#e creates

“Oh, fuck you. I’ll have you know Ms. O’Donnell has it out for me, otherwise I would’ve been graduating with you this year.”

For a moment, you’re hit with a pang of sadness. In a few short weeks, you would be packing up your entire life and moving across the country to get settled before you start college in the Fall. And Eddie would still be in Hawkins, finishing his last year once more. But that’s tomorrow’s problem, you remind yourself, and tonight, we’re here and Eddie Munson has never had a slow dance.

“Don’t change the subject, Edweird.” You sit up and turn to poke him in the chest, to which he responds with an indignant “hey!”

“You’re shitting me. You’ve never slow danced with anyone ever?”

“Not many opportunities to slow dance with someone when you’re the town freak, so…” He strums again, looking down at his guitar.

“But you’re so--” pretty was what you meant to say.

“‘So’ what?” His head pops back up, as he squints at you and waits for you to finish your statement.

“So you! Funny and charming and all around wonderful, Eddie. Anybody would be crazy to turn you down.”

“Aw, you think I’m funny, sweets?” He says teasingly, giving you a lopsided grin. Even in the dim light of his room, you can tell he’s blushing. You give him a gentle shove to his shoulder. 

“‘course I do, you freak,” you say lovingly. “Your jokes are the only reason I survived this school year.”

“The bar for survival must be in hell then.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” You get up from the floor, heading for the door and almost tripping over Eddie’s discarded vest.

“Hey, where are you going?” He calls to you, setting Sweetheart on his bed as he moves to get up.

You’re already in the living room, searching through Wayne’s cassettes for a particular tape. “Clean that shit off your floor, Munson,” You call back, “I’ll be back in two seconds.” Pulling one, you walk back into the room, where Eddie has shoved all his clothes and books into one corner of the space. You squat down next to Eddie’s tape deck and stop his mix, swapping it for…

“Lovedrive by Scorpions, really?”

“Yes, Lovedrive by Scorpions. Wayne has great taste,” You say distractedly as you hit fast-forward, starting and stopping the tape as Eddie makes a skeptical noise and sits on the bed next to you. 

I’ll be back to love you again.

You rewind it until the opening notes to Always Somewhere begin to play.

You stand up, dusting off your jeans and turning around to face him. You hold out your hand, “May I have this dance?”

He looks up at you and then at your hand. “Isn’t it supposed to be me asking you?”

“Eddie…” you say exasperatedly and shake your hand at him. 

“I’m just saying, I feel like we should be doing this the right way.” He says, tucking his hands into his pockets and dropping his chin to his chest. 

“Shut up and take my hand, you ridiculous man.” You shuffle closer, hand still outstretched. He finally sighs, and with a childish “fiiiiiiiine” he takes your hand and lets you pull him up from the bed and into your personal space. 

“‘The right way,’ my left foot. What is this, the 40s?”

“Yeah, well, don’t blame me when I accidentally break all your toes after stepping on them.” 

You wrap his hands behind your waist before wrapping your arms around his neck. Looking up into his eyes, you realize just how close you are. Kissing distance. Intimate. Too intimate. 

He stands there stiffly, not moving, and you can see the glimmer of insecurity in his wide-eyed gaze. You readjust and move your arms to wrap around his middle, resting your head on his chest. Eye contact broken, the tension leaks out of him. You can hear the rapid thrum of his heartbeat. 

You take the lead, stepping to the left and then shuffling to the right. His room isn’t particularly spacious, but in this moment it’s the perfect size for the two of you to sway back and forth quietly. You close your eyes and focus on Eddie’s slowed heartbeat, the warmth of his chest radiating through his Dio T-shirt, the way he slowly runs his hand up and down your back. Your eyes prickle with tears as you realize you’re going to miss this, miss him. 

You weren’t kidding when you said he helped you survive this year, which was nothing short of rough. Your parents divorce, moving to the trailer park with your dad, his subsequent alcoholism, it was all too much. Only Eddie, with his wisecracks in class, and his quick way of turning shitty situations into a joke, and the nights spent listening to music in his room to avoid your dad, talking about anything and everything, bonding over shitty parents. Eddie was your rock, your rainbow in the dark. If you were a different person, unburnt by your parents pain, you would’ve told him how much you love him. How you wish you could wake up to him every morning, and fall asleep next to him every night. At least you have this, a slow dance in a quiet room with no one else around.

“I’m going to miss you, you know.” He says, pressing his face into the top of your head.

“Don’t you dare make me cry, Eddie,” You say, throat hoarse from the ball of emotions sitting on your vocal cords, pulling back to look him in the face. “I’m still here.”

He’s looking at the floor, determinedly looking anywhere but you.

“For a few weeks. Then you’re off to some hoity toity school to kick ass and forget all about little old me.” 

“Eddie Munson,” you put a hand under his chin and gently tilt his head up so you can see his eyes, “I could never, ever forget about you.”

The pain etches itself onto his face. You feel the pressure build behind your eyes, and try to fight it, looking back into his to try and push all the love you have for him into this look. He glances at your lips before looking back into your eyes, asking. You nod. 

He leans forward and presses his lips to yours, one peck, then another. You surge forward, pressing yourself against him as you kiss him properly. He holds you close, and for a moment, you’re two souls desperately clinging on to one another for dear life. His hand comes up and presses against your cheek, and you suddenly become aware of the warm wetness on them. You pull back for air, and look at Eddie, tear tracks on his face mirroring your own. You gently press your hand to his cheek, wiping the tears away with your thumb.

“Didn’t realize my kissing sucked that much,” He tries to joke, voice thick with emotion.

A laugh turned sob escapes your chest, “Apparently, we’re both the worst.”

He gives you a small smile. You kiss him again, and feel his brow crumple, a fresh wave of tears running over your thumb. When your lungs begin burning, you pull apart with a gasp. He presses his face into your chest.

“God, Eddie, I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Promise me you’ll come back?”

“You have to ask?”

He lifts his head to look at you.

“I need to hear you say it.”

You press your forehead to his, taking slow breaths.

“You’re my home, Eds. I--” love you. “I’m always going to come back to you.”

~ JUNE 1986 ~

It’s surreal to be back in Hawkins after being away for a year. 

You sit in the stands of gymnasium, surrounded by old and new Hellfire club members and Wayne, as you scan the sea of graduation caps. They begin calling people on stage, alphabetically by last name. When Jason Carver’s name is called, all the younger Hellfire kids boo loudly and you can’t help but join in. After he walks off stage and the principal requests that everyone hold their applause till the end, you turn to the kid sitting next to you. Dustin, you think his name is. “So, what was his deal?”

“He sucks. Thinks his shit doesn’t stink,” he grins at you. It’s endearing, his honesty. You offer him a smile back.

Finally, they get to M.

“Edward Munson”

Everyone around you stands up and cheers loudly, though none as loudly and enthusiastically as Dustin, who jumps up onto his seat to wave at Eddie. You laugh and cheer as Eddie crosses the stage, taking his diploma, turning to the crowd and bowing before turning back to the Principal and flipping him off. The group cheers even more as Eddie runs off the stage, clutching his cap to his head and laughing as he rejoins the rest of the graduates. The rest of the ceremony goes without a hitch, and you can’t help but stare at Eddie in the crowd, your heart swelling with pride. He did it.

“Congratulations to the class of 1986!”

A sea of graduation caps fly into the air. Everyone cheers with the crowd, and you watch Eddie as he catches his cap, turning to look directly at you and blowing you a kiss. You catch it and press your hands to your heart as he gives you a beaming smile. Your chest gets warm, and all you want to do now is run to him. The crowd begins to surge forward, going to meet their graduates. The Hellfire crew get to him before you do, hoisting Eddie onto their shoulders and parading him out into the parking lot, cheering his name as he laughs.

“Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!”

When they finally set him down, they all begin to hug him, Dustin first in line. You stand at the fringes of the group with Wayne, watching the scene quietly.

“I always knew he could do it.” The quiet pride in Wayne’s voice is unmistakable. “I’m so glad you could come down to visit. He wouldn’t shut up about you.”

“I couldn’t shut up about him too, so it balances out, I guess.”

Eddie, having finished with his crew, runs over and hugs Wayne first, giving him the diploma. You watch as Wayne tells him, voice shaky, “I’m proud of you, son.”

Eddie pulls back, swipes at his eyes, radiant joy evident in his face. “Thanks, old man.”

Eddie finally turns to you, picking you up and spinning you around. You can’t help but laugh at his antics. He puts you down and kisses you stupid, the Hellfire kids cheering yet again as a flash goes off. When you break apart, chests heaving, you say the first thing that comes to mind.

“Hi.”

“...That’s it? ‘Hi’?” Eddie says, a fond glint in his eye. “I haven’t seen you in a year, and that’s all you have to say to me?”

You shove him playfully, “That’s all you get for now, Edweird.”

His smile turns sinful as he pulls you back towards him and asks, “Later, then?”

“Yeah, let me just…”

His hand comes up to your face and gently brushes his fingers against your cheek. 

“Eyelash,” he says. “Make a wish?”

You look at his finger to find the pesky stray eyelash, close your eyes and blow the lash away, wishing he’d just make a move already. When you open your eyes, you find him staring at your lips. He looks back up into your eyes, then back at your lips. He leans forward slowly, hesitant.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Whoever in the universe is listening right now, your timing is horrific and I hate you.

“Shit, is it really 12:30?”

He squints at his wristwatch, pressing two buttons to shut off the noise. The moment’s gone. He sits up, messy hair pressed flat on one side after laying on his side for so long. The dim yellow glow from the lamp on his nightstand washing his hair in gold. 

“I’m going to go grab us some water and, uh, brush my teeth real quick then we can figure out how we’re getting you home. Cool? Cool.” You nod your head, realizing just how dry your mouth has gotten. He gets up and speed walks out of the room, rubbing the back of his neck as he goes.

You don’t want to move but you sit up anyways. You look at his side of the bed and realize this could be your moment. You grab his 3 sacred pillows and tuck them around you before laying back down and burying yourself in Eddie’s blanket while you wait for him to come back with the water. You can hear him shuffling around the trailer quietly, but the warmth from the blanket and pillows quickly drag you to sleep.

--

Slowly, you become aware of a warm weight on you. You open your eyes to find Eddie asleep on top of you, head resting on your chest. You look down at his face, a small smile on his lips. You realize you’ve never seen him look this content before. You bring your hand up and gently brush his hair away from his face. He stirs, muttering before burrowing his face deeper into your chest.

“Eds?”

From under his mess of curls, you hear a slurred, “You took all my pillows so I’m using you as one.”

You card through his hair with your fingers, gently scratching his scalp. “Sorry, Eddie.”

“‘S fine. You’re a pretty comfy pillow anyways, now go back to sleep and I’ll drive us to yours in the morning.”