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I mean, in some very interesting Technically Correct ways, they didn't actually die? Now, they're very much no longer alive. But the forces involved are such that they didn't get any of the usual cellular processes of death, they simply went from biology to physics in less time than it takes a signal to travel down your optic nerve.
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just a reminder that this blog is run by someone who:
— is anti ICE & fascism
— is pro-choice & feminist
— supports trans & queer people
— hates generative AI & capitalism
— supports immigrants & people of color
— is pro-environmentalism & social justice
— supports palestine & all other territories unjustly suffering
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Peter Parker x fem!Stark!reader (established) / Johnny Storm x earth838variant!fem!reader
Based on this post by @jinjuonthebeat
Word count: 4.7k Masterlist
Summary: what is Johnny Storm supposed to do when he lands on Earth-616 and sees his dead fiancé holding hands with SpiderMan?
This is quite angsty. Reader is Tony’s daughter. Everything is cannon except No Way Home. Peter and reader are high school sweethearts but this is like 10 years later.
You walked into the conference room just like you did for all team meetings: in between your fiancee, Peter, and your best friend, Yelena. You were wrapped in one of your dad’s old Stark Industries hoodies that could be considered vintage at this point.
“Little Stark,” Thor greeted you, “my, how you have grown,” he pulled you in for an impossibly tight hug, “if only the circumstances were better.”
You gave him a smile before walking to your usual spot in the back.
Bucky was debriefing you all beside Thor as you tried your best to pay attention, but the doors flew open and behind Sam four people in blue and white suits gathered in.
When the aircraft landed this is the last situation Johnny Storm and the Fantastic Four expected to be in.
They were here for one reason and one reason only, to defeat Doom. But they were brought into the conference room and immediately spotted you.
The one who made them the Fantastic Five. The one who Johnny Storm loved so deeply, he never quite moved on.
Johnny wasn’t sure what to do. He was looking right at you. You were wearing clothes he had never seen before, and your hair wasn’t curly like it so often was.
People were introducing themselves all around the room, but he didn’t hear any of it.
He couldn’t speak, you said your name, the name he used to call you, the name he used to whisper at night. The name he proposed to. Your eyes were still so bright, the same way they were before he lost you.
Then his eyes went to your left hand.
That was not your ring. That was not the ring he had spent months carefully curating. And it couldn’t have been, because he buried you in it. The entire room was spinning.
Sue’s face was laced with concern and yours with confusion.
“Johnny,” she whispered softly, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of you, “Johnny it’s not her. She’s not from our earth.”
He took a deep breath. “Sue, what do you mean?” His breath became more ragged as he looked you up and down, eyes falling to where your body leaned against the brunette man standing beside you, “Sue it’s her.”
His voice cracked, and you couldn’t help but feel some sort of guilt crawl up your throat.
“Johnny, we knew this. That there are different variants in different universes,” Reed said from beside them, he took a shaky breath, “we knew this would be a possibility.”
You reached for Peter’s hand, suddenly uncomfortable about the conversation being had about you.
Johnny’s hands went to his hair, pulling anxiously, “yeah— yeah Reed you said that, but you didn’t say she would be right here, or that I would have to — have to look at her.”
Sue stepped in front of him, placing both her hands on his biceps, “Johnny, she’s from this earth. Not ours, she’s not her, I’m so sorry.” Her voice was thick with emotion.
Johnny was trying to breathe, but it sounded more like he was gasping for air.
You weren’t sure what to do, Peter’s hand gripped yours tighter, an anxious habit he had. You looked to Bucky and Sam for some sort of help, some sort of explanation, but they were just as confused as you.
The large rock man approached Johnny’s side next, splaying a hand gently across his shoulder blades, “Johnny, let’s get some air, yeah?”
Johnny nodded quickly, needing an exit from the situation.
He murmured his apologies through his gasps for air. Ben guided him out of the conference room, gently closing the door behind him.
All eyes turned to Sue, who was looking at you with a look in her eyes you have seen over a million times at this point in your life, you know it because you see it in yourself sometimes when you look in the mirror. Her eyes were filled with grief.
She shook her head, trying to plaster a smile across her face, “I’m really sorry, it’s just a bit weird for us.”
Bucky huffed a laugh, “yeah we could say the same.”
Reed placed a supportive arm around his wife, “we lost someone, um back on our earth,” he said your name softly, Sue squeezed her eyes shut when he did, “she um, was Johnny’s fiancée when she passed. So it’s just weird seeing you here… like this.”
Bucky cleared his throat, stepping forward with Sam and Bruce.
You tried to bite back the tears that sat behind your eyes. You’re not sure if it was embarrassment, discomfort or what. But a chill climbed up your spine the second Reed spoke and it was sitting at the base of your neck like it belonged there.
Bucky began continuing as normal, Reed and Sue peeled their eyes from you and started participating in the group conversation.
“You okay?” Peter leaned over with his arms crossed over his chest, whispering just to you.
“That was weird,” Yelena says under her breath in a sing-song voice next to you.
“Yelena,” Peter warned.
You sighed, leaning against him, “I’m okay, just feel off, I don’t know.” You shrugged.
He unfolded his arms and slipped one over your shoulder, “I could imagine.”
You leaned further into him, trying to focus on the complexities of the challenge ahead, and not the weight on your chest.
The meeting carried on and plans were arranged on how to handle the situation that the Fantastic Four came all the way to your earth for.
You excused yourself as soon as the meeting was concluded. You couldn’t sit in that room with them for another minute. You pushed the door to your shared room open before promptly flopping onto the bed.
Peter softly closed the door behind himself, “I’m going to be completely honest with you here, this feels like uncharted territory.”
You huffed a laugh into the bed, “it’s definitely new.” Your voice was muffled by the comforter.
You felt the bed dip where Peter sat beside you.
You turned your head so that you were looking at him. He gave you an unsure smile.
”Is it weird that I feel bad?” You asked quietly.
He sighed, “I mean, you have nothing to feel bad about, but I’m definitely not surprised you do.”
You smiled at him.
“I don’t think your empathy came from your dad, I’ll just say that,” he smiled down at you.
“Ain’t that the truth,” you replied.
“But… at the same time, I think he was just better at hiding it than you are,” he added.
You sighed, you knew he was right. Tony Stark was many things, and an empath didn’t seem like one of them. But to the people that knew him best, he cared deeply.
You twisted your body so that you were now sitting shoulder to shoulder with Peter.
“Well, hi,” he said softly.
You smiled at him again, “any ideas on what to do when you meet someone from a different universe that claims you’re their dead lover?”
Peter let out a real laugh at your bluntness.
You laughed, but still maintained a look of frustration, hitting him in the bicep. Which probably hurt you more than it hurt him, “Pete, I’m being serious.”
He was still laughing, “I know you are, I just don’t think there’s rules written out on what to do here. Not that you’re known for following the rules anyway.”
You smirked, “if I followed the rules, we wouldn’t have dated,” recalling the time in high school when your father forbade you from seeing Peter.
Peter nodded, “yeah, I know, you like to bring that one up whenever I try to get you to follow rules.”
You smiled at him for a moment.
”Is it crazy if I go to talk to him?” You asked, breaking the momentary silence.
He shook his head, “no.”
You leaned over and kissed his cheek, “love you.”
He smiled, trying to hide his blush that still crept up his neck whenever you showed him any affection even after nearly ten years of being together, “love you more.”
When you first started “talking” in high school, you had expected the blush. But now, all this time later, you loved that he was still so affected by you.
You hopped off the bed and headed out to talk to Johnny.
You found him by himself on the roof. You’re not sure what brought you up here, but something guided you here.
He was bent over the railing, calmly looking out at the skyline. You took a moment to look at him before approaching him. You wondered what you were like on his earth if you were still you. Clearly not if you were a member of their team, and you were into blondes. You wondered if you were smart, if you had any family.
You shook your curiosities away. Exhaling sharply, you moved to stand beside him, also leaning on the railing.
He didn’t turn and look at you when you made your presence known.
“I’m sorry about that, that must have been a lot for you,” you said quietly, nervously fiddling with the sleeves of your hoodie.
You turned your body to face him, and he slowly lifted his upper half off the railing to mirror you.
“An empath in every universe, I see,” he said calmly, there was a ghost of a smile on his face, “you have nothing to be sorry for.”
You gave him one that didn’t quite reach your eyes.
You’re not sure what was possessing you, but you reached out and took his hand in yours. He seemed perplexed by the sudden touch. You swore his breath caught, his eyes glistening lightly.
Johnny stared down at your joined hands for a long moment.
His thumb rubbed absentmindedly across the back of your knuckles before he seemed to realize what he was doing. He let go immediately, almost embarrassed.
“You sound just like her,” the words were barely above a whisper.
A sad smile tugged at your lip again, “I guess that's the multiverse for you.”
He laughed through his nose, “yeah.”
Silence settled between you. It wasn't uncomfortable anymore, that feeling had passed. But it was a weight above you both, it made the air thicker.
“I haven't heard someone say her name in her voice for almost three years,” he admitted shyly, “or I guess, your name… in your voice.”
You looked down, “I’m really sorry.”
“You keep apologizing,” he searched your face.
“I know,” you shrugged, bringing your hands back to your sleeves to keep fidgeting.
“You don't owe me one.”
Another pause.
“When she died,” Johnny swallowed hard, “I kept thinking there had to be a universe where we ended up together. Not in the literal sense. I didn’t exactly know of the multiverse yet.”
His eyes found yours again, “it’s just… overwhelming. Seeing you here, with him, alive. I’m sorry for how I reacted.”
“I would imagine it’s rather odd,” you tried to find a way to lighten the situation, you were like your dad in that sense, but in this situation, you decided to go for connection, “when I lost my dad, I thought the whole world was over. And for a while… it was. But if the roles were reversed, and I walked onto your earth and saw my dad standing there?,” you shook your head, “let’s just say I think you had a a rather calm reaction.”
For the first time all day, Johnny Storm actually smiled.
Although he had calmed down, it was still a strange adjustment for the entire team. Johnny still caught himself staring every now and then. And you could feel the eyes of the other Fantastic four members whenever you walked into the training or meeting room.
Sometimes he'd walk into the kitchen and freeze because for half a second your laugh sounded exactly like hers and he had to remind himself that you weren’t his.
Sometimes you'd catch him looking away the instant you noticed.
Neither of you mentioned it, nobody did. It was silently and unanimously decided that it was better not to talk about it.
Over the following weeks the Fantastic Four integrated into the team surprisingly well.
Reed spent most of his time with Bruce arguing over dimensional energy signatures and the pattern of Doom’s movements.
Sue and Yelena were getting along as sisters would and Ben became Sam's gym partner.
And somehow through all of the stress, Johnny became your friend.
Not because he wanted you to replace anyone, but because he found that you were impossible not to like.
You were sarcastic enough to keep up with him, stubborn enough to challenge him, and compassionate enough to understand when he'd occasionally go quiet.
Peter was the first to notice it, mostly because he was always paying attention to you. And all three of you fell into a rhythm of friendship. The type of rhythm you couldn’t remember your life without.
The three of you sat on the roof one evening sharing pizza.
“Johnny, keep your pineapple bullshit as far away from ours as possible,” you had, gesturing offensively towards his half of the pizza.
“Dude, aren’t you from New York? Do they allow that in your New York?” Peter added.
Johnny chuckled, “you haven’t even tried it.”
Peter scoffed, “don’t have to.”
Johnny turned to face you. “See? I guess that’s why you're marrying him and not me.”
The joke landed awkwardly. Johnny's smile faltered as you and Peter turned to look at each other.
“I'm—”
You interrupted with a grin, “and don’t forget Peter actually does the dishes.”
Peter looked absurdly proud, “I do.”
Johnny rolled his eyes so dramatically Ben could probably feel it from three floors down, “well that’s just unfair. Peter is what the people of your earth call, a simp? I believe that’s what Joaquin called you.”
Peter looked offended, but the tension dissolved into laughter.
Unfortunately, normal never lasted.
Reed's scanners picked it up first.
Victor von Doom wasn't simply trying to conquer Earth-616. He was using fragments of collapsing universes to build something impossible.
A machine capable of stitching realities together. Reed spoke in circles around everyone in the room before realizing he was strictly using science terms.
“He wants to erase every universe that doesn’t fit his… master plan,” Bruce said in the meeting room.
“Was that it dumbed down for us regular folks?” You asked, trying and failing to lighten the mood.
“Says the MIT grad and her MIT grad fiancé,” Bruce quipped back.
“It was for me and Alexei and Quino, okay?” Yelena corrected, gesturing vaguely, and rolling her eyes.
Joaquin threw his hands up in defense, making Sam smile.
You huffed a laugh, but when you looked around everyone’s smiles quickly faded as they processed the severity of the mission.
The mission took you to the center of three collapsing realities. The most fucked up part of the whole thing was that it was actually beautiful.
It was like the most intense sunset you had ever seen with the northern lights somehow sparkling through it all. What quickly wiped that vision of beauty away was the smoke and the screams.
Sue nearly collapsed holding together an entire collapsing bridge long enough for hundreds of people to escape.
As Peter looked around, he saw Johnny looking at you again.This time he was checking to make sure you were alright.
Honestly, he didn’t mind. Because he knew how you were, you were just like your father. Willing to make the sacrifice for the greater good. But Peter couldn’t lose you too.
So whatever it may be, an old habit, the need to subconsciously keep some version of you safe, Peter didn’t mind that Johnny protected you when he couldn’t.
Doom managed to escape you that day. You’re not sure how he did, but you knew he was calculated, that much you had all learned. But for now, the collapse of reality was delayed.
You were all cooped up in an abandoned building near the incursion point.
You were helping Yelena rebraid her hair when Peter sat down on the ground next to Johnny.
Johnny looked over at Peter as he sat.
Peter exhaled, keeping his eyes on you across the room, “thanks.”
Johnny’s brow furrowed, “for what?”
Peter turned to him, holding his mask in his lap, “for watching out for her.”
Johnny stared into the small fire burning between them, “I don't even have to think about it. It just… happens.”
Peter smiled knowingly.
After a moment he added quietly, “if she was even half as amazing as she is here, then I get it.”
Johnny let out a slow breath, “I couldn’t… save her.”
Peter nodded, he didn’t press further, he simply sat with Johnny in his grief.
The final battle took place inside Doom's reality fortress.
Everything collided and somehow everyone fought separately.
Peter swung through collapsing platforms trying to reach you.
You were trapped between two buildings. Fighting between two of Doom’s accomplices, barely holding on. And then a massive fracture opened beneath your feet.
Reality itself cracked apart… and you fell.
Peter fired two webs. Both dissolved before reaching you. He let out a scream that could’ve been heard in space.
You didn’t scream. No. You couldn’t. You simply gasped before realizing you were falling to your death. Your stomach flipped as you came to the realization that the webs were out of reach.
Just as you closed your eyes, something hot encompassed your wrist. He caught you just before you disappeared into the void.
Your eyes shot open and met his.
“Johnny!” You breathed out in a panicked tone.
“I’ve got you!” He yelled back, pulling you up and nearly throwing you both over the side of the crack in the ground.
Peter swung and landed where you both laid on the dirt.
Johnny pushed himself up on his forearms, gasping for air before standing upright. Peter’s hands moved to your back, gently coaxing you up as you tried to catch your breath.
The thick combat suit you always wore was completely burnt through at the wrist, but you didn’t care.
Just as you all stood up, time stopped. The ground shook beneath you as Doom fell. The incursions began to separate and go back to their natural realities.
You saw Sam and Bucky hug in the distance, Yelena smiling at Alexei, it was over. You won.
You all piled into the quinjet and made your way back to the New Avengers tower.
The thing about saving the world that you never got used to, was the after. Your whole life has revolved around saving the universe for months, and just like that, it’s over. You always found it hard to go back to normal.
You were slipping out of your combat suit and sitting on a table while Bruce patched you up.
Peter found Johnny sitting alone on one of the landing platforms overlooking the city skyline.
Cheers could be heard in the distance, alarms blared, fireworks went off. The city, and the world, were safe again.
His hand was flexing, as he rotated his wrist that had been lazily wrapped before excusing himself to get some air.
Peter sat beside him, “looks like I owe you another thank you.”
Johnny looked over.
Peter swallowed, “you saved her,” he looked out over the city again, “I missed.”
Johnny smiled sadly.
Peter laughed shakily, sniffing and trying to will his tears away, “I thought I was going to lose her.”
Johnny stared at the skyline glowing beneath the setting sun.
Peter looked at him.
Johnny's voice was quiet, “I couldn't save her,” he blinked once, “on my earth. We uh, we were the fantastic five once you know?” Peter nodded, smiling at Johnny.
“She was so amazing,” he shook his head fondly, “but uh, she took the risk, and she saved the day. But I couldn’t get there. And by the time I did, well uh, it was too late.”
A small smile crossed his face, “I'm just happy I could save her here. That there’s a universe where she gets to live and be loved, even if it’s not by me.”
Peter understood immediately.
Peter reached over and squeezed Johnny's shoulder, “I owe you everything.”
Johnny shook his head, “I could say the same to you guys.”
For the first time in years, the ache in his chest stopped feeling like an open wound and felt more like a scar. It didn’t feel debilitating.
That night, the teams shared a mountain of takeout boxes and bottles of whatever liquor you could find.
The laughs rang through the tower in a way that felt familiar and homely. Peter held a beer in one hand and your lower back in the other.
You fiddled with the ring on your left hand as he conversed with Reed about something you hadn’t caught.
Your eyes wandered to Johnny who was across the room laughing with Bucky.
You couldn’t help but smile.
The next morning, hangover and all, it was time to say goodbye. It ended up being more tearful than anyone had expected. In the past few months, you have all grown so close, you felt more like one team than two. Whether it be trauma bonding, or just the attachment, you’re not sure.
When you finally got to Johnny, he smiled nervously, unsure where to start, so you did.
“Can I hug you?” You asked tentatively, voice small.
He looked confused, “um, yeah, sure.”
You closed the distance between you in two small strides, wrapping your arms around his waist and pressing your head against his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry I’m not… her,” you said against him.
He let out a wet laugh, nuzzling his head against yours as he held your upper body tightly, “you truly have nothing to apologize for.” He took a shaky breath, “in fact, this has been more healing than you know.”
“You know, if it were me, which I guess it was in some weird way, I would want you to be happy,” you spoke quietly.
You felt him tense lightly at that.
“I don’t mean to upset you,” you pulled out of the hug, taking his hands in yours softly, “I just have to say it. If— if Peter were to lose me, I would want him to live his life for me, not stop it,” you swallowed nervously, “I would want him to feel love and happiness, take the trips we always talked about, laugh with his friends. I would want him to live for both of us.”
Johnny smiled at you sadly, “god, yeah. That’s something she would say.”
You huffed a laugh, “when you get home, just try it.”
He nodded slowly, “I think I will.”
You parted from him with one final squeeze of his hands, making your way back over to Peter.
You slid your arms around his waist and he held you tightly against him.
You waved goodbye as they all piled back in their ship.
“Well,” Peter looked down at you, “now that we saved the universe… again, I guess it’s time to plan a wedding.”
You laughed, wiping a stray tear that had fallen, “that’s what Pepper is for.”
He laughed at that, squeezing you a little tighter, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
You smiled up at him with glossy eyes, “me too.”
The Fantastic Four disappeared into the sky, the engines of their ship becoming nothing more than a distant hum before finally fading completely.
You stood on the landing platform long after they were gone.
Peter was beside you, his arm wrapped securely around you.
“You okay?” he asked.
You nodded slowly, “yeah.”
You looked down at the ring on your finger. Then back toward the sky.
“I think he’ll be okay,” you said, thinking out loud.
Peter followed your gaze. “Yeah,” he agreed softly. “I think he will too.”
He had come to your universe carrying the weight of losing you. And he was leaving having saved you.
Maybe, in some strange way, that was what the multiverse had given him.
For the first time since the Fantastic Four had arrived, the strange ache in your chest finally began to fade.
You weren't her.
You never would be.
And Johnny didn't need you to be.
You were you.
Tony Stark's daughter.
Peter Parker's fiancée.
Yelena's best friend.
An Avenger.
Three months later, the Baxter Foundation officially reopened its dimensional research division.
Reed insisted it was purely scientific, but Ben insisted it was because Reed was incapable of leaving anything alone.
The first time the Fantastic Four returned to Earth-616, it was nearly a year later and you were waiting for them in the lobby of the New Avengers Tower.
Johnny stepped off the platform first.
His eyes found yours immediately, “hey, Stark. Bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.”
You smiled, “hey, Storm.”
He opened his arms and you laughed and walked straight into them.
When you pulled away, Johnny looked down at your left hand, “wedding plans yet?”
You smiled, “unfortunately.”
He shook his head, “oh poor Parker.”
You swatted his arm, making him laugh.
Peter appeared behind you, sliding an arm around your waist, “why poor me?”
Your wedding day arrived far sooner than you expected, as people always say it does.
The ceremony was small by Stark standards. Which meant there were still approximately two hundred people there.
You stood at the end of the aisle, your father's old wedding band tucked safely into a sewn pocket of your dress.
Peter stood at the other end and the second the doors opened and your eyes met him, he was crying.
Pepper held your arm tightly, smiling so big it had to hurt her, “I’m so proud of you.” She whispered before taking the step to walk you down the aisle.
You laughed through your own tears.
“Seriously?” you mouthed to him.
He shook his head, laughing as he wiped his eyes.
You reached him and he immediately took your hands.
“You look so beautiful,” he whispered, his smile was almost goofy.
“You're crying,” you said, crying yourself.
He laughed, leaning closer, “I love you.”
Your smile softened, “I love you.”
And as the ceremony continued, you glanced toward the front row.
Yelena was crying and Bucky was pretending he wasn't.
Sam was smiling and Thor was absolutely sobbing.
And then you turned back towards Peter.
Because this was your life. This was your universe. This was your story.
And when Peter slipped the ring onto your finger, you realized that perhaps the strangest gift the multiverse had ever given you was the reminder that life was precious precisely because it wasn't guaranteed.
Peter leaned down and kissed you as everyone around you erupted into cheers.
You laughed against his lips.
And somewhere beyond the stars, in a universe you would probably never see, Johnny Storm was learning how to live again.
Not because he had forgotten her.
But because he finally understood what she would have wanted.
And in the strange, infinite expanse of the multiverse, that was enough.
peter being so understanding… johnny learning to be ok with it and living his life again… johnny getting to save you unlike he was able to in his universe…
A small smile crossed his face, "I'm just happy I could save her here. That there's a universe where she gets to live and be loved, even if it's not by me."
i’m crying both from joy and sadness with this one out of sheer bliss😭💙
summary: Johnny used to be literally obsessed with you, until he gets hit with an anti-love powder. Suddenly, you're the least sought after girl in the land, and you aren't enjoying it.
word count: 3469
warnings: second person pov, no use of y/n (we're trying something new here), first time writing for johnny (I saw the movie last night lol), angst but there IS a happy ending don't worry!! based of 'My Man on Willpower' by Sabrina Carpenter but I wanted my first Johnny fic to be happy so it's only based on like one line lol
note: i'm gonna make a post explaining my absence but for now, I think this is how my fics will be set up.
masterlist
Everyone knows Johnny Storm's reputation with women.
Well, everyone knew it, at least. And yes, it was fun to joke about how he fell for the Silver Surfer, and how before he went up to space, before he was famous, he became an astronaut while keeping a steady string of girls in and out of his room.
But this was all before he met you, the love of his life. He claims it was love at first sight, to which you roll your eyes at and tell him only happens in fairy tales (but your cheeks heat every time). Despite your teasing, you know that Johnny loves you, and he would never do anything to jeopardize your relationship.
He proves this to you every day, in little and big ways. He gets you flowers if he passes by them after a mission, he brings you coffee when he gets up before you, and he is very, very loud with his love for you.
The first interview after you started dating, he was eager to get to your apartment. He had seen the flower shop when he was sucking in the flames from the aftermath of the damage, and he knew it would be a great surprise. But of course, he couldn't fly on fire and keep the flowers in good condition, so he needed to walk to your apartment. And he didn't want the rest of his family to know, so he couldn't take the car.
"Human Torch! Mr. Storm! Johnny!" The man yelled, and of course Johnny looked over. He couldn't have been more obvious, wearing his super suit still, but he was hoping he was far enough away from the battle ground to be stopped. It seemed he wasn't, as the man had a pad of paper in his hand and a camera slung over his shoulder.
"Uh, hi." He says, continuing walking and hoping he doesn't get stopped. He normally loves to talk to fans, but he just wants to see you.
"Can I ask you a couple questions?" The man asks, and Johnny sighs as he looks at your apartment building a few blocks over. He was so close, and he can see the man reaching for his camera. If he doesn't answer the questions, he's going to get a story made up for him anyway.
"Yeah, sure." He nods, turning his whole body toward the guy. The reporter looks like he's so excited he could jump out of his skin, and Johnny tries to smile. The exhaustion is creeping up, being so close to home yet so far.
The reporter asks a few questions about the battle, which Johnny answers in his normal charming way, and then effortlessly switches his direction.
"Last question, who are the flowers for?" The man asks, and Johnny smiles, looking down at them.
"They're for my girlfriend. I just want to get home to see her." He says it without realizing, the click of the camera bringing him back to reality. His eyes widen as he looks at the reporter, who is gleaming with this information.
"Thanks, Johnny!" The man yells, and Johnny almost sets on fire with the rage that he was played.
He practically runs to your apartment, knocking on the door until you open it, brows furrowed.
"Is everything al-"
"Look out your window." He tells you as he holds the flowers out. You take them, opening your mouth for a question, but he walks back down the stairs and out the door, leaving you speechless in the doorway with the flowers in your arms. You shut the door, putting the flowers on your table before looking out the window.
And there is Johnny, a bright light in the sky even during the day, his flame so hot and fast that he's leaving a trail of smoke as he flies through the air.
A trail of smoke that spells your name.
You put your hand over your mouth, emotion welling in your chest. The two of you hadn't gone public with your relationship; Johnny hadn't asked, and you hadn't pushed. But this, this was the most public declaration of love you could imagine.
And when Johnny told you later that he had done it because of the reporter who baited him into spilling after he kindly stopped, you laughed so hard you got the hiccups.
~
You eventually moved into the Baxter Building with Johnny and his family, and that's how you knew a ring was coming soon. Sue refused to say a word about if she knew he had it, and Ben joked so much to tease Johnny you had no idea what was the truth when he was talking about Johnny proposing. And Reed didn't say anything, because he had a strong aversion to other's personal lives. Especially Johnny's.
But you knew he was going to propose soon, otherwise he wouldn't have asked you to move into the building with his family.
You were waiting on the couch for the team to come home. They had been sent out on a recon mission, one that Reed had forced on the team and Johnny had drug his feet on until Sue yelled at him to get his ass in gear. You had kissed him goodbye, and then he pulled you in again as a kiss for good luck, and before he could get another one in Ben grabbed him and pulled him away.
You were watching the news, even though this wasn't a battle and the general public would have no knowledge of this mission. You had also been put in charge of watching Franklin, who just laid in his pin in the living room and played with the toys in there. When the elevator dings, you jump, standing to greet the team. Reed and Ben are first, blocking Sue and Johnny.
"Let's go to my lab, run some tests." Reed is saying, and you notice how serious everyone looks. Your heart starts to race.
"I told you, I feel fine." Johnny says, and then you see him. He looks fine, but Sue is at his side, worrying over him like the big sister she is.
"Just because you feel fine doesn't mean you are fine." Sue tells him, and you step forward. Johnny has been hurt, but you're not sure how yet.
"What happened?" You ask, making your way to Johnny's other side.
"Johnny inhaled an unknown powder. He appears to be fine, but I would like to ensure it didn't have any effects on him." Reed informs you as everyone makes their way to his lab.
"Can you please tell him Reed needs to do some tests? He always listens to you." Ben grumbles, and you feel your cheeks heat but nod, turning to your boyfriend.
"Babe, can you please just let Reed do some tests to make sure you're okay? That powder could have been anything, and the effects may not have set in." You try, reaching for his arm. He rolls his eyes, then pulls his arm away from you, bumping into Sue to move further from you. Your mouth drops open.
"You are so goddamn bossy." He says, and your heart stops beating. Johnny has never talked to you like this, even in a joking manner. It's so shocking that the rest of the team stops walking as well, all turning to look at him.
"Do you want to try that again?" Sue asks her brother, moving back from him.
"Try what again?" He asks, looking at everyone as if they're the ones who lost their heads and not him.
"I think we need to run those tests now." Reed says, looking from Johnny to you. You are frozen in shock, your brain trying to run through all the possibilities of what he could have possibly gotten hit with to make him act like that.
"No, we don't. I'm fine. That powder was probably like, flour, or something." Johnny shrugs, and Ben shakes his head.
"Buddy, you just called your girlfriend bossy. And you, of all people, do not do that." Ben says, and Johnny rolls his eyes again.
"I have my own feelings. And I am always around her. Maybe I need a break." Your heart is on the floor at your feet, shattered. You blink quickly, trying to push back your emotions, because he doesn't even look at you when he's talking.
"Alright." Ben sighs, then picks Johnny up. Johnny screams, sets himself on fire, but Ben and his impenetrable skin doesn't let go. He follows Reed to the lab, and you and Sue are left in the living room.
"What just happened?" You whisper, turning to her. She looks just as shocked as you are, shaking her head.
"He was fine on the way back. He didn't snap at us, or act strange." She seems at a loss for words, and you don't know what to do. You can't go back to your room, the one you share with Johnny, but you don't want to leave.
"How did he even get hit with powder?" You ask, running a hand over your face.
"He was messing around, like usual. He wasn't paying attention, just going around and looking in boxes. One of them just exploded." She explains, and you close your eyes, trying to think of what could possibly be in that powder.
"So if he's fine to you guys, but not to me," You don't want to voice how it feels to know that you're not on the same level as his family, that you were wrong about him proposing soon.
"We don't know what happened. It could have just kicked in." Sue says, but you know neither of you believe it.
"I'll start on dinner." You tell her, wanting to get out of this conversation. All you can do now is hope that Reed can fix Johnny.
~
When Johnny doesn't come for dinner, you wish it didn't break your heart the way it does. Reed doesn't look at you, and Ben is extra nice complimenting your cooking. You finally can't take it, and you nicely set your silverware down so you don't throw it.
"What did you find?" You ask, and for the first time Reed looks up, eyes wide. He then looks at everyone else, even Franklin, before looking at his dinner, then back at you.
"Johnny was hit with an antipathy mixture. It's the opposite of a philter." You know he's using big words to lessen the blow, but you could throttle him for it.
"Reed, if you don't tell me-"
"It's an anti-love powder. Specifically made for partners." Ben says, his kind eyes directed toward you. You blink, your brain unable to process this information.
"So what do we do?" You ask, your voice cracking with emotion. The Fantastic team looks at each other, and you almost know exactly what they're going to say before they say it.
"There is no cure." Reed says, and your stomach churns. You almost throw up on the table.
"That we know of." Sue cuts in, and you feel like your head is stuffed full of cotton. "But we're going to keep looking." She assures you, and you stand, not bothering to finish your dinner that you weren't even eating.
You're on autopilot, and you don't even realize that you're on your way to your old room when you bump straight into Johnny.
"I'm sorry," You can't look at him, so you look down and think about if you should just run away.
"I can't have just one moment of peace, can I?" He chuckles sardonically, and you just nod, your heart breaking. Does it make it better that it isn't him, but there's no cure so this might as well be him.
"I said sorry. I'll go now." You try not snap, but he's snapping at you so it's hard to keep your calm. Johnny has never treated you like this, and it's making your heart break. You turn around, set on finding the guest room on the floor above, when Johnny speaks.
"Why are you even here?" Johnny asks, causing you to pause. You don't say anything, or even look at him. "You're not apart of the team. You're definitely not apart of this family."
You might as well be bleeding out with the way he has stabbed you with his words.
You walk away, not wanting him to see your tears.
~
It's a week of the antipathy mixture or whatever the hell Reed called it, when Johnny brings a woman home.
A woman who is not you.
She looks nothing like you, and that stings. You had been in the living room, because really where else were you supposed to go? You had the guest room with some of your clothes, but most of your stuff was still in Johnny's room.
"Johnny?" Sue looks shocked, the most shocked you've ever seen her. Reed was holding Franklin, pretending to pay attention to the baby so he didn't have to weigh in on this drama.
"No," Ben stands, shaking his head and humming in disapproval. "Turn around and take her home."
"I am a grown man." Johnny scoffs, and the girl just looks so excited to be there, to be on Johnny's arm, never mind the fact that his girlfriend is sitting right there.
"And you're making some poor decisions right now." Ben says, crossing his arms. They didn't want the public to know about the powder, since Reed was actively looking for a cure still. The more he look though, the more you lose hope that he'll ever find it.
"Johnny, please take her home." Sue says softly, and you wish you could get up and leave, but you're frozen to your seat.
"Fine, but I'm not coming back." He glares at you, even though you haven't said anything, because he knows they're doing this for you. This is your fault, even if it's his actions.
And that's how the news got out that you and Johnny broke up.
The day it was on every news headline in New York, the rest of the team had tried to keep you away from it. You had been reading the news to do something without spending time with Johnny, and that morning Reed had taken them all and put them in the shredder.
"Where's the paper?" You asked, making your coffee. The other three were all silent, the only sound being Franklin eating his food.
"It hasn't come in yet." Sue finally says, and you frown.
"It's eight. It always comes at seven." You turn to them, and they all are interested in their food and not in looking at you.
"Maybe not today." Sue shrugs, looking up and smiling at you before going back to her breakfast. You frown, but move on, because why else would they be lying to you?
"Alright." You nod, taking your coffee to living room. When you sit down, you notice the TV just isn't there. "Where's the television?" You ask, watching all three of the team members turn to look at you.
"I lost my balance last night." Ben says, and you wonder how that would have happened. But you don't push it, because they are letting you stay at the Baxter Building even though Johnny is hell bent on breaking your heart.
"Why don't we go out and do something fun today?" Sue suggests, and you feel so confused. You love the team, you know they have your back, but this is not something you guys do.
"Like what?" You ask, but then you begin to hear people screaming in the streets. The four of you stand, Sue grabbing Franklin, and go out to the balcony, where there's a crowd of women. They're screaming for Johnny, holding signs with his names and hearts and they're all in their Sunday best. You furrow your brows, confused on what brought this on, when their screaming gets louder and they start to point to something in the air. Johnny flies onto the balcony, smirk on his face as he looks at all his fans.
"Wow, I forgot how good this felt." He says, and you can barely breathe as you watch him turn to you, as if in slow motion. "Guess you were really holding me back." He shoves the morning paper, slightly singed from his flame, into your chest, and you catch it as you watch him walk away. Before anyone else on the team can grab the paper, you pull it away and read the front page.
Johnny Storm, America's Hottest Man, Officially Back on the Market!!
Accompanying this is a picture of him kissing - kissing - the girl he had brought home last night. In public. You could kill him.
As you look up to the rest of the team, you realize exactly what they had been doing that morning. At least they truly care for you and your feelings, even when Johnny doesn't right now.
You're going to move. You can't live with him. But first, you are going to tell him off. He doesn't get to kiss other girls, even if he isn't himself. It just isn't fair to you.
You drop the paper and march to his room, where you're sure he's gone. You haven't been in there since he was hit, and you're glad to see it hasn't changed much. Johnny hasn't even gotten the chance to sit down yet, but he's frowning at you.
"What do you want?" He asks, scowling. You are so sick of his shit, because if there is no cure, if he truly is stuck like this, then he at least needs to hear you out.
And your last thoughts will not be that he was kissing some random girl.
So, you march right up to him and grab his shirt. He barely has time to protest before your lips are on his. You're sure he'll go on many more dates, and kiss many more girls, which breaks your heart, but you won't see it. Your last thought of Johnny and kissing will be with you.
You don't let it last for too long, because you aren't trying to torture him, so you pull back and step away, watching him blink for a couple moments.
"I know that you have been under some sort of spell or curse, but you don't get to treat me horribly. You used to be literally obsessed with me, and now it's like you won't even get near me! You have to treat me with respect-"
"Baby," Johnny starts, and you want to slap him, because you didn't mean right now.
"Let me finish! I love your family, and they love me, so you will see me again. And if you ever do find another girl, you can't treat her like this. You-" You cut yourself off, emotion choking you at just the thought of him finding someone else to love. You hate the idea, but there would be nothing you could do if he did, given that he despises you.
While you're fighting for air, Johnny hugs you. Tight.
You pause, so shocked and confused that your previous battle with emotions all but vanishes. He's holding you just like he did before he got dusted, and you don't know what to do.
"I am so sorry." He says, and you realize he's crying.
"What?" You push him away, but he won't budge. This is the biggest switch up you've ever felt, and you wonder why you hadn't yelled at him last week.
"I can't believe I did all that, God, sweetheart, I would never hurt you on purpose. Please believe me, I promise," He's shaking, and you aren't quite sure what's going on but you think maybe you have an idea.
"Are you cured?" You ask quietly, as if you're trying not to pop whatever bubble this is.
"When you kissed me," He starts, moving back but keeping his hands on you. His blue eyes bore into yours, and you're relieved to see the love and adoration you're used to in them. "It's like I could finally breathe again. Every time I talked to you, it's like I wanted to say one thing and what came out of my mouth was the complete opposite. I wasn't in control." He explains, and you put your hans on his face, trying to comfort him.
"It's okay, baby. I know it wasn't you." You tell him, and then the two of you kiss once more. This time it's more passionate, the two of you pouring out all your emotions into each other. You had missed him so much, even if he had been in the same building as you.
"Look at us. True love's kiss." He says, and you roll your eyes.
"That only happens in fairy tales." You tell him, but you're secretly glad you have another fairy tale trope to check off in your relationship.
personally I'm annoyed by the socioeconomic conditions that made words like "unalive" necessary but simultaneously impressed by the linguistic adaptations young people have made to continue talking about important things while subject to those conditions and I think if you can't hold both of those thoughts in your head you might just be old man yelling at cloud
summary: johnny gives you a special gift straight from the heart— or space
a/n: just a quick little oneshot. not proof-read.
Johnny glanced at his watch, five minutes to closing. "I can't be late to pick this up," he muttered to himself. He launched off the building rooftop in a trail of flames and sped into the city, dodging his way through several blocks in sharp turns.
The good thing about doing patrol at night was that he had the freedom to fly where he pleased, the bad part was getting home late and missing store hours.
He landed on the sidewalk, precisely in front of the jewelry shop he had visited two weeks prior. He checked his watch again, three minutes to closing. He patted down his hair and knocked on the glass doors just as the jeweler was taking the shop keys out of her coat. She recognized him and beckoned him inside with a polite wave of her hand.
"You're lucky I didn't close ten minutes earlier tonight," she said to him as she rounded behind the display counter.
"Is it ready yet?" He asked nervously.
The jeweler turned around and slid a velvet box across the counter to him. "See for yourself."
Johnny took the box and opened it, his mouth falling open as he did. "It's perfect— perfect for her. This is exactly what I had in mind!" He was awestruck and couldn't wait to give it to you.
"I'm glad it turned out to your vision, Mr Storm."
"Pearl, you're a wonder maker with incredible talent. She's going to love it." He smiled and extended his hand out to the lady across from him.
She accepted his hand and shook it, "lovely doing business with you, sir."
Johnny shoved the box into his pocket and headed out the door and into the air.
You sat on Johnny's bed engrossed in a book. Night time had brought moonlight that illuminated the outside of the building and the carpeted floor by the windows.
It was late and Johnny still wasn't home. Wether he was actually taking care of hero business or doodling in the sky with this flames was none of your concern so long as he made it home every night.
A slight stumble, then balanced footsteps, from the hallway broke you from your concentration; it had to be Johnny returning. You smiled to yourself and kept reading.
The doorknob creaked and in stepped Johnny, closing the door behind him carefully. "Hey babe, I'm back," he approached the bed carefully and pecked you on the forehead.
You closed your book in your la and smiled up at him, "I missed you."
"Missed you more," he quipped back. He rounded the bed to lay next to you, careful of something protruding from his pocket. "The Great Gatsby?" He held your disregarded book in one hand and frowned at it.
"It's a classic."
"You've read it a dozen times."
You smacked him on the shoulder playfully, to which he responded with a dramatic collapse on the mattress.
"That reminds me, actually," he pulled out a small dark blue velvet box from his pocket, "I picked something up for you on the way back." He held the box up to your eye level as he straightened up to sit facing you. "Open it," he gestured the box in your direction as you gratefully took it in your hands.
You opened the box and revealed a precious ring with eye-shaped windows of a grayish-white stone all around. On top and in between the windows sat stars that gleamed just as bright as the stones themselves. You carefully removed the ring from its box to hold it up in the moonlight.
"Johnny, it's…" you gasped.
A sheepish grin crept onto his face and he watched your eyes twinkle with adoration. "I actually had this custom-made for you," he said quietly.
Your eyes snapped to him, pleading for him to continue.
"So the stone here," he gently plucked the ring from in between your fingers and circled his own fingertip on the rim, "the stones are made of a moon dust and crushed diamond. You know, diamonds form around stars and planets— and add sparkle." He chuckled at the last part. "I'll bet you Gatsby never gave his lover a piece of jewelry from space," he quipped.
"It's gorgeous," you said breathlessly, "thank you."
He slipped the ring onto your left middle finger, "just a little something for my love." He brought the back of your hand up to his lips and kissed it. "I had found some space samples up in the lab and I thought to myself, "what better use than to adorn my lovely lover?""
"I love you," you whispered warmly.
"I love you more. To the moon and back," he assured. "And beyond every other star, galaxy, planet, universe, solar system, cosmos— infinite times around and back."
thank you for reading! reblogs and comments are always appreciated <3
description: your parents are very strict and would never approve of your new college-aged boyfriend, darren. so, nancy comes up with the perfect solution: introduce them to your "boyfriend", eddie munson, first. compared to the town pariah, darren should look like prince charming... if only fake dating eddie was as easy as you thought it'd be.
pairing: "boyfriend"!eddie munson x you (fem!reader)
tags: eddie munson x you, soft! eddie munson, fake dating, fake relationship, autumn/fall vibes, friends to lovers, slow burn, fluff as fuck, holding hands and forehead kisses "for the bit", eddie is a gentleman, drive-in movie date, acts of service! eddie, matching halloween costumes, darren never stood a chance, SO FUCKING FLUFFY PREPARE FOR TEARS OF JOY :D
TW: just go ahead and make your dentist appointment now tbh
WC: 8.3k (i'm SORRY i really loved writing this one, okay!?)
A/N: AH HELLOOOO!!! It's been a while since I've had a fic that I feel this deeply for, but here we are nonetheless. I am also leaving on Sunday for a much, much, much-needed 9-day vacation, so I'm going to try to feed you all with one or two more fics.
reblogs are ssososososossoooo appreciated :) <3
enjoy my loves xoxo
"It's impossible, Nancy. Utterly and completely impossible."
You let your forehead fall dramatically against the cafeteria table with a soft thunk, your tray rattling beneath the impact. Across from you, Nancy barely looked up from the sad excuse for a school lunch she was methodically picking apart.
This wasn't the first time she'd listened to you spiral about your parents, and judging by the unimpressed look on her face, she doubted it'd be the last.
"Oh, will you stop whining?" she said, stabbing at a few peas with her plastic fork. "They cannot be that bad."
You lifted your head just enough to shoot her a look. "They're dictators."
"They're parents."
"They're prison wardens with a mortgage."
Nancy rolled her eyes, though the corner of her mouth twitched into a smile. "You are so dramatic."
"Says the girl whose mother once grounded her for getting a B-plus."
"That was one time."
"And she still brings it up."
Nancy couldn't exactly argue with that. With a sigh, she abandoned the mystery meat on her tray altogether and leaned back in her seat, folding her arms as she studied you.
You looked genuinely stressed, far more stressed than someone who'd only been dating a guy for a couple of months should've been.
"Darren's in college," you muttered, absentmindedly peeling the label off your milk carton. "He's already got one strike against him. Then there's the fact that he's older than me, which is strike two. By the time they actually meet him, they're going to have convinced themselves he's some twenty-five-year-old biker with a criminal record who's dragging me into a life of organized crime."
Nancy let out an amused snort. "You know that's not true."
"I know that's not true," you groaned. "But they don’t."
"You know what your issue is?"
You narrowed your eyes. "I've got several."
"You haven't given them anyone to compare Darren to."
"...What?"
"They've got nothing to measure him against." She gestured with her fork as if the answer were obvious. "You're terrified to introduce him because, in their minds, he's going to become the blueprint."
You blinked. "I don't follow."
Nancy leaned forward, lowering her voice despite the fact that nobody around you was paying the slightest bit of attention.
"You need to introduce them to someone worse first."
Your eyebrows knitted together. "...Worse?"
"Someone so unbelievably incompatible, so ridiculous, so catastrophically wrong for you..." A slow grin spread across her face. "That when they finally meet Darren, he'll look like the most respectable man on the planet."
You stared at her. "Nancy..."
"I'm serious."
"You want me to fake-date someone my parents would despise?"
"I want you to let them think you're dating someone they'd despise."
Silence. Then, almost against your own will, you felt the gears in your head begin to turn.
"...That's actually..."
"I know."
"...Kind of genius."
Nancy's smile widened. "I know."
Just as you were about to ask the far more important question: who on earth could possibly fit that description?...a familiar voice suddenly echoed across the cafeteria.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
The two of you turned instinctively toward the source. "Oh, Christ," Nancy muttered.
Across the room, standing on top of one of the cafeteria benches as though he were addressing a crowd of thousands instead of a room full of teenagers trying to eat lunch, Eddie Munson threw his arms dramatically into the air.
"I would once again like to address the blatant discrimination against the Hawkins High Hellfire Club—"
You looked at Nancy, and Nancy looked at you, neither of you saying a word.
"...Him?" you asked slowly.
Nancy's grin returned. "Oh, definitely him."
“...Shit.” You mumbled under your breath. Before you could overthink it, you pushed your chair back from the table. The legs scraped loudly against the linoleum floor.
Taking one steadying breath, you squared your shoulders and started weaving your way through the maze of lunch tables toward the growing crowd surrounding Eddie's latest performance.
"Wait—" Nancy hurried after you. "I wasn't expecting you to do it right now."
"If I don't do it now," you muttered over your shoulder, "I'm going to lose my nerve."
"Right."
By the time the two of you reached the edge of the crowd, Eddie was still going strong.
"—and furthermore, if Hawkins High truly believes forcing Hellfire to relocate every other week is somehow constitutional—"
You exchanged one last glance with Nancy, so she gave you a tiny nod. Go.
Swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in your throat, you carefully stepped through the cluster of students until you were standing close enough to reach him.
Then, before you could second-guess yourself…you gave the sleeve of his jacket a gentle tug. The effect was immediate, causing Eddie to stop midsentence.
"...constitutional ri—" His words died in his throat.
Slowly, almost cautiously, he looked down, and there you were. For a brief moment, he genuinely wondered if he'd imagined you. Because girls like you didn't usually interrupt his lunchtime speeches.
Hell, girls like you usually walked around him. He knew exactly who you were, of course. Everyone did.
You were one of those people whose name seemed to carry itself through the halls without any effort. Honor roll. Friends with Nancy Wheeler. Pretty enough that half the boys in school had, at one point or another, convinced themselves they had a chance before reality quickly corrected them.
You carried yourself with a quiet sort of confidence that made you seem untouchable. Not in a snobbish way, but in the way stars looked untouchable from Earth.
And now...you were standing in front of him. His brain, normally overflowing with smart remarks and sarcastic comebacks, came to a screeching halt. Eddie blinked once, then twice.
"...Uh..." He cleared his throat. "...Hi."
"Hi." You offered him a nervous smile, suddenly far less certain about marching over here than you'd been thirty seconds ago.
"Eddie," you began, tilting your head back slightly to meet his eyes. "Can we... uh... talk to you?"
His eyebrows climbed toward his hairline. "...Me?"
"In private," you added quickly, gesturing toward the audience that had practically doubled in size now that the two of you had approached him. More than a few people had abandoned their lunches entirely in favor of shamelessly eavesdropping.
Eddie glanced over your shoulder at the crowd.
"...I..." He rubbed the back of his neck, still trying to process whatever bizarre alternate universe he'd apparently wandered into. "...Yeah."
A crooked grin finally found its way onto his face. "Yeah, I think I can pencil you in."
Without another word, he hopped down from the cafeteria bench with an exaggerated flourish, dusted imaginary dirt from his jeans, and threw a dramatic glance toward the rest of Hellfire.
"Boys," he announced solemnly, "the revolution will have to wait." He shot you an almost sheepish smile as he caught up beside you.
"So..." His curiosity was practically radiating off him now. "...Lead the way."
The three of you didn't stop walking until the cafeteria noise had faded into little more than a dull echo behind you. The hallway sat blissfully empty during lunch period, save for the occasional locker slamming shut somewhere in the distance.
Eddie rocked back on the heels of his sneakers, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans before glancing between the two of you.
"So..." he drawled, a crooked grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Am I being recruited into a cult, or are you guys finally here to tell me I've won some sort of popularity contest?"
Nancy snorted. "Neither."
"Damn."
She exchanged a quick look with you before deciding to rip the bandage off.
"So, uh..." she started. "Eddie... how would you feel about being a fake boyfriend?"
Eddie blinked. "...Come again?"
"A fake boyfriend."
He frowned, eyes drifting toward Nancy. "...Wait."
"Aren't you and Byers still together?" His eyebrows knitted together in genuine confusion. "I mean..." He scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck. "Sure, you're cool and all, Wheeler, but I kinda respect the guy."
Nancy stared at him for exactly half a second before letting out an exasperated groan.
"Oh, my God." She smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand. "Not for me."
Eddie rubbed his arm dramatically. "Ow."
"For her," Nancy clarified, throwing both hands toward you like a game show host revealing the grand prize.
His head snapped in your direction so quickly you were surprised he didn't give himself whiplash. "...Her?"
You gave him an awkward little wave. "Hi."
"You..." he said slowly, pointing at you as if he needed to make absolutely certain everyone was talking about the same person. "...want me to pretend to be your boyfriend?"
"I know how insane that sounds."
"No, no." He held up both hands. "I'm just making sure I didn't hit my head getting off that cafeteria bench."
Nancy folded her arms. "Well?"
Eddie's bewildered expression slowly melted into one of pure curiosity. “I’m intrigued. What does this entail?”
You sigh, rocking on your heels. “Basically, I’ve been seeing this college boy, Darren. I’ve never ever been allowed to date, so I haven’t had a boyfriend yet. And considering he’s already in college, my parents would be uber pissed and never let it happen. So Nancy came up with this plan—”
“That you go out with me, your parents think he’s the golden boy, is that it?” He interrupts.
You pause abruptly, suddenly coming to the realization of how messed up and flat-out mean this all sounds.
“No— uh, shit, yeah, kinda. I’m sorry, this was such a bad idea. Forget I even asked—”
“Woah woah woah, I’m not saying no. I’m all for sticking it to the man or whatever. Just, what do I have to do? Movie dates and rides home?”
“I mean, yeah, kinda. We’d have to be together in every aspect. You know how people in this town love to talk. We have to sell it, y’know?”
Eddie's grin only grew wider.
"So..." He tilted his head. "We're talking the full boyfriend package."
You nodded sheepishly. "Pretty much."
He let out a low whistle. "Movie dates."
"Mhm."
"Walking you home."
"Probably."
"Holding your hand?"
You could feel warmth creeping into your cheeks. "...If people are around."
He hummed thoughtfully, stroking his chin like he was negotiating a business deal worth millions.
"...You realize," he said, unable to suppress the grin threatening to split his face in two, "if we're gonna sell this..."
He leaned in just a fraction. "...I'm gonna have to be the greatest fake boyfriend Hawkins has ever seen."
You couldn't help but laugh, shaking your head. "I don't think that'll be a problem."
"Oh?" Eddie asked, feigning offense. "You underestimate my dedication to the craft."
"I think I underestimate your ego."
"That's fair."
Nancy glanced between the two of you, already regretting how well you seemed to bounce off each other.
"So..." she interjected. "When exactly were you planning on starting this little social experiment?"
You looked back at Eddie. "Tomorrow."
His eyebrows shot up. "...Tomorrow?"
"My parents drop me off every morning."
"And?"
"And tomorrow..." A small smile tugged at your lips. "They won't have to."
The next morning started like any other. Alarm at 6:30 on the dot, shower, brush your hair and teeth, do your makeup, pick an outfit, and head downstairs for breakfast.
Your mother was in her usual spot in the kitchen, making the same eggs and whole-wheat toast. Your father sat at the head of the table, glasses low on his nose as he read the newspaper, mug of coffee steaming next to him.
“Morning, Hun,” he hummed. “We have to stop at the post office before school today. I gotta mail out my case notes.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Dad.” You said nervously. “I, uh, have a ride today.”
“Oh, did Nancy finally get her car fixed?” Your mother chimed in.
“Oh, uh, yeah, but…it’s not Nancy. Eddie’s actually picking me up.”
The silence that followed was deafening. Your father slowly folded up his newspaper and placed it on the counter. “Eddie? As in, Eddie Munson, Eddie?”
You winced. "...Yeah."
Your mother blinked. "The young man with the... leather?"
You almost laughed. "I think it's denim."
"The one with the chains?"
"...Probably."
"The long hair?"
"...Yes."
"The Hellfire Club?"
"...Yes."
"The one who's in detention every other Tuesday?"
You sighed. "...That's the one."
Your father leaned back in his chair, studying you with an expression that was somehow calmer than yelling would've been.
"And..." He clasped his hands together. "...Why, exactly, is Eddie Munson picking my daughter up for school?"
Your heart hammered against your ribs. “Because we’ve been…seeing eachother.”
Absolute, unwavering silence followed. Your mother and father exchanged looks before answering in unison:
"...What?"
You cleared your throat. "Eddie and I have been... seeing each other."
Your mother's wooden spatula slipped from her fingers, clattering against the stovetop. Your father stared at you as though you'd just announced you were dropping out of school to join the circus.
"I'm sorry," he said slowly. "I must've misheard you."
You forced a smile that felt more like a grimace. "You didn't."
"Since..." your mother began carefully, "...since when?"
"A little while."
"A little while?" your father echoed.
You nodded. "Mhm."
"And you neglected to mention this because..."
"I knew you'd react like this."
"We're reacting because you just informed us that you're dating Eddie Munson."
"I know."
You opened your mouth to argue more, but before you could, a loud, unmistakable rumble echoed from outside. It sounded like someone had awakened a dying dragon in your driveway.
All three of you turned toward the front window. The familiar roar of an aging engine settled into a rattling idle.
Your father slowly stood from the table. "...Is that him?"
As if on cue: Honk. One short beep, then another.
Your eyes squeezed shut. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
From somewhere outside came a voice that carried far too well through the quiet neighborhood. "Take your time, sweetheart!"
You whipped around toward the window in horror. "Oh, my God."
Your father walked over first, carefully pulling back the curtain with two fingers. Your mother joined him a second later.
"...Harold," she whispered.
"I see him."
"He brought flowers."
Your stomach dropped. Flowers? That wasn't part of the plan. Slowly, you walked toward the window yourself, peering over your father's shoulder. There, parked halfway into the driveway in the unmistakable rust-speckled Munson van, was Eddie.
He'd traded his usual leather jacket for his battle vest over a black T-shirt, his sunglasses perched on top of his head despite it barely being eight in the morning. And, resting casually against the side of the van like he'd rehearsed it in a mirror...
...was the single ugliest bouquet of flowers you had ever seen. Half of them looked dead, one of them might've been plastic. There was definitely baby's breath sticking out at an angle it wasn't meant to.
The second your eyes met his through the window, his face lit up. He flashed the biggest, cockiest grin imaginable before lifting the bouquet high into the air with an exaggerated little flourish. Then he gave you an enthusiastic wave.
Your father slowly let the curtain fall shut, and he turned to face you. "...He's brought you funeral flowers."
You pinched the bridge of your nose. "...I think they're supposed to be carnations."
You let out a slow, defeated sigh. "...I'll be home after school."
Neither of your parents responded. Your father simply stood with his arms folded across his chest, while your mother wore the same expression she'd had ever since the words Eddie Munson had left your mouth. It was somewhere between confusion and preparing for the worst.
Grabbing your backpack from beside the front door, you slipped your shoes on and reached for the handle. "Love you," you offered hopefully.
Your mother managed a weak smile. "...Love you too."
Your father nodded once. "We'll... talk tonight."
You swallowed. "...Sounds good."
The second the front door swung open, Eddie spotted you. He straightened from where he'd been leaning against the van, tucked the pitiful excuse for a bouquet behind his back with an almost comical flourish, and plastered on the biggest smile you'd ever seen.
"There she is!"
You had to physically stop yourself from laughing. He walked toward you with the confidence of someone arriving at prom instead of a suburban driveway at seven-thirty in the morning.
"Good morning, beautiful."
Beautiful? You'd known Eddie for less than twenty-four hours, and he was already improvising.
He stopped in front of you, producing the bouquet from behind his back like a magician revealing his greatest trick.
"For my lovely lady."
You looked down. They were somehow even uglier up close. One carnation had snapped clean in half.
"...You bought these?"
"I rescued them."
"From...?"
"The clearance bucket outside Melvald's."
You bit the inside of your cheek so hard it almost hurt.
"They were seventy-five percent off."
"How romantic."
"I know."
You accepted the bouquet, shaking your head. "They're hideous."
"I picked the worst ones."
"I can tell."
"Proud of me?"
"...A little."
His grin widened. "Excellent."
Then, before you had time to react, he reached out, brushed a stray strand of hair away from your face with surprising gentleness…and pressed a quick kiss to your forehead. It was quick, sweet, and almost innocent.
But if anyone happened to be watching from inside, it looked incredibly convincing. Your eyes widened ever so slightly. When he pulled away, he leaned in just enough to whisper:
"...Sorry."
You blinked. "For what?"
"I panicked."
"...You panic by kissing people?"
"Apparently."
Before you could answer, the front door creaked open behind you. Both of your parents stepped onto the porch.
Eddie immediately turned, the picture of charm. "Mr. and Mrs!," he called cheerfully, raising a hand in greeting. "Pleasure to finally meet you."
Your father looked him up and down. "...Is it?"
Eddie didn't miss a beat. "It certainly is for me, sir."
"So..." your father began slowly. "You're Eddie."
"The one and only."
"I've heard... things."
Eddie rested a hand dramatically over his heart. "I'm hoping only the good ones."
"I sincerely doubt they were."
"Oh." He nodded thoughtfully. "...Probably."
You could actually see your father's brain trying to determine whether Eddie was genuinely this odd or simply putting on a performance. Spoiler alert: it was both.
"So," your father continued, "you're driving my daughter to school."
"I am."
"You'll obey the speed limit."
"Absolutely."
"No reckless driving."
"Never."
"No funny business."
Eddie frowned slightly. "...Define funny."
You closed your eyes. "Eddie..."
"What?" he asked innocently. "I'm asking for clarification."
Your father's expression remained perfectly flat. "You know exactly what I mean."
Eddie's own smile softened. "I do."
Then, for the first time since he'd arrived, he answered without a trace of sarcasm. "I'll get her there safely, sir."
The sincerity in his voice caught everyone a little off guard; hell, even your father seemed surprised. After a moment, he gave one curt nod.
"I expect you will."
"I will."
With that, Eddie walked around to the passenger side of the van and pulled the door open with an exaggerated bow. "Your chariot awaits."
You rolled your eyes. "What a gentleman."
"I have my moments."
Climbing into the passenger seat, you waited until he rounded the front of the van and slid into the driver's seat before the two of you looked at one another. There was exactly half a second of silence, then you burst into laughter.
Eddie looked over, trying and failing to suppress his own smile. "...What's so funny?"
"You."
"Me?"
"You kissed my forehead!"
"You said we had to sell it."
"I did not say before eight in the morning!"
"You never specified business hours."
You laughed harder. "And those flowers?"
He gasped dramatically. "They cost me a dollar twenty-five."
"They looked like they'd already attended a funeral."
"They did."
You stared at him. "...What?"
"I may or may not have bought them from the cemetery."
Your jaw dropped. "Eddie!"
"I'm kidding!"
"...Were you?"
"...Mostly."
You groaned, burying your face in your hands. "I have made the biggest mistake of my entire life."
He shifted the van into gear, a smug grin settling onto his face. "Oh, sweetheart."
The engine rumbled to life. "We're only on day one."
The drive to school had only been the beginning. Once Eddie committed to something, it quickly became apparent that he didn't know how to do it halfway.
The second the first bell rang, he'd slung his backpack over one shoulder and casually fallen into step beside you as though the two of you had been doing it for years.
"History first?" he'd asked.
"Mhm."
"Excellent."
You'd expected him to walk you halfway there, maybe to the end of the hallway. Instead, he'd walked you all the way to your classroom, leaned casually against the doorframe while you gathered your books, and smiled down at you.
"I'll see you after second period."
"...You know my schedule?"
He'd pulled a folded piece of notebook paper from his pocket. "Made a copy."
You stared. "...When?"
"Nancy."
You looked over your shoulder at her, so Nancy simply shrugged. "He asked."
"You gave it to him?"
"He was very persuasive."
Eddie tucked the paper back into his vest. "I'm an actor, sweetheart. Continuity is everything."
Sure enough, the moment second period ended, he was already waiting outside your classroom. Then again after third. Then fourth. By lunchtime, the entire school had noticed.
Girls whispered when you walked past. Basketball players openly stared. Freshmen practically dove out of Eddie's way when he slipped an arm lazily over your shoulders while walking through the hallway.
If anyone had doubted the relationship that morning, they certainly didn't anymore. Which was exactly why you found yourself carrying your lunch tray toward the Hellfire table instead of your usual seat beside Nancy.
You stopped dead in your tracks. "...People are going to think I've lost my mind."
Eddie looked up from unwrapping his sandwich. "They already think that."
"...Helpful."
He scooted over and pulled up a chair for you. "C'mon."
With a resigned sigh, you slid in beside him. Almost immediately, the rest of Hellfire fell silent. Gareth looked at Jeff. Jeff looked at Mike. Mike looked at Dustin. Dustin's eyes darted between you and Eddie so fast you were surprised they didn't get stuck.
"...Holy shit," Gareth muttered.
"It's real," Jeff whispered.
Eddie looked offended. "You doubted me?"
"We doubted her."
You couldn't even blame them. A few minutes later, Nancy and Jonathan wandered over, trays in hand.
"Mind if we join?" Jonathan asked.
"Please do," you replied. "I need normal people."
Eddie gasped dramatically.
By the final bell, your social battery had all but evaporated. Being the center of attention all day was exhausting. You were halfway through stuffing books into your locker when Nancy appeared beside you.
"So..." she began.
You looked up.
"I think Phase One was a success."
"You think?"
"I've already heard three different people say they 'always knew' you and Eddie had chemistry."
You groaned. "People are unbelievable."
"They're bored."
"Fair."
Jonathan joined the two of you, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. "Speaking of bored..."
Nancy suddenly snapped her fingers. "Oh!"
She looked between you and Eddie. "I almost forgot."
"What?"
"The drive-in's doing a horror double feature tomorrow night."
Eddie perked up immediately. "...Seriously?"
Jonathan nodded. "I drove past this morning."
"They're showing The Evil Dead and A Nightmare on Elm Street."
Eddie's jaw practically hit the floor. "No way."
"Way."
"They never play good movies."
"I know."
Nancy smiled. "Jonathan wanted to go..."
Jonathan looked over at her. "...Did I?"
"You do now."
He chuckled. "I guess I do."
She turned back toward you and Eddie. "You guys should come."
You blinked.
"As..." She wiggled her eyebrows. "...A couple."
You looked instinctively toward Eddie.
"A public date," he mused. "Excellent for maintaining the illusion."
Nancy laughed. "See? He's getting it."
"Oh, he got it the second he showed up with cemetery flowers."
"They weren't cemetery flowers," Eddie defended.
"They were discount flowers."
"There's a difference."
Jonathan smiled, shaking his head. "So..."
He looked between the two of you. "Tomorrow night?"
You glanced at Eddie, and he gave a tiny shrug. "I'm free."
"...Yeah." You nodded. "I think we'd like that."
The following evening arrived far quicker than you would've liked. Somewhere between surviving an entire day of whispers at school and convincing your mother that, yes, you really were just going to the drive-in with "friends," the reality of the situation had begun to settle in.
You were going on your first date. Granted, it was fake. But somehow that only made your stomach twist even more.
After changing into a pair of jeans, one of your favorite sweaters, and throwing on a light coat for the chilly October air, you gave yourself one final look in the hallway mirror.
"Ready?" your mother called from downstairs.
"As I'll ever be."
The words had barely left your mouth when the doorbell rang. Your father looked up from his armchair.
"That'll be him." You exchanged a quick glance with your mother before making your way toward the front door, only for your father to beat you there. "I'll get it."
The door swung open, and standing on the porch was Eddie.
His curls had clearly been tamed…well, as much as Eddie Munson's curls could ever be tamed.
He'd swapped his usual ripped Hellfire shirt for a plain black waffle long-sleeved shirt. His jeans were still ripped, his boots still scuffed, and there were just as many rings decorating his fingers as always.
He'd made an effort, in the most Eddie way possible.
The moment he saw your father, he straightened. "Evening, sir."
Your father regarded him carefully. "...Munson."
"Eddie works."
Your father didn't smile. "I'm sure it does."
You quickly slipped between them before things could somehow become awkwarder than they already were. "Hi."
The second Eddie looked at you, his entire expression softened. "...Wow."
You felt heat creep into your cheeks. "What?"
"You..." He smiled to himself before shaking his head. "You look really nice."
"...Thanks."
Your father cleared his throat, and Eddie immediately remembered where he was.
"Right." He clasped his hands behind his back almost like a soldier awaiting inspection. "So..."
Your father folded his arms. "So."
"I understand we're going to the drive-in."
"We are."
"And I understand Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler will be there."
"They will."
"Good."
"You'll have her home by eleven."
Eddie nodded immediately. "Absolutely."
"If plans change, she calls."
"Of course."
"If that van breaks down—"
"It won't."
Your father raised an eyebrow. "It might."
"...It might."
"And if it does?"
"I'll call."
"You won't let her walk home alone."
"I wouldn't let her walk across the parking lot alone."
Your father's posture eased... just a fraction. "Good."
He stepped aside. "You kids have fun."
"We will, sir."
As you stepped off the porch, Eddie quietly reached for your hand. You glanced down at your intertwined fingers before looking back up at him.
He leaned over just enough to murmur, "...Audience."
You looked back toward the front window, and sure enough, your parents were watching through the curtains. "...Right."
The drive itself was surprisingly easy. The windows were cracked just enough to let the cool autumn air drift through the van while some old rock station played quietly over the speakers.
You talked about school. About Gareth somehow managing to fail another chemistry quiz. About Dustin insisting he'd seen a UFO behind Family Video. By the time the glowing marquee for the Hawkins Drive-In appeared in the distance, you'd almost forgotten this wasn't real.
Eddie paid for both of your tickets before steering toward the back row.
You frowned. "...Shouldn't we park closer?"
"Nope."
"Why?"
"You'll see."
He killed the engine before hopping out of the driver's seat. "C'mere."
Curiosity getting the better of you, you followed him around to the back of the van. He swung the rear doors open with both hands.
"...Ta-da."
You stopped walking. "...Eddie."
The inside of the van looked nothing like you'd expected.
The back seats had been folded flat, replaced with what looked like every blanket he owned layered over an old mattress pad. Pillows were piled against the sides, making a little nest beneath a strand of warm white battery-powered string lights he'd somehow managed to drape across the ceiling.
There were even two lawn chairs folded neatly in the corner in case you wanted to sit outside instead.
"...What..."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "So..."
You climbed a little closer, running your hand across one of the impossibly soft blankets. "You did all this?"
He shrugged like it was no big deal. "I figured drive-ins are more fun when you're comfortable."
Your eyes wandered farther; a little cooler sat tucked against the wall. Curious, you opened it. Inside were glass bottles of Coke, your favorite cherry licorice, peanut M&M's, movie theater butter popcorn. Even the little strawberry candies you'd absentmindedly mentioned liking while sitting at lunch two days ago.
You looked back at him. "...How do you even know all of this?"
"You told Gareth those strawberry candies reminded you of your grandma."
You blinked. "...You remembered that?"
"Sure."
Still speechless, you reached into the back again.
"...Is this..." You pulled out a folded gray sweatshirt. "...Mine?"
"Nah." He laughed. "It's mine."
You looked at him, confused.
"It's supposed to get cold later."
"So?"
"So..." He looked at you like the answer was obvious. "You complained yesterday that you always underestimate how cold October gets."
"...I did."
"So I brought an extra sweatshirt."
You stared at him. "Eddie..."
For the first time since you'd met him, he actually looked a little shy. "What?"
"I thought this was supposed to be fake."
"It is."
"You didn't have to do..." You gestured helplessly toward the cozy little setup he'd somehow built in the back of the van. "...all of this."
A grin slowly spread across his face. "Oh."
He leaned casually against the open door. "...This?"
You nodded, and he shrugged. "Fake boyfriend package."
You laughed. "No."
"What?"
"This is way above the fake boyfriend package."
He feigned offense. "You wound me."
"Eddie."
"I'm serious."
He pointed into the van. "Blankets."
Another finger. "Snacks."
Another. "Emergency sweatshirt."
He spread both hands proudly. "I'm providing a premium service here."
You laughed so hard you had to grab the side of the van to steady yourself. "I'm going to have to leave you a five-star review."
"Damn right you are."
Then, quieter, his grin softening into something far less performative.
"I just..." He looked over the little setup. "...Figured if we're pretending to date..."
His shoulders lifted in a small shrug. "...You should get at least one really good date out of it."
The drive-in ended up being surprisingly perfect. Neither of you paid much attention to the first movie.
Instead, the two of you spent most of it making sarcastic commentary under your breath, sharing popcorn, and arguing over whether The Evil Dead was genuinely terrifying or just "creative low-budget filmmaking," as Eddie insisted.
By the second feature, the October air had turned considerably colder. Without saying a word, Eddie reached behind him, grabbed the sweatshirt he'd packed, and draped it over your shoulders before you even had the chance to complain.
You'd rolled your eyes as he'd simply grinned. "Premium service."
By the time the credits rolled, your cheeks hurt from smiling.
True to his word, Eddie pulled into your driveway at exactly 10:50, ten whole minutes before your curfew. Your father was already waiting on the porch, arms crossed, watching.
Eddie climbed out first, walking around to open your door before helping you step down from the van with an exaggerated flourish. "Milady."
You curtsied dramatically. "Thank you, kind sir."
He placed a hand over his heart. "My pleasure."
Your father watched the exchange carefully as the two of you walked toward the porch. "You made good time."
Eddie nodded. "Told you I would."
Your father checked his watch. "...You're early."
"I figured ten minutes was a safe buffer."
"...Smart."
It wasn't exactly praise. But coming from your father, it was pretty damn close.
"Goodnight, sir."
"Goodnight, Eddie."
You glanced between them. "...Goodnight."
As you headed inside, you couldn't help but notice your father watching Eddie climb back into the van.
Your mother appeared beside him. "So?"
He kept his eyes on the driveway. "...He was respectful."
You nearly tripped over your own feet. Respectful? From your father? Maybe hell really had frozen over.
One fake date somehow became two, then three. Then somewhere along the line, the lines started blurring.
Eddie still picked you up for school almost every morning. He still walked you to every class. He'd started carrying your books without asking. Holding doors open. Stealing fries off your lunch tray despite insisting he "didn't want any."
You'd retaliated by drinking half his chocolate milk whenever he looked away. A silent war had begun that neither of you intended to lose.
The town, of course, ate it up. Mrs. Thompson at Melvald's gave the two of you a knowing smile every time you stopped in after school. The librarian had started saving romance novels "for the young couple." Even Principal Higgins had caught Eddie kissing the top of your head outside English one afternoon.
Instead of detention, he'd simply sighed. "Keep it appropriate, Munson."
"Always do."
The moment Higgins rounded the corner, Eddie looked down at you. "...That counted, right?"
You laughed. "I think we sold it."
"Excellent."
The phone calls hadn't been part of the plan. It started because Eddie called one evening to ask if your father had "bought the hand-holding today."
That conversation lasted fifteen minutes. The next night became thirty. By Friday, the two of you had somehow spent nearly two hours talking about everything and absolutely nothing.
Favorite movies. Childhood stories. Music. Why Garfield was objectively the funniest comic strip ever printed.
You'd started waiting for the sound of your phone ringing around nine every night. And like clockwork, you’d always answered.
Before long, pretending started feeling easy and dangerously comfortable. Sometimes you'd catch yourself laughing before Eddie even finished the joke.
Sometimes he'd bring you your favorite soda without asking. Sometimes he'd absentmindedly reach for your hand crossing a parking lot before either of you remembered there wasn't actually anyone around to witness it.
Neither of you acknowledged those moments; you simply kept the "bit" going.
"So." Jonathan leaned back in his cafeteria chair one afternoon, looking around the table. "I heard something."
Nancy looked up from her sandwich. "...Should we be worried?"
"Probably."
Eddie nodded approvingly. "I like where this is going."
Jonathan ignored him. "My friend at community college said there's a party this Saturday."
That immediately caught everyone's attention. "A college party?" Nancy asked.
Jonathan nodded. "Apparently one of the fraternities is throwing a Halloween thing."
You, Nancy, and Eddie exchanged glances. None of you had been to a college party before. Jonathan noticed the exchange and smiled.
"I was thinking..." He pointed between the two of you. "You guys should come."
Nancy perked up immediately. "Oh my God, yes."
"It'd be fun," Jonathan continued. "Nobody there knows either of you, so there's no pressure. Just music, some booze..." He shrugged. "Besides, Darren goes there, doesn't he?"
Your stomach flipped. "...Yeah."
Jonathan smiled. "Perfect."
Nancy's eyes widened as the implications dawned on her. "Oh."
"Oh."
Nancy was the first one to put the pieces together. Her eyes widened as she looked between you and Eddie. "...Wait."
You glanced over.
"If your parents think Eddie's taking you..." She pointed toward Jonathan. "...Then they'll have absolutely no problem letting you go."
You nodded absentmindedly. "...I guess."
Jonathan shrugged. "And if Darren happens to be there..."
The name hit you like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over your head.
Darren. Right.
For a brief, almost embarrassing moment, you'd forgotten. Not forgotten him, exactly. Just forgotten that he was the entire reason any of this had started.
Your mind flashed back to the phone call you'd had with him a few nights earlier. The conversation had been nice, comfortable even. He'd asked how school was going. You'd told him "good." He'd told you about a biology exam. You'd wished him luck.
Then, before hanging up, you'd mentioned you couldn't talk much longer because Eddie was supposed to call in a few minutes. Only after you'd said it had you realized how naturally the words had come out.
You blinked. "...Oh."
Eddie noticed the shift in your expression almost immediately. "What?"
You looked back at the table. "...Nothing."
Jonathan continued, oblivious. "He'll probably be there somewhere."
“Yeah…” You said, sinking into your seat. "Probably."
By the time the night of the party rolled around, you were equal parts nervous and excited. The excitement, however, had very little to do with the party itself. It had everything to do with the ridiculous argument you'd had with Eddie three nights prior.
"If we're going," he'd said over the phone, "we're wearing matching costumes."
You'd laughed. "No."
"Yes."
"Absolutely not."
"We're a couple."
"A fake couple."
"A distinction with very little importance."
You'd groaned into the receiver. "Eddie..."
"We have to sell it."
"We're already selling it."
"No, sweetheart." You could practically hear the grin in his voice. "We're raising the bar."
Which explained why you were currently standing in front of your bedroom mirror wearing a black, studded mini dress layered over a fishnet top, ripped tights, and heavy combat boots. A spiked choker sat snug around your neck.
Your hair had been teased and left wild, half-pinned back with a chain clip Eddie had insisted on adding himself earlier.
“Needs more attitude,” he’d said, concentrating like he was defusing a bomb.
You’d called it ridiculous; he’d called it perfect.
A knock sounded downstairs.
"He's here!" your mother called.
You grabbed your leather jacket, shrugging it on as you hurried downstairs. The second you rounded the corner into the foyer, Eddie looked up and promptly forgot how to speak.
Gone were the ripped jeans and Hellfire tee. Instead, he wore black skinny jeans, a sleeveless band tee layered under a distressed denim vest covered in patches, and heavy boots that looked like they’d seen more than one mosh pit.
Eddie had somehow managed to style his own hair into a wild, voluminous mess of teased curls and waves, half of it pulled back with a chain and leather wrap, the rest spilling around his face like he’d stepped straight out of a metal album cover.
A few strands fell into his eyes, but he didn’t brush them away. He just stared at you.
"...Holy shit."
You smiled. "What?"
"You..." He shook his head slowly, like he couldn’t quite process it. "You actually did it."
"You look like you belong in a band."
"I do belong in a band."
"You belong in a very loud band."
He grinned, stepping closer. "You look..." His voice softened just slightly. "...Really good."
You felt heat rise in your cheeks. "You don’t look so bad yourself."
Your father chose that exact moment to clear his throat. The two of you jumped apart as though you'd been caught committing a crime.
"Evening, Eddie."
"Sir..."
Your father looked him over. "...Interesting costume."
Eddie glanced down at himself. "Thanks."
"You know..." Your father folded his arms. "...People in bands tend to make questionable life choices."
Eddie nodded seriously. "Yeah, I’ve heard that. I’m trying to keep my record clean tonight, sir."
That earned the smallest twitch at the corner of your father’s mouth.
"So," your father continued, "college party."
"Yes, sir."
"You understand there’ll be drinking."
"There probably will be."
"You won’t be."
"No, sir."
"You’ll make sure she isn’t."
"I will."
"And if anything feels off..."
"We leave." He finishes.
Your father studied him for another second before nodding. "...Midnight."
"We’ll be back before then."
He looked toward you. "Phone?"
You held it up.
"Wallet?"
You patted your pocket.
"Keys?"
Eddie jingled them.
"...Have fun."
The fraternity house was impossible to miss. Music thumped loudly enough to rattle the windows while clusters of college students spilled across the front lawn, laughing beneath strings of orange lights and fake cobwebs. The moment the four of you stepped out of the van, heads turned.
Jonathan leaned toward Nancy. "...I think they win."
Nancy smiled. "They absolutely win."
One college girl walking past pointed excitedly. "Oh, my God!" She laughed. “Sharron and Ozzie!"
Eddie immediately slid an arm around your shoulders. "See?" he murmured. "Worth it."
"...Debatable."
Inside, the house was somehow even louder. A surprising number of people in ripped band tees and eyeliner that looked suspiciously rushed. You spent the first hour simply existing.
You danced exactly once, mostly because Eddie refused to accept no for an answer.
"You have two options," he'd informed you.
"Dance..." He held out one hand. "...Or I throw a fit in this living room."
"...Those aren't good options."
"They absolutely are."
You’d taken his hand before he embarrassed both of you. Nancy had laughed so hard she’d nearly spilled her drink. You were having genuine amounts of fun, almost enough to make you forget why you were there in the first place.
"I'm gonna find the bathroom," you announced after another song ended.
Finding the bathroom proved far easier than finding your way back. You’d barely stepped into the upstairs hallway before a familiar voice stopped you in your tracks.
"...Babe?"
Your heart skipped, and slowly, you turned around. "Darren?"
He smiled, equally surprised. "I thought Jonathan said you might be coming."
"I almost didn't."
He laughed. "I didn't think I'd actually run into you."
"So..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You look nice."
You smiled politely. "Thanks. You too."
His eyes drifted over your costume. "...Metal?"
"Mhm."
"Cute."
"So..." he asked carefully. "How've you been?"
Meanwhile downstairs, Eddie checked his watch. "Huh."
Jonathan looked over. "What?"
"She's been gone a while."
Nancy frowned. "...You're right."
"I'll go find her."
"You know where the bathroom is?"
"I'll figure it out."
He checked one door, and then another.
Then, "...Oh."
His footsteps stopped because halfway down the hall stood you. Laughing, talking with a guy: college-aged, a little taller than him, and standing much closer than Eddie would've liked.
Darren. Of course. This was literally the entire reason any of this existed.
His grip around his cup tightened as he watched Darren smile at something you said and watched you smile back.
What had he expected? That you’d forget about the guy you’ve been trying so hard to introduce to your parents?
That this fake relationship had somehow...He cut the thought off before it finished. The cup slipped through his fingers, and it clinked softly against the floor.
Your head whipped toward the sound. "Eddie?"
Your eyes had met then, and he stared at you solemnly for a second before shaking his head and scurrying away.
"Eddie!"
You looked back at Darren only long enough to offer an apologetic smile. "I'm... I'm sorry. I have to go."
Before he could answer, you were already hurrying after the retreating figure, disappearing down the staircase.
“Eddie! Hey…Jesus Christ, you walk fast—Fuck, hey!”
You finally caught his wrist just as he pushed through the front door of the fraternity house; the October air hit both of you immediately.
"Eddie."
He stopped walking, and for a second, you swore he'd turn around. He didn't. Instead, he let out a slow breath through his nose, staring out at the sea of cars parked along the lawn.
"...You should go back inside."
"What?"
"You heard me."
"I was literally coming to find you."
"No." He laughed once, humorlessly. "You were talking to Darren."
"I was saying hello."
"Mhm."
"Eddie."
He finally turned around then, his eyes glossy. He wasn’t crying, not yet, but somewhere dangerously close. "You don't have to explain yourself."
"What?"
"You don't owe me an explanation."
"I wasn't trying to—"
"No." He shook his head. "Seriously."
He laughed a short and almost bitter laugh. "You don't."
You frowned. "You're my—"
He cut you off. "Fake boyfriend.
“You were talking to the guy you actually like." He shrugged. "I get it."
"No, you don't."
"I do."
"No—"
"I was just..." He rubbed both hands over his face before letting out another disbelieving laugh. "Jesus Christ."
His shoulders slumped. "What the hell did I think was gonna happen?"
"Eddie..."
"What?" he asked, throwing one hand into the air. "That I actually convinced myself the prettiest girl in Hawkins High was gonna wake up one morning and decide she wanted me?"
He wasn't looking at you anymore; his gaze was fixed beyond your shoulder, talking more to himself than to you.
"I'm the fucking freak."
"Eddie—"
"And somewhere along the way..." He shook his head. "I forgot."
You stepped closer. "You forgot what?"
"That this..." He gestured between the two of you. "...was never real. You know what the worst part is?"
"Eddie..."
"I started believing it. I started believing all the stupid little things."
He counted them off on his fingers. "The phone calls. The drive-in. You stealing my fries. You laughing at my dumb jokes."
He laughed again. "I started thinking..." He stopped himself. "No."
"Eddie, finish that sentence."
"I started thinking maybe..." His jaw tightened. "Maybe you actually enjoyed being around me."
"I do."
"You have to."
"No."
"You literally have to!" he exclaimed, his voice finally rising. "That's the whole deal!"
"I don't."
"You don't?"
"I don't have to."
He blinked as you took another step forward. "I call you because I want to."
He stared.
"I laugh because you're funny. I go to the record store with you because I like going. With you."
"Eddie..." You swallowed. "I would've kept talking to Darren for maybe another minute."
You gestured toward the house. "I chased after you. Like, I've barely thought about Darren this entire month."
Those words surprised both of you, mainly because you hadn't meant to say them out loud.
"I..." You frowned. "I don't know when that happened."
"Eddie..."
He looked away. "I really don't want you to say something just because you feel bad."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
He let out another dry laugh, shaking his head. "You don't have to spare my feelings."
"I'm not trying to spare your feelings, you idiot!"
Your chest rose and fell rapidly as you searched for the right words. "I don't know how else to say this."
"You don't have to say anything."
"Yes, I do."
"Eddie..." Your voice softened. "I like you."
He smiled sadly. "I know."
"No." You shook your head. "I don't think you do."
He frowned.
"I like you. Like..."
You let out a nervous laugh, one hand coming up to rub the back of your neck. "Like, I genuinely like you."
He froze so much so that you could almost see the sentence replaying itself in his head. "...What?"
"I like you."
"No, you don't."
"I do."
"You don't."
"I really, really do."
He stared at you as though you'd started speaking another language. "You came up with this whole fake dating thing because of Darren."
"I know."
"You wanted me to make him look better."
"I know."
"You've been trying to introduce him to your parents for weeks."
"I know."
"So..." He gave another confused laugh. "How the hell does this happen?"
You laughed through the tears threatening to form. "I don't know."
"I think..." You looked down at your shoes before meeting his eyes again.
"I think it happened somewhere between you showing up with those horrible flowers..."
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"...And remembering my favorite candy."
You smiled weakly. "And the drive-in. And the phone calls. And you walking me to every class. You remembered all the little things I said without me ever asking you to."
"You made pretending feel so easy that..." You shook your head. "...I forgot we were pretending."
His lips parted. "I almost forgot Darren existed."
The admission hung in the cool night air.
"I went the entire time without thinking about him once." You laughed softly to yourself. "And then Jonathan mentioned the college party..."
You shrugged helplessly. "...And I realized I'd spent more time wondering what costume we would wear rather than seeing Darren."
"So..." You offered him the smallest, most nervous smile he'd ever seen.
"I guess somewhere along the way..."
You reached down and gently took his hand. "...I stopped fake dating you."
He looked down at your intertwined fingers, then back up at you. "...You're serious."
You nodded. "I've never been more serious."
He smiled so wide it almost looked painful. "...Guess I'm gonna have to start putting in some real boyfriend effort now, huh?"
“Should I be afraid to find out what that entails?”
“Oh yeah. Very much so.”
me giggling and kicking my feet at how cute ts is
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i just beefed with someone online and I got tired of it so I said "I ate some really good blueberries today" and they replied "I had a fire ass peach today". world peace
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