Chapter Text
The car ride back to Eddie’s is almost relaxing. His metal music is definitely not her taste, but she laughs freely at him singing along and pretending to “rock out” as he refers to his hair moving even more wildly out of control as his fingers drum along the wheel or he imitates playing the guitar.
C’mon, Princess you need to let your hair down more.
She just smiles, so much that her cheeks hurt the entire drive to the trailer park.
Chrissy’s not one to make judgments, but she still needs to shake her mother’s (and Jason’s) voice out of her head.
Why on earth would you willingly go to that place? Speak to trailer trash when you belong somewhere better, with someone better.
But Chrissy doesn’t want to belong to anyone, she wants to be a regular teenager and have fun and actually like doing well, anything. Eddie seems to know how to do that, so that’s why she’s here.
Chrissy is still giggling, God, she sounds like such a schoolgirl, when Eddie bounces on his heels saying, “This is my castle”, arms outstretched to the trailer.
She nods and takes the hand that he offers her. Trying and failing not to notice that his hand is soft even with the calluses and it’s bigger than Jason’s.
Her heart in her throat as she ignores the slight burn across her hip.
I wonder if everyone’s soulmarks act up during the first day.
The trailer is quaint and actually looks like someone lives there. Not like her two story house that her mother requires look like its a showroom for the local realtors office.
“Sorry for the mess.” Eddie says, “uh, the maid took the week off."
He tries to joke while cleaning, kicking, some stray cans across the floor.
“Want anything to drink? A bit late for evening tea, but I can get you some water or Coke?”
Two fingers twist around one ring, like his hands need to be constantly moving. She imagines what they might be like on her skin, would he drum out patterns like in the car?
“Water is probably better, right?”
Too many calories in soda, Chrissy. Only water allowed.
She asks, “First time smoker and all?” Chrissy tries not to seem nervous, her hands holding the bottom of her cheer skirt.
“Right you are, Fair Lady”, and he picks a mug from the dozens hanging.
“You, um”, she swallows, “you live here alone?”
God why ask that? He’s going to think you’re super weird.
“With my uncle”, he passes her the full mug, “but, uh, he works at the plant at night.”
He talks off his jacket and overs it over a chair. Chrissy notices black ink and briefly tries to look for his soulmate’s initials.
I’m just curious.
But she has to hold a sigh when he turns back towards her and mocks, “Bringing home the ‘big bucks’.”
She rolls her eyes at his finger quotations.
“We shouldn’t be bothered, uh, I mean, you don’t need to worry about getting in trouble.” His eyes close and she notices the familiar look of embarrassment.
Do I make him nervous? He seemed so self-assured at school.
She chuckles, ”Okay. Should I sit down?” Her eyes wander around the kitchen to the couch to the hallway.
T hat must lead to his room. Certainly not? Unless...
Eddie leads her to the couch and quickly picks up some stray papers. “Your throne awaits.”
He rushes down the hallway and Chrissy hears muffled shuffling, a quick “Oh, shit”, and then he’s back facing her.
Her eyes widen at the joint in his fingers, unsure what to do. "Um, I just breathe in?"
Eddie nods and adds, "Yeah, try to hold the inhale for a bit and then blow out. I'll show you."
He takes it between his lips, lights it and sucks. Chrissy tries to pay attention, but her focus is on his lips and how his adam's apple moves slightly.
"Got it?" and he hands it off to her.
Her fingers brush his slightly and she stiffens. Tentatively she places the joint between her lips working on ignoring that she can faintly taste chapstick, no wonder his lips always look soft.
She inhales the smoke and feels a burning in her lungs. Her eyes start to tear as she exhales and coughs gladly swallowing the water.
"You did good for your first time." He says, smiling at her. "It'll get easier now.”
Chrissy tries again and it releases some tension, "You know, I think I can handle it.”
Eddie laughs with her, "You a stoner now, Cunningham?"
She snorts. So unladylike. "Let's not go too far."
He looks at her shyly, again, why so nervous?
"You know, this isn't the first time that we've, um, hung out."
She frowns exhaling more smoke, "No?"
"You don't remember?" He looks like a little puppy and she racks her brain to come up with something, anything to make him smile.
"I'm sorry, I-" He launches himself on the floor, rolling around and she gasps.
So unpredictable.
"That's okay Chrissy, I wouldn't remember me either."
His hands cover his eyes and he peaks at her through his fingers. Her heartbeat raises.
"Middle school talent show?" He continues, "You were doing the cheer thing,” he sits up and she finds that she wants to crawl into his lap.
Jesus, am I that high already?
"It was pretty cool actually." She smiles then. "I was with my band. "
"Corroded Coffin!" Her eyes bright with recognition, a skinny boy with buzzed hair playing the guitar to a rock song.
"You do remember." He says like a secret, Is he flirting with me?
"How could I forget a name like that?"
He chuckles, eyebrows high, "I dunno. You're a freak."
The word not harsh on his tongue like it was on Jason's. She feels heat in her cheeks and fidgets.
"You just look different." She likes this, sharing a memory with him. He stands and slapping his thigh.
S top starting, Chrissy!
"Well, uh, my hair was buzzed and I didn't have these sweet old tatties yet." He pulls down his collar. She can see the start of a circle; a snake? where're his soulmarks?
She shakes her head and looks at him, "You played guitar right?"
He nods, "Still do." He goes to sit next to her on the couch and her breathing stops.
"You should come see me, uh, us. We play at the Hideout on Tuesdays."
Definitely flirting.
Chrissy finds she doesn't mind and would like to go. "Yeah? Sounds cool."
Eddie's smile is so bright that she wishes her Polaroid was here so she could capture it.
"It's not the Garden, but we get a crowd of-", he pretends to count, "about five drunks. Gotta start somewhere, right?"
She laughs, again, and thinks that everything is so easy, talking and spending time with Eddie.
She doesn't feel that it needs to be a performance like everything else in her life.
"Eddie, I think I'm high."
He just smiles at her and she wants to cry.
“I bet you are, I'll take the rest."
His hand wraps around her wrist, dear God he could probably fit both of her wrists in one hand. She swallows again.
He turns away as he blows out smoke and she wants to stay in this moment, with him for a long time.
Chrissy jolts awake. Head foggy and still feeling a bit dizzy from the weed. Did I fall asleep? What time is it?
Her eyes catch the cable box, 12:42AM. SHIT, mom is going to kill me.
She looks to her right and Eddie is asleep with his head leaning back on the couch.
"Eddie!" She shakes his arm, "Wake up!" Her voice sounds so shrill but she needs to ignore it.
She jumps back as Eddie gasps awake, "You alright, Princess?"
He says in between yawns. Her eyes are wide and she's speaking so fast she's not sure it's making sense.
"Eddie I'm so sorry but I need to go home now because my mom will kill me even though I had a great time and I wish I could stay and you're so funny and nice but my mom will literally smell the weed unless I take a shower or something and I don't know what to tell her if she asks where I was or what I was doing because Jason might've stopped by after the game and asked about me."
She's breathing so fast that she's not sure she's retaining anything, her eyes start to burn with tears.
"Whoa, Chrissy just take a second to breathe and let's slow down."
He goes to pat her hand, but she notices that his eyes are full of concern and she just breaks.
Her gasps are coming in faster and she can feel her throat closing making making her want to try harder but she can't exhale.
She can't breathe.
She looks at Eddie wildly barely getting out an, "I can- I can't."
She goes to touch her throat but her hands are shaking too much, she starts to see stars.
"Chrissy, I don't like this", Eddie's voice is panicked. He looks around the room, but it's only them.
She doesn't know what to do, doesn't remember anything that Ms. Kelley told her about panic attacks or how to stop them.
All she does is feel tears on her cheeks and starts to see black when suddenly she feels something else.
Eddie is kissing her. Well his lips are on hers, but she's so shocked that she holds her breath.
Eyes wide, she goes to reach towards him, to bring him closer, feel his hair when it's over just as quick as it began.
He looks at her and asks, "I'm sorry, but are you alright?"
Chrissy finds that she can breathe again takes a deep inhale, her vision clearing.
"How did you do that?"
He rubs the back of his neck, "I, uh, saw something about holding your breath if you're panicking."
He clears his throat, "So when I kissed you…” He trails off.
"I held my breath."
He nods, face a light pink.
"Thank you, that was really smart." Chrissy means it too. "I'm sorry I freaked like that."
Shame fills her stomach and she wants to curl her knees to her chest.
"Chrissy, it's literally fine." He tries to ease her worry, "You should've heard what Gareth said when he first smoked. Wowee talk about paranoia."
He makes his voice higher, "The FBI man, they'll know what we're doing and call the aliens! We need to burn it all!"
His arms in the air imitating his friend. He gets out a laugh from his antics.
“Thank you," she whispers gratefully.
"No problem, Princess. You wanna head home?"
She shakes her head.
Don't do it Chrissy!
But she turns to him and places her hands on his thighs.
"I um, I want to thank you."
He looks at her confused, one eyebrow raised. "Didn't you just?"
She moves to sit on his lap and feels him stiffen.
Chrissy, stop now! You have a boyfriend, a soulmate.
She ignores the voice and leans close to place her lips on his this time.
Jason, isn't my soulmate, she thinks bitterly.
She worries that perhaps she was reading him all wrong and he was just a nice person and his kiss was just to stop her panic attack.
She goes to pull away, embarrassment burning through her when she feels the heat from one hand on her bare thigh and the other on the back of her neck pulling her close to him again.
She's used to more timid and brief kisses from Jason, but Eddie goes to consume her. He parts her lips with his tongue and she gasps.
Finally putting her fingers in his hair as he drinks her in. She thinks she might get high from him as she moves her lips down his chin and neck leaving wet trails.
"Shit, you want to play now?" His voice gruff and low, she feels it deep in her center and whines.
He takes her face between his hands, rubbing a thumb across her lips and pressing it inside.
She tastes salt, and doesn't realize her hips moving against his jeans until his eyes so blown out from lust that they seem black.
"Going to ride my thigh then?"
She can't speak, only nod as she closes her lips over his thumb sucking gently. He grins and places one hand over her hip where her marks are, it burns and she moves faster almost squeezing his thigh in between his.
"Good girl, keep going." He encourages and takes her mouth again.
She leans into him, taking his tongue in her lips and sucks. His hands on her ass now, helping her move across him.
She can feel how wet she is but all sound logic is gone. All that's left is the feeling of Eddie on her skin, in her mouth.
She bites on his bottom lip and he groans. He takes control and licks the roof of her mouth, so teasing that a spark goes down to her toes and it's her turn to moan.
She can feel that she's close and her hips grind a bit faster.
"Keep going," she hears as they break apart their kiss.
She can feel saliva drip from herself and see it drop on Eddie's shirt just below where his guitar pick rests. She moans again and her eyes meet his needy.
She braces herself on him, her hands griping his forearms now. Chrissy can feel the muscles as he helps her along speaking in her ear, "You gunna cum, Princess?"
She clenches harder, deeper.
"Christ Chrissy, I can feel you through my jeans, you're soaked."
She's so close and can feels tears pooling, Eddie's hot breath on her, "C'mon baby, just let go."
It's the baby that get's her, so tender, loving almost.
She screams into his neck and gives a quick bite on his collarbone. His nails dig deeper as his hips shift up.
"That's it, you did so good." She falls into him as he leans back now.
Chests heaving, Chrissy notices how intimate their position is, but is too tired to pull away.