WAKE UP BABE NEW CONTENT

Eddie coming home to show you the stray cat he befriended at the trailer park

my record has been broken- eddie is officially my longest hyper fixation crush.

long live the metal head 🫶🏻 (me pretending he didn’t die)

happy 11 months of Eddie brain-rot to all who celebrate!!

About You

Masterlist 

Eddie Munson x female!Harrington!reader (Y/N used)

Series TW: panic attacks, 18+ generally mature content, trauma, angst, partying, smoking (cigarettes), drinking, (in editing in case I missed anything)

In the aftermath of the events of season 2, Eddie confronts you about why you ignored him for a week and basically went missing.  You can’t tell him to protect him.  Angst ensues. 

*Eddie is not very understanding at first, but rightfully so and I feel it’s in character so... 

Prologue: The Split 

Chapter 1: The Car Ride

Chapter 2: The Dance 

Chapter 3: The Party 

Chapter 4: The Rift

Chapter 5: (in progress)

Chapter 6: (in progress)

~This is my first story so be kind to it!  I just love writing as a hobby and stranger things (*cough Eddie cough*) and thought I’d take a try.  :)))))~

About You

(Mid-Late December 1984) Chapter 2: The Dance 

Eddie Munson x female!harrington!reader

Chapter summary: A month has passed since the breakup and both you and Eddie have decided you can’t stay apart. However, pride and anxiety seem to have other plans. An awkward school dance might help make a breakthrough in your relationship though... 

Word Count: 6.9k 

series masterlist here

Chapter warnings: 18+ minors DNI for mature themes, angst, smoking (reader), adult language, angst, partying, underage drinking (reader and co.), 18+ suggestive content (not smut just like sporadic, vague mentions of suggestive themes), anxiety, fluffy convos, 

A brick wall made jarring contact with your nose as you rounded the corner of the deserted Hawkins High halls.  Disoriented, you stumble backwards only to be held in place by a pair of steel arms- preventing you from causing any further injury to your persons in the process of reacting to the initial assault on your nose.  Without opening your eyes, you already know who is holding you steady- you’d know the grip on your arms anywhere.  These arms have wrapped around you many of times; to comfort you, to protect you, to pleasure you.  

You open your eyes and find Eddies eyes searching your face and body frantically for any serious damage while locking you in his iron grip.  “Holy shit- y/n I’m so sorry sweetheart are you alright?”  He questioned quickly and apologetically.  

A blush creeped up your neck at the term of endearment as you stepped back from him- needing air between the two of you in order to think straight.  Your arm gripped your chest and the painted concrete wall beside you, providing support to settle your rattled nerves.  

“Yea I’m okay.  Free nose job I guess.” You chuckled, moving your hand from your chest to lightly tap at your nose and feel for anything out of place.  Eddie stifled a belly laugh at your optimistic comment- successfully putting his anxieties to rest.  

“Are you sure I don’t need to drive you to like the hospital or something?”

“I think walking would be a safer option than you driving.”

He clasped his hands together and jabbed them at the center of his chest, pretending to knock the air out of his lungs as he stumbled backwards, “Low blow.  Truly, you wound me.” You giggled as you stooped down to pick up the backpack you dropped in the flurry of the impact and lift it onto your shoulder.  

“What are you doing here so late?  Don’t you know the weirdo’s creep out at night?” he teased at you wiggling his fingers in your face.  “Oh, I’m well aware. I’ve recently had an encounter with one and he damn near broke my nose.”

“Hey, I said I was sor- “

“But I’m a big girl, I can handle them.  Also, I had cheer practice, so I had to stay. I should be asking you why you’re here mister.” You squinted your eyes at him in curiosity.

Eddie crossed his arms and leaned his side against a row of lockers in an effort to look nonchalant, “I think we both know why I’m here.”

You arched your eyebrow, “Stalking me?”

“You wish, weirdo.”

“Coming from the chronic detentionee.”

He rolled his eyes and giggled as you popped your hip out dramatically to the side and rested you hand on top of it in a display of annoyance.

“What were you in for this time?”

“I may or may not have stolen some test answers out of Mrs. Woodhouse’s desk. During her planning period.  And got caught.”

Sighing, you threw your arms up in the air, “Eds!” 

“Hey, you said you wanted me to graduate!  How else am I supposed to do that!” He pushed off the lockers and walked over to the opposite side of the hall, opening his conveniently placed locker, and pulling a pack of cigarettes out.

Your arms dropped back to your hips, and you stroked your chin feigning being deep in thought.  “I’m not sure maybe you could, oh I don’t know, study?”

He craned his neck around to give you a side eye, “Come on, y/n.  Let’s be realistic here.”

You giggled at his antics.  As he lit up a smoke- the warm blanket returned.  It had been a couple of weeks since your last interaction with each other when he gave you a ride home from the party you attended, yet this banter was endlessly more effortless.  You were once more confident around one another.  A comfortable silence returned to envelop the two of you, the playful conversation easing the once tense atmosphere between the you both.  He crossed the hall back to you and extended his hand out, offering you a puff of the cigarette.  

It felt too intimate; putting your lips where his were moments before. However, you couldn’t stop the flutter in your chest or yourself as you reached for the smoke. While you made the exchange, he breathed out the smoke and began elaborating.

“You wanna know the worst part?”  “Oh, do tell.” You pleaded, overexaggerating your interest in his predicament.

He smirked as you took a deep inhale, filling your lungs with the calming depressant that dulled the ever-present ache in your bones for the man who stood in front of you.  

“Woodhouse has taken a particular pleasure in trying give me the hardest time possible.  In order to not flunk the semester, she’s making me run music at the middle school’s dance.” He whined taking the cigarette back from you.

Your face twisted into a confused expression- one that Eddie thought made your look adorably puzzled.  “You’re volunteering at the Snow Ball?” “More like I was volun-told to oversee music. Totally ruining my street cred.” He chuckled out darkly and filled the space between you with the potent smoke from his lungs. Giggling, you retorted back, “Well a little birdie told me all the cool kids are doing it. So, I think your cred is safe.”  

Eddie stared back at your secretive expression, willing you to elaborate on your comment.  You motioned to your mouth and zipped it shut, twisting a phantom key at the corner of your lips, and tossing it behind your shoulder.  “You’re kind of the worst you know.”  Your shoulders shrugged upwards, “Enjoy the crime, you do your time.”  

“Okay Billy Idol.” He scoffed.  

“You knew that?” a twinkle in your eye appeared as it occurred to you, he recognized a line from your favorite artist.  He copied your previous actions and pretended to lock his mouth closed, tossing the key behind his shoulder as you once did.

Silence ensued.  Eyes drank up the sight of each other.  Brains formed phrases you desperately wanted to speak but couldn’t bring yourself to. Arms tingled to entwine yourselves in each other’s beings, noses craved each other’s scents, and ears yearned to once more be graced with the timber of each other’s voices. Infinite longing, silently vocalized into the small space between your bodies and the smoke that lingered by your mouths.  

“You need a ride home?”

“That’s alright, Stevie is probably waiting outside.”  

“You better head out then.  Wouldn’t want to keep the prince waiting.” You rolled your eyes at his snide comment, his disdain for your brother’s popularity peeking through ever so slightly.  

“Alrighty then.  See ya.” You awkwardly waved your arms at him and hiked the strap of your backpack further up the expanse of your shoulder.  As you trekked down the long corridor to the large, glass, double doors, you felt the familiar tingling you got only when his eyes were on you.  

At the doors, your eyes caught an image in the reflection of the hallway lights on the glass- an image of Eddie planted in place with his eyes glued to your form as you glided away from him.  Longing in his eyes and a visible ache in his heart.

You thought for a split second that he might come after you or call out, but then nixed the idea from your mind.  

He broke up with me.  He doesn’t miss me; he just misses the attention.  I can give him attention.  I will give him attention until he doesn’t want mine anymore.  

You push the door open and flee to the comfort of Steve’s presence and the warmth of his car.  Leaving Eddie alone, with no company except for his anxious thoughts.

 _______________________________________________________________

“He did not!” you shrieked at the story your brother relayed to you.  The smell of popcorn drifted through the house and butter clung to both your fingers.  The movie you were supposed to be paying attention to went unwatched in favor of gossiping.  “I swear to God y/n.  He grabbed his hands in front of him-“Steve demonstrated as he described, “-and his shoulders touched!”  

“I know he doesn’t have collarbones, but I’ve never seen it in action.”  

“It was the strangest thing I’d ever seen.  But the kid is kinda cool.  He asked me if I’d drive him to that dance next week.”

“Aw, that’s sweet Stevie.” You pinched at his cheeks with your greasy fingers as he swatted them away.  

“I know I know, I’m a saint.  What can I say?”  

“You still gonna take me too?  Or will I be third wheeling on this playdate of yours?”

He rolled his eyes at your mocking and agreed to transport you along with his newfound sidekick.  

“I found out that Eds is gonna be there.” “Gonna be where?” “At the Snow Ball.”

A pause.

“Voluntarily?” You both chuckle. “More like he was volun-told.”

“And you found this out how?” “I may or may not have run into him yesterday and it just came up.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

“I don’t really know.  I caught him staring at me when I left and I swear he even looked sad, but I feel like it was just wishful thinking.  I’m kind of nervous to dress up all nice in front of him, even if he doesn’t care.” You explained while pulling the pillow that decorated your families couch from behind your back and into your lap.  You anxiously fiddled with the decorative fringe at its corners. “We both know he still cares y/n. I’ve seen the way he ogles you at school.”  Steve retorts at your dismissive comment.  

“I get it- I just don’t know what’s going on in his head. Does he regret it?  If I ask him, will I just embarrass myself in putting the idea out there?  Do I even want to get back with him after he couldn’t trust me?  Or, he might still think I cheated on him with Hargrove!”  A gagging noise emerged from your brother’s throat at the mention of his rival’s last name.  

“I told you that you shouldn’t have talked to him after school, of course the prick would try to make a move.  You’re too nice for your own good.”

“Not helping here Steve.”  “Right, sorry.”

“There’s just so many factors that I’m not sure he can even overlook to get back with me.  I wish we could talk about it, but it feels like I’d ruin the common ground we’ve found if I do.  I can’t lose him completely Stevie.”  

Your brother sighed and reached towards the coffee table to grab a fist full of popcorn.  He popped a few into his mouth, munched, and contemplated your situation. “Maybe you don’t need to talk about it. Maybe you can drop some hints or plant some seeds in his brain and see what he does.  Almost like, testing the waters.”

“Steve, that’s like kinda brilliant.  How did you come up with that?”

“Oh, you know me.  You are currently in the presence of Hawkins High’s local Cupid.”

“Oh yea?  And how’s Cupid’s own love life going?”

Steve threw a few pieces of popcorn at your face, getting tangled in your hair as you pulled the pillow up too little too late to block his attack.  “Off topic, back to you!”

The siblings bantered back and forth like a pair of gossiping hens for the rest of the night.  2 more batches of popcorn were made, the kitchen was made sticky from a shaken can of soda- resulting in a very irritated Mrs. Harrington and an assumed Mr. Harrington-, and another movie went played yet unwatched.  

You and Steve parted ways a little before midnight. As you settled into your bed, your head swam with thoughts of your Eddie.  The image of his toothy grin painted across the back of your eye lids and welcomed the darkness of sleep with you.

 _______________________________________________________________

You yearned for the smell of last night’s buttery popcorn.  Or any smell that wasn’t beer, vomit, or sweat.  You weren’t particular.  

You sank into the couch, red cup in hand, as you sullenly sipped from the spiked punch.  

Second party in a month.  Never thought my social life would come to this- forced interaction with drunk adult toddlers.

You spied your friend Dina- the culprit who insisted you come out tonight- stumbling her way towards the couch out of your peripheral vision.  You sprung up from your seat, abandoned your drink haphazardly on the lamp table to your right, and caught Dina in your arms before she collapsed onto the suspiciously stained couch.  “I think you’re ready to go home Dina.  Who drove you here?”

“May-May!” She shrieked out.  “Who?”

“May-May!” Dina sang into your ear- blowing out your eardrum in the process.

You held Dina as she swayed around in your embrace and tried to decipher her drunken rambling.

“Oh, Mabel!” “Mabel!” Dina agreed with the vigorous shake of her head.  

You scanned your surroundings and found a friend lounging in a chair on a few feet away from the couch- close enough to hear you call out over the music. “Andy!  Can you come watch Dina while I get her ride?”  Andy swung his head around, his fluffed up brown hair shaking around his head at the motion along with the tiny, silver, dangle earring that reacted the same.  His eyes scanned the scene in front of him and his eyes focused in with determination, “Of course, I won’t let her out of my sight.”  Andy arose from his chair and sat on the couch, leaving room from Dinas drunk form to collapse next to him.  

“Thanks man.”  He made an army saluting motion with his hand, then you turned and walked into the thick of the party to find Mabel.  

After 15 minutes, an awkward bedroom interruption of Mabel and her boyfriend Denis, and convincing Dina to stop petting Andy’s hair, the lot finally got Dina into Denis’ car.  

“Thanks for helping again, Andy, I owe you.”  You closed Dina’s door and patted his shoulder in appreciation.  You averted your attention from Andy’s from retreating into the house at the sound of Denis poking his head out of the driver’s side window.  “You gotta ride home y/n?” he questioned cautiously.  

You shoved your hands into the pockets of your jacket and angled the top half of your body to see Mabel in the passenger seat.  “I can find someone to drive me, you’ve got your hands full with Dina.” Mabel shook her head vigorously and insisted you join your drunk friend in the backseat.  “Plus, I don’t know where she lives,” she added, ”and I don’t think she is any position to give us directions.”

“I thought you drove her here?”

“Yea, but she came over to my house then Denis picked us up.”

A thought crossed your mind for a fraction of a second.  Dina lives in Forest Hills.  Eddie lives in Forest Hills.  Dina lives directly across from Eddies trailer. Your heart skipped what felt like multiple beats at the thought of possibly seeing him, but then you came back down to Earth and realized the probability of you interacting with him tonight was astronomically low.  

It’s Friday night, there is no way he is home.  

Yet your stomach still got butterflies at the thought of being in proximity to the trailer where everything ended.  A place you once frequented multiple times a week.  A place you felt safest in.  A place you have not been in at least a month. You swallowed your nerves and glanced at Denis, eyeing him for permission to accompany them on their journey to Dina’s house and inevitably adding a stop to drop you off.  

Denis smirked at you, thinking your lapse in response was an effect of the alcohol, “Just get in the damn car.”  You giggled and stuck your tongue out at him, making your way around the car to enter the backseat where Dina greeted you with a burp in your face that smelt of vodka and stomach acid.  

Definitely not buttery popcorn.

________________________________________________________________

Eddie lounged in the comfort of his room.  Another Friday night, another night alone.  It was a slightly warmer than usual December night, creating the perfect opportunity for Eddie to leave his bedroom window ajar; a beautiful breeze filling up his space and lungs.  Silently, he scribbled down notes and ideas for his next Hellfire campaign- ever since that unfortunate November evening, Eddie has found himself with excessive amounts of free time and no choice but to fill it or be left in a spiral of despair and self-loathing.

Without warning, a voice drifted into his room that had not entered since the aforementioned night.  It was so crystal-clear Eddie was concerned for his own sanity; either he had started hearing voices- your voice- in his head or you were somehow hiding in his closet. Neither of his theories yielded correct when, after discarding his busy work, he found your voice originated from outside his bedroom window, somewhere in the shadows of the trailer park he lived in.

There you stood, the streetlight you stood under creating a halo affect around your head and hair, infecting the air around you with your laugh.  To your left was a raven-haired girl he knew to be one of his neighbors, Dina Rodriguez, and a dear friend of yours.  She had her arm draped around your shoulder like she couldn’t stand without you- and after observing for a moment, Eddie realized she couldn’t.  Supporting Dina’s left arm was another member of your squad, Mabel Myers; her boyfriend Denis “something-or-other” trailed behind the group of girls like a bodyguard.

It appeared Dina was either drunk off her ass or high out of her mind- he is familiar with both situations intimately- and it was the duty of you three to see your friend home safe and sound.  She lulled her drooping head to the right and muttered another comment into your ear that sent your laughter exploding from your chest and flooding his ears again.  As you tossed your head back in hilarity your eyes caught his gazing at your from across the street through his window. Immediately turning red, Eddie turned around and rushed to his bed- desperate to dive back into his campaign and distract himself from the colossal embarrassment that was being caught by you.

He heard the door to Dina’s trailer open and close and the sound of your voice disappear behind the thin trailer walls.  After a while, he heard nothing but silence in Forest Hills and assumed you had fled the park with your friends after settling Dina in.  Eddie should know by now to always expect the unexpected when it comes to you, because a few moments after he figured you’d left there was a light tap noise at his window.  At first, he ignored it, choosing to remain focused on his campaign. Yet again, another light tap hit his window.  And a few more second after that, a tiny pebble landed on the open page of his journal he wrote in on his bed.  His eyebrows pinched and he picked up the stone to inspect it.  These shenanigans had your name written all over then, and his heart swelled.

Stone still trapped between his index finger and thumb, Eddie approached his window and opened it further to come face to face with your flaming cheeks.

“Were you throwing stones into my room?” He questioned with a smirk on his face, holding up the pebble and launching it back out his window and onto the gravel below.  

“I’m sorry I have terrible aim.  I meant to hit your window.” You rubbed the back of your neck embarrassedly.

He narrowed his eyes at you, “You stalking me or something?”

You blush at his reference to your last conversation, “You wish, weirdo.” You stuck your tongue out at him.

He cocked his head to the side and rested his hands on the sill of the window, “Coming from the girl who was throwing stones at my window.”

You planted your hands on your hips and raised your eyebrows at him.  “Coming from the guy who was watching me like a creeper from across the street.”

It was now Eddies turn to blush profusely.  “I was hoping you hadn’t seen me.” His eyes flitted to the ground where your white sneakers made contact with the gravel road of the trailer park.  

“I was hoping you wouldn’t see me either.  Didn’t wanna disturb your night.” You shuffled your right foot against the dirt and sent up a gust of particles that had you stepping back slightly as to avoid the cloud.  “Yet here you are, causing a ruckus that would have your mother clutching her pearls.” Eddie chuckled grasping at the guitar pick necklace that dangled across his collarbone, resting atop the black, fitted t-shirt he wore- mimicking a shocked lady.  Your cheeks once more flushed at the insinuation your presence was an intrusion while muttering another apology.  You ran your hand through your hair, a nervous tick Eddie noticed both Harrington siblings had developed over the years.  

Eddie caught his flunder. “Oh, no I didn’t- I wasn’t saying that- erm.. What’s up with Dina?” he tried to change the subject.  

You smiled sheepishly, “One too many hits.  A few too many shots.  And after emptying the contents of her stomach on the ride of the road a few miles back, everything seemed extremely funny to her.  Don’t go hiking around marker 15… it’s not pretty.”  

“Rock on party animal.  Are you okay?”  Eddie asked quizzically.  “Am I okay? Yea.  Am I sober? For the most part.” You giggled.

“You okay to get home? I can give you a ride.”

“It’s okay, Denis is our DD.”

“Ah, I see.  Wait, are they still here?”

“Yea, they are right over there.”  You jammed your thumb behind you at the red hatchback humming at the entrance of the of the trailer park, stalled in place and- apparently- waiting on you.  

“Then what are you doing Y/n?  Don’t hold them up.” Eddie gestured to the car. You zipped your windbreaker up farther and crossed your arms on your chest. You made brief eye contact with the boy in the window before flicking back away to the oh-so interesting weeds growing at the base of the trailer home.  “I’ll get out of your hair in a minute, I just- I guess I just wanted to say hi.”

Just planting some seeds. Testing the waters.  Wondering if yours still in love with me as deeply as I am with you.

Your eyes reached his again, checking for his reaction, only to meet his glassy eyes.

He muttered a soft hello as he leaned further out his window.

You muttered a soft hello back as you stepped towards the opening.  

Eyes locked; hearts pounded in sync.

Then, an ear-splitting car horn shattered the moment, alerting you two that you were not alone. You jumped out of your skin and Eddie almost hit his head on the top of the open pane.  You both laughed awkwardly at the intimate bubble that had burst around you and you shuffled backwards.  

“I better jam.  Later.”

He didn’t respond.  He held his eyes on you and waved his hand back and forth- a reluctant goodbye.  You jogged to the car and stopped when you were about halfway. Suddenly, in a flurry of movement, you raced back to the windowsill.  

Eddies jaw dropped as you approached him.  Eyes locked; hearts pounded in sync.

“My dress will be blue.”

Bewildered eyes peered at half-sober ones.

“Do with that what you will.”

Seed, planted.

Once again you jogged back to the car, but this time you entered the car and exited Forest Hills trailer park.  

________________________________________________________________

Eddie had a horrible habit of being late to almost everything.  Corroded Coffin had to be at the Hideout at 7:30?  He’s showing up at 8. School starts at 8:45? He’s showing up at 9. Hellfire is right after school? He’s showing up 20 minutes late.  

It’s just how he rolled. His overactive mind usually distracted him from his original intent- making arriving on time a seemingly impossible task for the frazzled metal head.  What he lacked in punctuality, he tried to make up for speediness in travel- an Eddie-ism that has nearly sent you into cardiac arrest on multiple occasions.

Eddie had never been on time for nearly anything in his life, much less early.  Yet here he sat in the back of his van, music low, back doors open, cigarette lit, and 10 minutes early to the mandatory set up for the dance.  

Eddie was early, for the first time in this life, because of you.  Because of your little comment, whispered to him through his windowsill in the dead of night.

My dress will be blue.

He swore he melted into a puddle of lovesick-Eddie-mush as soon as Denis’ car exited the trailer park. That was not the comment he expected you to leave him with that night, but he was nonetheless grateful for it.  He couldn’t leave his trailer early enough that night, it seemed.  He wanted to see you as soon as earthly possible, adorned in a blue gown.  Now, he was excited to sit in the stupid gym, listening to stupid pop music, surrounded by stupid middle schoolers. Because he would be rewarded with the sight of you in a beautiful blue dress.  

As he smoked through his cigarette, he let his mind wander.  He wondered what shade it would be, light or dark.  He wondered what length it would be, long or short.  If it would be tight, showing off your figure.  If it would show your shoulders or your cleavage. What you would be wearing underneath it.  He shook his head, trying to rid himself of thoughts that would only lead to sorrow when he saw you in your beautiful blue dress and wouldn’t be able to take you home with him after the dance.  How he wouldn’t see the blue of the dress drown underneath the leather of his jacket that you would wear if you got cold. How he wouldn’t be able to feel the fabric of the garment under his hands as he held your waist, guiding you down the hall of his trailer and into his room. How he would never see that beautiful blue dress crumpled up on his bedroom floor.  

Eddie felt like such a pervert, but he couldn’t help himself.  You were his kryptonite, his eternal temptation, and he would never be able to stop himself from wanting you- or loving you.  He stepped out of the back of the van and flicked the butt of the smoke stick on the ground, stomping it out under his heavy boot and ridding himself of fantasies of you.  He decided he would have to settle for just admiring you and your beautiful blue dress from afar tonight, shut the doors to his van, and started towards the entrance of the gym.  

*******

Half listening to Mrs.Woodhouse explaining the “do play” and “do not play” songs, Eddies eyes wandered the sparkling, silver gymnasium for you.  You had yet to arrive, which caused anxiety to swirl in his chest and make his blue tie feel more like a noose, slowly choking him.  After getting the run down about the music, Eddie meandered over to where an acquaintance of his, Jonathan Byers, set up his camera.  They chatted about the dance, school, life- until Nancy Wheeler appeared next to the pair of boys and tucked herself under the older Byers sibling’s arm.  

Eddie excused himself from the conversation, happily obliging to the new couple’s silent desire to bask in their honeymoon phase, alone.  

Eventually the dance commenced, and you still had not darkened the doorway of the gym.  A steady stream of middle schoolers entered, blood pumping, hearts racing, and hormones ranging- and Eddie occupied himself by spinning records of mindless pop songs.  

You stepped into the gym right out of Eddie’s fantasies.  There you stood, coat in hand, adorned in gold jewelry and the dress he had pondered about for the past few days.  

You were a breath of fresh air, filling his lungs and igniting the anxiety in his belly, as the music thumped in his ears in time with his racing heart.

Your dress was the perfect shade of dark, navy blue and came down to your knees.  It covered your shoulders with puffy sleeves that capped at your elbows, accompanied by a square neckline that highlighted your collarbones and the dainty gold necklace that sat upon them.  Your earring swished around and bounced off your cheeks and jawline as you swung your head around to the music at the same time as observing the room.  

Your eyes met Eddies for a split second before darting away.  His chest sank at the dismissal until your eyes immediately darted back to his, realizing you’d skipped over his face and commenced a double take.  

Your eyes digested the sight of him in a sky-blue tie, crookedly hanging from his white-collar shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, displaying his tattoos. A smile erupted on your face as you comprehended his appearance.  He was in a sky-blue tie.  A blue tie.  The beam of your smile was enough to send the butterflies in your stomach fluttering to Eddies.  You shyly brought your hand up and gave an enthusiastic wave to the boy, but turned to dash towards Nancy before he could return the gesture.  

A moment later a small boy with extremely poofy hair walked through the entrance and sought his friends out in the bustling crowd, as many had done before him that night.

You reached the punch bowl and rounded it to stand on Nancys left, giving her a quick side hug.  

“You look gorgeous y/n!”  

“Me? Look at you!  I feel like my eyes are about to pop out of my head- that dress looks amazing on you!” She blushed at your compliment and even deeper so when her eyes made contact with Jonathan’s from across the room. “And I don’t seem to be the only person who has noticed.” You tease her, the exchange not going unnoticed by you.

She rolled her eyes at you and shoved you playfully with her hip, not before you swiped two cups of punch and sauntered away.  As you left you heard a boy ask Nancy what was in the punch.  She chuckled to him and replied, “Pure fuel.” You giggled to yourself, the joke- too- not going unnoticed by you.  

A small smile settled on your face as you approached the music booth, clutching a cup in each hand, and walked up the platform to Eddie.  

The booth sat behind the speakers that filled the gym with music, making the space Eddie sat in unexpectedly quieter than the rest of the dance and nixing the need to shout to be heard.

“Total rager, isn’t it?”

Eddie looked up at your sly smirk, quickly soaking up your presence.  “Oh yeah totally.  This’ll be the talk of the playground for weeks.”

You giggled, “I told you all the cool kids would be at this shindig!”

Eddie rolled his eyes and slumped back into this chair; arms settled on the crease of his thighs.  “Oh yes, Hawkins Highs resident freak and 200 middle schoolers.  A shindig of epic proportions.”  

“Hey, don’t forget about the co-captain of the cheer team! Or am I just chopped liver?” you raised your eyebrow at him playfully.

In a daring mood, and propelled by the beat of the music, Eddie couldn’t help but flirt shamelessly, “Not in that dress, you aren’t.”

Your cheeks rushed red, and you looked down at the flats adorning your feet, willing yourself to gain composure.  You forced your eyes up again and settled into your hip, preparing your response.

“Well, I see you got my hint then.  About the color.”  You pointed to your own neck with your index finger, still wrapped around a punch filled cup.  “Although I don’t think you really matched it right.”

“Hey, you said blue! Not what kind! S’Not my fault you didn’t specify.” Eddie accused while reaching down to the crate of records next to him, ready to cue up the next set.  

“And here I was trying to be nice and bring you punch.  But, if you’re gonna be a jerk then I guess I’ll take myself and my beverages elsewhere-“

“Wait, wait, hold up. Don’t go.”  He pleaded.  You turned back around from where you had started away, eyes locking too intensely for such a public space.  Eddie pulled himself out of his momentary lapse in composure, “I’m very thirsty.”

You half smiled. “And?”

“And I’m sorry.”

“For?” you waved your arms around in a circle, feigning confusion, and tousling the liquid around in the cups.

Eddie narrowed his eyes at you and you mirrored his expression- serious about your teasing. “For being a jerk.”  

“Now that wasn’t so hard now was it!”  You stepped back towards him and extended your arm towards him, offering the cup in your hand.  As the cup exchanged between you two, fingers brushed slightly against each other. Eyes locked, then looked away- unable to process the intensity of each other’s stares.  A moment passes before you noticed that the music had stopped.  

“Eddie.” “Yea?” “The music.”

A moment.

“What?”

“Mr. Munson!”  Mrs. Woodhouse shrieked a few feet away from the booth.  Pulling you both from the locked gaze you held.  

“Oh shit- “Eddie choked out while frantically changing over the record.  You snicked under your breath, holding your cup to your lips to hide behind as you stifled your laughter.

“Think it’s funny getting me in trouble?” he glared at you out of the side of his eye as finally spun the track.  “Only a little.”  You held up your thumb and index finger in front of your face.  

Your eyes caught on the watch the adorned Eddies wrist, the time setting an alarm off in your mind. You placed your cups down on the table next to Eddies untouched punch and started off on your mission.  “Hey I gotta go.”

“But you just got here. Where are you going?”

“I just- I have something- someone… this thing I gotta do.” You stammer out to him through your anxious smile, concealing your urgency.  

Eddies heart visibly sank. The secrets, the stammering, the lack of explanation- all brought him back to that night.  That November night.  The worst night of his life.   While he was upset that the situation had not lessened any to allow you to tell him about it, he would not make you feel guilty for a second time about having to put it above both your feelings- he would not make the same mistake twice. He understood this was your obligation. And he let you go, just like that night.

“Oh okay.  Come back if you want.”

You smiled at him and nodded your head slightly, leaving him alone behind the booth and entering the sea of students trying to impress one another by step touching and bouncing up and down to the rhythm of the songs playing.  

Disappearing through the doors of the gym and into the night, you entered the freezing air for a moment to approach the police truck parked in the lot.  Inside awaited your ward for the night, El.  Hopper entrusted you with watching after her until he came back at the end of the night to retrieve her- wordlessly exchanging a thank you to you as Eleven climbed out of the truck and embraced you in a tight hug.

Arm slung around her, you guided her into the dance, took her coat and paid for her ticket.  You accompanied her through the door and gave her hand a squeeze.

El looked up at your gentle smile and returned it.  “What now?” she softly questioned, unsure how to conduct herself in such a new and public environment.  “Go have fun,” you whispered in her ear, “And enjoy yourself.  You deserve this.”  El blushed slightly, turning her face to scan the crowd.  A soft smile took over your lips as you watched her scamper towards Mike- their relationship reminding you of Eddie and yourself at the start of your relationship, last year.  You tucked her coat over your arm and made your way to the bleachers covered by reams of long silver streamers, stashing it away next to yours.  

Eddie watched as you reemerged from the stands with the poofy-haired boy in tow, as he wiped his eyes. You dragged him towards the dance floor and proceeded to dance with him, until he was chipper and bouncing around to the song with you.  Your beautiful blue dress reflected under the lights, and Eddie swore in the moment, you looked like an angel.  A real-life angel, sent down to Earth to brighten up the lives of everyone around you.

“Don’t look now, but that group of girls over there keeps looking at you.” You muttered to Dustin as you continued to dance.  His steps faltered as he comprehended what you said, and a radiant smile broke across his crooked teeth.  “Really?”

“Really.  Now don’t let anybody get you down.  Not tonight, not ever.  Got it?”

The younger boy nodded his head and twirled you around.  

“Don’t look now, but the guy at the music booth is totally checking you out.”  

You felt your heart sprout wings and flutter off, joining the butterflies in your stomach.  Your throat went dry as you questioned, “Really?”

Dustin smirked, “Really.” He wiggled his eyebrows at you and made a Chewbacca sounding noise with his tongue.  You cringed at the uncomfortable sound effect and after a beat curtsied to Dustin.  He bowed back to you and the two parted ways, leaving you free to make your way back to Eddie.

***

The dance ranged on in front of you and Eddie, like a battle unfolding, but did not burst the bubble you had created for yourselves.  After rejoining him, you fell back into a natural conversation filled with ebbing emotion beneath both of your surfaces, coded flirting, and semi-awkward sips of punch.

“Who was that girl you walked in?”

Your heart stopped and your hands grew clammy.  You had no idea how to explain the supernatural girl to Eddie and her cover story had completely fled your mind in that instance, the inquiry catching you completely off guard.    

“I… well she- um,” you stammered out in a hopeless search for the right words to string together. Eddie saw your distress, he understood. No matter how hard you tried, you could never conceal your emotions around Eddie, he had always and would always be able to read you like his favorite novel.  In a desperate attempt to rid you of your anxieties, he shifted the question.  “What’s her name?”

You took a deep, yet shaky breath in. “El.” You breathed out.  “She’s um… she’s not from around here.”  

“Then how do you know her?” You mind scrambled for an explanation. “Well, I… She… She’s Mike Wheelers girlfriend, so…” your mind and mouth wouldn’t let you elaborate past that.  Eddie nodded his head in understanding and dropped the topic.  He didn’t know what she had to do with everything, but he knew this El girl was involved with what you couldn’t talk about. And that was enough information to satisfy him.  

The rest of the night was filled with Eddie playing your song requests and laughter filling the space between you both.

***  

Eddie sat in his van and watched as you guided the skittish girl to a truck, with the poofy haired boy following closely behind.  After seeing her inside the vehicle, you and the middle schooler made your way past his van to enter your brother’s car a few spots down from his van.  

In a rash decision he could hardly process before performing it, he leaned his head out of his rolled down window and called your name.  Your head whipped around at the beckon, and you left the younger boy on the journey to your brother’s car in favor of approaching his.  

When you were close enough to hear, and far enough away from the boy to be overheard, Eddie spoke.

“Thanks for keeping me company tonight. I… I had a really nice time.”

You blushed intensely at the profession and returned the sentiment, “So did I. Like I said, I miss talking to you.” A lopsided smile spread across your face, and you turned to leaved, the fabric of your blue dress swishing around you.

“Y/n?”

You turned back around, with a hopeful look in your eye.

“You… You look beautiful tonight.”  

Eddie swore if your cheeks became any redder, you would turn into a tomato.  

Wordlessly, you skidded back to your brother’s car and opened the passenger door.  You looked back once, made searing eye contact with Eddie, then entered the car cabin and closed the door.

The seed was sewn, and it grew.  The water was tested, and it was warm.  

And for the first time in a long time, you both slept soundly.

About You

(Late December 1984- Early January 1985)

Chapter 3: The Party

Eddie Munson x female!harrington!reader

Chapter summary: You find it harder and harder still to resist the temptation that is Eddie.  Eventually, you let yourself take the leap, but will the plan be executed according to design...? 

Word Count: 7k

series masterlist here

Chapter warnings: +18 mature themes, panic attacks, angst, light fluff, mature language, mentions of sex, mentions of drugs and smoking (weed and cigarettes), partying, drinking (reader being heavily intoxicated), 

If you were in a staring contest with the trees in your backyard, it’s safe to say you won.  Your eyes had been glued on the foreboding lumber for 5 minutes now, daring anything in the tree line to move. Within the trees you saw yourself, weaving in and out of them with Nance, the two of you willing Barb to return with the power of your thoughts and sheer desperation.  

Your hands unconsciously bawled at your sheets, anchoring yourself to your bed- reminding you of your reality.  You are here. In bed.  At home.  Not under the ground or in a cloud of toxic particles or being chased by one of those… things.  You refused to say their names.  You refused to give them power. However, every once and a while, you would find yourself trapped in a feeling- unable to shake the notion that something bad was about to happen.  

That’s how you found yourself frozen in bed, deep in surveillance of your backyard, and on the verge of a panic attack.  

That is also how your brother found you.

Steve rapped at your bedroom door, “Y/n, you up-“

He stopped as soon as he ingested your state. Eyes glassy and panicked, trembling fists- white knuckled on your comforter-, and battling a waking nightmare.  

Your brother rushed to your bed and pried your eyes away from the window, taking your head in his hands and angling your face towards his.  His eyes searched frantically for any sign of consciousness in your eyes, drowning in a memory and needing a lifejacket.

“Y/n! Hey y/n, it’s okay. You’re home.  I’m here.  It’s okay.”

The dam finally burst, and the tears began the trek down your cheeks.  You transferred your grip from your sheets to Steve’s white sleep shirt and collapsed into his chest, a warm embrace waiting for you.  He held you as your body wracked in sobs.  “I know,” he cooed.  “I get them too.  It’s okay. You’re safe.”

He understood, so he just helped you ride out the wave of emotions.  Once your cries had died down, you removed yourself from the safety of his hug and he confronted you, “That was a bad one.”

You just nodded, unable to articulate the severity of the trance you were held in moments before.

“Do you wanna come up town with me?  Mom left a list of errands to run.  Maybe it’ll distract you? Take your mind off everything?” he offered.  You pondered the proposition, eyes darting to the window.  You heart leap at the thought of escaping the forest that threatened to consume you and nodded your head yet again in agreeance.

“Okay.  Take your time and calm down.  Come get me when you’re ready.”  He smiled and patted your shoulder.  Standing up from your bed, Steve made his way to your bedroom door, closing it on the way out.  

Your gaze shifted from your doorway to the phone that sat on your bedside table.  Your fingers almost physically itched to dial the sequence of numbers you knew all too well.  You yearned to hear a voice that would clam you down in seconds and soothe your jangled nerves.  You were almost desperate enough to call him, just to hear him say “Hello?” into the receiver- then hang up.  Almost.

You were desperate.  Not psychotic. So, you removed your gaze from the phone to squash the temptation and began about your morning slowly, still recovering from the involuntary emotional outburst.

________________________________________________________________

This was the best part of Winter Break in your opinion.  Getting to do activities during the day rather than being trapped in a depressing school building for 6 hours.  

What made it extra perfect was the after Christmas calm.  People were no longer making mad dashes from store to store to buy presents for loved ones, traffic calmed down, and there is no longer the crackle of anticipation in the air. The atmosphere of the tiny town was peaceful and content, like taking a nap with a full belly after a satisfying meal.  

You and Steve made your way downtown silently, the only noise filling the cabin of the car was the low drill of the Christmas music that would continue to haunt radio stations until late January.  You still needed time to recover from your meltdown that morning, and Steve understood, so he allowed the silence to swallow you both whole.  

As you reached the outskirts of the town square, Steve informed you of your tasks for the day. “Alright, so I’ve got to get an oil change on the car and pick up some stuff from Mel’s.  How about you wander around for an hour while I get the car taken care of and then we can head to the store together?”

“Sounds good.”  You softly smiled at your older brother.  You instructed him to drop you off in front of the local coffee shop, swiftly exiting the car with your pocketbook in hand and long plaid skirt swooshing around your knees.  The minute you stepped out of the car, a cloud of cold enveloped you- causing you to zip up your jacket over your large sweater and quickly make your way into the store.

The smell of the brewing coffee welcomed you like an old friend.  And so did Dina.  But that was because she was an old friend.  She worked behind the counter and was instructed to greet everyone who passed through the doorway.

“Welcome to Indiana Brew!” Her voice bounced around the nearly empty café, echoing off the black and while tiled floor.  “It’s Y/n, D!” you alerted her.

A crisp chuckled broke from your lips as her head emerged from below the counter, like an animal peeking out of their hiding spot.  Dina had always been what her mother liked to call a “wild-child”, her mannerisms proving the nickname correct. “Oh, thank God!  I’m so bored!” she rolled her eyes in relief.  

A man sitting a few tables away from the counter eyed the pair of girls.  Dina took notice, “No offense.  Sorry… It’s been truly a pleasure serving you.”  She gave an awkward smile, and the man returned it by scoffing and quickly leaving the two of you alone in the coffee scented shop. “Well fuck you too then.”  Dina muttered to herself as the bell above the door sounded on its journey back closed.  

“Is there buried treasure back there?”  You question leaning over the counter to inspect what your friend hand been doing on the floor before you’d arrived.  “I wish.  Unfortunately, it’s about half a pound of coffee beans I knocked over and proceeded to step on.”  She chuckled and moved into a sweeping curtsey, ducking her head, and raising her apron like a beautiful ballgown.  “The luxurious life of a barista.”  

And the wild child strikes again. 

“Sometimes your innate gift to make every job harder than it needs to be astounds me.”

“I know.  I amaze myself sometimes!”

You both giggled and you proceed to order yourself a large, warm coffee to keep you company on the cold winter day.  You bid your friend a good day and wandered out into the main street of Hawkins, looking for something to keep you occupied while you waited on Steve.  

You passed by the record store and decided the final feat to lift your spirits would be some music. So, you entered the shop hastily and dove into the rows of records closest to the door.  The sound of The Smiths drifted through the body of the store and into your ears, making you tap your foot in time with the song.

A familiar voice emerged from behind you, sounding only a few steps away. “Well, look who the cat dragged in!”

A smile cracked on your face before you even turned around.  “Hey Eds.”

You clutched your coffee to your chest as you faced the brown eyed boy, who was gleaming down at you like you’d just given him a million dollars.  His hands were shoved in the pockets of his signature leather jacket that was thrown over a thin, deep red sweater.  Eddie always ran warm, never needing many layers to protect him from the cold.

“How are you?  How was your holiday?” He questioned, eager to strike up a conversation with you.

“Real good.  Nothing too eventful happened.  It’s just been a nice break from school, especially for Steve.  How was yours?”

“Honestly, it was pretty nice.  I got Wayne a mug as always, and like every year he acted as he had no idea that’s what he would get.  He gave me a few bucks to pick out a new record. So, I’m currently searching for my new addition.  Any suggestions?”

You feigned thought for a moment. “Ever heard of Madonna?  She’s got a bitchin sound I know you’d be into!”

Eddie tossed his head back in boyish laughter, the noise better than any record in the shop you both stood in.  

You then feigned annoyance. “I’m serious!  You gotta get some variety in your collection.  If you keep listening to only metal, your brain is gonna melt out of your ears- and chicks don’t dig that.”

Eddies dimples highlighted his charming smile as we pulled his hands out of his pockets and raised them by his shoulders in defeat.  The silver chain bracelet that sat upon his wrist clanked against the safety pins on his sleeves at the movement; this caught your attention because you had given that to him for his birthday.  It warmed your frozen heart to see it still in his possession.  “Fine! You win. I will spend my Christmas money on an album of your choosing.”  

Eddie was nervous to give you such power.  The boy didn’t come by money like Wayne’s Christmas cash easily, and he knew you were aware of that.  It was quite the sacrifice to turn over his gift to you and for a split second as he proposed the idea, he wondered if he would make you uncomfortable.  

Giving you free reign to a gift like that was something he wouldn’t have thought twice about a few months ago, but now?  Now, things were different.  Would you shirk away from the bold gesture? 

Eddies brain thought up a million different disastrous reactions that could occur in a millisecond.  In even less time, you erased his worries. 

Your eyes lit up and a smile expanded on your face, almost spilling the coffee cup in your hand as you bounced up and down in excitement at Eddie relenting. “Really?  Yes!” you praised ad you skipped off further into the store, in search of the perfect record.  

“Hey, go easy on me okay?” the curly haired boy called from behind you.  “I can do Bowie or the Beatles, but I draw the line at Blondie, okay?”

“Well, you agreed to an album of MY choosing. You really shouldn’t just toss your Christmas money around that carelessly!” you rebutted over your shoulder, finding a shelf to place your cup on and take your large overcoat off.  

A small snort came from the blushing boy, a habit of his that would always come out when it was just the two of you- letting all your guards down.  A habit you found intoxicatingly endearing.  

There were only a few souls in the store, so you placed your jacket and pocketbook on top of a box of records without worry.  

Eddie groaned as he finally caught up with your energetic figure, flittering like a pixie in and out of shelves of music and waist high rows of records.  “Fine, I’m upping the ante then!”  

You eyed him suspiciously, hands dancing across the tops of records, and you listened to his stipulation.

“You only have 3 minutes to pick it out.”  

Your ears perked up. “Wait, what?”  

He gathered the sleeve of his jacket farther up his forearm to reveal is watch, studying it for a split second.  “Yep! And your time starts…”

“Don’t you dare!”  you cautioned.  

“Now!”

“Damn you!”  you cursed, taking off like a bat out of hell, shifting through as much music as you possibly could in your time limit.  

Eddie stood in place amused with his arms crossed over his lean chest, watching you dart around the store as he monitored the time.  “A minute thirty!”

You huffed dramatically and you froze in your tracks, willing yourself to concentrate.  

In the silence of your pause, you caught a melody in your ear that emerged from the record that had been playing when you first arrived in the store. “Ah ha!”

You raced passed Eddie as he counted down from thirty.  A flash of blue caught your peripheral vision.  You turned and spotted the record you needed.  You grabbed it and dashed back to Eddie just as your time ran out.

“And what shall you present me with?”  he cautiously questioned you, holding his palms out flat in front of him.  You pulled the record from behind your back and placed it in his hands, allowing him to carefully study it.  

“Hatful of Hollow?”

“Yep.  The Smiths is like my new favorite band. This is a compilation album of a bunch of their singles and B-sides.  It’s pretty life changing.”  

Eddie admired you as you gushed about the band, waving your hands animatedly around your body as your articulated their impact on you.  His hands itched to wind themselves around your waist and pull you close, and his lips tingled to have them pressed against yours.  He felt himself unconsciously drawing nearer to you as you continued to ramble, beginning to close the gap in between the two of you slowly.

You, however, did notice his drifting, and while this would be welcomed at any other time, you were still too emotionally raw from this morning to try to participate in the dance you and Eddie find yourselves performing every time you interacted.  So, you snatched the record out of his hands and dashed towards the checkout counter to put some space in between you both.

Super smooth Y/n. Totally rad when you run away from the boy you’re in love with like you’re in the first grade.  Not immature at all.

Eddie trailed after you and bought the record, while you beamed behind him at his surrender to widen his tastes.  While he finished the check out, you returned to the shelf and stack of records to retrieve your long-forgotten coffee cup and jacket.  You approached Eddie as he grabbed the bag from the counter and the both of you exited the store.  

“Hey what time is it?”

“Almost 11.”

“I should probably head over to the auto shop, Steve’s waiting for me there.”

“The prince is fixing carriages now?”

You chuckled at his mocking. “Very funny.  The tin bucket needed some oil.  I was just wasting time.”

“You want me to walk you there?”

Your heart hammered in your chest.  The thought of a public outing with your ex-boyfriend, even something as small as walking you across the square, is enough to set your nerves on edge.

This is what you want Y/n.  You’ll never get him back if you don’t get close to him again.  Don’t be a pussy.

“Sure. I’d like that a lot.”  

“Cool. Oh shit, I left my wallet inside. Wait right here.”

Eddie dashed back through the glass door and into the store, leaving you cold on the sidewalk.  

In that instance, a deafening sound invaded your space- contrasting harshly with the smooth voice of Morrissey that was in your ears only moments before. Suddenly, a flash of blue crossed your vision, and just as quickly left it, as Billy Hargrove’s muscle car raced by.  

You hadn’t seen, more like heard, that car since that night.  The night of the tunnels.  And just like that, you were sucked back into another memory- mirroring the state you were in this morning.  You gazed down the street, long after the car had turned off and out of sight- gaze unfocused and mind lost in thoughts of when you were a passenger in that car. Your beaten brother cradled in your arms as Max drove like a maniac, truly earning her nickname.  

Thoughts of your bloodied brother, of Billy's shouting, of the kids screaming, of the roaring engine, of the chaos of the events in the tunnels, all flooded your mind.  It was a noose of memories and dread, slowly getting tighter, choking you and constricting your airways- suffocating you under the gravity of what happened.  

Eddie reemerged from the music store, wallet in his pocket and bag in hand, when he stumbled upon you in a state, he hadn’t left you in.  

He had been working up enough confidence in the store to proposition you.  “So, I was thinking maybe you’d wanna come listen to this with me. I mean just to make sure I appreciate it correctly...” he trailed off at the sight of you.  When he left you, you were smiling up at him, sheepishly accepting his offer.  Your cheeks had been a shade of pink from blushing and the cold air, but now you face lacked any life- void of expression as you stared down the street.  Your body was tensed up and you seemed on high alert, yet at the same time completely unaware of your surroundings.  He’d never seen you like this before, and he never, ever, wanted to see you like this again.

“Y/n?” he called.

No reply.  Just staring.

“Y/n?” he tried again, moving closer to you.  

More staring.

“Sweetheart?” he reached his arm out to rest of your shoulder, and your face immediately snapped towards the intrusion on your personal space.  However, after snaking your gaze upwards to identify the perpetrator, your gaze softened to find the metal head you loved.  

“Oh, hey.”  You muttered, shifting your weight from foot to foot and readjusting your pocketbook onto your shoulder.

“Are you alright?  I just called your name like 3 times, and you didn’t reply.  You were just staring off…” he spoke to you as if you were a frightened deer, and it irritated you.  

“Yea, I was just lost in thought, I guess.  I’ve been a total space cadet lately.”

“That’s okay.  You ready to go?”

“Um yea, I think I better head over alone.  I just…” you began to tear up again.

Dammit.  This is so embarrassing.

The emotions of the onset of memories hit you like a freight train causing you to well up.  Eddie went to speak but you cut him off.

“Don’t.  Just… it’s okay.” You told him, darting off. You pushed past him, but your arm was caught in a steel grip.  In a moment of instinct, Eddie decided he couldn’t let you leave him like this. Not in distress.  Not in tears.  He wouldn’t allow you to be in agony for some unknown reason and let you go through it alone.  He wouldn’t allow you to be in pain and not do something about it.  So, he did the only thing he could think of.  

His arm shot out and grabbed your wrist, twisting your body back around to his before you could take off. He reached his other arm around to your shoulder and brought you into a bone crushing hug.  This hug felt like a thousand’s words, a million kisses, a hundred lifetimes together, all rolled up into one.  If soulmates existed, the power of this hug proved it.  One of his arms wrapped around your middle like he had been so desperate to do in the store and the other held your head to his chest, while both of your arms reached to secure themselves around his torso.

This was the first true physical contact between the two of you in months and it felt like an explosion had gone off in your chests.  There was no space between your bodies, and you both took the moment to soak up each other. There, in the middle of the street, Eddie held you for the first time in a long time, and he consoled you as he should have done that cold November night. That night when you came to him for support and comfort, and he returned your wish with heartbreak and misery for the both of you.

Eddie might be on his second try of senior year, but he is not dumb.  He learns from his mistakes. So, he just held you.  And you didn’t weep like you both thought you would.  The minute you were wrapped in his embrace, the tears dissipated and only warmth remained.  The blanket of warmth that appeared whenever you two were together was now encompassing you both, wrapping around you like the coverings of a mummy- entombing you both in warmth and emotion.  

A few moments passed before the intimacy of the moment became too inappropriate for the open street, where people were walking by.  You felt the action overwhelm you, and you became flustered again.  You muttered a soft “thank you” into the soft of his sweater and you removed yourself from his embrace, making the journey to find Steve- without looking back.  

Eddie watched you walk away until you disappeared down the street and around a corner. But he didn’t feel lonely.  You had left the warm blanket with him, a parting gift.  It hugged him and kept him full of love and hope. Eddie clutched the warm spot on his sweater by his collarbone where your head had heated the fabric up with your breath. A remnant of you.  A reminder that he made progress.  

He smiled to himself, proud at his achievement of not only making physical contact with you but cheering you up from your distressed state and sauntered off to his van- feeling like the king of Hawkins.

________________________________________________________________

The shrill ring of the telephone on your bedside table startled you out of concentration.  You had, only moments before, been deeply engrossed in your book- traveling across seas, battling monsters, and saving the world all within the confines of your mind.  

A thought crossed your mind as you lived vicariously through the protagonist. While most people would never know of fighting monsters besides in books and movies, you knew what it was to battle them in real life.  And reality was much less selfless and courageous as the stories portrayed it to be.  You knew what it was like to fight, not because it was the right thing to do, but because it was the only thing to do.  You’ve been presented situations before in which your only option was to fight or die.  

The sound of the phone pulled you from your intense thoughts, grounding you back in reality. The pink device screamed only a few feet away from you, so you discarded your book on the opposite side of your bed and grabbed the receiver.  

“Hello?” you heard your brother say into the receiver.

“Oh, hey Steve!  It’s Tammy.  Is y/n there?”

“Yea, I’m here Tam.”

“I’ll leave you guys to it then.”  Your brother huffed, the receiver clicking as he hung up his line.

“What’s up Tam?” you questioned, twirling the coiled cord of the phone around your index finger.

“Could you do me a favor?  I’m in a bit of a jam here.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, I’m finally going steady with Brad, and he was mentioning how he wanted to go to like a real rager of a New Year’s party. And I was like ‘Well you know I throw one every year right?  Everyone comes to it!’ And he asked me ‘Will there be booze?’ And I was like ‘Um, yea, this is a party not a playdate.’ And he was like ‘Will you have grass?’ And of course I said yes like an idiot knowing damn well I don’t have any grass for the party-“

“Tammy!  Get to the point!” you chuckled as she rambled on in that faux valley girl way of hers.

“Yesh, okay!  Point being, I don’t have Eddie’s number so could you call him up and ask him to come to the party?”

You paused.  

“Y/n?  You there?”

“Yea, I’m here.  I hear you.  May I ask why I can’t just give you his number and you ask him?  It is your party.”

“Let me rephrase.  I don’t want to talk to Eddie after what happened last year. But I’m willing to put it aside because I need grass for Brad.  I need you to ask him for me because he won’t do it if I ask him.”

You rolled your eyes at the thought of the events of last year’s party.  A shiver rolled down your spine as you thought about the feeling of water from your soaked hair rolling down your back- making your shirt stick to your skin- and vomit-soaked carpet underneath your bare feet.  

That was an absolute shit-show.  Never again will I mix beer and vodka.

“What makes you think me asking him will make him do it?”  

“Aren’t you his girlfriend?”

“Tammy, we haven’t been dating for like 2 months now!” 

“Well excuse me!  I have my own things going on, sorry I don’t have time to stalk you!”

“I’m hanging up now Tam.” 

“No, no, no! Okay!  I’m sorry that was like way harsh of me.  But seriously, please?  Can you do this for me?”  

You paused again and sighed into the receiver. You had shifted yourself upside down on your bed, feet resting in the air against your headboard as your hair splayed out around your head at the end of the bed.  You wiggled your toes in contemplation and stared up at your ceiling- finding shapes and patterns on the popcorn ceiling above you.  

“Fine.  But you owe me.”

“Yes!  Thank you so much y/n!  Brad is so gonna have sex with me now!” Tammy gushed as she dragged out the “so” in emphasis.

You gave a hardy laugh at her questionable morals, said goodbye, and hung up the phone.

Suddenly, the aura in your room shifted.  Now, you had a task, and you didn’t know if you had the will power to complete it.  The hour was late, and you were unsure if he would even answer the phone- but in your heart you knew that was just an excuse.  You always used to call Ed’s at this hour and were certain he would answer.

What you were unsure of was if you could handle the intimacy of it.  His gruff late-night voice, the sound of his voice against your ear, the memory of all the nightly phone calls that had come before this one.  

You needed something to anchor you, so you wrapped a quilt around your body, sat up against your headboard, and settled your telephone in front of you. Slowly, you picked up the receiver and let muscle memory take over, using your pointer finger to wind the dial in the order of numbers that you used to every night.

Funny, the first time I work up the nerve to call him is when it’s out of obligation. How disappointing.  

You took deep, steady breathes as the phone rang.

Ring, ring, ring.

Inhale.  Exhale.

Ring, Ring, Ring.

Inhale.  Exhale.

Ring, Ring, - “Hello?”

Your heart pounded so hard you swore Eddie must have been able to hear it through the receiver.  

“Eds?”

It was now his turn to pause.  Eddie couldn’t believe his ears as your voice invaded them.  He must have done something right that day to earn such a karmic reward as this.

“Y/n?”

“Hey there!  Sorry, I know it’s late- “

“No!  You’re fine! What’s up?” he interjected- quick to dispel any worries you had.

“Well, I’d love to say this call is for pleasure, but I’ve been sent here on business.”

“Business?  What kind of business?”

“Your only kind of business Eds.”

His smooth chuckled echoed into the receiver.

“Right.  Stupid question.  So, who needs what and when?”

“Well… you’re not gonna love it…” you trailed off, anxious to ask him the favor.

“Y/n…”

“Dingbat needs you to work her New Years party.”

“What?”

He took a minute to comprehend.  Then he realized, “No!  No way, tell Tammy to find another guy.  Not after last year.”

“Eddie please, I promised her you’d come.”

“Darren can do what exactly what I do.”  

“You know he only does hard shit, and I’m not trying to kill a house full of high schoolers.  Come on, it’ll be different this time!”

“That’s such bullshit y/n and you know it!  I’ll get there, sell for maybe 30 minutes before something goes terribly wrong or somebody starts calling me a freak and tries to kick me out!  It’s not worth the headache.”

You rubbed the skin in the between your eyebrows and slid down to the bridge of your nose, pinching it between your thumb and index to provide relief.

“Eddie I promise you that won’t happen.  I will personally see to it that nobody will bother you.  Andy owes me a favor- he’ll keep an eye on the table!”

“I don’t need a babysitter Y/n.”

You sighed.  “It’s not a babysitter Ed.  It’s backup.”

“Y/n…” Eddie groaned into the receiver.  

“Come on, please?  For me?  Tammy will be a bitch to me all night if you don’t do it.”  You shakily pleaded.  

“Oh, you’re going, too?” 

“Well, yeah.  I wouldn’t be asking you to come to this if I wasn’t going.”

“Fine.”

A pause.

“Wait what? You’ll do it?”

“Yes, but because you want me to do it.  NOT for Dingbat.”

You chuckled, relieved you wouldn’t have to call Tammy back with bad news.

“You are truly a selfless man Eddie.  A saint in your own right.”  

“Yea, yea, keep sweet talking me.  It’s working.  So same time and place as last year?”

“Yep!  God, thank you again Ed’s you’re a life saver.  I did not want to try to find another guy.”

“It’s fine, but you owe me now.  I can cash in one favor at any time I please.”

“Alright, I promise.  Now Tammy can get laid.  Thanks a bunch!”

“Pardon?”

“Yea, don’t think about it too hard.”

________________________________________________________________

The music thumped in time like a jackhammer, slowly splitting Eddies skull in two halves.  

He swore no amount of money was worth working a New Years Eve party, he’d learned a hard lesson last year that involved vomit, a quick brush with the law, and Tammy Thompsons pet rabbit.  Yet, here he was, for the second year in a row, sitting at her laminated mahogany wood dining table with his black, metal lunch box, a solo cup of some drink he had been nursing for the past hour, and a headache to end all headaches.  

Eddie hadn’t been sleeping well lately, his dreams plagued with nightmares of you breaking his heart over and over again, and his late nights seemed to be catching up to him.  

But, he had promised you he’d come.  And a promise to you was like a blood-oath- something he wouldn’t dare to break.

Eddie had been having a pretty successful night, selling more than enough to make up for the pain of being present.  He’d had the pleasure of meeting Brad- a jock type that wore Tammy on his arm like a drunk monkey.  

“See Brad! Grass!  Like I promised!”  Tammy slurred into Brads face- more like smushed into his cheek.  The towering boy eyed Eddie for a moment before reaching in his wallet and asking about prices.  He forked over some cash and pocketed the baggie of blunts.  

Before they could stumble away, Eddie grabbed the neon pink sleeve of Tammy’s blazer, anchoring her for a moment to pose a question.  “Have you seen Y/n yet?”

The fluffy haired blonde flipped her locks over her shoulder as she rolled her eyes curtly.  “No, I haven’t.  She said she’d get here at like 11.”  She stomped off, annoyed to be talking to the metal head.

He gathered his jacket up his arm and peered at his watch, clocking the time at 5 till 11.  You would be joining the party in mere moments, and Eddie felt a flurry of nerves brew in his stomach.  In an attempt to settle his nerves, he knocked back the rest of his drink in one go- only aggravating his headache with the sudden jerk of his head at downing the liquid courage.  

******

Your heart had been racing and your mind reeling all day- anxious to attend the party and see Eddie. You were determined to make a move tonight, to try and bridge the gap between you two and rekindle your romance.

Only one problem. Your nerves got the better of you and you pre-gamed like a maniac at your house with Dina.  So now you stumbled into the threshold of the Thompson residence, arm slung around Dina as Steve herded you both through the door.  

With a staircase to your left and a doorway to the dinning room on your right, your inebriated brain decided to chuck your thick jacket at Steve and ascend the steps, only for Steve to grab you by the waist and hoist you down from the steps- causing a burst of laughter to bubble explosively out of your chest.

“Oh no you don’t. Party is this way.”  Your brother instructed you, lightly guiding you forward through the house to the living room where the party raged on. Dina had long since left your side in search of a drink. Grace Adler made eye contact with Steve, beckoning him towards her with a silent siren’s song.  This left you alone to shift through the crowd in order to find a group to join.

In mid-conversation with Donnie, Eddie halted his sentence in its tracks.  A laugh sliced through the air; one he would recognize anywhere. He turned his head in time to watch as Steve nudged you deeper into the house, just past the wall that obstructed you from his view.  His heart skipped a beat, and quickly restarted as his friend snapped his fingers in front of his face.

“Earth to Eddie, come in Eddie!”  Donnie chuckled.  

Eddie turned his head back to the boy that sat in front of him.

“Y/n just got here.” “I know.  I heard her.  You gonna go see her?”

Eddie picked at the skin on the side of his thumb anxiously- debating his options.

He could either pussy out and avoid you all night in order to not get flustered and say something stupid. Or he could find you and try to win back the girl he loved. The latter was his only option.

*******

The latter proved to be the harder option, but not because he was scared.  He simply couldn’t track you down in the 2-story house filled with seemingly hundreds of kids.  He drifted through the house, feeling like a ghost amongst his peers who would not acknowledge him, being too wrapped up in their own drunken hazes.  

He would spot you in the kitchen, walk towards it, then find the area deserted- only for you to pop up on the living room couch ten minutes later.  You were like a sprite- flittering around the house like you had done in the record store- seemingly everywhere and nowhere all at once.  

In your own mind, you were in deep turmoil.  You yourself couldn’t spot Eddie in the crowd of teenagers, and multiple times that night you had began to believe he wasn’t present.  You would send a little prayer to the universe every so often, wishing he would appear in front of you.  You thought maybe he had decided to stand you up (technically stand Tammy up) and this only drove you to drink and dance harder.  

Eddie made his may back to his lunch box on the dinning room table, about to pack it in for the night and deciding it was not meant to be to see you that night. Somehow, over the booming music and loud conversations, Eddie heard a commotion come down the stairs.  He watched as you descended from the top, trying not to trip over your black kitten heels as you loosely clutched the railing. Your eyes were lazy, and half closed as you swayed from step to step loudly, singing along to the song playing.  

Eddie could sense that it was not a good idea to let you walk down alone, so he raced to the bottom of the step.  His prediction stood correct as you tripped over one of the bottom steps, reaching out to grab the closest thing- Eddies biceps. The boy wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into his chest.  You looked up as the adrenaline from the stumble pumped through your body- a temporary moment of clarity occurring.

“Am I really drunk or are you Eddie?” you slurred out at the beautiful boy in front of you.  Eddie chuckled and held your hips steady, as you swayed in his grasp. “I am Eddie, and you are very drunk sweetheart.”  You giggled and rested your arms on his strong shoulders, draped in his leather jacket.  

“Your always so funny, Teddy.  One of the things I like most about you.”  You tucked a curl behind his ear and trailed your finger down his jaw, neck, collarbones, to settle on his chest.

This took Eddie by surprise. Teddy was a nickname of endearment he hadn’t heard in months, and the sound of it on your lips combined with the feeling of your hands was enough to stir something within his core.  He gapped at you; face flushed.

You looked up to the ceiling and whispered a small thank you with your eyes closed.  Eddie flashed his eyes to the ceiling to try and peer at what you saw, only to eye a cream-colored ceiling.  

Numbers began to be screamed around the pair of your as you clutched onto each other at the bottom on the staircase.  Midnight was approaching and your face was getting frighteningly close to Eddies.

“Y/n, what are you doing?” Eddie demanded as he removed his grip on your waist in favor of one on your cheeks and jawline.    

“I’m gonna kiss you at midnight.” You spoke to him in your drunken stupor as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

As the final countdown began you leaned your face forwards again, determined to complete your plan. However, Eddie had other ideas. He couldn’t let the first time you kiss since the breakup be when you are plastered on a holiday where you are expected to kiss someone.  If this is going to happen again, it will happen privately, a moment solely belonging to the two of you and not the hundreds of strangers surrounding you currently.  

While winding your fingers around his neck, your nose brushed his, and Eddie revealed in the contact. But before your lips could make contact, Eddie maneuvered his thumb to press over your lips just as they came close enough to his own that he could feel your hot, alcohol ridden breath fan over them.  

Ironically, it was the vodka on your breath that sobered Eddie up, pulling him from the moment of ecstasy he lost himself in from your closeness.  He pulled his face back from yours, leaving his thumb against your lips, and moving the other hand to find purchase on your waist again.  Your eyes shot open and welled up, pulling your face back from his own so fast that the movement threw you off balance, causing you to step backwards and catch yourself on the railing that started at the bottom of the stairs.  Eddie stepped forward to catch you and simultaneously cage you, desperate to explain his actions.

He took your face in his hands again and brought his mouth to your ear.  “The next time we kiss, I want us to both be sober for it.”  He brought his face around to ghost his lips across yours once more, muttering a final sentiment that surely would have brought you to your knees if you weren’t gripping the handrail.  

It’s a shame you were too drunk to hear what he said.

The alcohol in your system, the music and shouting in your ears, and the feeling of Eddies hands on you were so all encompassing and overwhelming, that you simply didn’t process what he had said.  All you could comprehend was that you tried to kiss Eddie, and he stopped you.  And you couldn’t hear his words over the blood pumping in your ears, but it sure felt like he was making fun of you for it now.

Oh god.  What have I done.  I’m so dumb.  So very, fucking dumb.

You pushed your way out of his embrace and staggered to the front door only a few feet away.  Eddie let you, hoping the moment of separation would allow you to think.  He went back to the table- maneuvering around the bodies of kissing teenagers- to grab his lunchbox and hopefully meet up with you outside.  

The night air you stepped out into only further added to the feeling of drowning that was swelling up in your throat.  The few tears that blurred your vision burned in the crisp air- yet you managed to not fall down the porch steps and trudge your way to where your foggy memory recalled Steve had parked.  

Steve had already been in the car for 20 minutes.  His desire to socialize had disappeared around a quarter to 12 o’clock, right along with the girl he had been chatting up who suddenly “needed a smoke break” and did not want company.  

You fell into the passenger seat and the warmth of the car enveloped you like a warm hug.  You haphazardly shut the door, not caring to check if it had closed all the way, before turning your tear-streaked face to gaze at your equally drained brother.

“Home?” he pleaded.

“Home.” You agreed.  

Eddie stood on the dark porch steps and watched as Steve’s car pulled out of it’s parking spot on the grass and barreled down the street.  It seemed the Harrington's could not get away from the Thompson residence fast enough, and a horrible feeling of dread filled Eddie.

Shit.

nothing but the truth 

this is literally my husband on our honeymoon trip shaking hands with the restaurant owner after he got recognized during our dinner and anybody who says otherwise is lying.

Lana’s Masterlist

Series: 

About You - Eddie Munson x female!harrington!reader 

Blurbs:

coming soon :) 

About You

(Late January 1985) Chapter 4: The Rift 

Eddie Munson x female!harrington!reader 

Chapter Summary: After the events of the New Years party, you are actively avoiding Eddie. Will you relent and work through this miscommunication? 

Word Count: 4 k

series masterlist here 

Chapter warnings: fluffy activities with Eleven(sister behavior), unwanted flirting, slight angst, slight bullying, annoying principles 

Keep reading

i think my posting schedule will change it haven’t really figured it out yet so chapters might come out sporadically.

i’ve pre written a few chapters but i don’t want to like mass post them all and then take forever to write and post simultaneously so…. idk lol.

we’ll figure it out 🫶🏻⭐️

#STOP IT #STOP BEING SO DREAMY