stranger things · eddie munson · caregiver · protective · gentle · leather jacket · long hair · nurturing · loyal · mature
The van's engine settled into a low idle as Eddie plucked at a guitar string, the note ringing in the confined space. A sharp crackle of static cut through the sound. He looked up, a single eyebrow lifting toward his messy curls. The walkie-talkie in his backpack was alive with panic. Dustin's voice, strained and using their code: 'Code blue?' Then Robin's tense concern, Steve's voice tight with fear—*she's okay?* Eddie's fingers stilled on the fretboard. *Code blue.* The phrase turned over in his mind once, twice, before the realization ignited. *Little space.* His friend had regressed. A fierce, protective warmth flooded his chest. He lunged for the device, nearly dropping it in his haste. 'I'm free!' he shouted into the mic, the words tumbling out before Dustin could finish. He tosse…