if the world was ending
based off one of my favorite songs, if the world was ending by jp same & julia michaels with my baby eddie <3
the first shake didn't phase you. sure, earthquakes were rare in indiana, but they had to happen sometimes, right?
the second shake had you a little nervous, but you knew you shouldn't be paranoid that something was wrong. it's possible and not unheard of.
the third shake, along with the news headline on channel nine, reading, the end of the human race... well, that had you terrified. in just a few hours, you would be swiped off the earth, along with everyone you know.
instead of thinking about your mother or your best friend, robin, or even what's beyond this life?, you thought about the one person you shouldn't.
eddie munson.
it had taken you a while to think about him without hurting your heart-- without feeling you that pang of pain in your chest after your relationship ended a year ago.
at this moment, you couldn't help but wonder what he was doing. did he even see the news? was he out with steve and freshly turned twenty-one dustin? or was he at home, curled up on the couch in that same, small trailer, watching television as reality collapsed around him? you didn't know. it pained you not knowing.
the breakup wasn't angry; it didn't end on bad terms or words you wish you wouldn't have said. you weren't made for each other and it was something the two of you had to come to terms with. eddie had been touring with his band and you were finishing your nursing degree, and you just... well, you weren't made for each other.
eddie was the one person who stuck with you, in your mind. the boy who you thought of when you finally got your diploma two months later. the boy whose face popped into your head when you needed to take your medication ("don't forget your meds, pretty girl"), and the only boy who could make you smile until your face was numb.
and there you were, sitting on the couch of your studio apartment, wrapped in a blanket with a glass of wine as you thought to yourself, if i'm leaving this world all alone, i sure as hell am going to be drunk.
only you weren't alone, not anymore; not when there was a knock at the door. you didn't answer, you stayed in your spot on the comfy couch, pretending that you weren't home. and then the person on the other side of the door knocked again. and again. and again.
your heart dropped to your stomach when you opened the door, irritated with the incessant knocking. "eds." you stood there, frozen in time, the curly headed, love of your life standing before you.
"hi, sunshine." he offered you a sympathetic smile. he didn't know if this was a mistake, just dropping in to see you. but he knew it was worth a try, considering how the two of you left things. you were too in love with him to lock that door, you only kept it open, assuring him that you'd always be there. "how's the end of the world treatin' you?"
before you even knew what you were doing, you nearly collapsed into him, wrapping your arms around his neck as his found your waist, holding you to him and tip-toeing inside your apartment, you clinging to him like a monkey. he softly kicked the door shut behind himself, nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck.
the silence was loud while you stood in the kitchen, brewing a pot of coffee as eddie sat inside the apartment, on the window sill, overlooking the city through the large piece of glass that almost covered an entire wall. you glanced at him from your position in the kitchen; he looked the same as he always had-- a plain t-shirt and black jeans, not to mention that same jean jacket he'd worn since you met him three years ago. the same jacket he'd always offered to you when you were cold. his hair was curly as ever, ending beneath his shoulders. he had his knees tucked into his chest, his hands folded over them with the familiar rings adorning his fingers, just as you remembered.
"coffee's served," you mumbled as you walked over to him, handing him a cup. he murmured a thanks, glancing at you once you sat opposite of him on the window sill, looking out at the world that would be gone in a few hours.
he brought the mug to his lips, sipping the black coffee from it as his eyes studied you. it felt surreal seeing you in person, he felt as if he'd gotten you wrong in his dreams. you were always smiling in them, the space under your eyes wrinkled in amusement, your nose scrunched up. but he guessed there wasn't anything to smile about right now. "it's quiet out there," you finally spoke, the sky a scary shade of red. "it's never quiet."
"everyone's probably home," he replied, looking down into his lap. "saying goodbye to their loved ones."
you hummed in agreement, outlining the top of the mug in your hand with your fingertip. "it doesn't make sense to say goodbye when we're all going to the same place." you finally turned your head toward him to meet his gaze that was focused on you, expecting a playful comment like stop being so depressing or lighten up, would you?
but he doesn't say any of that. he doesn't actually say anything until another minute passes by, still holding eye contact with you. "then let's not say goodbye." he moves his legs apart, putting one of his feet on the floor to make space for you, beckoning for you to sit closer, like he had always done when he wanted you. almost as if it was a routine, you complied instantly, walking to his side of the window and sitting down again, between his legs. his arms came around you as you leaned your body back against his chest, a coffee cup still in one of his hands.
"do you think we would have worked?" you asked interrupting the silence. he hums back a hm?, looking out the window again. "if we knew a year ago that the world was ending today-- do you think we would have stayed?"
he leaned his chin on top of your head, taking another sip from the cup. "i always thought we'd find our way back to each other, whether in one year or ten." you nodded in acknowledgement, unsure if he was only saying that because of how few time you had left together or not. "if i knew i didn't have that luxury of time... i wouldn't have left your side." ouch.
you never knew your heart could hurt so much, but it did. your heart was being ripped out and not because you felt alone, but because you didn't. "what if we had worked out? no nursing degree or band or the world imploding. no things being complicated."
eddie's quiet for a moment as the gears in his head turn, imagining the perfect scenario. the scenario he'd dreamed about for months. you. "i think we'd be married by now, if not for all the extra stuff." he admitted, putting his mug down on the floor and wrapping both arms around you, rubbing up and down your arms. "maybe thinking about kids, where we wanted to live."
"boy or girl?" you asked, his voice sending you into a haze.
he watched as the fire and smoke outside consumed the streets and soon, you'd be consumed, too. "two boys first, then a little girl. she'd need older brothers to watch out for her."
"they'd have the best hair."
he chuckled, nodding in agreement. "we'd fight over whether to have them grow it out or keep it short. you'd win of course and we'd cut it. i'd stop doing music by then, we'd have normal jobs where we'd be home by the time they were home from school. angel would be just like me, rebellious and unpredictable."
"angel?" you asked and tilted your head back, staring up at him in awe as tears gathered at the corners of your eyes.
he nodded again, "we'd call her angie. and the boys would be mama boys, following you around the house until they're teenagers, they'd have the same doe-eyes you have when they were asking for something." you giggled, wiping away a few tears that spilled over your lash line. "and we'd be so happy. happy that against all odds, we were able to make it work."
you turned your head, sitting up more to look at him. you practically melted as he cradled your head in his hands, leaning in and pressing his lips against yours as the smoke neared your building. he wiped away your tears with his thumb like it was a reflex. his other hand wrested on your arm, drawing a heart on your wrist with his finger, telling you he loved you one last time.
you smiled weakly against his lips, drawing a heart with your index finger over his chest. your time runs out before you can finish the symbol, but he knows what you were drawing. he had to know.
and just like that, you and eddie munson were now part of the past-- and there was no one you'd rather spend the end of the world with.
if the world was ending, you'd come over, right?
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