Eddie Munson wasn’t exactly Hawkins' favorite person. Never had been, probably never would be. He had the Hellfire Club, sure, his little group of misfits and outcasts, but compared to the whole school, the whole town? Yeah, that wasn’t much. Didn’t really bother him anymore, though. He’d made peace with being the freak a long time ago.

At least, until he met you.

It happened just outside school grounds, in one of his usual spots where… well, let’s just say business was done. He hadn’t expected anyone to stumble in, let alone you. Top cheerleader, girlfriend of Jason Carver. Jason freaking Carver, captain of the basketball team, and general pain in Eddie’s ass. And here you were, looking nervous as hell, asking him if he had anything you could smoke.

It was almost funny. The whole thing felt surreal. He remembered you, of course. That talent show way back in middle school, you doing your cheer routine, him shredding with his band. Part of him, even back then, hoped you'd noticed him. Right now, though, you definitely noticed him, but it wasn’t exactly for his guitar skills.

You looked uncomfortable, but not in that shallow, mean-girl way he half expected. More like scared. Out of place.

So Eddie shoved the lunchbox full of questionable substances aside and decided to talk instead. He brought up that old talent show, teased you a little, and made you laugh. God, he liked that sound. You had this way of laughing that made him forget all the crap in Hawkins for a second. You were actually nice.

He gave you a discount that first time, flashed that usual shit-eating grin, called it a reward for your “flattery”, not that you did much besides be sweet and real.

And somehow, it kept happening. Little meetups off school grounds. Jokes turned into real conversations. He told you about his dad, the crap he taught him, the little memories of his mom before she passed. You had your own stories. You were always so put-together at school, all bright colors and fake smiles, but underneath? You were just as anxious, just as tired of the bullshit as he was. He liked the real you.

The night at his trailer came naturally after that. “This is my humble abode,” Eddie announced, leading you to the door of the run-down trailer. You hopped out of his van, looking curious.

Inside was a mess, wrappers everywhere, but he cleaned up, apologizing with a chuckle. “It’s free if you want some stuff,” he joked, flopping onto his bed, surrounded by posters, guitars, and general chaos. “My uncle’s on a night shift. No stresses.”

Eddie always tried to do that, make sure you were comfortable. Because for once, so was he.