(Alternate ending to this post)
"Steeevie~"
A low, familiar voice echoes around him. It makes his legs lock up, cementing him in place. Arms come out from behind him, snaking around his torso and holding him there. "Stevie, Big Boy, what are you doing back here?" Steve swallows around nothing, grief knocking into his chest.
He tries to open his mouth, to say anything, but Eddie continues.
"You couldn't save me. You were too weak to beat Vecna in time. Too slow to get back to me and help me. Too cowardly to drag me out of there so they had something to burt."
"stop-" he finally manages to gasp out.
"Didn't you love me?" It's spoken right into his ear, causing him to shiver. Tears well up, Steve hates where this is going. "If you loved me you would've saved me, Stevie. But you failed. And now you'll never be able to have me. I hate you for that."
One of the hands splayed over Steve's chest uses a finger to create a spiraling pattern of his heart, before still and sitting there, tapping lightly.
"But that's okay, you can be forgiven. You can stay, be here with me."
Steve blinks, starting to get lost.
"W-what? What do you mean? Ed-"
"Join us, Stevie." Eddie nods forward, hair tickling against Steve's neck. Steve tracks his eyes over to where Eddie had pointed out, and he freezes.
Vecna stares back at him, silent and waiting.
"No- no no I can't- this isn't real-"
"Steven... it is time. You may choose. Die, or join me."
"You should stay, Stevie. And we can be together." Not-Eddie runs a hand through Steve's hair, blunt fingernails scratching against his scalp and twirling a lock of hair.
"You- You're not real. Let go-"
"Does that matter, Stevie? I sure feel like me, I feel very real."
"I can make you of use, Steven." Vecna takes another step forward. "I can make you useful, helpful, needed. You can be good for my cause."
"Never- Never- no- Fuck you- I won't betray my friends, I can't hurt them-"
"Oh Stevie, your friends don't care about you." Not-Eddie is far to close to Steve's ear still, every word striking like lightning down his spine. "I mean, really, Henderson has been causing you an awful lot of trouble. Missing me. Well, you could just have me all to yourself. None of them will worry, they're all too busy with their own things. They won't come looking for you even if you died now."
Steve hates that he's considering it.
"I can spare your friends' lives when the time comes. Bring them here to you. All you have to do is help, Steven."
They finally lapse into silence, Steve letting it all mull over in his mind. God, he's so tired of fighting. And of being stupid, useless. And Vecna could spare his friends, couldn't he? If Steve was just good enough, useful enough, maybe-
His head is hesitantly nodding before he can catch up with himself.
"I- yeah- yeah. Fine. Whatever you need."
The lighting within the fake Upside Down strike one final time before the scene fades away.
Steve hopes he doesn't regret this.