His Arwen (Eddie Munson x OC)

Chapter Sixteen

Eddie stretched a hand to Scarlet, asking her silently to come with him on the boat. He knew she was afraid, but she knew he had her - always. Scarlet grabbed his hand as he helped her into the boat.
"Really?! You too, Scar?!"
"Sorry," she chuckled. "Wherever he goes, I go."
"Even though you can't swim," Eddie mumbled.
Scarlet elbowed him, and he smiled. She rolled her eyes as she took a seat next to him. Eddie held her hand tightly, keeping his gaze on her.
"You okay?" he quietly asked.
"Kind of have to be," she sighed. "Right now, we can't afford not to be okay."
"She's right about that," Nancy agreed.
Eddie kissed the side of Scarlet's head. Scarlet took a glance at Robin, who smiled at the couple. Looking at Eddie, she rested her forehead on his.
"It'll be okay, baby," he whispered. "Promise."
Scarlet smiled as the boat stopped moving. This was where Vecna took Patrick. She took a glance at Eddie, who seemed slightly terrified. This is where the gate should be. Steve tugged off his shirt and dove into the water.
"So, any reason why he threw his shirt at you?" Scarlet asked.
"I honestly don't know," Eddie replied.
He took a cigarette out to calm his nerves until Robin said it was gross and tossed it out. Eddie looked at her with disgust, and Scarlet giggled. Nancy chose to dove in and then Robin. Scarlet eyed Eddie with fear as he started cursing.
"This is so stupid!!"
"Eddie..?"
He looked over and saw his afraid she was. Calming down, he grabbed her hands and kissed the tops gently. He commanded her to get on his back. She did, wrapping her legs around his waist. They inched closer to the gate and realized how peculiar it looked. Once they were in the upside down, it took Scarlet a minute to get adjusted before she looked up.
"Great. We have to fight against bats," she whined.
She grabbed a broken piece of wood and started swinging. As the group fought against the creatures, Scarlet was trying to stay around Eddie. Afterward, Eddie was upset, and she didn't blame him.
"Jesus H Christ!!"
"Baby, come here," Scarlet whispered.
Eddie fell onto her shoulder and wept. Scarlet rubbed his back and kissed the side of his head. She felt terrible. He was too overwhelmed for any of this, but it had to happen.
As they walked to the forest, Eddie climbed the big rock and had to confirm what he was thinking. This is precisely like Hawkins - just adding the monsters and scary shit. Steve told him about the vines as he explained the hive mind. Nancy began to patch Steve up when the rest saw the obvious chemistry. Scarlet looked up at Eddie, and he smiled at her before leaning into her ear.
"Looks like us," he whispered.
"Shut up," Scarlet giggled.
"Just saying!" Eddie laughed.
Nancy began to talk about how she had guns seeing as they couldn't fight the bats with sticks. The group was stunned, but Steve smiled, bringing up an old memory. An earthquake hit, and Scarlet and Robin both fell on Eddie. Their fingers interlocked together, and she brought his hand to her lips.
"Yeah, so guns sound like a pretty good idea to me," Eddie spoke up.
They all stood to their feet and dusted off. Scarlet kissed Eddie's cheek and felt his hands snake around her waist.
"Hey, beautiful? I gotta talk to Steve for a quick minute, alright?" Eddie mumbled.
"Okay, that's fine. I'll chat with Nancy and Robin," scarlet smiled.
Eddie smiled, grateful she understood. Scarlet ran to Nancy and Robin, where they were silent. She could hear Eddie clearing his throat, so Scarlet spoke up, seeing as it was probably a conversation they shouldn't hear.
"So, what's up with you and Steve?" Scarlet wondered.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh please," Robin replied. "There's obviously still something there. We all saw you and Steve look at each other with goo-goo eyes."
"Steve and I used to date," Nancy began. "Apparently, I broke up with him, and then he and his former friends spray-painted my name on the theater in town, calling me a slut."
"Dick move," Scarlet spoke up.
"Yeah, but he's - redeemed himself, I suppose. I'm with Jonathan, and I'm not planning to go back to Steve. Yeah, I care about him, but that's it. Nothing else."
Scarlet and Robin stopped and exchanged looks. Scarlet mouthed that she was in denial. Robin agreed. They caught up to Nancy, but something still didn't make sense.
"Wait, so if there's nothing there, then why did you look up at Steve like he was hot as fuck on the boat?" Scarlet asked.
"Scar!"
"I had to ask!"
Scarlet began to walk backward and saw that Eddie and Steve were finished. She smiled and waved at Eddie. He waved back at her, and Steve elbowed him as she turned back around.
"So seriously, I have to ask. How'd you manage to snag Scarlet as your girlfriend?" Steve asked.
"I sometimes wonder that myself," Eddie laughed. "One things certain, though. She was made to be mine, and I was made to be hers," Eddie smiled. "God, she's caring and kind, and she constantly thinks about me!! Like last week, for example? She went to the record store, and she knew I wanted this new album from this band I love, right? It didn't matter that I was going to get it. She got it for me anyways.
"Scarlet has cared for me like no other woman has. She's loved me like no one else. She cares about me; I return the favor. She buys me a gift, and I do the same, or at least gift her my shirt. The thing is that relationships are not one-sided. For them to work, both sides need to put in the effort. We do, and it shows."
"How?" Steve asked.
"We get asked if we're married all the time," he laughed. "There was this couple a few trailers down from mine who saw us around the park's playground. On their daily walks, they stopped and said how her and I resembled them both before they were married. They gave us some advice. We didn't ask, but we're thankful they did give it to us. We use it every day."
Steve narrowed his eyes, slightly confused. How the hell did Eddie Munson, the freak of Hawkins, take advice from an elderly couple? Eddie chuckled a little, and then another earthquake hit.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Scarlet bellowed.

Nancy searched through her bedroom, looking at every shoebox for her guns, until she realized that the upside down was in the past.
"Great, so no guns, no way to kiss bat creatures goodbye," Scarlet spoke up.
"Hey, it'll be okay," Eddie whispered.
Scarlet nodded, walking into his arms. Eddie held her close and kissed the side of her head, rocking her back and forth. They then hear Steve shouting Dustin's name and rush down to him.
"So, question?" Scarlet spoke up.
"What's up?" Eddie wondered.
"You didn't - I don't know, give him anything, right?"
"No, baby. I don't have anything on me except for cigarettes."
Scarlet nodded as Steve explained what was going on. All she could do was lean on Eddie and continue to wonder when it would be over.