Music poured out of the house and flooded the neighborhood. People in all kinds of different costumes filled almost every space in and around the house. "We gotta find Robin," Kat said just before they stepped through the front door. No sooner did they set foot in the house, did heads start turning to look at them. Conversations stopped mid-sentence and topics switched to be about the newest arrivals. Were they together? What was Kat even wearing? What was she supposed to be? And why did she look so good? Some of the more popular girls rolled their eyes, the guys just stared wide-eyed.
Kat wandered around the first floor of the house trying to locate Robin or at least try to spot Steve's signature locks through the crowd. Finally they found them outside playing beer pong again. Robin noticed everyone else's stares being directed a certain way before she finally saw Kat. "Kat! Hey! You made it...with Eddie! Hi!" Robin greeted them when they arrived at the table.
"Hey! Sorry, took us a bit to find you. I love the Bowie costume," Kat gushed. Robin spun around, showing it off.
"Thanks! I love your... oh my god." She said when she fully took in Kat's costume.
"Is it too much? I feel like it's too much. I mean, I love this outfit, but I don't think there isn't a single person that hasn't stared at us."
"Are you crazy? They're staring because of how ho– how..." Robin started, her eyes growing wide as she looked over to Steve to save her.
"Because of how hot you are, Kat." Steve chimed in nonchalantly. Kat was standing close enough to Eddie that she felt him tense up at the compliment.
"Mission accomplished then." Kat said with a smirk. "Okay so can we jump in here or do we gotta wait til the next game?" She asked, nodding at the table.
"Perfect timing, just gotta reset," Steve said.
They played long enough for Kat to get a buzz from the beer she had, but was quickly growing bored due to the fact her and Eddie were winning. He was quiet for the most part, staying back just to observe. Steve calling Kat hot actually got on his nerves enough that he had to control himself from constantly giving him an attitude. Luckily, he played it off well, keeping up with the group's banter. It was more like a lingering feeling in the back of his mind.
"I'm gonna go get us some real drinks," Eddie said once the game was over.
"Okay, we'll be out here so you can find us." Kat said, smiling at him. He went into the house, disappearing into the sea of people that filled the large living room. As soon as he was inside, Kat turned to Robin. "Okay, I think you're right."
"About...?"
"About, you know..." Kat said as she nodded towards the house, referring to Eddie. She ended up recounting the events that happened in the car on the way to the party.
"Wow, it only took you a few days to catch up to the rest of the class!" Robin teased.
"Robin, what do I do?!" Kat said, clearly showing how flustered she was by the whole situation.
"What do you mean? You guys are perfect for each other. If he's being obvious enough that even you are catching on now..."
"No, but, I can't. This won't... We're friends. We need to stay friends." Robin just gave Kat a look. "It's true! It's better that way. Ugh! You know what, I'm not dealing with this tonight." She huffed as she grabbed a random solo cup filled with beer off the pong table and just downed it.
Robin raised her eyebrows at Kat. "Because that is definitely one way the truth won't come out," she mumbled.
"So, Kat, what are you supposed to be anyway?" Steve asked her.
"Uh... a cultist? I just wanted to give the people a little scare," Kat giggled.
"Definitely spooky." Steve nodded in agreement. Robin's eyes lit up and she nudged Steve. "Ow! What?"
"Cynthia! One o'clock!" Robin pointed out.
Steve ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry ladies, but duty calls," he said, bowing out of their little group.
"Are you guys, like, each other's wingperson or something?" Kat asked.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Robin chuckled lightly, taking a sip of her drink.
"Maybe Vickie is here somewhere..." Kat whispered loud enough for just Robin to hear as she strained her neck looking around. Robin almost choked on her drink. "Sorry, sometimes I can just tell. I've seen her sneaking glances at you, it's totally cute. And like, don't worry, I won't tell a soul. I've done some crazy shit at parties back home too, so like, I get it."
"I... uh, wow. Okay. That's actually a relief you already know. Wait, no. There's no way Vickie even notices me. Are you crazy?"
"Now who's the one that has to catch up with the rest of the class?" Kat smirked.
"No. Nope. There's no way. She doesn't even notice me outside of band."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" Kat said in a sing-songy voice. Now it was Robin's turn to down the rest of her drink and grab another of whatever was in reach. Kat was shaking her head as Eddie weaved his way back by her side.
"Took forever to find that," he said as he handed her her ice-filled drink, which Kat sniffed to figure out what it was and it quickly brought a smile to her face.
"You remembered!" She said excitedly as she took a sip of the whiskey Eddie brought her.
"Of course I did," Eddie said, shrugging in a self-assured manner.
Robin raised her eyebrows again and casted a look at Kat. "Shut up, Robin," she mumbled into her drink in response as she took another big gulp of it.
"She didn't say anything?" Eddie asked, confused.
"Well that was a bust." Steve said as he rejoined the group.
"You're back already? Oof." Robin said, Steve shot her a look.
"I'll have you know everything was going very well. Until her boyfriend showed up." He said flatly, rolling his eyes before taking a large sip of the drink in his hand.
"Weren't you supposed to be, like, some hotshot here or something?" Kat asked. Eddie and Robin both stifled their laughter.
"I still am a hotshot, Kat. Thank you very much. It's not my fault that the ladies are being hard to get."
"Oh yeah, sure, Steve, blame the ladies." Kat mocked and then bursted out laughing, taking another sip of her whiskey.
"How did you not know Cynthia had a boyfriend?" Eddie chimed in. Steve and Robin looked at him, surprised he even knew who they were talking about.
"Well, some of us actually graduated on time, Munson," Steve shot back. Eddie just flipped him off.
"And don't some of us move on from high school once they graduate, Harrington? Hmm?" Kat retorted, squinting her eyes at Steve. Eddie covered his mouth with his fist as a poor attempt to hide his laughter.
"She got you good, Harrington." Robin laughed. Steve just sputtered nonsense as he tried to come up with a comeback, but couldn't.
"Alright," Kat began, throwing back the rest of her whiskey, "it's time to dance." She grabbed Eddie's hand and made her way into the house. "Come on guys, you know you wanna!" She called behind her to Robin and Steve. They looked at each other and shrugged and followed them inside.
Kat didn't even register what song was playing, she just immersed herself in the sea of costumed bodies with Eddie by her side. She danced and laughed, forgetting about her past and her worries. It took some convincing and another drink to get Eddie to really loosen up, but Kat's drunken happiness was infectious. He couldn't help but join her. Even Robin and Steve went right along with her, just letting loose and enjoying some carefree moments.
Some time later, she did need to take a small break. She yelled over the music to her friends that she was going to get another drink. Grabbing Eddie by the hand again, she dragged him with her. All the drinks were strewn about the kitchen. Empty bottles, half full bottles, knocked over cups, all littered the counter space.
"Kat, you really should have some water before you have anything else," warned Eddie, which caused Kat to pout.
"Aww, daddy, you're no fun." She tried to keep pouting, but ended up in a fit of giggles.
"Excuse you?" Eddie asked in a high pitched voice with his eyebrows raised as high as they would go, truly stunned by her comment.
"You heard me." She laughed again, leaning into him, covering her face.
"Yeah, I'm getting you water." He said as he searched for a clean solo cup. When he did, he filled it up with water from the tap. "Please, just humor me, and drink this." Kat shrugged and did as she was told.
"Okay, but, I'm having one more drink after this."
"Whatever, just drink that. All of it." She gave him a salute and downed the water in a couple gulps, turning it upside down when she was done.
"See? All gone." After she gave him a shit-eating grin and gave him back the cup. She then found a shot glass and washed it in the sink. Eddie just laughed at her sudden responsibleness. "Now you're being responsible?" He commented.
"What! I don't know where this has been." She defended. Once she was done, she combed through all the bottles that still had something in them. Nestled next to the fridge was a little tequila station. Her eyes lit up and she made a beeline over to it. Before Eddie could even register what she was getting up to, her hand was salted and the shot poured. He only realized after she had it knocked back and went to bite the lime what she had gotten into.
"You do not mess around do you? Okay, okay. I think you're good for now. How about another glass of water? Yeah?" He said as he got her a refill. Luckily, the one shot had satisfied her and she happily drank the water. It wasn't until she heard the opening drum beat to "Take On Me" by A-Ha did her eyes become as wide as a kid's first glimpse of their Christmas presents.
"Come on!Don't even tell me you don't love this song!" She grabbed Eddie by the wrist this time, pulling him onto the dance floor. She sang the words right to him as loud as she could and danced her little heart out, but after the first chorus, she broke away from him and climbed up on a table nearby. She was whooping and hyping everyone up before she started belting out the lyrics. When she sang "You're all the things I've got to remember, You're shying away, I'll be coming for you anyway," she sang it directly to Eddie, giving him a wink before she continued her impromptu performance.
When the song ended, Eddie helped her down. It was miraculous she didn't fall, given how high her heels were. People around her cheered, celebrating the fun show.
"Kat, are you serious?! You can sing! That was wild!" Robin declared running up to Kat.
"Thank you, thank you!" Shortly after, Kat excused herself to go to the bathroom. Eddie let her go, keeping a watchful eye at a safe distance in the off chance she heard someone gossiping about her and decided to let them have it. She made it to the bathroom alright, but on the way back to her friends, things went a little differently when she did indeed catch two girls talking about her.
"Oh my god, look at her. She clearly just wants attention." Some basketball player's girlfriend was saying.
"Right? I mean her outfit is just asking for it. She looks like a total slut. Trying to show off. And for what?"
"Seriously, like, I get it's Halloween, but who does she think she even is?"
"And she's with that freak, Munson! Is that who she's trying to impress? Like, ew!"
Kat, feeling bold as ever, slid herself right between the two girls and looked at her nails. "I don't know, I thought I looked amazing in this outfit, which you two probably couldn't pull off, like, ever." The girls exchanged scared looks with each other. "What? Don't stop talking on my account just because I'm here. I would love to hear more. Do you think my dancing was a little too much? I tried to tone it down so I could sing, but I just couldn't help myself!" Kat paused looking at them expectantly, waiting for a response. "Aw, what's wrong ladies? Cat's got your tongues?" She sarcastically pouted as she grabbed both girls by their shoulders. Her clever pun was inspired by her thinking she had literally been pinching their tongues down. She imagined the grip she had on their shoulders to be like the grip she could have had on their tongues to get them to shut up. The girls started to whimper as if that was actually happening to them, but anyone who saw them would think it was because of Kat's grip. "Maybe next time, you should check who's around before you start talking shit, yeah? And for the record, I am simply having fun and Eddie is like, my best friend, so keep his name out of your mouths." Her grip tightened even harder with her last sentence. It wasn't until she heard her name did she lose her focus. She noticed Eddie coming towards her and her gaze softened. She released the girls with a shove and went right to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and spinning him around so she was facing the girls, staring them down.
Eddie held Kat by her waist, slightly taken aback at her sudden outburst affection. Not that he was complaining, he just knew she needed to get home soon. "Hey, you wanna get outta here? Nothing is going to top a Kat Ramsay performance, so as far as I'm concerned this party is over." He said, whispering into her ear. She let go of him, her hand sliding down his arm, as she grabbed his hand yet again. Every time she did that, it sent shockwaves through Eddie and he did his best not to let that show outwardly. "Okay, let me just say bye to Robin!" She dragged Eddie behind her, finding Robin so they could let her know they were leaving. Soon enough, they were nearing her car, Kat never letting go of Eddie's hand.
Kat's sudden displays of affection were actually surprising to him. He knew something would happen between eventually, but seeing Kat completely let go of any and all inhibitions made him realize just how much she kept inside. Immediately when he first saw her and her attitude he could tell that she had been through some shit. There's nothing he wouldn't do for her. The closer they became, the more attached he got.
Eddie was someone who could easily take care of himself in any given situation. He usually was smart when it came to picking his battles, but the way Kat time and time again went to his immediate defense when someone said his name with even the slightest negative tone, warmed his heart more than anything ever had before. If she was the reason he was fated to repeat years and years of high school, he would do it over and over and over again if it meant having her by his side.
As they got closer to Kat's car, the terrain made her a little wobbly. Not wanting her to break an ankle, Eddie dropped her hand and put his arm around her waist to steady her, guiding her to the passenger side of her car. He went to open the door for her, but she slithered in front him and leaned against her car, blocking the door. She reached for the belt loops on his breeches and pulled him close to her. Adoration filled her eyes as she gazed into his. She reached up to brush some curls that had fallen out of place. "You look so pretty in the moonlight," she whispered. The moon having been full just a few days prior was still bright enough to illuminate his features. Kat, still having her hand up, moved it to gently stroke his cheek with the back of fingers.
Suddenly, for the second time that night, she lurched forward to wrap her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. Her movement caused Eddie to take a slight step back, but he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, steadying the both of them. "You're, like, my best friend. Like, I've never had a friend like you and...and it's... Please just don't leave me. I don't think... I couldn't handle–" She continued to whisper in his ear while her eyes welled up with tears.
Eddie pushed her back just so that he could look at her. "Hey, hey. Don't cry." He consoled as he wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "I'm not going to leave you. I would never leave you."
"But everyone does. Everyone always does." Kat bit her lip to keep it from quivering. Eddie cupped her face in his hands.
"Well, I am not everyone, sweetheart. I, Eddie 'The Freak' Munson, solemnly swear to never abandon you. You have my word." He said, leaning his forehead onto hers. She smiled but then lightly pushed his shoulder back.
"Don't call yourself a freak. I don't like that. You're a nerd. Not a freak." She said sternly. Eddie playfully rolled his eyes.
"Fine then. I, Eddie 'The Nerd' Munson, solemnly swear to never abandon you. Better?"
"Mhm. Much better," giggled Kat.
"Gross! Get a room you Satanic freaks!" Some jock in a toga yelled to them as he and his group of friends were walking to their cars. Kat squinted her eyes to see who it was over Eddie's shoulder and saw they had two girls who were gossiping about her earlier in tow.
"Kat, just leave it alone, let's get you home now." Eddie said purposefully trying to move her away from the door handle.
Her breathing picked up and she felt this tingling rage slowly build up inside her. She just waved her hand as if trying to knock the guy over. In her head she was imagining slamming him in the side with a wall of energy. And just like that, he toppled over into the bushes. "What the–!" She heard him yell. All his other friends were making fun of him for being too drunk. While one guy offered a hand to help him up, he stared at Kat horrified. She returned his stare by glaring at him menicfully. "Yeah, I'm over this. Let's get out of here."
Eddie helped her into the car, his heart singing as she somehow managed to defend him yet again. He was never really sure how whenever she was around, something always happened to those that tried to mess with either of them. Shaking his head, he ignored the insane thought that popped into his mind. It was probably just a coincidence. Meanwhile, as Kat sat in the car waiting for Eddie to get in, she wiped her nose on her cloak. Blood. It had been years since this had regularly happened to Kat and ever since coming to Hawkins it had been happening more and more again. She shrugged it off, still too drunk to care. She shuffled through her tapes again. "Ah ha!" She said when she found the one she was looking for. "This is the Halloween feel I want." Happily she began bobbing her head to the opening chords of "Evil" by Mercyful Fate. Eddie smiled and chuckled to himself, always taken by surprise how alike him and Kat were.
Towards the end of the drive, Eddie took a chance by asking Kat a serious question. He figured she was more likely not to dodge it in her current state. "Why do you always defend me around the jocks?"
"Because they're assholes and you don't deserve to be treated like that." She matter of factly stated through slurred speech. "Stop trying to be the big tough boy that doesn't let anything bother him. I know it does!" She clumsily raised her finger, pointing at Eddie.
"You don't gotta go fighting my battles, you know. I've dealt with this for...pretty much my whole life. Part of the territory."
"Well. I don't let people treat my friends like shit. Deal with it." Kat huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Sometimes it's not worth it to do that every single time." This caused Kat to squint her eyes and slowly turn her head to look at him.
"Don't. Care. Deal with it."
"Kat, I know how they are. I'm telling you–" He knew this conversation should have been tabled for later, but he couldn't help himself from trying to explain it to her.
"And I'm telling you, I can't control myself when I get pissed off. If it's bad enough, I just. Weird shit happens and I can't control it. So, you're just gonna have to deal."
Luckily before things escalated anything further, Eddie parked the car in Kat's driveway. She carefully made her way into her house, plopping on the seat in her foyer to take off her boots.
"Okay, so, welcome to my humble abode." Kat said, presenting the first floor to Eddie.
"I see what you mean about it not having much character."
"Right?! I told you. So generic." Kat made her way up the stairs. "You just gonna stand there? This is the grand tour." When she turned to start up the stairs again she tripped, but quickly caught herself. "Oop, careful, there's a step there," she giggled as she continued on her way to her room, Eddie quickly catching up to her.
"How do you make it a whole night in those boots and you trip barefoot up your own stairs?" He asked her, laughing. She just shrugged and continued giggling.
"That's the bathroom," she pointed to her left. "This is my room." She turned to the right and opened her door, flipping on the lights. Of course, Eddie went straight to her guitar. Kat threw her shoes near her closet and took off her cloak. "You can stay awhile. My aunt won't be back til, like, I dunno, late?" Kat said as she left briefly to use the bathroom. Eddie poked around her room, taking his time to go through her extensive record collection while he waited for her to come back.
When she returned, she went to the middle drawer in her desk and fished out a pack of Marlboros and a lighter. She stumbled over to her window, opening it, and lighting her cigarette. Kat was staring at the moon while Eddie went and put Dio's Sacred Heart album on. Striding over to her, he held out his hand and said "Care to share?" Tearing her gaze from the window, she flapped her hand around to get the pack of smokes off her desk to hand it to him with a dopey smile across her face. He lit up his own cigarette, leaning against Kat's desk next to where she sat on top of it, swinging her legs.
Eddie looked down at her, a half smile on his face as he just watched her sway her head to the music. It took half a song before she looked up at him. "What?" She laughed.
"Nothin'." He smiled before he took another drag. Kat put hers out in an abalone shell ashtray.
"You can say it's 'cause I'm pretty."
Taking a final drag and putting out his cigarette, he shook his head and laughed at her. "Pretty doesn't even begin to cover it, princess."
She hopped off the desk, Eddie quickly grabbed her arm to steady her. Twirling to face him, she crossed her arms on his chest and rested her chin on them, looking up at him. "Then what does?" She asked, batting her eyelashes. Before he could even respond, the tattoo on his chest caught her eye instantly distracting her. She pulled his shirt to the side and analyzed it, revealing there were actually two there. Lightly, she traced them with her fingers. Eddie had hoped she couldn't feel his heart rate steadily increasing. "I like these," she smiled as she moved to trace the one that looked like some kind of demon. "Why a black widow?"
"Recurring dream." He whispered.
Kat's eyes lit up in surprise. "Like me! Remember when I told you about..?" She said with a look of excited shock still on her face as she pointed to her left forearm.
"I remember," he chortled.
Kat left her hand on his chest, bringing her gaze up to his eyes. Her other hand began to play with his hair, twirling one his curls around her finger. "Do you think...Do you think we're just gonna stay friends?" He looked at her quizzically. "Like, just friends," she slurred. She relaxed her hand and his curl fell across his face. "Because I don't..." Reaching up to brush the hair out of his face while staring at his lips, she continued, "I don't think... I dunno how much longer..." Her hand stroked his face before she held his neck. "I can pretend that I don't..." She cut herself off by pulling him down towards her. In the state she was in, her kiss was sloppy, not that Eddie cared in the slightest. He reached up to hold her face as the kiss deepened. The electricity between them could have caught the room on fire.
Eddie thought he knew Kat well enough, that come tomorrow morning, she would deny what she had just said. He knew she really wasn't ready to face the feelings she had for him. Not wanting her to regret anything, it took all his strength to break from the kiss and gently push her away. "Kat, we can't... Not this way," he whispered breathlessly. She looked confused and almost angry that he was the one who stopped the kiss. "But I thought–" She started but then her face fell. "Uh oh." She said as she turned around and made a run for the bathroom, the night had finally caught up with her.
She bent over the toilet, emptying all the contents from her stomach. Eddie followed right behind her. He held her hair in one hand and rubbed her back with the other. When Kat was finished, she flushed the toilet and leaned back against the tub. "Shit," she groaned. Eddie helped her clean herself up, before making sure she got into her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.
He caressed her head, muttering "Sweet dreams, princess," before he saw himself out. All the while he was wondering just how much Kat would remember from tonight. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted her to remember everything, debating if it was best if she didn't. He feared she would be filled with regret and remorse at her drunken antics. During his drive home he planned out scenarios of what he would say to make sure they stayed friends, in case she did end up feeling that way. He sighed as he entered his trailer. The wait until he could talk to her again already felt excruciating, but only time will tell how the ever unpredictable Kat Ramsay would feel.