Chapter Text
Epilogue
There is a Hellfire Club Legend that will tell of the day Dustin and his party members pulled up to Evie Harrington's house. Her car will be parked in the driveway, indicating that she is home.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mike asks, glancing around.
"No one's heard from Eddie or her," Dustin points out. "Besides, we have a game tonight."
Climbing off their bikes, they prop them against the garage and approach the front door.
"Maybe there's a reason for that," Lucas exclaims. "They could have plans or something. And maybe, they don't want to speak to you because you set them up on a date."
Dustin ignores them and knocks on the door. Silence greets them. He knocks again, quickly growing impatient.
He reaches into his pocket, grabbing the key Evie had given him for emergencies. Well, this is an emergency.
Unlocking the door, the party creeps in. Sunlight fills the house, giving the appearance of a light and open space. Dustin leads them through the empty living room. There's a pile of blankets and pillows on the ground. The coffee table is shoved against the wall. Snacks litter and drinks litter the surface. Evie's massive TV is on, revealing a blue screen of a finished movie.
They pass the open patio door when Lucas stops and points to the ground. "Look, there's a bunch of clothes."
"Why are they wet?" Mike's face scrunches in confusion. "Why are they on the ground?"
Lucas shrugs. "I don't know, but I think that's Eddie's vest. Why would he be here?"
"Why do you think?" Will lets out a snort. "Honestly, I feel bad for El and Max."
Dustin ignores their bickering as an impish grin grows on his face. "My plan worked! They're still together!"
He pushes onward in search of the duo, wanting to gloat in their faces about how right he was. The rest of the party chases after him, colliding with his back when he stops at the edge of the kitchen.
Eddie leans against the island counter. His forearms are braced on the marble surface while his head rests in the cradle of his shoulders. Only one of them seemed to realize that the dungeon master was shirtless.
"Dustin," Will starts, having picked up the sound of soft moans.
But Dustin wasn't paying attention. He was too excited and smug over his success in setting the two up. "I knew you'd hit it off!"
Eddie jerks his head in their direction, startled by their sudden appearance. There is a loud thud against the counter and a soft hiss of pain.
"Dustin! What... What are you doing here?" Eddie clears his throat. "How did you get in here?"
"We have a game tonight. No one's heard from you since Friday," Dustin explains, holding up the key. "Evie gave this to me. Speaking of, where is she?"
Will seems to be the only one aware of what's occurring. He spots the way Eddie elbows an apron off the counter.
"She is... uh, that's to say..." Eddie fumbles with words, a rarity for the normally verbose dungeon master.
Evie pops up from the ground a second land, wearing the same apron that had been on the counter. Again, no one save Will notices.
"I was looking for a baking sheet," she announces. "But, I think it might be in the other cabinet instead."
That might have been the wrong thing to say. Not because the notion of Evie with a baking sheet is bizarre, but rather because her skills in the kitchen were legendary with the party. Even Will, who knew the reason Evie was on the floor in the first place, perked up at the prospect of her cooking.
"Oh sweet!" Mike grins. "Are you making cookies?"
Eddie once again looks at a loss for words, but Evie is quick to the rescue. "Yes, but there for tonight's game."
Once again, it was the wrong thing to say.
"You're coming to the game?!" Dustin exclaims.
"No," she responds, much to everyone's disappointment. "You guys are in the middle of an active campaign. I can't just join in as a level one."
A pin could drop and it would sound like an avalanche in the Harrington kitchen.
"So... why are you cooking?" Lucas frowns.
Evie rolls her eyes. "I wouldn't be a very good hostess if I didn't offer sustenance."
Dustin practically shrieks. "You're hosting?!"
Eddie looks confused, but again, Will is the only one who pays attention.
"Yeah," she gestures to the dining room. "No offense Mike, but there's a bit more space here than your basement, and I know Garth can't host anymore because of the..."
She trails off, forgetting the reason why.
Thankfully, the party plus dungeon master is more than happy to supply. "The gnome incident."
A most epic tale that will also live on as a Hellfire legend for years to come.
"Yeah, that," she smiles. "I hope you don't mind."
"Are you crazy?" Dustin exclaims. "I have been begging to host here since I joined Hellfire!"
She bites her lip. "I'm sorry... I didn't understand what it was until Eddie explained it to me."
Dustin opens and closes his hands, gesturing wildly. "I've explained it to you a million times. How did you not know?"
Again, Will picks up what's going on faster than the party.
Evie shrugs a shoulder nonchalantly. "Well, Eddie is a great storyteller. Probably the best I've ever had, I mean heard."
"Really?" Eddie flushes.
"Yeah," she winks before turning back to the party. "So, I'm going to need Eddie's help preparing the food. Could you guys tell the rest of Hellfire?"
The party, sans Will, practically trip over themselves to get out the door. None of them were willing to waste a single second on the off chance that Evie changed her mind.
Will stands in the entryway. "It's only going to take them a mile before realizing that you could have called the others."
Eddie crosses his arms over his chest, expression turning serious. "What's it going to cost for a distraction? Maybe a certain someone wants to find a certain organ of Vecna?"
Now, it's Evie's turn to look confused, and it's certainly for the right dungeon and dragons-related reasons.
"I would be amiable to that," Will pauses, wanting to make the most of this opportunity. "If another one provided me with my batch of cookies."
Evie grins. "Chocolate chip peanut butter?"
"Extra chips?" Will negotiates.
Evie pauses, hmming out loud as she shares a look with Eddie. The dungeon master offers a silent nod.
"Deal," she nods.
Will grins and rushes out of the room to fulfill his part of the deal.
Evie leans back into Eddie's naked chest. "What time is the campaign supposed to start?"
He leans down to kiss her bare shoulder. "Six. Why?"
She tilts her head back. "How long do think it will take for them to notice they are eating Surfer Boy's pizza?"
He pauses, processing her words. His eyes shift away from her to the clock then back again. Realization dawns on him at what she's inferring and once more, he falls in love with the way her mind works.
"Will's going to ask for a dragon and some more baked goods, but the others?" He mentally calculates. "I give it at least two weeks. Maybe more."
She smiles and rotates around in his embrace, pressing a languid kiss upon his lips.
So ends the epic tale that will live on among Hellfire initiates for ages to come.
THE END