Eddie Munson + Being A Lil Spider Monkey

Season 4: Chapter 7 — The Massacre At Hawkins Lab

colemontgomeryx·:

xx. 

Cole didn’t waver under Eddie’s gaze. If he was correct, Eddie’s behavior made sense. Cole felt it too, the fear of being found out by someone who wasn’t safe. It was the reason Cole and Adam snuck around for the three years they were together– to avoid the football jocks and the band geeks and the teachers berating them and calling them names. Only it never stopped there; it often got physical, violent. Of course Eddie was afraid.

It was like they were playing chicken, like they were standing in front of a train for as long as possible and pulling back at the last second– exhilarating, maybe, but not satisfying. Something about being in the mall, all his thoughts about Adam… it was the perfect concoction for a confession. “I like guys,” he said, meeting Eddie’s eyes again. “Adam was my boyfriend.”

And then: relief. Cole felt like he’d recovered part of himself, like he’d regained a phantom limb. He hadn’t been able to talk about his feelings this openly since, well, Adam. It was refreshing, rejuvenating even. “If you want, I’ll prove it,” he teased, giving Eddie a once-over. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so open about it, but what’s the worst that could happen?

+++

see, cole could’ve hit eddie flat in the face with a giant metal sign that said ‘i’m into guys’ and he still wouldn’t have taken the hint. just...the thought of someone else in hawkins that was like him. surely not - or well, they just wouldn’t come right out the gate and say it. no, being...different, whatever kind of different, and living in that godforsaken town - for some people that was comparable to a death sentence.

still, his eyes widened, blinking at cole with that ‘deer caught in the headlights’ look as he hastily in- and exhaled the smoke. not that that did anything in terms of calming him down. on the contrary, eddie just started to fidget more. “as in....you like them or...like, like like them....” he felt like a fucking middle-schooler. but he just continued. “your boyfriend. you mean like when ... wheeler and buckley or like, i dunno, girls call each other ‘girl-friends’ or like....like if...like, when wheeler called harrington her ‘boyfriend’ when they were still a thing?”

as confused as eddie was about the whole situation he apparently still had it in him to blush and get insanely flustered at cole’s....suggestion? if that’s what it was? lips parted, mouth dropped open slightly, he took another drag. his eyes never left cole’s, only once to go look around them, see if anyone was in earshot. negative. “h-how....”, his lips formed around words he didn’t say, a thousand scenarios flashes in his head. eddie blinked.”...how would - you, uh, prove....it?”

where: blue quarry mall who: eddie + cole ! @colemontgomeryx​​

despite the inital apprehension, because he really didn’t need the hawkins police department all up in his business again, not when he’d been a murder suspect barely two years ago, eddie slowly felt himself relax, some of the tension slipping from his body. not all, ever since that upside down debacle he hadn’t been able to relax fully. but the beer helped - bless that kid who’d brought the keg - and the general air of...insanity that lingered amongst the party-goers and protesters.

the sounds of black sabbath filled the mall, eddie felt himself nodding along to the tune, and, hey, he really didn’t care that most of the people here had never heard of ozzy osbourne in their lives. they all seemed to have a great time, anyway. so he didn’t even need to whip out that tape of 1988′s top of the pops he’d recorded, just in case they’d want to burn him at the stake for seducing them with his evil satanic dnd music.

he leaned against a pillar, let his eyes wander among the crowed, took a sip of beer and - hey, there he was, that kid with the keg. definitely not a kid now that he got a proper look at him. eddie tilted his head, his mouth dropped open slightly and he craned his neck, pushed himself off the wall, because... wait a minute.

wait a damn minute. he narrowed his eyes, looked down and. holy shit. well, if his eyes weren’t deceiving him then that - yeah that - that was a bandana. dangling from his - cole’s - back pocket. on display. he nearly choked on his beer, coughed and, taking another sip to ease said cough, he booked it across the mall, tapped him on the shoulder.

“hey, man - cole.”, he said, held eye contact with him for perhaps a tad longer than was appropriate. cleared his throat, gestured down towards his own back pocket. a quick look left and right, they weren’t in hearing distance of anyone else. still, he lowered his voice. “hey man, are you... are you flagging?”

cassieconrads·:

WHO: cassie conrad & @eddiemcnson· WHERE: near town hall

Ever since Cassie had seen her, the cheerleader, in her mind, it was all she could think about. She hadn’t even seen the girl’s face, really–Cassie had become her, and the thought of who it could have been had been racking her brain every waking moment (which there were many of, since she hadn’t slept). She finally had the chance to sneak out of the Wheeler household and head to the library, where she could maybe find some more information. Asking Nancy seemed too risky–she didn’t want to worry her about some weird vision that she had at the cemetery just yet, not until it seemed important enough. With Thad in town, she had enough to worry about.

Looking like a lost tourist with her folded map again outstretched, Cassie sat on a bench outside the Town Hall, looking for her bearings. It seemed like the library had to be close enough to where she was, but it was too hard to tell on the dated map. “Hey! Would you mind, um, giving me some help with this map?” she asked the guy passing her, thankful that she finally found someone to help. “Sorry, I know this one is from a few years ago, and I’m trying to find the library, but every street … looks the same.”

+++

eddie was a little disgruntled, seeing as he found himself on the second walk through town this week. walkman clasped to his belt, headphones tight and secure over his ears, he just needed a little fresh air to clear his head. after the disaster at benny’s. the fact that hopper had been there at least meant he didn’t need to worry about the cops busting down the trailer door to arrest him for arson - if it was going to be pinned on anyone, eddie was sure it’d be him -  but the other aspects of their investigation just didn’t seem to leave him.

well, granted, how could he hope to get some peace of mind when they had stumbled across those freakishly large eggs - hatched eggs, he thought to himself and grimaced - and had set the freaking diner on fire, too. it was hopeless. coming back to hawkins, that cloud of threat and doom always lingered above them. some people went as far as saying that hawkins was cursed. eddie thought that they were absolutely spot on right on the money.

“huh?” eddie jumped a little, pulled down his headphones so they hung around his neck. he glanced down at the map, frowned, looked back up. “uh...you know what, i’m like, headed in a similar-ish direction. wanna tag along? i mean, i gotta warn you i’ve got a bit of a reputation as the town ‘freak’ ‘round here, so you might get some, uh, dirty looks.”

So apparently men's crop tops were a thing during the 80s...

savethevirginia·:

—  ❤ —

Ginny hadn’t been back in town long. It had only been about a month since she walked that Penn State stage and she had spent a lot of time catching up with her selected family and Cal. After all, they were the ones at the top of her list. Everyone else just eventually fell below that until she either ran into them or bothered to pick up the phone and call anyone who’s number she could remember. 

It was hot out on this particular day in Hawkins. Probably something to do with all that talk her dad did about global warming. After getting done with her shift, she went out of her way to stop by Melvald’s to pick up a few things, still in her swimsuit (with a totally appropriate pair of short on over!). Turns out, her dad didn’t exactly stay stocked up on Ginny’s favorite snacks. She had a basket in her arms full of chips, sugary drinks, and ventured into the dairy aisle to hunt down enough yogurt to sustain her for the next week.

She almost didn’t notice him, masked by pulled up hair and an uncharacteristic shirt, but she’d recognize Eddie Munson anywhere. Even in a crowd of a thousand people. Ginny had lost contact with a lot of people after high school, including Eddie. At one point in time, they had been close. In some ways, she’d still consider him one of her closest friends. They were both outsiders, losers, and while high school was one of the most miserable times in Ginny’s life, Eddie had made it… slightly tolerable.

“Now, Edward, I don’t think we have to have a lesson in manners, do we?” She teased, her face not moving from its cool state as she walked towards him. "I heard you’re wanted again,” she pointed out, as if he didn’t know. She had read the paper and seeing his name in big black letters surprised her. He should be in Chicago, slumming it up with the other like minded freaks of the world. “Please tell me that’s the reason for this sad ensemble,” she pulled at the collar of his flannel. “You can’t go changing on me.”

+++

eddie frowned, his brows twitching as he looked at her. god, he hadn’t seen her since ... he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen her. must’ve been sometime around graduation, some two years ago. before eddie had booked it out of hawkins at the first opportunity, leaving his old life behind - that meant friends, too, of course. wasn’t a big deal, right? lots of people lost contact with their school friends over the years, time passed, life went on. for eddie it was all a bit different, seeing as he didn’t have many school friends to begin with. less people meant they were more important to him, less likely to be forgotten and left behind. ginny driscoll however was a face he truly thought he’d never see again, save for the odd high school reunion (that he probably wouldn’t attend, anyway). 

they’d been close in school, two outsiders who’d formed a caharacteristic acquaintance. then came spring break of ‘86, the witch hunt instigated by one jason carver, the upside down. weeks spent in the hospital, a silent walk across the stage at graduation. he’d flipped off principal higgins as promised, had agreed to a small graduation celebration at the new trailer and in the morning his van had left hawkins for the last time in months. he hadn’t told anyone, had barely talked to anyone except for the people who’d been through the whole vecna situation with him. that hadn’t included ginny.

he gave her a nod, fumbled awkwardly with a loose thread on his sleeve. “yup. heard that too.” it was ironic, how he’d just listened to ‘wanted man’ by ratt back in the van. everything about coming back to hawkins seemed ironic lately, and also fucking tragic. “that’s exactly why i’m dressed like my uncle right now. better to blend in when you’re wanted for arson, right?” and he gave her a weak chuckle, more of an amused scoff, pulling his sleeves further down. “you’re one to talk. seems like you’ve done an awful lot of changing. didn’t even recognise you at first. what’re you doing back in hawkins?”

steve & company - 001/???

001 - the fruity four @rcbinbvckleys ; @eddiemcnson ; @backtowheeler

where: where do we think

what: eddie’s making his rounds at the hospital ig

who: @backtowheeler​ + eddie.

coming to see that steve was doing semi-okay, that he was awake at least and well on the road to recovery had calmed his jangled nerves signifcantly. however, it had done nothing for the rest of his sleep-deprived being,truly, he must’ve looked like a ghost, roaming around the painfully brightly lit hallways. he felt like it, too, felt like he could very well collapse with every step he took.  but it was fine, he’d catch some shut eye later, maybe a quick nap in that awfully uncomfortable plastic chair next to steve’s bed. eddie wasn’t leaving him out of his sight again. not a chance in hell.

surpressing a yawn, he pulled the door to what he suspected to be steve’s room open with considerable effort - had it gotten heavier in the last then minutes ? - clutching the cup of ice chips he’d left the room in search of. “your delivery, my lieg- oh.” eddie stopped, blinked and frowned as he wasn’t greeted with the sight of steve but rather nancy. a couple of beats passed in silence as eddie stood there, waited, so he could be certain that this was real and not some sleep-drunk hallucination. “wheeler, hey. i was just -” just what? ‘paying your ex-boyfriend who i’ve been sort of secretly dating for the past two weeks or so a visit and got lost on the way back?’ he pressed his lips together. “checking in on people. uh, steve.” clicking his tongue, he gave her a sheepish smile. “how are you holding up?”

where: blue quarry mall

who: eddie + max !

@zccming​​

despite popular belief, eddie wasn’t completely clueless. he was in a lot of matters, mostly concerning normal social interactions, but he wasn’t completely oblivious to what had happened those years ago on the very spot they were now standing, partying. after venturing through the upside down he’d been filled in on most of the gory details on what whack shit had taken place in hawkins and it had all started to make a little more sense.

presently, eddie knew, they were very much dancing on graves. of people who had died posessed by the mindflayer, people who had been ‘collateral damage’ and people who had heroically sacrificed themselves. people like billy hargrove.

he’d never been that close to billy, hadn’t come to known the guy that well, except for a few hushed drug deals here and there. their connection hadn’t gone past a somewhat acknowledging nod to one another at a metal gig. but eddie knew that, in a twisted way, he’d filled the position that billy had left -

- in max mayfield’s life. so he’d kept close watch of her througout the evening from his position next to the stereo. when he’d spotted her a little further away from the crowd, he’d quickly made his way over.

“hey kid. you good? having fun?”

elevcnhops·:

WHERE ; benny’s burnt down diner WHO ; el &. @eddiemcnson·

of course he was an admired hero in their party - dustin wouldn’t stop talking about him on more than one occasion. even mike had mentioned the other once or twice. eleven just never imagined she would be meeting him in a deserted diner. even more surprising that he was still around after… everything. remembering his absolute panic as the lights went out. and even all the things after. feeling a bit guilty, their experience felt all too familiar. this was probably her fault. the never ending twinge of guilt ever since she returned.

better yet, he was back at the place of their first actual encounter. el’s better judgement leading her back to the diner. the other night with nancy and Hop… but he was there. she could recognize that hair anywhere. she wasn’t the only nosy one in this town apparently.

eleven smelled the ash before she could sense it. sure, the smell of burnt concrete was a grim reminder of the fact.. this place was done for. “ do you see anything? “ she didn’t know his name, only that he was to be trusted. inhaling briefly in the aftermath of the destruction that they brought upon themselves. “ eleven. “ giving him a second of truth as she roamed through the debris. “ and you? “ hiding the rosy tiny upon her cheeks as embarrassment flooded her questioning tone. “ i’m sorry, i should know that. “

+++

it was stupid. it was a horribly, horrifically stupid idea but, staying true to the munson name, eddie actually found himself standing where benny’s diner once had been, just... staring. contemplating, maybe? he didn’t know. didn’t know what had posessed him to hop into his van and drive back there in the first place but there he was, standing in the midst of the burnt down ruins, just looking.

eddie liked to think that he didn’t know what he was looking for but that was a lie,  eddie knew exactly what he was looking for as he absent-mindedly kicked some pieces of gravel through the ash. those ‘eggs’, those freakishly large eggs that had had tears and cracks running through them. and the weird sludge, just... clues. he was looking for clues. upside down clues and he hated the thought of that with a fiery passion. 

“god - jesus - fuck!”, eddie jumped, one heart coming up to clutch at his heart as he whipped around violently, curls whipping through the air like daggers. the frame of ... hopper junior, eddie didn’t know her name, came into view and a shaky yet relieved breath was drawn from his lips. hands on his thighs, eddie dropped his head, took a couple beats to get his breathing under control. “shit, man! you can’t just creep up on people like that.”

after what had happened at benny’s, eddie was even more on edge than usual. he frowned. “no, i...don’t see anything, kid. ‘cept for you, scaring the freaking daylights outta me.”, he muttered, eyes travelling over the site once more. confirming to himself that he was definitely not seeing any eggs or the like.

eddie narrowed his eyes, brows drawn together tightly. “huh? eleven?”, he echoed, looked her up and down. then looked behind her, to see if he’d missed anything. or anyone. “eleven what?”

this exchange was getting weirder by the minute, eddie planted his hands on his hips. “uh, eddie. munson.”, he said after a moment, smiled. “well, i mean i’ve got no idea who you are, hopper junior, so no offense taken.”