The Lightning Bird

by SteveLovesEddie

Summary:

Long ago a cryptid was brought into existence by a powerful witch, created to protect her from anyone that intended to bring her harm. Tied to the bloodline, her shapeshifting guardian kept watch over her descendants for hundreds of years, until the day a witch turned her back on the practice, breaking the connection to her familiar. Without that bond intact, his powers remained but he was unable to keep any future witches safe from harm.

Decades passed where all he could do was watch from a distance. Until one day a son was born into the bloodline, the first in its history. With this new change came the hope that the boy would be the key to fixing what was broken and restoring the power that had been lost.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Summary:

He was brought into being by way of earth and smoke, lightning and rain. Summoned by the powers of nature and all her bountiful gifts and limitless strength. He first appeared from the shadows as a great bird, tall as a man, with feathers black as night and white as the moon herself, and talons sharp as swords.

The bird approached the witch, his creator and goddess, and bowed its head. When the witch placed her hand upon him, the black feathers turned to a mass of raven hair, and the white feathers to alabaster skin. Now in the form of a man, he stood and looked upon her with eyes the color of the earth.

Notes:

Warnings for this story:
-This is my magical attempt at a Season 4 rewrite. All the usual players still get killed by Vecna (RIP Chrissy, Fred, and Patrick), but everyone else survives.
-There will be some violence and serious injuries.
-Eddie is an immortal shapeshifter with vampiric traits, so blood drinking will happen.
-This is a slow burn love story!
-I did tag major character death, and that is true - but I promise you this is a happy ending Steddie fic. At the risk of spoiling where this goes, we get to see them live a long life together with a peaceful passing. But keep in mind that in this universe...death isn't the end.

CW for this chapter: Mention of blood drinking (vampiric traits, but not actually a vampire), mentions of Steve's past injuries/events of previous seasons, marijuana

 

Cryptids have come in all shapes and sizes, legends that have been passed down from one generation to the next, through cultures all over the world. They’ve been mostly seen as foreboding creatures, something to be feared, the things that go bump in the night. Yet others…they’ve been seen as protectors. Guardians. Familiars.

No such creature was as well regarded as the Lightning Bird. It was conjured long ago, by a witch in need of protection. As she cast her spell and summoned her familiar on the night of a blood moon, she put into it a part of her own life force, tying it to her mortality, and that of her bloodline. As long as her lineage were to survive, so would her familiar, duty-bound to protect them. 

He was brought into being by way of earth and smoke, lightning and rain. Summoned by the powers of nature and all her bountiful gifts and limitless strength. He first appeared from the shadows as a great bird, tall as a man, with feathers black as night and white as the moon herself, and talons sharp as swords.

The bird approached the witch, his creator and goddess, and bowed its head. When the witch placed her hand upon him, the black feathers turned to a mass of raven hair, and the white feathers to alabaster skin. Now in the form of a man, he stood and looked upon her with eyes the color of the earth.

He was made to protect the most valuable thing in the colony. Not only was the witch a spell caster and mystic, but a healer. A midwife. The root of strength and life for her people.

She drew upon the Anglo-Saxon tongue to give him a name. Ead meaning wealth and Weard meaning guardian. 

And guard the wealth he did. Anyone who would seek to bring her harm would be torn to ribbons by his talons. A flap of his wings could summon thunder and lightning, striking down entire villages should the need arise. His only downfall came from what she herself offered up in the creation of him. 

Blood.

In exchange for his immortality, Eadweard would require the consumption of this life sustaining substance. He would not die without it, but his powers of shape shifting, summoning the storms, and his inhuman strength would diminish.

Anyone unfortunate enough to try coming between the creation and its master while he hungered for blood would meet a gruesome end.

When the witch’s only daughter came of age, she was able to place a mark upon his skin. A sign of gratitude for the protection he would provide, and a symbol of her fears. A reminder to the familiar of what she needed protection from.

Under a full moon, she rested her hand upon his chest and spoke of the demons of the world who wished to wipe them out of existence. The ugly fear that coursed through men who saw them but did not understand them.

When her hand fell away, Eadweard was left with the black mark of a demon on his skin.

For hundreds of years, he stood by the side of all the witches that came after the first. Countless men were slain in their honor and for his hunger. And more witches left their marks. 

A spider joined the demon, a symbol of the dangerous webs that people weave in order to gain power that is not theirs. 

A mythical creature known as a wyvern adorned his right arm, left by a witch who wanted to ensure that Edward, as he was now called, knew the strength of his power and true ability to protect her line.

Not far from the wyvern was placed a hand puppeteering a frightening creature. It was given to him by a witch who feared those in political power and the people they could control and turn against her kind.

The bats on his forearm were symbolic of those who dared to come under the cover of night to bring harm to that witch and her child.

That was the last mark he received. 

Times had changed and not entirely for the better. Witches practiced quietly and discreetly. Some people thought they fell out of existence entirely and made them out to be something of a cryptid of their own. 

Some witches turned their back on the practice. And if a witch turns her back on her familiar, denounces her powers and connection to nature…the familiar survives but is unable to protect the bloodline as it once did.

Edward’s connection severed in 1936, nearly a thousand years after his creation.

The witch he was sworn to protect succumbed to an illness he could not save her from. Her only daughter, who tried every remedy in the family grimoire, swore off witchcraft in her grief and despair. 

And Edward was cast aside. 

While he was still able to watch over the bloodline from a distance, his ability to protect them was gone. For centuries he was the guardian of mothers and daughters, a warrior, a hero. The loss of that bond was greatly mourned. 

It would be another fifty years before he could perform his duty again.

For the first time in Edward’s eternal life, a boy was born into the bloodline. 

He had followed his former witch from England into the United States. She bore a daughter, who was never told of her lineage or their power. That daughter was the first to bear a son. Something about his entrance struck the cryptid deeply. A sign, perhaps, that things were bound to change. 

He watched from a distance as the boy grew, unable to offer protection, but stood as a guardian from afar nonetheless. Still having the ability to shapeshift, Edward would take his form of a bird, much smaller than how he first appeared to the original witch. He would perch near the home of the boy and call out to him in song, hoping that one day it would be heard and recognized for what it was. A plea to return to the craft. To grant him his ability to guard and protect.

A day came where someone else heard his call and knew it for what it was. A man with Appalachian roots who was making repairs on the boy’s home. He followed the call into the trees and found Edward perched on a low branch. The man took a knee, removed his cap, and spoke.

“Never in all my days did I think I’d come across a Lightning Bird. I’ve heard the stories. Been told about the power you wield when I was a boy. If there’s anything I can offer you, you come find me.”

Edward bowed his head and fluttered his wings, eliciting a low roll of thunder from the sky. A sign of acknowledgment for the kind man’s gesture.

He followed the man home. 

Wayne Munson gave him shelter and watched in awe as Edward shifted into his human form. He spoke of the legends he grew up hearing in the mountains. The stories passed down of Lightning Birds, their powers, their strength. The only thing Edward had to correct of the stories was that there was just one of these cryptids in existence. He told Wayne of his history with the witches, the bloodline he was responsible for. Of how his connection had been broken, and of the boy who had been born.

With Wayne’s help, Edward assimilated into the town. His shape shifting abilities allowed him to change his form from a man to a boy. Edward took Wayne’s last name, and the man enrolled him in the local school. Edward was placed in the grade above the boy, but that was good enough. He was able to attend the same school and watch over his ward, always keeping his distance.

As the boy grew, so did Edward, changing his appearance to look the part. Though he could match the size and age of the boy, he found himself unable to match his beauty. Edward had never felt anything more than duty and honor for those he was blood bound to protect. Something about the boy, though…he was different.

Over the years, masquerading as a human, he found friendship and camaraderie in other lost souls within the confines of the school. His own personal coven of sorts. They found comfort in music, which had always spoken to Edward’s soul if he had one. He learnt to play string instruments over his many years and took great joy in playing songs full of emotion and vivid imagery with his friends. 

Being centuries old and seeing many things during his time, Eddie - as his friends now called him - spun fantastical tales of beasts and monsters and people with mystical powers. He worked these stories into a game they played together, his friends knowing nothing about the truth of some of these creatures. He preferred that they never did. Some of these monsters still roamed the earth in shadows. Some of them would come from other places. Some would end up threatening the very person he could not protect.

Eddie continued to watch the boy, quickly growing into a man, and it broke him when he had to stand by helplessly as fists met the boy’s face and body. He wept when the boy’s blood was spilled in the alley. He feared for the boy’s life when a monster came through a wall with the intent to kill and devour. When the demonic dogs came, Eddie perched on a rusted car, unable to fight them off as the boy swung his bat. He felt enraged when fists flew again as his boy tried to protect his own group of wards. He went out of his mind with worry when he disappeared into an elevator that plummeted where Eddie could not follow. He knew there would be danger facing his boy once again, and waited nearby, calling out to him for his safe return.

He came back. Bloodied and beaten and half out of his mind. Eddie’s heart broke for all he could not protect him from. 

His frustration hit its peak when he laid eyes on the twisted creature made of flesh and bone. If that connection he needed had been intact, Eddie could have taken it out with talons and lightning and teeth. But once again, he was left to stand by and watch as his boy fought with everything in him.

Eddie saw his strength. His determination. His devotion to those he loved. After seeing what he was capable of, Eddie knew that he could hold his own. But it didn’t make the taste of failure any less bitter. 

Failure came rather easy to Eddie. It’s not like he wasn’t able to graduate. High school isn't exactly a challenge for someone who lived as long as he had. Eddie failed the first time to ensure that he would remain in the school until his boy graduated. He had to be there. Had to watch over him even if he couldn’t help him.

And then the boy’s wards were entering high school. Though they aren’t part of the bloodline, Eddie had seen how much their safety meant to him. So he failed again to ensure that he could be there to watch over them. To fold them into his own flock. To leave them under the protection of his coven when the year was done.

Because of his lengthy presence in the school, other students and even some teachers labeled him a freak. A misfit. A fool. But Eddie cared little of the opinions of mortal men.

Ironically, they were the ones who came to him for healing. Whether they knew it or not, the herb he sold was mixed with other offerings that the mother provided. His time with the witches taught him remedies that could be used to soothe worried minds and weak hearts. The students looking for drugs needed that type of healing. So while he rolled joints and filled baggies, he also infused the marijuana with some of the medicinal properties his witches had used.

Eddie couldn’t protect his boy the way he needed to, but he had found another way to be useful until the moment came that his connection to the bloodline would be restored.

The clock was ticking. He could feel that it was only a matter of time.

Notes:

Thank you for joining me on this adventure! I've never written anything like this before and had a lot of fun researching witchy things. I hope you like it! And comments earn forehead kisses!

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Summary:

“Hey! You’re Eddie, right?”

Freezing in place, Eddie turned his head to look upon his boy. They had never stood this close before.

“Yeah. That's me.”

Notes:

CW: Mention of blood drinking, Vecna's attacks begin

Fall of 1985 marked the first time that Eddie spoke to his boy. 

It was an unremarkable day that led up to their first meeting. Another day of classes he cared little about. Lunch with his coven, where his boy’s wards talked animatedly about the next story Eddie was spinning for them. After school they gathered behind the curtain of the auditorium where he walked them through another adventure. 

The children had seen and fought actual monsters, though Eddie never let on that he knew. Their bravery in battle came through just as strong in the game they played. Eddie delighted in it. Never before in all his years had he seen humans so young stand up so bravely against creatures that could snuff them out in the blink of an eye. 

He had immense respect for them. But he hid it behind a veneer of quips and mock annoyance.

When their adventure was over, and their game was packed away, he walked with them out of the building to where their parents were usually waiting to pick them up. Today, however…his boy was there.

“Come on, dickheads! If you still want a movie night, get your asses moving!”

The kids hustled to the car, shouting their goodbyes to Eddie. He began to make his way to his van when he was stopped with a hand on his arm.

“Hey! You’re Eddie, right?”

Freezing in place, Eddie turned his head to look upon his boy. They had never stood this close before.

“Yeah. That's me.”

His boy’s hand dropped to his side and Eddie turned to face him properly. He seemed nervous.

“I uh…just wanted to thank you. The kids were kind of freaked out about starting high school and not knowing anyone. So thanks for letting them join your club. For looking out for them. Oh, shit, sorry! I’m Steve, by the way.”

He held out his hand and the corner of Eddie’s mouth turned up in a smile. He extended his own hand and felt a small surge of power course through his arm when their palms met and fingers curled. “Yeah…I know who you are.”

Steve looked sheepish when their hands drew apart and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Right, yeah…we just never really talked or anything when I was in school.”

“It’s ok, Steve. And you’re welcome. Those little buttheads are a great addition to Hellfire.”

“Good. Cool.” He nodded and gave Eddie a nervous smile. “I should probably…” Steve pointed with his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the car and started to back away. “I’ll see you around, Eddie!”

He turned and jogged over to the complaining teens, getting into the driver’s seat and rolling out of the parking lot.

“Yeah,” Eddie said to himself as he watched the tail lights fade. “I’ll see you, too.”

For months Eddie would have run-ins like that. It was always stilted small talk or a quick exchange of pleasantries. But every time he was thankful to see Steve up close. He really had grown into a beautiful man. Eddie found himself enamored with him. A feeling that he hadn’t felt in ages. He didn't know what to do with it.

And every time their hands met, Eddie felt that surge. He knew what it was. The power of Steve’s bloodline sitting just below the surface, waiting to be acknowledged and tapped into. It was so close.

Unfortunately it would take another devastating event for that to happen.

The tides turned in spring. Eddie could sense something in the air. Something that wasn’t right. His suspicions were confirmed when the cheerleader he spoke with at the picnic table met a horrifying end in his living room on a Friday night in March. The herbs he had weren't enough for what she needed. He brought her back to the trailer to find another remedy that might help calm her, but before he could provide any relief, an unseen force broke her apart.

In all his years, Eddie had never seen anything like it.

He regretfully had to leave Chrissy Cunningham on his living room floor. There was nothing more he could do for her, and he had to make sure his boy was safe. That whatever came for Chrissy wasn’t out to harm Steve.

Thankfully he was safe in his home, lamenting with his best friend over another failed date, unaware of what new horror had come to Hawkins. Eddie remained outside on his windowsill all night.

Saturday morning he stood guard over his boy as he went to work, settling on a lamp post near the entrance to Family Video, and keeping watch all day. He stirred as Dustin and Max raced inside in a panic. Eddie swooped down and perched near the entrance that was left ajar. Here, he was able to listen in and found that he himself was suspected of causing Chrissy’s death. 

He would never harm an innocent.

When Steve and his people ran out of Family Video, Eddie was already in flight, on his way to Rick’s where they hoped they would find him. He flew into the open boathouse and used the last of his strength to shift back into his human form. 

This is where they found him, panting and exhausted. 

He told them what happened to Chrissy, and allowed Dustin to explain to him their history with monsters. He listened intently, even though he already knew of the battles they fought. He wasn’t about to tell them that he had been watching all along, having to waste more time explaining his own history when there were more important things to worry about. A deadly force they had to identify. Together they put a name to it.

Vecna.

A spellcaster from their game. Another creature that should stay on a page but found itself in this world.

They intended to leave him hidden in the boathouse as they formulated a plan, but Eddie refused. He had to watch over Steve. And it had been too long since he consumed human blood for him to shapeshift as he needed. 

“Take me with you,” he said to his boy.

“W-what? Why me?” Steve stammered.

“Steve, think about it,” Robin encouraged. “Your house is empty. Nobody would ever suspect that Eddie would be staying there. Sooner or later, and let’s be honest it’s probably sooner, the witch hunt is going to end up here. We’re probably not the only ones who will think to look here for him.”

Witch hunt. Eddie wanted to laugh.

“She’s right,” Dustin agreed. “As far as the town knows, you two have never even spoken to each other. I mean…the Freak and the King? Nobody is going to look for Eddie at your house.”

Steve looked around the room at his companions with his hands on his hips and sighed. “Fine. He can hide out at my place, but if the cops come knocking, I’m taking you down with me, Henderson!”

They all left Eddie at the boathouse, but only until nightfall. Steve returned when it was dark, so that he wouldn’t be caught transporting a murder suspect in the light of day. 

“Eddie, hey. You doing ok?” Steve’s head poked through the open door to the boathouse and the light of the moon reflected beautifully off his skin.

For a moment, it took Eddie’s breath away.

“I’m alright. Ready to get out of here.”

“Well, let’s move. The sooner we get you back to my place the better.”

The ride to Loch Nora was quiet. Eddie hadn’t ever spent this much time in Steve’s proximity and found that he didn’t know what to say. So much was trapped behind his teeth. He wanted to tell Steve who he was. What he was. How they were bound to each other. He wanted to tell him about the witches. Steve’s ancestors. But he didn’t know how to without sounding insane. He couldn’t risk Steve putting any distance between them. 

So much had already happened in the last couple days.

Instead, he quietly followed Steve into his house. Taking the first steps over the threshold of the home he watched for the last nineteen years was surreal. He had only ever seen it through the windows. 

“So…are you hungry? I can make some mac and cheese or something? Sandwiches?”

Eddie didn’t have a need for actual food. He could eat it, he just didn’t need it to survive. The only thing he hungered for right now was blood. But he wasn’t about to ask Steve for that.

“I could eat.”

Steve led him to the kitchen and Eddie took a seat at the island, watching as his boy pulled out a pot, plates, bowls, a yellow and blue box, bread, meat, cheese. He was a nervous flurry of movement and Eddie was captivated. He never got to watch Steve so closely before. 

“Uh, so I realized you probably haven’t had a proper meal for a while. Figured I’d make a couple things. Do you like ham? I think I’ve got turkey, too-”

“Steve,” Eddie interrupted.

Steve’s movements stilled and he looked Eddie in the eyes for the first time since the boathouse. “Yeah?...”

Eddie smiled at him and leaned on his elbows. “Whatever you have is fine. I’m not picky.”

“Ok,” Steve breathed out. “Sorry. I’m just…we never really hung out before, and the last couple days have been crazy. I guess I’m a little…” He made a movement with his hands, shaking them by his head like his brain was scrambling.

Eddie chuckled at the sight. In all the years that he watched over Steve, he never really got to know him. He liked seeing him this way. “I get it. It’s ok, man. I can help if you want?”

Steve gave him a grateful smile and put Eddie on mac and cheese duty while he prepped some sandwiches and ran upstairs to get the guest room ready for Eddie’s stay. When he made it back into the kitchen, Eddie was spooning the noodles into bowls. He set them on the island next to the sandwiches Steve made, and they took a seat side by side. 

When Steve took his first bite of the mac and cheese, he let out a sound that stirred something inside of Eddie that he hadn’t felt in decades. “Oh my god. Why is this so good? It never turns out like this when I make it.”

“You have to use less milk and more butter. I grated some cheddar in there too that I found in your fridge, and added a little garlic powder.” Eddie didn’t need to eat, but he cooked with Wayne all the time. He picked up some tricks along the way.

“Holy shit. Who would have known that Eddie Munson was a genius in the kitchen.”

Eddie grinned and took a bite of the sandwich Steve made. It wasn’t anything special, ham and provolone, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, and some lettuce. But it was the first thing he ate that was made by his boy. He figured that was special enough in itself. “This is great, Steve. Thank you.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Steve nodded before taking a large bite of the mac and cheese. He made another one of those sounds and sent a shiver down Eddie’s spine. 

They ate in comfortable silence after that. 

While cleaning up the kitchen, Steve cleared his throat and asked, “How are you doing with…everything?”

“You mean watching a girl’s body break in front of me and being accused of murder?”

“Um…yeah. That. And all the…interdimensional monster stuff.”

Eddie drained the sink where he had finished washing the dishes and chose his words carefully. He couldn’t let on that he had actually been well aware of it for the last several years. “It’s a lot to process. Chrissy didn’t deserve to have something like that happen. And I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

Steve dried his hands and leaned against the counter facing him. “I’ve been there too, you know? This whole fucked up little group of ours…we’ve watched a lot of people die. A lot of us have been hurt along the way. It helps to stick together. That’s really the only way to get through it all.”

Eddie could see the pain, fear, and regret on his boy’s face. It gutted him that he wasn’t able to stop any of it. “I’m sorry you had you go through all of this, Steve. I wish I…” could have shielded you from it. Could have fought for you. 

“I know,” Steve told him. “I wish I didn’t have to deal with any of this either. But you’re part of it now, which means we have your back. We fight for each other. Keep each other as safe as we can. So…stay here as long as you need to. Until we figure all this out and kill this Vecna creep. You’re safe here.”

It wasn’t often that Eddie would find himself at a loss for words. He was created to be a guardian. And now the man he was supposed to guard had opened his home to him and offered his protection to keep Eddie safe. He didn’t know what to do with that. With tears welling in his eyes, all he could do was thank him.

Steve took him upstairs, showed him where he could shower off, and gave Eddie some sweatpants and a t-shirt to change into. More acts of kindness that he didn’t feel like he deserved, but Steve was happy to dole out. They said their goodnights, Eddie washed the day away, and he spent the remainder of the night standing guard over Steve’s sleeping form. Unable to perform his duty, but content to be on this side of the glass for once.

Notes:

FORCED PROXIMITY!!!! What's gonna happen?!

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Summary:

“Not all music has to have a message to be good, Steve. Some of it can just be fun.”

Steve gave him a small smile and narrowed his eyes. “Ok, then. Prove it.” He gestured towards his tapes and challenged Eddie, “Find a song you like, that you actually think is good. Something fun.”

“Challenge accepted, Harrington.”

Notes:

CW: Mention of blood drinking, mention of Fred's death, Max's visions start

Sunday morning, Eddie quietly crept out of Steve’s room as he began to stir. The night was blissfully uneventful and Eddie was glad to see that his boy was able to get some rest. He would no doubt need it for whatever it was they were facing.

He slipped back into the guest room where he rumpled the sheets, giving it the appearance that he slept before tiptoeing down the stairs and into the kitchen. While he watched Steve sleep, he realized that he didn’t know very much about the boy he had been guarding from afar for so many years. His first impressions of Steve were that he was brave, generous, kind…and hesitant in Eddie’s presence. If they were going to be under the same roof for the foreseeable future, he wanted to get to know Steve better. Let him see a bit of who Eddie was. 

He was plating an omelet when Steve walked in letting out a surprised, “Oh! Hey!”

“Good morning.” Eddie smiled and slid the plate across the island where Steve was standing and turned to fill a coffee mug. “Do you want milk? Sugar?”

“Uh…black is fine. Is this for me?”

Eddie handed over the coffee and gave his boy a small smile. “Yeah, thought you might be hungry.”

“That’s…really nice of you. You didn’t have to do that, I could have just had a handful of cereal or something.”

“Steve, none of us know when this thing might attack again. A handful of cereal isn’t going to fuel you for battle. Warriors like you need protein.” Eddie leaned into the theatrical side of himself and flexed his arm.

Steve laughed awkwardly, glanced at Eddie’s bicep, and ducked his head. His hair was sleep mussed and hung in his eyes. Eddie had the urge to brush it back with his fingers, but kept his hands to himself.

“You’re probably right. This looks great. Thank you, Eddie.” Glancing around the kitchen, Steve furrowed his brow. “Did you eat already?”

“Yeah, I did,” Eddie lied. “So what’s the plan of attack for today?”

Steve swallowed his first bite and nodded his head. “Shit this is really good. Well…your plan is to stay here, out of sight. As soon as I get word from Henderson, I’ll know more.”

Eddie grinned. “I fucking love that kid.”

“Right?” Steve smiled back and took a sip of coffee. “Jesus, this is perfect. How the fuck are you so good in the kitchen?”

“Years of practice,” Eddie smirked. “So…until we hear from Dusty, what do you want to do?”

“You said you wouldn’t make fun of me!”

“I’m not,” Eddie laughed. “I just didn’t expect one of Steve Harrington’s favorite songs to be Material Girl.”

“Well I’m sorry it’s not as cool as War Pigs or whatever! My taste in music doesn’t usually cover…what did you call it?”

Eddie grinned and shifted on the carpet of Steve’s bedroom. “It’s an anti-war protest song. Accusing politicians of starting wars for their own benefit, but not taking any responsibility for them.”

“Yeah, that.”

Steve suggested hanging out in his room and listening to music while they waited for the call. He was embarrassed to show Eddie his tape collection, worried that he would be judged for his taste in music, but Eddie assured him that it didn’t matter. He had heard a good deal of music in his time, and the only thing he could say with certainty that he didn’t like was yodeling.

“Not all music has to have a message to be good, Steve. Some of it can just be fun.”

Steve gave him a small smile and narrowed his eyes. “Ok, then. Prove it.” He gestured towards his tapes and challenged Eddie, “Find a song you like, that you actually think is good. Something fun.”

“Challenge accepted, Harrington.”

Eddie scooted across the floor and started flipping through the tapes, not at all surprised at most of the things Steve had in his collection. Tears for Fears, Michael Jackson, Genesis, Duran Duran, The Cars…Then his eyes fell on the perfect tape. He quickly pulled it out, telling Steve not to peek, and took the Madonna tape out of the boombox. He slid in his selection, closed the tape deck, and pressed play.

As soon as the song started, Steve tipped his head back with a laugh. “There’s no way you like this song!”

“What’s not to like?” Eddie asked as sat next to Steve. “It’s got a great beat, it’s catchy, everyone wants to sing along to the chorus. It’s fun, Steve!”

“I cannot believe you like Maneater. You don’t look like someone who would listen to Hall and Oates.”

“I’m a man of mystery, Steve. There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Out of the corner of his eye, Eddie could see Steve wiggling his toes to the beat. It made him smile.

He really was speaking the truth, too. There was so much about him that Steve didn’t know. Eddie ached to tell him everything, of who he was and of the proud lineage Steve came from. But he knew in his bones that it wasn’t the time yet.

“You’re not what I thought you’d be like,” Steve said. 

It’s exactly what Chrissy told him in the woods. The memory of her body breaking was so fresh in his mind. The thought of Steve meeting the same fate sent ice through his veins.

“What,” Eddie echoed from his response two days ago. “Mean and scary?”

“No.” Steve dropped his gaze to his hands, where he picked at his fingernails. “I guess I thought you’d be more like the kids. I love them, don’t get me wrong, but they sometimes treat me like I’m a moron.”

Eddie, being able to shapeshift and follow them around for so long, had heard the way they speak to Steve. He never liked it, but couldn’t get involved. He also heard them talk about Steve at the lunch table and during campaigns. They always painted him as a hero when he wasn’t around. He needed to know that.

“They don’t really think of you like that. They talk about you, you know? Henderson told me you were a badass. Insisted on it, matter of fact.”

Steve perked up at that, looking Eddie in the eyes. “He said that?”

“Those kids worship you, Steve. Even Wheeler, but he’d probably never admit it to your face. You’ve been with them through all of this shit, right? Fought for them, kept them safe. You’re their knight in hair sprayed armor.”

His boy huffed a laugh and shook his head. “Yeah well…they’re just kids. Someone has to look out for them.”

Eddie could sense the heaviness of their conversation. With everything going on, he wanted to keep things light. Focus on better things until they had to deal with the horrors that were knocking on their door. “So. Material Girl aside, what’s your favorite song, Steve? The one that sinks its hooks in. Can’t get it out of your head.”

Steve glanced over at the tapes and back to Eddie. “I…don’t have it on tape. I don’t actually know what song it is. Something I heard when I was little. It would play in a loop in my head all the time and I’d hum it every night when I was trying to fall asleep. I wish I had it, though.”

The hair on Eddie’s arms stood on end. “Where did you hear it?”

His boy opened his mouth to say something when the walkie on his dresser came to life. 

“Steve, this is Dustin, come in. Over.”

Steve leapt to his feet and snatched the walkie, pressing down the button to reply, “I’m here, what’s going on?”

When he was met with silence, he whispered Jesus Chris under his breath, and said into the walkie, “Over.”

“Thank you. I expect proper walkie protocol when there’s a code red situation. We need you to pick us up. Over.”

“Who’s ‘us’? You need to be more specific, Henderson. Over.”

“Max is at my house. Come get us, and then we’ll pick up Robin. We gotta meet Nance. Over.”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon. Over.”

“Over and out.”

Eddie was beside himself. As soon as Steve left, insisting that he would be fine, that he would come back later, Eddie started pacing. He hadn’t fed in over a week. He couldn’t shapeshift. He couldn’t go with Steve and risk someone seeing him. He couldn’t do anything. 

He had felt helpless for the last nineteen years, but today it was even worse. 

As the hours passed, he busied himself with washing his clothes that he had changed out of yesterday, flipping through the books he found in Mr. Harrington’s study, and rifling through recipes in Mrs. Harrington’s recipe box. It was covered in a thin layer of dust, which was no surprise. Steve’s parents weren’t around a lot. 

Her handwriting fascinated him. 

It reminded him of her grandmother’s, the witch who passed fifty years ago. There was a striking similarity between this box and the grimoire hidden in his trailer. Witches came in all forms. Some of the ones in this bloodline were known as Kitchen Witches. Sorceresses who could work their intentions into the food they made. Concoctions made to heal, ward off evil spirits, draw in prosperity, and more.

Steve’s mother never knew of their bloodline, but perhaps there was always something beneath the surface that managed to guide her regardless.

If Eddie had to be stuck in this house to wait for Steve’s return, he could make himself useful. He pulled out some of the recipe cards and started to look through the cupboards.

“Eddie? I’m back!”

Steve’s voice echoed down the hall and Eddie’s heart leapt. He had been gone a majority of the day, and night was falling. Eddie kept his hands busy in the kitchen, but it didn’t stop the worry from coursing through him. He breathed a sigh of relief and shouted, “In here! Hope you’re hungry!”

When he walked into the room, Steve looked drained. He wasn’t injured as far as Eddie could tell, but his dark expression spoke volumes about how the day went. “What happened?”

Steve slumped onto one of the stools at the kitchen island and his shoulders sagged. “Well, do you want the bad news first, or the worse news?”

Eddie rounded the island and sat next to his boy. “Well, if it’s all shitty, just start from the beginning.”

“You know Fred Benson? He worked on the paper with Nancy?” When Eddie nodded, Steve continued. “He was killed last night. They found his body in the road and it looked just like Chrissy’s.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. I guess he ran off when Nancy was talking to your uncle yesterday-”

“She talked to Wayne?” Eddie interrupted. He had wanted to get in touch with his friend since this all started, but hadn’t been able to.

“He knows you didn’t do it. Other than us, I think he’s the only other person in this town who thinks you’re innocent.”

Eddie knew that Wayne would be on his side. He’s heard enough stories growing up in Appalachia, and from Eddie, to know that monsters are real and come in all different forms. In all the years they spent living together, Eddie hadn’t harmed a soul. “Good…that’s good to hear. So what did he tell her?”

“He thinks it has something to do with these murders that happened here a long time ago. This guy Victor Creel. Nance and Robin went to the library to see what they could find, and they're going to Penhurst tomorrow to try to talk to the guy.”

“Ok. Well, that’s promising.”

“There’s more,” Steve said as he looked at Eddie with worry in his eyes. “Jason’s got his band of idiots all riled up. They formed a posse and they’re looking for you. Lucas was with them for a while, threw them off the scent and found us. They’ve got some list of places they’re checking out, and thankfully my house isn’t on it. But the guy’s in a rage. He’s convinced you’re like…a devil worshipper or something.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and sighed. Of course he would. Some of the worst human foes he dealt with over his time were righteous Christians demonizing the craft and anything that was different from them. Ignorance can be dangerous, but he’s handled worse things than Jason Carver. “He would think that. So what else is going on? You’ve been gone most of the day.”

Steve’s eyes were downcast and his face pinched with worry. “The kids, they uh…had a hunch about why Fred and Chrissy were targeted. We did some digging and it turns out they were both seeing Ms. Kelley. They were having headaches. Nosebleeds. Nightmares. And then Ma-” 

Steve choked back a sob and Eddie was quick to his feet, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Steve, what is it?”

“Max. She’s…she’s next. He had her, Eddie. She just…zoned out, wasn’t responding to us. Said she had a vision of a big clock in the fucking wall. She’s been having all the same shit happen that Fred and Chrissy did. We’ve got till tomorrow to figure out how to stop it. If we don’t, Max is gonna…she’s…”

A pained gasp tore out of Steve’s throat and he buried his face in his hands. Eddie didn’t even have to think, he turned Steve in his chair and wrapped his arms around him to hold him tight. Sobs shook his body and he clung to Eddie’s shirt as he cried. His boy had always been so strong, standing up to whatever tried to come between him and his wards. His kids. Fists and nail bats wouldn’t be able to do anything to fend off something they can’t even see. 

“I feel so fucking helpless! I don’t know what to do!” Steve raised his head and turned his watery gaze to Eddie. “We can’t lose her, Ed. We can’t.” 

Eddie tried his best to hold back his own sorrow and loosened his grip on his boy. He took Steve’s face in his hands and brushed the tears away with his thumbs. “I know how you feel. Not being able to protect someone who’s important to you. Feeling helpless. But you guys are doing everything you can. If anyone can figure this out and save her, it’s you and your pack of geniuses.”

Steve’s cheeks had slowly turned a shade of pink Eddie hadn’t seen on him before. He let out a wet laugh and nodded. “You’re probably right. God, this is fucking embarrassing. Sorry for crying all over you.”

Wiping another tear off of Steve’s skin, Eddie just gave him a soft smile. “You don’t have to be embarrassed for feeling things, Steve. You care about her. About all those kids. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

His boy closed his eyes and leaned forward, and Eddie wrapped his arms around him again. Steve let himself be held and comforted until the soup on the stove went cold.

Notes:

Well look at that...they're getting to know each other...getting closer...letting down walls. Where could this possibly go?

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Summary:

“I feel kind of stupid asking for a bedtime story.”

Eddie smiled and set aside the book he was reading, and held his hand out. “Nothing stupid about it. It’s a good book.”

Steve handed it over and got fully on the bed, sitting stiffly against the pillows. “Are you sure this isn’t weird?”

“Why would it be weird?”

“I don’t know…two guys sharing a bed…”

Notes:

CW: Mention of Vecna's fist attempt at taking Max, coming out

Steve barely had time to eat the pancakes Eddie made when he got the call on the walkie that he was needed again. Eddie hoped he would be able to stick around longer, relax for a while. It was a rough night. Steve couldn’t fall asleep, too worried about Max and everything that was going on. Eddie had suggested trying to read for a while to calm his mind, but apparently he got headaches if he read for too long. An unfortunate side effect from the concussions he suffered. Eddie’s guilt for not being able to prevent them had him asking Steve if he wanted to be read to.

They ended up in Steve’s room, with him tucked under the covers and Eddie sitting against the pillows beside him. He found a copy of The Witches and grinned at the cover. It was wildly inaccurate, but entertaining nonetheless. Eddie read through more than half of the book before he realized that Steve had fallen asleep. 

Seeing him up close like that, with his defenses lowered and slack features, made a warmth spread through Eddie’s chest. He wasn’t able to protect his boy, but he helped him sleep. Recover. Recharge. It had to be good enough for now.

He also couldn’t help noticing how lovely Steve was as he slept. It had been a long time since he felt any attraction towards a person. He couldn’t deny the feelings that had begun to stir.

When dawn broke, Eddie carefully got out of the bed, tousled the blankets in the guest room again, and returned to the kitchen. Steve gave him a tired smile when he came down and thanked him for helping him fall asleep. Eddie kept it to himself that he actually stayed all night.

The Harrington’s spice cabinet was impressive, considering the fact that it wasn’t often used. It was definitely not anything compared to a witch’s arsenal, but it would do.

After attempting to read some more, then listening to some of Steve’s tapes, and wandering through the house, Eddie had the idea to use some of his knowledge to potentially help with any ensuing battle they may face. He didn’t possess the power of the witches, but they taught him a lot about the gifts provided by the earth and their medicinal properties. It wouldn’t hurt to gather what he could in case anything was needed.

Or to prepare anything in case their power could be used again.

Some of the contents of the cabinet were well past their prime, and met their final resting place in the bottom of the trash can. Eddie checked the others, opening jars and canisters to determine if they were still viable, and set aside any he might find useful. The thyme, rosemary, and basil were in good shape. The sage had seen better days, and fresh leaves would be ideal, but there were still benefits to be pulled out of them when dried and ground. 

He added the bay leaves, coriander, mustard seeds, black pepper, and sea salt to his lot. Far in the back, he found nutmeg and star anise. He stared at the jars in his hands and set them further aside for later. Eddie was just about to finish his exploration of the cabinet when something caught his eye way in the back. A small container with thin red strands. 

Saffron.

It wasn’t an easy herb to find, and something in his gut told him to grab that, too. 

Eddie made his way back upstairs and into Steve’s bedroom. Rifling through his boy’s closet, he found the backpack Steve used to use in high school. He grabbed it and returned to the kitchen, filling it with everything he gathered. Except two jars.

He should have felt bad for snooping, but he did it for a purpose.

Steve’s mother had an unnecessary amount of jewelry. Most of it gold. But when Eddie rifled through Mrs. Harrington’s vanity and jewelry boxes, he struck metaphorical gold. An amethyst pendant on a silver chain. Witches used silver to ward off evil spirits, and the stone provided protection against negative energies. He grinned and took it with him, depositing it on the kitchen island next to the star anise and nutmeg, and the spool of thin wire he found in the garage.

Not every witch had a talisman or charm, but they could be a powerful aid in protection. At least when they were charged. Eddie didn’t have the ability to do that, but he could get it ready just in case. If they were all to make it just two more days…if he could find a way to show Steve his potential and restore the connection…Wednesday’s full moon would be able to help.

The front door opened and closed, and instead of a greeting, all Eddie heard was something that sounded like a sack of potatoes hitting the ground followed by shuddering sobs.

He was on his feet in the blink of an eye, rushing to Steve’s side where he had collapsed to the floor in the entryway. “Steve? Steve! Are you hurt? Sweetheart, what happened?”

Eddie was too concerned with the state of his boy to even realize what he had called him. From what he could see, Steve wasn’t bleeding, or broken in any physical way. There were some grass stains on his knees and sneakers, but other than that, he appeared to be ok. 

He wouldn’t respond to any of Eddie’s questions. Tears poured down his anguished face and all Eddie could do was get on the floor next to him and hold him close. Steve turned into him, tucking his face in Eddie’s neck as they clung to each other. That familiar helplessness surged through him. He was so tired of feeling this way.

It seemed like hours before Steve calmed enough to speak.

“We almost lost her.”

His voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper. Eddie could hear the heartbreak and fear in it, and he ran a hand through Steve’s hair.

“Is she okay?”

“For now. She…she just…floated into the air, Eddie. We couldn’t pull her down. And her eyes. They were just…white. Like she wasn’t there at all.”

Eddie unfortunately knew exactly what the scene looked like. It was horrifying. He couldn’t imagine how panicked Steve was seeing that happen to one of his kids.

“But she’s alright now? How did you guys stop it?”

Steve lifted his head from where it had been hiding and swiped at his wet cheeks. “Music. Apparently music was enough to draw her back from wherever Vecna had taken her.”

When Eddie stared at him dumbfounded, Steve continued.

“Robin and Nancy went to Penhurst. To see Victor Creel. He said he didn’t murder his family, something took them. Just like what’s happening now. He was in some kind of trance, and he was able to get out of it by following the music that was playing. So…Max has her Walkman on her, and she’s playing her favorite Kate Bush song nonstop. We’re hoping it’s enough to keep that from happening again.”

“Good,” Eddie breathed out in a sigh. “That’s good. Who would have thought a cassette tape would be our secret weapon?”

His comment had its intended effect, and got a small grin out of his boy. At the same moment, Steve seemed to realize how close they were, his cheeks flushing and eyes darting to where his hand rested on Eddie’s waist. He quickly sat up and cleared his throat. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s ok,” Eddie shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

Truthfully, he would’ve loved to have Steve in his proximity as often as possible. In all the years Eddie had kept watch over him, he never saw Steve show any interest in another man. The reactions Eddie was unintentionally getting out of him made him wonder, though. He had the urge to push into Steve’s space more, test the waters, find out what would happen. But this was definitely not the time.

Steve turned his head and looked over Eddie’s face hesitantly. There was fear in his eyes at first, and it quickly faded to relief. He nodded, quietly rose to his feet, and held out a hand to help Eddie off the floor. 

“It’s late. Probably have another terrifying day ahead of us. I think I’m just gonna try to get some sleep.”

“Did you eat?” Eddie had basically been keeping Steve fed for the last several days. Part of it was boredom, but mostly he just wanted to be able to take care of him somehow. It’s not like anyone else was here to do it.

“Yeah, I had a couple slices of pizza at the Wheeler’s. Everyone’s crashing in the basement tonight.”

“You didn’t want to stay?”

Steve shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “Nah. I figured it would be better if I just came home. And I didn’t want you to worry.” 

Eddie grinned and bumped Steve’s elbow with his own. “Aww, did you miss me?”

Scoffing, Steve turned towards the stairs and started to head up. “Yeah, you caught me, Ed. It definitely doesn’t have anything to do with Mike’s basement smelling like farts and armpits.”

The floor creaked where Steve was pacing outside of the guest bedroom. Eddie had been planning to occupy himself with a book until his boy fell asleep and he could stand guard another night. Clearly that wouldn’t happen anytime soon by the sound of worried feet shuffling in the hallway.

He was about to get up and just go out there to see what Steve needed when there was a hesitant knock on the door. 

“Eddie? Are you awake?”

Eddie was always awake. That was by design so there would never be a moment where his witches weren’t protected.

“Yeah, come in.”

The door opened and Steve stuck his head in. “Hey. I um…I can’t fall asleep. Every time I close my eyes I just keep seeing…”

He didn’t have to explain. Eddie just patted the bed next to him and Steve let out a relieved breath. He stepped inside and came around the bed, sitting cautiously on the opposite side of the mattress with his back to Eddie, fiddling with something in his hands.

“Whatcha got there, Stevie?”

Steve looked over his shoulder and the corner of his mouth turned up as he lifted his hand, showing the copy of The Witches they were reading the night before. “I feel kind of stupid asking for a bedtime story.”

Eddie smiled and set aside the book he was reading, and held his hand out. “Nothing stupid about it. It’s a good book.”

Steve handed it over and got fully on the bed, sitting stiffly against the pillows. “Are you sure this isn’t weird?”

“Why would it be weird?”

“I don’t know…two guys sharing a bed…”

Eddie had lived through a lot of things. He knew all too well the hesitation Steve felt. He wasn’t sure if it was bravery or his need to settle Steve’s nerves that had him saying, “Not my first time sharing a bed with a guy.”

Steve turned and looked at him with his eyebrows raised. “Oh. I didn’t know you were um…gay?”

“I’ve been with women. I prefer men. So whatever label you want to put on that,” Eddie said and shrugged a shoulder. “Is that ok?” He knew about Robin. He would feel bad about eavesdropping on their conversations, but finding out that Steve’s best friend was a lesbain was one of the least scandalous things he’s heard in his time. Eddie figured it wouldn’t be something Steve couldn't handle.

“Yeah! Yeah, of course. I’ve got a friend who’s…uh. They’re also…so yeah. It’s totally fine.”

His nervousness and dedication to not outing his friend was sweet. Eddie just smiled, opened the book, and asked, “What’s the last part you remember hearing?”

“When they were all taking off their wigs and shoes I think?”

“Fuck yeah, that part is great.” Eddie flipped through the pages until he found the right chapter and shuffled down the bed. Looking over at Steve, still sitting up straight and a little awkward, he chuckled and said, “If you want to try actually sleeping, it might help if you lay down.”

Steve rolled his eyes and huffed, but got under the covers and rested his head on the pillow, staring at the ceiling. Satisfied, Eddie began to read.

It took an entire chapter before he had enough of Steve laying stiff as a board several feet away. “Do you want to come closer?”

“Huh?” Steve asked, turning to look at him.

“You look really tense. Steve, I’m not gonna put the moves on you if that’s what you’re worried about. I just want you to relax. To try to get some rest. So if you want to come closer and get comfortable, please do it because you’re making me tense.”

Steve cleared his throat and stammered, “N-no, that’s not…I wouldn’t mind - I mean…I’m not worried about that. Jesus Christ.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and Eddie bit back a laugh. “It’s ok, don’t hurt yourself. Tell you what. I’m just gonna put my arm behind my head, and if you happen to find your way over to my side, no big deal.”

Eddie did just that, and bent his knees so he could prop the book against his legs and turn the pages with his right hand. He picked up where he left off, and with every couple pages he read, he noticed Steve inching his way closer. He got through another full chapter before Steve was just half a foot away. Not missing a beat with the paragraph he was reading, Eddie moved his arm from behind his head and placed his hand on Steve’s back.

Wordlessly, Steve closed the remaining gap, resting his head on Eddie’s chest. He kept his hands to himself, arms tucked into his own chest and fists balled up, like he was afraid to touch Eddie any further. That was fine. Eddie was happy that he was finally letting go of his hesitation.

Another chapter later, Steve’s arm was draped across Eddie’s stomach and his breathing had slowed. Eddie smiled and closed the book, and spent the remainder of the night with Steve in his arms.

Notes:

CUDDLES!!!!

Part of writing this story was doing a LOT of research on magical properties of herbs, flowers, metals, gemstones, etc. I fucking loved looking into all of this. Take it with a grain of salt if you will, but I had a psychic tell me that I'm a witch, specifically a Kitchen Witch, and I've been wanting to try to tap more into that energy with little baby steps. Writing this story has really lit up that part of my brain, and whether it's true or not, doesn't matter...it's fun. Life needs more fun.

Thank you for giving this fic a chance! Comments and kudos make me love you forever!

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Summary:

“What the fuck? Why are there cobwebs in your hair?!”

Steve groaned and swiped at his locks. “Damnit, Nancy said she got 'em all!”

Eddie had to ignore the brief spike of jealousy and pressed on. “Steve, you’ve been gone for fucking ever. What happened?”

“The Creel House happened,” he huffed.

Notes:

CW: Mention of Vecna killing Patrick, Steve's injuries in the Upside Down, Nancy gets Vecna'd

It was late Tuesday night and Steve had been gone all day. Eddie was frantic. Last night was the latest Steve had come back, and he was a mess when he returned. Thoughts kept spinning through Eddie’s mind of Vecna attacking again. Taking Max. Taking any of the kids.

Taking Steve.

He was in a full blown panic when he finally heard Steve’s car pull in shortly after 10:30. Eddie ran to the front door just as his boy came inside. He looked exhausted and shaken, but he was ok. He was alive. He was…

“What the fuck? Why are there cobwebs in your hair?!”

Steve groaned and swiped at his locks. “Damnit, Nancy said she got 'em all!”

Eddie had to ignore the brief spike of jealousy and pressed on. “Steve, you’ve been gone for fucking ever. What happened?”

“The Creel House happened,” he huffed.

“Care to elaborate?”

“Shower first. Then I’ll catch you up.”

“So what happened after all the flashlights blew?” 

They were sitting on the bed in the guest room, Steve freshly showered and in a sweatsuit, as he caught Eddie up on everything they went through that night.

“We got the hell out of there. It was like…a power surge or something.”

“And Max was ok?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah, she was fine, thank Christ. I wouldn’t be surprised if this Vecna guy was working on snatching up someone else. I wasn’t about to say anything, though. Dustin had already made me feel like an idiot.”

Eddie shook his head. “He’s a total smartass. Don’t let him get to you.”

“Yeah, no, you’re right. Anyway. I got all the kids back to basecamp-”

“The farty basement?”

“Exactly,” Steve laughed. “They’re hunkering down there for the night and we’ll regroup tomorrow. Hopefully those brainiacs will come up with something.”

Steve let out a big yawn and Eddie looked over at the book on the nightstand. “You want me to read some more? Try to get some sleep?”

“You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all,” Eddie smiled. “I love Roald Dahl.”

They got under the covers and Eddie didn’t even have to move his arm behind his head before Steve scooted close and settled into his side.

“So what the fuck are you saying?”

Eddie was met with silence before he pressed the button down on the walkie and said, “Over, Jesus Christ.” Steve had been taking it with him every day at Dustin’s insistence, but left it on the counter before he took off again, saying that he would check in when he saw Eddie’s worried looks.

“I’m saying, we’re going in! Over.” 

He clenched his fist at Dustin’s crackling voice and refrained from slamming it through the Harrington’s kitchen wall. “Dustin, this sounds like a bad fucking idea, man. Over.”

“I know how it sounds, but the theory is solid. Patrick died in Lover’s Lake last night around the same time all the lights blew out at the Creel house. We figure Vecna was using some kind of psychic power to make it happen, and it might have ripped a hole between our worlds. A new gate. My compass has been going crazy and that’s only happened before around the presence of another gate to the Upside Down. We followed the compass and it took us right to the lake, Eddie. That’s gotta be it. Your trailer is still a crime scene, so we can’t get in there, and Fred died in the middle of the road, anyone could come by at any time. Middle of the lake? It’s as secluded as we’re gonna get. Over.”

Patrick McKinney was the third unfortunate victim of Vecna’s attacks. Eddie didn’t know him, but he was one of the least douchy lemmings that hung around Jason Carver. His vigilante group found their way to Rick’s last night in search of Eddie and something drew Patrick out into the water. He met the same fate as Chrissy and Fred, and now the kids had this theory that might draw them to their deaths if no one stopped them.

“Put Steve on. Over.”

A moment passed before the walkie crackled and he heard his boy. “Eddie, I’m here. Over.”

“Steve, please tell me as the babysitter that you’re not letting those kids go into a fucking gate to a hell dimension. Over.”

“Fuck no, I’m not that stupid. Over.”

“Good. Then come get me. Over.”

There was a minute of silence before he heard Steve’s voice again. “We can’t, Ed. Someone could see you, it’s not safe. Over.”

Eddie wasn’t scared of some townies finding him. His only worry about being seen was the chance of being taken by the cops. He could easily tear them apart, but that would risk everyone finding out what he was. If he played along and let himself be arrested, they would take him away from Steve, and that was his only real fear. But this was getting too dangerous. He couldn’t stay in this house any fucking longer.

“Steve, the sun just went down. It’s gonna be dark soon, no one will see me. Please…let me help.”

The walkie went silent again and Eddie was about to make another plea when Steve’s voice came through. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

Eddie bolted upstairs, changed out of the sweats he borrowed from Steve, and put on his own clothes from Friday night that had been folded in a drawer of his room. He threw on his leather jacket and battle vest, grabbed the backpack he prepared, and shoved his feet into his sneakers. He waited by the front door until he heard tires on the driveway.

“Unless one of you three can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then…it's gotta be me. No complaints, all right?”

Eddie had a lot of complaints. 

One of them being the way Nancy looked at Steve when he pulled his sweater off, but that was something he would have to grapple with another time. Steve was about to jump head first into danger. Again. He couldn’t stop him, he couldn't protect him, but he could at least do one thing.

He wrapped a flashlight in a plastic bag and handed it over, wishing his boy good luck before he dove into the black waters of Lovers Lake. When the waves settled and he was able to tear his gaze away from where Steve dove in, he caught the knowing stare of Robin Buckley. She glanced down at the water, back at Eddie, and the balled up yellow sweater in his hands. She just smirked and asked Nancy, “Where are we at, Wheeler?”

“Just under a minute.”

It felt like an eternity. When Steve finally broke the surface, out of breath and clinging to the side of the boat, gasping out the news that he located the gate, Eddie was ready to haul him back in and get him as far away from that thing as possible.

Fate had other plans.

The Upside Down was even worse than Eddie had anticipated.

Worse still, was the sight of his boy on the cold, hard ground. Bat-like creatures holding him down, choking him, tearing his skin with their teeth. The girls fought them off before any more damage could be done, and Eddie could only take down the ones that came after him. Once again, the broken connection to the bloodline prevented him from protecting Steve. 

Once under the cover of Skull Rock, Eddie paced and dug his hands into his own hair as Nancy wrapped the ripped fabric of her shirt around Steve’s torso. Tossing his backpack to Dustin for safe keeping seemed like a good idea at the time. He didn’t want to risk it getting knocked into the lake. Now he was in this barren wasteland without his supplies, and every plant here was dead and decayed. There were no healing herbs. Nothing to make tinctures. 

No full moon.

No powers.

No connection.

Eddie was wracked with guilt and at his wit's end. He was mad at himself. He was mad at Steve for diving into that lake. He was unjustifiably mad at Wheeler for doing what she could to help. 

He couldn’t stand seeing Steve’s back so torn up from being dragged across the dry lakebed. In a fit of raw emotions, he pulled off his battle vest and tossed it at his boy so he could cover up before they went traipsing through the woods and on to their next bad idea.

Eddie was quiet as they walked side by side.

Robin and Nancy were up ahead, leading the way to the twisted version of the Wheeler home in search of weapons. Because Nancy Wheeler was apparently the Annie Oakley of Hawkins, Indiana.

And Steve was powering through like all of this was fine. Barefoot, bleeding, broken.

Tears welled in Eddie’s eyes and he had to bite his lip to keep from sobbing. None of this should be happening. His entire existence was made around one job, one task. And he couldn’t do it.

“Hey. Eddie. Are you alright?”

Steve’s question made him want to scream. “Are you seriously asking me that right now?”

“Well…yeah? You’ve been quiet and you’re never quiet.”

Eddie let out a humorless laugh. “Your back is torn to shreds, you had demon bats trying to eat you alive, you don’t have any fucking shoes on and you’re asking me if I’m ok?”

Without missing a beat, Steve told him, “Yes, I am. I’ve been through shit like this before, I can handle it.”

“You shouldn’t fucking have to, Steve!”

“Why are you so upset about this? I’m fine, Eddie. We’ll get back home and I’ll patch myself up like I always do.”

Eddie stopped in his tracks, and Steve followed suit, turning to face him. “That’s just it, Steve. You shouldn’t be here in the first place. You shouldn’t have to go through any of this shit. Getting attacked by fucking monsters, getting beat up, dragged into a lake, sucked into a portal, eaten by bats, none of it! It fucking kills me that this keeps happening! That I can’t keep you safe!”

“Eddie, it’s not your job to keep me safe.”

“Yes it is!” The words came out unbidden and with so much force they echoed through the barren trees. Steve’s brow furrowed and he took a step back. Before he could ask what Eddie meant, what he was talking about, the ground shook and they fell to the forest floor. “Here we go again!”

A gate was on the living room ceiling of his trailer.

Right where Chrissy died.

Seeing the kids on the other side was like looking into a distorted mirror. When they pulled out his mattress to create a soft landing, Eddie couldn’t ignore the looks the others were giving him.

“Those stains are uh…I don’t know what those stains are.”

Eddie wasn’t about to explain that he spent his hours at night sitting on his bed experimenting with herbs, trying to make tinctures and medicinal remedies that witches from the 1200’s taught him. Sometimes they went a little awry or tipped over on the lumpy mattress. He didn’t really care, he never used the bed for sleeping. 

He figured it was better to just let the others think what they wanted.

Dustin’s little physics experiment with knotted sheets worked like a charm when he tossed the makeshift rope through the gate and gave it a solid tug. Robin was the first to go through and landed with a soft thud on the mattress. Eddie was eager to get the hell out of this place, but he knew there was a big conversation waiting for him on the other side, and needed to get to his supplies. He knew his outburst in the woods wouldn’t be forgotten by Steve, especially given the dubious looks the man had been giving him since they ran out of there. He’s avoided the topic long enough, and it was only a matter of time before they would have to face their foe. And they were going to need all the help they could get.

Before stepping up to the rope, Eddie leaned into Steve’s space, speaking low in his ear. “Once we’re on the other side, I need to show you something.”

Steve just looked at him curiously and nodded.

Eddie climbed the rope. 

His world flipped.

And then Nancy Wheeler froze, her eyes turning white.

Notes:

Eddie is about to snap, our boy is at his LIMIT

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Summary:

“I need you to promise me something.”

Furrowing his brow again, Steve nodded his head. “Ok. What is it?”

“Promise me that you’ll keep an open mind. You’ve seen a lot of shit, and I really hope that when I tell you this, you won’t think I’m crazy.”

Notes:

CW: Blood drinking

As soon as Nancy and Steve were back on the right side of the gate, Robin and the kids ushered her across the road into the Mayfield’s trailer. Steve was about to follow them before Eddie grabbed his elbow and gave him a look. He knew that Steve wanted to check on her, make sure she was alright, but his boy looked back at their group, then into Eddie’s pleading eyes and told Robin they would catch up. 

The door closed behind them and Eddie motioned to his room. He led the way and Steve followed, neither of them saying a word to each other. The full moon was out and her light was shining in through the slats in his windows. It felt like reassurance, that Eddie was making the right choice and now was the time.

“So what was all that about back there?” Steve asked.

Eddie opened a dresser drawer and stared down at its contents. Taking a breath, he turned and looked at Steve, his skin practically glowing in the light of the moon.

“I need you to promise me something.”

Furrowing his brow again, Steve nodded his head. “Ok. What is it?”

“Promise me that you’ll keep an open mind. You’ve seen a lot of shit, and I really hope that when I tell you this, you won’t think I’m crazy.”

“Eddie, what’s going on? Are you cursed?! Is it Vecna?”

“No! No, nothing like that. Just…promise me?”

“Yeah, ok. I promise.”

“Steve, I’m…not what you think I am. Neither are you. Here…you might want to sit down.”  Eddie grabbed the clothes that were piled on his desk chair and tossed them aside, sliding the chair out for Steve to sit. Once he was settled, looking at Eddie skeptically, he continued.

“I’m not…human. Technically, you aren’t either-”

“Eddie what the fuck are you talking about? We don’t have time for thi-”

“Listen to me!” Eddie interrupted. “I know we don’t have time, that’s why I need to tell you now! Steve, I’m immortal. I was created by a witch who needed protection. She cast a spell and conjured a familiar. Someone who could keep her safe and fight off anything that intended to cause her harm. She gave me the power to shapeshift, to summon the storms and fight off any evil that came to her and her bloodline.”

Steve scoffed and got up from the chair, attempting to push past Eddie. “This is ridiculous, we’re not in one of your games. We have actual shit we need to deal with.”

“You promised me, I need you to listen!”

“Oh, ok! So you’re some immortal shapeshifter? Prove it!”

“What?”

“Prove it,” Steve demanded, stepping up to Eddie and practically pressing himself against him. “Prove it or I’m out of here. I’m calling your bluff.”

Eddie sighed and clenched his teeth. “I can’t.”

Steve laughed and shook his head. “Of course you can’t, because you’re full of shit!”

“I can’t because I need blood to do it!” Eddie shouted.

That made Steve freeze, narrowing his eyes at Eddie. “Like a vampire? Get real.”

“Not far off, actually. The witch who created me…she used her own blood in the spell, tying me to her lineage. But the side effect was that I’d have to consume human blood in order to use the powers she gave me.”

Steve rolled his eyes and muttered this is fucking insane before looking at Eddie and challenging, “Yeah? Then bite me.”

Stunned, Eddie took a step back. “What?”

“You’re some big bad vampire? Bite me! Prove it! Drink my blood and do your little magic trick. I fucking dare you, Munson.”

Clearly Steve wasn’t going to believe anything Eddie said without proof. He had never bitten a witch before. He wasn’t even sure if his duty to protect them would allow him to do it. Fed up with Steve’s refusal to believe him, and desperate to prove himself, Eddie stepped back into Steve’s space and gripped the collar of the vest he was still wearing.

“Challenge accepted, Harrington.”

Eddie’s teeth elongated quickly. He tilted Steve’s head to the side and sunk his fangs into soft flesh.

The moment Steve’s blood hit his tongue, Eddie’s entire body lit up from within. It was more than the usual surge of energy he would get from his victims or any willing participants. His hand cupped the other side of Steve’s neck as he drank. Eddie could never have expected how much power was in his blood. How he felt it course through his veins. How good it would taste.

He never could have expected how Steve would react, either.

A startled sound left his throat. Steve gripped onto Eddie’s leather jacket and pulled him closer. And then he moaned. A gorgeous sound pulled deep from his chest. 

Eddie took one more mouthful before he withdrew his razor sharp teeth. With one swipe of his tongue, he lapped any remaining blood from Steve’s neck, then pulled back and watched, fascinated, as the wounds closed on their own. 

That had never happened before. He was designed to destroy, and yet the puncture marks on his boy’s skin vanished like that had never been there. 

When he looked up at Steve’s face, he was met with heavy lidded eyes and blown out pupils. Steve was panting and still gripping tight to Eddie’s jacket. His cheeks were flushed and there was a slight tremble running through him.

“Steve…are you ok?”

He gulped and nodded, blinking a few times before answering. “Yeah, I’m…I’m ok. What the hell was that?”

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Steve let out a manic laugh. “No, no that uh…total opposite, actually. What the fuck. You’re a vampire.”

“Not exactly. Like I said, I need blood to be able to shift. I won’t die or shrivel up without it. I’m just weaker. Unable to do the job I was designed for.”

“Right,” Steve said as he released his grip. “So you can show me now? This shapeshifting thing?”

Eddie took a few steps back and rolled his shoulders. “Whatever you do, don’t scream. We don’t need the cavalry busting in here right now.”

Feeling the energy coursing through him, Eddie changed his form, shedding his human veneer and reverting to the bird he first appeared as to the original witch. Steve’s eyes went wide and he stumbled backwards, knocking into one of Eddie’s amps, sending a stack of tapes and notebooks to the floor. 

With a gentle flap of his wings, too large to fully extend in the cramped room of the trailer, he summoned a small flash of lightning and low roll of thunder. Steve’s wide eyes darted to the window and back to the six foot tall bird, equal parts terror and disbelief on his face.

Seconds later, Eddie was back in his human form, holding his hands up in a gesture to show he meant no harm. “Now do you believe me?”

A hysterical laughter burst out of Steve’s open mouth. “This is crazy! This is fucking crazy! I’ve seen some shit the last few years, but…” Steve turned and collapsed back onto the chair, bending down and burying his face in his hands. “What is happening?”

Eddie took a tentative step forwards and sat on the bare box spring. “I’m sorry. I know we’re dealing with a lot right now, but that’s why I had to show you.”

Steve lifted his gaze and shook his head. “I don’t get it. Why are you showing me? What do I have to do with any of this?”

”You’re connected to all of this, Steve. The witch who created me…she was your ancestor.”

Steve sat up in the chair, wincing as his back met the wood behind him. “What the fuck are you saying?”

“I’m saying…you’re the last of the bloodline. A descendant of the witch who made me. Every child that was born to that line was a witch. And I was bound to them as their guardian.”

“What?…That can’t be right. How do you know that?”

Eddie stood and walked over to the dresser. From inside the open drawer, he pulled out a book. Large, bound in leather, and etched with protective sigils. He had been guarding it for the last fifty years.

He sat on the floor in front of Steve, resting the book in his lap. “Do you know what a grimoire is?”

“A what?”

“A grimoire,” Eddie explained, “is a witch’s spell book. Where every spell, every potion, is written down and kept safe. This one is yours.”

Steve looked down at the book in Eddie’s lap and back into his eyes. “Mine?”

With a nod, Eddie carefully opened it and turned the book around for Steve to see. “Written inside are the names and dates of every witch in the blood line that the grimoire was passed down to. Modern calendars weren’t used until nearly 1600. This witch here?” Eddie pointed to the name of his creator. “She was born roughly around 1065 and was in her early 20’s when she conjured me.”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up and he gaped at Eddie. “That’s not possible. That would mean you’re…”

“About nine hundred years old? Yeah. I look pretty good for my age, don’t I?” Eddie smirked.

Rightfully, Steve rolled his eyes, but couldn’t fight the smile threatening to creep on his face. He leaned forward, getting a closer look at the list of names, muttering them under his breath until he stopped at the last one. “Elenore…What the fuck. That’s my grandma’s name.”

“I told you, Stevie. These are your ancestors.”

“And they were all witches?”

Eddie nodded. 

“Why does the list end there?” Steve asked. 

“Because she was the last one to practice. Your great grandmother…she got sick. Elenore used every remedy she could find, but nothing worked. When her mother died in 1936, she swore off witchcraft. She turned her back on the practice. On me. It broke the connection that I’ve had to your family and because of that, I haven’t been able to protect your line. She never told your mother about it. That’s why Sylvia’s name isn’t in here, or yours.”

He gave Steve a moment to let all this information sink in. It was a lot to hear. A lot to try to believe. Eddie was just glad that Steve was still sitting in front of him listening and not running out the door.

“That’s what you meant in the woods? When I said it wasn’t your job to keep me safe?”

Eddie nodded and took a deep breath. “My purpose, my duty, the whole reason I’m on this earth…is to protect you. And without that connection, I haven’t been able to.” Eddie’s eyes stung as he spoke, but Steve had to know. “I’ve been there through all of it, Steve. Your fight with Jonathan. The demogorgon at the Byers’ house. Billy Hargrove. The dogs. Whatever the fuck happened when you disappeared in that elevator. That fucking flesh monster. I saw it all, Steve. I’ve watched over you for years, but I wasn’t able to help you. And you just keep throwing yourself in front of every new threat that comes up! Do you have any idea what it’s like to see you put yourself in harm's way year after year? And to not be able to do anything?”

A tear rolled down his cheek and Steve slowly got off the chair and knelt in front of him. He lifted a hand and hesitated, just for a moment, before bringing thumb to Eddie’s skin, wiping it away. “Helpless?” he asked quietly.

Eddie nodded and sucked in a breath. “It’s my one purpose in this eternal life. And I’ve failed you so many times.”

Steve looked down at the book and gently ran his fingers over the last name on the list. “Can it be fixed? This…connection or whatever?”

“It can. You would need to do it, Steve.”

His boy looked up at him, eyes full of concern and doubt. “I don’t know how to.”

Eddie gave him a hopeful smile. “I can show you.”

Notes:

Here we GOOOO!!!!

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Summary:

Tentatively, Steve opened the cover and began to gently turn the pages. “I don’t understand any of this. How am I supposed to read this stuff and do anything with it?”

“First things first, Stevie. Even if you could read thousand year old handwriting, you won’t be able to do much with it if you don’t have the power you need.”

“So…how do I get that? And is this for real? Like…if anyone got hurt, any of the kids…I could help them?”

Notes:

CW: Self injury (for magical purposes), healing injuries

The woods behind the trailer were a welcome change to their barren counterpart on the other side of the gate. Eddie never wanted to see that place again, but had a feeling he wouldn’t be so lucky. For the time being, he gladly breathed in the scent of tree bark, moss, and damp earth. 

He led Steve to a clearing, away from the sights and sounds of the trailer park, deep enough into the trees that they wouldn’t be found or disturbed. The sky was clear and the moon shone her light down on the dewy grass below their bare feet. When Steve had asked why Eddie took his shoes off too, he explained that it was to help ground them to the earth, the mother. They needed every bit of connection they could get.

Eddie stopped at the center and set down his backpack. Dustin was smart enough to bring it with him and left it on the couch in Eddie and Wayne’s living room. Taking a seat on the damp grass, Eddie motioned for Steve to do the same. They sat cross legged facing each other, and Eddie pulled the grimoire out of his pack and handed it to Steve.

“There’s a lot of history in that book. A lot of spells and remedies that can be used to our advantage. Witches have all kinds of powers. One of the strongest among them…is healing.”

Steve tore his eyes away from the cover of the grimoire. “Healing?” he asked hopefully.

“That’s right,” Eddie nodded, pulling out some of the herbs he pilfered from Steve’s kitchen. “For centuries people - not just witches - have used herbs for healing. They all have their own unique medicinal properties, but when they get into the hands of a witch…” Eddie smirked and looked in his boy’s eyes. “They can be more powerful than any modern medicine.”

Tentatively, Steve opened the cover and began to gently turn the pages. “I don’t understand any of this. How am I supposed to read this stuff and do anything with it?”

“First things first, Stevie. Even if you could read thousand year old handwriting, you won’t be able to do much with it if you don’t have the power you need.”

“So…how do I get that? And is this for real? Like…if anyone got hurt, any of the kids…I could help them?”

Eddie wasn’t surprised in the slightest that Steve’s mind went directly there. His instinct was to protect. “It’s for real. And if we’re going up against some unseen force, if we want to win…we’re going to need your magic, and my special skills.”

“Special skills?” Steve chuckled. “Are you a bird of prey or something?”

Without a word, Eddie stood, shifted into his original form, and dragged his talons across the ground, right in front of Steve. They slid through the earth like a hot knife through butter, taking no effort at all to tear away the lush grass and expose the dark soil underneath. He then extended his wings to their full breadth, and Steve’s eyes went wide as saucers as they flapped once, twice, and two bolts of lightning split through the clear night sky.

Eddie shifted back and returned to his spot on the grass. “Something like that. With me by your side, nothing is going to touch you. Anything that dares to come close won’t live long enough to know what happened. But first, you need to reconnect with the practice. The full moon will help,” he said, looking up towards her light. “She makes everything stronger. Spells, powers, charms. If we’re going to do this, now is the time.”

“I’m ready.” The confidence in Steve’s voice pulled Eddie’s gaze from the moon. “I want to do this. We need every weapon in the arsenal, and if there’s a chance that anything happens to the kids, or Robin and Nance…I want to be able to help. So tell me what I need to do.“

Steve hissed as the pocket knife slid through his palm. His blood looked nearly black in the moonlight as it immediately bloomed to the surface.

“Now what?” he asked.

“Let it connect to the earth. Hold your hand over the dirt. And call out to your ancestors in your mind. In your heart. Your grandmother turned away from all this, but her mom was as close to the practice as any witch I’ve ever known. Talk to her. Ask her to guide you.”

Steve looked down at his hand and back up to Eddie. “What was her name?”

Eddie smiled as he looked into Steve’s eyes, the swirls of brown and green. Every witch before him had eyes the color of a clear sky. He should have known all along that Steve was born for a purpose, that he was sent here to make right what was long broken. “Hazel. Her name was Hazel.”

Taking a deep breath, Steve held his bleeding hand above the overturned soil and made a fist. He closed his eyes and Eddie watched as the blood dripped down and soaked into the earth. Everything went silent around them. Not a single leaf shook on their branches. Not a single cricket made a sound. It was like the world around them was holding its breath, waiting. Eddie’s own breath froze in his lungs, not daring to disturb the air between them.

It started slow. A small tingling feeling where he was sat upon the ground. Bit by bit, it spread. Up his legs and hips. Through his stomach and chest. Into his neck, and up towards his face. When it reached the top of his head, the breath he was holding rushed out of him. He could feel it everywhere. And it was like the earth itself was vibrating with the renewed connection, welcoming her child home.

“You did it,” Eddie gasped. 

Steve’s eyes flew open and his chest heaved. “Eddie…oh my god…do you feel it?”

“Yeah,” he replied with tears in his eyes. “I feel it. You fixed it, Stevie. My little witch.”

His boy let out a bright laugh and swiped at his own watery eyes. “I heard her. Hazel. She wanted me to tell you something.” Steve reached out with his uninjured hand and cupped Eddie’s cheek. “Thank you. For watching over us.”

Eddie covered Steve’s hand with his own and resisted the urge to turn and kiss his palm. “I always will. Now. Do you want to learn your first spell?”

“Did you clear out my entire spice cabinet?”

“Only the good stuff,” Eddie winked.

He had pulled a wood salad bowl out his backpack that he also swiped from Steve’s kitchen, and instructed him to put in a handful of the dirt he bled into. They added sea salt for cleansing and grounding. Rosemary and sage to connect to Steve’s ancestral roots. Rose petals that he harvested from Sylvia’s garden, along with the comfrey, goldenseal, and yellow dock that they collected from the woods surrounding the clearing. All the fresh plants, in the right hands, were excellent aids for healing. 

Steve added them all to the bowl, and Eddie handed him a smooth stone. “What do I do with this?”

“I couldn’t find a mortar and pestle in your kitchen, so we’re making do with what we can find. Use that to grind everything together. The moisture from the soil, and the oils from the plants will help turn everything into a paste. There’s a trick, though.”

“What’s that?” Steve asked with wide eyes.

“Intention. Anyone can grind up a bunch of herbs, but the real magic comes in when a witch puts their intention into what they’re making. If you grind them together in a counter clockwise motion, that can help make a potion for banishment or release. But…if you do it clockwise, it helps with manifestation.”

Steve’s brow furrowed and he looked down at the bowl in his hands. “So what exactly am I…manifesting?”

“Healing. Your intent with these herbs is to connect yourself back to your ancestry, and bring out the magical healing properties of everything in there. The soil and your blood have already healed what was broken, and there’s power in that. It’ll help aid the magic in the plants we picked, they’re all capable of healing injuries. Oh! And I have one more thing.”

Eddie dug through the bag and pulled out another jar. Steve squinted as he looked at the label. “Coriander seed?”

“That’s right,” he said, removing the lid and holding it out. “Add a pinch of this. It helps with speeding up the healing process.”

Steve pinched a small amount between his fingers and added it to the bowl. “And now I just…grind them up? Clockwise?”

“You got it. And as you do that, with every movement, think about what you want it to heal. Picture it in your mind. That will come through and work its way in.”

Eddie watched with a giddy sort of joy as Steve worked the stone over the contents of the bowl. It had been so long since he had the privilege of watching a witch work their magic. His boy was tentative at first, unsure of his movements, but with Eddie’s gentle encouragement, he soon had a rhythm going and the ingredients were blending together just as he had hoped.

“Hold still. I want to make sure I get everything.” Eddie had Steve turn his back to the moonlight so he could see all the wounds clearly. The inside of Eddie’s battle vest was stained with blood. The road rash on Steve’s back and arms was inflamed and just barely starting to scab over. With his fingers, Eddie gently smoothed a thin layer of the paste Steve made over his injuries. 

“Ok. I think that’s all of it.”

Steve turned back to him, still staring at the paste spread over the cut on his palm. “How do we know it’s working?”

“Give it time. Usually a salve like this can take half a day or so. But the coriander seed should speed that up, so maybe only an hour or two.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“Years of practice,” Eddie chuckled.

Steve looked embarrassed as he shook his head. “No, right. Of course. Sorry, that was a stupid question.”

“Hey,” Eddie scolded. “Stop doing that. There’s no such thing as stupid questions. You can’t help what you haven’t been taught. I’ll do whatever I can to walk you through everything I know. It’ll take time, but you’ll get the hang of it. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for, Steve.”

The darkest of nights couldn’t hide the flush on Steve’s cheeks. 

“Now. Let’s get this halfassed bandage off and finish fixing you up.”

Eddie knelt on the ground and untied the knot in the tattered fabric. He carefully removed it from Steve’s waist, wincing at the sight of the damage the bats did. Steve hissed when the material was peeled away from the open wounds. Eddie dipped his fingers into the bowl and looked up at Steve. “This might hurt.”

“Just do it. I can handle it.”

Biting his lip, Eddie moved as gently as he could, applying the salve to both sides of Steve’s stomach. He didn’t even flinch. Eddie silently cursed every demon bat that dared to take a piece of Steve away from him. He didn’t want to ever have to return to that place, but if he did…he swore he would get his revenge.

“Alright. My work here is done.” Eddie looked up and his heart skipped a beat at the way Steve's eyes were locked on him. He looked gorgeous bathed in moonlight. 

Steve held out his hand and Eddie took it, getting pulled to his feet. “Thank you. For um…all of this, I guess?” he laughed awkwardly.

“I’m glad I can finally help.” Eddie glanced down at his neck, the red laceration marks from Steve being choked by that fucking bat, and gestured to it. “Let me get your neck, too. Those marks look nasty.”

Steve’s hand flew up to where Eddie had bit him earlier. “Is it bad? It was weird, that didn’t even hurt.”

“Oh! No uh…somehow they closed up right away. There isn’t anything there.”

“That’s weird, right?”

Eddie nodded and got some more salve on his fingers. “Very. I’ve never seen that happen before. I’m betting it has something to do with my inability to cause harm to witches. Every human I’ve fed from had marks left behind.”

“Wait, so…how have you been able to shapeshift this whole time? Who’s blood have you been drinking?”

“Well, I don’t just go attacking random innocent people so I can feed. There’s an open bay at the back of the hospital where supplies are brought in. When I was running low and needed to feed, I’d swoop in through there and snatch a blood bag or two. That usually sustained me for a while. Anyway…that bat did a number on your neck, it’s all red and irritated. Can I?”

“Yeah…go ahead.”

He took a step closer and Steve tipped his chin back, allowing Eddie access to the marks around this throat. When the last of the redness was covered, and Steve tilted his head back down, they were so close they practically breathed the air out of each other’s lungs. Eddie had never wanted to taste someone’s lips more than he did in that moment.

“We should, um…make another batch before we head back to the trailer. It’s late.”

Steve just nodded and got to work.

“I lit a candle in the bathroom, we should keep the lights off so it doesn’t draw any attention. There’s a towel in there and a change of clothes.”

“Thanks, Eddie. So you think it’s safe to wash this stuff off now?”

Eddie looked over the spots where the salve had been soaking in since the clearing. It had been a couple hours. They made some more and filled an empty jelly jar, collected the reminder of their herbs, and quietly crept back to the trailer. Eddie made him a couple sandwiches in the dark and took the first shower so that the salve on Steve’s skin would have a little more time to do its job.

“Yeah, these are looking a lot better. Go wash up and I’ll take a look at your back when you’re done.”

While Steve headed to the bathroom and got the water running, Eddie used his recharged strength to haul the mattress from the living room back into the bedroom. He made a point to put clean sheets on, ones that weren’t stained with his failed experiments, and fluffed the pillows. 

The moon was still shining bright, casting the room in a soft glow, and Eddie cursed under his breath. They were so wrapped up in getting Steve’s wounds taken care of that he forgot about the talisman. He was just digging it out of his pack when Steve crept into the bedroom, wearing nothing but Eddie’s black pajama pants and a smile.

“It worked.”

Eddie stood and crossed the room, looking Steve over. His neck was completely healed. Only faint marks remained on his stomach where bats had eaten literal chunks of his flesh away. He spun Steve around and marveled at how well his back had healed. “I knew you could do it. It worked like a charm, Stevie.”

His boy turned back around with a look of pride Eddie had never seen on his face before. “I can’t believe all this is real.”

“Believe it, sweetheart. And this is just the start of what you can do. Here, open your hand.”

Steve held out the palm he cut, not a mark to be found, and Eddie placed the necklace in the center. “What is this? Is that an acorn?”

“No,” Eddie chuckled. “I hope you don’t mind, but the spice cabinet isn’t the only thing I raided.”

Looking closer at what was in his palm, Steve grinned. “Is this my mom’s necklace? You’re like a magpie, aren’t you? What else have you been collecting?”

“Lightning Bird, actually.” Steve lifted a brow and Eddie smiled back. “Legends spread over time. People give names to the things they fear. That’s what they started calling me.”

Steve nodded in understanding and looked Eddie up and down. “Pretty cool name, actually. Kinda badass.”

“Thank you, Stevie. Now sit. I’ve got one more lesson to teach you before we lose the moon.”

The newly charged talisman hung around Steve’s neck and glinted in the last light of the moon before she dipped behind the trees. The amethyst, nutmeg, and star anise were bound together, now a sacred object that his boy could carry for protection, strength, luck, and to help ward off evil. Eddie would destroy anyone who tried to harm him, but having an extra boost of magic never hurt.

Worn out from their excursion into the Upside Down, and everything that followed, Steve sank back into the bed with a sigh. “I feel like I could sleep for a hundred years.”

“Maybe aim for about six to eight hours, Rip Van Winkle,” Eddie teased.

“Who’s that?”

“You haven’t read that book?” When Steve shook his head, Eddie leaned over to his bookshelf and grabbed his worn copy. “How about a bedtime story?”

Steve snorted and shuffled over, making room for Eddie to lay down next to him. Like it was a well-practiced routine, his boy curled against his side, resting his head on Eddie’s chest and slinging an arm across his stomach. The only change this time was the feeling of Steve’s fingertips stroking back and forth against Eddie’s side until he fell asleep.

Notes:

We have a baby witch!!!!

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Summary:

He looked up at Dustin, safely on the other side of the gate. “I need you to trust me, Henderson. Stay there, where you’re safe. Stick to the walkie and make sure the others are alright.”

“Are you crazy? You’re gonna get yourself killed!”

Eddie smiled up at him. “I’ve got some unfinished business down here. Don’t even think about coming back through, you hear me?”

Notes:

CW: Blood drinking, half a second of dry humping (things aren't spicy yet but they're getting warmer), coming out sort of?

Dawn was breaking when Steve woke up, the early morning sunshine setting the bare skin of his back and shoulder aglow. He huffed a little sound, burying his face into Eddie’s t-shirt and held him tight for a moment before consciousness fully kicked in. He sucked in a lungful of air and lifted his head as he retracted his arm. Eddie immediately missed the warmth of him.

Blinking slowly and rubbing his eyes, Steve looked around the room and then to Eddie.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he chuckled at Steve’s bleary eyes.

“Morning. You been up long?”

Eddie didn’t find any reason to lie anymore. “I don’t sleep.”

“Huh?!” Steve’s baffled expression was adorable. “Whassat mean?”

Eddie stroked a hand through his unruly hair in an attempt to tame it. “It means I don’t sleep. I don’t need to. Kind of hard to keep watch over witches if I’m dead to the world every night.”

“You don’t get tired? Ever?”

“Not really. The closest I get is when I need blood, but then I just feel weak and can’t shift.”

“Huh,” Steve said with a thoughtful look. “Wait, do you eat?! Like…normal food? I’ve seen you eat maybe two times since you came to my place.”

“See, I told you you were smart.”

Steve just rolled his eyes. “So you only drink blood, then?”

“That is correct. I can eat food, but I don’t need it.”

“Just blood.”

Eddie hummed his confirmation and adjusted his position on the bed. Steve did too until they were laying face to face on their sides.

“Do you need more?”

“Hm? More blood?”

“Yeah,” Steve breathed as his eyes darted down to Eddie’s mouth. “You can take some more. If you need it. Might be a good idea to fuel up before we check in with everyone.” 

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. It didn’t hurt at all.”

The craving Eddie had for Steve’s blood was unlike anything he ever felt. Just the thought of it had his mouth watering and teeth sharpening. Eddie lifted his hand from where it rested between them on the mattress and ran a finger over the pulsing vein on Steve’s neck. Goosebumps broke out on his boy’s skin and Eddie looked back into his hazel eyes. 

Wordlessly, Steve moved closer. It was all the permission Eddie needed. He propped himself up on his elbow and Steve pressed his head further into the pillow, offering up the length of his neck. Gently brushing the silver chain aside, Eddie slowly leaned in. He could smell the blood pumping below the surface of Steve’s skin and it made him dizzy. 

His teeth elongated again as Eddie’s lips just grazed the warm flesh. He pressed forward, sealing his open mouth to his boy’s neck, and slowly let his fangs cut into his skin. 

Euphoria.

Eddie’s mouth filled with the thick liquid that Steve spilled into the earth, and he couldn’t believe he was worthy enough of the same precious life force. He hummed as he swallowed, feeling an unmatched surge of energy flow through him. He only intended to feed briefly, just a small amount, enough to make sure he had the ability to use the powers that were given to him. But Steve tasted so good. Unlike anything that ever hit his tongue before.

And Steve…

His labored breathing worried Eddie at first, until a hand snaked into his hair, forcing his mouth to press even harder into his boy’s neck. A gasp. A moan. A whisper of oh fuck. 

Eddie drank another mouthful with a groan and pressed in further until Steve was on his back. He cradled his boy’s neck again with his left hand and gripped Steve’s hip with his right. The reaction was immediate.

Steve wrapped an arm around Eddie’s waist, let out a strangled cry, and rocked his hips up. Startled by the feel of Steve’s hardening length against his thigh, Eddie broke the seal he had on Steve’s neck and lifted his head, staring down at the man below him. Steve’s pupils were blown and his mouth was slack. He was breathing like he just ran a mile and looked up at Eddie with pleading eyes. 

“Why did you stop?”

Eddie licked the blood from his lips and demanded, “Tell me what’s happening.”

“It’s…I can’t explain it. It just feels really…really good.”

“Steve, you’re…” He looked down between their bodies and back up at Steve’s face.

“I know.”

Clearing his throat, Eddie narrowed his eyes, assessing. “I hate that I have to remind you of this, but I’m a man.”

With a huff, Steve rolled his eyes. “I know.”

“And you’re…ok with that?”

The hand still in Eddie’s hair gripped tighter. Steve lifted his head off the pillow and brought their lips together. The kiss was soft and simple. Nothing earth shattering, but Eddie felt his foundations quake regardless. “Yeah,” Steve whispered into the space between them. “I think I am.”

Eddie’s restraint dissolved and he crashed their mouths together in a fierce kiss. He took Steve’s bottom lip between his own, lightly grazed his teeth over the plump flesh, and groaned at the taste of blood on his tongue. Steve’s mouth dropped open with a moan, and Eddie licked inside, swallowing down the sweet taste of him and the sounds he made. 

It was addictive and he wanted more. More. Never enough.

Their tongues lapped hungrily at each other, and Eddie was about to fully roll on top of his boy and make home between his thighs when the creak of the trailer door opening stopped him.

“Dingus? Are you up?”

Robin Buckley took in the sight of her best friend, hair disheveled, cheeks flushed, wearing Eddie’s pants and a hastily thrown on band shirt, and crossed her arms over her chest. The shirt was inside out. And backwards. 

She turned her gaze to Eddie, who had leaned against the kitchen counter refusing to give anything away.

The silence was deafening.

Looking back at Steve, who stood nervously by the small table near the hallway, she uncrossed her arms and said simply, “We need a bathroom conversation.”

She walked towards the hallway, grabbed Steve by the arm, dragged him into the bathroom, and shut the door.

“Is everything alright? You guys were in there for a while.”

Steve took the cup of coffee that was handed to him and grinned. “Everything’s fine. She just had some…questions.”

Eddie’s eyes darted to where the talisman rested under Steve’s shirt. He had fixed it when Robin locked them in the bathroom. “Questions about…”

“Oh! No, I didn’t tell her anything about you. Or me. Or, well…not about everything you told me.” Eddie raised a brow and Steve laughed nervously, taking a sip of coffee before setting the mug down on the counter. “I kind of told her a couple days ago about…stuff I’ve been feeling. Figuring out. She just wanted to talk about it.”

His nervous energy was endearing, but all of Eddie’s time on this earth taught him that being direct was usually best. “Steve. You can talk to me, too. After everything I told you last night, after you put your faith in me and believed me…I want you to know there’s nothing you have to hide. You can trust me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Steve’s shoulders sagged and he took a deep breath. “The last week has been a lot. Not just with the whole…Vecna thing. Being around you. Getting to know you. It’s been great, but it’s also kind of terrifying.”

“Do I scare you?”

“No,” he answered calmly. “I think I scared myself. I thought I always knew who I was, but sometimes…I don’t know. I’d look at other guys and notice things. I just kind of shoved that away for a long time. But then you showed up, and you were just…there all the time. Smiling, and laughing, cooking for me, reading to me, listening to me. Whatever I was trying to shove in a box came crashing out and I couldn’t stop it. For the first time in my life, I didn’t want to.”

Eddie stepped forward, getting into Steve’s space, and took his hand in his own. “You can take as long as you need to figure this out. There’s no rush. We’ve got a lot to handle as it is, so don’t feel like you need to start questioning or defining yourself right now. We’ve got time.”

Steve looked down at their clasped hands and his voice was quiet when he asked, “What if we don’t? What if we’re not as lucky this time?”

With his other hand, Eddie tipped his boy’s chin up and said firmly, “I’m not letting anything happen to you.”

Sneaking over to Max’s trailer was easy enough in the early hours of the morning. Several people cleared out of the area after a teenager’s body was found in the trailer park, so there weren’t as many eyes around for Eddie to be caught by. 

Less easy, was sneaking out of Max’s later in the day.

One explanation of a vision, one phonebook, one Halloween mask, and one stolen RV later, they were on the road to War Zone to gear up.

“So are you and Steve like…friends now?”

Eddie looked across the field to where Steve and Robin were prepping Molotovs and nodded. “Yeah, something like that.”

“This is so cool,” Dustin beamed. “I’ve been telling you for months that he's a badass. Now you’re gonna get to see it in action. When all this is over, you think we can hang out? You know…since you’re friends or whatever?”

The kid was so eager and earnest. After all they’ve seen and fought, his innocence remained. 

Eddie grabbed the back of his head and gave it a shake. “Never change Dustin Henderson. Promise me.”

His young friend smiled back. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

The decayed version of his home was reinforced and ready. Steve, ever concerned for the safety of his children, checked and rechecked that every possible entry into the trailer was secured, even making sure the vents were blocked. With Team Distraction ready to go, phase one of their plan was set into motion.

Before Steve walked away with the girls, ready to make their trek to the Creel house, Eddie called out to him.

His boy turned around, and a look of concern was etched on his face.

Eddie wanted to stop him from going. He wanted to tell Steve to stay right there with him. He wanted to kiss him.

“Please be careful.”

The look in his eyes must have conveyed what his intentions were. Steve gave him a small smile and put his hand on his talisman, safely tucked away. “I will.”

And with that, he turned and made his way towards danger. Again.

“Eddie, what are you doing?!”

He looked up at Dustin, safely on the other side of the gate. “I need you to trust me, Henderson. Stay there, where you’re safe. Stick to the walkie and make sure the others are alright.”

“Are you crazy? You’re gonna get yourself killed!”

Eddie smiled up at him. “I’ve got some unfinished business down here. Don’t even think about coming back through, you hear me?”

“But-”

“Dustin. I’ll be ok. Stay where you are, I’ll be back soon.”

Stepping out of the trailer and seeing the swarm of demobats circling his home would be enough to send a normal person running for the hills. Thankfully, Eddie wasn’t normal, or a person. 

He kicked the metal gate open and walked out, immediately snatching a bat by its throat and ripping it in half. Another dove at him as he made his way down the stairs. And another. Each one that came at him met the same fate, torn in two, and thrown to the dead earth below him. As he moved further into the fray, the hive mind of the bats must have realized that attacking one at a time was a fruitless effort. 

They swarmed.

Razor sharp teeth bit at his arms and stomach and chest. His clothes were being torn to shreds, but his skin was impenetrable. Still, they tried. A tail wrapped around his neck and he pulled it apart like taffy. They tried to take his legs out from under him, but he stood firm to the ground, immovable and solid as stone as he took down one bat after another. Vengeance for what they did to Steve. 

They took a pound of flesh? He would take every single one of them out of the sky.

It wasn’t until his jacket and shirt were completely torn apart, scattered bits of fabric littering the ground, that Eddie made his move. Every bat in this underworld swarmed around him, making a cloud so dark and thick he couldn’t see through to the other side. He drew on his power and shifted. His wings stretched wide, slicing through the path of the creatures swooping around him, and he called upon the storm. With every beat of his wings it grew, the rumble of thunder cutting through the screeching and flapping of leathery skin. 

And then the strike. A bolt of lightning hit the ground to his left, another to his right, sending singed bodies in all directions. His talons ripped into any bats that managed to get near enough, and the rest were taken out with each streak of white light he summoned. When the last one hit the ground with a wet squelch, he shook out his wings and looked at the piles of corpses around him. 

If birds could smile, he would. 

The satisfaction of revenge was short-lived. Eddie felt the pang in his gut almost immediately.

Steve.

Something was coming for him.

He took off into the red sky, flying a straight and quick path to the Creel house.

Notes:

Leaning into the whole vampire bites are an aphrodisiac thing here a little bit. Eddie's bites don't do that for anyone else, just Stevie! And there you go, Duffers. I fixed what you broke. Eddie is JUST FINE!