Eddie Munson - A Collection of One-Shots!

001. There really is no place like Home.

I hadn't bargained on being back here again in this very same lifetime. When I left, I had been determined it would have been for good.

But life as it often does, throws a devious, unfair curveball and that was exactly what was happening to me, now.

After Vecna, I had never wanted to set foot in this shanty, run down little town ever again. I had been overjoyed to leave it all behind. And some part of me had been glad to leave my friends behind too, forgetting about them alongside forgetting everything else. What we'd done that day, had been a pivotal moment in my life that I had almost successfully quashed to the very depths of my mind.
And I was determined for it to remain that way.

There was so much to forget, too much to remember.

Of course, it hadn't been without its scars; I was afraid of things I'd never even given a thought to before. A red sky at night, broke me out in a cold, panicked sweat only for me to wake up the following morning to frost; the red sky merely the natural sign that it would be a cold and crisp morning, the following day. And the only consequence would be that I'd need to de-ice my car windows.

And I was also mildly afraid of the dark.
The last time I'd been afraid of the dark was when I was six years old.

Now at 22, I was that same six year old girl again who slept with a light on every night otherwise I couldn't sleep.

I had to hold or hug a pillow now too, for comfort at night.

Because during it all, we'd held onto each other; in the final days when we thought we were going to make it out alive, we'd all found a support system in one another.

My support system had been Eddie Munson.
I remember that we held each other through the long nights and held each other up through all of it; I had gotten used to someone being there.

Someone caring, compassionate and kind.
Someone of which my boyfriend had been the total opposite.

There had been some feelings on my part for Eddie that to this day I was sure had been unrequited, and as much as that had crushed me at eighteen years old, at twenty two I'd made my peace with it. As much as I could anyway.

I'd often wished I'd told Eddie. But at that time, I hadn't wanted to face the crushing rejection I was sure I would have received.

I'd have sooner faced Vecna, at that point in time.
When I looked back it shouldn't have been that hard, given what was going on. But it was. It had been.

And so I'd gone off to college, and within a few short weeks I was in a fully fledged adult relationship with Darry.

A cool, collected, totally charming sports major.
But also a closet narcissist, with a penchant for verbal and mental abuse.

So I wanted to forget all of the bad, figuring that if I had aided in the defeat of Vecna, Darry wouldn't be an issue.

He may have been charming, but he didn't really show the love or affection I'd been hoping for. I stayed, thinking it would come with time, but after four years I'd finally realised it wasn't going to ever come. And so, I'd tolerated the mental abuse, and I'd tolerated the narcissism, along with occasions of verbal abuse.

Until he had decided to be a first class asshole and put his hands on me for what would be the first and last time.

He had often underestimated me throughout the four years we were together, but that day he had really thought he could plant a series of left hooks to my jaw and get away with it.

The result? I'd taken a bat to his.

I'd been convinced that it would always just remain as verbal or mental. But no, he'd truly outdone himself.

And so I'd paid him back with interest and he'd had an unfortunate 3 day hospital stay.

Me? I'd been charged with assault and sentenced to 8 weeks in county jail. And now here I was, under strict instructions to report to the release address on my file, which was my mothers residence in Hawkins.

In fucking Hawkins.

The assault would be on my record for the next 12 months as I suspected that the judge hadn't wanted to give me much more, considering it was self defence. But I had to remember that in her eyes, I'd taken the law into my own hands.

I wasn't denying it, I knew that I had; I had wanted him to know that there was not going to be a second time. There would never be another time.

And now I was technically a criminal.
Something I was having a hard time accepting.
Something that still felt like an injustice.

A domestic, mental and verbal abuse victim, labelled a criminal. It was unfair but that was the proverbial neon sign that I now carried on my back, everywhere I went.

And in this small town, word sure travelled fast.
The whispers followed closely behind, the stares not long after.

Vecna had nearly destroyed us as a human race but that was suddenly old news. I was the fresh news, and that was buzzing excitement in some people's lives.

Whilst I attempted to rebuild the shattered pieces of my own.

I had hoped for a lot more than I had presently, and it felt almost unfair that this was what I was left with, when I had simply defended myself and delivered a message to my partner of 4 years that under no circumstance was he ever going to lay a finger or fist on me again.

Had he deserved it? Absolutely.
Had I deserved it? That was proving to be more inconclusive the longer I thought about it.

And as I stood outside of my mothers home, with a single brown box in my arms, I sighed loudly.

The box contained everything on my person before I went to jail.

Everything else was still back at my old house, where I wasn't allowed to go.

Maybe the then 20 year old Eddie would have liked this version of me. He'd always called me badass, would he say the same thing now if he knew?

Eddie wasn't a bad person, he'd just had a bad life.
People had been afraid of him, and blamed him for the deaths.
At the end, he'd been exonerated and I'd been there to witness an innocent young man get the justice he deserved.

I wasn't getting the justice I felt I deserved though, and maybe I never would.

Either way, I was here. Back in my hometown and already hating it. I stared down into the box again with my sparse belongings and sighed with frustration.

"What the fuck am I doing back here?" I asked myself.

"I have an idea, jailbird...."

I smiled to myself as my mother sat on her veranda, on the porch swing beaming at me.

"You must be so proud." I said, jokingly as she raised an eyebrow.

"You know something kiddo, I actually am. He put his hands on you and you put him down on his ass, good style. I'm very proud of you. Is that all you have?" She asked me.

"It is. I can't get anything else, I'm not allowed near the house." I said.

"Good thing I went out earlier and got everything you'd need. I didn't get clothes, but I've enough money put aside for you to go and pick yourself some." My mother said.

"I'll pay you back, if I find a job." I replied.

"When you find a job." She corrected.

"I aren't sure that I will, I have a record now mom." I said.

"As soon as you're honest about why that is, people will hire you." My mom said.

"I'll head into town to get clothes and I'll ask around." I said, with a weak smile.

"Thanks mom." I added, as she rose from the porch swing and down the steps to me.

"As much as you're not happy to be here, I'm thrilled to have you home." She said, enveloping me into her warm arms.

"Keys to the Chevy are on the side table by the door. Get yourself into town." She added, pushing a small roll of dollar notes into my hand.

******************************************

I was sure I'd seen wrong, but when I'd looked closer there was no mistaking it.

Standing with a single brown box in her arms, wearing a light grey off the shoulder jumper, teamed with a high waisted pair of denim shorts that amply showed off her slender tanned legs and a pair of rigger boots clearly too large for her dainty feet, I watched as she adjusted the black cap on her head, her long brunette hair snaking down her back in silky brown waves, looking up at her childhood home.

Her mother, Enid, was already on the porch to greet her with a wide smile and a motherly hug.

I stood by, transfixed by her as she and her mother embraced and I felt my heart pound in my chest.

She'd been gone for four long years; she'd left and never looked back. She didn't take me with her, when I'd have gone had she asked. I'd have happily left and bade this town goodbye, hand in hand with her.

But she hadn't wanted me to go.
She'd wanted to forget us all, myself included.

Perhaps she'd seen too much, like we all had and she just hadn't been able to handle it.

Only now she was back, and a part of me was very curious as to why.

She had been the other half of me, when we'd fought Vecna and saved this town. And when she'd left, I'd felt empty for a long time. Nothing or no one ever quite filled the space like she had and I was starting to think they never would.

I had tried over the last few years.
I'd accepted that I'd never see her again and that she was off living the life she both wanted and deserved and I'd stopped feeling like she'd abandoned me here to town whispers and blind prejudice.

But that huge part of me still wished she'd let me go with her.
That same part of me still wished she'd wanted me, all that I was and had wanted me to go with her.

I'd have been by her side in a heartbeat.
I'd have packed my tiny existence in a single suitcase and I'd have driven us away.

But the twenty year old version of me had never felt like the feelings I'd had were ever reciprocated. And I'd never quite had the courage to tell her.

I'd have gone up against Vecna sooner than facing the rejection I'd always expected I'd get, if I'd braved it and confessed.

I watched, as she'd deftly climbed into her mom's Chevy, and she quite capably pulled out of the drive, Metallica blasting from the stereo and drove down the street past me, heading into town.

I smiled broadly, hearing Master of Puppets thundering from the car, almost like an ode to the most metal show I'd ever performed and crushed out my cigarette under the heel of my trainers.

And before I could even digest any of it, my feet were already walking towards the direction of the town centre.

They were already following her.

******************************************
I was standing in Forever 21, armed with several pairs of jeans, shorts, joggers, T-shirts, several jumpers, a winter duster coat, two denim jackets, pyjamas and general underwear when I'd heard them.

Heard the whispers.

And as I stood at the till, the two ladies huddled closely together conspiring as to why I had been "locked up" I placed the clothes onto the counter and turned to face them, before smiling sweetly.

"You see this ladies? See this red mark and this scar under my jaw? My boyfriend did that to me, took a good old fashioned few swings at me and punched me. And you know what I did? Took a bat to his for even thinking he could touch me in that way. Sure I went to jail for it, but if you're looking for me to repent or feel guilty.... It ain't gonna happen." I said.

And as I stared at them, they both awkwardly cleared their throats, and limped away from me.

"That's what I thought." I whispered, before turning back to the cashier.

"For the record, I'd like to think I'd do the same if it ever happened to me." She said, handing a large brown bag to me across the counter, with my clothes folded neatly inside.

"$194 altogether." She said.

I handed her a bundle of notes before slowly sliding the bag off the counter and onto the floor, by my feet.

"Thank you." I said, with a small smile.

"This town will never change." She said, sighing.

"It hasn't, trust me." I replied, walking away.

I wandered into Sole Traders and bought a pair of matte black slip on Doc Martens and two pairs of converse, before coming to sit inside the Starbucks opposite, for a coffee.

I took my black cap off my head, and ran a hand through my hair, a sigh rolling off my lips.

I'd looked in the windows of most shops and hadn't seen any vacancies up to yet.

Somewhere had to be hiring.
My life couldn't be this shit, surely?

"God dammit, my life is shit." I whispered to myself, resting my head in my hands.

"I'd wager you probably heard me say that around a hundred times in high school."

I opened my eyes at the sound of the voice and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Who I was seeing, in fact.

Shaggy brown hair, the same leather jacket and denim waistcoat, the same soft chocolate brown eyes and kind but rogue smile.

It was the infamous Eddie Munson.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again." He continued, with a soft chuckle.

"Likewise." I said, completely floored.

"Would you mind if I took a seat, perhaps?" He asked, motioning to the empty chair opposite me.

"Oh sure yeah, not at all." I said, as he flopped down dramatically onto the chair opposite me.

"Hi." He said, with a breathtaking smile.

"Hi." I said, laughing nervously.

"I'd ask how you are but there's another question that's burning a hole in my head." Eddie said, as I rolled my eyes.

"Why am I back?" I asked.

"Why are you back?" He confirmed.

"Because like I said, my life is shit." I said as he chuckled.

"And why is it shit?" He asked.

"I know you've heard." I said, giving him a knowing look.

"I've heard the whispers. But that's all they are, whispers. I'd rather hear it from you." He said.

He seemed concerned now, and the beautiful smile that had donned his face had started to fade.

"My mom's house is my release address, I had to come back." I said.

"Release address?" He asked, his mouth agape with shock.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I was released from jail yesterday. For assault." I said.

"And does it explain the current attire?" He asked, referencing the rigger boots on my feet more than the remainder of what I was wearing.

"I ran out of the house as the cops came and I put his shoes on in blind rage or panic..... whichever one. I meant to put my own on, but instead I wound up wearing these, and obviously these were taken off me when I was taken to the station." I said, rubbing my head with frustration.

"Well, surprisingly you're making it work." He said, with a grin.

He was trying to diffuse the shock and the tension, and surprisingly it was working.

"Thankfully my mom has some cash for now, so I can atleast get shoes that fit." I said.

"It's only temporary." He reasoned, softly.

"It doesn't feel temporary." I objected as he smiled sympathetically at me.

"I was accused of three murders. No one even talks about that anymore." He said.

"That's because they're talking about me." I said, with a raised eyebrow.

"Where'd you end up?" He asked.

"College? Princeton." I said.

"You got out at least." Eddie said, sounding slightly saddened.

"For a while, yeah." I said, just as sad.

"Who is he?" Eddie asked suddenly.

"He was my boyfriend. Total charmer but a secret narcissist who liked to just grind me down." I said.

"Please don't tell me he-" he started to say.

"He did. That one time..... punched me a few times on my jaw, so I took a bat to his. I wanted him to know that he was only gonna do that to me once. But in the eyes of the law, it's assault and I have no right to take the law into my own hands. I served two months because he hit me first and I defended myself. There was also evidence of his mental and verbal abuse from several witnesses..... but because he wound up in a worse condition than me, he's not been charged. Yet." I interjected.

"I always knew you were badass." Eddie said, clearly not judging me. If anything, he was rather triumphant, fist pumping the air like he'd won some kind of bet.

Why I was surprised at that, I'd never know.
This was Eddie; unprejudiced, loveable, accepting Eddie.

"Zero judgement from me. He got his ass handed back to him. Mama Enid raised her girl in the right way. You know your worth Zara." Eddie said.

"If I'd known my worth, I wouldn't have spent four years with him." I said.

"I'm sure he didn't show that side from the start, right?" Eddie asked, leaning across the table towards me.

"No he didn't." I said.

"So don't start blaming yourself. The mask was firmly on at the start and slipped after some time." He replied.

"He sure had me fooled." I said, with a dejected sigh.

"Exactly, had. Until you saw through it. He put his hands on you and you didn't take it." Eddie said.

"I doubt I'll get a job because of what I did." I said.

"People just get real twitchy when someone says they've done jail time. Ignorant people, should I say. Where have you looked?" Eddie asked.

"In every single shop window in here so far." I said, taking a swig of my coffee.

"I've heard that the new music store is hiring. That seems more your kind of place, why not ask there?" Eddie offered.

"They hire jailbirds?" I asked with a smile.

"If you go, you'll find out." He replied with a broad grin.

"I think I will." I said, rising to my feet.

"You haven't changed, y'know?" I said, as he chuckled softly.

"Neither have you, Zee." He said, voicing a teenage nickname of mine.

"I'll see you around, I guess." I said, as he nodded.

"See you around." He said, with a broad toothy smile and a small wave.

*******************************************

"First day back and you got yourself a job!" My mom gushed when I got home later that evening.

I had inquired at the music store, and they'd interviewed me on the spot, very quickly too I noticed.

And the only question I'd been asked was for my top three favourite bands.

And when I'd answered with Metallica, Dio and Silverchair, I'd immediately gotten the job. No one asked to see my CV, just if I could start from tomorrow, which I'd agreed to.

However set up that interview might have been, I wasn't refusing the job.

"I think they knew I was coming, how I don't know. Who gets a job purely based on their top three favourite bands?" I asked.

"You're going to be working at the music store?" My mom asked.

"Yeah, next to family video." I said, as my mom smiled coyly.

"That's the Munson boys store. He bought it from the compensation that he got, from being wrongly accused." My mom said.

"You have got to be shitting me?" I asked her.

"No?" She asked.

"I saw him today, he told me to ask about a job there. Forever the joker it would seem." I said, rolling my eyes.

"A job you got, don't bite the hand that feeds." She said.

"Because he phoned and told them I was coming, no doubt." I answered.

"Does it matter?" She asked me.

"Kinda..... yeah. Where does he live Ma?" I asked.

"Two blocks from here, he moved out of his Uncle's trailer. Asked Wayne to move out with him, but the old man is happy where he is." She said.

"Which street?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

"Leveson. Oh Zara, he's obviously trying to help." My mother said.

I'd already left.

*******************************************
"HEY MUNSON!"

We'd been having a few beers in deck chairs on the veranda, after band practice, when Gareth was the first of us to see her.

"Okay..... Who is that actual Goddess in rigger boots?" He asked, his mouth agape.

I'd heard her shout though.
Of course she was going to figure it out.

"Jesus....." Grant said, looking over at me.

"That's never......" he continued as I grinned and nodded.

"That is." I said.

"Zara fucking Bourne. Wow." Grant replied.

"HEY MUNSON!!" She shouted, as the boys slowly turned to look at me.

"What did you do?" Jeff asked, rolling his eyes.

"She looks a little angry dude." Gareth said.

"Nothing!" I said, rising to my feet.

"I still can't get over how HOT she is...." Grant said, as Jeff closed his mouth for him.

Suddenly, she was at the steps of my house, arms folded across her chest, looking a little heated and annoyed.
Her cheeks were flushed and there was a deep furrow in her brow.

"Top three bands?" She asked me, suspicious.

"Yeah, I heard you passed with flying colours." I teased, with a grin.

"And for the record Grant, try something called whispering." She noted, as he turned a deep shade of crimson.

"I'm sorry.... But you are." He said, sheepishly.

"Thank you. But back to you." She said, turning to me.

"I didn't get that job on my own merit." She said.

"You actually did." I argued.

"That wasn't even a real interview. Come on Eddie, you know what I said today." She said, huffing.

"Do you want the job?" I asked, folding my own arms across my chest.

She hesitated then, not wanting to admit it.

"Well yeah...." She said, trailing off.

"Then it's yours. Beer?" I asked her, as she softened suddenly.

"I'd love one." She said, sighing.

"What's with the boots?" Jeff asked her as she sighed.

"Long story." She said, with a weak smile.

I opened the cooler on the decking and chucked her a can of beer which she caught deftly and swiftly opened.

She took a generous swig as I pulled an empty chair forward.

"Why not sit down?" I asked her, and in four confident strides she was sitting amongst us, the lads eager to catch up with her.

And whilst she was chatting idly with them and sipping her beer, I'd slipped away to my bedroom closet, pulling a brown box from off one of the shelves.

This was going to go either way.
She'd either take them gratefully or potentially hyperventilate.

And so, I nervously headed back to the front porch, and passed her the box.

"What's this?" She asked.

"You left them at my trailer, I didn't get a chance to return them to you before you left for college. Figured that for tonight perhaps you could wear these and toss those boots out. They're too big for you." I said.

She cautiously lifted the lid off the top of the box and I watched as she peered down at her old, beat up pair of low top black converse, her breath audibly hitching in her chest.

"Or I can throw them away and we can pretend I never saved them. I'll understand if you don't want to wear or see them again." I continued as she shook her head wordlessly.

"Are these.....?"

"Yeah, you kicked Vecnas ass wearing those." I said.

"You kept them?" She asked, her voice hushed.

"Incase you ever wanted them back." I confirmed with a small nod.

And without another word, she kicked the rigger boots off her petite, slender, perfect feet and slipped the battered, worn out converse on.

"I can toss those for you, if you like?" I asked, dumbfounded at her response.

"Happy to see them go." She confirmed, handing them to me.

"I've got a better idea."

She turned to the source of the voice, of the boy she hadn't realised was sitting there in silence, watching her, waiting for her to notice him and she did a double take before her beautiful plump, rose red lips fell open with surprise.

"You've gotta be shitting me.... HENDERSON?!" She said, her eyes wide.

"The one and only!" He replied, as she lunged out of her chair and dived on him, pulling him into a bone crushing hug.

"Unless you kill me.... I can't breathe." He squeaked.

"Sorry...." She said, releasing him.

"You've grown." She added, ruffling his curls.

"Of course I have, I'm eighteen." He said.

"Fuck." She replied, apparently still unable to believe it.

"It's good to see you, boy genius." She said, smiling broadly.

She sank back into her chair and seemed to relax even more then, causally sipping her beer as I silently observed her, unable to tear my eyes away from her.

The way she laughed, her expressions, her silky long hair, her perfectly toned, tanned legs and the way her perfect buttocks peeked ever so slightly from under her shorts.

"Missed us so much that you had to come back?" Dustin asked as I watched her eyes cast downwards to her beer can.

"I'm not back by choice, Dusty. My release conditions had something to do with that." She said.

"Steve is gonna freak out when he realises you're back." Dustin said, grinning.

"Harrington? Why would he care?" She asked, as I suppressed a jealous snort.

"He had such a crush on you." Dustin said, grinning.

"Hell, we all did." Grant said.

"I still do." Gareth said, laughing.

She smiled and rolled her eyes, and Gareth shrugged unapologetically.

"Did any of you leave?" She asked, shaking her head.

"None of us did, only you." Dustin said, clearing his throat.

I could tell she felt bad then, and when I caught her eye, I smiled weakly.

"No one blamed you for leaving. I would have, if I'd been able to." I said.

Hoping she'd hear the hint I was trying to make.
I would have, had she asked me to.

I'd have rode that sunset and never looked back, if she'd been in the passenger seat. Hell, she could have driven us away and I'd still have gone.

"I couldn't stay. I think I'd seen too much in the end." She said.

"And that's okay." Dustin replied, sincerely.

"Well, I'm here for the next year." She said, raising her can in a sarcastic toast.

"Well I for one am very glad you're back, Zee." I said, raising my own can.

The boys all followed suit and we toasted her return.

"What was the better idea then Henderson?" She asked.

"We should burn them." He said with a shrug.

"Like an ex boyfriend bonfire." I suggested, all for it.

"Let's do it." She said, clapping her hands down on her thighs.

My eyes averted to the red marks her hands left and realised I was staring, before clearing my throat.

"You really went to jail?" Dustin asked.

"I really went to jail, Henderson." She confirmed.

"That's badass." He said, as she squoze his shoulder tightly.

"Don't get any ideas. It wasn't fun in there." She warned.

"Oh no, I have no intention of ever going. I just mean you went for putting that loser down when he hit you." Dustin said.

"I don't think he'll be doing it again any time soon." She said, with a casual shrug.

"Did you really use a bat?" Grant asked.

"I did." She replied.

"Did you think we'd all be mad at you or something or disown you?" Dustin asked.

"It's not my best look, is it?" She asked.

"You taught him a lesson. One he ain't ever going to forget. I told you Zee, you're badass." I said.

"Stop wallowing. Keep your head down for a year, it'll fly by." Dustin said.

"I'm wallowing aren't I?" She asked, regretfully.

"Just a little bit." I said, holding my pinched fingers up.

"Okay, that's enough of that then. So what's been going on with you guys?" She asked, seemingly shaking it off.

And she spent the remainder of the evening curled up on her seat, her perfect legs hanging over the arm of the chair, resting her head on her hand, as she listened intently to everyone as they individually filled her in on the last four years, her ex boyfriends boots burning in a barrel on the front lawn.

By the end of the night, she was acutely aware that she had missed a lot. She had missed four years of our lives and whilst I couldn't see any regret on her face for leaving, she still seemed to be remorseful that she'd missed key moments in our lives.

The boys left a little after 11pm and once I'd tidied all the empty cans away, I took a blanket off my sofa and draped it across her, as she fought the tiredness that was slowly embracing her.

"Thank you for tonight." She said, as I settled into a chair next to her. The chair I'd wanted to occupy all evening, just to be near her.

"I'm really glad you're back." I said, sincerely.

"You never told me what you got up to after I left. Obviously you bought a record store, but what else?" She asked.

"Oh not much, graduated high school by default as most of us did, which you know about because you graduated too. I didn't really know what I wanted to do, until the police advised me that there was compensation from them and from the town, for wrongly accusing me. I've always wanted my own music store, so I bought it." I said.

"And a nice house by the looks of it." She said, smiling.

"I asked Wayne to come with me but he was apparently more than happy with his trailer - his new trailer. And his brand new hat collection." I said, as we laughed.

"He's happy with his lot. He always was." She said.

"You deserved this." She added.

"And you deserved better." I noted.

"Yeah, I chose it. Got burned and here I am." She said.

"But I'm not wallowing, I promise." She added, hurriedly.

"You hadn't better." I warned playfully.

"Did you finally meet a nice girl?" She asked, as I internally fought with myself on that one.

I'd had a nice girl, and was pretty convinced she was the one for me at one time, but then she left Hawkins and never once looked back. Now, for purely circumstantial reasons that she had no say over, she was back.

And she didn't really want to be.

I had met someone, eventually.
Someone nobody would have ever put me with, myself included.

She lived with me here, but was away tending to her grandmother who wasn't well.

I had already considered that Chrissy had lied to me, because I knew her grandmother had died two years previous. But I took that lie happily, and let it ride. Was she with someone else? More than likely, otherwise there wouldn't have been a need to lie about where she was really going. But with Zara here, I was struggling to even care about it.

But that was the truth, the truth that was suddenly very hard to admit because the truly goddess looking woman sitting next to me had my head in a sudden, unexpected tailspin.

I wanted to lie. My emotions were already betraying me, and she'd only been back a day.

She had really gotten under my skin in under 24 hours and I'd forgotten all about the girlfriend I had started to make a life with.

And before I could stop it, it rolled off my tongue, all too easily.

"I'm not with anyone." I said, choosing the lie.

"That's surprised me, no one's snapped the legend that is Eddie Munson? Wow. Maybe I was right, you can't be tamed." She said, jokingly.

"You're not with anyone?" I asked her, grinning.

"I think that's a fairly obvious answer, of course I'm not. I put my last one in the hospital for three days." She said as we both collapsed into fits of laughter.

"You're serious though? No one?" She asked me.

"There isn't anyone." I confirmed, lying to her for a second time.

"See that kinda makes me sad. You deserve someone." She said.

After the two lies I'd told her, I wasn't so sure.
It shouldn't have been hard to admit it to her.

But she had stirred some old feelings in me, and I selfishly wanted to explore them.

I was an asshole, I knew that.
I should have told her the truth.
I shouldn't have wanted to forget about the girlfriend I currently had. But I did.

And if Zara found out, she'd likely never trust me again.
She'd been the other half of me, when we'd fought Vecna, she had been my person; she'd been my second in command and she'd been my support system.

She'd never stopped being my person.
She'd just had no idea.

She still didn't.

****************************************

"So we pretty much just stock the shelves when they're empty, sometimes we try and alphabetise the records on the quieter days but people seem to really like digging around, and as a man with a musical soul, I quite like that idea. The number one rule here is, we have fun."

He sounded like that fun teacher we all had at some point during our school lives.

The one who really tried to be down with the kids.

Eddie was actually successfully doing just that.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Deadly. I never wanted to be that shitty boss. I don't see myself as a boss. I just bought this store and I supply records. All I ask is that you take their money, when they make their way to the cashier's desk." He said.

For a minute, he sounded like the D&D dungeon master I was always so fond of and admired.

Dramatics looked good on him, they always did.

"I can do that." I said.

"Then we'll get on just fine." He said.

"We already do." I said, frowning.

"I'm trying to be a boss here." He said, pouting.
He threw his arms up, feigning defeat and I found myself laughing.

"You are a boss. You're the boss of this store." I said, as he smiled broadly.

"Oh yeah, I am." He said, as I ran a hand through my hair, shaking my head.

"Well Mr Boss Man, what do you want me to do first?" I asked, looking all around me.

"We have some new records in the back, help me put them out? We open in ten minutes." He said, as I immediately nodded and followed him through to the back.

By the time I'd caught up with him, he was leaning upright with a box in his hand and when he turned around, I walked straight into him.

I stumbled backwards and he instinctively dropped the box, catching me in his arms and we fell backwards into the store room, coming to crash into the far wall.

It was glaringly obvious that we were very close together, our limbs were entwined awkwardly, and he was still holding me in his arms.

He didn't immediately let me go, and I didn't immediately move either.

Instead, we stared at each other, trying to figure out the other person's next move.

"Do you get close like this with all your colleagues?" I joked, painfully trying to break the sudden tension in the air.

"Just you, apparently." He replied, breathlessly.

"This isn't how I pictured my first day going." I said.

"I can believe that." He replied.

"We've held each other like this before." He added.

"Without Vecna or our potential impending doom though, it's a little different." I said, my voice hushed.

My eyes however, were still very much locked with his.

"How so?" Eddie asked, trying to act cool.

"Because your hard on is pressed against my leg." I said, pressing my lips together.

"Shit...." He whispered, the bridge of his nose reddening.

"Don't be embarrassed." I said, pressing my palm flat against his chest.

"That's a little difficult when I already am." He said.

And before I could say anything else, he'd peeled himself away from me, and I couldn't help but realise I was actually disappointed.

"You were right though. There was a time when we held each other like that every night, leading up to the end of things. And I don't regret any of it." I said.

"You were my other half through it all." I added.

He was facing away from me, his hands on his hips, his shaggy brown hair framing his face as he breathed deeply.

He half turned his head to look at me, and sighed.

"You were mine." He said.

"I just wasn't enough to make you stay." He added, as I felt like he'd just ripped my heart out.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"Well I wasn't, was I?" He asked.

"You were more than enough for me." I said, truthfully.

"And you still left." He said, flippantly.

"Not because of you." I said, approaching him slowly.

He recoiled from me, and I forcefully made him face me, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't leave because of you." I repeated.

"Yeah I heard you." He said, a little exasperated.

"Do you not see what's happening right now?" I asked.

"No?" He said, growing increasingly annoyed.

"This, between us right now.... This isn't why I left." I said, pointing between us both.

"What?" He asked, throwing his hands up impatiently.

"My god! The fucking tension between us right now. It's suffocating." I snapped.

"We weren't like this four years ago." He argued.

"Yes we were. There were plenty of times where we were really tense. Other times we were exactly what the other needed." I said.

"Ok, so you tell me why you were so tense with me?" He asked.

"Why were you tense with me?" I counteracted.

"I asked you first." He snapped.

"Because I wanted you to just want me." I said, annoyed.

And that's when he completely lost his cool.

"I DID want you! By GOD I wanted you! I was so done being your friend..... you were the other half of me, and we saved each other's asses.... I used to think it was sort of poetic that we'd been through all of that and still only wound up as friends. It was ironic that even when I'd been the nice guy, I didn't get the girl. I still didn't get the girl. The girl I wanted got into her car and drove right out of this shitty town. That's why I gave you this job, I wanted you to feel better." He shouted, as I stared at him wordlessly.

"I wanted you to know that I was still your other half." He continued, a little breathless.

"Even when you turned up here in a pair of ridiculously sexy shorts and some other guys' rigger boots." He added.

"How long do we have before we open?" I asked him.

"Really? I say all of that and you're asking when the shop opens? Am I boring you?" He asked, offended.

I stifled a laugh and shook my head.

"I'm asking, for a valid reason." I said.

"We open in five minutes you menace, why?" He asked.

"You think you could do me in five minutes?" I asked him, very straightforwardly.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, stunned.

"Oh no you heard me right. So? Are you up to that?" I asked, as he hesitated.

"Or not." I said, as he never made a move.

I couldn't deny it, he'd put his cards on the table, and I'd dealt my own shortly after. And it was offensively ironic how he had practically refused me and rebuffed my proposal.

I couldn't have meant that much to him.
He evidently wasn't still my other half.

So why say all of that?

"Ok, I'm gonna go and open the shop now. I should probably show willing on my first day." I said, as the five minutes sailed passed us, and my proposition was swallowed up in our painful, awkward silence.

"Zee....." Eddie said from behind me, as I spun around angrily.

"It's Zara." I snapped.

I crouched down at his feet and picked up the box of records, immediately occupying myself with putting them in the respective display boxes in front of me.

And when lunch time came around, I wordlessly left the store and immediately barged into the store next door, absolutely livid.

"Holy shit..... Zara?!"

"I need a job, Harrington." I said, incensed.

"You're working next door, you have a job already." Steve said, dumbfounded.

I felt a little guilty, this probably wasn't the reunion he'd been expecting but I was livid.

"Yeah, I don't see that working out." I said, my hands on my hips.

"What are you doing Zara?" A voice said from behind me.

"Mind your damn business, Munson." I spat.

"She asked for a job." Steve said, as I felt my nostrils flare with a new kind of rage.

"I'm sorry.....you're just scaring me and it came out." Steve explained, sweating.

"Friends don't snitch, Harrington." I said.

"Get back in the store, Zara." Eddie demanded.

"I'm on my lunch break." I snapped.

"Get back in the fucking store, so we can talk." He said, as Robin appeared from the back room.

She took one look at the situation unfolding before her eyes and she immediately started to retreat.

"I can just say hi a little later, that's okay." She spluttered, fumbling with the store room door handle.

"I'm done talking to you." I said, turning my attention back to Eddie.

"Oh for fucks sake....." he said, exasperated.

Before tackling me around the waist and throwing me over his shoulder.

"Put me down!!!" I cried, as he smacked my ass roughly.

"Shut the fuck up Zara." He demanded, walking me out of the store.

"Later Harrington!" Eddie called to Steve before the shop door swung shut.

He set me back down in the middle of the store, before shutting the door and setting the sign to 'Closed'.

"You're not getting another job." He said, calmly.

"What the hell was that?!" I asked, still fired up.

"I want you to work here." He continued.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, confused.

"I may have been upfront about it, but I offered myself to you back there and you did nothing. So you sure you really want me to work here?" I asked.

"Of course I do." He said.

"That's the only offer on the table." I said.

"Fine, I'll take that." He said, with a shrug.

"Why'd you hesitate, huh? I thought I was still your other half?" I asked, unable to back down.

"You are." He said, calmly.

"Just not enough that when I throw myself at you, you point blank refuse me?" I asked.

"I haven't seen you in four years. It just came as a surprise." He explained.

"Oh that is such horseshit." I snapped.

"Okay. You want the truth? If I was ever going to be lucky enough to fuck you, it for sure as hell wouldn't be in some shitty store room. And I wouldn't want just five minutes. I'd want to take my time with you, I'd want to comfortably explore every single inch of you. I'd like to enjoy you, get lost in you." He shouted.

I'd pushed him over the edge.
That was acutely obvious.

"I'd want you to wear those ridiculously revealing shorts, and that off the shoulder jumper, just so I could take them off you with my damn teeth." He added, breathless.

I looked down at the sensible pair of black jeans and plaid shirt that I was wearing, teamed with my post war converse and sighed.

"You deserve more than five minutes, don't you see that? I'm not him." Eddie urged, imploringly.

He suddenly closed the gap between us, and pulled me to him gruffly, by my waist. A squeak of shock escaped my lips, as he stared down at me, his hand rubbing the small of my back.

"Come to mine later." He growled in my ear.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, as my breath hitched in my chest.

"Everything you want me to do." He whispered.

******************************************
I did what he asked.

I knocked on his door later that night in the shorts and jumper he'd asked me to wear.

I was vibrating with nerves and arousal, as I waited for him to answer.

I ran a hand through my hair, and quickly made sure I looked okay in the reflection of his front door, as it suddenly opened and he was standing before me.

"Come on in." He said, his voice husky.

I stepped inside and I was gradually growing more nervous.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked me, as he closed the door behind me.

"No.... I just.... This is just a little intense." I said.

"We don't have to do this." He said.

"I know that... but I want to do this." I answered.

"Come with me then." He said, taking me by the hand and leading me up stairs.

He led me into his bedroom, and he backed me towards the bed, admiring me as I stood before him.

"God I love those shorts." He whispered.

He pulled me towards him by my waist and I ran my hands up his chest, as our bodies gravitated towards each other and his lips toyed with mine, apparently testing the waters.

"Tell me what you want." He whispered, against my parted lips.

My hands migrated towards the hem of his T-shirt and I bundled it up towards his armpits, pulling it over his head, admiring his chest.

His hands tugged hungrily at my jumper and I raised my arms in the air, allowing him to pull it over my head.

He gasped at the sight of my naked chest, having decided to forego underwear and he lifted me into his arms, lowering us both onto the bed.

And that's when he kissed me.
His lips pressed against my own and gently parted them, his tongue lacing with mine.

It was a deep, gentle kiss and everything I'd ever hoped for.
My mind was swimming with pleasure and possibilities, my heart pounding in my chest.

"I need you to tell me what you want...." He whispered against my lips, sounding desperate.

"I want you to devour me.... I want you to worship me, want me, and make me yours, make me undeniably yours." I whispered back, with the same tone of desperation.

"But you should know.... I haven't had sex in a year and a half and I'm convinced that despite my forwardness earlier, I may have forgotten how to do this." I said, rambling.

He laughed against my navel, planting a deep kiss there, before lifting his head to look at me.

"Let me remind you then." He whispered, as I nodded.

His deft fingers unbuttoned my shorts and he pulled them down my legs, before casually discarding them onto the floor.

"No panties either?" He asked, breathlessly.

"I'm nervous.... But also impatient." I said, breathing heavily.

He groaned with satisfaction as he gently spread my legs, pressing them down onto the bed by my knees and he wasted no time tasting me.

My back arched, as the moans escaped my lips, his tongue dancing against me.

"God you taste so good...." He whispered against my folds, his breath causing a shiver down my spine.

"Don't stop......" I whispered, gripping his bedsheets as he gripped my thighs, holding me in place below his mouth.

I bucked my hips upwards, rubbing myself against his mouth and I felt him slide a single finger inside of me.

I immediately saw stars.

"Keep going for me baby girl....." he whispered, encouragingly.

I slithered out from underneath him, and he lay down on his back, gazing at me expectantly. I straddled him across his shoulders and his eyes grew dark with an intense lust.

"I'm just gonna sit up a little." I whispered, feeling his breath on my folds.

"Lower yourself onto me." He whispered and without a word, I did as he instructed me to.

He presented his tongue against the petite little bundle of nerves in the centre, his hands holding onto my thighs, all the while maintaining intense eye contact with me.

He wanted me to see what he was doing, and he wanted to watch me, watch my reaction, my pleasure, my euphoria. 

My body vibrated from the touch of his tongue as it danced against me, bringing with it pleasure I had never experienced.

"That's it... that's it baby girl....." He purred against me, before returning his tongue to the place where I so desperately wanted it to be.

Instinctively, and to heighten my own pleasure, my hips ground, and I rubbed myself against his mouth and tongue.

I felt my breath hitch and my moans increased in number.
I felt my legs begin to tremble as I dug my fingers into his skin, pushing myself further against him.

And all I heard then was the sounds of my own orgasm as it finally peaked and broke, my cries hushed as I clasped a hand over my mouth.

I removed myself from his chest, a sweaty trembling mess and came to sit in front of him as he enveloped me in his arms.

I trembled against his chest, and his hand rubbed my back softly, his lips kissing the top of my head.

"I've got you...." He whispered, soothingly as I breathed heavily.

My hand slipped between us and I rubbed my hand along the bulge in his jeans and the moan escaped his lips in a low grumble.

His answer to me then was to unbutton his trousers and between us both we shuffled them down his hips. I fingered the hem of his boxer shorts before I slipped them too, down his hips.

His evident arousal leapt from the fabric and I indicated that I was going to take him in my mouth when he stopped me by gripping my shoulders.

"No..... I need to know how you feel around me.... I don't think I can wait much longer...." He whispered, as I sat upright again in front of him.

And so, I sat up on my knees and gently climbed into his lap. He shuffled further up the bed so his back was pressed against his headboard and I carefully straddled him.

He gently positioned me by my hips, pressing his arousal against me, planting a soft kiss on the valley in between my breasts and I wove my hands into his hair.

"You're sure?" He whispered, suddenly hesitant.

I squoze his shoulder as I maintained my position and slowly nodded, once.

"Is this not something you want?" I whispered.

"It's the only thing I want." He whispered back, his voice gruff.

And without another word, I started to slowly lower myself down onto him.

We gasped in unison, and his hands gripped my hips until I could feel he was fully inside me and he kissed my breasts hungrily, my hands weaving deeper into his hair.

I rolled my hips and gently ground against him, hearing his satisfied groans, until I found a rhythm we both liked and our hands began to roam all over each other's skin and bodies.

Our mouths rocked together, our hips ground together and our moans were simultaneous.

And as he suddenly lifted me up and rolled me underneath him, I let out a small squeak of surprise.

"Let me show you....." He whispered, before gently biting down on my breast.

He growled softly, licking his lips and lowered his body onto mine, grinding his hips deeply against my own.

He watched me writhe underneath him, lost in pleasure.

He traced my lips with his thumb, and stared into my eyes as he gently pried my mouth open and pressed his thumb onto my tongue. The feel of it heightened his arousal and he moaned gruffly, suddenly picking up the pace.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and his head tilted back, a crease of pleasure across his face as he closed his eyes, moaning deeply.

"I need you to tell me....." he said, desperate.

"Show me...." I whispered, my voice heavy with pleasure.

"Show me how much you want me...." I whispered again.

He leaned down and flipped me over onto my stomach, bringing my hips up against him and I felt him slide gently into me again. He ground his hips deep into mine and my head tilted back as my back arched.

I felt him immediately pick up the pace and his breathing quickened.

"I don't think I can be nice about this..... I just want to pound you...." He said.

"So do it...." I replied, huskily.

And he wasted no time; I could feel our bodies crudely slapping together with the force of his thrusts and his hands gripped my hips.

His hand impacted with my skin and I gasped as I realised he'd spanked me.

"Tell me if you want me to go slower....." he said, hurriedly.

"I don't....." I replied, my voice strained.

My hands gripped the sheets in front of me, my chest heaving with pleasure laced breaths.

I was close again, I could feel it.

He took my hands, gently pinning them behind my back, resting them on the small of my back and kissed my skin, the two of us moaning loudly into the night.

And when I could feel myself peaking, he picked up the pace, encouraging mine along with his own.

I wanted us to do it together. I wanted to feel his and mine combined.

"With me.... Do it with me baby girl....." He whispered as I managed a desperate nod.

And then it happened.

My climax surged through me, as his head ripped back and he tensed and let his own and mine wash over us both like warm, summer rain.

We collapsed against each other and we lay together for a moment, our sweat laced warm bodies entwined, the both of us breathing heavily.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time." He whispered, as we lay together, my head on his chest as he lay on his back, propped up by his arm behind his head.

"I wanted it too." I admitted.

"If we'd just been honest with each other four years ago, maybe things would be very different now." He said.

His fingers gently ran up and down my back, as he stroked my skin and I sighed softly.

"I meant what I said, I didn't leave because of you. I left because..... I felt like a big part of me died here, when Vecna did. It was almost like I felt I should have, that I hadn't earned the right to survive. I got lucky, and somehow I had survivor's guilt. Billy died, Max almost died, Bob died.... So many of the town died... and here I was, alive. I should have been happy about that, but I wasn't." I said.

"You had earned it. We fought so hard and we killed Vecna." He said.

"It was eating me alive. One day I stopped being able to look all of you in the eyes. I didn't want to be around any of you. I wanted to leave. So I did, the first chance I got." I said.

"It wasn't anyone's fault, it was none of your fault. But I'd just seen too much, I had to go.... I didn't feel like I was me anymore." I continued.

"And did you find yourself?" He asked.

"No." I admitted.

"I found myself tonight. You were right.... You're the half I've been missing, you're my other half. Leaving never changed that and coming back only made me realise it. It wasn't easy knowing I was leaving you behind." I said.

"I just aren't sure I can stay again.... When the year is up." I admitted.

"You have to take it one step at a time. Take it day by day. And when the time comes, if you feel you need to leave and you can't stay, I'll support whatever decision you make." He said.

"Would you hate me if I left?" I asked.

"No. I just want you to be happy." He said, sincerely.

"I should probably go...." I said, as he sighed softly.

"You could stay....?" He asked.

"I get it if it's a one time thing....." I said, as he stared at me incredulously.

"I don't know what Darrys' aftercare was like, but even if it is a one time thing, I still want you to stay.... I want to lie with you, I want to sleep next to you." He said.

"You do?" I asked.

"You're serious aren't you?" He asked, in disbelief.

"Yes I do. I'd like it very much if you stayed the night with me. One time thing or not.... I've missed you." He admitted.

"Then I'll stay...... I've missed you too." I said.

We climbed under the covers and he curled his body around me from behind, holding me to him.

He kissed the nape of my neck softly and I pressed myself further against him.

"Was it everything you expected it to be?" He whispered.

"More...." I whispered back.

"You've been back under 48 hours and you've driven me crazy." He admitted, with a soft chuckle.

"And we've argued." I added.

"We have, that's true." He said, in agreement.

"You came home, you got yourself a job, we've argued and had sex, all in under two days. I wonder if that's a record?" He asked, jokingly.

"It probably is somewhere." I said, chuckling softly.

"Did you ever see anyone for how everything made you feel, you know.... After?" He asked me.

"I wouldn't trust any shrink after what happened." I said.

"That makes sense....." He said.

"The only people I could talk to about it were all here. In the place I didn't want to be. I isolated myself from the only few people I could talk to about it. Because I didn't like the place we were in anymore." I replied, sighing softly.

"If you could go back, and change it..... would you?" He asked me, holding me to him tightly.

"How far back are we talking?" I asked.

"How ever far back you want to go." He said.

"I'd go back to the end, and I'd change how I felt after it all. I'd change the depression, I'd change the night terrors, I'd change the crippling fear I felt when I'd think that it wasn't really over..... I'd change how it all made me feel like I was drowning and I couldn't find a way out. Hawkins was the ocean and I was the sinking ship. I'd change how angry I became..... how angry it all left me. I'm sorry for how I've been.... I lashed out at you, because I never dealt with it. It just festered." I said, admitting more than I wanted to.

"You wouldn't change Vecna or the upside down?" He asked, his tone one of sadness tinged with surprise.

"No.... Because in those moments we were all together, the closest we could be. We worked together, fought together and we were like the horror version of the Goonies." I said.

"And Goonies never say die." Eddie said.

"Would you go back and change any of it, if you could?" I asked.

"I'd change how it made you feel. I'd change you feeling like the only option you had was to leave here. It's a shitty town, but it was your home. Vecna may not have won.... But he took a lot from you. You don't need to apologise for being angry.... I was angry for a while too, we all were. Doing what we'd done and not being able to talk about it.... Except to each other. And when you're all going through the same thing, and you all have to individually try to cope, there wasn't always space in ourselves... to help each other." Eddie said.

My heart clenched and suddenly I felt like I'd deserted him.

I'd left them all behind but I'd deserted Eddie. I could have been that person he could have talked to, and he could have been mine.

I'd dashed any hope of that happening for either of us.

"I could have been that person for you....." I said.

"I was comforted knowing that you left for you.....Besides, you were that person for me. Even when you left. I never stopped thinking about you." He said.

"I always thought about you...." I whispered, as his hand ran down my thigh.

He pressed up against me, his hand coming to rest on the underside of my thigh, bringing my leg up.

Wordlessly, he slid inside me, his free hand wrapping around my neck as he thrusted against me.

"Oh god...." I whispered, my head tilting back, my eyes closing.

"Say my name....." he said, gruffly.

"I want to hear what my name sounds like....." he continued.

And when I didn't give him what he wanted, he played dirty to get it.

His teeth sank into my neck and he sucked hard, pinning me to him by my throat as he pounded against me.

The pleasure was blinding as it ripped through me.

And just when I was seeing stars again, I said it.

I said his name.

Practically screamed it.

And he enjoyed it quite a lot.

*****************************************

"Where did you stay last night? You know you're supposed to be back by 11pm."

I turned to my mum after closing the front door behind me, seeing her sitting on the sofa.

"You're lucky you're not tagged. But it's a good thing you're back." She said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Your parole officer called, she's ten minutes away." My mum said.

"Shit... I'm due at the store in half an hour." I said.

"Someone's gonna have to cover you." My mom said.

"I got it." I said, dashing to the phone.

I left Eddie a message when he didn't answer and called Mrs Henderson, who put me through to Dustin.

"Can you cover me today?" I asked.

"Until what time? I need to radio Suzie at 2pm." He said.

"Till 1pm, that's when I finish. I don't know how long I'm gonna be here.." I said.

"Sure!" He said, as I sighed with relief.

"Thank you, Henderson. You're the best!" I cried.

"Don't you forget it!" He called down the receiver as I hung up.

"And when you're done here, can you go to the local store and pick up my prescription and run it back here?" My mom asked.

"Course ma." I said.

"You gonna tell me where you were?" She asked, smiling coyly.

"No?" I said as she laughed.

"I'll tell you then. Leveson Street with the Munson boy." She said, as I stared at her open mouthed.

"How did you know?!" I asked.

"I saw how you two always looked at each other. There was something always unspoken between you. One clearly liked the other and vice versa..... but neither told the other. I thought that after the quake you two would perhaps become an item, but it didn't happen." She said.

"His Uncle saw it too." She added.

"I've only been back two days...." I said, as she laughed.

"Love waits for no one. Two days or not, you two found your way back to each other. Because you both still feel something. Who cares how long you've been back here. If you feel something and it feels right, you should act on it. We have one life Zara and it's fleeting. Might as well enjoy it whilst you're on this earth, rather than regret what you didn't do with your time." She said.

As much as it pained me to admit, she was right.
I did have feelings for him four years ago.

I still did.

*******************************************

The meeting with my parole officer went well and neither myself nor my mother told her that I hadn't reported home at the relevant curfew, and she didn't ask.

And so, I had headed to the local grocery store to pick up my mothers prescription and decided to have a mosey around whilst I was here.

I couldn't stop thinking about Eddie and what my mother had said to me.

So much so, that I didn't see him round the corner, pushing a cart.

"Zara?!" A voice cried.

My head snapped around to the source of the voice and I frowned at the apparent panicked expression on his face.

"Hey.... You okay?" I asked.

"You're not supposed to be here..... you're at work today." He said, his expression still one of shock but also a tinge of what looked like guilt.

Oh so maybe he regretted last night then?

"I tried to call you. I left a message. My parole officer came around." I said, shrugging.

"I got cover for the shop." I continued, confused.

"Babe, they don't have the wine that we normally have so I picked this up instead."

I peered around his shoulder, and there she was.

Someone I didn't expect.

And she'd called him 'Babe'.

"Oh my god! Zara!" She cried, almost shrieking.

I fought the urge to cover my ears, and feigned a smile.

"Hey Chrissy." I said.

How ironic.
The Freak and the Queen of Hawkins.

Wait a minute.....

They were together?!

"Will this do babe?" She asked, as Eddie nodded wordlessly.

She caressed his arm lovingly, as he stood rigidly, gripping the handle of the shopping cart. Hard I noticed, his knuckles were white.

"Oh yeah, uh sure." Eddie said, clearing his throat.

The realisation stirred in my stomach and I suddenly felt sick.

I'd slept with him, and he'd lied to me.
He was spoken for by none other than the Queen of Hawkins High, 86.

We'd slept together, and he had a girlfriend.
He was with her.

Why did he lie to me?!

I felt dirty, all of a sudden.
Dirty and I could feel my discomfort consuming me.

That's why he'd hesitated.
Not just because he felt I deserved a better experience than a store room. But because he had remembered he was with her.

"Who covered the store?" He asked, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Dustin." I said, simply.

I could feel my teeth grinding together painfully as I clenched my jaw, fighting with myself to not punch him in the eye.

"It's so good to see you! Eddie didn't say you were in town." Chrissy said, sweetly.

"He didn't? I got here when you were away, that's probably why." I said, feigning another smile back.

"Whilst you are here though, just to let you know.... I'm rendering my resignation." I said, as I saw the colour drain from his face.

"You can't leave Hawkins." He said.

"You've got to stay here for a year." He added, when Chrissy and I frowned at him.

"I'm not leaving Hawkins, not right now.I'm just going to work at Family Video. Better money that's all, and I'll need lots of it for when I actually do leave here." I said.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" He asked, his eyes glassy.

"Minds made up Munson." I said airily.

"Please." He begged.

"Is everything okay?" Chrissy asked, clearly uncomfortable.

"I'm here because I have to be, not because I want to be. They're offering more money at Family Video and I wanna take it. I want to save enough to buy myself a car and then when my year is up, I'm leaving. That's all it is." I said.

"I'll match what they've offered." Eddie suddenly spluttered and I couldn't take anymore of his bullshit.

"I don't want anything else from you." I said, before pushing past him.

And as I was leaving I heard Chrissy's confusion in her next words.

"What's going on babe? What did she mean?"

Answer that Eddie, fucking answer that.

*******************************************

I'd headed to Family Video shortly after that, and Steve was at the counter, already bracing himself for another heated exchange.

"Relax." I barked, as soon as I walked in.

"I need that job, Harrington." I said.

"You work next door." He replied.

"Not anymore. I can't." I said.

"Why?" He asked.

"Please don't ask me that. I just can't work there." I said.

"Somethings happened hasn't it?" Steve asked.

"Maybe." I said.

"When can you start?" Steve asked, with a sigh.

"Tomorrow." I said.

"Fine. Listen, I've just put the kettle on, can I make you a coffee?" He asked.

"We can catch up....?" He added.

"I'd like that." I said, as he invited me behind the counter.

"Take a seat." He said, smiling weakly.

"I'm sorry.... I've been in here twice and just barked at you. It wasn't how I imagined seeing you again either." I said, sadly.

"It's fine...." Steve said, before disappearing into the back.

On his return, armed with two mugs of steaming hot coffee, he passed one to me and settled into the chair opposite me.

"It's Eddie isn't it?" He asked, sighing.

"What's he done this time?" He asked, when I didn't answer.

"He didn't tell me he was seeing Chrissy Cunningham." I answered.

"Why would that matter to you?" Steve asked, as I raised my eyebrow and gave him a pointed look that said 'Think about it Harrington.'

"Oh....." He said, realising.

"He told me he wasn't seeing anyone." I said.

"Well it's not a straightforward relationship, or your typical relationship. She's away a lot. He's on his own most of the time and from what I've seen, they don't seem to quite fit together." Steve said.

"Which isn't an excuse of course, but I don't think it's altogether happy." He added.

"How so?" I asked.

"They never seem to really be together, you know.... At the same time? If anything they're more apart than together." He said.

"Please don't tell anyone. Don't tell the others." I urged.

"Scouts honour." He replied, in confirmation.

"I always thought you and him would get together. I was surprised when you didn't." Steve said.

"I don't think the feelings I had were ever quite reciprocated." I said.

"Are you kidding me?" Steve asked, with genuine disbelief.

"No I'm really not." I said.

"Oh they were reciprocated. The feelings you had were very much requited. He was head over heels for you." Steve said.

"Was?" I asked, shocked.

"Zara, he still is." Steve said.

"I'm not condoning him lying to you. But he told me once that whenever he was around you, it was hard to remember little else. He told me that all he ever saw was you." Steve said.

"I'm not condoning it either. He's with her and he should have told me. He should have stopped me, but he didn't. He invited me around last night." I said.

"And he didn't wager bumping into me at the grocery store today. He purposely went knowing I wouldn't be there to see. I didn't realise he was so purposefully deceptive. If anything, the Eddie I thought I knew was always brutally honest- a little too honest sometimes." I said.

"Give it a few days, then maybe hash it out with him?" Steve suggested.

"Whilst he might have had feelings for me back then and might still do now, I have nothing to say to him. I don't want to see him." I said, standing my ground.

"The choice is yours, Zara. And as your friend, I support that." Steve said.

"Fully." He added, with a nod.

"We start at 9am, and we're open 6 days a week. Do what shifts you want, Keith doesn't really give a shit about who does what day so long as the store is covered at all times." He advised, as I smiled weakly and nodded.

"I'll start tomorrow. Thank you." I said.

"Anytime, Zee." Steve replied.

*******************************************

"You don't have any shame do you? What's that like?" I asked, when he appeared in Family Video the following day.

"Just let me explain...." Eddie begged.

"There's nothing to explain. You told me you weren't with anyone, and you lied. You and I slept together and cheated on your girlfriend. You lied to me and you lied to her." I snapped.

"I wanted to tell you...." He argued feebly.

"Oh no.... You didn't want to tell me. You went to the store yesterday, thinking I wouldn't be there, you chose to go then purposely knowing there wouldn't be a chance you'd bump into me and I'd see her with you, and your lie wouldn't unravel like it has. The truth always comes out. It has. I fucking see you Eddie..... I see you. I hope you satisfied your teenage fantasy, because that's all you'll ever get from me." I said, enraged.

"Everything I told you about how I feel, was the truth. I tried to move on, I thought I was. And then you came back and I realised that I never actually did. I couldn't." He said.

"Oh my god..... I thought you were the nice guy Eddie." I hissed, moving out from behind the counter to the racks to put some returned videos back on the shelves.

He followed me and I grumbled with anger.

"I know I didn't handle this well...." He started to say.

"Handle this well? You lied to me. You've lied to Chrissy. You invited me around.... Christ I came onto you.... I didn't come back here to be a home wrecker." I said.

"You're not." He argued.

"No you're right, I'm not. But you are." I spat.

"Are you going to tell her?" I asked.

He didn't answer me then and I felt my temper finally flare.

"I feel dirty. And I feel used. She's never here, she's always away and you're alone most of the time. And before you say anything, I know. So I just filled a space in your empty schedule and passed some time for you, is that it?" I asked.

"No it wasn't like that at all." He argued.

Steve appeared from the kitchen and frowned.

"Eddie man, it's her first day. Now's not the time and it's not the place." Steve said, jumping to my defence.

"Stay out of this Harrington." Eddie barked as I glared at him, practically seething.

"Don't talk to him like that. You did this, this is on you. You knew you were seeing someone and you still slept with me. I figured that I shouldn't work in your store, and I've found somewhere else to work..... you then come here to try and explain. Why can't you take the hint that I don't want to see you? I don't want to talk to you, hell I can't even look at you! You lied to me Eddie. I clearly want space and yet here you are. You made sure that I didn't see you two together. Only I did. Get out." I spat.

"Please....." he begged.

"GET OUT." I yelled.

He stormed out then, and I almost collapsed against the racks.

Steve hurried over and caught me in his arms, steadying me back on my feet.

"I really wish I hadn't come back." I said, the tears falling.

"Sit down, let's have a coffee." Steve said.

I flopped down into one of the chairs behind the counter, Robin eyeing me carefully.

"He's a douche." She said, with a heavy sigh.

"But can I just say something?" She added, hurriedly.

"Of course." I said.

"You didn't do anything wrong. As far as this goes, he's the guilty and the offending party. He's spoken for.... You are not." She said.

"One hundred per cent." Steve chimed in, passing me a coffee.

I took it gratefully and sighed.

"Don't feel dirty, you didn't know." Steve said.

"We had a real talk about everything, you know? About what things were like after Vecna... I never used to have a temper, but now...." I said, trailing off.

"It changed all of us, in lots of different ways." Robin said, sympathetically.

"I know we had each other." I said.

"We did, but we could only carry each other's feelings some part of the way... we could only support each other so far." Steve said.

"Which we did." Robin added.

"That's what he said." I said.

"That's one thing he's actually right about. The rest, well.... The rest he's wrong about." Robin said.

"He shouldn't have come here today." Steve said, more to himself.

"Today wasn't the day." Robin said.

"It really wasn't." I said.

"What are you going to do?" Steve asked.

"I have no idea. Right now I don't want to see him." I said.

"That's fair." Steve said.

"Do you think he'll tell her?" Robin asked.

"It didn't seem like he wanted to." I said.

"Good luck with that Munson." Steve said, raising his coffee as a toast.

"If he has any sense at all, he'll tell her and do what he should have done four years ago." Robin said.

"What should he have done?" I asked.

"Got the girl." Steve said, giving me a knowing look.

*********************************************

There was a knock on the door the next morning and I kicked myself internally that my mother answered and let him in.

And then made herself scarce.

"For the love of god..." I said under my breath, as I descended the stairs, my eyes locking with his as he stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room.

"Please don't kick me out. I just want to talk." He pleaded hurriedly.

"We have nothing to talk about." I said, flatly.

"Yes we do." He said.

"Have you told her?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." He said.

"Are you going to?" I asked.

"I'm not here to talk about Chrissy." He snapped.

"Don't you think it's weird that you're together, barely see each other and you lie to me about being with her?" I asked.

"I cannot think about anything or anyone else when you're around. All I see is you." Eddie said, with a tone of pleading in his voice.

"If that's supposed to make me feel better, it doesn't. It hasn't." I said.

"Everything I said, was true." He said.

"I don't know what to believe anymore." I said.

"You can believe me." He replied.

"Can I? I've witnessed just how easy it apparently is for you to tell a lie. How could I trust you?" I asked.

"BECAUSE I DON'T LOVE HER!" He yelled suddenly.

"I never have...." He continued, his voice now hushed.

"Why are you with her then?" I asked.

"Because the girl I wanted hopped into her car and drove straight out of dodge. You know something? If you asked me to, I'd have come with you. I wanted to come with you. I wanted you to ask me!" He cried.

"You wanted to leave Hawkins with me?" I asked, in disbelief.

"I would have packed up everything I owned, which wasn't much and yeah, I'd have come with you. I wanted you to take me with you. And you didn't! GOD! Jesus H Christ Zara, I would have left with you and never looked back!" He said, his eyes glassy with tears.

"I was head over heels for you. I still am! I never stopped believing! I knew you'd come back! I never once give up hope." He continued.

"If you had just said the word, I'd have gone with you in a heartbeat. Because there is NO me without you." He said, breathless.

"And when everyone said I'd missed my chance, I'd lost you and that we'd never see you again, I never stopped hoping." He interjected before I could speak.

"I kept your shoes, I kept them. Because I knew I'd get to give them back to you one day. So I held onto the only piece of you, you left behind." He continued.

"Why did you lie to me?" I asked, calmly.

"I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten about you, or that I'd gotten over you. There was a time when I thought I did and then you turned up here, with a single brown box that had everything you owned inside of it, wearing those damn boots, the weight of the entire world on your shoulders and I just stood there unable to believe it. I stood there and watched you and all I could think about was that you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I could never forget someone like you." He said.

"I made my peace with it, I knew there'd be a day where you'd find someone." I said.

"I did, and she thinks I don't remember that her grandmother died two years ago. She's lying to me too." He said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She has one grandmother. She died. Chrissy has been visiting her every month for two weeks. And I don't mean that she visits her at the cemetery. I know she's with Jason." He said.

"She's cheating on you?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"I've known about it for a long time. We've always been more like friends and I was okay with that. She is good company, but neither of us want to be with each other. It's just convenient." He said.

"So why not just call it quits and you both be with who you want to be with?" I asked, as though it was obvious.

"Jason's married." Eddie said flatly.

"Oh for fucks sake." I said, rolling my eyes.

"I think we both mutually wanted to be with other people and that couldn't happen for either of us. And so that provided us with some common ground. We had the same thing in common. That's why we got together. We shared the same pain." He said.

"This is just ridiculous." I said, pinching the corners of my eyes in frustration.

"It is. It's messed up, but it's true. I know how this sounds but I'm not lying to you. I lied to you, but I took no pleasure in doing it, not to you. I never planned to lie to you. I just did, at that moment. You were back Zara, you were here again. That notion alone just consumed me, took over me. We're both older, more experienced, and seen more of the lives we're supposed to have, after Vecna. I wanted to make up for the time I lost." Eddie said, imploringly.

He went to approach me and I held my hand up, indicating for him to stay where he was.

"Please.... No." I begged.

"I'd have left with you...... I really would." He whispered.

"Zara...." He continued.

"Please don't say it...." I said, closing my eyes.
I didn't want him to see me cry.

"I loved you back then. I love you now." He said, sighing.

"I love you, Zara." He continued.

"Friends don't lie." I said, as he laughed through his own tears.

"You're right... and Eleven is right. Friends don't lie. I lied, and I couldn't be more sorry." Eddie said.

I opened my eyes to look at him, tears pouring down my face as he stared at me, his face creased with regret.

"I don't want to be with Chrissy.... And I will tell her that. I've only ever wanted you." He said.

"I can't stay here, Eddie." I said, my voice almost a whisper.

"Let me try and show you what we could have if you stayed. Give me that chance to change your mind. Please let me try." He begged.

"I need some time to think about all of this." I said, clearing my throat as I wiped my face free of the tears that were cascading down my cheeks in waves.

"I need you to leave Eddie." I continued when he remained fixed to the spot.

"Please...." I whispered, hiccuping slightly.

He offered me one final looking of sheer longing, before silently walking past me to the door.

I watched him open it, and disappear through it.

********************************************

Two weeks later.

"I was talking to Wayne this week.... He had some pretty big news." My mother said, as I hunched over the marigolds we were planting in her front garden.

"Oh yeah, that his nephew is a total jerk?" I asked.

"A jerk who split up with Chrissy." My mother corrected, as I rolled my eyes.

"Turns out she was cheating on him, going away to see an old boyfriend or something like that." My mother continued.

"Well good for him." I retorted, airily.

"She left this weekend." My mother said.

I threw down the small shovel in my hands and grumbled with frustration.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, exasperated.

"Because I'm wondering what you're still doing here." She said.

"I'm planting these flowers, like you asked me to yesterday." I argued, as though it was obvious.

"I heard what that boy said to you, he told you he loved you." She said.

"It's rude to eavesdrop." I said.

"Oh I was dropping no eaves I can assure you. Whole neighbourhood probably heard you." She fired back.

"Listen Samwise, I don't care if he split with her. Why should it matter to me?" I asked.

"Because you love him. You always have. Forget about the inbetween. It's not relevant anymore. What's relevant is what you do with this information. He wants to be with you." She said.

I did love him.
God, I really did.

"Good thing about relationships is you build on trust. All you've got to do is give him the chance." My mother added.

I rose to a standing up position and stared at her for a moment, my hands on my hips.

"That boy has always had eyes for you. He always had that look on his face like you lit up the entire universe for him. He did lie to you and that wasn't right. But we've all made mistakes we're not proud of." My mother said.

"He's home?" I asked.

"He is. Wayne says he hasn't really left the house since you two had your argument." My mother said.

"Hey, where are you going?" She called to me, as I started to run down the street.

"I'm going to get the guy!" I called back.

The last thing I heard was her cheering.

****************************************
I hadn't left the house for the last week or so.
I just didn't know what to do with myself.

Chrissy had left, as I'd asked her to.
There was no point maintaining a relationship that wasn't there to begin with.

She didn't ask why and I didn't tell her.
I'd felt like this when Zara had first left.

A real black depression that had swallowed me whole and it was back now, doing the exact same thing.

I'd messed up and she didn't want to see me.
I couldn't blame her.

"HEY MUNSON!!"

I darted upright off my sofa, at the sound of someone shouting my name outside.

I reluctantly peeled myself off the sofa and crossed the room to my front window, peeling the curtain back to see Zara standing on my front porch.

"You gonna come to the door?" She asked, staring straight at me, her hands on her hips.

I released the curtain and it fell back across the window, Zara disappearing behind it.

"I can stand here all day, I can wait." She continued, with a loud and clear defiance.

I walked into the hall and slowly opened the door, meeting her gaze.

"Can we talk?" She asked, as I wordlessly opened the door wider and stepped aside to let her past.

She took the invitation and strode inside, coming to a standstill in the centre of my living room.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked her.

"You sound tired." She noted.

"I am." I answered.

"Wayne told my mom that you split up with Chrissy." She said.

"I did, it wasn't working.... Hadn't been for some time." I said.

"She's gone?" She asked me.

"As of last weekend, yeah." I answered.

"I'm not here to talk about Chrissy." She said.

"What are you here to talk about then?" I asked.

"Us." She said.

"There is no us..." I answered.

"Gee, you're observant." She said, rolling her eyes.

"I said everything I wanted to say. You asked me to leave." I said.

"Yeah, you did. And I did ask you to leave. I told you I needed to think about everything." She noted, as I felt a wave of sadness rip through me.

"You needed space, so I left you alone." I said.

"I didn't realise that you wanted to leave with me. If I'd known, I'd have asked you. I never wanted to leave you behind. I just wanted to leave this town behind. It just seemed like you wanted to stay. So I got accepted into Princeton and I went. If I'd have even caught a glimmer that you wanted to come with me, I know I wouldn't have hesitated. I'd have asked you. And when I came back here and realised you'd kept my shoes to return them to me one day..... I knew I'd made a mistake by leaving you behind. I deserted you, and I know that now." She said.

I could hear the guilt in her voice.
Guilt she didn't need to feel.
And before I could say that, she continued.

"I'd never have met Darry, I wouldn't have spend four miserable years trying to get him to love me and show me that he did. I wouldn't have gotten beat up, I wouldn't have gotten arrested and sent to jail. Probably wouldn't have a criminal record. I'd have been with you." She said.

"I'd have been with you, in some nice house somewhere, with a nice life." She continued.

"But I chose what I chose, and we're here." She said.

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"I want that nice house, I want that nice life. But I don't just want that with anyone. I want it with you." She said, as my mouth fell open in shock.

"I've always wanted that, with you. Since we were kids." She said.

"We met when we were seven." I said, as she gave me a knowing look.

"Yeah, I've wanted that since I was seven." She said, as though it was obvious.

"I used to tell my mom that we were going to get married some day, have kids and a nice house." She said.

My heart leapt in my chest, hearing those words.

"I used to tell Wayne that I'd marry you one day. I think he's been secretly disappointed all these years that I never did." I said.

"If we do this, there's a few things you need to know." She said.

"Okay?" I asked.

"I'm not the same Zara from four years ago. I'm angrier.... I'm harder than I used to be. I yell, I get frustrated easily, I'm messy, I don't really have any possessions or whatever.... I can't function without a coffee first thing, my hair will get everywhere, I'll no doubt leave wet towels on the floor, I can't cook, I'm an average cleaner, I'm scared of the dark and I have to sleep with a light on at night, I need to have comfort at all times, but out of all of that.... I'll love you with everything I do have." She said.

"You love me?" I asked, as my breath caught in my chest.

"I love you Eddie, I always have." She said.

I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face, as I closed the space between us and cautiously took her into my arms.

"I'll take everything you have and everything you are. I'll do my best every day to show you how loved you are, we can keep a light on at night and I'll cook and help you clean. If your hair gets everywhere, we can just shave it." I said, joking at the last part.

She chuckled softly, as I wiped a tear from her face.

"Just let me hear you say it again."  I said.

"I love you, Eddie." She said, as my lips hovered over hers.

"I love you." I replied, pressing my lips on hers.

I kissed her softly, bundling her up in my arms, holding her to me, not wanting to ever let go.

"For as long as you want me, I'm yours." She whispered when we parted.

"I want you forever, sweetheart." I replied.