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Many people may wonder what a freak does in their free time; each freak is different. The term Freak was hard to define as to who exactly fell within such a category, yet anyone who didn’t fit societies standards was naturally titled a Freak. Why? Well, here is a big secret. People are scared of standing out, being different, at least most people are. Unlike the man and the wonder, Eddie ‘the Freak’ Munson. Strange, peculiar. Those words often jumped into people’s minds when they thought of Eddie. Perhaps many thought he was this scary lord of a satanic club… Hellfire club. A club which was actually just for nerds to sit around and play Dungeons and Dragons. How did Eddie get to a point where he was so deserving of a title? It all began when he was a younger boy.
Sure, Eddie wouldn’t deem himself as the most academic kid, even when he was younger, he struggled with keeping up. Math? Pft, he hated math as the numbers always got so jumbled up in his mind. Though for a while Eddies life was pretty damn good. His parents were not the richest people, however they lived comfortably in a bungalow. When Eddie was really young, he didn’t actually live in Hawkins, but that was when he was a terrible toddler, so he did not remember a thing. Then came along the double digits in his life, turning 10 he actually took a turn for the worse. It was constant that every time his father would come home, he would stink of beer and this perfume that wasn’t his moms. Sometimes his dad would be in a nice mood and just eat some food and go to bed; that was less common.
Naturally Eddie tried to block out the screams from his mom, just hiding under his bed like some coward. Eddie felt like he had always been a coward, after all he would have saved his mom from those nights if he hadn’t had been so selfish. Of course, he wasn’t actually selfish, he was just a kid, yet his mom gradually began to grow a hatred towards him. Instead of blaming the abuse on his own father, she blamed him. Eddie had apparently been the downfall of her life, the very reason why she started to drink. The drinking was actually keeping her happy, so Eddie was always quick to grab a new beer from the fridge for his mom if hers was becoming empty.
These new habits introduced drugs and alcohol into Eddies life when he was just a little boy, his parents did not care about him. They didn’t provide him food, they didn’t wash his clothes, God it was like he didn’t even exist. Eddie was curious about the appeal of alcohol, it made his parents happy, so surely it would make him happy. Even now he couldn’t help but fondly chuckle from the memory of sipping a beer for the first time. The way his face contorted into utter disgust; the bitterness of the drink seemingly clung to his mouth for the rest of the night. Despite how revolting the taste was, Eddie finished the can that night. Drunk at 10 years old due to the neglect of his parents, he didn’t feel happy. The alcohol just made him swell up into this pit of utter saturnine, incapable of understanding his emotions at the time.
Life stayed like this for a few months, and then the bad people started to become involved. His father had fallen into this cycle of buying drugs, but he never paid off his debt. People began to lurk around their bungalow and attacked his father. Fortunately, his father wasn’t severely hurt, but they fell into this endless cycle of debt. Hi parents borrowing money from family, friends and even the bank… surprise. They never paid it off. Naturally they were kicked out of the bungalow, and Eddie was left all by himself. His parents saw no reason to take such a burden with them. How could parents be so cruel? However, it didn’t end there, as the dealers still wanted payment. If they couldn’t get it from his father, then they tried to get it from Eddie.
He was eleven. He was eleven years old, alone on the streets being hunted by these bad men. He did what every terrified kid would, he ran. He ran as far as he could until the breath was knocked out of his lungs. He ran until he was heaving in the woods, sweat clinging to his face. Even if he wasn’t the brightest academically, he knew his way around town. After all he had spent many days trudging through the woods alone, skipping school because he knew he wouldn’t face a punishment. Even though they hadn’t been the closest, Eddie ran to his uncle’s trailer. From that point onwards his uncle became his guardian and did his best to look after Eddie. He shaved Eddies hair when he asked him too, he got a friend to teach him guitar, and the best thing was how his uncle made sure he went to school.
For the first time in years, Eddie found himself so happy, just full of life as though his parents had been weighing him down an unbelievable amount. His teenage years were quite rough, he faced heavy drug abuse upon himself due to getting mixed up with the wrong type of people in school. This led to a depression, and Eddie was in a really bad place all over again. One of the reasons was something he never thought he would have the face. His identity. Who was he? Well, he figured it out and hated himself for it. Eddie was gay. He liked guys; no girl had attracted him. No one in Hawkins was gay. Anyone who was sure as hell wasn’t screaming it with pride, rather hiding it away in fear for their life. It was no normal. It was not okay. The amount of contrition, and self-loathing Eddie faced within himself was ghastly. Never had anyone insulted him as bad as he had insulted himself.
The only way he managed to cope was through music, it was his escape. Anything that kept his mind off of this revelation. Reading, music, drawing. In fact, the tattoos on his body symbolized more than anyone would know, to anyone else they just looked like the typical drawings that a metalhead would have. Eddie drew them when he was at his darkest time, and that message was a gentle reminder each time he saw them in the mirror. Younger Eddie survived through the emotional turmoil, so older Eddie could withstand anything. Accepting himself was one of the hardest things he has ever had to do, but he did it.
School became a fun place to be again when his burning passion for Dungeons and Dragons was ignited, therefore the Hellfire club came to be a thing, and he met some pretty cool kids. Now here is a thing that people didn’t know about perfect pretty boy Billy Hargrove. He had flirted with Eddie Munson on multiple of occasions, mainly for a discount on some weed, but he still flirted. It was just this lighthearted thing they shared; Eddie had no shame in himself anymore. Unfortunately, he could see that wallowing pit of disgust eating Billy apart from the inside. Every fortnight when Billy would come for some more weed, Eddie used it as a chance to try get Hargrove to open up. It took quite some time, but Eddie made progress. From the mention of the bruise, he saw on Billy’s hip (from his father), it gave Eddie a chance to tell Billy about his own parents. Not due to wanting pity, it was his way of trying to show Billy that there was an escape from such hostility in life. Even though Billy became implausibly livid, it was a natural response about trauma. Sure. Eddie left that forest with a black eye and a bloody nose; Billy wasn’t able to scare him.
Eddie felt as though Billy was scared of Eddie more or less, because Eddie had nothing restraining him. No one was there to degrade him or tell him he is a piece of shit; Eddie had tuned it all out. It wasn’t his place, nor responsibility to look out for Billy, but he did. When their usual evening rolled around, Eddie thought Billy wouldn’t turn up. Minutes passed from when they usually met, but finally he saw that blond beauty emerge from the trees. The conversation that evening lasted hours, and Eddie finally met the genuine Billy. Not that shitty racist asshole, but the Billy who had been cowering away for many years. Hearing Billy willingly talk about his mom made Eddies heart swell up and sting in his chest, feeling so familiar to this life. The more he talked the more abhorrently he felt towards Billy’s father.
The night sky was thick, as the day had been rather humid, making it harder for Eddie to breathe as that familiar pounding of his heart upon his chest reminded him of the scared boy he once was. Subconsciously he fiddled with his rings, the cool metal against the tip of his thumb, just scarcely pinching his skin was a reminder that he was safe here. That was the first time he hugged Billy, a long suffocating hug that lingered hours after they had departed. The next few days Eddies heart felt heavy, torn even with how to truly help Billy. For he could only do so much, but it seemed his presence was enough comfort for the blond. The nights where they sat in a forest gazing at some stars, no words had to be spoke in order for them to understand one another. The feeling of want and safety. These little nightly adventures happened more often than not, hidden within the safety of the night, the moon being a guardian of sorts. Watching as the two boys grew closer until their mutual pining became a burning desire.
They were each other’s secret. During the day everything was how it should be, orderly and separated from one another, but only the night shared the greatest secret. Munson and Hargrove were infatuated with one another, yet neither had managed to say the words. As months passed by, their pining blossomed into an unsettling need. Neither felt settled until they were in one another’s arms, kissing, and talking. Such simple things meant so much. Their nightly dates soon happened at Eddies trailer where he tried to teach Billy how to play guitar – which was a horrific noise- but it was fun.
“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” Eddie murmured that into Billy’s shoulder one night. It may not have meant anything to Billy, yet Eddie strived to live by those wise words, he sought comfort within such a pithy Shakespearean quote. Those were the words he chanted in his mind when Billy had him pinned against a locker in school. It was an act, but it still hurt that they had to hide.
Eddie didn’t want to hide anymore.
Maybe this time he could run away with someone. Run away with Billy to a place far from Hawkins, and Eddie had such wild ideas of where they could go. It was pointless. The night he even suggested that Billy moved into his trailer, he just watched as that bubbling pit of fear in Billy erupted. Their usual comfort under the night sky turned sour, the air strikingly cold as a shiver ran through eddies spine. In that burst Billy had pinned Eddie down with such force that his head bashed against the ground. The physical pain was only for a moment, yet the dull aching lasted weeks. His heart ached, that passionate flame of his was gradually dying, becoming a mere ember that was no longer a roaring forest fire, but a mere flicker.
Eddie had fucked it up, he continuously blamed himself for the sudden change of behavior. Something was awry, but he couldn’t read Billy’s mind. The lack of communication was overly frustrating because he didn’t know how long he would be left in the dark. It was ironic how quick the night changes. The frustration grew until Eddie was tense, unable to think properly about things. At school it became worse, as he wasn’t sure if Billy was acting when he hit Eddie and screamed things into his face. As pathetic as he felt, Eddie couldn’t even make it to his next lesson. His lack of composure had faltered, and he sobbed in the toilets, alone. The pain of each sob was unbearable, making Eddie heave as the sobs soon turned to panicked breaths. He needed Billy, but Billy didn’t need him… or so he thought.
At the time where Billy needed him most, Eddie wasn’t there. To no fault of his own, Billy refused to reach out, becoming closed off as he was terrified. Of course, Billy knew it would be the best if he left his house. To be away from his dad would be the best step forward, yet he was unable too. The years of abuse manipulated Billy into thinking he couldn’t depend on himself, that he was some useless fuck up without his dad to keep him in place. Even now when he was bigger than his own father, Billy felt like a little boy around him. Weak. Pathetic. He just couldn’t leave. Every part of him ached to leave, but he was intimidated by the thought of a life where he could be happy.
Life became dreary for the pair who were unable to truly communicate, the sun no longer felt so rejuvenating, instead it was a painful reminder of the warmth they had lost. Finally, after so many weeks of no talking, Billy told Eddie to meet him at their usual spot at their usual time. Even the acknowledgment that he existed made Eddies hands sweat, uncertain if his nerves were causing the flutters in his stomach, or if it was excitement. Eddie entered that forest with so much hope yet left in utter despair. Billy had ended things, the hissing venomous tone in his voice left Eddie with a bitter taste in his mouth. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay the fuck away from me Munson. Leave me alone and you won’t get hurt. Do you understand?” Eddie felt like he was in form of shock, but he hadn’t answered. Old Billy had returned… not his Billy. That became strikingly clear when he was slammed against a tree, “DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” Billy’s spit splattering onto Eddies dumbfounded face, the color leaving his cheeks as he swallowed rather harshly. Tears stinging his eyes as Eddie let out the faintest of whimpers followed by a “yeah.”
Eddie felt like he had a curse put upon him, because everyone he loved always left. What the fuck was wrong with him? Every time he closed his eyes, he was brought back to Billy screaming in his face, it was such an unsettling memory because Billy’s eyes looked so foreign. They didn’t hold the alluring loving gaze, void of emotion even, other than the slightest glint of fear. What was Billy scared of? The fear was only there for a moment, yet it haunted Eddies restless nights. Something weird was happening in Hawkins, something unnerving that made goosebumps spread all over his body. Something truly evil, revolting and sinister. What? What was haunting Hawkins? What was lurking in the dark waiting to attack and prey upon the weak? Whilst many prepared in excitement for the festival, Eddie shared no interest in going, instead he was making his way to Billy’s house. The usual hum of his van bought no comfort to Eddie, whilst driving was usually a way to wind down, he felt so rigid. The night was silent, too silent. Eddie rubbed his knuckles against his cheek, reminding him of Billy, that’s what Billy always did to comfort Eddie. That comfort had long dispersed, long forgotten. The closer Eddie was, the more anxiety ridden he became. However, when he reached Billy’s house, he noticed the car driving down the road. Not for a single second did he debate what to do, his foot pushing heavily down as his van rumbled, speeding after Billy.
For a split-second Eddie felt hope, this rush of ebullience, he was so close to truly getting Billy back. Why? Eddie had realized something over the past few days alone. He was in love with Billy Hargrove. He wouldn’t stop chasing him until Billy was back by his side, in his van going far away from Hawkins. He longed to have those nights back where Billy had fallen asleep in his van, so Eddie continued to drive, and he just kept driving so Billy could rest. Now he was determined to have him back, it was the first time he had experienced such an epiphany. It hit him like he had just rammed his van into a wall, or so that’s how Eddie had imagined it. When he saw Billy approaching the mall his brows furrowed in this confusion. The mall was shut by now, so why was Billy going there? Even so, Eddie tried to ignore the flurry of questions in his mind. Though his van came to an abrupt halt, dread coursing through his veins as he saw a monster looming in the far distance… in the mall. What. The. Fuck!
Any other day Eddie would’ve run, that would’ve been the most sensible thing to do, but he had just seen Billy going that way. Love makes people do some real fucked up shit, and right now it gave Eddie the courage the follow Billy towards the mall despite how his body was screaming and begging for him to run. No longer allowing the fear to control him, Eddie started up his van again. Being more wary of his surroundings, basically screaming, “fuck Jesus’ shit fuck what the fuck?!” Over and over, but it helped just a bit. From what he could see Billy had crashed? No- wait. Someone had crashed into him. None of this was making sense, but he stepped out of his van. Admittedly he collapsed after he stepped foot on ground, his legs feeling like jelly. Paralyzed with this fear, yet a sudden wave of nausea passed over him, his heart sinking ominous notion that something devastating was about to happen.
Somehow, he found the strength to pull himself up, using his van to assist as Eddie strained and urged his body to lurch towards the mall, not away. Each step was in complete agony, his entire body shaking, he knew something unnatural was here. Something downright detestable was lurking, or perhaps not lurking anymore. The closer he got, the louder the screams and growls- growls... of this monster. Another step. Another. He had to see Billy and help him, he had too. Eddie was so certain he'd get the man back, the person he loved more than anything in this world. His Billy. His secret. His light in life, the one thing that kept Eddie going.
Though he soon figured out why that unsettling doom and nausea had engulfed him, as it was his body trying to prepare him for the catastrophic event about to unravel. Eddies steps came to a halt once more, tears prickling his eyes as he was trying so fucking hard to run. He wasn't far from Billy, not at all, but he hadn't been fast enough. The second he began to sprint; his lover was gone. This creature impaled him with no mercy, and Eddie didn't have time to even comprehend the situation. Dread. No- there wasn't a word to describe how Eddie felt, but he let out a gut-wrenching scream, and right then he wished he'd wake up from this never-ending nightmare called life. No one else mattered. His own life didn't matter, all he needed was for himself to wake up. Right? This had to be a nightmare. But it wasn't. The ugliest horrific sobs left Eddie as he bolted to Billy's side, his legs becoming smothered in his blood as he hurriedly ripped off his jacket to try wrap around the gaping hole in his chest, as though any pressure would stop the bleeding... even if there was no hope. "You'll be okay, you have to be okay. You hear me? I fucking love you Billy Hargrove. You're not allowed to go. Billy? Billy it's not- it's not funny man. Wake up. Stop playing around. Wake up. Billy. Billy fucking wake up! WAKE UP BILLY!" Seeing those beautiful blue eyes look at him one final time, his heart shattering as he knew Billy was gone.
Billy was impaled as if the flesh poised no resistance at all, the blood gushing out not in constant flow but with the beating of a heart that writhed in desperation of holding on. A small fountain of red surged from his lips, ebbed with the rhythm of a now terrified heart. Billy wanted to hear Eddie’s words, so badly, but his body refused to heed his requests, though his body relaxed upon registering whose embrace he would leave this world in. Finally, one more time, his ocean blues met Eddie’s. And Billy knew, could he have said one last thing before his departure,
'I love you, Munson. I’ve been into you for a goddamn long time now.'
How can you move on in life without your heart? Your body won't work. You're as good as dead. So, Eddie didn't know how he was alive, because his heart died along with Billy Hargrove. Munson became a walking corpse stricken by grief. An unbelievable burden to carry upon his shoulders, the loss of the man he loved. The very man he still loves even if he is no longer alive. No words are possibly strong enough to truly describe the grief and guilt that had begun to decay within Eddie and his mind. Each minute away from Billy had been dreadful before, yet he had the hope of rekindling with Billy. Now he was alone. The only time he ever ran towards something; he ran towards his love. Maybe…maybe he should have run away like he always does. He allowed love to capture him and cage him up like some animal, he had been blind and lovesick. Never. Never would he allow himself to feel such ways again. He could never face the loss of love, so he would never try fall in love once more. No glue was strong enough to repair the shards of his shattered heart. No man would ever be able to rejoice in Eddies warmth, his heart was for Billy. It would always be for Billy, so he would simply suffer in silence. He couldn’t bare to tarnish Billy’s reputation now he was dead. Eddie would suffer in the secret that his true love had died. His secret to share with the night sky where he now sat alone, staring at the stars and wondering why the world was so cruel. Why did the world keep running so normally despite Billy’s death? Eddie felt like his world had stopped and crumbled the second Billy had been impaled. He was simply a ghost of the man he once was.
After a week, Billy’s funeral had been planned, and Eddie was shocked to find an invite shoved a crevice on his van. Whoever had left it seemed to be aware of something, or at least the fact Eddie deserved to be there for any form of closure. Somehow it had slipped Munson’s mind that Maxine Mayfield had also been there to witness her own brother’s death. The mortifying moment had been witnessed by many, but all Eddie had focused on was Billy. Even seeing the invite made that oh so familiar tension rise within his throat, feeling as though something was choking him. Billy was dead. For some reason he had tried to convince himself it had been a really bad nightmare, but this invite was the final confirmation of what he dreaded most. Billy died and wasn’t coming back, no matter how much he tried to kid himself from the truth, Billy was dead. No matter how desperate Eddie had become for sleep, he never got the pleasure to indulge in a basic need, not when he was so aware of everything in his room. Leaning over his bedside table he tugged at his lamp for it to switch on, sat upright entirely as his arms wrapped around himself for any immediate comfort. Though his arms weren’t as strong as Billy’s, so the hug just wasn’t tight enough. The light flickered ever so slightly as his eyes – which had lost their luster- fell upon a long-discarded shirt. The shirt Billy had borrowed the last time he was round the trailer; Eddie hadn’t dared to move it. The ground it lay upon felt sacred, something he shouldn’t move as that meant he would be removing something that was a painful reminder of Billy. Lips pursed together, his jaw began to clench, causing an irritable high-pitched noise. Heart suddenly pounding against his chest as Eddies grip on his own shirt loosened, struggling to pull himself out of bed.
Whilst he tried to stand upright, Eddie let out a pathetic laugh, which only grew in volume as he clutched onto his bedside table. Teetering back and forth as though he was about to fall at any moment due to the lack of care for his own body in a time like this. Fingers clenching the desk, his skin paling as his nails scraped against it. With one last look around his room Eddie let out a disgruntled scream of utter despair, hands now scrambling to find anything to tear. Anything to blame and allow his fury upon; his favorite posters becoming the victims of his wrath. Within the screams of utmost agony soon feel such harsh sobs, choking on his own saliva as he crumbled into a ball against his bed. Many fragmented posters scattered around him, whilst his hands ran through his hair with such ferocity, forcing him to whimper in pain. No matter how much he cried, his tears never seemed to stop. There was no end for the pain he felt, he was trapped. Trapped in this enforced isolation he had created as a punishment for himself. His pale cheeks smothered in tear stains and sweat, chest heaving whilst he gasped so desperately for breath. The rage began to disperse, leaving Eddie back to the state he had been moments before. Only worse as he looked between the fingers which covered his face, noticing the posters torn. He could still remember Billy the first time he came into his room, the way Hargrove seemed impressed to see some limited-edition merch hung up. Now those same posters decorated his floor in a flurry of waste. “Fuck you, Billy.” Seemed to be the only thing he could utter out into the silence of his room as a way to try quieten his own thoughts.
Even so his fit of rage had forced his notepad to fall beside his foot, open and crinkled from how it lay. This was the notepad he would write spontaneous ideas in for songs, tunes or even dungeons and dragons. Things that once brought him the most pleasure, and now he couldn’t even dare think about. Not caring to wipe his eyes Billy sniffed and used his shirt to force away the snot before it went over his lips. In his blurred vision he reached over and grabbed the book, flipping through a few of the pages until he noticed something that he hadn’t wrote. Lips quivering as he blinked back his tears to try understand what it was, and when he did, he felt his heart melt. It was a horrific doodle done by Billy, stick figures even. The pair of them stood together with Eddies guitar, and above it was the simple words of, ‘I love you’. For what shitty doodle was usually worth, to Eddie this moment was priceless. Billy had loved him; he didn’t have to live in that agony of never knowing the truth. Here the answer was the entire time. Besides him the entire time, when he thought there was truly no way the blond reciprocated his feelings, he did. Eddies sullen tears soon faded into those of sudden relief. And for the first time in what felt like months, he was able to rest easy.
The somber date finally arrived for Billy’s funeral, and Eddie just knew what to wear. Unlike being a respectable person and following the usual unspoken rules of a funeral, Eddie didn’t wear full black. His usual outfit was what he decided to come up in, other than the necklace on his neck. Usually, it had a guitar pick on it, but this time it was a pendant Billy had gifted him on his birthday. On his right arm was a fresh tattoo, what of you wonder? The very drawing, he had found in his notepad, he had the stick figures now on his body forever as a way of holding the memory of Billy. Now he looked at it in utter pain, but he hoped one day the tattoo would be a sweet reminder of the times they shared. His chains draped and connected to his trousers, and he wore a few rings, one being a bit plain compared to his sculpted dragon rings. To Eddie the plain ring meant the world as he had found it the other night behind his bed. It wasn’t his ring, but one Billy had lost months ago. When he found it all he could do was laugh because he remembered how desperate Billy had been to find it, and this entire time it had been under Eddies bed. Funerals were always so daunting, yet in his van eddies fingers strummed upon the wheel in time to the song he had started to play was one Billy used to stick on when they had late night drives ‘Runnin’ with the Devil’. Even the name made him wonder if Billy intended for the Devil to mean Eddie, but regardless he couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips.
Naturally he turned up to the funeral late and stayed standing away from the crowd, lurking from afar as he watched the coffin be lowered into the ground. It made him wonder if Billy’s body was actually in there, had they been able to recover it? It seemed that he couldn’t even hear what people were saying, which helped Eddie stay relaxed. Not bawling his eyes out Infront of everyone, yet his hand gripped the note in his pocket which crinkled but didn’t rip. Staying away from everyone helped to not raise that uncomfortable question about how he knew Billy and if they were good friends. The honest answer would only destroy his reputation after death, and Eddie knew he wouldn’t be able to lie and say he was a nobody. To everyone else, sure he had been a nobody, but to Billy he was somebody. Eddie had run away his entire life, and it led him to something worth living for, but now it was gone. He wanted to keep running. To escape the place which drowned him in memories of Billy; he wouldn’t let himself run any longer. Eventually he would find a way to live and accept life, but it would take time and a lot of patience. For someone so distraught and heartbroken, Eddie seemed to be taking it rather well. He had accepted Billy’s death; he knew he wouldn’t come back. All Eddie could do was live his life out for Billy and hope that the day he dies it would be Billy guiding him down to the luxurious depths of hell. Even as the weather began to spit rain upon them, which caused the crowds to move away and head to the wake prepared, Eddie stayed lingering just that little bit longer.
The spits of rain spluttered into a steady pour, but Eddie paid no attention to the cold drips upon his face, it was actually refreshing. What’s a better place to cry than in weather which hides your tears for you? Nearing the fresh dirt which was slowly turning into a sludgy pile of mud, Eddie found himself sat besides the gravestone taking a deep breath. Fingers carving over the stone, following each letter that spelt out Billy’s name. Only then did his smile begin to falter, lips twitching into a frown as his eyes glossed over with tears. “Its just you and me again. Guess this means you’re forced to listen to me for once, right?” His tongue ran over his teeth before pressing against his upper lip, his thumb twisting the ring around it to distract himself. “I never thought Id be crying over the pretty boy Billy Hargrove, I just know you’re getting a kick out of this.” Fiddling with the note in his pocket, he grabbed the scrunched piece of paper and tried to cover it from the rain so he would be able to read what it said. “I… uhm.” His voice seemed caught up in his throat, unable to utter a sound for a minute. “I love you Hargrove.” Words he wished he had said sooner but was grateful that he had the chance too now. Looking at the note he wasn’t even able to read it from the tears blurring his vision.
The rain wasn’t helping as all Eddie could concentrate on was how his hair was starting to uncurl and stick to his face. “I’ve decided to stop running because I found you here. Maybe I don’t need to be scared anymore. I’ve already lost everything, what else could happen?” He paused, almost waiting for an answer as he barked out a bitter laugh from the silence he was met with. “I will always be yours Hargrove, always.” Closing his eyes and for a few minutes he sat there embarking the pleasure of being alone near a reminder of Billy. Turning to the side to stare at the gravestone once more, pulling the ring off of his finger and placing it down, “I found it for you.” A few more tears dribbled down his cheeks as a smile settled upon his face.
"The course of true love never did run smooth.”