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schrijverr · 7 months

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I Found Myself a Cheerleader 22

Chapter 22 out of 28

Bumped to the lowest step on the social ladder after his fight with Billy, Steve gets roped in with the cheer team. What starts as a favor to help them out when one member breaks her leg in turn for protection from the brunt of the bullying, sets the universe on a different path.

In this chapter, Chrissy comes to an understanding about herself and Steve is there for her, while the others find a way out of the Upside Down for them. Though Nancy is attacked by Vecna on their way out.

On AO3.

Ships: steddie & buckingham

Warnings: general season 4 shenanigans, injury, internalized homophobia/biphobia mention, eating disorder mention

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Chapter 22: The Trailer Gate

They enter the Wheeler house, the now familiar living space covered in vines as the dust particles float around, adding to the ominous atmosphere. Steve is so grateful for Robin breaking the tension with: “Might be time to get a maid, Wheeler.”

Both Chrissy and Steve snort softly and make eye contact. A bit of understanding passes between them, the affection for Robin that they share, odd comments and all.

“Come on, I don’t want to stay longer than we have to,” Nancy says, ignoring Robin all together as she walks up the stairs.

Robin and Eddie automatically go to follow her, since that’s all they have done this entire time, but Steve doesn’t really feel up to climbing those stairs, so he drops on a vine-less kitchen chair and lets out a deep breath, only to look up and meet Chrissy’s eyes.

“You okay?” he asks her, not really having had the time to do that with everything that has been going on. He can see that something is bothering her.

Chrissy looks around to see if anyone is there, piano music coming softly from the headphones around her neck, which had luckily survived the dive by being stuffed into another plastic bag, which had been littering the boat. She softly asks: “How did you know you- uhm, that you liked boys?”

A rush of excitement goes through Steve at the question. Watching Chrissy interact with Robin these past few days has already made him suspect something, but he’s thrilled Chrissy trusts him enough to bring it up.

However, he doesn’t want to scare her away, so as casual as he can, he answers: “I mean, it wasn’t easy, but when I stopped wanting to be King Steve, I realized how much I had to force myself to do the things I was expected to do for girls, you know. They didn’t really do it for me. And then I started noticing how boys did give me the feelings the others would talk about when talking to girls, which kind of sucked, not gonna lie.”

“It sucked?” Chrissy asks, small frown coming on her usually bright and happy face.

“Not that it was bad,” Steve quickly assures her. “Just, you know, I really struggled with it. You know that. You and Robin have been worrying about me for months now. I got over it, I promise, all better now.”

That is partially a lie, but Chrissy doesn’t have to know that, especially when it gets a smile out of her. Besides, ever since his talk with Eddie, Steve has been feeling better about it again. Just getting his fears validated and being forgiven by the one he hurt really helped. That and having it confirmed how he is never going to fit in with Nancy coming onto him.

Beyond the smile, however, Chrissy stays quiet. It’s contemplative, as if she doesn’t dare speak the words she is trying to find. Gently Steve prompts: “Is there a reason you’re asking, Chris?”

Chrissy tenses slightly and Steve wants to reach out to her, but is unsure if it’s welcome. Then she reaches out to him first, gently sitting down on his lap, careful with his wounds as she sighs: “I’m a so confused, Stevie.”

“Want to tell me about it?” he asks her, trying to be as careful and kind as he can as he loops his hands around her waist and holds her close.

“I just- I have always liked boys, you know. I got all the fluttery happy feelings about them. Still do,” she tells him. “I- I just also get these feelings about this girl. And I’m almost sure that I like this girl, but I don’t want to be wrong, because I could just be mistaken, because I do still like boys and I’m afraid I’ll hurt her.”

Steve desperately wants to ask her if it’s Robin. He is so sure that it is Robin, but Chrissy isn’t mentioning a name and he isn’t going to push, especially not when she’s being so vulnerable with him. He can’t imagine if anyone had pushed him when he was still in his embarrassing crush on Jonathan phase.

So, instead he holds her closer, uncaring how it hurts and whispers: “It’s okay to figure yourself out and be confused about it. It’s scary and it’s hard. I know. You just gotta trust that you know your own feelings and try to figure out what you like. If you like boys and girls that’s fine.”

“Boys and girls?” Chrissy asks, looking up from where she’d hidden her face in the crook of his neck. “You can do that?”

“I mean, I don’t know,” Steve answers honestly, then cracks a small grin. “But we’re in an alternate dimension, so I’m pretty sure we can make up our own rules, don’t you think?”

“Thanks, Stevie,” she says, a warm smile coming on her face. After witnessing her ghostly self these past few weeks, he is just so glad to see her happy again. Both her and Max have visibly bettered ever since they put their music on and it’s such a relief.

“No problem,” he promises her. “I’m always here for you.”

Before Chrissy can say something, the echo of a voice wisps through the room and Steve perks up immediately, scanning for danger. Chrissy is also looking around.

“Did you hear that?” she asks, probably just in case she is hallucinating again.

“Yeah, I did,” Steve replies, still looking around as he gently guides her off his lap, getting out of the chair as well.

He lift his bat, preparing himself to swing at whatever is there as the two of them look around. Their backs are against each other, so nothing can sneak up on them. Steve wants to call out to the others to ensure they’re safe, but he doesn’t want to alert whatever is lurking in the shadows of the Wheeler house.

The voice speaks again, this time Steve recognizes it. He lets the bat drop and it thunks on the floor as he asks: “Dustin?”

“What?” Chrissy asks, looking at him like he is crazy.

Steve shushes her and gestures to her to listen as Dustin’s voice can be heard again. It’s hard to pinpoint where it’s coming from, but it is very clearly him. Chrissy’s eyes grow wide and she starts looking around too.

“Dustin. Dustin! Dustin!” Steve yells, trying to get his attention.

“Dustin!” Chrissy joins him in calling Dustin’s name, squatting to check under the table.

Behind him, he can hear the others coming down the stairs, but he ignores them in favor of calling out: “Dustin, can you head me? Dustin? Dus- Hello? Hel- Hello?”

“Maybe he really does have rabies,” he hears Robin and turns back to face her, shaking his head excitedly, worlds unable to come out.

“Steve, what are you doing?” Nancy hisses in her authoritative tone.

“We can hear him,” Chrissy tells the group with big excited eyes, backing Steve in his perceived delirium.

“He’s here,” Steve tries to explain, sounding a little breathless from the elation of hearing Dustin and the yelling he’s been doing. “He’s in the walls or something. Just listen. Dustin! Dustin. Can you here me?”

The others are still giving him odd looks, but since both Chrissy and Steve insist, they all go look for Dustin and keep an ear out for him until- There! Dustin talks again and Steve can see how all their eyes grow wide.

With that their yelling increases, trying to make contact with the others on the other side. At this point, Steve is getting a little sick of it and he mutters: “Alright, either this kid can’t hear us or he’s being a total douchebag.”

“Will found a way,” Nancy suddenly says, her voice giving away that she has connected a few dots and that it going to get them out of here.

“What?” Chrissy asks.

“He found a way to speak to Joyce through the lights,” Nancy explains.

“Lights?” Steve asks, before remembering the flashing. All the Christmas lights that had been strung up in the Byers house back then suddenly making a lot more sense.

She starts walking around the room, trying all the light switches of the lamps and the lights, but nothing seems to be happening much to her frustration. She huffs: “It’s not working.”

Suddenly Steve notices how the particles surrounding the lamp have changed. Instead of the dark dust that seems to be everywhere, it’s like a small fairy is sprinkling dust in the air. It’s a bit like Tinkerbell in Peter Pan. He points at it as he calls out: “Guys? You seeing this?”

They all turn to look and Nancy lights up: “Of course. The lights itself. Not the switch.” She walks over and reaches out to it, brushing her hands through the particles.

A part of Steve expects her hand to disappear, like it’s a small gate or some shit, but instead the particles just brighten.

With the confirmation that it’s safe, both Eddie and Robin immediately reach out for it as well. It reminds Steve a bit of a raccoon and a magpie and he has to work to not laugh at them, instead he reaches out too, surprised at the tingling sensation. Confused, he frowns: “It- it tickles?”

“It kind of feels good,” Robin adds.

And it is so Robin to say that, that Steve can’t help the grin, going to look at Chrissy to again share the fondness, only to find her staring at Robin. She blushes and looks away, meeting Steve’s eyes and her own widen. To reassure her, he just winks and makes a shhh gesture. He will keep her secrets.

Chrissy smiles back at him, before also touching the sparkles, gasping: “That feels weird.”

“Does anyone know Morse code?” Nancy asks, pulling her hand back. She has already moved on from the weirdness and is diving into problem solving. It’s one of the qualities that make her so nice to have on the team whenever something like this goes down.

“No,” Chrissy, Robin and Steve all mumble, having to disappoint Nancy with their lack of collective knowledge. Eddie, however, asks: “Wait, does SOS count?”

They all look at him and he shrinks back under their attention. Hesitance is in his voice as he goes on: “Is that- Is that good?” Steve kind of wants to kiss his stupidly handsome and helpful face right now.

“That’s perfect,” Nancy half laughs in that relieved manner of her, gesturing for Eddie to go ahead and signal.

The rest of them step back to give Eddie space and not mess it up as he rhythmically starts poking the lights. Steve wants to describe it as a thrusting manner, but he is really trying not to think about thrusting and Eddie in the same sentence while watching those mesmerizing hands move.

“It’s working,” Robin says giddily, catching Steve’s eye and making a judgmental face as if she knows what he is thinking. He flips her off and she sticks her tongue out.

It takes a few moments before the others are responding, but then they hear Dustin loud and clear say: “I got a plan. Go to Nancy’s room. Can you hear me?”

“They can hear you, stupid,” they hear Erica reply and Steve’s heart breaks a bit. Not Erica too! He had hoped to keep her out of this.

“How do you know that?” Dustin exclaims indignantly.

“Because I’m Erica,” Erica replies, before turning to them. “Flicker twice if you hear us.” Eddie flickers twice. “See,” she says smugly.

“Okay, okay,” Dustin gives in, then asks them: “Nancy’s room, did you get that?” Eddie flickers twice again.

The voices of the kids start moving away, so they go upstairs. Sitting has done a lot for Steve and he is feeling invigorated by hope and the knowledge that the kids are okay, so he now follows after them, curious to see what Dustin has come up with.

Now that there might be a plan, Steve is anxious to get out of here. The air is thick and he remembers how they suited up to go in the tunnels. Being here feels wrong. So, he urges: “Come on, come on,” under his breath.

Nancy takes the lead in setting up contact with Dustin. All of them hold their breath as the kids set up the toy they stole from Holly. They want this to work, they need this to work. The Upside Down is harrowing to be in and none of them want to stay for longer than they have to. Steve doesn't know how Will did this for a week.

The kids suggest the gate they came through, which they have called Watergate, because of course they did. That is such a Dustin thing to do, Steve thinks with a fond eyeroll. They manage to communicate that it’s guarded and Steve says: “Perfect, yes, yes,” because his kids are on this and if anyone can get them out, it’s them.

“We think we have a theory that can help with that,” Dustin calls back, not disappointing much to everyone’s relief. He continues: “We think Watergate isn’t the only gate. That there’s a gate at every murder site.”

“Does anyone understand what he’s talking about?” Nancy asks at that and Steve is glad she said it so they can all agree and he doesn’t have to feel stupid in private.

She draws a question mark to convey their collective confusion.

“Okay, seriously? How many times do I have to be right on the money, before you guys just trust me!” Dustin exclaims in that judgy way of his. He loves that kid, but god does he hate how he expects everyone to keep up with him when he is a genius.

Unable to help himself and comfortable in the knowledge Dustin can’t hear him, Steve says: “Jesus Christ, this kid’s got to get his ego in check.”

“It’s his tone, right?” Eddie says immediately, leaning forward so he can look at Steve. He looks like Steve right now, happy he can share it with Steve. It’s been a while since they talked shit about the kids together and it kind of feels like coming home.

“I know,” Steve grins back at him.

Nancy, however, is listening to Dustin and moving on. She asks Eddie: “Okay. So- so, how far is your trailer?”

“Seven miles,” Eddie answers, his face a little bit of a grimace as his eyes flick over to Steve. He probably can’t walk that far with the state he’s in.

“Nancy,” Robin starts, she has also given Steve a glance, but given the fact she isn’t going into a medical spiral, she has likely figured something out. “I know you house here is like weirdly, creepily frozen in time and shit, but haven’t you always had bikes?”

That could work. They all look at Nancy and Steve is mentally crossing his fingers, because biking seven miles sounds a lot less daunting than walking.

“I do,” she says. “Mike’s must be here and my old bike too. I think my parents also have a bike, so we should have four.”

“Four works,” Robin decides. “Steve can share with Eddie.”

“Hey!” Steve immediately protests. “Why do I have to share? One of you girls is easier to take on the back. Eddie’s heavy.”

“Rude,” Eddie pouts, but it’s luckily playful.

“Because you’re going to be on the back, dingus,” Robin answers.

“Why?” Steve frowns. The thought of sharing a bike with Eddie makes him a little hot under the collar and he doesn’t think he can be able to hide that with how exhausted and in pain he is. He doesn’t want Eddie to find out.

However, Robin has already made up her mind and logic is on her side, because she says: “You’re injured. It’ll be better for you to not exert yourself too much.”

Steve frowns, trying to come up with something. His eyes fall on Eddie, who is smartly been keeping to the background. Feeling a little catty, Steve narrows his eyes and asks: “Can you bike well?”

“I didn’t have a car for years,” Eddie points out with a crooked grin, then jokingly promises: “I won’t let you fall, princess,” and Steve hates how he that will play in his mind as he rolls his eyes and gives in.

Chrissy is the smallest out of them, so she gets Mike’s bike, while Nancy takes her own and Robin that of Karen. That means Eddie and Steve get to share Ted Wheeler’s bike. If the man knew, he’d probably have a fit, Steve thinks.

Robin takes the nail bat and puts it in the little basket on the front of Karen’s bike. Steve snorts at the comical sight while Eddie grabs Ted’s bike.

The bike has a baggage rack on the back that Steve can sit on. Eddie swings one leg over the bike and steadies it between his thighs as he turns back to Steve and asks: “Think you can get on okay, big boy?”

“Yeah, I’ll manage,” Steve replies, ignoring how his voice is kind of a squeak.

He carefully gets on the back and Eddie takes off, which nearly sends Steve flying off the back of the bike. Without thinking he grabs Eddie’s waist and yells: “What the hell, man. You said you were good at this.”

“I am, I am,” Eddie laughs as they zigzag before steadying.

Steve lets out the breath he had been holding, then realizes he’s been clinging to Eddie and burying his face in his back as he cuddles up. Embarrassed he clears his throat and starts to let go. However, he is stopped by a hand on his arm.

Cautiously, he makes a questioning noise and melts a little when Eddie explains: “So I’m sure you’re still there and okay. Can’t have you be yanked of this bike on my watch, alright, Stevie?”

“Yeah, alright,” Steve agrees and holds on tight again, ignoring Robin’s face as she bikes past them to ride next to Chrissy.

The ride to the trailer park is thankfully uneventful. Steve doesn’t think he could have taken it, if it was anything but, honestly. He needed the rest. His sides are still aching and his back burns. He knows they’ll need to take a look at his injuries when they get out of here, before they get infected or something.

But, Eddie is warm under his arms, his chest expanding with every breath and his heartbeat strong under Steve’s ear, which is rested against his back. It’s nice. Steve can close his eyes and pretend they aren’t in the Upside Down for a moment, that it’s all okay.

He’s drawn out of his make believe by Eddie calling out: “Right here,” as he points to his trailer where Patrick died only a few days ago.

They all get of their bikes, Eddie slowing gently so Steve can get off, while in front of them Robin practically throws the bike to the floor as she grins: “That’s gotta be a Guiness World Record. Most miles traveled interdimensionally.”

Chrissy giggles as Steve snorts, with it inhaling those dust particles. He coughs a little as they walk to the house and complains: “Just inhaled a bunch of that crap.” He coughs again. “It’s stuck in my throat.”

Fuck, he just wants to get out of this place. Right now, preferably, he thinks, as he grabs the nail bat from the ground where it fell out of the basket when Robin dropped her bike.

He is so preoccupied with the thought that he doesn’t realize that this will be the first time he’s ever inside Eddie’s trailer until he’s looking at a wall of mugs and can’t help but think that he never heard Eddie about those.

Then he’s again distracted by the red glow on the ceiling and Chrissy who exclaims: “Goddamn,” before looking shocked at her own vulgarity.

“This is where Patrick died, like right where he died,” Eddie says with a tight voice and Steve can’t imagine how he must be feeling right now, being back here. Both finally the comfort of his home yet also at the place where he witnessed the most horrible thing to date.

Steve almost can’t to stand to look at Eddie, to know what his face looks right now. But he looks anyway and he has to fight himself not to pull him into a hug to keep him away from all the horrors in the world.

He’s prevented from doing something stupid by Robin. She pulls him away with her comment, which is: “I think there’s something in there.”

Indeed the membrane on the portal is moving as if something is pushing at it. It looks small, almost tendril like and all of them watch with apprehension. Eddie sums it up best: “What the hell is that?”

It suddenly breaks open, red liquid splattering on the ground in front of them as they collectively startle back with loud yells.

Steve raises his nail bat and is already pushing to the front of the group when the attack on the portal stops. It’s quiet. Too quiet. So, he slowly creeps forwards, hoping the others are smart enough to stay back, so they’re not all getting yanked through again like Steve had been at the gate in Lover’s Lake.

But when he looks up, there is no monster waiting for them. No bats keeping guard. Instead there is the trailer living room in the universe he knows so well and in it are his favorite kids. Dustin in the middle holding an oar as he grins widely at Steve.

“No way,” Steve breathes, giddy relief filling his bones. They’re on the home stretch now. They’re almost out of here.

They’re all waving like dorks and the two groups greet each other with Hi’s.

“Holy shit, this is trippy,” Robin comments, sounding exhausted and like she means it with her whole heart and Steve can’t agree more.

“Bada-bada-boom!” Dustin yells in triumph, because he will always be a nerd and a looser and Steve loves him so so much. Then he says: “I got an idea to get you out of there, but I’m not totally sure it’ll work, so ideas are welcome as a back up. But it’s probably fine.”

Looking up, Steve does have an idea, but not for everyone. Still, each person less in the Upside Down is a win in his book, so he calls back: “I might have an idea to get Chris out, but I’m not sure either.”

Everyone except Chrissy looks at him in confusion. Chrissy, however, looks a little surprised and asks: “Are you sure that’s smart? You’re injured.”

“Not that injured,” Steve semi-lies. “And we got to keep moving, who knows what felt that portal break open. If Dustin’s plan falls through, we can at least get you out.”

“Okay what are you two talking about?” Eddie asks, voicing what the others are thinking as Robin and Nancy both nod.

“I can boost Chrissy through,” Steve tells them.

“Are you insane?” Nancy asks. “If you do that, she’s going to break her neck and that’s if you get her high enough to even get through.”

“Not a normal boost,” Steve rolls his eyes, admittedly a little bitchy. He’s kind of done with Nancy always assuming he hasn’t thought things through.

“We’ve been doing this cheer stunt,” Chrissy explains. “I’ll go feet first. It’ll be totally safe. And we know how to land on this side again if we realize it isn’t going to work.”

Nancy obviously isn’t convinced yet, but she gestures for them to go ahead. Robin also isn’t sure and she frowns: “Don’t you need a back spotter? I mean, you told me about practice and you always mentioned a back spotter. Are you sure it’s safe?”

“You know about cheer?” Chrissy asks, sounding delightfully surprised.

Robin blushes and mumbles: “I mean, with dingus here, it’s kind of hard not to,” like she doesn’t always actively listen to both of them when they’re talking and asked Steve to explain.

“You can catch her if she falls,” Steve smirks at her earning a slap, before he assures her: “We trained this stunt without back spotter. It’s fine.”

“That doesn’t make me more confident, Steve,” Robin counters.

“Just trust us,” Steve says, before getting in position and nodding to Chrissy that he is ready.

At this point, all his attention is on Chrissy. He is not going to let her fall. So everything fades to the background, Nancy, Robin, Eddie, the kids, his pain. None of it exists. He just breathes in, breathes out and catches Chrissy.

She’s on his hands in a handstand and he has bend his arms, so her feet don’t hit the ceiling. Behind him he can hear Eddie cheer and Robin let out a surprised laugh. Chrissy looks down at him and he smiles right back up at her.

Chrissy feels very light and his heart breaks a little for her, vowing to make sure she eats something once they’re finally on the other side again. But first they have to focus on getting her out of this place.

Carefully he walks until he is properly under the portal, before stretching his arms. Chrissy’s feet go through okay from his end, but to be sure, he asks: “That feel good?” She nods. “Ready for a boost?” She nods again. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Alrighty,” he replies, before bending his knees and arms slightly and counting it out, before throwing her in the air.

The view is very odd. He is used to her disappearing to the side, but instead it looks like she’s falling off a cliff as he watches her go up and then down. He keeps being ready to catch her again, but she lands on her feet at the other side and soon is grinning back up at them.

“Holy shit,” Eddie exclaims, clapping Steve on the back.

“That was insane,” Robin yells jumping up and down in her excitement.

Right at that point Lucas and Max return with the mattress and the group still in the Upside Down can see the two pause, before Lucas asks: “How the hell did you get here?”

“Steve threw me,” Chrissy answers, which probably doesn’t answer much by the way the two look up at Steve then back at Chrissy.

“Okay, uhm, sure,” Max says, before shooing her out of the way, so they can put the mattress down on the floor.

It’s stained and Steve can feel Eddie shrinking in on himself as he says: “Those stains are, uhm- I don’t know what those stains are.”

The stains are not so bad. It looks a little like the mattress his parents threw away when he was a kid. And he still remembers how fucking expensive mattresses are when he moved out. His own current mattress is also kind of stained like that, but he couldn't afford a new one. Eddie probably can’t either.

In the hope to make Eddie feel a little better, he bumps him and sends him a small smile. He’s glad when Eddie gives a smile back even if he pulls his hair in front of his face.

Their moment is broken by Dustin and Erica coming back carrying something. Steve is trying to figure it out as they question Chrissy about how it felt to go through. He isn’t listening to what they’re staying, but figures out they’re holding covers tied together to form a rope. Rope seems smart.

Dustin seems satisfied and pretty confident as he hands Lucas on end of the rope and says: “Toss it through.”

“Are you sure?” Lucas asks, looking at the ceiling then back at Dustin.

Instead of giving a normal reply, Dustin sighs as he makes a judgy expression that sends a stab of fondness through Steve’s heart.

Lucas smartly holds his hands up in a placating manner, before throwing his end up towards them, so they have to step aside.

The group watches it unfurl until it’s hanging in midair. Dustin tugs on it and it seems to hold just fine as he give them a thumbs up and says: “There we go. Abracadabra.”

Steve is amazed at how Dustin even thought of that and he can feel himself being able to finally breathe with the way out of there now ready to go. Robin however seems less sure of it all as she tugs on it and says: “Guess I’ll be the guinea pig.”

She starts climbing and Steve has to look away for a second to not burst out laughing. He loves Robin to bits, but she is one of the least athletic people he knows. Still, he looks back when he gets himself under control wanting to be sure she makes it through safely.

He watches her fall through the portal with all her usual grace and exclaim with relief when she’s on the other side. She gratefully takes Chrissy’s hand and lets herself be pulled off the mattress, stumbling into Chrissy’s arms and giving her a big hug. Steve has to respect her game.

But with Robin safely through that means the next person can go. It’s obvious to Steve that he is staying until everyone is out and he’d prefer it if they could move quickly. He still remembers how fast those bats were on him on the way in. He doesn’t fancy getting attacked on the way out.

First Steve looks at Nancy, because he’s been taught to let the girls go first, but she looks right back and he is reminded that she is the warrior where he is the protector. She’s also not just leaving anyone behind.

So he turns to Eddie, urging him to go with his eyes. Eddie has already seen enough of this Upside Down nonsense. He’s a newbie here. He shouldn’t be the last on out.

“Alright, guess I’ll go,” he shrugs, though not before glancing between Steve and Nancy and quirking a brow at Steve that he doesn’t quite get.

Before he can think about it too much, Eddie is climbing and Steve can feel his face flush as he watches veined hands grip the sheets, before strong legs slide past his vision. And when he looks to check if Eddie also goes through okay, he can’t help but watch his ass.

He watches Eddie crash to the ground and he winces in sympathy, but Eddie is practically made out of rubber and he bounces back with a grin and the exclamation: “That was fun. Shit.”

Steve chuckles fondly for a second, watching Dustin help Eddie up, before turning to Nancy again. She might have been right last round, but Steve isn’t going to leave her behind. He has the weapon, he’s staying. First one in, last one out.

“See you on the other side,” he tells her as he gestures to the rope. Nancy narrows her eyes slightly, so he lets the bat swing down from his shoulder and smiles at her with oblivion on her face, as if he doesn’t notice.

At that Nancy softens slightly and she agrees: “See you on the other side,” swaying close in that weird, creating moments way she’s been doing, before pulling back and grabbing the rope.

However, instead of starting to climb, she freezes. Steve sighs and says: “I swear I’m fine, just go, Nance.”

Still no reaction.

“Nance?” Steve asks again, dropping the bat next to him and shaking her slightly and getting nothing back from her.

Worry now truly starts to set in and he turns her around. As he fears instead of her normal big, expressive eyes, she now has that same blank look that Max has at the cemetery and Chrissy at the Creel house.

Despite knowing it won’t work, Steve shakes her again, shouting her name. Above them he can hear the other start to scramble around to get her music and all Steve can do is yell at her and keep her feet on the ground for as long as he can.

Fuck, why didn’t she tell them she was cursed? They have a fucking cure. They could’ve prevented this! Why is she so stubborn?

There is all sorts of chaos going around, but Steve kind of feels detached from it all. He’s not in his body, just looking from above.

He and Nancy have a weird relationship. He thought he loved her, she broke his heart and ruined his self esteem, he hates her a bit and he will never not be there for her. She’s been acting weird and making him a little uncomfortable, but the thought of her not being by his side through this all is too much to bear.

She’s such a brilliant person and while emotions are not her forte, he knows she is going to make it so far. If she’d just live through this right now.

No solutions are coming from above and Steve tries to remember if he knows what kind of song she might like and if he knows the lyrics. But the two haven’t really spoken in over a year at this point and all he does is pull blanks.

After what feels like an eternity, but can’t be more than a few minutes, Nancy suddenly heaves a deep breath and collapses forwards.

Steve frantically checks her over, only mildly relieved by the lack of cracking noise to indicate her bones aren’t broken. A part of him, however, can’t help but fear she’s silently killed and he has her corpse in his arms.

However, she’s breathing just fine – maybe a bit too fast to be fine, but still – and clawing at his arms as if she needs something to hold her up.

“Oh thank fuck,” Steve hears himself exclaim as he pulls her close, her small frame fitting easily in his arms like it used to.

Right now the relief is overshadowing all else and he giddily calls up: “She’s alive. She’s okay.”

There are cheers and other noises of relief from above him, but Steve ignores it in favor of calming Nancy back down again. After all his nightmares, he’s gotten comfortable with breathing exercises to bring his heart rate down and Steve feels like Nancy can use that.

It takes them a little too long for Steve to be comfortable in the Upside Down to calm Nancy down. However, the lack of monsters that has come knocking down the door soothes him slightly and he knows rushing her won’t help them.

When she finally feels up to it, he helps her for as long as he can, supporting her as she climbs up the rope with shaking hands.

Once back on the ground she is swarmed by the others, who all check on her and hug her to make sure she truly is okay. Steve watches with a relieved smile. She needs the support right now, that can’t have been pleasant.

He is also glad that he has gotten everyone out. It’s just him now, like he planned. He never expected them to even follow him down here, he wasn’t going to let them die for it. And right now he has succeeded.

But he still has to get out himself. The others lead Nancy away from the mattress and Steve is kind of glad they’re all distracted, so they’re not watching him too closely.

His injuries don’t hurt as much now as they did when he just got them, but they’re not pleasant either and he can feel how his skin pulls at them as he stretches his hands up to climb the rope at a snail’s pace.

At this point, he’d rather be safe than sorry, so he doesn’t strain and moves small distances. The flip itself feels a little scary, but Steve has always been an active kid. Gravity shifting around him is one of the oddest feelings he’s ever felt, but he’s careful and thus luckily doesn’t go slamming into the ground below.

Instead he gracefully lets himself drop, only to immediately fall over with a low groan when the shock wave the landing sends through his body makes his sides pulse.

He looks up to check if any of the kids saw, which is fortunately also a no. The kids is still fussing over Nancy, but not Chrissy, Eddie and Robin. Eddie is standing on the left, Robin on the right, Chrissy next to her.

“Come here, dingus,” Robin says, holding out her hand.

“We’ve got you, sweetheart,” Eddie grins also holding out a hand.

Steve grins up at them and takes their hands as he lets them pull him to his feet again. God, it feels good to breathe fresh air.

Above him, his nail bat watches over the scene, abandoned in the hell dimension.

A/N:

Y’all I have been playing that cheer stunt through the portal scene in my heart for weeks and I’m so excited to have finally written it down omg!!! It was literally the reasons I even started writing this AU

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