Disclaimer: I don't own Stranger Things, obviously.

So, like everybody else, I watched the new series of Stranger Things and can't accept the ending. So this is a fix-it for Vol. 2, picking up during the action-packed final battle. I've seen loads of great versions of this everywhere - thought I'd take a stab at it. Enjoy!

Intro: When Steve finds Eddie in the Upside Down, half-eaten by Demobats and bleeding out in Dustin's arms, he can't accept that this is the end. After all, he promised to keep Eddie safe, didn't he? Fix-it fic for Stranger Things Vol. 2, featuring Steve/Eddie and a fair bit of angst.

The night before they tried to kill Vecna was tense. It was no great surprise – they had just got back from Lovers Lake, where Steve had been half eaten by Demobats and Nancy attacked by Vecna. They had gathered at Max's afterwards, shaken and panicked, and listened to Nancy's story of doom. It had slowly sunk in – the realisation that they were already out of time.

They had elected to get some sleep, trying to rest before they threw themselves into the impossible mission of assassinating Vecna, but they still needed to keep an eye on Nancy and Max, now more than ever. And so, with his sides still stinging from the sharp teeth of the bats, Steve volunteered for first watch. Which left him perched on a kitchen chair at midnight, tentatively cradling his wounds and chewing on his nails. Nancy had helped him re-wrap them with some antiseptic and actual bandages stolen from Max's medicine cabinet, and while it did feel a little better, the pain was doing a great job at keeping him awake. He wasn't sure exactly how concerned he should be about the wounds. Probably a little less than Robin, who had instructed him to wake her in a couple of hours to take her shift unless he started foaming at the mouth before that. He didn't feel particularly like he had rabies, although he was sure those bats hadn't been exactly clean. At least they had small mouths, leading to relatively shallow injuries – more of an annoyance than anything too damaging. His wandering gaze stopped on the fridge in the corner, and he perked up.

He crossed the kitchen as quietly as he could, glancing surreptitiously over his shoulder. The others were all bundled together in the living room, a mass of limbs and duvets, and nobody stirred as he cracked open the fridge door, doing his best to block the tell-tale light with his body. It wasn't the best-stocked fridge he'd ever seen, but he immediately spied half a sandwich on one of the shelves that filled him with more excitement than it should have. He picked it up and began to close the door, then caught sight of an even better prize and reached back in for a can of beer.

He was hungrier than he realised – the sandwich vanished quickly, and within minutes he was hunting through the cupboards. This time he came up with a pack of biscuits and returned victorious to the kitchen table, leaning back in his chair. He held his breath as he cracked open the beer – again, nobody stirred. The fizz of the bubbles against his throat finally seemed to ease some of the tension in him that had been there since his abrupt reintroduction to the Upside Down. It had been a dangerously close call, and it had left his nerves jangling. He found himself looking back at the living room, as if expecting a Demogorgan to come leering out from the darkness, but everything was quiet. His gaze lingered on Nancy, who was curled up on the sofa, the blanket pulled almost over her head. Two images leapt into his head simultaneously – one of her delivering a swift and deadly blow to the Demobat gnawing on his hip and the other of her eyes blue and sightless in the darkness of the Upside Down. He had been filled by such panic at the thought that she was about to be Vecna's next victim, about to float into the air like a ghost, but she had been given back to them at the last second.

Still, the fact that they had been completely unable to help her was terrifying, and he wondered how many more times they would be handed a lucky escape.

He looked around at the others, his gaze travelling over Robin, who was tucked into a ball at the other end of the sofa, and then Lucas and Max, lying close together on the ground. Their hands were loosely entwined, Lucas clearly not taking any chances should Vecna make a move. Dustin's slack jaw and wrinkled nose brought a small smile to his face, and then his gaze landed on Eddie and paused. He took another sip of his beer. The other boy was half-covered with a light blanket, his head angled slightly towards the kitchen, allowing Steve to take in his features. Steve couldn't help but find his face kind of confusing – on one hand, his straggling, thick hair was heavy and masculine, and then on the other hand… was his face. His features were strikingly delicate, his eyelashes long and dark against his cheekbones, the bow of his lips soft. He was a metalhead and a drug dealer, and yet gentle and kind at the most unexpected moments. And for some reason, the memory that resurfaced at that moment was Eddie wrapping a torch in a plastic bag and holding it out, his eyes unexpectedly sincere, a box of cigarettes held between his teeth as they rocked gently on the boat.

"Hey… good luck."

It was the same look he'd had when he tossed his denim jacket over during their trudge through the Upside Down. Steve almost hadn't caught it, pre-occupied with flirting with Nancy, and the move had surprised him. Eddie's face had been hard to read, almost irritated.

"For your modesty, dude."

Steve was still wearing it now, and he dipped his head towards the collar. It smelled like cigarettes and beer and something else, something perhaps more difficult to pin down. He wondered if Eddie would want it back. It was now marred with several bloodstains and marks from the Upside Down – maybe he could keep it. Although he wasn't quite sure why he wanted to.

If Eddie hadn't suddenly shifted, Steve had a niggling feeling he would have found himself staring for much longer. As it was, the other boy suddenly frowned and tossed his head, and Steve was seized with the intense alarm that he could have been caught in the act. He quickly took a swig of his beer, his heart racing in his chest, and peeked back over to find that Eddie hadn't woken up after all. He seemed restless, though – his hands had closed into tight fists in the blanket and his jaw was clenching hard. He seemed to be in some kind of distress. Steve found himself starting to rise and then hastily sat back down, not quite sure what to do. Eddie didn't exactly know him that well, and he probably wouldn't want to be woken up in the middle of the night by a near stranger, but it felt wrong to just sit by drinking beer and doing nothing. It wasn't until Eddie's breathing became louder and his legs started to kick slightly that Steve decided the decision had been made for him – if he left it much longer the others would surely wake up.

He set down the beer and stole over to crouch beside Eddie, his hands hovering for a few moments. He wasn't entirely sure how to go about this. He cleared his throat slightly, wincing.

"Ah, Eddie? Eddie, dude, you… you ok?"

He was trying to keep his voice low, scared to wake the others, but he didn't have to wait long for a response – Eddie surged upright with a rough gasp, coming within about a centimetre of them smacking foreheads, and Steve found himself inches from those large brown eyes, now bright with fear. The panic quickly turned to surprise, and Steve scrambled back, somewhat flustered.

"Shit, fuck – sorry! Sorry."

His whispered apologies sounded uncomfortably loud in the silent room, and he glanced around furtively. Dustin was rolling over onto his side, but the others seemed undisturbed, and he let out a sigh of relief. Eddie was scrubbing both hands over his face, apparently trying to catch his breath, and Steve couldn't help but feel ridiculous for the way that little exchange had played out.

"Sorry, man," he said, more calmly this time. "You ok?"

Eddie dropped his hands, nodding. But before Steve could speak again the other boy had scrambled up to his feet. He snatched up his jacket, which appeared to have been functioning as a makeshift pillow, and stormed off towards the door. Steve was left crouched on the floor, his eyebrows halfway up his forehead, his eyes wide, as Eddie disappeared outside and closed the door behind him.

It took him a moment to gather himself enough to clamber to his feet and return to his seat at the kitchen table, grabbing his beer and taking a large glug. He felt like a supreme idiot. Whatever odd mood he was in, there was no need to start freaking out the others by lingering over them in their sleep. Or watching them sleep, for that matter, his brain added unhelpfully. He winced, trying to shake himself out of it, and glanced at the door. Whatever contribution his own weirdness had made, Eddie had looked genuinely freaked out. For a moment, Steve entertained the possibility that maybe something else had been bothering him. He waited a few minutes, but the door didn't open again. Eventually, he pushed aside his uncertainty and downed the last of the beer. There was no harm in checking on him.

He headed for the kitchen door, looking back one more time at the others. They were still dead asleep, undisturbed by the commotion, and his gaze paused on Lucas and Max. He knew he was meant to be keeping watch, but the way their hands were interlinked took some of the pressure off. Lucas had her – he'd surely notice if she levitated into the air. Besides, he would only be five minutes.

And so, heaving a quiet sigh, he reached for the door handle and stepped out into the cool night air.

Eddie was sitting on the steps of the trailer, nothing more than a hunched, dark shape topped with curly hair, his jacket lying abandoned at his feet. He flinched visibly when Steve opened the door, spooked, his head whipping around to reveal large, anxious eyes. It was an oddly vulnerable look, quite different to the bravado he usually displayed in front of the others. Once he had realised it was Steve – and looked him up and down, just to be sure – the tension in his shoulders eased a little. But the cigarette in his hand still trembled lightly, smoke curling up towards the sky.

"The hell are you doing?" he muttered, turning his back again. "I thought you were goddman Vecna, sneaking around in the dark like that."

"Who's sneaking?" Steve shot back. "You're the one lurking out here. What's up?"

Eddie just shrugged. His mood was distinctly sombre, and Steve found himself wondering if he had made a mistake following him outside after all. But it was too late to go back now. So instead, settling for the nervous atmosphere, he folded his arms against the cold and headed down the stairs. Eddie's eyes flicked sideways at him, as if slightly confused as to why Steve was currently taking a seat beside him. His lips formed a tight, uncertain line across his face and his gaze was still somewhat glassy with nerves. He shifted on the steps, brushed a hand across his face.

"What, you can't sleep?" Steve pressed. "I mean, I get it, it's kind of busy in there."

He wasn't sure why he was pushing so hard. Eddie was clearly upset about something, and if he didn't feel like sharing then Steve had no business trying to force him. But there was something in Eddie's haunted eyes that felt familiar. He couldn't help but remember having Nancy to lean on when he had first found out about the Upside Down. For the most part, the whole lot of them had gone through it together. Meanwhile, Eddie was going through this alone. The other boy took another drag on his cigarette and let the smoke out slowly through clenched teeth.

"It's not that. I just… haven't been sleeping well lately."

"I guess discovering an alternate dimension full of monsters will do that to you."

"Mmh."

Eddie scrubbed a hand through his hair and over the back of his neck. For some reason, Steve felt he hadn't quite hit the nail on the head. Still, he knew he was pestering. He settled for looking up at the night sky, thick and soupy with clouds, only a couple of glimmering stars in sight. And just when he was about to give up and return to the living room, Eddie suddenly made an odd noise in the back of his throat.

"It's not that, really," he said, his voice somewhat thick. "It's Chrissy. I just… I can't get the sight of her out of my mind. The way her body just…"

He stopped, words teetering on the brink of his tongue, and then shook his head. Steve was reminded at once of their conversation in the boathouse, the terrible story Eddie had told. His mind helpfully reconstructed the scene described, swapping Chrissy's face for Nancy's, for Robin's… he felt a shudder roll down his spine. He realised that Eddie was rocking slightly beside him, only the slightest amount, just enough to be noticeable, and without meaning to found himself reaching out. His hand landed on Eddie's knee and then froze. It was a strange way to comfort someone he didn't know all that well, but having made the move he now wasn't sure how to back out of it. Instead, he found himself patting Eddie's knee awkwardly.

"Yeah," he said softly. "It sounded bad."

Eddie's rocking had stopped. His eyes were fixed on Steve's hand on his knee, his expression somewhat hard to read. His brow was furrowed and his lips quirked slightly. And then, just has Steve was about to pull away, he sucked in a deep breath and flicked the cigarette away.

"Yeah, 'bad' about covers it," he muttered.

"Do you think about it often?"

Eddie's lips curved upwards in a humourless smile. "Every goddman night."

And there it was. Steve finally spotted the thing he had recognised. After the Demogorgan, after his first violent encounter with the Upside Down, he hadn't been able to sleep for weeks. Every night he had jolted awake, covered in a cold sweat, breathing hard and fast, and every night he had to force himself to remember that it wasn't real. That was the look in Eddie's face right now, the bags under his eyes, the terror flickering just under the surface. He suddenly realised that Eddie was still staring at the uninvited hand on his knee, and finally had the sense to withdraw it. He clasped his hands in his lap instead, heaving a short sigh.

"It'll get better after a while," he offered. "It takes some time, but it will get better. Trust me."

He had meant the advice sincerely, but for some reason Eddie let out a low bark of laughter. Steve glanced up at him, raising his eyebrows. Apparently he found Eddie's face somewhat mesmerising whether he was asleep or awake – the way it could twist itself in such a way as to perform an emotion just perfectly, and yet there were still wells of emotion beneath those dark eyes that glimmered through. Right now he was laughing, and yet it was the same thing, the same wall of performance art, and trembling just beneath the surface was something so vulnerable, so fragile… Steve gave himself a mental shake. He had no idea why he was getting so wrapped up in Eddie, in his behaviour, in his face. He put it down to just never meeting anyone quite as strange as Eddie before. He wasn't used to hanging out with people like Eddie 'the Freak' Munson. Eddie was screwing both thumbs into his eyes, his laugh still slightly hysterical.

"I'm sorry," he said at last, grinning blandly. "How are you not just… just freaking out all the time? Like there are monsters, and people have died, and Max is cursed, and you're all just fighting this thing on your own and… and just… how?"

It was Steve's turn to smile then. He shrugged, trying to keep his tone light. "You get used to it. And it's kind of easier not to think about it too much. Anyway, those little buttheads in there will do a pretty good job of distracting you given half the chance."

He was trying to keep the conversation light, to get Eddie off whatever edge he was on, but when he nudged him playfully in the ribs to illustrate his point the other boy let out an abrupt hiss and cringed away, one hand sliding protectively over his side. Steve stopped at once, raising his hands, his eyebrows arched, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible. He let Eddie catch his breath, looking at him more carefully than before. Come to think of it, Eddie had been hunched over his own folded arms for most of the time Steve had been around him. He'd assumed it was just part of the head of Hellfire's general demeanour, but perhaps he had been wrong. Eddie was avoiding his gaze, that thin grin working its way back onto his face.

"You ok, man?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You surprised me."

"Oh, I surprised you? Twice in one night, must be a record." Steve lowered his hands. "Come on, I'm not an idiot. What's up?"

"Nothing." Eddie was feeling in his jacket pockets. He brought out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter, still looking anywhere but at Steve. "I just took a bit of a tumble earlier, that's all."

"When?"

Eddie just smirked, flicking open the cigarette pack with his thumb. He started tapping one out, but Steve snatched the pack out of his hand before he could manage it. He only managed it because Eddie was trying so hard not to look at him. Eddie made a grab for the pack but Steve held it up high, easily keeping it out of his reach.

"Hey – careful, you're gonna crush them–"

"Oh, don't you worry," Steve said, smiling. "You can have them back. Just tell me what happened and they're all yours."

"I'm not one of your children, Harrington."

"No, but you're one of us." The words came out before Steve could stop them. And yet again, as Eddie's glinting, deep eyes turned on him, he had no choice but to double down. "You're one of us now, whether you like it or not. So, spill."

Eddie sat back on the stairs, folding his arms once more. A smile played over his lips, something which looked slightly more real than before. He shook his head.

"It's not… It's nothing sensational," he muttered. "When Jason caught up with me at the lake, I tried to get away on a boat. But the fucking thing wouldn't go, and Jason… well he's a fucking athlete and all, so… he got to me. Climbed out of the water like the creature from the black fucking lagoon. Before Patrick got Vecna'd he got a couple shots in."

"Shots?"

Eddie sniggered softly, finally meeting Steve's gaze. "I'm fine, Harrington, really. He just got a couple punches in, that's all."

"Ok, so let me see."

Eddie raised his eyebrows. Steve immediately felt heat creep up his neck, and tried to ignore it, furious with his body for betraying him. There was absolutely no reason for that to make him feel nervous. He tried to focus on the matter at hand.

"If everything's fine, you've got nothing to hide," he said, trying to keep his voice level.

Eddie held his gaze for a few long moments, long enough that Steve thought that he might have forgotten how to breathe. He was hit with a sudden, vivid memory of the first time he had seen Eddie. The Hellfire club's leader had sprung out of the darkness in the boathouse like a jack out of a box and held a broken bottle to Steve's neck, and he was sure that the look in his eyes was just the same then as it was now. He had this ability to switch on a level of intensity that Steve had no idea what to do with, just with his eyes. It was almost scary.

For a moment, he was sure Eddie was going to say something. The other boy's lips lingered just open, showing a glint of his teeth, his eyes shimmering. And then he suddenly shook his head and began to roll up his T-shirt. Steve let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, allowing himself to finally drop Eddie's piercing gaze. He watched the rim of the T-shirt recede until it was level with Eddie's chest, revealing his stomach. He felt a sudden pang of sadness as he took in the darkening bruise across the left side of Eddie's ribs, and found himself reaching out. His fingertips came up against cool, tender skin, and Eddie shivered slightly. The mark was significant, big enough to show that the blow must have hurt, but seemed superficial for the most part. It took Steve a moment to realise that he was simply pressing his hand against Eddie's bare skin in silence, and he quickly retreated, letting Eddie smooth his T-shirt down again.

"Well, it doesn't look like anything's broken," he said, doing his best to put on an authoritative tone.

"See?" Eddie said, pulling his T-shirt straight. "I told you, I'm fine."

"But it's not just 'nothing,'" Steve insisted. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Easier not to think about it."

Steve rolled his eyes at the jibe, but couldn't help but feel pleased that it earned Eddie a genuine, real smile at last. He watched as Eddie leaned his elbows on his knees, hunching over once more.

"Touche," he said. "Well, how about we get you some ice? Or some arnica or something? I bet there's something in this shithole we can use…"

"Something to make it all better?"

Steve broke off. Eddie's voice was wobbling slightly, and the lightness was suddenly gone. He glanced up at him to find the corners of his mouth twitching, his eyes glistening slightly. The other boy winced, as if embarrassed, but then spoke again, as if he couldn't keep the words from tumbling out.

"I just feel like there's no way to get it back, you know? There's no way out of this. I just keep thinking about that night with Chrissy. I keep thinking, like, what if she'd never come over? Like if she'd gone to Jason or someone else. And I'd just be sitting at home, smoking a blunt, like none of this was even happening."

"Of course there's a way back."
"Yeah?" Eddie's face twisted humourlessly. "I'd love to hear it. How does this campaign end?"

Steve frowned. He knew that word – it was the kind of word that Dustin used when he was rambling on about D&D. Whilst he couldn't quite use it in a sentence, he could get the gist of it well enough. Of course, that didn't make the question any easier. For him, this 'campaign' had ended several times already, only to pick back up again with no warning at all. But Eddie's hands were fiddling nervously with his rings, and Steve could practically feel the anxiety radiating off him. He decided to keep things simple. He reached out once more, this time letting his hand land on Eddie's forearm – slightly less intimate than knee, less romantic than hand. Just about appropriate.

"We save the world," he said, shrugging. "We prove to the police that you're innocent, rescue you from prison or something. I don't want to brag, but I've got a pretty good track record on that whole world-saving, rescuing thing."

"Yeah?" Eddie huffed softly, still unsettled. "Steve Harrington is going to rescue me? Please, give me a moment to swoon."

Steve squeezed his arm. He wasn't sure what was driving him to do this, but when Eddie looked up at him he held his gaze, looking back fiercely, his face resolute. He couldn't explain why, but he needed Eddie to be okay. To feel safe. He stared down Eddie's flickering gaze, daring him to look away.

"Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Eddie. I promise. Ok?"

He made sure to speak slowly and carefully, made sure to drive his point home. He thought Eddie might shake him off, might laugh at him, but instead the other boy just nodded tightly. He took a shuddering breath in and let it out slowly. It was only then that Steve remembered that he was still holding the cigarettes hostage in his other hand, and he took that as his cue to release Eddie's arm and return them. Eddie took them back, offering him a small smile. The odd awkwardness of the situation suddenly drove in on Steve, too much to bear, and he rose to his feet, the severity of his words suddenly sinking in.

"Anyway," he said, doing his best to sound more positive. "We should get some sleep. I mean, you – you should get some sleep. Try to. I'm on watch. You know."

Eddie was getting up too, moving carefully, retrieving his jacket from the floor and tucking the cigarettes and lighter back into its pockets. His dark eyes flicked upwards, watching Steve with a strange, calculating seriousness. He smiled again.

"Yeah. Hey, Steve?"

"Yeah?"

Eddie hesitated for a moment, the smile playing over his lips. "Just… thanks. For the pep talk."

"Anytime."

Steve felt a sudden urge to sit down again, to stay there all night. But he had a strange, nervous feeling – almost like when he was trying to ask for a girl's number. Except, instead, he was standing in a trailer park with Eddie 'the Freak' Munson. He nodded and headed up the stairs, taking hold of the door, and felt some relief when he heard Eddie following him.

The first indication that their plan hadn't worked was emerging from the Creel mansion to find Vecna gone. But it wasn't until the earth started to shake that Steve began to realise how badly it had gone wrong.

For what felt like an eternity they had no choice but to cling to the mansion as the ground heaved around them, and when it finally began to slow, Nancy wasted no time in throwing herself towards the front door. Steve followed, reaching out to steady Robin as she staggered after them her voice shaking.

"Holy fucking shit… what was that? What–"

"It's the gates!"

They emerged from the house and Steve stopped short on the steps, his mouth dropping open in a gasp of horror. Nancy was right – the ground had split open, the dangerous red glow beneath travelling for miles into the forest. Steve looked around to find his own shock and dread reflected in Nancy and Robin's faces. They all knew whom Vecna had been targeting, whose would have been the final death to bring about this apocalyptic result to their efforts. Steve could see Max's face now, could see the serious resignation in her eyes as she stood there in her trailer, her face tight.

"Try not to miss."

And yet, despite how high the stakes had been, they had missed. Steve could feel his heart beating hard and fast in his chest. Vecna had vanished somewhere, and the gates had opened. Their failure couldn't have been any more evident. Beside him, Robin sucked in a tight breath.

"Oh, god…"

"It might not have been her," he said quickly. "We don't know it was her."

Nancy nodded, but Steve could tell she didn't believe him. She lifted her gun, shaking her hair back.

"We should go – Dustin has a radio. We have to get in touch with Erika."

They began the trek back, quickly breaking into a jog. The way back led right alongside the huge gate, the chasm that had ripped a huge scar right across Hawkins. Trees had been felled and their path through the woods now involved scrambling over several new obstacles. Steve found himself wondering about the trailer – after all, one of the gates had been in its ceiling. A flicker of worry began to brew for Eddie and Dustin, but he'd told them to stay out of the action – with any luck they had got back to the other side before the gates had started to merge and were well clear of it all. But as they continued their journey he started to appreciate the magnitude of what had happened – whole houses were broken in two, roads torn apart, cars buried nose-first in the ground. If this was how bad it was in the Upside Down, what had happened to Hawkins?

By the time they finally reached the trailer park, pace slowing as they caught their breath, something else had occurred to him too – there were no Demobats. He had kept his trusty baseball bat at the ready, sure that he was about to come across a swarm of them, but there was nothing. No screeches pierced the air, no dark shadows fluttered towards them across the stormy sky – the Upside Down was still, empty, silent.

"Do you hear that?"

Robin was frowning. Steve tried to listen, breathless from the run.

"Hear what? I can't hear anything…"

"Shh." Nancy had lifted her gun, her gaze narrowed. "Be ready."

Steve gripped his baseball bat tightly, he and Robin falling in behind her as she led their way through the trailer park, lingering behind the mobile homes to keep hidden. As they drew closer to Eddie's caravan Steve began to hear it too – a distant whimpering sound, which was quickly sounding less like a lurking Demogorgan and more like a familiar voice… And then he began to make out words, and his stomach dropped.

"Shit," he muttered. "Dustin."

Nancy made a grab for him but he had already bolted past her, sprinting past the final few trailers and rounding the last one, his heart in his mouth. He staggered to a halt, suddenly faced with what remained of Eddie's trailer. The gate had torn it completely in two, the sides sagging open, furniture spilling out onto the grass. It was lit in a hellish red light, and Steve felt suddenly convinced that Dustin had somehow got trapped inside, had lost an arm or a leg amongst all the chaos, and he hurried closer.

"Dustin! Dustin!"

No response – he couldn't see the other boy anywhere. What remained of the trailer seemed empty. He turned, slowly, his panic mounting, making his way around the carcass of the mobile home, and his gaze finally landed on a huddled figure a short distance away, crouched on the ground, rocking slightly. His stomach lurched.

"Dustin!"

He threw himself forward, and felt a harsh flood of relief as Dustin raised his head. He was there, he was okay… and then, as he got closer, he realised that Dustin was holding something in his arms – someone, someone who was limp on the ground, whose leather jacket was instantly recognisable, and yet Steve's brain couldn't quite process what he was seeing.

"Steve! Steve, help…"

Dustin's voice was high and shaking, his face streaked with dirt and tears. Steve stumbled as he reached them and looked down to find that the floor was strewn with Demobats, some flapping slightly, others dead. He was still trying to piece together what had happened as he dropped to his knees beside Dustin, but then he finally understood.

There was so much blood.

Eddie was covered in it, so much so that Steve didn't even know where to start trying to fix it. He wasn't moving much in Dustin's arms, although Steve could see his chest shuddering, could hear rattling, shallow breaths. His gaze moved upwards and he found himself staring into Eddie's brown eyes, with all their shimmering intensity, open and fixed on him. There was blood in his hair, on his face, and yet Eddie was looking at him and, inexplicably, his lips were curving into a smile. And Steve felt something inside him break. He heard his own voice, dazed and distant.

"I told you… I told you not to…"

Steve couldn't even get the words out. Dustin was saying something, his voice trembling wildly, but Eddie was still gazing back at him and Steve couldn't focus on what the younger boy was trying to tell him. Eddie's face was sad, almost apologetic, almost as if… Steve shook his head violently and reached out, lurching into action.

"Get him on the ground, lay him flat," he barked. "We have to stop the bleeding."

He knew his tone was harsh, but he couldn't waste any more time. He didn't know how long Eddie had been bleeding out, but the blood on the floor suggested it had been a while. Eddie made a strangled noise as Dustin obeyed, his eyes squeezing shut tightly. He spoke suddenly, his voice a shadow of what it usually was, thin and halting.

"S'okay, Steve… "

"Dustin, put pressure on there," Steve snapped, pointing. "Now!"

"Oh my god, Eddie…"

Robin and Nancy had arrived. Steve didn't look up, too busy pressing his hands over Eddie's side. The other boy's breath caught sharply, and Steve tried not to think about how much this all had to hurt. He just had to get them through this, just had to deal with the bleeding – if they could stop the bleeding, everything would be all right. He kept shouting orders without looking up, not caring how he sounded.

"Nancy, get the bandages – Robin, get back through that gate and call a fucking ambulance, go!"

"An ambulance? Steve, we can't, they'll recognise him and arrest him before–"

"Call an ambulance, now!"

He was almost screaming at her, and she sprinted for the trailer without another word. Nancy had fallen to her knees and was rifling through her bag, searching for the hastily packed first aid kit they had brought. Dustin was still crying, pressing his hands down on Eddie's injuries as instructed. Steve's own hands were already slippery with blood – he wasn't even sure if he was covering the worst of the wounds, they were all bad, they were all bleeding… He felt a light touch ghost his arm, shaky, bloody fingertips against his skin, and looked up to find Eddie squinting at him. His breathing sounded so much worse now that he was lying flat, rasping hoarsely in and out. But his eyes were gentle, almost calm.

"St-Steve… it's… okay…"

"I don't want to hear it, Munson," Steve cut in fiercely. "You're going to be fine, we're getting you an ambulance and we'll laugh about this later, okay? Just… Just keep breathing–"

He was sure that the others could hear the panic in his voice. Nancy was there, holding out a small roll of bandages – not enough, nowhere near enough. Steve took it anyway, pulled away a long stretch, wadded it up and pressed it down, shoving it over at Dustin as an indication to do the same. This time Eddie didn't even wince, and he looked up sharply to see the other boy's eyes sliding half closed.

"Eddie! Eddie, hey – don't do this to me, man, stay awake – Nancy, take over…"

He scooted up, leaning over Eddie, tapping his cheek lightly. Eddie gave a slow blink. His eyes were growing glazed and unfocussed, and Steve's panic went into overdrive. Before he knew it, he was shaking the other boy hard, his voice pitchy.

"Eddie!"

"It's coming!" Robin was suddenly skidding to a halt beside them, panting hard. "The ambulance, it's on its way – they said five minutes, they're close by because of the earthquake and stuff – they wanted me to stay on the phone, but–"

Steve hadn't listened to a word she had said after her first announcement. He couldn't hear Eddie's breathing anymore, couldn't catch his gaze. A tear worked its way out of Eddie's eye, making a small track through the blood and dirt on his face, and Steve couldn't wait any longer. They had to go. He batted away Dustin and Nancy and shifted forward, pulling Eddie into his arms, hating how the other boy's body remained limp and heavy in his grip. Gritting his teeth, he managed to get one arm beneath Eddie's knees, one behind his back, and unsteadily rise to his feet. The old wounds in his sides stung sharply, but he forced his jerky legs into motion anyway, stumbling over the carcasses of the Demobats.

"Steve!"

Nancy was following him, reaching for his shoulder. "Just slow down, take a second-"

"We don't have a second, Nance! We have to do something, we have to try-"

He looked down at Eddie, who was a dead weight in his arms. His eyes were still empty, still staring blindly, barely open. Steve didn't dare stop and check if he was still breathing. He didn't know what he would do if he wasn't, if it was over… it couldn't be. He couldn't give up - Eddie had to be more stubborn than that. He pushed forward, adrenaline driving him on.

They reached the trailer, and he had to admit that maybe the fact that the gate had entirely ripped it apart was a good thing - climbing through the new rift would be much easier than trying to get Eddie's limp body through the ceiling. The gate now ran along the floor and up one wall, around a meter and a half in diameter at its widest, making it far easier to climb through. He kicked at the scarlet membrane sealing it shut, unable to attack it with Eddie in his arms, and then again felt Nancy's hand on his shoulder. She pulled him back a few paces with a stern look, lifting a familiar weapon – his baseball bat, which he had abandoned in the chaos. He stepped back, allowing her past him to tear a gap in the gate, the squelching, flesh-like surface ripping apart. Waiting was painful, and as soon as she had an opening even halfway big enough he pressed forward and ducked through it, staggering slightly with Eddie's additional weight. The Upside Down clung to them, but they broke free and emerged from the ruins of the trailer and into the real world.

The trailer park here didn't look all that different to the Upside Down - the gate had ripped through it mercilessly, slicing through cars and homes alike, and he could hear screaming. The residents of the trailer park were scattered around, trying to deal with the chaos – some were trying to free neighbours from their homes who had been trapped inside, some were trying to gather younger children together, some trying to rescue their belongings from the edges of the yawning gates. Seeing the carnage was somewhat of a shock – the Upside Down was one thing, but seeing it here, so abruptly inserted into normal life, was hard to take in. It was telling that no one even looked up at Steve, that he somehow blended into the backdrop of confusion.

Steve made it a few more steps, suddenly realising that he wasn't sure exactly where he was going, and then felt a dizzying rush of relief as his ears caught the sound of sirens in the distance. He hung on to the hope that it was the ambulance coming, that once the paramedics arrived it would all be all right. All he had to do was keep Eddie alive until then. He let himself come to a stop and awkwardly set Eddie down on the ground again, resolving to try to focus on the bleeding for now. The wadded up bandages were still there, the wounds on Eddie's chest and sides still slowly leaking blood. He pressed down on what looked like the worst of it, clenching his teeth tightly.

"Come on, man," he muttered. "You can make it, you hear me? Just… just hold on."

There was blood at the corners of Eddie's mouth, and his eyes had taken on a terrible glassy quality, staring sightlessly into the sky. Steve swallowed hard, fighting to keep his composure, telling himself sternly that if he was still bleeding, his heart must still be beating. He couldn't let himself think that it was already too late, not when they were so close. He became aware of a sort of light buzzing in his ears, of the fact that his heart was pounding hard in his chest, that his hands were shaking… Below him, Eddie's face was lit with a red and blue glare, a flickering light which was growing brighter, and he was dimly aware of Nancy calling out. But it wasn't until another paid of hands suddenly came down over his own that he realised they had company.

"Alright, great job, kid. Just let go now so I can see."

The voice was steady and calm. But he couldn't let go, couldn't risk Eddie losing any more blood, and yet he couldn't seem to open his mouth to explain. He tried shaking his head, and then felt Nancy's hands on his shoulders.

"Steve, let them look."

He blinked, dazed. Nancy was right next to him, her face streaked with dirt, her curly hair wild around her face. She nodded at him, and he slowly let go. He was pulled back a little, finally able to take in the ambulance a few feet away, the two paramedics who had materialised. One was digging in a bag, the other was peering down at Eddie with a frown, already working to place several large pads across his injuries. Steve heard himself speaking, his voice shaking wildly.

"He's lost blood, like a lot, like… h-he was awake a second ago, I don't-"

"What happened?"

Steve shook his head helplessly, trying to pull himself together, but Nancy chimed in instead.

"It was an animal of some kind, he was attacked."

"What kind of animal?"

She hesitated. "We're not sure."

The paramedic looked up at them doubtfully, eyebrows raised, but her colleague was speaking to her hurriedly, and she seemed to accept the answer. Steve watched as they worked, watched their faces and voices growing steadily more urgent. Nancy's small hand closed over his and he gripped it back,

suddenly feeling a lump rising in his throat. Now that he wasn't in charge, wasn't focused on some kind of action, the situation was beginning to hit him. He watched the paramedics applying bandages to Eddie's unresponsive body, watched them barking orders at one another, watched Eddie's still, pale face. A third medic appeared rolling a stretcher, and in a combined, fluid movement they lifted Eddie onto it and wheeled him towards the waiting van. Steve moved unsteadily after them, following them to the van, but one of the paramedics held out her hand to stop him.

"No ride alongs, I'm afraid."

Steve stared at her, not quite sure he had grasped what she'd said. "No, you don't understand – I have to go with him, you-"

"Sir, I understand you may not be aware of this, but this man currently wanted for several murders. I can't let you accompany us."

The words met Steve's ears like gunshots. He shook his head desperately, but the paramedic was already moving away. He took a few steps to follow her, feeling immeasurably lost and deflated.

"Is he alive? Can you just tell us if-"

The doors of the ambulance slammed shut, and any trace of Eddie vanished from sight. Steve could feel a fluttering, panicky intensity in his chest, could feel his own breathing growing rapid. Nancy's arms came around him, squeezing tightly, and he held on to her like a lifeline, dimly aware of how much he was trembling. He heard voices and glanced up to find Robin standing a few feet away, an arm around Dustin, saw their wide, tearful eyes and anxious faces.

"Shit," Robin whispered.

He managed a nod, still holding tightly to Nancy, and stared over her shoulder as the ambulance drove away, careering onto the road and into the darkness.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are always much appreciated.

SUPRNTRAL LVR