Stranger Things - Imagines (Book 2)

Eddie Munson X Reader - Shallow

A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from the movie A Star Is Born. For this one, Reader and Eddie are both in their early 20s and living in California. It's a little short, but I hope you all enjoy it. 

The first time Eddie had walked into the diner it had been 3 am and you had absolutely no idea who he was. You weren't exactly immersed in the metal scene, especially not the up-and-coming bands who hadn't quite made it yet, and he had never been so thankful to meet someone who wasn't immediately asking him about the band. But you'd been sweet and Eddie hadn't been a total creep, so when he showed up again a couple of days later, you'd been pretty happy to see him.

After that, it had become Eddie's ritual, no matter where he was gigging in town that night, he'd always end up here, talking to you about whatever he could come up with. It hadn't taken you long to discover the musical streak in him, either, watching him tap away to the beat of some old classic rock song on the tabletop whilst you were off grabbing his soda. 

And then, finally, he'd confessed to his usual nightly routine, and when you'd simply nodded an understanding and made some jokey comment about your rockstar customer, he'd realised that he'd been an idiot to think you would ever think differently about him because of who he was. 

It had carried on that way for some time. A few teasing jokes. A little bit of playful flirting. And Eddie always tipping way above what your level of service deserved. And then, one night, he'd walked in looking deflated. You were pretty sure you'd never seen him without that bright cheesy grin on his features, and God, just the idea of him ever feeling so sad was killing you. 

"What's up, Buttercup?" you hummed, placing his drink order down in front of him before he could even tell you what he wanted. He always got the same thing, anyway. Cherry Cola, extra ice. Every single night.

Eddie shrugged slightly, pulling the drink towards him and taking a sip through the bright red straw you always picked out for him. You'd made a point of it after realising it was really the only colour he ever wore, besides black. 

"Bad gig?"

He hesitated for a moment, sitting back in his seat and letting out a heavy sigh. "Are you happy?"

"Whoa," you murmured, letting out a soft chuckle. "That's a deep question for 3:26 in the morning, Ed," you teased, moving to sit opposite him in his booth. You were lucky, you guessed, that it had been such a quiet night. This way, you could focus your attention on him when he needed it. 

"Sorry, that was stupid-"

"No, I don't think I am," you finally answered, interrupting his muttering. "What about you? Are you happy?" 

He cleared his throat before shaking his head. "I thought that once I started making money from my music that I would be, but no. Not really."

"No?"

"No," he confirmed, leaning forwards to rest his elbows on the table between you. "I think I just need something more, you know?"

"Something more," you repeated quietly, nodding. 

"Something that's more important than money."

A snort of laughter slipped out of you at his comment. "Nothing is more important than money, Ed." 

"You don't really think that," he corrected, a small smile pulling at his lips. 

"Okay, then tell me," you uttered, your eyebrows quirking up as you challenged him. "What's more important than money?"

There was a mere second of hesitation as Eddie took a deep breath. "You." 

Your teasing expression slipped, your eyes softening slightly as your mouth opened and closed, searching for something to say. "What?"

"You're more important to me than the money ever has been," he confessed. "You make me a hell of a lot happier than money does," he pressed on. 

"If it wasn't for money, you never would've met me," you hummed. "Because I wouldn't be this nice if you weren't tipping me 30% on every bill," you pressed on, watching as he snorted with laughter. 

He shook his head slightly, his tongue dipping out to wet his bottom lip as he bit back a smile. "See, even now, you've got me grinning like a fucking idiot," he uttered

"You know, you don't only get one or the other right. Me and money aren't mutually exclusive," you told him. "It's just that you never tried to get me."

He swallowed down the lump in his throat, sitting up a little straighter. "Do you want to go out with me?"

"Are you going to stop tipping me so well if I say yes?"

Eddie snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. "Unbelievable-"

"Of course, I want to go out with you, Ed," you interrupted. 

Please consider supporting me for just £3 using Ko-Fi. The link is available on my profile page. If you have any questions about Ko-Fi please feel free to private message me. Thank you. L x