The Upside Down pressing down on her, Vecna close enough that the smell of charred flesh fills her nose, her mother's voice echoing – Chrissy has recited it to him before, and Eddie feels the vice grip on his lungs every time he's jerked awake by it. A noise of distress, eyes moving too quickly behind lids, breath a staccato in her lungs. Waking her has become easier as time goes on, having learned the best ways to rouse her.
Chrissy tells him she has them less when he's with her, that he chases the bad dreams away like her own personal knight. While he knows it's meant to comfort him, it just makes him worry more on the nights she can't stay, or where he's not able to scale the lattice to climb through her window. That's when they talk late into the night, when he waits for her to fall asleep.
So, while rare, it still makes his stomach turn in the worst way. Rolling onto his side and propping himself up on an elbow, his free hand reaches to comb her hair from her forehead, drifting down to cup the side of her face with a tenderness reserved only for Chrissy. Thumb across her cheek, he begins to sing; voice is gravel rough, heavy with interrupted sleep. ]
Uptown girl, [ he murmurs, barely loud enough to be heard. ] She's been living in her uptown world.
[ It usually only takes the first verse to pull her out, to draw her to the surface as though she were being dragged asunder by Vecna himself. Eddie waits, sings to her until her breathing evens, until she can find the waking world again. It's only when her eyes open that the crease of worry in his brow eases, relief seeping in. ]
Morning, princess. [ As though it isn't still pitch black outside, late hours of the night on the bedside clock. ]
[As though she can't feel the phantom touch of tendrils on her arms and around her throat. They fade eventually, evaporating into dust with the sound of his voice. She swallows, eyelashes fluttering as she feels reality sink in around her; feels the soft heat of his breath as he hums, the rough callouses of his fingers against her forehead. She grasps his wrist because it's tangible and and rolls onto her side until her nose is pressed into the safety of his chest.
Solid. Real. ]Her eyes feel a little wet with relief to have his arms wrap around her, to feel the scratch of his shirt against her lips as she breathes out in shaken, hollow breaths. ] Keep talking. Please keep talking, Eddie.
[Because it's all so solid, but she has to be sure it isn't a trick. She has to be sure his words won't turn poisonous on her. ]
[ Chrissy awake, request spoken, Eddie rolls onto his back and brings her along to remain pressed to his chest. His arm slides around her back, presses between her shoulders before drifting down her spine and back up again. Another gentle reassurance. ]
You sure about that? [ It's evident he's joking, an attempt to lighten her in the aftermath. But he knows why she asks; ensuring this isn't just another nightmare to take her back again. ] I've been thinkin' about what's gonna happen after graduation.
[ Because Chrissy's been accepted into multiple universities while Eddie is still treading water to figure out where he's meant to step next. He doesn't want to doom himself to dying young in Hawkins, and no part of him can imagine a future without Chrissy. ]
Things like, no matter where you decide to go to school, I should probably make sure they have a decent taste in music so I don't go totally crazy. Maybe see if there's some D&D nerds. Find an apartment where people aren't going to kill me for playing my guitar too loud.
[ Throughout, he keeps his voice quiet, as though sharing a secret with her. Perhaps part of him is, because they've never really talked about what they're doing once Chrissy goes off to school; maybe it's been intentional for her, because he knows he's been avoiding it, too. At least here, now, he can feel vulnerable in the darkness of his room, with Chrissy half atop him, her breath finally steadying. ]
Can help you study, learn to cook so you don't have to worry about anything but school, 'cause I know you're going to be a total badass at it. [ A pause, brief. ] Thoughts? Requests?
I always thought I'd join a sorority, y'know? That's what my mom did. [This comes out hesitant, like speaking the words is somehow a jinx. She sighs against his chest, breathing in the midnight air and listening to his heart thump away. ] I don't know. It's a lot of people. It'd be nice to just - be us.
[There is a fantasy she has, where Eddie drops her off every morning, except on the days where the play hooky. Where they might have lunch on the grounds, and Eddie might tell her he's getting promoted, or even deciding to go to school the next year. They're laughing in the sun, shoes kicked off and the shadow of Hawkins and social expectations are so far away that they barely exist at all.
She smiles, just a little. ] We could learn how to cook together that way. I make some pretty bad ass brownies already.
[ Finally, Eddie feels the fan of her breath against his chest even out, her heartbeat returning to normal rather than trying to slam its way out of her rib cage. He continues to rub her back, eventually dips under the hem of his shirt that she wears to press skin-to-skin, anchoring her back down to the world. There's a desperate wish that there was more he could do, that they were already out of Hawkins and he could chase the nightmares away every time they sought her out.
Maybe if they left, the nightmares would stay behind.
There's a soft hum at the mention of a sorority because of her mother, and Eddie once again reminds himself that it's unacceptable to throw a punch at a woman. Doesn't stop him from being tempted every once in a while. ]
Just don't forget you don't have to follow what she wants for you, sweetheart. I know it's hard to remember that when you live with the actual wicked witch, but as soon as we're out of Hawkins, you don't have to do shit that she'd approve of or want for you.
[ Craning his neck, he presses his lips to the top of her head for a lingering kiss before relaxing back into the bed once again. He hates that Laura Cunningham casts such a disgusting shadow over someone as good as Chrissy. ]
But damn, badass brownies, Cunningham? You're a girl after my own heart.
exorcised one brainrot for this one ♥ also slight tw for vague ed allusions
Mmm, it's a secret though. You know mom - baked goods are forbidden.
[Is it good that she can say this in humour? It's hard to say. Her issues - these ones, specifically - are so personal and embarrassing. Jason never really got it; always thought it was just something girls do. It's not easier with Eddie, but it's safer, maybe. Like for a little bit she can step into an alternate reality where these ingrained rules mean nothing.
She exhales against his chest and then, still a little exhausted, turns her chin up to press a kiss to his jaw. ] Thank you, [she says, squeezing around his middle as much as she can. ] You're always indulging me and I feel really selfish about it, but - but don't stop. Please.
[She wonders if the nightmares will stop in college. If the distance between them and Hawkins will mean the phantom hold of Henry will shatter and let them both breathe. She can hope, surely. Believe in it enough that it might come true; that one day they'll be in their little apartment, waking up to the fall sunbeams and Chrissy will be able to trace the light across Eddie's face and feel utterly at peace. If she wants it enough she can make it happen.
She fumbles for a moment with her hand, reaching for his free hand to squeeze it. ] We're gonna have to get jobs.
[ All she gets regarding her mother is a disgusted ugh; the damage that woman has done is horrific in a way that Eddie can't even fathom. It isn't like he really has memories of his mom, she died when he was too young for anything overly permanent, but Wayne has never made him feel like shit. Maybe had a couple talks of disappointment or exhaustion, but he's never felt like a lesser person from his uncle.
But Eddie's trying. Doing his best to at least reverse what he can little by little, replace the hatred Chrissy carries with everything good about her that he sees every day. It's slow going, as all recoveries all, but he has to hope that it's making a difference. Her relationship with food will be much the same way; baby steps. He'll be with her the whole way.
Adjusting his hand, his fingertips begin to run the length of her spine, drifting in a constant pace, up and down. He snorts at her mention of being selfish; as though he could ever believe her to be such a thing when Chrissy's heart is too full of real kindness, with more sunshine than he knows what to do with. And even if she were – Chrissy deserves any amount of selfishness she wants, in his opinion, she's dealt with enough to have a right to it.
With his hand taken, he interlocks their fingers easily, pure muscle memory by now. ]
You're not selfish, [ he starts with, because he needs her to know that before anything else. ] And yeah, thought about that. Figure if we go to a city that doesn't think I'm going to start eating their kids or summoning plagues I can nail a job pretty easily. Maybe get one respectable enough that you don't have to worry about it and do school full-time.
[ Because if Eddie has it his way, he'll do whatever he needs to in order to give Chrissy that opportunity. He wants to make it so she doesn't have to take on too much, that she can pour everything into getting her degree for whatever interests her most. If it means stretching himself a bit thin, he doesn't really care. ]
Maybe I'll start playing the lottery, [ he teases. ] Then we never have to worry about money, I'll be your full-time one-person hype squad and you can, I dunno, study the the aerodynamics of high school cheerleaders and the basket throw.
You're so great with kids though! Maybe you could teach them music.
[She says this so earnestly; so sincerely. She's seen the way Dustin looks at Eddie, the way his DND group are so enraptured by his every word. If anything could melt the hearts of wary mothers, it would have to be watching Eddie entertain the kids. It's so sweet - sweeter and purer than any of the rumours Jason's started since their break up. ]
But - I don't think that's a real major. I want to do something I can use, I guess? Something that'll make a difference someday.
[Possibilities, dreams - all things small town kids like them have, and cling to, and then have to let go of eventually. She'll probably never be a doctor, maybe a teacher. Maybe someone who could give the kind of guidance she wishes she'd had. ] I do like the sound of my one man hype squad though. I'll get you some black pompoms.
[ It's a testament to how much he trusts her faith in him that he actually considers the suggestion. He's not sure he could actually handle teaching kids about music or how to play anything, but it warms the far corners of his heart to know that Chrissy believes in him; sometimes it still blows him away that he gets to love her, that she sees something worthwhile in him, too. Eddie has never really seen himself that way, as much as he postures otherwise, and it's done a lot for him to know that Chrissy has found things in him to like. ]
I'd probably get sick of kids, teenagers are even worse. [ Mostly sarcasm, but he's not wrong. ] I think you can do whatever you want and be great at it. You're gonna change the world, Chrissy Cunningham. [ Stated with such confidence that there should be no room for argument, because there isn't. Eddie knows that Chrissy will make a difference, that she can do anything she sets her mind to, and he'll be there for every step of it if she'll let him.
He huffs a laugh at the pompoms, though. ] Guess that means you don't mind me tagging along for whatever you do after this, huh? [ It's a bit forced, the casual tone, but part of him wants this conversation to be real, wants it to mean more than just pulling Chrissy out of a nightmare, wants it to be real. ]
[There's a lucid temptation to slip into an easy doze as Eddie speaks; to seep into his warmth a little more, surrendering to the gentle strokes against her back while his voice lulls her off. She likes listening to him talk. Usually she's so swept away in his excitement, in the way he makes everything sound like something worth listening to, all hands and varying cadence. This voice is all hers, though. This is a voice only she gets when they're alone, and she fights to listen to it a while longer.
She huffs a laugh against his neck, murmuring liar when he says he'll get sick of kids. Then she quietens again, thinks a little, then lifts her to sit up, to look at him. Her smile is as gentle as always when she takes his face in one hand, thumb massaging where his jaw meets his ear. ] Eddie Munson, can I tell you secret?
[Softly, but there's something in her eyes - mischief, maybe slightly possessive. She leans down to press her forehead against his, murmurs: ] There's no escape. You're with me forever.
[ It's easy to tell that Chrissy is starting to finally relax, to edge her way back to straddle the border between sleep and waking; the way her weight sinks into him, the steadying of her breathing, and Eddie's grateful. They've handled post-nightmare comedowns together more times than he'd like to count, it's always hit and miss on how quickly they can get her feeling settled. He'll never forget the first time; Eddie didn't think he would sleep again, the way they had to actually put on her favourite song to ground her, how Eddie had to cradle her face and wipe her tears, promising that she was home and he wouldn't let anything happen to her. The sound of her terrified sobs are ingrained in his memories.
He's thankful that it's become easier in time – as easy as being haunted by nightmares can be, at least. No longer feeling the need to keep watch over her, or forcing himself awake at odd hours of the night to check and make sure she was still sleeping soundly. Most times, they make it through the night unscathed together, and on the ones Chrissy can't on her own, her voice will come across the radio that Dustin provided them both with to ask if he's awake. Sometimes it's to talk to her until the sun comes up and the night has ended, others he'll drive over and sneak in through her bedroom window for her, and others she simply needs him at the other end so she can fall asleep again.
Nights like these are preferable, where she's already close to him and he can get her awake with a few sung lines of her song to draw her out. Part of him wonders if Lucas does this for Max, too, and tries to make a mental note to ask him.
Pulled from his thoughts when Chrissy moves, her hand coming to cradle his face like a truly delicate thing, Eddie feels like the world tilts on his axis just a little. While it wasn't as though he expected Chrissy to say no, that she didn't want him to stay with her whenever she decides to leave Hawkins, he couldn't have anticipated forever – wouldn't have dared to hope for it; she was far too good for him and he knew it. But if Chrissy wanted forever, who was he to argue? [
Damn, what a terrible fate that is. [ A lilt to his voice to show just how lighthearted his words are. ] For you, I mean. I'm spending the foreseeable rest of my life with my favourite person. You get a metalhead boyfriend who has a problem with authority. [ A tragedy, obviously.
Reaching up, eddie threads his fingers through the loose waves of her hair and draws her back towards him, his lips pressing to her forehead, between her eyes, the tip of her nose. ] Forever, Cunningham. That's how long you've got me, too.
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The Upside Down pressing down on her, Vecna close enough that the smell of charred flesh fills her nose, her mother's voice echoing – Chrissy has recited it to him before, and Eddie feels the vice grip on his lungs every time he's jerked awake by it. A noise of distress, eyes moving too quickly behind lids, breath a staccato in her lungs. Waking her has become easier as time goes on, having learned the best ways to rouse her.
Chrissy tells him she has them less when he's with her, that he chases the bad dreams away like her own personal knight. While he knows it's meant to comfort him, it just makes him worry more on the nights she can't stay, or where he's not able to scale the lattice to climb through her window. That's when they talk late into the night, when he waits for her to fall asleep.
So, while rare, it still makes his stomach turn in the worst way. Rolling onto his side and propping himself up on an elbow, his free hand reaches to comb her hair from her forehead, drifting down to cup the side of her face with a tenderness reserved only for Chrissy. Thumb across her cheek, he begins to sing; voice is gravel rough, heavy with interrupted sleep. ]
Uptown girl, [ he murmurs, barely loud enough to be heard. ] She's been living in her uptown world.
[ It usually only takes the first verse to pull her out, to draw her to the surface as though she were being dragged asunder by Vecna himself. Eddie waits, sings to her until her breathing evens, until she can find the waking world again. It's only when her eyes open that the crease of worry in his brow eases, relief seeping in. ]
Morning, princess. [ As though it isn't still pitch black outside, late hours of the night on the bedside clock. ]
no subject
Solid. Real. ]Her eyes feel a little wet with relief to have his arms wrap around her, to feel the scratch of his shirt against her lips as she breathes out in shaken, hollow breaths. ] Keep talking. Please keep talking, Eddie.
[Because it's all so solid, but she has to be sure it isn't a trick. She has to be sure his words won't turn poisonous on her. ]
no subject
You sure about that? [ It's evident he's joking, an attempt to lighten her in the aftermath. But he knows why she asks; ensuring this isn't just another nightmare to take her back again. ] I've been thinkin' about what's gonna happen after graduation.
[ Because Chrissy's been accepted into multiple universities while Eddie is still treading water to figure out where he's meant to step next. He doesn't want to doom himself to dying young in Hawkins, and no part of him can imagine a future without Chrissy. ]
Things like, no matter where you decide to go to school, I should probably make sure they have a decent taste in music so I don't go totally crazy. Maybe see if there's some D&D nerds. Find an apartment where people aren't going to kill me for playing my guitar too loud.
[ Throughout, he keeps his voice quiet, as though sharing a secret with her. Perhaps part of him is, because they've never really talked about what they're doing once Chrissy goes off to school; maybe it's been intentional for her, because he knows he's been avoiding it, too. At least here, now, he can feel vulnerable in the darkness of his room, with Chrissy half atop him, her breath finally steadying. ]
Can help you study, learn to cook so you don't have to worry about anything but school, 'cause I know you're going to be a total badass at it. [ A pause, brief. ] Thoughts? Requests?
no subject
[There is a fantasy she has, where Eddie drops her off every morning, except on the days where the play hooky. Where they might have lunch on the grounds, and Eddie might tell her he's getting promoted, or even deciding to go to school the next year. They're laughing in the sun, shoes kicked off and the shadow of Hawkins and social expectations are so far away that they barely exist at all.
She smiles, just a little. ] We could learn how to cook together that way. I make some pretty bad ass brownies already.
no subject
Maybe if they left, the nightmares would stay behind.
There's a soft hum at the mention of a sorority because of her mother, and Eddie once again reminds himself that it's unacceptable to throw a punch at a woman. Doesn't stop him from being tempted every once in a while. ]
Just don't forget you don't have to follow what she wants for you, sweetheart. I know it's hard to remember that when you live with the actual wicked witch, but as soon as we're out of Hawkins, you don't have to do shit that she'd approve of or want for you.
[ Craning his neck, he presses his lips to the top of her head for a lingering kiss before relaxing back into the bed once again. He hates that Laura Cunningham casts such a disgusting shadow over someone as good as Chrissy. ]
But damn, badass brownies, Cunningham? You're a girl after my own heart.
exorcised one brainrot for this one ♥ also slight tw for vague ed allusions
[Is it good that she can say this in humour? It's hard to say. Her issues - these ones, specifically - are so personal and embarrassing. Jason never really got it; always thought it was just something girls do. It's not easier with Eddie, but it's safer, maybe. Like for a little bit she can step into an alternate reality where these ingrained rules mean nothing.
She exhales against his chest and then, still a little exhausted, turns her chin up to press a kiss to his jaw. ] Thank you, [she says, squeezing around his middle as much as she can. ] You're always indulging me and I feel really selfish about it, but - but don't stop. Please.
[She wonders if the nightmares will stop in college. If the distance between them and Hawkins will mean the phantom hold of Henry will shatter and let them both breathe. She can hope, surely. Believe in it enough that it might come true; that one day they'll be in their little apartment, waking up to the fall sunbeams and Chrissy will be able to trace the light across Eddie's face and feel utterly at peace. If she wants it enough she can make it happen.
She fumbles for a moment with her hand, reaching for his free hand to squeeze it. ] We're gonna have to get jobs.
rot to be replaced by hellcheer brainworms
But Eddie's trying. Doing his best to at least reverse what he can little by little, replace the hatred Chrissy carries with everything good about her that he sees every day. It's slow going, as all recoveries all, but he has to hope that it's making a difference. Her relationship with food will be much the same way; baby steps. He'll be with her the whole way.
Adjusting his hand, his fingertips begin to run the length of her spine, drifting in a constant pace, up and down. He snorts at her mention of being selfish; as though he could ever believe her to be such a thing when Chrissy's heart is too full of real kindness, with more sunshine than he knows what to do with. And even if she were – Chrissy deserves any amount of selfishness she wants, in his opinion, she's dealt with enough to have a right to it.
With his hand taken, he interlocks their fingers easily, pure muscle memory by now. ]
You're not selfish, [ he starts with, because he needs her to know that before anything else. ] And yeah, thought about that. Figure if we go to a city that doesn't think I'm going to start eating their kids or summoning plagues I can nail a job pretty easily. Maybe get one respectable enough that you don't have to worry about it and do school full-time.
[ Because if Eddie has it his way, he'll do whatever he needs to in order to give Chrissy that opportunity. He wants to make it so she doesn't have to take on too much, that she can pour everything into getting her degree for whatever interests her most. If it means stretching himself a bit thin, he doesn't really care. ]
Maybe I'll start playing the lottery, [ he teases. ] Then we never have to worry about money, I'll be your full-time one-person hype squad and you can, I dunno, study the the aerodynamics of high school cheerleaders and the basket throw.
no subject
[She says this so earnestly; so sincerely. She's seen the way Dustin looks at Eddie, the way his DND group are so enraptured by his every word. If anything could melt the hearts of wary mothers, it would have to be watching Eddie entertain the kids. It's so sweet - sweeter and purer than any of the rumours Jason's started since their break up. ]
But - I don't think that's a real major. I want to do something I can use, I guess? Something that'll make a difference someday.
[Possibilities, dreams - all things small town kids like them have, and cling to, and then have to let go of eventually. She'll probably never be a doctor, maybe a teacher. Maybe someone who could give the kind of guidance she wishes she'd had. ] I do like the sound of my one man hype squad though. I'll get you some black pompoms.
no subject
I'd probably get sick of kids, teenagers are even worse. [ Mostly sarcasm, but he's not wrong. ] I think you can do whatever you want and be great at it. You're gonna change the world, Chrissy Cunningham. [ Stated with such confidence that there should be no room for argument, because there isn't. Eddie knows that Chrissy will make a difference, that she can do anything she sets her mind to, and he'll be there for every step of it if she'll let him.
He huffs a laugh at the pompoms, though. ] Guess that means you don't mind me tagging along for whatever you do after this, huh? [ It's a bit forced, the casual tone, but part of him wants this conversation to be real, wants it to mean more than just pulling Chrissy out of a nightmare, wants it to be real. ]
no subject
She huffs a laugh against his neck, murmuring liar when he says he'll get sick of kids. Then she quietens again, thinks a little, then lifts her to sit up, to look at him. Her smile is as gentle as always when she takes his face in one hand, thumb massaging where his jaw meets his ear. ] Eddie Munson, can I tell you secret?
[Softly, but there's something in her eyes - mischief, maybe slightly possessive. She leans down to press her forehead against his, murmurs: ] There's no escape. You're with me forever.
no subject
He's thankful that it's become easier in time – as easy as being haunted by nightmares can be, at least. No longer feeling the need to keep watch over her, or forcing himself awake at odd hours of the night to check and make sure she was still sleeping soundly. Most times, they make it through the night unscathed together, and on the ones Chrissy can't on her own, her voice will come across the radio that Dustin provided them both with to ask if he's awake. Sometimes it's to talk to her until the sun comes up and the night has ended, others he'll drive over and sneak in through her bedroom window for her, and others she simply needs him at the other end so she can fall asleep again.
Nights like these are preferable, where she's already close to him and he can get her awake with a few sung lines of her song to draw her out. Part of him wonders if Lucas does this for Max, too, and tries to make a mental note to ask him.
Pulled from his thoughts when Chrissy moves, her hand coming to cradle his face like a truly delicate thing, Eddie feels like the world tilts on his axis just a little. While it wasn't as though he expected Chrissy to say no, that she didn't want him to stay with her whenever she decides to leave Hawkins, he couldn't have anticipated forever – wouldn't have dared to hope for it; she was far too good for him and he knew it. But if Chrissy wanted forever, who was he to argue? [
Damn, what a terrible fate that is. [ A lilt to his voice to show just how lighthearted his words are. ] For you, I mean. I'm spending the foreseeable rest of my life with my favourite person. You get a metalhead boyfriend who has a problem with authority. [ A tragedy, obviously.
Reaching up, eddie threads his fingers through the loose waves of her hair and draws her back towards him, his lips pressing to her forehead, between her eyes, the tip of her nose. ] Forever, Cunningham. That's how long you've got me, too.