Chapter Text
He was floating in a haze, like his mind was trapped between sleeping and awake. He knew he was forgetting something important, something that he needed to do. He tried to focus, tried to feel for where his limbs were, but there was only a still nothingness surrounding him. He had to remember something, anything. Where was he? Who was he? What was his name?
“Eddie– please,” a voice pleaded, muddled and distant, like through a thick wall that he couldn’t see or touch. “you’re hurting me.”
Who was Eddie? Was he Eddie? Who was he hurting? He– Eddie – tried to grab at his head, to shake memories out of it. He had no hands to move and no head to grab. He was trapped somewhere– somewhere he felt lost and alone and like he needed to get out or bad things were going to happen.
Was he the bad thing?
I’m sorry I never told you I loved you.
A crack split across the darkness, dull hazy light spilling in as Eddie felt drawn to the voice, like he knew those words were meant for him. He clawed his way towards the sound with hands he couldn’t see or feel, trying desperately to remember who the voice belonged to.
I love you.
"Steve!" Eddie cried, but no voice or sound came from him. Memories came trickling back as Steve’s voice spilled through the fog.
–you’re smart as hell-
More light burst through as Eddie pushed and pushed, hysteria welling up. He felt like he was hitting a wall, pounding with fists he didn’t have.
Then he felt it, something greasy and nauseating that wrapped around the back of his neck, up his throat and over his mouth, dragging him back into the haze. Eddie sobbed, though he felt no tears fall.
--make up for every day I had without you.
Darkness swallowed him again, filling him entirely and drowning out all.
He drifted, fighting the murky fog that had come over his mind until he was hit with a sudden surge of panic and rage that was so strong Eddie could feel nothing else. The darkness waned, and by the time he had managed to focus on the blurry and distorted outlines of figures, he knew something was wrong.
There was a body at his feet, others in the distance and someone stronger, sinister that was close by. The memories came faster this time as Eddie watched himself move through a distorted lens, poised to attack a blurry small figure when the focus changed to his ankle, clutched tightly in someone’s hand.
Steve’s hand.
His voice was like a spear, breaking through the mire and striking him through the heart.
“Eddie, if you don’t come back right fucking now, I’ll never forgive you.”
Steve was mad at him, Steve was going to hate him. It hurt more than the thought of losing him. It hurt so much he was desperate to stop it from happening.
Vecna, focused on his battle with the girl.
Hopper’s sword in his hand.
He didn’t need full control he just needed some.
Move, move move movemovemove
Eddie could feel his arm coming to life, could feel the weight of the sword in fingers he could barely see. He poured everything he had into moving that arm, swinging the blade through the air.
Vecna’s head fell, and a deafening and otherworldly shriek rang out in Eddie’s skull. He felt like he was bleeding from his very pores, ears drowned by a high pitched wail– his own?
He was burning. His skin was melting off, he was evaporating, he was –
He was cold. He was on the ground. He was pressed against a warm, shivering body gasping hot breath against his ear and cheek. Eddie groaned, every muscle and joint protesting, his heart sluggishly returning to life. His eyes fluttered open, slowly bringing Steve’s face into focus.
He– he looked like shit.
“Oh, thank god,” Steve breathed out, his sigh sounding more like a wheeze of pain than anything. Eddie jerked upright when he registered the blood on Steve’s shirt, his hands poised as Steve murmured, “welcome back,” softly.
“Steve?!” Eddie panicked, shakily settled his palm over the spot to staunch the bleeding, “Holy shit, Jesus Christ, Steve–” he cut himself off when Steve swayed forward, sagging tiredly into Eddie’s hand. Eddie had barely gotten his bearings, trying to support them both as Dustin and Robin appeared next to them.
“M’fine,” Steve muttered in a very much not-fine voice, his hand weakly patting at the side of Eddie’s leg as if to reassure him.
“Bullet went through. Just need a lil bit of blood is all–” Steve trailed off slowly, and then hummed thoughtfully. “Probably shouldn't have let you suck it all out of me earlier,” he confessed, his last few words a slur as his body went limp against Eddie’s.
“Steve? H-hey, Steve!” Eddie patted Steve's shoulder with his free arm, giving him a shake and trying to bite back the well of fear rising in him. Dustin cursed up a storm, Robin already panicking in a high pitched, broken voice.
“The bullet went through which is good, right? He didn’t hit the heart or like a-any vital organs. He just lost a lot of blood right? How much blood?” Robin asked and then froze at the same time as Dustin went silent. They both registered Steve’s last words and Dustin grabbed Eddie’s shoulders around Steve’s body, eyes wild.
“How much blood, Eddie?” Dustin asked, “How much?!”
Eddie shook his head, stumbling over his words. “I- I don’t know! I don’t know! I didn’t know I –”
Hopper pushed his way forward, reaching down and hauling Steve out of Eddie’s arms with a stony, expressionless face. The ground shook, hard enough that Hopper almost lost his grip on Steve.
“And this is why we don’t get the government involved,” Hopper sneered, turning to look pointedly at the three remaining agents who were in the process of collecting Vecna’s head and taking samples from his body in fast, mechanical movements. “To them, a clear shot just means they’ll hit the target, civilians be damned.” Hopper adjusted his hold on Steve and gestured towards Eddie’s trailer.
“This place is falling apart, let’s get the hell outta here.”
Hopper's words stewed in the back of Eddie’s mind as he joined the others in their mad scramble to escape the upside down as the buildings and trees began to crumble and fall apart. One of the agents had knowingly shot Steve, using his body as some sort of diversion to try and land a hit on Vecna. It was disrespectful in a way that had Eddie seething the entire trip through the gate.
Topside, they clambered out of his trailer, stumbling over themselves when the ground seemed to sew itself back together. Soon all that was left was a raw, barren scorch line across the earth. The Munson trailer was still in a state, the side split open like a giant had tried to rip it in half. Eddie could see his uncle’s remaining hat collection from where they were standing in the dim light of the early morning sun.
“Who shot him?” Eddie demanded suddenly; anger rising – at the agents, at the destruction of his home, at Steve hurt and unconscious instead of celebrating victory with the rest of them. Mike and Dustin were the first to answer, both pointing to one of the remaining government agents. He was putting Vecna’s bagged head into a second bag held by his fellow agent.
Seeming to realize he was being targeted, the agent looked up and froze under Eddie’s incensed stare. Eddie wasn’t normally a physically confrontational person, but he would make an exception for the one man stupid enough to shoot Steve Harrington in front of his friends and family. Eddie strode towards him, hand curling into a fist when Robin sprinted forward to get in his path.
“I don’t think going around punching government agents after they just cleared your name of murder charges is the best idea.” Robin rushed out. Agitated, Eddie flexed his hands and then pointed angrily at the agent.
“That guy?” He snapped in a half question, half-demand.
“Uh huh,” Robin nodded.
“That guy specifically? He cleared my name?” Eddie urged, stepping further into her space. He knew he was being obtuse, but he didn’t care. When Robin hesitated to answer he snapped, “yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“Do you really think Steve would want this?” Robin asked softly, always the mediator.
“I think Steve would want this,” Dustin piped up, which was all the encouragement Eddie needed. He surged past her, watching the agent stumble back in shock and rearing his fist up. Eddie didn’t get very far before he was being grabbed by two sets of hands and he found himself held back by Jonathan and his friend Argyle.
The agents took this as their cue, each of them getting into one of the three government vehicles they had arrived in. Eddie’s rage slowly fizzled, realizing they were all that was left from the 10 that had been packed into Steve’s house the day before.
The guy had probably acted in desperation …but it didn’t make Eddie any less angry about it.
He had more important things to worry about–like Steve bleeding out in the backseat of Hopper’s truck. Eddie spun on his foot, wrenching out of Jonathan and Argyle’s hold. He headed to the truck and stopped when he reached the passenger door, hesitating at the warning look from Hopper behind the wheel when he started to climb in.
Of course he couldn’t go– his name hadn’t officially been cleared yet.
El was in the back with Steve, his head against her shoulder, body propped up into her hold. His blood had stained her pristine white pants, but she kept one hand steadfast over his exit wound. There was dried blood under her nose, smeared around her mouth and then streaked down her chin and throat. She looked exhausted.
She caught Eddie staring from the passenger doorway and her tired and haunted face gave way to a tight smile. She inclined her head to Eddie in greeting and said in her quiet voice. “I am preventing the blood from escaping his body. His mind is healing. His heartbeat is weak but he is alive. He will live, Eddie Munson.”
Eddie let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. He lingered, staring at Steve for as long as he could, even as Mrs. Byers approached to get into the truck. She settled a hand gently on Eddie's shoulder.
“We'll bring him back, don’t you worry. You did so good today. We’re so proud of you”
Eddie’s eyes snapped to her, his first emotion a mix of disbelief, doubt and suspicion at her kind words. Mrs. Byers turned him by the shoulders to face her properly, eyes searching his face for a moment.
She smiled, brushing a lock of Eddie’s curls away from where it had been stuck to his cheek, like a parent admiring her son. “You were so strong. We couldn’t have finished this without you– you didn’t give in and I am so so grateful the boys have you in their lives.” She dragged Eddie down into a hug and even though he felt like he was encompassing her tiny frame, he found himself returning the embrace, holding her tightly
“You’re a good kid, Eddie,” she said softly in his ear.
Eddie felt what little defensiveness he had left come crashing down, a teary exhale bursting out of him before he squeezed her tight with a wet, “thank you,” muttered into her soft brown hair. She pulled away after giving him one last lingering squeeze and then wiped at his tears with a soft, motherly touch and patted his cheek.
Eddie wasn’t sure why, but he felt like he’d just somehow been adopted. Mrs. Byers hopped in the truck, barely getting the door shut before Hopper was peeling off down the road.
Couch surfing at the Hopper-Byers household wasn’t how Eddie had planned to spend his last two weeks as a murder suspect. Staying at the Harrington house was out of the question after a few remaining neighbors had seen it swarmed in bats. Steve still hadn’t been discharged from the hospital; no bones had been struck, but the work to repair the holes in his back and chest had required multiple surgeries.
Eddie hadn’t seen him since Vecna’s defeat.
Time passed painstakingly slow, despite Eddie’s best efforts to keep himself occupied. He helped Joyce unpack boxes and gave Hopper an extra set of hands when requested. Jonathan and Argyle kept him company with jam sessions fueled by a dizzying supply of California weed. He spent time getting to know Will and Eleven, getting caught up on their stories – both of the upside down and D&D campaigns. Robin stopped by a few times, usually with Nancy on their way to visit Steve and to offer Eddie sympathy each time he groused about his unofficial house arrest.
The other kids trickled in and out at random intervals of the day, taking full advantage of the school being shut down to utilize their free time. Max was starting to become his favorite, full of fire and sass even when she was restricted to sitting in a wheelchair with her body still in braces and casts. When Eddie had asked if she’d broken every bone in her arms and legs, Max had sneered a smile and presented her left middle finger with a mutter of, “not this one.”
When it was finally the day for his name to be cleared through a press release, Eddie was pacing the living room and fighting the nervous energy threatening to suffocate him. Joyce was running errands, Jonathan had taken El and Will to Wheeler’s house and Eddie had been left alone to his own devices. Hopper should have been back already, and the longer he had to wait the more insane he was starting to feel.
The front door opened and Eddie whirled around, staring as Uncle Wayne white-knuckled the doorknob, looking haggard, hopeful and disbelieving all at once. He stepped in, letting the door shut behind him.
“Eddie?”
Eddie crossed the room in seconds, catching Wayne in a tight hug as they clung to one another. “I’m sorry,” Eddie croaked into his uncle’s shoulder. Wayne shook his head, squeezing Eddie with trembling arms.
“Nothin’ to be sorry for, it ain’t your fault. None’a this was your fault. I’m just happy you're alive.” Wayne murmured, stroking one hand down the back of Eddie’s head and shoulders. “S’all that matters.”
“I wanted to tell you I was okay, I–”
“S’alright, Eddie,” Wayne pulled back, squeezing his shoulders in a firm and loving grasp. “You were just keepin’ yourself safe, layin’ low, lettin’ that chemical get out of your system. Hell, if all a this hadn’t happened I might be dead myself right now.”
Eddie’s heart leapt into his throat. “What?”
Wayne shrugged, “I’d been stayin at Paul’s hunting cabin the last couple’a weeks. Just come to find out on the ride here that a tree fell durin’ the earthquake an’ split it straight through our living room.”
“Oh,” Eddie relaxed just the slightest bit, now realizing someone had whipped up an explanation for their trailer’s demise. “Hopper tell you that?”
“No, kid about your age, said his name was Steve,” Wayne sombered, leaning in with a soft voice, “Now, you know I love you no matter what, right?”
“Steve?” Eddie echoed, his eyes going wide as the door opened again. Hopper walked through first with a few duffel bags, tossing them off to the side as he moved to let the person behind him enter.
Steve walked through the threshold, clad in sweats and a baggy sweater with one arm in a sling. He looked worn and slightly disheveled – the very image of someone who had spent too much time in a hospital.
Wayne stepped out of the way and allowed Eddie to brush by him and throw his arms around Steve’s shoulders. Steve let out a soft grunt of pain from the impact, but his free hand snaked around Eddie’s back and crushed him close. “Hey,” he murmured into Eddie’s hair, “told you I’d be fine, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, I guess you did,” Eddie said with a Steve turned his head until his lips were pressed against the side of Eddie’s temple – touching but not quite kissing. The hold lingered until Steve began to shift in discomfort, their bodies creating too much pressure on his healing body. He didn’t pull back much, Steve’s hand resting on the back of his elbow, eyes roaming Eddie’s face and body as if checking for any lingering changes.
Wayne cleared his throat, jarring them both out of their fond staring contest. He gestured to Hopper, one hand on his hip and his gaze staring somewhere near Eddie’s torso and then to the couch. “Whelp, Hopper and I are headin’ out. Got to talk to the folks at the newspaper an’ all about Eddie’s case…” his eyes rose to lock with Eddie’s for just a moment, giving Eddie a look. “We think it’d be best to wait until the towns settled afore you go runnin’ around doing interviews.”
Hopper grunted agreement, gesturing for Wayne to lead the way to the door. “Joyce will be back in an hour, kids will be home by five. Don’t do any weird shit on my furniture,” he snapped, and then shut the door behind himself.
Eddie opened his mouth to talk, but Steve’s hand was snagging him behind the neck and dragging him into a kiss before he could make a sound. It was a little rough and sloppy, but Eddie didn’t take long to catch on. He leaned back for a second, head tilting and adjusting until their lips slotted together neatly. Steve dragged in a slow breath through his nose, mouth parting just the slightest bit to deepen the kiss. Eddie settled one hand on Steve’s waist, feeling the way his muscles tightened and contracted when Steve leaned into his body.
“I missed you,” Steve uttered into Eddie’s mouth. Eddie made a sound of agreement, echoing the sentiment.
When they finally parted, a low grin spread across Eddie’s lips until he could feel the corners of his canines peeking out. “So… wanna do some weird shit on Hopper’s furniture?”