❝𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐙𝐎𝐍𝐄❞

"Do you have anything in your bag that she would listen to?!" Robin shouted rummaging through all of Eddie's tapes. You slung your bag off, tossing it on his bed before quickly unzipping it. You dumped the tapes out, your eyes searching for anything Nancy would probably listen to. "I don't know!" You shouted. Erica came running into the room, "Steve says you need to hurry!" Erica screamed, panting. "We're trying!" You shouted. All you were searching Eddie's room but the only music he had was metal and rock music. "Yeah? No shit!" Dustin yelled at Erica. "We can't find anything!" Max yelped, shuffling through the tapes in her hand. You continued to look through your tapes, "would she listen to Eurythmics?" You looked at Robin holding the tape up.

"I mean, what are you even looking for?!" Eddie looked at the both of you. "Madonna, Blondie, Bowie, Beatles? Music! We need music!" Robin held the tapes in her hand, screaming at Eddie. Eddie snatched one of the tapes from her hand, "this is music!" He screeched. "I don't have anything like that!" You panicked. You decided to go by a long shot. If Nancy did like the song or not, it was still something that could possibly save her. You snatched your walkman and the Eurythmics tape, running out of Eddie's room. "Y/n?!" Eddie screamed. You ignored him, reaching the gate in just a few seconds. "Nancy! Come on, stay with me!" Steve shouted at her. "Steve!" You screamed at him, clutching your walkman and tape in hand.

Steve looked up at you, his mouth slightly agape before his eyes landed on what was in your hand. "Toss it!" He yelled. You threw it up into the gate, hoping he would catch it and not have your walkman break into pieces on the floor. It landed in his hands, untangling the wires of the headphones. "How do you even do this?!" He shouted, panicking. "Untangle them!" You screamed back. Steve was clearly struggling. You couldn't just stand there and watch. "Screw it." You muttered to yourself, jumping onto the rope. "Y/n, what the hell are you doing?!" Eddie stood in his doorway, watching as you climbed back up the rope.

You looked at him, locking your eyes with his before looking away, pulling yourself up on the rope. "I'm coming Steve! Just hold on!" You shouted, gripping the rope as tightly as you could. "Y/n! Shit!" Eddie shouted. He ran after you, hoping to catch you in time before you fully made it through. "Nancy!" Steve shouted, still trying to wake her up white unraveling the headphones. Suddenly, just as you were about to climb through, Nancy woke up, a gasp leaving her lips. Steve dropped your walkman in an attempt to catch her. Luckily, his arms wrapped around her just in time. "Woah, woah, whoa, hey." Steve looked at her. You could feel a set of hands grab your waist, pulling you back down from the gate.

Looking back down, you could see Eddie holding onto you, letting go of the rope, he caught you in his arms. "The hell were you thinking?!" Eddie looked at you. "I'm sorry...I just..." You looked away from him, looking back up to see Steve consoling Nancy. You exhaled, a weight lifting off of your shoulders. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm here." Steve breathed out as Nancy was gasping for air, a terrified look on her face. You watched in horror. "What's going on?!" The others ran back into the room, looking up at the gate. "Did it work?" Robin asked. You were so confused as to how Nancy woke up without the music, unlike Max. "No...she just...woke up somehow." You spoke softly, almost in a whisper. You gulped. "Jesus Christ." Dustin put his hands on his head, pacing around the room. "How?" Max asked. You shook your head, "I...I don't know."

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You walked into Max's bathroom, shutting the door behind you with a soft click. You stood in front of the sink, hands gripping the counter. You looked down at the bandages around your arm, blood staining the parts where the bites were. You took in a deep breath, turning the faucet on, letting the water run. Looking down at your hands, they were covered in dirt, and so was your face. Your clothes were stained and your hair was a mess. Grabbing the bar of soap, you lathered your hands in the soap. You sat there with your thoughts. How did Vecna get Nancy? And how isn't she dead?

Speaking of which, you haven't heard the clock either. You don't know how or why, but you had this funny feeling that Vecna was toying with all of you. You gulped, trying to rid of the thoughts. You couldn't get the image out of your mind. The image of Jason's friend. The way he was floating in the air, and the way his bones began cracking. Running your hands under the water, you looked at all the dirt going down the drain. You then splashed the water on your face, trying to get rid of all the dirt. Wiping over your face with the water, you grabbed the towel, drying your face. "Y/n?" There was a soft knock at the door. You quickly turned your head, "yeah?"

"Can I come in?' Eddie asked. A small smile spread across your face, "yeah." You spoke. The bathroom door slowly opened, Eddie appeared. "Hi." He smiled, looking at you. "Hi." You smiled back at him before turning the water off. Eddie stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing?" You questioned, drying your hands on the towel. "Washing my hands." He held them up, showing you the dirt on them. You let out a small chuckle, looking away from him. "And you had to shut the door because of that?" You asked, moving out of Eddie's way as he grabbed the soap. "You shut the door too." He argued.

Eddie rubbed the soap under his hands and fingernails, scrubbing them before running them under the hot water. He did the same exact thing as you, splashing the water on his face, trying to scrub the dirt away. "I feel gross." You complained, handing Eddie the towel. He took it from your hands, wiping his face dry. "Yeah, me too." He sighed, looking down at his dirty Hellfire Club shirt. "Looks like you're gonna need a new Hellfire shirt." You looked at the shirt. "Are you kidding me? I've had this one since I joined the club. One good wash and it's good as new." He blew air past his lips, tossing the towel down. "Oh, so that one has sentimental value?" You raised a brow.

"Exactly." Eddie nodded, looking at you with raised brows. "Gotcha." You nodded back at him with a sarcastic smile. Turning around, you opened the bathroom door, walking into the living room where everyone was sitting. Nancy still looked traumatized, her hands shaking. "He was showing me things that haven't happened yet. The most awful things," Her voice was barely audible. "I saw a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. And Downtown was on fire. Dead bodies. Everywhere," she paused. "And there were these creatures. So, so, many of them. Like an army," she explained. "They were coming into our neighborhoods. Our homes," a tear slipped down her cheek. "Then, he showed me my mom. Holly. And Mike. And they were...they were all..." More tears slipped down her face.

"I don't get it though," You looked at the group. "It doesn't seem like he was trying to kill you like the others." You looked at Nancy. "Because he wasn't. He was showing me what's to come." She looked at you, her eyes filled with worry. "He's just trying to scare you, Nance. None of this is real." Steve looked up at Nancy. "Not yet," She said in a stern tone. "But there was something else...He showed me gates. Four gates. Spreading across the town. And these gates, they looked like the one in Lover's Lake and the one in Eddie's trailer. But, these ones just kept growing. And this wasn't in the upside-down...It was here." She looked at everyone, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"Four chimes." Max spoke abruptly. Everyone looked at her. "Vecna's clock. It always chimes four times. Four exactly," Max explained. "He's been telling us his plan the entire time." Max looked at Nancy. "Four chimes. Four kills. Four gates." Lucas spoke, looking at you and Max. "Wait," you interrupted, "if he needs four kills, then, he already has three. Chrissy, Fred, and Patrick. But, how come he's targeted me and Max? He doesn't need five kills." You looked at the group. "Unless he's trying to distract us." Dustin looked at you. "What do you mean? Eddie asked. "He's using one of you as a decoy. We just don't know which one." Dustin shrugged. Your expression dropped, "he could still kill both of us, though. He wouldn't just let one of us go."

"That could be true as well." Dustin pointed at you. "I mean, it doesn't seem like Vecna would just let one of his victims go for the hell of it. He might want to open four gates, but he could be choosing between y/n or Max. His final victim that would tie it all together." Erica looked at Dustin. "Jesus Christ." Steve sighed. You gulped, looking down at the floor, "I haven't heard or seen the clock yet. But, if he's able to catch Nancy without torturing her like he did with me and Max, then who knows what dirty tricks he's playing." Your chest grew heavy at the thought. "Meaning he could be secretly targeting you." Dustin looked at you, worry in his eyes.

Eddie quickly looked at you, noticing the fear in your face. The words that came out of Dustin's mouth repeated in your head over and over again. "We'll make sure that doesn't happen." Nancy looked at you. "But, to do that...we need to go back in there. Back into the upside down." She stood up to her feet. "I am not going back into that hellhole." Eddie protested. "Yeah, no," Steve shut down Nancy's idea. "Let's think this through!" He walked up to her. "What is there to think through?" She questioned. "We barely made it out of there in one piece!" Steve yelled. "Yeah, because we weren't prepared, Steve! But this time, we'll get weapons and protection. We'll go through the gate. We'll find his lair. And we'll kill him." Nancy argued. "Or he'll kill us! Specifically y/n or Max!" Steve pointed at you. "And if that happens, the whole plan goes to shit!" Steve shouted.

"And if we don't at least try, he'll still kill either of them!" Nancy looked at Steve. "Steve is right, Nancy! We were wrong about One. Vecna. Henry. Whatever his name is. All we know is that he's a number like Eleven. He's not just some creature from the upside down! He's super powerful! It won't be fair!" Robin looked at Nancy. You hugged yourself, looking away from everyone. Flashing images of what you saw at Lover's Lake flooded your mind. You clenched your eyes shut, imagining it as you. "Y/n?" Eddie looked at you. "I need some air." You pushed out of his way, quickly walking to the front door. You pushed it open, feeling your heart beat a million miles per hour. It was like you were gasping for air, your hands shaking and your head spinning.

Placing your hand over your heart, tears flooded your eyes as you looked around the quiet but empty trailer park. You gulped, trying to get rid of the lump sensation forming in your throat. You were panicking. "Y/n?" Eddie ran down the steps, watching as you stood there pacing around in Max's front yard. He could instantly tell that there was something wrong. He reached for your shoulder, turning you around to face him. He saw the tears that stained your cheeks and the shakiness of your hands. "Eddie...I don't wanna die..." You looked at him, trying your hardest not to sob. "Hey, hey, nothing is gonna happen." He insisted. You sniffled, wiping your tears away, "I knew it would happen sooner or later." Your voice cracked. "Look at me," Eddie demanded. "Look. At. Me." Eddie's hands cupped the side of your face, forcing you to look at him. His eyes bored into yours, a stern look on his face, "nothing will happen. Okay?" He never looked away from you.

Eddie was putting on a facade. He was scared to all hell that you were going to be Vecna's last victim. He didn't want to witness you dying in front of him. He didn't want to imagine the fear that would run through your veins. "You're a badass, remember?" His eyes searched yours. You nodded slowly, looking at him, "yeah, I remember." You sniffled. "Then you can fight this. All of us can. You don't have to feel like you're alone." Eddie's hands slipped from your face. You nodded at him, barely able to form words. All that you could do was cry. Eddie pulled you in for a hug, holding you tightly against him. He clenched his jaw, breathing heavily as he comforted you. "We'll make him pay."

━━━━━

Walking back into Max's house everyone's heads turned to look at you. Robin ran up to you, "you okay?" She asked, looking at you with concern. "I'm okay now." You gave her a sad smile. Eddie walked in after you, moving out of the way of you and Robin. She exhaled before wrapping her arms around you tightly, hugging you. "You're my best friend. I'm not gonna lose you." She whispered into your ear. You inhaled, smiling at her words, "you won't lose me." You whispered back to her. She let go of you, the others still looking at you. Erica walked up to you, "you were the best babysitter I've ever had and I'm not gonna let some disgusting freak take you away from me." Erica smiled at you. You let out a laugh, smiling at her. "She's right." Lucas walked up to you. You gave him a soft smile.

"None of us are gonna lose you," Max spoke, walking up behind Lucas. "We'll defeat Vecna before he has the chance to get to you or me. Whichever he chooses." She folded her arms across her chest. Looking up at the rest of the group, you took in a deep breath, "so what's the plan to kill this asshole?" You asked, a smirk forming on your face. "Well," Eddie walked over to the table, slamming down an open phone book, "the war zone," he pointed. "It has everything you can imagine. Guns. Knives. Grenades. You name it, they got it." He looked at everyone. Everyone gathered around him, looking at the newspaper. "So, how would this work?" You asked. "While you were out there," Dustin looked at you, "we discussed Vecna's weaknesses. When Eleven travels using her mind, she goes into sort of this trance-like state. We guarantee the same is true for Vecna." Dustin explained.

"But that means he would need someone to attack. Someone would need to get his attention." You looked at Dustin. "That's why his focus is gonna be on me." Max looked at you. "Max. No." You stood straight up, looking at her. "There's no debating. I've dealt with him before and I've escaped him before. I can do it again. I keep him busy long enough so that you guys can get into his lair and kill that asshole." She said with confidence. "And all of you are okay with this?" You looked at the others. "We know Vecna is most likely targeting you, just hiding it. But with Max, she'll be a distraction. As long as she has her walkman, Lucas, and Erica, she'll be okay." Nancy explained. "It's a death trap."

"And if you volunteer? You'll fall right into his games. We play with his mind first and kill that son of a bitch." Steve clenched his jaw. "Fine. Fine!" You threw your hands up in the air. "So, this place is far enough outside Hawkins. As long as we stay clear of main roads, and uh, angry hicks. We should be good to go." Eddie looked at the group. "Maybe we should avoid a place called the War Zone if we don't wanna bump into angry hicks." Erica scrunched up her face. "I would normally agree, but we need weapons." Nancy sighed. "But it'll take all day to bike there and back." Dustin furrowed his brows. "Who said anything about biking?" Eddie stood straight up. "Do you have a car we can use?" You raised a brow at Eddie. He turned to you with a smile, "it's not exactly mine or a car. But, uh...it'll do," Eddie winked at you before turning to look at Max.

"Hey, Red? You gotta ski mask or bandana I can use? Something like that?" Eddie asked. Max looked up at Eddie, pondering before shrugging her shoulders, "something like that." She shrugged. "Where at?" Eddie asked. "Bedroom closet." She answered. Eddie ran towards her bedroom, in a rush to find the mask. You ran after him, going to help him look. As you entered the room, Eddie was already digging through Max's closet, tossing her clothes and shoes all over the bedroom floor. "Be careful!" You jumped over the clothes as he threw them in your direction. Eddie came to a stop, "you've got to be shitting me." Eddie sighed, grabbing the mask. "What is it?"

Eddie stood to his feet, slowly turning towards you. Your eyes landed on the mask he held in his hand. A Michael Myers mask. "Oh my god!" You laughed, walking up to him, snatching it from his hand. You giggled, looking back at Eddie. Eddie sighed. "Getting prepared for our date already?" You give him a look, turning to him. "Maybe. Gotta be extra ready." Eddie smirked. You hummed in response, putting the mask on his head, stopping before you pulled it all the way down. "Extra ready, huh?" You asked him, pressing your chest against his. Eddie looked at you, "of course. Don't want anything to go wrong." Eddie gave you a grin. You chuckled at his response, staring into his eyes. Your heart fluttered as he stared back at you, his big brown eyes looking into yours like he was reading your every thought. "Maybe I should be extra ready too." You spoke, placing your hand on his chest.

Eddie could feel his entire body stiffen, his eyes flickering down to your lips. You noticed it, a small smirk forming on your face. The tension was there. Just like in the boathouse. Just like in Nancy's bathroom. You bit the inside of your cheek, your hand snaking up to Eddie's face, resting it on his cheek. You gulped, looking at his lips. Your heart was beating so fast, you could hear it in your ears. Eddie blinked several times as he looked at you. "Just kiss me already, Munson." Your eyes moved from his lips to his eyes. Eddie's eyes slightly widened, a surprising smile growing on his face. You and Eddie both leaned in, your lips touching his. His hand cupped your face as your lips interlocked. His lips were so soft and warm as you leaned into the kiss more.

Both you and Eddie pulled away from each other slowly. Your bottom lip was tucked in between your teeth as you smiled at him. Eddie had a glow in his eyes as he stared back at you, a huge grin on his face. "I've been waiting for that since the boathouse." You admitted. "You too?" Eddie asked, letting out a breathy chuckle. You looked away from him, giggling, "so I wasn't the only one?" You asked, slowly turning to look at him. "No, no...not at all." He shook his head at you, still smiling like a little kid in a candy store.

"Good. Then let's not waste any more time." You spoke softly before leaning in for another kiss. Eddie chuckled, leaning in as well, placing his lips on yours. You both smiled into the kiss before pulling away again. "Promise me we get to do that again on our date?" You held your pink out. Eddie interlocked his pinky with yours in a heartbeat, "of course." He cheesed. You pecked his lips one last time before pulling the Michael Myers mask down on him, letting out a giggle, and running out of the room. "Hey, come back here!"

𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑹𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬:
I was listening to head over heels by tears for fears while writing the kiss scene...and wow....you guys should play it while reading it. And y'all, I was blushing so hard I'm not joking. But the kiss is finally here! We did it bitches! Hope you enjoyed!