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“so much moving,” dustin said as they got into steve’s car, “and all this sh** and robins on a date?” he gave steve an incredulous look.
annoyed at himself for mentioning it earlier, steve turned the ignition, delaying a response. “well, date is a loose term for it. i think it’s a date but, well, robin says they’re just hanging out. i don’t know who just hangs out at a time like this but…” steve shrugged as he buckled his seatbelt.
“we’re hanging out,” dustin said.
“yeah well, i don’t exactly consider cleaning out the wheelers basement as ‘hanging out.’”
“i wouldn’t say i do either but to be fair there’s not a lot else to do in hawkins right now.”
“yep. just cleaning basements and planning funerals. it’s the dream.” steve swallowed, trying to push down any residual grief that had piled on top of him over the past couple weeks. not only eddie and max, but his own father. to be fair, he was an a**hat, but it was still family and still another death.
dustin didn’t speak. clearly he was remembering all that they had lost as of late. dustin’s home was partially destroyed in the earthquake, and it was a miracle his mother wasn’t injured. not to mention eddie, who died in dustin’s arms.
steve winced, thinking about how he, robin, and nancy had returned to the munsons trailer only to find dustin and eddie nowhere to be found.
they had wandered around before they spotted dustin, still desperately clinging to eddie’s lifeless form. steve’s stomach dropped even thinking about how he had to tear dustin away from the corpse, and drag him back to the gate, practically kicking and screaming. dustin had wanted to take eddie’s body with, but steve, nor nancy and robin could come up with a feasible way of doing it. it just couldn’t be done.
and so, after getting the others safely back to hawkins, steve had returned to the upside down later and buried eddie’s body by the side of the munsons trailer. it was better this way. and although steve wished they could have a real funeral with a real grave in hawkins, he knew it would just be vandalized. he would get eddie a headstone eventually, but not until hawkins was mostly evacuated. not until the people who still cursed eddie couldn’t do anything to deface his heroic name.
steve remembered making a simple wooden cross as he sat by eddie’s new grave, the sound of the giant gate nearby gurgling unceremoniously.
“god, i hated you…” steve had said, staring down at the grave with the makeshift cross at its head, accompanied by eddie’s electric guitar. “you were a pain in my a** but dammit i’m sorry to see you go.” steve dropped to the ground, sitting by the foot of the grave cross legged.
“i don’t know what else i’m supposed to say… i mean, you were loud, and strange, and weirdly flirtatious, and yet you were nothing but good. and i envied you because i guess that, you, eddie the freak munson, were better than me. a better man, a better friend. and i mean, of all things, you were present, and god knows that’s one thing that dustin needs.”
steve mindlessly picked at the rotten grass around him. “he likes to play up the ‘i don’t give a sh** about my absent father’ act but… i guess that once you get to know him and get close to him he will, ya know, cling on like a lifeline. and he clung to you. even through death he held on, because you were that inspiration. i know the kid looks up to me, and it flatters me beyond all reason, but i don’t want dustin to be some copy of me. i mean he never was and he’s always just been… dustin, but… i don’t want to be the only influence he has, ya know? you were so important in that part. he looked up to you… he still does. and maybe now that’s a little dangerous all things considered… so, ya know, bear in mind that if dustin goes and… like, is ready to throw his life away in the name of being a hero, the blames on you munson.”
choking back tears, steve pressed a knuckle to his lips. “so i guess thank you… seriously, thank you. thank you for protecting hawkins yeah but… over anything else thank you for protecting dustin. i care about that kid more than my own parents or family. hell he’s the only family i’ve got these days. and you kept him safe, so thank you so much mun-“ steve stopped himself, he swallowed. “thank you eddie.“ and with that, steve stood. he glanced back at the guitar and cross.
“oh and, just so you know, i’m keeping your vest. turns out it fits.” and with that, steve turned and left.