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They had rushed down to the hospital as soon as they had gotten back, Dustin was sobbing against Nancy who was rubbing his back.
Lucas and Erica were cuddled against each other with a blanket wrapped around them, probably the most peaceful they have looked together.
Everyone was a mess emotionally and physically, Max had been rushed to the hospital and the upside down had done its physical damage so they definitely weren't going to get through it as easily as normally, like every year before. Death and grief change people in many ways, so who knows what Dustin would be like.
Steve was staring down the corridor, zoning out.
“Steve?” Robin asked, shaking his shoulders.
“Yeah rob, what's up?”
“You scared me, dingus. I thought venca took you..” Robin gasped in relief, leaning her head against his shoulder.
“Why?”
“Cause you zoned out, what are you even looking at, dingus?” Robin replied, glaring down the corridor.
“Just an interrogation...” He sighed leaning back on his seat.
“What…” Robin spoke, and noticed the blonde woman staring at the two, who had started to make their way over.
“Cuccoiolo? What happened” The woman was now standing in front of the two.
“There was an accident” Steve spoke up, wrapping his hands around the woman. He had not been all that specific, especially since they haven't gotten the cover story.
“Your friends?”
“Yeah..” He muttered into her.
“Hi, I'm Robin, I'm Steve's other half.” Robin spoke up
“Hi sweetie, Steve tells you about me all the time . At least I think he does. He says robs the cool one, and if I do say so myself you’re better looking.”
“Thanks,though i did just kinda experience earthquake so im not as cool looking as what i normally am but still thanks, you look really cool yourself especially for someone who’s probably kept up all the time thanks to these patients but i bet you love it or you probably wouldnt have picked this job since a lot of people do it for social and being able to care for others, rather than the money and all that” Robin rambled on. “Sorry I didn't mean to ramble on so much”
“It's alright, sweetie and yeah it did choose this job to care for people. A lot of people in hospitals seem to be alone so I like to be there for them.” She replied, threading her hands through Steve's hair. “Im Blair, im the harrington’s housekeeper for when they’re away and
stevie’s babysitter”
“Nice to meet you”
Blair wrapped her arms around his waist, falling something sticky. She pulled one of her hands away and noticed the red thick liquid covering it.
“Robin, did Stevie get injured?"
“Um, yeah he did-” Robin continued to ramble but Blair cut her off.
“Take my lanyard and go to the waiting room, tell them that Steve Harrington needs medical treatment and that I'll be in my usual room, got it?” Slipping off her lanyard before holding her hands against Steve's wounds trying to keep pressure on them.
“Waiting room, Steve Harrington, usual room, got it!” Robin said before running off towards the waiting room.
- 4 hours later -
Steve woke up in a hospital bed, a tube connecting to his body pumping blood in. His stomach was stitched closed, any left over blood was long gone clean right off his body.
Blair walked in, slowly opening the door so as to not startle or wake him up.
“Mamma?”
“Stevie, I didn't realise you woke up” She replied, her eyes glancing over his stitches.
“What happened?”
“You passed out from blood loss, you really scared me and your little friends mister.” Blair said, hitting him in the back of the head.
“Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah sweetheart, of course you would ask if everyone else was okay first..” She scoffed, covering him with a blanket.
“Is everything alright with me?”
“Yep, no infections, just really cold.”
Robin ran in, the door slamming into the wall leaving a mark. She seemed out of breath and was panting, one of his jumpers was wrapped around her waist.
— —- —- —- —
It had been a few days since Steve had been let out of hospital, he was lucky, if his mamma was trained in nursing and his madre was able to be home to help him, and of course if she was home his Papà would be to, those two never were far from each other.
I mean they did get Steve to tell all his friends that Papà was cheating on Madre, so the two could have a reason to go together. At most the two were only back for like two weeks at a time, but they always made sure to shower him and Blair in attention.
“Stefano, you alright in there?” His Papà asked through the bathroom door, knocking slightly.
“Yeah, im alright”
“Need any help, are you decent?”
“No thanks, I am decent though” Steve replied.
Richard swung the door open, and wrapped an arm around Steve 's, stroking the boy's brown hair with the tips of his fingers.
“Your madri are gonna beat you” Richard murmured.
“Why, what did I do this time?” Steve asked, trying to face his Papà.
“Well you didn't tell them about the cuts straight away or get them checked the first time they happened.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh”
He put his head on Papà's chest.
“You heading for a shower, cause if you aren't you really should because you smell disgusting Stefano." His Papà continued, his voice soft still running his hands through Steve's hair.
“Yeah I am, and I do. I haven't showered in like a week.”
“Jeez, kid. You normally shower like 5 times a week, not once a week.”
“I know,” Steve groaned.
“Oh me and Caroline are leaving soon, we were trying to stay longer but we cant, but we’ll be back as quickly as possible, Stefano” Richard mutter woefully, rubbing his back and planting a kiss onto his head.
His Papà gave his hair a final ruffle before leaving the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Followed by Steve who locked the door.
Steve lifted up his shirt expecting his bandages to be clean and for everything else on his body to be fine, but it wasn't that way. Coating his chest was black veins, like what Billy and Will had.
“Fuck…” Steve muttered, racking through his mind on how to get rid of it.
“Heat, right” Steve finished, trying to heat almost all the way up in the shower before stripping down and getting into it.
The heat blistered at his skin, leaving red marks everywhere, making him groan in pain every 5 seconds or so.
Yet the veins stayed, didn't fade or go away. Stay the same, exactly the same.
— —- —- —- —
Steve was in the kitchen, cutting up vegetables for Caponata which would end up being his and Blair’s dinner but she loved these kinds of meals especially when stevie was cooking.
Steve had been zoning out, staring out the window while he was cutting them. Only glancing down every now and then to make sure he was still on the vegetables.
His grip shifted without him noticing.
The blade slipped.
There was a quick, sharp sting as the knife glided against his finger.
“Fuckk…” he groaned, his voice cracking
He looked down at his hand,blood was pouring out of the cut but it wasn’t red..
It was black.
Like how his cuts were after the demo-bats.
How anything had been after them.
Steve ran over to the sink, running his hands under the cold water, the normally clear water was starting to turn black but it very quickly went back to being clear.
“What the?” Steve muttered, lifting his hand out the water to look at it properly.
The cut was gone, fully healed. No trace of it ever being there.
“How did that…?” He mumbled under his breath.
Steve quickly lifted up his shirt and ripped off the bandages, and just like the cut, there was no evidence of him getting bitten alive by a bunch of demo freaks.
The veins were still there
— —- —- —- —
Steve pulled a packet of meat out from the fridge and started to eat it. The only problem was that meat wasn't cooked… It was still raw, juicy and cold.. Incredibly cold, it had been sitting in that fridge for a week since after the bats he was unable to eat meat. The bats had eaten him so after that eating it was just weird.
He had gotten through half the packet before he pushed it away slightly.
“What the fuck is wrong with me..” He muttered under his breath, shoving the packet back into the fridge.
The front door rattled and sprung open.
“Steve, sweetie? You up?”
“Mamma!” Steve ran to the door and wrapped himself around his mum.
“Hello Stevie, I didn't expect you to be up at this time.”
“I got hungry, mamma plus I wanted to see when Madre and Papà would be coming back.”
“Tommorow morning, cucciolo” Blair replied, rubbing his back. “How are your cuts doing, Carrie and Richard were worried after I told them so they’re rushing home”
“Mamma, you didn’t need to tell them. I was perfectly fine”
“Cucciolo, you collapsed against me bleeding out. So you were not fine” His mamma replied, attitude dripping throughout her voice, rolling her eyes at his very weak attempt to pretend to be better.
“I say i was brave, heroic and perfectly fine yet you say I nearly died, yada its the same thing”
“So dying and being brave and heroic are the same thing now?”
“Yeah, like Eddie.” He whispered.
“You mean the boy who killed those teenagers? Because I don't want you to hang about with him, I dont think your Madre or Papà would either” She spoke softly, pulling away slightly.
“He didn't kill them, Mamma. I promise I was with him after Chrissy died…”
“Alright Cucciolo i trust you but you better hope that Carrie and Richard have not heard of him because they wouldn't want you to hang out with him.”
“But mamma-”
“Even just because of the rumours, if people found out you were friends with him… It would ruin your life, okay Cucciolo” She cut him off, stroking his hair out of his face.
Steve nodded, leaning into her touch.
“So where is he? I’m guessing he’s hiding away so they don't find him..”
His shoulders started to violently shake, his breathing coming in sharply. His legs were shaking before his knees buckled in, falling against her unable to hold himself up.
He gazed up at her, tears streaming down his face. She placed hands on the sides of his face, cradling his face wiping away his tears.
“Cucciolo, what happened?”
“The earthquake” His voice was muffled with his tears and being pressed against her.
“Oh sweetheart…” She wrapped her arms around him tighter. “Would you like to sleep with me tonight Cucciolo?”
Steve nodded weakly against her allowing himself to be taken up.
Blair changed her clothes into her pyjamas before helping him do it – more like doing it for him.
“Goodnight sweetheart” She mumbled, kissing his head
— —- —- —- —
Steve and Blair were up making pancakes for Caroline and Richard’s return.
The sound of a roaring engine could be heard from the garage.
“That’ll be your parents sweetheart.”
“Do you want me to go greet them then?”
“Yeah go ahead, Stevie”
Steve walked down the stairs to the garage, swinging round a pole at the bottom of the stair case.
"Ciao, madre." Steve said, opening the car door for her.
“Hello, mother.”
“Stefano! Ecco il mio prezioso bambino!” His mother jumped out, cupping the sides of his face and kissing his head. "Come stai dopo l'ospedale? Tua madre si è presa cura di te?"
“Stefano! There’s my precious baby boy!” “How have you been after the hospital, has your mum been taking good care of you.”
“Non mi lasciava uscire di casa.” Steve chuckled, wrapping his hands around his mother.
“She wouldn’t let me leave the house”
His father exited the car, pressing a kiss onto his wife’s cheek before joining the group hug. "Scusate se ci abbiamo messo così tanto, Stefano."
“Sorry we took so long, Stefano.”
"Va tutto bene, papà."
“It’s alright, dad.”
"No, Stefano. Dobbiamo starti più vicino, sei molto più importante del nostro lavoro."Caroline said, cupping Steve's face.
“No it isnt, Stefano. We have to be here for you more, you are way more important than our jobs.”
"Mamma, tu sei qui, cioè mi chiami ogni singolo giorno e non riattacchi finché non sono passate due ore.” Steve chuckled, leaning into his madre’s touch.
“Mother, you are here though I mean you call me every single day and won't hang up unless it’s been more than 2 hours.”
"Che ne dici se andiamo a trovare Blair? Probabilmente è lì che prepara la colazione da sola, senza il suo piccolo aiutante"
“How about we head up and see Blair, she's probably up there making breakfast all alone without her little helper”
"Non sono piccolo, papà. E poi mi ha mandato qui!" He squeaked, leaving the group hug to push his father lightly.
“Im not little, dad. Also she sent me down here!”
Upstairs Blair was plating the pancakes for them all. Each of them have three pancakes with different toppings. Steve just had honey drizzled over them, meanwhile his dad had honey and ice sugar. His mother had ricotta with macerated strawberries and his mum had whipped cream with fruits. It was very clear who Steve inherited his sweet tooth from.
Caroline cut a bit off of Blair’s pancakes and ate it herself.
“Caroline Harrington!”
"Sì amore mio?" His madre said, batting her eyelashes at the blonde acting innocent.
“Yes, my love?”
"Sei fortunata ad essere così adorabile." Blair rolled her eye, planting a kiss on her head.
“You’re lucky you're so adorable”
"Ehm mamma?"
“Uh mum?”
"Sì, Stevie? Come va?” She replied, eating her pancakes.
“Yeah, Stevie? What’s up?”
“glielo hai detto? you have whipped cream on your face”.
"Oh, grazie, Stevie." Blair grabbed a napkin from the table, and wiped her face. "Sono riuscito a toglierlo tutto?" Richard, Caroline and Steve all nodded at her. Grazie, Steve, ora qual era il tuo punto di partenza?"
“Oh thanks, stevie” “Did I manage to get it all off?” “Thank Steve, now what was your original point?”
"Hai raccontato loro di Eddie?" Steve questioned, standing up to start on the dishes.
“Did you tell them about Eddie”
"Ti riferisci a quel ragazzo che ha ucciso Chrissy e gli altri?" His mother asked, her tone rising in pitch.
“Do you mean that boy that killed Chrissy and the others?”
“Stefano, eri con lui? Quel ragazzo è pericoloso!” His dad shouted, following him into the kitchen to put his dish next to the sink so Steve could wash it.
“Stefano, were you hanging out with him, that boy is dangerous!”
"Sì, lo ero! E non li ha uccisi!" Steve shouted back, turning to face his dad.
“Yes I was! And he didn't kill them!”
“Allora perché tutti lo hanno accusato, Stefano?” His mother questioned now in the kitchen, leaning against Richard.
“Then why did everyone accuse him, Stefano?”
"Perché è diverso da tutti, e tutti in questa città giudicano le persone senza ascoltare il loro punto di vista!"
“Because he's different from everyone, and everyone in this town just judges people without hearing their side!”
Blair came from behind him and wrapped her hands around the boy, cradling the back of his head.
“Dov’è adesso, Stefano…? His papa asked, softening his voice.
“Where is he now, Stefano…?
“I terremoti..”
“The earthquakes..”
“Aw stefano”
Caroline and Richard immediately joined the hug, rubbing his back.
— —- —- —- —
- In the upside down -
“Ah, I've seen you’ve gained a brain and a half” Mike’s replied came in filled with sass and attitude like usual, Steve liked his sass it reminded him of how he used to be when he was younger, just mike was much much nerdier, yet probably way cooler than what “king steve” ever was (he would never tell Mike that though).Venca/Henry/001/Mr whatsit - They still hadn't decided on what to call him - was gone, and soon Dimension X would probably crumble after Venca's death, and then upside down would be gone… Blown up by Mike’s bomb. Steve hopped down onto the radio tower first - they hadn't radioed in to Hopper or Murray just in case anything changed. Steve went down first to check if it was safe for them because the upside down was unpredictable and as much as they wished they could just make a safe bet but that wasn't possible especially with everything that happened and they learned about the hell of a place within the last 4 or so years. So Steve was the “sacrifice”, Robin and Dustin hated it as well as the other but Steve’s and his stupid self sacrificing demeanour was very against the idea of anyone else going down first, since he supposedly had no one waiting for him, stupid right?
Time had seemed to continue for the upside down… which was weird since it was nearly always stuck on the day Will got kidnapped (November 6th 1983) , the day this all started… But now it seems to be in the present of 1987.
Steve was leaning against the railings, he was stuck in his thoughts about how close he was to falling off and smashing his head open if it wasn't for one Jonathon Byers-
“Steve! Is it safe yet?” The voice that snapped him out of his thoughts was none over then Nancy.
“I haven't checked yet, just give me a few, would ya?” He shouted up, his eyes scanning the place around for any danger.
“None so far but I'm going to head down to check, so just hold off. We can't go rushing into it”
— —- —- —- —
By the time he had connected his feet with the ground, it had been 3 minutes with the climb down, he was trying to avoid the vines that normally coated the floor, but this time there was none.
“Maybe vecna really was affecting this place” Steve muttered under his breath. I mean there had been two anomalies since they defeated Vecna.
The first one being the date
The second being the veins.
Maybe Steve's marks are gone.
He lifted up his shirt and…
Nope, still there. They were like Billy's but he hadn’t been in any heat—he’d always been a cold-blooded person, so there wasn't much difference there. He was almost starting to believe that robin was right about the bats affecting him, they didn't affect him in a rabies way. It wasn't out of the ordinary, every now and then he’d find himself craving raw meat.. Just raw meat which is better than blood… In a way.. Just a weird way… A really weird way.
But why were the veins and the date go back to normal but not his “marks”?
A demogorgon stood a few meters in front of him.
He impulsively reached for his spear but the demo didn't attack. It just opened his mouth and tilted its fast at him in confusion, before continuing to walk along just ignoring him..
“Werid” Steve muttered under his breath, not putting his spear away just in case something else decided to attack.
A demobat fluttered over to him landing onto his shoulder.
Steve grabbed his spear but just like the demogorgon the bat didn't attack it just licked him and cuddled into him.
Third anomaly: Demobat and demogorgan being friendly?
Fourth one: demobats are clinging to him like puppy dogs.
“What..?” Steve muttered, the demogorgon hadn't come near him, it just walked off yet the demobat were on him straight away so what’s the difference between the demogorgan and the demo-bats.
The craving of raw meat, cuts healing immediately, the black blood…
It’s everything that the demo-bats had..
“You must smell the leftover venom- wait do you even have venom, or I am one of you!” He shouted. “Fuck, why do you and the demo’s need to go good before we blow this place up.”
Another demobat followed, crawling under his shirt and resting at the neckline.
“Hello there?” Steve squeaked out, his voice wavering slightly, finally dropping his spear but keeping it close to him.
The bat squeaked, despite having eaten steve before, he couldn't lie and say that they weren't adorable.
“Well hello there, Arlo- wait I understood you! What the fuck is going on…” Steve muttered underneath his breath, stroking the head of the demo bat, who started to purr and lean into his touch.
Steve grabbed his radio, and told the others that it was safe to come down, forgetting to mention the demogorgons and how peaceful it was oh and the demobats who are clinging to him like little puppy dogs.
“Steve, watch out!” Nancy shouted, they were all on the ground now well almost, the last few were still climbing down the ladder. The kids were all hiding behind them in case something or someone came out of nowhere.
“What? Why?”
“You have a bunch of demobats on you, dingus. They are gonna attack” Robin shouted, grabbing her weapon.
“Oh no, they like me!” He stated like it was the most simple thing to ever exist.
“I'm sorry? What!” Mike shouted, his voice raising in pitch.
“Yep, i think either they smell like the venom if they have any, or i am one of them! Hooray!” steve stated sarcastically
One of the demobats, Arlo, started to squeak followed by the other one who would speak after him. The others grabbed their weapons thinking it was calling others yet Steve was just nodding along to what the small creature was saying.
“Acording to Arlo and Maria here, it's a mix of both of them plus another one, they smell the venom which they do have, and that in one of them which was probably caused by the venom or me eating one’s blood which is really cool if cause its from the venom, there's probably a lot more stuff they can do- im rambling arent i? Rob, is this how you feel?” Steve rambled on, sounding very nerdy and very cheerful about this development.
“You can understand them?!” Lucas shouted out in shock, his pitch raising just like Mike’s.
“Yep!”
“You said there was something else, what was it?”
“Oh right! They see me as their leader because they see me kill other ones so like dominance over their packs especially because i am one now.
“You can fucking understand them!” Lucas screamed yet again.
“The upside down seems different…?” Nancy questioned, looking around.
“The veins are all gone and the Squak building is updated and it doesn't seem to be November 3rd anymore.” Will continued Nancy’s thought, backing it up.
“Plus Demogorgons are friendly.” Steve followed along causing all the others to stare at him in shock.
“I thought it was just the demobats?” Joyce asked, trying to remain as calm sounding as possible.
“It is, but a demo walked by a bit ago and didn't attack. Just stared then walked away.”
“Maybe its the mind flayers influence going away?” Will questioned, stroking the head of one of the bats.
“Maybe… or venca’s” Eleven followed, her eyes stuck on the demobat will was touching. Just in case it decided to attack him.
“Well we should get out before it blows up” Dustin said, standing away from the demobats, holding out his spear, probably scared that the bats would kill them just like with Eddie…
“I don't think we need too…” Steve continued, looking away from all of them, his hand absently stroking the bat.
“What!” Everyone else shouted looking at him.
“Well there isn’t much of a reason anymore.”
“The reason is to make sure this never happens again.”
“And it cant, without venca or mindflayer. It cannot happen again.”
“We don't know that though” Nancy replied
“JOYCE FUCKING BEHEADED HIM AND THE MIND FLAYER FUCKING EXPLODED SO!” Steve shouted, pointing his hand right at her.
“He makes a good point…” Jonathan spoke. “Also there aren't any threats anymore from what we’ve seen.” He continued, hesitantly
“Plus we would be killing harmless creatures, who haven't done anything.”
“What about the people they killed! Barb, Bob, Billy.” Nancy argued.
“First of all, the creatures were under the mindflayers control, second of all… THE MIND FLAYER KILLED BILLY!” Steve argued back!
“We could keep the upside down alive” Joyce cut in “But have someone watching or patrolling so it doesn't get out of hand, okay?”
“Seems reasonable…” Will spoke up, removing his hand from the demo bat on Steve.
“I could do it, the demobats seem to like me the most so they would be least likely to kill me.”
“That could work,” Mike finished.
So that was decided the upside down would stay and Steve would be the one who would check on it and probably take care of the demo-bats, which by the way he was cuddling and petting them. He would be perfectly fine with that.
- The End -