#dont worry his munson doctrine goes to shit later
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Wayne takes in a Beat to Shit Steve Harrington after Starcourt as n Owed Favor to Hopper Part 4
Part Three: link
First Chapter (parts 1-3 on tumblr) on A03: Link
The kid was madder than a wet hen.
Just as slippery as one too, when he got like this--music pulsing like a living thing to signal all his rage and upset.Â
Not like Wayne hadnât expected it.Â
He just wished it wasnât quite so damn loud.Â
The music had started up almost immediately after Eddie had stormed to his room, startling Steve awake and nearly making Wayne curse for it.
Normally it was a good thing--music meant Eds was willing to listen instead of heading for the hills. Â
Normally, they didn't have a house guest who looked like he'd gone ten rounds with a bear.
They had a routine for this, was the thing and the music was a key part of it. It worked all the edges off for Wayne, and he'd long figured out that about thirty minutes was a the perfect length of time for Eddie to stew before he could actually talk things through.
Given the hand Harrington put to his forehead, Wayne wasn't eager to give him that thirty minutes.
Not when Steve deserved little peace he could have.
Unfortunately, so did Eds.Â
Still.
 Strutting through the door and demanding to talk right now was a bad move and so, with a sympathetic look given to Steve, Wayne did what he did best
Gave space.
Let Eddie rage, as Wayne got up and shuffled about the kitchen.
Pulled out the soft earplugs he pretended werenât there for Eds to steal (playing that damn loud guitar all the time could not be good for his ears) and offered them to Steve, before making two cups of what Wayne privately thought was the Munson âchitchatâ drink.Â
One cup of hot water, one packet swiss miss, a small amount of maple syrup drizzled in, topped with little marshmallows they reserved for these types of situations.Â
Wayne took his time with it, thinking through what he wanted to say.Â
âI understand that this is a screen door on a submarine kind of situation...âÂ
Nope.Â
âSon I know you hate listening to anyone for anything but this is serious...âÂ
Absolutely not--that would end up with the boy bolting for sure.Â
âEdâs, I love you but could we please turn Ozzy off while we talk? That man wails louder than any damn cat I have ever met.â
That one was purely self indulgent, mostly because the wall was starting to shake.Â
Wayne put the finishing touches on the cocoa before staring at both of them.Â
Perhaps if he stared the Garfield mug in its eyes hard enough, the right words would come through.Â
They did not.
He kept trying, standing there long enough for the cocoa to reasonably have cooled and for Eddieâs song to flip over to something with more screaming in it than singing.Â
Wayne supposed that this was the hardest part of being a parent. You just didnât get to have the magical one liner. The right thing to say at just the right time. Â
The joke that would ease all the tension and let things progress forward nice and easy.
Instead, you got to fumble your way through the dark with a flashlight up your ass and hope you were going in the right-ish direction. Ideally without making things worse.Â
Wayne was here though, and that had to count for something.Â
(Knew it counted for something--because Eddie was still here.Â
They had cleared hurdles far higher than this when it came to trust. Theyâd get through this too, come what may.Â
Steve too.)
âCan I just ask,��� Eddie started, aggressive as always when Wayne finally gave in and entered his room, feeling all sorts of awful for the migraine Steve had to have, âwhat the absolute fuck is happening?âÂ
Sure as fire he was sitting on his bed, leg bouncing a mile a minute.
An unlit cigarette hung between two fingers, looking a little chewed on, but otherwise undisturbed--as it should be, because one of Wayneâs few rules was that smoke stayed outside the house.Â
âYou could.â Wayne said loudly but agreeably, as he turned himself around and dropped down next to his kid. Â
Held out the Garfield mug, and was happy when it was taken from him.Â
âFigured you might have other things to say, though.âÂ
Likely a lot of things.Â
It was as good an opening as any, and his kid didnât disappoint, launching right to it.Â
âWhy is he here and not at a hospital?â
 âHereâ was punctuated by Edâs hand winging towards the door, and while it wasnât the righteous fury Wayne expected, it was at least, an easy answer to give.Â
âSteve has some people looking for him. Bad people. Hospital makes him an easy target.âÂ
Wayne was still talking loud. Could only hear Eddie himself because he was looking at the kidâs lips more than he was actually hearing his voice.Â
Eddie took that in, swallowing it about as well as heâd swallowed anything he hadnât liked.Â
And thank the stars above, he finally reached a hand out and turned the music down. Not a lot--Steve wouldnât be able to hear them over all this--but enough that Wayne didnât have to struggle.Â
âWeâre hiding him from the cops now?!â Edâs spat.Â
âCops know heâs here. Hopperâs the one who asked me to take him.â Wayne reminded him, because it was the truth.Â
Not the full truth, but given how Edâs pissed off half the local PD on a good day, Wayne absolutely did not want to see his nephew take on Federal Agents.
(Particularly not the kind who were going âround killing kids.)Â
âSo--what?â Eddie yanked hard on his hair, a gesture that looked less intentional and more like he was trying to fight his own anger down. âHopper just called you up and said âHey, we had a whoopsie with the rich kid, the hospitalâs not safe anymore. Can we stash him with you for a few days?âÂ
Wayne nodded once, slow-like.Â
Always remembered how too fast movements had made Eddie flinch and jerk back when was littler, and given the way Steve was looking, figured it was a good time to be cautious again.Â
âHe did.â
âAnd you just--agreed? Just like that!?âÂ
âI did.âÂ
He pretended not to see Eddie boggle at him at the simple admission, so furious that he seemed to struggle for words when he normally had too many to say.Â
Wayne took advantage.Â
âWe did talk a bit more than that, Iâll admit.â
Edâs scoffed. âAbout the weather Iâm sure.âÂ
ââBout trust.âÂ
Eddie blinked at that.Â
âTrust.â He echoed flatly.Â
âWhat have I always told you? People like to ask you to trust them, but you they donât get to have it until--âÂ
âThey provide proof or a reason.â Eddie finished with an eyeroll. âSo which did Hopper provide then?â
Wayne took a noisy sip of his coca. Smacked his lips a little before saying: âBoth.âÂ
Didnât bother to say anything else, because he knew Eddie would finish the thought for him.Â
âOne of them was me, wasnât it.âÂ
Eds didnât say it like a question, but Wayne hummed in agreement anyway.Â
He wasnât gonna shame his boy, but he wasnât gonna sugar coat Eddieâs involvement in this either. Not when heâd already admitted that was half the reason Hopper had gone to Wayne to begin with.Â
âNo one is expecting Steve to be here.â He said, seeing the chance to hammer home the most important part of this entire shitshow. âSo long as no one finds out heâs here, heâll be safe. Everyone will be safe.âÂ
Steve from the Feds who were hunting him for while he was busy being involved in shit he couldnât control and Eddie because he had a mouth that most people didnât like.Â
Not small town people anyway, and absolutely not authority figures with guns.Â
âWhoâs even after him?â Eddie was theatrical as always, hands waving away as he talked. âDid he make a deal with the mob? Piss off some other rich guy? I know itâs not anything drug related, Iâd have heard about it by now.âÂ
After years of experience, Wayne knew exactly how far to lean away to stay out of range, too used to his nephew talking with his entire body.
âThatâs his story to tell ya, Edâs. It ainât mine. Same way it ainât my place to tell him your story.âÂ
That at least got the boy to think for a minute. Put down that frustration he carried with him all the time, and use the brain they both knew he had.Â
âHow long is he staying here?â
Wayne shrugged. âDonât know.âÂ
Eddie sighed and mockingly mimicked Wayne, taking an obnoxious slurp of his cocoa. âThe neighbors are going to notice if heâs here more than a few days. The trailer park isnât exactly big.âÂ
âThey didnât notice that time you decided to make fireballs with the cooking spray and about blew up half the driveway. Donât think theyâre gonna notice someone being quiet in the house.âÂ
Eddie snorted, and probably rolled his eyes again, not that Wayne could see it given the kid was looking into his own mug as he thought it all through.Â
Wayne sat with him as he processed.Â
Eds worked at his own pace with things, and while life at large might be against that, Wayne was happy to let him do it. Found it easier that way, then trying to poke and prod and force him like so many father figures did.Â
Wayneâs patience was rewarded not even a full minute later, when Eddie turned to him and asked;Â
âWhat if he finds out?â Â
This in a quieter voice. An unsure one--words and body hunching in a way unlike the Eddie the world outside knew, but very much like the little boy Wayne had brought inside his home.Â
It took Wayne a moment to connect the dots--heâd been speaking out of the place parents and authority figures often do, and in doing so hadnât thought much of the fact his nephew had a real secret.Â
The kind small town minds didnât like--and would kill him over.Â
This all wasnât about Wayne taking in Steve, he realized abruptly. It was that Steve being here meant Eddie couldnât be himself.Â
Could not relax in a place he was accepted for who he was, because Wayne knew and made sure Eddie understood he was wanted here, had a place here, regardless of who he loved.Â
Now, Wayne had gone and removed it.
âShit.âÂ
âHe wonât.â Wayne said.Â
Knew that wasnât enough, and so, promised: âBut if he does, Iâll make sure he understands his safety here relies on your own.âÂ
Edâs chin jerked in a nod, the two of them sitting in silence for a moment before the boy did as he often did when he wanted a hug but felt too awkward to ask for one, and tipped himself into Wayneâs side.Â
âThanks old man.â Eddie whispered into his shoulder and not for the first time, Wayne wished things were easier for the poor kid as he put his mug in one hand and hugged his kid with the other.Â
Hoped that in the future, it would be.
Even if he had to force everyone and everything coming after him--and now Steve--to do it.
(Wondered vaguely, how bad it was that he was already getting as protective as Steve as he was of his own kid.
Probably very, given his kid clearly hated Harrington.)
xXx
Wayne took the first night of Steveâs stay off.
He wasnât the type to use his PTO lightly. Was used to rationing it for any possible thing Eddie might need him for.
A night up sick when he was younger, to a night spent chasing him down during some of their bad spots--but the last year or so Wayne had slowly realized he hadnât had to use it much.
He was still careful with it though, precious as it was, and was thankful for it now as it ensured his nephew didnât murder their house guest.Â
Or at the very least, didn't sit there pecking at him.
The kid might've failed English a few times, but he had a real gift with words and an even better one with insults.
(Wayne wasn't quite clear on what all the "King" jabs were about, and absolutely did not get why Steve looked far more hurt at the comment about his "sad ass floppy hair" but given the increasingly flat look Steve was throwing Eddie's way, Wayne figured it couldn't be anything good.)
Thankfully a pointed reminder about Steve's injuries had finally gotten them all some peace, enough for Harrington to drop back to sleep--and for Wayne to realize he looked a little too dead while he did it to be comfortable getting any sleep himself.
The kids chest barely moved, and that it ate at Wayneâs until he got up and shoved a hand under his nose.Â
Felt his breath, and told himself the poor sod was fine.Â
Hurt, absolutely, but alive.Â
Over and over again, until the sun had made its rotation in the sky, bringing the morning with it.
âBetter than nightmares, I suppose.â Wayne figured, as exhaustion scraped at his eyelids.
Those Wayne knew, would come later. When Steveâs brain caught up to the rest of him, and stopping dumping survival chemicals through his battered body.Â
He'd given up on sleep entirely sometime around 1 am, and now he sat at his small kitchen table, writing out a medication schedule for Harrington so he and the kid both knew when he could have his next Tylenol.Â
Wasnât even halfway through it before Eddie made his typically late appearance and blew through his door.Â
Had his back up from the moment heâd stepped a foot in the kitchen and it didnât take a genius to see heâd worked himself into a snit again.
Unfortunately for him, whatever scenario that imaginative brain of his had cooked up fell flat to the reality that was the poor kid on the couch.Â
Steve Harrington was one a hell of a sight.
Didnât help that he was doing his level best to make himself as small as possible, curled deep into Wayne's ancient couch.
The blankets covered the ribs and hid away most of the damage, but there wasnât much Steve could do to hide the shiners on his face--or the marks around his neck. Â
Not when theyâd grown worse overnight, practically inviting questions.
It was almost laughable how quickly Eddie ate whatever words heâd prepared, mouth awkwardly chewing around them as if they were tangible.Â
The less-than-sneaky looks he threw at the younger teen were equally amusing, and if Wayne wasnât trying to peace keep, heâd have given in and chuckled when Eds split attention caused him to pour half his coffee into the sink rather than a cup.Â
Looked utterly lost when, after finishing putting his coffee together and grabbing some junk food thing that absolutely was not a breakfast item, he came to stand awkwardly at Wayne's shoulder, openly staring as Steve blatantly ignored him.
Eds didnât know what to do, and Wayne couldn't blame him.Â
Seemed to keep thinking he was going to encounter a boy that likely no longer existed, and whose blood tinged specter just made things sad.
Shit like this, Wayne knew, took a manâs ego and warped it, shaping it to something else entirely.Â
At least for Steve, it seemed that getting wrapped up in whatever mess he had had shaped him for the better, instead of pretzeling him into something worse. That, Wayne thought, spoke to the boy's character more than anything heâd done prior.Â
(It helped to know what Hopper tolerated and what he didnât. That heâd vouched for Steve in the same way Wayne knew heâd vouched for Eddie, even if Eddie didnât yet realize the cop he antagonized so much would do that for him.)Â
That didn't erase the history his kid had with Harrington, though.
Wouldn't stop him from seeing the old Steve, first.
âDonât you got school?â Wayne asked when he decided Ed had stared enough.Â
âYeah, yeah.â Eddie waved him off, trotting out the door. âBye old man, house parasite!âÂ
It was clearly a jab, meant to nettle, but Steve barely acted like he heard it.Â
Wayne rolled his eyes.Â
âGoodbye, Eds.â He said firmly, much of a warning as he ever gave, and fondly watched his nephew scuttle out the door.Â
Turned to see how Steve was taking things, and was once again given a reminder that Steve wasnât doing a hell of a lot other than feeling his injuries.Â
âI think I promised you a game, son.â Wayne said gently, startling Steve out of the distant, dim look he had trained on the wall.Â
It wasnât a lot to offer in terms of a distraction, but it would have to do.
#small town rumors#this is the first part of chapter two#I will post all parts of chapter two once im done fighting through it lol#steddie#or pre steddie#where I exist as a person#best dad wayne munson#wayne pov#did I say this entire chapter was going to be eddies pov bc haha I lied#outsider pov#s3 au#hurt/comfort#enemies to lovers but like softish enemies to lovers as in Eddies not caring a whole lot that Steves hurt....yet#beat to shit steve harrington#0o0 fanfics#stranger things#eddie munson#steve harrington#Eddies out here ready to face down snotty af rich boy king steve#keeps working himself up so much he forgets how badly off Steve is lol#dont worry his munson doctrine goes to shit later#mostly bc Eddie thinks steve stuck his nose where he shouldnt have and finally got what he deserved lmao
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