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Eddie has ten dollars burning a hole in his pocket and he knows exactly what he's going to do with it.
He, Gareth, and Jeff have been putting down a deposit for a new amp at Sweetwater and a particularly generous patron at the garage today tipped him an extra ten dollars, which is going straight into their equipment fund. With this deposit, they're only twenty dollars short of being able to own the amp and pay the rest off later, and Eddie's practically running through the mall to make it to the store faster.
He's almost there when it catches his eye.
He sees the stuffed animal, a plush Hello Kitty waving back at him, in the window of a Claire's, which he's entirely sure is a store for adolescent and teen girls only, and he hates to admit that he recognizes the character almost immediately. He's seen them on some of Chrissy's notebooks before and he's overheard her and Heather talking about a group of them. He assumes it's more cats, but Hello Kitty is the only one staring back at him.
It's small. It can't be more than ten dollars.
No, Eddie thinks. He has a mission. He promised Gareth and Jeff that he'd put this right toward the amp. He'd come here directly from his shift at work, just to do this.
No, he thinks again. He'd rather let the Upside Down’s monsters swallow him whole than be caught in a Claire's.
...
Eddie is doing everything he can to not look at the girl at the cash register in front of him.
She's the same age as Eddie, with a nose piercing and long red hair divided into two braids down her back. She looks vaguely familiar, but Eddie refuses to even entertain the thought. He does not know this girl, and she definitely doesn't know him. She seems like she'd rather be anywhere but here, just like him, but he’s not about to risk making conversation with her just to casually commiserate their situations. It’s a shitty job, and Eddie’s had plenty of them.
He's here to pay for this stuffed animal and go. There's no time for small talk. He’s still praying for the sweet sound of the cash drawer opening so he can just get this over with when a small body rams into his legs.
When he looks down, there’s a young girl, no older than five, with approximately seven different headbands from the store’s display stuffed onto her head. Eddie’s mildly impressed at how she’s gotten so many on with so little space, and she wordlessly pulls one off — a thick, sparkly green band — and hands it to Eddie.
Eddie pauses for a moment, accepting the odd gift from the girl, before pointing to his chest slowly. The girl nods, almost solemnly, and for a long few seconds, Eddie actually considers putting it on his head.
Luckily, before he can put it there, there’s a blur of movement as her mother scoops the toddler into her arms. “Julia!” She cries, taking in the sight before her. “What did you do?”
The young girl doesn't say anything in response, and the mother, clearly frazzled, smiles up at him. “I’m sorry about her,” she apologizes quickly. “She just grabs anything she can get her hands on.”
”No worries,” Eddie is quick to brush the conversation off — he’s already been in this store for far too long. He waves goodbye at the little girl, and she only stares back at him with unblinking eyes.
Eddie’s seen monsters from other worlds before, and kids still may be the most terrifying creatures on the planet.
When he turns back around, he makes direct eye contact with the cashier and instantly regrets it. She looks down at the Hello Kitty plush, and then back up at him in his torn black jeans and dirty Van Halen shirt, and she grins.
”It’s for my girlfriend,” he stammers out quickly.
”Yeah, I don’t care,” The girl retorts just as fast, poorly hiding her laugh. Her name tag reads Cassandra. Eddie realizes, with mild horror, that he does know her — he fucking graduated with her. He's still staring at her, cheeks blazing with embarrassment, when she points to his hands.
“Do you want that?” She asks, and Eddie realizes he’s still holding the headband the little girl gave him.
“Oh,” Eddie says simply. “No.” He rests it on the closest display to him, which happens to be a bucket full of clunky, colorful bracelets. When he turns back around, Cassandra's expression is equal parts exasperated and annoyed, and okay, maybe that was an dick move on his part, but he just wants to be out of here already.
”Sorry,” he winces.
Cassandra glares at him. “It’s eight dollars,” she replies.
"Wicked," Eddie breathes. He's seconds away from handing her the ten-dollar bill tucked into his front pocket.
“Cassie!” A high-pitched voice cuts through whatever generic pop music is playing over the speakers of the store, and Eddie can’t suppress the small frustrated groan that escapes his throat. Cassandra's nose scrunches up in mild disgust at the nickname and it comforts Eddie, just in the slightest, that she also doesn’t want this to happen. However, her displeased face is long gone by the time an older woman, complete with a massive perm and overwhelmingly bright makeup, rushes into view behind the counter. “How’s everything going?”
”Fine,” Cassandra smiles through gritted teeth.
”Can we help you with something?” The woman turns her direction to Eddie, and he recognizes the malice behind her tone with only a few words. The urge to leave doubles in his gut.
“Just gotta pay and I’ll be out of your hair,” Eddie says, hoping his lighthearted tone and half smile are enough to please her into leaving him alone when he notices Cassandra stifle a laugh with the back of her hand.
And, oh. Eddie didn't mean it that way. He didn't. Really.
He watches, however, as the woman's face — her name tag reads Kate — pinches with annoyance, and something much more insidious. "You're the Munson boy, aren't you?"
There are a hundred good reasons for him to leave right now and never look back. There’s also one very good reason for him to stay.
"Yes, ma'am," he keeps smiling at her, hoping Cassandra gets wind of his uncomfortable posture and tone and just checks him out already.
She doesn’t move.
"And this is for you?" Kate looks down at the small stuffed animal lying on the counter.
"It's a gift," Eddie's voice is more strained with each word he gives her.
"You’re still with Laura's girl, then, I take it?" Kate changes the subject so abruptly that it takes Eddie a moment to catch up with her, and even when he does, he's not sure exactly what she's talking about.
"Sorry?" He stammers blankly.
"You know what he's done, don't you?" Kate turns to look at Cassandra now. "He killed those classmates of his and the town just expects us to forgive him 'cause he saved a bunch of folks in that earthquake. Then he practically kidnaps poor Laura Cunningham's daughter. Nobody’s seen her in weeks! Lord knows what he's done to her."
Fuck this, Eddie thinks. He doesn't have to stand here. This woman doesn't know him, and she sure as hell doesn’t know Chrissy. This was a mistake, and he needs to leave while he still can.
He turns without another word, listening as Kate shouts after him that he's not welcome back, that they don't serve murderers there, and it's making enough of a scene that people walking by are now staring at him. Eddie wishes he could just fucking disappear.
He says a silent apology to Gareth and Jeff; he'll come by again tomorrow, make the deposit, and hope no one fucking sees him. He's almost to the entrance of the mall when he hears it.
"Eddie!"
He’s already outside, practically jogging to get to his car that much quicker when he hears it again.
"Eddie! Jesus Christ, would you just wait!"
When he turns around, curiosity getting the best of him — doesn't it always — Cassandra slows to a stop a few feet behind him, bending over to rest her hands on her knees in exhaustion. "Fuck," she says between breaths. "You walk fast."
"Spare me the bullshit, okay?" Eddie pleads. There's less of a crowd milling in the parking lot, but he's been stared at enough today. "I just wanna get home."
"No!" Cassandra stands up, closing the small gap between them and holding out her hand. Eddie looks down and finds the Hello Kitty plush staring back up at him.
"I didn't pay for this," Eddie says because it’s the first thing that comes to his mind.
"Neither did I," Cassandra offers, and Eddie's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
Cassandra shrugs. "Kate's a bitch, and the pay blows."
Eddie smiles, taking the toy from her, and then Cassandra does too.
“I’m sorry about what she said,” Cassandra says, her voice suddenly much quieter. “I — Chrissy’s really cool. She used to come to all our games. They were only supposed to go to the guys’ shit... but she was always there, by herself. In the front row, with her, you know," Cassandra waves her hands in front of her, shaking them slightly, and it's so reminiscent of that first afternoon in the woods so many years ago that Eddie's smile grows so much so that his cheeks hurt.
"Yeah, you know what I mean," Cassandra huffs, fighting a smile herself. "She always cheered the loudest."
"Yeah," Eddie says softly. "She's the best." Their conversation has helped dissolve some of the sour taste in his mouth that the previous interaction has left him with, but he's more than ready to get out of here. He gives her a brief wave, stuffed animal tucked to his chest, and realizes that from here, he can see the back of his van, finally.
"Hey!" It's Cassandra again, and he turns, ready to bolt the rest of the way in fear of getting caught, but she's smiling at him, her hand brought up over her eyes to block out the sun. "You still play at the Hideout on Tuesdays?"
"Hell yeah, we do."
"Hm," Cassandra hums, smiling slyly before turning on her heel. Eddie suddenly remembers why he recognized her so quickly; he can remember Buckley dreamily describing the tall red-headed hitter on the girls' volleyball team between shifts at Family Video, and he makes a mental note to make sure Robin is at The Hideout next week.
"See you there?" Eddie calls out.
"Maybe!" Cassandra yells without ever looking over her shoulder, already halfway back to the mall entrance.
"I'll tell the bouncer Pipi Longstocking is with me," Eddie calls back, and Cassandra flips him off.
Eddie laughs.
…
When Eddie gets home, he carefully wraps the stuffed animal in the daily newspaper, conveniently swiped off the Walters' front porch. He knows it's not the nicest of gift wrappings, but he doesn't have anything else on hand and well, it's not like the Walters ever read it. He’s not even sure they even live there anymore, if he’s being honest.
Once he’s done, he carefully sets the present on their bed and waits.
Chrissy's been helping teach physical education classes at the local community center, and today she doesn't get home until the late afternoon. Eddie's on the couch, fiddling with his guitar, testing out new chords for what he's sure will be Corroded Coffin's next hit, when Chrissy comes through the trailer door, sweaty and face flushed but glowing all the same.
She greets him by dropping her gym bag at the door before rushing forward to kiss him, cupping his face with both her hands. It's a sweet, short kiss, and Eddie is quick to grab her around the waist, pulling her into his lap and showering her face and neck with kisses.
"Eddie! No!" Chrissy shrieks, playfully pushing away from his affection. "I'm all gross."
"Oh no," Eddie feigns with mock horror as he continues peppering her with kisses. He takes one of her hands in his, pressing a gentle kiss to her fingers. "I guess I'll just have to get in the shower with you now."
"Eddie!" Chrissy scolds him with a playful slap on the shoulder. She leans down to kiss him, once more, before she stands. "Do not follow me into the shower — your uncle is going to be home any minute."
Eddie pouts at her, but he knows she's right. The walls of the trailer are thin, and Wayne's been gracious enough to let them stay with him while they save up for their own place. They're not about to ruin that with a noise complaint of all things.
Chrissy is still giggling as Eddie makes a dramatic show of holding her hand, refusing to let go until he physically can't anymore from his spot on the couch, and she laughs all the way to their room. Eddie sighs, watching her go before he readjusts to continue playing with his guitar. It'll be a while until she gets out, and he might as well make the most of it if he can't be with her.
"Eddie? Babe? What's this?" Chrissy calls, and Eddie tries his best to play it cool as she comes bouncing back into the living area, the newspaper-wrapped bundle in her hands. "It was on the bed."
"It's for you," Eddie answers, hoping his voice sounds casual as he does his best not to look at Chrissy. He doesn't want her to be freaked out by his over-enthusiasm. Their relationship isn't anything new, but Eddie's still careful. They've both still got so much to learn and relearn with each other. Eddie knows he's being a bit irrational, but he can't help it when it comes to Chrissy.
”Eddie,” she says carefully. “It’s not my birthday.”
”Okay?” Eddie replies, only sparing her a brief confused look before he goes back to plucking at the strings of his guitar. This isn't the response he thought he'd get from her, but he persists.
”And it’s not Christmas,” she continues.
“No, it’s not,” Eddie echoes. He spares her a glance now because this is definitely one of the odder conversations they’ve had recently and wonders if he fucked up somehow. Chrissy is staring down at the newspaper, still unopened, with a guilty expression.
Eddie has a terrible realization, all at once.
”Chris,” he says softly, setting his guitar carefully on the couch next to him and standing. He doesn’t say anything until he’s in front of her, covering her smaller hands in his. “Have you never gotten a present before?”
”What?!” Chrissy sputters defensively, mouth hanging open in shock. “No! Of course, I have! Christmas and birthdays and even once on graduation —!”
”No, no, princess,” Eddie sighs, his worst suspicions already confirmed. “I’m talking like — just cause. You know, hey I saw this in the store and it reminded me of you! Or hey, I love you here’s some flowers or some shit!” Chrissy’s face twists with confusion, and Eddie’s heart sinks even further. “Jason? Your parents? They never did that for you?”
“Oh!” Chrissy says, her voice suddenly quiet and tight. “No, I never earned that sort of thing.”
Eddie makes a low, pained noise in the back of his throat and before he can help it, he’s wrapping his arms around Chrissy. She melts into his hold, burying her face in his shirt, and Eddie’s very grateful that the Upside Down split Jason Carver in half, because if it hadn’t, Eddie would be driving to his house to do it himself right this second.
When their embrace ends, Eddie hooks a hand under her chin, thumb resting on her jaw, to make sure she’s looking at him when he says it.
“You never have to earn my love, Chris,” he says. “I love you, okay? It’s all yours — always.”
There are a few tears already falling from her eyes and Eddie is quick to brush them away. "Hey, no crying," he continues, "you haven't even opened the gift yet."
That manages to get a giggle out of her, and it makes Eddie's chest feel a little less tight.
Her hands are still shaking a bit when she unwraps the newspaper, and any anxiety left in Eddie's chest dissipates with the delighted gasp that escapes Chrissy's mouth when she sees what's inside.
"Eddie!" She screeches, pulling the Hello Kitty plush into her hands. The newspaper falls to the floor, forgotten. Good riddance, Eddie thinks. "How did you know?!"
Eddie shrugs, failing miserably to play it cool as he grins. "Guess I'm just the best boyfriend in Hawkins," he teases, and Chrissy laughs in earnest, leaning forward to curl her fingers into the fabric of his t-shirt and pull him into a kiss.
"If you were the best boyfriend in Hawkins," Chrissy muses into his mouth, "I think you'd help your girlfriend shower after a long day at work."
Eddie's grin turns devilish, and his hands wrap around her waist, picking her up in his arms. "I hate to be the one to break it to her — but Hello Kitty is not joining us," he teases, and Chrissy throws her head back to laugh, and she's never been more beautiful.
...
It's only a few weeks later, when Wayne goes to wake Eddie before he heads off for work, when he finds his nephew tangled in his bedsheets, clutching onto a small white stuffed animal, which he thinks is some kind of cat wearing human clothes. He lets out a fond laugh at the sight, before leaning down to press a quick kiss to his head and pulling the blankets properly over him.
He's just nearing the bedroom door to leave when he hears the bedsheets shift, and turns to see Eddie blinking blearily at him.
"I — It's not mine," Eddie says, eyes half-open and voice scratchy from sleep.
"I don't care, son," Wayne huffs, and he means it. He hasn't cared since last autumn, when he was still worried Eddie might've only returned to him from that earthquake as a shell of himself, and came bursting into the door with the young Henderson boy, both of them laughing like maniacs as Eddie proudly showed off the full Alf costume they'd managed to get from the local thrift store for a measly $5. Eddie had looked absolutely ridiculous, and it'd smelt horrendous, stinking up his other clothes and closet for months, but it'd been the first time in so many months that the trailer had been full of laughter — full of joy — instead of the usual quiet crying behind closed doors and aborted screams from night terrors, that Wayne had sworn there and then that anything that brought Eddie joy was fine by him.
”It’s Chrissy’s,” Eddie continues.
”Eddie, it’s fine,” Wayne shrugs because he’s never cared if he’s being honest with himself. If he had, it would've been when he caught Eddie kissing some boy from the high school basketball team on their couch one night when he'd come home earlier than planned. But that hadn't bothered him one bit, and this certainly doesn't either.
”She’s on that girls’ trip,” Eddie’s voice gets softer, and Wayne thinks at first that he might be falling back asleep, but he’s wrong. “Y’know. With Heather and Robin and Nance. And it’s — it’s really good for her. I know that.”
”But?” Wayne ventures to ask, and Eddie’s cheeks burn pink.
”I miss her,” he says, almost as softly as a whisper, and Wayne can’t help the fond smile that stretches across his face.
“She comes home when?” Wayne asks, and Eddie’s reply is instant.
”Tomorrow night. They might be getting in late though, so, uh, don’t wait up for us.”
Thankfully for Eddie's sake, Wayne has been young once too. He knows exactly what that means and, true to his word, he picks up a night shift, only sticking around to wish Eddie good luck as his nephew paced around the trailer, eagerly waiting for the clock to turn to quarter past eight.
When he comes home the next morning, he finds the two of them curled up on Eddie’s bed, buried in the covers and limbs tangled up in each other. Eddie’s got a tight grip around Chrissy, even in his sleep, and cradled at the blonde girl’s chest is that same cat-shaped stuffed animal.
It's good to see them both happy and at peace for once, so Wayne is careful to shut the door without a sound.
He's so focused on leaving quietly that he misses the way Chrissy smiles into her pillow and pulls one of Eddie's hands and her stuffed animal closer to her heart.