Chapter Text
It shocks people to know, especially the residents of Hawkins, but Eddie "The Freak" Munson is actually a really nice guy. Caring, loyal, funny, supportive, adventurous, protective. Everything you could want in someone close to you. It's because of Eddie's big heart that sometime in the last few months he ended up with surrogate little sisters looking up to him. And honestly? He wasn't mad about it.
It began with Max Mayfield.
She and her mom moved into the trailer diagonal from the Munson's humble abode. Her stepdad had run off some time ago and her stepbrother was one of the victims of the Starcourt Mall fire. Without Billy's income helping pay for utilities of their modest home, Mrs. Mayfield was forced to downgrade and pick up a second job to make ends meet.
Eddie already knew of Max through his freshmen Hellfire Club members. She was the ex-girlfriend of Lucas, the one who missed half their sessions because he went to the dark side and joined the basketball team. Being his ex didn't stop Lucas from gushing about her though. Nor Dustin, who seemed to still harbor residual emotions for the redhead (despite having a long distance girlfriend he met at summer camp).
Their friendship blossomed through mutual boredom and need for human contact. Mrs. Mayfield was hardly ever home. She worked near constantly given her two jobs; sometimes leaving one and going straight to the other. Eddie's Uncle Wayne worked nights at the plant and was typically asleep while Eddie was awake and vice versa. It was rare in either home for child and guardian to share a meal together, particularly dinner- arguably the most important meal for family bonding.
It started with Eddie barreling into the trailer park per his usual erratic driving style one evening. Max was tossing a basketball into the broken hoop someone had illegally hung on the power pole. She'd grown accustomed to Eddie's noise and so didn't even glance over her shoulder when she heard him screech to a stop in front of his trailer. Eddie, on the other hand, immediately looked in her direction when he jumped out. He felt bad for the girl, pretty much left alone to fend for herself before she even knew how to drive. He knew what that was like. With a sigh, he got the two large pizzas and two liter Pepsi from the passenger seat.
"Hey, Red!" He called out. Max turned around slowly. He held the cardboard boxes up with one hand and motioned with the other. "Hungry?"
Max shrugged and chucked the ball over her shoulder towards her front door and trot across the lane to follow Eddie inside.
They wolfed down atleast half of the cheese and meatlover's pizzas between the two of them and polished off the bottle of soda without bothering to use cups, just took turns drinking straight from the source. They watched some game show reruns from the 70's and the evening news before Max mentioned the time. Eddie sent her back to her trailer with a good chunk of the leftover pizza despite her protests.
It wasn't long after that, Max was coming over three or four nights a week for dinner. Usually it was some kind of takeout; pizza, Chinese, burgers and onion rings from the diner. Sometimes Eddie would whip up some boxed mac'n'cheese or spaghetti. Max really liked when he added cut up hot dogs to the mac. One time Max surprised him by offering to make dinner. He went over to find her scrambling eggs and burning toast because she couldn't focus on two things at once.
The Vecna attacks over Spring break really solidified their sibling bond. While Eddie was obviously in fear over the town accusing him of murder, he was more concerned with keeping Max alive. Somehow, they survived the ordeal. Max ended up with a broken arm and Eddie now rocked some wicked battle scars from the demo-bats but that was a small price to pay for stopping Vecna and saving Max.
That's where El came in. Eleven, the badass psionic girlfriend of Mike Wheeler, another of his Hellfire freshies. The Byers/Hopper clan moved to California shortly after the Starcourt incident, which Eddie learned was not a fire but a battle with an Upside-Down terror known as the Mind-Flyer and a collective of Russian military and scientists operating a secret base of Upside-Down experimenting in the bowels of the mall.
El and company returned after Vecna was defeated. Apparently, she piggybacked on Vecna's mental hold over Max and there was an epic telekinetic battle in the redhead's mind that helped lead the others to victory. A yellow Surfer Boy Pizza van showed up the day after Eddie and friends returned from the Upside-Down. The Byers/Hopper blended family- plus a blitz out dude named Argyle, a former Russian prison guard who insisted he be called Enzo, and a conspiracy nut named Murray- exited the vehicle like it was a clown car and they were in the circus. After reunions and introductions, a black government town car pulled up behind the van and three people in suits stepped out followed by a pretty beaten up older man they'd introduce as Dr. Owens.
It was because of Owens and his government connections that Eddie was cleared of his murder charges. Which, as he was told much later, was because El demanded it. The doctor obliged the girl's request which Eddie originally assumed was because the others asked for it. When Sheriff Hopper told him he was free and clear, Eddie couldn't believe it. He asked how but Jim clapped him on the shoulder softly commenting, "best not question it. Just nod and say thanks to Owens".
With another Upside-Down takeover averted, everyone returned to some kind of semi-normal life. Eddie finally finished his senior year right and graduated Hawkins High. Valedictorian, he was not. His GPA was so bad he was ranked in the bottom ten students. But, he passed and that was all he cared about. The kids made a huge ruckus the moment his name was called at the graduation ceremony, stomping the bleachers, screaming, and chanting his name as he snatched his diploma from Principal Higgins. Max had been the first to congratulate him with a hug so big he thought his heart would explode.
By the time The Party's sophomore year was underway, El had spent a good chunk of her summer with Eddie thanks to Max. The girls were the best of friends. Hopper gladly let El spend as much time as she wanted with Max, especially if it meant he didn't have to worry about Mike and El doing things he hated to think they could be doing. As a result of her time with Max, she and Eddie quickly got to know each other. Eddie was happy to spend so much time with the girls because it meant his dinners with Max were still important to her; he was still important to her despite having someone else to keep her company. Now, he just set another plate at the table or ordered extra fried rice.
As an older brother, he did things easily for the girls that lesser men would've bawked at if they asked them. He didn't bat an eye. Buying feminine hygiene products when they were in need was the same as buying a pack of gum as far as he was concerned. If he couldn't remember which ones they preferred, he had no problem using the payphone just outside the drug store to call and verify. He would repeat what they said loudly as a motorcycle roared down the street, not caring about the people at the bus stop hearing him and laughing; so long as he got the right ones, he was fine.
The distinction of being El's surrogate brother came the day Mike cancelled their date because she wasn't feeling well. She wanted to rent a movie, make microwave popcorn, and cuddle on the couch. He wanted to go to the movies and get pizza like they had originally planned. His dumb teenage boy hormones made him angry and he stomped out of her house leaving her in the doorway near tears.
She called Max to see if she wanted to hang out. This led to Eddie and Max coming to her rescue, Eddie getting pissed off, tracking Mike down, giving him a verbal beatdown, and returning to El and Max with ice cream and rom-com's. When Mike showed up the next day groveling on his knees with a bouquet of edible waffle flowers, she forgave him. His visible relief made her ask what changed his mind. The boy explained the berating he received from an Eddie so angry he feared for his own wellbeing but the man did make him understand his stupidity.
That's how Eddie "The Freak" Munson came to be known as Eddie "Hurt My Girls, I Hurt Your Face" Munson, big brother to Max Mayfield and Jane "El" Hopper.