Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

22 years later ~

Eddie adjusted the microphone on the stage, testing the sound as he spoke into it. It was only a few hours before the gig he had with his band, and the staff were already setting up the tables and chairs in the bar, ready to open for customers.

It would be busy tonight, since it was a Sunday, and Manhattan was always crowded at night in bars. His band only got to play here because he knew Keith, and Keith was the manager of the bar.

He had been practicing for days, when he wasn’t busy bartending. It was a lot, and he barely got any rest, but it was worth it.

Granted, he was a full time bartender who did gigs with his band every week at this age, but it was good money, especially if he managed to charm the customers, and the tips would be even better.

“Where’s Gareth?” he asked, turning around to look at his bandmates. “Did anyone call him yet?”

“I don’t know, I already texted him, Eddie,” Jeff said, slouching back in the chair with his guitar. “Maybe he fell asleep again.”

Eddie sighed, shaking his head. “All right, I’ll call him again.”

He pulled out his phone, just as Heather’s name appeared on the screen. And Heather never called, she opted to text more. Calls meant it was an emergency. 

He answered it, putting the phone to his ear. “Hey, something wrong? Did something happen? Someone died?”

“Hey, well,” Heather said, seemingly hesitant. “I guess something did happen, but no, no one died.”

“Okay,” he mumbled, confused, because Heather was always straight to the point. Beating around the bush wasn’t her style, especially when she was bearing news, good or bad. “What is it?”

“So, yeah, remember when you told me to update you with everything I know about our old town?” Heather asked, and Eddie’s eyebrows raised in interest. “Everything…including the thing that you’ve been dwelling on this entire time?

Eddie tensed up, gripping the microphone tightly. “Is it—”

“Yeah.” Heather breathed out the simple word, and Eddie’s breath hitched. It couldn’t be. “He’s back.”

“In Hawkins?” 

“Yeah!” Heather said, then let out a soft chuckle. “I wonder if he still remembers the random promise he made to a six year old kid twenty years ago.”

Eddie swallowed. He didn’t know if Mr. Creel still remembered it, but he did. There was not a moment when he forgot about it. It had been on his mind all these years.

“Are you sure?” he asked, because his heart was already beating harder in his ribcage, and he needed to know if it was true. It had to be true.

“Yeah! Positive. Billy called earlier and said his mom had dinner with Mr. Creel. I don’t know if he’s back permanently, but he just is.”

“He had dinner with her?” It would make sense, since he and Joyce did work together when he was still in town. He just didn’t expect it to be this way. Too sudden; Eddie wasn’t sure he was processing it yet.

“Yeah, it’s true,” Heather hummed. “And you told us to tell you anything that happens about him, so as soon as Billy got off the call with Joyce, he told me.”

“Shit,” Eddie muttered, exhaling a breath. “Okay, okay! Thanks, thank you. I—I gotta go.”

“Woah—are you seriously going to go chase after him?” Her voice was inquiring. “After all these years?”

Eddie was rushing to the back of the stage, rummaging in his bag to find his car keys. 

“Why not?” he said, gasping softly when he found the keys. 

“Well, first of all, he’s, like, fifty now, Eddie.”

“And I’m thirty, so what?”

“He might not even remember you, Eddie. He’s not a kindergarten teacher anymore,” Heather said, a sigh echoing in the line. “And you’re not a silly kid who wanted to propose to his teacher anymore too. It’s been years; no one remembers that.”

Eddie pressed his lips together, knowing her words might very well be true. But he didn’t want to accept it until he’d seen him again. 

“I have to try; I can’t know if I don’t even try.”

He hung up the call, only to contact another number on his phone. The voice was gentle when the call picked up. 

“Hello?” 

“Hey,” Eddie said. “Remember the promise you made me sixteen years ago? You promised me you’d come with me the moment Mr. Creel is back?”

“Mr. Creel is back?” Chrissy said. It sounded like she was chewing on something, chips, probably. “What? Seriously?”

“Yeah, Heather told me. I’m coming over to pick you up.”

“What?”

“Chris! We’re going back to Hawkins, now!” He groaned, grabbing at his bag to sling it over his shoulder. He turned to his band and shouted, “Hey! I have to go! I can’t do tonight! Call Frankie for backup, okay? Okay, bye!”

“Eddie! You’re the bass!” Jeff exclaimed.

“Sorry!”

Eddie rushed out of the bar, flinging his bag into his van as he jumped into the driver’s seat. “You still there?” he asked, hearing a little rustle from the other side of the line.

“Of course, yeah,” Chrissy said. “Are you really sure you want to do this? Truly?”

Eddie passed the first red light, pressing on the gas pedal. “I’ve never been so sure in my entire life, well, except the moment I proposed to him.”

She laughed, softly. “Okay, then, I’ll come with you,” she answered. “As long as you’re sure, Eddie.”

“Meet you outside in five.”

He was lucky that the bar he played at was close to Chrissy’s apartment, which was convenient whenever he was blackout drunk and wanted to stay over at her place. Granted, she was living with her girlfriend, but they always welcomed him.

It didn’t take long before he stopped in front of her apartment building. It only took four minutes, and all the lights were green. He supposed that was a good sign.

Chrissy jumped into the passenger’s side, she even had a duffel bag with her, pushing it in the back.

“I prepared for a weekend trip, at least,” she said, as he drove back into the street. “So, what’s the plan? Wanna go over the reason why you wanted to go back to Hawkins the first moment you heard that he was back?”

“Because!” Eddie exclaimed, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “Because I want to see if he remembers it.”

Chrissy only gave him a look of worry, and he sighed, shaking his head. “I just want…I just want to see Mr. Creel again. Okay? That’s a good enough reason.”

“Henry.”

Eddie smiled, letting out a breathy laugh. “Henry, yeah.”

“Maybe you’ll finally get to figure out why he left town,” Chrissy said. “I’d hate for you to go back to the phase where you blame yourself for making him leave town.”

He didn’t say anything, because, for a while, he did think it was his fault, but he was also a child. 

A year after he got to elementary school, he found out that Mr. Creel—Henry had moved away from Hawkins, Indiana. Billy’s mom, Joyce, had said that she had no idea why he left. Perhaps it was because of his family, or he had a better opportunity somewhere else. She had just told him one day he signed his resignation and left. No one knew why. 

When he got to high school, Eddie tried to find Henry. He tried to ask around the town, but no one knew where Henry went. Even Heather, who seemingly knew everything going on in Hawkins, had no clue about his whereabouts. They tried everything they could to find him, but it was futile.

It was hard to forget about Henry, when Eddie still remembered his face, his smile, and his warm blue eyes. He still remembered Henry when he was in middle school and got bullied for his looks, wishing Henry was there to save him. He still remembered Henry when he hit puberty, and all he could look up for porn was older blond men with blue eyes. And he still remembered Henry when he closed his eyes and let his college friend fuck him from behind, simply because he had blond hair and blue eyes.

So, even as he grew up, he never forgot about his first love. 

Eddie, even though he forgot pretty much everything else in his life, never forgot the promise Henry had made to him twenty two years ago. In a garden filled with flowers, he had promised Eddie. 

They would get married, and he knew it sounded ridiculous to wonder whether he remembered it, and his friends had told him he was wishing for something that might not ever happen, but Eddie didn’t stop hoping. At least Chrissy was on his side the whole time.

Even if he realized what Henry had done back then. He probably made that promise because he knew Eddie was a kid, and he was crying, and kids would forget things. He certainly didn’t expect Eddie to remember it. But Eddie did, and Eddie wanted to see him again.

Wishful thinking it was, but it was worth the try too.

“Do you still love him?” Chrissy asked, after the silence between them stretched out for too long. The music was still playing on his stereo, nonetheless.

“I haven’t loved anyone as much as him.”

Chrissy fidgeted with her sweatpants, exhaling. “Yeah, but, what if what you felt back then was just…admiration—”

“Chris, please!”

“Sorry! I’m sorry,” Chrissy said, pressing her lips together. “I know, I know. We’re past the point where we talk about your feelings for him.” 

“We are. I know it’s not just admiration, Chris. If it had been admiration, I’d have been able to forget about him, okay? I wouldn’t grow up and still think about him every day.”

She slumped in her seat, nodding. Then, she smiled. “Yeah, if it had been admiration, all of your exes wouldn’t have had blond hair and blue eyes.”

Eddie barked a laugh. “Not all of them, but yeah, so you can fuck off with that theory, Chris,” he said. “I—I could still remember his laugh, Chrissy. I remember everything, and I know…I just know I need to try. I know it might fail, but I have to.”

“Because he might have a family already?”

“Because he might have a family already,” he said, swallowing hard.

It could happen, when Eddie was six years old, Henry was twenty-three. Now that Eddie was a full grown adult, hitting twenty-nine next year, Henry Creel would be forty-five. Hell, he could already have grandchildren. A wife, too, probably. A family.

Eddie reeled back into reality when he felt a hand on his knee. Chrissy was smiling at him, the smile she’d given him since they were kids, and she’d rooted for him to propose to Henry.

“Well, I’ll be there, so if he…if he, you know,” she said, and he nodded, not needing her to finish what she meant to say, “Then we can go somewhere else. Drive back, stay there, have a little vacation, whatever you want.”

“I know.” He smiled. “It’d be nice to visit my uncle anyway.”

“Yeah, and while you’re at it, you should tell him how you’re only back to visit the first man you’ve ever loved.”

As she laughed, he kept driving, with a smile on his face. In a way, Henry was the first man he’d ever loved, he was also his first kiss, even though it was on the cheek. Henry Creel was special to him, and Eddie wanted him to know it, wanted him to know just how much he meant to Eddie, even if he might get rejected.

He had to try.

*

The drive back to Hawkins would take them roughly eleven hours, or more. Eddie didn’t sleep a wink, and let Chrissy settle in the back of the van when night came. He didn’t even bring any clothes, but he was sure his uncle still kept some of his clothes at his place.

Eventually, Chrissy told him to stop by a motel on the way, so they could spend the night there and drive when morning came. He agreed, only because he didn’t have enough sleep the day before, and they needed rest before what was about to come.

They returned to Hawkins at around ten in the morning—they did stop at a gas station for a while—and Eddie came back home first, surprising his uncle and his wife. His uncle had asked why, but Eddie only gave him a vague answer, telling him he was missing his uncle way too much.

He told Uncle Wayne he would only stay for a few days, and his uncle had cleaned the guest room for Chrissy to stay, welcoming her as always. It was better for Chrissy to stay with him rather than go back to her own family anyway.

He rummaged in his old closet, pulling out his old Hellfire Club shirt with a smile. His uncle had left everything in its place, even the pair of glasses he wore until he was in eighth grade, before he switched to wearing contact lenses.

He put on the shirt and a pair of ripped jeans that still magically fit. His growth had spurted in middle school and stopped when he hit senior year in high school, so he was bound to still fit his clothes. An unfortunate kind of luck.

It wasn’t that cold out yet, but Eddie put on his leather jacket anyway, the one he had worn with him here. If he knew Hawkins, he knew the wind would be more chilling at night. 

He flopped down on the bed, putting on his boots as he glanced at the clock on the nightstand. He had a few days to go around town and look for Henry. He wasn’t sure if he was still here, but he hoped he was.

Chrissy prepared for a three-day trip, and Eddie knew he would stay here longer in hopes they might find Henry, but they had their jobs and responsibilities—their lives. They had to leave at some point, and he couldn’t ask Chrissy to neglect it just because he wanted to find someone he loved.

A text appeared on his phone, a simple sentence coming from Nancy’s number, making him frown.

Are you sure about what you’re doing? 

Eddie didn’t reply to her. He had already had enough people ask about his certainty on this subject. He was sure. And he knew he was sure.

He had his first kiss when he was thirteen. He had his first real relationship when he was sixteen. He lost his virginity when he was seventeen. He fell in love for the first—well, second—time when he was nineteen. He had his first heartbreak when he was twenty-one. Another love and another heartbreak, then another. Then another.

He had fallen in love, and he had fallen out of love, wasting too many tears for the people he loved that didn’t deserve it, and Eddie had never felt anything like he had when he was a kid and just talking to Henry. Even after all these years, he could forget about the exes and the flings he had, but not Henry, never Henry.

Eddie fidgeted with his keys, fumbling with the resin keychain shaped like a guitar pick. Inside was a single flower. Forget Me Not flower, to be exact. The one Henry had put in his hair years ago. Chrissy helped him make it into his new keychain. 

He kept it too, and he hoped that Henry kept his ring. He could have easily thrown it away, but Eddie had lived on hope for the last twenty two years, he could hope for a little bit more. What was the worst that could happen?

Eddie closed his eyes briefly, letting out a breath, and then he could see Henry before him, crouching down, smiling at him ever so softly, which would make his heart flutter the same way. He would rest his hand on Eddie’s face, caressing his cheek. His hand was bigger now, he would be able to hold Henry’s hand properly, would be able to hug him too.

And twenty years from now. If. If we ever meet again. I’ll marry you. Henry had said that, and Eddie blindly believed it, holding onto the promise without any uncertainty. 

Eddie opened his eyes when a light knock on the door startled him. Chrissy was leaning on the doorframe, smiling at him with her arms folded over her chest.

“Ready for hunting?”

He snorted out a laugh, nodding his head. “Yeah, let’s go hunting.”

They decided not to use his car and walk instead. Hawkins was small—well, not that small—but he suspected Henry could only be walking around town too, if he was only here temporarily. He might be in one of these places here, anywhere, and it might be hopeless to search for someone he hadn’t seen for twenty two years, but Eddie didn’t want to give up that easily.

They visited the Hopper-Byers first, meeting Joyce and the chief, Jim, and asking them for Henry’s information. Joyce remembered them, since he and Chrissy were both great friends with Billy since they were little kids, and, well, she was one of their teachers in kindergarten 

Unfortunately for Eddie, she did not know where Henry stayed. It could be a motel, or a friend’s house, Eddie had no clue. Although Joyce did tell him about the address of Henry’s old house before he moved.

Eddie thought they were making progress, until they stopped before a huge house, with lights on from inside. He knocked on the door, only to see that some other family was living there. The Carmichael family. Then he and Chrissy spent a few minutes talking to Vicki’s parents, who bought the house from Henry when he left.

So Henry wasn’t staying here. He had even sold his house, indicating that he was leaving Hawkins for good and wouldn’t come back.

It was almost insane, because Henry could be at any place at the same time as Eddie, and they could be on either side of the town, not knowing where the other was. It was also frustrating, to say the least.

Nonetheless, Eddie tried to keep an open and positive mind. Henry had to be here.

“Maybe it’s, like, serendipity,” Chrissy said, walking out of the mall with an ice cream cone in her hand. 

“What?”

“The movie. You watched it with me back in university, remember?” She raised an eyebrow, and when Eddie seemed confused, she sighed. “You know, if you keep looking for the thing that you want, you may find something else, and realize it’s better than the thing you thought you were looking for.”

Eddie dropped his ice cream stick into the trash can, licking his lower lip as he frowned. “So what are you saying? You’re telling me Mr. Creel isn’t what I’m looking for?”

“Eddie, we’ve been walking for four hours in town. And no one heard about him, saw him. We don’t even see him.” She shrugged, biting into her waffle cone. “Maybe it’s a sign.”

“Well, fuck the signs,” he said, huffing a breath. “I don’t care if I have to walk for the rest of the day or the weekend, I don’t. I don’t care if we’re not meant to be. I just have to find him.”

When Chrissy remained quiet, he exhaled a sigh. “I know what you’re thinking—what all of you are thinking. I’m crazy to think he remembers me. I was a kid back then, but I just…is it so bad to just hope?”

“No, it’s not,” Chrissy said, her elbow touching his as they walked down the street. “It’s just…it feels impossible, Eddie. He could be anywhere, he could have already left. And we know nothing about him now.”

“I’ll take those odds.” Eddie worried his lower lip. “If you don’t want to stay, or walk anymore, you can go back. And I think Nancy will be glad to drive you back.”

Chrissy smiled, nudging him. “I’m not going to leave you here. I made a promise, and I’m keeping that promise.”

“Then don’t question me, okay?” His voice softened up. He knew how desperate he sounded now. “I’ve had enough doubts from everyone already. Heather, Nancy, Robin—not you too. You’re supposed to be on my side, Chris.”

“I am on your side, that’s why I’m here, Eddie.” She hooked her arm around his, resting her cheek against his shoulder blade. “I won’t question you. I believe you love him; you know that.”

“Do you?” he asked.

“I was there when you showed me the ring, when we were kids, Eddie. When you drew that painting, when you tried to find the right flowers for him.” She chuckled. “I was there the entire time, and I know it’s real, your feelings. If it hadn’t, you would have forgotten about it.”

Eddie’s shoulders slumped, and he said, “What if you guys are right? What if it’s just a kiddie crush and nothing more? Hell, Heather liked Mrs. Byers back then too, and she couldn’t even remember giving roses to Mrs. Byers on our last day in kindergarten.”

Chrissy laughed. Heather might not have remembered it, but he did, and so did Robin, who was insistent on teasing Heather about it even until now.

“What if it’s just a crush?” he said. “Something I’ve been clinging to because he’s a fragment of my memory, and he’s perfect because I want him to be? And I keep finding a glimpse of him in other people because I imagine him as this amazing man, and I want everyone else I meet to be like him—”

“Don’t doubt yourself now, I won’t allow it.” Chrissy cut him off gently. “You know in your heart whether it’s just a crush or love, Henry. Look, I’ve gone through our middle school and high school and every other place with you, I still remember finding drawings of him in your backpack, Eddie.”

He flushed, because he couldn’t even believe she remembered it. He had been discreet, trying his best to hide his feelings for Henry, and they ended up being expressed in the doodles he made in class instead, which Chrissy found. And it was wholly embarrassing, especially when his uncle found them too. Luckily, he didn’t say anything about it.

“You trust me now?”

“I’ve never stopped trusting you,” Chrissy said. “I won’t stop any time now. You’re my best friend, if you want to walk for another four hours, I’ll walk with you. And if you’re going to go around town with a megaphone, screaming Henry’s name, I’ll be right with you too.”

He smiled, patting her forearm. “Thank you.”

She didn’t say anything, only patted his arm back. He was glad Chrissy was always by his side, even if it meant she had to walk for hours in Hawkins.

They walked from the mall and headed downtown, only because Chrissy said she wanted to buy some snacks to enjoy during the nights they spent here. They could watch movies together, she had convinced him, just to get his mind off finding Henry at night.

Eddie agreed, because Chrissy made good points. He had two days left in Hawkins, and sure, they might not even cross paths, but there was a feeling nestling in Eddie’s chest that was telling him something would happen. He didn’t know whether it would be good or bad, but he was okay with it.

He had bumped into a lot of men with golden hair today, in the mall, specifically, and he had chased after them, tugging at their shirts until they turned around. A quick “Sorry” was murmured after that, along with the feeling of his stomach dropping in disappointment. And he had frowned every time, returning to Chrissy as she gave him a sympathetic smile.

The chances were slim, but he wanted to keep trying.

Downtown Hawkins looked the same as it did years ago when he left. Well, a few stores were removed to make way for more modern ones, but what didn’t change was Melvald’s general store. They still kept the little bench before the store. He and Chrissy had spent so much of their time after school just sitting there and eating ice cream before they walked home.

Sometimes their friends joined, and sometimes he remembered just bursting into tears in middle school, where he’d missed Henry too much, and Chrissy had gotten him another ice cream to help him feel better. The bench held more memories than Eddie could count, and he was glad they kept it.

As they entered the store, Eddie nearly tripped over his own feet from his loosened laces. “Shit,” he murmured. “Go in before me.”

“I told you to get a new pair,” Chrissy said, smiling. “You’ve been wearing this for years.”

“Well, I’m sentimental, all right?” 

Chrissy snorted, walking away first as Eddie bent down on his knees, tying the laces of his boots up. Someone walked past him, Eddie noticed the fine leather of the man’s shoes, a faint scent of mint lingering in the air. It felt familiar, but of course, this town was his home, everything was familiar.

When he rose to his feet, he found Chrissy in the snack aisle, already roaming her hand over the shelf, her lower lip caught between her teeth as her eyebrows furrowed.

“Doritos or Cheetos?” Chrissy held up two bags of chips, offering him an inquiring smile. “Or, Lay’s?”

Eddie leaned back on the aisle behind him, rubbing his chin. “Lay’s?”

“Or all three?”

“Now you’re just indulging me too much.” He grinned. “Do we need all three types?”

“Well, if we’re watching lots of movies, then, yeah!” 

He looked at her, pursing his lips up. “All right, yeah, then all three. But I’m paying,” he said, considering that he was the one to drag her back to Hawkins just to find his first love.

“I can’t believe he still looks the same,” a voice said from the aisle behind him, hushed and gentle. “Henry, is it?”

Eddie tensed up, whirling around to look through the aisle of cereals, finding the source of the voice. He narrowed his eyes, letting out a gasp when he realized it was Karen Wheeler—Nancy’s mom—and she was standing with her friends.

Chrissy joined him on his side, holding the chips to her chest. “God, that’s Nancy’s mom.”

Eddie quickly covered her mouth with his hand, trying to listen in on their conversation. He needed to know if they had any information on Henry.

“He’s even more charming than before,” the other lady said, her sunglasses perched over her head. “I can’t believe he’s unmarried, still. It’s unfortunate for someone like him.”

Eddie didn’t think, didn’t hesitate when he rounded the aisle, startling the two older women on the other side. 

“He was here?” he asked, stepping forward. “Henry Creel was just here?”

“Oh! Eddie!” Karen said, smiling at him. “You’re back in town?”

“Was Henry Creel here, Mrs. Wheeler?” he asked, clenching his jaw tightly. He didn’t need unnecessary chitchat right now. “Was he here?”

“Yes, yeah. He was just here. He just left, like, just ten seconds ago, sweetie.”

Ten seconds ago. 

Eddie only gave Chrissy a brief glance of realization before he dashed out of the store. Chrissy didn’t follow him, knowing he had found the man already.

Henry was just here. He was the one to walk past him when Eddie was busy tying up his stupid laces. He was in the store. They were ten seconds apart from each other, and Eddie didn’t have a clue.

He took a right turn when he left the store, unthinking as he ran down the street with his pulse racing inside him. He wasn’t even sure if he was going the right way. 

He had to try.

When he saw the glimpses of golden hair in the street before him, Eddie felt his heart beating louder in his ears. The spark of hope was growing bigger inside him, so big that it was overwhelming his emotions.

It was him. He knew it was him, in the way he walked, in his posture, in the back of his head. Eddie knew.

“Mr. Creel!” he shouted, his breath going ragged as he kept his pace. His thighs were strained from running. “Mr. Creel!”

The person finally stopped in his tracks, but Eddie didn’t. He ran and ran, until the man turned around, and Eddie’s heart threatened to jump out of his chest from the revelation.

It was him.

He skidded to a stop before the older man, spending a few seconds to take in the sight before him, to calm his own heart, and to find his words.

Henry still looked the same, but his features were sharper—his cheekbones, his jawline. He certainly looked like he had grown older—not a kindergarten teacher in his twenties anymore, but a man in his forties. Even so, his eyes stayed the same. Eddie never forgot his eyes.

“Mr. Creel?” he asked, out of breath and exhausted. His voice was weaker than he’d prepared himself for, but at least words didn’t betray him and disappear from his head.

“Yes?” Henry said, holding a brown bag in one hand. “And who are you?”

Eddie gasped, fumbling with his bag to unzip it and find what he had brought all the way from Manhattan back to Hawkins. The box, in some wretched way, fell from his clumsy hands and dropped onto the ground between them. 

He picked the box up, holding it in his trembling hands, as he faced the pair of blue eyes he had been craving to see again for twenty two years.

“The promise—the promise you made,” Eddie started, his voice faltering, but he tried to compose himself when Henry looked at him with a confused gaze. “You promised me if we met again twenty years later, you’d marry me. Do you remember?”

“And I didn’t have a real ring then, with diamonds, but I—I have it now.” He opened the velvet box, revealing a shiny platinum silver band inside—the one he always kept on him since he got it. “I worked, and I saved money, and I…I wanted to give it to you, like—like a proper proposal. I know it’s been twenty two years, but you said if we meet again...”

Eddie swallowed, his breathing felt constricting, and tears were welling up in his eyes when Henry continued to stay quiet. Too quiet for his liking. He felt the rejection coming in like waves, making him shudder with worry.

“And I know, I know you probably don’t even remember me, and the promise you made back then was a lie to keep me happy, but I—I still want to marry you. You promised me you’d agree. You promised, Mr. Creel—Henry. I mean Henry. You made a promise.”

He wiped the tears from his cheeks, sniffling softly. He had hoped he wouldn’t cry, but now he felt like a six years old kid standing in front of his teacher to ask him to marry him again. It felt almost too familiar. 

“Marry me, please,” he whispered under his breath.

When he looked up to meet the pair of blue eyes he had once fallen for, his heart fluttered without his permission. 

Henry’s eyes were on him, and he tilted his head, his eyebrows slightly drawn together. “Eddie?”

“Yes!” Eddie said, his voice laced with tears. “Eddie, it’s Eddie. Eddie Munson. I—I was in Hawkins Kindergarten. You were my teacher. I used to wear big glasses—”

“I remember,” Henry said, a small smile appearing on his lips, and it managed to make Eddie blush. “Eddie. How did you know I was here?”

“I—Joyce told me, and I drove back, all the way from New York. I wanted to find you. I’ve been looking for you for years, I wanted to see you, I…” He breathed out softly, trembling. “I wanted to marry you, still.”

“Eddie—” 

“I know it was a lie!” Eddie cut him off, his teeth clenching together. “I know you only said that to stop me from crying back then. But it’s been over twenty years, and I still can’t forget about you. I know I loved you back then, and I still do; that’s never changed. I just…I just want to see you again, and be with you, if you don’t have a family already. I just want to marry you, Mr. Creel.”

“Henry.”

Eddie pressed his lips together, nodding, his cheeks turning warm. “Henry,” he corrected himself. “I just want to marry you, Henry. I still do. I’m not a kid anymore, but I still want it. Us.”

Those blue eyes felt the same to him, like the waves on the beach, and it made Eddie want to shift closer, to drown in his eyes, and to feel absolute contentment sinking inside him. It was almost too much for him to stand still on his feet.

“How about a cup of coffee first?” Henry said, his voice was as warm and kind as always. “Would you like that?”

Eddie’s face lightened up.

*

“And that’s how I drove all the way back here, with Chrissy. I didn’t think much about it. I just thought of meeting you again, and I had to. Even though you might have a family already—a wife, kids, dogs. I don’t know, but I just had to try. I wouldn't know if I didn’t try.”

He fidgeted with the cup of coffee in front of him, the ring box lying neatly on the table between them. Henry was sitting on the other side, listening to him intently the entire time without saying much.

“Sorry, I, um, I tend to ramble on when I’m nervous, and, well, I am, kind of,” he said. “What—what did you ask me?”

“How are you, Eddie?” Henry smiled at him, and Eddie had to look away just to stop himself from blushing. “You’re okay, I assume.”

“Yes! Yeah, I’m okay, I am,” he said. “I’m…I’m really okay. Now that I found you, I am.”

After the abrupt meeting in the street, they walked together to a coffee shop nearby. He had sent Chrissy a brief text—well, it was more of just emojis and random letters than a proper text—but she understood what he meant. She always did.

“You stopped wearing glasses,” Henry said, after a moment of short silence between them.

“Oh,” Eddie said, lifting his hand to touch his temple. “Yeah, um, I was…well, kids were teasing me, when I got into middle school, so—so I just switched to wearing lenses instead. No one managed to steal my glasses then, although Chrissy did poke me in the eye by accident when she tried to put them on for me the first time.”

Henry smiled, briefly, then it disappeared when he said, “They were bullying you?”

“Yeah, but it’s okay, I got over it.” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s nothing new since I was a kid. They kept calling me a freak, so I became one like they claimed! Then they had nothing to use against me anymore, and the bullying stopped.”

His eyes softened, in the way Eddie remembered vividly. “You’re not a freak, Eddie.”

Eddie flushed, chewing on his lower lip. “Thank you,” he said. “What about you? What—what did you do all this time? Where did you move to?”

“It was sudden, how I moved, I know,” Henry said. “But as it turned out, I have a half sister in London. So, I moved there to live with her. She had no one else to count on, I was the only family she had left. I have stayed in London since.”

“You have a sister?” Eddie asked, his eyes widening. “How—”

“It’s…complicated, but, yes, I do. Jane, she’s ten years younger than you.”

Eddie’s mouth fell briefly open, but he didn’t ask further. “Oh, wow, I—I didn’t know that. Why…why are you two back? Here, I mean.”

“She wanted to visit the town I once lived in before we moved to New York,” he explained, making Eddie stare at him. “She recently got into New York University, and she’ll be living on campus after the summer. She insisted that I stay in New York too, and I agreed.”

“Oh,” Eddie mumbled, fidgeting with the rings on his fingers. “That’s great, and I…I’d insist that you stay in New York too.” He held back a small smile. “I…I live in downtown Manhattan, so, um, if you ever want to have another cup of coffee, or…beer. Or, a wedding ring, I can arrange that.”

Henry chuckled, softly, and Eddie’s stomach flipped at the sound of his laughter. He’d missed that. So much. More than he was ready to admit.

“Eddie,” Henry said. “I…can’t marry you.”

“Why not!” He frowned, huffing out a breath. “Why—” He sighed, swallowing his disappointment. “Is it—is it something about me? Do you not like…like men? Am I not your type? Are you—”

Henry placed his hand atop Eddie’s, the trembling one, and Eddie stilled, blinking up at the man before him. “What I mean is,” he said. “I can’t marry you. Not yet.”

His stomach lurched, eager and hopeful. “Not yet?”

“Well, the last time I saw you, you were a kid, Eddie, and I don’t really know you, besides the fact that you enjoy drinking apple juice after your lunch nap, and you like the swings and the color blue,” Henry said, and Eddie chuckled. “I can only assume that you don’t enjoy doing those things anymore.”

“Well, I do feel thirsty after my nap, and blue is still my favorite color.” Eddie smiled. “But, um, yeah. I grew up.”

“You did, and I did, too. We’re, mostly, strangers now, Eddie, and I don’t think I can marry someone I’ve only known so briefly,” Henry continued, his hand a constant warmth against Eddie’s. “I suppose if we do get married, we have to be dating first, and that would require us to be in a relationship.” 

Eddie’s heart felt tingly as he smiled. “Oh.”

“And I’d like to get to know you properly—the one in front of me now, the one who chased me down the street to propose.” Henry flashed him a gentle smile. “It was very brave of you to do so, Eddie.”

He hummed, bouncing his knees nervously as Henry looked at him, breathing out softly. “What I said back then, Eddie, I want you to know, I never expected you to remember it, and I…you weren’t the only one I made a promise to that day.”

“What?” He narrowed his eyes, confused.

“I remember telling Carol and Vicki I’d visit them in elementary school, and I promised Tommy I’d go with him to elementary school.” He smiled. “I…didn’t think any of you would remember, because I do recall Heather proposing to Mrs. Byers too, with flowers, and Mrs. Byers had said yes to soothe her.”

Eddie grinned, nodding. “Yeah, I figured as much. I was just a kid, who was crying, a lot, so you clearly just wanted me to stop crying, like Mrs. Byers, Joyce.” He shrugged, putting on a smile. “But, um, I remember. And I…don’t care about that. The only, only thing I care about is that…I—I still want to marry you. My feelings have never changed; they grew with me, instead.”

If Eddie had any embarrassment left, he would blush from saying it, but he knew what he wanted. He had been, for over twenty years.

“Also, uh, I want to ask you something,” Eddie said, and Henry lowered his chin, waiting. “Do you…do you still keep it? The ring I gave you?”

Henry gave him a smile, then withdrew his hand and pulled out a keychain from his pocket. Eddie gasped softly when he saw the plastic ring, clattering against the keys as Henry placed it on the table. There was also a small race car attached to it, a plastic heel from a doll, a magic Eight ball, and a tiny basketball bat.

“This is my lucky charm, I suppose,” Henry said. “I kept everything every one of you has ever given me. The ring is yours, the car was Robin’s; the heel was Tina’s; Billy gave me the bat; and Argyle gave me the ball.”

“You kept them all,” Eddie mumbled, fiddling with the tiny toys on his keychain. “Every one of us?”

“I couldn’t fit them all here, of course. Some are in a box I kept when I left, along with all your notes and paintings.”

Eddie let out an impressed gasp, a smile stretching his lips. “God, I can’t believe you kept them all.” Even his ring.

“Well, yes,” Henry said. “You were my first class there, and I remembered every single one. I couldn’t throw them away. It holds…too many memories that I cannot let go of.”

Eddie pulled the keychain to him, fidgeting with the plastic ring as he smiled. “You kept my ring. Here.”

“Yes.”

He couldn’t help the smile stretching on his lips, making his jaw ache the more he looked at it. The ring looked the same as he remembered it, there were no scratches on it even. Henry had kept them all safe and unscathed.

“Are you…” Eddie paused, his eyes flitting up to Henry. “Are you…married? Or, uh, have a kid. Or, like…dating someone…”

A small smile bloomed on Henry’s lips, and he said, “No. I’ve been focused on taking care of my sister for the past years. Pursuing romantic relationships was the least of my problems.”

The glint of hope sparked in his stomach. “And…and what about now?” 

“Now that my sister is going off to university, I ought to think about it,” Henry said. “After all, she has been complaining about it as well.”

Eddie snorted. “She sure sounds like your sister to me.”

“Yes, she’ll adore you.”

He cleared his voice, his throat working, and the words escaped his mouth before his mind even registered them. 

“Do…do you adore me?”

Eddie knew it was a stupid question. Of course Henry wasn’t interested in him, at least not now, if he dared to hope. It was fast, they had only known each other for an hour or so. It’d be presumptuous of him to assume Henry was already in love with him.

He wished.

“I—never mind that, I was…” He gave Henry a shrug. “Don’t answer that, if…if the answer is going to be no.”

Henry cocked his head to the side, and he exhaled softly. “I understand that,” he said. “Is…not yet an all right answer for you?”

“Not yet?” There was that spark in his chest again. Hope. “So, um, that’s…there’s a possibility for…you know, you, and well, me, us…”

Henry only gave him a smile, and he looked out into the street outside. “Would you like me to walk you home, Eddie?”

He agreed, only because it was getting dark, and he could see the stars beginning to fill the night sky above them. They left the coffee shop after Henry paid for both of their drinks, and Eddie didn’t manage to protest even a little bit, the older man was too quick to pay for him. 

Though he wondered if that was considered a date. He hoped it was.

They walked, and Eddie told Henry about his friends, since he so clearly kept contact with the rest of his classmates in kindergarten. They had all grown to be close friends, well, most of them. Hawkins was a small town, and they were all bound to know one another.

Henry had listened to him with intent, walking alongside him on the pavement as their shoulders brushed against each other. Twenty-two years ago, Eddie only reached Henry’s waist, and now, he was almost as tall as the older man.

Granted, he was still half a head shorter, but this way he would be able to kiss Henry.

God, he wanted to kiss Henry so badly.

Eddie glanced at him, chewing on his lower lip so insistently that it felt swollen. He sucked in a breath, and slowly, carefully, extremely steadily laced his fingers with Henry’s.

The older man didn’t flinch, or recoil from his touch. Instead, Henry curled his fingers up, holding his hand tightly as he talked about his sister, and Eddie smiled. He didn’t let go of his hand.

“She really told you to find someone to date?”

“She wanted me to find a partner before she goes off to her university. She claimed it was her biggest goal in life now that she had gotten into NYU. Even to the point that she would trick me into going on blind dates, or matchmake me with anyone she met that she thought I might be interested in,” Henry said. “Sometimes I think she takes care of me, rather than the other way around.”

“I think it goes both ways.”

Henry looked at him, a smile on his lips. It made Eddie feel like blushing, as he became incredibly aware of how Henry’s thumb was brushing over the back of his hand. 

“Is it…is it bad to ask for your number?” Eddie asked, his pulse racing. “You know, you can…call me or whatever, when you move to New York. Maybe I can help you move, or we can have a cup of coffee, like—like I’ve said.”

“No, it’s not bad,” Henry replied. “On one condition.”

“Oh. What is it?”

“Can I have your number as well?”

His eyes widened, and he blinked. “Oh!” said Eddie. “Oh, of course. Yeah, yes. I’ll…”

Henry pulled out his phone, putting it in the palm of Eddie’s free hand. He quickly typed his number in, adding himself to Henry’s contacts while feeling happier than he should be. He’d never been this excited just to get someone’s number before.

“What do you want to name me?” he asked, his eyes flitting up.

“Whatever you liked, Eddie.”

Eddie looked at him, and an idea ignited in his mind. “God, you will really regret saying that,” he said, typing with one hand as a smile bloomed on his face.

He put the phone back in Henry’s hand, and the older man gazed at his new name. “Husband to be.”

“Hopefully,” Eddie said, darting his eyes away to avoid letting Henry see the flustered look on his face.

Henry didn’t say anything, and he only smiled, calling the number for a few seconds. Eddie let his phone ring, just so he could save Henry’s number later.

They walked for a little more, until he reached his uncle’s house, and the streetlights were already illuminating the dark neighborhood. It was time for dinner, his uncle and his aunt must be expecting him, and Chrissy too.

An unnerving feeling settled in his stomach. He wanted to spend just a little more time alone with Henry, but since he was here with his sister, it wouldn’t be right. And it would be too strange to invite his kindergarten teacher to have dinner with his family.

“So, um, where are you staying with Jane?” 

“We have rooms at Motel 6.”

“Oh,” Eddie said, gesturing to the main door behind him. He could see glimpses of Chrissy’s blonde hair as she walked past the window. “So, well, this is me.”

He leaned back against the brick wall, smiling at Henry as he withdrew his hand from his grip. His stomach coiled in irritation, but he tried not to let it show.

“Goodnight, Eddie,” Henry said, taking a step back.

Eddie didn’t know how it happened, but he didn’t want it to end this way. Not without…something, at least. He tugged at Henry’s sleeve, stopping the older man from leaving.

“Wait,” he said, his mind blank as Henry looked at him, puzzled.

“Yes?”

“Lastly, I…” Eddie muttered, although he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. What was he supposed to say? “I want…okay, it’s stupid, I know. But I—I want you to kiss me.”

Henry’s eyebrows lifted briefly in surprise. “Kiss you?”

“Yes, because I want to see…see if it’s true.” 

Because he had had many kisses, great kisses even, but none of them had ever felt like fireworks and confetti, cool waves crashing against his body at the beach, or the sunlight warming up his skin, not like how he’d felt when he kissed Henry’s cheeks back then.

“What’s true?”

“I…I’ve never had a kiss that felt…just right,” Eddie blurted out, and it sounded dumb now that he had to explain it to Henry. “You’re…you’re the only man I’ve ever truly loved, even if—even if I was a kid back then, I know it was right. When I—when I kissed you back then, your cheeks, it was…it felt right. I’ve never—felt it again, despite…despite my dating history, which you can ask my friends about.”

He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “I’ve been thinking—god, dreaming about how it feels if you’d ever kiss me, and—and I can’t help but…” Eddie swallowed the nerves. “I want to see…I want to try. If it’s good, if it’s…right. And—and you know what?”

Henry tilted his head. “What?”

“You—you have to kiss me, because we’re married!” Henry smiled at that. “Because we’re promised to be married, and I…” He took a deep breath, letting go of Henry’s sleeve. “Kiss me?”

“Well, I assume the kiss will feel right if the person is a good kisser, isn’t it?” Henry said, taking a step forward as Eddie leaned his weight entirely on the wall behind him, in case his knees might fail him. “I don’t know if I am, but…I do hope you don’t rest your feelings on whether our kiss feels right or not.”

Eddie cleared his voice when Henry cornered him against the wall. “What—what do you mean?”

“If it’s a bad kiss,” Henry said, leaning closer and tipping his chin up with his finger, “do I still get to be with you, Eddie?”

He swallowed, his lips parting to let out a shaky breath. Henry’s eyes seemed to gleam in the night, bright and shimmering twinkles of blue. 

“Yeah, yes,” Eddie said, nearly breathless. “Totally.”

Henry’s hand came up to cradle the side of his face, and Eddie glanced at it, feeling the warmth coming from Henry and knowing it was spreading down his body as well. When Henry moved closer, their lips were inches apart.

The first touch of their lips was tender, like feathers, as Henry pressed his lips against Eddie’s. He pulled briefly away, before he kissed Eddie again, and all Eddie could feel was the tingling feeling running all over every inch of his body.

Eddie

It was soft, making his stomach flutter, and as Henry pulled away, Eddie looked up at him. 

“Wow,” he breathed out softly.

He clutched Henry’s shirt, pulling him in for another kiss, a deeper one, rougher this time, and soft noises were bubbling in his chest, threatening to escape his throat when Henry nipped and licked at his lips. He parted his lips, eager and willing to let Henry in.

Henry’s hand was caressing his face, his other hand traveling up his flank, around his back, and Eddie arched closer to him, moaning into the kiss. There was not an ounce of shame in him, not anymore, Eddie had wanted this for so long. 

He deserved this. God, he deserved this so much.

Eddie’s hands ran up to his neck, and he ran his hand into Henry’s hair, feeling the soft golden curls between his fingers. Henry pressed him against the wall, and all Eddie could do was let him kiss the breath out of him, let him absolutely ruin him with just a kiss.

Henry kissed him like he wanted to consume Eddie, to hold him there and kiss him forever, and Eddie wanted to tell him that he would let it happen. Henry could kiss him until their lips were raw, breaking with blood, and Eddie would still kiss him with the same fervor Henry gave him.

“Hah—god, Henry,” Eddie gasped, inhaling a quick breath before Henry claimed his lips once more.

Eddie was pressed against the wall, with hands gliding down his sides, tingling his skin, and Eddie tugged at Henry’s shirt, whining into his mouth when he knew this was all he could do for now. His uncle was inside, and his best friend was too.

His heart was beating like a drum, shouting at him that it felt right, this was what he had been looking for this entire time. The spark, it was here, residing in the man before him. Only Henry made him feel this way, and Eddie wanted to tell his friends that all the hopes he had were for good after all. His wishes and dreams, they came true.

When they parted for breath, Eddie felt lightheaded, blinking dazedly at the man before him. He didn’t let go of Henry’s shirt, and his heart remained racing in his ribcage, as if it were trying to break through his chest and intertwine with Henry’s.

“It’s—” Eddie panted, heavy breaths escaping his lips, “it’s, god, it’s so…” 

He shook his head, trying to find a better word to describe how Henry made him feel with just one kiss. Too much, the answer was too much, as it overwhelmed him, drowned him, and held him down, and Eddie had loved the sensation, even craving for more.

“I love you, Mr. Creel,” Eddie said. “Henry. Henry, sorry. I mean Henry.”

Henry simply smiled at him, the same smile he had given Eddie, but now there was a slight difference in his eyes. They glimmered, and Eddie felt as if something shifted in Henry, or him. He wasn’t certain. Perhaps both.

He knew Henry couldn’t say it back yet, he was not standing at the same point Eddie was in the relationship. But with the way Henry had kissed him, it told him that Henry might just feel the same way. Possibly not now, but someday.

Henry cupped his face, his thumbs brushing over his cheeks, and his eyes traced Eddie’s features. Eddie felt warm wherever Henry touched him. He was quiet, for a while, as if he were just taking in the sight of Eddie before him. When their eyes met, Eddie felt like blushing.

“I think I adore you,” Henry said, “Eddie.”

Eddie’s heart jumped, tugging at his heartstrings as his chest hitched. He smiled, and kissed Henry again.

*

Two years later~

A warm shower was what he needed after a long day. Eddie wrapped the towel around his waist, stepping onto the fuzzy carpet to dry his feet, feeling droplets of water trickle down his chest as he stepped out of the bathroom. 

“Henry?” he called, entering the empty bedroom. “Marco!”

“I’m in the kitchen,” Henry said, his voice echoing from the other room, and Eddie smiled.

“You’re supposed to say Polo!”

“Polo.”

Eddie couldn’t help but grin, walking over to the dresser as he pulled the drawer open, grabbing his boxers. Henry had intended for them to have a nice dinner, at home, and Eddie figured he should put on something nice, at least. 

He loved the dinners Henry made for them, and of course, Eddie wouldn’t have to worry about strangers coming into the restaurant’s restroom while they were fucking in the stall, which had not happened just once.

All in all, it was better, and safer to eat at home. Although if Eddie felt like getting his adrenaline pumping, a night out wouldn’t hurt.

He pulled out a black boxer, pursing his lips up as he looked at his clothes. Maybe he should go commando, or wear a jockstrap. He knew Henry liked whatever he wore, but it was fun to surprise him once in a while.

Eddie rummaged through the drawer, furrowing his eyebrows when his hand touched something hard in the corner. Velvety, square, hard box.

Hope rose in his heart, but Eddie tried to compose himself, inhaling and exhaling a breath before he pulled the box out of the pile of boxers and socks. 

It was a ring box.

“Fuck,” Eddie murmured under his breath. His hand was shaking from just holding the black velvet box in his palm. “Fuck, fuck!”

Was Henry going to propose to him? Was it tonight? When did he start planning this? How was he going to do it? Eddie shook his head. This was clearly not him trying to steady himself.

“Okay, okay.” He swallowed, breathing through his mouth as he held the box. 

Henry was going to propose, that was all he cared about.

“God, oh god,” he mumbled, staring at the box to make sure it was real.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Henry wanted to propose to him this time, as they had started dating after that fateful day at Hawkins. Nearly two months later, Eddie was moving out of his loft with his bandmates to live with Henry. Ten months later, Henry had given him a plastic ring, with a red gem above it, just like the one Eddie had given him as a kid. A promise ring, he had said, and Eddie had loved him even more than before.

Fast forward to this moment right now, Eddie wanted to say that almost all of his dreams had come true. And this, this was his last fantasy that he’d dreamed of for years. Henry proposing to him, and this—it was happening.

He opened the box, his smile disappearing just as fast as his stomach dropped. 

It was empty. No ring. Just a box.

Eddie stared at it, rolling the box around to see if the ring was stuck somewhere. But no, it was merely an empty box.

Maybe Henry had just bought a box. Maybe…maybe the ring had fallen somewhere inside the dresser. Eddie dropped the box in his hand and fumbled with the underwear and socks, pushing them away in search of a ring. Any ring.

“Where are you?” Eddie said, huffing out a breath as he tossed their socks over his shoulders, feeling his hope running out by the second. “Come on. Fuck, where is it?”

“It’s here.”

Eddie went rigid on the spot when he heard the too familiar voice in the room. He chewed on his lower lip, absolutely caught by his boyfriend as he turned to look at the door.

Henry was standing a few feet from him, leaning on the doorframe with a smile on his face and something in his hand. 

A ring.

“Shit,” he said, clearing his voice. It still seemed too hard to believe that it was real. “Are you—are you actually going to propose?”

“Well, my intention was for us to have dinner first,” Henry said, stepping into the room. He stopped before Eddie, tilting his head. “But I guess I should have hidden the box in a more discreet place than the corner of the drawer.”

Eddie smiled. “Yeah, um, sorry, for ruining your proposal.”

“No, actually, it’s all right,” he said. “No time is as good as now.”

Eddie stopped blinking when Henry sank to one knee; his heart raced instead. He was wearing a three-piece suit too, perfectly tailored, and in his hand was a shiny silver band, with diamonds—real diamonds—circling around the ring in the middle. It was gorgeous, glimmering. Perfect.

He wasn’t sure it was real, but when Henry spoke up, Eddie was pulled back into reality, guaranteed that everything that was happening in front of his eyes was very much real. 

“You’ve proposed to me twice, it’s only fair that I get to propose to you this time,” Henry said, his blue eyes looking up at him. Eddie huffed out a smile. It was about time he proposed, too, because Eddie had been waiting for him from day one. “Eddie, I’m sorry, for making you wait this long to do this properly.”

“I don’t care,” whispered Eddie. “I don’t.”

Henry’s eyes shone, and Eddie’s smile stretched across his lips. He was awfully aware that he only had a towel around his waist, while Henry had an entire suit on. 

“From the moment you decided to chase me down the street, calling for my name, asking me to marry you, I…know I was bound to be with you, to fall for you, to ask you to marry me one day,” Henry said. “I guess you can call me a romantic for believing in such a thing.”

Eddie inhaled a shaky breath, nodding his head. “You are, Henry,” he said, smiling. 

Henry was romantic, he didn’t doubt that, as he was the one to plan most of their dates, give Eddie the sweetest gifts, and always pull Eddie closer to him whenever they went to sleep.

“You are everything and more than I’ve ever thought I deserve, I can’t imagine a life without you, now that I’ve known what it’s like to be with you, to have you occupying every thought in my mind and every space in my heart,” Henry said, and Eddie could already feel his own hands trembling. “And if you let me, I promise to never let you wait a second more, to love you the way you love me, to make you feel the way I feel when I’m with you, to take care of you, and to never be apart from you again.” 

Henry held the ring before him, a warm smile blooming on his face. “Will you marry me, Eddie?”

He let out a strangled type of noise, nearly like a cry, and he nodded, frantically. “Yeah! Yes, of course! Fuck, of course, Henry!”

Eddie lunged in to hug him, his arms squeezing tightly around his neck, and Henry embraced him tenderly, letting Eddie’s tears dampen his suit. 

“Marry me, Eddie,” he whispered softly in his ear.

He let out a breathy laugh, laced with tears, and he nodded against Henry’s hair. “I’ll marry you, Henry. I will. God, I love you.”

His heart was swelling with happiness, and he couldn’t stop crying, or smiling, for that matter. He couldn’t stop, and he didn’t want to. 

“I love you, so much, Eddie,” Henry said, his voice warm in his ear, and all Eddie could do was hold his boyfriend—fiance—tighter in his arms, refusing to ever let him go again.

Eddie had hoped, had dreamed, and when those silent wishes on his bed under the stars came true, it startled him with pleasant surprises. He finally had Henry, now he was going to marry him, and it was all Eddie had ever wished for in the first place.

The End