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It wasn’t that Wayne didn’t have any experience with kids before Eddie came to live with him. He saw him every year, for birthdays and holidays and the occasional weekend where Eddie’s dad decided he’d had enough of being a parent and dumped his one and only child with his younger brother. Perhaps Wayne had been a little too good at handling Eddie, as he found him literally on his front step one day, backpack in hand and tears spilling so generously as Eddie refused to look at him.
“Did you run away?” Wayne asked, taking the bag from him, mentally trying to figure out where the hell he was supposed to put a 12-year-old that hadn’t spent the night in the past five years.
Eddie shuffled into the trailer, closing the door softly behind him. “He kicked me out.”
Now Wayne wasn’t an animated man. Where his brother lit up like a firecracker at the slightest inconvenience he’d always held back, letting it all settle in his mind before he allowed any emotion to show on his face. He suspected that was one of the reasons he could handle Eddie so well, who got angrier and angrier as the years went by (not that Wayne blamed him, with a father like his). He also suspected that was why Eddie liked him. Liked his calm and his quiet humor and his thinking before speaking. He felt bad that he got to witness one of the few times Wayne really snapped, screaming into the phone and threatening his brother and telling him he was never seeing his son again.
“Good,” he sneered back. “Keep that homo away from me.”
When they hung up Eddie was staring at the floor, angry tears freely flowing in a way that broke Wayne’s heart.
He turned his small extra room, which had been used as storage for the past ten years, into a bedroom complete with a mattress on the floor, and gave his own bedroom to Eddie the very same day.
The first week was the easiest, as they were busy adjusting to each other all while still somehow assuming Eddie’s father would show up, apologetic but not apologizing. It was only once they passed the seven day mark that they both realized that maybe this was it, this was life for the next five or so years.
That was the second time Eddie cried since his arrival, at the very least loudly and visibly enough for Wayne to realize it. He found him curled up on the bed, bag thrown across the room in a way that had littered all its contents over the floor. Wayne had noticed he hadn’t unpacked. Had held onto that last shred of hope.
“Hey.” Wayne had never been good at comforting people, so he perched on the side of the bed awkwardly, hand finding the back of Eddie’s neck. “He’s not worth that.”
Eddie looked up at him, sniffling. “I know.”
They sat in silence, Eddie still silently sobbing and Wayne holding onto his neck, stroking the skin slowly until Eddie fell asleep.
The next day he took him out to the junkyard and let him smash as many cars as he needed.
The first time Eddie had an unrequited crush while living with Wayne - Wayne could tell so very easily it was almost ridiculous - he pouted for four days before Wayne finally sat down a bowl of ice cream in front of him without a word, a hand on his shoulder as he sank down on the couch next to him. Eddie looked at him wordlessly before picking up his spoon, digging around the chocolate and vanilla for a moment before finally taking a bite.
Wayne leaned back, wondering how to approach this. It would’ve been easier had he not been 90% certain Eddie had a crush on a boy. While not seeing anything wrong with it himself, he knew it probably wasn’t easy to talk about, especially since they’d never once mentioned it before. He tapped his fingers on his knee. He knew Eddie probably understood that he suspected it, and while they spoke well through silence he reckoned sometimes words were needed, too.
He hummed and Eddie turned toward him, as if he was expecting it. “What?”
Wayne met his gaze. “Is the ice cream good?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Eddie narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say anything else. Wayne started tapping at his knee again, a nervous habit. Sometimes, when Eddie commented on it, he started tapping on Eddie’s knee instead, relishing in how he giggled and tried to evade him. Wayne would sometimes grab onto his leg and hold it in place, claiming Eddie needed to make some sacrifices if he was forbidding him from tapping on himself. Eddie would fall into hysterical ticklish laughter as Wayne turned his tapping into squeezing and eventually into wiggling.
He knew it probably wouldn’t solve things now and so he didn’t do it, although he missed his laughter. Had gotten used to it the past three years.
He hummed again, and when Eddie looked at him this time he put his hand on his knee only briefly and told him to finish his ice cream before it melted.
“I fucking failed again.”
Wayne winced as the door slammed shut, Eddie’s parting words ringing in his ears. He wasn’t disappointed more than he was upset for his nephew, who’d been trying so hard to finally graduate and failing each time. He knew what it meant for Eddie to have to stay here, stuck in this town which shunned him in several ways and had been for the last seven years.
He sighed, giving Eddie a moment before knocking on the door and waiting in vain for a response. “Kid?”
Nothing.
“Eddie, I’m coming in.”
He found him sitting on his bed, smoking something Wayne had never questioned, with his gaze stuck on the ceiling. He wasn’t crying. He rarely was nowadays.
“Are you okay?” He knew it was a stupid question, but Eddie wouldn’t talk unprompted.
Eddie huffed out smoke. “Just peachy.”
“Eddie.”
“I just.” He leaned forward, hands waving in the air as if he was looking for the right words. “I’m so.”
“Angry?”
“Yes.”
“You have every right to be.”
He leaned back again, blinking at him. “You’re not mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad?” Wayne placed a hand on Eddie’s calf, squeezing it lightly. “I can see how hard you try. The school’s not accommodating at all, is all I know.”
Eddie exhaled loudly. “Right?”
“Next year.” Wayne patted his leg. “I really believe next year will be your year.”
“86.” Eddie took a drag, let the smoke come out of his nose. “My year.”
“All yours.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Wayne didn’t gloat much, or at all really. But according to Eddie he was a bad winner, which probably was only amplified since Eddie was a sore loser.
But Wayne didn’t gloat. Truly. Scout’s honor.
Okay, maybe a little.
“When will you learn?” he was saying now, grinning as Eddie threw his cards on the table. “I never lose at card games.”
Eddie pointed at him. “You cheat. I don’t know how, but you cheat.”
“I don’t need to do that to win.”
“Stop smirking.”
“I’m not!” Wayne held up his hands. “You stop pouting.”
“I’m not!”
“Yes, you are.”
Eddie huffed, pushing his chair back to stand. “I’ll figure out how you cheat one day. Just you wait.”
“Oh, come on, Ed, don’t be upset with me.”
“I’m not, just disappointed.” Eddie shook his head. “I thought better of you, Uncle Wayne.”
Wayne sighed, somewhat dramatically. “Come here, I’ll make it up to you.”
“No.”
“Come here.”
“I know what you’re gonna do.” Eddie started walking when Wayne stood. “Stay away from me.”
“But I have to comfort you since you’re so upset with me.” Wayne picked up his pace. “Eddie, wait.”
The chase wasn’t long-lived, but intense enough that Wayne all but tackled Eddie to the couch by the end of it, fingers worming under his chin to the sound of high pitched giggles. His favorite sound. He’d been hearing it for most of Eddie’s life, but it had become less frequent as he got older. He’d started doing it again only because he realized Eddie wouldn’t kill him afterward.
“Wa-hayne!”
“Ye-hes?”
Eddie kicked his legs, hands gripping Wayne’s wrists but doing little to push him off. “Asshole.”
“Oho, you’re gonna turn me comforting you into a punishment if you keep that up, kid.”
“I’m not a kid- gah, no!”
“You’re barely 20. You’ll be a kid to me until you’re at least 35.”
Eddie didn’t reply, his giggles rounding out into full on belly laughter as Wayne used one hand to poke at his ribs, the other staying put at his neck. This was one way to mellow him out, but Wayne only used this method of comfort occasionally. It had been a trial and error, figuring out what actually worked and what only agitated him in the moment, but Wayne felt he’d compiled a pretty accurate list of ways to comfort his nephew now.
He reached back to squeeze at his knee, relishing in how he squealed.
“Goddammit, I can’t get it right.”
Wayne glanced at Eddie, who was sitting on the couch with his guitar on his lap. “The new song?”
“Something’s off.” Eddie shook his head. “It doesn’t sound right.”
“Well, I’m sure it’s a difficult song.” Wayne admitted he knew absolutely nothing about instruments, but had been hearing Eddie play for the past few years. The kid was talented. Patient.
Well, most times.
“Listen to this.” Eddie played something elaborate and semi-identical to the songs he usually played (okay, Wayne really knew nothing of this type of music), turning to him with a frown as if Wayne himself was responsible for whatever was wrong.
“It sounded okay to me.”
Eddie sighed, exasperated. “Of course it did.”
“Hey now.”
His face immediately softened. “Sorry. It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t take it out on you.”
“What you need,” Wayne said, ruffling Eddie’s hair which earned him a whine. “is some food. Dinner’s almost ready. Then you can tell me all about what it is that isn’t working out, okay?”
Eddie nodded. “Okay.” A beat, and, “Thanks.”
Wayne was already walking away. “For?”
“For listening. For caring.”
Wayne grunted, unwilling to turn back to let his nephew see his pink face. “Don’t mention it. Wash your hands.”
Wayne woke up confused, blinking into the darkness of the living room, which he fell asleep in more often than not since giving Eddie his room. He’d been flung out of sleep, so something must’ve woken him up. He lay still, listening to the rain, the wind, but it was all faint. Not enough to get through to him, being a heavy sleeper as he was.
He rolled to his side, grunting as his back protested. Maybe the mattress on the floor was better after all. Maybe he should get a real bed.
He heard it then; something quiet and heartbreaking. He was standing within seconds, walking toward Eddie’s room.
“Kid?” He pushed the door open, finding Eddie fast asleep, but twitching, mouthing words around his sobs. A nightmare. He’d been having more of those, but since he sometimes worked nights Wayne rarely caught them. Unsure of what to do now, he crossed the room, placing a hand gently on Eddie’s arm. “Eddie.”
“N-no...”
“Eddie, it’s me.” He shook him lightly, evading Eddie’s flying hand just in time as the kid woke in a panic. “Woah, woah, it’s okay. You’re safe.”
Eddie sat up, shaking his head as if trying to shake off the dreams. “Wayne?”
“I’m here.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“I’m sure he’s also here somewhere.”
Eddie let out a laugh, something hysterical, bordering on a sob. “God- oh, don’t say it.”
Wayne let the joke die at the tip of his tongue, both of them laughing weakly in the darkness.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Wayne asked later, once they’d calmed down and Eddie was rolling onto his side.
“No,” Eddie said, although he seemed to be hesitating. “Not now.”
“Okay, well, I’ll be here if you do.”
“Thank you.”
Wayne put his hand on Eddie’s cheek, pushing hair out of his face as he did. “You want me to sleep in here with you?”
“Oh, come on, Uncle Wayne, I’m not 10.”
Wayne huffed out a laugh. “Just checking.”