Chapter Text
“Someone has a crush.” Steve cooed as Eddie tasted how the hazelnut syrup mixed with the dark roast. He grimaced. Still too bitter, maybe if he used a more mild blend?
“I don’t have a crush. Don’t you need to check on the ice machine or sweep or do literally anything besides be near me.”
Steve laughed and shook his head. He grabbed a towel and a spray bottle before heading toward the tables.
They still had about fifteen minutes before opening and Eddie was no closer to creating a drink that Chrissy might like. Hell, he wasn’t sure that she was even coming in this morning. Although, the eager look in her blue eyes the other night told him yes.
He wouldn’t hold his breath. Hope’s not in our dictionary boy.
“You’re the one who changed shifts with Henderson. You never work mornings unless you’re forced and I can count on one hand how many Sunday mornings you’ve worked since starting.”
Steve laughed and Eddie wanted to throw something at his smug face.
He waves a hand around nonchalantly, “Dusty-boy’s lady was in town from Montana or something. Least I could do for the kid.”
A snort, “Suzie’s from Utah, but okay if that’s the story you’re sticking with and how you making, like, a million different drinks has nothing to do with a cute blonde.”
Eddie huffs air and turns on another expresso machine. “Don’t be jealous.”
Another snort and Steve walks to unlock the front door, “Jealous? I’ll have you know that I have a study date today.”
Eddie lifts a brow, “Oh? Not with that stuck up brunette?”
He watches as Steve frowns and mumbles something under his breath. “Who Nancy? Oh, no we’re just old high school friends.”
An awkward shrug that told Eddie everything and nothing. “I’m going out with Kali. I’m sure I mentioned her.”
He curses as one of the cup overfills and Eddie has to race to clean up the spilt coffee. “Sorry Casanova, there’s just so many birds that you fly through.”
Harrington drags a hand through his already mussed hair and sighs, “The ladies do love me.”
That earns him a real laugh, but before Eddie can say anything else a bleary-eyed paramedic walks in.
“Steve, darling, a triple expresso please.” He watches as the other boy flirts and fills the thermos.
Eddie scratches the back of his neck and wished he knew what candy Chrissy liked. Then he could create some sort of drink based on that.
Eddie looks at his watch as he cleans yet another glass. Why do they allow people to use real mugs and glasses if they stayed in the café? All it did was create more work for him to do.
A disgruntled sound leaves his mouth as he reads 10:42 as if that made any difference at all to him. He still had another four hours in this stupid morning shift that he didn’t know why he took from Henderson.
An act of love. The curly-haired boy said when Eddie offered. He regretted offering because every time he glanced out of the corner of his eye to see who walked through the door it wasn’t Chrissy.
Stifling a curse, he heads to the backroom. “I’m taking a break.” He mumbles as he passes Steve.
“If you fall asleep I’m not waking you up if she comes in.”
Eddie doesn’t give in to the bait and heads directly for the lumpy couch. He’s slept on worse and besides, he wasn’t waiting for Chrissy.
No, he’s completely normal about her actually. If she comes in she comes in and if she doesn’t, well, his father is rotting in the state penitentiary and can’t say I told you so.
Eddie presses his palms against his eyes. Was he really that obvious? He could take Buckley’s teasing in their music theory class because he gave just as good as he got with her. One word about a certain redhead and the tall girl’s mouth had open and closed like a fish.
Robin had said that it sent her up the wall that Chrissy had been playing her Smiths album over and over, but Eddie wasn’t sure if that was a good thing yet.
A sigh as he checks his watch once more. The red numbers flash 10:55 and he squeezes his eyes shut again.
“Hey Buckley.” He hears muffled from the door and tenses. “And a very good morning to you CHRISSY.”
Harrington that asshole. Eddie gritted his teeth and rolled off the couch to yell that he wasn’t funny at all when he saw her.
Hair held high on the top of her head with a green scrunchie that matched her outfit. A similar skin tight thing to the one she wore the other night. Eddie swallowed hard and dug his nails into his palms.
Steve caught his eye and smirked. The bastard.
Chrissy’s gaze followed Steve’s and he watched as her eyes widened at the sight of him. A small wave that he mirrored as he moved closer to the counter. Eddie wanted to punch that stupid smirk off Harrington’s face.
“Don’t have a crush huh?” Steve whispered as he walked to take the next groups order.
Robin pursed her lips and her eyes sparkled with that same look as Steve’s. “I’ll get us a table Chris.”
Chrissy nodded at the girl and then they were alone.
“Hi.” Chrissy whispered and Eddie leaned slightly over the counter. To hear her better of course. Although the faint smell of her vanilla lotion was nice too.
“Hey.” He was going for suave, but it might’ve come out more hoarse and Chrissy giggles.
She points to his chest. “Which one’s that?”
Eddie looks down forgetting what shirt he picked up from his “clean” pile (he does laundry okay? Just putting it away took more effort than it’s worth.)
“Ah, that would be the Prince of Darkness himself.”
Chrissy blanches slightly, “The devil?”
He licked his lips at her flustered look, “Not quite. Remember Black Sabbath?”
Chrissy’s eyes sparkle and she nods, he laughs.
“Ozzy Osbourne was the lead singer for them. This was one of his solo tours back in ’84.” Eddie rubs the now faded image. “A wild night even if he didn’t eat a bat at this one.”
The look on Chrissy’s face is enough for him to remember what she actually come for. A drink, not his terrible concert memories.
Clearing his throat, Eddie asks, “Do you have a favorite candy? Anything I can go off of to make something more to your taste?”
Chrissy hums and taps a finger against her lips. He wonders if they’d be as soft as they look.
“My grandmother always had Werther’s in her pocketbook.” A laugh and Eddie swears she sounds just like a bell.
“My brother and I would sneak them when she wasn’t looking and then when we left her house she would give us more from the candy jar.”
Another laugh, and it brightens her face that it feels as though he is looking at the sunrise. He wants her to always be smiling.
“So, caramel? I think I can work with that.” He winks and relishes at the light flush growing across her cheeks. “I’ll bring it to you.”
Chrissy bites her bottom lip before walking towards Buckley and fuck Steve maybe he did have a crush after all.
Robin is manically writing something down on a napkin when Chrissy sits down. The brunette barely lifts her head up acknowledge her.“Munson ask you out yet?”
She asks after a moment and Chrissy squeaks out a, “What? Why would he-“
Robin’s eyes fill with mirth as Eddie comes over with her drink. An iced whatever-it-was with, was that whipped cream?
Robin crosses her arms and mock pouts, “No special drink for me?”
Eddie coos and pats her head, “Awe, sorry we ran out of the chatterbox blend.” Robin sneers and punches Eddies arm. “Jesus Buckley, I’ll have Harrington bring you an extra muffin.”
That seems to placate the girl and Eddie rubs where he was hit before turning back to her. “Let me know how you like the macchiato.”
Chrissy eyes the drink and wonders if she’ll enjoy it. A fleeting thought that if she does like this one, would Eddie stop making her new ones? Shaking her head clear of the ridiculous notion, she takes the straw in her mouth.
A blink and she swallows another mouthful of the icy concoction. The caramel is in full swing and while it does hide the bitterness more, it’s the aftertaste that gets to her.
Swirling the whipped cream so it melts, Chrissy frowns.
“It’s not poison is it?” Robin asks and she shakes her head.
“No, I just.” A sigh as she looks over at the counter. Eddie and Steve seem to be arguing about something while a still hung over frat boy sways side to side.
Chrissy looks at Robin and smiles, “Will I disappoint him if I say that it still too bitter? He tries so hard.”
The freckled girl wrinkles her nose, “If this is trying hard to you Chris, then you need to raise your standards.” A wave of her hand, “Maybe coffee just isn’t your thing. Have Munson made you one of your teas.”
Chrissy takes another sip of the macchiato. Her mouth filling with the sugary sweetness of the caramel.
“Tea is so boring though. I want to be a cool coffee girl that listens to cool music and has an air of mystery.”
Robin snorts and gives her an oh really? look. “Munson is already infatuated with you. I’m sure he has like ten different dates planned out and your wedding song is going to be some loser metal one that will make everyone cover their ears.”
Chrissy blushes and lowers her voice, “He does not Robin. That’s so absurd, honestly, we’ve had like two conversation and they’ve both been in this shop.”
“So then you ask him out Chrissy. Feminism or whatever and you’ll see that he’s a weirdo and you can stop taking a half hour doing your makeup before pilates.”
She bristles at the statement and looks at Robin’s exasperated face.
A frown, “Am I being annoying?” She gestures around the café, “This whole thing, is it too much?”
She can get like that. Fixated on odd things that make others want to stop being around her. Her mother tried to guide her into liking more appropriate things like needlework or piano, but she loved learning about spiders.
She would tell her brother, Christopher, all about which spiders were venomous and which were actually safe to be a pet. That lasted all of one weekend when he brought a wolf spider into the house and their mother had screamed so loud Chrissy thought the police might be called.
The look Laura Cunningham had given her was enough for Chrissy to hid all her spider books in the back of her closet and never speak on them again.
Her high school boyfriend, Jason, had said something along the lines of “That’s a bit creepy for a girl to know, huh Chris?” When she spouted that some male spiders want to be eaten after mating during one of their dates.
She never brought up anything arachnid related again.
Maybe her fascination with Eddie was this. She should quell it before he becomes too engrained within her psyche.
Robin’s face softens as she grabbed Chrissy’s hand. “Ignore me. I just haven’t eaten yet.” She stands and yells, “Where’s that muffin, coffee boy?”
Steve look offended and Eddie points to her glass. She lifts it up and shrugs. He bangs a fist to his chest in a mockery of being shot and she giggles.
“Still think he doesn’t like you?” Robin mumbles and Chrissy fails to stop her smile from growing.
Chrissy manages to drink about half of her macchiato which she decides is a victory and heads over to the counter to return the glass. Eddie is grumbling while cleaning yet another sticky substance.
“Is it always this messy?” She asks and he scoffs before meeting her gaze.
“You don’t know the half of it, sweetness.”
She bites her tongue at the pet name and hands him the glass.
“Please let me pay for this one.” Eddie shakes his head and the tips of their fingers brush slightly.
“What kind of gentleman would I be if I had you pay for a drink you didn’t like?”
Chrissy starts to argue and he waves her off.
“The caramel still not sweet enough?” He dumps the rest of the glass into a sink and scratches the back of his neck.
Chrissy adverts her eyes to not seem like she’s ogling the way the muscles in his arm and chest flex at the motion.
“I liked the caramel.” She mumbles and rubs her hand along the counter. It’s cool and surprisingly not sticky.
“Maybe I’d have better success if I knew more about you.”
Chrissy’s head lifts up and she blinks. “Oh?”
Eddie shrugs and the corner of his lips lift in a half smile. “Yeah. All great artists need to know the material right?”
She narrows her eyes and teases, “Baristas are artists now?”
Eddie leans forward, “I’m not one to brag,” a scoff from Steve and Eddie kicks his shin.
Chrissy giggles, “What do you want to know about me?”
Eddie smiles as he rests his chin in his hands. Their faces a breath away and she can smell either the gum or mint that he must’ve been chewing. “Everything.”
The honestly in his voice shocks her and he senses it because he stands straighter. “I’ll, uh, settle for your last name.”
She finds her throat dry and swallows, “Cunningham. Chrissy Cunningham.”
Eddie bows and she finds it charming the way he acts around her. “A pleasure, my lady.”
She curtsies, “The honor is mine, good sir.”
Eddie chuckles, “And would the lady be so included to join me for the evening?”
Chrissy’s smile widens. “A date?”
He taps his fingers against the counter. “If you’d be so inclined.” Her heart just about bursts as she takes Eddie’s hand in her own.
“I would!” Chrissy winces at the eagerness in her voice and lowers it, “I mean, yes. I’d like that very much.”
Forgetting that she still held Eddie’s hand in her own Chrissy makes to remove it; Eddie tightens his grip just enough to brush a light kiss to her knuckles.
They burn even after her hand is safe by her side and she can feel the flush rise on her cheeks.
“Me too, Cunningham.”
Their evening date turns out to be an afternoon one instead which Chrissy doesn’t mind one bit.
Robin is relentless in her teasing and says, “I’m only looking out for you! If you come back tonight married I’m going to point and laugh because that is the most typical Eddie Munson thing to do on a first date.”
Chrissy scowls as she messed up her mascara again. “We’re not getting married! Don’t be ridiculous Robin. He just wants to know me better. We’ll probably watch a movie or something.”
Her friend sits on the edge of Chrissy’s bed and hums, “Oh yeah. Know you better.”
Chrissy bites her lip and looks at her reflection. Her checks seem to be permanently stained pink and she hopes that it doesn’t clash with her blue eyeshadow to terribly.
She settled for soft waves instead of her ponytail and her most relaxed light sweater. A frown. Was the skirt too much?
“Chris?” Robin hugs a stuffed Tweety Bird to her chest. “If you plan on staying over please call first okay? I don’t want to wrangle Ms. Nancy Wheeler, PI from across the hall and put out an APB on you at two in the morning.”
Chrissy shrieks, “Robin!”
The brunette nods sagely, “Okay, fine. Just use protection. Who knows what diseases Munson’s apartment has created.”
Another embarrassed shriek and Chrissy tackles the taller girl on her bed. Both laughing so loud that the nearly miss the knocking at their front door. A shared look and Chrissy jumps up. Hand to her chest to steady her breathing and a final look in the mirror.
Robin smirks, “Just a warning though,” Chrissy groans and she receives a laugh, “If he says I know a place. He’s talking about his apartment.”
She crosses her arms, “Steve uses it all the time and Munson is nothing if not cut from the same dingus cloth.” A real smile then, “Have fun.”
Chrissy waves goodbye and ignores her brain trying to come up with the images of what Eddie’s apartment might look like.
It turns out that she had nothing to worry about because Eddie’s idea of a first date was taking her to a record store. A cute, hole-in-the-wall place that seconded as an old bookshop. He smiled cheekily at her obvious shock.
“What? Did Buckley say that I would take you to an open field and sacrifice you or something?” He held the door for her to walk in first. The musty smell of books filled her nose and she relaxes.
“Or something.”
Eddie huffs, “I didn’t want to spoil anything, but that’s our second date.”
She turns to look at him and shakes her head, “You’re crazy.”
Eddie pouts and she tugs his hand to get him to follow her. “You didn’t say no, Cunningham. So I’m planning the ritual as we speak.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “Let see how this date goes before you order the alter.”
She can feel Eddie’s breath on the back of her neck and it takes all her willpower to not shiver when he whispers in her ear. “How do you know I don’t already have one?”
“Oh look!”, She drags them to the nearest album. “Blondie. She’s kinda hardcore right?”
Eddie smiles kindly, “Sure sure. If you like pop rock.”
Chrissy crosses her arms over chest, “Okay Mr. Music Elitist.”
“Elitist? Me?”
She taps her foot, “Who should I be listening to then?”
Eddie clicks his tongue as he searches around the store. His eyes widen as he finds something of note. “Ah! Here, you’ll like them.”
Eddie takes her hand just as causally as she did and it brings a soft smile to her lips. It’s easy, comfortable. She likes how their hands fit together.
They come to a more secluded section of the store and Eddie lifts an album with a four guys surrounding a skeleton.
She raises a brow, “W. A. S. P? Like the bug?” The pain in Eddie’s face is almost comical.
He opens the record and places it on one of the players before handing her the headphones.
“Yes and no.” He set up the vinyl and looks at her. “I’ll start you off slow before getting going hard and heavy, okay?”
The double meaning is not lost on her and Chrissy bites her lip so hard she thinks that she can taste blood.
The first song that plays is much slower than she expects. Although she doesn’t listen to the song much, choosing to watch Eddie was he nods his head along and mouths the words. Left hand holding the headphone as the fingers on his other seems to follow the guitar and she wonders if he knows how to play. He fits the rocker vibe.
Eddie looks at her expectantly as the song ends. She blinks, “Oh! Nice yeah.”
He tilts his head observing her. “Okay maybe you are ready for the harder stuff.”
A teasing smile as he move the needle to whatever song he deems worthy. Her eyes widen as this song is faster than the other one. Eddie smiles wide at the look she makes and as she listens to the lyrics she can only think of her how her mother would show up in her door red-faced if she played this in the God-Fearing Cunningham household.
Eddie’s closes his eyes and his nose wrinkles slightly as he matches the beat of the drums. Chrissy decided then and there to take a step towards him and presses her lips against his.
Eddie’s lips are warm if slightly chapped. Its a quick and chaste thing, but still her heart pounds louder in her ears than the drums.
His eyes open slow as if in a dream. He blinks once, twice before pulling her flush against his chest.
Tilting her chin up he envelops her lips with his own. Their softness takes her by surprise, but not as much as the swipe of his tongue. She parts her lips from the sensation and Eddie deepens the kiss. Chrissy’s hands find the bottom of his shirt as Eddie’s thumb moves down her throat. She moans at the brush of his tongue on the roof of her mouth and she swears she can feel him smirk against her.
So rude.
Two can play at that game, so she moves one of her hands under his shirt and runs it down his stomach, nails lightly scratching his bare skin. She nips at his bottom lip and enjoys how Eddie’s exhale is strained by the contact. He breaks away first and side eyes her.
“Are you an actual siren, Cunningham?” He rubs his thumb on her bottom lip and she opens her mouth just wide enough to taste the salt of his skin.
Eddie’s breath shakes as his eye darken to a dangerous and temping black. “I take that as a yes.”
They stay transfixed together for another moment before a loud thud breaks them apart.
Chrissy straightens her sweater and skirt while Eddie coughs and rolls his shoulders a few times.
“Yup. If I didn’t already have this in my collection I’d be buying it to commemorate this very moment.”
Chrissy laughs and offers, “I’ll take it.”
Eddie lifts a brow, “Backie Lawless will be thrilled that he converted you.”
She shoves him and purses her lips, “But in return you have to get one of The Smiths albums.”
Eddie pouts his lips and rolls his eyes. “Really?”
Chrissy sticks her tongue out. “Yes. If you listen to them more than once, you’ll realize that my taste is superior.”
Eddie runs his tongue across this teeth and concedes, “If the lady so demands.”
She huffs proudly and takes his hand again, “I do demand. And you’ll follow through on those demands.”
The tips of her ears redden as she hears Eddie mumble, “Just say the word and I’m on my knees.”
She sways Eddie into buying two albums and was all smiles when they walked out of the record store. “You know you’re a con artist right?”
She mock balked, “Who me?”
Eddie snorted and twirled her in a circle, “Yeah, little miss I’ll bat my lashes and wobble my lip just so.” He imitates what might be her voice.
She rolls her eyes. “It worked didn’t it? Now you have The Queen is Dead and their first album. You’re halfway to owning all their records.”
She hops over a puddle. “Plus the store was having a buy one get one. Losing money if you didn’t get two.”
She hears Eddie scoff, “Then why didn’t you get another record.”
She turns with her hands behind her back, “Because I already own all of them.” She winks coyly and Eddie shakes his head.
“Alright, but next time I’m buying you Metallica.”
Chrissy licks her lips, “Next time?” A hopeful fluttering grows inside her.
Eddie takes a step closer and rubs the end of her hair between two fingers. “I mean. If you want.”
She hums, “Okay.”
Eddie exhales slow and she can see an emotion in his eyes that’s deeper and scarier than desire. “You wanna go someplace?” He asks.
Chrissy tilts her head, “Where?”
A gleam of mischief, “I know a place, c’mon.”
He takes her hand and perhaps Chrissy will need to call Robin after all.