It was heartwarming to see the kids find their passion again, after going through hell and back the year before.

The start of the Hellfire Club had led to a bunch of games, meetings, and a new group of friends — even though that hobby resulted in 'freak' accusations. They once cared, but they didn't anymore.

Why? Because Eddie Munson didn't care.

You had heard the name a dozen times, and eventually, you met him, when you were asked to drive the kids home by their busy parents. Eddie was a walking metal head, with chunky silver rings and a dangerous attitude.

Despite the intimidating appearance and the 5 feet 10 inches of him, he was truly a sweetheart. You could sense it before you met him. The way the boys' eyes shone everytime he did something daring, the way they wanted to be as fearless as him.

When Eddie met you, it was like fire and water. The moon and the sun. He had held your hand carefully, even kissed the back of it, and treated you like a gemstone.

"Any friend of Henderson's is my friend," he had said.

You didn't want it to be more than friendship. Even though all the Upside Down madness was over, a part of you still feared it. But all of you was too self-conscious about the trauma you went through, and the fact that you would never be able to tell him the whole truth about your past.

It wouldn't be real.

But Eddie liked you. A lot. It wasn't a secret to anyone; in fact, he made sure you and everyone else knew.

He loved your rejections as well. It felt like another game to him, and the thrill of the chase kept him going. Determined to win your heart, even if that meant being a pain in the ass.

After a particularly important campaign, once again, you had to pick up the kids and drive them home.

While they went to pick up their things, rambling about the events of the night, Eddie approached you in his usual stance — tattoed arms crossed, head slightl tilted to the side.

"Okay, see, I feel like I should stop insisting, but then you show up one night, looking like that, and I just- whew. Fuck that," he said, gesturing towards you in an affectionate, genuine way, other than hungry or physical. He was always like that — flirtatiously kind.

He placed one hand on the table next to him. "One date. That's all I ask. I never asked, do consider that, sweetheart," he went on. "Have I said you looked gorgeous?"