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Fanfic Masterlist
Stranger Things Reverse Big Bang 2023/2024 Fic Hell Hound
Steddie BigBang 2023 Fic
Are You Experienced?AO3 Link
AO3 Profile Link
I Think I Could Have Been Someone - New Fic 8/? parts
Sweet Home Chicago AU for Eddie Month
Steddie Fics
Requests
Requests are closed for now (I'm currently working on 3 WIP stories) see here for info
Dad!Eddie Munson - Where there is no babysitter and Eddie has to juggle a toddler and get to his daughter's recital
EddieMunsonxReader - A case of mistaken Wayne-entity. Where reader moves to the trailer park, falls for Eddie but thinks Wayne is just another townie judging Eddie harshly
Summary: You meet Eddie Munson under the trying circumstances of high school, an event you can't fully recall, and the fallout of being the only one who can piece things back together.
Warnings: Violence, death, fluff, amnesia, implied sexual intimacy, bullying, angst
Author Notes: First ever fanfic I've written (feedback welcome)
Thanks to everyone who read, liked reblogged and let me know how the story made them feel.
I am beyond thrilled that even 1 other person read and enjoyed this. What a wonderful community, thank you 💚💚
The Eddie Munson Tape Dates (with Sunbeam and Moonbeam universe from Fire)
In the fanfic Fire (above) Eddie has a box of tapes and each one is a date he's planned out for you. I decided to write a few up. In the end all of them. The first of which is directly from Fire
Synopsis: You and the rest of Unholy Angel, set your sights on winning the upcoming Battle of the Bands, but first Mr Harrington (your Boss) has pulled some strings so that you get to be some of the first to ride a promotional simulator for Dustin Henderson's Epic Game series The Curse of Hawkins. Your home life isn't great, your friends are your everything, but seeing a beautiful guitar in a second hand store, pulls on the thread causing your unravelling.
Warnings for the entire story: Darkfic, out of character Eddie Munson, alternative universe, present day, Death, abuse (emotional, mental and physical, harassment, violence, torture, imprisonment, coersion, unrequited love, drugs, alcohol, illness, blood, gore, food disorder, mental illness, vampirism, hypnotism, weirdness, the upside down, bats, monsters
Let Me Call You Sweetheart Part 2 - Everlong (8 Chapters)
Summary: Second part of Let Me Call You Sweetheart Series
After the infamous carnage that happened at battle of the bands you are forced to rehabilitate, but it's not just your mind set that is changing, so are your feelings towards one Vampiric Eddie Munson
Summary: Lyra has only been a student at Hawkins High for 6 months due to being expelled from her private school, due to an affair with the headteacher's son.
Lyra had hoped to escape her past, but unfortunately that was not to be.
Lyra who had developed a thing for instructors finds herself feeling more than a the usual amount of flustered when the same guy has to help them several times in one week.
Summary: How Eddie discovers Heavy Metal. A 13-year-old Eddie Munson at the beginning of his stay with his Uncle Wayne. Struggling to fit in with the new locals, he takes solace in one of the things he smuggled from home, his parent's Ouija board.
Warnings: references but not the detail of abuse, swearing, ouija board, spirits, bullying references, being the new kid, separation from a loved one.
The Eddie Munson Tape Dates - Metallica - Kill 'em all
Warnings: air rifles, anxiety, fluff
Ever since Trent had come back home, Eddie had been extra protective. However, whilst he knew you could handle the situation yourself, it didn't mean he wanted you to deal with it alone.
From what Eddie had talked to you at length about in the past, you were reasonably sure this wasn't a jealous or insecure thing. But just in case it was, you'd kept true to your word and continued to do little things for Eddie every day to make sure he knew how very important he was.
You'd found a book in the library and started leaving him little notes folded up into different things, but once you'd learned how to fold a dragon, it's all you wanted to make. So you left them on his locker, the handle of his van door, and his bedroom window so he'd see it when he woke up. Unfortunately, as Eddie patrol became more frequent, it was harder to hide them as a surprise.
It wasn't even like it was that much of a change. You saw one another every day in some capacity, but when he appeared to be running himself ragged to walk you, in-between classes, you had to put a stop to it.
"Hi", he bent down with his hands on his knees out of breath, blinking as if dizzy, "Phew, I don't think I've run that far or fast in years" he takes out his water and takes a few glugs, at the same time extending his hand to you.
"Babe, you can't keep doing this." You say quietly, pointing further down the corridor, "My next class is literally there. Where is yours?" You didn't want to embarrass Eddie or want him to feel bad. You just wanted to let him know everything was fine and for him to not wear himself out.
"Er....kinda near where I came from..." He says tentatively.
"So you are gonna potentially be late now because of me? No, honey. This has to stop. You're doing so well this year, right? " You say, intertwining your fingers with his, taking his hand, and walking him back towards his class.
"Eddie, he'll be gone soon enough. He's not gonna hang around here for long. Right now, he's enjoying all the hero worship he's getting from being the college guy with his high school friends. Which just says to me he's not thriving at college at all. Which is sad for him, but you know, a delicious sort of instant karma from my perspective" you can't resist a little evil giggle.
Your Mom always said not to wish bad things on people, and you hadn't wished it, but you weren't going to pretend it didn't feel good to see him struggle after what he did.
"That laugh, I don't think I've ever heard before." Eddie says, nearly spitting out his water, "That was nearly looney toons Witch Hazel levels of maniacal."
"And this is exactly why you don't have to do this, ok? Because if anyone comes at me, I will just, you know, turn them into a bug, or do some of our cult chanting at them," you offer and raise your non-occupied hand in the air wiggling your fingers and making spooky noises and faces at Eddie.
"Keep it in the circus, Freaks!" A yell comes down the corridor. You both stop dead in your tracks, turn slowly, and stare unflinchingly at the noise source. You both stare, with deadpan expressions, until the letterman jacket wearer gets nervous and runs away.
You continue to walk a little further down the corridor and excitedly grab Eddie's shoulders, "Did you hear that??? Did you hear what he said to me??" A gigantic toothy smile spread across your face, "I'm a freak! God, I can't wait to tell Mama. She's gonna be so excited!"
Eddie lets himself be jostled around by your excitement, and he simultaneously looks confused and delighted. He takes your hand back into his, "You. Are. Crazy. And I..." He flourishes his hand to the side and lands it on the centre of his chest "...love you for it."
"Oh, you think that was crazy? You don't even know what would have happened if we hadn't been surrounded by our peers at the time."
"Oh really?" He says in a low voice, raising an eyebrow at you.
"Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter, babe...Well, about what I said, I mean...I love you...gutter mind and all." You laugh and let out a little squeal as Eddie pulls your body to his, in the middle of the corridor, and entraps your eyes into his.
"Let their eyes look upon this feast of devotion. Let their envy be so great it turns their very flesh green with jealousy." He says, dramatically dipping you over backwards for a kiss.
As he lifts you back up, he says quietly, "I mean, I wanted to do that anyway, but right now Eddie Munson is winning at high school, at life, and I want each and every one of these pretentious fuckers to know about it." His eyes move from yours to around the corridor, "All of them."
"Except for hellfire, though, right?" You add with a laugh.
"Look, that is different. There has to be a line of PDA around those little sheep. They need to respect me, and if I show them how easily manipulated I can be by my lady. They would use you as a weapon." He says, looking over you slowly.
His gaze eventually lands in yours as you say, "And you think I wouldn't betray those little sheep, hell, the whole world for you, my love? A million times over!"
"How do you make villainy so endearing? Must be that witchcraft" he tries to pull you in for another kiss.
"Talking of witches, where is your class again?" You say, smiling.
Eddie rolls his eyes, "Ok, I'm going alright. I'll see you at lunch", he says, grabbing your face for a hard peck of a kiss on the lips before heading his way to class, and you turn around, heading back to yours.
You arrive a few minutes late back to class and notice the girl from the drama department that Trent had been hanging out with, Laura. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and a handkerchief clutched in her hand. She notices you look at her; if looks could kill, you would have been obliterated where you stood.
You make your way to your seat quickly, and for the remainder of class, just avoid looking at her completely.
You had your suspicions from the look on her face, Trent had done this, caused her to be upset like this, but it's not like you could ask, right? Console her, tell her that there are guys out there that are so fantastic she'll question what she had been doing with Trent at all.
Though for all you knew, it could be something completely unrelated. You decide to focus on class, but your mind is so distracted. This whole Trent business was someone else's problem, now. He'd basically stopped communicating with you once he got to college, and that was that. You had no love, not even like, for the guy, and now he was back, and you couldn't wait for him to fuck off back to his campus again.
Something hits your leg, and you look down to find a crumpled-up piece of paper. You snatch it up and open it discretely in your lap. "Good luck with your mission to get Trent back, slut!"
Your face contorts with confusion. You pocket the note and look around to be greeted by a dirty look from Laura.
The pieces were coming together. Trent had messed something up with her, so he had somehow convinced her you were the reason for it. You shake your head, same old cowardly tricks. Shame you didn't figure that out until it was too late.
You just try to focus on the lesson until the lunch bell rings, and you can get out of here and see Eddie. You've got no interest in being dragged down into some high school drama bullshit.
Entering the cafeteria, you spy your friend Dawn and her boyfriend Joe, but no sign of Trent or Laura with them, as you would have suspected.
You look over to the Hellfire table. Most of them were there, but there was a prominent absence of Eddie.
You feel a tug on your arm, you turn slowly, and your eyes meet Carla's, the only female member of hellfire club this year. Her sweet, cherub-like face looks up at you kindly, but there is a slight hint of concern on her brow.
"Um...Eddie might be a bit late for lunch. He said to let you know, but he won't be long." She says hurriedly.
Her eyes dart towards the cafeteria window for a second, and you follow their momentary path and peer outside. Eddie was standing confidently but defensively. His arms were not tucked around his chest but folded in front of it. His expression was unsympathetic and almost bored, but the stance of his lower body gave him away. He was just waiting for an excuse to rush the guy opposite him.
That guy being Trent.
Trent unnecessarily slightly hunched over, his arms and hands animated. His expression was condescending and one of provocation as he paced up and down in front of Eddie.
It's almost like he senses you, and Eddie's eyes turn to look at the window, and you dive down out of sight. Carla tugs your sleeve again, "Maybe you could just come and eat lunch with us until Eddie gets here?"
"Are you crazy? You know he's out there with my ex, who, pardon my french Carla, is an absolute bitch. Eddie's been doing so well this year. He doesn't need a mark against him," you complain at her, walking towards the cafeteria door.
"He said you would say something like that. But, he said to tell you to let him deal with it himself. If you believe in him, that is," Carla says, slowly recalling it from memory.
Eddie, you absolute swine! You think to yourself and let out a grunt of frustration.
"Carla, do you have a compact mirror by any chance?" You're thinking of fashioning a makeshift periscope so you can at least keep an eye on Eddie and ensure he's safe.
Carla looks at you in disbelief, "He said you'd ask me for it, so he took it from me. He said you'd get it out of me if he didn't."
You put your hands on your hips, "Well, if he's so smart, how does he know I just won't ask someone else for one?"
"Oh, because he said..." Carla begins
"By the time you've got to that point. I'll be all done" you hear Eddie's voice beside you, "Thanks, CC." Eddie says as Carla does a little courtesy and hurries back to Gareth.
Eddie shrugs gently. Your face is not impressed, "I'm unharmed. Physically Trent is also unharmed. I just wanted to hear what he had to say for himself, that's all."
"Physically, only?" You ask, eyebrows raised.
"Yeah, like mentally, possibly emotionally, devastated, but physically didn't touch him. Didn't have to" Eddie smirks and reaches for your hand, and you hand him the note from your pocket.
"He's got a bee in his bonnet about us, babe. He'll just keep doing stuff like this." You say a worriedness in your tone.
"Then let him. Let him try and shake us a thousand times, and each time I look at him, he'll remember what I told him out there, and he will retreat so fast, babe." Eddie says, almost laughing, not worried in the slightest
"What happened out there?" you say, your voice edges with concern. Worried that Eddie had made some threats, you knew that Trent and his cronies didn't take kindly to that sort of thing.
"Well, a bunch of things got said, and I'll fill you in on all that privately later, but honestly, it all boiled down to this. He told me I wasn't enough, I wouldn't amount to anything blah, blah, blah. So I stepped up to him and looked him dead in the eyes, babe, and I said 'Y/N is happy, she's in love, with me, and she is satisfied.' and oh," Eddie claps his hands together with glee, "boy, he didn't like that. Then he was all like, 'no, you've known her five minutes, compared to 3 years,' and he was droning on, so I stopped him and asked him, "Did she call you? Like at all?" And his face just fell, and I knew I had him," Eddie pinches his fingers together like he's squashing a tiny bug, "and I repeated, 'She's a satisfied woman. I'm sure you haven't met many of those, so for your benefit, and because I pity you, here is what you need to do. Cut your losses, keep your dignity, and crawl back where you came from, K? Buh-bye."
Your eyes are wide with surprise. Surprised that Eddie hadn't threatened Trent. Eddie hadn't warned Trent off his girl. He hadn't used violence. He'd just told him the truth and sure belittled him a bit, but in such a way that Trent wouldn't be able to regale his cronies with tales of a big bad Eddie Munson who needed to be taught a lesson.
The most crucial part was Eddie wasn't afraid, and as you stood there with him, his confidence wrapped around you like a safety blanket. You didn't have to worry about Trent anymore. He couldn't ruin this for you. Eddie's buttons had been pushed, his insecurities thrown in his face, and he stood his ground because he believed in you because he believed in this.
Your eyes move around his face, and you sigh a shaky breath that renders you speechless. You want to jump into Eddie's arms right now, squeeze him tightly and plant a thousand kisses on him. But, instead, you blink slowly at him as your heart booms in its rib cage prison. Your pupils must be like saucers or some other tell because Eddie tilts his head at you quizzically.
He reads your expression, and his face changes from one of "I just kicked this guy's ass with words, babe, you'd be so proud" to "Fucking hell, I'm the greatest man who ever lived". He looks pleased with himself, but not in a smug way, genuine pride in himself.
When he offers you his arm with a big beautiful smile on his face, it's difficult not to look around at the rest of the cafeteria with your own very smug grin and give them a royal wave. Instead, you gratefully take his arm, say very little for the remainder of lunch, and just stare at him.
Watching how his face and body move when he talks, adding the odd confirmation of listing if required "uh-huh", and you were desperately trying to listen to what he was saying, but your brain was scrambling everything. This was it. This was the guy, and he'd been here the whole time.
Thankfully his conversations seemed to be for the whole table, so it was easy enough to take pointers from their own nods or head shakes about what you should be doing if his eyes fell on you.
The bell jump scares you back into real life, "Jesus!" You say with your hand to your chest.
Eddie looks over at you, laughing, "Alright there, babe? "
He eyes the rest of the table as they stand to leave and keeps you behind with him, "So about what I said...are you in?" He says, looking at you biting his lip.
"Er...yeah...of course", you agree to who knows what and venture a smile.
Eddie bursts out laughing. "You haven't listened to me the whole time we've been sitting at this table, have you?"
You squint your eyes and wrinkle your nose, "I mean...."
"Shit! I knew it. Don't even try to lie! I know those eyes. I mean, I didn't mind, but wow." he says, brushing down his denim vest.
"I was really trying to listen, babe. I swear," you say sort of apologetically, but also laughing at your own ridiculousness.
"Well, I'm glad you finally caught up with me," he says, grasping your face with one hand, squeezing it.
"Huh?" You say quizzically.
"When you're cooking, when you're getting ready, fresh out of the shower, when you're reading your book," he says, his cheeks flush a little.
You wriggle out of his grasp, "So, all those times I thought you asked me about something again, you weren't genuinely interested in it. You just hadn't listened the first time?"
Eddie is cackling, leaning back on his seat, and sighs to take a breath. "I'm sorry, babe, I thought you knew. It was mostly interesting for the record, but I didn't catch them the first time around."
"Well, I can't say anything about it now, can I? I'd be a hypocrite." You laugh and grasp his hand, "I'm glad I finally caught up, you know. It's much nicer here" That was spoken right from the heart. You looked around inside yourself for those old insecurities, and, for the moment at least, they had vanished.
You wish you were brave enough to ask what his brain was thinking about instead of listening in those moments. If he felt the same as you.
"No, you can't!" He teases playfully, moving his head side to side as his face closes in on your for a soft kiss, which you didn't think even possible felt more electric than all the ones before it. "See you after class, babe." he lifts you out of your seat and turns your face to his. He walks backwards away from you, raising his hands in the air. "Your gift for the afternoon....you get to watch me walk away" he shoots you a wink and walks out of the cafeteria doors.
Later at yours, homework completed. Eddie shakes the box of tapes at you. You immediately select the Metallica album with the hammer on the cover, "Remember on our first date that I didn't know was a date, and I had to be armed? This is what could have happened." You say, pointing at the cover.
Eddie's face lights up, "Yes, yes, I heard your little joke, but honestly, honey. I have been dying for you to pick this one for weeks."
He grabs the cassette tightly and rushes to the stairs. There is no thundering sound as he descends, so you can only assume he's used the bannister rail as a slide.
You hear some muttering between Eddie and your folks as you pack away your books and Eddie's.
"Moonbeam?" Your Mom pokes her head around the door, "I think your gonna need a warm coat for this one, so I got you this one. Also, Eddie said if you have any old things you don't mind getting destroyed, to bring them too. He's so funny, that boy."
You rush and give your Mom a tight hug, "Oh Mama, I know he is, but I think...maybe..."
Your Mom pushes your back gently from the hug to take a good look at you, "Go on, Moonbeam. It's safe" her eyes are wide and sparkling.
"I thought Trent being back here would mess things up between Eddie and me, but today Mama... Today! What a day! It was something so trivial, but it made me think...I dunno...maybe..." You tighten your grip on her arms and see her eyes well up a little as she nods encouragingly.
"Babe, what's the hold-up? Everything ok?" Eddie's voice rings from the bottom of the stairs. Your thought process breaks.
"Everything's ok. I'm just getting my stuff," you yell back.
"Sorry, Mama, I promise I'll take to you about this later. You know how he gets when he's excited about something" you shrug and put on the coat she offered you.
"Indeed, I know how he gets when he's excited about a project. He was only bending our ears the other day about..." You Mom starts
"I am so sorry, Mama, but I really have to get going," you say quickly, pulling on some outdoor knee-high boots.
Your Mom smiles, walks into your closet, and re-emerges with a cardboard box with a big T written on it, "I think you'll find the stuff in here, you won't mind getting damaged".
You grab the box from her, kiss her on the cheek, and run down the stairs, nearly tumbling down them but catching yourself at the last moment.
"Ready!" You say. Eddie is smiling from ear to ear and grabs the box under one arm and grabs your hand with the other, almost running out the door with you.
"Bye!!" You both shout back.
Once in the van, on your way and the album blasting loudly, you ask, "So where are we going that you are so excited about?"
"Oh, we're going to mine, well, nearly mine, anyway" he's still grinning wildly.
"Are you always this excited to go home? We could spend more time at yours if you want, you know?" You ask, a little puzzled.
"No, we're going to meet up with my Uncle." He says, still smiling, his whole body tense with excitement.
"Oh, Eddie. Why didn't you say Wayne was gonna be there?" You whine, pull down the mirror, check your face, and grumble, "I would have put on something else, redone my makeup, or..."
"He likes you just fine, babe. You worry too much. He's just protective, is all." Eddie reaches over and squeezes your knee.
"Yeah, but I want him to like me, like my parents like you. You know? I guess I can't have everything, though, right?" You say a little forlornly.
"Do you know how many people I've seen him kiss on the forehead, Y/N? Two, and both of them are sitting in this van right now. He's very loving, really. He just doesn't express it like the rest of us."
"I have no doubts about that at all. Just I want him to love me and know I'm not...you know...like he thought I was."
Eddie squeezes your knee again and sighs, "Look, it's not your fault all those things happened to me before we even knew one another. He knows how happy I am, and he knows, deep down, how much you care about me. He was out there that day the same as me. He saw what happened to your arm, trying to keep a hold on me and then wrenching me back up there. But, unfortunately, he also saw how sad I was when I thought I'd lost you. Sure, you dress like a norm, but to my Uncle, you're the most dangerous thing that's ever walked in his trailer." Eddie lets out a soft laugh, but you can hear the slight sadness in his voice.
"Hey, you know what. I've killed the mood in here. I will win him over one day. But for now," you reach over to the stereo and turn it up really loud, and mimic the head banging and hand signals you usually see Eddie do in the passenger seat when you're driving.
It takes a few minutes, but he's back in full excitable mode just in time to pull up at a wooded area near the trailer park.
Eddie grabs the box under his arm, holds your hand, and. runs with you further into the woods until you see a clearer area with a few tree stumps. You sit down and open the box as Eddie paces around.
"Oh, no. No, no. This is bad. This is bad" you start to panic.
Eddie rushes over, "What's wrong, babe? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm not, but...Jesus. You said you wanted some stuff we could destroy, so my Mom gave me this box. Which I thought was like T for toys, but it's not, is it...of course fucking, of course, it isn't...your Uncle is gonna be here any minute, and I have a box full of ex-boyfriend stuff" You put your hands to your head like this is unbelievable.
Eddie is smiling.
"I know what I'll do, right? I'll just..." You grab the box, find some undergrowth, and start covering the box. Kicking it out of sight. A million expletives muttered under your breath.
Once satisfied it was expertly squished and hidden, you turn back to Eddie, who is looking back at you in comical alarm.
"You know, for a second there, I thought you wanted to keep that stuff. Which I wouldn't have any issue with, by the way, memories are memories, good or bad, right?"
"Are you crazy? I didn't even know that box was in there. They tied all that stuff away for me one day, and I thought they'd put it in the trash."
You brush yourself down, "Is my hair ok?" You say, trying to smooth it down.
Eddie reaches over and runs his hands over it and then moves his hands to your face, "It's perfect." Then, he leans down and kisses you on the tip of your nose.
"Now that's quite enough of that for the Evenin' I'll be requirin' your full attention. These are not toys".
Eddie's eyes are twinkling, and he's grinning widely. You turn around to see Wayne Munson holding two air rifles.
"This one heres a springer, this one a PCP. I'll show you how to use both. Though if you're ever in a situation like that pit again, I suggest you opt for something more in the auto-style."
You wave a hand in front of you, allowing Eddie to choose first. He picks the PCP, leaving you the springer.
"First of all. If I see either of yous pointing the gun at anything other than the clear ground or your target, this is over. Is that clear to ya both? Not at one another, not at me, not at something passing by, and not at your own self. Even if ya think it's funny...I hope you're listnin' Edward!"
You both nod solemnly.
"You e'er shot a rifle before missy?" Wayne says, approaching you.
As you look up at him, you feel the anxiousness start to creep over you, "No, sir."
"Well, not to worry, I'll show ya how. Let me set up Eddie here 'fore he erupts with impatience."
You observe as Wayne crouches down next to and instructs Eddie how to hold the rifle, reload it, aim, squeeze the trigger and most importantly, where the safety is.
Eddie shoots a couple of pellets, leaps up from his leaning positions and runs to retrieve his target sheet. You know it before you see it. He's an excellent shot. You smile proudly at him, and Wayne grabs him in a side hug, ruffling his hair, "Thas, my boy!!"
Your happy, proud moment is short-lived as Wayne turns, and it's suddenly your turn next. You swallow hard. Your mouth is an arid desert, frozen to the spot, and your brain just repeating to you, 'Don't fuck this up. Do not fuck this up.'
Wayne walks over and gives you a half smile. You glance to Eddie for support, but he's too focused on his target.
Your eyes return to Wayne, who holds out the rifle and starts detailing the parts to you, where the safety is, the trigger, and finally, the process for you, "This here is a break barrel." He puts the butt of the rifle to his hip and hits his hand on the gun barrel, and it's like it splits in two. "You grab the very end of the barrel and point it down to the ground. Always at the ground away from ya 'n everyone else, k? And never put your hand near the trigger at this point, right? Then getcha pellet in there, and..." He pushes the barrel back into position with one loud snap, which makes you jump.
Wayne smiles at you, "Ya don't gotta do this if you don't wanna. He won't think no less o' ya"
"Oh...erm...no...I wanna try. It's important to learn. I'm just nervous, is all," you say, twiddling your fingers together.
Something changes in Wayne's expression at that moment. He looks at your hands and then at the ground before handing over the rifle to you.
"Here you try." He gives you that half smile again. This time his tone is gentle and encouraging.
You talk yourself through the process out loud and look to Wayne for confirmation you were doing the right thing. You repeat that a few times until Wayne nods and approaches you again.
"Ok, so this one's got a spring in her. You gotta be ready for that recoil, k? If you sit her jus right, it don't hurt too much." He says kindly
Wayne motions you to the stump, and you crouch down like Eddie is leaning on it to support the rifle. Wayne helps you position the gun and your hands, and crouches next to you. His face is next to yours as his hands wrap around your own on the weapon.
"Ok, imma help ya this time, but then you're on your own, k?" You nod silently but are so nervous right now, "Don't be so tense, loosen up. You got this, kid," Wayne adds gently.
Wayne helps you aim and take your first shot, the rifle butt juts into your body, but it doesn't hurt too much at all.
The exhilaration is overwhelming, and you smile hugely at him, and to your surprise, he smiles back warmly.
"Uncle Wayne, I hope to Christ you aren't making moves on my girl right now". You hear Eddie shout over, you look round, and Eddie gives you a wink.
"Boy, you gotta lotta nerve accusing me 'o all sortsa nothing." Wayne says, releasing you and standing up, hands on his hips, just like Eddie.
"Get me a new target, old timer. I've blasted through this one," Eddie laughs.
You get up and talk yourself through the reloading again. Lost in the process, you forget that Wayne is still nearby.
"Atta girl," he says, ruffling your hair, and leaves you to it for a while.
Eddie gets through his pellet magazine reasonably quickly. You, however, have to manually reload each time have lots left, not that it would matter because your aim, let's say, leaves a lot to be desired.
Wayne replaces your target with a fresh one and goes back to Eddie for a chat. You can make out the odd thing.
"Yeah, he turned up a school, but he ain't nothing to worry about. Usual rich kid bullshit, not even imaginative. I'm not good enough. It won't last. I'm a phase. You know?"
You glance over as you reload, Wayne has his hand on Eddie's shoulder, and you feel anger rise in you.
'Who the fuck did Trent think he was?', Bang. Reload
'Eddie is a phase who describes another human being that way', Bang. Reload
'It won't last? What the hell would he know about anything lasting?' Bang. Reload
'Not good enough? What a joke. If anything, you weren't good enough for Eddie, and Trent certainly wasn't good enough for you' Bang. Reload
'Imagine if you'd married that guy. You would never have known any different' Bang. Reload
'You would have ended up miserable just like some of the nuclear families on your block' Bang. Reload
'I fucking hate Trent. Loathe him entirely. How did I not see it' Bang. Reload
"Baaaaabe", comes a careful call out, "You doing ok over there?" Eddie's voice snaps you out of it, and your scowl turns to a smile.
"Yeah, sorry, just got in a rhythm, is all" you grin back, put down the rifle for a minute and take a break against your stump.
Wayne runs over to your target from the stump and looks at you with a surprised expression before taking it over to Eddie for consultation.
"Did she now?" You hear Wayne chuckle as Eddie regales him with some tale or another.
"Hey, babe, you wanna swap?" Eddie yells over.
"I don't mind, I'm kinda used to this one now, but if you wanna try it out, I can bring it over." You yell back, and Eddie beckons you over with a hand gesture. You make sure to hold the rifle safely and head over towards them.
Eddie takes the rifle from you and sets it down carefully. He and Wayne smile at one another and then smile back at you.
Suddenly Eddie has his arms around you in a bear hug whilst his Uncle runs over to the shrub hiding your box of Trent memorabilia. You initially struggle to get free, but it's too late. Wayne already has the box.
You slump your head against Eddie and mumble into his chest, "I thought I was doing so well today, too."
"What were you thinking about over there? You looked like you were gonna rage," Eddie asks, resting his chin on your head.
"Just you know what Trent said to you earlier. It made me so angry, Eddie. Like the audacity of that idiot. Your a million times the guy he'll ever be. I just hate him for even speaking to you like that. He had no right." The frown returning to your face.
"Well, if it's any consolation. Hate appears to improve your aim... massively." Eddie waves the target card in front of your face. A small grouping of pellet marks can be seen in the centre of it.
"Ya sure, ya don't want any of this stuff?" Wayne asks, walking over with the box.
"No, thank you", you say, still leaning on Eddie's chest, but you turn your head to reply to Wayne.
"Let's shoot the shit outta it then", Wayne smirks at you.
You break out of Eddie's hold, root through the box with Wayne holding it, and start setting up the stumps. A photo stuck on your stump, some impersonal stuffed toys lined up on top of some cinema tickets, and generic greeting cards with nothing other than the To and From added to them.
You get handed the pneumatic rifle this time, and shooting is a breeze, your aim is generally off again, but it's still fun, except for the photo of Trent, which you manage to annihilate the face of.
Eddie is slowly but surely shooting his way through the limbs of a small stuffed valentine's bear.
"Alright, kids, times up. I gotta head on out to work. Next time maybe we'll upgrade you to something with a bit more kick, huh? Maybe take a visit to warzone?"
Eddie runs around and jumps on Wayne's back and kisses the bald spot on his head, "Fuck yeah!!" Eddie shouts.
Wayne laughs heartily at Eddie's excitement, "Gerr off, boy. I got places to be"
You smile at them both. They were just a perfect family. There was nothing but unconditional love here, which was beautiful because that's what they both were inside and out.
You leave them to their wrestling and tidy up all the trash in the box. You feel a hand on your shoulder, "Not too shabby out there today. I'm sure glad we did this, you know. I see it now. " He says a little awkwardly and then quickly grabs you into a hug but lets you go just as fast.
"Take care of my boy, darlin'," he says quietly to you as he nods and turns towards his car.
You are entirely dumbfounded, frozen in pose and thought for the second time today. You must stay that way for a few seconds and finally make your way over to Eddie and the van.
Eddie waves off his Uncle and looks back at you with a satisfied smile, "Well? How did you find it?"
"Which bit?" You laugh.
"Come 'ere," he says, inviting you into his arms. You gladly rush up, thud into him, and rest your head against his chest. Then, wrapping your arms around his waist, your hands pressed against his back underneath his jacket.
Eddie's arms envelop you and squeeze you to him, "You know earlier, Trent even tried to insinuate that if I were in his position, I would have done the same", Eddie muses.
"Oh honey, let's not talk about that idiot anymore", you complain, snuggling into Eddie's t-shirt.
"Last time today, I promise," he says earnestly, "He said that going to college was like he'd been living in a tiny room his whole life, and then it was like a world of possibilities was in front of him." Eddie adjusts his hold on you, so his hands are clasped together behind you.
Eddie continues, "I told him he was a dumbass. Then he said something about at least he went to college, and I said that's not why you're a dumbass. I said you're a fool because I get to hold my world in my arms every day".
You melt into his embrace, "You know, Eddie. I don't think my aim improved because I hate Trent. It improved because I was thinking about protecting the person I love."
You feel Eddie's chest expand, and his heart pounds like the most enchanting music to your ears.
The Eddie Munson Tape Dates - Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Warnings: Graveyard, poetry, fluff, so very many kisses, picnic
"I can't believe it's the last one." You say, flipping Master of Reality over in your hands.
"Well, you know it's just the last one of this batch, Babe. We can do this whenever we want, you know." Eddie smiles, rolling on his side towards you. He cups the side of your face to turn your face towards his and kisses you gently on the mouth, then the jaw and the neck.
"Eddie..." You playfully complain, "We can't just stay in bed all day."
"Who says we can't?" He says, grabbing the tape from you and putting it on the bedside table behind him, "I haven't seen you all week. We've got the place to ourselves. I don't see why we can't", he says, reversing the trail of kisses
Eddie was right. You had hardly seen him this week. In fact, you probably spent more time with Wayne this week than Eddie. You'd only gone over there to pick up a textbook you'd left there and ended up staying and chatting for a few hours.
"Well, except for the fact, this date is probably going to be the best one," he says, being purposefully vague.
"The best one? Really? How so?" You say, turning to him and returning his trail of kisses.
"Well, first of all, it has multiple parts. It involves thrift shopping, creativity, a picnic, and some scary stories," Eddie manages to say, a little distracted.
He then playfully pushes you away, "You know what, you were right! We can't stay in bed all day, Babe. We've got so much to do!!" Then, finally, he springs out of bed with a new enthusiasm he didn't have five minutes ago.
He opens up the cassette case and takes out $40. He gives you $20, leaves the other in the case, and starts getting dressed.
"Ok, so by sunset, you are gonna need The poem for me, an original by you, that I told you about in advance, so no complaints. At least one scary story. It doesn't have to be an original. Lastly, a suitably spooky thrifted outfit. I will permit you can use your own stuff, but the main elements of the outfit must be thrifted. " He says, pulling on his sneakers.
"Wow, So as it is now midday, Edward. I now have a little under 7 hours to do all of that, and stores are gonna close in 4 or 5??!!" You say, leaping out of bed, grabbing yesterday's clothes and throwing them on. Comically tripping over your jeans as you try to get in them.
"Hey, hey. Slow down, speedy. You need to make it to the date too, you know?" Eddie chuckles. "You can tell you aren't a person that's used to being late for things. Besides, your poem must be done by now, so that's one thing. You must have heard a scary campfire story. So it's really only the outfit, right?"
"Right." You smile and agree. He was correct, of course. You'd had this poem ready for some time and rehearsed it whenever possible. You knew you would eventually read it to Eddie. You'd just envisaged it being much later on.
"So I'll see you later, ok, babe?" He says, leaning down to you and planting a kiss on your head with his keys in hand.
"Wait...what? You're just gonna leave me, now. The man that just didn't want to get out of bed. You haven't seen me all week, and you're ditching me until later? I hate this date already, Eddie," you say half seriously.
"Oh ye of little faith, we'll see how much you hate it later on, shall we?" He smiles smugly at you and waves goodbye, leaving you in your bedroom, bemused.
You charge back through the front door a few hours later with everything required. You run upstairs to get showered, fix your hair and put on a little bit of darker makeup than you would normally. You wanted to look a little spooky but not like a zombie, and you really couldn't carry off that alternative look. You didn't have those kinds of makeup skills.
Once satisfied, you step into the 1970s prom dress. The skirt of which started at your waist and flowed to the floor, was black with 3 spaced out gold trim lines at the waist and two in the bottom third of the skirt.
The upper part of the dress was black, with golden embroidered detailing throughout. A modest v-neckline with a line of rounded black buttons to the skirt. The leg of mutton sleeves of the same material led to satin cuffs at the wrist.
You take a spin in front of the mirror. It looked nice, not necessarily spooky, though. You rummage through the bags, find the old black waist-length cape you'd found, and fasten it around your neck with its old chain clasp.
You grab your purse, put in your heavily handled but neatly folded poem, and then lastly, put on your little black leather driving gloves.
You spritz yourself with some perfume and hear the familiar rumble and creak of Eddie's van outside.
You grab your keys and purse, double checking you have everything, and hurry down the stairs.
You open the door, and Eddie is leaning in it confidently. You scan over his outfit as he does the same to yours.
He's basically wearing his own regular clothes, except for three things, he has on some coachman tails, a top hat and a cane. He obviously looks dashing regardless of the mishmash of Victorian, ripped jeans and Slayer t-shirt.
"Wow, you look amazing, Babe. So very groovy," he says, smiling and waving a peace sign at you.
"And you look like you blew your budget on that very fancy hat," you say, grinning knowingly and folding your arms at him.
"It really is a fucking cool hat, isn't it?" He says, completely ignoring any negativity in your statement.
"Now, My dark enchantress," he says in an eastern European accent, spinning his cane around and offering you his hand, "To the main event."
When he takes your hand, he twirls you into him, like something Gomez Addams might do to Morticia. You giggle, shut the door, and walk to the van.
Once in your seat, nerves set in, and you recheck your bag. It's all still there. You close it back up and drum your fingers against it gently.
Eddie starts up the van and puts in Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, which unnervingly starts with someone coughing.
Eddie nods his head and taps the steering wheel as he drives, occasionally looking your way and grinning. Maybe it was the hat, perhaps it was the outfits, the promise of a poem just for him, but whatever it was, Eddie was desperately excited about something.
You pull up next to a ruined building, the dusk making way for the dark quickly approaching. On closer inspection, you would guess this used to be a church of some kind.
Eddie hops down from his seat and runs around to gallantly offer you his hand to disembark. You tap your bag several times, check its contents, and finally take his hand to get down.
He then slides the van door open wide and is fussing about in there for a while before he hands you a lit oil lantern whilst he lifts out a picnic basket and his own lantern and slams the door shut, disturbing some winged creatures from their roost in the church.
Eddie escorts you along overgrown paths and gravel. In the lantern light, you see many tombstones and plaques on the floor, all worn and weathered. Some broken, some simple wooden crosses in the ground and some vast disfigured statues that loomed over you.
The lighting made the place both terrifying and beautiful, and you couldn't think of a better representative of your own feelings right now. You tap your bag again. It's still there. You haven't forgotten it.
You come to a high hedged area. Eddie stops and turns to you, turning your lantern down and then his own, "Ready?" He says sweetly, smiling at you before pulling back a sheet between the shrubs and waves you inside.
As you step through, you first see tens of lanterns dotted around the place and some candles happily melting and dripping down old stones of the clearly forgotten.
Your eyes adjust to the light; you can see this isn't an enclosed space. It was just that the greenery around one of the enormous angel statues here had overgrown enough to disguise some of that area.
You'd never thought of graveyards as beautiful before, but the warm light glowing against everything made it much more friendly.
Eddie walks ahead of you, now you're in a more well-lit area. First, he takes the blanket out of the basket and lays it on the ground. Then places the basket on top. Next, he pulls out some soda cans, a bunch of string cheeses, and a very familiar box.
A wave of happiness hits you. The little nods to past dates were here at the last one. You couldn't believe how you'd got so lucky to have met someone so thoughtful.
"Just wait for a second, one more thing," he says happily whilst pulling out yet another blanket, but this one you recognise immediately. It's the throw from your bed.
Eddie sits on the picnic blanket and pats it for you to sit next to him, and you oblige.
He unfolds the blanket and shows you all the new patches he's sewn on. One for every date. A set of red lips for when you watched Rocky Horror together. A disco ball and guitar for the one where you danced together over Hawkins. An air rifle patch for when Wayne tutored you both in shooting and many others.
Your hands go to your face in amazement, "Oh, Eddie...this is so wonderful. Thank you so very much. I mean, I know it's ours, but you put all the work in, really"
He looks so pleased that you love it and then quickly folds it up and puts it carefully back into the basket.
You sit and snack for a bit, exchanging urban legends or, in Eddie's case, stories from D&D lore about people obsessed with immortality and the first vampire. Then, when you get to the familiar box, inside, as you had hoped, it's a beautiful lattice work cherry pie, and just like the first time, you feed Eddie the first forkful. His expression is so soft as you do. He's so pleased you remembered.
Eddie checks his watch and nearly chokes on his mountain dew, "Sorry, babe. I got so carried away. I didn't realise the time" he stands up, dusts himself off, and walks off the blanket in front of you. The lanterns light him up like stage footlights, "So let's get to the next bit, right?" He gives you an encouraging smile.
You sit opposite him and watch him remove an actual scroll from the side of his top hat. Then, he pulls open the ribbon and unravels it.
"Oh wait," he says, "Almost forgot I need audience participation for this", and he grabs your hand and rolls up your sleeve before pulling you up to stand opposite him. He uses your linked hands to hold the bottom of the scroll and his free hand for the top.
He clears his throat, theatrically reciting and acting out his poem.
"My baby's scar is big and bad
And sometimes that scar
really makes my baby sad.
My baby's scar is proud and it's bold
And probably won't fade
Until we're grey and really old.
My baby's scar is absolute sheer class
It shows the cretins of this town
I've got a myself a certified badass
But my baby's scar is there to show
Despite the damage and pain
She wouldn't and didn't let go
So my baby's scar is beautiful you see
Because whenever I look at it
I'll know how much my baby loves me."
"Oh, Eddie. Thank you, that was beautiful," you say, wiping the tears from your cheeks with the back of your hand, but a huge smile on your face.
He knew how self-conscious it made you sometimes, and hearing everything it meant to him, made your heart almost burst, and you felt so proud to have it.
"I meant every word, My Lady," he says tenderly.
Eddie pulls your held hand up again, and places a line of kisses from your wrist, along your scar, all the way up your arm, neck, cheek and finally landing softly on your lips.
As you part, he says, "The floor is all yours, Babe. I can't wait to hear it."
You take a few steps back, pull out your poem and unfold it. You clear your throat and smile over at him, and he gives you a thumbs up.
"Ok, here goes," you say to yourself, brushing down the front of your dress.
"I met a guy called Bruce
With Hellion for a curl
Who turned out to be an Eddie,
Too much of a wild child for this girl
But somewhere between the books
A Dangerous Meeting was planned
That ended with a Run to the hills
Losfer words hand in hand
Before I knew it
I was Breaking The Law
And I fell Head Over Heels
For this Iron Man for sure
Everytime Im close to you
It's a Sheer Heart Attack
but I know without you
everything would Fade to Black
So, Babe Run if you can,
I have no remorse
But youve got another thing coming
If you think I wanna be somebody other than yours"
You raise your eyes from the paper to Eddie, his eyes are brimmed with tears, his brow slightly knitted, but his face can't hold back his radiant smile. His hands behind his back in a gentlemanly type pose.
You stare down at the last stanza, sitting there, waiting to be read aloud. Whilst written in basic blue pen, they couldn't have been more glaringly neon in your mind right now.
Your heart pounds and your chest heaves, as your fingers tense at the well-creased edges of the paper they made whilst you stood in front of the mirror practising.
You'd practised it in different rhythms, in different outfits, with different mannerisms, and different tones. Just so it could be perfect because he didn't deserve anything less. The last few times, you'd got it just right, you thought, but right now, you'd stalled, and there seemed to be no restarting.
This time it was real. This time if you said it, you couldn't take it back. This time Eddie was right there. Not a picture stuck up on a looking glass.
Your eyes move between the words and Eddie, and the lump in your throat returns again, once more trying to block off your ability to get the words out. What you wouldn't give for a drink right now.
How long had you been standing here like this? Minutes, seconds, you had no idea. Maybe you should just forget it, right?
No...you can't...this is it...this is the moment.
All this time leading up to this, all those tiny indicators along the way. All those times, you knew it in your gut but pushed it down because it was ridiculous. It was stupid. It wasn't the right time. You were too young. Maybe he didn't want this, you didn't know, you hadn't outright asked.
But you'd prepared for as many reactions as you could. You had rehearsed them in your mind over and over this last week. Hell, even before this week, it was just you didn't have the words before.
You stare desperately at the page wishing it could just read itself aloud, so you wouldn't have to.
But then it happens, Eddie shifts his weight where he is standing, your eyes lock to him, and the words pour out of your mouth. You knew them by heart.
"So, maybe not now,
But in the future, sometime.
Edward Munson
Would you let me be your Last in Line?"
You pull out the box from your bag and flick it open to reveal a ring, a silver dragon claw ring. You'd wanted it to fit his style, reference things he loved, and make sure it was totally replaceable. Otherwise, he'd worry about losing it.
Though ring details be damned, it feels like you spoke those words into a cave. Their lonesome echo in the dark of the night. They ring out in your mind. The rest is silence.
You don't know what to do next because the reaction you have is not one of the many you had planned for. But, this one, you can't figure it out.
At the very least, you can see it's not a positive one. If you had to label a photograph of Eddie's expression right now, it would be fearful.
The tears were streaming down his face as he shook his head from side to side. One hand in his hair, the other stuck firmly behind his back. He can barely even look at you at all. When you do see his eyes, they are wide, maybe confused, panicked or worried. His body is fidgety like he wants to move but can't
Fuck. You'd really fucked this up. How do you claw what you had back from this? Your brain decides to just run on instinct, and you want to rush over and comfort him, say you were sorry, that it didn't matter, and you should have asked first. Why were you always this stupid?
You step forward, and he takes his hand from his hair and pushes it out in front of him to indicate to you to stop. You do as requested and try to say something "I-"
The hand outstretched to you is now one finger trying to silence you from afar.
"No!" Eddie sniffles and looks to the sky for assistance, attempting to blink the tears from his eyes, but he's still crying too hard. It's unbearable to be at this distance.
"Hey, it's ok. We're ok. We don't need this..." You chuck the box into the darkness.
"No..be-be-be..." His words were cut up by sharp intakes of breath, and you be right there with him if it wasn't for the fact that you felt you couldn't cry until he was ok.
He looks at you, and the deepness of his sigh moves his shoulders up and down. He rolls his eyes and furrows his brow in desperation because he loves words, and currently, his body is robbing them from him.
His hand emerges from behind his back, and he holds his arm out to the side. You feel so confused right now, but something is moving in the darkness. You can hear something around you.
"Eddie, something isn't right. Just forget what I said, ok, let's just get out of here, alright?" Fear takes hold of you, memories of things lurking in the darkness when Eddie had saved you at the very last second by the lake.
"No," he says, finally able to take a whole breath instead of the shallow ones stunted by his sobs. He raises his arm again, and something swoops over your head this time. You cover your head and make a run towards Eddie, and that's when you notice it and stop in your tracks.
On Eddie's outstretched arm hand is a glove, a battered thick leather glove, and now balanced on it, looking around, is a beautiful Great horned owl. It's head bowing down to receive a treat from Eddie.
You look confused at him and his eyes seem to plead with you for understanding as he walks away and tethers the Owl to a nearby post. As soon as the Owl is secure, he runs over to you.
He grasps the back of your head and kisses you ferociously, and it's almost like the exchange of breath brings your Eddie back to life.
"Oh fuck", he says, hands in his hair, pacing in front of you, looking at you shaking his head but grinning wildly, and lets out a laugh, "Fuuuuuck!" He shouts whilst laughing at the sky.
You are standing still, bewildered, but at least he wasn't sad anymore. Then, finally, you take a moment to catch your breath and offer a small smile.
He lets out a loud sigh and tucks his hands around his chest, still shaking his head in disbelief.
"So, I just wanna be really clear on this. You, Y/N L/N, My Lady in shining armour, "he points at you, "wanna be with me" he points back to himself, "Forever?"
You stand there awkwardly unsure what to do or say. You look at Eddie's tear-stained face, which was now laughing intermittently.
"I just thought, you know, I...I...Did I scare you? I'm sorry. I should have asked. I just...you know...I can't see..." You are desperately trying to support your reasoning for asking, but without possibly causing him to retreat from you again, or frighten him. Which was problematic when all you wanted to say was, 'I can't see me being with anyone but you.'.
"You are avoiding my question. It's a simple yes or no" Eddie purses his lips and looks at you coyly from under his hair.
You close your eyes for a moment and steel yourself. Just say it and deal with the aftermath later. "Yes." You almost shout out.
"Well..." He says softly as he walks back over to you, "That's good to hear...you know...because me too" Eddie looks you in the eye before dropping to one knee on the ground.
He looks up at you and pulls out a leather-wrapped box from his pocket, "So just for clarity, and not because I love hearing it. Y/N L/N do you wanna see through the rest of time, maybe an Armageddon or two, with me?"
He opens the box to reveal a silver band with wings etched into it. His big brown eyes look up into yours, his big dimpled smile spread across his face.
"Yes," you manage before the tears of a range of emotions fall from your eyes. You think relief is the main one, followed closely by an overwhelming helping of happiness.
He scrambles to pull the ring from the box and puts it quickly on your left-hand ring finger like he's worried you might change your mind if he takes too long about it.
His eyes dart from your hands to your own tear-flooded eyes, but your smile is so big your face is starting to hurt.
Once the ring is in place, he wraps you tightly in his arms, only a tiny occasional release so he can wipe your eyes, before pulling you back into him for another hug or kiss.
He tilts your chin up to look at him, "By the gods, I love you, but holy shit, if you just almost didn't ruin my plan. Fuuuuuck!" He exclaims again into the sky, occasionally giggling like a madman.
"I'd been working with that owl every minute I could spare to get it right", he laughs, holding you tightly to him again, and kissing you on the forehead, "You know this confirms you're insane, right?"
You laugh and wipe your eyes. "The owl was your two-week project?" You ask.
"Well, yes and no. It's just more intensive these last two weeks, is all," he answers, "Oh, wait a minute!" He releases you and shouts, "Which one of your corpses has got my ring?"
You grab your lantern and run over towards the general area you threw the box and find it just sitting waiting on top of a tree stump.
"Got it!" You yell out and Eddie charges back over and collides into the side of you in a hug.
"Lemme see. I couldn't see it properly before." So you hold up the box for him and open it up.
"Now, this is what I have, but you can have whatever you want. I tried to get something I thought you might like. That fit with the others, so you wouldn't worry if you..." You say quickly.
Eddie turns your chin towards him, saying softly, "Babe, you're rambling. It's perfect." His eyes well up a little again, but this time there is no confusion, these are happy tears.
Your hands are shaking as you take it out of its box, and you almost lose it into the darkness again and grab it just in time. You hover it in front of his finger whilst holding his hand out and stare at it, muttering, "Are you sure about this? It's not about a wedding, a fiancé, or things like that. I mean, I just want you forever. Whatever shape that comes in, I don't care. But you shouldn't feel pushed into anything you don't want to do."
Eddie sniffles and lets out a small laugh, "All I can tell you is that if you do not put this ring on me, right now, and make me yours for eternity... I'm gonna do it my goddamn self, ok?"
You put the ring on Eddie's finger, and it's like a weight is lifted from you, tears still escape your own eyes, but you finally muster the strength to look him in his eyes again.
You grab hold of his jacket lapels and pull him in for a deep, passionate kiss. Eddie makes a pleased murmur but slowly pulls away, his eyes dazed, "Yeah, you might wanna save those ones for a little later, when we're alone", he says, smirking.
"You can come out now", he calls into the graveyard as you're trying to process what he just said, and you're still holding onto him tightly.
Four silhouettes emerge from the darkness into your lantern-lit area. You recognise three of them. Your Mom, your Dad and Wayne. The last person you don't recognise comes forward first, walks over to Eddie, and pats him on the back before going to the post to collect the Owl from its tether and leaves.
"Who-" you start to ask before you and Eddie are engulfed in another layer of embrace around your own, as your parents and Wayne wrap their arms around each other and you both.
You feel a hand wrap around one side of your head, pulling you away from Eddie into a tight embrace, a kiss planted on top of your head, and the chest you land against shudders with small silent sobs.
You smell the familiar aromas of cigarettes and cologne, "Hey, Wayne", You say into his chest.
"Hey Darlin'", he drawls, stroking over your hair still holding you tight, "You know, on the regular, if someone upset my boy like that, I'd make them wish they were never born." He laughs a little.
"If it's any consolation. I didn't mean to upset him like that. I also thought I'd terrified him at one point, and I was definitely gonna be in back your bad books" you say, genuinely making your hug a little tighter.
You turn your head to look at Eddie, your Mom busy wiping his hair and tears from his face, fussing over his clothes, and talking to him enthusiastically. Your Dad is beside her, his strong arm extended to have his hand on Eddie's shoulder. He mutters the odd word but mostly nods along with what your Mom is saying.
"Nah, " Wayne says with a chuckle, "It's much worse than bad books for ya now, girl. You can't tell that boy nothin' he won't hold you to. Not an ice cream you mention to stop him having a meltdown, not a trip to the park, so he does his chores. If you said forever, that's the time you gotta do."
"You know, I think I can manage that. Did you know? About the owl thing?" You ask curiously.
"Girl, you better go get that ring back cus it sounds like you don't know Eddie at all. He hasn't shut up about it for at least a month. No 'how's your day, old man, no 'hey, wanna grab a beer, just plottin' an a schemin' 'How many lanterns do you think I'll need and 'Should the owl fly from behind her or me?'" Wayne laughs, doing his best Eddie impersonations
"I can't believe you knew that, and sat opposite me just the other day and said nothing. You didn't even flinch when I told you my plan. Have you ever thought of taking to the stage?" You laugh.
"Truthfully, it was tempting to put you off completely, but then that Munson in me was like, Nah, let's see how this plays out", he laughs deeply.
"If I didn't love you so much, that would definitely be worth a thump in the arm." You say, squeezing him again.
"Careful now, don't want the boy gettin' jealous", he laughs. "Welcome to the family, Darlin'" He gives you one final kiss on top of the head, holds your hand and walks you back to your parents and Eddie.
You look at Eddie and he's mirroring the same big closed-mouth smile as you. So you figure he's had much the same interaction you have just had, only he's had to deal with two of them.
You do a quick drive-by squeeze of Eddie's side as you pass to switch places. To your surprise, your Dad grasps you first. His two big strong arms wrap around you and squeeze you tightly in a bear hug, "You alright there, Lass? I saw your face drop out there, and it took all of me not to rush out t'ya. Good job we knew beforehand."
"Oh, so you're a pair of sneaks too, huh? " You laugh, raising your head, freeing an arm to reach out to your Mom, and pull her in towards you also.
"It wasn't sneaking per se, it was more like you both told us not to tell the other. So we did as you both asked" she laughs as you look her over and wipe away her celebratory tears. "I knew it. I knew it the first day I met him. I said it to your father on the steps, so now he owes me $1000."
"$1000???" You say in shock.
"Look, she wrote t' bet down at the time o' meeting him. The odds were slim. I thought I was quids in, ya know? The way he were dressed, love. It didn't scream committed relationship lad, you know?"
You laugh together and take a quick look over at Eddie, who is currently pressed firmly against his Uncle in a tight double-armed embrace.
You leave them to it and start tidying everything away as best you can. Waving goodbye to your folks and Wayne as they go. You occasionally hold your hand out in front of you and admire its new addition.
A hand appears next to yours, another moves around your waist to your hip, and a voice in your ear, "Oh, are we gonna be those insufferable type people, now? I'm always down for a new way to annoy people, just wanted to make sure it was a team effort."
"Oh, everything is a team effort now, Babe. All the chores, writing your D&D sessions, attending parties of family members neither of us knows, painting my nails, any snacks you buy, you know everything." You say, turning to face Eddie, pretending to be serious.
His eyebrows raise, and he stares at you and blinks a few times, "So, like everything?" He says thoughtfully.
"Yeah, everything." You add matter-of-factly.
"Oh, ok then." He says, before behind down, grabbing your legs and putting you over his shoulder. "I figure walking is included on that list", he laughs, "oh, don't forget the box, babe", he adds, moving you around like a claw in a grabber machine.
"Got it!" You say as you grab it, and he walks you over to the van before setting you down outside the passenger side, opening the door, and taking the box from you.
You hop into your seat, and a couple of door slams later, Eddie gets into the driver's seat.
"So where are we off to, Babe? Mine, or yours-mine," you smile.
"After all that, Babe? Neither," he laughs, reaches into his jacket pocket, tosses you a motel key, and starts up the van.
You look over at him in surprise, "Well, it wasn't like you were gonna be able to turn all this down, was it?" He laughs mischievously, gesturing to himself and the van, and drives you into the night.
You carefully open one eye a minuscule amount through fear of the light streaming in through the trailer window.
What time was it? You look over at Eddie's bedside alarm. It blinks back at you 09:30. You were so late. Fuck!
A ringed hand creeps around your torso, and a line of kisses are set from one shoulder blade to the other, "It's Saturday, babe. Y'all good," Eddie says in groggy morning gruffness, snuggling up against you.
You attempt to go back to sleep but are wide awake now. It was impossible. You try to keep as still as you can, but he knows. Finally, there is a long, drawn-out sigh, "You aren't gonna go back to sleep, are you, terror?"
"I was trying, " you complain as you turn onto your back to see Eddie in all his cute puffy face morning splendour. It was one of your favourite things. You hated the mornings he got up and showered before you woke up like your tiredness had stolen a gift from you.
"Alright." He says with false annoyance, "I suppose I'll get up then."
He pushes himself up off the bed and immediately flops back down onto you with his full weight, not that there is a great deal of it, "Just so I'm clear." He says softly, walking his fingers up your arm, "Are we just waking up or are we getting up?" He looks at you from under his curls with those big brown eyes, and you pull him in close to you and giggle as his hair falls around your face, the ends of which tickle your neck.
"You kids want some breakfast", Wayne calls from the kitchen. Eddie clenches his fist, shuts his eyes tight with frustration and falls back onto you in defeat.
This was Wayne and Eddie's unspoken trailer code of, 'I'm home, and I hear you, so stop it right now'. It was similar to your Dad's 'I'll make a loud noise so they know I'm home'. Which you thought was an excellent code, as opposed to your Mom not telling you she's home but putting her Walkman on and bringing you up food after the fact. Mortifying!
"Getting up then. I'm getting up! CHRIST!" Eddie says quietly through his teeth, pushing himself back up off the mattress and walking to the door.
Eddie pokes his head out the door, "We'd love some, thank you", he says with a big smile. Eddie closes the door and rushes back over to you, kissing you audibly in defiance.
"Boy!" You hear the low timbre of Wayne's voice ring out, and Eddie looks back at the door and then heads into the bathroom.
Their whole dynamic was so sweet to you. These unspoken codes they had, or the way neither of them would ever be totally impolite to the other, but mischief reigned here, and they would often push the boundaries with one another to see what they could get away with.
You get dressed, neaten your hair, and head into the kitchen, "Not that you need it, but can I help at all?" You ask Wayne kindly.
"No, you're alright, Darlin' ", he says gently, "You wanna coffee? Fresh pot just got done." He nods over to the coffee machine.
You set up three cups and pour them out for each of you.
"Is Little Lord Fauntleroy going to grace us with his presence this morning?" Wayne chuckles.
"I imagine he will shortly" you smile back and set the cups at the newly sourced table for four.
A heavy metal scream erupts from the bathroom, "Sounds like he's finished his daily affirmations", you say, amused, looking back over at Wayne.
"Affirmations?! that boy needs daily deflators for that ego o' his." He laughs and shakes his head as he brings over a big plate of pancakes and the second plate of eggs and bacon.
"Oh wow! Thank you so much, sir," You say as you sit down and wait for Eddie.
"Nothin' to it, Hun." Wayne says, sitting opposite you, "Well, not when I got the time anyway. Here, " You passes you a pancake where the fruit in it has mapped out a smiling face, "Get the best bits 'fore his Lordship get here."
Usually, you would wait for Eddie, but Wayne starts eating, so you follow his lead and make yourself a plate. Your parents knew how to cook really well, but Wayne's breakfasts were something else. Everything just tasted fresher.
You knew these Saturday breakfasts were an indulgence and not a regular feature at the Munson's. Still, whether you were sitting around eating all this, some simple oatmeal or a delicious bowl of grits (which you'd only ever eaten here), it still maxed out your happiness levels for the day.
"Also," Wayne says, pushing his food around a little, "You don' have to keep callin' me, sir. Wayne'll do jus' fine, sugah."
"Oh yes, of course. I just read...I mean, I just thought.." you stumble over your words. On your journey to impress Wayne, you had spent some time in the library researching all things southern. At least you'd assumed that's where his accent came from.
Wayne tilts his head at you with curious amusement. You stare back smiling but also, you know you're totally busted.
"Alright, alright, everyone, calm down. The entertainment has arrived!" Eddie announces as he sits in his chair at the table. He grabs a pancake in his hand and starts eating it, then looks between the two of you.
"Oh, who slipped up?!" Eddie says with his mouth full, trying to read you both whilst taking another bite.
He points his finger at you, "It's you. You've fucked up."
"Boy! Language at the table." Wayne cautions.
"Apologies, table, I'll rephrase. Y/N, you've messed up. How?" Eddie enquires, highly entertained. He crushes a piece of crispy maple syrup-coated bacon and eats it like popcorn.
"I was just saying how I thought saying Sir was a southern respect thing." You answer. Eddie doesn't seem convinced and looks to Wayne.
"I'm pretty sure she said she read it?" Wayne looks to Eddie.
"Ohhhh, I get it." Eddie says, leaning back in his chair, "No, she did read about it. Like in loads of books about southern stuff," Eddie says matter-of-factly.
"Eddie!" You exclaim before hiding behind your hand out of embarrassment.
Wayne furrows his brow in confusion. Eddie face palms, "She was trying to impress you because she was scared of you, ok? Absolutely terrified to come here, she was. Shaking in her sneakers."
You slam your hand down, "No! That's not true, Eddie! I wasn't scared of Wayne. I just wanted him to like me, like my folks like you. So I thought if I read a bit about Southern culture, maybe I could find a way to distance myself from other kids around here, so Wayne would know I wasn't like he thought, that's all, ok? I wasn't scared of you."
"And that's how you get the truth out of this one. Just misquote her. It works every single time. She can't stand it" Eddie leans back in his chair, looking pleased as punch.
Wayne briefly smiles at Eddie's antics and then turns to you, putting his hand on yours and looking remorsefully in your eyes, "I was only lookin' out for Eddie, darlin'. It wasn't 'bout you. It was more Hawkins. He did try and tell me, but I wouldn' hear him. They hurt him too many times round here, understand?" He pats your hand gently, and you nod.
"I understand. I would be the same way," you say, squeezing Wayne's hand in your own.
Eddie's hand leans over the table, peels your fingers gently away from Wayne's hand and makes you hold his own hand instead. "Yep, that's better. This hand is for me to hold, and everyone here knows I was right." Eddie adds, sitting back in his seat, causing a ripple of laughter around the table.
"So what are you kids up to today?" Wayne asks, trying to clear up the plates, but Eddie keeps smacking his hands away.
"We'll do them. Stop showing off," Eddie complains, " As for what we're doing. I thought we could pick one of the tapes, maybe?"
"Already?" You say in excited surprise.
Wayne sits back down and examines Eddie before turning to you, "How many ya got left?"
"Only three. It's flown by so quickly, hasn't it?" You say happily, squeezing Eddie's hand.
"Whatcha gonna do when you've none left?" Wayne looks at you both.
"Well, I thought I'd plan some for Eddie. It probably wouldn't be as good, but I'd try." You jump on with your answer first.
Wayne smiles at you, "You know when he told me 'bout 'em. I thought ain't no way some fancy miss from Hawkins gonna go for all these. No fancy meals, expensive gifts, discotheques, and yet here you are. You're still here." Wayne jokes
"I mean, I've done those things in the past, but they pale in comparison. I guess...yeah...he's sorta charming, isn't he?" You say in a pretend, confused voice.
Wayne bursts out laughing at Eddie's horrified reaction.
"Why I do declare. I ain't never been so insulted in my 'tire life", Eddie replies in his fanciest southern accent.
Eddie turns to Wayne, "You know she tried to cook you three peach cobblers? Unfortunately, each one got burnt on account of how charming I am" Eddie places his hand on his chin and flutters his eyelashes.
"Edward Munson!" You say, both embarrassed and shocked, and give Eddie a tap on the arm.
"Hey, Ow!" Eddie complains.
"Oh damn, boy! You got tol'" Wayne rocks back in his seat, slapping his legs. A laugh comes out of him you've never heard before. It's just like Eddie's little dorky laugh.
"Anyway!!...As I was going to say, it looks like a nice day, which would be a bonus for two out of three of the remaining tapes."
"Ah, so one is indoor!!" You capitalise on the clue
Eddie wrinkles his nose like he's annoyed he gave something away.
Wayne leans back on his chair, linking his hands behind his head and smirks at Eddie, "Ya know. I heard it was gonna be sunshine and rainbows all week, son. So what is your hurry?" Wayne enquires, giving Eddie a knowing smile. Eddie tightens his mouth and stares at Wayne.
It's like a little staring standoff. Wayne has the high ground, his eyebrows raised, and the smirk on his face growing into a smile whilst looking at Eddie.
Eddie, meanwhile, looks like he's ready to pounce at Wayne if one more word comes out of his mouth.
You decide to just start picking up the dishes. This was clearly a Munson thing you hadn't learned yet.
You hear much whispering behind you until Eddie slams his hand on the table, "We're going out! Today! Alright! It's a nice fucking day?!! What's wrong with that??"
"Nothin' if that were the whole truth", Wayne mischievously adds.
"SHUT UP!!" Eddie screeches and launches at Wayne, putting him in a headlock. You're delighted at this point you'd cleared the table when you did.
They are both giggling, "Listen here, Old man. Keep your old man nose outta my business, ok?"
Wayne quickly reverses the headlock on Eddie, "As long as you're under my roof, sonny, your business *is* my old man business, got it?"
"Oh my god. Ok! Ok! I yield. Just don't mess with my..."Eddie starts to say.
You hear a ruffling, "..Your precious head of hair?" Wayne teases, "I sure hope the hair isn't one of the things she likes about you, son, because it's the Munson way. You'll end up just like your Pa or me, or maybe you'll comb it over like dear ol' Grandpappy Munson."
"Get! Off! Me! You absolute..." The hold must break because you can hear them both catching their breath.
You put the marigold gloves back on the sink and turn around. You can see them occasionally making eye contact with one another and laughing.
Eddie walks over and grabs your hand, "We're going out right now, and that's final. Ok?" Eddie points a finger at you and then points it at Wayne, "Got it?"
You and Eddie get in the van, and he starts her up, "Er...look. I know I normally let you choose the tape, but out of the three, there is only one we can do right now, and I'll be damned if I'm walking back in that trailer and going back on what I said," Eddie says smiling.
"Well, which one is it then?" You ask excitedly.
Eddie puts Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell into the car stereo.
You listen for a few minutes, "Wait....that's not Ozzy... that's...is that the guy from Dio?"
Eddie swings the van to the side of the road, mounting the kerb a little. He secures the vehicle and looks out onto the road, his thumb, and index finger pinched together, presses his tongue against his top lip, and almost biting his lips together, asks slowly, "What did you just say?"
You stare over at Eddie partially in alarm. Black Sabbath was precious stuff, and you feel as though you've firmly planted your foot into something very, very wrong.
You gulp and answer quietly, "I just...I thought that this didn't sound like Ozzy and that it sounded like the singer on the Dio tape, you play sometimes. Was that...um...was that wrong?"
Eddie doesn't turn to you. His brow reads upset, but his mouth stretches into a smile, "It's not wrong", he says before clearing his throat, "I will explain a little later. Could you pass me a can? Dying of thirst here." A pleasant smile returns to his face. You grab a drink and open it for him, passing it over as he restarts the van.
The rest of the journey is pretty quiet, other than occasionally pointing out things at the side of the road. Most of the time, your brain is still trying to figure out Eddie's reaction.
At one point of conversation, silence, obviously, Black Sabbath was still blaring away around you both. Finally, at a stop light, Eddie turns to you quickly and reaches over for your hand, "You know, I'm not sure if I told you, but I'm probably gonna be a bit busier than usual the next two weeks, but I promise I won't miss our date nights, ok? I have to get this project done. It's crucial."
You hate to admit it, but your heart does sink a little, was this sudden announcement directly correlated to saying something you shouldn't have about Sabbath, or had you just genuinely forgotten this conversation? You afford Eddie the same respect he gave you when you were in the hospital, "Whatever you need, babe", you say you lifting his hand and kissing the back of it.
You pass a sign saying botanical gardens, and soon, the van comes to a halt in a parking space.
"Here we are," he says, smiling broadly, suddenly a lot more himself than he had been driving.
He rushes out of the van to run around to open your door and offers you a hand to help you down, "My Lady", he says with a big grin.
Eddie locks up the van and juts his elbow towards you to take his arm, "Would the lady care to promenade with me about the gardens?"
You curtsey back and take his arm, "You are most gracious, My Lord", you reply.
Eddie had been correct. This was a perfect day for this date. It was sunny but not hot. The breeze that occasionally passed brought the scent of the flora it had blown through.
You talk about the beautiful flowers, plants and trees you pass by and how it must be nice to be a bumble bee and just nap in a flower if you need to.
You move through the rose garden, and Eddie points out the ones your Mom has at your house. Obviously, you hadn't been the only one brushing up on other people's interests.
Finally, you walk across the cutest little iron and wood bridge, which curved over a Lilly pad strewn duck pond and ends up in a hedged area.
It was structured to guide your walk, but nothing as complicated as a maze, with many patina-covered bronze sculptures throughout.
Initially, they are fairly generic, scantily clad humans, pouring waters or crushing their enemies, but then there is a shift in theme, and Eddie's other hand comes across to touch on yours, which is holding his arm.
He puts on his British documentation voice, "Ah, yes, the Minotauros, or Minotaur. An extremely popular character from Greek Mythology. The child of a King's wife and a bull sent from the gods that the king should have really sacrificed to avoid this whole mess."
You turn to him in surprise, "What, so the Minotaur isn't a human punished by the gods or just a monster they created?"
He nods, returning to his normal voice, "Yeah, basically. Poseidon sent King Minos this bull to sacrifice. Minos was like, nah, don't think I will. Poseidon was pissed, so was like, You know what? Now your wife is in love with it. How do you like that?"
You look over the statue with a deep look of concern, "Jesus, that's fucked up."
Eddie stares at you silently for a few seconds before erupting into laughter.
"It's like I knew the Minotaur was weird but now...now I know how bizarre it all is. Like, next-level weird. I feel like I've passed through a door I can't go back through, Eddie," you say, deadpan, staring at the cackling man you're still linking arms with. The primarily elderly couples passing by either frown at you or give you a smile and hold their partner a little tighter.
Eddie eventually calms down, wiping his eyes, "Well, I was supposed to be astounding you with my intellect, but apparently, I've just traumatised you." He manages, still little laughs erupting in-between words or breaths.
You shake your head, "Oh no, you still are astounding me with your vast knowledge. Just its by-product is trauma. I mean, if that isn't how the educational system works in general, I don't know what is"
Eddie throws his arms around your neck and pulls you in for a kiss. As you part, you see two older ladies sitting on a park bench, knitting and giggling at you.
You nod over at them to indicate them to Eddie, "I got plenty more where that came from, ladies", he yells over to them. Earning him more giggles, one of them blows him a kiss.
You raise your eyebrows at Eddie, "Do I...Do I need to fight an old lady today?"
"Only one way to find out," he says mischievously before letting you go, vaulting over the trim hedges between you and the ladies, before he puts on quite a show. Reciting something theatrically, occasionally putting his hands to his heart before taking their hands and planting a kiss on each.
You make your way over to spare the hedges another run-in with Eddie's wallet chain.
"You're a lucky young lady," one of them lets you know once you are close enough to them.
"Oh, I know, don't you worry," You say, smiling at the three of them, "but I'm afraid he is mine, ladies, so you'll have to give him back"
They both make noises of disapproval and reach into their respective bags, giving Eddie some candies, pinching his cheeks, and offering whispered advice; he loves every second of it.
"An unsuspected pleasure it has been, ladies, but I must dash," he says, bowing to them before jogging back over to you to regain his role as tour guide.
"Bye Eddie", they chirp back in chorus.
"Can't take you anywhere, clearly", you whisper, very amused.
Eddie unwraps one of the candies with his free hand and puts it in his mouth. You extend your hand out for one. He frowns at you and shakes his head, "You didn't earn these!!! They're mine!!"
The rest of the walk treats your eyes to more bronze sculptures of mythological creatures, both the beautiful and the hideous. Eddie talks you through each one, and as you walk, it's clear that none of them are a surprise to him. He knows them all, even the intricate hidden clues in the sculptures referencing the more minor details of the stories themselves.
The walk slows down, but the enthusiasm you both have does not. Eddie is in his element, dramatically telling you stories (he even gets a few passers-by listening in), and you are fully engaged because you love learning, and you can't help but feel that that is the exact point of this date.
You find yourselves emerging from the hedges and entering a courtyard of sorts, at the centre of which is a colossal bronze sculpted well.
The well has been here for some time, so the natural patina formed on it makes it a beautiful light green.
The sculpture featured the brickwork of the well, its roofed covering and the supports in between. The bucket and rope actually looked functional and were not formed from bronze.
The most fascinating part of the well, though, were the fairies and small creatures hiding all over it. A little bat hanging above the bucket. Two fairies fighting over a petal. A little mouse peering down into the depths, a stack of buttons and a stack.of coins.
You notice some people walk up, wait a few moments and then toss something in, "A wishing well?" You ask Eddie.
"Yep, pretty, isn't it?" He says happily.
You nod and reach into your pocket for a coin or two.
"Do you know why people toss coins in them?" Eddie asks
"So their wish comes true?" You laugh like it's obvious.
"Yes, but why people started doing it in the first place?" He asks again.
You look at him, a little puzzled.
"Historically, fresh water sources springing up were seen as very auspicious. So people thought the deities were involved and would thank them with tokens of appreciation. Some even believed that the deities themselves lived in these water sources and would also ask them for favours or wishes." He smiles broadly and looks at the people milling around the beautifully sculpted well.
"But...sometimes All that is gold does not glitter...as they say," he says with a smirk rocking back on his heels before reaching for your hand and walking out of the perfectly arranged gardens, past a line of trees and into an unkept, mostly bramble infested area.
He carefully helps you to follow a cleared path that you probably would never have found if Eddie hadn't known exactly where it was but enables you both to walk through without getting caught up in its protective plant life.
After a few minutes of walking, you find yourself in a small clearing, with only small rays of sunlight poking through the canopy, making the area awash with green light.
You go to step forward, but Eddie quickly pulls you back and points out the ring of mushrooms on the floor, "Never tread in those, he says", carefully guiding you to avoid it, and over to a hole in the ground surrounded by some smooth stones piled around it.
"Now, this", he gestures at the ground, "This is a wishing well."
You look at him curiously and smile, "What's wrong with the other one?"
"Oh, nothing..." He says in a sing-song voice, "You know, except it doesn't work. This one, though...This one does."
"Ok, I'm guessing you made a wish here once, and it came true, but that still doesn't explain how you found it." You say, eyeing him curiously.
"I did indeed make a wish here, several in fact, but I didn't find this place I was shown it. The guy who owns all this, all those commissioned sculptures, that huge house, those gardens. He told Uncle Wayne and me about it. We used to come here sometimes so I could draw the sculptures whilst Wayne did a few jobs around the place. He liked one of my drawings so much that he asked for it in exchange for telling us where the true wishing well was."
"That guy passed on a few years ago, but I still would come here sometimes. It's peaceful. Only Wayne, and now you would even think I would ever be caught dead here." He laughs, "So what are you gonna wish for?" He says, smiling with his hands clasped behind his back.
"I can't tell you. That's not how wishes work" you smirk at Eddie. You sort through your change and find the shiniest coin of the bunch. You hold on to it tightly between your fingertips and recite your wish in your head before thanking whatever deities might be around and tossing the coin in.
Eddie looks at you as you walk back towards him. "Just one?"
You smile at the ground and then look back up at him, "Uh-huh, just one. For now at least", you say, plunging your change and hands into your pockets.
"What about you? Are you gonna wish for something?" You ask.
Eddie shakes his head, "I've got a lot of wishes stacked up in there, and I don't want a new one causing a backlog, you know?" He smiles fondly at the well and then up at you.
"So which one came true?" You ask as you walk over, looking carefully where you tread. You intertwine your fingers with his on each hand.
"Oh, a few have. One on this very day, in fact." He says, giving a sweet dimpled smile, "it was so precise, I thought they would be a good test."
You look at him expectantly.
"You know that saying, God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, blah, blah, blah?" He asks
You nod, "I sure do."
He swings your linked hands a little, "Well, ok, this is very corny, but I kinda made my own one" he looks a little embarrassed.
"Well, go on, let's hear it", you smile back. It wasn't that often Eddie looked genuinely bashful, and his face read like he was almost cringing at himself.
"Ok...I'm just gonna say it real fast, so it's not a big deal." He clears his throat and looks at you, "Gods, grant me somebody to accept things about me I cannot change, that actually enjoys listening to Black Sabbath, and the wisdom to know the difference."
"When did you make that wish? That could be any of your little hellfire lot, you know?" You tease him.
"No, no! It's you. It's definitely you, alright?!" He says excitedly, grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you playfully, "You're stuck now. The gods themselves have willed it."
He stares at you for a few seconds, then bites his bottom lip, repressing a big smile, reaches into your pocket and grabs a coin, "You know what...maybe one more."
He lets go of you and stands at the little well, muttering something lengthy but inaudible, and finally, he kisses the coin and flips it into the well.
"That must have been at least one A5 side of a wish, Eddie." You chuckle as you retake his arm.
"You have to be very specific about wishes, you know? Otherwise, it might not turn out how you meant it to. If you say I want to be famous, you know you're wanted for murder. Technically you got your wish," he laughs.
"Oh, I totally forgot about that. Awww, man!" You sigh in annoyance.
"Don't worry, babe. You don't need a wishing well. You've got me," he says, adjusting his arm to hold your hand, raising it up to his face and kissing it as you walk back through to the gardens.
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The Eddie Munson Tape Dates Venom, 'Welcome to Hell'
A.K.A You Introduce Eddie to The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Warnings: some Rocky Horror Picture show spoilers, swearing, fluff
Note from me: I'm not sure when this move was available for rent but the internet advises that it might have been around 1984, so that's what I'm banking on (This is literally make believe 😂)
Eddie slams the textbook shut, "That's it, I'm calling it. It's 7pm. It's date night, and we aced four quizzes this week!"
He reaches under, leans backwards off the bed, hanging upside down, retrieves the box of tapes, and shakes them at you.
You playfully roll your eyes at him and look through the box, "Well, this one looks nice. Are we summoning something?" You pick up a black tape with a gold pentacle with what looks like a goat's head in the middle, "Will we need a goat?" You say, laughing.
Eddie purses his lips at you and represses a smile, "No, it's actually much worse than all of that...that tape means...it's your choice this evening...whatever you want."
"Seriously, anything?" You say, narrowing your eyes in disbelief.
"Yup", he nods, his curls bouncing as he does so, "It's Witching Hour," he says, smiling.
"Ok..." You get up from your desk and start to pace the floor, "what is something I'd like for us to do that we haven't already done, and you are unlikely to have picked for the other tape dates..."
You think for a moment, scratching your head. Eddie watches you eagerly, waiting for your decision.
"A movie..." You say excitedly
"Babe...* He starts looking confused because you could go to the movies whenever.
"But not just any movie...a musical"
"What like The Sound of Music or something?" He says his face screwed up in puzzlement
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show," you say matter-of-factly.
"The what now?" He says with more profound bewilderment.
You look at him. Your eyes wide and mouth open, "You don't know it?" You say slowly.
He shakes his head.
"Wow...ok", you get up from your seat, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the room and down the stairs.
"Mama!!" You yell out, "Did you return the videos yet??"
She floats into the room, her bright kaftan flowing behind her, as she's fixing an earring to her ear, "No, honey, they are still there by the VCR."
She smiles at Eddie, "Hey sweetie, I heard you aced your quizzes this week. I'm so proud."
Eddie uncharacteristically smiles bashfully, "Thanks," he says, glancing at the floor.
You run over to the tapes and check if it's still there. "Got it!" You shout, holding it aloft.
"Which one, honey?" She chirps, looking in the mirror.
"Rocky Horror, Mama. Eddie doesn't know it," you shout over whilst rewinding the video.
Your Mom snaps her head around to look at Eddie and pulls precisely the same face you did, "Out of everyone in this room, Sunbeam, I would have put money on you knowing it. It's even got a character in it with your name."
Eddie tilts his head at your Mom, "Really? "
"Tom!!! Get in here. Eddie doesn't know what Rocky Horror is."
Your Dad walks in, fixing his tie, "Was this one in t' wager ledger?"
She shakes her head.
"Let the lad alone. The poor soul can't ken everything," he says, tutting at her, "You know who Joe Cocker is don' ya lad?"
"Yeah, of course, I do," Eddie says quickly.
Your Dad smiles and puts his hand out towards your Mom. she then walks over to her purse, opens it and gives your Dad $10 begrudgingly.
"Look, you two leave Eddie alone, alright?" You say, walking over and wrapping your arms around Eddie from behind, "I'll find that book and burn it", you joke.
"Wow, overprotective much?" Your Mom says wide-eyed.
"You know what, just get outta my sight! The pair of you!" you say, imitating your best Eddie tantrum.
"Yeah, sure, sure," your Mom says, laughing.
Everyone in the house is very acquainted with Eddie's tantrums by now. No one has ever personally been the target of any. It was mostly inanimate objects or someone at the other end of the phone.
Eddie looks round at you, impressed.
"That's my lady in shining armour. You're getting much better at those, you know. Maybe throw in some blasphemy next time," he says, smiling happily at you. You give him a kiss on the cheek and dash to the kitchen.
You grab some movie snacks and sprint back to Eddie on the sofa, bundling the snacks towards him as you press play on the tape.
"Now, I know I got annoyed with George for asking questions during a movie, but I've seen this movie a bunch of times. So feel free to ask away," you say encouragingly.
"Too many times", your Dad adds.
You roll your eyes, "Just ignore them", you say playfully before leaning over the back of the couch, yelling, "Don't ruin this for Eddie, ok? Keep it down, have a great night!"
You sit next to Eddie, but not too close as you don't want to miss his reactions to the movie.
The red lipstick-coated mouth appears on screen, and Eddie listens intently to the song, "So these are all old B Movies, right?" He asks without turning to you.
"Yeah, exactly, it's kinda setting you up for what to expect," you say excitedly.
With the song over, he grabs a handful of chips and crunches them, "Wait! Go back, go back. Did that car say what I think it said?"
"It did", you laugh.
His brow furrowed as the next song starts up, but it soon disappears, and he gives a few small laughs at the backing singers and Brad's apparent partial regret.
The criminologist lures Eddie in with his monologue, and the thunderclap makes Eddie jump a little, "Police reports? This was not the Mary Poppins I was expecting, and the music is like 50s kind of?" He says, pleasantly surprised.
"You like it already?" You say hopefully
"Um...I wouldn't go that far, but when you said musical, I didn't think it would be like this," he says thoughtfully, concentrating on the screen.
"Oh, you just wait, lad", your Dad booms from the hallway.
You shush your Dad loudly. You can hear your Dad laughing heartily as he walks away.
"Is this guy like the hunchback of Notre dame or something?" He says, taking a swig of his soda, "No, wait...they're going in there? Have they never seen a horror movie before? Idiots!" He tuts.
"Don't wait up!" You Mom calls out as the front door closes behind them.
"Bye!" You both shout in unison without breaking your respective views. Eddie's eyes, on the screen, you watching a mix of emotions on Eddie's face.
His eyes widen, and he almost chokes on his drink. "Is that...er...a french maid outfit she has on?" He manages, clearing his throat a few times.
You smile at his reaction, "Sure is."
"Holy shit, babe," he says, grinning, "What have you gotten me into?" He says, taking off his jacket.
"Oh wait, this sounds familiar...I'm sure I've heard this song before around the drama dept." He says, watching the dance unfold on screen. You just about catch him tapping his fingers on his thigh to the beat, but don't mention it.
Eddie was very particular about music, and while a good beat didn't mean he actually loved the song, it meant that at least he respected it. Much like when you'd played him some of the music you liked.
He laughs, "Ok, this is mad. Well, you know...they all seem insane, but are they giving you dance instructions during the film?"
"Absolutely", you answer happily, "Apparently, public showings of this movie welcome audience participation. I've not been to one myself."
Eddie points his hand towards the scene, exasperated, "Turn around, Jesus Christ guys, there is already someone in that lift."
You see Eddie carefully scan Tim Curry's character: "Why is he in a cloak? Is he like a vampire or something?"
You don't say anything just yet because you already know what's coming. As Dr Frank N. Furter gets to the stage and throws off his cloak and his new outfit is revealed, Eddie loses his grip on the bowl of chips. Which, thankfully, just drops a few centimetres into his lap. His jaw has fallen, and the chips on their way to their demise, in his other hand, were frozen in space and time.
He slowly turns to you and whispers "What the fuck?"
You smile back and maybe get a little worried. Perhaps this was a step too far for Eddie. You knew he was more liberal than most, but maybe you'd hit a line.
"Are you ok? Want me to turn it off, Babe?" You say, motioning to get up.
Eddie's arm flings out, stopping you in your tracks, "Oh no...I have to see what happens now. This is way too...different", he says, still staring at the screen, "Wait...he's a Scientist?" Then, finally, he lets out a laugh, and you can relax again.
"Well, if you want me to turn it off at any point, just say alright? No judgement here. It's not for everyone," you say, gently rubbing the top of his shoulder in reassurance.
"I mean, I doubt it, but I will if I've had enough", he chuckles and says, "I'm currently amazed that your parents are ok with you watching this."
"You've met them", you laugh, "They have strange boundaries. Like me watching this in the house is fine. But, watching this in a public place, in a costume from the movie, would be a big no. It's not the content that is the issue, you know?"
He nods and then processes everything you just said, "Wait, people get dressed up like these characters? In public? Just the girls, right?" He says, with a nervous gulp, trying to compute the scene in his head.
"Oh no, everyone. Lots of guys dress up too," you say matter-of-factly.
"Hmmm," he says thoughtfully but says no more.
As two of the main characters are having their clothes removed, you nearly get slammed back into your seat by Eddie's hand whizzing out at top speed to cover your eyes, "Hey, what's the big idea??" You say playfully, trying to push his hand away.
"You expect me to just sit here and do nothing while you gawk at some other guy in his tighty whities?" He laughs mirthfully.
"You are so silly, Eddie. Besides, I've seen all of this before, many times..." You pretend to sigh in a lovesick way, "and it gets much worse from here on in," you say, craning your neck up and licking the palm of his hand.
"So you think he's hot then?" Eddie says, wiping his hand on your jeans. He sounds like he's joking, but you aren't sure.
"Who, Brad? No, of course not!" You assure him genuinely.
He shuffles back into his comfortable slouch on the sofa and takes your hand in his. A few moments pass as he watches the screen. He then quickly turns to you with a weirded-out frown on his face, "What about the guy in the pearls?" His eyes bore into you, trying to pry out your secrets, you don't say anything, but your face betrays you as it can't hold back a smile.
"Eddie, you're missing the movie" is all you can say and point at the screen.
"Hmmm," he says suspiciously, "I might have missed a few seconds of the movie, but I am still learning an awful lot here."
"Wait...he's flirting with both of them...isn't he?" Eddie says observably.
You nod at the screen, an approving expression on your face.
"Oh!" He says, his eyebrows shoot up on his face, "Oh, I see...Ok then" He gives your hand a little squeeze and continues watching the movie.
"Those might be the smallest, tightest shorts I've seen in my entire life," Eddie says with a comical look.
"You should get some," you say, nudging him gently.
"You think you could handle that? You can barely keep it together when I'm fully dressed. You'd end up in Pennhurst," he giggles.
Eddie tries not to make it too obvious, but he side-eyes you throughout the workout scene of the movie, looking for any tells or reactions of your own. It was such an insight into his mind, what he thought you, or people in general, found attractive.
There was obviously no question in your mind about how physically attractive Eddie was. His face was perfectly formed, with those big beautiful eyes, sculpted jaw, perfect pout, and fantastic physique. However, he was so much more than a photo still could ever capture.
You know, because you'd tried, the pouches full of photos you had of him, the Polaroids and photo booth snaps that consumed the frame of your dresser mirror and were busy crawling up your wall.
It was his moments in motion, the way his eyes expressed things his words wouldn't let himself say sometimes. His little mannerisms. The way he walked and dodged things almost hips first. His thinking noises and how animated his hands and whole body could be when talking. It wasn't enough to say something to Eddie. He had to show you too.
You were obviously biased, but sometimes it boggled your mind how anyone could have passed up a chance to date him.
Eddie hears Columbia squeal his name, and he's on the edge of his seat. His eyes widen as he points at the screen, "That's Meatloaf!! And he's wearing..." Eddie grins hugely and shakes his head, patting your leg "...a vest and rings?" He raises an eyebrow.
You could tell he was enjoying this song but trying to hide it. His fingers drummed on his thigh, and his lips were tucked back into his mouth. You slide over a bit closer and shimmy your shoulders next to his. He looks over at you and joins in a bit more, making you smile so hard your cheeks feel like they are having their own workout.
"I don't think I've seen you dance, like ordinary dance before," you say, pleasantly surprised.
His smile is a little shy, but he looks pleased to have impressed you, "Not to give away the surprise, but I have a fairly good rhythm, as you know", he winks at you. Sending the bashfulness back into your court with a mighty swing.
The look of surprise on your face has rendered you speechless as he leans over to kiss you, but soon enough, the saxophone solo steals his eyes back to the screen.
"Has he got an ice pick? I knew this was gonna go badly. No!! Not my guy!!" He fake pleads with the TV screen.
He watches the next section of the movie with his ringed hand to his mouth, "So like...you know...with everyone?" The variety of coloured lights flickering across his face.
"I think that's what they are implying in his interactions with other characters, sure", you agree.
"Wow, and this is a stage musical?" He says slowly with incredulity.
"Yeah, since the '73 or '74 maybe, I think," you say, shrugging.
"How?" He says in amazement, "Like it's great, but I mean..." He gestures a hand towards the screen, "it's a bit...um...spicy, isn't it?" He laughs
"Yeah, absolutely, sometimes stage is a lot spicier than the movies will allow for. I heard," you don't say anything, but hearing Eddie say 'It's great is all you could have wanted from the viewing, but you don't voice it out loud just yet.
"What is she...wait...she's not...is she?" Eddie looks at you like you've just told him the most scandalous gossip and looks back at the screen with Janet singing. He laughs at the lyrics and reaches over to squeeze your knee, "Oh, busted for sure", pointing at Janet and Rocky.
As Dr Scott makes his way up to the lab, Eddie laughs so much that he's clutching his sides. He can barely get words out, "What...even...Ha...why?" Is all you manage to translate
"Absent friends? A tender subject? And a song for me?" He says, giggling to himself, "Aww, fantastic" he applauds as the scene draws to a close.
When the song in the theatre starts up and takes him entirely by surprise again, a few minor coughs where he'd almost choked on some chips, "What rating is this, again??" He says, laughing.
He doesn't say much for the remainder of the movie. Instead, he drapes his arm around your shoulders and observes the screen, occasionally snacking until the credit roll.
"Well? What is the Eddie Munson verdict on the movie?" You say, smiling up at him.
He turns his body towards you and takes a deep breath, "Hmmm, that might be one of the craziest things I've ever seen in my entire life. I'm not sure if it's for me..." He trails off
"Oh, really?" You pout. You were sure he'd been enjoying it. Maybe you had read him wrong the entire time.
He gets up from his seat and goes over to the VCR, "Yeah...maybe we could watch it once more to help me decide properly", he says, grinning at you with a little wink as he rewinds the tape.
"Oh, Eddie!" You say, throwing a cushion at him, realising you had been got, hook, line and sinker.
He skillfully dodges the cushion, presses play on the tape, pushes the coffee table to the side, flops back down in the seat next to you, and pulls you in towards him.
"So... we'll totally go see this at the theatre, right?" He asks nonchalantly.
"Of course, we can!!" You say excitedly.
"Maybe not in Hawkins, though. Shit...maybe not even in Indiana," he laughs.
You nod, understanding his meaning, and squeeze him tightly, wrapping your arms around his torso excitedly.
"Ok, but why have you moved the snacks so far away?" You say, puzzled.
"Oh, you know...just making some dancing room," he says coyly before grabbing you and pulling you out of your seat with him, and sway dances with you to Science Fiction/Double Feature.
The Eddie Munson Tape Dates - Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Warnings : Fluff, swearing, guitar, tiny bit of angst, smooch, d&d
In the dimly lit room, soft purple and deep blue drapery floats around you. With your heavily stickered Gibson SG replica at your waist, you approach the microphone and adjust your already drenched aerobic headband.
'Right here we go,' you think to yourself for maybe the hundredth time today, and wipe the beads of sweat from your forehead with the back of your wrist sweatband. You imagine your look is that of a female Bruce Springsteen.
You look out at your audience and nod at them. The neatly arranged line of plush owls gives you no indication of whether they are enjoying the show or not, but you give them one anyway. You glance over in your full-length mirror, its black metal filagree style frame adorned with photo booth strips of you and Eddie. You laugh at your reflection. Yep, sure, a total Springsteen if he went out on stage and wore my little pony pyjama shorts and an old cut-up white t-shirt.
You grab your smoke from the pearlescent abalone ashtray and put it in the corner of your mouth, turning the music back to the first page of tabs.
The handwriting on the pages was mainly your scribbled notes that you hurriedly jotted down when observing Eddie play his guitar and teaching you little tips and tricks on playing faster but not messily.
You flick back to the start of the book for a moment to read the inscription in red pen, "My Lady in shining armour, may this book start your (only permitted) love affair with music. Take a breath for your mistakes. You got this. See you on the other side for a jam session. Yours forever, Eddie."
A humongous, almost aching grin erupts on your face, and the joint nearly drops from your lips. You just manage to catch it before it plummets to the night sky rug on the floor.
'Forever', you wondered, really could it be? Could he mean that? It wasn't like him to be misleading with words, but he was prone to theatrics. What did that mean anyway? Did it mean it could be like this always? That would be bliss, but there were things to come you weren't sure about. College, touring, work, marriage, a family. You didn't know how much of that you wanted, let alone how much of that Eddie wanted.
'Just enjoy where you are.' your brain advises and draws your eyes to the heavy scar on your inner forearm, 'Any day could be your last', it adds.
You put the smoke out and hoped that furiously practising until pain seared through your forearm tendons or the weed finally hit that sweet spot, you would eventually stop being so nervous about this date.
As you, yet again, launch into a more up-tempo version of 'Burning Love by Elvis, shutting your eyes, singing as loudly as you can at the ever-surprised eyes of the owls, you recall how this all came about.
"You know what? It's gotta be Sabbath again. There are just so many tapes of theirs in here compared to the others," you said, picking up Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath out of the ever-depleting box of tapes placed in the centre of your bed.
"I know, right? It's almost like I'm a fan or something" Eddie's voice dripped with sarcasm as he looked over at you from the other side of the box.
He removed the box and leaned back against the headboard as you frantically scanned the song titles on the cassette sleeve. The sleeve hanging on by its final thread of life, some of the corners dog-eared, partially stained, torn and crumbled. This album had clearly experienced everything life could offer a cassette. You decided to leave it in the case to save you being its final demise.
"Erm, ok, so not the sleep-related ones, I guess…Evil Woman, well, that's me, so it can't be that one, "that comment earned you a tut and smirk from Eddie, "Warning? Maybe some kind of explosives-type thing? Or a demolition derby."
You looked up at Eddie to see if you were even close with your guesses. His wide-open eyes had blinked at you repeatedly, "Seriously, what have I done to you??" a smile appeared across his face, and he grabbed you in a playful headlock, ruffling up your hair.
"I'll have you know, I was always interested in those things. I just hadn't met anyone that they were worth bringing them up to, that's all," you say, pushing your way out of his grapple.
"Sure thing, babe, whatever you say" he chuckled and did that sigh and look over of you, which, depending on mood, you interpreted in two different ways. Either he couldn't believe how he got so lucky, or he couldn't believe how weird you were. You hadn't quite mastered the difference or dared to ask.
He takes the tape away from you and looks over it, "Do you want the good news or bad news first?" He asked, putting the cassette delicately in his jacket pocket that was hanging on the post of the headboard.
You take the opportunity to mimic Eddie, "Bad news first, always!" You said, grinning at him.
"Oh, lady, you are headed for trouble today," he said, trying to repress a smile of absolute mischief, "Anyway…as I was going to say. The bad news is we can't carry out this date today."
You had pouted, then scowled and thrown yourself backwards on the bed with a thud. Glaring at the ceiling like a petulant child.
"But the good news is," Eddie said, crawling over you into view, his hair hanging down, tickling the sides of your face ", when we can do this one, it's going to be so freakin' awesome, babe!" The excitement in his eyes had been visible, like brand new sparkles had appeared in them from out of nowhere, straight from the nearest neighbouring nebula.
"Do I get to know what it is, or does it have to be a surprise?" You asked, pretending to still be annoyed, folding your arms between you and Eddie, making him pout at you. He sat on your hips, giggling, trying to forcefully undo them.
"No!!! I won't have this! I won't! not on Eddie time!" He finally prised them open and threw himself onto your chest, gripping on tightly, his hair all over your face.
"Anyway…before I was rudely interrupted by this act of warfare…you can know if you want to, it's up to you," he said, muffled by being planted face down on your chest.
Gods, this guy. You had just burst out laughing at him. It was impossible to even pretend to be mad with him.
"Ok, ok, you win this time. Yes, I would like to know what it is, please," you said cheerfully and relaxed your arms.
He raised his head and wiggled his way up, making sure not to leave any gaps between your torsos in case those pesky arms got in the way again. He looked down into your eyes, "I'm amazed you still think me winning these things is a turn-based game. I will not relent until victory is mine, babe. Just deal with it!" He pulled your scarred forearm towards his face and placed a line of kisses all the way along it, "You're going to play in a D&D one-shot with the hellfire club!" He looked at you expectantly.
You launched upwards excitedly, almost butting heads, "They're ok with me playing??!! Even though I don't know much about it?" You say, squeezing Eddie's face with pure elation.
Through lips pushed together like a fish, he manages, "Yeh, they bin askin fo a whil now, bu I cou 'n squez yo in campan"
You'd planted a kiss on his face and sprung into action, pacing around the room with character ideas that were not impossible, but Eddie helped you wrangle them into something that could fit the game.
It wasn't until that evening that the reality of that event hit you full force. Hellfire club was held in the drama department, and the last time you'd been there was with your ex, Trent.
To say you were anxious about it was an understatement. What if you bumped into someone you used to know there, and they brought him up or asked after him?
As cruel as it was, you had almost forgotten all about him altogether because of Eddie.
It was probably all going to be ok. He was long gone. The department had probably moved on, right?
One of the owls in front of you raises its wings in the air in applause, and you almost jump out of your skin with fright. It's only when you catch a glimpse of the ringed hand under one of the rings you take a breath.
You quickly remember your appearance and try to rectify it as soon as possible, putting your guitar down gently, then frantically taking off sweatbands, reorganising your hair, grabbing a robe, and offering an embarrassed "Hi" and a wave.
Eddie appears from behind the owls in his usual combination of a band tee, leather jacket, denim vest, ripped jeans and sneakers. He launches himself off the bed and walks over to you, looking curiously, "Where were you just then? I called you a bunch of times. I mean, you're loud, but…"
Remembering you pull the ear plugs from your ears, "Sorry, babe," you offer with a shy smile.
Eddie nods in realisation, "Very wise. How long have you been practising for, exactly?" He asks, inspecting your recently removed headband by picking it up on your hairbrush.
"Uh, since Mama and Pop when out, they should be back soon." You say, getting some clean clothes ready, "Sorry Eddie, I lost track of time."
"Well, yeah, you sure did lose track of time, babe. Your Mom and Dad have been having a dance party downstairs to your music for at least the last half an hour," he says, flicking the headband from your hairbrush to your wicker laundry basket.
"Ah shit. Are they mad?" You ask, transferring fresh towels to your bathroom for the impending speed shower you need to have.
"Not mad at all, babe. I meant that literally. They are dancing downstairs together to your music. If I wasn't so nimble, I would have been dragged into it too," he laughs.
"Oh, ok, that's good then. I'm just gonna hop in the shower, babe. I won't be long," you say, rushing into the bathroom.
You're mid-way through scrubbing your hair when you hear, "So are you gonna tell me why you're nervous about today then? Or shall I use my super sleuth skills?" The voice is coming from the toilet, next to where you were. You poke your head around the curtain, your hair saturated with suds and swirled like soft serve ice cream on top of your head.
"Wow, this is a fashion statement" Eddie smiles back at you, sitting on top of the closed toilet seat, twiddling his rings around.
"Can you get noisier shoes, please? Christ!" You say before hurrying back under the water. You'd been making a concentrated effort to be more open and promised to try your best not to hide things. Eddie had said you couldn't both navigate a problem together if you both didn't know what it was, and this was a team effort.
"I'm worried about going back to the drama department, that's all. You know, because the last time I was there was with someone else." You were being too vague, and you knew it, "The last time I was there was with Trent", you add for clarification.
"That was really good, babe." He says, and you think you detect a bit of pride in his voice, "Honestly, it's all going to be fine, you go past it every school day, and we just go to the raised area and close it off for hellfire, we'll do the same tonight."
"You know what, you're absolutely right. So I can just focus all my nervousness on impressing all your nerd friends by rolling quick hits all night, right?" You say passionately, rinsing your hair out and reach for the towel rail. Instead, your fingers find an extreme absence of towel.
"Eddie?" You call out only to be met with stifled giggling, "Are you really going to make us late to your own game?" You pull back the shower curtain only to be immediately smothered by your towel and rapidly roughly dried until you emerge into your bedroom, in front of your mirror, dry but hair like a bird's nest.
"Thanks?" You say, trying to arrange your hair in some way that resembles a hairstyle.
"The ungratefulness is astounding. Also, its crit hits, not quick hits, babe," Eddie says, throwing clothes at you from the closet, "You know how many people's significant others would literally dry them after a shower? Hmm, do you?!" He says, pure mischief on his face.
You are so shocked by what is happening that you just start putting on the clothing he'd thrown your way, but you were pushed into a chair by your vanity as soon as you had put on Eddie's Judas priest t-shirt. In the reflection, Eddie has gathered your hair in his hands, brushing through it, telling you about his day.
"…so I said, Gareth, there is no way I am drop tuning my guitar for one set list song only. I'll either set up an alternative guitar like that, or we'll create a new set list where the tuning is all like that. Can you believe that shit?" He says, frowning at you in the mirror, still combing through your hair.
He presses play on your stereo, grabs some of the hair separating clips, and starts sectioning your hair. He places clips along his sleeve, one in his mouth and one in his hand, like a conveyor belt, as they are inserted into your hair. His brow furrowed in concentration until completion.
"And that is as much as I can remember…" He says, looking very pleased with himself, standing back and looking at you in the mirror.
You smile back. Still, a little shell shocked, "Thanks, Eddie, that's very helpful. You did an excellent job", and reach for one of the many hair product bottles on the table and hurriedly finish what Eddie started.
He lies on the bed, chin rested on his hands and feet kicked up behind him, as he observes the rest of the process. Well, that is until one of the owl plushies falls on him, a wrestling match ensues, it appears to be no hold barred, and the owl looks to be winning because its other owl friends join in.
You look at Eddie in the mirror playing both himself and a parliament of stuffed owls, and you can't help but wonder how amazing it must be to have his mind, to be this creative, with basically nothing other than his surroundings.
Your laughter calls the match to a halt, making Eddie victorious, apparently. Finally ready to go, you head downstairs and see your parents sitting crossed-legged by the turntable. Your Mama in one of her gloriously psychedelic home tie-dyed kaftans, and your Dad in his beige button-down shirt and red braced tan trousers.
Mama has her head leaning gently on your Pop's shoulder as they sing through the lyrics on the insert of the album playing. Your Dad decides the actual lyrics aren't enough "We're caught in a trout…I can't walk out..because it's got gills, baby."
Your Mama girlishly giggles at him and nudges him in the side. "Tom! You killed the mood of our listening party!" She pretends to complain and gets a kiss on the forehead.
"Bye guys, make sensible choices!" You shout back as you go to leave. Eddie is still observing them, so you grab his hand and pull him after you.
As your get seated in the van, Eddie adjusts the wilted flower on his air vent, "Like, do your folks ever fight or argue?" he says it with a laugh, but you can tell this is a genuine question as he sets off driving down the dusk lit road.
"Of course they do. It's rare, but they do, same as everyone. They just don't let one another hold onto it. They are just super honest with one another, some of which is very brave to say to someone else. They must not worry about it." You try to answer the best you can. You had no idea how they did it, they just did it, and it worked for them.
"Worry about what, exactly?" Eddie says, intrigued, turning down the radio but not taking his eyes off the road.
"Oh, you know, that they might say or do something that would make the other one leave, or cheat or whatever", you mumble softly. Merely saying negative words like this fill your mind with terrible what-ifs.
"Well, you know they only have that because they built that, right? That kinda thing doesn't just happen. I just found it…um… interesting" he taps the steering wheel a few times as the van happily zooms down the road to school.
"No, I guess you're right. It must have taken a long time to get the process just right. I guess I never had to think about it before because it's just the way it is at my house. Interesting…or do you mean weird, babe? It sounds like you mean weird." You smile over at Eddie, whose mischievous smile is playing on his face now that he's been caught in his small fib.
"Alright, weird then, but not bad weird, you know? I just wondered. They aren't the couple role models I'm used to seeing if that makes sense? And shit, as parents, my god! Sensational! It's no wonder you're so great." Eddie says with unbridled enthusiasm. It was beautiful to hear how much he adores your folks, but it also made your heart bleed for him a little bit.
"I'm so glad they can't hear any of what you are saying right now because they would never shut up about it. Like sitting on their porch swing together at 90, or whatever being like.."
You hunch over in your seat and pull your lips over your teeth, doing your best over the top elderly voice, "Do you 'member that nice young man, who said we were sensational, love? "
Eddie's smile grows more expansive, and he gives you a shove, saying, "Alright, alright! Most people would love their boyfriend and parents to get on."
"Oh, I love it, for sure, but I just love teasing you more." You laugh as the van pulls up into the parking lot.
"Alright, let's do this!!" He says enthusiastically, leaping into the back of the van to grab a box brimming with foam structures and figures and his backpack.
School grounds on the weekend were eerie. It felt all sorts of wrong. The halls were empty and echoed as you walked, without all those other bodies soaking up the sound.
As you headed into the drama department, you speed up ahead of Eddie to get the doors for him. You were greeted by some familiar faces, the three other members of Corroded Coffin and Carla, who was currently attached to Gareth's arm and wearing one of his flannel shirts. You smile broadly and whisper to Eddie, "You helped do that, babe. Aren't you proud?"
Eddie is busy setting out the map for the one-shot session. Placing finely crafted and painted elements of the environment, in their positions, from the box you are holding for him. He continues but smiles and shakes his head, saying quietly, "and there isn't a day that's gone by since where I haven't regretted it. The relationship questions are incessant!!"
You take a quick look around. No one is looking directly at you, so you give Eddie a quick kiss on the cheek. He smiles and continues with his terrain organising, "Well, ok, I guess it was worth it, then. Your seat is on the right of mine. I left you some goodies."
You walk around the table and see that a seat next to Eddie has already been laid out for you. A pre-made character sheet with your name at the top, a set of polyhedral dice of deep vibrant blue with gold numbers, a pencil with an owl topper, an eraser, a can of mountain dew and a little bowl a mixture of pretzels and M&Ms.
You look over the sheet again. What even was this game? Why were there so many numbers? The way Eddie talked about it, it didn't sound as complicated as it looked to you currently. It sounded like improv.
You look at the seat to your right and see pretty much the same set-up as yours, except the stationary is a real mixture. Some My Little Pony pencils, but erasers in the shape of the most violent-looking maces. A binder covered in Corroded Coffin and heart stickers.
You hear an excited high pitched "Eeeeeeeeee" from just behind you to your right and turn around to face it.
Carla's face beams at you radiantly, "Eddie, said I could help you tonight? I hope you don't mind. I've played a Cleric before, so I'm probably gonna be best to help you." She rambles kindly.
"Oh, thank the gods, seriously, I was starting to worry!" You say, sitting in your seat as Carla scoots her chair over to yours.
"So a Cleric is a divine magic user. You have a deity you worship who gives you your magic through your holy symbol. Your role in the party generally is a healer, but if it comes down to it, you can smack someone into next week. Let's see what you've got," Carla says excitedly, reading over your character sheet.
Her mouth opens a little "Oh my god! Ok, this is special. Your deity isn't even officially in the books yet. She's only in the comics. Selûne, goddess of the moon." Carla marvels at the description and moves the top piece of paper to reveal another.
You know immediately this is one of Eddie's drawings. You can tell by the handwriting and the shading.
Carla guides you around the illustration, the moon's on the armour of the character, a Warhammer with embossed phases of the moon along it resting on the ground, whilst their other arm holds out a shield, their hair is drawn to look like it's blowing in the wind.
Carla is still talking, but you've become lost in the tiny details of the drawing. On the inside of the shield, it has your initial, a plus sign and an E. On the knuckles of the gauntlets are tiny suns. On the inside of the arm, holding out the shield, is a sword tattoo, right where your scar would be. On the character's hip is a pouch with cherries sticking out of it.
And that's when you see it in the top corner of the paper. This is the stationary from the hospital, and yet you'd never seen it before. He'd drawn you as a hero while sitting at your bedside. You feel the lump in your throat start to appear, and a feeling of panic sweeps over you. You can't get upset in front of Hellfire Club.
"You know Carla, I'm just gonna go grab another drink from the vending machine. I just…I mean… I'm sure this game is gonna be thirsty work, right?" You quickly grab your purse and make a quick exit.
"We have plenty here, you know…" Carla calls after you, but you've already got out of there.
You get to the vending machine and gently rest your forehead against it, pushing in a few coins and then the button. You wait for the drop, but it doesn't come. You stand up straight and press the button again, nothing. You push the button to return your money, nothing.
You throw your hands up in disbelief, and you laugh to yourself. You lost your money, but at least you didn't feel like crying anymore, right? You decide to take this as a win and head back in.
"You never could quite get the hang of these things, could you?" Comes a voice from the side of you that makes you freeze with dread. A strategically placed thump on the side of the vending machine, and your can drops from where you can retrieve it.
You grab the can and quickly make some space between you and them. Then, with a tension setting in all over and a slowly sinking feeling, you turn to face them, "Trent" you nod in a tight-lipped thanks and go to head back inside. You have nothing to say to him. Not a single thing.
He'd changed a lot. The previous clean-cut, tight polo shirt wearing, dark cropped hair guy had been replaced by a dirty blonde chin-length-haired, baggy light pants and tweed jacket combo wearing man.
You could sense even his demeanour had changed. Trent was so passionate and/or tense about the next thing. If all six foot one of the guy in front of you got any more relaxed, he might have just turned into a puddle.
It made you a little mad he wasn't even tense seeing you after what he'd done. So you try to push it down. He's not going to spoil this evening. He's just not.
"If it's worth anything, I'm sorry for how things went", he calls after you.
You close your eyes, and your hand tightens around the can, "Why are you even here, Trent?" You say without turning around.
"I'm just visiting some old friends for a while, we were hanging out outside, and I saw you come in here with that weird kid…" He clicks his fingers like he's trying to jog his own memory, "…he was always hanging around the auditorium like some little lost puppy or something until he formed his own band of freaks…Evan, or something, right?"
You felt the anger rise in you. Trent was pushing your buttons, and he knew it. You turn to him. Your eyes must be flaring with fury because his face has his stupid smug grin on it. You wanted nothing more than for the can in your hand to become intimately acquainted with his expression at high velocity.
You are ready to give him both barrels when a girl bursts through the side door, "What's taking so long, my love?" She complains. You recognise her from school. A member of the drama department, obviously, who coincidentally had also been a very close friend of Trent's.
Satisfaction sweeps over you as if this just proved your point. You return his smug grin with one of your own, flip him the bird, and head back into the game.
When you get to your seat, you shuffle the chair a little closer towards Eddie, so your leg can touch his. He's a bit surprised but doesn't seem to mind. Though you knew he probably wouldn't stay sitting in his chair for long. Even when Eddie retold the game events to you, he would have to move around. You write and pass him a little note to say, 'Trent was here, I'm ok.
Eddie swallows, sets his jaw, and looks over at you. You meet Eddie's gaze and silently try to convey everything is ok with a soft blink. He smiles back at you and places his foot, so his ankle rests on yours, under the table.
"Shut up!" He yells, and the rest of the table falls silent, "Shall we begin?" Eddie's eyes ignite at those words, and they glance at each player at the table, inviting you all into his world.
Eddie sets the scene animatedly, and the outside world is gone before you know it. You've been willingly captured into a world of fantasy and intrigue, but as this game isn't intended for one session and for someone who has never played before, the premise is simple. You just had to find out why the village's sheep were missing.
The night is filled with epic successes and abysmal failures as you all work together to get to the root of the problem. Only to discover a small band of goblins are responsible.
A combat ensues, and with Carla's help, your character heals and assists the others who seem a lot more proficient in the ways of battle. You manage to avoid most of the damage Eddie tries to inflict upon your character by the dice rolls. Trying to remove her from being able to help others.
"No, stop. Please, we's only doin' as we's told," Eddie says in a little Goblin voice just as Carla's Barbarian is about to end its suffering.
Carla turns from Eddie to the table and back again, "I'll ask it who is in charge."
"Put uz down then, and we's tell ya", The goblin replies.
The players at the table are an even split on what to do. Carla thinks for a moment, "You know, I think because of her background of having to work for others just to survive, she would ask"
As soon as Eddie is perched on his chair, you all know it was a mistake, "As you put them on the ground, the Goblin takes a last stab at you with its dagger…" Eddie rolls a die and then another "…and hits you for 4 damage."
"Fuck, I'm down", Carla complains. It's your turn in the initiative order next. Eddie turns to you expectantly.
"I'll try to heal our Barbarian," you say like it's obvious.
Eddie shakes his head, holding back a smile. You turn to Carla in a panic, whose head is in her hands as Eddie knocks over her model on the map, "Your out of spell slots, Y/N. You can't heal anyone." Carla says regretfully.
Eddie turns quickly to the next person in the order of events, but everyone else is more than a turn of movement away.
"Wait!" You yell out in a very Eddie-esque way. You stare at the little Goblin figure between you and the prone Barbarian. All that swims through your head is the encounter in the hallway earlier. What would your character have done?
You turn your eyes to Eddie's and, with the faintest of sneers, say, "I want to crush this little fucker's head in!"
Eddie tilts his head, "Go ahead and try. Roll for it."
You look over at Carla and roll your 20-sided die. It lands on a 16. "That hits. Roll your damage," he says, checking his notes and peering over his screen at the table.
Carla points at the most normal looking of your dice set, and you roll it across the table until it settles on a 4. Eddie looks up at you from under his curls, "Why don't you describe to me how you attack this sweet innocent little Goblin…" The table erupts into jeers and shouts at Eddie's characterisation of the goblin that just floored the party's Barbarian. He laughs, looking round at them and then back to you, "…and then I'll tell you what happens."
You feel your fists clench under the table, you glare at the little Goblin model on the map, and you imagine Trent's smug, stupid face in the corridor, "I raise up my hammer, and before bringing it crashing into the side of their stupid smug idiot face, I say, 'Smile you son of a bitch'"
Eddie's eyebrows raise, and he reaches over and flicks the goblin over so hard it flies off the table's edge into the depths of the drama department and gives you a wink.
He turns back to the others, gives them the deathly theatrical demise they want, and finishes up the story's epilogue.
As you help him pack away and thank the others for taking the time out to play, You feel a new respect for this funny little game. Sure all the complexity might be a bit challenging at first, and you probably wouldn't want to invade Eddie's hellfire nights. Still, there was no denying that defeating waking world demons in a fantasy setting, as a hero, for a few hours, felt pretty good.
You spot the goblin on the floor, pick it up and place it reverently back in the box, where Eddie is also putting away bits of the hand-carved and painted landscape.
You half sit on the table edge and look him over, "You knew I'd run out of spells, didn't you?"
"A dungeon master never reveals their secrets," he says without looking up at you.
"And you knew how many hit points Carla had left, and that little thing only needed one good stab. Leaving me with only one thing I could do," you add to the endearing accusation as you toy with his belt loop, "Didn't you?"
He looks over your shoulder a second, then puts the pieces in his hands in the box, moves himself against you, looking down into your eyes, and says softly, "And how did it feel to annihilate that pesky monster."
"Surprisingly, extremely good," You say as your heart races. "You know, I don't think I've ever been happier that someone broke my heart", wrapping Eddie in your arms and kissing him gently.
The Eddie Munson Tape Dates Part 2 - Accept - 'Balls to The Wall'
Warnings: fluff, kissing, making out, injury, self consciousness, scarring
You'd had to stay in the hospital for a good week. You hardly had to be alone in that room. Eddie was there whenever he could be, sometimes when he shouldn't be! The exception was school. You refused to let him skip it, and if you needed some time on your own or with your parents.
When you first asked for some alone time, you were sure Eddie would be super upset or offended because that was the reaction you were used to, but instead, he just asked, "How long do you want, babe?".
Personal time was something you really valued. It wasn't because you were hiding anything from anyone; there was a lot to process from the last week, and having that quiet time helped massively.
Not just the weird creatures you'd encountered, but a long list of other new things. The big scar on your forearm, thinking about your own mortality, the mortality of others, this new intense romance, and how Eddie had been massively embraced by your family.
You weren't sure Eddie's uncle was entirely on board with you alone, but him spending time with your parents seemed to help hugely. He wasn't at hug level with you yet. Still, this week in the hospital, he visited with snacks. He left you with one forehead kiss and a few hand squeezes, which was a considerable improvement in your book. Your Dad had explained that not everyone felt comfortable enough to be openly affectionate with new people sometimes. It could take them years to get there, and it wasn't a conscious decision for them. It was just their own boundaries.
The newly forming scar on your arm was going to be a very visible one. So you'd asked your parents for some long-sleeved shirts. At this point, Eddie excused himself for a bit, and on his return, he had a pile of hellfire shirts in his hands. Which everyone thought was an extremely sweet gesture. Not even your Mom, who was very much a person who spoke her mind, had the heart to tell him. Of course, you might not want to be a walking advertisement for his D&D club every day. But you knew he'd just heard a request and fulfilled the brief, so you'd gladly wear them every day. That was until he asked, "Why long sleeves?"
"It's just to hide my scar, so people don't stare", you'd answered shyly.
Eddie's face looked so sad because of that response. Your Dad went to reach out to him but was stopped abruptly when Eddie said softly, "If I catch them staring at you, for any other reason than you being the hottest thing on this planet, I'll give them something to stare at, ok."
He immediately reduced the pile of t-shirts from seven to two. Of course, your parents weren't immediately sold on his aggression in that statement but appreciated the sentiment.
"You've got nothing to be ashamed of, Moonbeam. You're a hero. You both are. Even if they don't know it," She said, stroking your hair.
The day you'd come home was an eventful one. Surprisingly, the only person available to take you home was your Dad. You were a bit sad that Eddie and Mom weren't there too, but you figured Eddie might have gone to practice this week. Your Mom might have been getting your room ready.
There was no rush to get ready as your Dad had to gather a week-long worth of Eddie's things. Plus, things Eddie had brought for you that had slowly moved into your hospital room over the week to make it more "comfortable", as he put it.
The small gang of plush owls that Eddie had arranged in the best Eddie shape he could next to you in your bed whenever he had to leave you.
With the stack of his own books and comics, he liked to read to you and act out scenes dramatically. This was a win-win-win for Eddie. It was good practice for running D&D, and also, he could share the things he loved with you and find out which of those you enjoyed most at the same time.
Then there were the guitar picks. They were everywhere. Anytime anyone else sat down to visit you, that get straight back up out of the chair because they had sat on one. When they came to change your bed, you hear the clatter of the ones that had snuck between layers of bedding because when Eddie was here, if you were in bed, so was he, curled up next to you. The little picks would just crawl their way out of his pocket. You eventually started a jar to keep them all in.
You were finally all packed and in the car, the back seat full of owls, some of which your Dad had put seatbelts on. For what reason, you weren't sure, but it made you chuckle.
"Ready, lass?" He says, getting in the driver's seat.
"More than you know, I can't wait to go home, back to my own room, just how I left it." You say with a sigh, happily reclining in the passenger seat
You take a look over at your Dad. He's pressing his lips together like he's trying to keep words in.
"My room is still as I left it....isn't it?" You ask gently
"Yeah, o' course," he says way too quickly.
"What did you do to my room?" You say in alarm.
"'tweren't me love. 'twere them pair. Thick as thieves they are. Chuffin' nightmare!" He laughs
"Eddie and Mama?" You say with surprise.
He chuckles, "They are both very, and I mean this in the kindest way possible, very intense people. You being away for a week were t'much for 'em both. They had to fill their time, m'love."
You shake your head in disbelief, "How did either of them have any spare time???!! I was never alone in that place."
"They can't keep still w'out you around, flower. They jus' wanted it comfy f'ya when you got home, like. 'specially as ya still got a week 'o bed rest t'go"
"I mean, I can walk around just fine. I'm ready to go back to school. Get back in the driving seat, freedom once more," you say excitedly.
You look over at your Dad's face. His lips are pressed together again.
"Oh, come on!!" You say a little infuriated. "I'm not allowed to drive either??"
"They've got a rota, love" his laughter booms around the car.
You laugh too. It is, after all, lovely of them all, but not what you had expected.
You pull up the driveway, get out of the car, and walk up to the door. Your injured arm is still in a sling.
Your Dad puts his keys in the door, but the keys and the door get immediately snatched away, and the door slams open to reveal Eddie and your Mama in party hats with party blowers, tooting a tune for you, finishing with huge grins on their faces, "Welcome Home!!" They shout in unison.
Your eyes are wide with amazement.
"Wow! Thank you!" You say, genuinely taken aback by the greeting.
They usher you in quickly. Both of them ignore your Dad, who is laden with your suitcase, a few bags, and a parliament of stuffed owls.
Walking inside, there is a gigantic hand-painted welcome home banner hanging from the ceiling. It's definitely painted in a font only Eddie would choose, but you thought the flowers and smiley faces were all your Mom. Instead, they look so pleased with one another.
They both go to my hug you at the same time, but just short of a collision, Eddie steps back and lets your Mom go first. Over your Mom's shoulder, you can see him fiddling with his rings nervously, waiting for his turn. Even though they both hugged you yesterday, it's like they haven't seen you in months.
You glance over Eddie again and realise maybe it's not the hug he's nervous about at all. His eyes are primarily on you but occasionally glance up the stairs.
What exactly had they done, you wondered. Eddie's turn now, and he scoops you up in his arms, careful not to touch your slung arm, "Hello, my lady", he says with a massive grin, whilst his eyes are locked on yours and gives you a chaste kiss on the cheek. He takes your free hand in his and marches you upstairs to your room. As you try to open the door, he tuts a few times, wagging his finger and waits for your parents to come upstairs.
Once everyone is assembled, they all slink into the room and open the door for you to go inside.
If it weren't for the photographs and personal items, you wouldn't recognise this as your room.
Your bed feels doubled in size, and the previous wooden headboard has been swapped out for a metal barred one.
The bedding is no longer a pale lavender and white affair but a deep blue, with stars, suns and moons all over it.
There is a patchwork throw at the end of the bed, and as you inspect it, you can see one square has a patch of an owl sewn into it and next to it is a square with a boat patch sewn into it.
Your dresser has your usual products on it. Still, you notice a deodorant, cologne and some hairspray on there that are distinctly Eddie.
One desk has become two, with two chairs.
A window seat has been constructed and is adorned with plush pillows, throw blankets, and an ornate abalone ashtray on the outside.
Even the rugs on the floor are new plush ones, the wallpaper is unchanged, but several drapes are hanging from it now, some satin and some sheer fabric in purples.
The whole place looks like a dream.
"You did all this for me?" You say, choking back a sob.
"There is something else", Eddie says excitedly. He pats the bed for you to sit on, and you oblige with your back against the pillows at the headboard.
He unlocks something from the wall to the side of the bed on a metal arm, swings the surface in front of you and then tightens something underneath to keep it still, "TA-DA bed desk!!" He says, looking pleased with himself.
"You made this?" You say, trying to keep it together.
"Yeah," he says, putting his hands on his low-slung belt, "Do you like it?" He asks, twiddling his ring around his finger.
"No, I don't like it all," you say, unable to hold back the tears, "I love it", you sob.
Eddie carefully bundles away the tray desk, so he can give you a hug.
Your Dad clears his throat, "As discussed wi' Wayne an' Eddie. Eddie is welcome here as much as you both want. PROVIDED your grades don't slip. That goes for both of yas. The slightest indication of that, and it's over. Got it?"
You both nod in unison at your Dad.
"Reet then," he says, leaving your room with a salute.
"Dinner in about an hour, I'd say", your Mom says, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
Eddie has your face in his hands as soon as the door clicks and is in deep smooch territory.
You giggle, and he stops looking confused, maybe a tiny bit worried, "What is it?"
You point at the party hat still on his head and laugh louder, "Ok, that mood kill is on me", he says, about to take the hat off, but then decides against it.
"You know what? No, if you can't be stupidly in love with me at my party hat, then what even are we doing?" He says, trying not to laugh.
You reach out with your free hand and pull his chin towards you, "Come here, you fool." You say and kiss him deeply.
Comically the elastic snaps on the hat mid-make-out session, which sends you both into giggles, "I'm that good, huh?" You say, laughing.
"I'd say the only way to prove that is a lot more party hats and a lot more making out," Eddie says, blowing his party blower.
You sigh, looking into his eyes. "What epic deed did I do to deserve you?" You gently caress his face and hair, "I can't believe you did all of this and were at the hospital with me all that time too."
"Hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do," he says in his best cowboy-sounding voice.
"Ok, well, no more running yourself ragged, ok?" You say, looking at him seriously, "You're gonna need that energy. We've got grades to keep up."
"Babe, I'm gonna be the best student. I've got a whole merit point system devised," he says, walking his fingers up your arm and raising an eyebrow.
"Is that so?" You say, snuggling in a bit closer to him.
"Oh yeah," he says, pulling you into his arms again, "Also..."
He fishes around behind himself and presents you with a box with four tapes. You recognise them immediately, "Where are the others?" You whine a little.
"Ah well, these four are the ones that don't involve going out places."
"Such a smart boy!" You say, pinching his cheek gently, which makes him coyly smile and blush a little.
You look through the tapes and pick out the most offensive sounding one, Accept, 'Balls to the Wall'.
Eddie punches the air, "Yes" as you go to lean in for what you hope is an extended make-out session, he's rolled off the bed, slammed the tape in the stereo and is walking over to the closet.
He comes out with his arms full of board games. You check the cassette sleeve and see a song called Losers and Winners.
"Your choice," he says, peeking around the side of them.
You choose Clue, and he shakes his head, "I knew it. My little detective" he smiles enthusiastically.
He pulls down the bed desk and places the game on top, then jumps back on the bed next to you and pulls down another bed desk on his side. You look at him. Your eyes are wide in amazement. "What...you think I didn't want one too after I made yours?" He laughs, setting up the board.
Two games later, it's time for dinner, "How are you so good at this game, babe?" He says his eyes narrowed at you in impressed disbelief.
"I'm not sure. I think it's just a mix of deduction and red herrings for others, " you say matter-of-factly, helping him pack away the game, "I'll show you how I do it another time."
You make your way downstairs together. Eddie is still looking at your Clue sheet and his.
"Ouch," your Mom says, "Did you get Clue hustled, sunbeam?" She says with a soft laugh as he nods at her
"Oh, is this a common occurrence?" Eddie asks, looking at your Mom.
"Clue is banned in this 'owse lad", he laughs, patting Eddie on the back and reaches out to your Mom, who hands him $20
You roll your eyes, "Yeah, just the game I'm good at that gets banned", you say, laughing.
Eddie eyes the exchange of money, "Are you serious, right now?" He says, throwing his Clue sheet on the table in a tiny tantrum, causing everyone, including himself, to start laughing.
"I knew it were only a matter of time before she made you play Cluedo, on account we don't play it because she always wins", your Dad chuckles deeply.
You survey the scene and feel so happy inside. This was just perfect. Eddie not only got on with your parents, was wonderful to you, all whilst being his true self, but he also just felt like part of the family. It was hard to think that you hadn't even engaged him in a conversation just two weeks ago. This was intense, ridiculous and stupid on paper, but in practice, it was just right.
