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forever-rogue · 9 months

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hello neighbor [2]

AN | Eddie Munson might be your neighbor - but tonight he’s your date. And you’re in for quite an evening 🥰

Warnings | Language, Mentions of Cheating, Death, Pregnancy

Pairing | Older!Eddie x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 4.8k

Masterlist | Main, Eddie

Part 1

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

First date nerves weren’t something you had experienced in a long time. Not because, you know, you didn’t get nervous, it had just been so long since anyone had asked out. And now it wasn’t just any man, it was Eddie Munson. Yeah…the reality still hadn’t fully set in just yet.

“Ugh,” you groaned, tossing the dress you’d been holding up to your body in front of the mirror to the side with a heavy sigh. You were still in nothing but your underwear - a pretty matching set that you’d picked out for entirely no real at all obviously - but hadn’t set on what to wear. Eddie was due to pick you up in less than twenty and here you were, still figuring out what to do, “just pick something, you fool.”

You padded back into your closet and pulled out another option, grimacing if you tried to decide if it was too much or not enough. You did like how it made you feel and the way it looked, so you figured it was worth a try. It was a glittery silver romper that showed off everything you’d liked. It was a lot but then again, you decided that this was a date with Eddie. He did things loud, and he hadn’t technically told you what you were doing so you couldn’t really plan on exactly what to wear.

“This will do,” you slipped it on before grabbing a pair of heels and finishing off your hair. Before you knew it, you heard a knock on your door. Your heart felt like it plummeted into your stomach as you rushed to the door in order to grab it, causing you to almost tumble over you as you pulled open the door.

“Hi,” you managed to catch yourself as you looked at him, finding his normally beaming smile on his face; you exhaled softly before returning the smile. He held out his hand, in which there was a large bouquet of flowers.

“Hi,” you squeaked out softly, trying not to panic too much. He looked so ridiculously handsome that it really wasn’t fair. You took the flowers and gently held them to your chest, “for me?”

“Of course,” he laughed easily, making you feel relaxed and at ease, “you look beautiful.”

“So do you,” it came out before you could even process what you were saying, but the sentiment was still true all the same. His cheeks pinked ever so slightly as you gnawed on the inside of your cheek, "umm, come in, let me just put these in some water. You still haven't told me exactly what we're doing tonight."

"That is the point of something being a surprise," he teased as he trailed after you, unable to keep his eyes from taking an appreciative look at your ass, "hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," you grabbed a vase and made quick work of filling it with fresh water and arranging the flowers prettily. The giant smile on your face made Eddie vow to himself that he would get you flowers whenever he got the chance, "am I appropriately dressed then, sir?"

"Nope," he replied dramatically, "you look too damn good to take out, baby. How do you expect me to control myself?"

"So you are just a normal man at heart, huh?" You were both teasing but you could hear the underlying truth to his words. He winked at you as you gently pushed his chest, "well, you look good too, Eddie. Ridiculously handsome."

"Yeah?" It had been a long time since someone had told him that, and even longer since someone had meant it.

"Duh," you leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "so, you gonna tell me what we're doing or…"

"Or…" he reached for your hand and laced your fingers together. The simple gesture made you realize just how much bigger his hand was than yours and caused your entire face to warm up, "do you trust me, lovely?"

"I do," you promised softly. You still had so much to learn about him, but you knew that he was a good one.

"I trust you, Eddie."

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The first stop of the evening, one of several he kept insisting, was at a small, quiet, and quaint restaurant on the outskirts of New York City. It wasn't what you had expected at all, but when you thought about it, it made perfect sense for Eddie. A quiet place that felt safe and homey where the two of you could talk and get to know more about each other.

“This place is so cute,” you looked around in awe as the waiter led the two of you to a table on the patio, surrounded by a lush garden and warmed with heating lamps. Eddie pulled out your chair and went to sit across from you. He looked so pretty under the glow from the gentle lighting and you couldn’t wait to kiss him later, “how did you find it?”

“Well, here’s a little fun fact-”

“Munson!” you turned at the sound of a the new voice and turned to find a man walking towards the two of you. He was handsome in a way different from Eddie but still presented a sight that was easy on the eyes, “it’s about time you came back!”

“Hey Stevie,” Eddie stood up and embraced the man in a tight hug as you looked at them in confusion, “it’s good to see you.”

“You too! It’s been so hard to find a time to get together I’d almost think you were avoiding me,” he shook his head dramatically as Eddie rolled his eyes, which caused you to giggle, before the attention was shifted your way, “and you must be the lovely girl I’ve been hearing so much about.”

“Oh,” you stood up and shook his outstretched hand, which he quickly declined in order to give you a hug. You had to hand it to him - the man gave great hugs, “you’ve heard about me?”

“Of course I have,” he gave your shoulders a gentle squeeze, “this guy hasn’t stopped talking about you since-”

“Alright, alright,” Eddie’s face was red as he waved his hands around, “don’t exaggerate…”

“I’m not,” he whispered to you, “I’m Steve, by the way. Steve Harrington - welcome to mi casa! Well, my restaurant anyway. I’m honored that Eddie was willing to bring you here!”

“This is your restaurant?” you mouth dropped in awe as he nodded excitedly.

“Well, I own it with one of my other best friends,” he nudged Eddie’s arm, “Robin. You’ll have to meet her sometime, she’ll love you!”

“Steve…”

“Oh! Right,” he took a step back before looking at the two of you and sighing softly. In the two months since you’d moved in across from Eddie, Steve had heard about you a lot. He knew that something was going to happen probably well before Eddie did, but he wasn’t going to brag about that just yet. He wanted nothing more than for him to be happy, especially after all the things he’d been through in the past. He deserved someone that made him happy and loved him unconditionally; he hoped that maybe Eddie would find that in you, “I’ll let you two get back to it! Enjoy and it’s on the house tonight!”

“Thanks Stevie,” Eddie grabbed his hand and gave it a tight squeeze, “I’ll text you later.”

“Sounds good,” he winked at him before offering you a small wave, “it was great to meet you! I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around!”

And with that, Steve turned on his heel to leave but not before whispering something to one of the waiters that distinctly sounded like get them wine. You turned back to Eddie and found him watching you intently, almost as if he was trying to gauge your reaction.

“Sorry about all that…he’s a lot-”

“He’s wonderful,” you insisted and you could see the way Eddie’s shoulders relaxed, “you picked a good spot, Eddie. You’re doing well so far.”

“Oh tell me then, miss teacher, is this all a big test then?” he had a teasing tilt to his voice as you nodded eagerly.

“Of course! You should have expected that.”

“Well, what do I get if I pass then?” his big brown eyes were searching yours and despite the heat creeping into your face, you couldn’t look away. He was just so mesmerizing.

“How about a second date?”

“I was kind of hoping that might happen either way,” he drummed his fingers nervously along the edge of the table that caused you to giggle, “hey! Let a man dream here.”

“To be honest,” you leaned in so only he could hear you, “I was hoping that might happen too. I’ll think of something to make it worth your while.”

When you winked at him he almost lost his mind. Sometimes you seemed so innocent but he knew that there was so much more to than just meets the eye.

“Ahh lovely, you’re something else,” he grinned when the waiter came and opened a bottle of wine and poured you each a glass.

“Really, Eddie?” you took a sip and raised an eyebrow at him, “what does that make you?”

“It makes me…curious. Curious about you,” he gently nudged his foot against yours, “tell me everything.”

“Everything?”

“Everything,” he repeated firmly, “I want to know everything about you.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You ended up being together at the restaurant for several hours - which managed to feel like no time at all. Getting to know Eddie was such an interesting thing; he had so many stories from his youth through adulthood that had you hanging onto his every word. He’d been through a lot and had really taken to turning around the bad experiences into things he could learn from him. He left you wanting more and more.

But, in turn, Eddie asked you so many questions about yourself, trying to get a feel of who you were as well. Just as you were enamored with the former rockstar turned music producer, he was enraptured with you as well. The two of you meshed well, so well in fact, that it almost scared Eddie. He’d never developed so many feelings so fast for someone and it was hard to wrap his mind around. He had so many worries that you didn’t feel the same way or that he would scare you off.

But then he’d heard your laugh or saw your smile and the worries would dissipate.

“Eddie?” you waved your hand in front his face before putting your hand on his cheek in order to draw your attention back to you. He blinked a few times before snapping back into reality and looking at you with a dopey smile, “where’d you go, handsome?”

“Sorry,” his cheeks turned pink and you took a step back and tilted your head to the side, “just got so lost in thoughts of you, lovely.”

“Oh my - shut up,” this time it was your turn to get shy as you gently pushed his shoulder, “I was trying to ask you what’s next before you turned into a space cadet.”

“Right, well, part two is going to blow your socks off,” he reached for your hand as you walked out of the restaurant, threading your fingers through his without even thinking about it, “you sure you can handle it?”

“I’m sure I can handle it,” you swing your hands back and forth, almost skipping back to his car.

“Ice cream,” he held up his hands in a ta da motion, trying to see if you were excited or if you thought he was the most boring date ever. But your eyes lit up with excitement and you nodded happily, “not just any ice cream either - the best ice cream in New York.”

“Oh yeah? Does another of your friends own this magical place?” butterflies fluttered around your tummy as he opened the car door for you to get in. He quickly made it to the driver’s side and turned the car on before looking at you, brushing a stray hair out of your face.

“Not everyone I know owns a fancy place and I do not know everyone that owns all of these fancy places,” he snorted in amusement as you shrugged your shoulders as if to say sure, Eddie. He very much enjoyed your sassy attitude.

“Whatever you say rockstar,” he shifted the car into the drive, one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh. It was such a simple gesture, but it made your heart skipped a few beats, “ooh, that’s what I’m going to change your name to in my phone. Rockstar! Even better - Handsome Rockstar. Whaddaya think?”

“I think you’re something else, lovely,” he gave your leg a tender squeeze as you bit your lip and forced yourself to look out the window. You weren’t sure if you’d be able to hold back from wanting to crawl over the console and kissing him. And given that he was driving, that would have been a bad idea.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The ice cream shop Eddie brought you too was almost as cute as Steve’s restaurant. White and old fashioned with a cute hanging sign and twinkle lights lining the windows, it looked like something straight out of a movie. You couldn’t even contain your squeal of excitement as Eddie opened the door for you. It was even cuter inside, with an old fashion vibe and nearly written and drawn chalk signs.

“The best part is that all the flavors are seasonal and unique,” Eddie’s voice was warm and soft in your ear as you started to study the menu, “go crazy, baby.”

“Trust me, I will,” you were already thinking about all different sorts of combinations, “let’s see who does best!”

“You’re so on,” he agreed readily, “winner gets to pick what we do on our next date.”

You liked the sound of that.

Your type of crazy, as it turned out, was pink cotton candy ice cream with graham cracker crumbles, a bit of frosting, and sugar crystals and sprinkles mixed in. Odd, but it was speaking to you. Eddie meanwhile went for a more classic combination of chocolate ice cream mixed with caramel and cookie dough and chocolate ships. At least you knew that both would be good.

“C’mon,” Eddie's hand found the small of your back as he led you to one of the tables outside. It was getting slightly chilly and as though Eddie immediately knew what you were thinking, he pulled off his jacket and gently draped it around your shoulders, "there we go."

"Stop," you playfully groaned, "stop being so wonderful, you're like rock and roll Prince Charming."

"Only the best for my lady," his gentle words made your stomach flutter. He reached over and took a scoop of your ice cream, "let's try this madness then."

"It's delicious, thank you very much," you followed suit and took a bite of his ice cream, savoring the sweetness on your tongue, "and this is just alright. A little on the safe side for what I'd expect from you."

"But it's good and classic," he insisted, "like you could get that any time and it's delicious. This mess? An acquired taste."

"It's amazing!"

"It's pink and glittery and sweet," Eddie leaned in so his face was close to yours. You didn't miss the way his eyes flicked to your lips, "just like you."

"You sure about that?" You took a spoonful of your concoction and savored it before leaning in closer to him, "hmm?"

"C'mere," his hand found your face and he gently pulled you in for a kiss. He tasted just as sweet as you imagined and you could feel him smiling against your lips, "you know what, I am sure about it."

"Such a cheeseball," and you loved it. He shot a wink at you before a comfortable silence fell over the two of you.

"Can I ask you something?" Eddie swirled his spoon around his almost empty cup, almost seeming nervous.

"Umm, you just did," you did your best valley girl voice and that brought a smile to his face, "you can ask me anything, Eddie."

"Why did you move here? To New York?"

"You just assume I'm not from here?"

"I know you're not. You don't have a typical New York vibe," he definitely had you there and you couldn't help your laugh, "and neither do I. I'm from Indiana originally."

"I know," you sheepishly admitted, "I did my research on you. Had to make sure you weren't some kind of mega weirdo."

"Just a normal weirdo," he agreed. Something about you looking him up was making him feel a type of way.

"My kind of weirdo," you promised, "but yeah, you're right. I'm from California so perhaps that's my vibe."

"West coast girl," he sang softly, "I think that's fitting. And now you're in the heart of New York."

"I…ugh," you swallowed the lump that had welled up in your throat, "I…I moved here after I broke off my engagement."

"Oh," Eddie's eyes widened as you nodded, "I'm sorry, I didn't…know."

"It's alright," you leaned back and shrugged, trying to keep all the bad memories at bay, "he cheated on me with my best friend. When I found out and confronted them they weren't even sorry….just sorry they were caught. So I basically just waited till the school year was over and then packed my things and left. And there we are."

"I'm so sorry, lovely," he reached for your hand across the table and gently put his on top of yours, giving it a squeeze, "nobody deserves that. He was a fuckin' idiot, treating you like that and breaking your heart. But, can I be really honest with you?"

"I'd expect nothing else from you," you blinked back your tears and gave him a small laugh. You liked how large and warm his hand was on top of yours.

"I'm not glad for what happened and how it made you feel, but I am glad that I got to meet you," now that made your entire face warm up like crazy. You allowed yourself to look up and meet his big brown eyes and found him studying you intently, "but I think we might have met in our lifetimes at some point."

“I think so too,” you smiled at him, “I like to think that everything happens for a reason, even if it’s shitty at the time. I never imagined that my life would turn out this way, you know? I thought I’d marry the man I thought was the love of my life and then everything would fall into place. But here I am, still trying to figure it out.”

“Wanna know a secret?” you nodded eagerly at him, “we’re all always trying to figure it out. No one has life and everything figured, not even at my age.”

“You’re not that much older,” you laughed as a few tears rolled down your cheeks despite your best efforts. He reached over and tenderly brushed them away, “I’m thirty-one after all.”

“And I’ve got thirteen years on you,” he stuck out his tongue a little bit, “but I mean it. No one has to have it all figured out.”

“That’s good,” the corner of your mouth turned up in a small smile, “I’m glad to know it’s not just me floundering around here. But…I’m glad I got to meet you.”

The two of you exchanged shy smiles before he pushed back his chair, “let’s go, lovely. I’ve got one more little thing planned. If you’re up for it.”

“Of course,” you followed him and put your hand into his, “show me what you got, Munson!”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Well?” Eddie parked the car and looked over at your face with an expectant express. He should know by now not to be nervous about your reaction to anything, but watched you grow excited made him feel warm and fuzzy.

“I love this,” you hopped out the car and turned around in a circle as you looked at the lake and up at the glittering stars, “what are we doing?”

Eddie laughed, throwing his head back and causing a few pretty curls to fall out of his bun, the sound magical and warm, “we’re stargazing, baby. Gonna sit by the lake and look at all the stars.”

“Oh,” you held your hands against your heart and sighed wistfully, “no one’s ever taken me stargazing before. This is…so thoughtful and sweet, Eddie.”

“Consider me honored to be your first,” he gave you a cheesy grin as he pulled out a blanket from the backseat. When he walked back over to you, he reached for your hand without even thinking about it, leading you down to the water’s edge.

He spread out the blanket and flopped down on it, patting the space next to him for you to sit down next him. You plopped down a little more excitedly than intended and landed with a small oof, almost falling into Eddie.

“It’s beautiful out here,” this time you reached for his hand and laced your fingers through his.

“It is. Absolutely beautiful,” but Eddie wasn’t looking at the stars, he was looking right at you.

“You really know all the good spots, rockstar,” you bumped his shoulder with yours, and he turned his face in order to capture your lips in a sweet little kiss, “and you’re a good kisser.”

“You know I’m a small town boy at heart. I know all these types of things,” he slowly leaned back so he was laying down and laid next to him, grinning when he held up your entwined hands, “not much to do when you’re growing up in a town with nothing to do and where everyone thinks you’re a freak.”

“Well, they were all a bunch of dicks,” that caused him to snort in amusement, “people are terrible. Imagine if they would have gotten to know you - they could have had an amazing friend in their lives.”

“Everything happens for a reason, right?”

“Mhmm,” you hummed in response as you looked up at the stars and tried to pick up any patterns or constellations. It was silent for a few minutes before Eddie cleared his throat, “Eddie?”

“I was engaged once too,” his voice was gentle as you squeezed his hand, “but I never got married. I was going to be a dad too but…life doesn’t always go according to plan.”

“Oh…Eddie,” your mind was already racing with all sorts of different ideas as to what could have happened, “I…”

“It’s alright,” he paused for a moment, “well, I guess it’s not alright, but we carry on. My fiance was pregnant - really pregnant with our daughter when she…she was in a car accident. A drunk driver hit her. Killed her and the baby instantly.”

“Fuck…”

“The only solace I found in that was that it was instant and they didn’t suffer,” you heard him inhale shakily and you found that you were crying too. What you had gone through was hard and it had crushed you but what Eddie had gone through was an entirely different pain, “it’s still rough. I think about them a lot. Was mad at myself, the world, and everything for a long time. But it’s been a lot of years, almost eighteen years, and a lot of therapy and time.”

“I’m sorry, Eddie,” you rolled onto your side so you could look at him. He did the same and you found that his eyes were glittering with tears. You reached over and put your hand on his face, gently brushing your brush over his cheek, “I don’t know if there’s anything that I could say besides you both deserved so much better and life can be such a dick sometimes.”

“The biggest dick,” he sniffled lightly before making a sound that was somewhere between a sob and laugh, “I just…you were so honest with me, and I wanted to be fully honest with you. You know, start things off right.”

“You are….” you paused for a moment, gently drumming your fingers along his jaw, “so special, Eddie Munson. I know that already, and I hope I get to learn everything about you.”

“Funny,” he took your hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to your knuckles, “I’m hoping to get to know everything about you too, lovely.”

“Well, I’m sure we already agreed on a second date,” you teased, “so you’re stuck with just a little longer anyway.”

“I’m hoping for a whole lot longer than that,” you relaxed at his reassurance as you nodded eagerly, “and I’m pretty sure I won the ice cream contest, so I get to pick what we do.”

“No way!” you giggled wildly as he pulled you on top of him, wrapping his arms around your waist, “oh. Well…you keep doing this and I might agree and let you win.”

“You don’t need to agree,” you leaned down and kissed him, “I’ve already won, baby.”

“Hush,” you put a finger to his lips and he playfully licked it, causing you to giggle harder, “just kiss me, Munson.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

By the time the two of you got home, it was almost one in the morning, and you were both feeling giddy, drunk off each other. Eddie walked you over to your door, standing in front of you as you leaned against it. You looked up at him with the physical embodiment of heart eyes.

“Thank you for tonight,” you whispered, “I had so much fun. This was…one of the most special dates I’ve ever been on. Truly.”

“Thank you for saying yes,” he rocked back and forth on his heels, “and for agreeing to a second date.”

You bit the inside of your cheek and nodded slowly, unsure if you should kiss him again or just head inside. He answered your silent question as he took your face in his hands and kissed you slowly and gently. It felt like something out of a movie, sending electric shivers throughout your entire body. You wondered if it was always going to be like when you kissed Eddie.

“I’d invite you over,” he nudged his nose with yours, “but I don’t think I’d be able to let you leave. And I want to do this right.”

“There’s no right or wrong way,” you insisted, “but…as much as this sucks, not tonight.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, two of you both breathing slightly harder than normal, trying to contain your wandering hands and needy lips, “smart.”

“Good night, Eddie,” you kissed his cheek before tenderly putting a hand on his chest to nudge him back.

“Good night, lovely,” he took a few steps backward, biting his lip as he held up his hand in a small wave, “let me know when you get home.”

“Eddie!” you were laughing again; you couldn’t remember the last time someone had made you laugh this much.

“I mean it,” he insisted softly, “you better text or else.”

“Or else what, dork?”

“No more Biscuit cuddles!”

“You’d never,” you gasped as he nodded firmly, “that would make you a monster.”

“So you better text,” He winked before unlocking his door and stepping inside, but not before offering you one last little wave.

You stood there for a moment before unlocking your own door and stepping into your apartment. Your face was almost hurting from how much you’d been laughing and smiling. You had never intended on falling for Eddie so hard and this fast. You’d been sure that you’d never open up your heart to someone again. And yet here you were…and it felt like the easiest thing in the world to do.

As you got ready for bed, you heard your phone buzzing on your nightstand. You quickly grabbed and laughed out loud when you saw that it was a text from Eddie - a picture of him lying in bed with Biscuit curled up on his chest.

No more cuddles for you.

You hoped this feeling would never end; it was euphoric. You quickly texted him back: home safe and sound…but already missing you (and Biscuit). Good night handsome.

By the time you slipped under the covers he’d texted again.

Good night, lovely.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson one shot #older!eddie #joseph quinn #st #hello neighbor

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