Chapter Text
Steve stood staring up as Nancy and Eddie floated up, their eyes bloodshot and their mouths parted in open screams. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest, screams were coming from the kids and Dustin was clutching onto his arm. They had no way to play their favourite songs.
They didn't have any way to save them. Not when they were all in the Upside Down. El and the others said they would get here, but they weren’t and Steve was trying to cut through all the vines holding them up in the air. But with each cut, three more seemed to form.
Robin stood behind him, his bat clutched in her hand but touching the ground. He looked quickly at Dustin who was staring up at him from the ground, his face splashed with the black blood that came from each cut. His eyes were wide in fear. Max and Lucas were frantically grabbing and pulling at the vines surrounding Nancy.
Vecna was walking closer to them, his skin glossy and he looked so much taller than he had thought he could be. He was laughing as he got closer, and Steve was scared he was going to look and see one of the others start floating like Eddie and Nancy. Their eyes rolled back and jaws dropped.
He could not live if he was the last one to go up. He couldn’t die knowing that they were all hoping they could be saved and then just die. Have everything they know turn black and then their bodies become one of those trees in that house. A gasp hit him in the back and he turned, Robin had dropped the bat.
Her eyes were locked right to the left of him, he looked and Dustin was there. Starting to float up, his eyes rolled back and his hat lay on the ground by Steve’s feet.
He screamed, slashing at the vines.
Robin was crashing into him, trying as hard as he was to chop their friends down. Grabbing at steams that never seemed to stop, another scream rang through the area. Max was floating up and the vines were wrapping around her, Lucas clutching tight onto her leg. Tears streaming down his face. Ripping the vines that kept wrapping her up.
Steve couldn’t do anything.
It kept getting quieter with every minute that passed, he kept looking at Lucas and Robin. Watching as they all frantically ripped and slashed at the vines. Tears and sweat were streaming down his face, missing with the black blood sticking to his skin.
All he could see was red, black and Vecna. He was so much closer now, the vines were pulsing so heavily as they came out of him. His feet were not even on the ground, they were walking him silently towards them.
“Steve!” Was screamed and he turned, Robin was looking at him as her eyes rolled back and she started to rise towards the blood-red sky. He looked at the bat, nails and wood coated in the sticky blood and the silent walkie next to it.
Looking at Lucas he felt that complete overwhelming feeling of loss. They were all going to die if the others got here and found them. He hoped they would know they fought with everything they could, that they didn’t give up. So he started grabbing again, ripping as hard as he could. His nails breaking. Fingers slip over the slimy coating to them and even pull at them to try to drag them down.
Eddie’s body swung above him but never got closer. He kept going between all of them, much like Lucas did. He could feel his arms aching, his chest hurt and he wanted to stop. But he couldn't risk giving up, he was going to fight till he died.
He turned when he realised he could no longer hear Lucas. Slowly he dragged his eyes up the vines.
He couldn’t do anything but laugh and fall to his knees. He was the last man standing. He hadn’t been able to save any of them, he was going to be next and he didn’t know if he could die knowing that he couldn’t do anything.
They were all destined to die here. Without their families knowing where they were. They would rot away in another world, and all the others families would feel so scared that they all disappeared. Their parents spend all their money trying to find them when their bodies can't be found and the living that knew about this place can’t say a thing.
But then that would mean they would survive, the Upside Down coming to their world.
Steve just sat laughing feeling madness seep through him, waiting for the vines to wrap around him. But they never did, they flew past him, whipping the stale air around his face. Straight towards where they had come through, the bright red light where the water gate sat. Vecna was screaming, his voice breaking and creaking with the force he held his arms out.
And there walking forward like it was nothing was the bald little girl. Screaming, hands flung up and behind her were the others. Their eyes locked on the garden surrounding Steve, then dropped to him. Scrambling feet surrounded him, guns were cocked and he just sat. Watching.
Deep shuddering breaths were all he could take, his eye locked on the battle happening next to him. Not a sound was reaching him anymore. He felt like he was watching a silent movie, until he felt it, the tug at his ankle. The wet cold wriggle of it and he looked up at Jonathan, who brought a blade down right through the vibe.
Another took its place and he just let it happen. He was too tired to keep trying. He was in his own hell, he didn’t have to think about it anymore.
His eyes darted to the girl, Eleven. The veins were sticking out on her neck and arms, blood was weeping from her eyes, nose and ears. She let her eyes dart in their direction for a while and something seemed to change like she was suddenly trying with everything her tiny body could. Her high-pitched pain-filled scream ripped Steve from where he was floating too and he looked.
The vines were pulsing towards Vecna like he was getting his power from them staying alive, that he needed them alive to keep fighting Eleven.
Fire had worked before. He remembered the dogs, they had ran and ran when they had even swiped it in their direction. Scrambling towards the bags, he pulled them out. Everything they had needed to make flaming swords. He wished now he hadn’t thought it dumb when Dustin had brought it up, maybe the kid did have a right to have an ego as he did.
Holding them up triumphantly, Jonathan seemed to get the idea and dragged Will, Mike and some guy with the longest hair Steve had ever seen over.
“We get one shot with each one,” Steve shouted, trying to be heard over the whooshing sounds surrounding them. “Cut straight through and pull them out.” Humming he looked around, “Mike and Will you pull them as soon as we cut them down, and uh guy with the hair.” The guy smiled and seemed far far too calm for where he was at that second. “You get them to run for the trees. There is a gate you can run through.”
Jonathan looked at him like he was something new and amazing. A short nod and they started their job, getting the kids down first. Vecna screamed but didn’t try and get them again, all his focus was on Eleven and how with each slow hard step towards him he seemed to sink closer and closer to the floor below himself.
The kids were crying and stared up at Steve and Jonathan, Nancy collapsed into Jonathan. Before leaning back up from where they clutched at each other and brought their lips together. Kissing deep and with so much fear and hope Steve felt he should look away but, he couldn’t no matter how much he had loved her.
Nothing made him think they could kiss like that. Nancy never once looked at him like that.
Before he could think anymore Robin was hitting the ground as he cut with the flaming sword straight through, the blood hissing and bubbling with the cut. Cauterising the wound just as Henderson said it would. Robin looked at him, eyes red and tripped as the guy with the hair helped her up. Greeting her in this slow cool way he seemed to just ooze.
Argyle seemed to fit him perfectly. Was helping get them to start moving sending off the kids to start running with Nancy with a gun and Robin clutching Steve’s bat. He seemed to be waiting for Eddie to come down, to help him run.
With a final chop, he slammed into the ground, Steve frantically started pulling the vines from him. Seeing those wide brown eyes look right at him, hands shot out and grabbed the front of Eddie’s vest he still wore. And he was pulled into a hard kiss, stubble scraped at his lips and he didn’t move but yet he let it happen.
“If I die, let it be known I kissed Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington.” Eddie smirked up at him, and even when they could die Steve felt his cheeks heat, “And made him blush.”
With a huff of breath and Steve locked away whatever he felt. And got back to the task at hand.
Within seconds he was helping pull Eddie up, catching the raised eyebrows Jonathan sent his way and the kind tip of his head to say huh okay cool. Then he was passing Eddie off to Argyle. “Get him safe okay.” Without waiting for a second they were running off.
Jonathan pressed his back to him and they started the task of fending off the now descending Demobats, the Demodogs that seemed to come running for them and the loud screams of the Demogorgons as they ran mindlessly towards the battle.
They were going to give Eleven the best chance at defeating Vecna. That could mean losing their lives but they already knew this. It wasn’t like Steve had much going for him, a job in a store and a life that would make him hate to be alive. He especially didn’t have time to think about the fact he had been kissed by Eddie Munson and just maybe wanted to do it again.
But instead, he spent his time slicing and screaming along with Jonathan, the blade slicing easily through the smaller ones but the Demogorgons stayed far away as if they were waiting.
A gunshot rang out.
Nancy stood gun held high, aiming and shooting right for the centre of their faceless faces and she looked amazing. Steve was glad he had gotten to love her, the crack of the bat to his left as Robin looked up, her bright smile locked on her face as she took bats down out of the sky. Tearing them to shreds using the bat.
A shoulder knocked right into his, “Oh Harrington!” Eddie sing songed, “Didn’t think we would leave it to you did ya!” The swung the guitar around his head bringing it down directly on the head of the Demodog making its way towards them. “When else am I going to fight in hell with my baby as my weapon.”
Steve couldn’t help but smile and keep fighting along with the others, He would look over occasionally at what was happening to his right. He froze and so did everything around them when Vecna hit the ground.
El was floating in the sky, her skin coated in rivers of red blood.
Vecna was clawing at nothing, his hands trying to reach her and nothing letting it happen. They all stood weapons pointed to the floor, and the creatures around them had all turned as if watching what was happening around them. Waiting to see if they would need to run as far as they could from the next second.
Her arms raised above her, she screamed. “We are not the same!” The air seemed to get hot and dry in that second. Howling screams filled the air and Vecna started to burn. Steve looked at the WaterGate and watched as it began to shrink. Without even thinking he was grabbing at the others, shoving them towards the red glow. His fingers clutched the shaking bleeding girl as he felt his lungs trying to explode with how hard he was running. He threw them together at the gate, hoping they would make it through, with everything in one piece.
The cold rush of water hit him and he started swimming towards the light above him, dragging the deadweight of El. He could feel his lungs screaming at him to take a breath, it was painful with each second that he was underwater.
When he finally broke through the surface, he clutched El to the front of his chest supporting her. Hoping she would take a breath, anything.
Instead, he felt his body get pulled up and out into a boat. His eyes locked on Robin, she looked so relieved to see him and then they widened and they were taking El from his arms. Nancy frantically did what they had been taught in school, breathing deep into her mouth and doing compressions to her chest.
The world seemed to be quiet right then, not one of them moving until she gurgled and Nancy rolled her quickly onto her side. Water poured freely from her mouth and gasping breaths filled the silence.
Steve finally let himself relax, an arm wrapping around his shoulders from behind and the thumb brushing gently against the damp skin of his neck. In time with his breaths, the thumb would brush upwards and he felt the world start to slip away.
When he finally woke up it was to the beeping of his own heartbeat and the sight of Robin and Eddie slumped in chairs to his side. They were all bruised up and Eddie was sporting the blackest of eyes.
Steve let himself look at his face, with his hair pulled back by a bandana and he felt like he looked his age for once. His face was so soft and still expressive in his sleep.
He jumped out of his skin when at that moment Eddie smirked, “You checking me out Harrington?”
A spluttered “No!” was all Steve could get out. Before he looked around, did his parents not come. There were cards next to him obviously from the kids and nicer ones he assumed were from Nancy and Jonathan.
As if reading his mind Robin leaned forward, “Your parents know you are here, but they said that they couldn’t stay long. Um, they said they were happy you were okay, but well I heard them say they hadn’t noticed you missing.” She took a deep breath, “Well that’s good in a way and they said they would cover the bills, but the cops have to cover that since were kidnapped and tortured by a serial killer and everything. Steve, please tell me to stop talking, I can’t…”
“Stop when you are nervous or worried or scared. I know Rob’s it's all good.” Steve whispered, “Also no, wasn’t checking you out.” Steve huffed looking down at his arms.
“Yeah man, sure.” Was sent his way and then he was falling back under again.
What he didn’t expect after waking up was the police coming in to go over what they knew and what had gone on. Doctors and nurses checked he was okay and his parents only came to pick him up and take him home.
Not one word was said on the car ride home and Steve he started making plans. Selling off things quickly and the day before he had finalised his plan he quit his job. The day he knew Robin wouldn’t be in till after he was finished anyway. He had a good few hours to get away.
Even though he had people who loved him in the five days since leaving the hospital, he needed a way from this hell of a town and it was better to do it without people knowing where he was going to drag him back to hell.
He started driving, first trying other small towns but it was too much. He felt scared that one day he would round a corner and there would be a Demodog waiting to jump at his throat and rip it out.
Eventually, he made it to New York, it was hotter than he had expected and the streets stank of garbage and rats ran across the street in front of his toes. The subway stank off piss and sweat.
And it was the furthest thing away from homey little Hawkins.