after it all - steddie

1

NOTES (PLEASE READ):

clockwork/setting: this is technically post season five. it is after vecna has been defeated. hawkins is healing from splitting open and then closing again. eddie has been in a coma for almost a year (since the bat attack and hawkins splitting open). eddie's wounds are just now starting to heal. his wounds are just now closing because the upside down is just now closing as well.
more will be explained in the story.
enjoy :)

"henderson?" steve called out, his voice echoing through the woods. the spores were covering the three young adults as they scavenged for their two friends.

"shut up," robin snapped her head at steve, a singular finger raising to her lips to motion silence.

nancy quickly looked at robin, her shot gun in hand. "did you hear-"

snap.

all of them quickly turned to the bush behind them. steve was holding his baseball bat with nails crookedly hammered into the end as if he were going to hit a grand slam. robin had a lighter ready, her other hand on a makeshift molotov. nancy quickly raised her gun, cocking it with one swift move.

a small figure rose from the bush, a green, scraggly bush disguise hanging off of the kid. some of it was drenched in dark red blood. his hands were covered in the same residue.

steve's eyes widened, a sick feeling churning in his stomach. he went pale and slowly lowered the bat once he realized who the kid was. the other two lowered their weapons as well - not wanting to scare the boy more than he looked.

steve swallowed harshly, tears beginning to brim at his waterline. "wh—...where's eddie?"

for some reason, steve already knew that answer.

"he did-didn't run this time." henderson croaked out in a small weep.

and with that sentence, a loud crash was heard.

the three clueless friends followed dustin, running after him to get to eddie's already cold body.

the bottle that was filled with gasoline laid there, shattered on the ground. the bottle that was once in robin's hand was now broken into a million small shards, the gasoline spewing everywhere. the shards glistened in the pale light of the upside down.

steve felt as if his devastated heart laid there too.

"steve!" dustin shouted, punching steve's shoulder.

"what?" steve opened his eyes and quickly turned to dustin. dustin had tears in his eyes, a hand covering his mouth. the other shaky hand rose as his index finger extended towards the hospital bed.

steve looked over to the male that laid in the bed. eddie's eyes were now open, which were the first time they had been open for months, even close to a year.

"eddie!" steve shouted, surprising himself at how loud the greeting came out. "eddie," he repeated in a softer tone.

tears came to his eyes as eddie slowly turned his head to glance at the other two that were seated in the horribly uncomfortable hospital chairs. eddie had small tears dripping down his face as he attempted to smile. he found it hard considering there was a tube down his throat that was supplying air to his lungs: a ventilator.

steve tried blinking the tears out of his eye, trying to stay strong for dustin. he has been the entire time eddie has been in a coma. even while watching vecna take his last breath, steve still didn't shed a tear despite the amount of happiness he felt, or that he thought he felt. something in the back of his mind still lingered.