Stranger Things - Imagines (Book 2)

Eddie Munson x Reader - Pink Skies

A/N - This chapter is set long after the end of Stranger Things, when the kids are grown up and have their own lives. It's inspired by the song Pink Skies by Zach Bryan, which is just beautiful. I hope you all enjoy it.

You had never really thought about what it would be like to come back to Hawkins and not have Wayne sitting out on the porch waiting for you. He always looked the exact same too, a can of beer in one hand, a cigarette in the other, his cap sitting perfectly in place on his head. That had always been your welcome home; the reason to come back even when Eddie was starting to make it big and wouldn't have ever wanted anything else to do with the shitty little town you'd grown up in. 

But today, as you pulled up to the old trailer, a thousand memories flooding through you, Wayne wasn't waiting for you in his usual spot, and your breath had caught in your throat.  It's not like you thought he would be. Hell, you'd had a week to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't going to be here this time. But it hadn't felt real until now. 

Eddie switched off the van, the two of you sitting in silence, both staring at the spot his uncle had occupied for so many years. You reached out, linking your fingers through Eddie's and giving them a tight squeeze, offering up some comfort, some understanding, a message that you felt the same. And then, he had used your grip to pull you closer, pressing a quick kiss to your temple before releasing you and climbing out of the van, leaving you alone in the quiet for just a moment before you were hurrying to follow him towards the front door. 

"Looks like Steve packed some of the stuff up for us," Eddie started, eyes lingering on the boxes in the middle of the room, labelled in black marker. Kitchen. Bathroom. Eddie's stuff. 

Steve had grown close with Wayne since you and Eddie had moved out of town. They'd each claimed to be keeping an eye on each other whenever you called like they were both doing you a favour, but deep down you knew that it had gone both ways. Hawkin's was a dying town. People weren't sticking around like they used to. And both Wayne and Steve had been thankful for the company. 

"Yeah, he offered to do it all," you murmured, approaching one of the mug-laden shelves that lined the living room wall. "But I told him we wanted to do most of it," you pressed on, letting out a shaky sigh as you picked down the coffee mug in the middle of the shelf, the one you'd helped him pick out in some shitty LA tourist shop when he'd first come out to visit. "Thought you might want to choose a couple to take home with us-"

"Shit, baby, look at this one," Eddie uttered, drawing your attention over to the hat in his hands, the name of your college etched over the front. 

You hesitated for a moment, taking it from him gently. "I didn't know he had one of these," you hummed softly, your tongue darting out to wet your lips. "He never told me," you added, leaning into Eddie as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders. 

"He was really proud of you, you know?" Eddie started, pressing another kiss to the side of your head. "Loved you so much," he pressed on. "You remember when Hopper dragged me down to the station for beating the shit out of Tommy H?"

Your brow furrowed slightly. "Yeah. The asshole called me a whore and you went completely feral on him-"

"Yeah," Eddie confirmed. "Well, when Wayne came to bail me out that night he didn't lecture me or nothing. He didn't tell me it was stupid or that I shouldn't be getting into fights and getting myself in trouble." He hesitated for a moment, clearing his throat. "I'd spent hours at the station being told that I was just like my dad. But he told me he was proud of how I stood up for you. Said he would've done the same in my position. He told me I was twice the man my dad was-"

Your grip on Eddie tightened, your arms winding around his middle. "God, he was one of the best men I've ever known," you breathed, tucking yourself tighter into his side, feeling him pull you closer. "And he loved you something fierce," you added, hearing Eddie let out a soft snort of laughter, until the room had fallen silent again, surrounded by the shock of how empty this room would be once you removed all of Wayne's memorabilia.

"I know we didn't see him much, but I'm really going to miss him," Eddie hummed, leaning in to press a kiss to the side of your head. "Knowing he was always here, always encouraging us. I always knew he would be cheering us on, even if I couldn't see him, you know-"

You twisted in Eddie's grip, reaching up to cup his cheek, drawing his focus down to you. "Ed, that's not changing, you know that, right?" you started softly. "I mean, he might not be here, but that doesn't mean that he isn't cheering you on from somewhere else, does it?"

"You mean like in Heaven?" Eddie murmured, brow furrowing slightly. 

"You're damn right, I mean Heaven. He was a damn saint; there's no place else he could've possibly ended up. And you know that the second he got up there he was chatting off the ears of any angel who would listen, talkin' about his rockstar kid, killin' it out on the West Coast," you pressed, beaming up at him. 

"They're good kids, but they're total yuppies" Eddie snorted, his effortless Uncle Wayne impression slipping out. "Swear, that boy's got more money than sense, livin' out there in Hollywood," he pressed on, drawing a soft giggle out of you. 

"But my boy's got more talent in his pinky than most kids have in their entire bodies," you mimiced.

Eddie grinned down at you. "But that girl of his, she's got brains. Got  herself a college education. Keeps the boys working hard. They would'nt've made a cent without her," Eddie added, his voice soft as he brushed a finger over your cheek, before releasing a deep sigh. "You know, if I'd not been such an idiot, he could've been at the wedding," he murmured, watching as your smile faltered slightly. 

In all honesty, you hadn't taken a moment to think of the wedding yet. You had always assumed that Wayne would be the one walking you down the aisle. You'd been counting on it, ever since you were a teenager and the idea of marriage was way in the future. "I-" your words caught in your throat, your stomach lurching. 

"I know," he breathed gently, leaning forward to press his forehead to yours for a moment. "I'm sorry-"

"He'll still be there," you started again, lifting your hand to rest over his heart, your palm flat to his chest. "He'll be here, remember?" 

Eddie released a soft sigh. "Yeah, he's always going to be right there," he confirmed, his hand lifting to rest over the top of yours. 

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