against all odds (steddie)

three ... trial

march 30th, 1980
hawkins, indiana
WARNING!! tw: details of child/domestic abuse. suicide  and drug abuse mentioned. homophobia and slur mentioned. this chapter is meant to be intense. it's the trial, and it's quite lengthy. this isn't proof read yet— so for any mistakes, i am sorry.

eddie sat in the court room beside wayne, wayne's hand on his knee. mr. harrington was sitting in front of him, a wooden railing between them. richard turned around to look at eddie. the trial hadn't started yet because they were waiting for his father to get there from the county jail.

richard smiled a bit at eddie, but eddie just stared at him. steve had his father's smile. "hey, kiddo." richard said, turning his body fully to him.

eddie nodded in response to his hello. wayne looked at eddie and said, "say it back." he whispered. "this man is trying to help us."

"hello, mr. harrington." eddie whispered, his big brown eyes slightly squinting at the older man. the man had small crows feet forming at the edges of his eyes. his eyes were the same color as steve's too. steve looked a lot like his father.

"i heard you and my son were at the park together yesterday." richard said with the same soft smile.

eddie swallowed harshly, his eyes widening a bit. "y-yeah. i saw him when his friend left and he looked...lonely. thought i'd talk to him—"

"he's not lonely. he has tommy and carol." richard cleared his voice, correcting eddie. eddie just let out a small exhale.

"right. sorry, sir." eddie apologized before hearing the door open. richard's smile reappeared and he nodded.

eddie looked over to find his father in shackles and inmate clothing. eddie's father glared at him as he took a seat. he stared at eddie and wayne until the judge came in. they stood to pay their respects before the trial began by the sound of the gavel.

the beginning of the trial was long. they were prosecuting eddie's father for running a giant drug scheme within hawkins, as well as child abuse and domestic abuse. counts that could get him stuck in prison for thirty years, if not more.

"my next witness, or shall i say victim, is edward lee munson, the son of nicholas and delilah munson." richard harrington introduces, walking over to the table to motion for eddie and gather some of the evidence.

eddie stepped up on the witness stand, sitting down in the seat. eddie swore in before mr. harrington walked over to the stand and smiled at eddie. "hello eddie."

"hello." eddie whispered, a slight smile on his face, but complete fear in his eyes.

"who are you living with, eddie?" richard asked, leaning onto the stand. he had a friendly, gentle tone in his voice.

"my uncle, wayne munson." eddie answered. "he got custody of me about a year ago."

"why's that?" richard asked, a puzzled look on his face as he began to pace.

"well, uhm," eddie looked over at wayne and wayne nodded. "my mother told me to leave the motel before my father came back. that was after my father had hit me and cut all of my hair off."

"may i present evidence c and d." richard went over to his table and gathered photos of eddie's black eye and the scissors used to cut his hair that the police had taken. he gave them to the judge and nicholas's lawyer. nicholas looked at the before glaring at eddie with tears in his eyes. eddie tried not to look at him, keeping his eyes on richard.