Stranger Things - Imagines

Eddie Munson X Reader - Photograph

"Wayne said the arcade burned down in the summer," Eddie finally muttered, and your head shot up with a small frown on your lips. "The place closed down a couple of years back. They think someone broke in and started a fire for an insurance payout."

"Lucky that our first date was actually at the Hideout then, huh?" you hummed, twisting your head to press a kiss to his shoulder. 

Eddie didn't answer for a moment. "I kissed you for the first time at the arcade though," he hummed, running his fingertips over your bare shoulder. "That one I know for sure," he added softly. 

"Yeah," you agreed softly. "You've remembered that one correctly," you told him. 

Eddie hummed his agreement, reaching for another picture. This one made the breath catch in your throat. It was you, Eddie, and Wayne, all huddled together in front of the camera. You were in your college graduation robes, laughing at something Eddie was saying. Wayne had driven out for the ceremony to surprise you when your parents had needed to cancel. And both Eddie and Wayne had dressed up for it, too. It had been one of only 2 occasions where you'd seen either of them in slacks rather than jeans. The other had been your wedding. 

"God, look at my smart girl," he murmured, smiling down at the picture. Eddie had always been so vocal about how proud he was of you. He was in awe of your work ethic and your ability to apply yourself. "So pretty," he added softly, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. 

"Look how young Wayne looks there," you hummed, reaching your free hand up to pet his cheek. "We used to think he was so ancient, but I'm pretty sure he's not much older there than we are now," you added. 

He snorted. "Yeah, but Uncle Wayne's always been an old man at heart, even when he was in his 20s." He paused for a moment. "I miss him." Then he shook his head, another bubble of laughter slipping out of him. "Hell, I never thought I'd say it, but I think I miss Hawkins," he uttered.

You hesitated for a moment. "Summer vacation is coming up. You aren't touring. The kids are off school." You shrugged slightly. "We could go back for a little bit. It'd be good for the kids to see Wayne."

"Yeah?"

You nodded. "It'll be nice. Show them all the places we used to hang out when we were kids."

*Time Skip*

You were grinning from ear to ear as you passed the sign welcoming you into Hawkins. Sure, you'd not been back in over a decade, but the place still felt like home. Without Hawkins, you never would've met Eddie. You never would've decided to go on tour with Corroded Coffin. You never would've moved to California. Hell, there was a chance that your life could've been completely different to what you had now. 

Eddie's hand shifted towards you, squeezing your knee lightly as he glanced up at the rearview mirror, looking at the kids in the backseat. "Welcome to Hawkins, little Munsons," he hummed, all too aware that with their portable CD players plugged in, they couldn't hear a word he was saying. 

"Look," you cried out, tapping the window lightly as you pulled past the first few houses on the edge of town. "That was the first house I ever lived in," you pressed on, waving your hand until the kids reluctantly removed their headphones.

"Are we there yet?"

Eddie snorted slightly. "Almost. Five minutes until we get to Uncle Wayne's house," he told them, glancing over to find you still grinning out of the window. "Keep the headphones off for a minute, alright? Your mom wants to give you a town history," he added, chuckling when they groaned dramatically from the back seat. 

As you cruised into the centre of town, you pointed out different landmarks. The coffee shop where you'd worked your first part-time job. The old strip mall, half destroyed by the fire that had engulfed the arcade. Gareth's old house, where the band had practised at any chance they got. 

And then, as you'd pulled up to a stop sign, your eyes lingered on a battered old diner, a small smile pulling at your lips. "This place right here," you told them, tapping the window until they were all looking in the right direction. "This is where your dad told me he loved me for the first time."

"That place?" your son uttered, brow furrowed in confusion. "And you didn't dump him on the spot?" he pressed on, drawing a snort of laughter out of you. 

"Your dad was hard up for cash, weren't you baby?" you hummed out, reaching over to pet his jaw gently as he smiled at you. "But he made do with what he had. He made me feel so special, even when we were in a shitty, little rundown place like that."

"Gross," your daughter muttered, drawing another snort of laughter out of both of you. 

You'd pulled off down a side road a couple of minutes later, pulling up to the front of the house that Eddie had insisted on helping Wayne buy. After years of the two of you crashing with him on and off, it was the least he could do when he'd started making good money. 

"Are we there yet?" your son uttered again, staring out the front window as the door of the house opened, revealing Wayne to you. He was older now, but the grin on his face was unmistakable. It was the same look he'd given you when you'd graduated. And when you'd gotten married. It was the same face you'd pictured when you'd called to tell him that you were pregnant the first time. Hell, Wayne was as much a part of your family as he was Eddie's and you couldn't help the giddy feeling that overcame you when you opened your car door, sending him an excited little wave. 

"As I live and breathe," he hummed out, clearly teasing as you hurried over to the porch. "As beautiful as ever," he added as you wrapped him up in a hug, breathing in the scent of the same cologne he'd been wearing since before you'd ever met him. "And where are the little monsters, you two created, huh?" 

You pulled away, waving the kids over as Eddie watched the two of you, grinning brightly. He'd always adored how close you were with Wayne, it had made him feel like he'd had a family when you were still just kids, and now, it felt even better, seeing his kids running over to join the two of you. His own little family. 

You only looked up again when the flash on Eddie's camera had gone off, sending him into a muttering about how he didn't understand all the settings on these new-fangled bits of technology. Even though the picture was a little blurry, with a hint of Eddie's finger hovering in front of the lens, you knew it would end up in the box with all your other memories. And you hoped, more than anything, that you wouldn't leave it so long before coming back to make more next time. 

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