#blood sucker | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hopelessrromantix · 1 year

Text

blood sucker | 3

steve harrington x vampire/demon!m!reader x eddie munson

chapter summary: Eddie decides breaking and entering I'd his best course of action... It only he mentioned that to you.

a/n: not much beta, a bit of angst and slight filler before my next one but oop

t/w: stalker-type reader, angst, no beta

masterlist

Smash Mouth

Eddie had never felt more selfish in his life.

From an empty aisle of his favorite record shop, he’d spotted Steve Harrington. To which he’d freaked out and you dragged him back home.

That had been yesterday, and the image of Steve was drilled into his brain.

He hadn’t seen anyone else around, just the brunette in one of his preppy polos, his Family Video vest thrown over his arm.

He was smiling, one hand is his pocket and the other fiddling with the fabric in his hands. He gave some girl a smile, making her giggle and turn to her friend, clearly talking about him. If Eddie didn’t know any better, he’d say Steve had never been through the Upside Down.

And he panicked. Because he wanted to ruin it.

He wanted to walk up and announce himself and find a place in Steve’s life. He wanted to join the group again, to introduce you to his friends. Maybe he could include you in all of this. Maybe he could actually be happy and live like a normal person for once.

And every time he thought about it, he couldn’t help but feel selfish. Finally, they were moving past things. They were out of the Upside Down and everyone important had walked out of hell with them (Max wasn’t quite down yet). Stepping in now, after they’d gotten used to their new normal… could he really do that to them?

Was it selfish to ruin everything just when they were moving past it? Maybe. But he wanted to do it anyway.

Would they even want to see him? School would be ending in a couple months, and Dustin would be running Hellfire. Sure, some of his old friends might miss him, but maybe Hellfire would be less of a target without him yelling at everyone.

Wayne would have one less person around, he probably took up most of their spending anyway. Maybe he could stop working so many long nights, and worrying about Eddie’s future.

Nancy and Robin would be moving on in their lives. Nancy to college and Robin graduates soon. Robin was always nice to him (and he’d bet money she was about as gay as he was). And they’d be their own people, whether in Hawkins or not.

The kids of Hellfire, being Dustin, Mike, Erica and yes even Lucas might need a leader. He pushed them outside of their boundaries. But Dustin could do it, that much he knew. That kid, as annoying as he could be, was a perfect replacement.

And Steve was a popular rich kid. Even better, a genuinely kind popular rich kid. He’d end up with a pretty wife (probably Nancy, which was a win for him), 5 kids, a stable job, and a picket-fenced house.

Where did he fit into all that? A possibly drug addicted super super senior who listens to the devil’s music and may be an undead cannibal?

But the selfish part of him wanted to try anyway.

He missed Dustin and the Hellfire kids, Steve and Robin, even Nancy and that Max kid.

You assured him he could go back. You offered to take him even, to hold his hand through the whole thing. He didn’t know if he could ask that of you.

He was already living with you, living being the important word. But the past few months had made you much more than ‘the guy who saved his life’, as impressive as that title was. You tried to include him in everything. He let you go by yourself to hunt people (he still wasn't into the whole murder thing), though he joined you for small walks through the woods or trips to stores. Stuff that made him feel human again.

And as he slowly grew more confident, that same thought about going back would slip into his head.

He’d been too scared to see anyone else after the accidental run-in with Steve. You’d told him plenty about what they were up to, though.

Dustin had made a makeshift grave in the woods, one away from anyone who may want to disturb it. Everyone had gone to visit it at some point, leaving him small flowers or items they thought he’d like. You’d taken him in the middle of the night once, letting him look over the small altar they’d made. He didn’t know who kept bringing him the beer, cigs, and a joint, but he was rather thankful.

‘People who really understand me!’ He’d announced, already starting to smoke on his way back to your home. Not like it could hurt him anymore.

With his name clear (which he was still confused by, how’d they do it??), he was free to explore. He had a surprising lack of judgment as well. It was strange. As if people had forgotten the ‘serial killer’ on the loose only months earlier.

There were still mentions of Jason and his group, how they’d shown up dead. But his name was never in the mix. There was nothing but the usual stares, mostly gawking at his sense of style or scared he’d make them roll for charisma.

You didn’t seem nearly as interested as he was, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Not yet at least.

His eyes cracked open as he forced himself deeper under the covers, melting into the warmth of the sheets. You were out, he didn’t know where. You’d simply asked him to stay in your house, as per usual, leaving him in the empty silence of your home.

He’d asked plenty of questions about your house. It was basically in the middle of nowhere, literally. Your only doors led to completely different places, nothing like the soft, peach colored dawn he saw out your window.

The more he asked, the more he found out that you wouldn’t give many answers. All he’d figured out, is that it was a space between, like the Upside Down. You hadn’t told him much about you, or your life. He wasn’t really one to pry either.

It was ever so slightly concerning that you’d been stalking him and Steve for an unknown amount of time, but the longer he spent with you, the more he realized why.

You simply didn’t understand people. You hadn’t really been around any, not for longer than a few minutes, anyway. He and Steve were your only human interaction.

Stalking wasn’t a concept for you, in fact, talking to people at all wasn’t a concept. Watching and waiting was the only thing you knew. As far as Eddie was aware, you’d been doing it as long as you existed.

He was rather excited to be one of the first people to catch your eye (he bragged frequently), and as you spent more and more time together, you got closer and closer.

Your room was comfortably warm, just enough so his feet didn’t freeze when they hit the wood of your floor.

He changed into some of the clothes you’d bought him. The style was similar to what he’d normally wear, in fact, he was certain he had some of the shirts. He slipped on a band tea and his leather jacket. After he’d arrived at your house, it’d needed some patching, but it was good enough for him.

Being alone in your house was weird. It didn’t feel like his home. But his home was currently wrecked by an “earthquake”, so this was as close as it was getting.

He walked through your living room, glancing at your back door on the way to the kitchen. Much like the front door, it led somewhere else, this time to Hawkins, not that it looked any different from a normal door. He trudged past it, trying to ignore the tug he felt from the door.

Your kitchen was just as normal, save for an absurd amount of wine bottles in a large, fridge-like box. He grabbed one that was half finished, cringing slightly as the deep red sloshed around against the glass.

Since the middle of nowhere had nothing but small, close knit towns, it was hard to take whole victims without starting a search party. Blood was the easier answer. You taught Eddie how to hunt as best you could, showing him how to charm a girl into a back alley, or how just one glance at a boy would get him to follow you in a trance.

He wasn’t a fan at first, but his tune had changed the second the crimson liquid hit his tongue. It was energizing. It wasn’t the same metallic taste he remembered from biting his lip or licking a cut. It was sweet, almost saccharine, though not overwhelming. A taste he could get addicted to.

It was a strange adjustment. One he hadn’t really wanted to make. But there wasn’t really a way to go back now.

He sighed, shaking off the thought and opening up a cabinet. Looking over the strange variety of mugs, ranging from classic tea cups to glasses that looked older than him.

He squinted at a pastel pink one behind a few other cups. It was rather out of place for an old as hell supernatural being, so he grabbed it almost instantly.

To his surprise and mild amusement, it had a cat on it with several red hearts covering the pink mug. It was shockingly cute, the cat’s large face covering the side of the mug. It wasn’t exactly what he was expecting, but a mug’s a mug, right?

He opened the bottle, pouring a full mug.

He stared down at it for a whole minute, meeting his own eyes in the dark reflection. He looked at the bottle, seeing only a date on it, about a week prior.

You’d taken him with you that time, some popular bar a few towns over. You’d managed to find a guy who seemed interested enough in you, and it didn’t take much to convince him out of the bar.

Eddie had panicked when you took him back to your house. The man was practically entranced, not processing much of the world around him. Or maybe he was just blackout drunk. Either way, he’d followed you to a back room and gotten on a table. He hadn’t even complained when you leaned down toward him, cutting open his neck with your teeth.

Eddie watched from the doorway, thinking that maybe he wasn’t as ready to join your hunts as he thought.

He panicked upon seeing the amount of blood dripping from the wound, filling a basin on the floor. He’d shoved you away from the man. He wasn’t strong enough to get you off, but you backed away willingly, sensing his distress.

Maybe it was seeing the red gush from his wound that made Eddie move. Maybe it was remembering that same feeling. Regardless, Eddie stared at the man on the table, watching as he blinked out of his stupor.

Truthfully, he didn’t remember much else.

You told him what happened after, though by then any wounds leftover had fully healed. He swore up and down he didn’t remember the man stabbing him, Eddie didn’t even know the guy had a knife.

He’d woken up a few hours later, with a familiar black liquid dripping from his mouth. Only a few drops dripped from the corner of his lips and he swiped up some with a finger. It was thick and dark, like he imagined oil or tar would be.

He didn’t hesitate to lick it off his hands, cringing in slight disgust at his own actions. Whatever the fuck that stuff was, he found himself addicted to a taste he didn’t recognize. Was home a taste?

But even the mystery tar he’d licked off his hand at four am was less gross than the mug below him. Despite popular belief, he didn’t actually drink the blood of virgins, and he wasn’t any keener on drinking anyone else’s blood.

The disgust always went away when he took his first sip.

He melted into it, slowly drinking down the cup. It was as if it warmed up his body, taking away whatever aches and pains he’d previously felt.

The guilt always came after though. He didn’t even know where that man’s body was, and here he was, drinking a cat mug full of his blood.

Eddie tried not to think about it, pushing the thought out of his head as he filled the cup back up and walked to your living room.

On his way, he passed the back door, slowing down when he felt the same tug as before.

Going back seemed like both the best and worst thing for him. Explaining everything to a group that likely didn’t want him anyway? Would they even listen?

They’d fought to clear his name, but there was no doubt in his mind they’d have done it for whoever Vecna caught in the crossfire. It didn’t guarantee they’d be thrilled about him hiding out for a month.

Then there was the matter of you. And whatever the fuck you were. Explaining his new diet and demon boyfriend wouldn’t be the easiest thing.

And then, he heard that voice in the back of his head.

The stupid one.

The one that gets him in trouble. The one that makes him taunt Jason, or yell at all the other jocks of the school. The one that loved taking risks, regardless of how poorly his decisions usually turned out.

And damn, he was awful at ignoring that voice.

Dustin had never felt more nervous in his life.

Given everything he’s had to deal with, he’d say that was rather impressive.

His days were much more normal than they had once been. There was less worrying about the Upside Down, or what awful creatures would show up at his doorstep next.

School was boring, the only time Dustin was remotely entertained was during lunch.

The Hellfire Club kept their table as well as their weekly meetings. They’d supported each other as best they could, trying to understand a death they’d never truly figure out.

The rest of Hawkins High was recovering just like they were. Jason was gone now, along with a few other Hawkins students.

The town seemed afraid to address the previous murder allegations they’d been so happy to toss out. He’d seen people throw him looks of pity, even the teachers that’d once rolled their eyes at Eddie seemed to miss him.

Dustin didn’t understand, but he didn’t try to. If the rest of the town finally wanted to show Eddie an ounce of respect, he’d let them. Sure they still called him a freak, but that was better than murderer, right?

Eventually, the police decided Eddie couldn’t have… crushed… Chrissy on his own, nor could he have killed the others found dead. According to the law, Eddie was innocent, and that was good enough for him.

He hoped it had something to do with the slightly makeshift (and only technically fake) accounts they’d each given of ‘seeing Eddie and Chrissy’ on the day of her death. Of course, the recent disappearance of yet another asshole jock may have helped, but he liked to think he did too. Despite Nancy’s original curiosity, the group stayed far away from what may have been an actual Hawkins murder.

Regardless, life in Hawkins was slowly moving back to normal.

For the kids of Hellfire, Eddie had been a forbidden topic at first. They were all in silent mourning, afraid to hurt each other by mentioning his name. Eventually, Mike cracked a joke about Eddie climbing up on their table again and the whole club laughed. Finally, they were slightly more whole.

Dustin sat in Eddie's seat now. It felt illegal, like he was usurping a throne he could never truly own. But Eddie had given him one job, and it was hard to watch over all of Hellfire when he couldn’t even see them from his seat.

On one of his many trips to Wayne’s new trailer, Dustin had picked up any spare Hellfire t-shirts Eddie made for new members. There weren’t many, but now they sat in Hellfire’s club room, awaiting any new arrivals.

For now, Dustin wanted to shove Vecna in the back of his mind and finish out ‘86. No thinking of demobats, or the Mind Flayer, or the Upside Down and its strange slithering vines.

“Think you’re up to running a campaign?”

Mike’s question interrupted Dustin’s thoughts. He was faced with the sudden realization that he’d missed most of the conversation.

“I don’t really think I should,” Dustin mumbled, grabbing another chip out of his bag and slowly eating it.

The rest of Hellfire had gone home. Most of their meetings were spent talking about new characters or simply hanging out. It was good enough for them, taking turns running small one-shot campaigns. But eventually, a DnD club was going to have to play DnD.

The group looked at each other, all debating who should speak. Mike glanced at Lucas who glanced over to Will (who was now sporting his own Hellfire shirt). Eventually, Mike and Will both glared at Lucas who let out a silent sigh.

“You love this stuff man,” Lucas offered. “You won’t do it like he did, but that’s fine. Just do it like you.”

As if he needed the reminder.

Nobody could DM like Eddie could. Honestly, no one could do anything like Eddie could. Sitting in Eddie’s seat was just too weird. He wasn’t Eddie. No one was.

He didn’t want anyone to be Eddie.

Even though he was doing exactly what Eddie asked, staying with Hellfire felt weird. It wasn’t the same without some eccentric freak making fun of them. It wasn’t the same without Eddie jumping on tables or insulting every jock he saw.

Usually he’d ask Steve for help, but Steve was just as lost as he was.

Dustin had planned on trying to play matchmaker with Robin when they got back from the Upside Down. Maybe Eddie could actually get a boyfriend (Dustin didn’t really need Eddie to come out and say it).

But now that idea just left a sour taste in his mouth. Like he wasn’t allowed to think of it without Eddie there.

“Not right now, okay? Just… not yet,” Dustin mumbled. He grabbed another chip despite not being hungry. The room seemed so much colder from Eddie’s chair.

He could see his friends still looking between each other, defeated. With Will back in Hawkins, there was a new face at Hellfire’s table. Two new faces, actually, but El rarely stayed after school.

“Give me some more time.” Dustin didn’t know how long he’d be saying that. How much time did he need?

He definitely didn’t need this much time after Billy died, but in fairness, Billy had tried to run him over and had beat the shit out of Steve.

How much time was he supposed to need? Everyone else was doing fine, right? Even Steve was managing. Poorly, but he was managing.

The group went back to idle conversation. He pretended not to see how the three all nudged each other under the table, each wanting someone else to say something else about a campaign. There wasn’t much of a point anyway, Dustin wouldn’t change his mind.

It just didn’t feel right.

He’d gotten a ride home with Mike, joining Nancy in ‘critiquing’ Mike’s music taste.

When he’d gotten home, he sat at his desk staring down at his homework. He’d spent so long drifting that it’d taken hours to finish, each problem seeming slower than the last.

After he had finally finished, he’d collapsed in bed, staring blankly into the ceiling.

The sky had turned dark, and though the lack of light made it hard to see, Dustin made no move to fix it. He could hear the distant sound of dogs barking, muffled by the glass of his window.

How did everyone do it?

Will was back in town, apparently staying for a little while longer. Mike was spending time with El and the rest of Hellfire, falling back into the groove of friendship he’d had for years. Lucas was worried over Max most of the time, but was always positive. Max didn’t give up just like that, after all. Steve was working as normal, pushing his way through community college to the job his father was sure to offer. Even Nancy and Robin were doing good with school and the small friendship they’d made.

It was like they’d wiped their hands clean of the Upside Down, simply moving on with their lives. They were all back to normal, as normal as they could be after fighting a really tortured spider enthusiast.

And yet, Dustin sat on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering how the fuck he was supposed to be okay.

Is this what watching over everyone meant? He wanted to ask, to walk over to Eddie’s house or show up at his locker and demand answers. How could he be sure he was doing it right? What if Mike was a better DM for Hellfire than him? What if Garreth or Jeff was more capable? Maybe Will would do well.

But Eddie picked him. And he desperately hoped he was doing it right.

Though he tried to catch himself, his eyes trailed over to the vest hung on the back of his door. The worn fabric was adorned with pins and hand-sewn patches, though Dustin could see a few drops of blood still on the fabric. Most of it had washed out, but he knew exactly what the darkened spots on the denim were.

Steve had given it to him when they got out of the Upside Down. The older boy hadn’t wanted it, knowing how close Dustin and Eddie were.

It felt wrong taking it. He felt the instant need to give it to Wayne, something for the man to keep with the rest of his mementos of Eddie. But he took it anyway.

It stayed on that hanger since he’d gotten home that same day. He couldn’t put it on, after all, it still belonged to Eddie.

He’d missed his mother asking if he wanted dinner some time earlier. He’d only mumbled he wasn’t hungry, unsure if she’d even heard him. As far as she knew, he was mourning the losses like the rest of Hawkins, he’d never told her much about Eddie. Thankfully, she hadn’t pushed him yet. She’d simply left him alone to stare at the ceiling into the night.

The cool blue tone of his room was too familiar. Every time he looked around, all he could see were the vine covered walls of Eddie’s bedroom. Though his room was full of far different items, he couldn’t help but remember how that cool blue had taken one of his best friends from him.

He screwed his eyes closed, forcing the deep tone out of his vision. Even the darkness was better than a reminder of the Upside Down.

He wasn’t sure how long he kept his eyes closed. His breathing had evened out and his heart rate was calm and steady, finally letting him relax. He wasn’t sleeping, but that was fairly normal as of late. He could hear crickets outside, chirping away in the cool air.

Despite his certainty that he wouldn’t be sleeping that night, Dustin decided to try anyway.

He let the repetitive chirping lull him to sleep, the soft coo of an owl joining in to help relax him. He could hear the same dog bark, the loud sound ringing out into the night. The chilled air ran along his skin, turning the smooth surface rough with goosebumps, but he didn’t mind much, not with how crisp and relaxing the low buzzing of cicadas was.

He closed his eyes for a few more seconds before his brow furrowed.

His eyes snapped over to his window, his head whipping around on the pillow.

Sure enough, it was open, the old latches both hanging loosely from above the empty window.

Now, Dustin was certain he closed that window. It was far too uncomfortable and cool to have the pane up, much less the screen itself. He wouldn’t dream of opening that thing before bed.

And just as Dustin was about to leave the bed and tiredly close the window, he saw a hand gripping the window sill.

Shit shit shit!

He’d never had someone break in, and definitely never had someone use his room to do so. He was silently cursing himself for not locking the window, not that it would help much now.

Another hand grabbed the windowsill, followed by a small groan as someone hoisted themselves up.

Panic was starting to set in, and Dustin was pissed about it.

After everything he’d seen, some guy in his house still scared him?

He could hear the person mumbling, trying to haul themself through the window.

Dustin shut his eyes again, trying to relax and look like he was sleeping. He heard the person fall to the floor, slamming down with a loudly whispered “fuck!”.

They realized their mistake almost immediately, gasping and looking over to Dustin. They let out a soft exhale when they saw him still with his eyes closed.

Dustin tried to stop his hands from shaking, hoping the person wouldn’t see him clenching his sheets.

He could hear light mumbling, and a soft thud a few seconds later. He could hear them softly groan, standing themselves back up and walking toward the bedroom door.

Though Dustin was slightly thankful they were leaving, a sudden panic flooded his mind. He had no idea where his mother was, or when the intruder would find her.

That panic is what caused Dustin to slip out of bed as quietly as he could, making his way around the discarded clothes on his floor.

Could he beat them in a fight? No, probably not. He couldn’t even beat Erica in a fight.

Well… actually… could anyone?

Whoever this person was, they clearly weren’t very coordinated… or were just really bad at walking. Hopefully, that would be an advantage.

He glanced around the room, looking for something to get the upperhand. The only thing he spotted was a dirty cup, once filled with trashy soda, that he’d long since forgotten to take to the kitchen.

He grabbed it as quietly as possible, sneaking up behind the figure. They paused, making Dustin freeze in place.

They didn’t move any closer, just looking from side to side, as if trying to spot something.

The second he got a clear enough shot, he took a deep inhale, causing the person to whip around.

The familiar face immediately registered in his mind, calming him down.

Unfortunately, the cup was already colliding with their mouth, crashing into their jaw with a sickening click.

“Oh FUCK, MAN!”

“What the FUCK EDDIE?!”

Both parties screamed and yelled at the same time, covering their mouths a second later.

Distant footsteps started, stopping at Dustin’s door.

“Hey Dusty, you okay hun?” His mother’s confused voice was at the door, clearly hesitant to go in. “Is someone in there?”

Dustin was far too distracted to answer at first.

Eddie Goddamned Munson was standing in the middle of his room, alive and well.

He looked different. Not completely different, most people probably wouldn’t notice a change. But Dustin took note of the small, healed over scars on his face, and the way he seemed more skittish. Even in the dark of his room he could tell Eddie was tired. Slight bags hung under his eyes, dimming the brown color he knew well. It felt like maybe Eddie was dead after all.

But worst of all, Dustin could feel the tears gather in his eyes.

The swirl of thoughts in his head. How? When? Why? Why now? Why here? Why him?

And what the ever-loving fuck took so long?!

“Dustin?” His mother prompted, turning the locked doorknob slightly. Eddie’s eyes bore into his, as if silently begging him not to say anything. As if Dustin would let anyone know after all they’d seen.

Dustin swallowed, coughing lightly and hoping his voice held up. “Oh, sorry! Trying to fix a radio.”

“I take it the volume’s broken,” She remarked, sounding slightly unamused. “Try to keep it down, okay? Don’t want the neighbors asking why you’re screaming at midnight for no good reason.” He agreed, hearing a soft chuckle before she walked down the hall.

The adrenaline faded, allowing both him and Eddie to relax their stances and let their arms fall to their sides.

For the first few minutes, they just stared.

Dustin stared because he was conflicted.

One part of him wanted to cheer and sob and ask him how he was. He wanted to bring Eddie right back into Hellfire, maybe even help him finish the year with Cs.

And the other part was fucking furious. At Eddie, at himself, at Vecna, and all of Hawkins, who knew! He had a million and one questions and no idea how to ask any of them.

“Uh… hey.” Eddie waved his hand slowly, lowering his voice so Dustin’s mother wouldn’t hear.

“‘Hey’?” Dustin questioned, staring at the older man with an unreadable expression. Eddie was slightly surprised at how scary the brat looked, like he was willing to swing at any minute.

“It’s been over a month. We… thought you were dead. We thought we left you…” Dustin trailed off for a moment. “I’m sorry I left you.”

Eddie seemed unsure, his eyes still darting back and forth, as if looking for an exit.

“It’s a long story. A long freaky story but… here I am, I guess. Not how I planned on doing this,” he hadn’t planned on it at all, really, “But I’ve officially joined the Made-It-Out-of-the-Upside-Down-Alive Club… kinda.” He cringed at the last word, half hoping Dustin didn’t hear.

Dustin gave an empty stare, his mouth hanging open slightly as if unsure which one to ask first. Eddie could see all of them racing by, anticipating the many things Dustin surely wanted to know.

“What happened to you?”

It was one of the few times Dustin starred Eddie down. Despite Eddie’s imposing persona, Dustin wasn’t afraid. Eddie was just really good at acting and liked annoying the shit out of jocks, but Eddie wasn’t scary.

Eddie, on the other hand, was staring because he didn’t know how to feel.

Maybe he felt angry? Why the hell didn’t he walk quieter? Why’d he even come at all?!

Maybe it was sadness? The kid he’d taken under his wing was staring up at him with his big, glossy eyes, just begging Eddie for an answer. Dustin had never looked so… broken.

Maybe guilt? Now that he was here, staring Dustin in the face, he wondered what had taken him so long. He could've had movie nights and DnD, and an actual friendship with the other kids his age. He could’ve been graduating this year finally, but no.

Maybe it could be reliefMaybe seeing Dustin was what he needed to be… normal again. Well, as ‘normal’ as he usually was.

“...a lot.”

The room was stagnant and the cold air did nothing to clear the tension. Dustin stared at Eddie, all wording and reasoning caught in his throat. Eddie stared right back, wondering how to explain himself to Dustin.

"I don't know man… I don't know," Eddie shook his head slowly, thinking over the past weeks. "It's all just a lot of pain, then darkness, then I wake up. That's about it."

He shrugged, staring down at the ground. It was harder to meet Dustin's eyes than he expected. He felt like he was twelve again, trying to explain to Wayne why he thought smashing a cup with a baseball bat was a good idea.

In his defense, it was fun.

"Where have you been? It's been weeks…" Dustin trailed off, trying to find the words. He'd never really had a friend come back from the dead before. Well, there was Hopper, so it isn't technically a first.

"Yeah… it's a long story." Eddie shrugged half heartedly, trying to slip past the topic.

"I've got time." Dustin smiled, holding Eddie's gaze like the older man would die all over again if he looked away. "I've got plenty of time for this."

Eddie nodded slowly.

Where to start?

Did he start at demon boyfriend or work backwards? Or should he lead up to it? There's no good way to tell someone you're an undead cannibal… is there? Suddenly he was wishing you were there. Whether to explain for him or get him the hell out of there, he didn't know.

He only realized how long had passed when Dustin was staring at him with his head tilted.

Even with Dustin's attention on him, he couldn't think of what to say. That was a first.

He always knew what to say, usually some dumb shit that got him weird stares and vague threats. He was the loudest one in the room, usually that meant being the most hated in the room but he'd grown used to that part.

"Eddie?"

"Maybe it's not the best time for a recount of everything,"

Dustin's jaw dropped, "Clearly you didn't die in the Upside Down and I think now's a great time to figure out immortality."

Right. Of course any same person wouldn't think he died.

But he remembered death. A strange mix of contradictions that he didn't think he could even begin to explain. The Dungeon Master suddenly had no words to describe the fantastical… how ironic.

Steve was out in the middle of the woods -- again.

Given that Eddie was originally a wanted criminal, the kids (and Wayne) made a small tribute to him. It was far from any real landmarks, reducing the chances that someone random would find it.

It was decorated with things everyone had brought. Thought most of them hadn't been sure what to bring, they'd gotten most of their tips from Dustin.

Steve set a beer down by the rock they'd moved to act as a headstone for a body that would never be there. He slid a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, tossing them next to the batch of flowers Nancy and Robin had brought a week ago. They were beginning to wilt now, showing the first signs of deterioration.

He sat down in front of the headstone, looking over the items decorating it. A set of dice, flowers, a few cassettes and now Steve's additions.

"Hey man,"

God it felt weird talking to a rock.

Eddie wasn't here. He was still in the Upside Down, surrounded by the things that killed him.

Steve didn't notice his hand on his neck, an involuntary reaction he'd developed only recently.

"Uh, the guys are trying to convince Dustin to do a story or something. I don't know what you're supposed to call it," he shrugged. He didn't know much about DnD, but he never claimed to. "He's hesitant, I guess."

The air was stagnant, only just beginning to warm up for spring. March was long gone now, and the first signs of green were showing.

"I know we weren't exactly on good terms for too long but uh," Steve glanced down at the grave, eyes tracing the dark glass he's placed down.

The ground was cool under him, though the sticks and large branches made for an uncomfortable seat.

The forest was quiet around him. The only noise was the distant honking of cars and the wind rustling the stiff branches.

“I miss you.”

He wasn’t sure how to feel about the admission, really. He couldn’t see himself missing someone like Eddie Munson before all of… this. Even after fighting everything from the Upside Down, he still understood none of it. Not really, anyway. He didn’t think he ever would though, and he’d accepted that a while ago.

“He’d be honored.”

Steve froze up at the sentence. He most certainly didn’t say that.

He looked around him, trying to spot someone else in the treeline.

“Hello?” He questioned, brows furrowed as he looked for any sign of life.

“Hello Steven.”

Okay, perhaps there were better ways to make your first real introduction, but given that Eddie was currently missing from your house, you had to ask around.

You stepped from behind a tree, making yourself more visible. The action drew Steve’s attention immediately, and his eyes widened as he looked over at you.

And dear god, you'd treasure the look of awe in his eyes for the rest of your long, long life.

209 notes · View notes