Chapter Text
The truth was, growing up, Wayne Munson never had any desire for a relationship, let alone kids or a family. He was happiest riding his bike, going to school, and playing outside. But watching how his kid brother constantly jerked their parents around was the icing on the cake. He never wanted to deal with an ungrateful shit like Edward Munson.
As soon as he was legally able Wayne got a place in Hawkins, leaving his life in Wabash behind. It hadn’t been bad - his parents were good people, though a little too easy on Edward sometimes. But that wasn’t his battle and he learned early on not to get involved when they were dealing with him. Good parents didn’t cancel out the absolute hell Edward insisted on bringing home every other weekend. He was always stealing something, or getting suspended from school. And on more than one occasion Wayne found him in the bathroom snorting something , but he never stuck around long enough to figure out what it was. He was just ready to move onto something better, something quieter, something away from his goddamn brother. Things were good in Hawkins for a couple of years. He worked as a farm hand and picked up odd shifts at the local diner, saving money to get the house he wanted and maybe even a new car. He settled into the town well enough, though he still got strange looks from the old ladies. Then his brother called to tell him he was going to be an uncle.
Wayne didn’t even want to know how Edward had gotten someone pregnant; to this day, he made a point of not thinking about it. He’d managed to stay out of it, determined not to let that asshole destroy the life he’d built for himself since moving to Hawkins in ‘66. But one night there was a knock on his door, and before he even opened it, he knew who it was. Standing on the other side was Edward, a cigarette hanging from his mouth and a bundle of blankets in his arms. Wayne didn’t have time to say a word before he was hit with a nose full of smoke and arms full of nephew.
“His bitch of a mother ran off,” Edward loudly declared, filling the room as soon as he stepped inside. Wayne could actually feel the peaceful life he’d built crumbling around him as he stared at his little brother, unable to look at the little baby in his arms. “Told that whole hospital it’d be fine, though - my big brother wouldn’t let me face this alone. Ain’t that right, Wayne? You know, you should really welcome Edward Charles Munson Jr. to the world! Your first nephew. Can you believe it?”
In that moment, Wayne was certain of two things: he didn’t care for his brother at all , and he was going to make damn sure his nephew would make the name Edward Munson mean something good.
Ten years later, on a Tuesday like any other in 1976, Wayne walked through town with his overly excited nephew. He had no way of knowing the conversations and decisions made today would eventually save the world.
“Do you think there’ll be any new albums?
Guess there’s only one way to find out, huh, kid?” Wayne watched as Eddie marched past Melvald’s, a little man on a mission. The kid was ten now—more time had passed than Wayne liked to think about. He hated that he only got to visit when his brother could be bothered to bring him up to Hawkins, or when Wayne could make the trip down to pick him up himself. Eddie deserved better than what his deadbeat brother offered him, but legally, custody was his, and there was nothing Wayne could do about it. He did his best to raise the kid right when he had him, and that was all he could do for now.
Eddie waltzed into the music store like he owned the place, and Wayne had to fight back a grin. For all the headaches over the years, he was glad Eddie had found it easy to be himself here. The boy bounced between two houses so much it was a wonder he ever knew where he was.
Wayne watched for about twenty minutes, browsing the cassettes and he listened to Eddie ask the poor kid behind the counter question after question about the newest albums on display. “Uncle Wayne. Can I get all three?!”
Wayne raised an eyebrow, leaning against the counter where Eddie had three separate vinyls laying side by side. “You know if you get all three today that means you can only get one next time we stop in, right?”
“I know. Three and one instead of two and two, that’s fine! I just really want all three. What if next time we come in they don’t have a copy of this one?”
Wayne glanced at the cover - a fist closed around a rainbow with the word Rainbow in big, yellow letters, and Rising in smaller type underneath. He didn’t understand the appeal, but these were only his records until Eddie was old enough to have them in his room all to himself. “Well what if next time you come in they have two albums you really want?”
“UNCLE WAYNE!!!” Eddie’s ears turned red like they always did when Wayne embarrassed him.
“Well alright then. If you’re sure , all three are fine.” Wayne turned to the young man behind the counter, who still looked completely at a loss on whether he should actually ring Eddie up or not.
“Can I carry the bag?” Eddie was practically buzzing as they left the store. “Can we listen to them as soon as we get home?! Can we??” He tugged at Wayne’s arm, doing his best to grab the bag.
“I don’t see any reason we can’t,” Wayne hummed, careful to keep the bag just out of reach. There was no way he was going to let them get broken before they even made it home - not after what they just cost him.
“YES! This is why you’re the best !” Eddie spun around to head back to the car but froze, his gaze locked to the window of a shop across the street.
“You alright, kid?”
“Can… Can we go look at it?” Eddie squinted, tilting his head at an odd angle as if that might give him a better view. Wayne followed his gaze and made out the outline of a guitar. “Please?” Eddie’s big brown eyes - rarely this wide open - looked up at him.
“Alright, fine. But we’re just going to look.” Eddie dashed across the street. It was like he was trying to kill Wayne today by sending him into cardiac arrest. “YOU NEED TO LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING THE STREET BOY!” He shouted, running behind his nephew.
“Sorry!” Eddie called over his shoulder as he ran up to the window, nearly pressing his face against it. Wayne honestly couldn’t blame him. Now that he was closer and had a better look, it made sense. He didn’t even play, but he could appreciate the craftsmanship that went into this guitar.
“Sure is a good looking instrument.” Wayne looked down at his nephew. His brown eyes were wide, his forehead now pressed against the glass. He’d neve seen the kid so enamored with anything in his ten years of life. Shit. “Come on, kid. We gotta get home and listen to these albums that you just had to have.”
God damn it, he hated this part. “No. Not today. That thing is brand new and I just got you these records. Now come on.”
“But-”
“Look. I said no, Eddie. We really gotta be heading home now.”
Eddie frowned, lingering for a few moments, his eyes locked on the dark shining wood in the window. “Yeah. Okay.”
Wayne could feel his nephew deflating as they walked. Wayne let out a breath, squeezing Eddie's shoulder gently. “I didn’t say never. Just not today. Try not to mope; it’s not going anywhere. That’s not something I can buy for you on a whim, kid. I wish I could, but I can’t.”
“No, I know.” Eddie forced a smile. “It’s alright. I’ll just have to settle for listening to these albums instead.”
“You lead a real tortured existence.”
There was a long silence as they continued walking, but then, as if someone flipped a switch, Eddie perked back up. “Hey, can we race to the car?”
“Loser takes out the trash. “Wayne tucked the bag securely under his arm and offered a sideways glance. “Deal?”
“Deal!”
“Alright then, it’s settled. On your mark…”
“Get set… Go !”
Eddie took off, and Wayne was right behind him. Letting Eddie win - just to make sure that grin stayed on his face the whole way home - didn’t seem like such a bad idea. Besides, taking the trash out had never bothered Wayne anyway.
******
Wayne didn’t know what he was doing here. Eddie didn’t even know how to play guitar - he had no need for one. Despite telling himself that numerous times, Wayne still found his way to the shop. The guitar was still there, the dark red body gleaming in the afternoon light. Shit .
“Afternoon, Mr. Munson. Everything okay? You’re back awful soon. No issues with your most recent repair, I hope?” The greeting was warm.
“Not to worry, Miss Nora, everything’s just fine. I’m here on unrelated business, if you can believe it.” Wayne smiled, and the woman smiled back. She’d been friendly with him when he first arrived in town twelve years ago, welcoming him into her shop without a second thought, never questioning where he’d come from or what he was doing here. That was a nicety not many people in Hawkins could offer.
“That’s excellent! Glad to hear the fiddle is holding up.” She stepped out from behind the counter to properly greet him. Nora was pretty in that easy, comfortable way many women at her age were. Her sandy-brown hair brushed past her shoulder, her makeup subtle, giving her cheeks a rosy glow. Her dress was a powder blue, and Wayne was fairly certain she owned this store.
“Ya see, I had my nephew here a couple days ago, he had me a couple doors down for a while digging through records. Well anyway, when we were walking home we passed by and he saw that guitar in your window. Insisted he had to have it. Wanted to get some more information from ya, Miss Nora. That’s all.”
“Oh, you’ve got a nephew? How sweet! That’s a 1976 Gibson Les Paul Standard. I’ve only had it in for a few days now. Your nephew must really know his stuff, if he’s eyeing that up already.” Nora looked up at him. “How long has he been playing?”
“He doesn’t play at all, really. His father, my brother - you see, he never cared for music. Never learned and didn’t bother teaching the boy either. But Eddie’s really into music with all of this heavy guitar in it. I don’t care much for it, but it makes him happy. I think taking up music would be good for him.” Wayne hesitated. “I was hoping you could help me out? I don’t know too much about guitars myself. But I know that boy really has his heart set on this one. Do you think you can help me?”
Wayne didn’t like asking for help. Admitting there were things that he couldn’t provide for Eddie himself wasn’t easy. Relying on other people had never come easy for him. But Nora was sweet; she fixed up his fiddle more than once and made it look almost as good as new. If there was anyone he could trust with this, it was her.
“My, Mr. Munson. That’s awfully sweet of you.” Nora smiled up at him. “He doesn’t have anything, anything at all?”
Wayne shook his head, giving a half shrug because what else was there to do? It wasn’t a big deal. It was just a guitar.
As it turned out, it was a much bigger deal than Wayne had initially thought. A real big deal between him and Miss Nora—more money than he could pay up front for everything he’d need to make this work for both him and the boy. A couple hours of conversation and a handshake later, Wayne had his nephew a brand-new guitar that apparently a lot of people would be jealous of. It was a nice-looking instrument, a handsome shade of red.
He asked Nora if there was any way she could keep it displayed in the window, and she assured him it wasn’t a problem—there was a way she could make it work. Her solution was simple: she placed the guitar Wayne had bought safely in its case, and every few days, she’d change the display in the window with enough frequency that Eddie would notice and just assume the guitar had been taken down for the time being. When he was ready, Eddie could pick it up. Nora didn’t mind him making payments, either; apparently, Wayne had been nothing but good to her since he’d come to town.
It went exactly how Wayne wanted it to. Every so often, they’d go shopping for records, and every time they passed the music store, Eddie would gawk at whatever guitar was on display, begging for it. And Wayne always said no, telling him he didn’t have the money and that it was time to go home. He wasn’t sure why he was so hesitant to just reveal the guitar to the kid. It seemed like the timing was always off. It never felt like the right moment. He started to worry that there would never be a good time. Maybe the Gibson was meant to gather dust in the back of Nora’s shop.
It was a random Saturday when Eddie stopped to stare at the guitar yet again, and Wayne stopped beside him, glancing up at the pale instrument in the window. “I know, Uncle Wayne. I just… I know we can’t get it. I just want one so badly.” Eddie’s reflection stared back at him from the glass, his eyes too dark in the dim light.
“You want one, huh?” Wayne rubbed a big hand along his jaw, letting out an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll tell you what - if you really want one, and you’re sure about it, I’ll get you one.”
“REALLY!?!” Eddie’s eyes widened as he spun to look at his uncle.
“Yeah, but under one condition. And it won’t be up for debate.” Wayne crouched so they were eye level with one another. “You can have a guitar to play whenever you’re visiting me, but you have to let me teach you how to play the fiddle too.”
Wayne could see the wheels turning in Eddie’s head. He could imagine where his own thoughts would have gone if he’d been given a similar choice at ten years old—a dream come true at the cost of spending a decent amount of time with an adult, learning something new that he wasn’t going to be good at right away. Eddie was thinking it over.
“Will I be allowed to play the guitar as often as I want?”
“So long as it doesn’t affect your schoolwork or chores when you’re staying with me. And, of course, we’ve got to be mindful of our neighbors. But once we’ve taken all that into account, yes. You can.” Wayne met his nephew’s gaze, steady as he waited for Eddie to make his choice.
“Okay! Yes! Yes, I accept!!” Eddie bounced on the balls of his feet, clearly fighting the urge to run inside.
“We got a deal?”
“Yes! Can we go inside now?!”
“Not just yet.” Wayne stood up straight, offering his hand for a shake. “The deal ain’t real unless we shake on it, kid.”
Eddie stared at his hand for a moment before grasping it as best he could with his own.
“Atta boy. We got ourselves a deal. Come on, let’s get you inside before you burst with excitement.”
Wayne had never seen Eddie move so quickly in his life. The moment the door opened, Eddie dashed inside, only stopping when he realized he needed his uncle to actually do anything here.
“Well, hello there! How can I help you today?” Nora’s greeting was warm as ever.
“Hello, Miss Nora.” Wayne stepped up behind Eddie, placing a hand on his shoulder. “This is my nephew, Eddie.”
“Oh my! So, this is your nephew, huh?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Wayne squeezed Eddie’s shoulder. “Eddie, say hello to Miss Nora. She owns this shop, and she’s going to be the one helping us today.”
“Hello.” Wayne could still feel his excitement, but it was quickly being overtaken by nerves. He had never been the best with new people. If he was being honest he wasn’t good with them at all, especially ladies. Wayne assumed it had something to do with his lack of a mother. “Uh… Uncle Wayne?
“Settle down, boy.” He ruffled Eddie’s hair. “I appreciate all of your help, Miss Nora. Eddie’s here has really been-”
“A few weeks ago you had a Gibson Les Paul in the window,” Eddie cut him off, seeming to have found his voice after all. “It was red. Do you still have it?” Wayne gave Nora a half-smile and a shrug from behind Eddie. He was ten, excited, and it didn’t hurt to overlook a small slip-up like that—so long as Eddie didn’t start disrespecting people.
“Oh, that one? I’m going to have to check in the back. It’s so much to remember off the top of my head. Just give me one second, you wait right here.”
“Yes ma’am.” Eddie turned to look at his uncle as she left. It was like he couldn’t stop smiling now that prying eyes were out of the room. Wayne never wanted to imagine a world where Eddie felt the need to contain his excitement for anything. He knew the world was cruel, that he could only protect him from so much. Moments like this were often rare, but Eddie deserved to live in a world where it could be like this as often as possible. A place where he could make music, express himself, and allow him to decompress in a way that Wayne was confident he couldn’t do with his father. For now, that was enough.
“Look Uncle Wayne,” Eddie pointed to the wall, to a violin that was on display for the whole shop to see. “Looks like yours, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, suppose it does.”
Eddie went to wait by the counter. “Do you think-” The door to the back swung open gently, and Eddie’s voice caught at the sight of the black case Nora carried.
“Surprise kid.” Wayne smiled at him. “Miss Nora helped me get everything together for you over the last couple of weeks. I wanted it to be ready to come home with us when we finally came to get her.”
“I certainly did.” She lifted the case onto the counter, popping the latches on it as she spoke. “I’ll have one of the boys in the back get everything to your car, Mr Munson.” Her smile was warm, and it seemed as if she couldn’t help herself. Eddie’s excitement rubbed off on both of them. “Your Uncle Wayne mentioned you live in Wabash. And that you just come out here for visits with him? Is that true?”
Eddie nodded, scrambling to get into a chair so he could see into the case once it was open. “Yes ma’am.”
“Well, young man, you’re going to be the talk of all your friends here, once they find out about this. A lot of people would love to get their hands on this guitar, so you better take care of it, okay?” Eddie nodded again, looking like he was going to climb over the counter to open the case himself. “If you’ve got any issues at all you bring it right back to me and I’ll take care of it for you.”
She popped the case open fully, and Wayne saw big brown eyes crinkle as a grin took over Eddie's face.
“Do you like it?” Miss Nora asked.
“Are you kidding ?!” Eddie’s voice was pure joy. “It’s perfect! Can we go home and set it up, Uncle Wayne? Can we?!” Eddie leapt off the chair, clearing the few feet between them in seconds.
“Of course. But we’re going to help get everything to the car, do you understand me?”
“Yes sir!”
Wayne smiled, listened as Nora explained how to properly care for such an instrument. It was odd to look at the little boy he was raising and know he was going to give that guitar a good home. He was ten years old and often irresponsible but Wayne had no doubts he was going to take care of her. The next few weeks and months of Eddie’s visits would be trying, the screeching sound of a young musician familiarizing themself with their new instrument something that Wayne was familiar with from his own time as a young boy. He just hoped Eddie stayed this passionate forever.
Eddie threw his arms around his uncle before they got in the car, nearly cracking a rib he squeezed so tightly. “Thank you Uncle Wayne. Thank you so much.”
Wayne huffed, hugging him back and ruffling his hair. “You’re welcome kiddo. You just learn to play it and you keep making me proud, okay?”
Eddie sniffled as he nodded, and Wayne didn’t bother mentioning his quiet tears. He was happy, he was allowed to cry if he needed to. He was sure there was a lot going on in that young brain of his; if he needed to take the car ride home to process it all, Wayne was happy to leave him to it.