#corrodedseraphine beauty and the freak | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

corrodedseraphine · 10 months

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beauty and the freak | one shot

the photo of Eddie which I used here is an edit made by amazing @eddiemunsonsmum 🥰

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: When you accidentally witness a conversation between Wayne and the principal about Eddie's education, you get an idea that could help you both. Unfortunately, he is not thrilled with the idea. Not believing in your good intentions, he takes a defensive tactic that could destroy your dream of winning the competition. Maybe happy ends are reserved only for Disney movies? angst/fluff, super cheesy, some of you might even say it's cringe, school acquaintances to lovers, Eddie is an asshole at the beggining

The one shot is also avaliable on ao3

12 478 words

eddie munson masterlist | general masterlist

when I talk about the song Beauty and the Beast here I always mean the version from the movie because it it has a very special place in my heart, also I know that the movie is from 1991 but can we just preted for now that it was already in 1986?

yes - I got carried away. At some point I think that this story is not good enough, that there is something missing but when I try to add something more I just can't - my brain is empty.

On the other hand I also think it might be a little too much, so I will understand if some of you won't simply like this. Just - my latests works focused more on angst than on fluff, I kinda missed my cheesy fluffs, so you know... thank you for reading.

Also shot out to the best beta reader @i-me-mine ♥

"I'm sorry Mr. Munson, this condition must be fulfilled if your nephew wants to graduate from high school this year." the principal said as he and Wayne walked out of his office into the hallway.

"We really can't include his Hellfire Club?" resigned Wayne asked.

"Unfortunately no. Edward will graduate this year on the condition that he gets involved in the life of the school. A requirement of his graduation is to join another club and actively participate in its actions. We must have proof that he really cares."

"Where the hell are we going to find a school club that is willing to accept him? You know that his reputation is not among the best."

"There are plenty of options to choose from, I'm sure you'll find something, there are free spots in athletics."

"Nothing in the world for any price would force this boy into sports." The man shook his head. He was worried. He was worried because he knew that most of the students would run away from any contact with Eddie, the rumors in town about him being a Satan worshipper were getting more and more frequent, people really believed that the board game was just a cover-up.

In truth, you tried not to eavesdrop, however, it was not quite possible, because this conversation was going on right next to your locker, at which you were standing together with Robin.

Your relationship with Eddie was not very good. The truth was that you only associated with each other only in the school hallways and quick meetings when hellfire took over the room after rehearsals of the drama club of which you were the leader. You never exchanged a single word with each other. You had no reason to help him, but the truth was that the situation seemed to benefit both of you.

Seeing his uncle saying goodbye to the principal, you decided to act before you could think.

"Mr. Munson!" you shouted, approaching him with a quick step.

"Yes?" he asked puzzled raising an eyebrow.

"I want to help." You said trying not to feel strange. "My name is y/n, I'm the drama club president. By chance I overheard your conversation with the principal and thought maybe Eddie would join us?"

"That would be great." he replied, and the surprise on his face turned into a warm smile. He didn't expect to meet someone willing to help, but your reaction breathed some hope into him.

"The boy who was supposed to play the lead role has moved out of Hawkins, I think Eddie will be a great fit to take his place!" you said excited that you had managed to find a replacement.

"You wanna give my boy the lead role?" the surprise on his face looked hilarious.

"Why not?" you shrugged your shoulders. "We have rehearsals on Wednesdays and Fridays at four o'clock," you smiled.

"I'll tell him. Thank you."

Drama club was everything you loved. You loved taking on different roles, covering important topics through art, but most of all it was great fun for you, an escape from the scary reality you were in.

Part of it was also the competition you took part in every year, which was not the easiest, as you competed against much richer schools, which always beat you in costumes and decorations. When you became president this year, you swore to yourself that you would do everything to make sure that in your last year at this school the win belonged to you. As soon as you found out that this year's theme was going to be Disney movies adaptations you immediately knew what to choose. Beauty and the Beast.

From the beginning of the school year until Christmas break, you worked on the script, putting all your heart and soul into it. The whole story carried a very important message that you wanted to get across to everyone through your performance. When at the first rehearsal after your return you showed the script to the other members and it was enthusiastically accepted you got down to work, unfortunately you soon had to stop and look for someone to replace Michael.

Dustin had always praised Eddie and how well he could play characters from his campaigns. This was another reason why you decided to help him. You hoped that he would know how to play the role of the beast and later the prince just as well. In truth, you hoped Dustin wasn't lying, because this was your final lifeline. Chasing the bad thoughts out of your head, you tried to set a positive attitude. Eddie Munson must have been a great actor, and together with his help you will finally be able to win. This thought fueled you to action. Unfortunately, things did not go as well as you thought.

To say that Eddie didn't like the idea is not enough. He actually detested it. When Wayne told him about the fact that you had offered to help him he immediately began to suspect that the whole thing was some kind of bizarre trap that he had to let himself get caught in anyway, or else he would not have graduated from high school once again. The fact that he was forced to do so made his hostile attitude even greater.

Despite the assurances of Dustin, who was also a member of the club, and his efforts to prove to him that taking part in the play would be fun, Eddie defended himself against it by not even listening to the boy.

Nevertheless, he began to show up for rehearsals, eventually having to, because at the beginning of each one Principal Higgins would come to check if he was there for sure.

You tried to be patient. You tried to ignore all the taunting comments on his part, you tried to ignore the fact that he never, even once, looked at the script and didn't even try to do anything when you were rehearsing scenes involving him. He just sat on the stage showing you how much he didn't care. Since you only took him here to turn him into an even bigger ridicule for the whole school, he had no intention of helping you in this. His defense mechanism was to prove to you at every step that you made a mistake in proposing his joining the play, and the biggest one was the fact that you gave him the lead role. Unfortunately, Eddie, blinded by his "mission," did not see how he was slowly ruining everything you cared about. Every mean comment he made about your vision of the play was like a knife in the back, and over time you stopped counting them all, it was too much. From rehearsal to rehearsal you had less strength, all your enthusiasm and motivation disappeared as you silently took another blow accepting the fact that your chance of winning was practically zero.

Many times you offered to stay with him longer and rehearse his scenes together, since you both play the main roles, most of which you had together. Three times he agreed to this, giving you hope that something would change, but each time he purposely did not show up even once leaving you alone in the hall waiting for him for several hours. There was no fourth time. You knew Eddie didn't respect you or your work, but coming to terms with it was even more difficult. You desperately grasped every opportunity to try to change his mind, but in vain. Nothing could talk sense into him.

The contest was two months away, and you didn't really have anything. Eddie still hadn't learned his scenes and wasn't even going to, and because of this the rehearsals couldn't move on.

Another Friday in a row, he was late, but while you were working on Dustin's costume you both jumped when you heard the loud bang of the door.

"What the hell is this?!" yelled Eddie walking heavily toward you. In his hand he was holding a poster ripped from the wall. "Why the hell is my name here?!" he pointed his finger at the tiny inscription.

"Dude, there are the names of everyone who takes part in this." Dustin replied looking at him strangely.

"You have the lead role, Eddie, I guess it's logical that your name should appear there." you replied putting down the needle and thread.

"Your wonderful plan is working, congratulations." he threw a the paper in your direction, surprised you didn't even have time to catch it. "Are you satisfied enough?" his gaze was full of anger, and seeing your surprised face he got even angrier. He didn't believe that you were really going to pretend that you didn't know anything. The problem was that you didn't really know about what plan he was talking about.

"Eddie I don't understand-" you said quietly.

"You're pathetic." he said interrupting you. "You got me into all this shit on purpose just to humiliate me in front of the whole school, but I'm more than that. I don't care about your stupid play, I don't care about some damn competition. I'm only here because I have to and my presence is the only thing you can count on! Fuck you." He replied and walked away to the other end of the room sitting there.

"Y/n, are you okay?" asked Dustin seeing tears coming to your eyes.

Picking up the poster from the floor, you looked at it. The title of the play was crossed out. The word Beast was crossed out with a red marker and now the title looked like Beauty and the Beast FREAK.

Did Eddie really think it was all your fault? You began to wonder what you had done to even cause him to think that way, after all this time you had been trying to be nice to him. You never responded to his nasty comments, you silently accepted them and then tried to forget about them and attempt to communicate with him in some way, but still to no avail. No matter how hard you tried Eddie Munson unjustifiably considered you his enemy, despite the fact that you wanted to be his ally.

"Where are you going?" asked Dustin again, seeing as you had begun to gather your things.

"The rehearsal is over. Nothing will come of it anyway. On Monday I'm going to say that we're quitting the competition." you replied resignedly. "It's pointless."

When you went out into the corridor you saw that all the posters you had hung up were broken. Beauty and the Beast FREAK was hitting your eyes, making you boil inside. You had put so much work into making them, and some douche decided to destroy it just like that. You took a deep breath and started tearing down all the posters, went through the whole school, with your last stop being the gym. Walking up there you saw none other than Jason and his minions standing by one of the posters. Without a word you pushed your way through them tearing off the poster from the wall that Jason was writing on with a red marker, causing the group to laugh.

"What's up princess?" he asked mockingly. "Where is your Beast? Freak couldn't handle the pressure?"

Clenching your fists around the paper, you began to breathe quickly and deeply. "What's your problem Jason?" you asked.

"Nothin', it's nice that you care about me." he smirked.

"You are a piece of shit." you howled. Your patience was running out, Eddie's behavior was killing you, everything you had been working on for the past months was in ruins and you didn't have the strength to believe that everything was okay. "You are a fucking piece of shit." Your words made him laugh even more.

"Could it be that our little drama queen, has a crush on the freak? Is that why you gave him the role? Did you think that since he would have to pretend to fall in love with you on stage, it would be the same in real life?" everyone burst out laughing, which made you feel even worse.

Without answering anything you once again squeezed past them and walked out of the gym to the outside. Holding all the ripped posters in your hands, you walked over to the big trashcan and threw everything away, feeling a strange sting in your heart. Quickly getting on your bike, you returned home where you allowed yourself to drown in the sorrow and sadness that was overwhelming you.

Saturday afternoon at the Munsons' trailer was passing quietly. Wayne was watching the sports channel and Eddie was learning a new song on the guitar. The calm ended when someone aggressively began pounding on their door with their fist.

"Eddie!" a female voice came from behind the door. "I know you're home, I saw your car, and your guitar can be heard at the other end of town!" she shouted without stopping the knocking. "Open the damn door so I can kill you!"

Surprised by the visit, Wayne slowly opened the door only to see a girl with short hair and a furious look on her face. Behind her stood a terrified boy whom Wayne remembered from Hellfire.

"How can I help?" the confused man asked.

"Good afternoon, can I talk to Eddie?" she asked looking inside the trailer. Wayne, completely unprepared for such a situation, did not know what to do. He stood motionless considering his next move. He knew that Eddie had a lot of enemies, he knew that most of the locals wished him badly, but an angry, skinny girl who Eddie could carry out the door with one hand and a frightened freshman didn't look very threatening. Besides, the situation looked serious since they had come to deal with him all the way here.

The man moved slightly away from the door to call out to his nephew, Robin quickly took advantage of the situation and squeezed through the vacant space entering the trailer.

"Robin, holy shit!" shouted a panicked Dustin and ran after her. She impetuously opened the door to his room.

"Buckley? the fuck-" when he spotted her he put down his guitar, but didn't have time to say or do anything else because within seconds she came slapping his cheek. Wayne and Dustin stared with open mouths at the scene taking place in front of them.

"You asshole!" she shouted. "Who do you think you are?!"

"Enough! can someone explain to me what's going on here?" asked Wayne, who had finally recovered from his shock.

"Yeah, Eddie, explain to your uncle what you did." She crossed her arms over her chest sending him a rage-filled look.

"Robin…" Dustin once again said her name wanting to calm her down.

"Shut up Dustin! Y/n didn't deserve to be treated like that!"

"Henderson?" asked Eddie in an angry voice, completely as if he felt betrayed. Dustin in panic looked between the two of them breathing louder and faster.

"Leave the boy alone, you are goin' to give him a heart attack!" Wayne cut in seeing the boy's confusion. "Isn't y/n the girl from the drama club?"

"Yes, she is. She wanted to help him, gave him the role, and he destroyed everything!"

"I destroyed everything? She did it just to humiliate me in front of the whole school!"

"You are unbelievable Munson! All through high school you struggle with the bullies, you mock them, you hate them, but when it comes down to business you act just like them! You did the same with y/n what Jason is doing with you! I think you even went a step further, at least Jason isn't destroying everything you care about!" Eddie listened to her words in shock, he didn't look at it from that side. He had no idea how to respond. "You're not going to answer anything now? You were so talkative when you called her pathetic in front of all the club members! Do you have any idea how much it all meant to her? How much work did it cost her to write the whole script alone? How many things did she have to give up for this damn competition?"

"She really just wanted to help…" Dustin's voice was quiet, but the sincerity in it was loud enough.

"This was supposed to be the first time our stupid school was going to win against all those rich snobs, she finally had everything worked out to perfection, then Michael left and she found you. She decided to trust you and give you the lead role in something she cared about most in the world, but of course Eddie 'I don't giva s hit about anything' Munson once again had to prove how much he din't care." Robin was no longer screaming. Now only disappointment and disgust could be heard in her voice. "All along I thought you didn't deserve the way people treated you, not just me," she said. "Y/n never said a single bad word about you, she always believed when Dustin, Lucas and Mike admired you and praised you at every possible step. She only wanted to help you, and the result is that she is now crying her eyes out because some asshole decided to destroy her dreams. You are much worse than Carver." The last sentence was the seal of the visit. Immediately after, she apologized to Wayne for the disturbance and left the trailer.

"I fucked up, didn't I?" asked Eddie looking at them and patting his still sore cheek.

"Why did you do it son?" asked Wayne.

"I don't know! I presumed in advance that the whole thing was some kind of lame prank, it was weird to believe that anyone would want to help me." he replied.

"You should apologize to that girl," he said.

"It's too late anyway."

"Maybe not entirely too late?" said Dustin. "She hasn't written us out of the competition yet, she didn't want to do it until Monday, so you still have a chance to show that you care."

"How?"

Then the boy took out his copy of the script from his backpack. "If she sees that you're making an effort and have learned a few lines maybe all is not lost." he said, smiling.

Thus, for the rest of the day, with the help of Dustin and Wayne, Eddie learned his lines by heart. In the evening, when he drove the boy home he still stopped by Family Video. The first time Robin saw him, Steve had to hold her by force to keep her from tearing him to pieces. Only after he apologized and explained why he had come there she calmed down. When he got home, he read the script once again before going to bed, adding in pencil minor corrections that he thought would improve some scenes.

He couldn't get Robin's words about being worse than Jason out of his head. She was right. Your relationship had always been estranged, but he never noticed you following the crowd that tried to make his life miserable day after day. He felt like a complete idiot, he preemptively, unreasonably judged you of all the worst things, without even giving you a chance to show otherwise. He did to you what people have been doing to him from the very beginning, and the worst part is that if Robin hadn't barged in here today, he wouldn't have even noticed. He fell asleep hoping to let him apologize and make things right.

Getting your address was a hard task, but after several phone calls to Dustin and promises and vows never to say a single bad word about you again, finally the boy cracked and said so. Without waiting a moment longer Eddie drove to the indicated place. In the meantime, it began to rain, and even though the path from the street to the door was not long, it rained hard enough to get him wet.

The door was opened by your mother, who looked surprised to see a soaked metalhead on her doorstep. He was prepared that she was about to start yelling that he should get out of there, but to his surprise she smiled slightly.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Good afternoon, uh- Is y/n home? I am Eddie, Eddie Munson." he said stressed while extending his hand. He felt like he was making a complete idiot of himself.

"Are you from her club?" she asked, looking at the sticking-out script in his half-zipped backpack.

"Yes." he replied in almost a whisper.

"Y/n went out to the grocery store, but she should be back soon, you can wait for her inside." She replied and opened the door wider letting him inside. Pulling off his shoes and hanging his wet jacket on the hanger, he walked deeper into the house looking around. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you." He replied, putting his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. It was all strange, too strange. He felt uncomfortable, completely like he was violating your boundaries. He definitely shouldn't be here though, he didn't see any other way to fix things.

"I'm glad you came, this visit will definitely make her feel better, since she came back from her last rehearsal she has been so awfully sad." The woman sighed, sitting down on the couch.

"She is?" he asked avoiding her gaze. She probably didn't realize that the main reason for her daughter's sadness was standing right in front of her.

"This play was everything to her, I remember the day she came home saying that she had found someone else to be the prince, she was so excited, she couldn't stop repeating that with this boy in the lead role she was sure to success, in her opinion he was a perfect fit." She smiled sadly and shook her head. "I don't know the details, but all I know is that for some reason you have to drop the competition, I've never seen her so disappointed before."

Eddie wanted to collapse to the ground. He was ashamed. He couldn't get over how badly he had behaved toward you, and now standing in your house talking to your mother as if he had done nothing wrong felt even worse. The woman must have sensed his discomfort, because after a moment of silence she asked if he was okay.

"Yeah, sorry, I was thinking." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "And, uh, I'm here because I have an idea how to fix it, maybe we won't have to give it up."

Her face lit up, but she didn't have time to answer him, because just then you came home. She smiled broadly at the sight of you, but you didn't feel like smiling at all.

"Eddie?" you asked surprised. How did he know where you lived?

"What are you doing here?" you felt your nerves piling up inside you, your last conversation was not one of the best, you didn't think this time could be different.

"I- I came to talk."

"I'm going to Claudia, give your friend some cake later darling, have fun, I'll be back late, bye!" your mother said quickly sensing some tension between you. Wanting to give you some privacy she walked out of the house leaving you alone surrounded by an awkward silence.

"Why are you here?" you asked, unable to bear it any more. You were still not at your best, the whole situation was still hurting you so it was hard for you to pretend to be calm and controlled.

"I came to apologize." he replied sincerely. For the first time he looked at you in a way other than with anger. His big dark eyes even begged for forgiveness. "I acted like an idiot, I really want to apologize," he said.

"Your apology won't change anything Eddie." you replied. Despite the sincerity in his voice, you still weren't sure if you should believe him.

"Here." he said pulling out a script from his backpack and threw it in your direction. "Check me. Ask for any scene - I know them all."

His confidence caught you off guard. Tentatively, you opened the first better scene and slowly read one of Dustin's lines. To your surprise, instead of monotonously reciting from memory, he began to display full theatricality, the kind Dustin always had to mention. In front of you just stood a totally different Eddie, whom you had not yet met. The longer you interviewed him, the more the atmosphere between you softened. It became more and more difficult for you to keep the smile that was on your lips as he played out the scenes without stammering.

"Okay, I must admit that you have prepared very well." you replied no longer hiding your smile.

"So?" He smiled broadly spreading his hands.

"So?" you repeated his question not knowing quite what he meant.

"We don't have to quit!" The glimmer of hope that appeared in your eyes caused a strange warmth in his body.

"Do you really want to?"

"Yeah, 'course I do." he replied, putting his hands in his back pockets. Your reaction almost knocked him off his feet, literally because not being prepared for you to run up and hug him he lost his balance, fortunately you were able to hold you both up.

"Sorry." you said embarrassed. "I got a little carried away."

"No, don't be sorry." he said quietly. When was the last time someone hugged him out of their own free will? He couldn't remember. The feeling of such closeness, which had been foreign to him until then, left behind a nice trace that he focused on as he looked at your red face. He wanted to do it again and this time reciprocate the embrace but quickly gave it up. "I uh- I added a few ideas in the script, what I think we could add or change a little- Not that your idea would be bad, you did a great job here! I just…" he started to panic slightly, because he didn't want to make you upset once again.

"It's okay." you paused him. "We can take a look at it while having a cake?" you suggested.

"Sure." he accepted your proposal with relief.

After you cut the cake, you sat together on the couch and began reviewing the script. You sat close enough to each other that occasionally your knees would touch, including your hands when you accidentally both pointed to a scene at the same time. This always ended in awkward, shy smiles that awakened tiny butterflies in your stomachs.

Trying to ignore it, you tried to focus on Eddie's ideas. Some of them were really good, his creativity really impressed you. All the rumors that his campaigns were some of the best had to be true. Feeling much more confident in his company, somewhere in between you started asking him about them. At first he gave curt and uncertain answers, but when he saw that you were really interested in it he swam away, feeling that he was in his element.

Who would have thought that someday the day would come where the scary and menacing Eddie Munson would be sitting there on your couch laughing with you. As unrealistic as it seemed, it was one of the best moments in recent time, and it didn't look like the end at all. As you ran through the entire scenario, the metalhead took another item out of his backpack.

"At first I thought that as soon as you saw me here you would immediately throw me out the door, but that doesn't change the fact that I also allowed myself a plan B, in case you would show mercy to a fool like me." he said in a dramatic tone. "I thought it would be good to know the original story." He handed you the box with the tape. You quickly took it from him and slid it into the player.

Eddie surprised you even more by completely engaging in what was happening on the screen. You expected jokes and teasing comments on his part, however, none of that happened.

"It's my favorite moment." you said as Belle and Beast started feeding the birds. "This is where everything changes." you said quietly starting to softly sing the song along with the characters.

There's something sweet and almost kind But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined And now he's dear and so unsure I wonder why I didn't see it there before

She glanced this way, I thought I saw And when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw No, it can't be, I'll just ignore But then she's never looked at me that way before

Your gaze was on the screen, so Eddie took advantage of the moments to look at you. Your hair was slightly messy, and your lips moved gently to form the words of a song that seemed strangely accurate to him. Just a few hours ago he was sure you hated him, now you were sitting as close to him as ever, and every now and then he would catch you sending him soft glances, behind which was something he couldn't quite figure out yet, just like Belle was looking at the Beast.

Feeling his gaze on you, you turned to look at him. You only smiled and then immediately went back to watching. He couldn't help thinking that he wanted to see that smile much more often, and it would be even better if he could be the reason for that smile as well.

"So…Something tells me that the choice of this exact movie was not accidental?" he asked suddenly.

"Do you want to know the selfish truth, or should I just make something up?" you asked, leaning a little closer to him.

"Only and only the truth," he said.

"The truth is simple. It's my favorite. I could watch this movie for hours and would never get bored. Besides, I love the way they showed that everyone deserves a second chance. He was the Beast before he became one and this is where the soul of the hopeless romantic in me comes in…" You chuckled. "Despite how terrible he was to her in the beginning she was still able to see something good in him and helped him find it underneath all that layer of monster. Goodness, respect and warmth from another human being was something foreign, so I'm not surprised he was like that. I think to some extent it was his defense mechanism."

Eddie just nodded, thinking about your words. If the Beast deserved a second chance maybe he did too? In the back of his head, a small voice spoke up, representing a secretive desire for your acquaintance to develop beyond the drama club. "I can't tell you the rest so as not to give spoilers, just watch." you patted his knee and put your hand close to his. If he moved a few millimeters your pinkies would touch. Considering the pros and cons in his head, he once again restrained himself feeling only the strange itching caused by such proximity.

"Wait, that's not in the script." he said when the iconic ballroom scene began. "Why?"

"Oh, you know we'll be competing with very rich schools?"

"Yeah."

"They always have their own bands that play music for their live shows, we unfortunately don't, and playing music from an old, shitty stereo would immediately push us into last place, compared to them. Also, we don't have much choice in costumes, and all the ball dresses that are there are too small or damaged. As for sewing, I only know the basics, I wouldn't be able to fix or remake them." you explained.

A plan was already being born in Eddie's head.

When the movie was over he decided that he had to go. You were surprised by a small sting of disappointment when he said this. When you said goodbye he apologized to you once again and then thanked you for a good time. You did the same.

Returning home, he found Wayne sitting there in front of the TV. Halfway to his room he stopped looking at his old man. He sent him a questioning look, taking a sip of beer from the bottle.

"How- Can you teach me how to dance?" Hearing his nephew's question he choked. He had been able to expect crazy things from him in truth, and this counted among the near impossible. But here they were, in the middle of a small living room, when Wayne in a very clumsy way tried to transfer all his knowledge about slow dancing to Eddie, who also didn't have much experience in it.

The rest of the members were relieved to hear that you are not quitting the competition, Eddie apologized to everyone at the start for his behavior and everything was back on track. The most satisfied with all this seemed to be Dustin. Joy gushed out of him seeing his two favorite people getting along and no one yelling at anyone anymore. Everyone also accepted the changes in the script, which meant that you had to rehearse three times a week instead of two to prepare everything carefully.

You and Eddie spent more and more time together, under the pretext of practicing your roles you met after school sitting either at your house or in his trailer. Your friendship became so ingrained in your life that you couldn't remember what it was like before it. The closer you got to know him, the more different he became from everything people said about him. He was incredibly creative and intelligent, watching his behavior towards Dustin you also saw that he was very protective of his friends, he had a warmth in him that was reserved only for a select few. He showed more of it to you every day, whenever he spotted you in the crowd in the corridor he beamed, quite as if the sun was hidden in his smile.

You were sitting at the table with Robin and Nancy but your thoughts were on the opposite side of the room. You watched Eddie talk about something with Dustin and then with the guys he's in a band with, who nodded their heads. When he raised his gaze and your eyes met he smiled broadly showing dimples in his cheeks and waved at you. You abashedly waved back and quickly turned your head feeling yourself blushing.

"Someone's been caught red-handed." Nancy hummed.

"I can't believe that I almost scratched his eyes out for you and now you're drooling at the sight of him." Robin rolled her eyes.

"I am not!" you protested, feeling even more embarrassed about your situation. "And… he changed."

"I'll need more details to believe what you say." she replied unimpressed. Robin was a great friend and very protective. Not knowing why, you wanted her to have a good opinion about Eddie, too.

"He is very helpful, kind and funny! Whenever I feel we are stuck with something he always helps me, no matter how long it takes. He got very involved in the play, and we spend a lot of time because of that, when you get to know him better, you find out that he is not as scary as everyone says, just the opposite." you tried to defend him.

"Oh my god, Nancy, we lost her." Robin dramatically slumped on the table.

"Being in love is not that bad, Robin." she laughed.

"I am not in love with Eddie!" you whispered aggressively.

"Not yet." Nancy shrugged her shoulders.

"Even if not in love, you have a crush on him. That's disgusting." Buckley perked up, just in time to see Eddie heading toward your table. "Your prince is coming." she said loudly, purposely so he would hear it.

"Buckley, Wheeler." He nodded in their direction. "Y/n." he turned to face you.

"Robin!" shouted Dustin from across the room and waved his hand in a gesture to come over to him. She and Nancy left you alone and moved toward the boy.

"Hi." You said when the metalhead took a seat across from you.

"Hi." he replied. "I'll see you at the rehearsal today?" he asked.

"Of course, why not?" you asked surprised.

"I was wondering… maybe we could take a ride somewhere later?"

"Oh, sure, where?" you replied puzzled.

"It's a surprise, trust me." He winked at you and returned to his table, where he exchanged a few more sentences with Robin. Unfortunately, she didn't want to tell you what they talked about, but you didn't feel like thinking too much about it. There was another thought in your head that made your heart beat twice as fast as it should. Did Eddie Munson ask you out on a date?

As agreed - immediately after the rehearsal you got into his van and drove out of the school parking lot. Nerves and a slight hint of excitement bubbled inside you as Eddie still wouldn't reveal where you were going.

Finally, you pulled into the Trailer Park. While you wondered why he took you to the place where he lived he prayed in his soul that you wouldn't get scared and run away. He knew that people react differently to this place, but he hoped that his whole plan would work. Stepping out of the car, you looked around thinking which trailer might belong to him. He once mentioned that his uncle works night shifts, so if he wanted to be alone with you he wouldn't bring you here now, would he?

"Uh…Eddie? Why are we here?" you asked.

"Oh- you said you couldn't sew the ball dress yourself…" he said exiting the car and walked to the back of it. "So I thought we could do something about it, if you are okay with it of course-"

"But why?" So it wasn't a date. Aside from being disappointed, you felt a little ashamed that you could think such a thing at all, you hoped Eddie wasn't able to see it.

"Just trust me, 'kay?" he asked, taking the pile of old dresses from the theater club you mentioned while watching the movie that evening.

Without a word, you approached one of the trailers he told you to knock on because of his busy hands. The door was opened to you by a short older woman with thick glasses on her nose.

"Eddie! Come in!" she quickly let you inside.

"Mrs. Smith, this is y/n. Y/n this is Mrs. Smith, the best retired dressmaker in Hawkins." he said sending her charming smile.

"Sweet as honey," she laughed. "And look at you! As beautiful as he described." she turned to you winking her eye. "Come on sweetie, we have to measure you."

Still confused without a word you moved deeper into the trailer. The woman took a tailor's tape measure and began to place it on your body, then looked at the dresses Eddie had brought, and when the final vision appeared in her mind she sat down at the sewing machine and got to work. In the meantime, she began to question you about the play, eager to tell her about it, even Eddie excitedly talked about some of the moments he was best at playing. You watched him with a smile on your lips, reminding yourself what a big difference there was between your early days and now. Eddie may not have noticed the warm sparks in your eyes, but Mrs. Smith caught them right away. When the dress was finished you went to the other room to change.

"Oh my god." the woman pressed both hands to her chest. "You look like a real princess darling, come on, look at yourself!" she said excitedly as you came back to the living room.

You approached the mirror with your eyes stuck to the floor, not knowing why you were afraid to lift your gaze and see your reflection. You've never been a fan of your appearance, but now you cared like never to like what you saw.

"Come on sweetheart, don't be afraid." she said putting her hands on your shoulders completely as if she sensed your discomfort.

You took a deep breath and slowly raised your head. The material highlighted your waistline, your cleavage was slightly cut out however in your opinion it was just the right size. The delicate material spread out around you, gently lifting when Ms. Smith told you to turn around. Even though you weren't wearing a proper makeup and your hair was a bit disheveled, the sight that greeted you in the mirror was a positive surprise. You felt beautiful, and for the first time in a very long time you felt the positive boost of your self-esteem fill you from the inside.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"I feel…pretty." you answered quietly smiling at your reflection in the mirror.

"As you should." she chuckled.

"Thank you so much." In all your delight, you didn't notice that Eddie wasn't in the trailer, the fact that he had left only reached you when he returned to it.

"Well, young man, you were right - your girl looks just like from a fairlytale." she said as he closed the door behind him.

"Oh she is not-" he started to say however when he noticed you in your new outfit the words stopped in his throat. With an open mouth he looked at every centimeter of your body. For a while he had thought you were always looking very lovely, but now that you were standing in front of him in a beautiful ball dress, smiling from ear to ear, with a sparkle of happiness in your eyes he felt enchanted. Suddenly, all the beautiful princesses he had ever read about or created for his campaigns faded next to you. He also immediately knew on whom he would design his next ones.

You weren't the only one who looked fabulous. Eddie also swapped his hellfire shirt and torn jeans for a prince's costume, keeping the two shirt buttons undone, because when he had them buttoned he could feel himself suffocating.

"Now I'm starting to think that you're the Beauty." you joked.

"nu-uh," he shook his head. "No way." His voice was soft and to some extent intimate, easily taking control of you with it, and you eagerly let him. "Now, m'lady…" he bent down in front of you extending his hand. "Please follow me to your chariot."

Giggling you grabbed his hand, said goodbye and thanked Mrs. Smith again, who handed you your clothes and let him lead you to the van helping you get in.

While on the road, he avoided any questions about what else he had come up with. Every now and then, glancing in your direction, he could feel his nerves slowly gathering inside him. He was afraid that what he had planned would be too much, but there was no turning back. Nevertheless, seeing that you were excited instead of scared, he felt a little calmer.

"Why are we at the school?" you asked when you pulled into the parking lot.

"You have to trust me, please." he said getting out of the car and with a quick step he walked over to open the door for you.

"I trust you." you replied jumping out of the van and following him.

"Can you close your eyes?" he asked when you reached the right place. You did as he asked and felt him take your hands in his and begin to lead you forward. He stopped for a moment and you heard heavy door opening, then his hands found yours again. As you entered the room you heard whispers from other people but you still didn't open your eyes not wanting to spoil the surprise. When you finally stopped he said you could open them. +

Baffled you looked with delight at the scenery and decorations that looked almost like from a movie. There was a background painted on a big sheet and all around instead of big school lamps there were candles lighting up, and white Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling. In the corner you noticed his friends from the band, Robin and one girl who played violin in the school band. Everyone smiled in your direction but no one said anything.

"What's going on?" you asked.

"Do you like it?" he asked still not letting go of your hands. He wondered if you could feel him sweating and hoping that you didn't.

"It's amazing!" you said. "But I don't understand."

"Let me show you." He pulled you gently to him and, taking a deep breath, placed one hand on your waist tilting the other slightly positioning you to dance. Later he looked toward the band and nodded.

It all started with the soft sounds of the violin followed by the rest of the instruments and at the very end Robin's voice.

Tale as old as time True as it can be Barely even friends Then somebody bends Unexpectedly

Just a little change Small to say the least Both a little scared Neither one prepared Beauty and the beast

Ever just the same| Ever a surprise Ever as before And ever just as sure As the sun will rise

You let him lead you. Giving yourself over completely to the magic that filled the situation, you wanted to take as much as possible from it. Eddie was internally dying of stress. In his head he was replaying everything as he practiced with Wayne, but his movements were stiff and clumsily, not like his uncle's. Despite the fact that he stepped on you a few times you seemed to pay no attention to it. In that moment only him existed for you. That moment that was too beautiful to be real. Wanting to see that it wasn't fiction you squeezed your hand on his bicep, as you took another step he sent you a questioning look.

"I'm checking if it's not a dream." you replied quietly looking straight into his eyes. You could have killed him with the sincerity he heard in that sentence. In truth it all felt like a dream to you, he could see it in your dreamy expression.

"'s not." he replied gaining a little more confidence, spinning you around and then pulling you close again. Taking advantage of the closeness you leant your head on him still letting him sway you to the rhythm of the song.

Ever just the same Ever a surprise Ever as before Ever just as sure As the sun will rise

Tale as old as time Tune as old as song Bittersweet and strange Finding you can change Learning you were wrong Certain as the sun Rising in the east Tale as old as time Song as old as rhyme Beauty and the beast

Eddie had always been one of those who believed that magic existed. Now he was almost certain of it. Dancing with you in the semi-darkness, knowing that his plan had succeeded and seeing the soft, satisfied smile on your lips, he felt that he could have had anything he wanted - even the whole world. He had never felt like this before, and it definitely had to be due to magic. He saw no other explanation for the soothing warmth he felt in his heart, it just had to be pure magic.

As the song came to an end, he spun you around one last time and, placing his large hand on your back, he paused. Your lips, which he had been trying not to pay attention to for a long time, suddenly became all too noticeable. He wanted to kiss you so bad that moment - maybe if the others hadn't been watching you he would have leaned toward you long ago, but instead he stepped back slightly and looked at you. At how beautiful you looked in that dress, at how your seemingly messy hair added to your loveliness, at how you kept your hands on him without showing disgust or shame. Trying to read the emotion on your face, he saw nothing there but clear admiration, which suddenly frightened him also scaring away any thoughts of a kiss. Coming back to his senses he bowed to you and placed a small kiss on the top of your hand. For that moment, it had to be enough.

Unfortunately, everything beautiful ends quickly, all magic left and fled to its realm the moment someone turned on the light.

"So? What do you think?" an excited Robin ran up to you.

"It was wonderful!"

"Do you think we can add this scene to the script now?" asked Eddie.

"We have to!"

Eddie and you changed into your normal clothes and returned to help clean up the decorations, meanwhile figuring out how you would add everything to the script. After less than an hour, you all left the school. When he spotted Steve in the parking lot, who must have come to pick up Robin, he immediately offered to drive you home, not wanting you to go with them.

You were glad that your friend slowly began to change her opinion of him, after all, she had agreed to help him with everything, so you took that as a good sign.

All the way home you wondered what you should tell him. Everything he has done for you lately has been beyond your wildest expectations. From time to time you opened your mouth to say something, but each time you gave up, quickly turning your head towards the window. As you pulled up in front of the house, Eddie looked at you when once again you were struggling to find the words of any kind.

"You know you can be honest with me, right?" he said quietly, not wanting to sound pathetic. He didn't want to show that all the way through he saw you trying to tell him something. He didn't want to show that there was already a scenario in his mind where you were saying that what he did was an exaggeration and you didn't really like it. His overthinking prompted him to think that you were about to say that it was a bad idea to engage him in your play in the first place.

How perverse life could be? Just a few weeks ago he would have done anything to get rid of this role, now he was afraid of losing it, and with it he was afraid of losing something much more, someone who was becoming a very important part of his life although he didn't yet have the courage to admit it.

"I know." you replied with a sigh.

"If you didn't like it…"

"No! Oh, god no! That's not it." You said quickly turning toward him. "That's all you did for me…It was amazing. No one has ever done anything like that for me, no one has ever made me feel as special as you did today…"

"So what's the problem?"

"I keep thinking what I can say to thank you, but I can't find the words, my brain is suddenly empty." You chuckled nervously.

"Usually 'Thank you' is enough." He replied feeling immensely relieved. There it was again. That boyish smile that appeared in front of your eyes every time you closed them.

Feeling that it still wouldn't be enough, after a moment's thought and the huge reserves of courage you must have gathered in your body, you leaned over the gearbox toward him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thnak you Eddie." you said, gently brushing your lips against his cheek while saying these words. It was like the touch of a ghost, only instead of cold, he felt like he was about to burst into flames.

"You- you're Welcome." he mouthed in shock.

The way you thanked him was more than enough. It made him think that when Eddie went to bed after an eventful day, falling asleep he smiled like a fool while holding his cheek. That was the moment when Eddie Munson realised he was a goner for you.

The last rehearsal before the competition was just a formality, you all put so much work and effort into it, everyone knew their roles inside out, and thanks to Eddie's ideas the whole play became even more beautiful, especially the dance scene which every time made you feel as if you were transported to a fairy tale dimension where only the two of you could fit in.

You were just about to practice it again, but before Robin could sing the first words the door opened with a bang. Half of the basketball team, headed by Jason, walked in.

"Well, well, well!" he shouted looking around with a sneer on his lips, holding a disgusting-looking green smoothie in his hand. "I never thought there would be a day when I'd see Freak dressed in something other than his torn tatters," he said.

"The hell do you want?" you asked walking up to him. You really didn't feel like or have the strength to waste time on him.

"We came to see how you are doing, after all, you will be representing our school," he said.

"Since when do you care about this?"

"Since now." he replied while looking around once again. "And hey- I thought the title was Beauty and the Beast."

"It is." interjected Dusin.

"So where the hell is the Beauty? I only see two Beasts here so far." his comment drew laughter from the rest of his friends.

"That's enough." Said Eddie stepping forward. "Get the fuck out of here and take your minions with you." He pointed with his hand to the door.

"I don't know, I'd really like to see how you do on stage. Also, maybe it's not too late to ask Chrissy if she'd like to play Belle? It seems to me that for this role you need a person who is at least good-looking, and there is no one like that here."

"Serously Jason, just get out of here before you dirty something with your disgusting drink." You tried to be more composed than Eddie. You knew that was his goal, to get some kind of reaction from you. He wanted to see how he would get you guys off balance.

"Hm." he hummed and took a step toward you. "You mean get dirty…like this?" before anyone had time to react his drink landed right on your dress.

The sound of laughter was drowned out by the noise of your own blood and heartbeat. Feeling humiliated you squeezed through them and ran to the bathroom wanting to hide. You quickly grabbed a paper towel, soaked it and tried to wipe off the disgusting stain, unfortunately, whatever was mixed in that smoothie didn't want to come off so easily. Hot tears ran down your cheeks. You were angry, but also sad. Feeling helpless, you leaned against the sink and looked in the mirror. Your reflection had already stopped seeming to please you. Instead, worse and worse adjectives began to come to mind the longer you looked at yourself. Pathetic. That's what you chose as the best description of yourself and how you looked now. That was exactly what Eddie had called you during your last argument. Maybe he was right?

"Y/n!" Robin ran breathlessly into the bathroom. "Oh my god I am so sorry, son of a bitch I will kill him." she said looking at the ruined dress and then your reddened eyes.

"And I will help you." Immediately behind her, Eddie appeared. "I can go do it right now, just say the word." you suddenly felt overwhelmed by his presence. Overwhelmed that he sees you in such an ugly state.

"Did you know this is the girls' bathroom?" asked Robin.

"And do I look like I care right now?" he snapped at her. "Do you want me to go get him?" he returned with his eyes.

"No." You sniffed. "He was right, I don't fit into this."

"No. Stop." His voice was firm but gentle. "Don't say that. I don't know anyone more perfect for this role, don't let that bastard mess with your brain, please."

"You're saying that just to make me feel better."

"No. I'm saying it because I think so." he walked closer to you. "Look at me." he cupped your face in his hands. His heart suddenly lost its connection to his reason. It was now driven only and exclusively by emotion. "You are perfect for this role. Not only because you are so beautiful that I sometimes run out of breath, but because, like Bella, you are damn intelligent, you do everything to pursue your dreams, you care about others, you make everyone around you feel appreciated and happy, you always try to see something good in others even though they don't deserve it." Your face was still in his hands, and with his thumbs he wiped the tears from under your eyes. "I didn't deserve it, but yet you gave me a chance. Carver is not worth your tears. I'm not either, no one is, because you're too good for all of us. For the whole damn Hawkins. You are something more, much more. And never think in anything that you are not good enough. Because you are the best. Perfect."

Somewhere in the process, he moved close enough to you that his forehead rested against yours. You could feel his rapid breath on your skin. You were so close to each other that the urge to kiss you came back even stronger, but he knew this was not the moment to cross that line. He pulled you close with a hug, completely as if he wanted his arms to become a shield and protect you from everything bad. You needed comfort, and you openly accepted the one offered by Eddie by snuggling your face into his chest, listening to the rapid but steady beat of his heart.

From the sidelines, Robin watched you with a fond smile on her lips. In that moment, she finally believed you that he had changed. Until then, she didn't understand where all your admiration for the metalhead came from. Even when he even begged her to agree to sing a song in your play. Only now she saw that someone who had hurt you so much in the beginning was also the person who could make you the happiest in the world.

When you calmed down, you returned to the drama room, where you changed clothes. Ordering a short break, Eddie took advantage of the slow moment and took the dress to the cleaners, hoping they could save it. When he returned you finished the rehearsal, and then each went his own way to prepare mentally in solitude for the performance, from which you are now only two days away.

Doomsday has finally arrived. Despite the stress and nerves, you were all excited. You truly felt like you had a chance to win, after all, everything about your performance had to be at the highest level.

You were the last to perform, so you had a lot of time to watch your competitors, who were unfortunately great. Beautiful decorations and costumes that looked like they came from a real movie set, all too expensive for an ordinary inter-school competition. Although you loved your handmade decorations and costumes, you couldn't stop the thoughts that told you they would never compare to those in the view of others.

When it was finally your turn, you forgot about yourself, replacing your personality with Belle's. In that moment, you didn't exist, just as Eddie Munson didn't exist either. Portraying how your characters were falling in love with each other was the easiest thing in the world. The initial small and shy gestures came naturally, all the lines designed to direct the audience that the Beauty was becoming enamored with the Beast passed easily through your throat. Deep down you knew the reason for this.

During the iconic ballroom dance scene, you didn't have to fake your enchantment at all. You felt the same way every time, and now was no exception, because somewhere during this crazy journey your characters were not the only ones who fell in love with each other. Somewhere under the disguise of a beast, Eddie was sneaking into your heart, and in that moment it occurred to you that his roots were already so deep that there was no turning back. It was certain as the sun rising in the east, that you were undeniably and seriously in love with Eddie Munson. Something between the two of you allowed you to believe that he, at least in a small way, also felt the same.

As the song came to an end you managed to catch a quick glimpse of the audience, your mom, Dustin's Mom and Eddie's Uncle were sitting in the front row, looking very touched and proud.

In the final scene, the Beast was stabbed. In despair, you fell to your knees beside Eddie's body, beginning to sob and beg him not to leave you.

"I can't lose you." you repeated over and over again. It didn't just apply to the show. It was the one that brought you together and it was the one that could separate you. For a long time you had tried to push those thoughts aside, but now that the end was so close you couldn't defend against them. Despite the moments when you had the feeling that the metalhead reciprocated your feelings, you also knew that there was a chance that today could be the last day before he disappeared from your life, so the sadness that accompanied you was a little more real than you wanted it to be.

Suddenly all the lights in the hall went out, Eddie had less than two minutes to get rid of his beast costume, put on his tattered clothes and become a prince. This wasn't difficult either, because with disheveled curls on his head, he looked gorgeous in the light of the colorful spotlights that symbolized the magic of the enchanted rose. Like a real prince from your fondest dreams. You stood motionless staring at him intensely, your brain couldn't keep up with your eyes, you felt yourself getting hot.

"Belle…" he said, extending his hand toward you. You didn't react. Still unable to shake off the excess of emotions that fell upon you in an instant. Seeing this, he decided to improvise. With a slow step, he approached you and gently grabbed your hand and, lifting it up, applied it to his cheek. "It's me."

Forgetting about the rest of the world and the fact that you were now being watched by more than a hundred people you completely drifted off into the moment. "Yes, it's you." you replied smiling and placing your other hand on his cheek. "It's really you." Without waiting for his response, you made one last change in the script. Instead of the usual hug that was in the original version, you kissed him.

However, it wasn't Belle who kissed the prince. It was you kissing Eddie, and moments later, when he got over the shock, Eddie kissed you while wrapping his arms around your waist. Relief, desire, happiness, excitement. If the feelings could be materialized they would look like little fireworks exploding all around you. His warm lips matched yours perfectly, his taste suddenly becoming your favorite. No kiss you had ever experienced in your life equaled this one. Leaning you back slightly, Eddie deepened the kiss one last time before pulling away from you. Looking into each other's eyes you both smiled like dumb fools.

You were brought back to the real world by the thunderous applause you received from the audience, you reluctantly moved away from each other as the rest of the group joined you. Together, all of you, holding hands, bowed and left the stage. Backstage, your loved ones were already waiting for you. Your mother hugged you tightly complimenting you on everything she could, Wayne patted Eddie proudly on the shoulder, and then came up to you with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and handed it to you saying it was the best play he had ever seen. Later, absorbed in conversations with the rest of the members, you didn't have time to talk about what happened between you on stage. Part of you was dying of curiosity to know what he really thought about it, but the other part, the more insecure one, preferred never to bring up the subject anymore fearing rejection.

Finally it was time for the results to be announced, and you stood between Dustin and Eddie, squeezing their hands tightly as the jury announced its verdict. Unfortunately, the magic you felt on stage did not reach them and you got second place. You were disappointed, but that was not the reason that worried you. Even so, you were proud of you guys, in your mind you were the winners. What weighed on your heart was Eddie's behavior, who as soon as he heard the results completely died down. He silently helped clean everything up, trying to avoid contact with you, finally saying only a quiet "Bye." And together he and Wayne drove home. You went over this scenario in your head a thousand times, but you would never have expected everything to end so rapidly and unexpectedly.

You spent the night staring at the ceiling and analyzing your entire friendship from beginning to end, was the magical feeling just a figment of your imagination? Did you interpret everything wrong? Why once again were you about to lose something you cared so much about?

For a whole week Eddie avoided you like the plague. You still couldn't get over it, and even worse was the missing him. Whenever he spotted you in the hallway he immediately changed direction and looked away. You knew that kissing him would be crossing a boundary to some extent, but you didn't expect that this will be the result. You thought that at least you would be able to talk about it. You also didn't understand why he reciprocated it then, why he was smiling from ear to ear immediately afterwards and everything was fine until the results were announced. Was he disgusted with you and what had happened?

"If you want I'll go talk to him again, but I don't promise to be nice." said Robin seeing your sad sight of the wounded puppy that followed his silhouette in the corridor.

"No. I'll go this time." you sighed, promising yourself that this would be the last time you would dare to look into those chocolate eyes that you now dreamed of at night.

Not wanting to face rejection in the middle of the school hallway, you waited patiently until the end of class. Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle of the day Eddie completely disappeared from the area, so determined you immediately set off on foot towards the trailer park. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating with your quest. Halfway there, cold and heavy raindrops started to fall from the sky. The thought crossed your mind that you should turn back, but your determination did not allow you to do so. Soaked and cold, with mud on your shoes and the bottom of your jeans, you arrived at your destination, looking around. Oh well. You had no idea which trailer belonged to the Munsons, anyway. Stupid. Stupid. You stupid idiot. You scolded yourself in your mind. Your hair stuck to your face interfering with your clear vision. But what did you really want to see? Wandering between the trailers, you noticed his car. It was standing in such a place that you didn't know which trailer you could attach it to.

"Jesus Christ, kid!" you heard a familiar voice from behind you immediately turning to him. "Come inside!" Wayne opened the door wide and, splashing your feet on the ground, you ran to the trailer.

When you stepped inside you were hit by a pleasant wave of warmth, and after a moment a soft, dry towel that the man took out for you from a cabinet that was located in a small hallway.

"Thank you." you said quietly instantly wiping your head.

"The hell are you doin' here in this weather?" he asked, walking over to the stove and grabbing the kettle. "I'm gonna make you some tea to warm you up."

"I wanted to talk to Eddie." you said quietly while covering your face slightly with a towel. You must have looked ridiculous, Wayne must have thought you had lost your mind.

At the same time Eddie was lying on his bed with his walkman diving into the world of music listening to the saddest songs he could find in his collection. For a week you had not left his thoughts even for a second, and the memory of your kiss haunted him at the absolute least opportune moments. The touch of your lips left a permanent mark on him and a void that could not be filled by anything else. He couldn't get out of his head the small, sweet sound that involuntarily emerged from the back of your throat when he reciprocated the kiss. When he closed his eyes he could see the happiness that was painted on your face and how your eyes sparkled in the spotlight. It was all too good to be true. The moment he heard the verdict and saw the disappointment on your face he knew it was over. That you probably didn't want anything to do with him anymore, after all, it was because of him that you didn't win. It was his fault, he let you down and didn't know how he could look you in the face any longer after that.

Lying on his side and staring at the wall he was cut off from the real world when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. Surprised and slightly frightened, he broke off sitting down on the mattress with even more disbelief looking at you soaked in the middle of his room. Had he fallen asleep and it was his imagination playing tricks on him now? He began to blink rapidly, but when you still did not disappear, he pinched his arm.

"Eddie I am real." you said seeing his behavior.

"What are you doing here?" he asked pulling off his headphones.

"I came to talk."

"About what?"

"About that kiss." he only nodded tightening his lips into a thin line, mentally preparing himself to hear how much you regret it. You gave him a moment to respond but he didn't, so you just continued. "I know I shouldn't have. I know I basically did it without your permission, and you may feel bad about it, you have a right to." you sighed. "I was just thinking- Actually I don't know what I was thinking, at that moment the only thing I could focus on was how much I wanted to kiss you. I got carried away, it all looked so magical, you looked so magical that my common sense stopped working." You breathed heavier and heavier feeling the lump in your throat grow. "I'm really sorry for all this and I'll understand if you don't want anything to do with me anymore. Just please tell me about it, because this silence and constant second-guessing of everything is killing me, I miss you Eddie and even if you don't reciprocate my feelings I would still like to have you in my life as a friend, but if you don't even want that… I will understand too."

It definitely had to be a dream. Or he must have smoked one too many joints and was now hallucinating. Whatever was happening now couldn't be real. You couldn't be real. You were too good. Too good for someone who destroyed your dreams.

"Say something Eddie, please." your quiet voice went straight to his heart. The heart you had long had at your fingertips.

"You came all the way out here, in a downpour, to tell me that, you wanted that kiss?" he asked getting up from the bed and walking over to you.

"If I didn't want it, I wouldn't have done it," you said.

"I thought it was you who didn't want to know me."

"But- why?"

"We didn't win because of me."

"Oh, Eddie." you bridged the gap between you by grabbing his hand. "Even though we didn't win the competition I thought I won something much better."

"What?"

"My own prince." You smiled softly.

This time he was the first to kiss you. This time the kiss was soothing, healing all the wounds of insecurity that had been bleeding inside you for the past week.

"Beauty and the Freak, huh?" he asked against your lips, smiling.

"No." you kissed him again.

"Beauty and the Beast?" he asked once again with teasing tone.

"Nope." another kiss.

"Then what?"

"Eddie and y/n." you whispered while hanging your arms around his neck.

"My favorite version." he hummed and snuggled his face into the bend of your neck.

"Hey kids, sorry to bother you, but the tea is ready." said Wayne peeking into the room. Seeing you two hugging he smiled broadly. "About damn time." he commented. "Now for the love of God give her some dry clothes before she gets cold!"

"Oh shit- yes." He walked quickly to the closet looking for something suitable in it. At that moment you were so hot that you completely forgot about how soaked you were. Happiness was working on you like a little internal furnace, but you gladly accepted one of his Hellfire shirts and his old PE shorts.

"You can call your mother and tell her you're staying with us for dinner, then Eddie will give you a ride home." the old man said disappearing behind the door.

As you left the room your attention was caught by a small piece of paper with a drawing on it. On it was a princess in a beautiful dress, strangely similar to you.

"What's that?" you asked, picking it up.

"Uh-oh…" Eddie began to blush. "It's a new character for my campaign."

"Looks nice." you chuckled.

"I had a very good inspiration." he laughed nervously.

"Will you tell me about her?"

"I'll tell you about anything you want."

"Sounds like a plan."

taglist: @i-me-mine @phantypurple @tlclick73

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