Word count: Somewhere around 1,523
Summery: Steve needs a little caretaking back in Hawkins after being half eaten by demobats. Robin is on top of it, Nancy does her best to help, the kids scold Steve for getting hurt once again while saving the world.
He was cold, with just his pants and the denim vest Eddie had given him for any sort warmth. He was bleeding from the… bat things? - he really didn't know what the hell those things were - and on top of everything he was still soaking from the lake. In short, Steve was not doing well. Robin knew, and had been doing her best to help, Nancy too.
…God. It felt nice to have Nancy care about him like this. Amidst the pain and the cold, there was Nancy again. He thought maybe that made all of this worth it. Aside from saving the kids, of course. He'd do anything for those little shitheads.
They were in Nance's house now, and he stayed downstairs when he heard Dustin's voice from the other side. He tried everything, calling out to him, trying to make sounds; nothing. He was yelling nearly non-stop now, trying to get Dustin to hear him and he just couldn't. He was thankful when the others joined him again, starting to feel faint like he might pass out. He did lose a lot of blood after all. He kept his composure, though, keeping himself from fainting while the others figured out how to communicate with Dustin and the rest of the kids. And then even on the bike ride to the trailer park.
His composure faltered a little when his breath caught in his throat and he started coughing. But he just passed it off as getting one of those whispy things stuck in his throat and they seemed to buy it. Probably because it was partly true. But he was also out of breath far easier than he should be.
It didn't matter, soon they'd all be back in their own world again where it was warm, and dry. Then he could worry about how shitty he felt.
The plan seemed to be working, Robin and Eddie both got through just fine, Dustin had come through for the group as usual. …And then he couldn't wake Nancy up. Her eyes rolled back into her head, looking just like Max had when they almost lost her. Fuck. He was just getting her back, he couldn't lose her. Especially not like this.
"Nance! Nancy!" He shouted, shaking her shoulders in a desperate attempt to wake her up. Only music worked, though, as far as they knew. And they only had Max's tape, which only had her favorite song. He didn't know if it had to be favorite song or just music, but how it'd gone with Max it seemed important that it was the victim's favorite song.
He stopped yelling as he realized something and looked up at the others back in their world, "Henderson, you're not allowed to say shit about what I'm gonna do."
"...What are you gonna do?"
"She needs music, right? Her favorite song?"
"And we only have Max's song?"
"...Yeah." The younger boy was starting to sound more worried now. What if they couldn't save Nance?
"Okay," Steve said, "So don't say shit about this." He looked back to Nancy and gently hugged her close to him as he began to sing quietly.
"Is he-?" Max said softly in confusion.
"Better than a Muppet at least," Robin said, trying to calm her own anxiety with the joke even though Steve was the only one who would understand that and he was a little preoccupied. She had to admit, though, he actually wasn't too bad a singer. And he knew Nancy's favorite song. She definitely wasn't off with her hypothesis of him still being in love with Nancy.
It seemed to work. Or… maybe Vecna had just let her go. It didn't matter right now, she was here. Steve breathed out in relief, "Jesus, Nance."
"Yeah, we know. Let's just get you outta here, huh?"
"No I mean, I… saw him. Steve, I know who he is."
"Okay, great, let's get out of here and then we can figure it out." He'd already started to help her up the rope, and let out another sigh of relief when he saw her flop onto the mattress.
He followed after her when she was out of the way and just sort of laid there for a minute on the mattress when he landed. "Shit…"
Nancy helped him up, "Are you okay?"
"Not me I'm worried about. It had you, Nance."
"I'm fine. …You helped pull me back."
"Your taste in music hasn't changed since sophomore year," he said with a little smirk.
She smiled in spite of herself, "Shut up."
"No, I'm glad. I was worried it wasn't gonna work." He hesitated and then pulled her into a tight hug that lasted a while.
Nancy frowned after hugging him back for some time, "...Why are you so hot?"
"Woah, hey, buy me dinner first."
She pulled away to look at him, her frown deepening as she ignored his joke, "No, I mean… are you okay?" She didn't wait for the answer, already reaching her hand to his forehead. "Shit… you have a fever."
"Shit!" Robin said, going over now and pulling away Steve's bandages which the kids were just now noticing.
"What the hell is that!?" Max asked in an almost high pitched voice. She wasn't about to lose another brother figure. Especially not Steve who had protected her since she met him.
"There were some bats," Steve told her, "But it's fine, I'm fine."
"You're not fine," Robin said, "It's already infected. If those things don't have rabies they definitely have something."
"With tentacles," Eddie said.
"That's disgusting," Erica said, making a face.
"Okay, so, hospital, right?" Dustin asked, trying to calm himself, "Nance you take him to the hospital?"
"I can go to the hospital after all this is done. There's no way I'm leaving you shitheads alone with that thing out there."
"And what happens if you pass out while we're fighting him?" Max says, "Are we supposed to use you as a shield?"
"I'm not gonna pass out. And didn't you drive my car last time I was passed out protecting you?"
"Proof that we can handle it. …You're not dying Steve."
"I'm not dying, Max. I'm gonna be fine, okay? We'll worry about me after we make sure that dude can't get you. Or Nance."
"I'll make sure he stays alive," Robin says with a sigh, looking over at Eddie as she finishes taking the makeshift bandage off and forces Steve to sit on the mattress. "Do you have any gauze or just, clean sheets, and rubbing alcohol?"
"Woah, hey, you're not doing surgery on me, Robin."
"I'm not doing surgery, dingus. But I probably could if I had to." She looked back over at Eddie, "Think you got any of that stuff?"
"Y-yeah," he says, already starting to head off to the bathroom, "Just gimme a few."
Robin nodded and turned back to Steve, helping him lay flat on the mattress, Nancy sitting next to him on the floor near the mattress, Max and Dustin sitting near either side of his head, while Lucas and Erica stayed back just a little.
"Hey, man, you're gonna be fine," Dustin said giving him a little smile, which Steve returned, though it looked a little more like a grimace.
"I know. I'm always fine, Henderson. Don't tell me you're giving up on me now."
"Plus if you die I'll kill you," Max said with a slight smile that was almost a little teary.
"I second that," Robin said.
"I get it, I'm not allowed to die. You guys know this isn't even the worst thing I've had right? At least it's not a concussion," Steve said.
"No, just your guts getting ripped out," Dustin said.
"They weren't ripped out."
Eddie came back, then, much to Steve's relief that he wouldn't have to keep having this conversation. Of course, now that he didn't have to have this conversation, it meant it was time for Robin to pour alcohol into his gaping wounds and wrap him back up. He really wasn't sure if that was better or worse.
Somehow he managed to keep himself from screaming in pain while Robin worked. He was pretty sure it was purely will power to not scare the kids even more. …It didn't hurt that Nancy was holding his hand, either.
He was left trying to catch his breath after, realizing he'd held his breath for most of it.
"Okay," Robin said, "That should work for now. But when this is done we're taking you to a hospital and making sure you don't have rabies. Got it, dingus?"
He groaned as he sat up, hand holding his side, and nodded, "Yeah, I got it. But Robin, I don't have rabies."
"You don't know until it's too late."
"Real comforting, Robin, thanks."
"I know who Vecna is now," Nancy said, still holding onto Steve's hand, "I think we have a real shot at this now."
"Well, let's get this over with, then," Steve said, giving Nancy a small smile and her hand a small squeeze.
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