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harpyhottie · 2 years

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Horror Connoisseur // Eddie Munson Fic

Uh so myself, like many others, have an Eddie Munson hyperfixation because I cannot consume media in a normal manner. So enjoy ig.

Eddie Munson x femreader

Word count: 3k

1/?

Summary: Your friends went off to college after graduating, leaving you behind in Hawkins to work a lame job while still living at your parents house. Your mom didn't let you borrow the car for your shift so you're dreading the walk home until your last customer offers you a ride home.

Warnings: profanity

You tapped your fingers against the counter at your job. As a graduate, it was decided that you had to start pulling your own weight if you weren’t planning on leaving for college anytime soon. Your graduation party was weird, you could only fake smile and agree so many times when your aunts, uncles, neighbors, and parents’ friends told you that it wasn’t too late to send in an application for the semester. So you were in that weird existence of having the freedom of the world yet were still living with your parents. Even though you were an adult, you were still at the mercy of whether your mom decided to let you borrow the car or not. Unfortunately for you tonight, she chose no, and you were dropped off for your six hour shift at Family Video, where neither Robin nor Steve were scheduled. To make matters worse, there was no ride back home as your younger sibling had a basketball game. You got out of work at 9, but this was basically light-years away. Rolling your eyes, your current task was to reorganize the returned tapes pile. What a nightmare.

Hours passed as you begrudgingly put movies in alphabetical order on the shelves, something that didn’t need to be done but boredom drove you to desperate measures. It was unusually slow this shift and you glanced at the clock. 8:26 pm. Freedom was so close. The handful of customers today were just the usual suspects: kids with too much time on their hands, young couples who couldn’t decide on a movie, and parents that were looking to distract their children during sleepovers. While you were excited for the shift to be over, there was still one problem that was on your mind; you still had to walk home. While this wasn’t a particularly difficult task, it was a particularly cold day. Plus the sun had gone down hours ago and the sky was lonely without its moon. You’d have to walk close to the streetlights for safety. You were regretting playing Nightmare on Elm Street on the store T.V.

Deciding to be brave, you just sighed and accepted your fate. So what if you were murdered? It’s not like anything else was going on. Your inner monologue was interrupted by the booming of a shitty car speaker. The headlights of the vehicle shined through the front door and you were too wrapped up in your thoughts to even look up as the bell door jingled. Feeling weird that you were just idly standing by, you decided to make it look like you were doing something productive. You planted yourself by a shelf and pretended to work, counting down the seconds that the customer would leave and you could stare at the wall again. But out of the corner of your eye you spied on the man standing in the horror section. His face was concentrated as he thumbed through numerous titles. Your eyes lingered on his rings, then his curled hair, then the familiar vest that he wore. You knew him! Eddie Munson! You had a class with him, 3rd period science, you sat in front of him. Were even paired with him for a project that you ended up doing 70% of the work for. But he was funny, you remember, super funny. And his smile was genuine. But then he heard he wasn’t walking at graduation yet again and he stopped showing up in the last month of the semester, which was a shame because you didn’t see him at any other point at school.

Just then, the music blared on the T.V. as Krueger showed his ugly face yet again in a jumpscare. Startled, you jumped and wiped out the romantic comedy section while yelling.

“Fuck!”

Oh nice going you moron. Immediately you were flustered for acting like such a spaz.

“Uh, you need help?”

“No, no, it’s all good.”

“Dude. There’s, like, a shit ton of movies on the floor.”

Your face was red with embarrassment. Usually you were able to skate by for shifts but you were jumpy for some reason. Your body was nervous for something that your brain had not yet recognized. He set some tapes on the counter as he came to the rescue. It was always so awkward to see a classmate out of school, especially one you weren’t friends with. Should you say hi? Should you ignore the fact that you know them and delete them from your memory, effectively acting like they never existed? The second was your go-to and you were going to just nod in acknowledgement as he helped you then go in the back room to scream silently. But he was not going to let you do that.

“Hey, I know you,” he said with a grin while pointing at you. “Yeah, yeah, Science! With that dipshit Mr. O’Connell. Damn I do not miss that school. But am I right? I’m right.”

You nodded. Why was he deviating from your personal script! You already planned out what the interaction would be! He’d silently help you, you’d ring him up and then you would prepare to fight for your life walking in the dark, most certainly screaming and crying the entire run home. He stared at you for a moment.

“I never forget a face, but I kinda do forget names, what was yours again?”

You told him and he then nodded and slapped his forehead.

“Damn, I was close! Didn’t mean to erase ya from my head. Think all the pot is finally rotting my brain,” he said as he pantomimed blood oozing from his ears as you giggled. You finished cleaning the tapes and took your place behind the counter to check him out, both literally and figuratively. He was taller than you remembered and his rings clacked against the counter as he rested his hand, the other subtly fixing his hair. His sleeves were rolled up to expose the tattoos on his forearm. Hot, you thought.

“So, you a connoisseur of horror as well?”

You scanned his stack of movies. The Shining, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing. Yep, he was definitely a connoisseur of horror. You shrugged and waved your hand in a manner that said ‘kinda.’

“So what’s your favorite flick then?”

He folded his arms and leaned towards the counter, both elbows touching the surface. He waited for your answer, a slight smile forming. Honestly, he was making you more nervous than any horror movie ever could.

“I don’t have one.”

“You don’t have one?! Lies. Everyone has one or they’re lying.” He rolled his eyes as you scoffed.

“I’ll get an answer out of you one day,” he said, swiping up his tapes and heading towards the door. “Holy shit, it’s cold. Might be a blizzard coming up.”

Your heart dropped. Great.

“That sucks! I have to walk home in this shit.”

He went to leave then stopped and turned around with a confused look on his face.

“Wait what? Walk? Out there?”

You nodded and told him about not having the car today but waved it off as being totally fine.

“Dude! It’s cold as hell out there. Or, uh, hell isn’t really that cold but you know what I’m saying. You’d have to be stoned to think you wouldn’t die of hypothermia or something.”

You told him you brought a jacket and gloves.

“Pshh. No way am I letting a former classmate of mine walk home. I’ll drive you.”

You froze. In all your years of life a boy had never offered to drive you home. This was earth-shattering. This was jaw-dropping. Your parents would die twice if they saw the guy, the accused satanist slash high school dropout roll up to your house with the music blaring and you jumping out of the passenger seat. Not only that, but just the thought of riding with this guy was making you sweat standing in the ice cold store. It was a scenario that not even the fates could have foreseen. But, you were game. Just half an hour you accepted that you might die on your walk home. If you were going to die, you would almost certainly want your last moments spent in the arms of Eddie, the freak of Hawkins.

“But I still have 20 minutes left of my shift.”

“Cool, that’s a 20 minute smoke break. I’ll be outside,” he said as he exited the store. For a couple of minutes you were expecting him to drive off. He’d laugh to himself as he pranked you, remembering the hopeful look on your face as you accepted his offer. But he didn’t. He just…stayed there. You saw him through the frosted doors take a cigarette out of his pocket and saw the glow of the flame from the lighter. Then you began to panic.

Fuck! Fuck! You were going to get a ride from a guy and you weren’t even sure how to act. Your social battery was pretty much shot. He’d have to lead the conversation. What would he even talk about? Oh god, what if he talked about some girl and you had to just sit and listen. Oh god, what if he asked if you had a boyfriend. Now you were circling around the back room, head in your hands until you stopped for a moment. Let’s calm down. Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Chill dude, you just talked to him for 5 minutes and you’re sure he’s in love with you? Delusional. Let's be rational. He’s just a guy, innocently offering a ride. A ride to you, a girl, who has never had a boyfriend or even a boy interested in you and you’re going to be alone in a car with him in the dark and okay now you’re panicking again. Chill.

Your internal meltdown actually ate up a bit of time. The clock read 8:51 pm and you decided that the store could survive being closed a couple minutes early, especially after your manager complained that the foot traffic stopped after the sun went down. You finished up the housekeeping and switched off Elm Street with a middle finger. Fuck you Freddy. You went to your locker to retrieve your things and eyed yourself in the mirror next to the bulletin board where Robin and Steve had requested the day off. You fluffed your hair a little. The stupid hairspray you decided to gamble on was a total waste of $8. Quickly, you put a bit of gloss on your mouth but not too much because what if he wondered why your lips were randomly shiny. For extra measure you put another piece of gum in your mouth to extra smell like spearmint. Actually it was kind of overpowering but nevermind that, just put on your coat and stop staring at yourself in the mirror before he really does leave.

Locking the door to the store, you turned around to find the guy giving you a ride, even preparing a funny little quip to say to him. But he wasn’t there. His car wasn’t on either. You felt a little spooked.

“Eddie?” You said cautiously. The only explanation was that he was kidnapped by someone while waiting for you. You weren’t built for that kind of guilt upon your shoulders. As you walked around his van, he jumped out and screamed. You screamed as well and hit him with your bag as he braced against his car while laughing.

“Oh that was, you should have seen, oh wow.”

You put your hands on your hips and stared at him expectantly.

“Oh okay fine, I’m sorry. Except I’m not.”

“With an apology that sincere, I have no choice but to accept.”

He opened the van door and motioned you inwards. Then he climbed into the driver's seat and scrambled to pick up the trash, a bit embarrassed. Fast food bags, candy wrappers, cans, even a hot dog laid bare on the floor.

“Sorry, uh, that’s my emergency hot dog for uh, when I get too hungry,” he said before flinging it into the parking lot.

“But your emergency hot dog?!” you yelled as it rolled numerous times.

“It’s okay, I know where it is, one of many excuses to come back here.”

You weren’t sure if that was a hint or something but it made you quiet and stare straight ahead. You’re. In. His. CAR. Stay calm, cool, and collected.

“So what kind of tunes are you thinking? I’ve got many moods. Like angry, angry, and angry.”

“Hmm. I like angry, but angry is really calling my name.” He chuckled at your response.

“So it does, so it does.”

A bit of the ride was driven in silence while the music played. You could tell he’d glance over at you but you didn’t dare return it. His confidence was so alluring and the way he was looking at you felt so not platonic. You heard odd things about him but you were also thinking odd things about him that you felt if you pondered on for more than a couple of moments he’d somehow read your mind.

“So why are you so nervous? Is it me? I mean I get it.” He continued to drive at an obscene speed and when you told him your address earlier, he assured you that he knew where it was. But 3 missed turns said otherwise and you didn’t really feel like correcting him.

“Like, the hell are you supposed to do when the town pariah offers you a ride? It’s gotta be weird. I wasn’t thinking you’d accept. Usually girls try not to talk to me, which, understandable. I’m utterly insufferable.” You both laughed as he finished speaking. You debated diving into your personal life but it felt comfortable enough to say.

“My friends actually stopped talking to me after graduation. They’re all moved into university. No post cards, no calls. They’re all busy. So it’s nice to be talked to, even by the town pariah.” You decided to be a little more bold.

“And girls run from you? Why? You’re like,” you fumbled the delivery a bit but tried again.“You’re totally good looking and funny! So what if you’re considered a weirdo. It’s even lamer to conform. You have your own style.”

He stayed silent for a bit, trying to think about what to say. Maybe you were a bit too bold.

“Wow. You totally want me!”

“No that’s not what I said!” you said laughing while burying your face into your hands. You kinda walked yourself into that.

“No you definitely want to ride the Eddie rollercoaster, well get in line baby. The park closes at 10 pm.” You rolled your eyes as he rambled on. You slapped him on the shoulder and he rolled down his window as he drove slowly through a neighborhood.

“I’m a wanted man,” he sang mockingly to the houses as you shook your head. A porch light came on.

“Oh hell,” he said as he sped out of the area, an old man opening his front door and shaking his fist towards disrespectful youth. Eddie turned up the music so loud that it blared, effectively disrupting the rest of the neighborhood and sang along. You looked at him with your ears covered and screamed along with him.

After a bit of driving around, you checked your watch, noticing that it was nearly 10:30. Your parents definitely thought you were dead.

“Not to spoil the fun but I’ve gotta get home or else my mom is gonna freak.”

“You break my heart, it’s shattered into a million pieces.”

“Yeah yeah. By the way, you passed my street so many times. You said you knew where I lived!”

“Oh I do, maybe I just wanted to have a conversation, I’m lonely you know.”

“So your solution was to kidnap me? That’ll hold up in court.”

“Maybe don’t get in the car with a stranger.”

“We’re not strangers!”

“Oh right, I forgot that you’re madly in love with me.”

You groaned in exasperation. You were out of clever retorts, he drained you of all of them. He turned the music way down as if he were anticipating you to yell at him to do so. The van creaked slowly towards your house and he put it in park. You looked at your house, confused by the lack of lights on. You were expecting your dad to fly out and berate you then take one look at Eddie and berate him too. But there was none of that, and then you remembered that they would be staying out of town with your sibling since the basketball game was actually a tournament. Which meant that you could stay out with Eddie. Or if you really wished, he could come inside. But you had enough of feeling nervous for one night and could use a breather. Beside you, the seat shifted as he put his arm on the back of your seat. He subtly checked you out while he thought you wouldn’t notice.

“No really, I’d love to sit in your driveway all night while you stare silently at your house. Not creepy at all.”

You shot him a dirty look as you opened the door and were shocked that your legs felt like jelly and hoped he didn’t notice. You cleared your throat and thanked him for the ride home and he waved his arm as if to say it was no problem.

“Honestly, it was the... coolest night I’ve had in a while. My friends don’t really talk to me much either; the whole dropout thing doesn’t mix well with college students but whatever. I got all these movies to keep me company. Better yet, call me if you want to be lonely together. Oh and don't think that you're getting out of the horror movie question.”

You closed the passenger door and waved goodbye to him. He scrawled a phone number onto a wrapper and passed it to you. A part of you wanted to fake crumple it up in front of him but you didn’t. You smirked as you walked down the path to your house and unlocked your door, safe and sound. Taking a big sigh, you flopped onto your living room couch face down. You smiled again because you realized that you had a reason to talk to him again. The both of you were so enthralled in conversation that you never rang him up for the tapes and he left without paying. So much for the store inventory tomorrow, you had the day off anyways.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x you #st4 #stranger things 4 #stranger things eddie munson #eddie munson x fem!reader #stranger things fic

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