Chapter Text
I bolt after Dustin, only hearing the sounds of our sneakers squeaking against the tiled flooring of the Hawkins Military Hospital. Steve apologizes to the random nurses that Dustin shoves past.
“I’m sorry-Henderson! Stop shoving people!” he yells after the young boy, when he finally catches up to him they stand right outside a hospital room. Steve takes a couple deep breaths as he reads over the room number he’s come to commit to memory after reading it everyday he’s come to visit with Dustin.
“Are you good Dustin…?” Steve places a hand on the kids shoulder feeling the young man shaking ever so slightly. I knew Dustin has held guilt over what’s happened to Eddie, he’s had a handful of breakdowns every week they’ve come to visit Munson while he was in his coma, and I could feel Dustin’s spirit being flatten with every visit. The teen still insisted on coming everyday so he’d be the first to hear if anything’s changed, and Steve never refused him a ride, he also wanted to visit and taking Dustin was the perfect excuse that Steve needed.
“What if…he’s mad at me..?” Dustin mumbles as he looks up at his older friend, Steve can see in his eyes that they’re pooling with concern and fear, and he’d wish to take away any pain that this kid feels, he’d carry any pain and guilt that he held. Steve puts on his best smile and rubs Dustin’s shoulder.
“Dustin, I can say with full confidence that Munson will be the furthest thing from mad, even if he is I’m sure it’ll be short lived” He moves his hand and shoves Dustin’s cap down to cover his face despite the annoyed grimace he gets from the kid, “Now, let’s quit loitering and walk in, he’s probably confused as all hell about what the fuck is going on”
Steve takes the first step and grabs the handle, all his confidence falls when the handle turns and he quickly fears the outcome beyond this door. The door slides open as he and Dustin take in the view in the room.
Eddie, sitting up in his bed clutching a juice box and sipping from it. He still has dozens of wires attached to him and half his body is wrapped in hospital bandages, but he’s awake, he’s alive, moving, and breathing. The relief floods over Steve as he takes it all in, he can’t help the smile that finds itself onto his face, he soon regrets it when Eddie finally notices their presence and looks up.
“...Henderson…” Eddie practically whispers, Steve can feel Dustin tense up next to him, but soon Eddie’s shock is replaced by his wide dimpled grin.
“Dustin!” He goes to move groans as the wires tug and pull and his torso stretches, he shifts his body slower this time and soon meets Dustin’s eyes again, “Henderson, get over here so I can hug your short ass”. Steve can feel Dustin’s nerves melt as the teen dashes over and embraces the metalhead, Eddie wraps his arms around Dustin’s torso, holding the kid as close to his chest as he can while he’s sitting in a hospital bed.
“I’m so glad…so glad that you made it out,” Eddie says as he pats Dustin’s back, signaling the end of the hug as the teen pulls away, lifting his arm to his face.
“Are you…crying, Henderson?” Munson smirks, leaning his head to the side, his dark curls falling off his shoulders and Steve definitely doesn’t stare, Dustin huffs a laugh still not making eye contact.
“Hah, crying? I have no idea what y-you’re talking about Eddie” Eddie can’t help a fond smile that creeps onto his face.
“Hey, no sweat kid” he reaches up and shakes the cap on the kids head.
Steve has been propped up against the door frame watching the whole scene play out with a soft smile on his face, he’s almost too caught up to notice the metalhead is now looking at him, Steve straightens up quickly, “Hey…Harrington” I can’t seem to read the look on Eddie’s face, like he’s specifically trying not to make a face, so i just give a weak smile and wave and a nod of acknowledgement.
“Mornin Munson, i’m guessing the nurses didn’t update you on much…?”
“Nah, they just changed my bandages, gave me fluids and a couple cups of pudding and crackers” He tosses a cracker snack to the side table.
Dustin picks up “We can update you, what do you wanna hear first?” Eddie makes a show of thinking, quite dramatic or cartoonishly I think to myself, before he gives an answer. “How about you two explain how, I don't know, how I'm even alive?” he says with sarcasm dripping with every word. Dustin looks at me, “You’re the one who technically did it so do you wanna share with the class?” This statement gets Eddie to look my way again with a more confused look on his face, and I run a hand through my hair preparing to retell what exactly went down.
“So, it went something like this…”
~~~~~
Once me and the girls get out of our designated portal I make a beeline to the trailer park to find Dustin and Munson, pushing down the hurt I feel seeing Nancy run to Jonathan’s arms to where I’m practically running on top of it. My worry for the two boys safety takes top priority.
“Where are you off too?” Robin ran up to catch up with me.
“I’m going to the trailer park to find Dustin and Munson, I need to make sure they’re okay”
“Cool, I’m coming with”
“No, I’ll be fine, You should go to the hospital with Nancy”
“And you should too but here you are, now you're either going to let me come with you or I’m going to tag along from afar without you knowing like some stalker, which are we doing here?”
I look at her with a weak glare for a few seconds, I can see she’s determined to come along so I sigh.
“Fine, you can tag along” I can see her triumph smile on her face out of the corner of my eye when I go back to focusing on running. After a decent amount of time of us running, Robin and I eventually find a discarded car which helps us get to our destination much faster. I only allow myself to breathe properly once I see the, now destroyed, trailer park and the sight of the Munson trailer seems like a been drawing the two of us in. We drive as close as we can get before we have to get out and walk
As we walk closer, walking amongst the rubble, is when we start shouting.
“DUSTIN? COME ON BUDDY, WHERE YOU AT?”
They traverse through the ruble getting closer once they here it, it’s soft but they know it as soon as they hear it.
“S-Steve? STEVE! THANK GOD- PLEASE, WE’RE DOWN HERE! PLEASE HELP!” My blood runs cold when I make it to Munson’s room seeing the rope cut and laying on the mattress, I look up to see the scared child clutching Eddie‘s…practically mutilated and bloodied body, when Dustin sees them Steve can see the streams of tears on his face.
“Please help! I broke my foot getting him over here! I can’t carry him! Steve please!”
When I hear his voice break screaming my name I break from my trance and immediately start gathering sheets and clothes, Robin following soon after I start, “We gotchu kiddo, just give us a sec!” soon we have a new rope crafted, it’s not the best but It’ll have to do, Steve tosses it up letting it fall to Dustin.
“Okay, I’m going to go in and I’m going to help them through and hand them to you, okay Rob?” She nods quickly and before I can think I’m halting myself up and into the crack in the ceiling, using the rope to stabilize myself so I wouldn’t land on the two below me once the gravity shifts.
“Okay, Dustin, I’m gonna help you up and Robin is gonna make sure you don't land on your foot okay?” the boy clutches onto the metalhead choking out a sob, the sound breaking Steve’s heart.
“We can’t-we can’t leave him Steve!, W-We can’t! Please, Steve Please!”
“Hey, hey listen to me Dustin, we are not leaving him here, I’M not leaving him here” he looks up at me with red puffy eyes, “But we need to get you out first before we can help him, when you get out i need you to radio one of the ambulances with Robin, okay? Can you do that for me, Henderson?” He nods quickly and slowly detaches from Eddie and I haul his arm over my shoulders and bring him to the rope. I help him up by placing him on my shoulders, he pulls himself through the crack with Robin waiting right on the other side ready to attempt to catch him when the shift happens. When he flies through she manages to, clumsily, catch him and help him land a little lighter onto the mattress with a groan of pain from both of them.
“Got him!” Robin yells up at me, I give her a thumbs up.
I go back over to Eddie and I wrap my arms around his torso, and he feels so cold to the touch, “Come on Munson, I’m not going to leave your ass here, I’m not leaving again, never again” I press his body against me and I look at the rope and it dawns on me “Robin! I can’t carry him and climb at the same time! I’m going to need you guys to pull us out!” I start wrapping the rope around our waists as I finish yelling up at them and tying it as tight as I am able too. “I’m tying us together, I’ll keep a grip on him, but you are going to have to pull us through Rob, do you understand?” I look up at her and I can see concern and fear in her eyes, she doesn’t say anything so i clap my hands “Robin! Do you understand?” I yell louder and She shakes her head “Yes! Y-Yeah, I got you Steve!” I hear her shuffling when I turn my attention back to Eddie, I place my fingers to his neck feeling for a pulse, I let out a sigh when I feel a very weak thup against his skin, He’s barely holding on, We need to get him out of here.
“Are you ready-!”
I hear Robin as the ground starts shaking and I need to grip onto the rope so as to not fall. The hole in the ceiling starts moving and the blood drains from my veins, “GO! ROBIN START PULLING! NOW!” She immediately starts yanking on the rope and stepping back so she can get friction, and I feel us being lifted into the air. I keep a tight grip on Eddie as we’re being lifted, the hole is getting smaller as we get closer to it.
“Come on Steve!” I can hear Dustin yelling as I see him attempting to help Robin pull.
I am not letting this be the end, fuck that, fuck this whole dimention hell shit, fuck the portal, I am not dying here and neither is Eddie!
I white knuckle grip my arm around Eddie’s torso as I can use my newly freed hand to help us pull us towards the hole, my arm starts burning like it’s on fire but I ignore it, I’m close to the hole and I feel my hair start falling and I pull harder. Robin gives another pull and I’m just close enough to give a pull aswell and my body starts falling through barely scraping the hole as it closes. I fall onto the mattress with Munson falling on top of me and I let out a loud groan as I look up and see the portal is…gone, I hear Robin groaning.
“Steve! You did it, holy shit!” Dustin moves to my side and I can see he’s been crying again, “Y-Yeah, kid, I did” I offer him a weak smile, and that’s when I hear the sound of the ambulance making their way towards us. We’re going to be okay, we’re going to be okay, Dustin is clinging to my arm when the EMTs try to take him to look at his foot. I tell him we’re going to the same hospital and I’ll see him there, he makes me promise.
“I swear it, Henderson” That finally convinces him as he lets them take him away to the same car Robin is sitting at, Eddie and I get transferred quickly to a separate vehicle. I don’t remember much of the car ride to the hospital. I feel myself pass out with the last thing I see being someone pumping air into Eddie’s mouth with some medical tool I have no idea the name of, my eyes close without me trying and I’m out.
~~~~~
When I finish the story I’m now sitting on a spare chair turned around so I’m resting my arms on the back of the chair and my legs straddle the seat. Dustin is still on the bed next to Munson whose hands are clasped together as he takes in the information.
“We found out later that the portal closing was El basically ‘tying up loose ends’” I add on making air quotes with my fingers for the last statement.
“She’s the girl with super powers” Dustin whispers to Eddie as a reminder, I forget these two haven’t met yet.
Eddie sighs leaning back, running a hand over his face, “And then the doctors were able to put me into a medically induced coma and pull me back from the brink of death?” He asks no one in particular so both me and Henderson nod our heads, I only had a few broken ribs, yet another concussion and some cuts and gashes that needed stitches, but compared to Eddie’s injuries I just had scraped knee.
“And…You saved my life?” Eddie looks at me this time, and I don’t know how I feel about this question, He seems so…surprised? Shocked? Stunned?
“Of course I did dude, I wasn’t going to leave you down there.” I can feel my wards have a bit of a bite to them as I’m saying them, I don’t mean them too, but I can see the others notice it when Dustin fully turns to look at me, I let out a breathe and pinch the bridge of my nose, “Look, Nothing much else has happened while you were under, the towns been trying to recover from the massive string of ‘earthquakes’ that have ravished Hawkins, or at least that’s what the suits have been telling them it all was” I’m standing up and my hands make their way to my hips. “Now that you’re up and coherent, the suits will need to talk to you so they can string a story together for you so we can clear your name” I run a hand through my hair, “They’ll probably ask for your requirements so you won’t talk about the things you now know about, basically they wanna do what they can to hush you up”. Eddie puts his hands up in a mock defense, “Okay then Tiger, when do I gotta state my case to the men in black?” it’s Dustin’s turn to stand up when he reaches for his backpack, “I just gotta walkie in to the party that you’re up and El can tell Hopper and he’ll contact who we need'' with that he makes a beeline to the door before spinning around “I’ll be right back”. He walked out of the room leaving the two now alone. Steve knows why he left because the connection in hospital bedrooms is shit, they tried it a couple times they visited and it always failed, but he wishes he at least didn’t leave Steve to stand in this thick air of awkwardness. I shove my hands into my pockets not knowing what else to do with them, I look literally everywhere besides Eddie, I count the tiles on the floor a couple times before the silence starts to get painful.
“Okay, fuck it, I can’t take his shit” I spin to look at Eddie who’s already looking my way, I try not to think abut it, and he jumps a bit at the sudden noise, “Why were you so shocked that i saved your life? Did you really think I’d be that much of dick and ditch you?” I’m upset, I know I am, but I can’t decide if I have a right to be, I know why he thinks the way he does about me, “...It wouldn’t have been the first time” there it is, the small comment the metalhead practically whispers, but I can hear it since it’s only us in the room. It strikes through me like a hot knife through butter, and really…he has a point, and that’s what hurts the most, cause it's true. My biggest regret has been thrown in my face several times the past few weeks and it burns just as much every time it strikes. My hands relax as my body releases the tension, as I look at him he stares me down, and his eyes look straight through me like no one else can. I feel see through with him and I can't help but to let the hurt sink in because I do deserve it.
“...I know, but” my mouth feels dryer than a desert, but i push through “I’m…I have been, trying to change, to ditch that old version of me, or to really…to be the older me, the more me that i haven’t been for such…such a long time” i pause, looking up to make eye contact with him, “Ever since…I left our friendship,” I can see his face soften and tighten up as he tries to decide what to feel, or say, he decides on looking at his lap, “I, I know it’s not enough to make up for what i’ve done and did do, but…I’m trying, okay? You don’t have to forgive me now, but…can I please just try to prove myself, to convince you or whatever?” I know I’m pleading, and i probably sound pathetic but i need him to believe me, or to allow me to show him that I’m not that asshole anymore, I need him to understand that I’m willing to put the work in, that I’m willing to make a fool of myself a thousand times over if it made him happy.
Eddie is just looking at me, and I can’t read whatever expression he’s making. I glance down and I see he’s fidgeting with his fingers. He’s looking for his rings, he still fidgets with his rings when he’s nervous or thinking, I bite back a smile because it’s so cute, and so reassuring that he’s still him. He’s still the same Eddie, he never changed like I did, and I desperately want things to go back to the way they were.
“...okay” My head jolts up when his voice breaks the silence, “I…I’m grateful you saved me…but I don’t forgive you, not completely at least” I can feel the relief wave over but the shot of pain run through as well, but he said not completely, so i have a chance to gain it back.
“So, I have a chance to prove myself…?” My voice is quiet and full of hope, I don't trust myself to speak any louder in fear of sounding desperate and the silence fills the room again as Eddie studies my face, I can physically feel his eyes on me as I wait for him to answer.
“Sure, I guess so, look…” He roughly runs a hand through his hair and sighs loudly, “I know you’re not that asshole anymore, like I said Dustin has raved about you so many damn times, so I get it, I just…need time, okay?” I nod my head as soon as he finishes, when the silence fills the room once again it doesn’t carry the same tension, I can see he’s messing with his fingers again and I allow myself to smile just a bit as I dig through my pocket gaining his attention.
“When they put you under they gave these to me to hold onto, I kept them on me whenever I’d come to visit in case…you woke up, you know?” I walk closer to the bed and hold my closed fist out to him and Eddie has a pretty confused look as he slowly holds his hand out. I drop several of his silver rings into the palm of his hand.
He stares down at his rings for a minute before he huffs out a laugh as he jostles around the assorted jewelry, “Heh, thanks Harrington” he whispers under his breath as he begins to slide the rings onto his long thin fingers, fitting right into place, I take a short time to admire the look of the rings looking very much at home on his hands, like they were meant to be there.
When I realize I’m once again staring at his fingers, I look up trying to look anywhere else, when I raise my head my eyes meet two deep brown ones. My cheeks feel warm as I make eye contact with him, how long had he been looking at me, as long as I was staring at his hands? Do I say something? Should I apologize for staring, was he getting weirded out by me staring? The awkward tension is creeping back up into the silence again and I can feel the anxious feeling crawl up the nape of my neck, and I swallow thickly not knowing what else to do.
“Back! Hop said they’ll probably come see you after you get discharged, since it’s a government hospital they’ll know!”
I leap back when Dustin bursts back into the room, I’ve never been more grateful for this kid's worst timing and loud personality.
Dustin seems to not notices the tension in the room between me and Eddie or if he has noticed he simply doesn’t say anything, which I once again appreciate, he returns to his seat on Eddie’s bed and starts chatting about the smaller things that has happened while he was in his coma, I move back and sit in one of the other chairs. I don’t remember much after that, I kinda zone out only popping into conversations to correct Dustin on minor details he forgot about. I vaguely remember saying goodbye and hearing Dustin reassuring Munson that we’ll be back tomorrow with more members of the party.
Once me and Dustin make it back to my car I take a deep breath and try turning off my auto pilot so I can actually make it home safely and hopefully not crash.
‘So, what was up with you back there?” Dustin chimes in after I start the ignition, he’s turned in his seat facing me. I sigh as I pull out of the parking lot, Damn Dustin and his 7th sense. “Nothing is ‘up with me’ Henderson, I’m just tired” I’m not entirely lying, I am exhausted, I haven’t been sleeping too well recently, well I haven’t slept well since ‘83, but I’d rather not dwell on my past mistakes with this kid right now especially not when it involves Eddie.
“Just tired? Really?” I keep my eyes on the road but I can feel his skeptic gaze on me.
“Yes, Dustin, I’m just tired, now do you wanna keep pestering me or do you wanna stop at 7/11 on the way to your house?” that finally shuts him up about my weird behavior, he then just starts ranting about something Mike did the last time they all hung out, I’m happy to listen to him fill the sound with his voice, talking about whatever comes to mind. Him and Robin both do this and it’s something I cherish about them both, when I don’t feel like talking neither of them mind filling the sound with whatever current topic that’s on their minds.
Once I drop off Dustin at his house, slushie in hand, I start on my way back to my house, I turn the radio up louder but I don’t really listen to it, some random pop songs play as I drive through the streets as unknown words go in one ear and out the other.
I pull into my driveway, unlock my door, walk up my stairs and into my room. I fall onto my bed staring up at my ceiling, I watch the fan spin around and around as my mind goes blank before I remember, I don’t want to fall asleep in my jeans again so I lift my hips up, tugging them down and kicking them off and onto the floor. I wore my sweater to the hospital so I just kept it on. I curl on my bed and bury my head into my pillow. I stare at my side table where my clock ticks down the minutes, minutes go by so slow as I wait for my body to be taken over by sleep.
10:40…
11:35…
12:00…
I stare up at my ceiling as it rears around to midnight, my eyebrows bury themselves together, I have the opening shift with Robin tomorrow, I need to get some kind of sleep, even just a few hours. I rub my face furiously with my hands and let out a loud sigh.
“For fuck sakes…” My eyes travel around my room before it settles on my desk chair, with something hanging from it. I recognized it immediately as something I was also meant to bring with me tonight when we went to see Eddie in the hospital, but part of me couldn’t do it. I feel my body get out of bed and make the small track to the garment of clothing before I can even think about it, I pick it up. Am I really going to do this? He did give it to me, not to do what I’m thinking of using it for, he just let me borrow it so I could…what did he say it was…for my modesty? I stare down at the battle vest, all the patches and pins that Eddie had stitched and pinned on all by hand, the messy craftsmanship shining through every stitch, the big flashy backdrop displaying ‘DIO’ in the most wild font. It simply screams ‘Eddie Munson’ and it gives me the smallest bit of comfort that I’m craving right now.
“...Fuck it” I give into my intrusive thoughts as i crawl back into bed with the vest now in clutch, I go back to my curled up position as I pull the vest close to my chest. It smells of grime from being worn in the Upside Down, but…I pull the collar closer to my face and the smell of weed fills my nose, and the faintest smell of a cheap cologne, it’s vague and small but it’s there and the feeling of content washes over my limbs. My body feels heavy with the new found coziness and warmth, I can finally feel sleep creeping up on me.
“Thanks, Harrington”.
I hear his voice ring through my head, he’s okay, he’s alive and breathing. My grip on the vest gets a little tighter as I try to pull it even closer to my chest, wanting to surround me in the faint smell of him, to sway me into believing that he’s okay. He wants to see if I’ve actually changed, that I’m no longer the old me who I’ve come to disdain more than almost anything. I have a chance to properly make amends and to have him back…permanently.
“I need to make things right…”.
The last thought that goes through my head as sleep fully washes over me, leaving me curled up on top of my covers, clutching the vest that belongs to my childhood friend who I need to win over again. I have to get up in just a handful of hours but I haven't had such a comfortable rest in such a long time.