WILDFIRE ↝ E. MUNSON

[35]

He shrugged softly, "How can you be crying? We're alive, aren't we?"

Lily leaned forward, kissing him, and he kissed her back eagerly, his hand leaving hers to cup her cheek. When they finally broke apart, she reached up to wipe her eyes, his smile never once faltering.

"I don't know what I would've done without you." she said. "Just promise me you'll never fucking do that again, Eddie Munson."

"I promise," he said, nodding before he reached up, tapping her nose. "You were worried about me." he teased lightly.

"Of course I was worried about you." she said.

"But hey, just think." he said, gesturing down to the various bandages wrapped around his body. "These battle scars are going to look so metal, right?"

She chuckled softly, nodding. "The most metal."

"I knew it," he smiled in satisfaction, taking her hand again.

"Back there, after you cut the rope, you, uh..." she trailed off. "I don't know if you remember doing this, but you told me you loved me."

"I've always loved you." he said simply.

"Really?" she asked.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked incredulously. "A girl walked into Hellfire that wasn't my sister, and she actually knew what she was doing. She used to bribe me at the arcade with quarters during her work shifts for any intel on upcoming campaigns I was planning, even though we very much know I'm a closed book when it comes to D and D. She was actually interested in the things I had to say. She used to come to our gigs at the Hideout. She could've just called me a freak and kept walking at any given moment, but she didn't. And even when her path took her away from me, she still came back when I needed her most. The whole world was against me, but she believed in me."

Lily smiled, leaning forward and kissing him again. When she pulled away, his eyes trained firmly on hers as he watched her with a curious expression.

"Am I just really high on painkillers, or did that mean what I think it means?" he asked.

She nodded. "I love you too, Eddie."

A giddy smile spread across his face at her words, and he squeezed her hand tightly."Nick said you told off Chief Powell for me." he said. "That was pretty badass, I can't lie."

"Well, it looks like I'll need to have another word with him." she said, eyes trained on the handcuff keeping him restrained to the bed as she started to rise from her chair, but he took her hand, pulling her back down.

"Honey, I don't think he wants to talk to you right now after that." Eddie chuckled, and she sighed, nodding.

"Okay," she relented, her smile beginning to fade away. "Eddie, there's something I need to tell you. A-about Max."

"Nick told me." he said softly, his thumb returning to draw lazy circles over the back of her hand as she nodded, her eyes shutting tightly for a moment. "Lily, I'm so sorry. What happened?"

"While Max was distracting Vecna, Jason showed up at the Creel House." Lily explained, willing her voice to stay steady, and his hand moved away from hers, reaching up to cup her face again, in an attempt to hold her. "He thought Lucas possessed her as part of Hellfire, and when he wouldn't wake her up, they started to fight, and Jason stepped on her Walkman. Kate Bush wasn't an option this time, and he-" her voice cut off in a whimper as her eyes shut again, Eddie's thumb stroking her cheek reassuringly. "Vecna got her, Eddie."

"But she survived." he said, and she nodded.

"She didn't at first." she said, her voice breaking as the images of Chrissy's body lying face down in Eddie's trailer and Patrick floating in the water flashed through her mind, and Max's broken body lying in the hospital bed once Lily had finally been able to see her sister. "Her heart stopped for an entire minute. She died, Eddie. The doctors aren't sure why it started again. She's in a coma, but they don't know if she'll wake up, or what her quality of life will be if she does. Lucas said she couldn't s-see or f-feel anything after it happened." she hiccuped, the tears freely falling, and Eddie nodded softly as she spoke.