part seven
Steve and Daphne woke up once again in each other's arms, although this time in Daphne's room, as Steve snuck back in so that he could spend the night with her.
Daphne couldn't help the grin spreading to her face as she turned to the boy, the pair feeling even closer than they ever thought possible after spending the night together.
"Good morning, Henderson," Steve greeted formally, although the cheesy smirk on his face showed that he definitely wasn't being formal.
"Morning, Harrington," Daphne smirked at him, him leaning forward and placing a lingering kiss on her lips, albeit their morning cut short by three harsh bangs on her door.
"Daph, I'm coming in!" Dustin's voice boomed as she felt panic rise in her throat, shoving Steve under the covers as she turned towards the opening door and hoping to hide the grown man in her bed.
"Dustin! I could be naked!" Daphne hissed as she laid on her side.
"First of all, ew, second, everyone's here, we're having a memorial for Eddie, hurry up," Dustin went to turn around, "Oh, and I'd ring Steve but I can see the idiot hiding under your sheets."
"Hey, dude," Steve smiled sheepishly as he pulled the cover from him, Daphne cringing as she looked at him.
"Don't hey dude me, you're in bed with my freakin' sister!" Dustin hissed, pointing a crutch at him.
"Don't point your crutch at me," Steve mumbled as he sat up with his bare chest out.
"Jesus Christ, put some clothes on," the younger Henderson grimaced as he turned out of the room.
"I think he spotted me," Steve mumbled, Daphne groaning as she walked to her wardrobe.
"I don't know if I can go back there," Daphne mumbled to herself, her knee bobbing as she stood staring at her clothes. "I wanna do something for him, but it's just— being there again, I don't know,"
"We're all here," Steve reassured, running a hand through his hair, "I'm here."
"I know," Daphne sucked in her bottom lip as she grabbed a tight fitting black strappy dress, oversized black leather jacket and bulky black boots. "Eddie would dig the jacket." Daphne shrugged as she laid it out on the bed.
"Yeah," Steve laughed as he looked at the outfit, "He would."
Daphne quickly changed, shuffling to the bathroom with Steve so that they could brush their teeth, and then Daphne adding some mascara to her eyes.
"Ready?" Steve asked, wearing the same pants and jumper that he wore yesterday.
"Yeah, ready," Daphne gave him a small smile as he leant down to offer her a small peck, placing his hand at the small of her back to lead her out.
Luckily, their mom had headed out to volunteer in some way for those who lost their homes during the incident. So when Steve and Daphne emerged together, there was only the bulging eyes of their friends rather than her mother's. She was extremely grateful for that.
"Spent the night, huh, Harrington?" Robin's eye brows wiggled at the two, their eyes rolling in response.
"Alright, alright," Steve rolled his eyes, "Back off, Buckley."
"Where's Lucas?" Daphne asked, scanning the room and it feeling empty with only Nancy, Robin, Steve and Dustin in front of her.
"Max," Dustin glanced up, and she nodded in response.
"How is she doing?" The older Henderson asked, not entirely sure she wanted an answer.
"She's still in a coma, we're gunna go see her later, if you wanna come," Dustin sighed, turning to walk out the door as his crutches held him up. Daphne just nodded as she followed him out.
Nancy drove Robin to the trailer park, Steve driving Daphne and Dustin, with the ride being eerily quiet. There was no banter, no teasing and no laughter. The Henderson siblings thinking back to their last moments with Eddie, their chests heavy with guilt, sadness and grief.
"We're here," Steve's voice was quiet as he turned to the two, Daphne's mouth turning into a tight smile as Dustin got out the car, Steve reaching for her hand to stop her, "You're alright, okay, Henderson? You got this, and uh, I don't know what you guys went through, but you got me,"
Daphne's face softened as she listened to him, his eyebrows knitted together with concern as he scans her eyes. Reaching forward so her hand rested on the side of his face, pulling him into her so she could let their lips meet again. Part of it was to thank him, but the other part was she needed to feel his lips on hers, the only thing that could settle the sickness in her stomach. Of course, Steve welcomed her entirely. He couldn't get enough of the girl, and he was sure the flutters in his stomach would never tire.
"Thank you," She sighed as she rested her forehead against his.
"I mean, I could be there for you a lot more," The boy shrugged, a cheeky grin on his face as she laughed.
"Hey! Can we do this sometime today?! God, I swear if this is what I have to deal with twenty-four seven—" Dustin trailed off as he hobbled away from the car.
"You're gunna need to get him in check, because I don't know how long I can go without smacking the shit outta him," Steve grumbled as they both got out the car.
"He's just—"
"Passionate, yeah, I know," He sighed, pulling the girl into him as he followed the group towards where Eddie had passed.
It was probably harder than Daphne thought it would be; walking up to the same area that was quite possibly the worst experience of her life. What was even harder was looking at the spot and Eddie not being there. Knowing that underneath them, Eddie was there, cold and alone.
"So, how do we start this off?" Robin asked, Daphne's head shooting up at the sudden noise, blinking away the tears in her eyes.
"I guess, we could say something?" Nancy glanced to Robin and Dustin, them nodding.
"Uh, Eddie," Robin rocked slightly as she stuffed her hands in her jacket, "I wish I'd have known how awesome you were before everything turned to shit," Daphne's mouth twitched into a smile as she listened to her, "Thank you, for saving us, all of us, and I'm sorry,"
Steve's arm slinked around Daphne's shoulders, pulling her into him.
"I can't explain how grateful I am for you, Eddie," Steve chirped up, "You're a hero, dude. More than any of us. And it sucks no one gets to know, but we do, and we'll never forget it."
"Thanks, Eddie," Nancy added, "I wish that I knew you more, but we'll never forget you."
Daphne chewed on her cheek, glancing at the spot as the image of Eddie fills her mind. The sickness rising in her throat and the grief filling her chest.
"I, uhm, I don't understand how I could grow so close to people I never really spoke to in like, four days, but I can't imagine not knowing you, Eddie," Daphne feels her eyes well up, the lump in her throat forcing her voice to shake, "You didn't deserve what happened, you saved us, and I'll never forget that, and I'm just so sorry I couldn't save you back,"
Dustin quickly wiped away the tears that spilled as he listened, sniffing slightly as he cleared his throat.
"You didn't run," Dustin started, his voice cracking as Daphne took in a deep breath, clenching her eyes shut and feeling Robin's hand intertwine in hers. "This was gunna be your year," He bit his lower lip as he sniffled, "I'm gunna make sure no one forgets you, alright? I love you, man, and I'm just so sorry you got messed up in all this."
Daphne's eyes glanced over around them as the silence overtook them, the ground just over the trailer parted in two with trailers and cars wiped out in the process. There were some residents glancing out their door at the teenagers stood in a circle.
Dustin was fiddling with Eddie's guitar pick as he tried his hardest to keep in his tears.
"We should, uh, get going," Dustin sighed, the group agreeing.
—
"It has been less than 48 hours since a 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the quaint little town of Hawkins, 80 miles outside of Indianapolis—"
"God, an earthquake? That's how they're explaining it?" Daphne judged as the radio echoed around them, the black smoke from damage filling the sky above as helicopters circle.
"Guess they can't say there's been an inter-dimensional flip that's ripped through the town by an actual psychopath." Steve tutted as he drove to the Wheelers, the three agreeing to help fill some boxes so they could volunteer to help the town.
"Or that a guy who a girl banished to said dimension is planning on beginning the apocalypse," Dustin added from the back. "Jesus," He commented, the three's eyes glued on the buildings in the town that were fuelling black smoke into the sky.
"Holy shit, it just gets worse, huh?" The older Henderson gawps.
"Yup," Steve sighed.
The three pulled up outside the Wheeler's, Nancy and Robin already heaving things into her car.
"I wouldn't let Robin anywhere near that," Daphne shouted as she got out the car, "Thieving fingers." She teased.
"Oh shut up," Robin chuckled at her friend, knowing exactly what she was referring to. "It was my teddy in the first place."
"You gave me him, and then you stole him back!" Daphne accused, a grin across her face, Dustin rolling his eyes as he hears this for the thousandth time.
"Will you let Frank go?" The younger Henderson scoffed with a small smirk.
"Frank? Seriously?" Steve shook his head.
"Yes, Frank!" Both Daphne and Robin confirmed.
"Hey, Nance! I found more of your old stuff in the attic!" Mrs Wheeler came outside with another box, "Ah, Dustin, Daphne! How's your mom doing?" She made small talk as Nancy gushed over her childhood rabbit.
"Uh, she's— she's coping," Dustin responded, glancing to Daphne as she stifled a laugh.
"Yeah, you know our mom, she can be—" Daphne added, but Mrs Wheeler just nodded knowingly. Their mother was a very sensitive soul.
"Someone order a pizza?" Mrs Wheeler asked as the group heard a squeezing car rev around the corner.
"Oh, pizza? I'm starving!" Daphne hopped from foot to foot, Steve shaking his head with a smirk at the girl. "What?"
A jingle echoed from the pizza cab in a horn like fashion as it swerved up the drive, Daphne's face forming a slight grin as she seen the familiar face of Jonathan Byers in the front seat, glancing to Dustin who's face started to to light up at the knowledge of his friends coming home.
Her heart thumped with happiness as Will and Mike, alongside El, jumped out the car, all of their faces bright. She almost choked up when she glanced at Nancy and Mrs Wheeler, their faces a picture of pure relief and happiness.
Dustin hobbled forward as Will ran towards him, embracing him in a huge hug and she walked forwards; Will was always her favourite of Dustin's friends, not that she would ever tell any of them that.
"Hey, Byers," Daphne grinned at him as he broke contact with Dustin, pulling him in for a hug. "We've missed you, I mean, glad you weren't here for this, but we missed you."
"Glad to be back, I guess," Will added, a nervous chuckle afterwards as he looks around. "Where's Lucas?"
"He's in the hospital," Dustin answered.
"Was he hurt?" El asked, looking between the Hendersons.
"No, no, he—"
"Dusty," Daphne's voice went low, "They don't know." She gulped, patting him on the back. "I'll uh, give you five minutes."
Daphne glanced back towards Robin and Steve, making her way to them, or more so into Steve's side where he opened up an arm to her.
"I mean, I love this and everything," Robin motioned to the pair, "But it's starting to make me nauseous."
"You make me nauseous," Daphne responded, the most childlike response she could fathom.
"Jesus Christ," Steve rolled his eyes, "You two are giving me a headache."
The three bickered for a few more minutes, until the group decided that they should go and see Max in the hospital. Daphne couldn't bare to go, and although she felt guilty, she stayed alongside Steve, Robin and Dustin.
Using the excuse that there'd just be too many people there.