chitona | for inhairently

( senior year, at last. eddie is one step closer to finally having an excuse to get the hell out of hawkins. outside of his band and hellfire club, eddie has felt so inescapably alone here, and while he prefers having no deep friendships over incessant bullying, it does get old, especially when his locker is often used as a prime makeout spot for those who don't really care about hiding their pda.

eddie is actually surprised when he walks into the halls and sees nobody in front of his locker for once. who would have thought that the major reason eddie has been tardy to most of his classes lately is trying to shoo underclassmen away from his locker so he can grab his books? his teachers sure as hell don't seem to care.

though while he is able to get to his locker no problem, he can't help but eavesdrop nancy and barb close by, keeping his gaze onto the contents of his locker lest he make his nosiness apparent.

it's steve harrington's name that really gets his attention. steve is a grade below him, and is known for making his way through the entire female population. but nancy wheeler never struck him as someone that steve would be particularly interested in.

not that eddie pays that close attention to the ladies steve ends up with. no, that would be ridiculous.

speaking of steve, while nancy and barb seem to have gone off to class, the aforementioned man has made his appearance. there's something different about him, though. it's in the way he carries himself, less pompous asshole and more...no, eddie's probably imagining things. maybe he's just not feeling well. )

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No, Munson, it's not safe. Nothing about this whole thing is safe.

( There's no bite to his words. Just years-old exhaustion that's so settled into his bones he doesn't even remember what it's like to live without it. )

But if we play our cards right, we'll be the idiots the thing comes after, not someone else.

( They just need to ditch school for the afternoon, head to the army surplus store downtown, and pray for a miracle. It'll be a lot harder to set a trap at his place than it was the Byers', he thinks. There's too much space to have full control of the situation.

And another thing — )

Uh. Have you ever fired a gun before?

( Eddie can't believe he's actually considering this. There's a desperation in Steve's eyes and in his voice that has him considering putting his own damn life on the line. Something about the look in Steve's eyes has Eddie convinced that if he ignores everything and goes on with his life, letting Steve fend for himself, he will never hear from Steve again.

Because the damn guy's gonna be dead.

He doesn't think he can live with that. No matter how much of an asshole Steve's friends were, Eddie wouldn't be able to live with himself if there was a chance he might have been able to help.

Then Steve has to go and ruin it by asking him if he's ever fired a gun. The first thing he thinks about is the one time Al fucking Munson, his own flesh and blood, tried to teach him how to take care of a gun, how to hold it, how to aim it, how to fire it. Damn, he really needs more than one measly joint right now. )

Ah, yeah, I have. But not at a moving target.

( Steve nods, pursing his lips. His gaze shifts past Eddie, focusing on something (or nothing) in the distance. )

Okay. Yeah, okay. That'll do. It'll have to.

( He nods as he says it, a weak attempt at conveying a confidence his words don't carry, and that he certainly doesn't feel right now. His eyes snap back to Eddie as he pulls himself back out of his own head. )

I've got my dad's credit card. If he asks I'll just say Tommy H. and I wanted to go camping or something. He'll believe it. I mean, we're a couple of fucking idiots.

( Reluctantly, he pushes himself up from the picnic table and sighs, casting Eddie a look that's something like pity, something like concern. )

You're sure you want in? This is your last chance to back out, Munson.

( This is objectively a terrible idea. Eddie doesn't have to help. He knows that if Steve is telling him the truth, he could endanger his life. But if Steve is telling him the truth, then that means that Steve's life is in danger with or without Eddie's help.

And Eddie, well...he wouldn't be able to sit by and let Harrington put his life in danger. If he ignores this and Steve doesn't show up at school the next day? Eddie would never be able to forgive himself, even if there is likely nothing he can really do to help. He has to try. )

Yeah, I'm in. It sounds like you need someone with proficiency in traps, and while I'm not great with a gun, I -- okay, I haven't actually set up a bear trap, but...I'm pretty sure I have a transferable skill set.

( Yeah, he's really selling himself here. )

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