Beloved

Part 4 of the Their Year (‘86, Baby) series

A Stranger Things Fanfic

The Cunningham house was often quiet–the calm before a storm. The Munson trailer, on the other hand, was quiet in a calm, peaceful way (well, when Eddie wasn’t blasting his music), and Chrissy liked it. She liked it far more than she ever would have imagined when she visited that first night.

Now that she was on Christmas break from college, she spent most of her days at the trailer, enjoying being home. (Her parents’ house wasn’t home anymore. It hadn’t been for some time.)

She hummed quietly as she rolled cookie dough into little balls to line up on the baking sheet. This was her third attempt at sugar cookies, and she was going to make it work this time. Eddie and Wayne didn’t do much to celebrate Christmas any traditional way (a far cry from her mother’s stifling decorations and near-constant flurry of activity), but Chrissy was determined to do something festive.

“Mmm, smells good, melda,” Eddie said when he got back from work. He snaked one arm around her waist, pulling her close, and she nearly dropped her glob of cookie dough. He kissed her cheek.

Chrissy twisted around to grin at him, then paused and tilted her head. “What did you say?”

“I said that smells good.”

She shook her head. “No, the last part. Was that a different language or something?”

He fidgeted with his rings and glanced down at her mixing bowl. “Uh, yeah, kinda. It’s Elvish.”

“Elvish?”

“The, uh, the language the elves speak in Lord of the Rings.”

She stared at him. “You–you’ve learned the language the elves speak?”

He peeked up and grinned sheepishly at her. “If I said yes, would you think that’s cool?”

She nodded quickly. “I didn’t know that was possible! But how did you learn it?”

He dipped his finger in the bowl, scooped up some cookie dough, and stuck it in his mouth. “Seventh grade,” he said around his finger, then pulled it out. “I was so bored. I didn’t have anybody to, you know, hang out with, and, uh, Wayne was always either gone or asleep when I was here, so I went to the library and read. Did you know that no one in Hawkins checks out The Silmarillion? It’s ridiculous.”

Chrissy looked back down at the cookie dough in her hands. “Probably not as ridiculous as not knowing what that is, right?” She gave a small grin."

He chuckled as he washed his hands. “Okay, we’re gonna have to fix that later. Anyway, I learned some Elvish and eventually I got tired of that too and started teaching myself guitar.”

Chrissy rubbed the back of her hand against the side of her forehead to push her hair behind her ears. When it didn’t work, Eddie pulled it back for her. “So what does that mean? What you said earlier?”

He smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Eddie,” she whined, and he grinned.

“It’s a secret. You’re never getting it out of me. I’m a steel trap.”

“Please?”

“Nope.”

“Well . . .” She chewed her lip. “Well at least tell me it doesn’t mean anything bad.”

“Of course not!” he sputtered, indignant. “I wouldn’t call you anything bad. Now some other people, maybe . . .”

She laughed. “Well, okay then. I guess it’s fine.”

“Hello, Wayne,” Chrissy said when he got up to head to work. He nodded and searched out a mug for his coffee.

“I have cookies!” she declared, pulling out the tray. Wayne looked at them skeptically. “Don’t worry, they’re better this time. I’ve already tried them.”

“It’s true,” Eddie agreed. “They actually taste like cookies this time.” Chrissy elbowed him in the ribs, and he laughed as he darted away.

Wayne accepted a cookie and took a hesitant, small bite. Then he nodded.

Chrissy bounced on her toes. “See? They’re good, right?”

“Finally getting the hand of this cooking thing,” Eddie chuckled.

She wanted to scowl at him for teasing her, but she was too excited. “I’ll try an actual meal next time. What would you like?”

“You can cook me whatever you like, melda.”

Chrissy watched him for a second, chewing on her lip, then spun around and looked at Wayne. “Do you know what that means?”

Wayne shook his head. “He went through a phase a few years ago where he pretty much only talked in that language of his, but I never picked up more’n a few words. Sorry, darlin'.”

Chrissy turned back to Eddie, who was grinning triumphantly back at her. “You can’t keep it a secret forever!”

“I can try!”

Ever since Eddie had graduated, Dustin insisted he continue playing DnD with him, Lucas, Mike, and Will Byers, another friend of theirs, in Mike’s basement. Now that Chrissy was on break, she came along whenever she could. She didn’t play yet (she was still learning), but she hoped to join in one day.

They were finishing up a campaign, and Lucas rolled high at a crucial moment. Eddie described in great detail the blow he dealt and how his opponent died slowly in front of him.

Chrissy was entranced, as she always was when Eddie fell into Storyteller Mode, his voice low, drawing out the suspense as he leapt to his feet and acted out the drama, his hands sketching the action he described and his eyes alight with excitement. Chrissy leaned her chin on her hand, no longer afraid to be caught staring (they had been dating several months, after all).

“How do you come up with this stuff?” she sighed. Everyone turned to her, and Mike groaned at her interruption. She covered her mouth as her face heated up. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“Sorry. I’ll stop asking questions.”

“Is there a problem?” Eddie asked with a hard look at Mike."

“No,” Mike muttered, not even trying to sound honest.

“You are fine, melda.” The nickname came smoothly, seemingly out of habit, and Chrissy flushed, wondering what the boys would think.

Mike and Lucas wrinkled their brows and looked at each other while Will studied the gameboard in front of them. Dustin burst out laughing. “Wow,” he choked. “I never thought I’d see the day when Eddie got mushy.”

Eddie froze glaring through his hair. “You wanna say that again, Henderson?” Dustin only smirked at him.

Chrissy leaned forward on the table. “Dustin, do you know Elvish?”

“That was Elvish?” Mike asked, and Lucas laughed.

“Only a little,” Dustin admitted. “Insults and pickup lines. Oh, and terms of affection, of course.” He wagged his eyebrows at her."

Eddie glared at him. “That is an insult to the language.”

“So what did Eddie say?” Chrissy asked quickly before they could start arguing.

“No!” Eddie wagged his finger at Dustin. “Absolutely not. That was not meant for yours or anyone else’s ears.”

“But, Eddie,” Chrissy pouted.

“Nope!”

“Sorry, Chrissy,” Dustin said with a shrug, still smirking. “I guess I’m not allowed to tell you.”

“Eddie?” Chrissy asked on the drive back from a Corroded Coffin concert. He had one hand on the wheel and the other holding hers. She slid her thumb absently along his ring in time to her thoughts.

“Mmhmm?”

“You know that Elvish nickname you always call me?”

“Melda?”

“Yes, that.” She wished he didn’t say it quite so fast. “Um, could you say it again?”

He cast her a suspicious glance before turning back to the road. “Why?”

“Because I like hearing you say it.”

He laughed. “You are a terrible liar.”

“I’m not lying!”

He smirked. “Fine, you’re a terrible half-liar. Is that better?” She stuck out her tongue at him, but his smirk only grew. “Let me guess, you were planning on writing it down to see if you could figure out what it means?”

She crossed her arms and turned away. “You won’t tell me what it means no matter how much I beg, so what am I supposed to do?”

“I’ll tell you what it means.”

She whirled around to face him. “Really?”

“Really. But not today.”

She flopped back in her seat. “You’re so mean. Why do you have to wait?”

“Cause you’re cute when you’re pouting.”

Heat rushed to her face, but she ignored it, sitting up straighter and lifting her chin. “I’m not pouting.”

He laughed again as he parked the ban, then turned to her, eyes dancing with mischief. “Like I said, you’re a terrible liar.”

Dustin couldn’t make it to the next DnD meeting (he and his mother were going on vacation), and Eddie took the opportunity to use what must have been a million Elvish nicknames.

Chrissy knew they were all Elvish because they shared that same fluid sound, but it seemed far too many for one person to know. Of course, if he repeated any, she wouldn’t know because he kept shuffling through them so fast she couldn’t remember them (which, of course, was exactly why he was doing it).

Mike and Lucas groaned every time he used one, and Chrissy blushed, though she wasn’t sure whether it was from embarrassment, pleasure, or a little bit of both.

“Chrissy, do you have any ideas for your character yet?” Lucas asked.

Chrissy shook her head. “I have to go back to school next week, but I’m hoping Eddie will help me make a character after that.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll join us soon enough, meleth e-guilen,” Eddie said with a cocky smile that made her desperate to know what that one meant.

Mike and Lucas rolled their eyes, but Will shot up from his seat, slamming his hands on the table. “Enough, please.” Everyone turned to stare at him. “Dustin isn’t the only one who knows Elvish.”

Eddie stared at him, a rather adorable blush crossing his face. “Excuse me?”

Will flinched and looked away. “I, uh, I know Elvish too.”

“And you neglected to mention this before because . . .?”

“Because I kept thinking you would stop! And–and I was worried you would be mad.”

“You know what he said?” Chrissy asked, resting her chin on her hands.

Will pointed at her. “No, no, no, I’m not getting into this.”

He turned and walked upstairs. Chrissy leapt up, nearly overturning her chair in the process. “Wait! Will, wait, please!”

She caught up with him in the Wheeler’s kitchen. “Please tell me what he said!”

Will crossed his arms and shook his head. “No, because then he’ll know I told you, and then who knows what he’d do!”

Chrissy blinked. “You’re–you’re scared of Eddie?”

“No!” Will said, rather unconvincingly. Chrissy almost laughed, until she remembered how scared she had been of him until several months ago.

“Well . . .” She twirled the ends of her hair around her finger as she thought. “What if you taught me to say something similar? You wouldn’t have to tell me what it means, but just teach me a nickname I could use for him?”

Will considered this for a moment, then he nodded. “Fine. Maybe that’ll make him finally stop.”

Chrissy looked around, wondering how her things had gotten spread quite so much around Eddie’s trailer when she had only been back a few weeks, especially since she usually spent the night with Max or Nancy.

“You know, you could just stay here,” Eddie said as he picked up at textbook off the floor and stacked it with a couple others on the counter.

She smiled. “It’s just a few months, and then I’ll be back for the whole summer.”

“A few months is a long time.”

She took a step closer and grinned up at him. “Are you going to miss me?”

He scoffed. “Do you have to ask?”

“Yes. I want to hear you say it.”

He grabbed her hand, tugging her closer and wrapping his arms around her. “Yes, I’m going to miss you.”

She pulled back and grinned, draping her arms over his shoulders. “I’m going to miss you too, melethel.”

She had expected him to be surprised. She had not expected him to look like he’d been bludgeoned over the head. He swallowed. “I–mmm, what?”

She couldn’t help the proud smile that spread across her face. “You heard me.”

He shook his head, still looking a bit dazed. “Nope, I, uh, I didn’t really catch that. You should say it again.”

She pulled her arms back, crossing them and lifting her chin. “I’ll say it again if you tell me what the ones you said mean.”

“Melda means ‘beloved’,” he admitted softly, not meeting her eyes.

She bit her lip and tucked that information aside to be considered at a more convenient time, when it didn’t matter if she lost all coherent thought for a moment.

“And what about the one you said at the Wheelers'? The one Will didn’t like?”

Eddie cleared his throat. “Oh, mmm.” His fingers dug tighter into her sides. “That one means ‘love of my life’.”

Chrissy felt her face grow hot and her heart flutter faster. “Oh.” Once again, she didn’t let herself dwell on the implications. She’d do that later. Alone. Probably in the middle of the night.

He met her eyes now. “But now you have to say it again.”

She grinned and tilted her face up to his. “I’m going to miss you, melethel. Now, what does that one mean?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You said it when you don’t know what it means?”

She shrugged. “I was assured it didn’t mean anything bad.”

He chuckled and leaned closer until his nose brushed hers and his breath fanned across her face. “It means ‘sweetheart’.” Then he leaned down and kissed her.