Hopeful & Foul-mouthed

1. March 1986

AN: A self-insert fanfic coz I fell in love with Eddie Munson from Stranger Things & YOU CANNOT STOP ME FROM WRITING THIS.

synopsis:

A misfit. A snoozer. Maybe it's love.

Kat. . .  dark hair, plaid skirts. Laughing at his jokes before he even meets her eyes. Taps her fingers on his forearm so she could fall asleep. She goes along and voices NPCs with him in his DnD campaigns. She makes him want to be good enough for her.

Eddie. . .  he knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. There's a spot on his shoulder that he solely reserves for her. He pacifies her anxiety that first time they went on a metal show and the crowd overwhelmed her.

Love almost never lasts. Some are hopeful, some only leaves them foul-mouthed for it.

---
Kat

Kat stared at the Henderson kid begging her student, Erica Sinclair from tutoring. Truthfully, Erica didn't really need tutoring especially in Math, the kid's a genius in her books. But she guessed the Sinclairs had more than enough money to make Kat their little charity project by hiring her as tutor.

Another impressive thing about Erica was her sass, making Dustin promise to treat her some sweets for being a sub for. . .  a board game or something?

After convincing Erica, Dustin turned towards her, flashing his pearls. "Hi, Kat."

"Hey, Henderson." She reached out to mess with his hair but with the cap in the way, she settled for a pat. "Dragging my favorite student into trouble?"

"Trouble? I am leading her to an adventure of her lifetime!"

"Uh-huh," the 21 year old raised a dubious eyebrow at him. "Say what time will she be back?"

". . .  sometime before dinner?"

"I'm not gonna do any tutoring today, am I?"

"Kat, if you're so worried, just come with." Erica offered.
---
Eddie

Eddie noticed her at about the same time the rest of the Hellfire club did. She was standing behind Wheeler, Henderson, and the sassy little sh—kid they brought as a sub.

She had shoulder length, wavy, dark hair, puffed up making her face appear smaller than it is. She was wearing a denim jacket on top of a black shirt, paired with a plaid skirt over black leggings and a combat boots.

Gareth and Jeff tried not to look at her. He tried not to, but it was kind of a super-weird-and-so-out-of-the-ordinary-that-you-can't-help-but-stare situation.

She looked like the kind of girl who wouldn't be in this place unless majority deemed it "normal."

"Hey, you," Eddie called.

She looked around trying to find who he was speaking to.

"You at the back," he clarified. "You a prospective player or. . .?"

"Oh, no." She shook her head. "And. . . I don't go here."

"That's okay." He replies in a mildy patronizing tone. "We even take 11 year olds as players, but it's best you leave. This place isn't really for you."

"Oh." She didn't say anythingat first—he was starting to think maybe he's being abrasive when she spoke. "As long as this isn't your mommy's book club, then this place is for me."

Soundless 'oop' left Gareth's mouth, he coughs to his fist to hide his grin. Henderson let out an infuriating giggle, followed by Wheeler's chuckle, and Sinclair's infamous sister gave her a high five. It was a hark-back to Erica's jab earlier: 'we gonna do this, or are we keep chitchatting here like we're in your mommy's book club?'

"Touché." He conceded softly, nodding in praise.
---

She didn't talk much during the campaign.

Eddie spent the whole campaign, half distracted trying to think of how to make the new girl comfortable. Except he didn't tone down his show of passion towards his campaign. He was all the more expressive than usual even.

He was hoping the show of enthusiasm would make her laugh and feel good with the club.

And she laughed as much as everyone in the club especially when the players got so into their roleplaying. She also couldn't stop giggling now and then at the little quips he made as an NPC. He tried to catch her eyes whenever she laughed.

By the end of the campaign, the euphoria hit everyone especially the players for having beat Vecna with the nat 20 roll. The 1-to-20 odds and Erica Sinclair had done it.

Eddie Munson couldn't think of a way to get the new girl, Kat, interested in the club. So before they exited Hawkins High vicinity, he pulled her to the side and introduced himself and his side business as a drug dealer.

He should've started with the fact he was in a band.

God, he was an idiot.

---