Eddie's POV
"Hey, thanks for picking me up." Juliet climbed into the van before shutting the door. "Did you guys have fun?"
"Yeah." I tried to sound as convincing as I could, but obviously, Juliet could see right through me.
"What happened?" She turned to me with a concerned look as I sighed and kept my eyes on the road. Obviously, I wasn't going to tell her about what happened since, well, that wasn't something I wanted to share with her. I didn't feel very comfortable telling Juliet that I found her sister making out with Nancy.
"Nothing really." I shrugged.
"Did (Y/N) take her shirt off again?" Juliet laughed, making me shake my head and chuckle.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." I glanced over at her with a smile before turning my attention back onto the icy roads.
As the soft Christmas music played in the background, my mind started to wonder. It was like one half of me wanted to be mad at (Y/N) while the other didn't mind what happened between the two of them. It was stupid, childish fun, but, of course, it stung a little bit. I didn't want to see her making out with someone else.
"Eddie, I know something is bothering you." Juliet distracted me.
"What? I'm totally fine." I smiled over at her. Glancing over, I could see Juliet's face full of attitude as she gave me that 'do you really think I'm that stupid?' look.
"You either tell me now or you're not getting your gifts from me in the morning." Juliet crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at me. Just from those actions alone, I could see the resemblance between her and (Y/N). I love the fact that they share the same stubbornness and determination. They looked almost exactly alike when they acted this way, too, which made it funnier.
"Oh, you're going to play that game with me?" I chuckled as she nodded. "Well, I guess I'll have to play fair and hold your gifts, too."
"That's fine." Juliet turned her body towards the passenger seat window as she kept her arms crossed. I knew she wasn't really mad and only being playful, but I did feel slightly bad.
"Milkshakes or hot chocolate?" I asked into the silence between us.
"What?" Juliet looked over at me in confusion, so I repeated my question. "Um, I'm not sure."
"Yeah, it is a pretty hard question. We could just get both." I shrugged as I peaked over at her. Juliet was smiling wide and becoming excited at the idea.
"Who's going to be open this late on Christmas Eve?" Juliet asked.
"I may know a place." I smirked as I made my way to Harlow's Diner.
Once we got there, I went to open Juliet's door, but she beat me to it. She knew I was going to try and do that for her, but she always tells me that she's 'an independent woman who doesn't need a man to do things for her.' I adored her for that and it helped settle my nerves that she felt that way. Of course, I didn't think that Dustin would break her heart, but you could never be too careful. I've already warned him, anyways, that if he hurt Juliet then I could hunt him down and hide his body where no one would think to look. You break her heart, I break you.
"So, are you going to tell me?" Juliet asked me as we waited for our milkshakes and hot chocolate. I sat back in the booth and raised an eyebrow, in which she returned. She wasn't going to let it go, so I might as well tell her. I don't blame her, though. I would be the same way if I saw something was bothering her.
"I guess." I breathed out while rolling my eyes, making Juliet laugh. "I don't know. I've been having a lot of nightmares lately, but I'm fine." I lied again.
"Clearly you're not, so talk to me about them." Suddenly, the mood shifted and we were now fully serious. At that same time, our waitress dropped off our drinks and left, leaving us to be alone with the slight tension that hung in the air. I took a sip of my milkshake as the pictures slid their way into my mind.
"They're mainly about what happened in the Upside Down and (Y/N) dying, but there's this one nightmare that won't leave my head." I felt my hands grip tightly around the glass as more images flashed around.
"What is it?" Juliet leaned in closer as she grew more concerned.
"Vecna, or whatever you want to call the bastard with a million names, got to everyone. All of our plans failed and we couldn't get away in time." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as I thought about it. "He had us all trapped and possessed (Y/N), making her kill everyone one by one. He made sure that she was conscious enough to see everything and show emotion, but he was too strong for her to fight back. Everything was so vivid. It felt real. I can remember the screams and cries, begging (Y/N) to stop. She was crying and apologizing as he forced her to kill them. Once everyone was dead around me, he let (Y/N) go. I wanted to go to her and comfort her, but I was stuck in the vines."
"See what happens when you defy me?" His dark, menacing voice had a small hint of amusement behind it as he looked down at her sobbing on the floor.
"Leave her alone!" I yelled as I continued to struggle my way out. It was no use, but I felt more useless accepting my fate and standing still.
"I think it's time for the finale." He ignored me as he reached his arm over to (Y/N) and made her float into the air. She screamed at him to let her go, but he wasn't going to listen. He was playing with her mentally and emotionally. It was torturing me. As he kept his arm reached out towards her as she stayed in the air while walking towards me.
"Don't touch him!" (Y/N) yelled as tears ran down her face. He smirked over at me as the vine tightened around my neck.
"Join me." He looked over at (Y/N), waiting for her answer.
"No." She protested. Becoming angry from her answer, he made the vine tighten more, making my eyes widen from not being able to breathe. "Stop it!"
"Join me, (Y/N), and I'll spare him." (Y/N) looked over at me and I shook my head as best I could, telling her not to. She tilted her head to the side as more tears ran down her face. I knew exactly what she was thinking and it broke my heart to pieces.
"Fine." She spoke up as she looked away from me. "I'll do it. Just let him go."
I felt the vine loosen, allowing me to finally breathe air into my lungs as he sat (Y/N) down onto the ground. She stood there in shame with her head hung low as he stepped closer to her. Before he could touch his hand to her face, she gave me one last look and mouthed 'I love you.'
I wanted to scream at him not to do it, but it was too late. It went by too fast. (Y/N) now had glowing blue eyes and her entire demeanor changed. It was as if she was totally different person.
"Excellent." He disgustingly smiled. "Now, I want you to kill him." He pointed my way, making her eyes snap over to mine. There were no emotions behind the blue hue of her pupils. No, instead, they looked completely dead inside like his.
"You don't have to do this." I begged (Y/N) as she stood in front of me. "Please, darling, listen to me. You don't want to do this. Fight back." There was no response. The vines unraveled themselves from my body, allowing (Y/N) to bring me up into the air. "This isn't you. Darling, (Y/N), you-"
"And then I wake up." I swallowed down the hot liquid as it burned my throat, distracting my tears from wanting to spill out.
"She killed you?" Juliet asked in shock. I nodded and set down my now empty mug onto the table. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."
"It's just a dream." I shook my head as I forced a smile.
"It was a nightmare." Juliet corrected as she pushed her cups to the edge of the table for the waitress to pick them up. "It's still a scary thought and it clearly still haunts you." She pointed out. "All I can say is that you just have to think that it's only a nightmare. It's not real. Vecna is dead and we all made it out alive."
"Yeah, but what if he isn't? What if we really didn't make it out?" I frowned. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders as I finally got those questions out of my head and into the world. They have been stuck on repeat inside my mind for days. I could feel them weighing me down, leaving me on edge. Everyday I woke up, I was hoping no one would cross a boundary. I felt like I would snap at any second and start something that should never happen like an argument or fight. I didn't need to keep drowning these thoughts out with alcohol and drugs. I needed a better escape and that was what Juliet was trying to do, making me thankful for her even more.
"Eddie." Juliet's voice sounded like she was warning me not to press further, but in a caring way. She reached over and grabbed my hands in hers, forcing me to keep my eyes on her. "We're all okay. Don't overthink everything - just enjoy the moments you have to share now. Even if he did come back, which he won't, then why not make these memories the best that you can? Why wait for negatives that he could bring into our lives when you can spend more time with friends, rock out, throw parties, and maybe even get married to my sister." Juliet smiled. I squeezed her hands and smiled back.
"You're right. I'm being too negative. I've got a wedding to be thinking of." I joked, making her laugh. "And, of course, I have a sister to take care of." Juliet blushed as she pulled her hands away and pointed at me.
"You're damn right. You're my brother now which means you need to get your shit together. Joining this family isn't going to be easy." We both laughed before exiting the booth and getting back into the van.
"Yeah, I know. It's going to be the biggest challenge I've ever had to face." I continued to joke, making Juliet giggle. "You're sister is going to stress me the hell out for the rest of my life, but I couldn't fathom spending my future with anyone else."
"You guys are so cute, it hurts." Juliet smiled wide as I drove us back home. "I honestly think you guys are meant to be."
"You think so?" I smiled at her.
"Oh, I know so." Juliet nodded her head eagerly. "You both share that genuine, adorable love for one another that I've always dreamed of having one day. It's like someone found the perfect romance story and made you both the characters of it. I'm totally jealous."
"You have Dustin." I said as I tried not to laugh.
"Stop." Juliet threw her head back in laugher as she nudged me with her elbow. "He's amazing and really treats me right."
"Good because if not then I would have to move states. Don't rat me out if Dustin goes missing." I teased.
"Never." Juliet smiled. "You're family." I bit my lip from trying to smile from Juliet's words. I loved the fact that she truly saw me as family and being her brother. She's already the best sister I could ever of asked for.
I pulled into the driveway and went to turn the car off, but Juliet stopped me. I looked over at her and furrowed my eyebrows, waiting to see what she was about to say.
"Whatever idiotic thing my sister did, please forgive her for it or at least talk it out. I don't like when you guys fight." My heart sunk as I looked at Juliet's frown.
"I will." I gave her a reassuring smile. We got out of the van and walked into the warmth of the house.
"Oh, and Eddie?" I turned to look at her on the stairs as I placed my jacket on the coat rack and locked the door.
"Yeah?"
"Merry Christmas." Juliet gave me one last award-winning smile before continuing the walk up to her room. I glanced over at the clock on the kitchen wall and noticed that it was midnight. I smiled and shook my head as I made my way to (Y/N)'s room.
Walking in, I tried to be as quiet as possible so that I wouldn't wake her up. I started to undress, leaving myself in only my boxers, then slid onto the mattress beside her. As I wrapped my arms around her body, I lightly pulled her into me and held her close.
"Eddie?" (Y/N)'s voice made my heart jump right out my chest. I thought she was asleep, but I guess I was wrong.
"Yes, darling?" I whispered into her ear.
"Are you mad at me?" The sadness behind her words made me squeeze her tighter. I hated the fact that she probably stayed up all night alone thinking I was mad at her.
"No, of course not." I pushed some hair behind her ear as she nodded. "I promise." I then left a kiss on her temple and positioned myself to become more comfortable. "Merry Christmas, darling."
"Merry Christmas, Eddie."
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Author's Note
Sorry for the delay!! I've been extremely busy, but I'm glad I can finally get this chapter out :) I've been wanting to for a while now. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did <3
So, the Watty's opened up and Falling for the Freak is eligible, but it has to be completed to be considered in the competition. I'm so sad :( but maybe next year!!
What do you think of the Eddie and Juliet moments?
Title: The Weight of Dreams by Greta Van Fleet (my favorite song ever)
Daydreaming about Eddie's love,
- E
P.S. Don't forget to check out Broken - my new Steve Harrington fanfiction.
I hope you all are having a fantastic day <3