FOUR
Making pretty love to me
💋
❪ tw: strong language, mentions of death, mentions of drugs, and a little spice ❫

a/n: kicking my feet rn bc y'all are about to love me (:

STRANGER THINGS
(season 4, ep 3)
part one

                  FINLEY DAYDREAMED about him. All week. She never thought about anyone in the way that she thought about Eddie Munson. Not even her celebrity crushes. She didn't know what it was about him. She wanted to protect him. She wanted to be the person who made him smile. She craved for his touch. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair as he fell asleep. She wanted to know him, his past, and become his future. Even though in reality she already was. And more than anything she just wanted to kiss him, hard.

     Sometimes she wished she could get drunk or really high and tell him all of those things. But not everything comes easy. And right now, she didn't think she had time for that. Finley never really dressed up she always wore plain things but today she felt like wearing a skirt. She paired the red plaid skirt with a white turtleneck, black pantyhose, all-white Adidas, her favorite oversized leather jacket, and she just left her hair loose like she did most of the time. She woke up early to go see Eddie. After last night she felt like she was even more worried about him than she was the entire day yesterday. Finley looked around for any signs of cops before dropping her bike and running up to the boat house.

Finley already knew how Eddie would react to the door randomly being opened. She slowly opened the door and peaked her head in but, there was no sign of Eddie. She took a step inside and that's when the tarp flew over. Eddie shot up, still sitting in the boat, holding out the broken beer bottle he used as a weapon. "It's just me!" Finley yelled, backing up a bit.

     Eddie tightly shut his eyes, letting his body soften. "Sorry." He lowered the bottle as he tried to catch his breath. "W-What are you doing here?" He took a step out of the boat.

"I just thought you'd want some company. If that's okay." Finley stepped away from the door and closed it fully.

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, it's okay." He gave her a half-smile. "Take a seat on the couch. It also doubles as the very uncomfortable bed." He gestured towards the boat.

"Well, who doesn't love multi-purpose furniture. Rick should sell it." Finley joked. Eddie chuckled, he was happy that there was someone still willing to have a normal conversation with him. He followed behind her and they both squeezed into the boat. Eddie laid back, staring up at the ceiling. "Are you doing okay? Considering." Finley looked down at him.

"Totally." His voice was laced with sarcasm. "I have people bringing me things like I'm royalty. It's great." He grinned at her and Finley rolled her eyes, knowing it was a stupid question to ask. "But I'd rather not talk about my current situation right now. How have you been?"

Finley laid down, copying his position. "I'm pretty much the same." Her head turned to the side and their eyes met. "My dad told me he stopped drinking."

Eddie raised his eyebrows though you couldn't really tell with his bangs covering them. "You believe him?" Eddie and Finley kind of bonded a little a few days ago telling each other about their parents. Him telling her and about his dad and her telling him about her mom. Both victims of shitty parenting but, Eddie was lucky enough to have his uncle. Finley's mom was basically dead to her now, she believed that she wouldn't even care if she died. She barely even called anymore.

She knew why her dad was doing what he did but she wished he was more present. And it was starting to seem like he was trying. At least someone in her life still tried with her. "I checked the cabinets but he seems a little different. He's actually sleeping in his room again."

"That's progress."

"Yeah. Just haven't had time to do a complete search of the house to make sure." Finley glanced back up at the ceiling but, Eddie didn't stop looking at her. After he dropped her off he couldn't stop thinking about what could have happened and hating himself for not doing it sooner. It was just like he lost any chance he had.

But, maybe he had another one. "Finn."

Finley looked back over at him. "Hm?" She hummed.

"About Friday night . . ."

The mention of that night made the moment he was referring to flash in her head. She remembered everything. She remembered what she was thinking, what she was feeling, and the way Eddie looked at her. She laid in bed that night thinking about why she left. It might have been her fear of affection but, it was more so a fear of love. "Oh, that. I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?" Eddie questioned.

Finley shook her head. "I just . . . I didn't know what was going on completely. I just freaked."

"It's okay, I'm just an idiot."

"No, you're not." The room was silent for a few seconds and it felt like the air they were breathing was thick. "We're you gonna . . ." Finley's eyes floated back over to him.

Eddie felt like his stomach was curling. "Umm." He bit the inside of his cheek. "No." He shook his head. "I don't know."

Finley's eyes squinted at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

A sigh left Eddie's lips. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Nope." Finley smiled at him.

Eddie opened his mouth to speak multiple times but Finley kept giving him the same look. "I hate you." He huffed and ran his hands up his face. Finley moved onto her side and Eddie could feel her staring into the side of his head. "Okay, I just like . . . was in my own world I guess. I wasn't paying attention."

Finley slowly nodded, signifying that she understood. "So you just spaced out for a second."

The boy blinked at her, realizing that if Finley hadn't stopped him that night everything would've gone a lot different. He was gonna kiss her he just didn't have enough time to. "Shit, maybe not." He exhaled as he sat up. Finley didn't hear him, quickly muttering a "hm?". "You want me to be honest?"

"Why would I want you not to be honest?" Finley sat in front of him.

"Maybe I was gonna kiss you."

"What?" Finley furrowed her eyebrows. Eddie stared into her eyes for a second before he actually started to build up the courage to do what he was about to do. He tilted his head to the side, leaning in close to her. Finley knew exactly what was about to happen and it took everything in her to face her fears and not stop him because she wanted it to happen.

Their noses brushed up against each other and they could feel their breath on each other. The closer they got the more Finley couldn't feel her legs or fingers. Or anything at all for that matter. She would just turn into putty. Then she finally felt his lips on hers and she couldn't even think anymore. This was the first time either of them have ever felt like this and they didn't want it to stop.

Eddie slowly pulled away from her and Finley kept her eyes closed for a few seconds because the only thing that was running through her brain was that actually just happened. His breathing was shaky and was basically yelling at Finley in his head to say something. But when her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, something clicked. He might have just ruined everything. When she was silent that's when he knew he probably shouldn't have done that. "Just say the word and we won't talk about this again. I'm sorry, I should've asked." He looked away, lightly chewing on his bottom lip.

"No." She replied quickly making Eddie look at her again. "That's just never happened before." She clarified. Finley always found it embarrassing that she was eighteen and still hasn't had a real relationship or a real first kiss. That type of stuff was always Flora's specialty since Finley was always in her own bubble.

There were people that thought she was pretty but it was like she had a sign on her forehead that reads "I lack confidence." It was basically the same with Eddie except he was always labeled as a freak and no one cared to get to know him. He didn't care but it was a problem when it came to dating in a town like this.

In only a split second it was like something switched in her because she turned back, grabbed the edge of Eddie's jacket, and pulled him back down on her. Though, this time the kiss was more heated. He was still really gentle with her at first, kissing her slow and soft. But when she knotted her fist in his shirt he knew the type of energy she was expecting. His hand crept up on her hip, lightly pushing her down so he hovered over her. They pulled away, taking a breather before Finley wrapped one of her arms around the back of his neck and caressed the side of his face with her free hand.

Her touch sent a warm sensation throughout his entire body and he couldn't control the grin growing on his face. He leaned back over to her, moving his lips against hers again. As time went on, they just kept kissing each other harder and deeper. Eddie's hand slid up a few inches and rested it on her waist, she could feel the cold metal of his rings through the somewhat thin material of her shirt which sent shivers down her spine. All of a sudden, she heard something that Eddie didn't at first. The sound of a car. Finley's eyebrows knitted together and she pulled away from Eddie, darting her eyes at the window a few feet in front of them.

Eddie lightly gripped her side and lifted himself up. "Hey, you okay?" He stared down at her but her eyes never left the window. She wanted to know if she was hearing things again or not.

Finley tensed up a little before looking up at Eddie. "Did you hear that?"

Those words were enough to send him right back into panic. His head snapped in the direction she was looking in and he carefully pulled away from her and grabbed his now signature weapon that sat at the bow of the boat. "Stay here," Eddie whispered, looking back at her before jumping out of the boat. He rushed over to the window, frantically looking to see if anyone was out there.

Finley dug into her pocket, pulling out the switchblade she stole from her dad. With everything going on she felt like she needed a little protection of her own. She slowly stepped out of the boat, not following Eddie's orders. When Eddie saw nothing out there he let out a sigh of relief. Less than a second later the door to the boat house opened and Finley didn't hesitate to set the blade free. "Jesus." Eddie held out the bottle but they both lowered their weapons when they realized it was just Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Max.

"Delivery service." Dustin and Robin beamed at Eddie, as they held out the bags of food they just bought him.

Max's eyes wandered over to the girl standing behind him. "Finn, we've been looking for you." The rest of the group looked over at her and so did Eddie but his eyes were wide.

Steve looked over at Eddie (who quickly looked out the window next to him) and over at Finley. "What are you doing here . . . before us?" He questioned in a weird tone.

Eddie's forehead wrinkled a little because of the face he was making and he brought his hand up to scratch behind his ear. Finley just watched everyone give them the same weird look. She felt like she was gonna explode. "Oh my god. Stop looking at us like that." She groaned, before walking across the room.

              FINLEY SAT ON A STOOL next to Max. Her leg was bouncing and she was fidgeting with her ring. The anxiety of Eddie being so close to getting his face on a wanted poster and the fact that she was just kissing him less than twenty minutes ago didn't mix well. Before Dustin started to give Eddie the update the two kept looking at each other on accident and quickly looking away. They were all currently gathered around him as he chowed down a box of Honeycomb cereal. "So we got, uh, some good news and some bad news. How do you prefer it?" Dustin announced.

     "Bad news first, always." Eddie's voice was muffled because of the food in his mouth.

Dustin nodded. "All right. Bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro last night, and they're definitely looking for you." Eddie's face fell and he looked down with sad eyes. "Also, they're, uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy."

Eddie's head snapped over to Max and Finley when the redhead began to speak. "Like, 100% kind of convinced," Max added.

"And speaking from personal experience it's hard to think they'll believe anything else," Finley spoke in a low tone.

Eddie took a breath before looking back at Dustin. "And the good news?"

"Your name hasn't gone public yet." Robin began as Eddie looked up at her. "But if we found out about you, it's only a matter of time before others do too. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning for you."

So basically it was all just bad news. "Hunt the freak, right?"

"Exactly." Robin frowned.

That definitely didn't help his nerves in the slightest. "Shit." He muttered.

"So, before that happens, we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence," Dustin explained.

That was the goal but they had absolutely no plan or a story that made enough sense to cover up the murders. Hopper was always good at that. They didn't have anyone they needed any more. "That's all, Dustin? That's all?" Eddie glared at him.

"Yeah, no, that's pretty much it." Eddie turned away from him, angrily looking to his left.

"Listen, Eddie, I know everything that Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but we've actually been through this before. I mean, they have a . . . a few times, and . . . and Finn and I have once." Eddie's gaze switched between people as Robin spoke.

"Our experience was like more human-fleshy?" Finley looked up at Robin who nodded, confirming that, that was a good way to describe it before making eye contact with Eddie again. "And theirs was basically monsters with no faces and . . . a huge . . . deadly cloud of smoke." Eddie made a face at her, hitting him with all this information at once was even more confusing.

Dustin blinked at her. "Not really a cloud." He corrected her.

"Whatever." Finley raised her voice, letting him know that it didn't matter.

     "Well, she's bitchier today," Steve mumbled.

"Bottom line is, collectively, I really feel like we got this." Robin gave him a small smile, hoping that it would make him feel a little better.

Though, it was like the more they talked the worse it got. "Yeah, see, we usually rely on this girl who has superpowers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, so uh . . ." Steve crossed his arms.

"Yeah, that sucked," Finley whispered.

"So we're technically in more of the . . ." Robin moved her hands around, thinking that it would make someone think of something.

"Kinda . . ." Steve looked up at the ceiling.

Max and Finley exchanged a look. "The um . . ."

"Brainstorming phase," Max spoke up and they all nodded.

Steve pointed at her. "Brainstorming." He snapped his fingers.

Finley flashed a tight-lipped smile. "See, redheads are smart." She rubbed Max's arm who gave her the side-eye. "Sorry, I say stupid things when I'm nervous."

Max chuckled and placed her hand on top of hers. "It's okay."

Eddie gaped at all of them and just stared. "There . . . There's nothing to worry about." Dustin spluttered. Steve laughed a little trying to lighten the mood but Eddie just tilted his head at him.

Seconds later they heard sirens in the distance. "Shit." Steve looked over at the window.

Finley quickly got up from her seat and looked at Eddie. "Eddie, get under the tarp." She demanded. "Tarp, tarp!" She exclaimed and Eddie quickly laid down and pulled it over him. They all ran over to the window and Finley squeezed next to Dustin. All of the police cars and ambulances were going straight down the road.

     "We've gotta go, now." Steve moved away from the window and grabbed his car keys out of his pocket. Dustin looked back at Eddie who was still under the tarp before he felt Finley touch his shoulder.

     "I got it." She reassured and Dustin nodded. She jogged over to the boat. She kneeled in front of it and lifted up the part of the tarp his head was under.  Once they locked eyes everything that happened earlier just came right back to them. "We're gonna go follow them and see what's going on. We'll be back soon." Finley explained.

Eddie nodded. He didn't really know what to say. Robin was waiting for her by the door and she thought the way they were looking at each other was kind of . . . weird. "Just, be safe."

Finley smiled at him. "I should be telling you that." For a second she wanted to kiss him again but she quickly shook the thought away. "Bye, Eds." She stood back up and ran out of the door with Robin.

SOMEONE ELSE HAD DIED. Fred Benson. One of Nancy's friends. He died the same way Chrissy did. Vecna has struck again. Finley sat between Steve and Dustin as they told Nancy everything they knew. "So you're saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it's from the Upside Down?" Nancy questioned.

Steve shrugged. "If the shoe fits."

"By the way, Eddie described Chrissy's body and the way they found Fred today . . ." Finley trailed off. "It doesn't seem like whatever killed them is human. Even if that's the case they have a lot of screws loose."

"Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse. Now, whether or not he's doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don't know."

"All we know is this is something different. Something new." Max added.

     Nancy shut her eyes and gently shook her head. "Doesn't make sense."

     "It's only a theory." Dustin clarified.

     "No, Fred and Chrissy don't make sense. I mean, why them?"

"Maybe they were just in the wrong place," Dustin suggested. "They were both at the game." He mentioned.

"And near the trailer park." Max realized.

"We're at the trailer park." Steve looked at them. Finley looked around and toyed with the sleeve of her jacket. She never had a problem being here before when she first started hanging out with Eddie and all of the times she went home with Max after school. But now, it made her stomach turn. "Uh, should we maybe not be here?"

Finley crossed her arms tightly. "I feel kind of uneasy here."

"There is something about this place. Fred started acting weird the second we got here."

"Acting weird as in . . .?" Robin asked.

Nancy bit the side of her lip. "Scared, on edge, upset." She explained.

"Max said Chrissy was upset too." Dustin looked over at her.

"Yeah, but not here. She was crying in the bathroom at school." When Max said that Finley realized that Chrissy wasn't really acting like herself when they talked. Even though she was smiling at her Finley could tell it was fake because she's been smiling like that for months.

Finley straightened up in her seat. "She told me that she wanted the weed because of these nightmares she's been having. What if she saw him and he just kept . . . haunting her in a way? Or like he was attached to her like the mindflayer and Will. And maybe after a while he just killed her."

     She was right. Dustin remembered how on edge Will was when he was a host for the mindflayer. He often wandered off and didn't hear when people were calling his name. Like how Chrissy didn't hear Eddie. And on the field that day he was in a trance. Just like Chrissy. They couldn't wake him up, he woke up on his own. "Serial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right? So, maybe Finn's right. Maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecman—"

     "Vecna." Dustin corrected her.

     "I dunno about you guys, but if I saw some freaky wizard monster, I would mention it to someone." Steve rubbed the side of his face.

     "Maybe they did." Max's eyes widened a bit. "I saw Chrissy leaving Ms. Kelley's office. If you saw a monster, you . . . you wouldn't go to the police. They'd never believe you. But you might go to your—"

"Your shrink." Robin finished her sentence. Max glanced over at her and nodded. That's when they all knew what they had to do.

They all walked back over to Steve's car but Nancy had something else on her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about what Wayne said. She couldn't stop thinking about Victor Creel. Everyone else opened the car doors but Steve quickly realized that Nancy was waking in the opposite direction. "Whoa, whoa, Nance. Nance! Where are you going?" He ran up to her.

"Oh, there's just something I wanna check on first." She slowly backed away.

Finley tangled a hand in her hair. "Would you like to tell the rest of the class?"

"I don't wanna waste your time. It's a real shot in the dark."

"Yeah, okay. Are you out of your mind? Flying solo with this Vecna creep on the loose? No, it's too dangerous. You need . . . You need someone to . . ." Steve stuttered and Nancy just raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to finish. "Here. I'll stick with Nance, alright." Steve turned around and tossed the keys at Robin. "You guys take the car, check out the shrink."

"I don't think you want me driving your car," Robin warned him.

"Why?"

"I don't have a license."

Steve's eyes widened a bit. "Why don't you have a license?" He asked again in an annoyed tone.

"I'm poor." She shrugged.

Finley raised her two fingers. "I have my permit."

Steve was quick to shut her down. "A permit isn't a license. When did you get it?"

Finley nervously looked around. "When I was like sixteen . . ." She trailed off.

"You failed the test, didn't you?" Steve glared at her.

Finley scoffed. "I just went a little bit over the speed limit."

"No, you'll kill everyone." Steve shook his head.

"I can drive," Max suggested and that's when Steve really got scared.

He had a bit of a Deja Vu moment where Max almost crashed his car two years ago. "No, never again. Please." Max sighed. "Anybody but you. No." Steve pointed at her with a stern look. Dustin shrugged, smirking at him a little. "No chance."

     "Come on." Dustin rolled his eyes.

     "No."

     "All right, okay. This is stupid. Come on, Finn." Robin picked up the walkie-talkie, dropped the keys back in Steve's hand, and grabbed Finley's wrist. "Us ladies will stick together." She dragged Finley over to Nancy.

     "But if Steve thinks we need a big strong man to protect us." Finley teased and Steve gave her a fake smile. Robin grinned, her tongue poking out of her teeth a little, and Finley grabbed onto her hand and they walked away from them. Nancy looked at Steve for a second before turning around and following behind them.

"Be careful," Steve yelled.

"Bye, Harrington." Finley waved.

KARISSA SPEAKS !

—not me forgetting to closing gif in that last chapter...

—anyways loving that kiss scene

—also if you're reading this on july 4th/around the time this comes out chapter five is already available to you I decided to do a double update in honor of st3 coming out officially three years ago today

—finn and eddie are about to have so much sexual tension it hurts

—the hawkins group is a cockblock🙄