the shire is burning [eddie munson x OC]

chapter thirty four

"Oh, and darling? Be a doll and tell Eddie he's welcome to join us in case he couldn't hear me from under the bed."

Willow's cheeks are glowing red before her mom even has the chance to shut the door. She's stunned, standing like a statue and not moving, even when she can hear Eddie's laughter suddenly sounding behind her. It's gradual - what starts as a few giggles from beneath her bed turns into full blown hysterics as Eddie rolls himself out onto the bare floor. He's lying on his back, eyes squeezed shut and hands holding his stomach.

"It's not funny," she finally says, snapping her head into his direction, still flustered with her embarrassment.

His fit dies down as he eyes open, a few stray tears from his enjoyment still in the corners of them, "You're right. It was hilarious."

"It was embarrassing."

"It was kind of charming. I think I get why Buckley loves your mom."

" Don't encourage that," she groans, finally turning and walking over to where he is.

He peers up at her, eyes glittering with mischief, "Say, is your mom single?"

She glares down at him harshly and doesn't hesitate to swing her foot to kick him in his side. He lets out a rush of air as he starts to chuckle again, and she pulls back, ready to kick again, when his hand reaches out to grasp her ankle.

Oh God, not this again.

"I'm joking! I'm joking, I surrender. Your mom's off limits. I got it," he says as his fingers stay wrapped around her skin. It's warm, and distracting, diminishing her anger quickly as she frowns and stares at where he holds her.

Maybe she should establish a rule where he's not allowed to grab her ankles if it's going to affect her every time he does it.

"I hate you," she spits with no malice as he sits up on her floor. His curls frizz from his shuffling beneath her bed.

"Oh, come on. We both know you don't," he sees right through her. Even if they're joking at this moment, they both know that hating each other is sort of impossible at this point, "I suppose our lesson will have to be put on hold. Did you say she's making lasagna?"

Despite Willow's disappointment in the postponed lesson, she carries on as if she were unaffected. As if she wasn't reeling still from his lips on hers. As if that wasn't the only clear thought on her mind right now. She turns back to her door, opening it as Eddie follows behind her once he's picked himself up off her bedroom floor, prepared to go call Robin. If Willow forgot, then her best friend surely has as well.

The moment Willow's door is open, she hears knocking at their front door.

She thought that the two of them had been quiet as they exited her room, socks muting their footsteps as they trail down the hallway and towards where Willow's mom is already stationed in the kitchen, but she hasn't even appeared in her mom's peripheral when she hears, "Hon, can you grab the door? It's probably Robs."

Willow stops dead in her tracks, Eddie's chest immediately bumps into her back as he whispers a quiet apology quickly. She isn't sure which of her swirling emotions to focus on first - the soft happiness at her mother using the nickname on Robin, or the burning anxiety at this finally being the moment Eddie would properly meet her mom. They'd been sneaking around with their families for the entirety of the month, not out of necessity, but simply to avoid questions. She knew Eddie had told Wayne about her, and she had gushed a ridiculous amount about Eddie to her own mother. Based on their conversations, Anne loved the idea of Eddie.

But would she love the real deal?

He had a reputation that preceded him in every room he entered. And Anne knew about it, she'd made that clear the very first conversation Willow had with her regarding the boy. Had the whispers already tainted the image her mother held of him, or had Willow's frequent rambles about his niceties cleaned the slate?