cheerfire | would someone care to classify

would someone care to classify

[ This was stupid. Scratch that, this was something more than stupid. It was pointless, hopeless, insane, a waste of time-- the list went on. But after everything he had seen after the Upside Down, why should this be any more fantastical than the rest of it? It doesn't take long from when he's out of the hospital that the research begins. They're out of the trailer park now, officially condemned, but his uncle had been given enough hush money to set them up at a new place, an apartment just outside of town. Even though Eddie has been officially been cleared of all wrong doing, it was still better for him to keep a low profile.

As soon as they were settled in the new place, Eddie had shut himself away in his new room with the decrepit books he had scrounged up in the library. They were all about death, the dead, the afterlife-- and how to make contact. Call him crazy-- and most people probably would, if they had known what he was up to. But Eddie had shut out the rest of the world as he healed, threw himself into macabre studies as his body healed. The only thing he's been able to think about since leaving the hospital, since that night, really, is her. Chrissy Cunningham. And he has been consumed by the idea of somehow contacting her, apologizing for how he's failed her. It's the least he can do, right?

And so it's late one early spring night that Eddie slips from the apartment, fires up the van and makes a beeline for the old trailer. A brown paper grocery bag sits beside him on the passenger seat, his only companion on the silent drive over. The move is bright and heavy in the sky as he pulls up in front of the trailer, still wrapped up in caution tape. Not that the feds have done much about it, and so he's able to sneak inside without much issue. Every single nerve ending feels like it's on fire, and it's all he can do to keep from trembling. He hasn't been in the trailer since it happened, and it feels deeply wrong to be here now.

For once, determination wins out over fear and anxiety, and Eddie goes about unpacking the bag and spreading the contents out over the living room floor. He spreads out candles, bundled sage, grave dirt, a wilted lily. All of them are arranged carefully, the candles lit, as he flips slowly through pages of a heavy, musty, tome. There's no way this will work, he thinks, but trying might make him feel better. Maybe he can move on after that. Cast in the glow of candlelight, Eddie fumbles through several lines of latin, words that he only vaguely knows the meaning of. Then he sets the book down, closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. ]

Chrissy Cunningham. [ It's the first time he's spoken her name aloud since... since then. And it sends spears of guilt that drive themselves deep into his heart. ] I call upon-- [ This is so stupid, he thinks. Pathetic. ] I call upon your spirit. Reveal yourself.

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Lucky? [Her eyebrows arch up high, and she lays her cards out for him to see. It's another losing hand.]

I think you know exactly what you're doing.

[Case in point: she's now taking off her bra, leaving her completely topless. The slightly cold air in the room has her nipples hardened already, but she doesn't move to cover up. Let him be distracted by the view.]

One more hand? Maybe we can up the ante.

[ Despite the fact that he's winning, Eddie feels like things are entirely unfair. How is he supposed to concentrate when she's topless in front him, looking equal parts embarrassed and determined? It's so unfairly sexy, makes him want to forget the game and jump her right now, even when the way he felt after their first encounter still lingers in the back of his mind. ]

And what would you suggest, Cunningham?

[ The distraction, intentional or not, does it's job, and Eddie soon finds himself tugging his shirt over his head. He takes his time with the next shuffle of the deck, doing little to hide the fact that he's staring. Is it his fault his recently reincarnated girlfriend is so hot? ]

I don't know, Munson.

[He's staring, and it's obvious. So of course she moves her hair back over her shoulders so he can fully see her. If she's sitting a little proudly because she can distract her boyfriend with her breasts alone, it's not her fault. A girl has to take pride in these things.]

I was thinking whoever wins gets to pick where we stop tomorrow. [There's a pause as she giggles, crawling over their empty pizza box on the bed so she can kiss him.]

But you were probably expecting something sexual weren't you?

[She whispers that word, even as she stresses it. Like just saying the word sex is embarrassing somehow.]

Yeah, maybe I was.

[ He can tell she's a little embarrassed, but then, so is he. They're both still new at this, new at being together, new at-- well, everything that's happened in the last handful of days. Something about the fact that the winner gets to pick their next stop lightens the load on his chest, lets him feel a bit more like a boy again. ]

Not like there's a lot of choices on where to stop coming up. [ His hands settle on her hips, and he's all to eager to press up into her kiss. He has a feeling that this will be the case at every place they stop, that the temptation of just staying someplace where they can be together will win out over the need to keep going. ] But I think I've won.

[ Eddie hardly cares anymore, turns over the cards that reveal a flush before he rocks back onto the carpet, pulling Chrissy along with him. She's so impossibly beautiful, even after a day of traveling, even in the grim light of their motel room. ]

[She squeals with laughter when he pulls her over him, squirming a little in his arms. Chrissy has no actual want to escape, but loves the feeling of her body atop his.]

I love you.

[It's a sweet reminder as she kisses him, soft and sweet kisses that she doesn't expect to go anywhere. She thinks she could spend hours making out with him. His lips are perfectly kissable.

But eventually she does pull away, grinning as she rests comfortably against his chest.]

Do you think it's okay to have sex in the ocean?

[She asks after a minute or two, her question just as casual as if she was asking the weather.]

I love you too, sweet girl.

[ Just saying it makes him feel so blissfully happy, enough to make him forget about everything that's led them to this moment. All he cares about is being able to have Chrissy close against him, skin against skin. It all feels so good, every kiss they steal perfectly clandestine. ]

I-- [ And then she asks that, and it makes him choke on his very breath. It's just the plain way she's asked him that throws him off balance, because yeah, he would absolutely like to fuck her in the ocean. ] Guess we'll find out when we get there.

[ There's still hundreds of miles between them and the beach, still more nights spent in motel rooms ahead of them. There's no doubt this will be the best road trip he's ever taken. He can feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest, desperate for more of her. ]

We'll be there in a week, I think. Can you wait that long?

[That question makes her laugh, because it sounds like he thinks she's a sex fiend or something.]

Why? [She lifts her head, so she can press a kiss to the tip of his nose. The way she's smiling, she's so bemused but also charmed by the fact he's just asked her if she can wait a week.]

If I can't wait, are you going to tell me no if I try getting you to touch me?

[Because a week is a long time when you're newly resurrected and no longer a virgin, and are insanely in love with the boyfriend that brought you back to life. She thinks he'll get it.]

Hey now, [ Eddie says with a low chuckle, lowering his head to brush his nose against hers. Little moments like this make it easy to forget everything that's come before, leave all the horrors a dim memory. ] I was only talking about sex in the ocean.

Besides, I don't think I could ever tell you no.

[ The words come out soft and fond. Despite the fact that he's got her naked against him, that there's undeniable sexual tension in the air, he can't help but feel so terribly soft around her, heart on his sleeve. Eddie's fingers trace gentle lines down her back, before his arms curl around her to hold her in a tight embrace. ]

Ever?

[She sounds half-skeptical, half-devious as she questions him. He's holding her so tightly that she feels safe, all the trauma she went through left in the back of her mind. She'll never forget it, it's changed who she is. Maybe even what she is, since she's unsure if she even counts as human anymore.

But none of that matters with how he looks at her and talks to her. They love each other so much that it feels like they're able to take on anything as long as they're together.]

Not even if I asked you to...

[Pausing, her nose scrunches up as she tries to think of something off the wall to ask him to do.]

What does it mean if I can only think about sex?

[She's a monster. That's exactly what it means.]

Hm?

[ Eddie is so wrapped up in the feeling of holding her close, it takes a moment for him to process what she's just asked. And, okay. If she only thinks about sex-- well, that should be any guys dream, right? But he hadn't brought her back to be some sort of unfeeling sex doll. He wants her to be the whole human that she once was, and if something is going on to prevent that, he wants to know. ]

Um, I guess it could mean a lot of things. [ Nothing in the strange books he had deciphered had mentioned anything like that, though there's always the possibility he had misinterpreted something. There's also the possibility that maybe this all just the normal part of being a teenager in love. ] Is it worrying you?

[ He sounds genuinely concerned, pulls back just the slightest bit to brush a blonde curl away from her face. ]

It could just be, uh... normal. [ He flushes a little at the thought, looking bashful. ] But if it feels wrong, then we can figure all that out.

[His answer makes her giggle, but she does shake her head to answer his question.]

No, I'm not worried about it. And it's not all I think about. I just want to be close to you.

[She can't fully vocalize why she was addicted to that closeness with him. But it made her feel alive, made her feel safe. Sure, she knew a lot of this was being a teenager in love. She knew some other girls who became all about sex with their boyfriends after they first got together. So maybe a lot of this was that.

There was another edge to it though, something greedy and possessive. It didn't worry her as much as made her take pause and really think. He's blushing a little, and seems almost shy about it. That makes her feel bad for asking.]

It doesn't feel wrong to me. But I just didn't want you to think I'm weird or anything.

[It's after about a two second pause she adds on:]

It's really not all I think about. I promise!

I brought you back from the dead and I still don't think you're weird, you don't have much to worry about.

[ He gives her a genuine smile, fondness etched into his face. It doesn't matter what's going on, if she's throwing up dirt, or a newfound sex addict, or needs to consist on a diet of only fresh fruit and sparkling water for the rest of her life. Whatever she needs, whatever her life looks like now, all that matters is she's her.

The thought makes something swell up within his chest, sends a shimmer of tears suddenly welling up in his eyes. He just wants her to be happy, to be with her, and to be able to figure out the world together. Against all odds, against the very laws of reality, they've been given that chance. ]

I just-- [ The sentence breaks off with a thoughtful hum, as he tries to figure out how to word what he wants to say next. ] There might be more... side effects, I guess. I don't want you to feel like you have to hide them because you're worried I'm gonna think they're weird. We're going to get through all of this together.

I know.

[She isn't just saying that to mindlessly reassure him. She does know that no matter what happens, he'll be there at her side. He's proven that he's loyal to her, that he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe and alive and with him.

But she's concerned about the fact there seem to be tears in his eyes. Her thumb presses beneath his eye, almost like it will make tears come out. She knows that she's not exactly the way she used to be. That she's a little different somehow. But she hopes that she can make everything he's given up worth it.]

You're not feeling any side effects, are you?

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