Stranger Things - Imagines (Book 2)

Eddie Munson X Reader - Leave A Light On

A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song Leave A Light On by Belinda Carlisle. This is set after season 4, so obvi, Eddie didn't die. I hope you all enjoy it. 

The last couple of months had been some of the most draining moments of your life. From the second that Eddie had been accused of murder, you had been in a constant state of confusion, twisting and turning from one place to another, putting out metaphorical fires as you went. And then, the Earth had split open and Dustin was sobbing to you that Eddie was dead. 

There had been a numbness in you ever since, sitting on your chest and leaving you completely lost to the world. Eddie had been your soulmate. He was the love of your life; your best friend; the man you had intended on spending your life with. And now, he was gone. 

Of course, part of you had always hoped that Dustin was wrong. Surely, if Eddie was gone, you would be able to feel it. You would know deep down that he wasn't coming back. But somewhere in the back of your mind, there was still this niggling feeling that he was still out there, hidden and waiting for the perfect moment to come home.

So, you'd come up with a plan. You would leave the light on your porch switched on every night, a steady beacon that would lead him home to you. He would see it and know you were there waiting for him. You'd still been hopeful in the beginning. Any day now, Eddie would come strolling in as if he had never been gone. But a few months in, the hope was beginning to dwindle. And still, you couldn't bring yourself to turn off the light, no matter how high your energy bills were getting. No matter how many times your neighbour complained about the light pollution. No matter how long it took. 

It had been midnight when you'd heard clattering in the front yard, turning over in your sleep and burrowing into Eddie's pillow, pushing the thought of the neighbourhood raccoons raiding your garbage out of your mind. 

And then, there had been a light tapping on your front door, and the sleep had dropped out of you entirely. You were sitting up immediately, blinking to let your eyes adjust to the darkness of your bedroom. 

There was no reason for anyone to be coming over so late at night and you were pretty certain that the raccoons hadn't reached the point of polite knocking yet.

Your thoughts were interrupted by another knock, a little louder this time, and you were quick to scramble out of bed, grabbing the baseball bat that Eddie had gifted you for protection when he first discovered that you were living on your own more often than not, with your parents travelling for most of the year. 

You approached the front door, grip tightening on the bat as you put your eye up to the peephole, your stomach flipping when you saw a mass of curly hair on the other side. 

When you pulled the door open, Eddie had his back to you, his eyes scanning the street, checking that no one was watching him from their own houses. And then, he'd felt your arms wrap around his waist, and his entire body had relaxed into your touch. 

"Hey Baby," he hummed softly, manoeuvring around until he was facing you, your face pressed into his chest as your grip tightened around him. "I'm sorry it took me so long," he added softly, reaching up to cup your head closer to him, letting out the most content sigh you had ever heard. 

"I thought," you uttered, your voice muffled by his t-shirt. "Dustin said-"

"I know, Baby," he agreed softly. "I know; but I'm not, right? I'm right here," he reminded you, a small smile coming to his lips when your hands slipped up the back of his shirt, fingers splaying out against bare skin as if double-checking that he was actually real. "Can I come in, Sweetheart? Don't want the neighbours catching me out here," he added softly, brushing your hair back out of your face when you peered up at him. 

You nodded, keeping your grip on him as you drew him back into the house. "I missed you," you murmured, your entire body relaxing when he met the words with a gentle kiss, his hands lifting to cup your face. 

"I came as quickly as I could," he told you quietly. "I promise, I would've come earlier if I could have-"

"I know," you interrupted, a small smile pulling at the corners of your lips as you lifted your hand to run your fingers over his jaw. "It doesn't matter; I'm just happy you're here."

He leant down, kissing you again, deeper this time, and so full of love that it made your heart skip a beat. "I love you," he breathed against your lips, his nose nudging yours lightly as your eyes blinked open to look at him. 

Eddie had never been the type to keep his thoughts to himself. He'd told you that he was in love with you within a month of dating and you'd been practically beaming with happiness at his confession. But now, it felt like it meant more. You'd lost each other and now he was home and the love went deeper. It was stronger. 

You let out a shaking breath, nodding slightly. "I love you too, Ed," you reminded him. "Promise you won't go again."

His face had fallen at the comment, his mouth opening and closing as he searched for a way to say what he needed to. "I can't stay, Baby," he confessed quietly. "The police are still looking for me-"

"Oh," you murmured softly, swallowing down the lump in your throat. "Right, yeah, of course-"

"But I'll come back, I promise," he pressed on. "I can come over whenever you need me to."

You hesitated for a moment. "What about the wedding?"

Eddie's stomach dropped at your question, his head tipping back so that he could look at the ceiling, blinking back tears. A few months back, he'd made a promise to you that after he graduated, he would marry you. There was a whole plan in place, including a move out to California. And now, it was looking pretty unlikely that he would get a chance to follow through on his promises.

"Baby-"

"Right," you interrupted, nodding slightly and biting down on your bottom lip to stop the tears from flowing.

"I still want to marry you, Sweetheart. More than anything-"

"But," you interjected, sniffling slightly. "There's a but now, right?"

He nodded slightly. "But, if I go to a courthouse and start signing marriage certificates they'll come after me. They'll come after you if you marry me."

You bit back tears, nodding your understanding. 

"I'm sorry, Baby," he pressed, drawing you back to him, your face resting in the crook of his neck. "I know I promised and it's killing me to have to break it-"

"It's okay," you breathed against him. "I understand."

"But it still fucking sucks," he added softly, finishing your thought for you, even though he knew you would never say it out loud. 

You sniffled slightly. "Yep," you confirmed quietly. "Can you stay? Just until morning-"

"I need to leave before the sun comes up," he uttered. "But I can stay a while, alright? A couple of hours."

You nodded, letting him lead you back to your bedroom, immediately falling back into your old routine, with him lounging against your pillows, with you wrapped around him like his own personal blanket. 

"Hey," he hummed, nudging you lightly until you lifted your head to look at him. "I do love you," he reminded you. "And if I could I would marry you right now, you know that, right?"

"Yeah," you confirmed quietly, a sad smile pulling at your lips. "I know."

He craned his neck, pressing another quick kiss to your lips, his thumb running lightly over your jaw. "I love you," he uttered again.

"I love you too, Ed."

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