Chapter Text
Owens is the first to check in with Steve the next morning, leading him to the waiting room with the big TV, claiming he has to show him something. On screen in the morning news there’s a press conference. Chief Powell apologizes profoundly for blaming Eddie, spinning some wild story about Victor Creel’s long lost son returning to Hawkins, doing a bunch of copy-cat killings to avenge his father for being wrongfully convicted. Allegedly, Henry took Eddie hostage to have a scapegoat, just like his father was, holding up a mirror to Hawkins for jumping to conclusions and blaming the wrong people simply out of convenience.
It seems far fetched, but a few patients and a handful of nurses around watch the update with great interest, nodding along.
An older lady says “I knew that poor boy had nothing to do with these gruesome murders” while shaking her head, as if she wasn’t ready to grab some pitchforks and torches not even a day prior.
Steve simply shakes his head, in disbelief at the hypocrisy of it all.
No matter how bizarre the story is, if it’s on the news, people seem to believe it. Doesn’t matter if it’s a mall fire or a non-existent gas leak…
Owens takes his leave after Steve has thanked him multiple times in full earnesty. Pulling off his charm, Steve talks one of the nurses into letting him use the phone, ringing up Dustin and Robin to inform them about the news.
His ears are still ringing from squeals of joy when he sneaks back into Eddie’s room. Overnight, nothing has changed. The metalhead is still asleep, using all of his energy to recover from the traumatic injuries.
The quiet, but steady, breathing is like music to Steve's ears. Fondly, he checks his soulmark once again, thankful that they all made it out alive.
“Everything will be alright now.” Steve whispers into the room.
It’s a promise, not just to Eddie, but also to himself. No matter if Eddie has his mark or not, they will be alright. Steve will make sure of it.
He sits down at Eddie’s bedside again and this time he reaches out and links his fingers through Eddie’s. Steve will stay right by Eddie’s side if he has any say in it.
His first visitors are Jonathan and his buddy Argyle who says he’s “Jon’s mate”. They fill Steve in on their last couple of days, which seems like one extensive crazy roadtrip, that apparently ended up for Argyle right where he started - a “Surfer Boy'' pizza place. Argyle’s easy going vibe has Steve relaxed, and he even chuckles at the absurdity of some of the events. Jon keeps himself in the background, but Steve notices the fond look in his eyes when he watches Argyle talk. He asks Steve about Eddie, and Steve gives them some pieces of their story in return. Steve sends Will and El (and begrudgingly Mike as well) his regards, understanding that they would rather be with Max right now and get the rest of the party together.
Only when Jon grabs Argyle’s hand on the way out does Steve notice the dark ink on both their wrists. Belatedly recalling his conversation with Nancy, Steve realizes that Argyle certainly didn’t mean ‘mate’ in the best buddies sense.
He smiles fondly after the two men and reaches down to caress his own soulmark. Once again realizing he’s not alone in this.
For a minute Steve thinks he’s having his own Vecna induced vision when the next visitors show up, because there is no way Hopper is alive. Right?
Steve’s view is blurring with tears as he stumbles out of the chair, directly into Hopper’s arms. Frantically, Steve is touching anything he can. Arms, face, torso. It’s all there. A little worse for the wear, but it’s him!
“Hop? Is this real? How are you here?”
“Totally real, kiddo,” Jim says while squeezing Steve into his arms with surprising gentleness. Uncontrolled sobs rip from his chest, muffled, pressed so close into Hop, as the man rubs his back.
When Steve finally steps out of the hug, he’s instantly engulfed in another one. Joyce’s short frame wraps around him as she brings Steve’s face to her shoulder, running her fingers through his hair. Steve basks in the feeling. It’s nice to feel cared for.
It’s why he missed them both so much. Of course, Robin’s mom cares for him too, but not like that. Not like Joyce and Hopper do. With them it’s different. More meaningful. Deeper.
Like family.
“How? I mean… I thought… And you… Did you- -”
“Easy there. Breathe."
Joyce’s voice is caring while Hopper simply squeezes Steve’s shoulder reassuringly. His tone is amused and warm.
“How about one question at a time? It’s not like we’re going anywhere.”
With sparkling eyes Steve looks between the two most important adults in his life and there is nothing but honesty in their eyes. Steve can’t help but fling himself back into their embrace, bringing them all together in a comforting hug.
After Steve has calmed down, he introduces them to Eddie (“Dustin’s friend”) and then ushers them into the chairs at the bedside. He takes a seat at the edge of the hospital bed. Everything Joyce tells him sounds like it’s straight out a spy movie, and more than once Steve shakes his head in disbelief. It just gets wilder as the story progresses, because suddenly there’s a helicopter named Katinka involved, and apparently Hopper slayed a full grown Demogorgon with a sword.
Steve in turn tells them everything about Venca and the bats, all while Joyce is fussing over his wounds after he mentioned that they got a pound of flesh, reprimanding him that it’s careless to be up already. She’s only pacified when Steve repeatedly points out that he’s currently at a hospital and that he’s staying to watch over Eddie and Max.
Waving at them as they say goodbye for the day feels absolutely surreal, as does the fact that they are moving back into Hawkins. Pure joy is filling his chest as he happily smiles at them.
They’re nearly out the door when Hopper pops his head back in.
“Heard you sparked.”
Before Steve can freak out, Jim continues.
“Happy for you, boy.”
With a final wave he’s gone and Steve is left with an overwhelming feeling of belonging.
It’s already late afternoon when Wayne shows up at the ICU.
“Hey there. ‘re you that Harrington kid?”
Surprised, Steve shoots up from the chair, instantly withdrawing his hand from Eddie's. He stands up so quickly, he can’t help but feel a little woozy, and it takes a moment to catch himself.
“I… uhm… Yes.”
Wayne steps in closer, and Steve is about to make way for the man to see his nephew, but Wayne pulls him in a tight hug. Steve tenses as the pain is flaring up in his torso, even though his whole being is screaming to lean into the reassuring touch. Wayne lets go, both too fast for the caring hug to end, and too slow from Steve’s aspect of pain, and clasps Steve’s shoulder instead.
“I didn't ‘derstand half the stuff little Henderson tried to tell me, but you brought me my son back, that much I did understand.”
His son?
Confusion seems to be written all over Steve's expression because Wayne adds on, “it might say ‘uncle’ on the papers and ma’ boy still calls me that. But to me, he's mine.”
He leans in closer and brings his voice down, covering his mouth like Eddie could hear him otherwise and whispers to Steve conspiratorially, “don't tell him I told you that.”
It melts Steve's heart to see the fond look in Wayne's eyes, how dear he holds Eddie, how much he considers the two of them family. He can't remember the last time someone from his immediate family looked at him with such compassion and love, if ever.
Eddie is very lucky to have someone looking out for him. A loving family waiting for him to wake up.
Steve's hand wanders to his wrist, gently placing it above his steadily darkening soulmark. A soothing gesture for himself, a reassurance that his person is going to be alright. Plus, it's not like he can reach out and hold Eddie's hand, even if he itches to do that.
Wayne's eyes track the movement and the man is pretty quick on the uptake. Maybe he spotted the trademark guitar or maybe he just picked up on the way Steve looks at Eddie longingly.
“Is it his?” Wayne asks with a nod towards the sleeping beauty. There's no malice in his voice, just open curiosity, but Steve can't help to tense up. Anxiety is bubbling up inside him and his stomach constricts. Steve knows what his old man would say about that. His throat goes dry and he can’t help his stomach from sinking.
Wayne doesn't seem like the type to have an issue with same-sex soulmates, but one can never be too careful. On top of it all, this man is the closest thing Eddie has to parents and Steve prays Wayne won't be disappointed with him.
Reluctantly, Steve nods. He has to hem before he croaks out “Yes. I'm sorry, sir.”
Wayne lets out an amused chuckle and pats Steve's back a bit too forceful. “It's fine. I can't wait to see his face. Does- -”
Before they can continue their conversation, a nurse and a doctor enter to check on Eddie. They usher Steve and Wayne out of the room, no visitors allowed for treatments and check-ups. Steve hates leaving Eddie alone like that, especially considering the medical personnel’s hesitancy when they first got the metalhead there. Worried, he glances back as the doors close on him.
He wants to ask Wayne what he meant earlier, but Dustin awaits them in the hallway, adamantly demanding they fill Wayne in on everything before the government comes around with a new bunch of NDAs.
He deserves to know why Eddie was gone and how he ended up in the hospital. He deserves an explanation why a dead cheerleader turned up at his trailer and why said trailer is now government property.
He doesn't believe them at first. Honestly, who would? It doesn't sound real, even if you lived through it. Even if the hell dimension ate them up and spit them out on the other side, leaving them mangled and beaten and bleeding, it seems made up.
They go back and forth for a while, Dustin tries his best to explain the logic aspects and the physics behind it all, but Wayne doesn't seem to believe a word they say. Steve muses the inside of his cheek. He can’t really add anything from the scientific aspect, but Wayne knows Eddie, knows what his son is capable of and what not, so he interrupts Dustin's re-telling.
"What's more likely: Eddie leading an occult cult, sacrificing teenagers and mutilating their bodies, or an evil interdimensional wizard going around killing people and opening portals which cause earthquakes?"
After that, it's pretty easy to explain.