The Eddie Munson Tape Dates

Tape: Accept, 'Balls to the Wall'

You'd had to stay in the hospital for a good week. You hardly had to be alone in that room. Eddie was there whenever he could be, sometimes when he shouldn't be! The exception was school. You refused to let him skip it, and if you needed some time on your own or with your parents.

When you first asked for some alone time, you were sure Eddie would be super upset or offended because that was the reaction you were used to, but instead, he just asked, "How long do you want, babe?".

Personal time was something you really valued. It wasn't because you were hiding anything from anyone; there was a lot to process from the last week, and having that quiet time helped massively.

Not just the weird creatures you'd encountered, but a long list of other new things. The big scar on your forearm, thinking about your own mortality, the mortality of others, this new intense romance, and how Eddie had been massively embraced by your family.

You weren't sure Eddie's uncle was entirely on board with you alone, but him spending time with your parents seemed to help hugely. He wasn't at hug level with you yet. Still, this week in the hospital, he visited with snacks. He left you with one forehead kiss and a few hand squeezes, which was a considerable improvement in your book. Your Dad had explained that not everyone felt comfortable enough to be openly affectionate with new people sometimes. It could take them years to get there, and it wasn't a conscious decision for them. It was just their own boundaries.

The newly forming scar on your arm was going to be a very visible one. So you'd asked your parents for some long-sleeved shirts. At this point, Eddie excused himself for a bit, and on his return, he had a pile of hellfire shirts in his hands. Which everyone thought was an extremely sweet gesture. Not even your Mom, who was very much a person who spoke her mind, had the heart to tell him. Of course, you might not want to be a walking advertisement for his D&D club every day. But you knew he'd just heard a request and fulfilled the brief, so you'd gladly wear them every day. That was until he asked, "Why long sleeves?"

"It's just to hide my scar, so people don't stare", you'd answered shyly.

Eddie's face looked so sad because of that response. Your Dad went to reach out to him but was stopped abruptly when Eddie said softly, "If I catch them staring at you, for any other reason than you being the hottest thing on this planet, I'll give them something to stare at, ok."

He immediately reduced the pile of t-shirts from seven to two. Of course, your parents weren't immediately sold on his aggression in that statement but appreciated the sentiment.

"You've got nothing to be ashamed of, Moonbeam. You're a hero. You both are. Even if they don't know it," She said, stroking your hair.

The day you'd come home was an eventful one. Surprisingly, the only person available to take you home was your Dad. You were a bit sad that Eddie and Mom weren't there too, but you figured Eddie might have gone to practice this week. Your Mom might have been getting your room ready.

There was no rush to get ready as your Dad had to gather a week-long worth of Eddie's things. Plus, things Eddie had brought for you that had slowly moved into your hospital room over the week to make it more "comfortable", as he put it.

The small gang of plush owls that Eddie had arranged in the best Eddie shape he could next to you in your bed whenever he had to leave you.

With the stack of his own books and comics, he liked to read to you and act out scenes dramatically. This was a win-win-win for Eddie. It was good practice for running D&D, and also, he could share the things he loved with you and find out which of those you enjoyed most at the same time.

Then there were the guitar picks. They were everywhere. Anytime anyone else sat down to visit you, that get straight back up out of the chair because they had sat on one. When they came to change your bed, you hear the clatter of the ones that had snuck between layers of bedding because when Eddie was here, if you were in bed, so was he, curled up next to you. The little picks would just crawl their way out of his pocket. You eventually started a jar to keep them all in.