satanicpanics | Open Post/Overflow

[Steve raises an acknowledging eyebrow. Eddie has a point. Plus, it's not like he's been acting reckless lately. He's actually been keeping his head down for the most part. Something he wishes Dustin would follow, instead of being willing to fight anyone that so much as gives Eddie a dirty look. ]

[ He snorts, taking in the look on Eddie's face before shaking his head one last time. ] Fifteen, easy.

[ He finally uncrosses his arms and lets his shoulders drop. ] The next crawl is Tuesday night. Are you going to be ready by then?

Oh, is that all?

[ He raises his eyebrows and whips his head toward Steve, eyes growing comedically wide. ]

And here I was aiming for twenty.

[ His dramatic expression relaxes as he chuckles softly, and when the jokes fall away, he just looks exhausted, like he’s slowing sinking beneath the weight of his decision. He’s not going to back out, but he’ll definitely need to use these next few days to hype himself up. ]

Yeah. I’ll be ready. Just don’t back out on me, Harrington.

[ Steve laughs and shakes his head. The theatrics used to make it hard to take Eddie seriously, but then he realized the guy was never serious. ] Well, don't let me stop you. You can probably get to 20 if you try.

[ Steve traces the line of his teeth with his tongue and sighs, shaking his head. ] I won't.

[ By Tuesday he's even more certain that this is a stupid fucking idea, but he can't bring himself to tell Eddie. He'd already promised and the train was in the process of leaving the station, so all that was left was to commit and hope for the best.

The hardest part was coming up with an excuse as to why he couldn't take part in the Crawl. He couldn't think of anything that sounded good and so in the end he'd called Nancy and told her, face burning, that he'd gotten some food poisoning and was living out of his bathroom. She hadn't sounded impressed, but she had moved things around so that Dustin would ride with Jonathan in the WSQK van instead and told him she hoped he felt better soon.

That alone was enough to sour his mood by the time he met up with Eddie at the edge of the MAC-Z in the old Family Video store. He still had a key, mostly because Keith had fled Hawkins one night without a word, leaving both him and Robin unemployed. He dropped the duffel bag he was carrying and wiped his hand along the dusty countertop. It looked like the store had been looted at some point, probably by bored residents with nothing to do but sit at home all night when curfew hit at 8:30pm. He found himself picking up a tape from the return slot box and sticking it in the rewinder out of sheer habit.]

[ At least in one regard, this entire situation has gone smoothy: Eddie doesn’t need an excuse to skip the crawl. Early in the day, he’d played along, offered his services as usual to keep up appearances despite knowing he’ll alway be denied. And as usual, Dustin had snapped at him and told him to just go home, so that’s exactly what he did. He went home, dozed on the couch for an hour or two, forced himself to eat something, then proceeded to pace anxiously until it was time to meet Steve. Quite the productive afternoon if you ask him.

It’s a stupid plan, he knows that. He knows his desire to just go look around is likely not worth the risks associated with it, but he hasn’t budged and he isn’t having second thoughts. And Steve didn’t back out on him, so…

Eddie slips through the doors of the old Family Video only moments after Steve. Without a word, he pulls himself up to sit on the dusty countertop and stares out into the abandoned store, his shoulders tense. For a moment, his chest feels tight, like he’s mourning a time totally lost to him now. A time when he’d slip in here after Hellfire, rent The Beastmaster for the umpteenth time, return it the next week without rewinding it, and make a smart comment when Steve tried to call him out on it. Simple, easy, totally taken for granted at the time. Can’t go back to that time now, though.

Finally, he peers over his shoulder, a tight smile on his face as he watches Steve pop the tape into the rewinder. ]

Guess someone missed the memo to be kind, rewind before they got the hell out of here, huh?

[ A quip, just to ease the tension before he swallows hard and asks: ]

You still with me?

Yeah. [ Steve scoffs, reaching out to hit the stop button. Who cared if the tape wasn't rewound? They'd literally seen what should've been the beginning of the end of the world and had been holding in this weird limbo ever since. No one gave a shit if Annie had been rewound by the last person to have it.

He turns his head to look back at Eddie and is surprised to find Eddie right there, looking over his shoulder. He had a way of sneaking up on Steve without him realizing it, suddenly being incredibly near with those big brown eyes and that easy grin of his. It could be disorienting, if only because it made something unexpected swoop low in Steve's stomach.

He takes in Eddie's expression, his own solidifying into something concrete as he nods. ] Yeah, man. I'm still with you. [ His eyes dip to Eddie's mouth for a second before he makes himself turn away.] He knows Eddie wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't something he had to do. Sure, he could be loud and impulsive and crazy, but he wasn't stupid. And he definitely wouldn't have let Steve come along if it was all just some elaborate suicide mission.

Still, Steve turns around so that he's facing him fully, putting his hands on his hips and giving him his best impression of a stern look. ] But listen, don't try any of that hero shit on me, okay? If things go south we handle it together, no matter what happens.

[ Truth be told, Eddie wouldn’t dream of anyone else coming along with him. He doesn’t even know where he’d begin to explain his desire to return to the place that nearly killed him to someone else. But Steve just seems to get it, regardless of Eddie's ability to explain or not. He may not like it, but he gets it.

Eddie seems calm enough, but there are telltale signs that his stomach is in knots and he’s absolutely terrified. His spine remains stick straight and shoulders tense, and his fingers tap out a nonstop rhythm against the countertop as he gazes back at Steve with eyes so wide, they couldn’t hide a thing if he tried. He’s scared, but he’s still not backing down. ]

Yeah, alright. No hero shit. But, uh, same goes for you, Steve.

[ Eddie tried so hard to play the hero and, along with a healthy dose of residual guilt for breaking his promise to Steve that he wouldn’t, nearly bled out in an alternate dimension for his trouble. That was one time, and he’s seen the way Steve steps in every goddamn time without fear or concern for himself. He’s gotten lucky so far, walking away with nothing but scars, but Eddie doesn’t want the next time to be the one that kills him, and he doesn’t want to be the person Steve takes that fall for.

So, unaffected by that stern look, he extends a hand, smiling softly as those wide brown eyes implore Steve to shake on it. ]

We do this totally together or not at all. Deal?

[ Steve huffs, breaking eye contact and shaking his head. He knows he's just as guilty of wanting to play hero, especially if it means keeping the other safe. Robin's called him out on it enough times that he's very aware it's a character flaw. That doesn't mean it also can't make sense. His skills are limited, mainly to the physical, and he's willing to play to his strengths when he needs to.

He knows that if it comes down to it, he'll do whatever he needs to in order to get Eddie out of there alive, but he still doesn't hesitate to nod and reach out for Eddie's hand. ] Yeah, yeah. Deal.

[ Eddie's hand is warm and he can feel the calluses from his guitar playing on is fingers. He gets lost in his earnest eyes for a moment before Steve remembers to let go and immediately turns to unzip the duffel bag. ] Okay, lets talk weapons. I couldn't exactly get a trash can shield down here, but... [ He pulls out an axe.] I've got this or the spiked bat.

[ He almost gets stuck in that moment, hand in hand, gazing into Steve’s eyes. For the briefest microsecond, he toys with the idea that maybe just maybe, he could find all his answers there and skip this mission entirely, but Steve drops his hand and steps away and Eddie quickly comes to his senses.

He scrubs his face with his hands to urge himself back to reality, then slips off the counter to peer into the duffle bag. ]

Decisions, decisions.

[ He reaches down to pluck the axe from Steve and gives it a swing to test the balance and weight. Eddie’s level of physicality isn’t exactly as reliable as Steve's. He’s light and quick, but he’s also not terribly skilled when it comes to weaponry of any sort. The axe is heavier and more awkward to wield than his homemade spear and shield were, but it will do the job. It has to do the job. ]

Not exactly the type of axe I’m used to, but it’ll do. Anything else in that magic bag of yours?

[ There's a part of Steve that's a little relieved he'll be swinging the bat again. It's weight and presence has become something of a comfort, weirdly, through all of this. A constant reminder that he's capable of fighting back and not quite as helpless as he feels most of the time. He nods at Eddie's decision and then opens the bag a little wider for him to see the other supplies.

Some food stuff, a few knives, the materials for a few Molotov cocktails, some heavy-duty flashlights and Steve's radio. It's light on weapons, which he's acutely aware of. I was going to try to grab some guns, but you know how Nancy is with the ammunition. She would've said something.

[ He gives Eddie an apologetic look. There's also the fact that they're both lousy shots, but that's not important when you're headed into the Upside Down. He reaches up and pushes his hair out of his face. ] Did you tell Wayne?

Oh, yeah. One bullet out of place and she’d be down here in about ten seconds flat. I get it, man.

[ He snorts as he digs through the bag, trying to parse what might be missing. Weaponry, obviously, but there’s only so much that can be done there. Eddie isn’t confident that he wouldn’t put a bullet through Steve on accident with a gun in his shaking hands anyway, so this is probably better.

Then Steve asks about Wayne, and…Eddie isn’t a very good liar. The long stretch of silence and the way his shoulders tense and he avoids eye contact all speak volumes, and his short response says even more: ]

I left a note.

[ He hates how much of a burden he’s become to his uncle. He hates that he can’t do anything about it when he can’t even leave town—or even exist in town without someone hurling abuse at him for a crime that he should be free of. He knows it’s not right to keep Wayne in the dark, but he doesn’t want to add another weight of worry to the old man’s shoulders, so his note was short, sweet, and contained absolutely no information whatsoever: With Steve. Be back later. With any luck, the fact he’s with a friend will soothe any immediate concerns and the second part won’t be a lie. ]

We could use a rope. An extension chord will do the job, though, so—

[ As if to avoid discussing the manner in which he let his uncle in on this entire thing, he suddenly walks away from the conversation entirely, slipping into the back room without a word. The whole store has basically been gutted of anything worthwhile, but he still returns to Steve a few minutes later, winding an orange extension chord around his arm. ]

Check.

[ Steve winces when Eddie says he left a note. If things do go wrong, that's going to be something that he's going to regret, but they're already here and they both know if he tried explaining anything to Wayne he'd stop them, or worse, try to join them. Besides, it's not like he left his parents anything at all.

Eddie is moving away before Steve can ask him anything else about it, though, and Steve lets him go. He nods when he returns. ] Yeah, good idea.

[ He takes a deep breath and shrugs.] All right, lets do this.

[ The plan goes off almost too easy, which really should've been a sign that they were screwed, but it seems that Steve still hasn't learned his lesson about his luck yet. They manage to hop onto the second truck in the convoy, after watching Hopper sneak into the first. He just hopes Mike and Lucas weren't watching the second truck from the clock tower as they pull through the gate to the Upside Down. They'd be able to know for sure if they could switch on the radio, but he doesn't want to take the risk of the driver hearing anything.

He can almost feel the air thicken as they pass through the gate, the cool November air dropping to something several degrees cooler. He nudges Eddie, his voice barely a whisper.] We've got to jump early or Hopper might see us. Aim for the grass, tuck and roll. [The driver slams on the brakes and the truck lurches, sending Steve stumbling into the wall and then stumbling into Eddie. He reaches out and grips his shirt with both hands, trying to stay upright, his eyes wide.

Shit.]

Edited 2026-01-17 17:39 (UTC)

[ Eddie knows he could have done better. He knows his uncle deserves so much more than a vague note, more than non-explanations, and more than a nephew who’s always sneaking around, but all he can do is hope that he and Steve come back from this and he can finally begin to do better. For now, he’s just glad that Steve doesn’t try to draw him back to the topic to chide him, but merely lets it go.

When the first step of their plan goes off without a hitch, Eddie is immediately suspicious. His stock of good luck has always been in short supply, like the batch allotted to him at birth was spoiled. The truck rolls smoothly along for a time, and Eddie bites his nails, his stomach in knots and his heart in his throat as he waits for the other shoe to drop. That’s exactly seems to happen when the true comes to an unexpected and rocky stop. ]

Shit, shit, shit—

[ Eddie hisses under his breath as the two of them careen into one another. Steve’s hands gripping his shirt, Eddie scrambles for purchase, struggling to keep the two of them upright, but he only stumble back against the wall, pulling Steve with him. And sure, maybe he’s had a particularly good dream or two that began something like this, with the two of them pressed into impossibly close quarters for one reason or another, but those had been nice scenarios. This scenario leaves Eddie horror-stricken, unsure of what to do next. Do they hide? Look innocent and come up with their best excuse when the back of that truck opens? Bolt?

Eyes wide, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, he stays put, not wanting to call even more attention to the back of the truck. He whispers: ]

That’s…not our cue, is it?

I don't think so. [ His mouth is suddenly bone dry and he flinches at the sound of shouting and gunfire. Hopper. Was that Hopper? Steve's heart jumps into his throat, choking him.

Then he hears it. A screeching kind of chittering followed by screaming, and all the color drains from Steve's face. He bunches his fist into Eddie's shirt and yanks him down behind the crates, already reaching for the bag.] Fuck. [ His voice cracks on the word.] It's a demogorgon.

[ He should've grabbed the fucking guns. What the hell had he been thinking? Nancy might have caught on and been pissed, but she wouldn't have wanted them out here against a demogorgon with an axe and a spiked bat. ] Grab the axe! [He's reaching for one of the bottles with one hand and digging into his pocket for the lighter with the other when the truck suddenly roars to life and then shifts into reverse, sending him crashing back into the side of the truck again.

Good, at least their driver had some kind of sense. The right wheel shifts, and they spin around, speeding back towards the gate. The relief only lasts a minute, though, because there's the sound of another screech and the sound of something huge hitting the side of the truck, it's claws scraping against the metal.

Steve is scrambling to try to find the lighter that he dropped, already smelling gasoline from the smashed molotov soaking into his jeans when he hears the door being ripped off and the scream of the driver abruptly cut off and then fade away.[ Shit, shit, shit! [The lighter's gone. He grabs Eddie's arm instead, pulling him to the opening of the truck bed.] We have to get out of here. Run!Now.

Edited (html fail) 2026-01-24 23:14 (UTC)

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