love will tear us apart | eddie munson x cheerleader!reader

xvi. THE AFTERMATH

     Dustin watched as Wayne Munson replaced Eddie's old missing poster for a new one, one that didn't include people's drawings of a devil horn and tail on Eddie's picture, and a pentagon over the information that would've helped to locate him.

     Dustin placed down his tray of cups before limping towards the somber man, alerting him of his presence with a polite, "Mr. Munson." As Dustin got closer, Eddie's uncle turned his head to look at him before turning back to look at the picture of his nephew. "I'm Dustin Henderson. Can we talk?" Dustin added.

     Mr. Munson shook his head as he turned around to face Dustin, "I can't imagine we got anything to talk about. My nephew is innocent. He's still missing. I'll put up as many posters as I need until he's found. Good day to you," Mr. Munson replied as he picked up his bag and prepared to walk away.

     "I was with him," those four words that left Dustin's mouth were enough to make Mr. Munson stop dead in his tracks. "I was with him when the earthquake hit," Dustin added.

      Wayne refused to meet Dustin's eyes as he spoke, he didn't want to accept the fact that his nephew had passed while the whole town was on a mission to harm him, "And... where is Eddie now?"

     Dustin's lip quivered as he took Eddie's necklace out of his pocket and held it out for the man in front of him, "I'm... I'm so sorry."

     Wayne took the necklace from Dustin's hand, tears slowly starting to fall from his face as he let out a shaky breath. He walked over to the nearest cot and sat down on it, staring at the necklace in his hand. Dustin limped over and sat next to him. He hated having to lie to Mr. Munson. It almost felt real, almost felt like Eddie really never made it out of the Upside Down.

     "Mr. Munson, if it makes you feel any better, Chrissy's best friend, Y/n, she believed him. I don't think there was ever a doubt in her mind that Eddie didn't kill Chrissy. When she saw that Eddie was about to go through the earthquake alone, she ran to him and... and she stayed with him," Dustin began, watching as Wayne nodded through teary eyes.

     "I wish everyone had gotten to know him. Really know him. Because they would've loved him. Mr. Munson. They would've loved him," and Dustin felt that in that moment, he didn't have to lie, because it was true. They would've. "Even in the end... he never stopped being Eddie. Despite everything. I never even saw him get mad. He could've run. He could've saved himself. But he fought. He fought to protect this town. This town that... hated him. He isn't just innocent... Mr. Munson, he's... he's a hero," Dustin explained, watching with guilt and sadness as Mr. Munson sobbed.

... (two months later) ...

     You and Eddie had managed to leave Hawkins after you withdrew all of the money you had from the bank. You and Eddie decided to rent a small one-bedroom apartment in New York. It was smaller than what you were used to, but comfortable. When the two of you first moved in, Eddie had insisted that you take the bedroom considering you were the one paying for it. He bought a single sized bed that doubled as a couch and made the living room double as his bedroom. For some reason, your mother never questioned the withdraw of money. You hoped the reason being because you were 18 so you had the right to do so, not because she might've died when the gates opened up.

     The news of the Hawkins murders thankfully hadn't made it to New York, so Eddie's name was in the clear as long as the two of you laid low. You had managed to snag a job as an aerobics instructor at the local gym, while Eddie got a job working as an audio engineer at a nearby concert venue.

     You sat reading the newest issue of Rolling Stone that Eddie had purchased at some point in the week. You kept reading the same sentences over and over, the magazine not having your complete attention as your mind had drifted back to Eddie. Over the past two months of living with him, you had managed to fall even more in love with him. You had kept your feelings hidden. Things were going so well, you didn't want to risk messing anything up, so you kept your mouth shut.