Tales From The Road | Eddie Munson X Reader

7 - Never Have I Ever

Day nine

Y/n POV:

After Eddie put his Warlock back in the van, everyone went back over to the ocean except Dustin, who waited behind to speak to me. We sat down on the sand as the sunset began to darken.

"You look happy," was the first observation he revealed. It was adorable that, even now, he was wearing a Hellfire T-shirt. I was sat with my legs crossed, smiling while I watched everyone having fun without even realising it.

"I am happy," I nodded at him.

"I still feel really terrible that I didn't notice how... sad you were before," he muttered, breaking eye contact with me to look ahead.

"Shut up," I reached my arm around his head and pulled him against my shoulder, "you didn't notice I was sad because that was my normal. As long as you've known me I've always been quiet, reserved... kinda annoying..." I went on with a chuckle, and I heard him let out a little one as well.

"... you had no reason to assume there anything more to it other than me just being a fucking dull human being," I insisted, and at this point he actually laughed. When I let go of him, he turned to look at me, and there was a weak smile on his face.

"I like this version of you. I feel like I missed out on it. I feel like you missed out on it," he admitted. I picked up my jacket from the ground next to me and put it on as the temperature started to drop.

"Yeah, well, I don't mind so much now. I'm content with focusing on the present, not the past anymore," I was being almost completely honest. How things were now did make up for a lot of the bad stuff in my past, but it was still there no matter how much I longed for it to disappear. I hoped that time would heal the wounds, and I didn't want to put any of it on my sweet cousin.

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"So how's the road?" Dustin asked. I saw him relax at what I had said, and I realised that there must've been a lot of guilt on his mind; guilt he didn't deserve to bear.

"It's great to be free, you know? But I miss you so so much already. Once I'm home you won't be allowed to go a day without seeing me. I'll be hanging around all the time. I just... well I needed to get away from my dad for a while. You understand right?" I hoped he did.

"Are you kidding? Of course I do. Y/n, about your dad-"

"Nancy and Robin told me that he's bailed already, right?" I interrupted.

"Um... yeah," Dustin agreed vaguely.

"Do you know more details about any of it? Like what happened? I pushed.

"Your dad was just going crazy about all of it and- so you know why you moved to Hawkins, right?" His eyes were full of nervous curiosity.

"My mom said we were escaping him and going to live near you and your mom for a fresh start. But a few days before, she made up with my dad and he came with us," I recalled the memory in a flat, unemotional way, but it still kinda stung. It was the one time I thought she was going to choose me over him, and I was so wrong. That was why I could never forgive her.

"Mhmm. So I overheard that the other night he started a huge fight about how he never wanted to move in the first place. How it was your mom's fault you were corrupted or something. He packed all of his shit and just drove off. A couple days ago your mom called a friend back in Tennessee, and apparently he's back there already," Dustin explained, and I nodded along because it made perfect sense. It sounded just like him.