Eddie Munson OneShots

Bring Me to Life

Eddie Munson x Reader
(I believe I wrote this as gn reader, Eddie uses the term "sweetheart" once at the end, but I imagine him saying this to anyone honestly)
Warnings: angst, sad themes sorry, injuries, blood, s4 vol2 plot, near-death experience, lots of emotions, happy ending-don't worry
WC: 4.3k
Song inspiration - bring me to life by evanescence
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author's note: not gonna lie, as painful as this was, I think this may be one of my favorite things I've written. i really hope you all enjoy it and as always I appreciate comments and feedback 💕
bonus points to whoever catches the kinda vague neverending story reference hidden within 👀

Originally posted at https://thisismynerdyself.tumblr.com/post/689441968485515264/bring-me-to-life

*****

Eddie was a surprisingly perceptive person. He often shocked those around him with his deeply thoughtful insights and references to material once thought to be beyond his scope of understanding. Eddie was underestimated. He countered his reputation with sarcasm and humor. He was selective in his applications of his mind, but when it really mattered, his mind was a brilliant inferno.
He had, however, a blind spot. And it was you.
How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb

According to most, there was little to love about the long-haired, fantasy-loving "freak". But from the moment you met Eddie, you knew he was far from what anyone guessed just from the surface. You didn't often seek out close connections with others, knowing from experience that it only leads to heartache. But with Eddie, his magnetic pull was undeniable to you, though you had no idea where that pull would lead you.
Eddie, on the other hand, was unconvinced of your genuine interest in his life, in his opinions, in his... well, anything. Someone like you focusing your attention on someone like him seemed too good to be true. He preferred to face reality and avoid disappointment - he would leave the fantasy to his gameplay.
But everything about you wanted to know everything about him. You thought you made it abundantly clear, but Eddie's own self-doubts held him back from letting you in no matter how often you knocked.

All this time I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me

When Eddie went into hiding while he was wanted for murder, you went with him. You knew leaving him alone would only let his self-doubts and his anxiety fester. So you stayed with him, you did what you could to protect him.
Eddie couldn't believe you would actually choose to remain with him when the rest of the world feared him, hated him. But as with every other time since meeting the addictingly sweet boy, you offered your shoulder for crying or carrying or anything else he could possibly need.
It wasn't until life put you all to the test that Eddie began to see what had been there all along and what kept him going all this time: you. It was the way you sat with him and worked through his dark and twisted mind, weeding through the terrors that plagued him and what he had seen. When he shared his fears, you offered your hand and he took it gratefully each time, squeezing and squeezing until the images fizzled away.
Eddie wasn't perfect, and neither were you. But there was no denying the way you felt for one another, even if you let the words simmer in your throat and never speak them out. Deep down, you feared that revealing your feelings for Eddie might somehow tempt fate and you simply weren't willing to take that risk. Not when there was so much at stake.

That's what brought you to this moment in time, where life seemed to stop.
You had just touched down in Hawkins, the glowing gate just above your head, Dustin with you in Eddie's trailer, and Eddie still in the Upside Down, hands poised on the rope.
It was like slow motion. You watched helplessly as Eddie retreated and slashed the rope tying your dimension to his, and you could do nothing but hyperventilate as he turned and ran out of the trailer with nothing but a spiked shield and a handmade spear. The tears began to fall, a swell of emotion erupting - anger that Eddie took this responsibility upon himself and overwhelming distress over your inability to run after him.
Dustin's voice cut through the cloud in your mind, shouting with all the gusto within him, but nothing stopped Eddie from running off to be the hero he claimed he couldn't be.
"Dustin, we have to get back in there." You spoke without really thinking, but thankfully your words matched your thoughts, which also matched Dustin's. You turned to the younger boy with terror in your eyes which was mirrored right back in his.
Snapping out of your temporary paralysis, your eyes darted around for anything that might help you get back to the Upside Down and get back to Eddie. Just the thought of him alone was increasing your heart rate by the second.
An idea formed and together, you retrieved a nearby chair and launched yourself up and through the gate, falling quite ungracefully to the ground, flat onto your back. The air was knocked clean out of your lungs and you laid there for a few seconds to catch your breath, but you had to quickly roll to your side and press on. "Hold on, Dustin, I'll get the mattress before you-"
A thump and a cry had you whipping yourself around to find Dustin clutching his leg, having fallen on it in his desperate attempt to make it through the gate without wasting any more time. You had to admire his bravery, but admonish his stupidity. Having gained your breath back, you went to the boy and helped him to his feet, his weight hanging onto you for balance. "I told you to wait, why don't you ever listen."
He looked at you with a crazed look in his eyes. "Eddie isn't waiting and neither am I." Dustin was determined and you couldn't blame him. His well-being was the only reason you weren't already outside and following Eddie's trail.
There was no time to dwell on it anymore. "Come on then, we need to go." You scooped up the shield that had been deposited at the base of the once-present rope, then retrieved the remaining two spears and handed one to the Henderson boy, a makeshift weapon and walking stick.
Together, you hobbled from the safety of the trailer, the eeriness of the Upside Down settling in. You could hear the flock of demobats in the distance and your heart rate increased tenfold.
The pair of you moved as fast as Dustin's injury would allow, but your heart sank further into your stomach when your eyes caught sight of the whirlwind of wings beating wildly in between dives toward their focused target. Eddie.
"Eddie!!" Yours and Dustin's voices, even combined, were not yet loud enough to reach the Munson boy who was fighting for his life - and for so many others'.
You were so focused on reaching Eddie that you never even registered the stream of wet falling down your face, soaking your cheeks and beginning to blur your sight.
"Eddie!!!!" You shouted, feeling Dustin's arms propel you forward to leave him behind. A faint "Go!" was enough for you to keep going. You used the brief momentum to spur yourself into a desperate sprint across the open landscape. The pounding of your feet against pavement matched the thundering of your breath and heart.
But even before you could reach him, the unthinkable happened. Each and every bat simultaneously rained to the ground in a shower of tiny black bodies. You didn't know what had caused it and quite frankly, you didn't care. You had been given an opening and you didn't intend on wasting it.