[ eddie lets the back of his head sink back down against his hand, shifting his gaze back up toward the ceiling. it strikes him, for some reason, that he doesn't look up a lot when he's out in the realms being chased by whoever the fuck. or maybe he does, and he just hasn't here. no reason to, really, now that he's taken the time. not missing anything interesting, except for maybe a few cobwebs tucked up in the corners.
julie's little huff makes eddie laugh, quiet and lazy. he lifts his foot, uses the toe of his sneaker to scratch at an itch on the back of his opposite calf, then slaps his foot back down a little harder than he intended. ]
I could tell. [ he shifts his attention back to her, absently wondering if her legs are falling asleep yet. ] I thought you were Myers for a sec. [ hence the... first gen explosion, when he was initially startled. ] White mask in the distance, easy mistake.
[ eddie shrugs a shoulder, stretches his legs back out. ]
But that dude never wears plaid. And you're not as tall - no offense. And you were just kinda standing there, so I was like 'I guess she's just gonna let us do this generator'. And then Dwight saw you, blew it up again. Blah blah blah.
[ he doesn't need to explain a second time. and she was there, so. ]
julie's little huff makes eddie laugh, quiet and lazy. he lifts his foot, uses the toe of his sneaker to scratch at an itch on the back of his opposite calf, then slaps his foot back down a little harder than he intended. ]
I could tell. [ he shifts his attention back to her, absently wondering if her legs are falling asleep yet. ] I thought you were Myers for a sec. [ hence the... first gen explosion, when he was initially startled. ] White mask in the distance, easy mistake.
[ eddie shrugs a shoulder, stretches his legs back out. ]
But that dude never wears plaid. And you're not as tall - no offense. And you were just kinda standing there, so I was like 'I guess she's just gonna let us do this generator'. And then Dwight saw you, blew it up again. Blah blah blah.
[ he doesn't need to explain a second time. and she was there, so. ]
[ she frowns when he says he could tell, but it's brief, more a twitch of her lips, and it's wiped away by an amused smile when he says he thought she was myers. the idea of mistaking her for him is, frankly, hilarious. she gets it, but it's fucking funny. ]
What do you mean I'm not as tall? [ she shimmies a little on the floor, pushes herself away from the wall a bit. ] I'm so tall.
[ julie looks serious about it, even if she's not. hell, eddie's taller than her, it's not like it's a convincing lie. ]
What do you mean I'm not as tall? [ she shimmies a little on the floor, pushes herself away from the wall a bit. ] I'm so tall.
[ julie looks serious about it, even if she's not. hell, eddie's taller than her, it's not like it's a convincing lie. ]
[ eddie laughs. doesn't even try to stifle it or hide it. ]
Maybe compared to Threegion. [ he's not entirely sure, but he thinks maybe julie's the tallest out of the four of them. maybe the five of them if that weird hunk guy counts, but including him makes threegion null and void and he likes it too much to let it go, so. sorry not sorry, hunk.
eddie smiles at her, and there's something mildly fond hidden in the shape of it. ] I can see clean over your head, sweetheart.
[ when they're standing. and maybe not clean over, because a 3 inch difference between their heights isn't really that much, but still. ]
Maybe compared to Threegion. [ he's not entirely sure, but he thinks maybe julie's the tallest out of the four of them. maybe the five of them if that weird hunk guy counts, but including him makes threegion null and void and he likes it too much to let it go, so. sorry not sorry, hunk.
eddie smiles at her, and there's something mildly fond hidden in the shape of it. ] I can see clean over your head, sweetheart.
[ when they're standing. and maybe not clean over, because a 3 inch difference between their heights isn't really that much, but still. ]
[ joey's taller, but it's not like eddie's ever seen them together to compare. it's a small difference anyway. either way, julie is deeply offended. one of her feet falls to the floor with a thump and she looks at eddie with raised eyebrows. ]
Sweetheart?
[ funny that not even a week ago she definitely would've threatened to cut him open if he called her that, and now she just finds it kind of funny. doesn't entirely mind it, though that might change when she's sober. ]
Sweetheart?
[ funny that not even a week ago she definitely would've threatened to cut him open if he called her that, and now she just finds it kind of funny. doesn't entirely mind it, though that might change when she's sober. ]
[ eddie doesn't even realize he's said it until julie echoes it back to him, but even with a slightly foggy brain, he's still a quick thinker, and just as much of a little shithead as always. he turns his head, looks at her with this shit-eating grin, and says: ]
Yeah, what's up?
Yeah, what's up?
Oh my god.
[ that does, at least, get a laugh out of her and julie reaches out to shove eddie's shoulder. rolling her eyes with a little shake of her head as is appropriate for such a terrible joke. ]
You're such a pain.
[ that does, at least, get a laugh out of her and julie reaches out to shove eddie's shoulder. rolling her eyes with a little shake of her head as is appropriate for such a terrible joke. ]
You're such a pain.
Yeah, maybe.
[ he's unfazed by the shove to his shoulder, to the name calling. he made her laugh, which is what's important. to him, at least. he likes entertaining people, even if it comes at his own expense. ]
One that shares his weed and chocolate though.
[ he's unfazed by the shove to his shoulder, to the name calling. he made her laugh, which is what's important. to him, at least. he likes entertaining people, even if it comes at his own expense. ]
One that shares his weed and chocolate though.
Yeah. [ she agrees easily, he's not so bad. but it does make her think-- ] Why though?
[ it still confuses the hell out of her, every time they talk it's like he's forgotten she's stabbed him countless times at this point and she's not going to stop doing that, but he clearly hasn't. and she knows why she likes eddie — he's fun to talk to and the kind of person she would've flocked to back in ormond, the weirdo outcast delinquents were always her favourite people — she just doesn't understand the reverse. ]
Not that I'm complaining, just seems weird to share with me instead of one of your pals by the fire. I'm sure it's harder for you to raid that evidence room than one of us.
[ yes she saw the label on that bag. ]
[ it still confuses the hell out of her, every time they talk it's like he's forgotten she's stabbed him countless times at this point and she's not going to stop doing that, but he clearly hasn't. and she knows why she likes eddie — he's fun to talk to and the kind of person she would've flocked to back in ormond, the weirdo outcast delinquents were always her favourite people — she just doesn't understand the reverse. ]
Not that I'm complaining, just seems weird to share with me instead of one of your pals by the fire. I'm sure it's harder for you to raid that evidence room than one of us.
[ yes she saw the label on that bag. ]
[ when it happened to chrissy, late at night in the middle of his living room - it was awful. it was more than awful, but there aren't many words that properly explain or encompass the sheer horrific terror eddie felt when he watched a teenage girl get pinned to his ceiling by some unknown force, her bones twisting and snapping in unnatural directions, eyes pulled into her skull.
when it happened to patrick, out in the middle of lover's lake - when he watched some kid he barely knew rise up out of the water like some kind of god, eyes wide and frightened by something no one could see - eddie was more prepared. but it didn't feel any different, watching someone's limbs crack and their body contort. the familiarity, or lack thereof in his and patrick's case, changed nothing. it did not lessen the trauma, the terror. the guilt.
eventually, they were able to give it a name - vecna's curse. a childish label, stolen from a fantasy game, but not a name that was unfitting for the ailment or the person responsible for it. eventually, they came up with a plan to fight it, to end it. end him, and when eddie lay bleeding out in the middle of some phantom copy of his own street, he thought maybe they'd done it. maybe they'd beat him. maybe he was dying, but maybe no one else would have to, and that seemed worth it.
the fog seemed like an unfair trade for sacrificing his life. finding some of his friends here felt like a blessing and a curse at the same time, comforting and nauseating, depending on the hour, but if there's anything that helped him keep his shit at least somewhat together, it was the lack of anything vecna. no vine hivemind, no clocks, no fucking demon bats. crows and a whole bunch of twisted psychopaths, sure - but no vecna.
and then it happened to leon. in the middle of a trial, pursued by what appeared to be a tiny girl, the air crackling with static - it happened again, almost exactly the same way. no warning, none of the same signs, but the lifting, the snapping bones, the heavy thud of a body hitting the ground - it was all too close, too familiar.
eddie survived that trial, somehow. but that's how it goes, doesn't it - chrissy, patrick. they both died in front of him, like he was meant to witness them. like he was meant to be punished for - something. fred died in the middle of the street right behind eddie's house, for christ's sake. and max - eddie doesn't want to think about max. he doesn't want to know.
the anxiety is still festering when he makes it back to the campfire. it builds in his chest, starts to make him feel like he's suffocating. starts to make him feel a little crazy, honestly, to have to sit here and listen and watch while everyone else acts like nothing happened. like people getting folded up like paper cranes is just an every day occurrence - and maybe it is, maybe eddie shouldn't be as messed up about it as he is, but - it turns out trauma doesn't work that way. most of them weren't even there in the trial, so he can't fault them for being able to relax, but it feels isolating.
he goes for a walk. gets up and murmurs something about being right back to no one in particular, and wanders off into the woods to get some space, some air, some distance. eddie's gotten better at navigating through the fog, but this time, he doesn't really think about anything. no place in mind, but eventually the air starts to feel a little crisper, colder, and the ground underneath his sneakers starts to crunch a little differently.
when he comes back to himself, he's surrounded by white. snow, a disabled ski lift creaking quietly above his head as a biting breeze blows through. eddie blinks. he's been to ormond before, but never outside of a trial. never uninvited, and there's a reason for it - he might be cool with julie, but there's at least one of threegion that has made it clear they're not really a fan of him, and no telling how the others feel, but eddie could probably guess that they're not as nice ("nice") as julie.
but it seems quiet, and that's enough to tempt eddie forward. he shoves his hands into his jacket pockets and heads toward the lodge, jaw clenched loosely. inside, he's cautious. he takes his hands out of his pockets, takes quiet, wary steps and swivels his head as he looks around. he's never really taken the time before to take anything in inside, rushed by adrenaline and the need to survive, but he takes a second now. notes the mural on the wall that he's somehow never noticed before, the ski rack. the silence should be unsettling, but for eddie - something tight begins to unwind his chest very slowly.
satisfied that he's not about to be ambushed, eddie practically collapses onto the couch near the fireplace. he hunches forward a little, rests his elbows on his knees, and drops his face into his hands, fingers pushing up into his fringe just slightly. he exhales, long and heavy, breathing out the words more than speaking them clearly. ]
Oh, Jesus Christ...
when it happened to patrick, out in the middle of lover's lake - when he watched some kid he barely knew rise up out of the water like some kind of god, eyes wide and frightened by something no one could see - eddie was more prepared. but it didn't feel any different, watching someone's limbs crack and their body contort. the familiarity, or lack thereof in his and patrick's case, changed nothing. it did not lessen the trauma, the terror. the guilt.
eventually, they were able to give it a name - vecna's curse. a childish label, stolen from a fantasy game, but not a name that was unfitting for the ailment or the person responsible for it. eventually, they came up with a plan to fight it, to end it. end him, and when eddie lay bleeding out in the middle of some phantom copy of his own street, he thought maybe they'd done it. maybe they'd beat him. maybe he was dying, but maybe no one else would have to, and that seemed worth it.
the fog seemed like an unfair trade for sacrificing his life. finding some of his friends here felt like a blessing and a curse at the same time, comforting and nauseating, depending on the hour, but if there's anything that helped him keep his shit at least somewhat together, it was the lack of anything vecna. no vine hivemind, no clocks, no fucking demon bats. crows and a whole bunch of twisted psychopaths, sure - but no vecna.
and then it happened to leon. in the middle of a trial, pursued by what appeared to be a tiny girl, the air crackling with static - it happened again, almost exactly the same way. no warning, none of the same signs, but the lifting, the snapping bones, the heavy thud of a body hitting the ground - it was all too close, too familiar.
eddie survived that trial, somehow. but that's how it goes, doesn't it - chrissy, patrick. they both died in front of him, like he was meant to witness them. like he was meant to be punished for - something. fred died in the middle of the street right behind eddie's house, for christ's sake. and max - eddie doesn't want to think about max. he doesn't want to know.
the anxiety is still festering when he makes it back to the campfire. it builds in his chest, starts to make him feel like he's suffocating. starts to make him feel a little crazy, honestly, to have to sit here and listen and watch while everyone else acts like nothing happened. like people getting folded up like paper cranes is just an every day occurrence - and maybe it is, maybe eddie shouldn't be as messed up about it as he is, but - it turns out trauma doesn't work that way. most of them weren't even there in the trial, so he can't fault them for being able to relax, but it feels isolating.
he goes for a walk. gets up and murmurs something about being right back to no one in particular, and wanders off into the woods to get some space, some air, some distance. eddie's gotten better at navigating through the fog, but this time, he doesn't really think about anything. no place in mind, but eventually the air starts to feel a little crisper, colder, and the ground underneath his sneakers starts to crunch a little differently.
when he comes back to himself, he's surrounded by white. snow, a disabled ski lift creaking quietly above his head as a biting breeze blows through. eddie blinks. he's been to ormond before, but never outside of a trial. never uninvited, and there's a reason for it - he might be cool with julie, but there's at least one of threegion that has made it clear they're not really a fan of him, and no telling how the others feel, but eddie could probably guess that they're not as nice ("nice") as julie.
but it seems quiet, and that's enough to tempt eddie forward. he shoves his hands into his jacket pockets and heads toward the lodge, jaw clenched loosely. inside, he's cautious. he takes his hands out of his pockets, takes quiet, wary steps and swivels his head as he looks around. he's never really taken the time before to take anything in inside, rushed by adrenaline and the need to survive, but he takes a second now. notes the mural on the wall that he's somehow never noticed before, the ski rack. the silence should be unsettling, but for eddie - something tight begins to unwind his chest very slowly.
satisfied that he's not about to be ambushed, eddie practically collapses onto the couch near the fireplace. he hunches forward a little, rests his elbows on his knees, and drops his face into his hands, fingers pushing up into his fringe just slightly. he exhales, long and heavy, breathing out the words more than speaking them clearly. ]
Oh, Jesus Christ...
gets out my pipe and reading glasses we're in for a long night kids
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friendzied
2022-11-11 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[ on the scale of 'having a bad time' to 'ptsd meltdown', julie's not really having a comparably bad time to eddie, but that's not to say she hasn't been having a bad time. there's a noticeable dip in the general mood since susie left — all three of them feeling abandoned in one way or another — and julie herself has gone from guilt, to hurt, and settled right into anger in the interim. ]
[ one could say it was noticeable in her trials, but there's maybe four survivors tops who could probably tell. rarely could julie ever be convinced to let someone escape, but she'd let someone have a second chance if the circumstances were right. (usually if they fucked up comically enough.) ]
[ funnily enough, julie's the one who's really fastidious about not having survivors in their space, and if they are here invited then not longer than necessary. anything to stop them feeling welcome, like they can just waltz in whenever they want. it's important to keep that line in the sand between them so they don't run the risk of going soft, so the survivors don't start feeling like they can take liberties. so when julie senses someone on their turf it pushes her from stewing on her anger to deciding this idiot is gonna get it. grabs her mask and a knife and comes out from her room ready to kill. ]
Whoever's here, you better have a real good reason for-- [ speaking of going soft, she stops dead when she comes out on the landing and sees a familiar mess of curls on the couch downstairs. ] ... Eddie?
[ that's... concerning. for starters it's really not like him to just turn up in a killer's realm unannounced, right? he's smarter than that. she pushes the mask up on top of her head and rushes down the stairs, something's wrong here. ]
What happened?
[ one could say it was noticeable in her trials, but there's maybe four survivors tops who could probably tell. rarely could julie ever be convinced to let someone escape, but she'd let someone have a second chance if the circumstances were right. (usually if they fucked up comically enough.) ]
[ funnily enough, julie's the one who's really fastidious about not having survivors in their space, and if they are here invited then not longer than necessary. anything to stop them feeling welcome, like they can just waltz in whenever they want. it's important to keep that line in the sand between them so they don't run the risk of going soft, so the survivors don't start feeling like they can take liberties. so when julie senses someone on their turf it pushes her from stewing on her anger to deciding this idiot is gonna get it. grabs her mask and a knife and comes out from her room ready to kill. ]
Whoever's here, you better have a real good reason for-- [ speaking of going soft, she stops dead when she comes out on the landing and sees a familiar mess of curls on the couch downstairs. ] ... Eddie?
[ that's... concerning. for starters it's really not like him to just turn up in a killer's realm unannounced, right? he's smarter than that. she pushes the mask up on top of her head and rushes down the stairs, something's wrong here. ]
What happened?
[ the sound of julie's voice registers before the familiarity in it does and eddie reacts on instinct and impulse. the second he's alerted to someone else in the building - the second he picks up the sound of a footstep, his hands drop and he reaches for and snatches up an empty beer bottle from near his foot by the neck, standing and turning and smashing the end of it against the brick around the fireplace in one quick motion. eddie's not naive enough to think he has any chance against a killer on their own turf, but he's also not jaded enough to not put up some kind of fight even in the face of shitty odds.
it clicks for him, as he stands there on the bottom floor with his arm extended toward the landing and a broken bottle in his hand, staring up at a mask he's maybe a little too familiar with, that he knows the voice behind it. or that was behind it. julie takes off her mask, and once eddie's confirmed that it's her, he immediately relaxes, arm dropping, bottle falling out of his hand. maybe it says something about him that he's so quick to let his guard down, knowing that it's her, but that's - something for him to think about later. or never. probably never.
eddie sits back down, this time on the arm of the couch. he brings an unsteady hand back up to his face, presses his thumb and two of his fingers against his eyelids and pulls inward until he's pinching the bridge of his nose. on the one hand, he's relieved that it's just julie. on the other hand, he doesn't like that he's been caught partway into - what? an anxious meltdown? on his third mutant hand, needed for this point - being at the campfire and trying to keep his shit together felt worse than this, so.
he drops his hand, lips pressed into a tight line, eyes still squeezed closed. eddie doesn't answer julie for a moment, has only really barely registered that she's come down the stairs just by the sound of it, but he turns his head away slightly. after a beat, he lifts the same hand he drops and waves it kind of vaguely, like he's brushing something off. he shakes his head, opens his eyes, takes another second to inhale. ]
I, ah - it's. [ he exhales, tries not to think about the sound of breaking bones. how the fuck does anyone get used to that shit? why does it keep happening right in front of him? when is he gonna catch a goddamn break? eddie swallows around a strangled note of frustration and shakes his head again. he still hasn't looked at julie directly now that she's taken off her mask. ] It's nothing, man. I just - I don't know, I needed to get outta there and I guess I just - [ quieter, more to himself: ] What the fuck?
[ he looks at julie, finally, and he just looks all kinds of roughed up, both physically - there's still blood on his shirt from his trial, though most of it is not his - and mentally. with zero context, he pleads: ]
What is she? Jesus Christ, give me a goddamn break already—
it clicks for him, as he stands there on the bottom floor with his arm extended toward the landing and a broken bottle in his hand, staring up at a mask he's maybe a little too familiar with, that he knows the voice behind it. or that was behind it. julie takes off her mask, and once eddie's confirmed that it's her, he immediately relaxes, arm dropping, bottle falling out of his hand. maybe it says something about him that he's so quick to let his guard down, knowing that it's her, but that's - something for him to think about later. or never. probably never.
eddie sits back down, this time on the arm of the couch. he brings an unsteady hand back up to his face, presses his thumb and two of his fingers against his eyelids and pulls inward until he's pinching the bridge of his nose. on the one hand, he's relieved that it's just julie. on the other hand, he doesn't like that he's been caught partway into - what? an anxious meltdown? on his third mutant hand, needed for this point - being at the campfire and trying to keep his shit together felt worse than this, so.
he drops his hand, lips pressed into a tight line, eyes still squeezed closed. eddie doesn't answer julie for a moment, has only really barely registered that she's come down the stairs just by the sound of it, but he turns his head away slightly. after a beat, he lifts the same hand he drops and waves it kind of vaguely, like he's brushing something off. he shakes his head, opens his eyes, takes another second to inhale. ]
I, ah - it's. [ he exhales, tries not to think about the sound of breaking bones. how the fuck does anyone get used to that shit? why does it keep happening right in front of him? when is he gonna catch a goddamn break? eddie swallows around a strangled note of frustration and shakes his head again. he still hasn't looked at julie directly now that she's taken off her mask. ] It's nothing, man. I just - I don't know, I needed to get outta there and I guess I just - [ quieter, more to himself: ] What the fuck?
[ he looks at julie, finally, and he just looks all kinds of roughed up, both physically - there's still blood on his shirt from his trial, though most of it is not his - and mentally. with zero context, he pleads: ]
What is she? Jesus Christ, give me a goddamn break already—
[ under different circumstances, julie wouldn't be ashamed to admit that eddie immediately grabbing that bottle was extremely attractive of him, but right now she's just... worried. she's fucking worried about him. christ. she lifts her hands as she comes down those last few steps, strangely more cautious now he's dropped the bottle, and tosses her knife and mask down on one of the chairs once she's down there. ]
[ she used to be good at this — comforting people, making them feel safe. sure some of it was artificial, learned care rather than genuine, but it was still something she could do. nobody comes to her for that, so as a skill it's regressed a little. ]
[ hesitantly, julie comes to stand by him where he's perched on the arm of the couch and lightly (perhaps a little more lightly than necessary, she's not exactly used to touching survivors, has no idea how that strength translates outside a trial) lifts a hand to his shoulder. at the very least, the worry in the frown she looks down at him with is genuine, as is the concern in her voice. ]
What is who?
[ should she push him to talk about it? or just try and distract him? she has no idea. ]
[ she used to be good at this — comforting people, making them feel safe. sure some of it was artificial, learned care rather than genuine, but it was still something she could do. nobody comes to her for that, so as a skill it's regressed a little. ]
[ hesitantly, julie comes to stand by him where he's perched on the arm of the couch and lightly (perhaps a little more lightly than necessary, she's not exactly used to touching survivors, has no idea how that strength translates outside a trial) lifts a hand to his shoulder. at the very least, the worry in the frown she looks down at him with is genuine, as is the concern in her voice. ]
What is who?
[ should she push him to talk about it? or just try and distract him? she has no idea. ]
[ even as light and as cautious as it is, the touch to eddie's shoulder makes him tense up at first, instinct urging him to shy away. it pings at the feeling of being suffocated for a moment, but eddie stays right where he is and works through the brief spike of anxiety. it's insane to think of julie as someone that's safe, but once the urge to get up and get away passes, the gentle weight on his shoulder becomes kind of... grounding. certainly not enough to calm him down entirely, but he feels a little further away from a complete shutdown.
eddie's knee bounces anxiously, the chain clipped to his belt loop shifting quietly against his thigh. he brings his thumbnail to his teeth, chews for a second as he tries to put a sentence together that doesn't sound totally deranged. he remembers, briefly, trying to explain to dustin and steve what happened to chrissy, and how absolutely batshit insane it sounded even to himself at the time.
he looks up at julie. funny, how they were talking about him being taller not that long enough. ]
The - shit, the girl with the - the goddamn TVs everywhere. She just - [ he flings his hand out a little bit, gesturing at nothing. ] Kennedy just lifted, and then all his shit started to break and it was just like before. Just like before. [ he crosses his arms, but it seems more like he's just trying to comfort himself, slightly hunched in on himself. ] She's not - she's not Vecna, or Henry or whatever his name is, but it's the same.
eddie's knee bounces anxiously, the chain clipped to his belt loop shifting quietly against his thigh. he brings his thumbnail to his teeth, chews for a second as he tries to put a sentence together that doesn't sound totally deranged. he remembers, briefly, trying to explain to dustin and steve what happened to chrissy, and how absolutely batshit insane it sounded even to himself at the time.
he looks up at julie. funny, how they were talking about him being taller not that long enough. ]
The - shit, the girl with the - the goddamn TVs everywhere. She just - [ he flings his hand out a little bit, gesturing at nothing. ] Kennedy just lifted, and then all his shit started to break and it was just like before. Just like before. [ he crosses his arms, but it seems more like he's just trying to comfort himself, slightly hunched in on himself. ] She's not - she's not Vecna, or Henry or whatever his name is, but it's the same.
[ she almost pulls her hand back and apologizes, but eddie relaxes that little bit and julie lets her hand rest a little heavier in response, thumb brushing back and forth over the fabric of his vest. it's all she can really think of to do in the moment, just staying present. ]
[ though the description makes her suck in a breath through her teeth-- julie remembers well enough him telling her about the cheerleader who got fucking folded right there in his home. maybe if she'd known that was a thing sadako did she would've warned him. probably not, but she can't help but wish she had, seeing eddie like this, right on the edge of a breakdown. ]
Shit, Eddie... [ not munson, or some other vaguely affectionate insult. she only seems to use his name when she's concerned, she's learning. or would, if she was paying attention to that. ] That's-- I can't even imagine.
[ though the description makes her suck in a breath through her teeth-- julie remembers well enough him telling her about the cheerleader who got fucking folded right there in his home. maybe if she'd known that was a thing sadako did she would've warned him. probably not, but she can't help but wish she had, seeing eddie like this, right on the edge of a breakdown. ]
Shit, Eddie... [ not munson, or some other vaguely affectionate insult. she only seems to use his name when she's concerned, she's learning. or would, if she was paying attention to that. ] That's-- I can't even imagine.
[ part of eddie feels kind of stupid for being so worked up over something that's not even really new to him anyway, but then again, it's not like he's really ever had the time to stop and process everything he's had to endure since chrissy cunningham was murdered in his living room. from the second her body dropped, eddie's been moving at full speed - from hiding from the cops to hiding from an entire town, hunted down by his own classmates looking for revenge - from venturing (unwillingly!) into the upside down to offering himself as bat bait to being eaten alive in the middle of the street, to finding himself not dead, but alive in some hell dimension - there's just never been any time to cope. it feels like it's finally catching up to him, or maybe he's just too frayed at the edges anymore to try and keep himself from coming apart.
eddie squeezes his bicep, shifting his gaze away from julie and down to his sneakers. there's a dead, wet leaf stuck to the rubber toe. eddie uses the bottom of his opposite shoe to try and brush it away, just to give his brain something else to focus on for a second. ]
I thought I - [ he catches himself. ] I thought we were done with that shit. Got away from it at the very least.
[ and that feels kind of shitty to admit out loud - to be grateful that at least if vecna was still around back home, being here meant eddie wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. he tries not to think about henderson too often, about gareth and the guys, his uncle, but sometimes he wonders if they're doing okay without him, if they're safe.
eddie drags a hand over his face, forcing himself to take another deep breath. ]
I ran in 'cause I thought I could save him, you know? Take a hook from him so he'd have more time - [ he's referencing whatever weird-ass pact he seems to have with the entity, where he can claim someone else's hook states as his own. ] And as soon as I got close enough -
[ eddie shakes his head again, scraping his teeth over his bottom lip. he focuses on the weight on his shoulder, and while it's comforting, it's also kind of sobering in that eddie seems to realize, belatedly, that he really should not be here. as nice as it was to have some peace and quiet for all of - what, fifteen seconds? - and as ... strangely kind julie has been in the face of this mini meltdown, he's probably definitely crossing some boundaries.
he clears his throat, uncrosses his arms and starts to stand. ]
I, uh - I'm sorry. I really didn't mean - shit, I should go.
eddie squeezes his bicep, shifting his gaze away from julie and down to his sneakers. there's a dead, wet leaf stuck to the rubber toe. eddie uses the bottom of his opposite shoe to try and brush it away, just to give his brain something else to focus on for a second. ]
I thought I - [ he catches himself. ] I thought we were done with that shit. Got away from it at the very least.
[ and that feels kind of shitty to admit out loud - to be grateful that at least if vecna was still around back home, being here meant eddie wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. he tries not to think about henderson too often, about gareth and the guys, his uncle, but sometimes he wonders if they're doing okay without him, if they're safe.
eddie drags a hand over his face, forcing himself to take another deep breath. ]
I ran in 'cause I thought I could save him, you know? Take a hook from him so he'd have more time - [ he's referencing whatever weird-ass pact he seems to have with the entity, where he can claim someone else's hook states as his own. ] And as soon as I got close enough -
[ eddie shakes his head again, scraping his teeth over his bottom lip. he focuses on the weight on his shoulder, and while it's comforting, it's also kind of sobering in that eddie seems to realize, belatedly, that he really should not be here. as nice as it was to have some peace and quiet for all of - what, fifteen seconds? - and as ... strangely kind julie has been in the face of this mini meltdown, he's probably definitely crossing some boundaries.
he clears his throat, uncrosses his arms and starts to stand. ]
I, uh - I'm sorry. I really didn't mean - shit, I should go.
[ julie's eyes track his expression as he speaks, in the moments where he has to think about what he's about to say. eddie comes off so light most of the time that she forgets how fucked up just the shit she knows about is. no doubt there's more. it makes her just kind of sad for him, makes her wish she had some solution to make him feel better. but trauma isn't something you can just get rid of like that. ]
No-- no. It's fine. [ a little rushed, but she doesn't feel right just shooing him off when he's clearly in the middle of some shit. ] Nobody else is here right now, so.
[ she gestures with an awkward swing of her arm and immediately regrets it, tries not to let it show on her face. she's just always a little uncomfortable without some facade to prop her up, but they've kind of moved past "bitchy and violent" as standard, and right now certainly isn't the best time to pull that one back out. ]
I can leave you alone if you just wanna be by yourself. It's fine.
[ "it's fine" again, jesus. being nice to people is hard. ]
No-- no. It's fine. [ a little rushed, but she doesn't feel right just shooing him off when he's clearly in the middle of some shit. ] Nobody else is here right now, so.
[ she gestures with an awkward swing of her arm and immediately regrets it, tries not to let it show on her face. she's just always a little uncomfortable without some facade to prop her up, but they've kind of moved past "bitchy and violent" as standard, and right now certainly isn't the best time to pull that one back out. ]
I can leave you alone if you just wanna be by yourself. It's fine.
[ "it's fine" again, jesus. being nice to people is hard. ]
D.A.R.E. gets special privileges.
[ his immediate response is a joke, which isn't surprising, but eddie seems to consider her question for a few long moments afterwards, eyes shifting back and forth as he stares up at the ceiling. truthfully, he can't really explain why. reasonably, no one should be hanging out and shooting the shit with someone who routinely stabs them, but maybe it's that she hasn't stabbed him yet outside of trials that makes eddie view her differently than he probably should. julie's threatened it, sure, more than a few times, but eddie's just kind of breezed right through every one.
and now they're here, high and hanging out together in some shitty office in someone else's realm. life's just weird sometimes. that's about all he's got.
eddie rolls over onto his stomach, rests his cheek on his folded hands, rings squishing against the edge of his chin. ]
What, you're not my pal? [ teasing still. ] I don't know. You're cool, I guess. And I don't think Harrington's much of a toker. Buckley ripped a cigarette right out of my mouth and tossed it into a lake before I could even light it up once, so. She's out too, I think.
[ he shrugs. ]
And you've got decent music. We've got, uh. Kate? She's... fine. But not my style. [ folk music just ain't it. ] Anyway, it wasn't that hard. There's usually a totem nearby, so any time I end up in the station I just, you know - kill two birds, one... bone.
[ his immediate response is a joke, which isn't surprising, but eddie seems to consider her question for a few long moments afterwards, eyes shifting back and forth as he stares up at the ceiling. truthfully, he can't really explain why. reasonably, no one should be hanging out and shooting the shit with someone who routinely stabs them, but maybe it's that she hasn't stabbed him yet outside of trials that makes eddie view her differently than he probably should. julie's threatened it, sure, more than a few times, but eddie's just kind of breezed right through every one.
and now they're here, high and hanging out together in some shitty office in someone else's realm. life's just weird sometimes. that's about all he's got.
eddie rolls over onto his stomach, rests his cheek on his folded hands, rings squishing against the edge of his chin. ]
What, you're not my pal? [ teasing still. ] I don't know. You're cool, I guess. And I don't think Harrington's much of a toker. Buckley ripped a cigarette right out of my mouth and tossed it into a lake before I could even light it up once, so. She's out too, I think.
[ he shrugs. ]
And you've got decent music. We've got, uh. Kate? She's... fine. But not my style. [ folk music just ain't it. ] Anyway, it wasn't that hard. There's usually a totem nearby, so any time I end up in the station I just, you know - kill two birds, one... bone.
[ she smiles a little with a shake of her head at his jokes, but honestly "you're cool, i guess" is good enough for her. fairly certain he'd revise that opinion if he actually knew her, but she doesn't intend to let that happen. ]
You guess I'm cool?
[ julie says it with a smirk, teasing in return, eyes traveling the length of a crack in the wall, the paint that peels away from it. ]
High praise, Munson.
[ the foot still propped up on the wall finally comes down, and julie frowns briefly at the slight numbness of it as she stretches it out, rotates the ankle a little before she rests it down. god what she'd give to be on a couch or a bed right now, somewhere soft and warm to just swallow her up. that sounds amazing. ]
[ -- wait, what else did eddie say? julie turns her head to look at him and give him a confused squint, but it's gone now. it's not coming back. she was too busy thinking about wanting to be cosy. ]
You guess I'm cool?
[ julie says it with a smirk, teasing in return, eyes traveling the length of a crack in the wall, the paint that peels away from it. ]
High praise, Munson.
[ the foot still propped up on the wall finally comes down, and julie frowns briefly at the slight numbness of it as she stretches it out, rotates the ankle a little before she rests it down. god what she'd give to be on a couch or a bed right now, somewhere soft and warm to just swallow her up. that sounds amazing. ]
[ -- wait, what else did eddie say? julie turns her head to look at him and give him a confused squint, but it's gone now. it's not coming back. she was too busy thinking about wanting to be cosy. ]
I don't. [ if julie's no, it's fine was rushed, then eddie's i don't leaves his mouth at near mach speed at the suggestion of being left alone. he should feel embarrassed at how quickly he declines, ashamed of the mild thread of desperation in his tone and in his eyes when he chances a quick look at julie, but instead he just feels... relieved. sure, he left the campfire because it felt too crowded and cramped and he needed some space to work through his panic and anxiety without dozens of eyes on him, but being alone is one of the last things he wants right now.
eddie sinks back down slowly onto the arm of the couch, his shoulders sagging a little as he pushes out a heavy exhale. he lifts one of his hands and rubs his palm down over the bottom half of his face and shakes his head slightly before letting his hand fall and come to rest by his thigh.
he should elaborate, probably. ] I don't... want to be alone.
[ eddie looks back down again, but it's not out of shame or embarrassment. he just feels... drained, physically and otherwise, and though the staticky, shocky feeling of anxiety is still buzzing through his veins and clouding up his chest, he can feel it slowly starting to dissipate, and the relief is exhausting. quietly, he nudges at some of the broken glass by his shoes, scattered everywhere from when he smashed a bottle against the brick fireplace not too long ago. he looks up again. ]
... I'll clean that up.
eddie sinks back down slowly onto the arm of the couch, his shoulders sagging a little as he pushes out a heavy exhale. he lifts one of his hands and rubs his palm down over the bottom half of his face and shakes his head slightly before letting his hand fall and come to rest by his thigh.
he should elaborate, probably. ] I don't... want to be alone.
[ eddie looks back down again, but it's not out of shame or embarrassment. he just feels... drained, physically and otherwise, and though the staticky, shocky feeling of anxiety is still buzzing through his veins and clouding up his chest, he can feel it slowly starting to dissipate, and the relief is exhausting. quietly, he nudges at some of the broken glass by his shoes, scattered everywhere from when he smashed a bottle against the brick fireplace not too long ago. he looks up again. ]
... I'll clean that up.
[ that makes something in her chest ache and julie frowns down at him. soft, empathetic, worried. but after a moment she nods, offers him a small smile and a gently amused exhale through her nose at the offer to clean up. ]
Yeah. [ it's just a little teasing. testing the waters to see how he is with that right now. ] Later though.
[ he looks exhausted and julie imagines he feels even worse, she's not gonna make him tidy up right now. even if he can't just come in here and start smashing bottles and then leave. for the moment, he just needs somewhere safe and calm and that's here apparently, and that confuses the hell out of julie but at least it's something she thinks she can provide. she's at least mildly confused by things with eddie at all times anyway, she can handle it. ]
[ gently, julie nudges him toward the actual couch with the hand on his shoulder ] I'll stay with you.
Yeah. [ it's just a little teasing. testing the waters to see how he is with that right now. ] Later though.
[ he looks exhausted and julie imagines he feels even worse, she's not gonna make him tidy up right now. even if he can't just come in here and start smashing bottles and then leave. for the moment, he just needs somewhere safe and calm and that's here apparently, and that confuses the hell out of julie but at least it's something she thinks she can provide. she's at least mildly confused by things with eddie at all times anyway, she can handle it. ]
[ gently, julie nudges him toward the actual couch with the hand on his shoulder ] I'll stay with you.
[ ending up in a killer's realm while seeking out someplace safe to pull his shit together should strike eddie as odd, but the absurdity of it doesn't really cross his mind beyond the understanding that he's trespassing, and that if anyone else but julie were here, he would most certainly not be welcomed. it's something for him to think about later, once he's returned to his own turf, so to speak, but for now he's appreciative of the calm quietness ormond provides.
the gentle teasing earns a soft exhale and a faint smile from eddie, and when julie attempts to guide him to sit properly on the couch, he goes easily, turning slightly and sliding from the arm down to the cushions. though it's not luxurious or plush by any means, eddie sinks into it, and for the first time since he stumbled in here, he takes a deep breath and then breathes it back out nice and slow. he drags both of his hands down his face, and tries not to think about - whatever the fuck that girl is anymore. focuses on the subtle warmth from the fireplace instead, and how quiet the lodge is when there isn't a generator hissing away or echoing screams in the distance as fellow survivors are injured and hooked.
it's kinda nice, actually. though most things probably are when you spend all your time huddled around a campfire and sleeping in the woods.
idly, he picks at the front of his shirt with one hand, pulling it up from where it's stuck to him a bit, still a little tacky with mostly-dried blood. he probably should have cleaned up when he got back to camp, but that's another thing that hadn't crossed his mind until now. ah, well. he glances at julie, feeling tired but grateful for her company, even if he had to come in swinging and nearly hyperventilating to get it. ]
Threegion's not gonna come back and go all - [ he raises a hand, curls his hand into a loose fist and makes a couple lazy stabbing motions before dropping his hand again, ] - on me for being here, are they?
the gentle teasing earns a soft exhale and a faint smile from eddie, and when julie attempts to guide him to sit properly on the couch, he goes easily, turning slightly and sliding from the arm down to the cushions. though it's not luxurious or plush by any means, eddie sinks into it, and for the first time since he stumbled in here, he takes a deep breath and then breathes it back out nice and slow. he drags both of his hands down his face, and tries not to think about - whatever the fuck that girl is anymore. focuses on the subtle warmth from the fireplace instead, and how quiet the lodge is when there isn't a generator hissing away or echoing screams in the distance as fellow survivors are injured and hooked.
it's kinda nice, actually. though most things probably are when you spend all your time huddled around a campfire and sleeping in the woods.
idly, he picks at the front of his shirt with one hand, pulling it up from where it's stuck to him a bit, still a little tacky with mostly-dried blood. he probably should have cleaned up when he got back to camp, but that's another thing that hadn't crossed his mind until now. ah, well. he glances at julie, feeling tired but grateful for her company, even if he had to come in swinging and nearly hyperventilating to get it. ]
Threegion's not gonna come back and go all - [ he raises a hand, curls his hand into a loose fist and makes a couple lazy stabbing motions before dropping his hand again, ] - on me for being here, are they?
[ when he slides down onto the couch, julie moves around the other side of him to sit, curls a leg under herself with a small sigh as she sinks into the cushions. it's old, worn down, but the entity's insistence on keeping the realms semi-static keeps that quality sort of comfy instead of the cushions wearing down into nothing. ]
[ she picks at a loose thread on one of those cushions, stares down at her hand to stop herself from watching eddie creepily to try and figure out how he's doing. though she does look up at him at the question. ]
Nah. [ she shakes her head. ] Might give me shit about it, but that's all.
[ and she's fine with that actually, even if it means admitting she's being a massive hypocrite right now. better that then turfing eddie out to have a whole meltdown god knows where. ]
[ she picks at a loose thread on one of those cushions, stares down at her hand to stop herself from watching eddie creepily to try and figure out how he's doing. though she does look up at him at the question. ]
Nah. [ she shakes her head. ] Might give me shit about it, but that's all.
[ and she's fine with that actually, even if it means admitting she's being a massive hypocrite right now. better that then turfing eddie out to have a whole meltdown god knows where. ]
[ x ]
Well if we were back in Ormond I'd invite you over to "study."
By which I mean "make out without our parents knowing."
So I'm thinking something along those lines?
Well if we were back in Ormond I'd invite you over to "study."
By which I mean "make out without our parents knowing."
So I'm thinking something along those lines?
[ aside from looking incredibly exhausted all of the sudden, eddie also looks somewhat surprised by julie's comment. he can't imagine anyone giving julie shit, not in any way that's meant to be serious - it's why he refers to her as legion and the rest as threegion, after all (and also because it's funny to him and always will be funny to him but that's beside the point). out of the four of them (and hunk), she just seems the most put together.
eddie sinks a little more into the couch, turns his head slightly to look at julie, then looks down at himself. at his body that looks like it's melting into the cushions. he plucks at his shirt again, then looks back up at her, smile faint and a little tired. ]
... Well. If it'll help, you can tell 'em you stabbed me.
[ ha ha. you know. because he's wearing someone else's blood, and if you don't look hard enough you can barely even tell that it's not his. ]
eddie sinks a little more into the couch, turns his head slightly to look at julie, then looks down at himself. at his body that looks like it's melting into the cushions. he plucks at his shirt again, then looks back up at her, smile faint and a little tired. ]
... Well. If it'll help, you can tell 'em you stabbed me.
[ ha ha. you know. because he's wearing someone else's blood, and if you don't look hard enough you can barely even tell that it's not his. ]
I'm not going to tell them that. [ it's good-natured, she rolls her eyes when she says it. ] They can just deal.
[ as she says that, she turns a little toward him, leaning against the back of the couch, and reaches out a hand little hesitantly to touch his shirt, frowning. though her expression relaxes a little when she realises most of that blood isn't his. ]
[ as she says that, she turns a little toward him, leaning against the back of the couch, and reaches out a hand little hesitantly to touch his shirt, frowning. though her expression relaxes a little when she realises most of that blood isn't his. ]
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