#he tries to bribe Wayne with a pie at the next football game

[artiststarme]

Wayne's Unspoken Shovel Talk

I keep seeing shovel talk fics on my dash so I figured I would throw my hat in the ring! It’s short and I don’t love it but here we go.

~*~*~*~

Wayne liked to think that he and the Harrington kid had an unspoken understanding. If Steve hurt Eddie in any way, shape, or form, Wayne was going to kill him. Sure, he hadn’t said it in so many words, in any words in fact. However, he knew it was heavily implied through his cautious glares and thinly veiled interrogations. He may not have given him a shovel talk but that was only because Eddie had threatened to stop buying coffee for the trailer if he did.

He and Steve might watch the game together every Sunday. Hell, Wayne even dropped lunch off to the kid on the days Eddie worked at the garage and Steve left his food in the fridge. But, it was well-known to everyone that he would always be in Eddie’s corner before anyone else’s. He might approve of the Harrington boy dating his nephew but he’d gut him like a fish if he made Eddie shed a single tear.

So, when Eddie comes home crying one day, Wayne doesn’t even think before he’s pulling on his work boots and grabbing his shotgun.

He hardly makes eye contact with Eddie as he brushes past him on his way to his truck. He only stopped when a hand grabbed his elbow and turned him around to look a heavily upset Eddie in the eye.

“Wha- Wayne. Where are you going?” Eddie asked him in utter confusion.

“I’m ‘bout to go show your boy what happens when he makes ya cry.”

“What? I’m not crying because of Steve.”

That made Wayne pause. He hadn’t even thought to consider another possibility. Eddie had said that he was going to see Steve today and he assumed that the Harrington boy had hurt his nephew.

“What is it then?”

Tears started to form in Eddie’s eyes again which filled him with alarm. How bad was it if he was starting to cry again?

“I saw a dead dog on my way to Family Video. Someone hit it and just left it there on the side of the road! I stopped and tried to help it but it was already dead. An innocent animal! Maybe someone’s pet and they just left it there!” Eddie cried theatrically.

Wayne was well acquainted with his nephew’s dramatics. His alarmed concern evaporated as he pulled Eddie in for a hug. His nephew always was a bit sensitive. Wayne had learnt a long time ago that the best route to take in this situation would be a listening ear and a warm hug, maybe a pat on the head or two if the circumstance arose.

“It’s alright kid, you leave it there? We could take it to the woods and dig it a grave. Would that make you feel better?”

Eddie nodded before his gaze narrowed. “Wait a second. Why’d you have your shotgun if you were going to talk to Steve?”

“I thought he hurt ya,” Wayne shrugged.

“So you were going to shoot him! No Wayne! You can’t just shoot people that upset me, you’d kill the whole goddamn town. Next time, talk to me first. And no guns!” Eddie ranted, waving his hands around passionately.

“Hey, your boy knows what he’s getting himself into! If he hurts ya, he’ll be looking down the barrel of my shotgun. End of.” He wouldn’t be the first Munson to go to prison but he would be the last.

“Jesus Christ, Uncle Wayne. Please don’t.”

“Well, if he don’t hurt ya, things’ll be fine. He better keep his ass in line. Now go get a shovel, we gotta grave to bury.”

Eddie looked impressively distressed at his words before Wayne rolled his eyes and clarified, “for the dog. Go.”

And so the Harrington kid lives for another day.

@doubleb11 @nburkhardt @zerokrox-blog @newtstabber @i-less-than-three-you @carlyv @trippypancakes @straight4joekeery

#Eddie tells Steve about it later and he gets scared #he tries to bribe Wayne with a pie at the next football game #it doesn’t work but he does get an invite to cook on holidays #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #fanfic #uncle wayne #shovel talk