eddie moving into the harrington house for super cheap bc it's rumored the kid died in there like 50 years ago and yknow if he did die and was haunting it, he was pretty nice about it.
more often than not eddie would leave candles lit and find them extinguished randomly, and dishes he'd left in the sink would be clean the next morning, and eddie equated it to him getting too high and forgetting that he did them until he saw a hazy figure at like three am floating towards him with a blanket.
"what the fuck."
the figure paused, and eddie took a closer look, this ghost was kinda... cute? "oh. hey."
"you talk."
"yes. i... talk."
"yknow when they told me this house was haunted i imagined some scary shit happening but all you've really done is clean up?"
"well... i mean. someone's got to? right?"
eddie laughed, a soft smile appearing on ghosties face, "so, ghostie. what's your name? how'd you die? unless... unless that's like rude to ask."
ghostie shrugged "my names steve. i uh. fell down the stairs."
eddie blanched "and you DIED from that?"
steve nodded, "my parents weren't home often, guess i hit my head too hard and they found me too late."
eddie cringed, "jesus. that sucks."
Steve grins at this, "honestly, I get more attention dead than I did alive. back then I was just steve. now im ghostie," and Eddie almost passes out when Steve, honest to god, giggles.
Eddie smiles back, is he really flirting with a dead guy?* "Wow, my very own haunted mansion, accustomed with a cute handy man just for me." He watches the pale figure infront of him turn a lovely shade of pink.
*Yes. He is.
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i will never let you fall, i'll stand up with you forever
if this makes anyone cry, please don't blame me. someone 👀 gave me this idea... ( @thefreakandthehair / @henderdads )
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Eddie loves visiting the beach.
He has gone to two in his life. However, he always longed to go visit more, to pick one too many seashells and collect them all, to play in the water and bask in the warmth it brings. He has been to lakes, lots of them. However, growing up in Indiana doesn’t really entail a lot of beach days.
The sun passes through his skin, warmth and gold against him. There’s a lovely breeze sifting through his hair, intertwining him to the wind. The sand is soft on his toes, the feeling barely even there.
Arwen laughs as the sand washes on her toes, like Mother Nature herself tickling her with her kindness. Eddie watches her carefully, as she giggles and splashes at the water. A turtle comes up to the shore, making her yelp in excitement. It’s crazy how much she’s grown in the last few years, it’s like watching album pages being flipped in haste.
There’s soft snoring beside him, making Eddie turn. Steve’s eyes are closed, his chest humming with every snore. His hair sweeps against the wind, his freckles illuminated by the sun. He’s gotten old, wrinkles and glasses permanent in his face. Eddie doesn’t really care. He’s always been Eddie’s golden boy, he always will be.
He’s clutching a book about parenting, but Eddie doesn’t think he needs it. Arwen’s growing up perfectly and Steve’s doing great.
From a far, Eddie can see Nancy and Robin laughing at the fruit stand. So much time has passed now that they’re holding hands in public and no one bats an eye. They deserve it, he thinks. The happiness and pride radiating from them.
He turns his attention back to Arwen, his heart dropping when he sees her in the ocean, wading through the waves. She’s barely seven, the water stops just above her chest even if she’s still close the shore.
“Steve! Wake up!” Eddie tries to shake him awake, but Steve stays asleep, batting his hands away.
Eddie turns to Robin and Nancy, but they’re too far. He sighs, taking off his shoes, not that it matters. He rushes to the ocean and calling out to her, “Arwen! Come back!”
Arwen turns to him, familiarity shining through her eyes, something that still makes his heart stutter, “Eddie! Come swim!”
Eddie holds out his hand, “I know, honey! But you have to go back to the shore!”
She pouts, “But the turtle!”
“Ask Stevie for one, but we have to go!” Eddie pushes, as he feels the water pulsating around him. He looks around the water, surprised to see that people have run away. There’s something wrong.
“There’s a kid!” Someone shouts from the crowd, “A wave is coming!”
“Eddie! What’s wrong?!” Arwen shrieks when the water sways against them, fear evident in her eyes.
“There’s a wave coming. Hold my hand, honey. Come on. It’s going to be okay.” Arwen nods at him, wadding closer to him and trying to clutch his hands.
“I can’t!” She panics, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
“It’s okay, honey. I got you!” Eddie catches her in his arms, concentrating all his power in protecting her. The wave surges forward.
“ARWEN!” Steve shouts from the shoreline and before Eddie can even look back, the wave sweeps them away into it’s hands.
Eddie’s not really sure how he does it, how he holds unto Arwen and brings her back to the shore. It’s the same adrenaline he felt when he had to dive through Lover’s Lake, following three people he barely know.
Steve runs through the crowd, Nancy and Robin right next to him.
“Come on, honey. You’re okay. You’re okay!” Eddie says, his hair dripping with water. He presses on Arwen’s chest. She coughs water out, bleary eyes opening and looking around.
“Oh thank God.” Eddie sighs, as Steve takes his daughter in his arms.
Steve’s shaking hard, and Eddie fights the urge to reach out, “Oh my god, you scared us.”
“I am okay, dad. I am okay.” Arwen reassures, clinging unto her father’s neck.
Robin wraps a towel on her as the people finally disperse as the commotion dies down, Nancy running a comforting hand against her back.
“Don’t ever do that to us again!” Steve wails pulling her away and brushing his hand through her wet hair, “Does anything hurt? Do you want me to call the doctor?”
Arwen shakes her head, smiling widely at her father, like she hasn't almost drowned minutes ago, "It’s okay! Eddie was with me!”
Steve freezes as Robin audibly gasps, her hand immediately clutching Steve’s shoulders.
Nancy’s mouth opening wide in shock, asking, “Who?”
Arwen, unaware of the tension she has caused, squeals, “Eddie! You know Eddie! My friend! He's always on the beach! He held on to me and brought me back.”
"Is that the reason you keep on wanting to go to beaches?" Robin asks, her own voice quivering.
"Yes! He's only on the beaches! He never goes away!"
“Peanut,” Nancy says softly, “What does Eddie look like?”
“Well,” Arwen looks at him, but he’s not far enough for it be apparent that she’s looking at someone not there, “He’s always wearing a shirt with a skull, like the one Uncle Dustin wears. He has long curly hair and he has pretty eyes.”
Eddie watches as the look on Steve’s face crumbles. It’s like watching his heart break into pieces right in front of his eyes. There has been so many handful moments that Eddie has seen Steve look like this because of him.
From the time Eddie pushed Steve out of the way, from when they were trying to revive him after their fifth and last go with the Upside Down, to the time they were burying him, to the time Steve went to what should’ve been their first date.
“Is he here? Is Eddie here?” Steve asks, sounding so broken and so young. Like it hasn't been twenty years since Eddie Munson died.
Arwen blinks at him, ready to say yes before Eddie jumps, pursing his lips, his dimples dipping, “Honey, don’t say I am here. Tell them I am not here. Please.”
Arwen’s brows furrow in confusion, but she shakes her head, “Eddie’s not here.”
Steve opens his mouth, but no words come out. “Are you sure?” Robin asks for him instead.
“He’s not here.” Arwen purses her lips, her dimples dipping and damn, that’s her lying tell.
Steve sees this almost immediately, recognition flooding in his features. He moves forward to kiss her forehead, “Okay, bean. I believe you. Can you do me a favor?” Arwen nods.
“The next time Eddie comes and shows up, can you tell him something?”
Arwen lets her eyes stray back to Eddie before looking back to her dad, “Sure, dad.”
“Tell him Stevie says thank you for saving his bean.” Steve chokes, but he pokes her stomach to make her giggle, “Tell him that I miss him everyday and I am glad that he’s around. Our metal guardian angel.”
Eddie holds up a hand on his mouth, turning away so Arwen won’t see his tears. He wipes it off, trying to get a hold of himself.
“Eddie says that!” Arwen exclaims in recognition, “He said he was my guardian angel, but he’s my friend.”
“That’s right, bean.” Steve approves, “That’s right.”
“Come on,” Robin pushes, knowing what her best friend needs right now, “I got you some pineapple juice!”
Arwen giggles as Robin and Nancy carry her off, swinging her between their arms. Steve stands still, his arms wrapping around himself as he watches the ocean and sun dance together.
“Eddie.” Steve blurts into the wind, making Eddie turn to him, “I know you’re here.”
Eddie laughs, his vision blurry with his own tears, “I am always here, sweetheart.”
He walks closer to him, watching the tears stream down Steve’s eyes. Eddie tries to wipe them away, his hands going through him.
“I did great, didn’t I?” Steve asks, making Eddie nod, “I am glad you’re here to watch her grow.”
Steve lets his eyes roam around the shore. For a moment— just a split moment— his eyes makes contact with Eddie’s. It fleets away soon after.
“I want to be around for Arwen as much as I can, but when I am ready, when it’s time…” Steve trails, letting his eyes flutter shut almost as if he can feel Eddie’s touch, “Please be there.”
Eddie smiles, “I’ll be there, Stevie.”
Arwen calls out, “Dad! Look at this seashell Auntie Robin got me! It has eyes!”
Steve wipes his tears, smiling at his daughter, “Give me a second, bean!”
“See you later, Eddie.” Steve whispers into the wind, before he starts walking back to his daughter.
Eddie watches from a far, watching as Steve throws Arwen into the air causing another burst of giggles. Nancy and Robin chuckling as they watch the father-daughter duo.
“See you later, Stevie.”
Arwen waves at Eddie, watching her friend slowly dissipate with the wind, like he's going home to the skies and ocean. The ocean is blue and bright, the sky beaming as it meets the ocean halfway.
She smiles. It's okay.
Eddie's never really gone. Not as long as Arwen visits beaches.
Luckily, Arwen loves visiting the beach.
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