RUMORS•eddie munson

5

Ziggy kept her promise to Eddie and stayed up all night to keep watch. Sometimes she would peer out the window. Sometimes she would step outside to get more fresh air. It took awhile, but she relaxed slightly when she heard Eddie's light snoring. Just as she had for the last nine hours, she stood at the window and watched, but stiffened when she saw a car pull in. She let out the breath she was holding when she caught sight of who was getting out of the car but jumped in alarm when Eddie leapt from his place beneath the tarp and ran towards her place by the window.
"Eddie! It's okay! It's just Dustin!" Ziggy pressed her hands to his chest to stop his movements towards the curtain. He stopped at her touch and let her words sink in, still breathing heavily as he rested his hands on her wrists that were pressed against his chest. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, the door swung open, making them both jump slightly.
"Delivery service!" The group held up bags of groceries. Ziggy let her hands fall from Eddie's torso, pulling them from his grip. He turned to look at her at the loss of contact but moved to grab some of the bags to rifle through.
Soon enough, Eddie took a seat in the boat with everyone gathered around him as he shoveled cereal into his mouth.
"So, we've got some good news and we've got some bad news. How do you prefer it?"
"Bad news first; always."
"Alright, bad news; we tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they're definitely looking for you. Also, they're pretty convinced you killed Chrissy." Eddie and Ziggy looked at each other at the aforementioned bad news.
"Like, a hundred percent kind of convinced."
"What's the good news?" Ziggy asked, hoping it would overpower the bad.
"His name hasn't gone public yet." Robin answered Ziggy before turning her attention to Eddie.
"But if we found out about you, it's only a matter of time before others do too and once that gets out it will only be a matter of time before everyone and their shallow minded mother is gonna be gunning for you."
"Hunt the freak, right?" Eddie stared at the ground.
"Exactly."
"So, before that happens, we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence!" Dustin reassured. Eddie looked up at him incredulously.
"That's all, Dustin? Thats all?"
"Yeah, no, that's pretty much it." The boy shrugged.
"Listen, Eddie, I know that everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but we've actually been through this kind of thing before." Robin waved her hand around as she spoke. Ziggy took a step closer in confusion.
"You've dealt with Dungeons and Dragons warlocks?" Her voice was laced with genuine disbelief. Robin tilted her head to the side.
"Not exactly? Well, they have a few times and I have once. Mine was more human-flesh based and theirs was more smoke related, but the bottom line is; collectively, I really feel like we've got this." Ziggy dropped her head. Eddie's eyes flickered from one person to another, hoping for more reassurance.
"Yeah, we usually rely on this girl who has superpowers, but those went bye-bye, so uh-"
"So we're technically in more of the-
"It's kinda-"
"Brainstorming! It's the brainstorming phase."
"There's nothing to worry about!" They all stumbled over each other, trying to find the right words to ease his mind. The look that Eddie sent them proved that he wasn't fully convinced, but the sound of approaching sirens didn't give him the chance to comment on it. Ziggy grabbed the cereal from his hands and nudged him to lay down as she covered him with the tarp. Everyone rushed to the windows and watched as the police cruisers drove right by Reefer Ricks house.

December, 1984

Ziggy rushed through the hall; her ponytail swinging from side to side as her head whipped from from left to right. As she entered the lunchroom, her eyes finally landed on what she had been looking for, or rather who.
Eddie glared at Jared when he swatted his arm, but the glare fell when he turned to see what he was pointing at. Ziggy had slowed her pace, but was still walking faster than normal as she headed towards his table. She was trying not to run, but when Eddie smiled over at her she couldn't contain herself and shuffled her feet in a little skipping motion. Eddie flinched as she got knocked into my a sophomore from the baseball team, muttering an apology before turning back to the table of boys.
"Eddie!" She squealed, doing a small jump before very slowly sitting in the seat next to him, smiling at his friends she had met a few weeks ago at their show.
"Boys." She acknowledged with a small nod in their direction. Eddie scoffed at her excitement.
"What's got you all excited?" He questioned. Ziggy's chest tightened, nearly letting out another squeal. She took a deep breath, placing her books down on the table with a bright smile.
"I have officially completed all of my community service hours for the year!" She clutched her hands to her chest and all of the boys but Eddie congratulated her. His grin fell. No more community service hours meant no more Eddie hours.
"That's-that's great! Wow." He spat out with a fake smile. Ziggy eyed him for a moment, assessing his demeanor. Her hands dropped to her lap with a pout.
"What's wrong?" Eddie shrugged, unsure of what to say.
"No more community service. I mean, that's big. Now your weeknights will be free." He played with the nuts he had dropped on the table. Ziggy tilted her head and leaned in a little bit closer. Her concentration didn't falter when the class bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Eddie rose from his seat along with the rest of his band mates. Ziggy followed after Eddie and grabbed him by his elbow to halt his stride.
"Eddie! I didn't mean it like that." She chuckled at his unsure gaze. He looked down at her in apprehension.
"The end of my community service hours doesn't mean the end of..." she trailed off, not knowing what to call it. Eddie sucked in a deep breath.
"Oh!" He nodded his head. Shock coated his features for a moment before he broke out into a smile that matched hers.
"Speaking of, I told my mom that your uncle works late and she wanted me to invite you over for dinner on Christmas Eve." Her hand went back to pulling her books to her chest as she nervously shifted her shoulders. Eddie tilted his head and took a teasing step forward.
"Oh, she wanted to invite me, did she?"
"You caught me. It was Adrian." She teased back. Eddie laughed as he looked around the room. He smiled back down at her.
"So?"
"So...?"
"Are you gonna come?" Eddie poked his cheek with his tongue, pondering the idea for a moment.
"Yeah, why not?" Ziggy scrunched her nose as she laughed. She gasped in realization.
"Don't forget to dress nice!" Eddie's smile dropped. Ziggy walked past him, heading to her next class.
"'Dress nice'? What do you mean by 'nice'?" He called out.
"I mean I don't wanna see you walking into my house in a band t-shirt. I dressed up for you, so now you've gotta dress up for me. I've been a good girl, Eddie. I expect a treat." She mocked his previous plea for her to attend his show.
When Christmas Eve arrived, Eddie found himself struggling to find a shirt that would fit into Ziggy's definition of 'nice'. Ultimately, he decided on his uncle's black, short sleeved button down. He refused to wear anything other than jeans, but opted for a pair that wasn't ripped.
The first thing he had noticed when Mrs. Zigova let him into her house was the decorations. Eddie and Wayne weren't big on festivities, so it was rare to see a house with so much life and color. Next, he noticed Ziggy standing next to the staircase. She brought a whole new meaning to the word 'nice'. Her hair was down again. Every time she blinked he could see her lashes bump into her bangs, making them flicker. Her dress was some kind of red satin. It ruffled around her biceps and hung down to her ankles. The neckline went down in a V and held a pretty black bow. The big bundle of wrapping paper in his hands grew heavy as she greeted him.
"Merry Christmas Eve." Ziggy greeted. Her eyes fluttered over Eddie's outfit. The top few buttons on his shirt were left undone. If you looked close enough, you could see a few skinny lines from his tattoo peeking out of the collar.
"Merry Christmas Eve, m'lady." He tilted his head down with a tiny bow. Ziggy's eyes struggled to stay locked onto his and not shift down to the gift he was holding. Eddie had no problem keeping his eyes on hers.
Ziggy lead him around the house, introducing him to her father and allowing him to greet her brother in the process. Once their tour had finished, she pulled him up to her bedroom so that they could hang out privately until dinner was done. Obviously, Eddie had been in her room before, but he felt too rushed to truly appreciate it. The walls were covered in a pink and orange floral paper, preventing any corner from being dull. Various bottles of perfume were lined up in an orderly fashion on her dresser next to the framed academic achievement. Her bed was covered with a thick, white quilt while her pillows sat delicately at the headboard. Eddie moved to her window and softly touched the lace curtains before turning around in search of Ziggy. She had sat down on the edge of the bed with her feet swinging back and forth as she waited for him to join her. Eddie looked down at the hem of her dress. There was a small patch of skin in between the red fabric and her white, frilly socks. He chuckled at her childlike stare and sat down next to her, making the mattress bounce beneath his weight. They sat in a comfortable silence. The only sound was coming from her radio that sat on her nightstand, playing a Christmas station.
"So, what now?" Eddie awkwardly laughed, clutching her gift in his hands as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Ziggy was snapped out of her daze, her face lighting up with excitement.
"Actually, I got you something!" She held a finger up, signaling for him to wait a moment as she rose from the bed. He watched her with a smile as she walked around the bed to her closet, standing on her tiptoes to reach for the box on the very top shelf. She hadn't heard him stand from the bed, but fell back to the heels of her feet when she felt Eddie press his hand to the small of her back. She looked up at him over her shoulder. He nudged her stomach with his gift, silently urging her to hold onto it for him.
"Which one?" He asked, looking up at the collection of beautifully wrapped gifts. He looked down at her expectantly while she stared up at him with a doe eyed look. She delicately pointed to the desired box on the tip of her toes once again, bumping into him slightly when she fell back down and he reached for the box with the hand that wasn't on her back. When he had successfully retrieved the box, she turned to face him and tried to hand him the poorly wrapped gift he had her hold onto. His hand fell from her back and pushed the gift back to her grasp.
"No need to give it to me; it's yours." He smiled. Ziggy's eyes lit up in curiosity.
"For me?"
"For you." He confirmed. She held it tightly to her stomach with a grateful smile.
"Open yours first." She pointed down to the small box in his hands. He raised his eyebrows and shook it in his hands. Ziggy snickered and grabbed him by the wrists, making him stop as he laughed. He almost felt bad opening it. It was a little bigger than his hand. There wasn't even a wrinkle in the wrapping paper and the bow was wrapped perfectly around the top. He eagerly pulled on the ribbon and tossed it on the bed. He looked up at Ziggy from beneath his brows and grinned at her eager expression. He finally tore the paper and opened the box. The D&D dice were evenly spaced out over the tissue paper she had crumpled to keep them from moving around. In the top left corner of the box there was a black and red guitar pick that seemingly matched his beloved guitar perfectly. Ziggy's finger played with her earring as her arms held her gift from Eddie to her chest in anticipation. Her shoulders relaxed at his belated smile.
"These are great, Zig!" He laughed, his dimples digging into his cheeks. Ziggy dropped her hand as he pulled the pick out and twisted it around in his fingers.
"You like 'em?"
"Like 'em? I love 'em!" He tossed the dice in his hands as if he were about to roll them out onto the table. Still smiling, he placed them back in the box and set it on the bed. He looked down at her and crossed his arms.
"Okay, your turn." He demanded. Ziggy had completely forgotten about the heavy present in her arms. The green wrapping paper had already ripped a little bit in a few places, but not enough to show what was inside. She pulled it from her chest, her dress peeling off of the exposed tape that had been haphazardly stuck to the gift. Ziggy's freshly painted red nails tore at the paper to reveal a small, leather jacket that Eddie obviously had just folded and wrapped the paper around as if it were an envelope.
"It used to be mine, but I grew out of it. I figured, if you're gonna keep going to our shows, you might as well have something to wear. It's not much-"
"No, it's perfect!" She held the jacket up with a smile and assessed its condition before holding it with one hand and pulling him in for a hug with the other. Eddie wrapped his arms around her back, mumbling a gruff 'Merry Christmas' which Ziggy returned.
"Speaking of Christmas, what the hell are we listening to?" He pulled his hands from her back to push her softly by her waist. Ziggy moved her hand down to his elbow, looking over to her radio with a frown.
"'Last Christmas'? It's by WHAM!." Eddie curled his lip at the cheerful holiday synth. Ziggy trotted over to her nightstand and turned the knob to the right, raising the volume. Eddie threw his head back.
"Oh, this doesn't even compare to The Hideout." She mocked. Eddie tilted his head with squinted eyes, glaring at her as she started to sway to the music.
"What's gotten into you? You're like a sugarplum fairy or some shit."
"Christmas makes me crazy." She grabbed Eddie's hands, trying to get him to dance despite his scowl. She stopped abruptly when he didn't join her swaying.
"You literally tore my tights and made me headbang for two hours. I don't think a little George Michael will kill you." She looked up at him with a deadpan expression. Eddie dramatically rolled his eyes before pulling one of her hands with his into the air, letting her spin under them with a smile. When she was finished, she held their intertwined hands to the side and rested her other one on his shoulder, encouraging him to place his back on her waist. He stood still while she swayed from side to side. He watched her happy face trail down to his chest. His small smirk stayed as his eyebrows pulled together slightly.
"What?" Ziggy looked back up at him frightfully, having been caught. She looked back down at his slightly exposed chest.
"What's that?" She softly asked, just barely audible over the music. Eddie looked down at his shirt in confusion.
"What's what?" He asked. Ziggy softly let her hand drift down from his shoulder to his chest. She pulled the collar to the side gently, exposing the ink on his skin. Eddie's brows softened.
"Oh, that. That's a tattoo." Her swaying slowed to a halt. The collar of his shirt was carefully held between her middle and ring finger as the side of her hand rested on his chest.
"Is it real?" He let out an airy laugh. Ziggy finally looked up at him again.
"Well, yeah."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, you can check." Ziggy looked back down at the black widow in wonder. She pulled her hand from his chest and licked her thumb. Her dry fingers pushed beneath his shirt, pulling it to the side to rub her wet thumb over the painted skin just beneath his collarbone. Eddie's smile faltered beneath his glassy eyes. Ziggy's head tilted when the ink stayed in place, not smudging at all. He squeezed her hip, bringing her attention back to his face. His eyes flickered down to her lips, coated in a barely noticeable pink gloss. He silently cleared his throat.
"That's so cool. I've never met someone with a tattoo." Her voice was soft, but not in an insecure way. Eddie felt prideful. He was never really called 'cool'. He certainly wasn't called cool by girls, let alone a girl like Ziggy. Then again, Eddie didn't think there were girls like Ziggy.
"I've got more." He choked out, wanting to continue to impress her. Her eyes heaved with parted lips.
"Can I see?" She excitedly asked. Eddie didn't give a verbal answer, he simply dropped her hand from his and pulled at his shirt. The hand that was resting on her hip moved to rest over hers that was still pressed against his chest. She watched his free hand twist at the buttons on his shirt, releasing two of them. The hand over hers moved it farther down his chest, pulling his shirt open more to show her the demon head below the spider. Ziggy's cheeks heated up. Eddies eyes never flickered away from her face, watching her swallow with a heaving chest. His hand squeezed hers, tightening her grip on his shirt. Her eyes slowly tracked their way up from the demon head to the spider, then his collarbone and Adam's apple to his mouth, finally settling on his big brown eyes.
Adrian's fist pounded on Ziggy's bedroom door.
"Dinner!"