Chapter Text
The group sat in the distorted circle, all eyes settled on Eddie in the center. He had been oddly quiet since his outburst, his eyes focusing on the ground in front of him as he numbly ate his meal.
Hopper tried to keep the conversation going, not wanting the night to be filled with uneasiness. Slowly but surely, one by one, the boys began to relax again and found their conversations amongst each other.
All but Dustin. Dust, well he was a bit focused on the man beside him, clutching his plate until his fingers turned white. Dustin had always been a smart kid; probably the brightest in the group. He picked up on things early in life, reading body language and understanding that sometimes the loudest sound in the world was absolute silence.
And in their four years of friendship, Dustin liked to believe he understood Eddie well enough. That he could look him over and know exactly what it was his friend was thinking or feeling. Maybe it was the warm summer breeze or the excitement of camping, but he felt brave at that moment and nudged Eddie out of his daze.
“I never knew my dad,” he confessed to him quietly.
Eddie blinked, the fuzzy haze filling his brain drawing him back in. “What?”
“I mean, I didn’t know him, you know? I don’t have a lot of memories of him before he left me and my mom. He used to call back when I was like six, but eventually, he stopped. I didn’t think much of it. He was just some guy, you know?”
“Some guy,” Eddie mimicked.
“Some guy that got married even though he didn’t want to, had a kid even though he didn’t want to. And finally got fed up and left both.”
“Gee, Henderson.”
Dustin shrugged. He didn’t like to dwell in the past; his mom was enough for him and he had learned watching Mike’s and even Billy’s family to know dads aren’t all they're cracked up to be. He, his mom, and the cats, well that's all he needed. Along with his friends, of course. His extended family.
“You’re not some guy, Eddie.” Dustin went on to say. “I know you’re sort of freaking out, but if I could be completely honest, this kid is gonna be the luckiest kid alive.”
And that, well that threw Eddie for a loop. Never in a million years would he think anyone related to him would be considered lucky. Especially not with his track record. “Really?”
“Think about it. First, they have you for a dad. Super cool and fun. You care more about creativity than materialistic things, you’d drop anything to listen to music, and you’re accepting of basically everybody. And then on the flip side, their mom is going to be Chrissy. Super sweet, athletic, and an absolute sweetheart.”
Even in the darkness that sounded them, Eddie couldn’t help but blush at the thought of his beloved. He may not think so highly of himself, but he thought the world of Chrissy. And imagining her as a mother as they raised their little hellion? Eddie didn’t like all that conforming shit that society forced onto them, but Chrissy was made for motherhood.
“This kid hit the lottery, man. Big time,” Dunstin insisted.
Eddie bit his lip, trying his best not to get too choked up. “You sure I won’t turn out like Denethor the second?” He asked, learning a harsh gasp from the younger male.
“Are you kidding me? That is next to impossible, Eddie!”
“Turn out like who now?” Steve asked, turning in towards the conversation.
He had been sitting on the other side of Dustin, half listening to the conversation, though he chose to poke his head in now.
“It’s a Lord of the Rings character, Steve,” Dustin stated.
A bright smile crept across his face as understanding took over. “Those hobbits, man. They’re sick! Totally fucked that spider up!”
“Please don’t mention Shelob,” Eddie whined quietly.
“Also, she wasn’t an actual spider, she was a demon in the form of one,” Dustin explained.
“Oh! Like in IT. Like how, he’s a spider, but he took the form of a clown.”
“When the hell did you read it?” Dustin demanded.
“I had to write a book report on it senior year. Jesus Henderson, do you know me at all?”
“What I do know is that IT is an alien, not a demon. Shelob is a demon.”
“What does it matter if they’re both still spiders.”
Eddie stood, his hands tugging at his hair. “Please stop talking about spiders!”
The two let the conversation drop for a moment, with Steve putting his focus solely on Eddie. “I just wanna say, I agree with what the kid was saying.”
With a heavy sigh, Eddie sat back down. “Thank you, Steve.”
“Parenthood is gonna look good on you, buddy. And hey, who knows, I may not be far behind.”
“Billy’s pregnant?” Dustin asked bluntly, earning a glare from the man.
“No, dipshit. But my parents have made a fund for us. If we ever want to adopt or go through surrogacy.”
Steve’s eyes drifted to Billy, who was working by the fire beside Will, working on the marshmallows for their smores. “Marriage isn’t in the cards right now, but maybe one day down the line we can have our little nuggets,”
“It would be an honor to attend the same pre-school as you, Harrington,” Eddie replied.
“Follow us down to the west coast and we’ll make it happen.”
There, seen in the dim light of the moon above them and the fire across the way laid a sad smile on Eddie’s face. The realization that his best friend would be miles upon miles away from him, with no reunion quick in sight.
They would be together again someday, as Eddie had no plans on staying in Indiana for the rest of his life. As soon as he had enough money and their degrees were finalized, he’d load Chrissy up in his van and take her all the way down to the west coast; along the shoreline that Billy spoke so brightly about. Maybe even Wayne too if he could convince the old man to give the sunshine state a try.
“Alright gremlins, the kitchen is closed,” Hopper called out, handing off the last round of plates. There were extra hot dogs and some more. It went around the circle until it was clear and the men were all lost in conversation again.
They set up camp not long after. Billy and Steve to a text; the four boys to another. Eddie was bunking with Hopper and Jonathan and the chief was out like a light before the thing was even zipped up. Eddie stared up at the dark ceiling of the tent, trying to drown out the snores of the man with the gun attached to his hip and will himself to sleep.
“Eddie,” he heard a whisper from beside him. He rolled over, finding Jonathan still away, resting his head on his arm. “I just want to say congrats.”
“You’re the one getting married, dude.” Eddie reminded him. “We won’t like, announce it or anything. We’re not gonna steal your thunder on the big day.”
Jonathan laughed quietly, shaking his head as he lay on his back. “You couldn’t if you tried, trust me.”
Silence took over the tent again, save for Hopper’s snoring. Eddie felt antsy, wiggling in his sleeping bag.
“Hey, Eddie?”
“Yeah, Johnny boy?”
“You’re gonna be a good dad,” Jonathan told him quietly. “My dad was a real piece of work. Can’t stand the guy. But you . . . I’m almost jealous of the kid,”
A sad chuckle left Eddie’s lips. It brought him a strange sense of reassurance that nearly all his friends felt so confident in his parenting skills. Half of them didn’t have the best relationships with their fathers, so there wasn’t much of a comparison. But to Wayne or Hopper, well Eddie would like to be even half as good.
“You’re gonna be a great dad too, Byers, when the time comes.”
Even in the dark tent, Eddie could see Jonathan’s smile. He shifted further in the sleeping bag, the lull of Hopper’s snoring finally drawing him to slumber.
When morning came, the boys made their way to Steve’s house. They showered, cleaning up the smell of the grass and dirt of the night before, and dressed in their attire. They didn’t have the whole getting ready event the way the girls did, but Jonathan passed his camera around so he could get some shots of them together.
The actual wedding would take place at the local church, with the reception being held at the local venue hall. They didn’t have much of a theme, but Nancy loved pinks and purples, and without over-killing it, they followed that color scheme.
Eddie stood with the others in the back, waiting as the clock began to tick down, down, down, until Joyce had to be the one to say it was time. With an embrace and promise of luck, Eddie followed the others out so they could take their seats.
That's when he saw her. Sitting across the way, listening to Vickie ramble on and on and on. Eddie froze, unable to make himself move further. They were only guests, but that didn’t change the fact that seeing her in a church, in a pretty dress, well it made a man think about some things.
“Are you gonna stand here all day or can we take our seats?” Wayne asked, appearing beside Eddie.
Gone were his weekend clothes and the grime he got from the factory; Wayne could clean up quite nicely when given the chance and he proved that point today. The music started playing and Eddie took that as a signal to get a move on, so he pushed forward, slipping into the pew where Chrissy had saved them their seats.
She greeted them with a smile, craning her head as the wedding began. Jonathan made his way down first with Joyce by his side. Robin and Will came next, followed by Holly, their flower girl. And then finally, with Mike walking her down, came Nancy.
Eddie felt Chrissy take his hand, interlocking their fingers as the beautiful bride passed them on her way down the aisle. The whole thing seemed like a blur; Eddie witnessed it all, but he didn’t hear a thing. Not the vows, not the priest, not even the finishing music. In a blink they were kissing, pronounced man and wife, and everyone was cheering and throwing rice. He was clapping along, and crying too, though he refused to admit it.
As everyone went out to see them off or to head to the reception, Eddie took the chance to pull Chrissy into a secluded area and kill her until his chest hurt. “Is your mind really in the gutter, today or all days?” She asked playfully, her arms wrapping around his neck.
“This is a matter of the heart, not the dick,” Eddie swore. “I just missed you is all.”
Eddie wondered if the day would ever come when Chrissy’s smile wouldn’t be so bright. That it wouldn’t make his head spin and heart flips. He hoped that day never came.
“I missed you too, handsome.”
“Alright love birds, save some for the hotel room,” Wayne mumbled as he approached. “We have a party to crash,”
“It’s not crashing if you were invited,” Eddie pointed out.
“And you’d know, cause you were never invited,” Wayne added with a smirk.
Eddie shook his head, pulling Chrissy along with him as they followed the crowd out. The reception was a bit larger than expected; Mrs. Wheeler invited anyone who's anyone just to show off her beautiful bride's daughter while Jonathan’s side took up maybe ten percent of the guest list. Friends from work, from college, and a few of his mom’s colleagues as well as some of the members of the force that Hop got along with.
Eddie stuck to the people at his table; Billy, Steve, Wayne, Dustin, and of course, Chrissy. He kept his eyes on her the whole night, though it wasn’t like he had an issue with that. Everything about her, even more, all the shit with the stick, amazed him. The way she moved, how she spoke, how carefree and lovely she was.
That teenage girl, too scared to face her parents, was all grown up. She had no fears, no worries, at least none that he knew of. She was the most beautiful girl in the world to him. No, not a girl. Chrissy wasn’t a little girl anymore. She was a woman, fully grown with a mind and personality all her own. How he had gotten so lucky to witness it all he’ll never know.
He didn’t know if there was a higher or even lower power, but he was thankful for it. And he’d continue to be thankful for it until the universe finally made sense again.
“It’s like prom night all over again,” Billy acknowledged, taking hold of the empty chair beside Eddie. He flipped it around and straddled it, beer bottle in hand as he watched their significant others on the dance floor together.
“Hey. Give me the chance and I’ll let you twirl me, Billiam.” Eddie replied playfully, his eyes remaining on the blonde across the way.
A comfortable silence took them over as they watched Steve and Chrissy finish up on the dance floor. Soon enough the girls took over, shooing the brunet over to the table with them.
“Robin said he’ll take good care of me while you’re gone,” Steve commented as he sat beside Billy.
The blond man hummed around his bottle. “So I heard,” he mentioned.
Eddie let go of Chrissy to look at Billy, double-checking his best friend's expression. He was leaving Hawkins as quickly as possible with his little sister, leaving not only him but also Steve behind. Harrington had one final semester left and Billy didn’t want him dipping out without that diploma. It would be a rough separation for all of them, but they were holding strong.
“I’ll keep an eye on him, Billy,” Eddie promised lightly, earning a snort from the man beside him.
“Great. Another kid to babysit,” Steve mumbled.
“Are you going to sit there all night or are you going to dance with me?” Chrissy asked, breaking herself away from Robin and the other girls to take his hands in a small attempt to drag him onto the dance floor.
Eddie, well he danced, it wasn’t like he didn’t, but it was a lot of jumping, a lot of previous mosh-pit moments he tried to relive. He slow-danced at prom and one time in the kitchen after Chrissy officially moved into the trailer. He had wiggled on the dance floor at a Blondie concert that Chrissy took him to and even in the bathroom while getting ready for her, but none of that compared to being on the dance floor now, with his arms wrapped around her so close.
They talked on the way to the venue, before and after their meal, keeping the conversation light. Chrissy told him all about the spa, how luxurious and nice it was. About how excited Nancy was, and how Robin had been making eyes at Vicki all night.
They had been very on and off since college, with them currently being off, though it was a high possibility they’d be on again real soon.
She was rambling there, right on the dance floor, those big eyes filled with excitement. Chrissy had always been so lively, despite appearing to be soft-spoken and gentle; two things she was, but Eddie got to see the biggest picture; the strong side. He got to witness it all, while the rest only got to see what Chrissy wanted them to see.
The song shifted suddenly; gone was the slow tempo dance that let him keep her close and pressed against him and instead came the near head banging worthy rocking. And yet, Eddie stayed completely still, unable to stop what was about to happen next.
“Eddie, the song changed,” Chrissy said, smiling brightly at him.
“Marry me?” He asked, cutting off any following words.
He didn’t have a ring. He had been planning on proposing after they both graduated, and found jobs when they were settled into this life together, but right now he didn’t really.
“What?” She asked at last.
And Eddie, well he didn’t exactly have a speech prepared. He was holding his heart in his hand, offering to the love of his life, all while Little Less Conversation by Elvis Presley played on around them.
“Eddie. We’re on the dance floor,” Chrissy muttered shakenly.
Lifting his hand, Eddie took off the emerald ring he had been wearing since their final year of high school, spitting it into the palm of his hand as he knelt on the ground.
“And life's a stage or whatever the hell the metaphor is,” He replied, taking her hand as he held up the ring. “Marry me. I don’t deserve you and never will, but I’m not letting you go.”
“Eddie, this is crazy,” Chrissy replied.
“The only crazy one is me for you! Chris -- I love you. I have loved you since the third grade and like the amazing REO Speedwagon once said, I am going to keep on loving you. This life we created together is all I ever wanted.”
Chrissy’s eyes fell beyond Eddie, a momentary distraction that caused him to pause until her attention returned. It never did. She pulled her hand from his own, mumbling an excuse before she ran off. Eddie crawled after her, eventually wisening up to get onto his feet until he was pushing past guests and running out into the wall way, chasing her down until he slammed against the bathroom door.
“Chrissy! Sweetie, open up.” Eddie requested, repeatedly knocking on the door.
“One second!” Chrissy shouted back.
Eddie whimpered, pressing himself up against the door. “Chrissy. Chrissy, I know.” He said suddenly. “I know about the baby, alright. You don’t have to tell me, I know all about it.”
“Is everything okay?” Steve asked, appearing in the hallway. Jonathan and Billy glanced over his shoulder, the three huddling together as the door to the bathroom opened.
“How do you know?” Chrissy asked carefully.
“I found the test,” Eddie replied. “I was rummaging through the trash to find something for school and I found the pregnancy test. Chrissy baby, I swear I wasn’t trying to pry or invade your privacy, but I saw that it was positive-”
“Is that why you proposed?” Chrissy asked suddenly.
Robin came up from behind Chrissy, her eyes falling onto Eddie. “He proposed!?”
“Yes. No!” Eddie groaned, throwing his arms up. “I proposed because I love you! And I love our baby and yes, I know proposing at someone's wedding is ridiculous,”
“And tacky,” Steve commented.
“But I stand by what I said! I love our life, and I love you, and most importantly, I love our baby and I want to be there for the two of you. Every minute, of every hour, of every day.”
“Eddie,” Chrissy spoke, tears filling up the corner of her eyes. “I love you and I want to marry you, but . . . honey, that pregnancy test wasn’t mine.”
Everything, up to this point, that had finally begun to make sense, fell apart right in front of Eddie’s eyes. His head cocked, his head dropped, and his brow quivered in confusion. “What?”
“If it’s not yours then whose is it?” Billy inquired.
The bathroom door swung open and there, with her hand wiping the corner of her mouth, attempting to fix any smeared lipstick, was Nancy. “Mine,” she muttered somberly.
Suddenly, all eyes turned to Jonathan. That doe-eyed expression shifted into awe and excitement as realization took over. “Really?”
“I was going to tell you,” Nancy swore as she pushed through the group to get to her husband. “But everything happened so quickly and they wouldn’t let me see you before the wedding.”
“Nance. Oh my god, this is amazing!” Jonathan threw his arms around his bride, hugging her tightly to his chest. “Holy shit. Holy shit! I’m a dad! And you’re a mom!”
“And I’m a jackass,” Eddie muttered, his face red as he glanced back at Chrissy.
“Maybe we should give them some privacy,” Robin suggested, leading the group back into the room so that the bride and groom could enjoy this moment together.
“Chris,” Eddie said once they were side by side again.
Chrissy took Eddie’s hand, lacing their fingers together easily. “It’s okay,” she answered.
“I meant what I said. All of it,”
“I know you did. And one day, I promise to give you the answer you deserve but I think it’s best if you save that question for another time.”
There was very little Eddie wouldn’t do for her. He’d move mountains, write sonnets, all that cheesy shit. He’d go to the big chain jewelry store and buy the expensive ring. He’d show off every single part of her that he could and sing her praises until she grew tired of hearing them. He’d marry her and call her his wife as proudly as he did with anything else and one day he’d call her the mother of his children, though that day was not today.
“Did you spend the entire camping trip thinking I was pregnant without telling you?”
Eddie bobbed his head, hanging it like a kicked puppy as Chrissy stepped in for an embrace. “Eddie, you’re the first person I would tell. Nancy was just so nervous, and she had been suspicious for so long. The trailer was empty and we were in a rush. I’m sorry you went through all that.”
“I picked out names,” Eddie blurted out. “I couldn’t sleep so I made a list of names in case you hadn’t thought of any yet,”
Chrissy tilted her head back, wanting to see his whole face as she spoke. “Will you tell me about them?”
With a bob of his head, Eddie took her by the hand back to their table. He sat her on his lap, holding her close as he spoke of all the names he had come up with during the past few hours. Some were rich with possibility while others were automatically vetoed by Chrissy. She added a few of her own, ones she had thought of for a while and others she had liked since she was a kid.
Neither knew when the chance of having a baby of their own would come about, but the fact of the matter remained the same: when it did finally come about, they’d be ready to take on the challenge, just like everything else in life.
“Oh fuck,” Eddie muttered, pulling back suddenly.
“What? What is it?”
“The pregnancy test. It’s in Steve’s car.” Eddie answered, unable to keep himself from bursting out laughing.
Chrissy joined in, the absolute insanity of it being too much for either of them to handle. They laughed and kissed, holding onto one another as their friends looked on, just shaking their heads as they had gotten used to them by now.