In the end, it seems inevitable. Something that is too obvious, too predictable, yet so perfectly him. Because if there was ever a way that Steve would want to go, if there was anything last thing that Steve would want to be remembered for, it would be this. It would be an act of good, an act of love. Something that shows his care, shows how important this rag-tag team is. How dear he holds them to his heart.
Robin had stumbled. It was just a slight fumble, an easy mistake. It left her open to attack, for a split second. Not even half a moment, she had been open and vulnerable.
Vecna had seen. He had been looking for an opening to strike, desperate to retaliate, but unable with the continued onslaught. They worked so well as a team, synchronized in their attacks on all fronts. From El in his mind, the kids attacking his monsters, the adults attacking the body. It was a fight he was doomed to loose, no matter what he tried- he was already so weak from their last attack, then the attempts to attack first and drain his own energy.
Steve was always aware of her, at all times. They had become dangerously dependent after the gates first connected. They weren’t attached at the hip anymore, they were fully conjoined. There was nothing she could do, no where she could go, without Steve knowing. Her awareness of him was just as intense.
So when Robin stumbled, Steve noticed. When Vecna zeroed in on her, Steve noticed. He didn’t hesitate.
It was only three steps. He was there, shielding her, before his gun even hit the ground.
“Steve!” Robin screamed behind him.
He was tempted to sarcastically scold her for nearly blowing out his ears. But there was ice in his chest. He couldn’t feel his legs and it sent him stumbling back into her. She tried to catch him under his arms but his weight sent them both tumbling to the floor.
Thankfully, her screams didn’t distract the others. They kept up the attack, not pausing for a second. No one even risked a glance, everyone too aware of how much they need to win this. Steve can wait.
Not according to Robin, though. Her entire body shakes behind him, fingers clawing at him in an attempt to hold him closer, pressing on the would as much as she can. She screams for help, begs and sobs, only becoming more hysterical when Steve tries to reassure her.
“It’s ok, Robs,” he tries. He tries to lift an arm, tries to pat hers. But he’s so numb. It’s something he’s glad for, it’s much better than the pain. He can’t feel his arms enough to truly lift them.
It only panics Robin. She tucks her face into his neck, leaving him wet with her tears as she rocks them. She’s still screaming, though it’s more hysterical sobs than words now.
He isn’t sure how long they stay like that before silence finally rings out.
He does his best to turn his head, relieved to see everyone else still standing. Vecna looks… disgusting. More like cheese left to rot in the sun than a man or a monster. Steves face scrunches up in disgust at the thought that he looks squishy.
“Oh, god, Steve!” Nancy gasps.
Heads finally turn to them. Steve offers them a weak smile.
Joyce is the one who goes to him first. Her hands join Robins, trying to stop the blood, trying to hold him together. She’s trying to offer him words of comfort and reassurance, even though she’s crying. Even though he can see how little hope she has. Her hands are shaking as much as Robins.
“Joyce,” Hopper says, voice gruff. He tries to say something else, but even he is choked up.
“I know,” is her reply. Her voice cracks. She only glances at him, but they understand each other. They know exactly what the other is trying to say without needing to say it.
It’s a lovely thing to see, Steve ponders. A little bit like his relationship with Robin. A connection so deep and ingrained that they can crawl inside the others head. And yet they still love each other, with such obvious devotion. Steve feels lucky that he gets to see another example of it.
“Just hang in there,” Jonathan says. He crouches down, puts a hand the shoulder that Robin is occupying. “We’re- we’re gonna get help. You’re gonna be ok.”
“Nah,” Steve is surprised at how even he sounds, so light, almost sounding content. “I’m gonna stay here. It’s comfortable. But we won right? He’s dead. We should- we should be celebrating.”
There’s some commotion, heads turning towards the door. Hopper and Nancy run out of his line of sight. There’s a lot of raised voices. It’s very confusing, Steve struggling to really hear what they’re saying. His head feels fuzzy. But… he immediately recognizes one of the voices.
“Dustin?” He asks, blinking around confused.
The commotion gets worse for a moment, Hopper yelling. He sounds desperate.
Dustin steps into view though, standing and just looking at him for a moment. He falls to his knees hard enough that even Steve winces at the thud, his hands reaching out to grasp at Steves top. “No, no, no! You promised, you can’t-!”
“You need to be more careful with your knees, dude,” Steve scolds, doing his best to glare. “You’re gonna do some real permanent damage at this rate.”
“Shut up,” Dustin sobs, exasperation bleeding through. “God, you’re such a mom.”
Steve starts laughing, but the motion makes pain shoot through him. He has to squeeze his eyes shut, groaning, impatiently waiting for the numbness to return.
“No, no, please, just- just hang on,” Dustin pleads. “Hang on, we’re gonna get you help and you’ll be fine. You’re gonna be fine, ok? Come on, Steve-”
He’s gently pushed aside by Max, guided by Lucas. She keeps a hand on his arm, white eyes somehow knowing exactly where he is with the now familiarly terrifying accuracy. “Hey, Steve.”
“Hey, red.” He’d picked up the nickname from Eddie. It somehow stuck with him. It always brought a smile to her face.
“You know how much we all love you, right?” Her hands tighten for a moment. She has to pause, taking a deep breath. “Because we do. I know it started as a joke but you really are like our mom. Just as overbearing and annoying.” She pauses, Lucas whispering that Steve is grinning, biting back laughter. “But we know you do that shit because you care about us. It’s… what I said in that letter. I wanted you to know that… even though we joke about it… we do love you.”
“That goes for us too,” Nancy tacks on, gesturing to herself and Jonathan. “We haven’t had it… easy, but-”
“We do love you,” Jonathan finishes. He grabs her hand, offering her as much support as he can. He ducks his head, awkward, when he notices that the action makes Steve smile. “You’re a good guy. I’m just… sorry it took me longer to realize.”
Flashing blue and red blares through the wood panels covering the window.
“Hold on,” Dustin reminds Steve as he hurries to his feet. “I’ll get them, I’ll bring them in.”
He hurries out, Jonathan quickly going with him. Despite the certainty that others are still there, hovering just out of sight, it feels like he’s left with Joyce, Robin, Nancy, Max and Lucas. He kind of wishes Dustin was there, but it’s good for him to feel useful. He’ll need to know, later, that he really did do all that he could. He’ll need to know that there really wasn’t anything else he could do. No what ifs, not like he had with Eddie.
“Talk to her, yeah? For me?”
She laughs. It sounds more like a sob. “Really? You wanna do this right now?”
“Well, yeah. Now you have to. I’m guilt tripping you, Bobbie.”
“Asshole,” she laughs more genuine, holds him a little tighter. “Just for that? I will and when it goes wrong, like I know it will? I’m going to spit on your grave.”
“That’s not very threatening,” he turns best he can, grinning at her. “What if I’m into that?”
“Gross, dude! Don’t make me think about that when you’re dying in my arms!”
He closes his eyes, grinning wider. He’s not worried when he finds them too heavy to open again. “Why not? This is… the best time.”
He’d people say that actually dying is like falling asleep. In fiction, they make it sound so simple and easy. He expected that, to feel like he just… slips away. He doesn’t know where he expects to go, but somewhere.
He’s confused when people start to panic. He’s aware of Robin shaking him, trying to wake him up, pleading with him. He can hear Lucas pointing out that he isn’t breathing. He knows that the emergency workers find their way to them then, through the mess and rubble, and they do everything they can to resuscitate him. He knows that those things happen.
But it doesn’t feel like him. He feels disconnected. Nothing he does to try and move or talk work. He feels afloat, drifting. It’s so dark. Robins voice, already strangely muffled, quietens. It doesn’t matter how hard he tries to hold onto the sound, onto her voice. It slides through his fingers like water.
He had hoped that death would be more peaceful.
It’s so bright, disorientating. There’s voice around him, in the distance, but he can’t see anyone. He can’t see anything. He tries to crouch, to feel along the floor, but there’s nothing. He isn’t even sure he’s feeling ground beneath him. All he has is the sense that he’s touching the bottom of something.
“Hello?” He calls. He tries to stand, throwing his arms out when he nearly loses his balance. “Hello?! Robin? Hey! Can anyone hear me?” He spins, looking around desperately. “Hey?!”
He’s not sure how long he yells. His throat doesn’t get sore, his voice doesn’t get hoarse and he doesn’t feel tired. He isn’t sure if a minute or an hour passes. There is nothing. He doesn’t even feel tired.
He sits, hugs his knees close.
Maybe he needs to wait for something, he wonders. A guide or something. Someone who will show him where he needs to go. A guide to the real afterlife. A guide out of purgatory.
He refuses to accept this nothingness as the end. He closes his eyes, determined to wait. Determined that, when he does open his eyes, there will be a way out. A way to something better. A way to somewhere better. A way to heaven.
It feels almost like a jolt goes through him. The sensation of ears popping as an airplane lifts, but in his entire being.
He lifts his head, freezing when he looks around Eddies trailer.
It doesn’t look like it did when he was there last. Everything is intact. It’s warm, the low yellow lights giving the small spaces a cozy feel. There’s no tear into the Upside Down, no vines and no mess from investigators trying to find clues of Eddies whereabouts. It’s clean in a way that is unfamiliar to Steve.
Steve slowly climbs to his feet, creeping towards the hall. The music is coming from Eddies room. The door is shut, light illuminating the edges. A shadow disturbs the light, someone moving inside.
For a moment, he stares. It feels like a lump is stuck in his throat. The hope burning in his heart almost painful.
“Eddie?” He eventually calls out.
There’s a thud from inside the room. More soon follow. The door is flung open, Eddie standing there for a long moment. He looks just like he did when he was alive and well. An Iron Maiden shirt, ripped jeans and wild hair. His face isn't sunken with stress and hunger. Beautiful.
His eyes are wide, his expression frozen in confusion and concern.
“Steve?” He chokes out. “No. No, no, no.” He stumbles over, grabs his shoulders. He looks at Steve like he’s the one seeing a ghost. “What happened? What- oh god, no, Dustin, is he-?”
“He’s ok,” Steve interrupts. Clarity is a weird thing for him, everything slowly sinking in. “They all are. We won. Vecnas dead.”
“They can live without me.” He shrugs, tries to look casual. “I was just the babysitter. They don’t need me.”
“You’re an idiot,” Eddie gently smacks the back of his head. “When Henderson gets here, in like eighty years, I’m telling him you said that.”
“Where is here, exactly?”
“Fuck if I know. Some sort of afterlife. I woke up in a void, wished I could go home and then I was here. I was hoping I’d be lonely for longer.” He glares at Steve when he says that last part, narrowing his eyes. “Which you have ruined, thank you very much.”
“So it takes you where you wish to go?” Steve clarifies. He laughs when Eddie nods.
“What? Where were you wishing to go, Harrington?”
Eddie barks a laugh, gesturing for Steve to follow him to his bedroom. “I think someone fucked up your order.”
Steve watches him flop down onto his bed, grinning. He doesn’t stop moving, one leg bouncing, one of his hands already playing with his hair. He raises an eyebrow, impatient.
"I think they got it just right.”
“Keep talking like that and I might just kiss you.”
Eddie throws a pillow at him. “You’re a tease, you know that?”
He laughs, throwing the pillow right back, diving down after it. They wrestle for the pillow for a while, eventually calling a truce. Eddies face is flushed. He gives one last half-hearted smack with the pillow, earning a giggle from Steve.
“How long do you think you'll stay here?” Eddie eventually asks. “I’ve been to the old Cunningham place a few times. Chrissys doing better.”
“As long as you'll have me. I've got no where to be."
Eddie cautiously reaches out for his hand, smiling a little pleased when Steve entwines their fingers. "With little ol' me?"
"Yeah," Steve turns to look at him, smiling. "Knew you less than a week and I was already missing you more than my parents. You're stuck with me until you throw me out."
"What if I never throw you out? What if I want you to stay here?"
"What, for the rest of eternity?"
"Oh, for sure." He lifts their hands up, making sure Eddie is looking him in the eyes when he kisses his hand. He bites back a smirk when Eddie flushes. "Eternity sounds lovely. Exactly what I wished for."
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