the chain

run in the shadows

It was always true; Eddie Munson was always a loud person. From the clothes that he liked to wear to his messy metalhead hair, everything about him was so very apparent. He never really hid anything about who he was. You only had to look at him to know everything. When you gently brush your fingers over his eyelids, you can almost pretend that he's sleeping. That's why he's suddenly so quiet, he's off in some dazed dream, reclaiming all the lost sleep from these past few weeks. It's what he deserves, peace and rest; but not like this. As you stare down at his closed lips, the dark red blood upon him as his face is shaded in blue, something inside of you twists and turns angrily. It's so guttural, the feeling, it's visceral and gnawing at the very centre of your chest. You can't look away. 

Your throat is dry and your hand still holds Eddie's. You're not sure if, somewhere in your mind, you're trying to warm him up. He's so cold. He was always so warm, especially when you had just gotten out of Lovers Lake, teeth chattering, on the border of hypothermia, and resting against his body heated you up in minutes. Eddie's meant to be warm. He isn't warm, no matter how hard you grip his hand.

"Please, please! No, no. Eddie, please... C'mon. I love you," you sob into his chest, screwing your eyes shut, "I love you. I'm sorry- I'm so sorry. I- I should've - I'm so sorry, baby. I love you."

Steve's eyes widen at the scene he's just stumbling into. Dustin, sitting down a few metres beside you as you're laying on Eddie's chest, your hand holding his tightly. You're shaking. He can hear you despite the distance, your helpless sobs are borderline screams. Eddie isn't moving at all. His shoulders fall and in an instant, he's breaking out into a sprint. Nancy and Robin are hot on his heels.

"Wh-What happened?" Steve bellows out, his eyes darting between you and Dustin, "What happened?! Are you hurt?"

Dustin rises to his feet, shakily. He's unsteady. The kid looks up at Steve for a moment and he's never felt so helpless and afraid. Dustin shakes his head. When his lip trembles, Steve doesn't hesitate in pulling him into his arms.

"E-Eddie-" Dustin can't speak. All he can do is cry, shut his eyes, and grip Steve's jacket tightly.

"Oh, God," Steve breathes, his voice panicked and shocked, "okay, okay, buddy. Breathe, alright, hey - you gotta take a breath. Take a breath, Dustin." Dustin shakes his head into Steve's chest and the older kid can do nothing but hold him tightly, one hand holding the back of his head and the other wrapped around his shoulders. "I'm here, Dustin," he tells him, "I'm here."

"Y-Y/N," Robin mumbles quietly, sitting beside you but you don't even look at her, "I-I'm so sorry, I... I don't-"

"Help me pick him up," you pull yourself away from Eddie, glancing up frantically at Steve, "I can't do it myself, Steve! Help me!"

Dustin pulls away from Steve, wiping furiously at his eyes, "W-we couldn't - we weren't strong enough."

Steve rushes forward, kneeling down beside Eddie. The undergrad is ice cold. His body is still and pale. Steve can see that even his chest isn't moving, and he slowly peers over at you.

"Please, get him up! We have to take him somewhere," you beg your best friend, snapping your eyes towards him when he doesn't move or utter a single word, "Steve!"

"He's- I'm..." Steve's mouth is open as he looks at you, his eyes wide and in shock. You can't bear to look at Steve's face as he tries to find the right words.

"Y/N," Nancy speaks up, her voice shaking as she stares, horrified, at the scene, "Eddie's gone."

No, he isn't. He's right here. He's right here in front of you and he needs help.

"We have to go. The ground is-"

"No," you cut her off loudly, shaking your head, "no, no, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying. I'm not going anywhere."

"Hey," Robin responds calmly and quietly, rubbing her hand on your back tenderly, "I-I know, I know what he meant to you- I-I'm so sorry. It just, it's not safe-"

"I don't care!" You shout wildly, inching closer to Eddie, "I want to stay. I want to stay." You beg, "Please, let me stay. He'll be alone when he wakes up, no, I have to stay."

Dustin bites his lip as he watches you, his arms cradled around himself tightly. Nancy paces up to him, a sympathetic look on her face as she placed her hands on his shoulders. Robin gives Steve a look but isn't able to say anything before a tremor rips through the trailer park, shaking every single thing in its radius. Removing her hands from you, you let out a sigh as you run your thumb over Eddie's hand.

"Y/N," Steve mumbles.

You struggle to shake his hands from your shoulders and arms, your eyes focus on Eddie's face the entire time. "No, stop! Stop!"

"I'm sorry," he tells you, "I have to do this."

"Steve! Please!" Your screams tear through your dry throat, searing its raw pain but you continue, "No, I don't want to leave him! No!"

"I'm so sorry."

"Stop!"

Steve moves against your chorus of refutes and pleas, his eyes burning at the broken, choked-out words that you shout. You can't do anything but let out desperate strings of sobs. Nancy has her arms around Dustin, her head leant down towards his ear as he sobs into her comforting arms. Robin, a hand over her mouth and her eyes wide, stares as Steve tries to haul you to your feet. You're writhing against his arms, trying to push him away as your hand still latches onto Eddie's.

"Let go of me!" You break down into a fit of sobs when he finally tears you away from Eddie's touch, "Let go of me, Steve!"

He turns you towards him and doesn't waste a second in wrapping his arms around your shaking frame. "Okay, okay, Y/N," he whispers, his thick arms encompassing you whole.

"I don't want to go. I don't want to go. I don't want to leave him, I can't leave him," you cry so hard he can barely hear what you're saying through your stuttering words and desperate pants.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles over your crying, "I'm sorry."

Another shake tears through the Upside Down and Steve pulls away from you. He stares into your gaze, muttering something but you don't bother to listen. You feel like you can't focus, even if you did try to hear him. The image in front of you, distorted and silent, shakes wildly. Steve looks over to Nancy, who pulls away from Dustin. Holding your arm, Steve tugs you along the back of the group which starts to head off towards the trailer.

You're silent now, head angled towards Eddie's lying on the ground by himself. When you look down, at your clenched, aching hand, you carefully pry it open to see what it grips. Eddie's ring.