gygaxed: (pic#15824985)
Eddie Munson ([personal profile] gygaxed) wrote in [community profile] cheerfire2022-09-11 08:11 pm

whoever fights monsters

[ Eddie had thought about death before. Plenty of times. But it had never been in any real sort of way. It had been miniatures on a table top, heroic characters meeting tragic ends. It had been Boromir sent down the river, Artax in the swamp of sadness. They were always devastating, always epic-- always fictional. Because he was young, because for most of his life monsters were only things in stories, Eddie had never really thought about his own death. He was young, and still possessed a certain feeling of being invincible.

Things had changed so quickly, his entire understanding of reality crashing down around him. For the first time, he felt truly afraid to die. He saw heroism existing outside of stories, and had wanted to be like that too, no matter how afraid he was, no matter how much Hawkins hated him. He was going to be brave, in a way that made a difference, he wouldn't run away.

And he died for it.

There was nothing that could have prepared him for it, the feeling of being torn apart. Sometimes, he thinks he's still screaming. Everything was dark around the edges, time seeming to slow as he shared his final words with Dustin. Then he was gone. Or perhaps, not gone, but... elsewhere. Somewhere dark and infinite. If this was hell, maybe he's lucked out. There's no fire, no winged assholes with pitchforks. Just nothing, reaching out in all directions.

It was in the darkness that he heard it. Something had called out to him, and Eddie had answered. He can't quite remember it, the way he was remade. It had hurt, had felt like hellfire burning through him. Eddie was acutely aware of how every inch of him was stitched back together. The same, and yet so impossibly different. He was still Eddie, in some small way. But he was also something else.

Eddie hits the ground running, literally, thrown from the void and back into the town that despises him. He's hungry, so hungry, the feeling overwhelms him. He can't think about anything else until he finds someone, a man wandering down one of the devastated streets. Eddie overpowers him easily, and takes what he needs. It's as he's wiping the blood from his mouth that an order strikes through him, straight from the lips of his creator.

Eddie is a general now. And he needs recruits.

A name flits across his mind, and Eddie smiles to himself. Someone he knows-- knew, once. Eddie takes a moment to make himself presentable. Rather, to make it look like he hasn't just killed someone. He looks like he's been through hell, and that's true enough, but he doesn't head out until the only blood on him is his own. He's quick and quiet in a way he never was before, and he's in front of the darkened house before he knows it. It looks almost deserted. Maybe her parents are out of town. Maybe they're dead. It doesn't matter

Perfect.

He does a lap around the house, trying to determine which window might be Chrissy's. He makes his best guess, and sends a perfectly aimed pebble up into the darkness. ]


Hey! Chrissy! [ It's eerie, how much his voice still sounds like his own. ] You up there?
cheerleader: (0164)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-12 01:36 am (UTC)(link)
[Things have been hard since their last stand against Vecna. Eddie's death had been traumatic, and she hadn't been able to get to him when he was dying because of the bats. It was only after he passed in Dustin's arms that she was able to run her way to him. Steve had to physically pry her away from him and drag her back through the gate to Hawkins.

Like so many others during the "earthquake", her family is gone. She thinks they likely fell through one of the cracks that had formed. It's Steve again that takes her under his wing, knowing how much both her family and Eddie had meant to her. Whatever she and Eddie had was new enough they didn't have a label for it. But it had been good, and she knows she cared about him.

But given that he's the one everyone is blaming for what happened here, and the fact they still think he's the one that killed those people...

There's no funeral. No way to mourn him the way she needs to. But Steve keeps her busy in those first days, having her go with him to hang with the others, getting her to help out at the Red Cross emergency center that's been set up at school. She spends days helping Robin make sandwiches and get food into everyone's stomachs. And in some way, she finds hope through the fact that Hawkins really seems to have come together.

But most nights, she goes back to her empty house that's too big and depressing for her to exist in alone. But she knows that she doesn't have any other choice right now, because there's nowhere else for her to go. It's hard to imagine what a future for anyone in this town looks like, particularly her, orphaned a few months before she turns 18 and stuck in the town that's villainizing the guy she hadn't been able to protect.

In a lot of ways, it feels like she should be doing a better job of protecting the memory of him. So she seeks out his uncle and cries in his arms. She makes sure he has food and companionship, and she makes sure he knows that someone in this godforsaken town loved Eddie Munson. She's just gotten back in from dinner with Wayne when she hears the sound of someone outside the house.

Thinking it's probably someone that could mean her harm, she grabs her dead brother's baseball bat and sneaks her way outside. She climbs and hops over the wooden fence, her strength and agility now vastly improved. And she has the bat raised and at the ready to swing when she rounds around the side of the house.

Nothing prepares her for who she sees standing there. The bat drops to the ground, the dull thud of it alerting him of her presence outside with him.
]

Eddie?

[Her voice is barely a squeak.

Will had said this wasn't the end with Vecna. Maybe this is how he comes back. Haunting her with visions of Eddie instead of the sounds of her mother yelling about how fat she is. It seems like a far more cruel thing to do. And yet, she still takes a cautious step in closer, feeling drawn in toward him. She wants this to really be Eddie so badly that it hurts.

Her foot still steps on the end of the bat handle, making it rise up enough that she can grab it and toss it in the air, catching it by the handle. It's pointed out toward him, almost defensively.
]

Prove it's you.

[Please be you, her eyes seem to beg.]

cheerleader: (0115)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-13 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
[The bat is dropped for a second time as he tells her about the first song he played for her, though this time it's intentional. It's dropped and forgotten as she runs over to him. Chrissy practically leaps to tackle him in a hug, clinging hold of him with a fear of letting him go.]

How is this even possible?

[He was dead, she had sobbed over his body. Steve had pried her off of him, made her leave him there. And now he's here, acting shy and boyish, like he's just dropping by to take her out on a date. It's completely surreal, and she thinks that maybe she's really gone and lost her mind. But it doesn't matter, because he feels solid and real in her arms.]
cheerleader: (017)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-13 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
[The fact that he woke up and then came here first makes her heart ache and race at the same time. She slides back down to stand on her own feet, concern on her face as she tries to look him over without making a fuss.]

It's okay, Eddie. Whatever happened, you're here now.

[And she'll take care of him. She'll do whatever it takes to help him.]

Do you...want to come in? My family's gone after the earthquake —

[She pauses, knowing good and well it wasn't an earthquake. But it's easier to just call it one.]

So it would be quiet. And no one would be able to watch us.

[Which is a good thing, since 99% of Hawkins think Eddie's somehow responsible for the deaths of the other kids from school, as well as the earthquake itself. Satanic rituals or some bullshit. It makes Chrissy roll her eyes. But she's aware the neighbors that have stayed behind are probably going to take notice of Eddie Munson out in her front yard.]
cheerleader: (037)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-13 05:33 am (UTC)(link)
You know, you were dead. You couldn't be here with me.

[Besides, she thinks. This time since coming back has given her a chance to become stronger. More independent. The same sweet and innocent girl he knows is still there. But she's been hardened a little by recent events, forced into a position of loneliness and sadness. It all seems like it might be easier to handle with him back again.

She leads him through the house, and upstairs to her room. There's no one here to tell them no, no one here to stop them. It's eerily dark and quiet, but she lights her desk lamp to try and brighten the atmosphere for him a little. Figuring that he'll join her if he wants to, she goes over to sit on the edge of her bed and watches him.
]

I'm really glad that you're here, Eddie. Steve's been trying to keep me company but...it's been hard. I guess I've been lonely.
cheerleader: (0097)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-15 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
[She notices the slight chill to his touch, but figures it's an upside down thing. It feels wrong to question him on it right now, almost cruel somehow. So she's grateful for the distraction that his question offers her, and she bites at the inside of her cheek before nodding.]

Bathroom is down the hall, second door on your right.

[There's a second where she almost offers to go find something for him to wear, but the thought of going into her parents' room and digging through her dad's things is horrific to her. She just can't bring herself to do it. In fact, it makes her glance away from Eddie, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip as she tries to act like everything's absolutely fine.]

Do you need me to get you anything? I don't mind.

[Not for him, anyway. She'll go through the effort to get him whatever he needs.]
cheerleader: (chrissy61)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-15 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
[Her eyes widen as she gulps, and very slowly nods. The thought of getting him clothes that belong to either her brother or her father is too much for her to handle. But she's not going to just leave him with filthy things.]

Yeah, of course.

[The smile on her face is fake, meant to hide her discomfort. If he's asking for something to wear, he must really need it. Eddie doesn't just ask for things.]

You go get cleaned up. I'll find you something, okay?

[Slowly, her smile becomes more warm and genuine. And she waves him off, waiting until he's in the bathroom and she hears the water running before she hurries over to dive into her closet. Jason had given her a couple of his football tees a long time ago, and they'll fit Eddie.

It takes some digging, but she eventually finds one tucked into a box at the back of her closet. She pulls it out and does a little victory dance, before realizing that Eddie needs more than just a shirt.

Her enthusiasm and energy gone with that realization, she slowly trudges her way into her brother's bedroom. He was only thirteen, but maybe his things would work. She grabs a pair of boxers and sweatpants from his dresser without looking at anything else. And then, as she feels herself start to panic and breathe heavier, she bolts.

Chrissy runs until she nearly hits the bathroom door. Her hand bangs against it, skin crawling as she tries to fight the urge to panic.
]

Eddie? [She hits at the door again, voice thick with emotion.]

Eddie, I got you things. Could you let me in?
cheerleader: (chrissy58)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-15 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Chrissy's caught staring at him, and feels her cheeks turn a darker and darker shade of red. By the time she realizes she's staring, it's too late. It's obvious she's just been checking him out. Chrissy practically throws the clothes at him before she takes off back to her rom in a run.

Her heart is racing, and she closes the door so she can have a moment of privacy. This isn't how things should be going at all, she thinks, as she slides down the wall to sit on the floor. Both of her hands cradle her head, and she tries not to cry. Here she is, having filthy thoughts about what's beneath the towel, remembering how they used to fool around.

And her parents and brother are dead, and even Eddie himself is going through a lot. She's a terrible person. Really, she's just the worst.
]
cheerleader: (017)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-15 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
Don't worry about me.

[She insists, trying to fake a smile. Because she can't tell him that she's upset because her family is dead, and she's had to just go into her brother's room to get him clothes. It doesn't touch base on the fact that she's upset because she's wishing they can just go back to the way things were between them.

His arm is around her now though, and she can take some comfort from that. Slowly, she shifts so she's leaning up against him.
]

This is all just a lot to deal with. I went from mourning you by myself to having you back again.

[And that's not even touching on the loss of her family and the destruction of Hawkins.]
cheerleader: (chrissy31)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-15 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
No.

[She's quick to answer that, reaching over to grab at him like he's her lifeline.]

I don't want you to go.

[It doesn't matter that she sounds soft and pathetic as she says it, or that she's holding onto him as tight as she can, her fingernails almost biting into his skin with the grip she has on his arm.]

Stay. Please.
cheerleader: (chrissy26)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-15 05:27 am (UTC)(link)
[It's not like he hasn't been in her bed before. He used to sneak in her window before everything went to hell. But this is different somehow, in a heartbreaking kind of wa. They're not the same people they were back then.

And the thought of sleeping in bed with him is far less about sex and arousal, and more about finding comfort and simply not being alone. She nods in response, and he guides her toward her bed, ushering her to lay down.

It isn't until they're curled up together, Chrissy's hand running up and down along his arm that she's able to relax enough that she remembers to breathe.
]

I've missed you, Eddie.

[Her voice almost sounds absent as she says it, like she can't bring herself to connect emotion to the words out of a fear none of this is even real.]
cheerleader: (chrissy28)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-15 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Hearing that makes her heart shatter. Chrissy tries to hold in her emotion, to not let him know how broken she currently is. She had thought that having him back might fix things. Might make her feel reasonably whole again. But there's something off about this, something she can't put her finger on. Eddie doesn't make everything feel better. He only complicates her feelings of loss and guilt, makes her realize just how messed up everything here in Hawkins is.

A sob wracks her small frame, and she cries in his arms.
]

I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me.

[She wasn't there for him, or her family. It's not her fault that they all died, but it is her fault she can't ever seem to be in the right place at the right time for the people she loves.]

cheerleader: (070)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-18 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
[He couldn't mean it the way it sounds. At least, that's what she tells herself as he only makes her cry harder. There's nothing to apologize for, but he's right. there's nothing she could've done to save him. She's weak, the one that's always in need of protection.

Chrissy can only cling hold of him tighter as she feels him shudder, and cries until her eyes are burning and she feels like there's nothing left she can possibly cry about.
]

I told Steve to leave me there with you.

[But obviously, he hadn't. And he wouldn't, Steve Harrington would never leave an innocent girl alone in the Upside Down with the corpse of the guy she had been in a thing with. She's pretty sure if Steve were here right now, actually, she'd probably have a thing or two to say to her just sobbing all over Eddie after he's come back.

God, she's so weak and pathetic.

And she has no idea why Eddie's being so calm about all of this, when she can't even hold herself together. There's something off about it, but she can't figure out how.
]
cheerleader: (chrissy54)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-20 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
[She nods, a lost and almost childish motion. She feels so lost and alone right now. When you're a kid, you spend all your time wishing you were in charge. That you were grown and could do whatever you wanted. Now that she's without her family and in charge of her own destiny for the most part, she's absolutely terrified. Having Eddie there to help buffer some of the trauma helps a lot.

The deafening roar of anxiety is more of a displeased buzz when his arms are around her and she knows he's alive and safe.
]

Maybe we shouldn't make promises we can't keep.

[It's pointed out in a soft voice, a plea more than her telling him what to do.

But she lifts her head enough that she can kiss him, her lips grazing the corner of his mouth as she misses her target.
]
cheerleader: (chrissy49)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-22 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Surprisingly, she doesn't protest the fact that tonight's been a lot for her. She does want to argue that every night since he died has been a lot for her, but it feels petulant and empty. He's not her father, trying to tell her what to do. Eddie's making a suggestion because he cares about her and can tell she's worn down.

And she's so grateful that he can even be here to take charge. She shifts a little, just until she's comfortable curled up against him. And it's no time at all before she settles. She whispers that she loves him before sleep overcomes her, and for the first time in weeks she manages to stay asleep the entire night.


When she wakes up early the next morning, it's barely sunrise. There's some squirming free involved, but she slips out of his arms and makes her way into the bathroom for a shower. She emerges a little while later, dressed in athletic shorts and a sports bra, her wet hair pulled up into a high ponytail.

She's sitting on the edge of the bed to get her shoes and socks on when she feels the bed shift, followed by a press of his lips between her shoulder blades and then again on her shoulder. It's when he presses a kiss to her cheek that she grins and lifts her hand to lightly caress the side of his face.
]

I was going to go out for a run. You don't have to get up now, it's super early.

cheerleader: (0347)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-22 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
[It seems he's easy for him to convince her to do anything, because she almost instantly relents as he pulls her back toward him. She only has her socks on, and the shoe that she was putting on is forgotten, easily kicked off to join its match on the floor. She's giggling as she moves to lay back down with him, rolling over onto her side so she can sweetly kiss him.]

You just want to keep me in bed with you. Admit it.

[Not that she seems to be in the mood to protest. Instead she sighs contently, thumb lightly tracing against his jawline.]

I've gotten used to weird things happening. It doesn't bother me anymore.
cheerleader: (chrissy20)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-23 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
[He couldn't possibly mean to guilt her. But his words make her feel a heaviness all the same, guilt tugging at her until she's left burying her hand in his hair, keeping his face against her neck so he won't see the look on her face.]

I missed you too, Eddie.

[Which is such a simple way of putting it. Of course she's missed him. She's missed him like crazy. It's hard to move on from a guy when the entire town thinks he's the devil and is responsible for all the bad things to happen in Hawkins.]

Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here with you, okay?

[There's a restless energy that she can't seem to shake. Even now, laying here with him, her leg bounces a little. But she holds him close and combs her fingers through his hair. She doesn't have to go on a jog. Not today. It can wait until he doesn't need her.]
cheerleader: (chrissy54)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-25 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
[That laugh makes her feel like things are back to how they were before everything went to hell. Back when he was hellbent on impressing her and making her laugh, and she's pretty sure she scared the hell out of him. She made him laugh shaky and unsure like that on more than one occasion back then. Hearing it come from him now makes her smile a little. Which of course, she feels guilty for, because he sounds a little lost in the moment.]

How could you ever make things worse for me?

[She demands to know, pulling back enough to fix him with a seriously concerned look. It bothers her when he thinks so lowly of himself.]

The only thing you're doing is showing me I don't have to be alone anymore. Eddie, I —

[Pausing, she worries at her lip for a second before she lets the words tumble out of her further. She doesn't want him to worry about her, but she also doesn't want to feel like she isn't being up front and honest with him too.]

Do you have any idea how big of a deal it is to me that you're alive right now? And that you came to see me?
cheerleader: (Default)

[personal profile] cheerleader 2022-09-28 05:36 am (UTC)(link)
[Chrissy's quiet for a minute, and instead of saying anything right away, she simply showers Eddie with little touches and kisses. She can't say that she gets exactly what he's going through, but she knows what it feels like to fall back into Hawkins and have to catch up to a world that's totally different.]

It's okay if you take a while to catch up. I'm here to help you through it, no matter how long it takes.

[She pauses, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose in an attempt to make him at least smile a little.]

Is there anything I can do for you now? Are you hungry? Want to go back to sleep?