Just Come Back

Just Come Back

A/N: It's been a minute since I posted any writing but this fix-it fic was very much needed since The Duffer Brothers apparently lost all sense and reason and their good writing went straight out the window. Enjoy this, I hope it makes some of you feel better after that 💕

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Reader is a member of the Hawkins gang and has to sit out of the mission to kill Vecna. All they can do is stress the importance of all of their friends making it back to them.

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Warnings: Violence, swearing

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The cool breeze tickled your cheeks as you sat on the ground, busying yourself with fashioning a weapon out of a stick. You used one of the knives they'd picked up from The War Zone a few hours earlier, narrowly escaping Jason and his band of miscreants. Everything seemed to be going to help around you and you were desperate to keep yourself distracted.

A few shouts and protests could be heard nearby and you glanced up to see that Eddie and Dustin had started wrestling with each other, the pair tumbling around, laughing. A smile crept across your face at the sight. At least some things never changed. You watched as Eddie suddenly took Dustin by the shoulders and said something to him. Dustin's face dropped slightly and you felt a twinge in your chest. But then, Eddie was laughing and smiling again, never remaining too serious. Typical Munson.

"Be careful, Eddie." You called out as they started messing around again. "We all know Henderson could take you any day."

Eddie ceased trying to tackle Dustin and his gaze met yours, a playful smile on his face. He slowly made his way over to you, his grin never ceasing. "Maybe you'd like to try your hand?"

"Me? That's hardly a fair fight. I could take you easily."

"Is that so?" He asked, a mischevious glint in his eye. You gave him a warning stare.

"Eddie, don't you dare."

He didn't listen, instead surging forward and picking you up with ease, spinning you around. You heard Dustin chuckle as you screamed lightly before bursting into a fit of giggles yourself. You struggled to fight back and almost fell over in your attempt but Eddie was there to catch you. His hands remained at your sides as you took a deep breath, your happiness fading as the sombre reality hit you again.

"You alright?" Eddie asked, immediately picking up on your change in demeanour. You looked up at him and his eyes searched yours. You shook your head and his hand came up to your cheek gently, an act of reassurance. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I don't know, Eddie. This whole plan, you guys going back into the Upside Down, the kids risking their lives. So many things could go wrong. I'm just scared that it might not work out for us this time."

"Hey, look at me." He said. You did so and he gave you a smile, that smile that always made you a little weak.

You hadn't always known Eddie. You'd been friends with Steve and Robin and faced off against the monsters with them before. In turn, you'd become a main figure in the kid's lives and one day, you'd offered to drop Dustin off at one of his Hellfire Club meetings. That was when you'd met Eddie. You'd literally bumped into him in the parking lot which had caused you to splutter out about a thousand apologies. Eddie had been pretty much head over heels since day one, and it hadn't taken you too long to fall for his rugged charm either. Now here the two of you were, taking on the world together.

"I won't pretend to know what the hell is going on because, let's face it, between the two of us, you're the certified expert on the supernatural." He remarked, which made you chuckle. Eddie's heart soared, he loved making you laugh. "But one thing I do know is that we're not going down without a fight." He laced his other hand in yours. "No more retreating for Eddie the Banished."

"I wish you wouldn't call yourself that." You admitted with a small melancholy smile. "It makes you sound like a criminal, and that's not who you are."

"I think half of Hawkins would disagree."

"Yeah, well, they don't know the real you. I wish they did. They're small-minded and cowardly. You're not."

Eddie squeezed your hand gently. "You know, I wish I could see myself the way you do." He said, which made your heart ache. Eddie was your hero, but to him, he was just a coward who couldn't stop running. You knew he was so much more than that.

"Hey, lovebirds!" You heard Steve call across to you and you both glanced in his direction. "Let's wrap it up with the doe-eyes and get going, yeah?"

You rolled your eyes as you looked back to Eddie. "He never changes, huh?"

"Hey, Harrington is your best friend."

"He's still an idiot." You grinned as the two of you made your way back to the trailer.

***

You'd made a quick pit-stop at your house before setting the plan in motion. There was something you needed to get. Your lucky coin. You'd won it at a fair when you were seven and, as stupid as it might have sounded, you genuinely believed it offered you some kind of luck. It was easy to find, kept safely on the dresser in your bedroom. You grabbed it quickly and hurried back outside.

As you did so, you immediately noticed the van coasting down the road. Your heart rate picked up as you noticed the driver. Jason. He was on the look-out for something, or someone. You knew who he was likely looking for. A chill went down your spine at the expression on his face. He didn't look sad anymore over Chrissy. He looked hollow, like all the humanity had been drained from him. What would he do if he got hold of one of the kids? You dreaded to think. Something had to be done. With that thought in your head, you hurried back to the trailer park.

***

"Wait, what are you saying?" Steve asked you as the group circled around you in the stolen trailer. "You think he's onto us?"

"I don't think so." You replied. "But I know he has half the town after Hellfire, and if someone spots one of them tonight and he goes after them, I don't know what he'd do. You should have seen the look on his face." You shuddered at the memory.

"I saw it too." Nancy chimed in. "At The War Zone. He looked empty."

"Consumed by vengeance." You nodded before looking at everyone in turn. They were listening intently. "I just have this feeling that something bad might happen."

"So, what do you think we should do?" Robin asked. "Call off the plan?"

"We can't do that." Max said.

"She's right." Dustin added. "This is our only shot at killing Vecna. If we don't do this, everyone dies."

You let the words soak in before glancing to Steve, who looked concerned as he ran his hand through his hair. Out of everyone, the two of you were most concerned about the well-being of the kids, having been the certified babysitters the longest. He met your gaze and you gave a decisive nod.

"I'll stay behind." You volunteered.

"Woah, hang on, are you sure?" Eddie asked from beside you on the couch.

"Yes." You said. "I'll stay in the trailer and be the go-between. I can still be there to help out you and Dustin, and if anything goes south at Kreel House, I can book it over there to help out."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Robin asked. "That would mean effectively putting you out of the plan."

"The one thing that matters to me is that all of you come back safe." You replied. "I can do this." You looked to Erica. "If anything goes wrong at any point, you call me on the walkie-talkie. SOS, that's our code word, got it?"

She nodded in affirmation as the others all accepted the new turn of events. "Alright." Nancy said. "Everyone else's job remains the same. Are we all clear?"

There were nods from the rest of the group as everyone got themselves ready for the fight.

***

It wasn't long before you'd stopped Max, Lucas and Erica off at Kreel House and the rest of you were standing under the gate at Eddie's trailer. It was time for the plan to be set in motion.

You hugged Robin first, holding on tight to one of your best friends. As you pulled away, you nodded to her. "You got this, OK? I know you do."

"Your faith in me gives me a little hope." She joked. "Be careful down here, yeah?"

"Always." You replied before it was time to hug Steve. Your best friend pulled you into a bone crushing hug, as if he scared to let you go.

"Anything goes wrong, give them hell and don't be reckless." He told you, to which you chuckled.

"You're about to face a murderous monster and you're worried about me? Classic Harrington."

"Yeah, I'll take my chances with the evil wizard, I think." He told you as he pulled away. You kept your hands on his shoulders.

"Be careful, OK? I don't need a Steve Harrington shaped hole in my life, alright."

He smiled and playfully pushed you, to which you retaliated. "Enough with the cheese. We're both gonna be fine."

You said your goodbyes to Nancy and Dustin, making them both promise to come back safe. And then, it was time to say goodbye to Eddie.

"Saved the best for last, huh?" He grinned at you as you turned to him. You rolled your eyes.

"Figured you'd need a second to prepare. We all know how dramatic you can be."

He smiled lightly, shaking his head. "You know, I kind of wish you were coming with us. I feel like nothing bad can happen if you're here."

"Well, in that case." You reached into your pocket and took out your lucky penny. You gazed at it quickly before pressing it into Eddie's hand. "Take it. Even if the luck isn't real, you'll still have a piece of me with you, right?"

Eddie held the coin between his fingers before pressing it to his lips and smiling at you. "I'll never let it go."

"I wanna be able to hear that guitar solo across dimensions, by the way."

"Oh, absolutely. This is going to be totally metal. The most important thing is that I kill it, right?"

You couldn't help but feel a twinge as you took in his excited expression about getting to shred his guitar in an alternate dimension. Only Eddie.

"The most important thing is that you come back to me." You said, trying to choke back a sob. "Just come back, promise me?"

Eddie's expression softened at your words as he noticed you holding back tears. "I promise." He assured you. You nodded quickly before pulling him into a tight hug, burying your face in his shoulder. He hugged you back even tighter and then, all too soon, it was time. You slowly pulled away and looked at each of the group.

"All of you are coming back. No exceptions."

"Alright." Nancy declared. "Let's go kill this sucker."

***

You waited in the trailer, nervously tapping your fingers on the table-top. You checked your watch religiously. Things seemed to be taking far too long and you were growing anxious. What if something had happened. What if Vecna had seen them coming? What if they'd gotten lost? What if, what if, what if?

Your spiralling thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Dustin all but falling through the gate, breathless and in a panic. You jumped up and hurried over to him. "What happened?" You asked, glancing up at the gate. Eddie was there on the other side and you could hear the sounds of flapping wings in the distance. The demobats.

"Eddie, come on, we're so close!" Dustin yelled at him. You watched as he glanced back, obviously debating something. All of a sudden, your worst fears were realised as he reached up and cut down the rope hanging through the gate, preventing either of you from following him.

"What are you doing?" Dustin shouted.

Eddie looked up at the two of you, a look in his eye that you could immediately decipher. He was going off-book, he was trying to be the hero he felt like he needed to be to redeem himself. "Buying more time."

You couldn't hold back your scream as he made to run away, to lure the bats away. "Eddie, stop!"

Something in your voice stopped in his tracks. You never yelled at him like that. He hesitated before taking a step back and looking up at you. You seized the opportunity.

"I know you think you need to do this. I know you feel guilty for leaving Chrissy. For running from Jason. You think you need to some sacrificial shit to save everybody. But listen to me, Eddie. You don't deserve to die for a town that hates you so much. A town that is actively hunting you right now. You know what you deserve? You deserve to graduate, you deserve to get out of this shitty town and build a future, to keep playing guitar, to be there for the people who need you, OK? Your uncle needs you. Hellfire needs you. And I need you."

The sound of wings was getting louder and Eddie glanced back again. Then his eyes met yours. "They need more time."

"OK, OK." You said. "I can't stop you from acting as bait. But don't you dare pull some kind of stunt here. You find somewhere to hide until it's over, OK? You're not running away, alright? You're running towards a future that we get to have together. You promised me, Eddie. You promised me you'd come back. Don't you dare break that promise."

Suddenly, the walkie-talkie in your hand came to life and Erica's voice came through. "SOS. Jason found us." Her voice cut out. Panic overtook you and you looked back to Eddie.

"Promise me."

Eddie hesitated for a moment before he nodded. "I promise." Was all he said before darting off. You were scared for him but you didn't have time to think about that right now. You turned to Dustin.

"Be careful, OK?" You told him before you ran out of the trailer towards your car and made for Kreel House.

***

You arrived in mere minutes and immediately spotted Erica being held down by one of Jason's crew. You jumped out your car and surged towards him, using your strength to push him off. You'd learnt a thing or two in your time fighting the Upside Down and your combat skills were impeccable. Erica scrambled up and helped you out by delivering a swift kick to the guy, who doubled over in pain.

"Next time, pick on someone your own size." You hissed at him as he fell to the floor. "Erica, where are Max and Lucas?"

***

Lucas was struggling against Jason's grip when you made it to the attic. Max was in another trance. To your horror, you saw her Walkman crumpled on the floor. No Kate Bush, no chance against Vecna. However, you were nothing if not prepared.

"Here." You handed the spare you'd brought with you to Erica. "Quickly, put the headphones on Max." You wasted no time in surfing towards Jason, who hadn't noticed you yet in his bid to attack Lucas. You pulled him back by the collar, taking him by surprise. When he tried to twist and grab you, you shoved him against the wall, keeping one arm locked against his chest. You seethed with anger as you beheld the man who was so hell-bent on hurting the people you loved.

"If you touch him again, I will kill you." You told him, before shoving him to floor. The force caused him to land unconscious.

"Max, no!" You heard Lucas scream and you turned in horror to see her being lifted from the ground once more. Thankfully, Erica had succeeded in putting the headphones on, Kate Bush drifting out. You gently pulled Lucas and Erica back, the three of you watching on, hoping against hope that Max had it in her to fight back again.

"Come on, Max." You whispered, suddenly wishing you had your lucky penny on you after all.

Then, all of a sudden, you heard her gasp and she fell to the floor, her eyes open as she looked around in terror. Lucas was by her side in an instant, pulling her into him. You couldn't hold back a relieved laugh as you ran over to the two of them, hugging them tightly.

"Oh my God, we thought we'd lost you again." You breathed.

"Eleven." Max croaked out. "She was there. She helped me."

"What?" Lucas questioned her.

"Why don't we nail down specifics later, yeah?" You suggested. "For now, let's get you guys out of here."

***

You drove the kids back to the trailer park in time to see the others slowly making their way out. They all looked worse for wear and, for a split second, you feared the absolute worst.

But then, just behind Dustin, limping out of the trailer as Steve held him up, there he was. He looked beaten, bloody and bruised. But he was alive. Eddie.

You all but flew out of the car and across the park to throw your arms around him. He winced in pain but he slowly wrapped his arms around you in return. You breathed him in, feeling so safe in his arms.

"You didn't run away." You whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Well, I had a promise to keep." He replied, before reaching down and rooting around in his pocket. You pulled away to see what he was doing. He took out your lucky coin, holding it in the air. "I guess thing this really is lucky."

You chuckled through your tears. "I'm never letting you go again, OK?"

"Hope not. This is where I wanna be. Right here with you, always."

You kept an arm around him to keep him upright as you took in everyone. "Did we actually do it?"

"Not exactly." Nancy said. "We thought we'd killed Vecna but then he sort of...disappeared. We don't know where he went."

"Wait, so he could come back?" Lucas asked, as he and Max joined the group. Max held onto him for support, still weak from her ordeal. Her and Eddie really needed some medical attention.

"It doesn't matter." You said. "Because we're all still here, and if Max is right, so are Eleven and the others. And if Vecna comes back, we'll be ready. We can win, I know we can."

"Fighting words." Robin remarked.

"Yeah, your positivity is really unwavering, huh?" Steve joked. You smiled.

"We can come up with a plan tomorrow. For now, we need to get you guys patched up."

"After you." Eddie motioned before almost falling over from lack of strength. Now it was your turn to catch him.

"Why don't we go together?"

"I think that's for the best." He wheezed as you helped him toward your car. It was just so good to have him in your arms again. He came back to you.

Of course I can 🤣

Hypothetically speaking… if I were to do a re-write of the last episode, including re-writing Eleven/Max’s scene and obviously what happened to sweet Eddie - fixing as much as I can, would anyone be interested in reading it? It will be written as you being the romantic partner of Eddie.

A major plot point is the reader will be a Sinclair. As an Asian person of color myself, inclusion is important. Feel free to adjust the status of your relation to the Sinclairs as it applies to you, if you are adopted or not.

I can’t guarantee how long it will take me since it will be the first piece I share in public in like four years, but let me know if you’re interested.

# soft

S04E01: Chapter One “The Hellfire Club” S04E09: Chapter Nine “The Piggyback”

Eddie wake up, I don't like this, Eddie wake up

“THIS IS MUSIC!!”