One more left to go after this! Thanks for the wild ride! xx Oh, and mind the time skip, please! it's been a while! xx
August 1989
"We're here - you can look for a parking spot somewhere," Andy waved Steve off, as she went through her backpack once again, despite knowing that everything she needed was already there. Her little bag of makeup, the jewelry box, the polaroid camera - it was all there, she hadn't forgotten anything and she was pretty much good to go. It was all there, just like it was there the last four times that she checked, because she decided to overthink every single aspect of the day ahead.
"Here?" Steve frowned in confusion, but didn't question his sister further; instead, he circled around the block in search of a parking spot. He found one rather quickly, and Andy smiled in relief when she saw Wayne's car already there. Another worry of hers was that either she or Eddie would somehow end up being late, especially given their track record - one of them is always, always late. Not that day - that day, they were both right on time.
Andy bolted out of the car as soon as Steve turned the engine off. She rushed to hug Wayne, still not having Eddie in her line of sight. "You need four people to bring the drinks, kid?" Wayne laughed as he hugged her back.
"Nah, we just lied to you," Eddie laughed and Andy turned around to face him, smiling immediately. He had listened to her and dressed pretty much like he did any other day, apart from the slightly fancier shirt. Convers, jeans, a black button-up, along with his favorite leather jacket. Which was pretty much identical to what Andy herself was wearing - converse, a navy blue dress, and a leather jacket, despite being stuck in the midst of august in Indiana. There was only one thing wrong with the picture of the man in front of her, and she clocked it immediately.
"Why did you put your hair up?" she asked, shamelessly pouting.
"I thought I'd look nice?" Eddie shrugged in confusion, returning the pout. "I mean, I did it for the formality of it all, but I'd gladly let it lose?" he suggested, much to Andy's relief.
"Please do," Andy smiled thankfully at him. "It's us. I want it to be us."
Eddie was still the long-haired metalhead that she had fallen in love with, and he is the long-haired metalhead she wants to continue loving for as long as she can - she wants them to be them, through and through, no acts and formalities.
"Loud and clear," he beamed at her as he let his hair loose. While they had their little exchange, two very confused people were waiting for their attention. Andy turned to face her brother, who looked as confused as he used to do in their trigonometry classes.
"What do you mean you lied to us?" he chuckled. "We're not getting drinks for your party?"
"Nah, they're already at the cabin, everything is ready," Eddie waved him off. "It's all ready for people to show up, we're just making a pit stop to the city hall to get married and all, and the two of you are going to be our witnesses. And best men, or whatever it's called."
Eddie insisted on being the one to break the news and Andy gladly let him, perfectly content with watching Wayne and Steve process the information.
The plan was simple - tell everyone they are having an end-of-the-summer party before they all return to their respective houses, lives, and cities. They spent the last two days decorating the backyard with the help of Max, who was the only one who knew that the party was nothing but a cover for what was going to be a wedding celebration.
Eddie stayed with Wayne the night before, with his uncle having no clue that Eddie was trying to follow the tradition of not seeing the bride the day before the wedding - Andy stayed at the cabin with Max, finishing the decorations and getting everything ready.
It was a perfect little plan, for a perfect little wedding - small, quick, and including only the people that they truly wanted around for their big day.
"You're… you're getting married? Like, right now?" Steve asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes, right now," Andy confirmed, laughing at how they'd managed to surprise them. "And we'd better get going as our time slot is at three, and we're gonna cut it close."
She walked with Steve while Eddie walked with Wayne, as both pairs needed to have their own little conversation, once the initial shock wore off. Realistically, they weren't surprised at the idea of Eddie and Andy getting married - they've been together for ages, and they were living together pretty much the entire length of their relationship. The only part that was surprising was that they didn't give anyone the heads-up, and kept it as hidden as possible. But knowing both Andy and Eddie, was that really such a surprise to anyone?
"Look," Andy mumbled to Steve as they walked up the steps of the city hall. "I know this isn't a church, so there will be no one giving me away to Eddie and whatnot, but I wanted you to know that if we were doing all of that, you would absolutely be the one giving me away. We both decided to have one person present, and it was never a question to me that it would be you. Steve, you are the best fucking brother I ever could have asked for."
"Hell Andy, are you trying to make me cry here?" Steve chuckled awkwardly.
"No," she nudged him with her elbow, but there was a tear in her eye, too. "Just reminding you, and all. We both have our own families now, but we are always a family, too."
"That was never a question," Steve placed a hand on her shoulder, gripping it tightly. "You are the best sister ever and the most amazing aunt to James. And you have picked the most amazing partner in Eddie, too. I know I don't have to worry. I still will, but I know I don't have to," he joked, and Andy laughed, blinking quickly in an effort to keep the tears at bay.
"Are we ready?" Eddie asked, as he was already waiting with Wayne in front of a gigantic door that they were supposed to walk through. "They're ready for us."
"Let's go get hitched."
Andy took the hand that Eddie offered. He paused with his hand on the doorknob, turning to smile at her before opening the door. When thinking of her wedding day, both when she was younger and recently, as she realized that it was fast approaching, Andy figured that she would at least feel a bit nervous. Just wedding day jitters, something simple and ignorable. But at that moment, she felt none of that. She just felt absolutely sure in the man that held her hand and was ready to take on the rest of her life with his last name next to her first.
She was still grinning when Eddie opened the door and they entered the hall, with Steve and Wayne on their heels. Andy was still smiling as she noticed the wedding officiant, a smiling young blonde that beamed up at the newlyweds-to-be.
And then, Andy recognized her.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Andy whispered, trying hard not to laugh.
"What? What?" Eddie looked around, confused.
"Eddie," Andy had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. "The notary, the officiant - it's Katie Harris."
Andy watched as Eddie's eyes widened, going to the woman that was now also recognizing who she was about to marry. Eddie was going through a mix of emotions, almost as if he was dead scared of finding it funny, but once he realized that Andy was struggling not to burst into laughter at the irony of it all, he had to hold himself back too.
Of all the people. Of all the people in all Hawkins, it had to be Katie Harris, the girl who once stole her boyfriend. Andy couldn't have made it up, even if she tried.
Steve wasn't as stealthy. Andy could very clearly hear the laugh he tried to cover up with a cough, and Andy realized that the only person who had no idea what was happening was Wayne, who was likely extremely confused at the sudden stop.
And Katie? Well, she was beetroot red, looking like she was debating if she would rather have the ground swallow her whole, or if she should just turn and run. Andy would have felt bad for her if she was a better person, but as nice as she was, she wasn't that nice.
"Do you… I don't know," Eddie started, keeping his voice low. "Do you want to ask for someone else? I'm sure she's not the only one working right now."
"Please," Andy rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to not laugh my ass off. I don't give a shit, Eddie. I'm marrying you. Chewbacca himself could be the officiant, for all I care."
That was all he needed. Grinning at her, he continues their walk, with Steve and Wayne following them. Katie seemed a little less panicked now that she realized that they were going to go through with it, but it was clear as day that she was uncomfortable.
"Andrea. Edward." she greeted them.
"Long time no see, Katie," Andy couldn't help herself, and it wasn't any easier when both Eddie and Steve had to visibly hold back laughter.
"Am I missing something?" Andy heard Wayne whisper at Steve.
"I'll tell you later," Steve reassured him.
There were no personal vows exchanged - Eddie and Andy decided to keep those to themselves and no one else. They repeated the regular words, Andy declared that she would be taking Eddie's last name, and they signed on the dotted line.
"By the way," Eddie whispered into Andy's ear as Steve and Wayne were signing the registry. "Your rack is sooo much better."
That time, Andy laughed out loud, and she shamelessly smacked him on the shoulder. By the time Katie pronounced them husband and wife, there was no one else on her mind except Edward Munson, her beloved husband.
Andy was looking at the polaroid in her hand - they took several photographs, but the one she was holding was one of her and Eddie. Objectively, it's a bad photo - the sunlight hit them directly, forcing Eddie to squint with one eye, and he was caught mid-sentence. Andy, on the other hand, looked directly at him, with so much love in her eyes that even Andy herself found it tacky. But it was beautiful. And it was real - it was the two of them, as they always were - Eddie caught mid-rant, Andy clinging onto his every word with nothing but adoration in her eyes. It was as accurate as a photograph could get.
Smiling, she carefully put it away in her bag, knowing that it will soon find a frame and a place in their home - it was definitely one to keep.
"I think we nearly killed Wayne," Eddie laughed, turning towards the road that led directly to their cabin, with Wayne and Steve on their tail in Steve's car. "I don't know if he had any expectations but he sure as hell didn't expect us to get married today."
"Neither did Steve, but I'd argue that he's a bit younger and adaptable," Andy snorted. "I wonder if anyone will be able to call us out on our bullshit, though. I mean, is it really a surprise that we've gotten married? We've been together for ages! Why else would we have all of them gathered in one place? End of summer party? Please!" she rolled her eyes, doubting that the excuse they came up with would actually be able to fool everyone.
"Maybe, maybe not," Eddie shrugged casually, completely unfazed by the idea. "We're all gonna have fun regardless."
"You know, though, thinking back on that comment you made about my rack…" Andy started, pretending to be extremely thoughtful about the whole thing. "You do know that my rack is gonna get even bigger now, right?"
"What?" Eddie frowned, confused. "Oh! Yeah, tits get bigger when you're pregnant!" he remembered before laughing. "It really is the most joyous period ever, huh?" he joked, and Andy smacked him on the shoulder again, despite laughing along with him, too.
"Leave it to us to wait for me to get knocked up to finally get married," she laughed.
"Oh no no no!" Eddie interrupted her, quickly, as if he was waiting all along for this to pop up. "No, you ain't doing that! When, tell me, when did I first ask you to marry me?" he asked.
"April 14th of last year," Andy replied, very clearly remembering the date. "You woke me up in the middle of the night and asked me if I wanted to marry you, and I thought you were joking," she retold the story that had since become one of her favorite memories.
"And the next day I confirmed that I wasn't joking, or sleepwalking and that you, in fact, said yes the night before."
"That's true," Andy confirmed.
"And I got the ring for you when?" Eddie continued the questioning.
"June 10th of last year," Andy recited, also remembering the date.
"We had a full fucking year to get married and I was the one rushing it - don't make it seem like I married the fucking love of my fucking life in a fucking shotgun wedding," he gave up on the angry act and joined in on her laughter. It really was bizarre, as they did have every intention of getting married sooner, but they kept pushing it back.
Andy still had her studies, still went to classes as regularly as she could, and she even started working part-time as a legal assistant at a rather renowned law firm. And Eddie had managed to make a full business with furniture building, renting up a space that served as both a workshop and a showroom, receiving custom orders every week. On the off chance that he wasn't working, he had his nose behind a book, studying types of wood and how to treat it when it came to interior design. Their free time was limited and they took every chance they got to spend it together - from date nights and having dinner together most days of the week, to lazy Sundays spent in bed.
As far as they were concerned, they were married in every way except on paper - and the wedding itself, along with said paper, was always in the back of their mind. Something they wanted to focus on and dedicate their time to, but never really had a chance to. Eddie was the one who mentioned it the most, often jokingly, in a what-are-we-waiting-for-woman kind of way, but they just never managed to find a chunk of time to make it happen.
And then came the little blue line. It confirmed what Andy had suspected for weeks at that point - she was pregnant. In the middle of her studies, living in sin with the love of her life, with both of their careers slowly taking off - everything that was supposed to make her panic, worry, and wonder if the timing was right.
Except none of it happened. She knew that they could work with the timing and so did Eddie. They would be ready to take on any challenge the world threw their way, even with a stroller in tow. They had their practice with a baby when they took care of Steve's son, and Eddie was more excited about the thought of being a dad than he was ever excited about anything.
Andy was over the moon, but there was only one tiny little worry on her mind.
"Eddie, what the fuck are we gonna do if we have twins?" she voiced out loud, for the hundredth time, again raising the question that was weighing heavy on her mind since the day they found out. Given that she herself was a twin, the chances of them having twins were quite high - definitely higher than normal. Then again, it wasn't a rule - Steve had only gotten James and no twins - yet.
"Well, we'll have twins and lose our goddamn minds," Eddie laughed. Not even the prospect of two screaming humans was enough to worry him, and Andy could melt in happiness, fully aware that her favorite person in the world had gotten all that he ever wanted. He wanted her, and he wanted a family, a normal life, and he will have it all now. And she couldn't think of a person who deserved it more.
"I love how relaxed you are about it," she laughed.
"It's the happiest day of my fucking life, of course I'm relaxed."
"Do you wanna tell them?" Andy asked. "About the baby?"
"That's entirely up to you, babe," Eddie smiled, before quickly directing his eyes back on the road. "We can scream it from the rooftops, we can let them know when the kiddo is born - I'm fine with all. You decide."
"I'm pretty sure Nancy will figure it out," Andy grimaced.
"Nance? I mean, she's smart but is she really that smart? It's not like she can smell it," he laughed.
"She's pregnant too, Eddie," Andy reminded him. "She won't be drinking and trust me, when you're one of the few people not drinking at a wedding, you can easily clock the other. Joyce and Lisa will likely figure it out quickly, too," she added, fairly certain that any woman among their guests that was pregnant would be able to tell without much trouble.
"Then we tell them," Eddie shrugged. "Getting married before having a kid was probably the only god-abiding thing we ever did in our lives - maybe it's nice to have Hawkins talk about us in a different tone, don't you agree?" he joked.
It was bound to get around - their marriage, at least. Katie Harris couldn't be trusted to keep her mouth shut, but both Eddie and Andy knew what they were getting into when deciding to get married in Hawkins. Ideally, it would have been in Chicago - it was their home now, and they had no plans of changing it, but their people were scattered all around, and the one place they all always went back to was Hawkins. Logistically, it was easiest. And if they wanted their family, their real family, all gathered together, it had to be Hawkins.
"Oh, fuck Hawkins," Andy rolled her eyes, laughing along with Eddie. "I'm a Munson now. I win. Game fucking over."
"Babe, I know you're happy, but I'm pretty sure that I'm the winner here."
They all thought he never stood a chance. And by god, did he prove them wrong.