Stranger Things - Imagines

Eddie Munson X Reader - Unpretty

A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song Unpretty by TLC and Beautiful by Christina Aguilera. I hope you all enjoy it. 

The moment that Eddie finally asked you out for the first time, he made it his duty to walk with you from class to class. You'd pointed out pretty quickly that it usually made him late to his own classes, receiving a little shrug in response. He loved spending time with you and was so attached that he found it hard enough to even go to his classes in the first place. Getting those extra couple of minutes of your time in the hallways was far more enjoyable to him than he could ever really explain. 

So, when a few months in, he'd reminded you that he wouldn't be able to meet you between 2nd and 3rd period because he would have to stick around to pick up some catch-up work from Ms O'Donnell, you'd been a little pouty. You hadn't had to do the walk alone in months, and even though it was a pretty simple journey, it was a little daunting to do it without him now. 

You'd been hurrying along, your notebook tucked under your arm when you'd heard snickering coming from the group of girls behind you, their eyes lingering on you as you pressed on, praying that they'd fall behind. But much to your dismay, they had followed, getting even closer as their whispers became shrieks of laughter. 

The bullying wasn't exactly new. You'd been picked on your entire school life. But ever since Eddie had started hanging around, people had backed off a little. You'd assumed it was his reputation that kept them at bay and the fact that they were worried that he'd stop selling to them if he found out they were messing with you. But now, Eddie wasn't here and you were on your own, and the laughter and nasty comments were coming back in full force. 

"What is she even wearing?" one of the girls giggled, the sound of her laugh so soft that it sounded wrong following a mean comment. 

"Probably came out of some bargain bin somewhere," one of her friends snorted. 

You could feel them watching you, swallowing down the lump in your throat and biting back tears. God, it was so stupid. You should've been used to it by now, but these girls always had this innate ability to tear you down without putting in any effort.  

"And God, that hair," one of the other girls squealed, letting out an almighty screech of laughter at her own comment. "If I looked like that I'd never even go out in public," she added, and suddenly, your attempt to bite back tears had failed, your eyes welling up as you darted towards the closest bathroom, making a beeline for one of the cubicles. 

The door slammed shut behind you, right as a soft sob slipped out of you.  You stayed that way for some time, your back leaning against the door as you tried to even out your breathing, letting the noise in the hallway die down until finally, the bell had rung, signalling that you were already late for your class. 

And then, the door of the bathroom creaked open slowly, someone clearly hesitant to come inside. 

"Y/N?" Eddie called out quietly. "Dustin told me he saw you come in here. He said you looked upset-"

"I'm fine," you called back, your voice thick with tears. And then, the door had opened a little more confidently, and footsteps had walked into the bathroom, the rubber soles of Eddie's sneakers squeaking against the tiles. 

"What happened?" 

You wiped at the tears under your eyes to no avail, all too aware that the redness in your eyes would be enough to prove how worked up you'd let yourself get. 

"Sweetheart?" Eddie hummed again, rapping his knuckles against the door of the cubicle. "Will you come out here?"

You sniffled and Eddie could've sworn it broke his heart to hear you so upset. When you'd finally pushed off of the door and opened it for him, the tear streaks on your cheeks had made his entire face crumble. God, you looked totally wrecked and he didn't know what to say to make it better. 

"I'm fine," you repeated softly, nudging past him gently to walk over to the mirror, trying your hardest to hide the evidence of your crying from anyone else who looked at you. It was bad enough that Eddie knew, but other people finding out too would be mortifying. 

Eddie followed behind you, placing his hand on your hips and leaning forward until he had his chin resting on your shoulder. "What happened?" he asked again, his eyes meeting yours in the mirror.

"Teenage girls are mean," you uttered, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, followed by a small shrug as if this happened every day. Like it was just part of your normal routine. 

"Someone said something to you?" he muttered, his brow furrowing tightly. 

"You aren't supposed to be in here, Ed-"

"Hey," he interrupted, squeezing your hips lightly to stop you from talking. "Who was it?"

You shook your head slightly. "Just some of the cheer girls," you murmured, clearing your throat. "They're always looking for someone to talk shit about," you added. 

"Which ones?"

You hesitated for a moment, your eyes finally meeting his in the reflection. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," he corrected quietly, frowning so deeply that you were worried that his face might have gotten stuck that way. "What'd they say?"

A soft sigh slipped out of you, your hands lifting to tug at the ends of your hair. "I think I might change my hair," you hummed, drawing a disgruntled grumble out of Eddie. 

"Baby-"

"Maybe I could dye it. Or cut it. Or-"

"Y/N," Eddie interrupted, and you immediately fell silent, letting your hands drop down to rest over his. 

"I'm fine," you reminded him gently, your tongue darting out to wet your bottom lip. "It was just stupid comments." 

Eddie hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Sweetheart, you were crying in the bathrooms." 

"They're idiots. I shouldn't have let it get to me."

"What did they say?"

"I don't really want to repeat it," you finally uttered, fixing him with a firm stare. "It doesn't matter."

Eddie stood up a little straighter, finally turning you around to look at him properly. "Promise me it isn't still bothering you and I'll drop it."

You hesitated for a moment, all too aware that if you confirmed what he was saying you would be lying to him. "They were making fun of how I look."

Eddie's expression completely shifted, moving from frustration to confusion so quickly that it almost gave you whiplash. "What? You're beautiful. What could they even say?"

You leant forward, pressing your forehead into his chest. "Ed," you sighed softly.

"Come on, you're the hottest girl in Hawkins. What were they even making fun of?"

"They don't like how I dress," you uttered. "Or my hair." 

Eddie reached up, cupping your face in both hands and tipping your head back until you were looking up into his eyes. "You are fucking gorgeous. Your clothes are dope as hell. And your hair is fucking cool."

A small smile pulled at the corners of your lips. "Yeah?"

"The hottest girl in Hawkins," he repeated. "Damn Baby, I used to go fucking crazy over you before I built up the courage to ask you out. The only reason those girls don't like you is because you're every dude's wet dream-"

"Ed," you chastised lightly, slapping at his forearm. "That's gross."

"Yeah, but it's true." A soft chuckle slipped out of you when he leaned in to peck your lips lightly, grinning when he caught the sound. "You're so fucking gorgeous, Baby, and you're all mine," he hummed against your lips. "And I love you," he reminded you. 

"I love you too, Ed."

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