the chain

running in the shadows

You knock. Four times. It seems that Eddie is taking his time. What's worse is that you know he isn't busy, he's just doing this to annoy you. How could he possibly be busy? All he has is this place and D&D. "Come on," you shout at him through the door, "it's cold out here."

"Yeah, yeah," you hear him mutter from the other side before pulling it open with a chipper grin, "you made it."

"I did."

"I had a feeling you'd leave me hanging," he noted honestly, staring down at you with an expression you can't pinpoint.

"I thought about it," you admit to him, looking up at his messy hair and content smile, "What're you smiling about?"

"Oh, nothing," he twirls his hair back, stepping out of the doorway for you to enter, "just excited that the bookworm wants to have a little fun with the freak."

"Keep it in your pants, Munson," you let out a scoff, walking past him to hide the lazy smile on your face. His trailer is warm and comforting, the yellow glow of the lights invites you in. You're thankful for the small space heater in the living room, your hands had become ice cold.

"In any case," he bites the inside of his cheek, shutting the door behind you, "welcome to my castle. Sorry for the, uh, mess..." Eddie nervously watches you look around, noticing the various mugs hanging on the wall.

"Quite a collection," you state, raising a hand to turn one of the mugs around, reading the coloured text on it.

"They're my uncles," he answers sheepishly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I live here with him. He's working nights at the plant - that's why we're so well-off." You hum out a laugh, your back pressed against the kitchen bench when you turn around to look at Eddie.

"Are you an only child?" You wonder. He nods. "Yeah, that explains so much."

"Aren't you also an only child?" Eddie asks, expression incredulous when you also nod, "Listen. About tonight," he begins, licking his lips for a moment, "don't worry about p-"

A knock comes from the front door. "Who's that?"

He gives you an ecstatic look, grinning, "You're not gonna believe me. It is... Chrissy. Cunningham."

"For real?" You narrow your eyes at him, lips parting as you lean in to whisper, "Chrissy Cunningham?"

"I know!" He pulls a face, giving you a shrug as he brushes past you, "New customer, I guess."

"Hm," you note, "who would've guessed?"

Outside, Chrissy waits patiently. She's nervous, a bit on edge; mainly from anticipation. She just hopes this works, she'll try anything that could help her. When Eddie opens the door, he gives her a grin. "Welcome, the Chrissy Cunningham!"

"Hi, Eddie," she laughs nervously, twiddling her thumbs as she walks past him. She sees you by the kitchen and smiles, "Oh, hi! Is this a bad time?"

Eddie shakes his head, eyes darting to you for a moment, "Not at all, Y/N's here for the same reason you are," he then looks between the two of you, sensing the stiff awkward tension in the air, "Jesus, you two really do need this."

"So, go get it?" You raise your eyebrows at him, feeling satisfied when his face falls.

"Okay, it's here somewhere," he repeats to himself, stalking off to the back of the trailer, "God, have a little faith in me!"

Chrissy sits on the old couch, her left leg tapping nervously. An awkward silence settles in the air and you bite the corner of your lip. You glance over at her, at the same time her eyes dart to you and you both give each other a friendly smile.