his shadow | eddie munson

↝ prologue

eddie my love - the chordettes
1 | wallflower
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maude firzgerald was a wallflower. she hid away, observed, understood— understood the way people smiled, the way their laughs carried, how some people spoke with their hands, how some spoke too loudly or too quietly. she understood how they associated themselves in groups to define their personalities, how they felt that they needed to act certain ways as to not be similar to any other stereotype, how they believed anyone outside their clique wasn't worth their breath. maude was one of those people— not worth anyones breath, not worth a second glance. she couldn't connect with anyone in her school, because despite understanding them, she knew no one would understand her.

maybe eddie munson would understand her. he was her favourite person to observe, because he was so unforgivably himself— and he made sure that everyone around him, worthy of his respect, realised that there was nothing wrong with being different, being a nerd, or a freak, or anything above normal. at least, she had gotten this from perceiving him from afar. she'd never actually spoken to him, though she would lay awake at night and imagine many occurrences where not only would he notice her, but understand her too.

the first time eddie caught maude's attention was her first day of her senior year. she had heard of a senior who was repeating his final year for the third time, who was eccentric, loud— a freak. she hadn't heard this from anyone directly, only whispers and gossip as she bypassed people in the halls. and in the years spent in high school she had never seen even a glimpse of him— which was mainly due to her spending most of her breaks hidden away in the library reading books or studying.

when she claimed her seat in social studies on the first day, all the way at the back and second to the window seat, something pulled her away from sitting in that corner. he rushed in late— at least five minutes after the bell had sounded. a mess of shaggy hair, dangling chains around his wrists and a loud laugh which riveted her soul as he joked about his lateness. after the teacher warned him to be wiser, he bowed, thanking her for her advice, then he strutted right over to that corner seat. a black notebook was gripped in hands, which were encased in silver, bulky rings, and his shoes squeaked ever-so slightly. maude knew who he was right away. she noticed how, despite being slightly older than her and the rest of her year, he was still quite young. and his eyes, brown and so, so bright. she had been enthralled by him right away.

they never spoke, never encountered, never shared a look longer than expected. maude wished they would— wished she could to have the courage to greet him at the very least, to ask him how his day was going, but she couldn't gain enough confidence. it wasn't that he intimated her, it wasn't that he seemed mean and scary like many judged him to be— it was that the complexity of him, and those bright brown doe eyes, was simply too much for such a wallflower as maude, someone who didn't associate with anyone— and especially not someone as bizarre and strange as eddie munson.

so when she knew she would never speak to him, she chose instead to watch. she began eating in the cafeteria, across from the table he had claimed with his hellfire club— when maude had seen the matching shirts she'd been perplexed, and when she realised that the books they carried were not novels or school-related, but instead all about something titled 'dungeons and dragons,' she found herself wandering to the library after school to conduct research. as it turned out, the club was for a fantasy game— one, which after learning so much about, piqued maude's interest. the boys of the hellfire club were harmless.

and so eddie munson became the object of her desire, her hobby. she would watch him at every moment granted to her, and she would sketch him; his hands and his array of rings, his shoes which he would scribble song lyrics onto, and his portrait, trying to capture as much detail as she could. she knew that watching him so secretly was wrong, and when she began following his every move at a distance— she began to despise herself. she was not consumed by delusion, was not blind to the fact that she was deliberately stalking him. but she couldn't stop, for everywhere he went she was able to understand more and more of him. she would follow him out of school at the end of the day to the drama room, where through a small window she would see him setting up for his dnd campaign that evening. she'd learnt that he and some of the boys in hellfire were in a band together, that they'd named themselves corroded coffin and played every tuesday night at the hideout. one night she went, but when she saw through the window how little people there were, she grew too nervous to be so exposed, and so she remained outside. they were really good, and they played songs that reminded her of the music her uncle and cousins would blast throughout their home. loud, heavy, rock. and eddie, unsurprisingly the frontman.

from afar, maude had grown to like eddie. she knew it was more than a crush, but she also knew that it wasn't love. it was something strange. something wrong, perhaps, as she had made a bad habit out of it— but when it came to eddie, she would become a puppet, and a strong force would control her every move, her every thought. she wished every day that the force would give her enough courage to face him— to compliment his shirt or his rings or his hair, to just do anything, but it was unlike her to be anything other than a wallflower.

she wished that one day she would awaken, suddenly filled with impulse and confidence, and she would become the girl hidden inside her— a girl with the likes and interests of a nonconformist. she wished she would be able to finally let herself out, and when she would go to school, presenting herself so unforgivingly— so entirely herself, eddie would notice her. eddie would understand her.

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i'm sorry that there was no full eddie content, but this part was very crucial to add!! my very own additional character, maude fitzgerald. one of the most rational people in hawkins because she's obsessed with eddie— just like all of us <33
i have very big ideas for this little spin-off, and i hope that you, if you chose to read it, enjoy it as much as i do!!

sincerely,
chelsie <3