ic inbox.

[heatmetal]

[ his voicemail greeting is just a guitar riff ]

Comments

[heatmetal]

[ there's that shared tendril. the thing that eddie recognized from the start. same damage, packaged different. eddie leans against him, nodding.

it's not what steve's trying to do. he knows it. and he knows so many of the little fantasies steve has about what they can be back in hawkins... won't hold up. they won't be able to walk down the street. make out under the stars at the drive-in. they'll have to be careful, be secret, because hawkins fucking hates eddie munson and the idea that he's queer is more an insult than a reality. ]

I won't. [ he lets out a hollow laugh. ] Learned that doesn't make anybody happy a looooong time ago.

[camarod]

[Billy doesn’t let go. keeps his arm tight, leans back to nod, to find some reassurance in Eddie’s tone. he shouldn’t project, he knows, but the possibility of it scares him. it’s his own personal ghost, really. it doesn’t leave. ]

Who knew cheating death would be this goddamn complicated, huh.

[ha. ]

[heatmetal]

Fuck, man, we're trapped in a goddamn romcom nightmare.

[ but that's...

that's fine.

it is. because - eddie had never had all that much of this in life. and even if its hard... its... its better. ]

[camarod]

No, no - we’d be fighting over him.

[rivals and all that. Billy would be the villain etc. ] Kind of falls apart if I’m trying to make out with you too.

[heatmetal]

Okay, we're in a self-aware romcom where all of us are surprisingly mature.

[ though. ]

... He really showed you to the door?

[camarod]

Dude.

[he is projecting the whole memory. the hot chocolate, the attempt at tenderness, Steve straight up holding the door before following Billy out to yell some more. ]

You see. Might never recover from that rejection.

[heatmetal]

[ eddie watches. clicks his tongue and shakes his head when it's done. but...

but... ]

He really has no idea that we see him for him, does he.

[camarod]

I mean, you said it. He’s dense.

[god help them.]

[heatmetal]

That's not... dense. That's some rock bottom self esteem.

[ he grabs a potato skin, taking a bite of it with a sigh. ]

[camarod]

I don’t - I don’t know how to show him how worthy he is.

[heatmetal]

Me either.

[ ... ]

Loving yourself... that's something you gotta learn how to do. Otherwise, you're never gonna feel like you're enough.

[camarod]

Nothing’s ever easy.

[he’s picking at his food. distracted. a little lost, maybe.]

[heatmetal]

That's life.

[ ... ]

Is it bad I'm terrified to face him?

[camarod]

Nah. At least we’re terrified together.

[heatmetal]

We got this.

[camarod]

Fuck it.

[he gets his fries to go. flags down for the check and gently pulls Eddie to go, too.

it’s now or never, really. ]

[heatmetal]

[ reluctantly, they're ready.

or at least as ready as they'll ever be. eddie looks Stressed but prepared. ]

[camarod]

[it’s somehow more daunting to tell Robin they’re on their way back than it is to face the possibility this may all just blow up.

he’s not scared of Robin Buckley, but he is wary.

still, off they go, Billy maybe driving less like a lunatic just to make the time stretch.]

txt | later that night etc

[camarod]

dude

[heatmetal]

Spill.

[camarod]

no no no
okay
tell me when he’s told you

Re: txt | later that night etc

[heatmetal]

NOTHING.
He got back in here, licked his fucking lips, said something about milkshakes and then refused to answer.
Motherfucker is the cat that got the canary and he won't cough up the feathers.

1/2

[camarod]

hahahahaha
he’s such a brat

2/2

[camarod]

i have a 2 step plan:
1) i take your boyfriend on the best date of his life (no offence)
2) then we* make out so much, like an insane amount of making out

*all of us

[heatmetal]

SERIOUSLY?