Rainbow in the dark.

17.

Walking through the woods in the upside down, Eddie's mind was racing. He promised y/n he wouldn't do anything stupid, yet here he was, in an alternate dimension after diving to the bottom of lovers lake and swimming through a giant glowing portal. Yep. That counts as stupid.

"Hey, Eddie..." Steve had came racing up to him.

"...thanks for saving my ass back there."

Eddie continued looking forward. "I didn't really do anything man."

"Sure you did."

"Maybe."

Eddie hadn't looked at Steve once. His eyes focused on the direction he was walking and his mind clearly elsewhere.

"You okay man?" Steve hadn't known him long, but it would be obvious that something was up even if Eddie were a complete stranger.

"Just wanna get out of here."

"Back to y/n right?" A genuine smile forming on his face as he spoke.

This caught Eddie's attention and he finally looked toward Steve. "Uh... yeah. Is that weird? That's weird."

Steve laughed slightly. "Not weird. You're in love with them. I get it."

Eddie quickly interjected. "I'm not in love with them. I barely know them."

"And? You never heard of love at first sight?"

"Come on Steve. You don't really believe in that crap do you?"  Eddie was nervous. Was it really that obvious?

"Absolutely. That's how it was for me with Nance."

A small huff left Eddie's lips before he spoke. "Yeah well, let's just keep that between us yeah?"

Steve stopped walking, forcing Eddie to stop aswell. "Wait. So you're just not gonna tell them?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why not? They feel the same way. It's so obvious."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "I highly doubt that Steve. But even if they did, they deserve way more than a waste of space like me. So no, I'm not telling them." He then walked ahead in front of Steve, obviously done with the conversation.

"Such an idiot..."

........................

Y/n had been stumbling through the woods for almost an hour now. It was dark and cold, they had no idea where they were or where they were going. Every turning and every tree looked identical to the one before. They couldn't even radio Dustin for help because if the cops heard them over the walkie then they'd all be in a far bigger mess than they already were. Panic had begun to set in. Heavily.

Finally, after coming across the same giant tree that they were convinced they'd already passed 4 times, y/n decided to admit defeat and stop. There was no use going any further. They were most likely going in circles anyway, but were absolutely about to get lost if they continued. Plus, their ankle was still extremely painful, and the adrenaline of running from the cops that had been masking the pain had started to wear off.

Y/n dropped to the ground, and pressed their back against the large trunk of the very same tree. They took a moment to catch their breathe, before taking the walkie and placing it onto their lap.

Fingers hovering over the buttons and dials, y/n was using every ounce of restraint they had not to call Dustin. They were terrified. The woods were pitch black now, with only the slightest light from the moon creeping down between a tiny gap in the leaves above. The silence was deafening. They could hear their own breathing so clearly, and every single rustle of leaves or twig falling to the ground sent shivers up their spine.

But the noise that really made y/n jump out of their skin was...

*radio static and crackling* "y/n?"

Without even thinking and out of pure fear y/n flung the radio into the clearing in front of them.

"Y/n? Do you copy?!"

"Shit!" They quickly scrambled toward to radio, picking it up and responding to Dustin.

"Dustin???"

"Shit y/n! We're in trouble here. Where are you?"

Y/n slowly turned on their feet shaking their head.

"I don't know Dust, I have no idea!"

"Shit! Um... okay. Can you make it back the way you came?"

"Uhh... yeah I think so."

"Okay good. When you get to the lake, can you make it back to Eddie's trailer?"

Y/n paused. Why would they need to make their way to Eddie's? His place was a crime scene and surely the last place they should be.

"Why Eddie's?"

"There's no time to explain can you get their or not?!"

"I...I can try I guess! Wait.. is Eddie okay?!"

"Yes, yes he's fine. Just get there okay?"

"Okay, okay! Turning back now. I swear if I get lost agai..."

Y/n was interrupted by the intense sounds of static and interference through the radio.

"Shit. No, not now!" They begged as they began hitting the walkie and trying to reconnect with their younger cousin.

"Dustin? Dustin!! Shit!"

Y/n quickly pushed the radio into their jacket pocket and hurried along walking the way they were sure they'd come from.

_______________________

A/N: hey lovely people. I'm so sorry for the long break between chapters! Life's been super crazy the past few weeks and I've had almost no time or mental capacity to write or do anything. But I'm hoping to be much more regular again now :)