The Freaks - Eddie Munson

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Munson

When Wheeler had come up from the water, pulling her hair back, something happened in my stomach. I'd told myself not 2 hours ago that I was done with Y/N Wheeler. No more flirting, no more butterflies, no more bon-

"Are you coming?" I heard her call. I smiled, relieved for some reason I'd been invited.

"Yes ma'am." I replied. I stood, kicking off my shoes and taking off my shirt with one hand, secretly hoping she'd notice. I unzipped my pants and pulled them down, stepping out then wading into the water.

Damn it, it was cold.

I let myself down into the water and began swimming towards her. Once I reached her, I ducked down under the water to wet my hair, brushing it out of my face. When I came back up I was glad to see her staring at me.

"Like what you see?" I asked with a chuckle. She rolled her eyes as she splashed me, the water getting in my eyes.

"Holy shit Wheeler, what the hell??" I rubbed my eyes, making the burning worse. S

he laughed loudly, her voice echoing across the moon lit water. And I loved it. I splashed her back once I could see, and it quickly turned into a game. The bigger the splash, the more annoyed the other got. Her laugh was music to my ears. And suddenly, as the moonlight reflected off her skin, her smile beaming, I realized giving up on her would have been my biggest mistake. I reached for her waist to make her stop splashing and lifted her up above the water. Her hands rested on my shoulders as she ceased laughing, her smile falling. I couldn't help but stop laughing too, the silence making my heart race. I'd only just noticed her soaking wet white shirt was see through, her black bra perfectly outlined.

"Like what you see?" she whispered. I looked up at her, slowly lowering her down back into the water. Her eyes stayed locked on mine, her hands remaining on my bare shoulders. Our faces were close. Too close.

I knew if I didn't have any self control I'd kiss her here and now. 

I didn't have self control. 

I never have. 

I found myself leaning into her, her hands falling to my chest.

"How many tattoos do you have?" she whispered, stopping me. My eyes moved from her lips back up to her eyes. There was silence for a moment as I grieved the lost moment.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"No, it's okay." I assured her, "I have 6." I gave her a reassuring smile. Silence followed. My hands remained on her waist, her shirt riding up in the water, and her hands stayed on my chest. She traced my tattoo on my chest, her eyes locked on the details. My eyes closed as she did so, my breathing becoming unsteady. For having just dodged a kiss, she had some nerve teasing me like this. Her hands were soft, even though they were wet.

"Shit, Wheeler." I opened my eyes. Her gaze slowly lifted, her eyes dragging up my chest and neck back up to my eyes. I gave her a look. I was hoping she'd understand. She looked back down at my chest, running her hands up and around my neck.

"Could you just...hold me?" she asked timidly. A smile toyed at my mouth. I nodded, my tongue tied. I was afraid if I opened my mouth I'd say something incredibly stupid. She moved closer, her eyes flickering to my lips once or twice before wrapping her arms tightly around me and burying her face in my neck. I held her tightly, my hand cradling her head.

"Are you okay, Wheeler?" I felt her nod, holding me tighter. This is what I'd imagined when I first saw her. Her wanting me. Needing me. No one had ever needed me before. That was the thing about Y/N Wheeler. She was too much like me. She backed away, looking into my eyes. She had been crying.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked hesitantly. She smiled.

"You've already done enough, Ed." the nickname made my heart skip a beat. I needed to stop looking at her lips. One day I'd kiss her. And it'll be because she wants me to. "Come on. I'll race you back." she pushed off, swimming towards the shore. I followed, watching her climb out of the water.

"Oh, for the love of-" her shorts clung tightly due to the wetness, and her see through shirt was now skin tight against her. I could see the pattern on her bra. And suddenly, I couldn't get out of the water in just my boxers. And it wasn't because it was cold.

Wheeler

The walk back to the trailers was freezing. It wasn't exactly cold in Hawkins, but with no sun, the breeze blowing our already cold skin, goosebumps crawled up my arms. Eddie walked back topless, his pants hanging low for lack of a belt. He carried the rest of our clothes, including my sweatshirt as we exited the glade, the trailers in sight. My smile fell when I saw Steve standing outside Eddie's trailer, his hands on his hips like always.

"Someone looks pissed." Eddie whispered. We laughed lightly, and Steve rushed up to us, grabbing my hand.

"Let's go." I turned to Eddie, and watched his smile fall as I was dragged away. I ripped my hand from Steve's, taking a step back.

"Where the hell were you? And with the freak, nonetheless."

I turned to Eddie, whose gaze was at his feet, kicking the dirt.

"Did you force her to go with you?" Steve asked pointedly. Eddie looked up, his face frozen with shock and confusion.

"She can make her own decisions, Harrington." when Eddie stepped forward, I kept my guard up. But when Steve stepped forward, I did my best to step between them.

"That's enough, Eddie's right." I looked over at Steve, "It was my idea to go to the lake. And I invited Eddie to come along." Eddie's head turned to me sharply, his expression unchanging.

"Wheeler-"

"No." I turned to him, and realizing my hand lingered on his chest, I removed it. After a moment of eye contact with Eddie, I felt Steve's hand wrap around my arm once more.

"Leave her alone, Munson. She's not interested." I couldn't get out of his grip this time, so all i could do was turn back to Eddie and give him a look I could only hope he'd understand. He gave me a small smile in return, raising his hand to wave goodbye. I couldn't help but blush.