Work Text:
Hawkins, Indiana
December 25th, 1986 12:15 am
“Merry Christmas Ed’s.”
Steve Harrington raises his mug, more alcohol than egg nog at this point, and downs the contents. As the mug lowered from his lips his gaze caught on the Christmas lights wrapped around the doorframe. He could’ve sworn they’d flickered… just for a second. He must be tired, his mind playing tricks on him again. Every time he got tired like this the nightmares left his sleep and stalked his waking hours. Some solid sleep would do him good, would do everyone some good. Hell, Dustin was just as exhausted as him and he had mid year exams to study for.
Dustin. That kid had seen more than any one his age should even imagine facing. But he seemed to take it all on the chin, only Steve got to see some of his struggles when Dustin called him at 3am asking if he wanted to go for a drive. During their drives Dustin would be too tired to hold it all in and Steve would get him to open up about the latest horrors keeping him from sleep. Usually they involved Vecna and they always involved their friends dying. Steve could empathise. Every time he closed him eyes: Robin, Nancy, Dustin, Max a revolving roster of his friends being dragged under Lovers Lake, being suspended and choked by vines or ripped apart by demobats. If he was lucky all three at once.
Steve rubbed his eyes and debated turning in. Tomorrow was Christmas and he’d promised the kids brunch. They were all doing Christmas dinner with their respective families but they were spending the night at Steve’s (his parents being away, New York this time he thinks). The kids were all asleep on the floor of the den, mattresses stolen from the many guest rooms the Harrington house contained. The only ones in a proper bed were Nancy and Jonathan in Steve’s parents room. Robin and Argyle had taken the couches in the den.
This, unfortunately, left Steve his own bed. The only one in the whole house who would wake up alone on Christmas morning. So he’d padded downstairs to talk to Eddie in hushed tones.
When the whole party was together like this he couldn’t help thinking of Eddie. Eddie who had barely joined their group, Eddie who had died in pain and suffering, who the whole town thought was a murderer. Eddie who’s body they’d had to leave behind.
Steve thunked his mug down, winced at the noise and threw his head into his hands resting on his knees, pulling them in as tight as he could. He was spiralling. Breathe in 2, 3, 4. Hold 2 3 4 out 2 3 4. He’d had enough panic attacks now to know how to cut. Them off before they took hold.
As he opened his eyes, his newly calm breathing stopped. The lights had definitely flickered that time, they were still flickering. Steve couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, half expecting an army of demo creatures to come crawling into the room. Suddenly Steve realised there was a pattern to the flickering. Three short flashes followed by three slower ones and again three short ones. Then the lights would stay out before starting again. Why did Steve know that pattern? His heart still pounding in his head meant he couldn’t think…..
Suddenly he looked up…… “shit” SOS……. it was the code they’d used all those months ago to talk to Dustin.
the code Eddie had taught them. “Shit shit shit” Steve scrambled to his feet and slid across the hardwood floor. Slowed at the top of the stairs. Who was he running to? He needed someone smart. He knew he couldn’t figure it out alone but there was no point waking everyone up, there was only so much they could do. The logical choice was Dustin but could he torment the kid any more? On the other hand if he was right and he didn’t at least wake Dustin the kid would never speak to him again.
Reluctantly, Steve crept down into the den. He wanted to run, to scream. His heart was beating furiously, adrenaline now having dragged him fully awake. He leant down, as usual dustin was on the edge of the mattress rolled away from his friends. Steve shook his shoulder. The younger boy began to stir and Steve held his finger up in a hushing motion. Once he was conscious and fully focused on Steve. Steve motioned to the stairs and beckoned for Dustin to follow him. Trying not to spook the kid he slowed his movements as much as he dared.
Once they were up the stairs and he closed the door as quietly as possible Steve turned to Dustin.
“Dude you’re freaking me out, what the fuck is going on?” Dustin was fully awake now rubbing his eyes.
“Follow me” as they walked through the kitchen, the hallway and finally to the lounge Steve explained. Dustin’s expression grew more and more doubtful and finally worried for Steve.
“ I swear it was SOS man. Just like he showed us.” When they moved into the room the lights were on no flickering, no dimming, nothing.
“Steve…” Dustin’s voice had gone gentle “it’s late…..maybe you should go to bed….”
“Dude I’m not making this up!”
“I didn’t say you were, but we know what lack of sleep can do right? It’s Christmas, you want to freak the whole party out?”
Steve walked to the wall with the lights. Holding his hand up to the string “Come on Eds, ……please?” And if his voice broke at that Dustin didn’t say shit because right then the lights dipped. They both gasped and the pattern started up again.
“Shit….”
“I told you man”
“Shit”
“I know”
“Shit”
“Stop saying that. What do we do dude?”
Dustin stopped at that. “We go get him” at that the lights stopped. They both looked up.
“Eddie if you can hear us and it’s safe, stay right here. We’ll come through and grab you as soon as we have a plan. Stay here and you wait for us?”
“Oh yeah just like that. Just like popping to the supermarket right?” Even Steve winced at how hysterical he sounded. He knew he hadn’t imagined it, but having someone else see this made it more real somehow.
“Obviously not. But we need to get going. Sooner the better. I’ll wake them all up-“
“No! No point getting everyone, not much they can do. Just a small extraction team. You, me, Nancy and Robin. Leave Jonathan in charge here, just in case. You get Robin, I’ll get Jon and Nance.”
5 minutes later Dustin and Steve were explaining everything again. To three sets of bleary eyes this time.
“So we need an extraction team to go in and get him.” Dustin finished as if it was the only logical decision.
“Steve….” Nancy sounded like she was approaching a wounded animal.
“Nance, it’s not a hallucination or a nightmare. Look just watch. Eddie, please prove me right here”
“No fucking way” Jonathan’s eyes widened as the lights flashed impatiently at the group.
“Holy shit” robin’s voice creaky from disuse “Eddie…”
“Ok so, plan so far:” Dustin despite being the youngest was most level headed.
“Jonathan, you’re staying here corralling anyone who might wake up. Don’t tell them yet until we know the full story. Keep this and we’ll radio when we know more. Nancy, your guns?”
“I have enough in my car”
“Robin-“
“ I need 10 minutes and access to Steve’s parents alcohol cabinet and i can get some Molotovs good to go.”
“ Steve, bat.?
“Right here” Steve pulled the bat from the cupboard under the stairs.
“We’ll talk about THAT later. You got a map with the gates?”
“Here”
“Ok……closest one’s the road… ok let’s go.”
Steve instantly regretted driving. He was too jumpy. Each movement of the trees along the road side had him swerving the wheel. Luckily it being late and Christmas *freaking*morning now, no one else was out.
“Do you want me to drive?” Nancy was always the level headed one, steady with a shotgun and her words.
“No, no, I’m sorry I need to be doing something”
“Ok, we’ll do everything we can Steve.”
“We should have gone back.”
“We couldn’t have known”
Steve couldn’t bear to say the mantra in his head that he should have known. When his brain and body hadn’t let him believe it. Had refused to let him grieve. He should have realised.
“Do we have first aid in case…..you know….” Robin trailed off like they all knew…..and they did. It had been months. He should have healed if he’d managed to survive but the Upside Down was dangerous. They all knew that first hand.
“There’s a first aid kit in the trunk but I don’t know if it’ll be enough…. No way to know what we’ll need until we need it. Take this left Steve.”
What felt like hours later, but was at most 10 minutes, they approached the turn before the gate. As the car slowly crept up to the corner so the gate was visible but they had space in case something happened. Who were they kidding? Something was going to happen, all they could hope was it was something they could walk away from. Steve put the car in park and they all got out. Nancy cocked the shotgun and slung the strap over her shoulder and holstered two hand guns, handed another one each to Steve and Robin and gave the last one to Dustin with an intense stare.
“If you screw around with this I will ensure your mother grounds you until you’re 30, I’ll tell suzie you were gambling with your life and hop will trail you for 5 years”
“Copy that”
Steve tucked his into his waist band and swung his bat accros his shoulders.
“Ok Dustin you are guarding the gate and keeping us in radio communication with Jonathan are we clear?”
“I really think I could help in there-”
“THIS is where you can be most help. Our eyes in the sky.”
“….Yeah. I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Dustin pulled out 2 radios and Robin pulled out her own radio.
“Jonathan’s set to preset 3, and you’ll be on 5.” Dustin adjusted one first and then the other. As they approached the gate Dustin placed the first radio on the ground in regular Hawkins. Steve lent down with the bat and poked through the membrane “Delightfull” with goo dripping down his arm Steve pulled himself through the gate. Dustin handed him the other radio just through the threshold so it’d be audible and reachable for Dustin. “Stay on that side dude, I’m serious. Unless it’s an emergency.”
“Roger that”
Robin, then finally Nancy crawled through the gate. Unfortunately Steve had missed some of the gunk around the gate.
“Gross…” robin shook off her arm “Well, lead on dingus.” She bounced on the balls of her feet, nervous energy overflowing.
“Hold on Eddie.”
With one last look back at Dustin they stepped forward. Short hike later they reached Eddie’s trailer. With the gravity it would take too much time and with the gate widening it was too dangerous to cross here so they’d discounted it out of hand. But….the bikes were still laying outside the trailer. They grabbed one each and took off towards Steve’s house. Avoiding all of the vines, even with Vecna gone they couldn’t risk it, not with Eddie depending on them.
As they reached Steve’s street he took in his house. The mirror of his house actually, dak and dilapidated. They’d tried to tell Eddie to wait here, they thought it’d be safer than near any of the gates. But what if he’d taken off: in danger or just not having heard them. A bat squealed overhead. “Quick let’s get inside before more come” Nancy suggested as she got precisely of her bike and placed it down. Steve leapt off his and dropped it next to hers and Robin nearly took him out falling off hers without hitting the ground.
“Oof….. we’re good.” They almost ran up the path and threw the door open. Hoping to anything and everything that they were ready for what they would find inside.