Music from one of Eddie’s well-worn cassette tapes hummed faintly before he shut the engine off, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel for a second like he was building up energy before seeing you.

He’d been excited all day. Seeing you usually fixed whatever crappy mood school

But the moment he stepped up onto the Henderson porch and knocked, the door swung open a little too fast.

Dustin stood there.

Arms crossed.

Expression serious.

Which was never a good sign.

Eddie raised a brow, already suspicious. “Why do you look like a disappointed dad right now?”

Dustin sighed dramatically. “I just think you should know what you’re walking into.”

Eddie leaned one shoulder against the doorframe, confused but amused. “Dude, I come over here like every day. What could possibly—”

“She got her period.”

Eddie blinked.

“Oh.”

Dustin pointed a finger at him like he was laying down the law.

“And before you say anything, I’m warning you. She’s been miserable all day. She yelled at me for breathing too loud during Jeopardy. I wasn’t even chewing anything!”

Eddie snorted softly despite himself.

“That bad, huh?”

“She threw a pillow at me,” Dustin continued, shaking his head.

Eddie rubbed the back of his neck, half concerned and half amused. “Sounds… intense.”

Dustin stepped aside, lowering his voice.

“She’s been in her room all day. Curled up under like three blankets. If you value your life, tread carefully.”

Eddie gave him a mock salute.

“Copy that, Henderson.”

The house felt unusually quiet as Eddie stepped inside. No TV. No music. Just the soft creak of the stairs as he headed up.

When he reached your door, it was mostly closed except for a small crack of dim light spilling into the hallway.

He knocked lightly.

No answer.

Eddie pushed the door open just enough to peek in.

Your room was darker than usual, the only light coming from a small lamp on your nightstand. The air smelled faintly like whatever lotion you’d been using lately.

And there you were.

Curled into a tight little ball in the middle of your bed.

Buried under your comforter like you were hiding from the world.

Only the top of your messy hair poked out.

Eddie leaned against the doorframe for a moment, a soft smile tugging at his lips.

Dustin hadn’t been exaggerating.

He stepped inside quietly, shutting the door behind him before walking over to the bed.

The mattress dipped slightly when he sat on the edge.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said gently, brushing a hand over the blanket where your shoulder was hidden.

There was a pause.

Then the comforter shifted just enough for your tired face to peek out, eyes half-lidded and clearly annoyed at the existence of… well, everything.

“Eddie,” you mumbled.

Your voice was hoarse from either sleep or complaining all day.

He smiled softly, reaching out to tuck a piece of hair away from your face.

“Heard you’ve been waging war on the Henderson household.”

You groaned and immediately pulled the blanket higher over your head.

“I hate everything.”

Eddie chuckled quietly.

“Yeah, Henderson filled me in.”

You slowly peeked back out again, squinting at him.

“He did, didn’t he.”

“Yup.”

You stared at him for a second before sinking deeper into the pillows, clutching the blanket

“My stomach feels like I’m being stabbed,” you grumbled.

Eddie’s teasing expression faded instantly, replaced with concern.

He shifted closer, resting a gentle hand over the comforter near your stomach.

“Cramps?”

You nodded miserably.

“Really bad.”

Eddie sighed softly, his thumb rubbing small comforting circles through the blanket.

“Well,” he said quietly, voice warm and soft, “good thing your favorite metalhead came prepared.”

You blinked at at him.

“Prepared?”

Eddie reached into his jacket pocket dramatically and started pulling things out onto the bed beside you.

A chocolate bar.

A small bottle of pain relievers.

And a pack of gummy candy.

Your tired eyes widened slightly.

“…You brought offerings.”

Eddie grinned.

“Dustin said I should approach the beast with sacrifices.”