Archive of Our Own ^beta

March 1986

Steve sat in the waiting room quietly watching as the Wheelers, the Sinclairs, Claudia Henderson, and the Buckleys came rushing in eyes wide as they searched for their kids.  He waved them over to where they were all huddled, bandaged and tearstained.  Robin squeezed his hand hard before she jumped into her parents’ arms.  He smiled ruefully as he watched the reunited families huddle up with cries of relief and loving embraces.  No one was coming for him.  Even if his parents had been in town there was no way they would go out of their way to collect him from the hospital.  They hadn’t come the last three times they faced the Upside Down, there was no reason to believe this time would be any different.  But he was sincerely glad to see the party reunited with the families they loved and who loved them in turn.  

Claudia checked in with him as she gathered Dustin to go home.

“Thanks for staying with them, Steve.  Do you need anything before we head out?” asked Claudia

“No, ma’am.  Thank you for asking.  I’ll be by to check on Dustin tomorrow if that’s okay?”

“Of course, dear.  You’ll stay for dinner, too, unless you think your parents will want you home?”  Claudia replied, concern evident in her eyes.

“Oh, I think it will be okay,” Steve mumbled in reply.  “See you tomorrow!”

As the group headed out, Steve noticed a commotion at the information desk.  

“Please, can someone tell me if Eddie Munson is here?  Was he brought in?  Did anyone find him?”  Steve knew this must be Eddie’s Uncle Wayne.  In the quiet time before the last battle Steve and Eddie had really opened up to each other, bonding over absent parents, and Eddie had told him all about Wayne.  How as a scrawny twelve year old, Social Services had deposited him at the door of Wayne’s trailer.  How Wayne had taken one look at the bruised boy with the shaved head holding a garbage bag of all his possessions and gathered him in and never let him go.  

“That man saved my life, Steve, and I’ll be fucked if I’m going to let him believe I’m a murderer.  I have to get back and clear my name.  He has to know I would never do that to him.”  Eddie’s head was in his hands and he was moaning. Steve rested his hands on Eddie’s shoulders and drew him in so their foreheads were touching.  Steve had never been this close and vulnerable with a man before but it felt so natural he almost didn’t notice. 

“I promise you, man.  Eddie, we’re gonna get through this and we will make sure he knows you had nothing to do with Chrissy or anything else that’s happened.  I swear.”  Steve’s heart broke for the man who found a family in Wayne only to believe he would lose him forever over something Eddie hadn’t even done.  And now as Steve looked on, he could plainly see that Wayne would never believe Eddie had been responsible for such a horrific crime.  But he couldn’t let him go on not knowing what happened to Eddie and what he was at the end.

Groaning a bit as he stood, stitches pulling awkwardly, he slowly made his way over to the man arguing with the Nurse at the desk.  “Excuse me, sir.  Mr. Munson?”  

“What?  Sorry, what?  What can I do for you, boy?”

“Sorry, sir.  My name is Steve.  I, um, I know about Eddie.  Can we talk over here for a minute?”

Steve knew he wouldn’t be able to tell Wayne Munson exactly what had happened to Eddie, but he’d be damned if he didn’t let this poor man know that Eddie had died a hero,

Wayne was cautious but he allowed Steve to lead him over to a couple of empty chairs.  Steve gestured for him to sit down and Wayne was hesitant at first, but seeing that the boy was bandaged and hurting he lowered himself down and indicated that Steve should sit as well.

“Well,” Wayne said gruffly, “What is it you want to say about my boy?”  Knowing that the entire town was out for Eddie’s head, he was defensive but he could also see something in this young man’s eyes that was kind and reassuring.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Munson.  Eddie was with me and my friends when the, um, the earthquake happened.  We were trying to keep him safe and to help him prove that he hadn’t done anything to hurt Chrissy.  There was a, a chasm and um, he and our friend Dustin fell.  He got Dustin out, sir.  He saved him.  He was a real hero but…” Steve’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat and started again.  “He saved us, but he didn’t make it.  He, um, he fell into one of the cracks and….he’s gone.  I’m so sorry, Mr. Munson.  I’m so fucking sorry.”  Steve was crying now. He was crying for Eddie and for Max and for all of them who knew the truth and lived with the consequences of what they had done.  They had tried so hard and still people were hurt.  Eddie had died.  Eddie was gone.  

Wayne sat quietly.  He was torn between the urge to comfort the young man sobbing next to him and his own grief which was just starting to tear through him.  “Are…are you absolutely sure he’s gone?  Are you sure it was Eddie?  My Eddie?”  Wayne’s voice was low and gruff, but still held hope that maybe, just maybe this was all a big misunderstanding.

“It’s true.  I was there.  It was Eddie.  He wanted to know that you knew he didn’t kill Chrissy and he would want you to know that in the end, he didn’t run away.  He stayed and he helped.”  Steve was so goddamn proud of Eddie.  They might not have been friends for long, but they had a bond forged in war and Steve just knew they would have been friends forever.  He needed Wayne to understand and to be proud of Eddie too.

Wayne sighed heavily and dropped his head into his hands.  “Thank you, young man.  Thank you for finding me and telling me.  I don’t know exactly what I’ll do now without him, but I never believed he would hurt a fly and I’m not surprised at all that he stayed and helped even if he could have run.  Heart of gold, that boy had.”  Wayne stood and shook Steve’s hand.  “No reason to stick around here I guess.  You take care of yourself, you hear?”  

Steve watched Wayne walk away, shoulders heavy, head bowed.  He was alone.  Like Steve was alone.  In that moment, Steve realized that he couldn’t let Wayne go so easily.  He just needed a little time to recover.

April 1986

Two weeks later, Steve pulled up to Wayne’s new trailer feeling shy and awkward.  He had a little speech prepared, but not knowing how Eddie’s uncle would feel about it all made him nervous as hell.  The lot was the same but the trailer was a bit bigger.  Dr. Owens had made sure that Wayne had been compensated for Eddie’s heroism with the best the government could buy.  Which was not exactly the best money could buy, but it was better than what had been there before.  

Wayne was sitting on the porch when Steve pulled up and he almost lost his nerve.  But now that he’d been spotted there was nothing to do but keep going, so Steve slowly got out of the car mumbling under his breath, “I’ve got him, Eddie.  Don’t you worry.”

“Um, Hi sir.  I don’t know if you remember me….”

“From the hospital, right?  What was your name again?  I don’t remember too much from that night.”

“No, of course not, sir.  It’s Steve.  Steve Harrington.” 

Wayne’s brows came down a bit and his eyes narrowed.  “Richard Harrington’s son?”

“Um, yes sir. Unfortunately.” replied Steve, shrugging his shoulders and deflating a bit.  This might be harder than he expected.

“Well, you can’t help who your family is.  That’s what I always say.”  Wayne countered.  “What can I do for you, Steve?”

“Uh, thank you, Mr. Munson.”

“Enough of that, now.  You can call me Wayne.  But tell me, what is it that brings you here?”

Steve cleared his throat.  Right.  He could totally do this.  “Thank you Wayne.  I wanted to stop by and see if there was anything I could do for you?  Any odd jobs or errands or anything at all that Eddie might have normally taken care of for you?  He was so proud to be your boy and I know it would make him happy if someone was coming by to help out.  And I can do that, I’m really good at taking care of things…” Steve realized he was rambling and trailed off looking at the ground.

“Hmmm.”  said Wayne thoughtfully.  If he was being honest, Eddie hadn’t been much help around the trailer but he saw something in this boy and selfishly, he didn’t mind having someone close by who had known Eddie to be a good person.  He wasn’t exactly thrilled that it was a Harrington, but as he had told Steve, you can’t choose the folks you’re born to.  He decided quickly.

“Well, if you don’t mind standing on a ladder, I’ve been having a heck of a time adjusting the new tv antennae and I’d really like to catch the ball game this afternoon.”

Steve brightened, “I can do that!  I can absolutely do that.  Just show me the ladder and let's see if we can get it working.”

He and Wayne worked together to get the tv adjusted and when they were done Wayne offered him a beer and shyly asked if he’d like to stay and watch the game.  Steve beamed.  No one ever wanted to watch sports with him.  The two men happily spent the afternoon shouting at the television and chatting about stats, favorite players, and what teams they thought might make the series that year.  It was an auspicious start.

June 1986

Steve started checking in with Wayne once a week and usually found there was an odd job or two that needed doing.  Sometimes there wasn’t, but they both enjoyed the company of the other and there was usually a game on tv they could settle into.

One Saturday in June, Steve was about to head out to Wayne’s when he got a call from Dustin’s mom.  He could hear she was worried but he was hoping it wasn’t too serious.

“Mrs. Henderson?  What can I do for you ma’am?”

“Steve, now you know I’ve told you to call me Claudia.”

Steve grinned and said, “Yes, ma’am.”  He could hear Claudia roll her eyes, but she let it go.  

“Steve, I’m worried about Dusty.  Now that school is over for the year I can see him fading a bit.  I know you’ve been busy, but I’m wondering if you wouldn’t mind coming to see him?”

“Well, I do have something I do on Saturdays, but actually….you know what?  If he doesn’t have anything else to do I can pick him up and take him with me?”

Claudia sighed happily, “Oh that would be wonderful, Steve.  I hope it’s no trouble!”

“No trouble at all Claudia.  Tell him to be ready in 20 minutes and I’ll be over to grab him.”

Steve explained to Dustin on the way to Wayne’s that he had been seeing Eddie’s uncle on a regular basis, helping with chores and spending time with him as a way to honor Eddie.  He told Dustin that if it made him sad or uncomfortable that they didn’t have to stay long, but that it was important to Steve that he connect with Wayne once a week.  Dustin looked at him with amazement and smiled wide.  “You do that for Eddie?  I didn’t think you even liked him or that you were friends.”  

“Well, we didn’t start out that way, but he was a really good guy, you know?  I think that we would have been really close if he had lived.”  Steve looked sad, but he was beginning to remember Eddie with fondness instead of just grief.    

So Dustin came with him and he kept Wayne entertained with stories about Eddie from past Hellfire campaigns while Steve weeded out a garden bed he and Wayne had planted a few weeks earlier.  In return, Wayne told Dustin all kinds of stories from when Eddie was young and all the mischief he got into.  It felt to Steve like it was healing for both of them.  Steve had forged a bond with Eddie, but Dustin had truly been his friend.  When he dropped Dustin off at home later that evening he was grateful when Dustin asked, “So do you think it would be okay if I went back to see Uncle Wayne with you or even on my own?”  

“Yeah, man, I think that would definitely be okay.”  

July 1986

In July, Steve was getting ready for a shift at Family Video when his phone rang.

“Harrington residence, this is Steve speaking.”

“Hi Steve, this is Mary?  I live in the trailer next to Wayne?”

“Of course, Mary.  What can I do for you?  Is something wrong?”

“Well, yes, Wayne has had a bit of a fall.  I’m not quite sure what he was getting up to but I saw him go up the ladder and then heard him yell.  When I got out there he was on the ground. I wanted to call for an ambulance, but he insisted I call his boy instead.  And well, of course Eddie isn’t here anymore, so I thought he might mean you?”

At this point Steve had already gathered up his keys and was ready to fly out the door.  “Mary, please go tell him I’ll be there in ten minutes and not to move.  If he loses consciousness, you go ahead and call 911.  If he’s mad, I’ll take the blame.”  He hung up the phone without waiting for a reply and ran out to the car.  

It was closer to seven minutes when he pulled up to the trailer and Wayne was sitting up with an embarrassed look on his face.  “Sorry, Steve, I should have waited for you to come over on Saturday, but the picture was fuzzy and I thought maybe I could just - “

Steve cut in gently, “Wayne, it’s okay.  Yeah, I wish you would have waited for me, and we’ll have a talk about that later, but right now I’m just glad you seem to be okay and that you had Mary call.  Did you hit your head at all?  What hurts?”

Wayne groaned, “Pretty sure I busted my ankle.  Everything else feels okay, but I can’t seem to get up.”

“No worries now.  I’m here and we’re gonna take a ride to the emergency room and get that x-rayed, okay?”  Not waiting for an answer, Steve bent down and scooped Wayne up as if he were light as a feather and carefully placed him in the passenger seat of his car.  “Mary, would you mind locking up for us?  I’m not sure when we’ll be back.  And thank you so much for calling me.”

Fortunately, the emergency room wasn’t crowded and they were seen right away.  Wayne had been working at the plant long enough that his insurance covered pretty much everything, but Steve was ready with his parents’ credit card in the event that there were extra expenses.  The x-rays showed a broken ankle, but nothing more serious and within a couple of hours they were headed home with Wayne in a cast and hobbling around on crutches.  

Steve helped Wayne back in the house and got him settled.  “Well” Wayne began gruffly, “Thanks again for coming by.  I don’t want to keep you longer than I should…”

“Wayne,” Steve cut in gently, “You’re not keeping me.  I hope you know by now that I want to be here for you.  Not just because you’re Eddie’s uncle, but because we’re friends, right?  And if it’s okay with you I’d like to stay for a bit to help you get settled.  I thought if you didn’t mind that I might stay here tonight on the couch and that way if you need anything I could be here?  Just until you get used to the crutches and everything?”

Wayne could see that Steve was truly worried about him and dammit if he didn’t want to give in to the boy.  He wasn’t sure he needed help but he always felt better when Steve was around.  “Alright,” he said, “but you know they gave me a trailer with two bedrooms so no reason you can’t stay in the extra. The couch is fine but you’ll sleep better in bed and I promise to wake you if I need anything.”

Steve grinned like the sun had come out after a rainy day.  Wayne needed him and he would be there for him. 

August 1986

During Wayne’s recovery, Steve got into the habit of stopping over at Wayne’s a few times a week at least, just to check in.  It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Wayne to call him if he needed anything, it was just that he was genuinely attached to the man and enjoyed his company.  Wayne wasn’t taking up all his time though, Steve was still working at Family Video full time and he managed to have an active social life as well.  The Byers had moved back from California and brought their friend Argyle with them and Steve often found himself getting together with the whole group of older teens.  It was a little uncomfortable at first.  Nancy and Jonathan were closer than ever now that the distance wasn’t a problem and Robin had actually asked Vickie out so Steve and Argyle were often thrown together by default but Steve quickly found that he didn’t mind that at all.  Eddie had awakened something in him and Argyle’s laid back personality was a good balance to his serious side and his casual touches soon became something he sought out and reciprocated.   

Wayne knew that Steve was busy and that he had no real claim on his time.  But when he realized that a week had gone by and he’d not seen hide nor hair of the boy he started to become concerned.  It was worrisome enough that driving home from the plant one day he decided to pop into Family Video to see if he was there.  He wasn’t, but that Robin girl was there and she always seemed to know what was going on with Steve.

“Uncle Wayne!”  Robin cried, “I haven’t seen you in a while.”  

“I suppose that’s true.  You know who else I haven’t seen?”  Wayne countered

“Steve?” Robin asked sympathetically, “I know.”  She lowered her voice, “His parents got into town last week and when that happens we tend to lose sight of him for a while.  I don’t know how long they will be here this time or what their plans are, but I spoke to Steve a couple of days ago and he didn’t sound great.”

Wayne winced, “How bad is it for him there?”

Robin’s eyes dropped to the floor, “I couldn’t say.  He doesn’t talk about it, not even with me.  But I think it’s pretty bad, Wayne.”

“Listen, girl, if you talk to him you tell him that if he ever needs anything he can come to me.  There’s always a place for him at the trailer.”

“Thanks, Wayne, I’ll try and pass it on.  But don’t worry too much.  They don’t usually stay very long.”

Not long after his conversation with Robin, Steve showed up on Wayne’s doorstep.  He was sporting bruises on his face and looked exhausted and shaken.

Wayne was both furious and terrified.  “What is this?  Who did this to you, m’boy?”  

Steve hung his head and tearfully confessed that it had been his father.  “They uh, kicked me out.”  

“Oh Steve, I’m so sorry.”  

“Can I….would it be okay if….”  

“Steve, you are staying here with me.  This is as much your home as it is mine and I would be extremely upset if you tried going anywhere else.” 

 “Thanks, Wayne.  I think I should tell you, though.  The reason they threw me out…..I, um….”  Steve still couldn’t look him in the eye and Wayne could see that the boy was terrified.

He spoke to him as gently as he could, “Son, you don’t have to be afraid to tell me anything.”  

“TheyfoundoutI’mdatingaman…”  Steve hung his head low like he was waiting for Wayne to yell at him or turn him away.

A quiet moment passed between them and then Wayne reached out and gently put a hand on his shoulder, “Oh, my boy, you don’t think that matters to me?”  

Steve finally looks into Wayne’s eyes and sees complete acceptance.  “Does he treat you right? This man you’re with?”  

“He does.  He’s a good guy.”  

“That’s all that matters to me, son.  If anything, I’m upset that you haven’t brought him by to meet me.  You know…you know that Eddie was that way?”  

“There were rumors, but I wouldn’t presume to believe any of the junk that was spewed by bullies in the locker room. But I’m glad to know for sure.  I didn’t know Eddie as well as I wanted to.  But…I liked him.”  Steve looks right into Wayne’s eyes, “I really liked him.”  

“Well,” said Wayne thickly, “There was a lot to like about that boy.  And there’s a lot to like about you.  I’m certain he must have liked you right back.”  Something eased between the two men, one final wall that they hadn’t realized was there crumbled into dust.  

Steve stayed with Wayne after that.  He went back to the house after his parents were gone to retrieve some of his things, but that was it.  As far as he was concerned they were no longer a part of his life.  He was happy living with Wayne.  In the beginning there were some minor growing pains like when Steve wanted to pay rent and Wayne had to put his foot down.  

“The government gave me this trailer.  I don’t pay a dime on it and I’m not taking your money.  Save it, spend it, go to school with it.  It’s your decision.  You will always have a home with me here in this trailer or anywhere I might go.  I didn’t get to keep Ed, but if you let me, I will keep you”  

That, of course, set Steve crying, but he returned the sentiment.

 “You know, I started coming around for Eddie.  To keep his memory fresh and maybe out of guilt for the people he left behind, but I stayed for you, Wayne.  I never had an adult in my life who wanted me around or who accepted me or….loved me”  

Wayne looked him right in the eye and said, “Well, you have one now, son.”

Epilogue

Eventually, Steve asked Wayne to walk him down the aisle at his wedding.  He was overcome when Steve and his fiance sat him down to tell him that neither was taking the other’s name, but they would be honored if he would allow them both to take his name.  Steve Harrington become Steve Munson.  Later, Wayne became grandpa to their kids, all adopted from foster care.  Years later, when the kids were grown and moved away and it got so Wayne couldn’t manage on his own, he moved in with his boys and Steve got to care for him the way he always hoped he would.  As a devoted son cares for his father.   So Steve was right there with Wayne when he passed.  One hand on his chest, one cradling his head.  Steve leaned down to kiss his forehead, “I love you forever, Dad.  Say hello to Eddie for me, okay?”

His obituary read, Wayne Munson, devoted father of Eddie Munson (d.1986) and Steve Munson, loving grandfather to six little nuggets.