A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song The Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy. It's set a few years after the end of Stranger Things after Corroded Coffin starts gaining some popularity. I hope you all enjoy it.
When Nancy had shown up at the door to your apartment with the brightest grin you had ever seen, you had been a little shocked. Sure, you were friends, but she didn't do spontaneous visits. She was a meticulous planner. She basically gave you an itinerary for every outing you went on together. But here she was, looking pretty damn pleased with herself and waiting for you to welcome her inside.
"You'll never guess who showed up at my parent's place today," she started, not even offering a greeting before striding very confidently into your living room, and perching herself on the edge of the couch.
"I don't know-"
"I only went over to pick up some of my stuff to move over to the new house," she interrupted, her grin only growing. "And my mom and I were sitting having a cup of coffee before we started moving anything when the door goes, right? So Mom goes and answers it and it's Eddie Munson," she pressed on, watching as you startled slightly at the name. "He was coming over to see Mike, but when he saw me in the living room he sort of got waylaid."
You hesitated, waiting for her to continue and when she didn't you raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay-"
"He was too busy asking me about you," she pressed on, practically vibrating in her seat with excitement. "Said he'd gone over to your parent's old place, but the new owners didn't have a forwarding address."
"So, what did you tell him?"
She let out a soft snort of laughter at your hesitation. Nancy was one of the only people who had ever managed to make you admit that you liked Eddie, not just as a friend, but as something more. She was the only person who could see that the little faux-flirting act you guys put on was a little more genuine than you'd ever let on.
"I told him that you'd moved whilst he was off on tour and he asked who you were living with. Seemed pretty happy when I told him that you were still living alone," she told you. "He's totally got the hots for you-"
"Nancy," you murmured, shaking your head.
"Corroded Coffin is doing a final tour date in town tomorrow night. Like a comeback show at the Hideout. He asked me to let you know that you'd be on the VIP list if you wanted to go." She paused for a moment. "So, you'd better show up and remind him why he was so in love with you before he went away, alright? This is your chance to make a move. He clearly missed you and-"
Her words trailed off when she caught you frowning. "Nance, he's been on tour across the entire county. He's been gone for a year. I'm sure he's met plenty of pretty girls who were more than happy to keep him entertained."
"Eddie? You are kidding, right?" she uttered. "The guy has been in love with you since he was like 13."
"That doesn't mean he won't meet someone else," you reminded her. "I bet he won't even notice me with all those pretty little groupies in the crowd."
Nancy sighed, shaking her head. "You're an idiot," she muttered. "Eddie is in love with you. He has always been in love with you. And if you don't make a move soon, I'll do it for you."
"What?"
"I'll tell him everything if it means that you guys finally do something about this ridiculous mutual pining thing you've had going on for the last decade."
*Time Skip*
You'd had this nervous knot growing in your stomach from the moment you'd woken up that morning. Sure, you did like Eddie. Actually, it was a Hell of a lot more than that. But that didn't mean that hitting on him at one of his shows was a good idea. And with Nancy's threat lingering in your mind, you couldn't really do much about it.
So, you'd gotten dressed up, like you had when you were a teenager going to watch the band perform every single Tuesday night. And now, here you were, hovering outside and even more nervous than you had been that morning.
You offered your name to the bouncer, quickly getting ushered through the door and into a wall of sound. Hell, you'd been so nervous that you were later than you'd hoped, and the band were already on stage. Your eyes lifted finding Eddie and his guitar and you could've sworn your heart skipped a beat when his gaze landed on you, a bright smile pulling at his lips as he continued to play. They lingered on you as you crossed the room to the bar, only drifting away when the song came to an end.
After the set, you'd lost sight of Eddie as he disappeared into the makeshift backstage area that had been created. You'd sort of assumed this would happen. Sure, Eddie was an old friend and almost something more, but he was a busy man and he had a sea of adoring fans needing his attention. You'd been expecting a glimpse, maybe a quick greeting, and nothing more.
"Hey, Pretty Girl," a voice hummed, interrupting your thoughts, and your head shot up to find Eddie hovering at your elbow, grinning at you. "You missed me?"
You forced your cool expression back onto your face, trying to hide your surprise as the old nickname he'd always used made your stomach somersault. "Why? Did you go somewhere?" you hummed, falling back into your old teasing ways so effortlessly that it almost shocked you.
"What, you didn't hear?" he pressed on, moving into the space at the bar beside you, his arm lingering protectively around you, keeping the pulsing crowd at bay. "I'm a rockstar now, Baby," he pressed on, his tongue running over his bottom lip as he smirked at you.
"A rockstar, huh?"
"Yeah," he pressed on, leaning a little closer to you. "I'm basically Kirk Hammett."
A snort of laughter slipped out of you at his comment. "I always thought you were more of a Steve Harris type."
Eddie's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Is that a compliment, Pretty Girl?"
A small, half-smile pulled at your lips, offering him a small shrug. "Are you going to stop playing around and buy me a drink, Rockstar?"
He nodded quickly, tapping the bar to get the bartender's attention and immediately ordering your preferred drink without having to ask. Hell, you guys had spent so much time hanging out here that you were pretty sure he knew everything about you without ever having to ask. Your drink order was barely scratching the surface.
"So, how has sleepy, old Hawkins been without me here to liven it up for you?"
You shrugged slightly. "Peaceful," you teased. "Boring," you corrected.
"Yeah?"
You nodded. "I did miss you," you confirmed.
"I missed you too, Pretty Girl-"
You took a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves. "Eddie, I really missed you," you reiterated. "Like, a lot."
He hesitated for a moment, his head tipping on its side as he tried to make sense of what you were telling him.
"More than I probably should have," you pressed on.
A small smile pulled at his lips. "Oh," he hummed. "You want to know a secret?"
You nodded slowly, unsure of your answer.
"I've always liked you more than I probably should have," he told you. "Like, a lot more."
"Yeah?"
"Course. I've wanted to ask you out since 8th grade, but I thought you'd be mad at me."
Your brow furrowed. "Why would I be mad at you?"
"Because you always complained about the guys at school hitting on you-"
"I wouldn't've complained if it was you," you murmured. "Literally the opposite. You wouldn't have been able to handle how happy I would've been-"
"And what if I asked you out now?"
You hesitated for a moment. "Nothing's changed."
He nodded, and then he was surging forward, capturing your lips with his. "God, Pretty Girl," he hummed, moving to pull away only for your hands to catch the front of his shirt, keeping him close. "If I'd known that was what I was missing out on, I would've given it a shot years ago."
A grin pulled at your lips as you tugged him back into another kiss, lingering in it a little longer than was probably appropriate for somewhere so public. "I missed you, Ed," you hummed against his lips as his hands moved to rest on your hips.
"I missed you too, Baby."
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