#hellcheer ficlet

I did 18 for hellcheer! This was fun:)

18. “This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in.”

If you'd have asked Eddie if he'd be dating the girl of his dreams this time last year, he would have given you the finger and told you to fuck off.

Day Three - Graduation

They’re finally done. 

Eddie stares at his diploma in disbelief when Principal Higgins hands it to him. 

“Well done, Mr Munson,” Higgins says, with something like a smile on his face. “For a while I wasn’t sure we’d ever get there.”

“Yeah,” Eddie echoes, somehow finding enough saliva to speak. “Yeah, me too.”

He shakes Higgin’s hand and staggers off the stage. He can hear cheering and he doesn’t need to look up to the back of the gym to know that it’s his friends and Uncle Wayne. He officially only invited Wayne but somehow the rest of them had snuck in anyway. It’s not like the Hawkins High graduation ceremony is exactly well-guarded, especially not from people who still go to high school here. 

He’s probably meant to go sit down again but instead, he veers off towards the Cs, slipping through the chairs to the middle of the row. Lizzie Crawford shoots him a dirty look but turns her head back towards the stage. They’re still handing out diplomas and he probably has a minute or two before Mrs Click tells him to get back to his own seat. Chrissy squeezes his hand as he crouches next to her, back pressing into the chair in front. Even in a cap and gown, she’s the most beautiful person here. 

“We did it,” he whispers to her. 

“Nearly did it,” she corrects and his heart skips. He’s luckier than he has any right to be.

“You can still change your mind,” he tells her, even though it might just kill him if she does. They’ve been dating for a matter of months and he’d been terrified of asking her. This was his dream, not her’s.

“I’m not going to,” Chrissy whispers and squeezes his hand again. “One more week and we’re out of here.” 

“We’re out of here,” Eddie echoes, because the van is slowly being packed, the band is tidying up loose ends and now that they’re high school graduates they can finally go. LA. They might make it big or they might stumble home in a year’s time, heart-broken and just plain broke but at least they would have tried. 

hellcheer ficlet

one word prompt: firework

prompt by @pearlypairings

fireworks divider by @thecutestgrotto

You sure this is gonna work, Jonno?

Positive. And quit calling me Jonno.

Sorry. I‘ll just feel like an idiot doing all this if it doesn’t work. Plus this thing is fucking scalding hot.

Hey, you’re the one who wanted to make a grand gesture, Eds! You said you wanted to do something extra special for Chrissy’s birthday!

Yes, Robs, I know that, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get to feel silly about it.

I think it’s sweet! Who knew the metalhead was such a romantic?

Not helping, Nance.

C’mon, we ALL knew that.

Shut up, Jeff.

Can we just do this already? You’re not the only one who feels like an idiot out here.

Relax, Grant, you don’t look like an idiot.

Yes he does.

Not helping, Gareth!

Uhh… brochachos? I forget what letter I’m supposed to be.

You’re V.

I thought I was E?

No, Steve is E. Guys, are we ready or what? I swear this firework just burned my hand. I might need a new one.

It’s not technically a firework, it’s a sparkler. Here’s another. Okay, I’m gonna count to three and everyone stay as still as you can except for the hand forming your letter, because it’s a long exposure and you don’t want it too blurry. Everyone ready? One… two…

My dude. Are you sure I’m not L?

Jeff is L! Jesus H. Christ, Argyle, you’re V! You’re a very valuable valid member of this vision!

Whoa. Eddie, you should chill. You almost caught your shirt on fire with your sparkler, my dude.

Okay. Can we just try this again? Is everyone ready?

I have to pee.

Not now, Robin!

Jeez, okay, sorry!

AHEM. Ready. One… two… three!

*click*

Ow, fuck, my head!

Sorry, Garebear.

Dude, if you burned my hair I’m gonna get Kali to bleach yours when you’re asleep.

She would never!

Janie might.

Cut it out, you two. Man, Chrissy better appreciate all the effort we put into this.

She will. You know she will.

Aww, there he goes with his goofy smile! Eddie and Chrissy, sitting in a tree—

Shut up. You guys are the worst. Except for Jonno.

For the last time, my name is Jonathan.

We are not the worst, and you know it. Who else would do all this for someone else’s girlfriend?

Okay, fair point. Thanks, you guys. I take it all back, you’re not the worst.

We didn’t do it for you, Eds, we did it for Chrissy!

I take it back again. Robin, you’re the worst.

That’s why you love me.

Keep telling yourself that in your diary.

Um… dudes? I was supposed to be the Y, right?

ARGYLE!!!

Just kidding!

Jason and his buddies cornered Eddie after-school, demanding that he stay away from Chrissy. Jason snarled at Eddie in between punches, “You really think you’re good enough for Chrissy Cunningham, freak?”

Carver’s dick friends held Eddie’s arms none too gently behind his back. Blood dripped from his mouth, staining the white part of his shirt —something that was going to be a bitch to get out later. Eddie smiled belligerently at the cowardly asshole who was too chickenshit to fight him one on one. “You know, with me she’s more of a Chrissy Cumminghard — something I was told was a new experience for her.”

Eddie snaps her out of Vecna’s trance and she immediately collapses into his arms. They’re both shaken up and just stay there for a minute, several minutes, silent except for their harsh breathing, clinging to each other, tears streaming down Chrissy’s face.

Trembling, Eddie disentangles himself just enough to hold Chrissy at a forearm’s length, needing to see her face as he asks if she’s okay. She nods weakly, and they both know that she doesn’t mean it in the sense that everything is okay or that she’s not scared out of her mind, she means that she’s okay enough for him to guide her to the couch, never breaking contact for fear of her being taken again.

She explains in a quiet, broken voice what she’s been seeing. She doesn’t go into detail, and he doesn’t ask. It’s not the time for unpacking the trauma. Just the scent of hopelessness, the creature’s face, the bone-deep knowledge that whatever it is wants to break her.

Eddie believes everything. How could he not? She was fucking levitating. The lights flickered in time with her eyes.

“I don’t want to be alone,” she says. Eddie nods.

He finds the softest blanket he owns and spreads it across his bed. She crawls on top of it and sits, curled up, making herself as small as possible, never taking her eyes off Eddie, like the second she does she’ll be back in Vecna’s hell.

He stands in the doorway, unsure of where to place himself. He could get a chair from the main room, but he doesn’t want to leave her for a second. He could sit at the edge of the bed, but he doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He’s just made his mind up to sit on the floor when she raises her eyebrows, almost bashfully, and nods to the empty space on the bed.

Yeah. Yeah, okay. He climbs onto the bed, no room for space between them, and they tentatively lean back, laying down at the same time. Eyes never moving from each other.

Now his heart is beating for all kinds of reasons. The image of Chrissy, helpless, floating in the air, about to break. The tears drying on her cheeks. Scared for her. But also scared of her. Because she’s so, so close to him now. Her breath tickles his face. And she’s looking at him like he’s a lifeline.

“It won’t take you again,” he says.

“You don’t know that,” she says.

[ Stranger Things * HellCheer ficlet ]

Eddie ignored the tentative knocking from the door behind him as he continued to set up the classroom. He needed everything to be perfect so he could lead his merry band of players through the next phase of the campaign. He was in the zone –  and he did not tolerate interruptions from the zone.

The knock got louder — almost imperceptibly so.

He sighed as he dropped a chair unceremoniously in place. “Can I help you?” he asked the interloper loudly, without turning around. He was annoyed. Honestly, he loved these kids but he required time to work his magic. None of this just happened — Eddie Munson made it happen.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. Are you busy?” asked a hesitant, feminine voice.

Eddie froze. No fucking way.

Giving himself an internal shake, Eddie quickly transformed his utter shock into what he hoped would pass for a charming smile as he turned around. “Uh, no. I can — I can make time for you. What can I help you with, Chrissy?” he asked, his heart racing so fast it felt like it was trying to beat its way out of his chest as his mind reeled.

Why was Chrissy Cunningham talking to him? Scratch that. Why the fuck was head cheerleader Chrissy Cunningham — girlfriend to Hawkins High’s poster boy for eating his Wheaties and bullying freaks, Jason motherfucking Carver -– coming to find him, renowned King of the Freaks Eddie Munson in the multipurpose room while he was setting up for Hellfire?

How did she even know where to find him?

Chrissy looked around the room furtively, clearly uncomfortable. Eddie instinctively tried to appear more relaxed himself, hoping he wasn’t the one making her anxious. She looked tired. Not as vibrant as usual. Mostly this girl was brighter than the sun and yet here she was with her light dimmed.

“I was, um. Sorry.” Chrissy took a deep breath before letting the words fall out of her in a rush,  “I was hoping I could buy from you?”

Eddie felt a cresting wave of hope evaporate before hitting the shore. Right. Of course. Why else would she be here? This was a business transaction. Honestly, that should've been his first guess.

Brushing aside his disappointment to pick at later, Eddie put on his game face. “Sure thing princess, what would you like?”

“Ah, the thing is I’m not really sure. I — I just need to relax. To take the edge off.” She licked her lips, giving him a smile that didn’t meet her eyes. “I suppose I also need some advice,” she giggled nervously, shuffling her feet as she clasped her hands in front of her pleated skirt.

Eddie couldn’t resist a small smirk, mostly directed at the universe for bringing utter perfection tantalizingly closer, but still keeping it out of his reach. “Of course Cunningham. I can offer you my expertise. Let’s say tomorrow after school? I can bring some options and you can —“

Chrissy’s eyes looked panicked and she quickly cut him off. “I have practice tomorrow and I have to be home right afterwards. I can’t do it then,” she whispered before biting her lip, her eyes bright as she blinked rapidly.

The girl in front of him — this girl who was the girl, at least as far as Eddie was concerned — was practically trembling in what he assumed was nerves but was looking more to him like tightly controlled terror. Eddie furrowed his brow in confusion, tilting his head to the side as he examined her expression, analyzing. He lowered his voice and responded gently, “Hey, that’s no problem. How about the day after? Or I could meet you tomorrow morning, before school. I am at your service” At his last words, he gave her a little bow with a small flourish, to let her know he was joking.

Of course, it wasn’t really a joke. But she didn’t need to know that. No need to scare her away from him entirely. Never in a million years did he think she would ever actually talk to him, let alone want to purchase from him. She didn’t need to know that he’d do anything for her, or that he’d been in love with her from afar for years. It would just make things awkward.

Chrissy relaxed visibly — no longer looking like she was on the verge of tears. “I can’t do tomorrow, but I can do Thursday,” she said, chuckling slightly at his antics, which was of course why he had done it.

Eddie exhaled in relief as she looked more at ease. “Alright Chrissy — sounds good to me. We can meet at the picnic table, in the woods. Do you know where —“

“Yeah! I mean, yes. Yes, I do.” Chrissy smiled, looking — well maybe relaxed wasn’t the right word. But at least she didn’t look like she was about to bolt screaming from the room at any moment. Which was good. Also she was talking to him, for crying out loud. Which was very good.

“Alright. Twenty minutes after school lets out?” Eddie asked. He had been planning on blowing off English lit but he supposed could go. If he must. He basically had Catcher in the Rye memorized at this point – it was his third time in Old Man Johnson’s class – but Eddie could suffer through it again.

If it meant seeing Chrissy, he could suffer through quite a bit.

“Great. Thank you! I’ll see you then,” she said, some of her natural spark returning as she smiled at him, her nose scrunching up adorably in the process. Like it always did when Chrissy Cunningham smiled.

Eddie felt his heart flutter, because it was the first time she’d aimed that smile in his direction.

His answering grin was broad as they exchanged small goodbye waves before Chrissy turned on her heel in her cheer uniform and left — her gorgeous legs on display as he looked on in stunned awe. He was meeting Chrissy Cunningham in two days. Also, he talked to Chrissy Cunningham today. She knew who the fuck he was. Or at the very least, she knew he could get her pot.

Eddie returned to his task, his heart feeling lighter than it had in years and his feet dancing as he swung a chair into place, snapping his fingers and pointing at the table as he spun around to get the next chair. He could feel it in his bones – things were finally looking for Eddie Munson.

[HellCheer * Eddissy * No Upside Down AU * Ficlet]

Eddie inhaled deeply before passing the joint to Chrissy. He watched her put her lips around it to do the same, before she quietly passed it back to him, exhaling. Eddie took another hit, really savouring it this time. It was always better after she had it first — because then he could faintly taste her lip gloss. Last week it was strawberry, but today was his absolute favourite – cherry.

Chrissy tightly closed her eyes as she released a sigh. Opening them, she spoke softly. “This is the last time I can do this.”

Eddie blinked and began to quietly panic. “What? Why?”

“Jason is going to ask me to marry him. Right after graduation. He asked my parents for permission and my mother told me about it. She’s already planning the wedding.” Chrissy held her hand out impatiently for the blunt. Eddie complied with her unspoken request as his mind whirred. They were graduating in three weeks, for fuck’s sake. He noted the unfamiliar deep dark circles under her eyes and took in her expression of grim resignation. Not what you’d expect from a happy bride to be.

“Is that something you want?” he asked, needing to at least try.

Chrissy blinked. “You’re probably the only person who will ask me that, you know? It doesn’t matter —  because it’s happening. I’m going to be engaged for a year and married next summer. My mother and Jason have it all planned out. I won’t be able to keep meeting up with you after we graduate, so I’d rather just stop now.” She snatched the joint from his hands and inhaled deeply once more.

Eddie furrowed his brow as he looked at her, his heart racing. He didn’t want to give this — whatever this was — up, but he really didn’t want to see Chrissy even more trapped in a life that didn’t make her happy. “Chrissy, it should matter what you want.”

She laughed without mirth, a sound so different from her usual effervescent giggles that he winced when he heard it. “Probably. But it doesn’t. So I’m afraid this is goodbye.”

Chrissy held out the joint for him to take back. Eddie’s chest was tight as he accepted it reluctantly. “Chrissy, please. Let me help you.”

“I know you mean that and I know you would, but there is no help for this. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for — well, everything.” She smiled at him softly, her eyes bright as she blinked rapidly. “I hope you have a good life Eddie Munson.” And she turned and left the forest. She didn’t look back as he watched her leave in stunned silence.