The Break (An Eddie Munson Story)

Chapter 36: Green Eyed Monsters And Unrequited Love

A/N: Apologies if you saw this chapter pop up as a notification earlier. I accidentally hit the publish button, instead of just save! I nearly had a heart attack. That was so panic-inducing! There definitely needs to be a fail safe pop up that asks if you're sure you want to publish.

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He crept around in the darkness, desperately trying to remain as quiet as he could, while navigating the unfamiliar space. The brunet took extra care, not to trip over the slumbering forms of Nancy and Robin, who had built makeshift beds on the living room floor and were peacefully sleeping without interruption.  As his sight adjusted to the gloom, he spied upon your sleeping solitary on the couch. Body curled around a pillow, that had been placed into your arms, as a makeshift replacement for your bedfellow.  Frowning, Steve wondered where the other young man had wandered to. Abandoning his original plan to pour himself a glass of water, the brunet noticed that the front door had been placed on it's latch, signalling that someone had slipped into the crisp, cool night. Dressed in only the thin pyjamas, that Eddie had lent him, Steve snuck past your gently snoring form and through the kitchenette, towards the unlocked door. 

With the rest of the trailer park shrouded in obsidian black, the silvery rays of the crescent moon were the only source of light and it was in this inky landscape, that Steve stumbled across the other brunet, crouched down low and taking a deep drag over something that did not smell like a regular cigarette. The smoke escaped his lips in a curling of opaque white, that gradually dissipated upon release. Steve had been sure to make very little noise, as he stepped out of the safety of the mobile home, but without even casting a glance to his peer, Eddie suddenly spoke out, "So...Demogorgon's, huh?"

Out of all the things Steve had expected Eddie to ask, that had not been on his list. "Y/N told you?"

The brunet chuckled darkly, moving to stand, as he continued to smoke his joint. "Wheeler, actually."

Steve had to navigate the next part of the conversation carefully, unsure of how the other young man would react to be being told such confusing information. "And do you-"

"Believe her? She's more sane than all of us combined, so..." the joint was not offering Eddie any peace of mind, what he wanted was something stronger but being completely out of his mind was not going to help anyone, especially you. While you had always been his main priority, now more than ever, the brunet wanted to do everything in his power to help you. "I have questions."

Now Steve had anticipated that Eddie would be wanting more information, about the things that lay in the realm situated beyond their own.  "About the Upside Down?"

"About Y/N."

It was the video store employee's turn to laugh, the sound incredulous and bitter. "Heh, don't you think maybe you should just talk to them instead?"

Rolling his eyes, Eddie huffed incrustation. How could Steve be so dense, thinking that he had not already attempted to have the difficult conversation with the love of his life.  "I tried to."

The brunet could hardly comprehend what he was hearing. Feelings for Y/N or not, there was no way he was going to spill all of their secrets out to the other man. If you had elected to negate certain details out of your discussion with Eddie, then like hell was he going to break your confidence. "In that case, you can fuck off because I'm not going behind Y/N's back-"

Cutting through Steve's unappreciated insult, Eddie merely stated, "They lied."

That stopped Steve in his tracks, as he tilted his head in scepticism. "About?"

"Everything. No mention of the," Eddie paused, struggling to recall what name Nancy had used to refer to the evil version of Hawkins. "...what did you call it?"