𝑲𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 | Eddie Munson

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sᴇᴠᴇɴ

No questions.

That's what I agreed to when Eddie told me where he's been. The pain of reliving it by telling me was written on his face and expressed in his voice.

I sat quietly on his bed as he explained how he found a few people that worked under Dr. Brenner that we were still alive. I swallowed my questions that were rising about how he found them. I assume Dustin told him stories about where Eleven was from and what they did there. I promised I'd listen and that's all I did. My chest burns as he describes how they poked and prodded him, promising him a cure. Eventually, he was no longer voluntarily there. They admitted that if they couldn't turn him back that they couldn't let him go back into the world.

"I had to get back to you." He said as he looked me in the eyes.

"I wanted to fix me, for you." He said as I closed my eyes feeling overwhelmed by the pain in my heart.

"I'm sorry," Eddie said as he finished telling me that he escaped and has been trying to make his way home, but it took him so long.

He never tells me how he escaped, if he hurt anyone, how far he traveled, how he's fed, or the details of what they did to him. And I don't ask because the pain in his voice is too much to continue baring. The only sound filling the space between us is my shaky breath and the wind hitting the trailer.

"I thought you left me," I whisper as I stare at my hands in my lap.

Eddie slides his hand into mine and interlocks our fingers. "Never,"

"I'm so selfish. I was so upset with you and you were out there suffering." I choke out the last word and turn my face away as I feel the tears fall.

Eddie moves closer to me on the bed and gently touches my cheek, moving my face in his direction. "Please don't turn away. I've waited weeks to see your face." I meet his stare and he brushes his thumb over my cheek. "There you are, my beautiful girl,"

I break down at his words. I lean forward, wrapping my arms around his neck and falling into him. He falls back on the bed and pulls me in closer. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all that you've been through. You don't deserve it." I say it into his chest, unable to meet his eyes. "I'm so mad at the cards you've been dealt and I'm mad that I've made it worse."

"No, stop." Eddie presses his cheek on the top of my head as he runs his hand up and down my back. He's comforting me. He's always comforting me. It's all wrong.

I sit up and look down at him. "Please, don't. I'm supposed to be making you feel better."

He laughs. He actually laughs during a time like this. I give him a look. "I've had a lot of time to sit with my situation and how I feel. But right now, I just want to be with you. Look at you. Hold you." His last few words come out slowly as he reaches for my arm. "I don't want to feel anything other than you. Please help me forget all that for right now." Eddie's eyes are pleading, but his touch is begging. His fingers move up and down my arm as he waits for me to make a move or say something.

So, I give in. I give him what he wants and deep down it's exactly what I need too. For weeks I cried over Eddie not showing up. I would sit and imagine his embrace and how badly I needed it. Well, here it is. Here he is.

Eddie looks up at me as he lays on the bed with his curls painting the bed in swirls. I crawl on top of him, straddling him. His hands barely lift from the mattress as confusion washes over his face. I smile at his reaction as I remove his jacket and toss it onto the floor. I want to feel him without barriers. "Do you trust me?" I whisper.

Eddie's confused expression softens and he nods. "Yes,"

I keep my eyes on him as I remove my shirt. I see the way his lips part and his chest rises. His cheeks warm and I smile at that. My fingers brush the torn edges of his shirt and I imagine what he did to cause that. Thoughts fill my mind of what he's been through, how he was hurt. His body has only been touched with pain, just like mine. For once, we deserve to feel something other than pain. I pull his shirt up and he takes over by pulling it over his head.