Chapter Text
Her interest in Dungeons and Dragons had started a couple of years ago, seeing her brother play with his friends intrigued her and it wasn't long before she had stolen and read the entire players guide front to back more times than she could count.
Which had led to countless character sheets created and stuffed away in her folder along with unused campaign ideas. Because no matter how much she fell in love with the game, she didn't actually have anyone to play with.
She had no party, and she knew that her friends wouldn't be interested in spending hours on end exploring a pretend fantasy world and fighting all sorts of fictional and mythological monsters.
She had heard about the Hellfire Club, the resident group for the Dungeons and Dragons nerds. The ones who met up in the backstage of the theatre department every Friday after school to play.
But she had never dared join a campaign, maybe it was because she was scared of being judged by her friends. Or that maybe she was worried that she wasn't good enough as she had never actually played before.
She simply observed them from a distance, quick glances over to their table during lunch. And they weren't difficult to spot with their signature black and white tees they wore.
But the most prominent member of Hellfire, Eddie 'The Freak' Munson. He was impossible to miss, with his signature leather jacket and battle vest combination. With long curly hair, soft brown eyes and probably the kindest smile she had ever seen in her life.
The first time she had met Eddie Munson they had both been partaking in the Hawkins Middle charity talent show. Eddie had been playing guitar in his little garage band formed of misfits and outcasts. And she had been with the official middle school cheerleader group.
The guitar he was using was borrowed and way too big for him, but he didn't care. It was the first time he got to stand on a proper stage and play music.
Backstage Eddie had complimented her on her routine, and eloquently introduced himself as Eddie Munson the guitarist of Corroded Coffin. That was before he had received his covenant title of 'The Freak'.
After the talent show they didn't see each other much, she would wave at him in the hallway and he would return it with his soft smile. Eddie graduated middle school ahead of her and after that she didn't see him much.
They would occasionally bump into each other in the hallways of Hawkins High from time to time. But they never exchanged anything more than just a couple of words in passing here and there. She was still a cheerleader, and he was growing more and more into his persona with every passing day.
But she still kept finding her eye pulled towards him every now and then. They shared two classes after all.
So she might have a little crush on Eddie. Which hadn't been an issue last year, she had no reason to interact with him and could simply just admire him from a safe, comfortable distance which guaranteed she would not be making a fool out of herself.
However that all changed when her brother started high school and was immediately drafted into the group.
Suddenly she had all the excuses in the world to start interacting with the Hellfire Club. Looking over at their table during lunch, walking past maybe a little more than she needed to, offering to pick up Dustin after campaigns.
She still remembered the first time she picked up Dustin from Hellfire. Still donned in her green and white cheer uniform after having cheered at that night's football game.
When she arrived they hadn't finished yet, and instead of waiting outside she had taken a seat, an exclusive inside peek into a Hellfire club campaign. Dustin would never stop talking about all the things Eddie would do, and she so desperately wanted to see it in action.
Her fascination for Dungeons and Dragons had started with Dustin's total inability to stop talking about it after all.
It was fascinating seeing them play, how invested they all were in their characters and the plot going on. But her eyes did not leave Eddie once. The way he talked, his body language, the intensity and the spark in his eyes. It was enchanting to sit and watch.
She had never really paid much attention to the crew outside of the quick glances she would cast in their direction. These people were quick to be written off as the nerd and losers of Hawkins High.
But they all seemed so careless, so free in this space where they could just be themselves together as a group. She couldn't help but envy that just a little bit.
As she sat there looking at them, and especially at him. She couldn't help but notice all the little details about Eddie. the way he laguaged, accompanied by that stupidly bright smile which made butterflies appear in her stomach.
Eddie really wasn't the freak everyone made him out to be. Maybe he was still the same kid from the talent show that loved music and fantasy. And she couldn't find anything wrong with that.
"Heeeeey, hellooooo." Dustin's voice ripped her from her trance, she had zoned out. "Earth to Henderson helloooo, we gotta goooo." He waved a hand in her face and she simply shot him a glare.
"Hey, dont disrespect your sister Henderson." Eddie's voice sounded from where he was still standing, papers and books wedged in his hands as he packed up his station. "Besides, how can one not be totally fascinated with the Disciples of Damnation? It's a fantastic campaign."
The words made her cheeks flush ever so slightly with pink and she stared at the floor, terrified to look over at him.
"You got your stuff?" She asked Dustin, failing to notice the bag that was already slung over his shoulder. "Anyone else need a ride? Mike? Lucas?" She raised her voice and looked at the two other boys that had practically been joined at the hip with her brother for years.
Both of the boys simply shook their heads and Mike mumbled something about Nancy coming to give both of them a ride home. She just grabbed her keys and dragged Dustin out of the theatre department.
"What's gotten you so distracted?" Dustin asked as they walked to the car. "Just tired from the game."
"You were rude to Eddie by not answering him."
"I'm sure he'll live."
After that first time she offered to pick up Dustin every week, and he didn't seem to mind. He much preferred hitching a ride than walking or biking all the way home.
And over the next couple of weeks she kept entertaining the idea of Eddie in her mind more frequently. She most definitely had a crush on him.
Wondering what it would be like to run her fingers through his curly hair. To feel the cold metal of his rings against her skin. Thinking about how his chapped lips might feel against her lips or her neck.
Each time she picked up Dustin they interacted a little bit more. A couple of words exchanged here and there, Eddie's flirty persona had her flustered way too easily but she had mustered up the courage to compliment his shirt once.
Maybe picking up Dustin was an excuse to talk to Eddie, to look at him a little bit. But it worked out for both of them.
But she still tried to keep that distance between them, that comfortable distance where she knew she could protect her feelings and make sure her heart wasn't going to break.
Besides, she could never do that to Dustin. He practically worshipped the ground Eddie walked on. And she couldn't blame him, Eddie had this air about him. He refused to be someone he wasn't just to fit in and she admired that about him.
He gladly ran dungeons and dragons for the other students simply because he wanted to, and it gave others the space to be themselves.
She would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't noticed the uptick in Dustin's behaviour after he was enlisted in Hellfire. After years of bullying and teasing he had finally found a group that accepted and included him.
There is no way she could take that away from him by doing something stupid. It would be
cruel and malicious. Whatever feelings she might have for Eddie were fleeting and nothing compared to how she felt for Dustin.
So this would have to do, small stolen looks when no one was looking and a couple of words exchanged once a week. She would have to settle for that, and she was ok with that.
—
It was no secret that Eddie Munson was special. He was the leader of the Hellfire Club. He fearlessly led the band of nerds and outcasts that resided within the halls of Hawkins High.
It was also no secret to anyone who knew him that he had a type. The older members of the Hellfire club knew this very well.
They had seen Eddie's various small flings with different cheerleaders through the years.
Eddie almost had a heart attack then and there when she walked into Hellfire club. Immediately noticing her from the talent show, and from the previous years they had spent together at Hawkins High.
Quickly scanning the faces of the freshmen in front of him he deduced she must be Henderson's older sister. Shocked, someone like him would have a sister on the cheer team.
Never would he ever think that the worm Dustin Henderson would be picked up by one of the senior cheerleaders.
And sure, somewhere in him he knew he shouldn't be ogling at one of the siblings of the Hellfire like he was a kid looking at toys in a toy store.
But he couldn't help but just a little bit, she was still wearing her uniform, her hair all messy and cheeks a little flushed from having cheered for the past few hours.
Almost instantly he got a warning glare from Garreth, which he simply shrugged off.
"That's Henderson's sister you do know that right?" Garreth approached him after both Dustin and his sister had left, but his voice was still quiet, not wanting to alert any of the other members still hanging around.
"I do." Eddie curly responded.
"Eddie, don't even think about it." Garreth had warned him, and Eddie agreed he wouldn't. That was a lie, in fact he thought about it a lot. Technically, he had known her before he had known Dustin.
It wasn't helped by the fact that she started picking up Dustin from Hellfire almost every week. But it was when she didn't come to pick him up and Eddie felt a little pang of disappointment that he realised that he was developing a crush.
Previously he had simply shrugged it off to a pretty face and seen her in a short cheer skirt. However, that moment made him bite his tongue for a moment.
"Henderson, where's your sister?" Eddie had gathered up the courage to ask after he had finished the session. "Dunno, she said something about a date."
A date. Eddie's blood ran cold for a second and he could have sworn he was going to see red. He knew it wasn't justified, he hadn't ever actually spoken with her more than a couple of flirty comments here and there as she picked up Dustin.
But it still made his blood boil. She was out somewhere, on a date with someone. That wasn't him.
And so started his master plan, and it started with the need of a new Hellfire member.
---
"Henderson!" Eddie grinned from ear to ear as he approached the freshman standing with Mike next to their lockers. "We need a new member for tomorrow's session, is Y/N free?"
"Can't we just use one of the regular subs?" No, no they could not. Technically Eddie could simply talk to her, ask her out when he saw her. But that almost seemed too easy, and slightly wrong. Plus there was no way in hell that she would say yes to going out with him, so he would have to play the long game with this one.
“And besides, didn't you mention she had some interest in playing?” Eddie realised he must have looked crazy, wide eyed and staring the freshmen down.
“Yeah like a couple of years ago? I doubt she would be interested now.” Eddie huffed slightly, feeling himself becoming increasingly annoyed. “Just ask her will ya?”
That seemed to intimidate them enough to turn heel and run, muttering some excuse about going to look.
—
"Hey Y/N!" Dustin's voice carried through the library. Making plenty of students turn heads to look at who was being loud. Dustin was accompanied by Mike and she was shooting them both daggers as they made their way over to the table she was sitting at alone.
"Could you be any louder?" She berated them in a hushed voice as they sat down at the table. Her books and papers were strewn out over the table, desperately trying to cram in just a little bit more studying before Mr. Kaminsky's test later. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Do you want to join Hellfire tomorrow?" Dustin completely ignored everything she had said, too couped up in his own thoughts and priorities to care. "Eddie says we need an extra player and everyone else is busy soooo..."
Dustin gave her the big eyes he always used when he wanted something from her. It was clear they were desperately trying to fulfil an order set by Eddie, both of the boys looked slightly panicked as if they needed her to say yes.
Of course she wanted to join Hellfire, more than anything. But at the same time that would mean having to spend a night in the same room as Eddie, and she didn't know if she would be able to handle that.
"So I'm your last pick for an extra?" She raised an eyebrow at her brother, enjoying seeing him panic further. "No just- we need- and-" He struggled to find the words to explain himself away.
"And besides, have you ever thought about the fact that I have my own life? My own friends? I have plans." She looked him dead in the eye as she spoke.
"Bullshit, I know practice was cancelled tomorrow and that you were planning on renting a video and falling asleep with Mews on the couch."
"Mews? Who's mews?" She heard his voice behind her, immediately her blood went cold and she froze in her seat. Slowly turning to look at him, convinced her face was completely pale and void of any colour.
And there he stood, the leader of Hellfire. Eddie Munson, asking about her cat of all things.
"Mews? Who's mews?" She heard his voice behind her, immediately her blood went cold and she froze in her seat. And before she knew it Eddie slit down into one of the empty seats across from her.
She slowly looked up at him, convinced her face was completely void of any colour. And there he sat, the leader of Hellfire. Eddie Munson, asking about her cat of all things.
His usual goofy smile was plastered to his face, creating those dimples that always managed to make her slightly weak. She could see his dimples and how when he smiled his eyes lit up just a little.
"Our cat." Dustin responded like it was absolutely nothing, while she was completely tongue tied and totally staring at Eddie. "So what do you say?" Eddie asked and crooked his head a little bit.
Just enough that she could spot the black outline of a tattoo peeking out of the collar of his shirt. Her mind was still totally blank.
Dustin kicked her under the table and she snapped back to reality. "Sorry, what?"
"What do you say, want to join Hellfire tomorrow?" Eddie looked at her, and she was convinced this was all just a big prank. "The worm says you might be interested."
"I- I've never played." Which was technically true, she had never played and for now she was hoping it would work as a half assed excuse. "I would just be an inconvenience."
She gave him a weak smile and prayed the excuse would work.
"Nonsense, I'll help you through the basics. Get you all set up." Before she could protest Eddie had gotten up out of his seat. "Tomorrow at lunch, the picnic table behind the football field."
Dustin and Mike immediately followed Eddie out of the library and she was once again left sitting alone. Completely dumbfounded as to what had just happened.
And she was about to be caught in a lie.
—
She should have come clean the second she showed up in the woods and saw him sitting at the table already waiting for her. But some part of her did really want to sit next to Eddie Munson and get his help to create a new character.
He was already there when she arrived, probably skipped the previous class to prepare. Something about the thought excited her, that he would skip class for her. But she knew that in reality Eddie Munson probably skipped classes quite frequently.
"So how much will I need to teach you? Dustin mentioned you already had an interest." Eddie said as she sat down, he gestured for her to sit next to him instead of opposite him like she had planned.
She thought of the already made character sheet that was tucked into her bag just in case.
“I suppose a little bit of everything?” She looked at him questioningly with big eyes and Eddie swore he could melt right then and there. “Just so I understand the very basics and then I’ll manage from there.”
And just like that Eddie started teaching her, if she was being honest she wasn’t listening to what he was saying, not that she needed to. Simply smiling and nodding along to whatever he was saying, providing input here and there when it was needed. Things like character names, which race and class she wanted to play.
Settling on a chaotic good half elf cleric.
“So these empty boxes right here.” Eddie used the tip of his pen to point on the paper. “These will be your spellcasting slots, when you use a spell one will fill up until you have the time to rest and recover.”
He was sitting next to her on the bench, their legs touching as he carefully guided her through the character sheet in front of her that she could already recite in her sleep. Eddie was wearing his regular ripped jeans, and she was just in a regular plain cotton skirt, feeling the rough denim against her soft bare skin.
“Now as you’re starting level one you will only have two spells to use, so it won't be too complicated.” Eddie was smiling so wide as he spoke, his heart fluttering whenever he felt her move.
"Roll these for me will you sweetheart?" Eddie said and dropped a couple of six sided dice in front of her. The use of the nickname made butterflies appear in her stomach and she bit into her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling like a crazy person.
Eddie had a couple of dice out, helping her roll up a new character. His players manual laid open on the table in front of them, his messy handwriting decorating the pages in notes and comments along the margins.
She couldn't place her finger on it exactly, but Eddie seemed almost giddy to be sitting there with her helping her make a character sheet. She almost felt bad lying to him, almost.
Quickly grabbing the die and rolling the die, letting them scatter over the table. "What we're doing now is rolling for your abilities, but don’t worry I can do all the math for you."
Eddie just kept talking, he knew he was rambling on but having her so close was making him so nervous he couldn’t help himself. He was taking note of her rolls quickly working out the math, not even noticing that she was rolling for abilities he hadn’t explained yet.
“Yeah just like that, see you’re a natural already!” Eddie jokingly elbowed her side, noticing that she was a little tense. “Well I haven’t played yet.”
“You’ll do great, I just know it.” She turned to look at him and she found his eyes looking directly at hers. It was only when she was sitting this close she could actually see his eyes. They were such a deep rich dark brown, a kind that she could so easily get herself lost in. There were so many parts of his face she had never noticed before when she only looked at him from a distance.
The slightly faded scar that ran just outside his eyebrow. His dimples when he smiled. The ever so faintest dusting of freckles across his nose. The faint smell of cigarettes and cheap cologne hung in the air as she breathed him in.
But while she was looking at his eyes, his eyes were staring at her lips, Eddie was totally unable to look away. Only imagining what it would be like to lean in and brush his lips against hers.
“Let’s hope so.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, her heart was in her throat. Neither of them realising how long they had been sitting there staring. Both of them ripped out of their trance when they heard the faint sound of the lunch bell ringing in the distance.
“Shit.” She exclaimed and quickly started gathering her stuff, shoving it into her bag without much care. “I’m sorry I have to go I’ve heard talk that there will be a pop quiz and I can’t let this grade slip more than it already has and I-”
Eddie laughed as she rambled away, watching her pack up her bag and slinging it over her shoulders. “No worries sweetheart.” He bit his bottom lip quickly. “After 6th period in the drama room!” Eddie called after her as she rushed back towards the school.
—
She had been counting down the minutes waiting for the end of 6th period, more and more anxious with each tick the clock made. Feeling her nerves starting to settle in, that pit of anxiety in her stomach quickly gathered.
And before she knew it she was standing in front of the drama department, the character sheet her and Eddie had started during lunch clutch in her hand. On the paper his handwriting intertwined with hers. She had spent the rest of the day filling out the blanks of the sheet, creating herself a little firecracker of a cleric.
This was going to be fun, she kept telling herself. Maybe if she said it enough the nerves in her stomach would subside. She could feel the nerves all the way out into her fingertips making them go numb with anxiety and worry.
Taking one final breath and opening the door, most of the players had already arrived and were sitting around the table. And of course, at the head of the table in a gothic throne he had stolen from the drama department sat Eddie Munson.
He was setting up his screen and placing mini figures around the map. But he lifted his gaze as he heard the door slam shut behind her, flashing her a smile that made her weak in the knees.
Eddie gestured to the empty seat that was free next to her, without words telling her to sit down. And she was not about to protest.
It didn’t take long before everyone arrived and the game began, some part of her must have kicked into auto pilot and the nerves subsided.
Eddie guided them through the session so effortlessly, barely having to consult his notes as he narrated. He was pulling out all the stops, all of his NPC impressions were dialled up and there was an extra bit of energy in everything he did.
“Hey younger Henderson.” Eddie called out to Dustin and she looked down at the floor to hide her smile. “Hitch a ride home with Wheeler will you? Your sister being the newbie she’s on clean up duty.”
Dustin couldn’t argue with that, he had been on his fair share of cleaning duty when he had joined Hellfire. In his mind it was only fair.
Quickly they were both left alone, quietly cleaning up the mess left behind by the other party members.
"You know, you're a really bad liar." Eddie finally said and broke the silence between them. After hours of thinking that is what he chose to lead this conversation with. He had to muster up all the courage he could. Eddie was absolutely determined to do this.
"Me?" Heat immediately rushed to her cheeks at the accusation. "What- what have I lied about?" Great, and now she was stammering, a great look for someone practically lying through their teeth.
"It is so clear that you know more than you are letting on." Eddie laughed and slowly started walking towards her. "And then you kept using all the terminology so fluently, you knew all the dice, how all the turns worked."
"Maybe I just have a really great teacher." That made Eddie laugh more. "Sweetheart, I'm good but I'm not that good."
"How long have you known?" Her voice was so quiet he could barely hear it.
"Well I've been suspecting ever since earlier at lunch." He was standing right in front of her, close enough that she could feel his breath on her skin. "But this-" he gestured to her, "just confirmed everything I was thinking."
"And you have a tell." She looked at him questioningly. "Right here." Eddie lifted his hand to her face and ran his thumb over her eyebrow. "You knit your eyebrows together whenever you lie."
But Eddie didn't let his hand drop, instead he let it rest against her face.
"Are you mad?"
"Mad? Why would I ever be mad?"
"Well I did lie to you."
"Eh, it was cute so I'll let it slide."
“Cute?” She asked him a little shyly, Eddie was practically standing flush against her, her back against the playing table. “You think I’m cute?”
Eddie's eyes were back to staring at her lips, barely registering what she was saying.
“Sweetheart I think you’re absolutely adorable.” His face was only a couple of inches away from hers. But never had a couple of inches felt like such a vast distance. Eddie wondered what it would be like to lean in and brush his lips against hers. To feel her nose bump against his own.
Her eyes scanned his face, unsure what to make of the words coming out of his mouth.
“We shouldn’t do this.” Her voice was breathless and slow as she spoke, trying to ground herself. “No we shouldn’t.” Eddie murmured in agreement, inching just a little bit closer to her, just barely hovering over her lips. It would be so easy to lean in and close the space between them.
But both of them knew that if they did, they would be crossing a line and they would be at a point of no return.
“Tell me you want me to kiss you.”
“Eddie please kiss me-” She barely had time to finish the last word before Eddie slammed his lips against hers, finally closing the painfully short distance that had separated them.
Eddie tasted exactly like what she had expected him to. Like stale cigarettes and cinnamon gum. It was an intoxicating combination which only drew her in further. Her hands rested against his chest, feeling his chest through his signature Hellfire shirt.
And she was like a drug he had never had before, the way her lips moved against his quickly sent Eddie into a craze. He knew he would never be able to get enough of this feeling.
Weeks, months of longing fueled the kiss. It was desperate, needy and messy. His lips moved against hers so effortlessly and it knocked the air out of her lungs. The open mouthed kiss sweeping them both of their feet.
Eddie’s hand moved from her face and to the back of her neck, gripping it firmly so he could move her to exactly where he wanted her. Neither of them ever wanted this moment to end but eventually Eddie pulled away, the need for oxygen becoming too great.
Both of them were on a crazed high from the kiss and slightly dizzy. Still close enough that they breathed the same air. Lips swollen and wet with saliva.
“Do you have any idea how long I have wanted to do that?” Eddie said between heavy breaths, desperately trying to pull air back into his lungs. The smile on his lips was priceless. “I might have an idea.”
His hand snaked down her body, gripping the backs of her thighs and guiding her to sit down on the table. Spreading her legs so he could fit between them. Eddie moved his frame around her smaller one. One of his hands stayed on her thigh while the other was splayed against the expanse of her back, resisting the urge to tug at the hem of her shirt.
While her hands had snaked around his neck and shoulders to stabilise herself, her fingers were mindlessly playing and tugging at the strands of hair at the back of his neck.
His eyes were so dark she could swear she could see her reflection in them. How she could easily spend hours sitting there admiring his face.
“Can I kiss you again?” She didn’t bother to respond, only used her arms to pull his face to hers and connected their lips once more. The second kiss was softer, slower. Both of them wanted to savour the feeling of each other. Wanting to memorise as much as they could in the small amount of stolen time they had.
She could feel Eddie’s hand push up her skirt just a little so he could grab onto the bare skin of her thigh. The cold sting of his metal rings against her warm skin sending sparks flying through her body.
It didn’t take long before Eddie’s lips moved from hers and to her jaw, taking his sweet time kissing along her jaw bone before letting them trail over the sensitive skin of her neck. Her skin was so soft, just a hint of sweetness remaining from her morning perfume. Eddie never wanted this moment to end.
When Eddie pulled his lips away from her neck to press another couple of quick kisses to her lips. And when he looked at her she couldn’t think of anything else to say so she simply said. “So when do I get my own Hellfire shirt?”
“Oh darling.” Eddie gently caressed her face and looked directly into her eyes. “You can just have mine.”