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Wayne didn't stick around for the reporters to come.
He knew the way the town looked at people from the trailer park, knew how they looked at his nephew and wasn't in any mood to leave Eddie out there with nothing while listening to police and reporters accusing Eddie of things he'd never do.
The police had barely even finished their questions when Wayne walked away, into the woods and started to follow his nose for any scent of Eddie that was strong enough to be fresh.
Part of him felt bad, knew that he'd jumped to some conclusion that could easily be wrong in spotting the similarity to those murders from so many years ago, but largely he just knew that whomever killed the girl in his home it wasn't Eddie and they were dangerous. Whether Creel had Eddie or his boy was on the run from more than just the town lighting pitchforks at the smallest connection, Wayne was going to be there to protect him.
It wasn't the first time his nephew had run away after being unfairly blamed for something, but Wayne knew this was the worst. He only hoped it wouldn't be like the first time it happened.
/\/\
Wayne had been late that day, had assumed Eddie was with the friends he'd soon form a band with.
He'd waited for a while before calling Gareth's house only to be told Eddie wasn't welcome and had smashed their garage up. Wayne had heard the arguments Gareth had been making in the background and grabbed his coat, ordering the woman to try listening to her son not her assumptions for once in her small minded life before hanging up and rushing out the door.
That time he'd gone on four legs, deciding there was no time to waste and he'd been right. He'd also been infuriated when at the sight of him his nephew's attackers had decided to abandon Eddie for the wolf to eat in their words.
He'd spent weeks after that taking his spare moments to find small insults to civility he could send anonymous notes to the attackers parents about. It wasn't enough of a punishment for them, but it had to do.
Eddie had collapsed into him that day, before Wayne even had the chance to take his human form again. He'd sobbed into his fur, apologising and claiming that he didn't know what he'd done. Neither of them did but Wayne realised that day that blame would always be put on the victims shoulders if they didn't have money or status.
/\/\
Wayne was thankful for the hundredth time that he had worked to get the strength and control he has over his form. Some werewolves struggle to use their heightened senses without transforming, new ones can barely control their transformations without the moon being out, but he'd worked through the years to gain as much control of his abilities and stills as possible.
And now that meant he didn't need to transform to go through the woods seeking his nephew's scent; that he could transform to move through the woods more easily but return to his human form to keep running as the scent got stronger, as well as more embedded in the location.
He hadn't been to Rick's place before but could guess that this was where he was now. Eddie had mentioned the man before as someone who'd give him a safe place to stay if needed.
He scratched at the door to the boat house, three times, pause then five, another pause and then the final five. Wayne knew that Eddie was in there, could hear the breathing and smell the familiar scent. He just hoped that Eddie wasn't so upset he missed or ignored their signal.
“Wayne!” The cry came and was immediately followed by what sounded like Eddie slapping a hand over his mouth at the noise.
A moment later the door opened and Eddie was there, tugging him through the door as if the wolf that was his uncle wouldn't hurt him even in the worst of his nightmares. A far far cry from the first time Wayne had explained being a werewolf to him.
/\/\
Eddie had been sent to live with Wayne a week before and for all he hadn't expected to even be a parent Wayne was resolute in doing the right thing for his nephew. That included being honest over who he was and setting rules and boundaries for when he was or had to transform.
Eddie had accepted the words. He'd immediately related it to Dungeons and Dragons and gone on to ask a bunch of questions based on the creatures in the game but Wayne had interrupted, saying he'd answer everything later.
Then he'd transformed and Eddie screamed. He ran as well as he could going backwards and Wayne remained still. This was the reaction he'd expected even if he'd been wrong originally thinking Eddie wouldn't believe him so he'd laid down, just watched and waited as Eddie got used to the fact that his uncle was a wolf and wasn't actually going to attack him.
“You're, you're still just looking after me. That's why you told me this now, right?” Eddie eventually said, had stepped forwards and sat down a few metres away.
Wayne had nodded then.
/\/\
Once inside the boathouse, Eddie didn't let go or move back from Wayne, just hung on him. “I hoped you'd find me. I – I didn't – I would never. I don't know what happened.”
Wayne twists to nuzzle into the side of Eddie's head where it's still buried in the fur on his back. He wouldn't transform while still being hugged so this was all the comfort he could offer for the moment.
The action seemed to make Eddie remember that too as he was soon released, Eddie curling up against the wall as Wayne became human again. “I know you couldn't do something like that, but who did?” He asked as soon as he could.
“Nobody. There was nobody else there. It was- It's weird and scary even for a family of a freak and a werewolf.” Eddie explained.
For a moment Wayne was silent, thinking over what was said and trusting that Eddie wouldn't make up lies in a situation like this. “Okay, I believe that, but what did you see? Maybe there was something you missed over how that happened.”
Either the trust or the change of approach in how he could think of the event made Eddie nod, closing his eyes and starting to explain.
/\/\
4 hours since Wayne managed to find his nephew and an entirely unbelievable story later and he was still certain that Eddie wasn't the one to commit the murder. He was questioning the drugs Eddie had in his supplies and trying not to say that when they both heard the car outside.
“You said Rick's doing time right?” Wayne checked, glancing around and pulling the tarp back on the boat even as Eddie nodded. “You hide under here. I'll see whoever that is off.”
Transforming wasn't likely to get Wayne answers over why anyone had come out here, but the calls for Eddie didn't seem angry, only concerned.
Then someone Wayne only recognised as a well built teen or young adult came through the door, others behind him, but Wayne focused on grabbing him and pinning him to the wall. “What do you want with Eddie?” He growled out, only realising as he spoke that the growl was more wolf than he'd intended.
“To help!” The boy gasped out, echoed by the people behind him.
“We're here to help. Just calm down, please. Are you his uncle? I'm Dustin. We're not here to hurt him. We just want to help.” The voice sounded young, too young to be even close to Eddie's age and that had Wayne stepping back. He wasn't going to threaten or hurt someone in front of a child, or two children as he saw when turning around, not without being provoked.
He glanced among the group from Dustin to the boy he'd pinned to the two girls, one close to the boy's age, the other to Dustin's. “Yes, I'm Eddie's Uncle. Wayne Munson. Why would 2 kids and 2 teens think they can help Eddie?”
“Because we've been dealing with insane and deadly shit since Will Byers went missing in 83. Max saw the lights messing up in your trailer last night and wondered if that's back again.” The older boy explained, rubbing his neck where Wayne's nails had cut him, sharpened into claws in preparation to fight and remaining so for now.
“What do the lights have to do with anything? It's the trailer park. Nobody's electric is completely stable.” He muttered, recognising the girl from the trailer across from theirs now and looking closer to the other pair to try and identify them. The older girl he had no recognition of, but the boy, well he might not have seen the boy before but with a face like that he could name the family. “Or are Harrington's so rich they think faulty electrics are the beginning of a horror film?”
Oddly that made Harrington snort. “I bet my mother would, but working minimum wage cause the bastard I call father says I have to pay the bills now leaves me more that accepting electric isn't the best. No the stuff always messes with lights. First time I encountered it I could follow a monsters progress by Christmas lights turning off enough to get out of the way before it burst through to attack. All of us hate flickering lights because we don't know when they'll mean something wants to kill us. Now is Eddie here? Can we have a clue if it is the same old Hawkins Horror or if this is some new world ending thing? All I've ruled out so far is the Russians.”
“I'm here.” Eddie called, muffled by the tarp and hitting it a few times. “Can someone check Wayne didn't like pin this down to keep me hidden.”
Dustin jumped back from where he had dumped his bag on the boat, hurrying to grab it and move the tarp to let Eddie out. “Thank Christ. What's going on?”
“I'll say if Steve'll share what else you guys have been dealing with.” Eddie tried to tease, glancing to Wayne for his support if he had to relive Chrissy's death again.
Dustin shrugged, “Demogorgan once, Demodogs next alongside mindflayer possession, then just fighting the mindflayer outright later. And he's already mentioned the Russians. What details beyond that do you need?”
“I need you to stop naming everything after your nerd game. Also he said Steve not Dustin.” Steve rolled his eyes, helping Eddie out of the boat and sitting down next to him on the floor. “Most of this all starts with that lab. They did experiments on like psychic powers or something, at least 11 cause they were testing kids. This girl escaped and she has superpowers.”
“Like ability to levitate a cheerleader to the ceiling and snap all her bones type superpowers?” Eddie asked, looking ready to bolt if that got dismissed.
Instead the four shared glances, slowly nodding. “El would never do that though and she lost her powers last year so far as we all know, moved away to California with the Byers for safety and peace away from Hawkins.” Max stated.
“But we don't know if there were other kids, or others that escaped, beyond Kali. And Kali according to El would never come back here, only creates illusions regardless.” Dustin continued.
“So we check in with her, ask if there were any other kids that could do this.” Robin suggested.
Wayne shook his head. Listening to these kids talk was making Creel's story from all those years back sound plausible, even if the man was vile. “How old is your supergirl? That lab has been open for decades, and I've seen similar deaths to Chrissy's in that time, just in the news though.”
Max blinked, raising her hand. “My age. What deaths?”
“The Creel's.”
/\/\
Steve and Wayne decided on Eddie staying in the Harrington house after they'd all finished talking about what they knew of whatever had killed Chrissy and the possibilities it could be connected back to the lab or the mirror Hawkins. He did hate calling it the upside down however, because what then do they call the normal world if they ever need to? The rightside up?
“Nancy!” Steve exclaimed on the way home. It was a squash in the car with 3 adults and 2 kids in the actual seats and Eddie hiding in the trunk, but it seemed like the best way to get everyone home without Wayne explaining he could run home almost as quickly as they could drive without getting pulled over.
Robin blinked at him before grinning, explaining to the rest, “We've got a reporter right there who will love the chance for a story. It's basically how she avoided the last two instances until the big fights because she focused on getting stories reported. If Wayne gets her to tell his story, to investigate the Creel's as fact checking for it then there's a reason to learn more.”
Dustin shook his head, “Pretty sure that wasn't what Steve meant. He's just got that crush back again and should probably go for it.”
“And You've forgotten Jonathan exists. It's not gonna happen.” Steve countered. “But Robin was right in what I meant. Can I drop you off at the Wheeler's and explain to her what's happening and why or you do that after I introduce you cause Dustin has a curfew.”
Wayne grunted before nodding. “I guess I can do that. Head to a hotel afterwards since I bet the trailer is still cordoned off as a crime scene.”
“Damn, I'm lucking out if I get to stay in a mansion and you're going to get by in some cheap hotel.” Eddie grinned, calmer now he'd got support and confirmation that he wasn't going insane.
The situation was terrifying to consider but Wayne was ready to be the responsible adult as much as he could in this bizarre situation. He was also definitely not going to any hotel, but rather transforming and guarding the Harrington house as a wolf all night. Just in case.