Beyond the Battle: Action & Consequence (Steddie, Stranger Things)

Chapter 12: Child Geniuses

"Okay child geniuses," Eddie said with his usual dramatic flair after food had been consumed and everything tidied away.

"Hey," came from several directions. 

"Technically he's not wrong," was Erica's view on the matter.

"As I was saying," Eddie continued, "there is a matter we need to discuss."

Steve could tell Eddie was nervous under the bravado, but he hung back, letting Eddie deal with this how he wanted to but ready to step in if Eddie needed him.

"Okay, Eddie," Dustin said, "what is it?"

"Well," Eddie said, "just to make sure everyone is caught up, El declared me completely de-Vecna'd yesterday, thank you El, but also a little bit other."

"Like me and Will and Steve," El said with a smile.

"This morning we found out what the other is," Eddie went on, giving her a nod and a tight smile. "I woke up with fangs."

"Fangs?" Will asked.

"Like when you were a minion?" Dustin added.

"Kinda, but not really," Eddie replied. "Much neater."

"They were shorter than the ones he had in the Void," Steve revealed, since he had been the one to actually see them, "but his eyes were the same; black, with a red ring."

"And everything what, just went away?" Mike asked next.

"That would be a nope," Eddie replied with a very much false smile. "They came with this really gnarly thirst."

All the kids were looking at Eddie now. The tension was obvious.

"So, you're still a vampire?" Dustin asked, seeing straight to the root of the issue.

"Yep," Eddie said, popping the 'p' in emphasis.

"But you don't have any vampire weaknesses," Mike pointed out, waving in the general direction of the windows and the bright morning sun.

"Also true," Eddie agreed, "and it's not like I can will the fangs back. They were there, but now they're not, or at least they aren't extended. Not sure how that works to be honest."

"How did you get rid of them this morning?" Lucas asked.

"Um ... well ..." Eddie hesitated for the first time.

"I convinced him to bite me," Steve entered the conversation once more.

"You did what?" Dustin demanded.

"Henderson, you don't have a leg to stand on, so button it," he countered. "I made Eddie bite me. It wasn't like we hadn't done it before, and I healed the wound. See, no bite marks."

He held out his wrist which no longer even had the little pink spots.

"He took like two or three swallows and that was it," he added.

"And you let them?" Dustin asked, glaring at Robin.

"Robin wasn't even there," Steve defended his best friend. "Eddie and I were in my room. We were sleeping in the same bed because of nightmares. You all know what those are like."

It was sad because every kid in the room nodded, even Erica, but it meant they all got each other.

"I figured it would be easier to deal with Eddie's condition if there was an easy solution," Steve told them, "and there is."

"It could have been dangerous," Dustin pointed out, but his tone was much less accusatory.

"I've seen Eddie's control when he was starving and dying," Steve defended himself. "I trust him."