Chapter Text
Before she had time to process anything they had fallen into an easy companionship. Every afternoon they would find each other at one of a few places, never really planning anything, simply ending up together.
Chrissy was carrying a small bag of sandwiches with her and a battered paperback book she was returning to Eddie, she was happy to have given fantasy a try, the story had gripped her from the first chapter and she had stayed up the past few nights reading it. She found that the evenings passed easier with adventures to read about and the settings were similar to her and Eddie’s woods so they felt like a second home to her.
Eddie’s soft voice calling out brought her back to reality, she set into a easy pace heading towards him at his favorite spot, a big rock formation Eddie had told her was called “Skull Rock” they didn’t come here often because it wasn’t as isolated, apparently some of the kids they went to school with used it as a makeout spot but today it looked like it might rain, dark clouds rolling in and Chrissy could feel the electricity in the air, like a huge storm was brewing, it reminded her of parts of the book she had just finished.
“Madame Goldenberry,” Eddie dropped low into a bow peaking up at her from beneath his wild hair with a grin.
“Ah good Sir Bombadil! How ever does today find you?” Chrissy shot back with a curtsey, swinging her bag of sandwiches with a board flourish.
Settling in together with a quiet laugh Chrissy grabbed the book from her bag and presented it to Eddie, who took it with a quizzical look “Did you not like it?”
“Like it? I can’t remember reading a book that fast! Is the next one out yet?”
Her excitement was something he never got used to, she wasn’t anything like she seemed at school. She had always been quiet for sure but always in the aloof way, like she wouldn’t be caught dead lowering herself to mingle with such common folk but getting to know her had been an absolute paradox. She was deeply kind and soft, she seemed to truly care about his thoughts on things and listened in a way that no one ever had. She had been excited to read his favorite book after he mentioned them once and truly, what cheerleader reads Lord Of the Rings? Unheard of.
“Yeah, the sequel came out a few years ago, back in 1955.” He laughed at her dropped jawed expression. “You’ve really never heard of these before?”
She blushed, “Really really. You know who I’ve run with before meeting you, its not the most decorated of scholars.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, I’ll get the next one for you, can’t leave you wondering about the entire future of Middle-Earth too long, Can I?” Eddie fidgeted with a guitar pick on his necklace, tapping out some rhythm on the rock that served as their table. Chrissy leaned against his side to look up at the birds in the trees. This was the part of their meetups she loved the most, the companionable silence. He had become a solid, warm presence in her life in a few short weeks but it had given her a completely new outlook, she felt free around him, she felt safe and that she could be herself in a way she never had before. Eddie never judged or scoffed, when she didn’t understand a reference he didn’t belittle her, he simply explained it in a way that grew her curiosity into something tangible. He introduced her to the idea of fantasy books, telling her magic filled tales from his time spent playing DnD and she would lay back in their woods, eyes closed, envisioning it all, it was beautiful.
When a crack of thunder peeled across the sky she jumped, falling into him more forcefully, he put a protective arm around her shoulders. This was a new feeling but it still felt like the safety that she had come to associate with him, the closer to him she leaned in the stronger the smell of him was. He smelled like leather and some type of smoke, and it was part of what she now associated with safety. Grabbing onto his side she tucked her head against him, she had always been afraid of storms, living in tornado alley will do that to you. Eddie was looking up with a concerned expression when she looked out from under his arm, ‘We should probably head out, your place is a lot further out from here and that thunder isn’t going to be the end of it.” Chrissy thought his voice actually sounded listless that they wouldn’t be spending their regular time together.
The sky let loose an absolute deluge as they went to stand up, Eddie immediately took off his jacket and covered her head with it, “Actually if you want to come with me I’ll give you a ride back to your palace so you don’t get totally soaked.” Watching him stand stock still getting pelted with rain, Chrissy felt something shift in her, she couldn’t describe it but it felt like she was seeing her unlikely friend in an entirely new light.
Knowing this wasn’t some random Jason scheme to get her in his room to pressure her into something she didn’t want, Eddie wanted to keep her out of the rain, she nodded quickly with a smile, scooping up all their lunch trash into her bag and taking off in the direction she always had seen him coming from, him holding the jacket over her head the entire time.
They broke out of the tree line and Chrissy froze for a second, this was Forrest Hills, her parents sneers echoed in her mind, she shook her head and followed him up the road a short distance until he hopped up a small set of plywood steps, offering his hand to her as she climbed up them trying to not slip in the onslaught of rain. They tucked inside and quickly shut the door, Eddie moved the jacket from over you, making sure to not drop any extra water on her and shook out his hair, he was soaked to the bone. Chrissy froze seeing him, dripping and wide eyed, he awkwardly shuffled his feet. “Umm…yeah so this is my castle, its not much but its warm and mostly dry…”He trailed off as she looked around, it was rustic and one wall was decorated with hats in various shades of camouflage but she had never seen somewhere so warm. With a huge grin she turned to tell him but he was scratching the back of his neck nervously, “Um…I’m gonna go grab some dry clothes, feel free to make yourself at home..” he said with a snort walking away from her.
When Eddie returned he had changed into a faded black shirt with some kind of mechanical eagle on it and black sweatpants, he cocked his head slightly at her, she hadn’t moved and was standing on a small patch of linoleum near the front door, he noticed that her shoes were soaking wet and dripping but she hadn’t taken them off or moved at all it seemed. “Hey um, you’re welcome to come in and sit if you’d like, or I mean we could head out if you wanted but the storm is still going nuts and I mean my van can make it if you want to get back home asap…” He trailed off watching her, she looked so lost, like she had never been welcomed anywhere before.
“I…Yes I would like to sit..”She said robotically, slowly stooping down to untie her wet shoes, the small white Keds she always wore were absolutely ruined from the storm and mud, she moved stiffly, not letting a single speck of mud get outside the linoleum and then began looking for something.
“Can I get you something? Are you thirsty or do you need a towel to dry off?” Eddie was trying so hard to understand what was going on in her head but she was not following any patterns he had ever noticed in her previously.
“Can I have a paper towel? I want to clean the mud I tracked in.” She asked in a voice that was close to shaking.
Eddie moved forward, taking her hands from where was was trying to keep any mess contained, she froze, looking up at him with huge green eyes twinged with panic, “You are fine and don’t have to clean a thing, I’m sorry about your shoes though, I can try to clean them in the sink if you like?” Chrissy slowly stood up from her panicking, swallowed hard and hugged Eddie, with more force than he would’ve imagined for her size and very slowly he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, softly, because she still seemed so fragile to him and he held her until she let go.
Her eyes were tinged with red when she released the iron grip on his ribs and stood up straight, and if his shirt was slightly damp he didn’t feel the need to comment on that either. Eddie simply took her hand lightly and led her to the couch where he sat down, leaning against the arm of the couch, raised his arm and patted his side where she always found her way to lately. He felt her soft weight press against him and he petted her hair in silence until they both fell asleep, outside the storm raged on.