for a long time.”

You pressed your lips together. Your heart thudded a little stronger, absorbing the sweet smile on his face. His words were so soft that you couldn’t help but reach over and kiss his cheek. 

“I’d love to, Stevie. Tomorrow sounds perfect.”

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Steve didn’t say hello, but instead, the moment you opened your door he said, “The picnic blanket I got is going to woo you.”

“Woo me?” You grinned, trying not to ogle too much at his appearance. Standing on your front porch under the midday sun, he looked like summer personified. Steve had on his swim shorts, and a light blue button up. The cherry on top was the way a few buttons were undone, and the soft hair on his chest poked out from underneath the blue.

Steve seemed to ogle you though. He glanced at your summery outfit, admiring your figure, and he couldn’t even remember what else he was going to say.

“Steve?”

“Sorry. Uh. You look good,” he cleared his throat. “You ready to go?”

A quick nod, you got on your shoes, and then you were following him out.

“Eddie is in the car,” he explained, although you could see the guy sitting in the front of Steve’s car. “We made a deal where I’d go to the door to pick you up, and then he could walk you to the door later when we drop you off.”

“How polite.”

Steve had glitched a moment ago when seeing you, but his confidence was back again and he swung his arm over your shoulder as you walked to the car. In his head, he was hoping that later they wouldn’t actually be dropping you off at home but instead taking you back to his or Eddie’s place. He was being polite though, so he kept those thoughts to himself.

The car windows were rolled down, and Eddie had both his arms leaning out, a big grin plastered on his face. He had his hair down, but some dark sunglasses and you could see a black tank top on.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” He called out to you, raising his sunglasses onto his head. He wasn’t shy in the way he looked you up and down, and then even looked Steve up and down. “You two look hot as hell together. Look at you, beach bag and all? Have we ever dressed this classy?”

You giggled as you got closer to the car. “Nope. This is my classiest outfit.”

Eddie extended his hand out, grasping the air and giving grabby hands. “C’mere.”

Steve let you leave from under his arm, and you skipped forward to hold Eddie’s hand. Eddie pulled you in right away, his other hand holding the back of your head to get you even closer.

You had to bend down a bit, falling into a searing kiss. It took you a little by surprise, how he held you to him, his lips moving against yours warmly.

It wasn’t the first time you’d kissed, but it wasn’t something you were used to yet. Your tummy fluttered and you worried that your hands were already clammy, especially in the heat of the sun.

When he pulled back, his grin only increased at your soft expression. The grin then increased somehow even more when his eyes flickered behind you to see Steve’s reaction.

“Hey,” Steve was glaring, “You get her at drop off.”

“You completed your duty of picking her up!”

“I’m not property,” you huffed, feigning insult.

“Of course not,” Eddie’s thumb traced over the back of your hand. “You do have to sit in the back of the car though. Sorry.”

Your mouth parted in the exasperation as he let go of your hand, sat back in the car and then put on his sunglasses as though nothing happened.

You turned to look at Steve who looked apologetic but wasn’t denying Eddie’s claim.

Steve’s hand found the small of your back, and his other opened the back door for you like a gentleman. “Sorry. You can switch on the way back. Promise.”

“I guess that’s alright.”

Just then, Eddie turned the music up on the stereo, causing Steve to roll his eyes as some Van Halen song played. Still, Steve gave your cheek a quick kiss before you got into the car.

And like that, the three of you were off to begin your very first date.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

It was early July, a few months after you all escaped the Upside Down; escaped Vecna. It hadn’t been long ago, yet in that time, everyone worked through a lot of healing. Some things may never heal, but you’d be damned if you let the trauma stop you from enjoying the sunshine again.

Time had eased the physical pain inflicted upon Steve and Eddie in the spring. Still, their bodies had been prodded at, wounded, bitten. Steve still shied away from showing anyone the wound spread across his stomach, and Eddie was still anxious about the scabbed flesh around his legs. He still had a limp when he walked, and it still hurt to cough.

You didn’t notice until each of you piled out of the car, that Eddie had put on shorts for the first time all season. They weren’t short like Steve’s, but instead he had ripped some pants just above the knee.

Back when Eddie first got injured, covered in bandages at the hospital, he had cracked some joke on how he’d ‘tell people in the future that the scars are from shark attacks.’ Plural. Not just one. But he insisted that he’d tell people he was involved in multiple shark attacks. That was quite hardcore, in his eyes.

“Babe,” Steve called, although you weren’t sure if he meant you or Eddie. Probably both. “Let me show you this spiffy blanket.”

Eddie was not helping you grab the picnic basket and snacks he’d so kindly bought. He took out a cigarette from Steve’s glove box that he’d created a habit of storing. Steve didn’t mind. Walking to the back of the car, Eddie smoked and watched the both of you.

“I’m swooning,” you grinned when Steve swung the blanket over his shoulder. It was a soft green gingham fabric, and Steve looked very proud of himself.

“You better be. I worked so hard to find this. I needed to make sure you had the best place to sit.”

Eddie raised a brow at that, the corner of his mouth upturning as he thought about Steve’s words differently.

Steve slammed the trunk shut and patted the car’s exterior. “Alright, let’s find us a good spot!”

Eddie was smooth in the way he grabbed drinks from you to free one of your hands, and then he put his free arm around your shoulders. He had to reach his hand sort of above your head to get the cigarette from his mouth and whisper to you, “I didn’t know he was so chipper about the lake.”

It was a sight to see: Steve had dashed ahead of you two, sandals flapping away as he ran closer to the lake. You let out a breathy giggle, snuggling into Eddie’s side.

He put the cigarette back in his mouth and the two of you strolled toward Steve.

“Hey, Eds?” You said quietly.

“Hm?”

“Is this a mistake, coming here?”

He had to do the hand maneuver again, pulling your head toward him a bit as he had to grab his smoke. It was clumsy, but it worked. “No, I told you, I want us to have a date.”

“No, I mean here specifically.”

“Oh.”

Oh, as in, Oh, this lake could possibly bring up memories I’m trying to heal from.

Eddie clicked his tongue and you could see the way his eyes squinted under his glasses, staring at the water.

“No,” he finally said. “It’s okay. I mean, I suggested it, didnt I? It’s different in the day, plus…” Eddie looked your way, his hard stare softening, “Plus, there’s nothing we need to run from, is there?”

“No,” you agreed.

“Now, are you okay with being here?”

“With you? Always.”

“Oh shit,” he grinned, teasing you a bit, “You flatter me.”

You shied away, smiling against his shoulder.

Ahead, Steve was clapping. Seriously. The guy clapped his hands before putting them on his hips and calling out, “Come on, slackers! Skedaddle over!”

“Relax, Harrington!” Eddie called back, “We’ve got all day.”

Still, Steve was satisfied to see that both of you actually did speed it up a bit, bringing over everything.

The three of you placed your things around the picnic blanket. You had a beach bag, Eddie brought a literal basket with food inside, and a pack of beers. Steve had also brought along towels for himself and Eddie, and threw in extra clothes because even though Eddie insisted he wasn’t going in the water, Steve thought just in case.

“Did you both put on sunscreen?” Steve asked, on his knees as he looked through the picnic basket. He didn’t pull anything out yet; he was just getting a look at what Eddie brought, mentally rating it in his head.

“Nope,” you said.

“Absolutely not,” Eddie said.

Steve raised his gaze at both of you. “Mhm. Not surprised. Good thing papa Steve brought along plenty.”

“I see we’re talking in third person now,” Eddie commented with a grin, resting his back on the blanket. You saw the reflection of the trees and blue sky in the lenses of his glasses.

“Please don’t call yourself papa?” You added.

Eddie shook a finger in your general direction. “Nah, you see, I don’t hate that.”

Steve was smirking to himself, finding the sunblock he’d packed.

You took a spot beside Eddie, your bare legs enjoying the feel of the blanket. There wasn’t a breeze today, only the hot sun and the calm waves on the lake.

Steve had been closer to Eddie, shifting nearer and holding the sunblock. He leaned his head over Eddie’s and said, “Can you do it yourself or do you require assistance?”

Eddie reached up and pinched Steve’s cheek. “I was hoping you’d ask. Lather me up, sugar.”

Steve’s smile reached his eyes. He gently took off Eddie’s sunglasses so that he could put the lotion on his face.

Steve gently smoothed it over, starting at Eddie’s nose and then his cheeks in strokes and saying, “One of my babysitters when I was like, I don’t know, six? She told me to apply sunscreen to my face like a bunny.”

“I beg your pardon?” Eddie muttered, not wanting to move, and in awe of Steve’s close face.

“Put a bit on the nose first— see, you’re even doing the bunny nose scrunch thing.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are! Then let me just make your little bunny whiskers, and bunny ears,” he applied some to Eddie’s forehead, “And beautiful!”

“Aren’t you supposed to rub it in?”

“Yeah, but I think you look kinda cute with your bunny nose.”

Eddie broke out of his little trance and started rubbing his nose himself, “Yeah, yeah.”

Steve sat up on his knees again, “Now up. Lemme get your back.”

“I have a shirt on.”

“But you still have skin exposed?”

“My hair covers it.”

Steve sighed and shook his head. “Why do you have to be difficult? Your shoulders are visible! You’re a pale guy! You’ll burn!”

“I don’t want to get up, I’m comfy.”

“Christ,” Steve huffed and Eddie only beamed.

You got involved by placing your fingers delicately on Eddie’s shoulder. Your nails snuck under the fabric on the sleeve, and you grazed the skin underneath his top. His eyes flickered your way in an instant.

“What if Steve puts on mine first?” You offer.

“So, we’re making deals like children, now?” Steve muttered to himself.

You tilted your head, glancing at Steve, “I think that’d help Eddie, don’t you, Stevie?”

Eddie wasn’t confirming nor denying. As far as you know, he was not going to let anyone put sunscreen on him, and he would harm his skin more than it needed to be. He just laid back, pushing his sunglasses back to their spot, and he smoked what was left of his cigarette.

“C‘mere,” Steve leaned back and gestured to the space beside him. You obliged of course, stepping over Eddie to get there.

With your back to Steve, you sat, and started undoing your top.

Because you really didn’t want some silence to go along with the stares you could feel on your skin, you asked, “You two going for a swim today? I think it’s too nice out not to.”

You felt Steve’s hand brush your shoulders, gently moving hair away from your neck as you dropped your shirt to the ground.

“Maybe,” he muttered. “You want me to?”

You took a peak at him over your shoulder, “I’d love it. But you don’t have to. I’m a big girl. I can handle floating alone.”

You went back to looking at the lake. Where you guys had found space, you were in a quiet area, far from other beach-goers. The lake hadn’t been as lively with people as it was last summer, considering what had just occurred here months before. Things like that reasonably gave a majority of people the heebie jeebies. And the public didn’t even know the half of it.

But out of spite, against all the shit the three of you went through, you couldn’t let beautiful places be ruined.

“Maybe I’ll eat first,” Steve declared. “A-and then, Yunno, they say you shouldn’t swim right after eating. Maybe it’s just not my day!”

Still lying down, Eddie asked, “Why do they even say that?”

“Actually, I don’t know?”

You heard the lotion being squished out onto Steve’s hand. Soon after, the cold of it tickled your back, and he started applying it properly.

Those hands of his were large enough to easily cover a lot of space rather quickly. He massaged the sunblock in, taking special care to your upper back and shoulders. It felt good, having his warm hands on you like that. So good that you let your eyes fall closed, and leaned into his touch.

He worked on your skin carefully, his fingers finding every exposed spot on your back. You hummed when he touched the back of your neck, and hummed again when his fingers glided over your shoulder. Both of his hands worked then, moving to your chest, fingers grazing your collarbones.

Then, he drew his hands back, but they didn’t go far. He tapped at your waist and demanded in a quiet voice, “Turn around.”

You got to your knees, shifting to face him.

Steves hands were back on you in an instant, the sunblock being spread over your chest first. Steve continued onto every exposed area even though you were perfectly capable of doing it yourself.

It was when he started applying sunblock to your thighs that you giggled. “Stevie, I can get it.”

“I know. But I want to.”

Your cheeks already felt warm, but his comment had you biting back a smile. Not knowing what to do with your hands, you decided to pick up the sunscreen bottle that rested on his lap. He paid no mind at first until you applied a little onto your hand, and brought your fingers to his face.

Steve’s nose scrunched but he was smiling. His eyes found yours, the brown looking light and sparkling with the sun. “Hey.”

“Little bunny,” you told him, dabbing some on his noses and then covering his cheeks the same way he’d done to Eddie. “Adorable.”

Steve seemed to have completed his work on you for now, and both his hands rested on your waist. “I hate to break it to you but I already put sunscreen on.”

“You can never be too safe,” you shrugged. You gently massaged it into his face, aware that he was watching your eyes the entire time.

You were aware that Eddie was also very much watching the entire interaction. Even though he had his sunglasses on, his curious eyes followed you.

“There,” you said softly as the sunscreen was rubbed in properly on his face, leaving behind just a glimmering warmth to Steve’s skin. “All done.”

“Thank you, bunny,” he let out just as gently, without giving it a second though.

You pressed your lips together and hummed. Your eyes fell to his lips. You realized you were a lot closer to each other than you’d thought. Steve’s tongue darted out to lick his lips.

There was a hand that started touching your upper thigh, and it took you a moment to realize it was Eddie’s. His fingers rubbed into the plush skin for just a moment before he rested a little lower. “Missed a spot,” he said casually. His hand didn’t leave your leg.

Steve eyed Eddie’s hand, locked on your sweet thighs. So much of you was bared to both of them, and they were getting tired of holding back from soaking you in.

Steve then moved away, sitting up on the towel, leaning back on his palms. “Eddie?”

Eddie’s hand was just above the knee, but felt burning hot anyway. It was the way he held you firmly, fingers not shy, and the way you could feel him stare from behind his dark shades. “Steve?” He said low.

“Sit up. Let me put on your sunscreen.”

Eddie groaned, “Fine.”

Steve smirked, watching Eddie sit up. You sat to the side, missing Eddie’s hand as he moved.

Eddie wasn’t hesitant with Steve, he just hadn’t had his skin so bare since everything happened, and it was new to him to have someone see this up close. But he trusted you, and he trusted Steve. The sun lotion squirted onto Steve’s hand, but he touched Eddie’s shoulder with his dry hand first. You noticed the subtle way Eddie jumped at the touch, but quickly eased up.

“I’m going to start on your arm, okay?”

Eddie mumbled a “sure,” and embraced Steve’s hands, gliding across his skin.

The process was sweet to watch. Eddie was growing comfortable, and Steve’s fingers spread on every inch of skin, gentle and smooth. He inched to his shoulders, fingers peaking under the fabric of Eddie’s top. Steve did his best to go around, wanting Eddie’s neck covered. Eddie had never let him touch him there. No one had, in this new body of his.

But it was Steve. And you were you.

“Is this a good time to tell you I’m nervous?” Eddie broke the silence, cutting through the sound of the lake’s current.

Steve didn’t falter. “About?”

“This. All of it.” Eddie huffed out a laugh that didn’t hold much humour.

“Us?” Steve said, and it was like a first verbal acknowledgment mdent that there was an us you all shared. He didn’t stop his hands though. He didn’t want Eddie to think he needed to shy away.

“A little. But I trust you. Both of you.”

Steve had been finishing up Eddie’s other arm, and he tried to grasp what Eddie was saying. Setting aside the lotion for a moment, Steve leaned and pressed a kiss to Eddie’s shoulder.

Surprising you, Eddie’s hand found your thigh again. Your eyes found his, but his quickly fluttered closed when Steve gave a second kiss against the nook of Eddie’s neck.

“Can we try to get in the water?” Eddie said airily.

“Can I take this off then?” Steve tugged lightly at the fabric of Eddie’s tank top. “You don’t have to, but I think I’d like it if you did.”

Eddie smirked, joking away his insecurities. “You think you’d like it, huh?”

“Shut up,” Steve kissed his shoulder again, jusy longer this time.

“You’ll finish getting all this sunscreen on me, big boy?”

“If you’ll have me.”

Eddie pulled aside so that he could glance at Steve. “You’re such a sucker. Steve Harrington. My oh my.”

Steve rolled his eyes but smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, yeah. Take your top off.”

“So demanding,” Eddie clicked his tongue. Still, despite his teasing tone, his hands fiddled with the hem of his top.

You scooted over, your hand placing over one of his. You hadn’t noticed the slight shake. Wordlessly, you were an offering hand that he accepted. He helped you lift his shirt above his stomach, over his shoulder, then off his head.

Steve licked his lips. He grabbed the lotion.

Eddie watched you watch him. He wanted to shy away but let it happen. He let you happen.

You remembered the way his body was torn up before. You expected it to look painful and raw, but you didn’t expect to be so in awe of it all.

One of the toughest spots was by his bellybutton, and the other on the left of his chest. Still red and harsh, under healing skin. But he had his freckles, he had the ridges where his body flexed under the skin. It was all him. He wasn’t someone to shy away from.

“Can I?” Steve asked, gesturing to the lotion.

“Yes.”

Steve delicately applied to Eddie’s back first, then his torso, which felt more intimate somehow.

You let them have the moment, choosing to stand up instead. You stretched out your body, secretly enjoying the way the two of them couldn’t help their wandering eyes.

“Now, where are you going?” Eddie asked.

“To take a dip. Come over when you’re ready, lover boys.”

You heard Steve chuckle, but you were already stepping to the lake.

The sun somehow already felt warmer against your skin than it had when you all arrived. It hadn’t even been that long, but it was like summer was giving you a hug, saying it’s hello’s.

You kicked your sandals aside, stepping cautiously on the rough sand. A few steps, and you dipped your toes in the water. It was refreshing and gave you a shiver. The excitement of it all killed you. Things would be okay after everything that happened. Things were already okay.

Steve and Eddie eventually joined you, the two of them close at each other’s side. You turned, glancing at both of them.

“Gimme a sec,” Eddie said. He stood back a bit, brows furrowed at the shoreline. He watched each rise and fall, staring at it as though the pattern would change and everything was ruined.

You let him have the space he needed. You found Steve’s gaze.

You extended your hand to him, “Come in. It’s not too bad.”

Steve scrunched his nose, not quite believing you but grabbing your hand anyways. He stepped forward, following your lead. A hiss left his lips from the temperature change before he adjusted. “Not too bad?”

“You’re so dramatic,” you giggled, bringing him in more.

He squeaked your name when he followed in to his ankles. Then his shins. Then above his knees. His shoulders were tense, but as he kicked his legs around he relaxed.

“Yeah?” You raised a brow.

He hummed. “Okay, this is nice.”

“Yes.”

He gave your hand a squeeze. “I think it’s refreshing.”

While you two had this moment, you hadn’t realized that Eddie had inched forward on his own. He hadn’t waited for you; he wanted to take this step without the help.

He also made a noise as his toes touched the water. You and Steve watched for a moment. Steve walked in deeper, the ends of his fingers grazing the water. He soon started to splash around. The water hit your body causing you to giggle and kick water his way.

“I—“ Eddie’s voice caught in his throat as he looked down at the water enveloping his feet. It tickled at his ankles, and Eddie tucked some hair behind his ear. “I don’t want to go further.”

“That’s cool,” Steve shrugged with a little smile on his face. “This is as far as you need. You can officially say you went in the lake.”

Eddie cracked a smile. A tinge in his eye looked like he was proud of himself. It wasn’t in him to admit that though.

You stepped up beside him and touched your hand against his waist. “Eddie?”

“Hm?” He faced you fully. With your touch, he subconsciously stepped closer to you, facing the shore. He felt a flutter in his stomach as you wrapped your arms around his waist and pulled him closer, his feet only feeling the edge of the water.

“Summer looks good on you.”

He gave you a bit of a lopsided grin. “And what does that entail exactly? Do tell.”

“The sun makes ya all sweaty and stuff,” you grinned wide as his hands moved to your hips. “It’s hot.”

“Something is seriously wrong with you.”

He tickled your sides a bit causing you to laugh, stepping even closer to him. The water tickled your toes as you stood taller. Through a smile, you leaned in to him. His skin was sweaty and warm, sure, and you had never seen him so— “You’re kinda beautiful, Yunno?” You told him, your thoughts spitting out.

“You’re beautiful,” he said back, his voice breathier than before.

Your nose nudged his. His fingers dipped against your skin. And then you kissed him. Safe and warm, and all that you hoped this summer would be.

“How was it today?”

The other voice, she quickly realizes, is Y/N. Though Nancy confirms this by peering around the edge of the doorway to see the two of them. Y/N had stayed behind from today’s crawl, instead opting to sort through the rather large shipment Murray had brought earlier that day. A small clipboard is in her hand, a pencil in the other as her gaze flicks back and forth between the shelves and the inventory sheet that had been carefully curated in the past few months of quarantine. 

“Fine.” Steve responds, hand coming to rest on the top of the shelf as he gazes down at her. The type of thing he does to seem cool, Nancy is pretty familiar with the move herself. The action gives Y/N a reason to pause, she looks up at him. “Nothing of interest.” Steve adds, feeling almost scrutinized under the girl’s gaze as he swallows nervously.

Y/N only hums, gaze returning to her inventory sheet, an air of nonchalance she doesn’t often wear, the type that seems almost unnatural and forced. “Well, I’m glad you made it back alright.” The words are sincere yet stiff, maybe a bit awkward. Bashful might be the better term by the way she avoids Steve’s gaze. 

Nancy blinks at the sight, once, twice. Trying to discern what it all means. She’s seen the two of them interact before, they’d all gone to high school together after all. For the past few months, he and Y/N had been working nights at WSQK to keep the midnight radio station going. Sure, they’d gotten closer, but Nancy had never thought it was anything more than two good friends. 

Until now, that is.

Steve nods absently, leaning a little closer. Close enough that it borders on something a bit more than friendly as his head just barely ducks down in a subtle effort to be closer to Y/N. It makes Y/N pause again, looking up at him. Nancy can see the way her gaze flits to his lips for just a moment and—

Holy shit, are they flirting? Or, more accurately, failing at flirting? The tension between them is easily explained by some sort of awkward pining now that Nancy thinks about it. 

“Steve.” The way Y/N speaks is almost in warning, back of her pen coming to his chest to gently push him away. “I told you—”

Instantly he’s shaking his head. His hand came to gently wrap around her wrist. “I know.” He acquiesces. “And I told you that you’ve got the wrong idea.” His voice is soft, almost pleading as his gaze darts over her face. 

See, Nancy had it all wrong. Steve’s odd behavior and awkwardness had nothing to do with a crush on her, it had everything to do with his stupid crush on Y/N. Because after confessing to the girl, she had instantaneously shot him down. 

“Everyone knows you’re still in love with Nancy.”

The words had been haunting him ever since. And Steve had made it his personal mission to prove her wrong. He wasn’t still in love with Nancy. Yes, there was a point in his life where he loved her deeply, but that felt so far away now. Nancy had moved on with Jonathan, and maybe Steve had been vying for her affection at some point, but he wasn’t stupid. Nancy didn’t want him anymore. After a bit of sulking and wallowing, he’d realized there were better things to do with his time.

Y/N wasn’t a rebound. She was, admittedly, an accident. Though Steve had been going on dates left and right, he hadn’t been looking for love per se, he’d been looking for some form of validation. Proof that he could be loved at all. With each failed date, the blows to his pride only grew. The dry spell was neverending, and eventually he’d all but given up. Perhaps Steve Harrington really was unlovable, meant to die alone.

She was around a lot. And with proximity comes talking, and with talking comes knowing. Steve has found that there is nothing more intimate than knowing. To know someone like the back of your own hand, it brings a warm feeling to his chest and a word he’s a bit scared to say to his mind. Because he knew her, he’d memorized the curves in her handwriting on that god forsaken inventory sheet, the glee of her laugh, the furrow of her brows when she was confused. He knew. 

Worse, she knew. It was the little things, the way she arrived for the 6PM shift with an extra cup of coffee made to his taste. Or how she’d always started the late night radio off with one of his favorite songs. Even the way she knew his movements as they navigated the all too small radio booth. She knew who he was and she was still his friend. A fact that made Steve think, even if only for a moment, that maybe he is not unlovable. 

Eventually he didn’t just know: he wanted, he yearned. 

With each late night shift together, the desire to be closer, to know more only intensified. The simple routine they’d fallen into was something he relished in. The banter, the type of flirting that is hardly there. Or at least, he had thought it was flirting. Robin had too, having grown tired of Steve’s lengthy rants on their interactions. Up until he’d been dropping Y/N off at home and just confessed. Hearing her say no because she was under the impression he still wanted Nancy hurt. So, he simply had to show her how wrong she was. 

“I don’t like Nancy anymore.” The words are insistent, maybe a bit desperate. Because he needs her to believe him, he really does. The mere thought that this was the only reason he’d been rejected physically pains him. She could be his if they just cleared this up and moved on!

Nancy suddenly feels like she’s intruding, quickly realizing that Steve hadn’t been treating her oddly because he had feelings for her. But rather, because he’d been trying to prove he didn’t have feelings for her. 

Y/N clears her throat, pursing her lips and looking up at him. “Steve—”

He shakes his head again, giving her wrist a gentle squeeze. “Y’know, I’ve been avoiding her like the plague for the past two weeks.” Steve explains, gaze flickering over her face in search of some sort of approval. Avoiding Nancy was an easy solution, people would stop talking about his non-existent feelings for her. “Hardly even a conversation.” He breathes out. 

“I didn’t ask you to do that.” She responds softly, brows furrowing a bit. “And I doubt Nancy will take too kindly to that.”

Steve laughs, “I don’t care.” A pause. “I mean— I do. I don’t wanna be rude but I—” He sighs, “I don’t care about Nancy like that, that’s what I need you to understand.” Yes, Nancy was his friend, a good friend. But now, that’s all there was to it. 

She sighs, gently tugging her wrist free from his hold. She puts down the clipboard and pen before returning her attention to him. “Steve.” She talks with her hands, he knows that. It’s one of the many things he knows about her, it's probably why she put those things down first. Because now he’s watching her gesture a bit wildly with her hands, starting some rant that he’s not entirely paying attention to. 

“Do you like me?” He cuts her off, it’s a simple question after all. One that has her pausing, blinking up at him, surprised and confused. 

“Do I…” Her face warms as she registers the question, and she looks away with a huff. “That’s not what this is about.”

“That’s the only thing this is about.” Steve responds, “cause I really like you. A lot. Like, way too much. It’s embarrassing if I’m honest.” He brings a hand to hover over her face, hesitant for a moment before cupping her cheek. “It’s not about Nancy at all. Or about what everyone thinks I feel. It’s about you and me. That’s it.” He says softly. 

She swallows, suddenly feeling nervous. Her gaze goes down, trying to avoid eye contact. Though his hand slides to her jaw, gently tipping it back up to make her meet his gaze. She looks up at him through her lashes, eyes flicking over his face. When she frowns a bit, his free hand comes to smooth the crease between her brows. “Everyone says you still like her.” She repeats quietly. 

“But do you like me?” He asks again, leaning forwards to rest his forehead against hers. “Do you?” He somehow sounds both shy and eager, looking for clues on her face. 

He really wants her to say yes. If nothing else, he just wants to try. He’ll kick himself for the rest of his life if they don’t at least try. It doesn’t have to be anything more than a single date, but Steve just needs a chance. 

She tugs her bottom lip between her teeth, and his gaze drops down to her lips at the sight of it. Oh god, she’s killing him. His thumb gently swipes over her bottom lip, tugging it free from between her teeth. 

“I— I do.” She breathes out, hesitant. “But Steve—”

He’s already beaming, a dimpled smile on his face as both his hands cup her cheeks. A breathy laugh escapes him as he leans forward to nudge his nose against hers. “You do?” It’s endearing, how excited he sounds. “I like you too.” He repeats it, and she thinks she’s heard it a million times from him now but it still has the same effect. Her heart pounding a bit harder in her chest. “Like a lot.”

“I’m starting to think you don’t listen to the words I say.” She mumbles, a bit shy from the proximity. 

Steve scoffs, nosing at her cheek now, she breathes out a little laugh. “I listen to everything you say.” He responds, almost offended she had even suggested otherwise. “Everything. All the time. I love your voice.” 

A giggle escapes Y/N this time, though it’s quickly silenced when he pulls back to look at her, thumb smoothing over her cheek. “Hi.” Is all she can manage, and it has him laughing as well.

“Hi.” He murmurs back quietly. 

It’s soft— he’s soft. Hushed whispers and laughs between the two even if things aren’t entirely resolved quite yet. Steve has always been a loverboy, but seeing him now, Nancy can’t help but feel a bit surprised. He’s gentle in a way she’d never really seen before. She finds herself stepping away from the small crack in the door, her own morbid curiosity is beat by the overwhelming feeling she’s invading on something deeply intimate. 

Well, at least she didn’t have to yell at anyone today. 

Note: laugh out loud!

You didn't think he'd be able to top The Cult of Vecna, but dammit, he did it. He'd spent hours and hours putting together one last adventure. One final campaign to keep the gang excited about existing while waiting for summer vacation. It was sad, in a way.

Eddie Munson was officially graduating this year. This would be his legacy. Next year, he'd be a slave to the real world, and The Hellfire Club would be in the hands of someone else.

It's time for the passing of the torch.

"Alright, children," Eddie says, utilizing his Hellfire Club Dungeon Master voice for the last time. "It's been an honor and a privilege, guiding you little menaces through the depths of Hell and back again. But as you know, thanks to the help of my Evil Woman, who rode my ass in more ways than one--" He pauses for groans, and grins when he gets them. "I'm finally gonna fuckin' graduate. I'm leaving this prison behind, but The Hellfire Club must live on within its oppressive walls."

The room is so silent, you can hear Dustin's stomach growl. How is he hungry? Didn't he just pound half a bag of Doritos?

Right. That's your cue. You crack open a new can of Mountain Dew, the Hellfire Club's Official Drink of Choice, and refill Eddie's dramatic-ass goblet. A smile twitches at the corner of his mouth as the last of the golden liquid spills from the can, and you share a look.

You're so proud of him. You hope he knows just how much. He really buckled down this year, and he did his damn homework - well, most of it - and he got grades good enough to earn that damn diploma that's been eluding him for three years. He did all this while planning epic campaigns and playing peacemaker and defending his little sheepies and dealing with all the bullshit that comes with being Hawkins High's resident freak. It wasn't easy. A lesser man might've slacked in one way or another. Folded under the pressure. But not your Eddie.

He stands, raising his full goblet one last time.

Everyone does the same, although most of you are just drinking out of cans.

He opens his mouth as if to propose a toast, and then closes it again. Do your eyes deceive you? Is Eddie Munson at a loss for words?

"To the best Dungeon Master that The Hellfire Club will ever have," you offer.

Shouts of "To Eddie" and "To the DM" ring out from around the table as cans are raised even higher in a salute. Eddie nods in appreciation, blinking a little faster than usual to fight back the tears. This has been his life for five years. He took over as DM during his sophomore year. He has every right to be emotional about this.

Everyone drinks to Eddie, and he gestures for them to sit back down. They do.

"I'm outta here, but The Hellfire Club must live on," he reiterates. "Who among you is worthy of leading the freaks of Hawkins on grand and strange adventures in the years to come?"

Tension thrums. Eddie takes a step toward you, reaching for your hand. He takes it and drops to a knee, planting a kiss on the back of it.

"My Evil Woman, who is leaving with me. I never dreamed I'd find love at the table, but here you fucking are. Will you still love me when I'm no longer the all-powerful DM?"

"Yeah, I guess," you grin.

Eddie grins back and leans in for a kiss. He stands and turns his attention to Gareth.

"Gareth the Great, you are true to your name," he continues, ruffling that fluffy blonde hair and earning a scowl. "You are the very definition of a team player. Cautious, but cunning. Any party would be lucky to have you. You've come a long way since I took you under my wing, and I hope you return the favor to the next group of players."

Gareth nods, accepting the challenge. Eddie changes course, stopping behind Jeff.

"Jeffrey, one of my oldest friends. My sounding board. My voice of reason. You've seen your Dungeon Master at his lowest, and you still stuck by him. I couldn't have done this without you, brother."

"I know," Jeff grins.

"Give 'em hell in college next year."

"I will," Jeff promises.

Eddie gives him an affectionate but manly clap on the shoulder and moves to Grant.

"Grant, you've given us your all, from the minute you stepped into this room, and we'll be forever grateful for your dedication. You took no shit, even from me, and we were all better for it."

Grant nods in appreciation.

"Dustin," Eddie drawls, advancing on one of his newest members. "You're the heart and soul of Hellfire. The club's gonna need that heart when it comes to filling these seats next year. You can see who is worthy, and who is true. You know when to give people the benefit of doubt," he glances at Lucas, sitting to Dustin's right. "And Lucas, when you apply yourself, you are a hell of a player."

Dustin beams with pride, and Lucas gives an awkward smile. You hope he makes better choices next year, now that he knows who his real friends are.

"Michael," Eddie rumbles, his voice briefly slipping into DM mode again. "Your theories really pissed me off. Not because you were right. But because on occasion, your theory was better than the reality I'd planned, and that's fucking infuriating. Your twisted little brain is built for this. I've conferred with The Hellfire Elders, and the members of your former party. We are all in agreement that you'd be great at this. Therefore, I offer you, Mike Wheeler, the honor and curse of becoming the next Dungeon Master of The Hellfire Club. Do you accept?"

Mike sits frozen, paler than ever, no movement detected except for the beads of sweat breaking out on his face.

A thud sounds from under the table, and Mike winces; you're guessing someone kicked him.

"Uh," Mike fumbles, trying to remember his words. "Yeah. Yes. Yes, I accept."

"Stand," Eddie orders.

Mike stands so abruptly, he knocks his chair over. Muffled chuckles sound through the room, until Eddie silences them with a look.

"Michael Wheeler, I bestow upon thee the great honor of becoming Dungeon Master of The Hellfire Club. Do not take this lightly. But also do not forget to have fun."

Mike nods.

Eddie takes one final sip from his goblet of Mountain Dew, and then hands it to Mike. Who stares at it.

"Drink!" Dustin hisses.

Mike lifts the goblet and drinks, dribbling a considerable amount of the neon yellow Mountain Dew down the front of his white Hellfire shirt. Everyone pretends not to notice.

"And so the torch has been passed," Eddie says, trying his best not to sound sad about it. "Congrats, man. Make me proud."

"I will," Mike promises. "I will, Eddie. I promise."

"I know," Eddie nods.

"Will you assholes just hug already?" you scoff. "My God."

"Silence!" Eddie orders.

"I don't take orders from you anymore," you smirk. Like you ever took orders from him in the first place.

"Mike, tell her to shut up," Eddie demands.

Mike looks at you nervously, and you raise your eyebrows in a challenge. He looks to Eddie helplessly.

"Don't worry, man, I'm taking her with me," Eddie mumbles. "If you ever get a girlfriend, prepare to be undermined at every turn."

"Mike, get a girlfriend?" Dustin laughs. "Who plays D&D? Yeah, right."

"It could happen," you shrug.

"Yeah, it could," Eddie smiles, almost in a daze. "You guys wanna pack this up and go do something?"

You clear your throat.

"Right," Eddie nods. "Mike. You're in charge now. What's next?"

"Uh…" he flounders. "Should I go start planning the next campaign?"

"It's up to you, man," Eddie smiles, clapping him on the shoulders with both hands. "But I like your dedication."

The guest room at your parents always runs about ten degrees warmer than the rest of the house. It's something about the vents, as your dad says. He's been meaning to get around to fixing them, but it's never been on his priority list since you and Eddie only ever bring the g irls back out to Hawkins, once maybe twice a year. So, you just crack the window and let the cool Hawkins evening start to settle in. 

Eddie's stretched out on top of the covers of the bed. Florals and gingham checkers under him. He's propped up against the headboard with one little girl tucked into each side of his body. The book in his hand is one of Alice's favorites. Something with princesses and knights and a dragon. Something that definitely doesn't have as many sound effects when you read it, as it does when he gets his hands on it. 

"—and then," Eddie's voice lowers dramatically, turning his head both ways to look at each of his girls. "The princess looks at the dragon and she goes, "listen, buddy, I'm not saying you caaaan't guard the tower—."

"Daddy." Alice giggles, effectively cutting him off. She's got her thumb resting gently against her bottom lip and she looks up at her dad. "Princesses don't say buddy."

"Oh, this one does." Eddie shrugs and smiles, "this one's got an attitude just like two little someone's I know." He props the book open with one hand, using the other to tickle at his girls' sides. 

Alice squeals and giggles, squirming in his grips a bit. Roan stays quiet, tucked under his other arm. Brown curls still damp at the ends from her bath. She's twirling one of the rings Eddie had taken off around her finger, focusing on something completely different than the words exiting her father's mouth. Like she wasn't there at all. 

Eddie clears his throat, fixes the book back up, and taps the page. "Right. So, the princess with an attitude and the dragon with a serious boundary problem." He chuckles and then keeps reading. He adds voices. He makes the dragon sound like an old grumpy man and makes the princess sound just like the impression he does of you when you're annoyed at him. Alice laughs at all the right parts, but Roan? She's still somewhere else, miles away from what's happening in this room. He's mid dragon growl when Roan cuts him off.

"Why don't we have one?" She asks.

Eddie blinks, a bit confused, "Have what, pup?"

She looks up at him, her own eyes matching yours. Eddie softens almost immediately at seeing them. "Another grandma and grandpa, like Mama's." 

Alice shifts a little closer to Eddie's side, now fully invested in the answer too.

Roan continues, still fiddling with Eddie's ring. "We stay with Mama's mommy and daddy. Or Grandpa Wayne. But I heard you talking. He's not really our grandpa… Where's your mommy and daddy?" 

There's a beat of silence that begins to strecth thin in the room. The lamp on the bedside table shines bright as the sun continues to set. Eddie stays quiet for a few more moments, and you watch from the doorway as the gears start turning in his head. His thumb brushes Roan's arm absentmindedly.

"Well," He says, his voice quieter and gone of all theatrics. He closes the book over his finger to hold the page. "That's a real good question." 

Alice props herself up a bit more, looking at him with big brown eyes that remind him of his. "Do they just not wanna visit?"

"No, sweetheart." He shakes his head gently. "Nothing like that." Then he shifts his body a little, careful of the pictures on the wall behind him. He pulls them in closer to him. “Okay.” He breathes out, letting his eyes drift back and forth between them. “You know how in the story, there’s castles and dragons and magic and all of that stuff?” He asks them softly. 

They nod. 

“Alright. So… when I was a little kid,” He smiles a bit, his voice still warm but getting quite a bit softer. “I had a mom who was basically like…” He lets his head tip up towards the ceiling, searching for the word before he smiles and looks back down at them. “She was beautiful, like the princess in the story. And so kind. She was like the kind of princess that refused to stay in her tower. She didn’t want to keep all of her magic to herself, she wanted everyone to be happy.”

Alice’s little eyes widen, big and brown and curious. “Did she fight stuff? Like the dragons from the tower!?”

Eddie has a little smile tugging at his lips as he nods. “Oh yeah.” He chuckles a bit. “Yeah, she did. Not like… Not like the dragons you can see, y’know? But like big, ugly, invisible ones.”

Roan leans into his side a little more closely. 

“She was real good at it too.” He adds with a sadder smile, “She was tough as hell. She had to be, raising me.” He huffs out a quiet laugh, trying to file through the memories of his mother that get harder and harder to recall the older he gets. “She liked to sing a lot. Like she was on stage somewhere big and grand all of the time. Even if it was just us. She's why I do what I do.”

You watch how he looks at them now, the way his eyes seem a little more distant than usual. You take a deep breath, ready to step in, but he continues. 

“But sometimes,” his voice is gentler now, “even the strongest princesses… they get tired from fighting those kinds of dragons.” The room gets quiet around them, the heat pushing through the vent even seems to soften. Like it knows just how hard this conversation was. “And when I was about your age, Ro,” he says softly as he brushes her hair back away from her face, “my mom… she just couldn’t fight them anymore.”

Alice frowns a little as she props herself up to look at him. “So she died?” 

Eddie nods once, letting himself meet his older daughter's eyes as Roan continues playing with the ring on her finger. “Yeah, baby. She did.”

Roan looks up at him as she presses closer to his side, “Do you miss her?”

He lets out a soft breath, his lips tugging up into a little smile as he lets his eyes drift to her. “Every day.”

Alice is still frowning. “What about your dad?”

“My dad.” He sighs softly, taking a moment to choose his words much more carefully. “He wasn’t really that good at being a knight.”

Alice frowns. "Was he bad at fighting dragons?"

"Yeah." Eddie chuckles softly and sucks in a breath. "And bad at taking care of people. So he wasn't around much." 

Roan's frown matches her sister's now. "That's sad." 

Eddie huffs out a laugh, a smile pulling at his lips. He nudges her gently. "Hey, maybe a little. But you know what wasn't sad?" 

"What?!" Both girls ask, simultaneously.

That smile turns into a grin. "I had Grandpa Wayne." He says happily. "And he's basically like the grumpy old wizard who lives in the forest." That gets a giggle out of them. "And then," He adds, his eyes flicking up towards where you're standing in the doorway. "I grew up and I met your mom. And then I got you two." 

Alice lets out a dramatic sigh, something she definitely got from him. "We're better than dragons." 

"Way better." Eddie agrees and nods. "Dragons don't even like cartoons." 

Roan yawns then. Eddie takes the ring out of her hand and places it next to the lamp on the table. "Do you think your mommy would like us?" She asks, eyes struggling to stay open.

Eddie smiles, his hand moving to smooth her hair back again for the second time. "Yeah." He says softly. "I think she would've loved you guys. Probably spoil you rotten, if I'm being honest."

Alice perks up again. "More than you?" 

"Hey." He scoffs playfully. "Let's not get too crazy." 

Indianapolis International Airport was buzzing with people in the evening. Most of the individuals walking by look like they’d rather be anywhere else right now as they slump over in the chairs waiting for their luggage or lean against the handles of their carry-on bag. It was amazing to see how some people dressed there. You saw people dressed from head to toe in new Disney merch, in their pajamas, suits, the whole nine yards. Indiana was finally blessed with a few warm days around this time of year so you drove to the airport in a sweatshirt and some pajama pants. The occasion was exciting but did not warrant dressing up since you’d be going to bed right after. You even tried to nap earlier in the day but the anticipation for today’s events kept you wide awake. Hell, you’re probably the only one at the arrivals gate full of energy as you anxiously bounce on your slippered feet waiting for the passengers of an 11-hour flight from Helsinki to return home. 

Corroded Coffin had finally made it and was invited to open up for another band on the European leg of their tour. Everyone was so ecstatic when they got the call from the band's agent and began preparing. Eddie quickly got the necessary time off from work approved (one of the perks of Wayne’s new promotion to shop manager), passports were renewed, visas expedited, and before you all could even process what was happening you waved goodbye as Corroded Coffin flew off to tour for the next month. It was hard for you to adjust to your apartment being so quiet. Eddie was always coming over to stay the night to the point that you’d joke he should just move in. Maybe you’d suggest that after dropping everyone off when they arrived home. The band would have weekly hang outs every Saturday night at your place and would sometimes culminate in a sleepover with you all sprawled out across the living room. Your head more often than not would end up on Eddie’s shoulder and his arm draped across your shoulder. It was weird to go so long without him humming a tune or tapping his fingers against something. It almost didn’t feel like home without him. 

Eddie would call you after every show and you’d spend as much time as possible catching up on each other's day before he had to go help with loading up the van and promise to call again the next day. There’s the usual back and forth about who should hang up first until one person gives in, or in some cases one of the band members takes the phone and hangs up for you guys. They don’t do it to be mean, but they all know that if they don’t do it then Eddie will make them late for load out almost every night. 

You miss Eddie’s warmth, his contagious laughter, the way he always had a corny joke or compliment when you were in a bad mood. Hell, you even missed when he was trying to be annoying. You missed every part of him and as proud as you were to see Corroded Coffin get the attention they deserved, you also wanted your best friend and boyfriend back. The distance made you realize how hard it was to function without him. Sure, he had done other tours before, but the time difference left you two with little time to chat and it made you feel lonely. Your other half was missing.

You get to the baggage claim earlier than expected, having looked up the map of the airport the night before to avoid getting lost. The universe must have sensed your desperation because there was barely any traffic during rush hour. Once you strode through the glass doors, you find the carousel everyone’s luggage would be dropped off and park yourself on a bench facing the gate. According to the boards plastered around the airport, Corroded Coffin’s grueling nonstop flight had landed and their luggage was being delivered to the baggage area, meaning your boys would be arriving soon. There’s a small food court near the baggage claim and still had plenty of time left before the guys come out, so you take the opportunity to get some food for yourself. It’s not much, settling for a quesadilla and bag of tortilla chips with queso. You’ll eat that and let the boys fight over the bag when you drive them all home.

Your phone nearly died earlier and you needed it to get home from the airport so you resort to the age-old activity of people watching to make time pass by easily. You watch exhausted families carrying their sleeping children, pilots and flight attendants heading to and from work, and count at least four adorable dogs that make you want to abandon your post waiting for the band so you can say hello to them. There was even a man who sat near you with what was possibly the funniest, most wrinkly English Bulldog you had ever seen. His name was Hank and you were so excited to tell Eddie about him when you two were finally reunited

You were so excited to see everyone – mainly Eddie – that your heart began to pound every time you saw a group of people approach the baggage claim, but found yourself immensely disappointed every time when you learned it was not Corroded Coffin. There was a surprising amount of tall white men with long brown hair. Were you being tortured? It sure felt like it.

Twenty torturous minutes later and you finally see a familiar group of people approaching the baggage area. Leading the pack is Jeff, who is chugging the last of his water and shoving it in his backpack. Grant and Gareth are passionately arguing about something with Gareth enthusiastically jumping as if the added height would help prove his point. Behind those two is a drained looking Eddie with a can of Monster in his hand and his guitar slung over his back. Eddie insisted he take the guitar as a carry-on because he didn’t trust anyone to handle it with care. The rest of the band’s equipment was being shipped back to the States and would arrive in a few weeks.

 He had changed his hair a bit before leaving for tour by getting an undercut and you never realized how much a change in hairstyle could affect his confidence levels. His self-esteem got a big boost once Corroded Coffin began to take off, but this new haircut really helped him.. The longer portion of his hair was tied back into a loose bun to show off the shaved back. You joked that he did it solely to show more of his neck to you since you had a habit of biting it. He had headphones on and wasn’t really paying attention to the argument going on in front of him, looking as exhausted as everyone else in the building, but with little more curiosity about this part of the building and the amenities that surrounded them. He wore a faded Corroded Coffin hoodie (he insisted on repping the band whenever possible) with the sleeves rolled up, exposing his tattoo sleeves and a pair of gray sweatpants, your personal favorite. Eddie was definitely dressing for comfort in this case, although you’d make the case that he looks good no matter what. He looked tired, the long flight most likely taking whatever energy he had left before the show, but somehow he looked as perfect as ever.

 Grant is the one to spot you first and waves in your direction. You throw your half-eaten meal down into the large to-go bag it came in and drop it on the floor to dart in their direction. Eddie doesn’t see you barreling over to them, instead taken by the large sculpture near the elevators. It’s not until he hears you yell, “Welcome back!” that he realizes his favorite person is finally here to take them all home that he tugs his headphones off his ears. The metalhead pushes through to the front of the group and meets you halfway to pick you up and twirl you around. He had never looked happier, all semblance of exhaustion wiped off his face the second he had you in his arms.

You’re both smiling at each other and start giggling when he spins you around. Your reunion is like something out of a movie. The world slows down around you as your attention lies solely on Eddie, his eyes, his smile, his everything. The rest of his band watches from afar to allow you both to have this moment. Eddie had a smile on their face that they didn’t see often - it was usually after a great show or whenever you two were apart and he finally saw you again. They collectively decided to keep their mouth shut about how much he’d complain about missing you. Always moaning about how he wished you were there with them, how he wished you saw what he did on stage (you have social media, you saw every second of every show), and how he missed talking to you. Eddie called you every day yet he acted like he hadn’t spoken to you in years. It was easy to just let him have his moment with you while they all waited to collect their luggage at the appropriate carousel as it began dropping out of the chute. 

Eddie’s spinning slows down until he’s just standing there with you in his arms.. He loosens his grip enough to place you down on the floor but immediately pulls you in for a tight hug. If there was one thing about Eddie that you liked to share with people, it was the fact that he gave the most amazing hugs. He would hold you so tightly you felt that he might actually break something if he were any stronger. Years of working odd jobs and later at the mechanic led to him building enough muscle so he finally filled out his shirts and could lift anything with ease. Hauling gear was easy for him, and he particularly took joy in throwing you around like a ragdoll, whether during sex or just to wrestle around and get you to laugh. Right now, it felt like he was trying to squeeze the air out of your lungs. All the love he had for you was fueling the hug’s strength. You reciprocated the embrace as much as you could, still feeling a bit giggly because your boy was finally home. Your face is buried in his neck to take in his scent. It was intoxicating. You had started using some of his shirts as pillow cases to tide you over while he was gone. Your bed usually smelled like him since he slept there most nights, but without him visiting the sheets began to lose their comforting smell. Thankfully, he already had a drawer for his stuff so you didn’t even have to ask him to give you anything. You even took one of his shirts the last time you visited his place so you could have something new.

Eddie presses a kiss to your forehead before resting his head on top of yours, almost whispering against your hair, “Oh honey, my sweet girl…,” he presses his nose to your hair to breathe you in and continues with a smile, “I missed you so much.”

His hands move from your waist to cup your cheeks after pulling away from you. There’s a moment where you two don’t say anything, just taking each other in for the first time in a month. Then, he pulls you closer to press a soft kiss to your lips. It’s not the passionate kiss you were craving all month, but you were happy to finally feel his soft lips against yours. You’re leaning into the kiss as the world disappears around you, at least until you hear someone clear their throat and you remember Eddie did not arrive here alone.

“Um, sorry, do we get a hello too?” You pull away from your boyfriend and look over to Jeff who was speaking and laugh at his request. Eddie’s gaze follows yours and he cocks a brow at his bandmate, looking absolutely pissed that his bassist dared to interrupt your moment with him, but also that Jeff wanted to take you away from him. Yes, you were good friends with the rest of the band, and yes he was sure you also missed them, but you were Eddie’s girlfriend. He wanted to hold onto you for as long as humanly possible. If he could, he’d sit in the driver’s seat and use his arms as your seatbelt when you drove home. Despite his protests, you fully let go of Eddie (to which he lets out a sad whine and follows you to the others) and give each member a greeting and a hug, asking how the flight was and making general small talk. Without any warning besides the quiet thud of his footsteps on the tile floor, Eddie moves to stand behind you and wrap his arms loosely around your waist and rest his head on your shoulder. One of your hands reaches up to scratch the back ofhis scalp and he lets out a content hum, happy to just stand here all night as long as you never stop touching him.

“So…” you begin, turning your attention to the group as a whole, “how was the trip? Did you guys get to sleep for a little bit?” You feel Eddie shift a little bit behind you, unaware of the look he’s giving his friends who just chuckle. 

Grant looks Eddie directly in the eyes and replies, “Oh, definitely. Eddie was especially quiet so it was pretty easy.” You cock an eyebrow at Grant, a little suspicious of the claim since the Eddie you know, the Eddie who sleeps in your bed most days, is a known sleep talker and never shuts the hell up when he’s awake. There was never a quiet moment with him. This was especially the case now, given how Eddie hasn’t spoken since he held you. Usually he’d be going on and on about every thought that went through his head during the plane flight or things that happened between your last phone call and now. 

“I’m sorry, but I wasn’t aware that Eddie had a mute button. Where is it? Does he have a new secret freckle that I don’t know about? ” You point a finger in your boyfriend’s face while questioning the others. Eddie, taking the opportunity to get another laugh out of you, leans in and tries to playfully nip at your finger but you just move your hand away when he does so. He’s still silent and you’re becoming more suspicious of him by the second.

Jeff walks over, having gone to the nearest trash can to dispose of his empty bottle. He adjusts the backpack on his shoulder before replying, “Well, someone lost their voice last night at the end of the show.” The other two boys laugh and Gareth pulls his phone out to seemingly provide evidence for Eddie’s actions as Jeff continues on, “He was invited on stage for the last song of the night with the headliner It was fucking sick. The gutturals? Disgusting. ” 

Gareth hands his phone over to you with a video from Tiktok pulled up. You kept TikTok open throughout the night to watch everything unfold live, but somehow missed this part of the night. Maybe this was when you were trying to sleep or went on a cleaning spree. 

Like Jeff said, it was the last song of the night and they called Eddie on stage. The metalhead is sweaty from his previous performance but looks like he could go on all night if he had the chance. He has a smile on his face that fills your heart with pride, his joy only growing when the audience begins to cheer even more than they were before once he came on stage.  Eddie is still in his stage outfit and makeup, some smoky red eyeshadow, wearing a half buttoned up button-down shirt, distressed jeans, and his favorite combat boots. The unbuttoned shirt revealed sections of his tattoos and his two necklaces - one with your first initial on it and the other was his new lucky guitar pick. His original has been hanging around your neck for around two years now. You were sure the comments were flooded with people fawning over his looks, they always are. 

The two walk up to center stage as the band plays the first notes. You can almost feel the energy of the room just by watching the video. Everyone in the audience begins cheering. Everyone knows the lyrics and they all scream along with the two men on stage. The first notes of the song begin to play and the two vocalists make it to center stage before they start singing. Eddie has one foot up on the stage risers as he belts out the lyrics.

All in with a losing hand

The sun sets on a wanted man

No spine, born without a backbone

Two-faced, too late for a tombstone

 His screams are most akin to a deep growl from the back of his throat. He tried his best over the years to improve his guttural screams without damaging his throat, but maybe last night he got so excited that he forgot to take all the precautionary steps he took to prevent any damage. 

Eddie nods at this and speaks up as much as he’s able to and says, “I got carried away and fucked up. I could feel the damage happening maybe halfway through the song but there was no way I was gonna stop.”

 Jeff nods, muttering under his breath, “And you’re the one always lecturing us about proper technique…” Eddie huffs and raises a ringed middle finger to his bassist who did the only reasonable thing and gave Eddie one back.

You take a little pity on Eddie because he’s clearly annoyed at himself for doing this and how he hurt himself. You turn to him to peck his lips while soothingly rubbing his shoulders. Your touch is already making him feel better. All he wants to do is go home and snuggle up to you in order to make up for lost time. From behind you, there’s some muffled comments being made by the boys, including a sarcastic ‘I can never get over how whipped he is for her…’ coming from Gareth. Eddie tears his eyes from you to Gareth and hoarsely remarks, “At least I have a girlfriend.” It’s barely audible to them, given the condition of his voice and the overall noise levels of the airport, but they’re able to decipher what he said by lip reading. The reactions are mixed. Grant fakes offense, Jeff scoffs, and Gareth flips him off. Then, the younger man gets an idea. 

“You know…”, Gareth says, readjusting the bag hanging off one shoulder with a sly smile on his face, something you notice right away when you turn to look at him, “I’ve actually been acting as his interpreter. I’m pretty good.”

Your boyfriend scoffs and croaks out to Gareth, “No the fuck you’re not.”

Instantly, Gareth replies, “What’s that? You’re indefinitely appointing me as the new frontman? Aww, thanks man! I really appreciate that you trust me with the band!” Eddie shakes his head and is about to walk past you and try to knock some sense into his drummer, mainly because he’s tired and just wants to go home, but you’re still holding onto his shoulder so he stays put. He’s pursing his lips and is clearly ticked off by Gareth, which seems to have been his goal. Most of the time, Eddie could put up with Gareth’s shenanigans, but you swore that every time they went on tour Eddie would come back needing a break from him. He needed a break from everyone, really. That’s what was so great about this job. You’re stuck in a tiny van with them with zero time by yourself and once you get home you can just avoid them until you can bear to look at their faces again. They didn’t schedule a Hellfire session next week for this exact reason. Eddie didn’t want to hear any of their voices or look at them for a while. Hell, he wanted to forget the guys even existed. His plan was to spend time with you, spend time in you, and spend time catching up on his sleep… with you

He’s sick of standing here, he’s sick of the clothes he’s wearing, he’s sick of being awake. Eddie grabs his suitcase from the small pile of luggage that made up their belongings and said to you, “I wanna go home.” He pulls the handle up and takes your hand to begin walking towards the exit. You couldn’t understand what he was saying seconds ago and found the perfect opportunity to poke fun at him.

“Oh yeah, I’d love to watch Titanic when we get home! We can do a fun romance movie marathon!.”

Eddie stops in his tracks and spins to look at you. Did you not hear him correctly? Is his voice that messed up? It’s only when you’ve got the same shit-eating grin on your face that Gareth is wearing that Eddie realizes you’re just messing with him. He gives you the same glare he previously gave the rest of the band and lets go of you before turning to leave the building. You let Eddie take a few steps by himself before shouting out, “You’re going in the wrong direction!”

Eddie groans and turns around again. You and the boys are laughing and all decide it’s finally time to get going. Your boyfriend strode in the other direction to the other exit, one hand on his luggage and the other grabbing your hand again as he passed. You’re laughing even more now and follow him to the elevator leading to the parking garage. Everyone else follows behind and you all make your way upstairs and to your car.

All the bags are packed into the back and the boys into the seats. Eddie immediately claimed the front passenger seat to avoid being sandwiched between the other three, but it gave him the opportunity to hold onto you more. Once everyone was buckled in and ready you began the hour long drive from Indianapolis to Hawkins. There was some chatter at the beginning, but as time went on the chatter morphed into a loud conversation about god knows what. You kept your focus on the road in order to get everyone home as fast as possible. Your patience was beginning to wear thin so you couldn’t imagine how Eddie was feeling. Their loud comments were almost enough to drown out the car radio and the other vehicles whizzing past you on the highway. 

The entire time, Eddie kept one hand on your thigh. Neither of you had the energy for sex right now, but you couldn’t deny that his touch wasn’t getting you a little hot and bothered. You were used to satiating each other's urges whenever you had the chance so you had a month's worth of desires and urges to let out with him. When the time came for him to leave for tour, he made you promise not to touch yourself because ‘you can’t play with something that belongs to him’. You could have easily gone against his wishes, it was all for fun, but it just made his homecoming all the more exciting. His hands were warm and the heat went right through your jeans. He would squeeze your leg sometimes when you stopped and sometimes rub the inside of your thigh with his thumb. 

You drop everyone off at their respective homes and heave a sigh of relief once it’s just you and Eddie in the car. You love those guys, you really do, but sometimes when they’re all together in the same room (or in this case, car) they all start acting like lunatics. Your only saving grace was the fact that they all wore seatbelts and Eddie, the usual instigator of their chaos, was quiet and drained of all his energy. 

As you begin the drive to your apartment, you lower the radio volume until it’s merely background noise.  Eddie takes his hand away from your thigh and crosses his arms as he makes himself more comfortable. He even pulls his hoodie up to keep warm

You lived two towns over so the drive would be twenty minutes until you both could finally go to sleep. Out of the corner of your eye you see Eddie moving to recline the passenger seat a little bit and shut his eyes. 

“Get some rest, baby. We’ll be home soon.”

There was never a discussion about where he’d be staying the night, you just assumed he would be sleeping here. It was a peaceful, quiet drive. A few minutes after he got comfortable you heard his even, heavy breathing and smiled at how quickly he fell asleep. He tired himself out after that last show. Eventually, you roll into your complex’s parking lot and slow to a stop in your designated area. Once the car is off, you take one of Eddie’s hands and give it a squeeze to wake him up. His eyes flutter open and you give him a warm smile. He blearily rubs his eyes and slowly ambles out of the car. You grab his luggage and he picks up his guitar case to sling over his shoulder.  Once he’s out and all his belongings are out of the car, you go over to him and hold your hand out which he happily takes. It’s a short walk from your car but takes a little longer than normal thanks to everything you two are lugging and how sluggish your boyfriend is moving. Thankfully, the temperature wasn’t dipping too low so neither of you were in a hurry. Eventually you get to the front door of your apartment. Neither of you speak on the walk over, but it’s a comfortable silence so neither of you try to fix that. 

The door finally opens after you fight the lock for what feels like an eternity. Eddie sighs when he steps inside. He sets his guitar case down on the sofa and you put his luggage down next to the front door. You kick off your slippers as he leans against the couch to bend over and pull his sneakers off. Once those are off, he begins stripping down in the living room without saying a word. Eddie pulls his hoodie over his head and is followed by the Metallica shirt he wore underneath. Then, he pulls off his sweatpants to reveal… nothing else.

“Ed, honey, did you really take an 11-hour flight without underwear?”

Eddie turns to you as he takes his hair down out of the ponytail he was wearing. He runs his fingers through his hair and scratches at his scalp to relieve the tension from having his hair up for that long. Your beautiful boyfriend stands in the middle of your living room, completely drained and fully nude in front of the open living room window. Eddie looks at you and tiredly answers, “I didn’t feel like wearing them” like it’s completely normal. He’s beyond the point of holding a regular conversation. The dim lighting doesn’t help to hide the bags under his eyes. This would be a conversation to be held in the morning.

You sigh and shake your head at him. He’s bending over to pick his clothes up and you get a full view of his ass, and you won’t complain. It’s a great view. So great that you go over and give it a little tap. You don’t have the energy to give it a full-on smack, something else to tackle tomorrow. Eddie turns and has a small smile on his face. He takes the shirt in his hand and throws it at your face. You hate to admit it smells amazing - it’s a little more sweaty than the shirts he usually gives you since he was stuck in a cramped plane for eleven hours, but that was what somehow made it smell better. He picks up his laundry (minus the shirt) and carries it into your room. Your eyes are scanning his body as he walks inside. The only light source in the room is your bedside lamp, so there’s even less light in there. He’s half hard despite the exhaustion over the past 24 hours and you make a mental note to yourself to wake him up with a blowjob, he always loves that. All his dirty clothing is tossed onto the designated laundry chair, now a mix of your dirty clothes and his, before he flops down onto the bed on his stomach. He’s sprawled out like a starfish and groans when he hits the bed, burying his face in your pillows. It gives you the opportunity to ogle him more, the skeleton wings on his back and the bite mark that you gave him that he permanently tattooed onto the side of his neck. It’s the closest thing you guys had to matching couple tattoos - he had a bite from you on his neck, and you had his on your inner thigh. He was perfect.

You take the time to remove your clothing and strip down like Eddie did earlier. He turns his head a bit to watch you. His eyes trace your curves as the clothing falls off and is placed on the growing mountain in the corner. Once you’re properly undressed, he turns his head back to your pillows so he could  take in your fragrance again. The mix of your shampoo, soap, and natural scent was better than any drug.

“God, I’m fucking exhausted…”

You tiptoe over to the side of the bed and sit down next to him, moving a lock of curly hair away from his face so you can look at him more. He has a sleepy smile on his face, and it’s obvious that he’s on the verge of falling asleep. You reply, “Mm, I bet. Did you have fun?” 

The metalhead nods his head and takes your hand in his to kiss the back of it. Eddie missed a lot of things. He missed the smell of your bedsheets, your warmth when he woke up to your body curled up next to his, the long nights spent in bed just laughing and talking until one of you fell asleep. With his lips pressed against your hand, he mutters, “Yes, but I’m happy to be home…”

He called your apartment home. There was already a mix of his belongings in here besides his clothing so it would make sense that it felt like home to him. The question keeps flying around in your head, but again, it’s a conversation for tomorrow. Your blankets were calling your name, especially with this angel of a man under them. You reach to your bedside table and turn the light off with a soft click, the streetlights outside barely illuminating the room now. Eddie holds the sheets open for you as you tiredly climb inside. The last of your energy leaves your body the moment your head hits the pillow. A pair of strong arms encircle you again and pull you close so your chests are pressed together. You nuzzle him and give him a little kiss before whispering, “Goodnight, Eddie. Get some sleep.”

You two are both out within ten minutes.

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He’s never seen a fairy ring in real life before and he has to admit he’s intrigued. Just not enough to risk stepping into it. He knows all about the different outcomes that could come from it, and the last thing he wants is to get trapped there or dance until he dies. So instead of investigating it, which he wants to do oh so badly, he turns to go around it.

The light shining off of his rings is what had initially drawn your attention to him. And when he was about to step into your circle you couldn’t contain your excited laughter from your lounging spot on the moss growing on a branch of the oak tree above the circle. You feel like you’ve been waiting ages for someone to come across it and dance with you. You even got up and moved to get a better look at this, as you came to realize quickly, pretty human man. And when his foot stops just as it was going to cross the boundary and he takes a step back you grow the most aggravated you’ve been in a long time.

You cross your arms and stomp your feet as you pace in an angry circle, cheeks puffing out. You let out a tiny yell that gets absorbed in the wind and kick the part of the branch pointing up that you were leaning on to get a better look. Your eyes catch on the acorns on one of the thinner branches under you. You have to pull with all your might, and you go somersaulting backwards once you rip it off, but you get it with a proud smile on your face. 

The rustling of the leaves only catches Eddie’s attention for a brief moment before he shrugs it off and keeps walking to his designated smoking spot, a hunters' platform he found his freshman year of high school and has yet to see anyone actually hunt on.

“What the-” It’s when an acorn hits and bounces off of the top of his head that he spins around and looks up at the tree, brown eyes becoming slits as if that’ll help him spot the culprit. When he doesn’t see anything he chalks it up to just nature running its course instead of a fairy throwing something at him and scoops up said acorn before continuing on his way.

You follow him, becoming intrigued even more by him once you watch him put the acorn in the thing he’s carrying and wanting to know what else is inside immediately. Once he’s situated on the platform in a tree you hover for a while watching in awe as he brings his weird stick to his lips and inhales before exhaling and leaning his head back against the trunk of the tree. You enjoy how the dying sunlight glints off of his rings and the ink on his newly exposed arms.

Once he throws his fire starter back into his box you fly over to it landing just next to it, staying crouched so as not to be spotted. Once you see his eyes are closed again you stand and grab onto the top to peek inside. The pretty blue crystals scattered on the opposite side immediately draw your attention. After seeing the man preoccupied you dart inside to get a better look. They’re all different shapes and bigger than your head and you can’t help but think you’ve found treasure. 

Eddie puts his roach out against the platform before putting it back in his lunchbox to throw out later and shutting it. He slings his jacket over his shoulder and grabs the box’s handle before climbing down to head back home.

You don’t notice the stub of the stick he had fall in behind you, too distracted with turning one of the more ball-like gems around in your hand, until you get overwhelmed with an odd earthy smell and notice the lid shutting. It’s immediately being moved and knocking you onto your ass. You huff before standing, finding purchase on a smaller less solid red and white box, and flying up to try to push on the lid to try to open it. After several failed attempts you land back on the constantly slightly tilting ground and let out a scream. One that stays hidden from Eddie’s ears due to the metal blocking it and the distance from his lunchbox to his ears.

You should have never gotten into this trap! Because of course that’s what this was, the intriguing pretty human and the gems were all a ploy to capture you. You feel so stupid and your anger boils up as one of said gems slides to your feet. You kick it into the wall enjoying the echoing noise it makes. You enjoy it so much that you continue to kick and throw the things in your prison, stomping all over the green clumps and snapping the arm of the little statue off. As soon as your prison stops moving and finds solid ground you rush to start banging on walls. 

Eddie hears the constant dinging coming from his lunchbox just as he’s pulling his pajama pants on. He sits at the chair in front of his desk before sliding it in front of him, successfully knocking you on your ass again, and opening the lid up. He’s immediately met with the sweet smell of strawberries, which is definitely not what it should smell like. His eyes go wide when he sees you sitting there arms crossed and slightly glowing in the midst of the chaos that is his lunchbox.

“Woah.” You look up at the sound of his voice catching the shocked look on his face briefly before you’re shooting up and out of the box you were stuck in. You hover there for a second before seeing your way back outside next to him and flying straight into a wall of some sort.

“I gotcha!” Eddie catches and cradles you in his hands as you bounce off of the window. You can’t be taller than three inches and your wings, which tickle the slightest bit as they brush against Eddie’s palm, remind him of a butterfly. Your dress looks delicately made out of the petals of some purple flower and he wants to admire the craftsmanship. And he would if you hadn’t flown out of his hand to hide behind his lunchbox as soon as the shock of flying into the window wore off.

He’s still in so much shock that there’s a real living fairy in his room that it doesn’t register how scared you might be after being shut in his lunchbox until you’re scurrying away from him.

“Oh god, I’m such an idiot. You must be so scared, hold on.” He gets up and you peer around the corner to watch him as he digs around in a drawer, the softness in his voice gaining your interest. When he sits back down you go back to hiding only hearing the beads he drops in between your hiding spot and himself. “Here, I don’t want to hurt you, I swear.” He pushes his chair back and crosses his arms so you know he’ll keep them to himself and waits for you to come out. 

You think about it for a couple minutes before poking your head around the corner again looking at his new position before at the small offering in front of you. The pretty beads make you smile and you clock the human in front of you again before making your way to them. Eddie’s transfixed as you walk out from your hiding spot and kneel to pick up and admire the beads. 

“Sorry for shutting you in my lunchbox. Right hand up to god I didn’t even know you were in there.” Your attention goes up to him and Eddie catches himself holding his breath for your reaction. You can tell he’s telling the truth, you’ve always been good at that, so you just shrug and go back to your beads. You don’t even flinch when his hand goes up with his choice of wording. He notices and decides to test his luck and move his chair back to where it originally was. All you do is look at him and tilt your head to take him in. He has very pretty eyes, if you were a more violent fairy you’d want to pluck them out of his head. The thought makes you giggle and Eddie recognizes it as the tinkling sound from earlier.

“That was you earlier, I was about to step into your circle.” He’s beaming at you and getting excited. It’s admittedly contagious as you nod and smile at him before remembering how he ruined your fun by not stepping into it. Your smile drops and you cross your arms as you look at him. He notices and goes to reach into the box pulling out the acorn from earlier. 

“Did you throw this at me?” You nod once pouting. “Well I’m sorry for not stepping in. I’ve just heard and read stories about what could have happened and didn’t want to risk it. But you seem very nice and I’m sure you wouldn’t have kept me trapped there forever.” You shake your head rigorously. You really just wanted to dance with someone for a bit, you’ve felt so lonely recently. And you had forgotten completely about how some fairies will do things like that. 

“What were you doing in my lunch box that got you shut in anyway?” 

“Oh!” Eddie doesn’t hear your exclamation, just sees your mouth form it before you’re standing and climbing into his lunchbox. He only has to wait a couple seconds until you’re throwing out his D20 dice and rolling a nat twenty without meaning to. When you fly out you have his D4, D8, and D10 balanced in your arms. You drop them where the D20 rolled and beam while gesturing with open arms at them.

“My dice?” You nod even though that’s an odd name for gems.

“They’re pretty.” To Eddie your words are a little like small bells but the way you stare at them has him agreeing with you anyway.

“You’re a pretty little thing aren’t you?” Once again you look up at him but this time you really take him in, from his long hair to his pretty brown eyes to the scars on his neck, chest and torso. Under your studious gaze he suddenly remembers that he never put a new shirt on and starts to fidget with self consciousness.

“I should finish getting dressed.”

“What are those from? Somebody hurt you?”

“I don’t know what you’re saying darlin’ but if it’s about the scars you don’t have to worry about it. I got them a while ago.” He winces as the phantom pains decide to pick the worst moment of his life to return. And suddenly he’s feeling the bites all over again just slightly less painful. You fly over to hover in front of him as he rubs the ones on his chest and grimaces. You start to panic not liking watching the human who gifted you such beautiful beads and showed you kindness and called you pretty go through whatever this is. 

“Let me help.” You fly closer to his ear hoping it’ll help him hear you. After you fly back to see his reaction you find his eyes wide at hearing your voice before he nods an okay. With his permission you fly closer to where he’s rubbing and trying to get it to go away, placing your tiny hands on the scars and starting the healing process you normally just do for animals or plants. After so long of it not working how you want it to because you can’t cover enough surface area you aggravatedly sigh and back away for your next move hoping it’ll work better.

One minute you’re this small fairy in front of him and the next you’re human sized, glitter falling to the floor where you stand from your use of magic. He barely has time to take you in before your hands are on his chest again, a sort of glow emitting from your connected skin as you try to heal him. It works, the pains fade but Eddie’s not sure if that’s because of you or well you. 

Your hands are cooler than he would have expected them to be. And now he can really see the curves that make up your form and the gorgeous eyes that he could only barely make out the color of before. You’re pretty as a pixie but as a human you’re like nothing he’s ever seen, you’re plain ethereal. 

“Better?” Your voice sounds different than in your smaller form and Eddie immediately falls in love with it. All he can do is nod as you look up at him, because even in your bigger form you’re shorter than him, and you take your hands off of him. You giggle as you see the glittery dust in the shape of your hands on his skin where you were using your magic. It’s Eddie’s new favorite sound because on top of it being an actual laugh there’s still the slight tinkle in it from when you’re fairy size. “Good.”

Before Eddie can say anything else you’re poofing back into fairy size, leaving more glitter behind, and flying over to the desk to pick up all the beads you can carry. After that you fly over to the window touching the glass with your foot wondering how to get out.

“Let me get that.” Eddie comes over and opens the window watching you while he does so. “Will I see you again?” You just shrug before flying out and heading back home.

Eddie Taglist (27/40): @sadbitchfangirl​ @notbeforelong​​​​ @navs-bhat @emotionaldreamer ​​​​​  @gaysludge​​​ ​@eddiethesexy​ @mazerunnerrose​ @midnightsgetawaycar   @mushroomelephant @saramelaniemoon @nojamsonmytoast @vintagehellfire @esoltis280 @spikedhe4rt @siriuslysmoking @toobsessedsstuff @alana4610 @gretavanfleas @sparkletash @aactuaaltraash @spookyemorockbabe @jesssssmaybankk @tlclick73 @eddiemunsonslittlemetalhead @bl4ckt00thgr1n @eli-flower @canyonmooncreations

The group is at Steve's. Pizzas are already on the way and the beer is chilling in the fridge. The only thing missing was Eddie. Well, not actually missing. He probably took too long in the shower or stayed listening to his favorite album on repeat and the time flew.

He arrives an hour late, everyone scoffing at him.

"Alright, alright. I have no excuse. But I do have a little surprise" he smiles.

"What is it?" Jonathan asks. Eddie simply sticks his tongue out, showing the little metal bar on his tongue. "What?!"

"Holy shit! Is that real?" Steve looks at his tongue surprisingly.

"Of course it is, Harrington" Eddie smirks. "I got it last week. Hurt like a bitch but it looks sick, right?"

"That’s so cool, let me see it again!" Robin agrees. Eddie sticks his tongue out again.

You don't say anything. You stay frozen, just looking at it amazed.

Eddie wiggles his tongue a little before wincing. "Still sore, no unnecessary movements"

"How are you not in pain?" Nancy asks him.

"I mean, I was. The first few days sucked. Living off of soup and mashed potatoes. But now It's not swollen anymore. I can't eat anything that's not soft, and I can't kiss anyone" he explains. "Not like there's a line of girls waiting to kiss me anyway"

"But since when did you want a tongue piercing?" Nancy asks.

"I mean, why not? Looks metal. Plus, it's supposed to be really fun... in some scenarios"

"You mean... like-"

He interrupts her, with a smirk and a wink. "Exactly what you're thinking, Wheeler"

You almost choke on your drink at that image. The idea of what that piercing could do and how it would feel against-

Robin is so kind to interrupt these thought out of your head, as she sees your flushed cheeks and lost stare.

"You've been suspiciously quiet. Everything okay?"

"Huh? yeah, fine" you shrug.

"What's your verdict, princess. Am I pulling this off or does it look weird?" Eddie asks you.

"I think you're pulling it off" you nod.

He smirks. "Good to know"

"Pizzas are here! and uhh... mashed potatoes for Eddie, I guess" Steve interrupts.

As the pizzas disappear, more cans of beer are opened. You're curled in the corner of the couch, finishing your cup, feeling the blush on your cheeks from the alcohol.

Eddie's sitting next to you. Long legs stretched out and he's leaning back against the couch. And his tongue?

You can clearly see the little metal ball peaking out of his pink lips as he absentmindedly plays with it.

"Eddie, stop that. You weren’t supposed to play with it yet" you tell him.

"Didn't realize I had an audience" he chuckles.

"You don't" you playfully roll your eyes, lying.

Robin and Steve are bickering about something you didn't pay attention to. Nancy and Jonathan having their own quiet conversation.

Eddie nudged your ankle with his. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just tipsy" you smile. "How's your mouth? Swollen?"

"Nah, not anymore. The first few days were torture though. I sounded like I had some dental surgery, real charming"

"Did it hurt more or less than a tattoo?" you ask.

"It's a different kind of pain. A tattoo is like... this dragging burn. The piercing was just one sharp stitch, quick and kinda shocking" he answers your questions. "I'm surprised you're this curious. You usually avoid anything involving blood or needles"

"I dunno. This doesn't look too bad"

"Oh great, thanks" he laughs. "Anything else you wanna know?"

If he only knew everything else you want to know. Like how the contrast with the coldness of the metal and the warmness of his tongue would feel against your skin. How would it feel to kiss him? To play with your tongue against his and feel the little ball making everything even hotter.

You've always wondered how it would be to kiss someone with that piercing... and you've always wondered how it would be to kiss Eddie. Ever since you met him.

But now, the thought of killing two birds with one stone, solving both of your questions, was making you dizzier than the alcohol itself.

“You keep looking at me like that” he murmurs, barely audible.

“Like what?”

“Like you want to know something” he tilts his head, a crooked grin forming.

You should lie, laugh it off. Should say it’s the alcohol, the fact that he’s loud and hard to ignore. But you don't.

Instead, you take another sip and lean in a little, the alcohol giving you the courage and guts.

“I guess I’ve always wondered…” you say softly. “what it would be like”

His expression shifts, eyes darkening, his grin faltering at the edges. “What what would be like?”

“Kissing someone with a tongue piercing”

There it is. No flirtation, no sarcasm. Just truth. Eddie doesn’t say anything. He just stares, his fingers tightening around his bottle.

You continue, a little bolder now. “People say it makes everything feel more intense. Maybe the metal adds pressure” Your gaze drops to his mouth. “Makes everything feel even better”

Eddie swallows hard, forgets how to breathe.

Now they're both imagining, picturing, letting your minds run wild. Every place that piercing could go. The heat of his mouth dragging over skin, the pressure of metal.

You're painting a picture, making him your muse. And he's ready to frame it and hang it on his wall.

“You really think about that stuff?” his voice is hoarse.

“Sometimes" you shrug, smirking. “I’m just curious”

“Curious” he repeats, like it’s the most obscene word he’s ever heard. "You know I can't kiss anyone yet"

"No, I know" You lean back against the couch. “I’m just saying, it’s a really interesting piercing”

Eddie clenches his jaw.

"One week” he mutters.

"Until what?”

“Until I can"

You didn't want to overthink what Eddie had said. You were both drinking. Tipsy, flirty. But you've been friends for a while now, there's no way he was really going to throw all that out the window for a hot night together... as hot as that night would be.

By Thursday of the following week, you were going to The Hideout with the group. Eddie was playing with his band and you always came to see him every once in a while.

Once the show is over and the music inside the bar shifts to its usual rock playlist, Eddie comes back down to greet everyone. His cheeks are pink, voice still hoarse from his singing.

You can feel him before you see him. He sits next to you at the tiny table that was definitely meant for less than six people to sit on. So of course his leg is constantly touching yours. Your shoulders brush everytime you lean to grab your drink.

Eddie melts casually into the conversation, like usual. But he still hasn't said a word directly to you since he sat down.

You reach to grab some chips from the table and you bump his arm.

"Sorry" you whisper.

He finally looks at you, grin on. "You keep saying that everytime we touch"

"Maybe we should stop sitting too close" you grin too.

"Maybe I like it" he adds. Then, his hand goes down rest on your thigh. Your heart skips a beat. "You remember everything from last week?"

"I remember a lot of things" you say.

"Oh, yeah?" he hums.

"I remember you were drunk"

"So were you"

"Exactly"

"So you think I didn't mean any of it?"

"I think you wouldn't throw away our friendship just because we drank too much and sat too close"

"Is that was it was to you? A mistake?"

"I didn't say that" you correct him, but your moment of tension is cut off by Steve, not even realizing what he was doing.

"So, Munson, how's the tongue?"

"God, don't phrase it like that" Robin cringes.

"Oh, my tongue? Wouldn't you wanna know, Harrington?" Eddie grins wide and leans back, and arm going behind his head to scratch his head. He doesn't know it (or maybe he actually does) but his shirt lifts up, letting you get a peak of his happy trail. Good God.

Steve rolls his eyes. "The piercing, idiot"

"It's all healed up. No infection. I even checked with my piercer and he gave me the green light"

"Can you eat properly now?" Robin asks him.

"Yup, I've been having pizza for two days straight now. I've missed it so much"

The silver ball appears from between his lips, rolling from one corner to the other. He's playing with it, obviously. Constantly. Like a nervous tic... or maybe a provocation.

"I mean... technically, now I could kiss anyone at this bar if I wanted" he adds. "And even more than kissing"

"Jesus, alright. We get the picture" Nancy groans.

And just like that, your mind is already spiriling again, taking you to a corner in your brain where Eddie's mouth is not talking, teasing, and joking around. It's exploring, tasting, pressing, flicking.

You clear your throat and look away, pretending to focus on anything else.

"Alright, I'm going out for a smoke" Eddie stands up and grabs his cigarettes. He looks up for a second and calls your name. "Could you be a doll and join me outside? You know, so I'm not all alone and defenseless out there"

You hesitate. Something tells you to avoid this. But then again, part of you has been waiting for this moment.

"Back in a sec" you murmur to the rest as you stand up as well.

Outside, Eddie leans back against the brick wall and lights his cigarette.

"Defenseless, really?" you ask.

"I mean, I can't afford a bodyguard yet, so you'll have to do" he jokes.

You roll your eyes. But the joke doesn't last. Eddie takes another drag and exhales, his eyes not leaving your face.

"I meant what I said the other night" he admits. "I only told you that being drunk because sober me's a coward"

"You're not a coward"

"The filter just dropped there, that's all" he pauses. "I haven't stopped thinking about you. About that night and how you looked at me. And you're pretending it didn't mean anything"

"I'm not pretending, I'm trying to protect what we have"

"I know, but what if we miss the chance of something real?" He walks closer to you. "I'm not gonna kiss you. Not because I don't want to. I do. God, I do."

"Then why not?"

"Because I want you to believe me first"

You stay looking at him, thinking. Eddie takes a step back, like the conversation is over, and takes another hit.

He's about to talk but you beat him to it.

"Eddie"

He turns, quiet. And you walk over to him without thinking too much about it.

"I haven't stopped thinking about that night either" you admit. "I keep picturing it. You playing with that stupid piercing like you're doing right now"

He hadn't realized he was. His tongue stops, subconsciously.

"I imagine what it would feel like," you whisper, stepping closer. "against my lips"

"Jesus" he sighs.

"Against my skin. I wonder what it would be like to kiss it. To play with it. with my tongue" you keeps whispering.

He calls your name like a warning.

"What? You wanted honesty"

"This is not fair"

"I know what I want. And I wanted to be sure you wanted it too"

"I do, so badly"

"You said you could kiss anyone you wanted tonight, right?"

"Yeah" he says, jaw tense.

"Then why don't we stop playing around it... and finally see what it feels like?"

It takes him less than a second. He doesn't hesitates and he moves.

Hands on you and he kisses you like he's been waiting months to do it. It's rough at first, urgent. Like he's afraid if he doesn't kiss you now, he'll never get the chance again.

Your back hits the wall softly as you melt into him. Arms around his neck. And it's everything you imagined.

The metal feels a bit cold at first, in contrast with his hot, soft and slow tongue. He deepens the kiss, flicking the piercing slightly against your bottom lip.

A sound escapes your throat at that.

"Well?" he smirks.

"It's... better than I imagined"

"Did you imagine a lot, sweetheart?" he smirks as he hugs you.

You don’t rush back in.

Not when Eddie has you pressed against the brick wall like it’s the only place in the world he wants to be. Not when he’s still kissing you like he can’t quite believe this is real.

Every flick of that piercing, teasing the corner of your mouth, your tongue, dipping down to your jaw.

Eddie pulls back just a little, lips dragging to your cheek, then lower, to the curve of your jaw, then your neck.

And then he mutters against your skin, voice rough and low: “If you want we can keep testing how this thing works later” He pulls back to look at you. “I mean, purely scientific purposes; research, discovery"

“You’re ridiculous” you whisper, chucking.

He kisses you again. Slower and softer.

Then, he pulls away and smooths his hand down your arm. “C’mon, let’s go back before they start missing us”

You walk back in trying to act casual... you failed.

You hadn't notice that your hair was noticeably more tangled, lipstick no longer present. Instead, the tinted red was now on Eddie's lips and the corners of his mouth. His hair a mess...  even more than usual.

And they all notice. Everyone.

Steve spots you first. “No. No way.” He slams his hand on the table. “You two?”

“Oh my God" Robin laughs looking at Eddie's face.

“Do we all need to go outside for a smoke break now?” Jonathan acts scared, jokingly.

Eddie just shrugs and slides back into his seat like nothing happened.

“I mean...” he starts with a grin. “I told you I could kiss anyone I wanted tonight"

You sit down without a word.

“I told you I was defenseless,” Eddie adds, “she just took full advantage”

You roll your eyes.

"So? Does the piercing work?" Robin jokes.

"Oh, it works" you smirk.

The parking lot feels cold. The group spills out of the bar, putting on jackets and still laughing about some dumb joke.

Nancy and Jonathan get to her car, ready to go back home.

Steve grabs his keys and walks up to his car. "Alright ladies, I promised I'd get you two home" he refers to you and Robin.

You dig in your purse for your keys when you hear: "Or..."

You turn to the metalhead behind you, standing by his van.

"You could ride with me" he offers.

"Mmh, pros and cons?" you ask.

"You already know what I'm offering" he gives you a cocky smirk. "I told you we could keep testing things"

"Oh" Robin's eyes shot up.

"Sorry Steve, thanks for the offer though" you walk towards the van with a playful smile.

"Don't worry, Stevie" Eddie smirks, openening the passenger door for you. "I'll make sure she gets home... eventually"

Steve rolls his eyes and sighs, getting on his car.

As Eddie drives out of the parking lot, your friends yell: "Wrap it up, Munson!; Use protection!"

Once you arrive at Eddie's place, the door clicks shut behind you. The trailer is quiet. Eddie tosses his keys on the counter and turns to look at you.

He's like a wolf with its prey. His innocent and pretty lamb just waiting for him to devour her. His eyes raking over you. The silver ball still peaking out in between his lips while he stares at you.

"You look nervous" he murmurs, stepping closer.

"I'm not"

He smirks at that. "You're gorgeous, you know?"

"Just come here and kiss me" you chuckle.

That's all it takes, his hand finds your hair and his mouth is on yours before you know it.

You start making out. That metal ball right where you wanted it, agaisnt your own tongue, making you chase the feeling of it.

His hands sliding down your waist, gripping your hips like he means to leave marks.

He walks you backwards, step by step, never breaking the kiss. Until you hit the edge of his bed and drop onto it.

He just stares at you for a moment.

“Wanna keep going?” he asks, raspy voice. And you nod. “That’s not a yes”

“Yes" you whisper.

He's on you again in a second, kissing you harder, with his hands all over you.

Then, his mouth moves south to your neck. Open-mouthed kisses to make sure you feel the metal.

You can't really register when exactly your shoes came off. If it was before or after your shirt was tugged over your head. Everything blurs around the way Eddie's hands grip you, or his mouth moves lower and lower on your throat, chest, stomach. Until it reaches your thighs.

He looks up at you with those botton eyes and you're not sure if he knows the effect they have on you. His hair brushes over your skin as he settles in between your legs, and the sight of him there —eager, ruined already.

His mouth is everywhere, slow at first, like he wants to savor your reactions —every twitch, every gasp, every whispered 'Eddie' that slips out. And that piercing is not just decoration.

It gets impossibly hot pressed against you in the best places. He flicks it, then drags it slow just to hear you.

You fist on those poor cushions. He grins against you, tongue insistent, fingers gripping your hips to keep you still.

Round one hits like a storm. Your thighs already trembling on his shoulders, his name repeated on your lips as you cum.

But he doesn’t stop. Doesn’t even give you time to think.

Round two is worse (or better). He's slower now. "You taste like fucking candy, sweetheart" he mutters, voice wrecked and low, sending you vibrations.

He uses his tongue flat, the piercing catching right on your clit, flicking it every two seconds. You're twitching, begging, already falling apart again.

When you finish for the second time, your mind is blank, eyes glassy.

He nips at the inside of thigh, mutters things against your skin you can't even hear.

And you think he’ll stop now.

He doesn’t.

By round three, you're gasping his name loudly. You're so sentisive that you could just start crying.

And he's not even close to done.

“Still with me, baby?” he murmurs, mouth hovering just above you. “You got one more?”

You nod, enthusiastic.

And he dives in again —addicted.

By the end, you're not sure if you're moaning or sobbing, maybe both. Your hips held tight in his hands while he licks through the waves of your orgasm.

And when he finally pulls back, he's got your slick down to his chin and all over his cheeks, that metal glinting in the low light, his hair wild, and a dangerous look in his eyes.

“Jesus, that was the best” he whispers, licking his lips.

You just reach for him and pull him up to another kiss.

Eddie goes to lie half on top of you, his arms around your waist, hair sticking to his cheeks, and his cheeks are flustered.

He could only describe you as a beatiful mess beneath him, bare and flustered, still catching her breath.

"I could use a cigarette now" he smirks and looks in his nightstand. Your gaze drops to the very obvious state of his jeans.

Tight. Painfully so.

The outline of him is already big.

You reach down and lightly brush your fingers over the bulge. He practically jumps.

He warns, calling your name.

You only tilt your head, voice teasing. "You really thought we were over?"

He groans, hiding his face in your neck. “I'm happy with what we did already”

"Yeah?" you grin, push him back a little, trailing your hand down his chest, toying with the hem of his shirt. “Well… but look at you”

He exhales, jaw clenching. “Don’t do that unless you mean it"

“Oh, I mean it,” you whisper, palming him over the denim now, watching the way his hips twitch towards you. “You’ve been walking around all night with that piercing like you invented sex. Thought we were done?"

He laughs, breathless, then moans as you unbutton his pants slowly, dragging the zipper down. He’s twitching, hard and thick, and so big.

And when you get your mouth on him, he moans louder.

"Fuck, sweetheart-"

You work him over with your tongue, taking your time, teasing, savoring. You want to make a mess out of him too.

Your tongue curls on his pink head, while you stroke the base.

And when you look up at him, mouth slick, eyes gleaming? Eddie loses it.

Groaning, head back, fingers fisting the sheets and your hair with the other hand. He whispers a string of curses and sweet nothings that make you want to ruin him.

"You're so good, baby. You're gonna make me cum, ruin that cute little face and make it mine"

He pushes you down slowly, further, so you're taking all of him.

"That’s a good girl, take all of it. God"

And when he finally comes, thighs trembling, moaning your name, you can only smile, licking your lips, and murmur:

“Now we’re even"

Eddie blinks, dazed. Then laughs, low and panting.

"So did you like the piercing?" he gives you a big smile when you go and lay next to him.

"Like is an understatement" you chuckle.

"Oh yeah?" he grabs your cheeks and gives you a quick kiss.

"Yeah, I might have a few other ideas we could try out"

"Oh, I like the sound of that," he gives you another kiss, "I have some ideas of my own too"

"Then we better get to it, big boy"

First Wheeler left with Henderson and Sinclair, all of whom stopped and had a short conversation with you before leaving, ignored mostly by your friends as they continued the mini debate that you'd been trying to extinguish. Then, Owen Powell and Jasmine Stakes left from your table, followed by Ty Parker and Andy five minutes later. That was about the time Jeff left, leaving Eddie and Gareth at one table, and you and those two sprinters he'd never bothered to remember the names of at the other.

As his table grew empty, there was less and less conversation to tend to. To fill in the gaps, he occupied himself with staring in the general direction of your table. He thought he was being inconspicuous.

He heard your name leave his friend's mouth, louder than it should have been. “That's mystery girl?” Gareth asked, flicking a straw wrapper that landed dangerously close Eddie’s eye to get his attention.

Eddie, who was grateful you didn't seem to have noticed that Gareth had fully turned in his booth seat to stare at you, wasn't even sure if you'd seen him yet, so he had decided against drawing any attention to himself by throwing an onion ring at the boy across from him in retaliation.

“Mystery girl?” He scoffed instead, his attention fully focused on his table for the first time since you'd walked in.

Gareth's head was still turned toward your table when he spoke again, “If it was Marley, Clayson would snap you in half then come after the rest of us.” Gareth surmised. “I'd think you'd have a little bit more respect and love for your dear friends.”

Right. Derek Clayson and Marley Waters. Or Marley Clayson. You had told Eddie you were pretty sure they secretly got married because of the college benefits. He couldn't remember for sure, though. He'd been trying to forget the two weeks of your unofficial relationship to keep him from spiraling.

He cleared his throat before kicking his friend's leg under the table, effectively getting him to turn back around.

“Mystery girl doesn't exist,” Eddie said, somewhat sternly. Not full on dungeon master stern, though. Would have been too suspicious.

It was around the time that Gareth had left that Eddie started to wonder if you were staying late on purpose. You weren't one to third wheel, yet it seemed like you had no intention to start packing up, even though your conversation with the couple in front of you seemed to be dwindling. You seemed to be picking at your fries slower, too. But not in a way that signaled you were full.

You smiled at Derek and Marley as they got up, relaxing a bit in your seat and letting your head fall back against the vinyl when the bell jingled on the entrance door, signaling the pair's exit.

Your eyes were closed, which served as Eddie's cue. If he wanted to slip out and avoid any awkward interaction, now was the time.

He should have known that would be too easy.

The moment his hands met the peeled cushions of the booth’s seat, he stilled, watching as your head rolled a bit, your eyes opening slightly to meet his. When he thought his heart couldn't drop any further, you lifted your arm, beckoning him over with your finger.

Eddie blinked, standing and wiping his hands on the sides of his jeans as he traveled the short distance from your booth to his, awkwardly slipping to sit opposite of you. You looked at him, your hand scrounging around the basket of fries you had ordered.

With the two large groups of high schoolers absent, the atmosphere of the diner had shifted drastically. More quiet. More intimate.

Especially because this was the longest you'd intentionally looked at him since that night.

He looked at your neck. One gold, two silvers. Very rare for the star athlete of Hawkins.

“Your dad pissed?” He asked, nodding to the medals that hung around your neck. They'd probably be hung neatly on your wall the next day.

“Just take 'em down and hang 'em back up after” he tried not to laugh as he watched you pant in frustration in his lap, glaring at the array of achievements as they clinked with each rock of your hips.

You shrugged, “Not really. He understands, I mean. Had a bad start. Twice,” you excused, moving to hold one of the round silvers and lifting it a bit.

“Second is the best,” you sighed, your lips pressing your lips together a bit. Your voice was a bit worn, probably from hours of screaming encouragements and berating underclassmen.

It was his turn to speak again. The topic of him overhearing you had been giving Sinclair much needed driving lessons would have been short and led to another awkward silence. He opted for explaining himself semi-properly instead.

“Hey.” Eddie cringed, “I know I uh…over summer I just-” He licked his lips, “You didn't deserve…that. I was a dick.” He finally got out.

“No,” you shook your head, brows furrowed.

“No, it's fine. I mean, like you said, it was never-” you paused, letting yourself think. You weren't looking in his eyes anymore. “I think maybe I just…liked you more than you liked me.” Was what you finally settled on.

‘Liked.'

Eddie’s eye twitched.

“For the best though. I mean… I doubt you would have wanted to spend your senior year sneaking around.”

That's not why he did it. Not completely. But he was fine with letting you think his reasoning was more out of consideration for you than self loathing.

You tilted your head a bit, lips pursed, “It wouldn't have had to be like that,” you murmured. Then, when you realized you'd said it out loud, continued, “I would have let you. I mean we couldve…” you trailed off, shrugging a shoulder.

He tilted his head to meet yours, “You would've let me…?”

You bit back a smile, “Let you take me out. Hold my hand in the halls. Y’know, all that.” It was exactly what he did and didn't want to hear simultaneously.

Eddie wanted to roll his eyes. He couldn't, though. He had no real reason to call you a liar. Nothing you'd ever done or said had told him that you wouldn't, except for whatever possessed him to look you in the eyes and tell you that whatever you had was never going to work.

He figured his lack of response entirely conveyed the opposite of what he was currently thinking when you spoke again, “I'm out with you right now, no?” You took a bite of your fry, then gestured to the basket in between the two of you with the half still in your hand.

You were out with him. Even though it was technically too late for it to be probable that anyone that had anything to say about it would see the two of you. You called him over and you were talking to him and telling him how much you liked him without a hint of insincerity in your voice.

“Why two bad starts?” Eddie swallowed.

“I couldn't find my lucky spikes. I mean, like, I haven't seen them all year, but tonight I really felt like I needed ‘em.” You reached for another fry. “Think they might be at your place so…technically not my fault,” you nodded.

“You're blaming me for your two bad starts?” Eddie's eyebrows raised.

“Absolutely. You stole from me, Munson.” You shook your head, “Sabatoged me.”

You were joking, he was ninety nine percent sure. There was nothing blatantly underlying in your tone. Eddie wondered if he really had, though. Thrown you off. Sure, you seemed fine, but that might have just been the endorphins from running lasting extra long.

“I don't even think I have anything of yours,” you lied. Right through your teeth. His shirt was currently draped over the chair you designated for studying, and at least two of his rings were neatly placed in the brass jewelry box that sat open at your vanity. None of which you stole. He had just left them over at your’s and forgot to get them back. After he broke things off you considered them parting gifts.

“No? The long sleeve? You don't think you…” Eddie tilted his head and squinted a bit, his lips pursed.

“Mmm, nope.” You hummed, popping the P. “I know how you feel, though. My favorite perfume went missing. It was a Dior, very unfortunate.” You shook your head.

Eddie smiled.

He reached a hand up, turning his head and scratching his jaw.

“Yeah, yeah. Fine.” In his defense, he'd swiped your perfume weeks before he got all weird and self-deprecating and decided to screw everything up between the two of you. He hadn't taken it in a creepy way, though. He just wanted to smell you everywhere. Wanted you with him everywhere. Because he liked you. At the time, he had every intention of giving it back and playing it off like you'd accidentally left it.

It was silent for a beat too long, and Eddie had made the grave mistake of letting his eyes dart to the large glass windows. He hadn't meant to look out at his van. To make it seem like he wanted to leave. You'd caught it, though.

You bit your lip, “I won't uh…I won't hold you. I think you were leaving earlier.” You told him, your smile smaller and your voice a bit deflated.

“You're not staying?” He heard your voice in the back of his head.

Your face now was eerily similar to last year. That face you'd make whenever he'd shimmy back into his jeans, standing up from your bed. Not because he was opposed to staying over, but because he thought you would rather he didn't.

'It's not wrong of you to leave. It's not like we're dating. I just thought you wanted to stay.’

The face you had made the night he ended things was every worse that that. It had confusion and dejection that threatened to make Eddie nauseous every time he thought about it.

“Yeah, no, of course. If you feel like it's not…working.” Was the first thing you had said.

It was working. It was working entirely too well.

“Eds?” His eyes snapped back to your now concerned ones.

“If I did something, though…you can tell me.” He watched as your lip wobbled just faintly. As you quickly bit it to compose yourself. While he sat on the edge of his bed. Like an idiot.

His eyes focused back, “Yeah, sorry,” he shook his head.

You nodded, tapping your finger on the table before you spoke again.

“I really don't want to like…you know,” you laughed a bit. “But we're um…we're cool, right?”

You were cool. You seemed cool, all nice to him and unintentionally screwing with his head.

He said your name, and you sat up, just a bit. Like you were expecting a real explanation. Waiting for him to contribute something of substance to the conversation that you'd been making far too easy for him.

He couldn't give you that, though. Now that he had to go home and process the newly confirmed fact that he really had screwed everything up for no reason.

He blinked dumbly, “Yeah…we're cool.”

That made you smile.

He let you leave first. He didn't move to stand from the booth until your car drove away and he refrained from letting himself think about the interaction until he settled in his van, hands and forehead glued to the wheel.

Just because you spoke to him and sort of kind of clearly and blatantly insinuated that you would have wanted a real, public relationship with him didn't mean you'd open yourself up to let him break your heart out of nowhere again.

You were a team captain. It was your job to cheer people up and make them feel wanted. Talk them up when they screwed up in hopes that they never screwed up that majorly again.

You were a good captain, though. And an honest one. If you wanted him to stop staring at you and putting himself in a two mile radius of you, you would say that. Just like you would have told him if you had no interest in sneaking around with the town pariah, but you never did.

Because you liked him. You had said that. Liked. Most likely in reference to the normal, non self contempt riddled version of him.

If he could get you to like him once, he was almost entirely sure he could do it again.