slut [ eddie munson ]

031

After helping the still shaking Talia rinse the grime that clung to her skin and hair, Eddie slid open the shower door for her to step out. He followed her out and grabbed one of the towels left on the counter, wrapping it around Talia's shoulders. Swiftly, he wrapped the other one around his waist.

Talia stared at the floor, a slight frown on her lips as she tried desperately to ignore the flashes of Billy and Eddie from Vecna's curse that invaded her mind. Eddie grabbed hold of either end of her towel, beginning to gently pat dry her skin. She wordlessly allowed him to, her eyes meeting his as he finished.

"Max said that they should fit," Eddie said, dropping the damp towel onto the counter. He picked up the pair of sweatpants that had been on top of the pile of clothes. She shifted slightly, inching closer to him as he held out the sweatpants to her. Their fingers brushed as she grabbed the grey fabric from his hold.

After slipping on the sweatpants, Talia pulled the baggy black t-shirt that Max had chosen over her head. She was grateful to see a pair of thick socks, as well. Shuffling back, she sat atop the closed toilet seat and watched silently as Eddie began to dry himself off. He ruffled the towel through his drenched locks of hair before throwing it on top of Talia's.

Eddie pulled his blue and white checkered boxers on first, followed by his black jeans and Hellfire Club shirt. He yanked his black bandana out of the back pocket of his pants, wanting to fix it. Talia flinched as something clanged against the floor.

Both eyes darted down, Talia's eyes softening as they landed on the object that had fallen from Eddie's pocket. Eddie felt his cheeks flush pink as he quickly crouched down, carefully picking the object up from the bathroom floor.

"I, uh, found it after you called that night...put it around my guitar so I'd remember to give it to you the next day," Eddie muttered, stumbling slightly over his words as he held the heart-shaped silver locket out to the girl, "Then, you know, everything happened..."

"Eddie..." Talia breathed out, delicately taking the necklace from his hold, "I...thank you."

"I'm sorry," he blurted out, nervously meeting her gaze, "I blew you off and shouldn't have. I just...was scared Chrissy would hear and then you'd get mad and...stop, uh, talking to me. Right after I hung up, I found it—Chrissy waited in my living room for, like, ten minutes after the call."

"I think Chrissy knew," Talia revealed quietly, a sad smile slipping over her lips, "She didn't outright say anything about knowing, but...sometimes the things she did say were questionable."

"Oh," Eddie muttered, sheepishly looking at her, "Maybe...that's why Chrissy kept mentioning you...her 'hot, extremely single best friend'."

Talia's lips quirked, slight mortification washing over her features, "Please tell me you're lying."

"Afraid I cannot do that," a teasing grin took over his slips.

She smiled gently at him, fingers tightening around the necklace in her hand as warmth settled in her chest, "Seriously, thank you."

"You're welcome."

A quiet knock drew their attention to the door. Eddie moved towards it, unlocking it and cracking it open for the person on the other side. Max's head poked through the opening, an awkward smile on her lips as she looked from Eddie to Talia.

"Everyone is in the living room," she said, "come out whenever you're ready, Nancy's just waiting for you guys...he showed her something...but, seriously, take your time."

"What happened to Nancy?" Talia questioned, brows furrowed in confusion. Eddie frowned, glancing back at her.

"Vecna...cursed her, too."

"At, like, the same time he cursed you."

Talia stood, "Is she okay? Eddie, why didn't you tell me?"

Eddie looked at her worriedly. He hadn't meant to not tell her about her cousin, but his focus had been on helping her first. The news of her cousin would have just drawn her attention away from herself, and Eddie knew that Talia needed time to process what she had just experienced first.

"You needed to focus on yourself first, T. Nancy has all of them out there with her, I knew she'd be okay until you were."

Talia nodded slightly, sighing. The red headed teen shot her a small smile before backing out of the doorway, softly closing the door. The Wheeler girl rested her hip against the countertop as Eddie began pulling his socks and shoes back on. Once he finished, she reached down and grabbed his leather jacket, holding it out for him to take.

A soft smile fell on his lips as he took it from her, pulling it over his arms. Talia managed a grin as she stepped in front of him, fixing the collar before circling her arms around him.

"I love you, and I know you just wanted to make sure I was fine before telling me about Nancy...so, thank you, again."

"I love you, too," he echoed, his hand gently taking hold of hers—the necklace still in her grasp, "Do you want me to help you put it on?"

She nodded slightly, letting him pull it from her hand. Spinning around so that her back was to him, she reached back and gathered her hair. Eddie unclasped the necklace then brought it around her neck, making sure it was facing the right way before clasping it shut.

"We should probably go out there," Talia muttered, shoulders hunching and her head leaning back into Eddie as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him. His chin settled on her shoulder, temple resting against hers.

"Probably," he hummed, closing his eyes and letting himself rest against her, "They can wait a bit longer though."

——————

Short chapter because I want one last moment of fluff before everything goes down. I wrote the last two episodes while I was high so I'm currently going through and polishing it up, but the rest of the chapters will be published as I do so! Only a few more chapters until we get to see all the extra scenes—including Billy and Talia's fight and how Talia and Eddie started hooking up 🫣.