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Karen Wheeler was a goddamn saint. If Eddie had any real idea of what maternal affection meant, and was asked to give an example, he was pretty sure she would probably be the ideal specimen.
‘Cause, like, who else would allow a group of, objectively speaking, batshit crazy teenagers basically invade your living room at 8pm on a Friday for fucking movie night? Eddie could think of a whole town's worth of people who wouldn't (Mr. Wheeler being chief among them, if he actually had any say on the matter).
But yeah, for a mom, Karen was cool.
So, when she welcomed the way too large group of teens into the Wheeler's house, arms and coffee tables full of snacks and sugary fizzy drinks, Eddie was almost excited.
Almost.
Because, he needs to be real over here, spending his Friday night with, and please, let him just enumerate the fucking ridiculous number of people crammed into the Wheeler's living room, was not something any sane man would be excited about.
There was him, of course, Nancy and Mike (obviously), with their SOs Byers and El, along which came Byers the younger, who had to bring in Sinclair and Red (cause those two were just so sickeningly sweet on each other, it made Eddie nauseous). There was Henderson (who he was actually glad to have around, but never tell the kid that) who just had to invite Harrington, his hair, and Buckley.
So yeah… there were way too many people for his tastes.
Oh… oh yeah. Did he mention Chrissy Cunningham was there too? Cause yeah, she was. She was definitely there… in the same room as him… breathing the same air…yeah.
Okay, so maybe he was a little bit excited for movie night.
After Mrs. and Mr. Wheeler left for their date night, taking little Holly with them, the party settled down in some semblance of seating positions, as much as the space allowed, and got comfortable with their individual snack of choice.
Somehow, by some fucking weird alignment of the planets, Eddie found himself on one edge of the couch, with Chrissy sat to his right, and Nancy and Jonathan next to her. Eddie didn't know how it happened, since he usually ended up lounging on a carpet somewhere, but something about Buckley wanting his usual spot, his hair getting in the way of the screen, and someone literally pushing him in his seat, he ended up being way too close to Cunningham for his sanity. Not like he could say anything though, he'd just sound like an absolute loser, getting flustered by being in close proximity to a girl. He still had to maintain some semblance of dignity in front of his freshman sheepies.
"So!" Henderson called the party to order with a slap of his hands. "Whose turn was it to pick this time?"
"That would be Chrissy," Nancy answered, throwing an encouraging smile to the girl on her left. "Did you bring it?"
Eddie noticed Cunningham fidget a little bit with the hem of her sweater, as she was wont to do when she got nervous.
"Uhm, yeah, I did," she replied and went to look through the overnight bag she had brought with her (apparently the girls were planning a sleepover or some shit?). She soon returned holding a VHS tape close to her chest.
"It's my favourite actually," she smiled, unsure of herself as she always seemed to be, which would always send a teeny-tiny prick to Eddie's withered blackened heart. "But we don't have to watch it if you don't want to, it's not-"
"What is it?" Max asked, not unkindly, but also a bit too impatient for her own good.
Chewing her lips, Chrissy held up the tape for everyone to see its title.
The Last Unicorn
Most of the guys and some of the girls (okay, it was just Max) groaned, but Eddie found himself barking out a laugh at her choice.
He didn't actually mind the movie. It was a good movie. The animation was more to his tastes than the generic prettiness of Disney. There was magic and fantasy and quests… it was right up his alley, even though it got a bit corny at times.
But it was cute. It was a cute movie. It was cute that it was her favourite.
Of course, Chrissy had completely shrunk into herself at the general reaction to her pick, but thankfully, as always, Nancy made sure to step up.
"No complaints! Those are the rules. If I could sit through Motel Hell without saying anything, you can watch the Last Unicorn, which I love by the way," she directed that last bit to Chrissy.
"What was wrong with Motel Hell?" Eddie asked, slightly offended to have his excellent movie tastes attacked like that.
"Oh, you mean that awful Sweeny Todd knock off with awful writing and even worse directing?" Robin answered, rolling her eyes, and Eddie had to fight the urge to send a cushion flying her way.
"I want to watch The Last Unicorn," El piped up, an excited look on her face that basically put an end to the discussion. No one would ever deny El anything. The girl could ask you to deliver someone's head on a platter, and Eddie was pretty sure no one would comment on it before busting out the chainsaws.
"The Last Unicorn it is." Henderson whined, but dutifully took the tape from Chrissy and put it in the VCR.
Now, in case anyone had forgotten, because Eddie sure as hell hadn't, he was still sat on the couch with a whole bunch of Cunningham on his right. And it wasn't like he was super aware of her or anything but, like, she was so fucking close!
Eddie tried his best to give Chrissy as much space as he could, scooching as far into his side of the couch as possible, not wanting to even consider invading her personal space. He wanted her to feel comfortable. If anyone deserved comfort, it was this girl.
Chrissy had become a staple in the party after the whole end of the fucking world business was over and done with, and he was cautiously happy about that.
Cautiously because, well, it was great having her around, as a friend. Shit, it was great just having her be there in Hawkins, alive, after that shit-eating tentacled freak Vecna almost got his claws on her. But, having her so near, all the damn time… well, it was kinda doing a number on him.
The thing is, she was, like, the sweetest person in the world. Hard as it was to believe after everything she'd gone through, but she was. And she was nice to him, which was all kinds of out of the ordinary, because the majority of the population who was nice to Eddie Munson could be found in this room.
And, if he went by the Munson Doctrine, the girl who used to be called the Queen of Hawkins High should not have been nice to The Freak of Hawkins High. It went against all the laws of the Universe.
And yet, here they were, sitting on a couch next to each other on a Friday night, watching an animated fairytale and eating microwaved popcorn out of the same bowl.
As the movie started, he chanced a glance at her. She had raised her knees up and picked up a cushion in her arms, hugging it to her chest. Her eyes were shining with excitement as America's dulcet guitars started playing on the movie's title track, and Eddie couldn't help but let the corner of his lips lift at her joy.
As the first verses of The Last Unicorn theme song started playing, he could feel her gently swaying to the music and hear her sing along to the song. She looked so fucking happy as she sang "When the last eagle flies/Over the last crumbling mountain" Eddie had to literally force himself to look back at the TV.
He knew the song well enough. It was a good song. The lyrics were not… the best, or made the most sense, but for a kid's movie, they worked just fine. It was just fine.
"Then look into the sky where through"
His traitorous eyes found themselves glancing back at Chrissy, because it was so hard not to, as she swayed next to him.
"Through the clouds a path is torn"
Her smile was so big and bright as she sang along, the pillow clutched tightly to her chest. And her eyes…
"Look and see her how she sparkles"
Jesus…
"It's The Last Unicorn!"
He was a goner.
"I'm alive."
—
Eddie found some semblance of self-control after the first several minutes. As the movie kept going, he managed to keep his eyes on the TV most of the time. He tried to ignore any soft giggles or small gasps whenever something happened on screen, but with each tiny breath of hers he buried himself even further into his side of the couch, as if getting as far away from her as possible would do something to fight off the tractorbeam-like pull he felt towards her.
Shit.
He really had to get a hold of himself, this was getting embarrassing.
It was when they got to the part where the unicorn was captured by Mommy Fortuna and put on display in her fucked up Midnight Carnival that he felt Chrissy tense beside him and go completely quiet.
Her hands were squeezing the pillow in a death grip and there was a melancholy about her that tugged at his heart. Without missing a beat, Eddie picked up the bowl of M&Ms from the coffee table and, after putting about a dozen in his mouth at once, passed it over to Chrissy without breaking his gaze from the movie.
It took a second, but eventually he heard her sigh and relax. She took the bowl with a small “Thank you”, and if her hands lingered on his for one second too long, well… it was probably just his imagination.
—
The movie kept going without too much fuss.
Schmendrick turned the unicorn into a human woman after encountering the Red Bull, and the party now found themselves at King Haggard's castle, where they join his court, and the unicorn (now Lady Amalthea) meets Prince Lir.
And of course it's love at first sight for the prince.
Real dumb move there, Lir.
Dude just had to fall for the one woman he couldn't actually have.
Who even did that? What kind of masochistic moron would put their heart on the line for someone so completely out of their league?
Lir was an idiot.
—
Lir was such a lucky son of a bitch.
As time passes, Lady Amalthea starts forgetting herself, lost in her new human feelings , and of course she starts falling for the blond, blue eyed prince. Because of course she fucking did.
If you asked him, that was kinda sad. Like, why would someone have to completely change themselves just to fall in love? Eddie was no expert by any means, but shouldn’t falling in love make you want to be… just better? Like, wanting to be braver, stronger, smarter, kinder for that one person who deserves the best that you can give? But what the fuck did he know, right?
Eddie watched as Lir completely bombed trying to profess his love to Amalthea and, all things considered, he couldn't help but sympathise with the dude a little bit.
How did one even go about telling someone that they cared? Eddie had never been shy, or lacking in verbosity, but spilling his heart out to someone? Nah. Nuh-uh. No way, man. How would one even find such words? He loved his uncle, sure, but Eddie (and Wayne too, probably) would rather die than actually say it out loud.
And how the hell did you even tell a girl that you think the sun shines out of her ass? (Well, he was pretty sure not like that. ) Especially when said girl had been messed up by so many horrible people and events. That was just straight up emotional suicide!
But the dumbass Prince just kept trying.
They got to the point where Lir and Amalthea met on the staircase and started having their little heart-to-heart.
“But I’m always dreaming, even when I’m awake. It is never finished. I… will not trouble you, my lord.” Amalthea said.
“Oh, trouble me! Please, trouble me! I would… court you with more grace if I knew how. I wish you wanted something of me,” Lir replied, like a desperate love sick fool Eddie could definitely not relate to.
“Drown out my dreams! Keep me from remembering whatever wants me to remember it!”
He heard Chrissy sigh as Amalthea said the words, and Eddie could see her lower her head in his peripheral vision. She looked sad for some reason, but Eddie didn't allow himself to wonder why.
He hated seeing her like that.
Luckily, it didn't last long, as literally the next second Lir starts serenading Amalthea, because of course no self-respecting musical would allow someone to just profess their love through regular dialogue!
But… he was okay with it. Because Cunningham went from 0 to 100 the second Lir started singing.
"I've had time to write a book
About the way you act and look
But I haven't got a paragraph
Words are always getting in my way"
Eddie sighed and tilted his head up to look at the ceiling, not quite keen on watching this scene play out.
"Anyway, I love you"
His eyes moved back to Chrissy.
That's all I have to tell you
That's all I've got to say."
There was such a softness to her face, her smile, and there was something like longing there, that made him avert his eyes again.
Yeah, he could feel Lir's words sink deep into his sternum.
“And now, I'd like to make a speech
About the love that touches each
But stumbling, I would make you laugh"
Unbidden, the memory of their first meeting sprang to his mind. How he flung himself on the ground in a pile of leaves like a fucking moron just to put her troubled mind at ease and hear her lovely laugh.
" I feel as though my tongue were made of clay"
How he had tried to seem cool and collected when her smile left him nothing but stupid and incoherent, making him hide behind his hair like the self-conscious loser he was.
"Anyway, I love you
That's all I have to tell you.”
Chrissy started softly singing along with the song that he felt compelled to risk glancing her way again. She swayed gently to the music, smiling so sweetly and having such a dreamy look in her eyes, that Eddie forgot how to breathe.
She was so, so pretty, like a delicate fucking flower, that he almost felt undeserving to look at her.
So he didn't. He forced himself to focus on the screen for the rest of the song, though he heard nothing but Chrissy's gentle voice as she sighed:
"Now I know the way
That's all I've got to say."
—
The final battle between the Unicorn and the Red Bull was pretty cool, so that kept him blissfully occupied for a while. He even managed to force himself not to be distracted by Chrissy's gasp when the Bull killed Lir as he tried protecting the Unicorn. This was her favourite movie, surely she couldn't still be surprised by what was happening on screen, right?
After the missing unicorns ride out from the waves and creepy old Haggard falls to a well deserved death, the Unicorn finally revives Lir and she rides off into the sunset to be with her pack.
Watching Lir trying to run after the love he couldn't have stung a bit. Eddie felt sorry for the dude, he couldn't help it. But not everyone could have a happy ending, he was more than aware of that, as shitty as it was.
When Eddie heard Chrissy sniffling next to him, he startled and, in only mild panic, fumbled for the box of tissues that was on the table nearby and handed it to her. She took a couple and then passed the box on to Nancy, who passed it on to El, who passed it on to Robin, who passed it on to… shit, Harrington?
No, wait, he'd have to dissect that later. There was a crying Cunningham next to him, with tears pooling in her eyes and her chin doing that wobbly thing that just about fucking killed him, and that had to take priority.
He wasn't sure what possessed him to do it, but he found his hand drifting up and touching her upper back, where it started drawing soothing circles of its own fucking accord.
Oh God he was embarrassing himself, wasn't he? She probably didn't even want him touching her. It wasn't like girls had been clamouring for attention these miserable 20 years of his life. What the fuck was he thinking?
Even though he was occupied with having a minor existential crisis, coupled with an impending panic attack, there was a brief moment of clarity where he noticed Chrissy wasn't rejecting his touch.
Now, he didn't know what happened, but after rubbing her back for a hot second, he felt her sigh at his touch and, shockingly, leaned sideways until she was flush against him, her head settled in the crook of his shoulders.
Shit.
Shit shit shit motherfuck shit fuck.
Okay. Alright. Cool.
Cool. Cool. Cool.
He had this. The girl was probably looking for some comfort in her sadness and no one else was stepping up. He could do this. Eddie knew she was a naturally tactile person, she loved touching people and being touched, as if it fueled her to keep going. He'd noticed it. Fuck, he'd noticed a lot of things about her.
Like how she loved touching Max's hair whenever the two hung out. Or how she affectionately patted Henderson's cap when he was being a smiley little shit. Or how she always hugged Nancy and Robin hello and goodbye. Or how she always made sure to grab the sleeve of Eddie's leather jacket when she was trying to get his attention(as if he wasn't paying it to her at all fucking times when they were in the same room), or when she would poke him in the ribs if he was being a smartass.
So yeah… it was just like all those other times. No biggie. She was just much closer. So much fucking closer.
Eddie could smell her shampoo now (vanilla, because of course it was) and could feel her body shake with sobs as the Unicorn tells Prince Lir that "she remembers him". And fuck, now he was getting sad too.
His arm instinctively curled around her shoulders and gave an experimental squeeze. And when she burrowed further into his side and her own arms wrapped around his waist, he did it again. And Jesus H Christ, he never wanted her to move ever again.
And he knew, Eddie fucking knew he was being a complete sap, and he knew he was going to get so much shit from Henderson for this. Still, going against his frankly dubious better judgement, he lifted his other hand and brought it to her arm, where he started rubbing up and down, trying to give her even a little bit of the comfort she was giving him. They were basically hugging now, their bodies pressed tight against each other, and Eddie prayed to whoever listened that Chrissy didn't notice how his heart was thundering in his chest.
The movie seemed to have moved along without him, and before he knew it Lir was saying goodbye to Schmendrick and Molly and started bemoaning his lost love.
"I wish I could see her just once more, to tell her all that's in my heart."
And shit, Lir, ain't that the truth?
He sighed at that, without really meaning to, and then felt Chrissy squeeze his waist, just barely. So he returned the gesture, just barely.
He didn't know what that meant, but it felt like something.
—
Normally, Eddie was tasked to take Max home, being neighbours and all, but since the girls were planning a sleepover, he had a nice solitary drive to look forward to. He needed some time to himself to clear his head, forget what it felt like to have the girl of his dreams in his arms, and talk some goddamn sense into that thick skull of his. And the farther away from Cunningham he was, the easier it would be.
Still, he lingered around for a little bit, until the rest of the guys had taken off before announcing his own departure.
"Welp, it breaks my heart to leave you lovely ladies without my delightful company, but it's time I evacuate the premises."
"Took you long enough," Max grumbled from where she was still laying on the floor with her head in El's lap.
"Yeah, I'll miss you too, Mayfield," he deadpanned as he put on his jacket and vest combo. "Thanks for the invite, Wheeler!" He called out and opened the front door to let himself out.
He was almost outside when he felt a tug on the sleeve of his jacket. When he turned around, there was Chrissy, looking up at him with those pretty baby blues of hers.
"I'll walk you," she smiled at him and Eddie almost short-circuited.
"Oh… yeah. Sure. Okay. Thanks."
Even in his daze, he stepped aside and let her go first. Let it never be said that Eddie Munson was not raised right.
They walked in silence towards his van, which was parked a couple of houses down so as not to crowd the Wheeler's driveway. When they reached it, they turned towards each other and just stood there for a bit.
"So…uhm, did you have fun tonight?" She eventually asked, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
Eddie couldn't help but let his face soften into an easy smile. "'Course I did. I always have fun with you bunch of miscreants."
She blessed him with a sweet giggle in reply, which made him feel like his drive home would be even more difficult.
"I'm, uhm, sorry if you didn't like the movie." Chrissy said after her laughter died down and lowered her head. "It was a pretty dumb pick, thinking about it now."
"Cunningham, what on earth made you think the biggest fantasy nerd in Indiana would dislike a movie about magical creatures and adventure?" He replied patiently, not allowing her for one second to lower herself in that hole of self-doubt she'd been fighting so hard to climb out of for months.
Eddie then bent down a bit so he could catch her eye. "The Last Unicorn is a good movie and I liked it a lot. I promise. Okay?"
And then she threw him the widest, most beautiful smile the world had ever seen, to which he could only answer with a smile of his own. He didn't dare open his mouth for fear of saying something extremely stupid.
"I'm glad! I'm so glad I got to share my favourite movie with you."
Oh no. Oh no, don't you do this to me, Chrissy!
She could not possibly be this sweet. She could not possibly give that much of a damn about him or his opinions.
Didn't she realise she was tearing him apart at the seams? It took all of the strength he possessed to not shove his hand in his chest and pull out his furiously beating heart and put it in her delicate hands right then and there.
But he couldn't do that. So he smiled like an idiot and straightened up, taking a cautionary step back. Just in case.
"I guess I should head out," he finally found his voice and forced himself to turn around and step towards the driver's seat of his van. "Wouldn't want to keep you from your girls' night."
"Oh," she said, and Eddie could have sworn she sounded disappointed. "Yeah, you must be tired. I'm sorry for keeping you."
"Don't apologise. Not to me." For anything. Ever. He had to school his voice for it not to sound like a plea and shoved his key in the car door.
"No no. I am sorry. You probably want to go home and here I am being a pest! I'm so sorry! I just wanted to make sure you enjoyed yourself and maybe what you thought of the movie. I always really like it when we talk about books and movies and stuff, because you have such a great eye for details no one else sees and your mind is so beautiful you understand nuances and context in such a unique way and I -"
"Chrissy."
Eddie had turned around in the middle of her tirade and just stared at her, his hand holding the door handle in a death grip, taking her in. Those things she said about him were things no one had ever thought of him before. Shit, he'd never thought of himself like that before.
She said he had a great eye, when everyone else had always told him his tastes were freakish… disgusting… evil.
She said his mind was beautiful, of all things, when everyone else called him a freak, a pathetic nerd, an idiot who couldn't even get his damn high-school diploma.
He didn't know what his face was doing, but he was pretty sure he was looking at her like a sinner towards salvation. He did know that his lungs were doing double time trying to keep up with his frantic heart.
"Chrissy." His voice was shaking. "Chrissy, I-"
"Yes?" She asked expectantly, almost eager, and took a step towards him. "Yes Eddie?"
"I… I…"
"What do you want to tell me, Eddie?" She looked and sounded almost desperate as she closed in on him, stopping only a hair's breadth away. Chrissy was in his space now, and his breath faltered when he smelled that vanilla scent that was so unequivocally her.
"I don't know how to say it," he whispered, afraid that if he dared speak any louder, the entire universe would know how truly pathetic he was.
How could he tell her? How could he possibly put into words everything he felt for her? Everything he'd felt steadily coming to a boil these past few months since she met him at that picnic table. Eddie didn't think he even knew enough English to do it.
"Then show me," she whispered back and looked up at him. She looked at him like he mattered, like he was so important, and Eddie had never felt important in his damned life.
He didn't know how to say it, but yeah, he could show her.
So Eddie leaned forward, slowly, so slowly that with each inch she had enough time to step back, to run away, to curse at him and tell him she never wanted to see him again.
But Chrissy did none of those things. If anything, she moved closer and let her eyes flutter shut.
She let him close the final few millimetres of distance between them and his lips finally, finally, found hers.
The moment he kissed her, Eddie felt such a surge of energy flow through him, that he had to take a sharp breath through his nose. It was like a jolt ran through his body, leaving him shaking and breathless, and it kept hitting him over and over as her lips moved against his.
It wasn't even one of those desperate, hungry kisses that he'd seen in movies. It was a sweet little thing, delicate, just like Chrissy, the barest flutter of lips touching each other, but still it was one of the most intense things he'd ever felt.
And, impossibly, it seemed to affect her just as much. He felt her hands grip the front of his shirt, clutching at it as if holding on for dear life, and her whole body was shaking. Or was that him? He couldn't tell anymore.
But she was definitely responding to him. Chrissy Cunningham was kissing him like he was breathing life into her.
He loved her. He, honest to whatever force governed the universe, loved this girl.
Eddie Munson loved a girl and, for the first time in his life, wasn't miserable about it. Because the girl was kissing him, and holding on to him, and thought his mind was beautiful. And he loved her.
Hopefully he'd be able to tell her one day, once he'd be able to find the right words, but for now, he put every bit of himself in this kiss, letting actions speak louder than his words ever could.
He didn't exactly know how long it lasted, could have been a few seconds, could have been a lifetime and a half, but eventually he found the strength to pull away, because he just wanted to look at her.
And after they parted, Chrissy gazed up at him with such a glowing smile, her eyes shimmering and looking so happy it made him want to fucking cry. Because… he did that, didn't he?
He couldn't help the goofy grin from growing on his lips as he stared at her, and he couldn't help his hand from reaching out to her, and cradling her soft jaw in it.
Precious. She was so precious to him.
"See?" She sighed and nuzzled her cheek against his palm, as if chasing his touch. "That wasn't so hard."
A surprised laugh escaped him. "Are you kidding? That was the scariest thing I've ever done in my life."
"I thought you stopped thinking I was mean and scary," she giggled back, glowing in her happiness.
"Cunningham," Eddie said affectionately and wrapped his free arm around her waist to pull her closer, "you are absolutely terrifying."
They laughed together for a second, before it died down and, still quite overwhelmed, he leaned his forehead against hers and took a shaky breath.
"I feel like I'm dreaming," he whispered, closing his eyes, afraid that if he opened them again she'd be gone and all of this would’ve been just a really good trip.
"You're not dreaming, Eddie." Her voice was so soft and the feeling of her breath on his face drove a shiver down his spine.
"Are you sure? Just say the word and I'll walk away."
Her hands released his shirt and she wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a little shake to catch his attention.
He opened his eyes and found hers staring back at him, big, blue, and full of warmth.
"Eddie," she said, "all my life I've felt like I was sleep-walking, just going through the motions of everyday life, not knowing where I was going, or what road to take." She took a deep breath and smiled. "But ever since I found you, everything's changed."
"Yeah?" God, he hated how shaky his voice sounded, but she was throwing him for a loop and it was taking everything in him not to burst into tears right then and there.
"Yeah."
"So… what you're saying is-?" He faltered, and Eddie was sure he was gazing at her with the most pathetically hopeful face the world had ever seen.
Chrissy then pulled him down towards her by the neck, bringing their mouths a breath away, but paused just before they touched.
"Now I know the way," she whispered against his lips. "That's all I've got to say."
And then she kissed him .