Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Fingers gently ran through her strawberry hair as she slept. Eddie softly hummed a soft version of some metal band she didn’t know as he soothed her nerves. Chrissy had no idea exactly what had happened but she remembered being in Eddie’s trailer and then the next moment she was falling on top of Eddie and the ceiling was covered in vines. He had held her face in his hands caressing her like she was glass. She was so scared and he had rolled them out of the way of a winged bat that came through the ceiling. Next thing she knew they were speeding off in his van.

They currently were hauled up in a cabin that was a friend of Eddie’s awaiting the call from a boy named Dustin. Chrissy had her head on a pillow next to Eddie’s leg and Eddie was gently stroking her hair. Chrissy looked up at the rings on his fingers. Carefully she took his hand in her smaller one and turned his hand over looking at the rings.
The town had believed he was holding Chrissy hostage or something which was ludicrous to her. Eddie was the sweetest, kindest man she had ever met. She couldn’t understand why they thought he was a monster.
“You have some calloused fingers, is that from playing guitar?” She asked looking up at his face. Eddie gave her his signature smile and nodded.
“Years of playing helped mould these babies into guitar playing masters.” He wiggled his fingers admiringly. She thought he was very talented if she remembered correctly.
“What about you? Has cheerleading toughened your hands?” he asked taking hold of her small hand and running the pad of his thumb over the soft skin. Chrissy giggled and turned onto her back.
“No, nothing like that. I do have high endurance though. Having to remember all the moves and choreography, it was hard at first but I worked hard. The extra cardio kept my mom happy with my weight.” She explained subconsciously pulling her shirt down. Eddie noticed but didnt comment. He continued to play with her hair while his other hand still held her soft finger tips.
“Nah you’re perfect the way you are.” He replied softly. Chrissy looked up at Eddie.
This was Eddie Munson, Jason had always declared him a freak and loser. But Eddie was none of those things. He was kind, sweet, caring. Nothing like people said. He released her hand and gently stroked her cheek.
“You are something else Chrissy Cunningham.” He smiled again at her and she felt her heart speed up. What would he do if she leaned up towards him? She wondered. They held that gaze for a moment more, both wondering the same question but both too shy to act on it.

The radio on the coffee table crackled to life and Eddie reached forward grabbing the device. Snapping them out of the little moment.
“Henderson you there?” He asked pressing the reciver.
“Eddie can you hear me?” a voice replied all statically.
“yeah loud and clear man. We’re here.” Eddie said.
He was hopping he and his little band of hobbits had found abything at the school that could help Chrissy.

Chrissy blinked and suddenly she was by herself.
She sat up.
“Eddie?!” she called. The Erie feeling from when she was in the trailer reappeared. She let out a cry realizing she wasn’t alone and there was a ….person standing in the shadows against the wall. The same person who she had seen in the bathroom the day prior.
“Eddie! Eddie!” she yelled running to the door. The door was bolted shut. Chrissy began to panic and hit her fists on the wood paneling.
“Eddie!” she screamed.

Eddie pressed the receiver.
“Say again Henderson you cut out there.” He said.
“don’t……chrissy… fall asleep! Don’t let chrissy fall asleep!” He repeated. Eddie looked down at chrissy and dropped the walkie talkie. Her eyes were staring ahead like they had been back at the trailer.
“Shit. Chrissy? Chrissy wake up. Chrissy wake up now!” He tried to shake her but she didn’t make any movement of waking up.
He grabbed the talkie and hit the receiver. “Henderson, somethings wrong she isn’t waking up she’s just staring ahead.” He explained.
There was a commotion on the other line and Steve Harrington’s voice came through.
“You need to play music! Play something she likes!” He said.
“I’m a bit out of ideas here! Wait. Radio. Henderson I need you to put the walkie up to the radio and turn it to local now!” He said. Eddie had remembered on the way to the trailer she mentioned something about a sing on the local radio station.
Eddie kneeled next to the couch and put the walkie talkie by Chrissys ear.
“Please work.” He prayed.
The sound of a Madonna song came through the speaker.

Chrissy was crying, God she was scared.
The disfigured man held out his long crawl like hand and ran a nail down her face drawing blood. Chrissy let out a sob and suddenly she could hear the sound of music playing, she could hear Eddie’s voice telling her to wake up. The creature growled and pulled back as Chrissy pulled on the door again and this time it opened and she ran through.
She blinked and sat forward, her arms went around Eddie’s neck and the force sent them backwards onto the floor. With her on top of him.
“Oh shit it worked!” He gasped holding her tight. It had worked. The music had woken her up or broke whatever spell thus was.
“Eddie did it work! Is she ok?” Dustin’s voice came through the walkie talkie.
Eddie reached out grasping for the walkie talkie and hit the receiver.
“It worked. She’s back.” He gasped dropping his arm to the floor. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head thanking a God that he didn’t even believe in. He held her as she cried into his white hellfire club shirt.

Chapter Text

Eddie felt a warm spot on his chest and looked down at her face noticing g the red dripping down her cheek.
“shit you have a cut on your face.” He said lifting her face up. a thin slice went about 2 inches along her cheekbone.
Eddie stood up and grabbed a paper towel from the table, gently pressing it to Chrissys smooth skin.
“welcome to the club of loosing your mind population 2. Let’s get this cleaned up.” He said walking her to the small sink in the corner.
Chrissy wiped her eyes and hugged herself tightly as Eddie found a first aid kit and some disinfectant. Using his teeth to rip the packaging of the cleaning wipe.
He brushed her hair back with one hand and with the other he gently patted the cut. Immediately her face stung from the alcohol wipe and she hissed.
“Sorry.” Eddie winced blowing on the cut to stop the stinging. “stinging means it’s working.” He said tossing the wipe in the sink and then picked a small light pink bandaid smirking as he applied the small thing to her cheek.
“Think it’ll leave a scar?” she asked.
Eddie smiled, “eh maybe. It’ll make you look like a bad ass.”
“My mom would have thrown a fit and probably made an appointment with a plastic surgeon about fixing it.” She replied absentmindedly..
“you could always get a face tat. That’ll definitely hide a scar. But I don’t think mommy dearest would approve.” He chuckled making her smile.
Eddie smoothed the bandaid out.
“There, perfect once more.” He announced. She looked at him. His messy hair, dark brown eyes. Once again not seeing what people saw that made them think he was a bad person.
“I don’t get it.” She said. Eddie put his hands in his pockets.
“what?”
“why people think you’re a bad person. I don’t get why people think that.” She admitted. Eddie looked surprised at her.
She gave her a bashful smile and rubbed his neck.
“I don’t conform to their normal. I like d&d and metal and I’m different so I must be evil right?” he chuckled dryly. Chrissy shook her head.
“That doesn’t make you a bad person. Just because you’re different. Jason shouldn’t have said those horrible things about you.” She said.
These girl made it impossible to be mad about things for too long. Sweet Chrissy. Too good for him. He couldn’t pollute her image. Hell the whole town thought he had her against her will after her ball boy boyfriend saw them run off from whatever attacked them at the trailer.
‘boyfriend’ that word made him remember, she wasn’t his. Never could Be.
Eddie cleared his throat and glanced around at the walls.
“Henderson and Co should be here in the next 30 minutes. He said not to fall asleep or anything and music keeps vecna away. Happy thoughts and all. Very Peter Pan of him.” He rambled.
He felt her grab his arm. And then he felt chrissy wrap her arms around his waist and she hugged him.
Slowly his mind caught up and he placed his hands on her back. She pulled away slightly and looked up at him, her big doe eyes painted with blue eyeshadow. She was suddenly super close to his face and it registered moments later she had bopped up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his cheek. Immediately Eddie’s face went red because holy shit, Chrissy Cunningham just kissed him.
Him! Eddie Munson.

“Uh what did you just?” he stuttered uncharacteristically. Her face was red as well.
They sprung apart when footsteps thundered down the porch.

“find that freak!” Jason’s voice ordered. Both Eddie and chrissy froze.
“shit we gotta go.” He whispered grabbing the walkie talkie and pushing the window open. He climbed out first and dropped down onto the ground and held his arms up to catch chrissy.
She climbed through and dropped down into his arms like she would during cheer. Eddie grasped her hand tightly and they ran through the woods as quietly as they could.
Chrissy tripped over a dog chain left in the yard and yelped falling forward onto the wet grass.
“shit you ok?!” Eddie asked helping her up, he put one arm around her waist and they continued to run into the woods.
By the time they reached a good distance chrissys ankle was throbbing.
Eddie helped her sit on a rock and he tried moving her sore foot. It was definitely sprained, and bad too.
“We should be safe here.”he gasped catching his breath as he sat across from her. They were at some skull shaped rock hiding under in the small cavern. Chrissy wasn’t as out of breath as Eddie was but still she was breathing hard.
They were sitting opposite eachother but still so close that she could lean her head on his knees. He was exhausted , she was exhausted. They both ended up falling asleep after a little while unable to keep awake. Eddie jerked awake about an hour later and shook his head looking at Chrissy passed out asleep her knees to her chest and her head resting on her arms. He panicked. She had to stay awake.
“shit shit. Chrissy? Hey Chrissy?” he said shaking her. No this couldn’t happen. Please let her be alive. She jerked awake, inhaled deeply and startled obviously.
“what?! What happened?” she asked blinking her blurry eyes. She felt Eddie’s chest on her face. He had pulled her forward and was hugging her.
“fuck I’m sorry I let you fall asleep.” He apologized. Chrissy could feel the thundering of his heart.
“Its ok I’m ok “ she said.

"Happy thoughts right?" She asked. Eddie looked down at her.

"Yea. That's what Henderson said."
Her face was red.
"For the first time I was able to actually sleep. Because of you." She admitted.
"You were my happy thought." She muttered quietly.
He was the reason she was safe.

Chrissy looked up at him and god if he didn't want things to be different And have her to himself, but that was a dream for another lifetime.
Or maybe?

He cupped her face in his hands and watched as her eyes widened and the pupils dilated.

Chrissy had kissed boys before. Mainly Jason, but still this was different.
Eddie dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers softly.