Chapter Text
I looked at Mike and then at El, “Pizza fre- you know what, I don’t, but, im sure nobody is using my fridge back at home, so we could use that. I mean, it should fit El. But may I- you know what, no, I read enough comics to know superheroes sometimes have odd ways of triggering their abilities. Also, I should be fine carrying a fridge, super strength and all.”
“Excuse me, super strength?” Dustin chimed in.
“Yeah kid, I got super strength, which makes sense, those little shits are strong for something I can hit with a baseball bat.”
“You aren’t wrong Ed, but are you sure you can single handedly lift a fridge?”
I grabbed Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Steve and put them all on my back, “Hey Erica, you know so much, you think they weigh as much as a fridge?” I said snarkily.
”Yeah I mean how much does one fridge even weigh, but I gotta be honest, I doubt you can function.”
“I know where this is going, wait for me!” Robin said as she hoped up my back.
“Well I could always just take flight and see what happens.” I say smirking.
“What have I gotten myself into.” Steve asked from behind me.
“Ah don’t worry Stevie, I would drop you guys.”
“Ro please be careful up there.” Nancy calls from the ground as I take off.
“Oh yeah this is easy. I can definitely carry a fridge, hell I could probably carry them and a fridge. Scratch that, I know I could carry them, a fridge, and maybe a car.”
“Okay but that’s hot.” Steve said making me stop in my tracks and everyone else react.
“I hate you two together sometimes.” Dustin said.
“Oh come on Dustin, I think its cute.” Robin rebutted.
“I said what I was thinking ok? Jeez yall are mean.”
“Nobody be mean to Steve, last time I checked he’s saved your asses a couple times.”
“Twice, maybe three times,” Steve added.
“Yeah yeah. Ok ok I’ll play nice. But only because you two are like my favorite people ever, aside from Suzie.” Dustin said.
“Who’s Suzie?”
“Dustin’s girlfriend, who might I add has a tribe of crazy family.” Mike added.
“Dustin has a girlfriend?” I asked in disbelief.
“Why is this always some sort of miraculous discovery?” Dustin asked.
“I don’t know, maybe because you are the world’s biggest nerd,” Erica adds, “As for Mr. I have no goddamn filter, I think it’s the moral boost we need at this point. I didn’t know if or when I would ever see Steve out in the open.” Erica added.
“Im sorry I put you all through that. I will try not to die again.” I said feeling a bit bad.
“Can you even die… again?” Lucas asked.
“I don’t wanna think about it.” Steve says quietly, I can feel him getting anxious above me.
“Hold on, so there’s a vampire and a supergirl now, rad.” Some guy said, he looks stoned.
“Who even are you?” Dustin asked.
“Oh this is Argyle, he’s from California. He made the trip back with me, Will, Mike, and El.” Jonathan introduced us to Argyle.
“Sup dudes, dudettes, and vampire dude.” Argyle said.
“Uh… hey.” I said being a bit confused by this strangely friendly out-of-towner.
“I don’t think Eddie likes to be called a vampire.” Jonathan says to Argyle, treating him like a toddler.
“Sorry man, do you want me to call you a vampire?”
“I mean… I guess I am one, so you aren’t necessarily wrong. But you can just call me Eddie.”
“Alrighty, Eddie, Edward, Edwin, Edgar, E-”
“Hey Argyle, lets go sit in the van, alright.”
“Yeah that’s cool.”
“What just happened?” Lucas asked.
“Im not quite sure…” Dustin said.
“Alright, now that all of that’s over. I should get going. Be back in a few.” I said as a leaned back letting everyone slide off of my back.
“Can I come with you?” Steve asked quietly.
“Sure you can love.” I said looking into Steve’s teary eyes.
Steve easily climbed up my back grabbing onto the threads of my shirt and then to my neck, “You okay up there Stevie?”
Steve snuggled his face into the back of my neck and just hummed a small ‘mhm’.
I took off slowly so I wouldn’t scare Steve, when I knew we were far out of earshot of anyone else I tended to Steve, “Baby… you’re mighty quiet up there.”
“I don’t want you to die again…” Steve said as he started to cry.
“Steve… sweetheart… I’m so so so so sorry for everything I put you through. I’m so sorry I made you feel alone. I never meant to my love.” I said as I grabbed Steve from my back and held him in my arms.
“You cant die…”
“Baby, look at me, I Jace you, I will do everything in my power not to die, but what happens is up to fate. Hopper said El may be able to bring me back. But that’s a giant maybe.”
“I hate fate.”
“I know baby, I hate it too. I hate that we cant control our futures like we can the present. But we just have to go with it.”
“I don’t know what I would do with myself if you die again, I just got you back.”
“Baby I don’t want to leave you. Do you think I want to?”
“You’re the one who didn’t stick to the plan…” Steve hesitated to say weekly.
“I’m sorry and I should have never strayed from the plan but I didn’t think there was a way for everyone to get back safely quick enough to not all be mauled to death. And I didn’t want you to feel responsible for that. Especially not Dustin. So it was me or all of them, truly we’d all most likely be dead right now if I didn’t drive the bats away from the trailer.”
“I- Im sorry, I sound like a baby, you did the right thing…”
“You are a baby, my baby. It’s okay to feel the way you do. Believe me, I think the original adrenaline of the situation made thinking much harder than it had to be. Im sure we could have prevented all of that actually, but in the moment we all were just trying to carry out one mission and that was stopping Vecna.”
“I know. And that’s what matters now. I just… right now… for me… you are the side objective I want to keep doing as well.”
“Are you speaking in nerd Steve Harrington?”
“Mhm. You like?”
“I love you, you giant dork.”
Steve giggled for the first time all conversation, crackling a small smile, “There’s that smile I love.”
“I missed you. My giant dork.”
“I missed you too. Now, lets go get that fridge. We’re here.”
“I didn’t even notice we got here.”
“Well while we were talking I slowly started flying faster, you didn’t notice.”
“How fast can you fly?”
“I could have been here a lot sooner. I can tell you that, we were mostly on like cruising speed for me.”
“Well maybe, if you Jace to not drop me I’ll let you go fast going back.”
I couldn’t help but smirk hearing that, “Remember, you’re the one that said that pretty boy.”
“Oh boy… I have a feeling I’m going to regret that.” Steve said covering his face.
“Well I can let you sit inside the fridge and I can hold it. That way you have a lot of wall and I can tie you down with the truck tie-downs from Wayne’s truck.”
Steve’s face went bright pink, “I cant say anything without you making it dirty.” I chuckled.
“You knew what you were saying!” Steve said as he hit my arm as I put him down.
“Yes, I did, I was saying that I was going to tie you down so you didn’t meet your end by splatting onto the ground below us by flying out. You just made it dirty.”
“I despise you.” Steve said blushing deeper.
“No you don’t, you want me to tie you down. Now, get your head out of the gutter big boy, we got a world to save.” I said as I picked up the fridge and dumped the contents out outside.
“Let’s not forget you made me this way.” Steve rebutted.
“Mhm yeah right, last I remember you were the one bringing up having sex first.” I said giving Steve side eye and a smirk.
“Just tie the goddamn fridge down so I don’t die.” Steve said smiling with faux annoyance.
“Right, let me translate that into what you really mean. Does, ‘hurry up and get this fridge back to El so we can save the world and then have kinky sex’ sound about right?” I tease Steve.
“I hope you know how much I loathe you.”
“Not what you said earlier.”
“Well I’m saying it now.”
“So you’re telling me, if I just up and disappeared from the face of the earth you wouldn’t mind.”
“Please don’t…” Steve said quietly, the playfulness in his voice completely gone and replaced with concern.
I stopped in my tracks seeing that I upset Steve. “Im sorry. That was too far. Want a hug?”
Steve nods, “I would never leave you again of my own will. I Jace you that. It was cruel of me to imply. Im sorry I even said that to you.” I said softly as I hugged Steve.
“It’s okay.” Steve said forcing a smile.
“Come on lovebug, I hope I can make you laugh a bit on the way back. I didn’t mean it.” I said as I wiped out the fridge of any left over gunk.
Steve lucked at the ground, “I know, I’m just being a big baby.”
“I love you, and I still think about our future like we talked about in the shack. I want you to know that.”
“Really? You do?” Steve asked as he looked up at me with a surprised look on his face.
I nodded affirmatively, “It’s what kept me sane in the Upside Down. And I do my best to keep things the way they were. Vecna had the audacity to come to your house and wanna talk and I kicked him out. I told him if he wanted to talk he’d have to take it outside. I was half certain he would kill me… again… but he actually listened. But I think its cause I can control his little pets so he’s scared of me.”
Steve smiled softly, “That was brave of you. Stupid, but brave.”
I shrugged, “Eh its your house, and I don’t want that creep inside it, in the Upside Down or otherwise.”
I could see the smallest traces of blush on Steve’s face, “Well, thank you Ed. That was sweet of you.”
Of course, I’d tell anyone to fuck off who tries to hurt you or our friends.” I said as I picked up Steve and put him inside the fridge.
“Speaking of friends, how do you know Johnathan Byers? You asked who Argyle was but not Johnathan.” Steve asked as I looked for the tie-downs.
I grabbed the tie-downs from the dresser in Wayne’s room, “Oh, we had a photography class together a bit ago. I think he was a junior.”
Steve looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face, “You are a photographer too?”
I chuckled in amusement, “Nah, I just did it to get free prints for Hellfire.”
“That sounds like you.” Steve chuckled.
“And what would that mean?” I say raising an eyebrow.
“You know I mean it lovingly.”
“Of course I do, I just like watching you fluster, now, hold on, cause we’re taking off.”
I flapped my wings as hard as I could which sent Steve and I catapulting across the sky.
“EDDIE HOLY SHIT IM GONNA DIE WE’RE GOING TOO FAST!” Steve yelled in between laughs.
I smiled hearing Steve laugh, “So did I just hear a ‘slow down’?”
“No! No no no no. Don’t slow down please!” Steve said laughing hysterically.
“That’s what I thought.” I said as I laughed and thought of something, “Do you trust me.”
“With my life.” Steve said in between laughs.
“Good, I tied you down but hold on.”
Steve held on tighter and when I could see his knuckles turning color I let go of the fridge and did a swan dive to catch my falling boyfriend.
“AHHHHH EDDIE WHAT THE FUCK!” Steve said as him and the fridge hurtled toward the ground.
I quickly caught up to Steve and grabbed him, “You were saying?”
“Never ever ever do that again… actually, can you, but not so far?”
“I thought that’s what you wanted, you little daredevil.” I said as I dropped the fridge again.
Steve was laughing hysterically, this time not out of fear of death but out of amusement, “EDDIE CATCH ME!! HAHA CATCH ME YOU IDIOT!”
I grabbed Steve and the fridge again, “Hello beautiful.”
“If Dustin saw that he’d kill you.” Steve said laughing and catching his breath.
“Eh, he knows I’d never let anything happen to you.”
“Did you think that I really was gonna let you plummet to your impending doom?”
“No” Steve chuckled, “It was more excitement and adrenaline.”
“Good. I’d never do that to you by the way.”
“I know that.”
“Good, now hold on I’m gonna be speeding up and stopping here quite soon.”
“I honestly rather get around like this.”
“Fun for you isn’t it Stevie boy?”
“Actually, yeah. I like it, plus, traffic is not even applicable in this case of travel, I mean even planes get delayed.” Steve says.
“Hey duck.”
Steve looked up at me, “Did you say duck or fuck”
Before I could answer a duck practically slapped Steve straight in the face, “What the fuck? Was that a duck?”
“The wing of one yes, I tried to move you, are you okay babe?”
Steve started to laugh, “I can officially say I've been duck slapped.”
“Dustin would slap it back.”
“I love Dustin for that exact reason but he’s still so protective, borderline overprotective. Don’t you think?”
“Actually, yeah I do see it. But its because we’ve been through too damn much, and I’m sure I barely count in that.”
“on the contrary, I think that you're the first person who’s died on Dustin. So I think you count, a lot.”
“Was he okay?”
“No but he was a lot better off than I was, I think. Truth be told, I wasn’t around much to know. I spent most of the time crying like a baby.”
“Im sorry…”
“Its not your fault, I should’ve been there for him. Instead, I wallowed away in self-pity until you showed up again…. Actually, today is the first time I've left my house.”
“I’m proud of you baby.”
“That makes me feel really good.”
“Good cause the last thing I need is you feeling bad, especially in a time like this.”
“Right, high moral.”
“This is your captain speaking, prepare for landing.”
“All buckled in and ready for landing.”
“Steve what are you doing in the refrigerator” Dustin asked as we finally landed.
“I wasn't gonna let this fool drop me was I?” Steve replied with a small smile.
“Would you? Would you let me drop you, Stevie?” I teased as I watched Steve jump from the fridge.
“There's no water in the fridge how are we supposed to do this?” Mike said shaking his head.
“What do you mean there's no water?” I asked Mike.
“El needs to float in the water we need lots of water and lots of salt” Dustin explained.
“And how was I supposed to know this? Steve, did you know this?”
“No, I did not know this,” Steve confirmed looking at me.
“Where are we gonna get salt from?” Nancy asked.
“I mean at this point we could just steal from open houses” Dustin suggested.
“I mean we could steal from open houses but do we really wanna, I mean if we go around robbing people of their house salt we're gonna owe a lot of people salt if we need as much as Mike says we will," Robin said.
"I don't wanna steal from anyone" El says, her face twisting into a frown.
“El, I understand that you don’t want to steal from anyone but we gotta do what we gotta do. This might be the end of the world if we don’t steal from a couple of people then I don’t think they’re going to be people to steal from.” Mike explained.
El looked at Mike confused, “Yes, but stealing is wrong.”
“El think of it this way murder is a big wrong we are trying to stop murder so if we do a couple of small wrong things then it’s OK because we’re stopping a big wrong thing” Dustin tried to persuade El.
El frowned, “But Hopper says that two wrongs never make a right”
Hopper put his hand on El’s shoulder, “Kid, this is one time where I’m going to tell you that two wrongs do make a right.”
“So I am allowed to steal the salt?” El asked with a confused face.
“Kid you’re allowed to steal anything you need. We need to save the world.” Hopper responded.
“OK, then we shall steal the salt,” El said nodding.
A dark-haired woman with heavy smokey and an awesome battle jacket exited a van I didn't even notice had been driving nearby.
“I heard you were stealing stuff, if it is what I think it is, then Vecna is going to have a hell of a time dealing with us two.” The dark-haired woman said.
“Sister,” El said.
“I’m sorry punk rock mcbad girl is your sister???” Steve said looking at this mysterious sister of El’s.
“What did you call me?” The dark-haired woman asked.
“Sorry, sorry punk rock mcbad woman.” Steve corrected himself.
All of a sudden, the dark-haired woman looked at me ran towards me, and held a knife to my throat, “Sis, what is this thing?”
Steve was quick to pounce on the dark-haired woman who reacted as if she wasn't used to people attacking her. Moreso to my surprise El didn't try stopping Steve at all.
“This is Eddie and that is Steve, Eddie is Steve’s boyfriend, Steve is like... big brother to Dustin, Dustin is my friend… actually... everyone say hi, this is Kali.”
"Hello, woman who had a knife to my throat, pleasure meeting you..." I said hesitantly.
"Hi. I'm Steve, please don't try to kill my boyfriend again, thank you."
"Jane... what. Is. This. Thing? I am not one for getting my head eaten off my body." Kali says using some sort of telekinesis to press the distanced knife to my throat again.
"Um... Eddie... was a human... now he's part upside down, he's a vampire now. But he's good. He is kind. Dustin trusts Eddie. I trust Dustin. Therefore I trust Eddie."
"If it helps I am not hungry. I already ate, a dead guy by the way."
Kali looked perplexed and stared me down, "Would it even die if I shoved my dagger through it's throat?"
Steve quivered beside me, refusing to let me go, "Leave him alone."
"And what is the littlest hobo gonna do about it if I don't?" Kali taunted Steve.
"Leave them alone Kali. Eddie died and Steve got depressed. I don't want to see him sad again. Or any of my friends sad." El said.
"Ok, but the second he steps outta line I'm gonna find a way to kill him myself."
I swear I could feel Steve vibrating with anger, I looked down at my feet to see Steve's dilated eyes burning into the back of Kali's head. If looks could kill, the way Steve is looking at Kali could definitely.
"Don't you fucking dare go anywhere near Eddie," Steve says, his voice irate, any trace of sheepishness gone, obliterated by the idea that there is more than a town and an interdimensional asshole willing to kill me.
"Ah there's the spunk you're gonna need, you're gonna die out here if you act like a kicked puppy in the rain. The demogorons won't give one shit how much you love your... boyfriend bat if you can't fight them off. For this to have been going on as long as it has been I'm surprised you aren't a corpse on someone's lawn by now."
"Hey that's my boyfriend you're talking about. Leave him alone." I say sternly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Robin looking like she would gladly take the gun from Nancy and shoot Kali for the sheer connotation that her best friend should be dead.
Steve soon stopped vibrating like a chihuahua, "Well I did knock a Russian unconscious with a telephone and my hands... also I have a nail bat that I can use pretty well."
"Ah so you arent a wimp." Kali retorts.
"Can we focus on the task at hand please and thank you. You and El have to have some sort of mind fight with Vecna so why don't you do that thanks." Dustin said looking extremely proud of Steve and blatantly unamused by Kali.
"Watch it pipsqueak." One of Kali's friends said.
"Why are there kids here? We dont need dead weight trying to stop Vecna." Kali questioned.
Finally, Hopper thinks to say something, "Because these kids have seen more of the Upside Down and its inhabitants than anyone other than I'm assuming yourself and El. Plus they helped in stopping many of the demodogs and mischief that comes out of the land worse than hell."
"So this is what team we have, a bunch of kids to save the world from destruction from someone like me and Jane... got it." Kali nods not wasting any more time evaluating the situation.
"Hey Hopper where is the Hawkins' Salt Quarry?" I ask.
"Just west of the library. If you're going to get salt from there just you know, make sure nobody tries to kill you... again..." Hopper replies.
"I'll be in and out. Also, where are we getting another fridge?"
"I brought my own thanks."
Of course, she did.
I decided not to take Steve with me, with some moral support from Robin Steve actually agreed to stay behind and continue preparing for the fight of our lives. The fly to the salt quarry was fast and boring, the air wreaked of the metallic scent of blood already. I bought the fridge from my place to carry the salt and gallons of water I stole from abandoned stores. Once I got back to the team my preparation was done. I cant do much to help El and Kali and I knew that but I could be here for the team.
El's POV
Blackness surrounded me until I finally spotted Kali. “Let’s go, just hold my hand… we need to find Henry.”
“Is that even possible in here? Can you actually touch me in here?” Kali responded with a questionable look.
“it's weird but it works, let's go,” I say as I grab Kali’s hand.
From there all I have to do is think. Think about where Henry is. Where his body is resting while he destroys the world with his thoughts controlling his army.
Soon the blackness faded oh that was left was the upside down and a house. “He's inside I can feel him like the time I caught a cold, he feels… unwanted,” I say looking up at the big blue house.
“Well, I wouldn't want the fucker anyway so he has a right. Let's go, don't let your guard down, he most likely knows we’re already here.” Kali steps ahead of me.
"What's the plan?" I ask.
"Kill him at all costs." Kali replied, to which I only nodded.
The house looks covered in vines the same way the gates do, the particles of the mindflayer littering the air. I have been here long enough to know that those vines will attack you.
“Sister watch where you step, the vines, they are alive…” I call out.
“Right, of course, they are.”
I tried to focus on where Henry would be, “He’s somewhere dark, with lots of wood on the roof and around him.”
“He’s most likely in the attic of this hellhole. Lets go.”
We climbed the sort of stairs that would covered in vines, Henry's energy was vibrating more and more as we got closer. when I was sure all we had to do was climb a pull-down ladder we heard a thud, a loud ominous thud that shook the ceiling above us.
Henry. He’s awake.
“Not so fast.” Vecna’s deep voice echoed.
Kali and I used our telekinesis to pull Henry straight through the ceiling. As if we didn’t do a single thing Henry throws us through the wall of the house.
“No more of this you sick fuck!” Kali swore at Henry as she tried to restrain him with her powers.
“Kali give him to me, you hurt him.” I said as Henry tried to snap my body but I fought it.
“She can't hurt me, she isn't nearly as powerful as you or I, Eleven.” Henry snickered.
Kail used her powers to make it look like a plank of wood went into Henry's body and made him feel excruciating pain.
In the split moment that Henry took his concentration from me, I used my telekinesis to attack Henry with a real plank of wood.
“you think you can stop me? You forget this is my home.” Henry says as he launches the plank out the other side of him and toward Kali.
It didn't seem like much but Henry was definitely injured, the way he moved guarded his gaping torso wound yet it didn’t seem like anything that would ultimately kill him.
“You aren’t the only one with mind games,” Kali said as she completely disappeared.
Kali's POV
This spider-loving demon from hell is about to get played. He certainly can't fight two battles at once. I will torment his mind so that he's distracted enough that El can do away with him for good.
I looked around as I became aware of my new surroundings, and then I heard the most distraught screams I have ever had the misfortune to hear.
I looked toward the sound, a red-haired girl with glasses was wandering and wailing. I had heard about her, Barbara Holland. The first victim in this mess... back in 83. I didn't bother to help her, whatever remains of her soul have been driven mad.
"Come out you creep! Come and face me like a man." I screamed into the open air.
The sound echoed and echoed, eventually startling Barbara who I now realized was far far away, and yet I could see her so clearly.
"Let me out of here you fucking asshole!" I heard a male voice say.
Looking toward the voice I see William "Billy" Hargrove, one of the latest to die in this mess other than this year's fatalities. On his side is a cheerleader, Chrissy Cunningham. The first Henry killed this year.
"Hey! Hargrove, I've got a question for you," I called Billy.
"Oh my god... are you dead too? Who are you?" Billy said as he realized he had no idea who I was nor why I am here.
"Not dead, just a woman with a question. The man guy thing that keeps you here or that killed you, where is he?"
"Pass the graveyard. He'll replay your death over and over if you get too close."
"What about 'I am not dead' do you not understand?"
"All of it! How come we all had to die to get here and yet you just waltz in here like you own the place? Why are you even here?"
I have wasted enough time here so instead I just use my powers to throw Billy to the side, "Thanks for the directions."
El's POV
I continued to hold off Henry until I knew that Kali was doing whatever she planned to help me.