DPOTC Chapter Summaries
Chapter 01:
On the day of the Apocalypse Averted party, Steve and Dustin play fetch with Lucy. Dustin admits that the day that he asked Steve for help with Dart was one of the best days of his life, despite the horrors that ensued. Dustin is relieved that Steve is less suicidal now. Eddie pops up, asking if they’re ready to leave, but is concerned about Steve’s startled reaction. Steve insists that he’s fine and ready to go to the party.
Chapter 02:
Steve and Robin are having a “truth serum” sleepover, during which they get very drunk together. Robin reminds Steve that he almost died two days ago and she’s still pretty upset about it. Steve explains that he’s nervous about telling Eddie that he loves him. Robin encourages Steve to just say what he means, even if it feels scary.
While Steve is getting them some water, Robin calls Eddie to ask why he doesn’t have pointy ears. Steve quickly takes over the phone call and has a brief chat with Eddie, during which he admits that he misses him already.
Chapter 03:
Steve visits the Munson trailer to watch a basketball game with them.
After the game, Wayne leaves to visit a friend.
Now that they’re alone, Eddie drags Steve into his bedroom, explaining that he’s been working on his metal cover of Running Up That Hill. Eddie admits that Steve has become his muse. After some flirting, Eddie finally gets to play the song for Steve, who loves it and asks for a recorded version. More flirting ensues.
Chapter 04:
Steve has a nightmare in which everyone that’s happened since Vecna’s “death” was just an extended hallucination. Lucy wakes him up by licking his face and comforts him. (Steve had let her in his bed the night before.) Steve decides that he needs to see Eddie, so he starts walking to the trailer with Lucy.
Steve continues to spiral even after reaching the trailer park. Eddie, in a hasty disguise, meets them at the edge of the woods and tells them to come to his trailer.
In the trailer, Eddie tries to comfort Steve while also trying to figure out why Steve showed up unexpectedly. Eddie and Lucy bicker through vibes. Eddie reveals that he can track Steve by the scent of his blood, even when he isn’t bleeding, which is why he was able to find Hopper’s Cabin and the Creel House without directions before.
Steve tells Eddie about his nightmare and explains that he’s been questioning whether everything is real since then. Eddie tells Steve about his feelings of guilt regarding various events, including Chrissy and the bats and Steve, and talks about his own nightmare in which Steve dies at the Creel House. (See “hum along ‘till the feeling’s gone forever” for details.) They continue trying to comfort each other. Eddie gives Steve a recording of his cover of Running Up That Hill, in the hopes that it will help Steve feel grounded in reality.
While hanging out on the couch, Eddie brings up that he and his uncle will be going to Hawkins Lab later that day to run tests on his vampire abilities. Steve is not thrilled about this for various reasons. Steve offers to join Eddie at the lab, which Eddie is relieved about, because he was hoping they could run some tests on Steve too.
Chapter 05:
Steve and Wayne are at Hawkins Lab while Eddie is undergoing various vampire-related testing. Dr. Owens tells Steve that Nancy recommended that he start going to therapy. Steve, upset about Nancy intervening, calls her to confront her. Nancy insists on meeting with him in-person to discuss this issue.
In Nancy’s car, Steve and Nancy argue about the topic of therapy. Steve insists that Nancy is overstepping, and Nancy insists that Steve is being stubborn. Their argument grows vicious, but simmers down once Nancy admits to her fear about almost losing Steve. They reflect on the problems in their past romantic relationship and come to an understanding.
Chapter 06:
Steve briefly meets up with Lucy before going back into the lab. There, he’s escorted to the floor where they’re running tests on Eddie.
Dr. Owens reviews the results of Steve’s tests, which indicates that his RBC production has been ramped up due to regular exposure to Eddie’s saliva. (Just go with it.)
After Wayne goes home, Dr. Owens brings both Eddie and Steve into his office to discuss the aforementioned results. Eddie is upset about this for various reasons, including the possibility of him having pheromones that make Steve want to be bitten by him. Steve is jealous that Eddie bit one of the agents to test this theory out already. When Dr. Owen proposes redoing the test with Steve, both of them agree.
Steve is nervous about the test because Eddie drinking his blood always turns him on and he doesn’t want a scientific audience for that. Steve is also very jealous about Eddie biting the agent earlier, which amuses Eddie. When Eddie bites Steve’s wrist, they’re inevitably both horny about it. They hastily exit the lab and go back to Steve’s house to get frisky.
Chapter 07:
Steve, Eddie, Robin, and Vickie are all watching a Carmilla movie called The Vampire Lovers at Steve’s house. They’re amused by the nudity, delighted by the lesbians, and pensive about the monstrous depiction of queerness.
After Robin and Vickie stumble off to the guest room, Steve and Eddie go to Steve’s bedroom. Steve assures Eddie that they don’t need to test the whole BAC theory (that Eddie could get drunk off a drunk Steve’s blood). Eddie still seems interested in trying that out, so Steve admits that he was actually happy to find out that he could theoretically be Eddie’s main source of blood. Eddie gives in, dragging Steve to bed.
Chapter 08:
Smut, with lots of bickering and blood-sucking! Afterwards, Eddie fusses over Steve, because of the whole wine + saliva cocktail combo making Steve really loopy. They conclude that Eddie doesn’t taste or feel any alcohol even when drinking from a drunk person.
Chapter 09:
Steve, Hopper, El, Max, and Lucy are at the lake. Steve and Hopper are trying to catch fish while Lucy, El, and Max swim around in the shallow water. Lucy is the only one to actually catch a fish.
After the girls and Lucy leave to explore the woods, Steve and Hopper have a heart-to-heart. Hopper apologizes for agreeing to Steve’s plan to shoot him if things went badly with Vecna. Steve reflects on the fact that they were victorious even though he’d given up during Vecna’s torture, wishing he hadn’t needed Eddie and the others to rescue him. Hopper expresses gratitude towards Steve for showing up today. They talk about Hopper’s previous attempt at a pep talk. They also talk about their respective partners. Steve tells Hopper that he’s nervous to tell Eddie that he loves him, and Hopper says that he had told Joyce he loved her well before he said the actual words.
Max approaches Steve when they’re leaving, asking him to take her to the cemetery. Steve agrees, and El insists on accompanying them.
Chapter 10:
Steve takes Max and El to the cemetery. Steve is nervous about this, since Max almost died the last time she was there. After Max and El walk over to Billy’s grave, Steve spots Nancy, who beckons Steve and Lucy over to Barb’s grave.
Steve is awkward around Nancy after their argument, but Nancy seems genuinely happy to see both Steve and Lucy. Nancy reflects on what Steve had told her about the difference between knowing and believing, and reminisces about Barb.
In the car, Max talks about Billy to Steve, expressing guilt about Steve’s concussion from the fight with Billy. They talk about Billy being an asshole and how it’s complicated for Max and how Steve had his own dark moments in the past. Max appreciates Steve’s honesty and hopes that he’s feeling less depressed. Max points out that neither of them believed they deserved to be saved from Vecna, but she now thinks that they did deserve rescuing.
Chapter 11:
When Steve gets home from dropping off Max, he finds Robin and Eddie waiting at his doorstep. Robin and Eddie admit that they wanted to check in on him after his fishing trip with Hopper. They make it clear that they already planned out their strategy, which puts Steve on-edge, since he already had two interventions recently. Steve insists that Hopper didn’t upset him, but Eddie seems upset enough for both of them. When Robin suggests that she and Eddie leave, Steve suggests that they instead have a conversation inside.
Inside, Steve and Eddie immediately start flirting, but Robin reminds them that they’re supposed to be talking about Hopper. Robin and Eddie express their concerns about Steve spending time with Hopper, particularly that Steve might accept that Hopper sacrificing him was a viable option. Steve explains that Hopper was very resistant to the idea and had been trying to help Steve even before finding out he’d been Cursed. Robin admits that makes her feel better about it. Eddie points out that Hopper seemed to hate him partially for being a threat to Steve, and yet in the end, it was Eddie who needed to save Steve not only from Vecna but from Hopper. Steve feels guilty about this point, because he hadn’t thought much about Hopper’s treatment of Eddie since talking to Hopper about it at his cabin. Eddie insists that he doesn’t want to dictate who Steve hangs out with, and that he’ll address his concerns directly with Hopper. Eddie talks about wanting to reunite with his bandmates, and they all discuss the relative risks of that.
Chapter 12:
Steve comes home from dinner with the Hendersons to find that his mom is home for once. His mom is drunk and upset about his father cheating on her again. She accidentally breaks her glass of wine and drunkenly tries to clean it up but only hurts herself in the process. When she happens to say something that a Vecna hallucinations told him weeks earlier, Steve starts having a flashback/panic attack about it and retreats to his bedroom.
Steve tries to get some music playing to prove that this is all real but has some trouble. Before he gets anything working, Eddie shows up, naked, because he’d crashed through the window as a bat after smelling Steve and his mother’s blood. Steve finally hears music, but then his mom shows up, so he hides Eddie in his closet (lol). Steve has a brief, tense conversation with his mom. After she leaves, Eddie steps out of the closet.
Steve offers Eddie a snack of the blood on his hand from a broken glass shard. Eddie licks up all the blood, very thoroughly, still naked. Fade-to-black smut ensues. Afterwards, Eddie carries Steve to bed and Steve complains about it. They decide to go for another round before Lucy shows up to check on Steve too.