i'll tumble 4 ya | Eddie Munson x Reader

we're never in our splendor

By the time five o'clock had rolled around, you'd had to calm the racing of your heart and the flushing of your cheeks more often than not. No one had told you that being in love with your best friend was so hard. So hair rippingly difficult to ignore the simple things that looked different when you felt so strongly about someone.

Steve didn't bother knocking, busting open the door with Robin and Nancy in tow.

"Party's here!" Steve shouted holding a six pack.

"Ugh, you sound like a douche," Robin said, rolling her eyes. Nancy chuckled at Robin's characteristic quip.

You smiled and swung your legs off of Eddie's lap. You grabbed the bag full of tapes out of Robin's hands and gave her and Nancy a quick hug. Eddie stood up as well to grab the beer from Steve to put in the refrigerator. You carded through the tapes, looking for one that Eddie would approve of.

"Hey, Eds?" you shouted. He hummed in acknowledgment. "You have any preferences in terms of movies?"

He popped his head out of the kitchen, his eyebrow quirked in contemplation. "Nah, just so long as it isn't a romance," he stuck his tongue out in mock disgust as his face screwed up. "Not really in the mood for that kind of mushy shit."

You rolled your eyes and Robin chuckled.

"Not into that mushy shit? He does know that you two act like a couple from one of those romance movies?" she asked.

"Robin's right, y'know," Steve butted in. "You both are always ogling at each other and following the other like a lost puppy." Steve pouted with widened eyes, giving you the most lovesick look he could muster.

"He doesn't feel that way! And if you guys don't shut up, he'll hear you," you hissed.

Eddie waltzed into the room with a couple of sodas and two beers you'd already had in your fridge. He cocked his head to the side when all four of you looked at him and stopped talking. "Did I miss somethin'?" he asked.

You waved your hand in the air and Steve walked over to grab a few of the bottles from Eddie's hands. He walked over to you to look through the tapes.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?! This is what I'm talking about, Buckley! We're watching this one, sweetheart." He exclaimed, holding tightly on to the tape. He bounded over to your VHS and popped the tape in. Robin and Nancy exchanged a look before moving to sit down on one of the pieces of furniture that adorned your living room. Eddie sat down on one side of the couch, as Robin took the other side next to Nancy. Steve sat on your recliner, leaving one spot left for you to sit. Steve smiled at you smugly, proud of the plan that he, Robin and Nancy had concocted in the car.

See, as discreet as you thought you were being with your feelings, the other had caught on. They were definitely meddlers, doing practically everything in their power to shove you just a bit closer to admitting your feelings directly to Eddie. You accepted your defeat, moving to sit directly next to Eddie. He grinned before moving to grab the bowl of popcorn you'd made prior to everyone else's arrival.

You took the bowl and held it slightly between you and Robin. Several other snacks adorned the coffee table, and Eddie handed you a handful of Bottle Caps. He grinned as the movie started, excited that you were all finally watching a movie that he knew he would enjoy. It was also a bonus that it happened to fall into a genre in which there was the possibility that maybe you'd get scared, curl up into him, and he could protect you by holding you close. God did he hope that would happen. Well, not you getting scared, but just enough to where you could sleep at night and he could seem like a hero for you. He must admit, a flawless plan.

As the scenes danced across the TV, you shuddered. You weren't exactly what they'd call a fan of horror movies. It's not that you hated them, you'd just prefer you didn't watch them. The images tended to stick in your head hours after, and it was just easier to not deal with that, especially considering everything that had happened in Hawkins.