"H-how?" You stutter in confusion, still at your chair "How are you here right now?" You restate your question in a way that can be understood.
"All charges were dropped," Eddie gestures outwards, using crutches like you had not long ago.
"You're here.. like really here. I'm not dreaming? This is real?" You stutter relentlessly, trying to have a cohesive thought but failing.
"Come kiss me and find out," Eddie grins, tapping his lip with his finger, your legs move before you even let your mind take in his words.
You come to a sudden halt in front of him, not wanting to knock him over and send him back in the hospital.
You search his honey like eyes, every emotion washing over you. Your hands so naturally and instinctively caressing the nape of his neck as he leans his head down, you watch as his tongue trails over his lower lip and a yearning smile sweeps across his face.
Your lips eagerly merge with his, your worlds colliding and becoming one after having been apart and been through hell, for so long.
Your mouths move slowly, intricately together. There is no rush for this to end, instead you want to stay in this moment for as long as you can.
The scent of his cologne fills your nose and finally, after so long.. you feel like you're home.
His plump lips are as soft as butter against your own, the taste of mint making its way into your mouth.
This time you don't try to fight the tears streaming down your face unlike so many other times before. This time they were tears of joy, of disbelief and a thankfulness you could not put into words.
So much weight lifted off your shoulders, you felt a thousand pounds lighter.
"I've missed you, so fucking much." Eddie says through gritted teeth while sniffling. You nod repeatedly as your foreheads press together, looking deep into each other's eyes and the world fading away "I've missed you,"
"I told you this year was going to be my year," Eddie quipped, his warm breath against your parted lips. A radiant grin tugged at his face as you let out a quiet laugh "You were right and.."
You trail off, pulling away from his face but keeping your hands on either side of his neck "This means you get to graduate with us," you crinkled your nose, cheeks starting to hurt from the never ending smile.
Eddies eyes light up, a wave of shock washing over him as his jaw nearly dropped "I'm graduating?" He asks in disbelief, how proud you are being etched on your face "You're graduating," you confirm in excitement.
The sound of fireworks came back into your edge of the world, having drifted off to a land where only you and Eddie existed for a brief moment.
You could literally jump for joy right now.
In such a short amount of time, you almost forgot how sweet his lips tasted. How the dimple in his chin and his smile lines would deepen at even the hint of a his lips curling upwards.
How his wavy russet hair would glow under the slightest bit of light, reminding you of leaves in autumn. Most of all, how just his presence took over your very being, like your soul was reawakened.
The excitement from your friends for Eddie being free crashed in like waves around you. Everyone sharing in your joy.
You and Dustin went to help Eddie into a chair.. he shook his head, slowly lowering himself down on the hard ground below.
Eddie leaned his back up against a tree, pulling you down to him so you sat in between his legs.
Dustin gave a small shrug with a laugh, walking over to the chair you were previously sitting in.
"I just want to hold you forever," Eddie's arms wrap around you tightly, his face buried in your hair as he kisses any place his lips can reach.
"Please do," you nearly beg, looking back at him "This is so surreal," you breath, your hand caressing his face as he leans into it.
His eyes flashing to yours as he places a kiss on your hand, his lips trailing to yours once again. "I love you, Eddie." You breathe out, "Mmm," he pauses, moving a stray hair out of your face "I love you, my fiancé." He gloats with a wild grin. The word sounding so much better coming out of his mouth.
This really was a night worth celebrating.
The fireworks had ended after an hour and a half, it was amazing seeing them shoot up in all areas of Hawkins, filling the night sky.
"I can drive you," you offer Eddie, him and Dustin having been dropped off by Eddie's uncle Wayne. "And you," you point to Dustin as he walks by "You sure?" He asks as you hand him his crutches
You give a small nod "Wgere are you staying? I heard about your mom," Eddie shoots a look in Dustin's direction, figures. But why wouldn't Dustin tell Eddie where you were staying?
Looking behind you, yours and Steve's eyes meet as he's packing everything up. Head slowly turning back to look up at Eddie, "Im staying with Steve, in the guest room." You add the last part for clarification purposes.
You're doing your best to not avoid his stare "Oh," he merely says, looking over your shoulder at Steve. "Well hopefully soon... you'll be able to stay with me." Eddie's hands softly rub against your upper arms. "Or-" you press your lips against his "We get our own place," you both smile at the idea.
Helping Eddie out of your car, you hand him his crutches as you walk to the door with him.
You visit his uncle once a week at least, always checking up on him to make sure he was okay. He moved to a smaller trailer park just outside of Hawkins where there were lower rumblings of 'That Munson kid who killed Chrissy Cunningham.'
"It doesn't feel like the dust has settled still," Eddie sits on a chair at the kitchen table as you sit down next to him "So much has happened in barely a blink.. my brain can't," He shakes his head, fingers to temples "I keep trying to let it all sink in but it won't."
He looks over at you, as if he's searching for answers. "Before we went into the other world, all that happened in the other world to coming out barely alive and getting arrested.." his eyes darted back and forth in thought "Being stuck in a hospital, handcuffed to a bed for three weeks and now.. being free."
Eddie fiddles with a piece of paper, folding it over and over again into a tiny little square "it just.. uh, it doesn't feel justified." He threw his hands up trying to search for the right word. "All we went through, all of us.."
Eddies gaze trails to the window, looking out at the blue sky before shutting his eyes tightly "What was it all for? There was no purpose.." He bows his head, sucking in his lower lip.
"Eddie," you start slowly, placing your hand on top of his. "We accomplished.. nothing," He throws the paper he had just been folding "That's not true," you shake your head
"Our goal was to clear your name, find Vecna and put a stop to him." You repeat the plan as if you were going back into the upside down "We did all three," you say softly.
"My name will never be cleared," He whispers, the sunlight making his face glow a bright yellow before the sun hid behind the clouds. "I'll always be Eddie Munson, the freak, the criminal.. the murderer.. whatever. Even if everyone knows now that I didn't do it, that's always going to be attached to me..
like a ball and chain."
"And clearly-" He continues, looking at you while he hangs his head to the side "Vecna or something is still out there. No way an earthquake did this much damage. We all almost died just to what, have to do it all over again?" He was right and you knew it, you all knew it.. none of you knew what to do about it though.
"Okay so we got a few things to figure out.." you offer Eddie a comforting smile "But we will, all of us. This isn't the end." You say quietly, once the ground broke away you knew it was the start of something much bigger.. it was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"You know, I've missed a lot." Eddie laughs in thought "How beautiful you are, being able to kiss you and how stubborn you can be.." he taps his finger on the table "But I've really missed talking to you, I don't think anyone gets me better."
Eddies smile is shy almost. Like there was a wall there holding back something he was thinking or wanted to say, but didn't. "That's why you're mine," your eyes light up as your lips press against his. "And you're mine," his brows raise quickly, a sensual yet loving look taking over his face.
You wanted to stay the night but Eddie was still weary of you seeing the damage to his body, all the stitches and the soon to be scars. It sucked for the both of you but you understood, didn't want to be overbearing and you knew he had to get in his own routine.
He had a whole care regime now and had to get use to being back in this world; out of the hospital and no longer a pending prison inmate. It was a lot to adjust to.
"Hello?" Steve calls out in confusion from the basement as you enter the house "it's just me," you say as you close the front door behind you. Hearing his footsteps travel up the stairs "I thought you'd be staying with Eddie,"
Steve says as he reaches the landing and heads for the front hall "It's complicated," you say, putting your car keys on the hook in the hall.
"Are you two.." He rounds the corner with crossed arms, you look at him with a hand on your hip. "Okay?" He merely says with knitted brows.
"I'm not sure I know what okay is anymore," you let out a hard breath, "I'm glad he's out, the charges were dropped.. didn't really get to say much." Steve gives a small shrug "You know you can go see him anytime, he doesn't bite."
You flash him a playful grin as you kick off your shoes. Okay well Eddie did bite, but only in situations that involved the two of you and lots of intimacy.
"I'm going for a swim, wanna come?" Steve invited you into his backyard pool, you weighed your head side to side in thought "If I can find something to wear," you say, not having packed a bathing suit.
You could go back to your house but considering there was already two eviction notices posted, you knew if you were to get caught there.. you'd be the one in the hole for it.
You were hoping to move the rest of your stuff out in the coming week though you had no idea where you were going to store it.
You rummage through your bags in the guest room, finding some cotton shorts that would work just fine as bathing suit bottoms. Hearing a knock at the door, you open it to peak your head out to see Steve standing there with a shirt in hand "You can use this." He offers it to you "It's old and worn out anyways, doesn't matter if it gets ruined."
You say a small thanks before shutting the door again, unfolding the T-shirt and laughing to yourself. Not because anything in particular was funny but because you remembered Steve wearing this shirt all the time in middle school.
You grab the towel off the kitchen island, heading for the back sliding doors which are already wide open. Setting your towels and sandals down beside one of the beach chairs as you watch Steve emerge from the water,
He runs his fingers through his dirty blonde, now slicked back hair. "What ya waiting for?" He calls out, swimming to the edge where you're standing.
"Think I might just dip my toes in," you shrug.. sitting down on the edge and putting your feet in the water. The temperature nearly perfect.
Steve uses the edge of the pool to pull himself up, sitting beside you as the remaining water drips down his body. "What's wrong?" He clasps his hands together as he asks,
Your head quickly turns to look at him, the gold flecks in his brown eyes twinkling. "Nothing," you state in honesty "Just gives me a chance to do this," you grin like a maniac as you attempt to push Steve in the water but fail
"Ohh, that's the game you're playing huh?" He chuckles loudly as he grabs you by your side, flinging you both in the water.
You brace yourself as you go under, slowly swimming back to the surface as Steve's head pops up out of the water after you, you create a wall with your hands, one on top of the other as you bring them over the water, causing a big wave to splash him in the face.
As soon as the wave hits him, you go back under as he looks around in confusion. Almost sucking in water as he dives down into the water and his face appears inches in front of yours.
"Jesus Christ," you wipe at your face, coughing "you scared the shit out of me." You splash him again, more playfully this time as he splashed you back just the same.
His laughter is insanely contagious, always has been. "You think you're so funny but I remember a certain someone is ticklish," you say, already having swam to him "you wouldn't," he scoffed
You raised your brows challengingly as you began tickling Steve relentlessly "Look at the happy couple," Dustin voice rings, judging.
You shoot him a glare as you move away from Steve, "Can people not be friends anymore?" You ask in annoyance as Dustin bats his eye lashes innocently, seeing Eddie walk through the back doors behind Dustin.
"What are you doing here?" You ask in confusion, you had left his place only an hour or two ago. "Changed my mind," Eddie's crutches were loud on the pavement as he walked towards the pool "Been away from you for so long, once you left I couldn't deal with it."
Eddie gives you a small smile, his eyes trailing from you to Steve and his smile turns into a frown. In some way, you two probably look really guilty right now.
Steve uses the ladder to get out of the water, eyeing you and Dustin before him and Eddie go inside to talk. That can't be good.
You get up out of the pool yourself, grabbing the towel on the chair. "Maybe just let them talk, I think they need it." Dustin whispers to you as you wrap the towel around yourself
"I don't want there to be problems," you state "We are friends, how many times do we have to say that." You groan, flopping down on the chair "Hey I was just bugging you, I don't mean anything it." Dustin says apologetically.
"Hey uh.. Eddie's going to stay here.. tonight. With you obviously," Steve gives a slight raise of his brows as he pops his head outside "Are you sure? What about your mom?"you ask as he waves off the worry "Her and my dad are out of town.
The whispering between Steve and Eddie in the kitchen had you suspicious but you didn't want to push buttons or ask things you really didn't want answers to.
"Everything alright?" You ask as they both nod, quickly going quiet. "Are you sure you're okay to stay the night? With... everything." You refer to what the two of you talked about earlier.
"I don't wanna go another night with out you," Eddie leans against the kitchen island for support, pulling you into his chest as you feel the ground begin to shake "Is that.." you look around as everything not secured is shaking and falling off where they previously lived
"Not again," Dustin groans as you all take cover. It was over in a matter of seconds, not much broken and all four of you completely fine "There's no way that was another earth quake," you breathe out, "There's no way the first one was an earthquake either," Steve added.
"Good point," you nod, the phone on the wall begins ringing, Steve waits a second before deciding to answering it as the shaking had stopped
"Hello?" He says,
Turning to the three of you with his mouth wide open as the unknown person on the other end speaks.
You're all curious as he hangs up the phone. Looking shocked and in disbelief.
"Max is awake." He says in pure surprise.