“You’d Spent A Year In A State Of Near Hyperventilation Ruminating On How He’d Be Alone, Without

The Time Before - Vivianne Peretti

masterlist here

1,469 words

an: hey! this one's been in my drafts for a super long time, sorry about the wait! I hope you enjoy!

cw: mentions of abuse, fighting, aggression, characterological self-blame (CSB), weird age gaps (Let me know if I missed any!)

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"Your mama was one of the most beautiful girls on earth. Or at least, we all thought so back in high school. She was from California, and she had the prettiest blonde hair. When she first moved out to Georgia, she had brown, mousy hair. But she said that she hated it so much she was gonna dye it blonde. And that's what she did.

"All of us boys used to go crazy over her. She was so new and interesting and had so many stories to tell about California that we all fought over talking with her. And when prom season came around; whew! You should have seen how many guys asked her.

"We were fascinated by her. She was always hip and cool and into the newest things. While the rest of us were playing sports or doing clubs at school, she was listening to rock n' roll records and partying with her friends. She's where you get your spunk from. And your taste in music. If she could see you now... my god, would she be impressed," Wayne said. "Really?" Eddie asked. "Are you kidding me? Having a son like you? She would be talking you up left and right, kid.

"Your mama always wanted kids. She once told me she wanted to have four boys. Can you imagine? Four? As much as all of us guys were crazy about her, she was crazy about kids. And she loved you. I know that much. Don't ever think she didn't, kid. She always loved you.

"When that woman knew what she wanted, she knew. And there was nothing you could do to change her mind about it. That's what your daddy liked about her so much. She was strong-willed and stubborn, just like him. But you know what happens when you put two strong-willed people in a room together..."

~~~

The year was 1967, and Vivianne was trapped.

The boy she had loved, the boy who spent four years of his life waiting for her, the boy whom she had married, the boy who had given her a child, had suddenly turned on her.

In a violent rage, Al had slapped her across the face. She couldn't even remember what they were fighting about; it was something small, something about dishes. She justified it to herself; she had egged him on, not stopping the argument when she saw his knuckles turn white while clenching the kitchen countertops. She hadn't stopped when the arguing turned into yelling, or after it kept escalating until boiling over. She hadn't stopped, she informed herself. She was at fault for this, not him. Besides, it was just one time.

But after the weeks passed and it didn't stay a one-time occurrence, she slowly began to recognize the shift that took place in Al. It happened right after their son, Eddie, was born. Eddie. She adored him. In her eyes, the sun and moon rose and fell at the mercy of this child. Her child. She coddled him, spending every waking minute with him attached to her hip or in her arms. She saw to it that he never cried, never was unhappy, never hurt, never was scared, and never felt sad.

She watched Al become bitter towards her and the baby. He began to pick fights with her over small things. The fact that the bed was unmade, that the kitchen table had crumbs on it, that the dishes hadn't been dried yet. He pestered her and followed her around, criticizing her every move. His requests were unrealistic and absurd; but when she chose to tell him that he would become irrationally angry.

At first, she chalked it up to both new-parent-nervousness and some jealousy over how much time she was spending with the baby. She figured that Al was used to all of her affection; late-afternoon love-making and morning chats in bed. Long drives out to the middle of nowhere, just for the hell of it. But now there was a baby to take care of, things to do, chores to be handled. Al was holding down a job at the mining company ten miles north, and the time he had at home was not spent wrapped up in his wife's affections.

Maybe he was nervous about taking care of the baby. It was new to him. Yes. That was it. Stress and nervousness were the factors that fueled his violence. Maybe if he were less stressed, he would be less angry all the time. She resolved to be a model wife; to live according to the rules of the white picket fence and the sundresses with aprons layered on top. She wanted so badly to be one of the women who had a pot roast waiting in the oven when her husband got home; to keep the house perfectly clean, to straighten his tie and kiss him on the cheek before he left for work in the morning.

And she tried. Oh, how desperately she tried. For a while, she even wore sundresses and aprons. But after the rain fell on the clothesline and the pot roast settled too long in the oven and burnt; she received the same reaction from Al; the yelling, the screaming. Every word that he said rang true in her mind. Then came the Big Anger.

She started to classify his rage into two sections; Little Anger and Big Anger. Although they shared certain qualities, they were very alike. Little Anger consisted of screaming and yelling. Big Anger was when Al began to throw things or hit. Unless she could calm him; which she usually couldn't, Little Anger would morph into Big Anger. There was yelling; then a fist through the wall. There was screaming; then there was a vase chucked at her head.

For two years, this continued. For two years, Vivianne was so stuck on thinking that she still loved the man she used to, that this was still the same man, that she let herself get beat up. She didn't even try to fight back, because she knew that it would do nothing but make him more angry.

The worse the abuse seemed to get, the more Vivianne retracted herself. She had a small place in her mind; a getaway paradise for when it all became too much. She imagined herself in the life she wanted to live; a small, perfect family of three, living in a house in a nice neighborhood with a big backyard where Eddie could run around.

Eddie. After two years of abuse, Eddie was her breaking point. It only happened once. It only had to happen once. When Al smacked the small boy over the head, citing the fact that he had knocked over a can of beer that was hovering dangerously close to the edge of the coffee table anyway, Vivianne saw red. After cursing her husband out and successfully ducking the punches he threw her way, she decided it was time. Time to set her and her son free. She didn't think she could ever stand to see her baby cry like that ever again.

That night, curled up in a rocking chair with a crying Eddie in her arms, she promised. 'I'll get you out, baby. I promise, okay? It may take me some time, but I'll get you safe. I love you too much, baby,' she cooed while pressing her cheek against his head.

~~~

As the years passed, she watched the abuse continue. Al started to hand it out regularly to both her and Eddie. With each passing day, the cracks on the surface of her heart deepened. She couldn't stand to hear another yelp or cry of pain from her little boy. She cared more for him than she did the heavens above, and she knew that watching this happen was slowly killing them both.

Right before Eddie turned ten, she confided in the only plan she could think of; Wayne. Wayne was Al's younger brother, whom she had known when they were in high school. She was actually closer in age to Wayne, and she knew now that she should have gone with him instead of with his older brother. But she had wanted Al. She couldn't, even now, put her finger on exactly what had drawn her to Al. Was it is bad reputation? The maturity she felt when telling other freshman girls that she was dating a senior? The reason escaped her.

But she knew now that Wayne was her last chance to get her child out of this. Her time had passed; she had made her bed, and now she must lie in it. But Eddie? She couldn't bear it. He had so much more life to live, and so many gifts to share with the world, that wouldn't happen or be released if he was stuck here. She had already kept him here too long because, selfishly, she wanted to hold him close to her. She wanted to hug and kiss him and tuck him in at night. But it became clear to her that it would hurt him more to stay than it would hurt her to leave.

So, in the middle of the night, she packed his things into a small backpack, carried him out to her car, started up the engine, and sped quietly off to Hawkins, Indiana.

It was a short drive; she and Al had taken up residence just 20 minutes outside Hawkins because they liked the scenery when they first bought the house. Now, it was a decrepit and lonely wood; but when they first moved in, it felt full of life.

That was how she felt. Once she had been beautiful and hungry to live; now she, too, was decrepit. The years of stress and abuse had aged her. She looked and felt older, she didn't read or play with her son any longer. She was now only doing the things she needed to do in order to survive. This thought made tears brim in her eyes as she drove down the dark and winding roads into Hawkins, her son asleep in the backseat.

When she first had him, she imagined a happy life for him. One where he could do anything he ever dreamed of doing, one where he was free. Now, she saw, that her son would never be free. These shackles in which she had borne him would live in his heart forever. He could never truly have complete serenity in his life. Her heart ached with guilt, feeling as if she had done this to him. If she hadn't stayed with Al or even if she had married someone else, his life could have been different. Both their lives could have been different.

~~~

She pulled into the trailer park, the soft rain pattering the car roof. She turned off the engine and sat in the front seat for a while, staring at the darkness that enveloped the world in front of her. She took a deep yet shaky breath, opened her door, and entered the dark, cold night.

There was a chill in the air as she slung Eddie's backpack over her shoulder and shook him gently. "C'mon, Eds, up we go," she said, taking hold of both of his hands and walking him out of the car. The small child was only partially awake, yet knew to follow his mother as she tugged his hand softly to the wooden stairs of his uncle's trailer.

As they waited quietly at the front door, she ran her hands through the small mop of curls on his head. They may have been the same, but they could not have looked more different. She, with her blonde wavy locks, and him with deep brown curls. She, with ocean-blue eyes. He, with eyes so brown it looked like they went on forever. Now those eyes looked onto hers with a deep, intense curiosity. His eyes asked all the questions his voice did not; Where am I? What are we doing here? Where are you going to go? Are you going to leave? "It's all going to be okay. Promise," she said, sticking out her pinky. He hooked his own pinky into hers and the promise was sealed.

Looking older and tired than Vivi had remembered, Wayne opened the door begrudgingly. He took the sight before him in. The two shadows of his past were now on his doorstep. Eddie had taken refuge behind his mother’s leg and was watching the man as he chatted with his mother. He welcomed them inside, and Vivianne coaxed Eddie into the doorway with her. "I'm sorry, he's shy. Eddie, say hello to your uncle," she spoke in a very soft, comforting tone. Eddie waved slightly at the older man, who chuckled and waved back. Vivianne squatted in front of Eddie, handing him his backpack that was still over her shoulder. "Uncle Wayne and I are gonna have a talk, okay? Why don't you go and sit on the couch?" she said. He agreed, walking skittishly over to the brown leather couch.

"Wayne, I know this is a lot to ask. I understand I'm coming to you with a lot of stuff. But I am truly afraid for him. Al's gonna put me in the ground. I know he's going to. And I have to live with the mistakes that I've made. But goddamnit, I will not let him touch my baby. If I leave him with Al, his fate will be as good as sealed. I don't think that I could ever forgive myself for that," Vivi explained, tears following the words, as she sat at the table across from Wayne. "I know you have a life, Wayne, and that this is probably the last thing you need, but just for a few months. After I'm gone, you can put him in an orphanage or in foster care or whatever you want to do. Just let me die with the hope that he's safe, okay?"

Wayne barely stopped to think before he agreed. Something deep inside of him compelled him to say yes, to keep the small boy sitting on his couch safe.

Upon the soil of his daughter's grave, he could plant a new seed, a seed that would this time flourish into a tree, sprouting its branches up toward the sun.

The Time Before - The Early Days

masterlist here

1,962 words

an: I'm so glad people are enjoying this series. It's crazy to me that I'm garnering this much support in so little time. I really appreciate you guys!

If you have any requests for the next part of this series, please let me know!

warnings: fluff, angst, mentions of abuse, Eddie's dad being an asshole

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Eddie had been with Wayne for two weeks so far and had not said more than two syllables at once to the man. Wayne thought him shy in the beginning, but this passed even shy.

After a trip to Hawkins' local Mattress Emporium, they returned to the trailer with a twin-sized bed, mattress, blankets, sheets, and a few extra pillows. Eddie hadn't replied when Wayne asked him which sheets he wanted, just shrugged his shoulders.

During his time in the Munson trailer, Eddie had tried to make himself as small as possible. He wouldn't answer any of Wayne's questions on what he wanted, just shrug his shoulders so Wayne would have to make a decision.

The boy was so quiet he spooked Wayne. He wouldn't even hit the creaky floorboards. It was like he wasn't walking, just floating. Wayne couldn't believe that Al, his bull of a brother, could have raised a child such as this one. But then again, he strongly doubted that Al had much to do with raising the boy.

Once the room was finished and Wayne had set up the bed for him, the boy rarely if ever appeared out of his bedroom. He only appeared to be fed or to use the bathroom. Wayne felt as if he was still living alone, with the addition of another cat-like being who didn't seem to like him.

At first, it was like reopening the wound that losing Lisa had made in his heart. Many nights were spent thinking of ways he could make the boy like him, make him more talkative. But Wayne realized that the most he could do was to leave the child alone. After spending ten years with Al, anyone would go practically mute.

~~~

The first night that Wayne seemed to make any sort of breakthrough with Eddie was after dinner. The boy had been living in the trailer for about three weeks at this point, and dinner had been an almost silent affair, per usual. The only sounds that were made were either from Flopsy begging for food or Wayne replying to her, trying to get her off the kitchen chair next to him. Eddie ate his spaghetti and meatballs in silence, taking turns staring at the cat or down at his lap, never at Wayne.

But after dinner, Wayne was on the couch, nursing a beer and watching Mama's Family. This had become his new tradition, every night he would prop himself up in the living room, most nights falling asleep there. Eddie had retreated to his room, per his regular evening routine, and Wayne expected to watch TV for a few hours alone and then go to bed himself. But he only got through the theme song and opening credits before he heard a door creak open down the hall. Eddie and his mop of curls bounced their way around the corner and into the living room.

He silently sat down on the couch next to Wayne. He looked up, shocked now that his nephew, the ghost of a boy, was finally sitting next to him by choice. "Hey, kiddo," Wayne said, ruffling his hair gently. He didn't flinch, didn't move. Wayne had to hide his surprise by taking another swig of his beer, averting his eyes to the television.

All was calm in the Munson trailer, quiet for the night.

~~~

Eddie spent five weeks with Wayne before his father came looking for him. He showed up at the trailer while Wayne and Eddie were playing a round of cards at the kitchen table, but as soon as Wayne pulled open the door and revealed his brother, Eddie scampered back into his bedroom silently. "Wayne. Long time no see, brother," Al said, pushing past him into the small trailer. "Don't 'brother' me, Al," Wayne said through gritted teeth. Over the past few weeks that were spent with Eddie, he learned a thing or two about what his brother liked to do with his half-smoked cigarettes and rodeo belt. Al looked back at him, a mocking smile plastered over his expression. "What's got your panties in a twist, huh?" he asked. "What do you want, Al? Money? Is that it?" Wayne said, scoffing. "Jeez, where'd your manners go? Aren't you gonna invite me in? Give me a tour or a cup of coffee? I love what you did with the place," he replied, looking around him. The false admiration was dripping from his voice. "Al, when have you ever been welcome in my house? What do you want?" he said, putting a hand on his hip. "I think we both know the answer to that question, Wayne," Al finally said, dropping the smile from his face. Wayne tried his hardest to not let his eyes wander to Eddie's door.

"Why do you want to take him? You know you don't care about him, Vivi told me. She told me everything, Al. You act like he's a burden for you. He's happier here," Wayne said. Al took on a menacing stance. "You better quit sticking your nose in places you don't belong. It got you in trouble once, don't think it won't again. Besides, last time I checked, that boy is my son. Not yours," he gritted, making sure to stand a few steps closer to his brother than was comfortable. Wayne sighed. As much as he hated his brother, he was right. Eddie was not his son. Even just thinking that felt like stabbing a hole clean through his chest. He had to give the boy back, as much as his mind yelled at him that it was a horrible idea. Al wasn't backing down. "Fine. Let me go get him," Wayne decided, walking down the hall to Eddie's room. He knocked on the door. "It's just me, kid. Promise," Wayne offered, and soon the door was opened just enough for him to slip through.

Eddie stared up at his uncle with glassy eyes. "I'm sorry, kid. You're dad's gonna take you home tonight, okay?" Wayne said. He quit looking into the boy's eyes because the sight of it was bound to make him tear up. "But this is home," the small child spoke. Wayne sighed. "I know. And I promise, you're gonna be home soon, okay? Give me a little while to sort it all out, and then I'll bring you home, okay?" He promised. "Why don't you go pack up your stuff."

With that, Eddie packed his clothes and toothbrush into his small backpack. Wayne stood in the corner, watching the child solemnly. Once Eddie had finished, he spent one last ditch effort. "Please, don't let him take me," he pleaded quietly. Those six simple words almost broke Wayne entirely. "Kid, I've gotta. But I swear on my life that you'll be here soon, okay? Real soon. Promise," he said, squatting down to the boy's height. He was utterly surprised when the boy wrapped his arms around Wayne's neck, hugging him for the first time. Wayne hadn't been hugged by a child this small since Lisa was with him. He spent a few moments in shock, before wrapping his arms around the boy and enjoying the embrace.

Eventually, the pair let go and Wayne walked Eddie down the hallway. He watched a shift happen in the boy; it seemed like all the joy and talkativeness had disappeared from his body once he had walked within 5 feet of his father. At the same moment, Al started on his berade of the child, immediately pointing out what was wrong with him. "Boy, who let you keep your hair this long? Your mama? I ain't gonna be seen with no hippy of a son. Stand up straight, too," he complained as they walked out of the trailer door and into the night. Eddie quietly obeyed his every direction. Wayne was silently thanking his stars that the boy was as compliant as he was. It would be easier for him that way. Al had always gotten along better with people he could boss around.

Wayne finally understood why the boy was so quiet; he could barely get a word in edgewise with how much Al reprimanded him.

Watching his nephew walk out the door without even having a chance to say goodbye felt like a kick in the stomach. He was suddenly winded and tired and decided to sit down on the couch, flipping on the TV. Before he got the chance to change the channel, he caught the end of Mama's Family.

"That's what family is all about. Doing things that make you miserable," the laugh track cued.

Just that simple phrase, just two sentences, was the last nail in the coffin for Wayne. He felt his waterline brimming with tears, and quickly changed the channel, wiping his eyes.

When he couldn't move on from the thought of his nephew, all alone with his brother, he got up and walked down the hallway into Eddie's room. He sat down on the bedspread, which was spaceman-and-alien-themed after Eddie couldn't make a decision at the store.

~~~

Six months later, Wayne was woken up at three o'clock by the telephone ringing. He answered and was met with the voice of the police. "Mr. Munson?" the voice asked. "Yes, that's me," he replied, trying to rid his voice of sleep. "We have your brother, Alfred, in custody. You're the closest living relative of his son. Would you be able to come and get him?"

Wayne didn't waste a second. He said yes without hesitation.

Within five minutes, he had tugged on a pair of work jeans and was in his truck, reversing out of the trailer park. It took him 15 more minutes to pull into his brother's driveway, the house illuminated by the flashes of red and blue emitted by the police cars. Wayne pulled himself out of the truck and jogged over to the police officer. "Hello? I'm Mr. Munson, I've come to pick up Alfred's son," Wayne explained. The officer shook his hand. "Jim Hopper. Chief of Hawkins Police. We've got the kid sitting in one of the squad cars. He's a little freaked out right now. I mean, we all are. In all my years working here, never have I worked a case with as much gore as this one," he explained. Wayne must've had a look of confusion on his face because Chief Hopper elaborated. "You are aware that Mrs. Vivianne Munson was considered a missing person for a few months. We found traces of her blood and flesh in the house and a bag of her body parts buried in a field close by. I mean, his fingerprints were all over everything." The moment after he explained, Wayne was sorry that he ever let his brother take that boy away.

He gathered himself as Hopper walked him over to his nephew. The boy was sitting in a squad car, the door open, his feet hanging outside. He looked wildly different than the last time Wayne had seen him. His father had shorn his lovely curls down to his scalp, and he sported dark rings underneath his eyes. He stared at the ground, his hands clenched into fists. "Eddie?" Wayne called, shoving his hands into his pockets. The boy didn't make eye contact with him, or anyone else for that matter. He just got up from the car, walked past Wayne, and got into the passenger seat of his truck. Hopper and Wayne shared a look, until Wayne shrugged and walked back to his truck.

"He took her," Eddie muttered quietly. "What was that, kid?" Wayne asked, his eyes focused on the road. They had been driving for some odd time by now, and the truck had been silent thus far. "He took her. From me," Eddie repeated, louder this time. Wayne didn't know what to say. He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and focused. "Yes, he did, son. He did. He's gonna pay for it, too, okay?" Wayne explained. The boy finally looked up at him. "It won't bring her back, will it?" he asked. The man looked over at him for a sheer minute and saw his eyes gloss over with tears. Angry tears. Hot, burning drops that trickled in steady streams down the boy's cheeks.

He cried quietly, almost silent, until they pulled up at the trailer and Wayne patted his back. He was sobbing at that point, cries racking through his entire frame in the passenger seat. He held his face in his hands, letting the tears fall into his palms.

"Listen. My Pop wasn't good to us either, you know? But guess what; I made it through. I know you can too. Hell, if I can, you most definitely can, kid. You got more spunk and courage in your little pinky than I've got in my whole body, hmm?" Wayne explained once the boy had stopped crying. "You can make it through, Eddie, I know you can. You're better than your past. You're better than this." This would be a phrase that Eddie would hear from his uncle many times in the coming years.

Eddie, only eleven years old, looked up at Wayne with huge, glossy eyes and a twinkle he had only ever seen in Lisa, and that was when he knew. He knew it would be the last time he ever let that boy go.

love, lola / chapter one / through space and time (5.6k)

a/n: happy ending eventually, slow burn, will they won't they, a lil angsty but never mean eddie

my requests are open for this series if you want to request things from the backstory (if I don’t answer them, it’s because it’ll be revealed!)

prologue here / series masterlist / follow #enam3l love lola for instant updates / my other work

'Oh sweetheart you'll never believe this, Chrissy Cunningham is coming over later ahaha.' 

That was the last you had heard from Eddie and his words had made you want to slam the phone down so hard it crushed through the wall. Chrissy fucking Cunningham. It was downright embarrassing, you were twenty, living in New York and yet wanting to climb out onto the fire escape where the traffic can drown out your screaming over a teenage cheerleader. A hideous jealously coursed through you, not only was Eddie far away and his time previously reserved for you, now being spent with others. But it was being spent with the antithesis of you; classically all American feminine. Chrissy was delicate, pure and with the right amount of mystery. Eddie didn't know every detail of her life, every gory mortifying moment. Another fear that lingered in your mind - Eddie knew you far too well to possibly be in love with you. 

In the absence of a cure for a broken heart, the easiest alternative was to tape it back together and pretend that wasn't a temporary solution. For you this meant hooking up with someone, anyone who for once could make you feel desired, even if only for a night. And there he was, your human equivalent to sellotape, sat on the sofa with a beer trying to decide how long he needed to spend on pleasantries before he could get his dick out. Then your phone rang... it still wasn't Eddie. 

'Is this Y/N?' an anxious voice piped' 

'Yes... who is this?' 

'My name is Dustin, I'm Eddie's friend...'

Instantly your heart froze at Eddie's name and you hear the deep inhale from the other line. 

'He's in trouble. I didn't know who else to call.'

Immediately you were screeching at Mr. Sellotape to leave, the reason your heart beat at all needed you and he was more important than anything. You knew of Dustin, you knew of all of Eddie's latest lost chicks he'd taken under his wing. There was no need to ask for the boy to elaborate, whatever it was, you would be there. Every moment from the phone call until you find yourself back in Hawkins was a blur. Now you were finally, carefully approaching Skull Rock - where you used to get drunk as a teenager - to find beneath, curled up in a shivering ball, your Eddie. 

'Teddy,' you whisper, it's a name for his ears only. 

You heart wrenches to see how the confident larger than life boy turned to you quivering, eyes wide and tearful as if he could no longer trust the world around him. But he could trust you. Eddie leans in to your outstretched hand, finally receiving the only comfort on earth that could sooth him. The group linger back, aware you can help him in a way they'll never understand. After a few moments indulging in your touch, Eddie's big eyes blink open. This is the saddest and smallest you'd ever seen him, his face more haunted than the moment you stood by him as they lowered his mother's coffin into the ground. 

'W-why... h-how are you here Y/N?' his voice merely a croak. 

'Dustin called and I got on a plane straight away. You were in trouble. That's all I needed to know.'

You crawl up next to him as finally, for the first time since he saw Chrissy's crumpled lifeless body on his floor, Eddie lets himself go. Leaning against you, his face burrowed into your chest, sobs erupt causing his lanky frame to tremble and your top to soak with tears. He tells you every detail, the parts he hadn't wanted to scare the kids with. The way her bones crunched like twigs underfoot, how her once sparkling eyes crushed like grapes, every violent impact on the innocent girl's body inhuman. 

The bond that exists between you means not once does he question whether you believe his story or the insane revelation of the supernatural. The gang had told you everything, from Will's disappearance to where you are now and somehow it didn't surprise you. There had always been a twisted aura enveloping Hawkins that you'd never been able to ignore ever since you were a child. It was a topic your Grandmother frequently mentioned about the town you both called home; since time began there has been a darkness to Hawkins. 

Once again it felt like your destiny to be Eddie Munson's protector. Refusing to leave his side once you'd finally been reunited, whatever inter-dimensional beast or holier than thou towns person came for Eddie, they'd have to get through you first. You fingers intwined with his as you both swam into the depths of Lover's Lake, another location from your childhood together charred from the trauma Eddie had witnessed there. Pushing through to the surface you now came face to face with the hellish underbelly of Hawkins, the source of all the unexplained horrors that had occurred over the last three years. Instinctively you clung to Eddie holding him back as you witnessed demonic bats descend from the twisted red skies onto Steve Harrington. Nancy's screams and Eddie's tugging pull you out of the panicked vision of Eddie in Steve's place, being ravaged at all angles by the bats; you desperately needed him out of this and into safety.

The pair of you kick into action attempting to save Steve whilst you never let Eddie stray from your peripheral. Finally as the bats cower away you exhale and watch as Nancy attends to Steve's wounds. You can't help but notice the glimmer of adoration and heartbreak as she sees the damage, the way her fingers are gentle against his skin as her touch lingers a little too long and her eyes soften at his words. You force yourself to look away and continue forward with Robin as Eddie holds back with Steve, wrapping him in his jacket. Watching your shoes shuffle in the dirt, you look down in attempt to hide the blush rising on your cheeks as you realise the way Nancy looks at Steve is surely the way the world sees you look at Eddie. At least Nancy had the excuse of being his ex, of having held him in the ways you'd longed to hold Eddie but unfortunately you had no excuse; you'd never been so lucky to call Eddie yours. With the watergate closed you all pursue another avenue and continue onwards to the Wheeler house in search of weapons. As you finally arrive and begin to file up the stairs to Nancy's bedroom, Eddie's hand finds yours and pulls you back. 

The deep brown warmth in his eyes as they gaze up at you makes your heart burn similar to the burning sensation on your skin as Eddie's thumb rubs your knuckles. He looks at you and speaks with a sincerity rare for your best friend.

'I-I'm glad you're here Y/N... I mean... I'd rather you were away from this and safe but...'

You squeeze his hand as you indulge, letting your free hand brush his still damp fringe out his eyes. 

'Of course I'm here. I'd follow you anywhere... even through space and time,' you chuckle as you gesture around to the surreal surroundings you find yourselves in. 

Eddie faintly smiles back as he captures your other hand now, gripping them both intensely. 

'It's selfish but... I couldn't get through this without you, sweetheart.' 

It's a nickname that's lasted a lifetime and it still makes your blood rush without fail. You pull your conjoined hands to your lips and press a kiss to each. 

'You'll never have to get through anything without me. You're stuck with me for life.' 

Your heart is internally screaming please keep me around for life but you dare not let it slip.  

The moment is interrupted as Robin shouts for you both and fills you in on their discoveries; that the Upside Down is stuck in 1983 and that they can communicate with Dustin on the other side. You struggle to pay attention to Dustin's words and revelations, your eyes fixated on the way the energy twinkling from the lights reflects every shade of Eddie's eyes; shades of caramel, chocolate and espresso. 

Eventually you reach Eddie's trailer and see his lip tremble as you all enter. His eyes fixate on one spot and it goes without saying that it's where he saw Chrissy die. It feels disgustingly cruel for his own home to now be marred by this dark events. Dustin's cheerful face breaks the tension as it appears at the portal opening and you watch as Eddie visibly relaxes a the sight and sound of the boy. It's a comfort knowing Eddie had someone he was truly at ease with in your absence. You all venture into his bedroom and it's a familiar sight you've missed so much. It's wall to wall Eddie. His posters, his guitars, his bedsheets and clothes and... you spot something crumpled on the floor. 

'Urm Nance...'

She whips around to meet you, 'Yeah?'

'Did you say you think this place... this version of Hawkins was stuck in 83?'

She nods, 'Yep, pretty much. 6th November 83, the day Will went missing... why?'

You point to what caught your eye.

'Guess I was staying here that night,' you shrug. 

In the corner, next to the side of the bed Eddie usually sleeps on his a pile of your clothes. A small black satin dress, a matching set of pink lace underwear and a pair of black ankle boots. You'd forgotten you ever owned any of it, not having seen them in years. You're oblivious to Eddie's reaction to seeing what you point at, his cheeks redden, eyes wide as he gulps. Everyone stares at him but you, who starts to tie up sheets to use as a ladder between portals. 

Eddie coughs and manages to stutter out, 'Urm, y-yeah... you were here that night...' 

He's grateful that you're too distracted to see his pink cheeks and that his hair is still wet, hiding the beads of sweat surely trickling from his forehead. 

'That's wild, I totally forgot,' you shrug as you walk back into the living room. 

Nancy and Robin eyes shift at Eddie before following you out of the room. Steve stays and takes in Eddie's nervous appearance, 

'What the fuck dude?' His eyebrows raise, baffled as to what he just witnessed. 

Eddie shakes his head, 'don't ask...' he sighs and closes his eyes tightly. 

Steve looks over at the pile of clothes and back at the tension in Eddie's face, he attempts to sooth it. 

Batting his arm, Steve smirks 'cute panties though, right?'

Eddie's eyes jump back open, the red of the sky outside reflecting in the brown orbs and he raises his hand to Steve who jumps back in time. 

'Do. Not. Harrington,' he snarls. 

Steve raises his hands in surrender as he backs out the room, attempting to hide a smirk. 

'Alright, alright. Touchy subject, clearly, Munson.' 

Once Eddie is left alone in his bedroom he moves over to the pile of your clothes and lets the satin and lace glide through his fingers. Even in this godforsaken dimension, your smell still radiates from the fibres although mixed with whisky. He carefully folds them, pulls an old suitcase out from under his bed and opens it. In there are treasures, pictures of his Mom, song lyrics, old picks, gig tickets and birthday cards. He delicately places your clothes in there. Had the Upside Down mirrored his bedroom as it was now in 1986, your clothes would still be there folded perfectly in his box of treasures. 

It had been easy to slot into the group who'd been protecting your best friend in your absence. The Harringtons ran in the same circles as your Grandmother, many a ridiculous social event you and Steve had sought each other out to sit in the corner together. Robin although a couple years younger, had been interested in art like you so you'd run into each other in the art classrooms. Nancy had always been on a level above her peers, taking several of your senior classes despite being a sophomore. As for the kids, particularly Dustin, it was easy to connect with people who saw just how special Eddie was. You'd made it out of the portal and back into the real world. Your eyes scanned round the group of your new friends and allies. As you huddled together in the Max's trailer, plotting how to defeat Vecna you knew there'd been one ally you had yet to recruit - your Grandmother. Nancy had scavenged all the information she could on Vecna; from Victor Creel to Henry himself but there was one source of Hawkins history that hadn't been tapped into. Your Gran was born into a very wealthy founding family of Hawkins, it's story was her own. 

Earlier as you had clung to Eddie as you entered the Upside Down, across town your Gran sat at the back of the townhall listening to her community descend into madness. There were things in Hawkins they could never understand yet she had long suspected. Since childhood she felt the darkness infiltrate the streets she walked and the air she breathed. In 1959 a neighbour at the end of her street passed away leaving the home to his great niece and her family - The Creels. The events that happened in that house confirmed everything your Gran had ever theorised about Hawkins - it was cursed. Every detail she was able to piece together from neighbourhood gossip, police reports and the tales her daughter (your Mom) had told of the siblings Henry and Alice Creel that she had attended school with. All of it brought her to the conclusion that there was something that existed beyond what we understand. Then there was the Laboratory. It had appeared not long after the Second World War, her father some how involved in its funding and formation. She didn't know much about her father's work and that was by his own design, all she knew was that it wasn't savoury - nothing good ever paid so well. Often in the middle of the night she'd be awoken by the phone ringing, usually within ten minutes of the call she would hear her father leaving the house, she knew it meant something had gone wrong at the lab.

By the 50s, she sensed whatever was occurring at the lab had intensified as her father was pulled out of retirement and the atmosphere of Hawkins blackened further. Anytime she visited, her mother would inform her he was either out or shut away in his office with the men in black hats. Then after the Creel murders happened, something shifted in her father. He looked paler, gaunter, his eyes hollowed and empty, as if he were in a constant state of having seen a ghost. That is when she decided for sure whatever happened at Creel House was beyond human as was what occurred in the confines of Hawkins Lab. By 1960 her father had died and she sensed decades of harbouring these secret horrors finally took its toll on his body. As time went by, the Creel family faded to an urban legend within the town, everyone blissful to forget beside your Gran.

Then the events of 83 occurred, a boys dead body found one minute then he returns the next, unexplained deaths and increased activity at the lab. To her, all of it screamed cover up, something she could imagine her father hatching up in his office with the men in black hat. Since then incidents only continued, each more bizarre than the last and always haphazardly explained. Now she found herself here listening to her town finally realising none of this was normal and her completely missing the mark. Blaming it on satanism and cults, blaming on a boy she viewed as a grandson. A boy she knew was innocent. 

After convincing the group your Gran would understand, you found yourself pulling up to her house - your house. Steve and Dustin accompanied you to knock on as the rest of them stayed in the camper van Eddie had stolen. The door opened to your Gran's smiling face and after everything you'd learnt over the past couple of days, you just needed to be in her arms and comforted by the only real parent you'd ever had. Her arms instantly wrapped round you, her delicate hands stroking your back and hair soothingly like you were a child all over again. Soft kisses were placed at the crown of your head. 

'You came home to help Eddie, didn't you?' She murmured. 

'He didn't do it, Gran. I swear,' you couldn't help the sob that escaped you. 

She takes your face in her hands and instantly the smile on her face soothes your worries. 

'I know, of course he didn't. It's our Eddie we're talking about.' 

Our Eddie. It makes you smile just how deeply apart of each other's existence you are. 

Your Gran frees you and turns to your friends, waving them in. 

'Hello Steve and young man, you are?'

'Dustin, ma'am!' 

His formality makes your Gran smirk. 

'Okay Dustin, well come on in boys and you can just call me Ruby.'

The three of you follow your Gran into her sitting room and instantly you all scramble to fill her in from Will's disappearance to the present day. All she does is nod and occasionally close her eyes, her hands clasped together. 

'Ma'a- Ruby... do you believe us? I know it sounds ridic-' Dustin stammers but your Gran raises her hand and cuts him off. 

'I knew it. Finally. An entire lifetime I knew there was something wrong with Hawkins and thank god you kids finally worked it all out.'

Steve and Dustin look between each other blinking, shocked at her total belief and lack of questions. You just smile, you knew she'd understand it all if not be completely thrilled she finally had answers to decades of questions. The clap of her hands and her bejewelled rings clinking together gets the boys attention. 

'So,' she grins, 'what's the plan? What do you need from me?' 

So now you find yourself with a full plan to defeat Vecna ready to be enacted. All of you split into separate groups: Max, Lucas and Erica at the Creel House, Robin, Nancy and Steve at the Upside Down alternative and you sitting at the edge of the portal in Eddie's trailer as he and Dustin lower themselves into the Upside Down side. All of you armed by weapons funded by your Gran. It infuriated you to be left on the outside as Eddie threw himself into danger but they'd all argued they needed someone at the portal, ready to help them through and to hand if something went wrong in either world. Eddie had to unlatch your grip from his hand, he kissed your head as he whispered,

'You can't always be the one saving me, sweetheart.'

The words made you feel sick, it was alien to not be by Eddie's side to protect him. You wait alone and anxious, picking at an abandoned flannel of Eddie's you found on the sofa next to you. Finally, the silence is broken by Robin's crackle through the walkie,

'Initiate Phase 3.'

'Understood Buckley, Phase 3 about to be initiated,' both Eddie and Dustin's voices chirp through the speaker. 

Hearing his voice alone allows you the breathe a little easier until you realise now it's really happening, now is where the trouble begins. 

Within minutes you begin to feel the vibrations from the amps on the other side and Eddie's guitar kicks in. A grin spreads over your face as you lean further to the portal to listen closer. Master of Puppets. You can't help but chuckle, of course your best friend chose to defeat an inter-dimensional monster with Metallica. Ever since its release he'd been dedicated every spare moment to practising it. Multiple scheduled calls were missed because he'd become so absorbed in attempting to perfectly repeating the chords but you understood, his passion just another thing you loved about him. When he did remember, he often put you on loudspeaker as he continued to try and master the solo. But it was hard to talk when you could picture him sat on the edge of his bed, calloused fingers burning as he repeated notes until it was flawless, the veins in his hands, neck and arms protruding as he tensed and his tongue poking out like it always did when he concentrated hard. However none of the times you'd heard him had he played like this.

Through dimensions you could hear the passion he was playing with, you knew his entire being was being forced into this song and it showed, every note flawless. When you closed your eyes you could picture him stood on the roof, wind whipping round his curls, his body rippling in movement with the guitar and the sleeves of his leather jacket taught and crinkled with his movements. It killed you to be missing his most mental performance yet. The wretched screeches of the bats pulled you from your longing and made your heart rate pick up. The plan had worked clearly but now that meant they were making a beeline for Eddie. The image of seeing the bats lunging at Steve's body earlier made your stomach churn. The thought of Eddie... your legs were already dangling over the edge of the portal when silence fell. Time ticked slowly and it all felt wrong. You grabbed for your walkie,

' Dustin?' You panted, 'what's going on? Why is it quite?'

Silence. No response. It was all too quite. 

You hurled yourself through the portal, crashing onto the mattress you'd peacefully curled up on with Eddie so many times. You wished that's where you really were now, asleep bedside him and having the worst dream of your life. But you weren't. You stumbled to your feet and wrenched open the trailer door. The sky was darker than earlier, now a deep crimson with murky clouds and crackling lightening. Dustin stood nervously not far from the trailer... without Eddie. 

'What the fuck is going on?' you hissed. 

'He's gone rogue...' Dustin whispered, his eyes wide and you looked in the direction of his stare. 

The bats were silent because they'd been occupied with chasing Eddie who was fleeing away from the trailer. 

'What the hell is he doing?! You were supposed to play then get in the fucking trailer!' You scowled. 

'Th-they were too quick! We couldn't get from the roof to the door so he started running, s-so I could get in safely,' Dustin's bottom lip was trembling. 

You couldn't be mad at him, this screamed of Eddie's recklessness. You reached out and squeezed Dustin's shoulder. 

'Please, please, get inside. Get upside and safe. I'll deal with him.'

Dustin nods and begins to back up the stairs to the trailer. 

You're furious at Eddie's recklessness. Enraged he'd risk himself like this, make Dustin witness and risk leaving you. His figure continues to flee into the distance on a bike. You march closer, standing safely away from the trailer door which Dustin has finally retreated through. 

'EDWARD FUCKING MUNSON,' you bellow, 'WHAT PART OF THE FUCKING PLAN IS THIS?'

Your voice booms through the desolate land, bouncing off the tinny trailers and catching not only Eddie's attention but the bats. All of them screeching to a halt. 

'GET INSIDE NOW!' Eddie shouts back. 

He should know how stubborn you are, you stomp forward and you can see him shaking his head and flapping his arms encouraging you to move. 

'NO YOU FUCKING IDIOT! GET HERE NOW. WHERE IN THE PLAN DID WE DECIDE TO PLAY HUMAN SACRIFICE?' the anger inside you has completely erupted, you cannot believe how stupid he'd be. The rage is blinding you that all you can see is Eddie's frustrated figure and not the bats who are beginning to be lured by your echoing voice. 

'YOU SCARED DUSTIN! YOU SCARED ME! THIS IS NOT D&D, THIS IS NOT A FANTASY TO PLAY THE HERO! GET. INSIDE. NOW.' 

Some how your voice has grown even louder, Eddie has never heard you neither this loud nor angry. It's terrifying but what scares him more is how you've completely backfired his plan. The bats are now hurtling towards you and you're oblivious, still screeching at him. 

'Y/N be careful! They're coming your way now, for fucks sake!' 

Finally you process the world around you beside Eddie and see the black mass of bats now turned and flapping in your direction. Frantically, you spin to find the nearest weapon at your disposal. A shot gun sits propped up against the railings of the trailer and you skid over grabbing it. Cocking it, you're never more grateful for a ridiculous upbringing that resulted in you learning to shoot clay pigeons. 

Eddie's eyes bulge as he watches you shoot down the bats like it was second nature. His fingers grip at his hair knowing there's more bats than bullets and they're a lot faster than the gun. 

'Crazy bitch,' he mutters and he assesses his surroundings, 'couldn't just let me protect her for once.' 

He spots the wire for the amp dangling off the roof of the trailer and speeds back off towards it, hoping the guitar works again. 

The bats are dropping one by one but they continue to close in on you. They block your view and you pray for once in his life Eddie Munson has made a sensible decision and gone inside... but alas you were wrong. 

The amp screeches back to life and the bats flinch at the noise pivoting again back towards Eddie. Your fingers grip tight on the gun as you see him clearly now, round the side of the trailer across from you, calloused fingers causing his guitar to break through the noise again. Motherfucker, you think. 

You try to shout again to get the bats back to you but your voice is now hoarse and incomparable to the volume of the amps. 

The gun blasts to life again as you attempt to shoot down the swarm that is spiralling round Eddie but it's futile. The bats appear to have tripled in number. A darkness whispers through your mind it's no use. 

Tears trickle at the panic that's coursing through your veins, you attempt to move towards him but your legs are trembling and the shaking slows down the number of shots you can fire. As your arms lower, bullets all spent, you can finally hear his song. It's not Metallica now but your favourite and now the tears flood your waterline. Hot on your skin and completely obscuring the view of Eddie. 

Eddie watches you try to stumble nearer through the gaps between the beasts that swirl around him. He's stuck in the eye of a demonic tornado. He's the unlikely hero attempting to save princess who can only succeed at a cost. Your life is worth much more, he believes that to his core. But for once he thinks he can finally call himself a hero, protecting you for once instead of vice versa. Eddie is sure he has them all of the bats to his attention now, safely away from you. No need to play anymore he stops and lifts his guitar, swinging it round his head like a baseball bat. The bats screech and their blood splatters against his face each time he catches another. It's exhausting, another appearing in place of any he strikes. His arms and lungs ache. 

'Don't...' he gasps, 'you dare fucking hurt her. Don't...'

One bat manages to side sweep him, the sharp tail taking his legs out from under him. Eddie crashes to the floor and all he sees is black, the swarm entirely filling his line of vision. Over their screeches he can barely hear you cry his name. He groans as hot punctures strike at him repeatedly. The bats are quick to shred his pre ripped jeans and the thin cotton of his t-shirt. His trusty leather jacket providing him an armour that it had already done since the day you bought it for him. There's not point fooling himself, Eddie knows the hot trickles he feels down his torso and legs is his own blood. He closes his eyes, I'm really fucking tired he thinks. 

 Scarlet thunder cracks brutally through the blackened sky. Once, twice, three, four times. The bats instantly screech and drop fast and hard. Their bodies thumbing to the ground, the shield drop and revealing Eddie lying there motionless. Your scream pierces the silence, feet crunching over the dust and bodies to get to him. 

'Eddie,' you're barely able to croak as you take in the sight before you. 

His t-shirt tattered, gashes littering his sides as hot red pulses out of them and an unholy rate. Your heart and stomach plummet. Dropping to your knees by his side you rip off your sweater. Pushing it against the blood flow. A sharp gasp escapes Eddie and whilst you hate to hurt him, you're so pleased to hear a noise. 

'Teddy, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry. I need to stop the bleeding okay?' 

His eyes are drooping heavily, his chest raising faintly. You cradle his face, stroking away his hair and letting your forehead fall to his. 

'W-why did you do that?' you sob

Eddie wheezes attempting to answer and your hand goes to sooth him, stroking his neck. 

'C-couldn't... let... them...hurt you,' he splutters, blood splattering out his mouth. It's bad.You shake your head and try to protest but he muscles the strength to take take your hand in is. 

'You'd h-have... done the same,' he smiles. 

Even with bloody smeared over his face he is the most beautiful human you've ever seen. 

'Yeah... I would've,' you chuckle between sniffs. 

You heart cracks, his eyes droop closed and his body feels cooler each second. 

'Please, please stay awake Teddy. Please,' you're begging, tears streaming down into his neck where you've buried your face. The hand he had taken yours in shifts, managing to tangle into a lock of your hair. Your eyes shut blissfully at the touch, you never want him to stop touching you even if he's never touched you in all the ways you want. Eddie's throat croaks again and push up to look at his face. 

'Through,' he coughs again, more blood splatters out, 'space and time, yeah? Sweethea...' 

Eddie's eyes finally fluttered closed and then fingers than had been clutching your hair slack. If he goes knowing you're safe and you're the last thing his eyes ever got to enjoy and your skin was the final thing he got to touch, then that's a pretty good way to go. 

 Your own heart stops as you scan his face. Fingers clutching at the sides of his face, shaking him. Harder and harder. 

'Eddie?' you welp.  

'EDDIE?!' you grip at the scuffed leather.

No response. No movement. The blood that had been gushing from him has stilled. You throw your body over his. Face buried into his bloody chest, careless to its stains. 

'Don't you dare fucking leave me Edward Munson. I don't know how to exist without you, I don't think I do exist without you,' you whisper through a fresh wave of sobs. 

Your fingers find his pick necklace and you press your lips to it. 'Please, Teddy. I'm so in love with you. Please.' 

When Dustin finds you, quickly followed by Steve, Robin and Nancy, they gasp at the sight before them. You're curled up on Eddie's body, when they tug you away, you're covered in as much blood as Eddie. Collectively they carry him, your hand never leaving his. 

Once top side, they lay Eddie in back of Steve's car. You crawl in beside him and the gang look mournful as they watch Steve reverse, speeding away to the hospital. You're completely oblivious to the world outside of yours and Eddie's bodies. Steve let's tears seep as he keeps his eyes on the road, determined to pretend he can't hear the way you confess your love to Eddie. Whatever happens, he thinks, I'll never mention I heard that. 

A group of people haul Eddie out the backseat and into the hospital, you chasing frantically. Determined to never let him out of your sight. The doctors and nurses look in horror as they assess his injuries, petrified as to what could cause such unholy damage. You screech at them to stop as they cut away his clothes,

'Don't... don't rip that!' You cry as you take Eddie's leather jacket off for him. Steve and a nurse stroke your back as your carefully take off every ring, bracelet and necklace. Pressing a kiss to his buckles when you remove the final one. To the staff you must look like a distraught wife, you could only dream. The nurse tugs you away,

'Please honey, you have to let go of him now if the Doctors have any hope of saving him.' 

Steve takes you into his arms as you begin to cry more. As Eddie is wheeled away, the nurse shakes her head at Steve and mouths 'prepare her for the worst.' He nods, pulling you now over to the sofa and laying you down. 

Steve watches trying to stifle his own tears now as he sees you cover your body in Eddie's leather jacket and place each of his rings on yourself. As your exhausted eyes flutter closed, he witnesses you bring the rings to your lips. All of it means so much more now, Steve realises. You were completely in love with Eddie Munson. 

UGGGGH MY HEART

billy

…he’s always been there

Perhaps I have a type

Steve Harrington has Kenergy

I used to work for a trade book reviewer where I got paid to review people's books, and one of the rules of that review company is one that I think is just super useful to media analysis as a whole, and that is, we were told never to critique media for what it didn't do but only for what it did.

So, for instance, I couldn't say "this book didn't give its characters strong agency or goals". I instead had to say, "the characters in this book acted in ways that often felt misaligned with their characterization as if they were being pulled by the plot."

I think this is really important because a lot of "critiques" people give, if subverted to address what the book does instead of what it doesn't do, actually read pretty nonsensical. For instance, "none of the characters were unique" becomes "all of the characters read like other characters that exist in other media", which like... okay? That's not really a critique. It's just how fiction works. Or "none of the characters were likeable" becomes "all of the characters, at some point or another, did things that I found disagreeable or annoying" which is literally how every book works?

It also keeps you from holding a book to a standard it never sought to meet. "The world building in this book simply wasn't complex enough" becomes "The world building in this book was very simple", which, yes, good, that can actually be a good thing. Many books aspire to this. It's not actually a negative critique. Or "The stakes weren't very high and the climax didn't really offer any major plot twists or turns" becomes "The stakes were low and and the ending was quite predictable", which, if this is a cute romcom is exactly what I'm looking for.

Not to mention, I think this really helps to deconstruct a lot of the biases we carry into fiction. Characters not having strong agency isn't inherently bad. Characters who react to their surroundings can make a good story, so saying "the characters didn't have enough agency" is kind of weak, but when you flip it to say "the characters acted misaligned from their characterization" we can now see that the *real* problem here isn't that they lacked agency but that this lack of agency is inconsistent with the type of character that they are. a character this strong-willed *should* have more agency even if a weak-willed character might not.

So it's just a really simple way of framing the way I critique books that I think has really helped to show the difference between "this book is bad" and "this book didn't meet my personal preferences", but also, as someone talking about books, I think it helps give other people a clearer idea of what the book actually looks like so they can decide for themselves if it's worth their time.

Update: This is literally just a thought exercise to help you be more intentional with how you critique media. I'm not enforcing this as some divine rule that must be followed any time you have an opinion on fiction, and I'm definitely not saying that you have to structure every single sentence in a review to contain zero negative phrases. I'm just saying that I repurposed a rule we had at that specific reviewer to be a helpful tool to check myself when writing critiques now. If you don't want to use the tool, literally no one (especially not me) can or wants to force you to use it. As with all advice, it is a totally reasonable and normal thing to not have use for every piece of it that exists from random strangers on the internet. Use it to whatever extent it helps you or not at all.

The Time Before - Eddie's Movies

260 words

an: hey!!! life's been pretty crazy with exams and everything, and since I haven't posted in a while, here's a little fluff for you all! I've been obsessed with all the Godzilla and Kong movies recently, and wanted to put something in here because I think it fits Eddie so well! Hope you enjoy!

cw: fluff, slight mentions of child abuse

================================================Eddie had never gotten the chance to watch many movies at his former house; when his father was home, he would hog the tv, caring only to watch football games. The second time Eddie was placed in Wayne's care, Wayne decided to rent as many movies as he could that seemed like they would interest his nephew. Wayne laid them all on the shelf below the coffee table in careful piles.

Eddie had been quiet so far into his stay, much like the first time he was brought to Wayne, only much more enclosed, enveloped in himself. Wayne barely saw him leave his room, seeing it as a protective barrier from his brother's actions.

After they had finished dinner one night three weeks into Eddie's stay, Wayne suggested they put on a movie. "You go pick. They're all underneath the coffee table," he suggested. Eddie walked into the living room and picked the first one on the stack. He wasn't very interested at first, but once the opening scene of Godzilla vs. Megalon started, he was sucked in.

Practically attached to the movies, he spent the next two days watching every movie he could find. Godzilla, King Kong, and the Universal Monsters became his companions over the warm summer when his hair finally started to grow back out. Boris Karloff was his idol, and he even received a poster that has been tacked on his wall since his 12th birthday.

He wouldn't admit it until years later, but he cried at Kong's death at the end of King Kong (1976).