Chapter Text
The water of Bywater Pool had finally thawed out for the Spring. The air was still cool, but was finally warm enough that Teddi could wear shorts again. Thank god , she thought, stretching her legs out in front of her. She smiled at the hand that snaked down her bare thigh, the cold metal of Billy’s ring a comforting feeling as his hand came to a rest on her knee.
“You know,” she said, her head lolling to the side to look at her boyfriend. He was looking out at the lake, blowing a puff of smoke out slowly before placing his cigarette back between his lips. “I feel like I never remember just how much I miss this place during the Winter.”
Billy grunted in agreement. “Yeah, guess there’s only so many times you can fuck on the couch and watch Knight Rider before you start to get a little stir crazy.”
Teddi let out a snort. “Well, I wasn’t gonna put it like that ,” Billy smiled. “You ever think about maybe getting a new place?” she asked, turning in towards him.
“What, like a house?” he asked, finally looking over at her. He had a playful glint in his eyes. “You what a white picket fence? Make me mow the lawn every weekend? Dinner parties?”
Teddi shrugged, her fingers running through his curls. “Maybe. It’d be nice having a place where your workout equipment doesn’t take up the entire living room,” she teased. Billy let out a short laugh. “Plus, I don’t know...thinking about you mowing the lawn, all shirtless and sweaty...bringing you out a glass of lemonade. Gets me kinda hot, you know?”
Billy’s head snapped in her direction. Teddi bit her lip, trying her best not to smile. Billy scoffed, shaking his head and chuckling. “You’re a fucking tease, you know that, Larsson?” he asked, flicking his cigarette away.
“It’s part of why you love me.” she answered, kissing him on his jaw. Billy grumbled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her tightly to his side. The two looked back out to the lake, a comfortable silence falling between them.
“...A house, huh?” Billy finally asked. Teddi looked over at him. “I wouldn’t have to live next to Harrington, would I?”
Teddi laughed. “Not next door , at least.” Billy groaned.
“Guess I can’t be too picky in a town like this, huh?” he brushed his fingers slowly against Teddi’s hip as he thought things over. “...Wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world,” he finally said. Teddi’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “But, if I’m mowing the lawn, you’re washing the Camaro,” he decided. “In a bikini,” he added. “No, wait, topless -”
Teddi pushed him playfully, the two of them laughing. “ Shut up .”
“Make me, Larsson,” he said, pulling a mocking expression.
She didn’t need to be told twice. Teddi slid onto Billy’s lap, straddling him and grabbing fists full of his denim jacket. Billy’s hands slid into her back pockets, pulling their hips even closer. Teddi squeaked, leaning in to kiss him.
Billy’s hands squoze at her ass before sliding out of her pockets, his hands running up her sides and resting on her ribs. Teddi sighed, pulling away and resting her forehead against his.
“You know we can’t get a house, Teddi.” Billy said, his tone suddenly serious.
Teddi frowned, pulling away from him. “What?” she asked with a confused laugh. “Why not?” her hands slid from his shoulders to his chest.
“Because I’m gone, Teddi.” he answered.
Her heart was hammering in her chest. She blinked a few times, trying to understand what was happening. Her hands, she realized, were wet. She held them up, gasping at the sight of her palms that were covered in blood. She nervously looked back up at Billy.
A scream caught in her throat. Blood was pooling in his mouth. His clothes were suddenly torn and covered in blood and black ooze. Teddi stood up, backing away from him. She refused to look at the bloody hole that sat in the middle of his chest.
“I’m gone. Don’t you remember? You watched me die.”
Teddi squoze her eyes shut. “ No . No, no, no. This isn’t real.” she whimpered.
“Does it matter?” Billy asked, rising to his feet. “So what if this is a dream? You’ll wake up, and I’ll still be gone.”
“ Stop it. ” Teddi spat.
“You think you’ll ever stop thinking about me, Teddi?” he asked, tilting his head as he stepped closer to her. Teddi let out a sob, stepping away from him. “Do you think I’ll ever stop haunting your dreams? Your every waking moment?”
Teddi was getting closer and closer to the lake. Just a few more steps.
“Why do you do this?” she sniffed. “Why can’t you just let me remember you how you were?”
Billy reached out and snatched her wrist, pulling her close to him. “Why did you just sit there and let me die?” he spat. His bloody hand was holding her so tightly she was sure she’d wake up with a bruise. It felt so real. “You and me til the end,” he sneered. “Isn’t that what you always said?”
“Please don’t do this,” Teddi begged. “This isn’t you. My Billy would never-”
“Your Billy is gone .” he snapped. “And it’s all. Your. Fault .”
He gave her a hard shove then. Teddi screamed as she fell back into the lake.
—
Teddi sat up with a gasp, her hands pressing tightly to her chest. Her heart was still hammering in her chest like it had been in her dream. She looked down at her palms. No blood, she realized with a sigh.
She was in her bedroom, she realized. Not Bywater Pool. The empty space in the bed beside her was glaring. No Billy snoring loudly beside her. Teddi hid her face in her hands. Another nightmare. Great.
She hadn’t had a peaceful night of sleep since that night in Starcourt. She hadn’t had a peaceful anything . Her life had just been one waking nightmare for the last nine months since Billy had-
Teddi still couldn’t say it outloud.
With a groan, she looked over at her alarm clock. It was almost nine. She groaned again. After her morning shift at Family Video, Teddi had come home and planned to take a quick nap. So much for that.
Teddi threw her blanket aside, stretching as she got out of bed. She walked out to the living room of her small apartment, shocked to see Max sitting on the couch. “Hey,” she said with a confused frown. “How long have you been here?”
Max shrugged. “Not long,” she answered, her eyes not leaving the tv. “I needed to finish up some homework and my mom was…” she shook her head. Teddi frowned.
“Oh,” was all she said. Teddi had learned not to pry about Susan anymore. There was no cracking Max. Plus, if she pictured anyone asking her about her feelings every five minutes she’d probably scream. “Well, um...how’s school? Do you have any fun plans for spring break?” she finally asked, pulling her knees up to her chest.
“School’s fine,” Max mumbled, pausing a bit before answering. “…El and Will are coming up for Spring break. Mike’s been super annoying about it. He won’t shut up about how excited he is.” she rolled her eyes.
Teddi smiled. “Yeah, well, being a pain in the ass is practically Wheeler’s superpower.” she joked. Max let out a short laugh. It reminded Teddi so much of Billy. That cool way he’d laugh, like he was too good to give you a real laugh.
Her eyes flickered to the closed door on the other side of the apartment. It had been Billy’s room when they moved in. She hadn’t stepped a foot inside since…
She sighed.
“You okay?” Max asked, finally looking over at her.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Guess I’m still just kinda tired.” that wasn’t a complete lie. She was exhausted.
It was a good enough answer for Max, who only shrugged and turned back to the tv. She was watching MTV, Teddi realized. A Van Halen video flashing back at her.
Billy loved Van Halen.
Teddi rubbed at her forehead with another sigh. Was everything going to remind her of him?
She shook her head, focusing back on the colorful video. The screen flashed to a shot of Eddie Van Halen playing his guitar solo, banging his head back and forth to the beat of the song. Teddi tilted her head to the side as she watched.
Eddie.
Her mind wandered to thoughts of her friend. Teddi had known Eddie Munson for most of her life. He’d been one of the only other kids in Hawkins that played D&D and had been possibly the only person who liked Kiss more than she did.
He and Billy had taken to each other pretty naturally. That hadn’t really shocked anyone. Billy had been looking for someone to score weed from, and when Teddi had introduced them Eddie had been so shocked that someone else in bumfuck Hawkins had heard of Mercyful Fate that he’d given Billy a huge discount and a new friend to go with it.
Teddi’s leg bounced nervously. It was Tuesday. She knew he’d be at the Hideout with his band. If she hurried, maybe she could make the end of the show.
Yeah, real nice , her mind scolded. Shoving your emotions down with drugs. What could go wrong?
She pushed the thought aside. “Uh, Max? I forgot that I have…a thing that I have to go to. You can totally stay the night if you-”
Max shook her head, making a face. “I’m fine, Teddi. Do what you want...can I have your leftover pizza?”
Teddi raised her eyebrows, a little taken aback at how easy that had been. “...Go for it,” she squeaked out, jumping up from the couch and heading back to her room.
She peeled off her pajama bottoms, snatching her denim cut off shorts from the floor and hopping around her room as she pulled them on. “This is fine,” she reminded herself. “You’ve done drugs with Eddie like a million times when you were totally mentally stable,”
She tossed her top aside, wriggling into a Motley Crue shirt that she was pretty sure belonged to Billy but was not going to dwell on that fact. “This is just two friends hanging out. Catching up. You’re supporting his band!”
“Who the hell are you talking to in there?” Max called from the living room.
Teddi winced. “No one! Uh, I mean, myself…don’t worry about it!” she plopped down onto her bed, pulling her boots on. “It’s gonna be fine,” she said with a somewhat confident nod. She leaned over, grabbing her tube of sparkly lip gloss and slathering it on blindly.
She stepped back out to the living room, not stopping to give herself time to think. “Later, Max!” she called over her shoulder, grabbing her puffy, black jacket and heading outside to her van.
Teddi hadn’t been to the Hideout in a few years. Not since she needed a fake ID to get in so she and her friends could get wasted while they watched Eddie’s band play. It was the same as she remembered it. It was still in desperate need of a paint job and gave off the vibe that at least one person had probably been murdered in the barely lit parking lot.
She let out a relieved breath when she spotted Eddie’s van. As if him actually being there would make her feel less… guilty about the whole situation.
After showing her ID to the bouncer just inside, Teddi hovered awkwardly at the back of the room. Corroded Coffin was still on stage. They were admittedly much better than the last time Teddi had heard them.
Eddie looked up from his guitar, his eyes meeting with Teddi’s. She smiled nervously, pulling her hand from her jacket’s pocket and sending him an awkward wave. Eddie flashed a genuine smile back at her, nodding his head in greeting.
Teddi slid into an empty booth, her leg bouncing nervously again. She considered getting a drink before thinking better of it. If she felt guilty for smoking a little pot, she didn’t want to think of how sick she’d feel if she added booze to it.
Two songs later and the gig was over. There was scattered applause among the small crowd in the bar. “Yeah, thanks a lot, assholes,” Eddie said into the mic. “We’ll be back next Tuesday,” the mocking tone he used almost made it sound like a threat.
Teddi slid out of the booth, heading up to the stage and smiling up at Eddie. He had his arms crossed firmly, trying to appear stern as she approached. “Well, well, well. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” he asked, crouching down in front of her. Teddi chewed nervously on her lip.
Eddie smiled again, the heavy feeling in Teddi’s chest quickly disappearing. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Larsson?”
“Oh, you know…” Teddi shrugged. “I had a free Tuesday night and I thought I’d come see my favorite band play.”
Eddie let out a snort. “Yeah. You’re totally like…my number one fan .”
“Hey,” Teddi scoffed. “I still have a Corroded Coffin shirt from like, the sixth grade. I’m holding onto it in case it’s worth anything one day.” she teased, smiling more widely when Eddie laughed. She looked down, kicking her feet at the floor before looking up at him again. “I don’t know...I was thinking about you. I wanted to come see you.” she confessed.
Eddie didn’t hide the pleased smirk on his face before he motioned dramatically to himself. “Your wish is my command, Ted. Just give me a second to pack up and I’ll be right over,”
Teddi nodded, spinning on her heel and heading back to her booth. Soon Eddie returned, his guitar case thrown over his shoulder and two beers in his hands. He wriggled his eyebrows as he slid a bottle towards her, sliding into the seat across from her and setting his guitar aside.
“So, spill it,” Eddie said, nodding at her. “What are you really doing here?”
Teddi’s mouth opened and closed a few times as she struggled with the fact that she’d already been caught. “What do you mean?” she laughed nervously. “I already told you-”
“Teddi,” Eddie said bluntly. “Come on. I haven’t seen you in… months ,” he was going to say since Billy . She knew it. “Not that I’m not happy to see you,” he added, holding up his hands. “I just know you well enough to know when something’s up. You get all doe eyed, you know? Like Bambi. Like-“ he used his fingers to open his eyes widely, blinking back at her. “You look like the saddest girl in the world.”
Teddi was silent, her thumb scratching at the label of her beer bottle. Eddie scratched the back of his neck, almost embarrassed his joke hadn’t worked. “How’ve you been…?” he asked.
How have you been since Billy died? Was really the question.
“I’ve been fine.” Teddi shrugged.
“Jesus, you really haven’t gotten any better at lying, have you, Larsson?”
Teddi sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ve been really shitty. Is that what you want to hear?”
Eddie smiled thinly. “Least ‘really shitty’ is an honest answer,” he offered. “So, uh…you wanna talk about it…?”
Teddi let out a dry laugh and shook her head. “God, no. Talking is the last thing I wanna do,” she shook her head. “...I had a dream about him. I mean, I have a lot of dreams about him, but…I was trying to get my mind off of it and there was this Van Halen video on and something in me was going ‘go see Eddie’ so…”
Eddie smirked at her, leaning back against the booth and draping his arm across it. “That’s sweet, Ted.”
Sure, Teddi had had a crush on Eddie growing up. It was hard not to. He was into all the weird shit she was into, he was a nice guy and the whole metal head thing was obviously appealing to her. But then Billy had moved to Hawkins…
The resemblance between them was obvious. Teddi wasn’t afraid to admit that maybe her stomach flipped at the way Eddie smirked at her because it reminded her of Billy. Or maybe it was because Eddie was familiar. He was comforting. He was hot .
“I just, um…I guess it’s been harder to take my mind off of things than I thought.” she confessed, ripping a small piece of her beer’s label from its bottle. “I don’t know if it was to get high, or to…just, something , anything . I wanted to see you.” Her eyes flickered up nervously to look at Eddie. He was smiling at her. Like Teddi had just told him something he’d been waiting his entire life to hear.
“Because you thought I could help?” he asked, leaning in. Teddi bit her lip, nodding and looking back at her beer. He took her hand, the metal of his rings cool against her skin. Her eyes met his again. “How do you want me to do that, Larsson?” he asked lowly.
Teddi licked her lips nervously, letting out a small laugh. “Come on, Eddie. You know exactly what I’m talking about here…”
Eddie pulled a face, the corner of his lips turning upwards. “Yeeeah…but I wanna hear you say it.”
Teddi sighed, her eyes locking with his again. Eddie’s dark eyes, that were so completely opposite of Billy’s. She sat up a little straighter. “...I want you to make me forget that Billy Hargrove ever existed.”
Eddie’s smirk turned into a slow grin. “Your van or mine?” he asked.
Teddi let out a soft huff, pushing her beer away from her. “Yours.”
They got up from the booth at the same time. Eddie grabbed his guitar case, his hand resting on Teddi’s lower back as he lead them out of the bar and out into the parking lot. The cold air was a relief to her skin that had started to bead with sweat. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her puffy, black jacket, wordlessly walking beside Eddie as they headed to the far end of the parking lot where his van sat.
Eddie pulled away from her to swing the back doors of his van open, tossing his guitar case inside and turning to Teddi. He held an arm out, bowing before her dramatically. “Your chariot, my lady.” he teased, smiling when Teddi laughed lightly.
Teddi took his hand, letting him help her hop inside. She wasn’t surprised to see that it was messier than her own van. The musky smell of weed and Eddie’s cologne clung to the black interior. There were crushed up cans of beer and cassette tapes littering the carpet. The Hellfire Club’s logo was crudely painted on one of the walls. Teddi couldn’t seem to look away at the smiling devil as Eddie hopped in behind her. She jumped when he shut the van’s doors.
“Sorry about the mess…” he said absently, crawling towards the driver’s seat. Teddi shook her head as Eddie reached under the seat, blindly searching for something. She pulled her knees to her chest, chewing nervously on her bottom lip as she waited. “There you are!” he mumbled to himself, pulling a black lunchbox free. He smiled at Teddi, eyebrows raising excitedly.
“Kinda thinking you might be looking for something a little more heavy than the ganja,” it wasn’t really a question. Eddie rummaged around in the box before pulling a sheet of what looked like paper.
Teddi noticed it was perforated, dozens of tiny little squares with yellow smiley faces looking back at her. She looked up at Eddie. “...What is it?”
“LSD,” he said with a shrug. “Trust me, Ted. Shit’s unreal. It’ll make you feel lighter than air,” he promised, one of the tiny squares balancing on the tip of his finger as he held it out to her. “Just put it on your tongue and everything’ll just…” he wiggled his fingers mysteriously at her. “Fade away.”
Teddi stared down at the smiley face. Fading away sounded nice. She took the tab, placing it on her tongue and leaning back against the wall of the van. She could feel the tab dissolving in her mouth, a slightly bitter taste coming and going before she could really take it in.
Eddie watched her carefully as he placed a tab on his own tongue, tossing the sheet back into the lunch box and leaning over the flick the radio on. “You, uh…in the mood for some Kiss?” he asked, grinning over his shoulder at her.
“Huh? Oh,” she let out a short breath through her nose and nodded. “Sure.” she mumbled, peeling her puffy coat off and tossing it over Eddie’s guitar case. She started to nervously pick at the frayed hem of her shorts.
Eddie turned back to Teddi, settling in front of her. “It’ll take a few minutes for it to kick in,” he tilted his head as he took Teddi in. He had to resist the urge to pinch himself. Teddi Larsson. One of his best friends for as long as he could remember. The girl that had offered to tutor him as long as it would take to help him graduate. The girl that to this day raved about his first ever campaign in D&D. She was asking him to make her forget that Billy ever existed. Now wasn’t the time for thinking.
“...You sure about this, Larsson?” he asked finally.
Teddi looked up at him, her green eyes dilated and glossy, and nodded. “Yeah,” she said, sitting just a little taller again. “Yes, I’m sure. Please , Eddie.” she sighed.
Not the time for thinking, Eddie reminded himself. He leaned forward, his hands running up Teddi’s bare legs, spreading them to make room for himself. The cold metal of his rings made her skin break out in goosebumps as Teddi looked up at him through her eyelashes. Eddie leaned in, their lips just barely touching. He was giving her one last chance to back out.
Teddi grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him roughly against her as she kissed him. Eddie’s fingers grabbed roughly at her skin before relaxing. She hummed against his lips, her hands slowly sliding up his chest and to his shoulders.
Was this how it felt to kiss Billy? The feeling of his ring against her thigh, the feeling of denim beneath her hands…no. This was different. Billy had always felt so strong. Safe. She couldn’t really describe the way it felt to kiss Eddie, or to have him hold her. It wasn’t bad . Just different.
Eddie nipped at Teddi’s bottom lip, smiling against her when she moaned. He couldn’t really put into words how it felt to finally taste that cotton candy flavored lip gloss that she’d been wearing and tormenting him with since the sixth grade. His hands ran up her thighs, easily lifting her away from the wall of the van and laying her down onto the carpet. Teddi let out a surprised sound that died down into a giggle at the sudden movement.
Eddie pushed her thighs apart just a little more, opening her up for him before grinding his hips down into her. Teddi gasped when his belt buckle caught her right where she needed, Eddie using the opportunity to lick into her mouth and grind the buckle slowly against her clothed clit. Teddi’s hands were grabbing at Eddie’s jacket, her knuckles turning white as she rolled her hips upwards to meet his movements.
“Gotta get this shit off…” Eddie mumbled against her lips, his hands fumbling between them to unbutton Teddi’s cut off shorts.
The drugs were starting to kick in, Teddi decided. Her eyes focused on the light above them. It was like it was twinkling; fairy dust and rainbows showering down into them. Her breath was shaky as she focused back on Eddie, shoving his jacket down his shoulders. The tattoos covering his arms looked like they were moving. Bats flapping their wings and flying around his pale skin.
Everything felt so much… more . It was like everywhere Eddie touched her it felt the same way that the light above her looked. She was sure that if she looked down at his hands she’d see the same fairy dust and rainbows radiating from his fingers.
Eddie pulled Teddi’s shorts off and over her boots, tossing them somewhere behind him. His jacket followed after. Teddi’s hands went to the bottom of his shirt, a Metallica shirt he’d cut the sleeves off of, and lifted it over his stomach before thinking better of it and fumbling and failing to unbuckle his belt instead.
He leaned down over her again, his hands trailing over her stomach and stopping just above the waistband of her underwear. He enjoyed the way her eyes screwed shut, her breathing picking up as she braced herself for what was coming next. Eddie’s fingers dipped into her panties, his middle finger dipping inside of her just enough to slowly graze her clit. Teddi was practically panting now.
Eddie groaned, adding another finger to tease at her entrance. “Shit, Ted,” he breathed out, his fingers coated in how absolutely fucking wet she was. “This all for me?” he asked, his nose bumping against hers.
Teddi moaned, her hips rolling against Eddie’s hand. Her hands were wrapped tightly around his forearm, pathetically trying to force his hand just to move even a little. “Eddie,” she sighed. “Come on, stop fucking teasing me.” she pleaded.
He definitely couldn’t say no to that. Eddie kissed her again, licking into her mouth once more as his fingers finally sunk into her. Teddi’s hips bucked at the feeling of his cold rings meeting her, the two skulls keeping him from going any deeper. Eddie kept his fingers still for a moment, enjoying the way Teddi clenched around him before starting to pump in and out of her slowly.
Teddi broke the kiss, her jaw dropping and letting out an almost strangled noise. She propped herself up on her elbows, her forehead dropping down against Eddie’s shoulder as her fingers gripped desperately at the carpet under her. It was like she couldn’t stay still. Like as good as everything felt it just wasn’t ever going to be enough .
Her eyes were swimming as Eddie leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head. Suddenly there was a strained sound coming from behind them. Eddie hadn’t noticed. His fingers were moving more quickly now, his thumb just barely circling her clit. Teddi forced herself to focus on the noise behind her. Her head dropped back, eyes focusing on the light above them. It seemed brighter now. Pulsing.
The noise was…static? And before she could realize she couldn’t hear Paul Stanley serenading her very romantic evening anymore, there was a loud crack of static followed by “ shot through the heart! And you’re to blame, darling you give love a bad name- ”
That had gotten Eddie’s attention. The two went still, staring at each other with wide eyes. “...You hear that too, right? This isn’t the drugs?” Teddi asked carefully.
“Yeah. Yeah, I hear it. Uh, hold on…” Eddie said, frowning as he pulled away from Teddi. She whimpered a little at the loss of his fingers, falling back to the floor on her back. Eddie leaned over her, his hips fitting with hers. Teddi had to keep herself from whining and grinding against him when she felt how hard he was through his jeans.
Eddie gave the dashboard a hard thwack with his fist. There was another crack of static and his music was once again pouring from the speakers. “It’s a pretty old van, I guess…” he mumbled, explaining to himself or to Teddi she wasn’t really sure. “Now,” he said, smiling down at Teddi and running down her side. “Where were we?”
Teddi answered him by arching her back, lifting her shirt over her head and tossing it aside. Eddie’s jaw dropped slightly as he looked at Teddi, lying under him in nothing but a pair of pink underwear with little strawberries all over them. He had the urge to pinch himself again.
Teddi nodded at him, propping herself up on her elbows again. “Take your pants off.” she breathed out.
He didn’t need to be told twice. Their hands fumbled together as they worked to get his belt free, Teddi shoving his jeans down his hips. Eddie kicked his legs, trying his best to get his jeans as far down his legs as his sneakers would allow.
Teddi pulled him back down to her, her hands running through his hair as she kissed him. Eddie blindly reached down between her thighs, cupping her and enjoying how warm and wet she felt. His thumb pressed against her clit, Teddi whining and biting down on Eddie’s bottom lip.
“Fuck,” he muttered against her lips. “Message received, Larsson.” he joked, thumbs hooking into the sides of her panties and peeling them off her legs. They joined the growing pile of clothes on his van’s floor.
Eddie took himself in his hand, slowly pumping a few times as he lined himself with Teddi’s entrance. He could feel Teddi’s legs shaking as she wrapped them around his wait, her breathing coming out hard in anticipation. Their eyes met again as Eddie pushed inside of her. Eddie’s eyes fell shut, his head dropping down onto Teddi’s chest. He groaned long and low, his nose nuzzling against her left breast as Teddi wriggled beneath him.
He didn’t move; too busy enjoying the way Teddi stretched and clenched around him. Enjoying the way her fingers ran through his hair and lovingly scratched at his scalp. “God, Teddi,” he said, his voice hoarse. “You feel…” he rocked his hips once, slowly. Teddi’s eyes fluttered shut, her fingers grabbing harshly at his hair. “It’s like I close my eyes and suddenly I’m in Lothlorien.”
Eddie smiled when Teddi laughed. Her hands left his hair, settling on his chest as those big, glossy eyes of hers looked up at him. “Eddie that’s…I think that’s like one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me,” she sighed, laughing again softly.
Teddi’s eyes welled up with tears, Eddi frowning down at her. “Hey, hey, hey,” he said, his hand reaching up to cup her cheek. “You okay there, Larsson?”
She nodded. “I’m fine, I promise. Sorry. This is just…a lot.” was that what the problem was? She wasn’t really sure if she knew the answer. But now wasn’t the time for thinking, she told herself.
Eddie tilted his head, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “You suuure..?” he sang, smiling once more when Teddi laughed lightly.
Teddi nodded again, leaning up to kiss Eddie and silence the chance of any more questions or conversation. Eddie pulled her right leg higher up his side, opening her up for him just a little more before he rocked his hips into her again, deep and slow before pulling himself almost completely from her and repeating the action.
Her head fell back, eyes fluttering shut. The noise she let out was nothing but sinful; pulling Eddie’s attention to her throat. His lips started at her jaw line, his tongue and teeth following their trail of bruising kisses that he hoped would leave marks the next morning. Teddi’s hips rocked upwards to meet his thrusts, a slew of swears mixed with his name spilling from her lips like some sort of twisted prayer. Her hands grabbed at his shoulders, her nails digging into the skin of his back.
Eddie nuzzled her breast again, pressing a kiss to the hardened bud before taking it between his teeth. He pulled gently, letting it go with a pop of his lips. Teddi gasped, clenching around him and making Eddie’s hips stutter, a series of swears falling from his own lips now.
“Oh my god , Eddie.” she sobbed out. He smirked, looking up at her. Her eyes were glazed over. It was like she was present but a million miles away at the same time. Eddie felt a swell of pride to know it was him putting that look on her face. He turned to her other breast, repeating the same nuzzle, kiss and biting action. Only this time he followed it with a slow, soothing lick.
Teddi sobbed out a moan, her back arching as she clenched around him again. Eddie’s resolve was quickly dropping. The way she was whimpering out his name made him want to grab her by the hips and fuck into her until she was screaming. Who gave a shit if anyone at the bar could hear it?
And as if she could hear his thoughts, Teddi rocked her hips down hard against him, mumbling harder under her voice repeatedly as her hands grabbed at anything and everything around her in an attempt to ground herself.
Eddie braced himself, his thrusts becoming more unforgiving now. His eyes flickered between Teddi’s lips, the way that they looked as she moaned and sobbed out his name, and the way her breasts bounced each time their hips met.
There was another crack of static. “ I hate myself for loving you! Can’t break free from the things that you do! ”
Eddie glared up at his radio. “Stupid fuckin’ van…” he grunted, leaning forward to try and right the problem.
Teddi stopped him, her arms wrapping around his neck and keeping him in place. “Don’t you dare move.” she spat in what they both knew was an empty threat. There was something inside of her that told her not to be afraid of whatever it was that was happening with the radio. Maybe it was the drugs, she didn’t really know.
Thankfully Eddie listened to her, his pace only stumbling slightly. Their foreheads met, Eddie’s tongue jutting out to meet Teddi’s as they kissed. It was messier now. All teeth and spit as the rhythm of his hips became out of whack, pistoning up into Teddi in a way that made her moans die in her throat in a series of strangled cries.
Teddi looked up at the light above him. She was fighting to keep her eyes open, biting down onto her lip so hard she was worried she’d draw blood. The light wasn’t pulsing now but blinking almost angrily down at the two of them. There was a hum that was filling the van, the radio sounding somehow louder. She clenched around Eddie, another strangled cry leaving her as he groaned into her throat.
Eddie nuzzled the space under her ear. “You close, Ted? Gonna cum?” he breathed into her ear.
Teddi finally squoze her eyes shut, fat tears rolling down her cheeks as she nodded. Eddie’s pace slowed dramatically, holding himself up just a little higher to look down at Teddi and watch her as she rocked into her slowly in what Teddi could only describe as torture. Biting down on his lip as he watched her, he leaned down, licking and biting at her nipple just as slowly as his hips were moving.
Teddi was whining, her hand slapping pathetically at Eddie’s shoulder as she twitched and clenched around him. The hum in the van grew even louder, the light flashing almost on beat with her hand meeting Eddie’s skin.
She let out a sound that was a cross between a screech and a growl as she came. Eddie pulled away from her breast, his hips not stopping as he helped her ride her orgasm out. Teddi fell limp underneath him, her hands reaching up to cover her face as she tried to control her breathing.
Eddie moved to pull out of her, shocked when Teddi took his face in her hands. “No, no, no,” she mumbled. “ Stay. I want-” she groaned, shaking her head and unable to finish her sentence. Eddie groaned at the implication.
Teddi let out a squeak when he thrust into her again. Her walls fluttering around him. “You’re so-” she moaned, kissing him softly. “You’re so sweet , Eddie,” she kissed his nose. “God- fuck - I needed this.” she kissed his jaw, her hips rocking against his. She kissed him again, and again, and again; moaning each time their lips met. Eddie’s hips stuttered before he thrust into her one last time, spilling into her.
The light above them popped loudly, glass shattering down over them. It was followed by another like crack of static before the radio went completely dead.
“Jesus Christ ,” Eddie said, flinching and looking above him to where the lightbulb once hung. “The fuck was that?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Teddi shook her head, looking at the broken glass around her. Eddie felt like he could feel her heart beating wildly against his chest. “Is your van like…possessed?” she joked, laughing lightly even though the smile didn’t quite meet her eyes.
Eddie let out a snort. “Sure seems like it, huh?” he looked down at Teddi, the corner of his lips turning upwards in a smirk. He brushed her hair behind her ears, cupping her face in his hand. Teddi looked almost shy as her eyes met his. For a moment he was worried she was already regretting it.
He let out a relieved sigh when she turned her head, pressing a kiss to the pad of his thumb.
The pair groaned as Eddie pulled out of her. Eddie rolled over and away from her, Teddi’s knees coming together and her arms crossing over her chest. He reached over his head, pulling his shirt off and handing it to her. Teddi mumbled out a thank you as she slipped into it.
Teddi laid back, her eyes focused on the roof of the van. Eddie was grabbing around for his jacket so he could grab a cigarette. The fairy dust and rainbows were gone. That disappointed Teddi. She lifted her hand, waving it back and forth slowly. It felt like she was watching the action in slow motion. The van felt like it was rocking. Like somehow it had rolled into the ocean without either of them realizing it. It was a nice feeling, she thought, but not as nice as the fairy dust and rainbows.
“You okay?” Eddie asked, a cigarette clamped between his lips as he dug around for his lighter.
Teddi nodded. “Yeah. I just…what was that?” she asked, looking back at the now dead radio. “I mean, you felt that, right?”
Eddie nodded, pinching the cigarette between two fingers and blowing out a cloud of smoke. “You mean how it felt like Tinker Bell was locked in here with us?” he huffed out a laugh.
Teddi nodded excitedly. “Yes! So you saw it too? With the light?”
“Yeah,” he agreed, handing her the cigarette. “I don’t know…maybe it’s ‘cause we were, you know,” he linked his fingers together, clicking his tongue against his teeth. Did that make sense? Teddi wasn’t really sure if she had an answer.
Eddie laid back down beside her, fitting himself against her side. “So, how do you feel?”
Teddi hummed as she took a drag of the cigarette. “I feel...like air?” she said, her nose scrunching. “Like…like I’m here, but I’m not here. Like I’m not really in my body or something but then at the same time everything is like an electric shock but in a good sort of way,” Eddie smiled, snickering softly. Teddi bit her lip, smiling back at him. “...Thanks for this, Eddie.”
“Is that for the sex or for the drugs?” his tone was teasing as she handed him the cigarette back.
Teddi laughed. “Both? I needed that. Needed to feel…”
“Lighter than air?” he finished for her.
She nodded. Her mind was telling her to focus on what had happened. The pulsing light and the radio. If she had been in her right mind it would have terrified her. Made her worry about what would follow. Would she hear the purr of the Demogorgon outside of the van? Would the falling ash of the Upside Down replace the fairy dust and rainbows that were raining down on them?
Why hadn’t she been afraid? Had it really been the drugs? Why had she had that almost comforting feeling filling her chest when the radio flicked between channels?
“...Eddie?” she asked. He hummed in response. “How long is this gonna last?”
He scratched at the back of his neck. “A few hours, maybe? It’s different for everyone.”
Teddi was quiet for a moment as she considered her thoughts. She linked her fingers together like Eddie had a few moments before.
“...I wanna try that again.”