Chapter Text
It was fast, too fast for Steve to comprehend. One moment, Nancy was smiling at him, her eyes gleaming as the chance of them getting out of this creepy shit hole. The next moment, she was standing still, her eyes white and the red veins were showing.
And he panicked, he was panicking.
“Music! Get the music, Steve! Steve!” Dustin was yelling with the others from the other side, and Steve finally stopped shaking Nancy to stagger into Eddie’s bedroom in the trailer.
“I am! I am! Jesus fuck!” he cursed, slamming the door open and looking around to see any sign of a music tape in Eddie’s room. He had to have some, he had a fucking guitar, for fuck’s sake.
He still heard yelling from outside getting louder, and it was probably everyone else screaming for Nancy again. He pulled a drawer out, exhaling in relief when he saw a bunch of tapes in it. He checked each and every title, but it was all metal music that of course Eddie Munson had.
He finally gasped when he saw a tape of “Take My Breath Away” from the drawer, but he had no time to wonder why Eddie had that tape there. He rushed back into the room and froze when he no longer saw Nancy there.
“Steve! Where the hell were you?” Robin shouted and Steve looked up at her with horror. He didn’t even have to ask before she continued. “She’s gone! Nancy is gone! She just started walking outside!”
“You have to go find her! Dude, go!” Eddie screamed, ruffling his own hair and Steve stumbled outside of the trailer, avoiding the vines to follow the steps on the ground that Nancy had left.
He ran, he didn’t know how long he ran, but he still hadn’t seen Nancy, and it was freaking him out. She could die, she could die in the most horrifying and heart-wrenching way ever, and he wouldn’t be able to save her.
Steve finally stopped to take a breath, a wheezing one as he planted his hands on his knees and crouched down. He looked to his right and stared at the big house. It was Victor Creel’s house.
The sky above the house was red, with bats flying in circles above it, screeching loud enough to burn a hole in his ear. Steve glanced at the opened door and had a feeling he had to go in.
He ran forward, checking to see if any bat was flying down to attack him, and he was glad that none of them did. When he stepped past the door, a certain smell of cigarette hit his nose, and it was odd. Vecna didn’t fucking smoke, that was for sure.
Steve only heard rumblings from the sky outside, and he walked into the dining room that was filled with vines.
“Nancy!” he shouted but thought he shouldn’t yell out her name like that, it was Vecna’s lair after all.
Steve grabbed a lamp from the table nearby when he heard running. He tipped his head forward to look at the staircase. There was definitely someone running, loud steps slamming on the wood. He gripped tighter on the lamp and stepped closer to the bannister, ready to attack.
The boy froze, his lips parted in pure shock when he saw two figures descending the staircase. Nancy was there, she was alive, and she was running. But she was running with someone else.
Billy Hargrove.
Steve couldn’t believe his eyes, it couldn’t be true. Billy had died, he had seen it with his own eyes. Billy was pierced and killed. He died before everyone. It couldn’t be.
“Steve!” Nancy screamed, both in surprise and fear.
“What are you standing there for, Harrington? Fucking run!” Billy shouted, and Steve, after so long, heard his voice again. His rough, cigarette and liquor-filled voice.
Billy snatched his hand and pulled him with them. Steve stumbled on his feet, trying not to fall as Billy ran first but still holding both of their arms. He was holding Nancy by her wrist, but his hand was intertwined with Steve’s.
He really didn’t have time to think about it further when the sky rumbled louder above them, and they finally got into the street.
Instead of running in the direction that would lead them back to Eddie’s trailer. Billy was dragging both of them straight into the woods.
Steve couldn’t say anything, there was no word that could be uttered out of his mouth. He was speechless, and only his eyes worked as he stared at Billy’s form before him.
He was real. Billy was real. His hair was still blond but sprinkled with dirt and his skin was full of scratches, new wounds covering up the old ones. He was only wearing a white shirt, but it was torn here and there, showing his body, which was still ripped. His jeans were clinging to his legs, and his boots were filled with mud.
They only stopped when Billy did. Steve looked up and saw a small and familiar-looking house, he didn’t remember whose it was, but he didn’t say anything as they both rushed in there.
“We have to be fucking fast, so just get anything you can,” Billy said, grabbing the guns from the couch and gesturing for Nancy to take one as well.
He turned to Steve, who was still standing in the middle of the room. “What the fuck is with you, Harrington? Pick up a fucking gun!”
Steve blinked at him, still unsure how to react. Nancy took one of the handguns and stepped forward, pushing it into his hand.
“How-how…” he finally muttered a word, but Nancy shook her head.
“There’s no time to explain, Steve, I don’t know how too,” she whispered, glancing to see if Billy heard them, but the other guy was busy loading up his shotgun with bullets. “I was…I was almost caught by Vecna, but somehow, somehow I was saved, and Billy was there.”
“Why don’t you two stop the fucking chitchat and fucking go,” Billy snapped, throwing a bat at Steve, which he caught perfectly. “If you don’t know yet, we have a fucking mind-reading killer behind our fucking asses that can invade our fucking minds.”
Nancy grabbed his hand and hauled him forward, but it didn’t feel as intense as Billy’s did. He shook off the weird feeling and followed her and Billy out through the backdoor.
“Which way do we go?” Nancy asked, still dragging Steve with her because for once, the boy could not understand what was going on.
“Just follow me,” Billy said, hooking his shotgun over his shoulder and taking a bat that was also wrapped in nails, just like the one Steve had.
“We have to get to the gate,” Nancy said, and Billy whipped around to look at her, a crease appearing on his forehead. “The gate, the one that Vecna opened, it’s a few miles from here. We can go back through the gate.”
“There’s no way we can fucking go miles there without being caught again,” Billy said, Nancy and Steve shared a worried look as a quiet moment passed by.
“We can, just, we’ll have to try,” Nancy said, reassuring all of them and her eyes lightened up. “Oh, I know.” She looked around, looking at the woods around them. “Fred,” she said, her words trembling a bit but she still managed to say it. “Fred died on the highway near here, I remember it. There has to be a gate there.”
“Well then, lead the fucking way before we all die, Wheeler,” Billy said and Nancy scrunched her nose at the curse word, but started walking anyway.
She led the way first with Steve and Billy trailing behind her, and Steve couldn’t stop glancing at the other boy every few seconds. It was still hard to take it in, to believe that he was still alive.
“Why don’t you take a fucking picture, Harrington, it’ll last longer,” Billy snapped, turning to glare at him and Steve realised he had been caught staring.
“I-…” he murmured, gripping the bat until his knuckles were white, “I…just…you’re dead.”
“Yeah, no shit, I thought that too,” Billy said, whipping his head away to follow Nancy before them again. “But here I fucking am, still alive.”
“How’s…how’s that even possible?” he asked, and Billy let out a breathy laugh. “You died, you…you were killed. I saw.”
“Well, you’re fucking seeing me now,” Billy said, and Steve almost rolled his eyes at his attitude. He was still the same Billy Hargrove that Steve knew.
“Bu-…” Steve stopped when he heard a loud shriek. They all stopped and looked up, Steve spotted the Demobat, just one, landing on a tree branch above them. It was just looking at them, flapping its wings.
“Let’s hurry, I almost see it,” Nancy urged them, and they followed her again.
Only now did Steve realise Billy’s hand was on his shoulder, guiding him forward. He glanced at the hand, and glanced back at Billy, but the other boy was looking forward, not meeting his eyes. Steve turned to look at Nancy as well, following her steps.
When they reached the highway, the sky rumbled right above them, thunders striking in the air and then there was the loud shrieking again. This time, it was louder.
“Fucking shit, run!” Billy snatched Steve’s hand again, dragging him and Nancy forward.
“There!” Nancy pointed to the right, right at the black vines that were piling on the middle of the highway before them. It was close, just a few more feet.
The Demobats were flying in flocks above them, and Steve began to freak out, flashbacks of them piercing their teeth into his flesh came back to him, and his steps faltered, staggering a bit. That was when Billy’s grip tightened on his wrist.
“Don’t fucking panic, Harrington, I’ll beat your face in before that fucking creature could get you,” Billy shouted over the loud squeaks of the bats and Steve swallowed, wincing at the pain in his stomach as he kept running.
When they finally got to the gate, Billy began shoving his bat into the middle, making goo and other sticky things smear all over his bat.
Nancy turned around, aimed her shotgun at the sky and began shooting at the Demobats.
“Go! Go!” Billy yelled, tugging Nancy by her sleeve and pushing her to the gate.
“But-…”
“No time to fucking talk, Wheeler, get through the fucking gate!” Billy snapped at her, and Nancy spared a glance at Steve, helpless, before jumping through the gate.
She jumped through it, landing over the other side and looking up at them. “Steve! Come on!”
Steve looked back at Billy, who was shooting at the Demobats that were flying at them like rain. There were too many of them.
“What the fuck are you waiting for, Harrington?” Billy turned his head back, shouting at him. “Go!”
“But you-…”
“I’m not fucking going!” Billy said, turning back to aim better at the bats.
“You have to!” he found himself saying. Billy was alive, he could come back, so why was he choosing to stay in this hell? “Max-Max…”
“Thinks I’m dead, Harrington,” Billy said, lowering his gun to reload, “everyone knows I’m fucking dead, there’s no point in coming back. Fucking go, Harrington, I’ll fucking distract them.”
Steve’s heart raced in his chest, and he stepped forward, grabbing Billy’s arm. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“The fuck are you on about, Harrington?”
“I said I’m not leaving without you,” Steve said, raising his hand to shoot at a few Demobats before them. “Max needs to see you! You can’t stay here, we’ll bring you back. Just-just come ba-…”
“Fuck!” Billy shouted as he raised his gun and shot at a Demobat from behind Steve.
He pushed Steve down on all four and took his bat, swinging it at the shrieking creatures around them. He knew Billy wanted him to go, but he couldn’t.
“Leave, Harrington!” Billy was yelling, his voice hoarse from shouting as he kept hitting the bats away from Steve. Some of them scratched at his skin, but Billy tossed them away with one strike from the bat.
“Steve!” He looked through the gate, seeing Nancy’s worried face and she raised her hand. His eyes widened and she nodded at him. She threw the flaming flares firework through the gate, and he reached his hand out to grab it.
He scrambled to his feet, looking at the flocks of Demobats that were still flying in their direction. They were huge and shrieking loud at them, he needed a distraction. So Steve threw the firework, he threw it high and watched as it exploded in the air.
He took Billy’s hand before the boy could react and jumped through the gate. He didn’t open his eyes, but when he felt the hard ground underneath him, he winced at the fall.
“Fucking hell,” Billy groaned, and Steve turned to look at him, arching his back at the pain. “What the fuck did you have to do that for, Harrington?”
Steve breathed out, shaking his head. “I told you I’m not leaving without you.” He had to bring Billy back to Max, Max had to know.
“Steve!” Nancy exclaimed, dropping to her knees to hug him. He scrunched up his face when she squeezed him a little too tightly, but didn’t mention it.
“Fuck, you’re going to tear the pretty boy’s wound, Wheeler,” Billy said, and Nancy finally let go.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot.”
“It’s okay,” he muttered breathlessly and looked at Billy, now realising he was still holding his hand. Billy snatched it away first, and Steve’s stomach churned at the action. But it was probably because of his wound, not because of Billy.
“We have to go back now,” Nancy said, looking around the street, “we have to tell them we’re safe.”
“My house is nearby, we can go there,” he said, getting on his feet and facing Nancy. He could feel Billy hovering from behind him, but he ignored it. “I have a spare walkie-talkie there, we can use it.”
“Okay,” Nancy nodded, picking up her gun from the road.
“Lead the way then, King Steve,” Billy said from behind, and Steve bit back a frown, not because he hated it, well, he still slightly did, but because he kinda missed it.
Him? Missing the insults Billy Hargrove once threw at him? That was shocking, even more than knowing Billy was alive.
Steve resorted to shaking his head, walking first with Nancy next to him and Billy still behind him, trailing his tracks. He glanced back every few minutes, making sure Billy didn’t just flee from them and run away.
He wasn’t sure why Billy wanted to stay back there, it was as horrendous as it fucking was, but he had wanted to stay back for God knew what reasons. Steve didn’t understand him at all. Wouldn’t he be glad to return? To Max, to his family? Or some old women he was banging, perhaps. He still had people here that cared about him, or someone he cared about, Steve thought, he should want to come back.
Steve shrugged the thought off, Billy was here now, back in the real world, alive, and that was all that he cared about.