#fictlet

Steve was hearing voices on the radio. More specifically, one voice on the radio, Eddie Munson's. The first time it happened, he and Dustin had been in the WSQK van, on a crawl, slowly following Hopper's trail in the Upside Down, topside. Amongst Hopper's garbled voice and static, another sound rose from the din.

"Hello? Anyone?" The voice– Eddie's voice, sounded hoarse, as though he'd been calling out for some time.

Naturally, Steve looked to Henderson, expecting to see the kid as frantic as he felt, but he wore his usual bored and despondent look as he mindlessly turned the knobs and dials.

"Henderson, you hear that?"

This was it. The moment Steve finally lost his mind. With all the shit he'd seen, he supposed it was about time.

"Hopper trying to get through on the walkie? Yes, Steve. I do, and I'd be able to pick up the signal better if you'd speed up a little."

"Yeah, but what about...?" Steve let his thought fade. He was tired. He hadn't been sleeping well. He was dreaming with his eyes open.

Only Steve kept hearing the voice. Not just on their crawls but on his late-night drives in the Beamer. The Squawk went off air after ten, which meant the station played nothing but static, and through that static, Steve started hearing Eddie. That night in August, Steve went crazy enough to start answering.

"Hello?" Eddie's voice croaked through the static. He sounded as tired as Steve felt.

"Anyone? Ground control to Major Tom? This is E.T. phoning home." Despite everything, Eddie could still joke.

Steve liked to think that, in another life, they could have been friends. Maybe that was why his sleep-addled brain had conjured up Eddie's voice from the ether.

"Hey... uh, Major Tom to ground control?" Steve spoke to the air as he took a tight turn down the end of a quiet neighbourhood.

In another life, Steve would like to live in a comfortably quiet home. His house screamed with the silence of abandonment, instead of sleeping with tranquillity. There was a difference between quiet and silence, not many people knew.

For a moment, there was nothing but static, but then it was shattered by what sounded like the gasp of a wounded animal.

"Steve? Thank, fucking Christ," Eddie's voice gasped.

"Munson? Is that really you?"

Steve had to jerk the wheel as he felt himself driving dangerously close to the curb. He pulled over, but left the car running.

"Live and in stereo. Jesus H. You don't know how happy I am to hear your voice."

Steve might be feeding his own delusions, but god, it felt good to be wanted, just once.

"I could say the same about you. Where are you?"

"I'm stuck in the damn Upside Down, man. Have been for... I don't know how long. I've been running around this goddamn hellscape, hiding from the demogorgons for... I don't know."

Steve leaned back against the headrest and let his eyes fall shut, trying to focus.

"Sixteen months, give or take," Steve breathed. God, he'd been gone so long. This couldn't be real. Eddie had died. Steve had watched him die.

"No... no that can't be right. It can't. It hasn't..." Eddie's voice trailed off, appearing confused.

"I'm sorry... Eddie– Eds, you died." Steve had hoped his sick mind would send him a friend, but instead it sent him a therapy session.

"I tried to save you, man. By the time I got there... there was so much blood–." Steve was glad he'd parked, because he could feel his hands begin to shake.

Watching someone die never leaves you. Steve could close his eyes, and he was back there. Part of him would always be there. He'd heard Dustin's wails of anguish before he'd seen the grusome scene. He knew something had gone terribly wrong.

He'd run until he felt as though his lungs would explode. He'd been so focused on Dustin at first, he hadn't noticed Eddie. He'd taken the boy's bloody face between his hands and tried to examine every inch of him to determine where the blood was coming from. Dustin pushed him away, sobbing Eddie's name. Eddie had been so still that Steve had thought he was already gone. However, he placed the back of his hand inches from Eddie's lips and felt small puffs of air.

The flesh at his sides had been torn beyond recognition, resembling minced meat, instead of flesh and bone. Steve had done his best to pack the wound. He'd been wrist deep inside Eddie's skin. He'd never forget the warm flow of blood around his fingers as he tried to feed Eddie's intestines back inside his body. He'd never un-hear the wet squelch of flesh on flesh. He'd tried his best to save Eddie. Logically, he knew that. But he never felt like he'd done enough.

He remembered struggling to hold Eddie in his arms, as they made for the gate out of The Upside Down. All the blood made him slippery. Steve had toppled over, desperately trying to cling to Eddie rather than letting him go. He'd skinned his knees, his hands and his chin. It'd taken Steve four tries to hoist Eddie up through the hole in the trailer roof, with Dustin hot on his heels.

By the time Eddie's body was in Hawkins, his eyes were glassy, and he'd stopped breathing. Even then, Steve had tried. He scraped together all the knowledge he'd gathered from his first job as a lifeguard during his sophomore year and beat down on Eddie's chest until his wrist ached and he was covered in sweat. Nothing brought him back, but god, he'd tried.

"I died," Eddie echoed at last. Steve thought he heard a hint of disbelief in his tone.

"But I'm... here," Eddie sounded as lost as Steve felt.

"I'm sorry," Steve breathed. Unsure what else he was supposed to say.

"Oh shit," Eddie's voice crackled through the static, sounding suddenly distant.

"Creepy demodogs are hot on my six, Steve. I've gotta move. Find me again. I don't know how you did it but–." The radio static swallowed Eddie's voice whole.

Once again, Steve was alone.

After being directionless for so long, Steve threw himself headlong into finding and contacting Eddie. Any spare moment was spent combing every inch of Hawkins, with the radio tuned to static if he was driving or his walkie-talkie fixed to his and Eddie's private channel if he was on foot.

He wasn't sure if he was going crazy, but the alternative was worse. If he wasn't crazy, that meant part of Eddie had survived, only to be trapped in an evil wizard's hell dimension. Steve Harrington wasn't in the business of leaving his people behind. He had to bring Eddie home.

In the weeks that followed, he and Eddie had come closer to understanding how to contact each other. Much like Hopper's walkie and the Squawk van, Eddie and Steve needed to be close to one another to talk. At first, that seemed to make matters simple. If Eddie camped out at Steve's house in The Upside Down and Steve turned on his walkie, they could talk for hours on end, which they did. However, the Upside Down was still crawling with demogorgons, meaning it wasn't safe to stay in one place too long, lest Eddie get cornered. Neither boy wanted to know what would happen if he died twice.

They organised nightly meet-ups across Hawkins, trying to keep Eddie on the move. All the while, Steve was trying to work out how to get back into the Upside Down to get Eddie out without the military or the other members of the party realising. He hadn't intended to keep Eddie's possible return from the dead from the others, but everything felt so complicated. There were too many variables, too many things to go wrong. Losing Eddie once had broken Dustin in ways Steve feared he would never mend from. He didn't dare think what would happen if they couldn't save Eddie a second time. To Steve's surprise, Eddie agreed. Neither boy would admit it, but they both knew how unlikely it was that they'd be able to get Eddie out.

"Where should we swing by tomorrow? I was thinking maybe we could hang out at Enzo's parking lot," Eddie's voice rose from the static.

It was mid-September, and the boys had grown close in such a short time. Steve had been surprised at how easy they had bonded in the days after Eddie was accused of murder. Eddie knew what he was going to say before Steve did, particularly regarding Dustin, and, much to Steve's surprise, he could read Eddie's moods without the man saying a word. It was a bond he'd shared with Robin, but that had taken months of working a minimum wage job together, coupled with being drugged and tortured, not to mention Robin coming out to him.

He and Eddie didn't have as much shared history. They hardly talked in high school. Steve didn't know how to explain it. He felt like a part of him had always known Eddie. Even when they had been strangers, Eddie had caught Steve's eye at his parties and across the cafeteria. His long hair, denim vest and ringed fingers always managed to snag Steve's attention, like a hangnail in a knitted sweater.

He thought, for a moment, of Robin's bathroom confession, how much she'd noticed about him, because of her crush on Tammy Thompson. Steve had always noticed Eddie, but not because he was popular with any of the girls he'd half-heartedly dated. Steve had spent a long time trying to unpack what all that meant for him.

After Eddie's death, he'd never admit how much he mourned what could have been. He felt like they were getting a second chance, and he wasn't about to let it go to waste. If it were anyone else, Steve would've worried he'd come on too strong, as was his habit, but to his surprise, for each part of himself he overshared, Eddie did so in kind.

Steve supposed it was bound to happen. Eddie had been alone for months. He needed someone. Steve had been lonely for... years, really. They both needed one another.

It was one of the lucky nights, they'd been able to meet at his home. His late nights and early mornings hunting for Eddie meant his sleep schedule was nonexistent, so getting to curl up in his bed with the walkie by his head as he talked to Eddie felt like a small luxury. He wondered if Eddie was in the same place in the Upside Down, curled up on top of the covers, in Steve's bed. The thought made him shiver. He was trying not to dwell on all the feelings Eddie spurred in him. It was too complex.

"You want to take me to Enzo's?" Steve mused, propping his arm behind his head.

"I figured you're a class act, Harrington. If we're going to meet in a parking lot under the cover of darkness, it might as well be one worthy of your standing," Eddie replied, making Steve roll his eyes.

"I've got another idea," Steve began.

"This morning, I drove close enough to the military base to pick up on their internal radio chatter. Turns out, they're doing a burn tomorrow night at the break near Forest Hills. The rest of the gang hasn't picked up on it yet. Thought we could try meeting up in your neck of the woods," Steve proposed.

"By my neck of the woods, you mean The Upside Down? Don't you think it's a little dangerous sneaking past the military on your own?" Eddie was hesitant, but he wasn't saying no.

"It's only dangerous if you get caught, and I know how to be sneaky," Steve argued and heard a faint snicker.

"Just because you say you'd make a good ninja dude, doesn't mean I believe you."

"I'm not hearing a no," Steve challenged.

"That's because, as dumb as your idea sounds... I really want to see someone that's not shaped like a hell-bat or a fly trap. You're playing on my weakness, Stevie," Eddie spoke. Steve felt a smile creep over his lips.

"So it's settled, I'll meet you there tomorrow night. If everything goes well, I might be able to get you topside by breakfast."

Steve knew he was being optimistic. When he had outlined the areas the military frequently burned to Eddie, the boy had tried to sneak past them and cross the barrier to Hawkins, but so far, he hadn't been successful. Something was keeping Eddie tethered there. They were entertaining a handful of theories, with no real evidence to support them.

"Okay, Stevie. Just be careful. If it's too dangerous, turn back. Don't play the hero," Eddie said, and it hurt to have his own words echoed back at him.

"I thought that was my job," Steve mumbled.

"No. Not today it's not. No more heroes," Eddie insisted.

"No more heroes," Steve echoed, gazing up at the ceiling, imagining Eddie beside him, doing the same.

"If we get you out of there, I'll actually take you to Enzo's... if you want," Steve whispered.

For a moment, he'd felt brave, but the second the words left his lips, he was terrified. Maybe he'd read Eddie all wrong.

He heard Eddie laugh. Which hurt more than it should.

"You know that's a date place, right? I know you're rich and all, but I couldn't imagine you and Tommy H swinging by for a candle-lit dinner after a basketball game."

"I know it's a date place," Steve tried again.

"That's why I asked you."

The silence that followed seemed to stretch out for a lifetime before Eddie uttered a quiet 'oh'.

"Yeah... Stevie. If everything goes as planned, I'll go to Enzo's with you."

Getting away from the radio station on time to meet Eddie was harder than Steve anticipated. He was halfway out the door when Robin called his name and jogged to catch up with him.

"Dingus. Vickie just called, and she's picking up a double shift at the hospital. Which means my Friday night is officially free. Want to have a movie night? Last week, Murray smuggled us some new tapes I've been dying to watch."

On any other night, Steve would've jumped at the opportunity to spend time with Robin, but not tonight. The only problem was, he hadn't had time to come up with a convincing lie.

"Ah, you see, I'd love to, but I've got... plans tonight," Steve tried. It was way too vague. Robin wouldn't buy it.

"I've got a date," Steve corrected.

"Since when do you not tell me about your dates? I could literally name every girl you've slept with... probably ever. Which is very gross, and slightly codependent– but not the point." Shit. Robin had a point.

"I forgot about it. No big deal. You just reminded me." Steve hated lying to Robin. He wasn't good at lying to Robin.

"No, you didn't. You've checked your watch five times in the last hour. That's only something you do when you know you've got to be somewhere," Robin argued.

Lie better, Harrington. Steve thought. He needed to meet up with Eddie. If he didn't do it that night, he had no idea when the next opportunity would present itself.

"It's with a guy," Steve blurted out.

It was uncomfortably close to the truth, and in retrospect, he was surprised he hadn't talked to Robin about his burgeoning sexuality crisis sooner. He hadn't wanted to. If he said it out loud, it would make it real.

Instead of saying anything in reply, Robin pulled him into a bone-crushing hug that knocked the air from his lungs. For a moment, he stiffened before sinking in. It'd been a long time since someone had held him. It was a shock to the system.

"I'm sorry,' She muttered against Steve's shoulder, surprising him. What did she have to feel sorry for?

"I shouldn't have pushed you. If you're not ready to come out, that's okay. This conversation never happened. Look, I've already forgotten about it. You can tell me again in a month or a year. Or never. Never is okay, too. A little unhealthy, but okay... You should talk to someone about it at some stage, though," Robin rambled, her words tumbled over one another, as they did when she was nervous.

"It's okay. I wanted to talk to you about it, I just..." Steve didn't know how to explain, but he didn't have to. Robin was nodding enthusiastically.

"It's hard to say it sometimes."

"I don't know if I've even said it to myself yet," Steve admitted.

Robin squeezed his shoulder hard before letting him go.

"It's okay. Sometimes it takes time. No rush," She assured before a dark look crossed her face.

"This guy, is he nice?" Steve wanted to laugh.

"No, Rob, he's an asshole. What do you think?" He placed a hand on his hip and cocked his brow.

"Honestly, Steve? With your track record with girls, I've got no idea. When it comes to your love life, you're Mr Self-Sabotage."

"He's nice," Steve said.

He wasn't sure if the general population of Hawkins would agree that Eddie 'The Freak' Munson was nice, but Hawkins didn't know Eddie. He collected lost and broken things. He made sure no one ever felt left out, no matter how strange they were. He opened doors for people. He made Steve feel like a person, for the first time in a long time.

"Do I know him?" Robin asked.

"Remember when you said I shouldn't out people?" Steve asked, side-stepping the question. Saying he was going on a date with a guy was one thing; dating long-dead Eddie Munson was something else entirely.

"Okay. Fine. You're right. But I'm here if you do need to talk about it," Robin promised, and Steve nodded, looking down at his watch. He was so late. He hoped they hadn't started the burn yet.

"Alright, Lover boy. I won't keep you any longer. Have a good date. I'll be expecting all the gory details tomorrow."

Steve snorted and waved her off.

Steve Harrington was reckless, but sometimes, being reckless paid off.

Steve tried to recall everything Hopper had told them about his previous crawls. He'd followed close to one of the military trucks, hitching a ride on the back when the coast was clear. Though if Hopper got caught, he had an arsenal of guns. All Steve had was a poorly fashioned nail bat, a flask of kerosene and a lighter.

As the terrain became marred with sparsely populated trees, Steve jumped and rolled for cover. From there, he waited for the military to leave, then set about trying to find Eddie. Unfortunately, something else found him first.

A demodog lurched from the shadows, knocking Steve from his feet. In a heartbeat, he scrambled upright, swinging the bat and landing a solid blow to the creature's side. He was winding up for a second hit when something encircled his wrist. He looked to see Eddie, stilling his hand and urging him with a violent tug to run. You didn't have to tell Steve twice.

The two boys ran side-by-side, keeping pace with each other's matching strides. It became a rhythm, the crunch of dirt underfoot at Steve's side and to his back. The demodog continued to pursue for several miles. They didn't stop until long after the creature had disappeared from view.

Finally, Eddie stopped running, and the boys doubled over, sucking gasping lungfuls of spore-filled air. Steve had hardly caught his breath when Eddie barrelled into him, knocking him off his feet and surprising him with a tight and desperate hug.

"God Stevie, you're a sight for sore eyes," Eddie mumbled, sounding far less winded than Steve felt. He wondered how much of Eddie's day was spent running from monsters.

Steve didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected to make it as far as he had. He hadn't expected Eddie to be real, not really. He'd never been good with his words. He wrapped his arms around Eddie and held him tightly, trying to erase the last memory of his glassy brown eyes, staring sightless at the stars, his bloodless body painted red.

Steve buried his face in Eddie's chest, never mind the dry gravel digging into his exposed flesh. His breathing was uneven. He was startlingly close to crying and Eddie seemed to notice.

"Hey, all that for little old me," He muttered, shifting, freeing a hand so he could angle Steve's face to meet his gaze.

"I missed you," Steve remarked.

If Eddie were a normal person, he might have said something like 'you don't know me, how could you miss me?' Good thing Eddie Munson was anything but a normal person.

"I missed you too," Eddie replied and gave Steve one more tight squeeze, looking for a moment like he couldn't believe it was something Steve was letting him do. Steve wanted him to do it again.

"As much as I'd like to stay here with you, if we don't get moving, something's bound to catch up with us. This area has been a hotbed for hell beasts lately."

The two broke apart and started to make their way towards the vine-like wall where Steve had entered. They jogged at a steady pace. Steve hoped the military was bound for their fortress in The Upside Down and wouldn't be coming back soon, but he could never be sure.

"I can't believe you actually made it," Eddie gasped as he ran, exhilarated by Steve's mere presence.

"I told you, Munson. Sneaky, like a ninja, and you doubted me," Steve laughed.

"I didn't underestimate your abilities, so much as I overestimated the goddamn military," Eddie spoke. He kept glancing at Steve, as though disbelieving his eyes.

"You'd be surprised how far I'd go for a good date, Munson." Steve shot Eddie a wink. Eddie let out a strangled cough.

It surprised Steve how easy flirting with him was once he'd permitted himself. He revelled in the way he'd made Eddie Munson, a fully grown man, blush. Oh, Steve could get used to this. Flirting with Eddie was new and thrilling. How had Steve spent so long not doing it?

'A 'good date,' huh? Laying it on a little thick there, sweetheart. I'm a mediocre date at best," Eddie uttered, picking up the pace.

Steve hung back for a moment, just to watch the way his body moved. If he'd had any doubt he was straight, the thoughts that sprang to his mind as he watched Eddie's body move put a stop to it.

"You'll just have to prove it then," Steve smirked, running to catch up with Eddie, teasingly tugging the bandanna from the back pocket of his jeans as he did so.

He heard Eddie mutter, 'Jesus H. Christ' under his breath.

It wasn't long before the two arrived at the burn site. Steve pulled the flask from his pocket, drenching the wall of strange vine-like growths in kerosene.

"Steve, if this doesn't work..." Eddie began, but Steve held up a hand to stop him. It had to work.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow night at the high school parking lot," Eddie pushed.

"It's going to work."

"We've only got one shot at this tonight. You've got enough lighter fluid for one run out, and I'm not letting you get stuck here with me. If it doesn't work, we'll try something else. We'll work it out."

Steve turned to face Eddie, looking down at the boy's ringed fingers. He wanted to touch them. No one was stopping him. He pulled the boy's hands into his. They were rough and calloused in a way that made Steve's mouth go dry. How the hell hadn't he considered how good a man's hands could feel? Logistically, he knew, but now that he'd allowed himself to consider it, there was a whole world he'd been missing out on.

When Steve looked up from Eddie's hands, he was surprised to meet startled brown eyes. Eddie's gaze shifted over Steve's face, landing on his lips. Please. Steve thought. Please.

"I'm going to kiss you, so if things go south, we both know what we've got to look forward to. Okay?" Steve nodded.

"Okay."

One of Eddie's hands moved to encircle the back of Steve's neck, while the other landed palm down on the side of his face. He hadn't realised Eddie had stubble until he was kissing him. God, it was good. Eddie's rough hands with their gentle touch made Steve weak at the knees. He surged forward, deepening the kiss. One hand trailed down to the small of Eddie's back, and the other settled lower still.

Steve could die in that moment, and he'd die happy.

The sound of distant cars caused the two to spring apart. Steve wanted more. They didn't have time.

"We've gotta go." Eddie nodded.

Steve reached for his lighter and watched as the fire scorched through the vines. He gripped Eddie's hand hard. The hole left was narrow. Steve went first, but as soon as Eddie's hand reached the threshold, Steve felt the resistance. He tugged harder, hoping it would help, but Eddie didn't budge. Steve gazed over his shoulder at the boy and caught his sad smile.

"It's okay, Stevie. We knew it was a long shot."

It wasn't fair. It goddamn wasn't fair.

"I'm not leaving you," Steve insisted.

Eddie squeezed Steve's hand.

"Come back and visit soon, okay?"

Eddie let go of Steve's hand and pushed him out of the Upside Down. He landed with a thud on the familiar ground of Hawkins.

He lay in the dirt, looking up at the stars. The night was silent, not quiet.

She can see Mary, badass Mary, running out of ammo. Sweet Camila panting, scared. Scary Lilith roaring and lashing out. Perfect Beatrice dividing her attention between her own fights and covering Ava’s back. Because she’s frozen in place, Ava is. She promised she was going to be the last Warrior Nun, and she’s going to keep this promise. She’s keeping this promise without letting any of her sisters died. So, she straightens up, looks around. They’ve been cornered inside a sort of closed plaza, surrounded by four walls and the only entrance has been blocked with debris. Adriel is on the other side, Ava sent him flying with a potent burst of the Halo when she saw he had Lilith by the neck.

He told Ava all about how he was going to kill her sisters one by one in front of her. “Starting with the hellhound”, he had said. He’s been whispering about it in her dreams, too. For weeks. Weeks of her waking with screams and panic attacks. Weeks of them talking about those dreams and planing accordingly. And yet, it’s all wrong. But she’s going to fix this. She will not let him kill them. She’s on borrowed time, anyway.

The horde of possessed is almost completely contained, now. But Ava thinks it’s enough to have her sisters occupied while she goes and finishes this. She levitates and uses enough of the Halo to slow the advance of the enemies. She knows she can’t stop them for long, just a moment to tell her final goodbye. They’re all looking at her now, confused, a mixture of frowns that range from bewildered to outraged.

“Ava?” It’s Beatrice, of course. “What’s going on?”

“I... I love you guys. I never thought, even in my wildest dreams, that I would live such an adventure or have a family. And you gave me this.”

“What the fuck are you talking about” Mary’s never been good at feeling out of the loop.

“I promised I was going to be the last Warrior Nun. And I’m going to finish this.”

“Ava, no”

"I’m not gonna let him kill you!”

“Why are you like this? Get your skinny ass down here, so we can contain the possessed and go send your daddy back to hell” Ava scrunches her face at Mary.

“Ew! He’s not my daddy!”

“Are you sure? Because you’re kind of making want to kill you right now”

“Would you both stop? Ava, please. You are not going to go by yourself. That was not the plan.” Beatrice is starting to look pissed.

“That's actually the exact opposite of the plan” Camila says, huffing a little.

“The most important part of the plan is where neither of you die!”

“The most important part of the plan is: trust your team”, ok now she’s officially angry then. But Ava softens.

“I trust my team. But I love my family more.”

“You said you promised to be the last. That doesn’t have to mean you die.”

“Hey, maybe I can beat him by myself.”

“You can, but there’s no need to risk it when you can have back-up. You do not need to do this alone, Ava.”

“He promised he would make me watch him kill you. I won’t allow it, Beatrice!”

“And I promised you that you’d never be alone again!”

Ava can feel her hold on the possessed weakening. So she has to end this. She can feel tears starting to run down her cheeks. She looks at them, one by one.

“I love you.” And she phases through the wall leaving behind a symphony of yells and curses. She takes a moment to compose herself, before going in search for Adriel. 

She finds him lying in the ground. If she took a moment she’d see he looks like he can’t even stand up. But she’s blinded by fear. And he can sense this.

“Well, did you finally decide to be a worthy Warrior, then, child?”

“Shut up. I decided I’m going to send you back to hell!” And he has the audacity of laughing.

“Please. We both know how this is going to end. I’m going to rip my Halo from your back, and I’m going to claim my rightful place as master of the world, while you lie there dying slowly and alone.”

“Big talk for a dude who’s not even standing.”

“I could kill you without the use of my limbs!”

“Like the Black Knight?” And he looks so confused, it would be funny. “Monty Python? Oh, wait. You could not know about it... Wait! Was it a real event?”

“Silence! You’ve overstayed your welcome, Warrior Nun. It’s my time now!” In a flash he’s in her space. Her reflex is to swipe her sword at him, which is a testament of the long training sessions with Lilith, and Beatrice and Mary and Camila. They spar for a while. But she’s starting to get worried that her sisters are going to burst out at any moment. And that’s the only opening Adriel needs.

He sweeps her off her feet, and she lays hard on the ground, face first, so he has the chance to press a knee on her back. She’s expecting him to reach a hand, like he did on his tomb, but he’s fumbling for something. And then she feels the cut and heat of divinium on her skin. She barely can avoid screaming.

“It’s over child. Thank you for following my instructions so well. You thought you were helping them? You thought this would spare them? Did you think at all?” She is screaming now, and crying, because it hurts, and she’s alone.

There’s a thunk and thump, and then a very distinctive snort followed by a:

“She never thinks.” And Ava may be delirious because that sounds like Lilith.

“Ava!” And that sounds like Beatrice. And the hand helping her turn and cupping her cheek feels like Beatrice, too. “Ava?” But she doesn’t want to open her eyes, because it will be devastating to realize she’s dying alone on the ground.

“The wound is a little deep, and she’s bleeding a lot. But I can patch it temporarily while we finish here and get to safety.” Her brain is conjuring images of Camila at her back.

Then she’s been lifted of the ground, and now she frowns because, sure, she has a very vivid imagination, product of twelve years of emotional abuse while paralyzed in a bed, but never this vivid. And never as violent as actually feeling someone smack her hard on the back of the head. 

“Ow!”

“You stupid, stupid girl. If you think this is all the repercussion you’re going to get for being the dumbest Warrior Nun ever, you’re even more stupid than I’ve just stated.”

“Mary, I don’t believe it’s the time for this.” Even in her dreams Beatrice comes to her defense.

“And I don’t believe hitting her in the head will help make her less stupid.” Ok, so now Ava opens her eyes, because that was definitely Lilith adding insults to the growing pile.

“What?...”

“Oh hey, stupid! Are you done being a drama queen?”

“Mary...” Beatrice sounds tired when she sighs the gunslinger’s name. Then she’s cupping Ava’s face: “Ava? Can you look at me, please?” Of course she does, she always wants to look at Beatrice. “I think she needs a second to recover.”

“Whats’... How...?”

“Did you really think we were going to let you run off like a self-sacrificing martyr?” And wow, ok, Camila has a bite.

“You also forgot I can open portals.” Oh, that’s right. Lilith can open portals, she’s also been training and exploring her new powers. It’s actually one of the ways they’ve bonded a lot.

“But, we were overrun by the possessed”

“Yes, Ava. The plan shifted. But we still had it under control. And if you have stopped to listen to us for a second you would have realized that we were containing the threat of the possessed to then be able to face Adriel together properly.”

“Oh.” Yes, Beatrice is definitely angry at her.

“Yes, oh. Now quit the drama and finish the dude.” There’s what Ava could only describe as an evil laugh coming from Adriel who’s still on the ground, panting.

“You think you children can defeat me? Areala, who was an actual Warrior could only hide me away on a tomb.”

“You said that like she sent you on a cruise, dumbass.” It’s Mary.

“I said that as someone who can escape again, fool.”

“We know we can kill you.” Beatrice.

“And we know we can’t contain you here.” Camila.

“We also know who’s eager to get their hands on you.” Lilith, who then turns to Ava: “Ready?” And yeah. She’s ready to send this demon back to hell. Literally.

“Yeah. Ready” Ava picks her sword with a pained grimace. And before she can take the couple of steps that separate her from Adriel, she feels a strong, delicate hand on her shoulder, so she turns to Beatrice.

“Remember, spend as much Halo energy as possible without depleting it completely. We want it’s signal to be muted, but not enough to put you at risk.” She nods, and proceeds to lift her sword over her head to strike.

“What do you think you’re doing? You can’t kill me!”

“Like they said, we know. But we can hurt you before we gift you away.”

She summons as much as the Halo power as she dares before striking him down. His pained screams fill the open space around them, but she keeps the sword in him until she starts to feel weak. Then she stops, and stumbles back into strong arms that hold her up. That’s when Lilith comes forward and looks at him like he’s a bug she just crushed under her boot and is disgusted to have to clean it up. She lifts her claws, and he flinches, it’s so satisfying to see. But she doesn’t strike as he expects, she opens a huge portal and after a couple of seconds of nothing, they hear a deafening roar, the thunderous approach until the imposing form of the Tarask appears through the portal.

Adriel chokes out a whimpering “No” catching the full attention of the monster, who promptly drags him through the closing portal. Lilith sags into the calm that follows, but Mary is there, ready to assist her.

“All right. You freaks good to go?”

“Mary, I don’t appreciate you calling them that” Breatice is truly a saint.

“Oh, but they love it. Right, Satan?”

“Fuck off.”

“Lilith, language!” But Camila sounds suspiciously like holding back a smile. They bicker the whole way to the van. Beatrice half carrying Ava, and Mary supporting Lilith, leaving Camila to load their weapons inside and start the vehicle.

Mary deposites Lilith in the passenger seat. while she herself takes the cargo section for herself stating that “I’m too old for this shit. Need to stretch my legs.” Leaving Ava and Beatrice in the back seat.

Ava is exhausted and she’s ready to let the darkness take her for a while. But Beatrice is caressing her face and speaking... Oh, right, she should listen.

“Ava? Are you listening?”

“Yeah”

“I know you’re tired, but I need to do quick check, all right?”

“Yeah”

“Good. Tell me what hurts.”

“Everything”

“Right. Tell me what hurts the most, then”

“Uh, my back? My head, too. My face... because I’m so cute.”

There’s a collection of groans from the front and the back, but Beatrice is smiling down at her, and that’s really all that matter.

“We’ll be back home in about two hours, so you can have some rest. But I want you to be properly tended to in the infermary when we arrive. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am!” But the ma’am morphs into a yawn and it looses all the cool, filtry effect she was going for.

“Please, don’t ever do that again.” Beatrice whispers and suddenly the air is heavy inside the van.

“I’m sorry. I just... He had Lilith, right how he said he would. I...”

“You allowed him get inside your head.” Lilith interrupts. “Which was what he wanted. He knew that was his best shot at getting the Halo.”

“That’s why you talked to us about them and we worked on it, remember?” Oh, good. At least Camila is back at being sweet.

“So, we need to work on your panic attacks and traumas, kid. Get ready for that.” And Ava actually whines at Mary’s words, because that doesn’t sound like fun.

“Not right away, though. First we heal and rest.” God, she loves Beatrice.

“And kid?” She didn’t realize she closed her eyes, until Mary calls out to her. So she opens them and twist her neck a little to look at her pearing from the back. “We love you, too. You know that right? You’re our family, too.”

Aw man, she’s all emotional again. She just wanted to be a badass like the rest of them. She feels Beatrice nod, and turns to see Lilith doing the same from the front seat. Camila is smiling at her through the rearview mirror: “It’s true, Ava.” Camila has such a pretty smile. But Beatrice has the prettiest smile. Beatrice has the prettiest everything.

“Rest now.” Beatrice says as she bends to place a tender kiss to Ava’s forehead. But then whispers in her ear: “I think you have the prettiest everything, too.” And she has the sexiest smirk painted on her lips, so Ava can’t seem to be able to respond. Just a flicker of a thought right before exhaustion claims her:

But no. She was here. Again. With him. Again. At the river. Again.

Somehow this had become their spot. She didn’t know how or when, but it definitely was now. Too many cold night meetings to be anything else.

She watched the full, very kissable lips move as he talked. Not that she would kiss him, but she could think about it in the dark corner of her soul where she allowed herself some pleasant thoughts or memories. If she was truthful, just being near him was cathartic even when he was scolding her about the bruises on her face, the split lip and God only knew what else.

Karen sunk deeper into her coat. It was good that he didn’t know about the broken ribs, the two-inch gash on her thigh that was still oozing onto the black jeans. There were other contusions on her back and her shoulder was killing her from when she jumped down three - maybe four - floors and before grabbing the railing to stop her momentum. Her eyes closed as she rode through the hot throbbing burn that pulled at the damaged muscles. All she wanted was to crawl into a fetal position and not move for a week.

No time for self-pity. Are you a warrior or whiner, Marine!

The pain dulled and her eyes opened. Frank was still talking. Scolding. Pleading. They had this conversation more than once.

She couldn’t keep this up forever. Debatable.

One day someone would get lucky and she wouldn’t get back up. Eventually. Yeah. Probably. But not yet.

How much more blood had to be shed before her need for vengeance was sated? All of it. The streets would run red with the blood of those responsible for the massacre of her family.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t listening, she was, just not focusing on his words necessarily. He looked good. Damn, he looked good. And cold. Who the hell goes out at night in January without a scarf?

She couldn’t stand it anymore. With the arm that only ached, she undid the scarf around her neck and held it out to him.

Frank stopped talking. Looked at the scarf. Her. The scarf. He took it, without thinking and started to put it around his neck, then paused for one very long second as the fabric brushed against his face.

He looked confused like he’d lost his train of thought or… Did he…? She would chew a bullet if he didn’t just sniff her scarf.

“You were scolding me.” Those dark, expressive eyes that spoke volumes embraced her, holding tight and she almost… No! She pulled herself together. “Blah, blah, blood, death. Killing. Bad.” She looked at him expectantly. Wanting that knee-jerk, do-gooder reaction that would get her out of this… whatever that was way more dangerous to her than any gangland shootout.

“I want there to be an after. For you.” His voice was raspy, low, and wrecked.

She took a deep breath and instantly regretted it as stars pricked at her vision. Frank noticed, closing the distance between them, hand reaching out to comfort, but she couldn’t let him. Couldn’t give in to this ever-growing need that was burning inside her. Threatening to snuff out her need for vengeance. If he touched her, she’d want more. Want to sink into his warmth and never leave.

Karen had thought there was nothing left to break. To hurt. But looking in those warm, expressive eyes and she knew there was still something left. If she let him in, he’d have the power to hurt her. Destroy what was left. To stop her from her mission. And she’d let him.

She couldn’t let him in. “Do you think there’s a happy ending for me? That after all I’ve done, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel and everything is going to be all right. Go back to normal, whatever the hell that is.”

“Karen—”

“I don’t want to.” The lie came out of her mouth so easily even if she’d never done it before. At least, not to Frank.  

“I don’t want to stop.” This was hurting her more than all the bruises and stab wounds and half-healed bullet holes in her body. “This is who I am. All I am! You can’t be a part of this. I won't let you throw away everything for me.”

“Do you think that anything you’ve done changes how I feel about you?”

“It should.” Came out as a strangled cry. She was barely holding it together now.

“It doesn’t.”

Those words. What he was saying - without actually saying… It hit like a sledgehammer. Jesus Christ. He can’t. Couldn’t. She’d thought the broken ribs made it hard to breathe, but the meaning behind those words where… Goddammit, Frank!

He saw the conflict, the indecision in her eyes and moved. “We’ll figure this out. Together. You and me.” His hand brushed a stray strand of blonde hair away from her eyes.

“Frank—”

He kissed her. It wasn’t a proper kiss. Just the corner of her mouth because he was being ever so conscious of her split lip. She could taste a hint of coffee from his lips. Those soft, kissable lips.

She could allow herself just one kiss, couldn’t she? Karen angled her mouth towards his, sliding her tongue against his lips. The sound he made was sinful.

Screw the split lip, the broken ribs, and bruises. She threw her arms around those broad shoulders, pulling him closer. Her tongue slid into his mouth. It was a mistake. A horrible, wonderful mistake and she was where she belonged. Home.

He was her home.

If it was hard to leave him before, it would be impossible now.

However, upon living together with her crush-turned-boyfriend Ryoma Echizen, she soon finds herself in an endless loop of mornings, waking up to a disarrayed mass of long, messy, and unbraided hair.

Greeting the morning with a confused frown in having to fix this, Sakuno still finds a smile creep up on her lips every time, when she finds Ryoma, holding her hair ties while sleeping. And the best part? When she gets up, the prince just instinctively wraps his arms around her (as if all night was not enough), nuzzles on her shoulders and neck, and buries his nose on the thickness of her hair.

“Stay,” she interprets. Of course, the cat-eyed lad will not say that especially when he is fully awake.

While Sakuno Ryuzaki really loves her boyfriend, part of the struggle in loving him is trying to get off the bed every morning. 

____________

Yep, yep this time it’s a RyoSaku fanart from me <3 (the very fandom that got me into the online world years ago aaaand some bit of a drabble? I missed writing about these two and this is the first time that I drew them! I wanted to make Sakuno’s hair longer but settled with the idea that the longer mass of her hair was hidden at the back LOL. Drawing her not in braids really seemed to ‘take off’ the Sakuno vibe though haha.

   Steve couldn't breathe. It reminded him of when he had asthma but this was a little different; more shock and pain but the same intense feeling of impending doom. Was he dying? He wished he would just die and get it over with.  Steve opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out; his throat was raw and he was mildly aware that he had been crying.   

 Steve clutched his chest with both hands and he could feel himself shake and his shirt was soaked through with his sweat. He could feel his heart racing and every thump of his pulse sent a wave of pain through his body. It was going so fast Steve thought it was going to burst. Why wouldn’t it? The serum wasn’t flawless, he’d come close to death hundreds of times, but something was keeping him alive.   

 It was then that Steve felt the hand on his shoulder. At first, he jumped away from the touch but the hand persisted. It was rough and calloused but warm; the hand ran down Steve’s back and he vaguely could hear something being spoken to him. Kind words. Comfort. The hand turned into an arm and wrapped itself around Steve’s torso, pulling him in close to the hand’s owner. His ear was pressed against someone’s chest but instead of a heartbeat, Steve heard the quiet hum of machinery.   

 The arc reactor. His brain began to catch up to the situation. He wasn’t dying; he had a nightmare and was suffering from a panic attack. Tony was here, comforting him, running his hand through Steve’s blond hair and whispering in his ear.    

Steve, now aware of what was happening, nuzzled into Tony’s oil-stained shirt, crying into the fabric.   

 “Shh, its ok its alright baby. Just breathe with me ok? In and out. In. And out. You’re doing great. In. And out.” Tony kissed Steve’s forehead and continued holding him against his chest.

    Little by little, Steve’s breathing regulated. With his breathing back in check, his vision began to return. He wasn’t alone in an HYRDA facility or under the ice, he was in his and Tony’s bedroom at the Avengers compound. Tony was holding him in his arms, wiping his tears away while rubbing small circles into Steve’s back. Years of suffering from his own panic and anxiety problems had taught Tony just what to do to bring his lover back to reality. 

   He pressed another tender kiss against Steve’s head before turning it up to look at him.   

 “How you doing Cap? Better?” Steve nodded, feeling a twinge of embarrassment as he probably had tears and snot all over his face, but Tony honestly didn’t care. He kissed Steve again, this time on the lips, and then pulled him back into an embrace.   

 The adrenaline was wearing off now and it brought fatigue in its wake. As soon as his head fell upon Tony’s shoulder Steve felt his eyelids go heavy. His body sagged but he refused to let go of Tony. He was a lifeline in Steve’s ocean.   

 “I’m guessing I don't have your permission to go back to work?” Steve shook his head, only lifting his head from Tony’s shoulder enough to do so without causing discomfort. He was still enamored in the scents of cologne and solder emanating from his partner and they made the pain and fear go away.   

 With Steve still in his arms, Tony leaned backward until they both fell back on the bed, and they only let go for a moment to get comfortable before Tony drew the covers over the both of them. He placed one more kiss on Steve’s ear before settling down on the super soldier's shoulder, knowing that he most likely wouldn’t be able to sleep with all the caffeine in his system but Steve needed to cuddle and Tony was more than happy to deliver.