𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲

six. DARK WIZARD.

AS DUSTIN continues, both Eddie and Rhys are listening intently, still holding hands. "There's another world. A world hidden beneath Hawkins. Sometimes it bleeds into ours." Dustin says and Rhys furrows his brows together. "Like ghosts and shit?" Eddie asked as he absentmindedly brushed his thumb against the back of Rhys' hand that is still in his.

"There are some things worse than ghosts." Max spoke up and Rhys glanced at her for a split second, realizing why she looked familiar. It was her brother, the one that died in that "mall fire" at Starcourt the year previously. He remembers Billy because he had bought weed before from Rhys and was a total dick.

"These monsters from this other world... we thought they were gone. But they've come back before. And that's why we needed to find you." Dustin explains as Rhys glanced at Eddie, staring at his side profile. "If they're back, we need to know." Max says and Rhys finally retracted his hand slowly back from Eddie, putting them over his lap.

"That night, did you see anything?" Robin asked. "Dark particles, maybe?" Max spoke up next as Rhys glanced at Eddie and saw that look on his face. "It would look like swirling dust, almost." Dustin tells the boy who looks over. "No, man, there was nothing you could see, or, uh... or touch. You know, I tried to wake her." Eddie sounded so guilty, making Rhys glance over at him once more. "It was like she was in a trance or something." He added.

"Or under a spell." Dustin says making Eddie and Rhys glance over at him right away. "A curse." The brunette said. "Vecna's curse." Dustin says and Rhys looks at Eddie. "Who even is Vecna?" He asked the brunette who immediately looks at him. "Dark wizard in D&D." He whispers and Rhys frowns. "Man, I should've paid attention more whenever you talked about it, Eds, I'm sorry." He apologized as Eddie just stared at him. "No, that's okay..." He says softly and Rhys glanced at him.

As Eddie and Dustin talked, the other three waited by the door and Rhys was just sitting there on the milk crate, waiting. "Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Dustin says quietly to Eddie who just nods before the Henderson left and it was just Rhys and Eddie, the door shutting behind the curly haired boy.

"Hey, you okay?" Eddie came to kneel beside Rhys, staring at him intently and the blond just nods. "Just... hard to wrap my head around it. How Chrissy died, this other world underneath Hawkins? It--it sounds total bonkers but I believe it, at the same time." He glanced at Eddie and then slowly sat up. "Wait, hold on," he rushed out of the boat garage and ran towards the maroon car, waving his hand at it before it could pull out of his driveway. "Steve, can I talk to you for a minute?" He says quietly.

"Okay..." Steve hopped out of the car, gesturing for the others to wait. "Um, so that fire at the mall last summer... it really wasn't just a fire?" He asked and Steve glanced around, furrowing his brows. "How--how do you know about that?" He asked and Rhys just glanced away. "Uh, through a friend... so this happened before and it's happening again?" He asked and Steve just gestured with his hands.

"Yes. It happened like three times before." He says and Rhys just nodded softly, glancing down as he thinks of Eddie. "So... are you and Eddie, like, boyfriends?" Steve asked and the blond immediately glanced up. "What? No. No." He says quickly and Steve softly nods. "I mean, you don't have to hide it, I doubt any of us would have a problem with it..." He whispers and Rhys' face scrunched up. "Problem with what?" He asked quietly and Steve gestured. "Being into the same gender..." He explains and Rhys slowly nodded, squinting his eyes.

"Yeah? Thanks for your approval, random dude I don't know." He says and Steve just shook his head, waving his hands. "I just mean, Dustin wouldn't mind, as long as Eddie is safe and not hurt." He explains and Rhys nods. "Right. Okay, goodnight." He turned away and returned to the boat shed where he opened the door carefully, walking in. "Your friends are weird." He says, walking over to sit by Eddie.

"Okay." Eddie says and Rhys glanced at him. "No, I just mean, they always think we're... boyfriends." He glanced away quickly as soon as he said it, hoping the blush on his face wasn't too visible. "Even Avery and Silas think so." He rolled his eyes and Eddie glanced at him, staring at him from the corner of his eye.

Why aren't we? Why does the idea of that sound weird? Why do you find that possibility ridiculous? Why aren't we boyfriends? Eddie had many questions but didn't say any of them, looking down at the floor as he forcefully chuckled. "Yeah, that's... weird." He said, agreeing with Rhys, because that was just it, Eddie goes along with whatever Rhys says unbeknownst Rhys does the same, like when Avery asked if they were dating after that one week straight that Eddie spent at Rhys' over the winter break, but he said it was only because his uncle was working more at that time and he didn't like being alone, despite the fact he and Rhys did so many things behind closed doors all those seven days he stayed there.

Or when Silas asked what was going on with them and Eddie said nothing was going on despite they just spent the night together. Or even that time Nora walked in on them laying together on the couch. Naked with only a blanket covering them. And Rhys literally just said they were friends. So that's all they were. Friends. Who occasionally make out. Who sometimes move further past making out totally by accident and end up having sex.

"Eds?" Rhys slowly turns his head and Eddie immediately looks back at him. "You're okay, yeah? After what happened with that girl?" He whispers and Eddie's eyes got glossy. "No." He whispered back and the blond immediately pulls him into his arms, wrapping his arms tightly around Eddie's shoulders as the boy leaned against his chest, closing his eyes.

Rhys ended up leaning against the wall with Eddie leaning against him the whole time, holding onto him. Rhys glanced down to see Eddie staring straight ahead with a scared, upset look on his face so he raised his hand, cupping the Munson's face gently.

I meant it when I said I got you. He wanted to say so badly but rather let his thumb brush gently against Eddie's cheekbone. "Come on," he says quietly, standing up and helping the brunette boy up to his feet. "Sleep in my room again and return back here before sunrise... it's how we'll work this out. Sleep in my bed for the night when it's dark then sneak you back out here..." The blond says, slowly backing away as Eddie nods softly, smiling faintly. "Okay... yeah, deal." He agrees pretty quickly.

authors note i've been watching boh rhap repeatedly every night for the past two weeks, falling asleep to seven seas of rhye or whenever they're recording boh rhap or even by the live aid at the end,, cause sometimes it be so interesting i sit up to watch, putting my glasses back on (specifically roger scenes)