cheerfire | 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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[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.

[ Despite his changed state, Eddie still needs rest, requires sleep. He hears that whispered declaration, and her words curl somewhere deep inside him, in some safe, sacred place. It's not long before Eddie is also asleep, and while it is dark and dreamless, Eddie seems almost boyish as all the wickedness slips away.

He looks nearly peaceful as the morning hours wear on, even while hunger creeps into him. Eddie stirs a little when Chrissy slips out from his arms, a hushed whimper escaping him at the loss of her warmth. It's not until he feels the weight of her back in the bed that Eddie reaches out, pressing his lips to wherever he can reach. ]

Do you have to go? [ Eddie asks sleepily, both wholly himself and not at all. A hand reaches up to grasp hers, tugging gently as though to bring her back down into bed. ] It's still weird out that. I don't want anything to happen to you.

[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.

Yeah, you caught me.

[ It's the closest to human Eddie has felt since his return, and he thanks that it might have something to do with his hunger. He feels weak, both like and unlike himself. For as much as he's been given, power and orders, Eddie doesn't know what to do with himself in this moment. All he can think of is that he wants Chrissy, wants to feel her body pressed close to him. It doesn't seem all that difficult to get her back into bed, and Eddie smiles as he returns the kiss. ]

I guess I just... I just got back, you know?

[ The directive that guides him is still there, but it has changed from a petulant thrumming to a faded buzz in the back of his mind. The desire to feed calls out from somewhere inside him, but he ignores it, for the moment. Instead Eddie buries his face into the crook of her neck, plants kisses there where he might otherwise bite. ]

I missed you.

[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.]

Thanks.

[ He sounds relieved, and some part of him really feels that way. Despite his ulterior motives, he doesn't want Chrissy to be far from him. Eddie can't explain it, at least, now when he's come back different. Chrissy shouldn't matter to him in any real way, but he smoothes a hand down her jittery leg like he really means to soothe. ]

I'm sorry, I just-- [ A laugh bubbles out of him, shaky and unsure. ] I don't know. I don't want to make things worse for you.

[ For the first time, he speaks without the intention of causing guilt. It still might come across that way, but he doesn't mean it, not right now. How long this feeling will last, he isn't sure. He thinks that the sooner it's gone, the better. ]

[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?

I don't know...

[ A lie. He knows exactly how to make things worse for her, knows that his being here at all is making things worse. Chrissy just isn't aware of that yet. Something close to guilt burrows into him, and Eddie tries to force it down. Guilt isn't supposed to be part of what he feels now, and it's an irritating distraction. ]

I guess it's just-- [ Maybe it's the hunger that's distracting him, keeping him from otherwise laser focus. He can feel it deep within him, sharp in his guts. ] I'm still trying to catch up, I think.

[ He wants to feed, but it's still a want more than a need. There's still a way to use his hunger to his benefit, and so he swallows it down. Everything will come in good time, he just needs to be patient, careful. ]

[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?

whoever fights monsters

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject