Work Text:
stay alive ⋆˚✿˖°
i don't need to know,
the odds that we survive.
i'd still hold you close,
like the sharp edge of a knife.
finally, i'm not afraid to die.
—
the thing about hawkins is that it never really heals. people do, sort of. the town doesn't.
so when another gate begins to swell beneath the ground at lovers lake, no one panics. not anymore. it's just another night where they all grab their bats-with-nails, their chains, their flashlights, their courage and go.
the woods behind lovers lake look different at night —
branches crowd together overhead, hiding the moon. frost clings to the ground in thin, glassy threads. even the air feels tense, stretched too tight, ready to snap.
eleven stomps in pre-battle confidence, dustin beside her, their steps almost in sync. behind them, max and lucas walk shoulder to shoulder, talking under their breath. will and mike follow last, close enough that their hands brush every few steps.
but the older teens aren't far behind. their footsteps sound heavier. steve leads them, swinging the bat over his shoulder like it's just part of getting dressed at this point. robin matches his pace, muttering into her bandana scarf about how she could've been doing literally anything else tonight but, no, here she is, facing down yet another nightmare. nancy walks sharply and alert beside them, checking the rounds in her gun. jonathan keeps a steady eye on the surrounding trees.
they split into two groups naturally when they reach the clearing. older teens on the left, younger on the right, but the space between them feels small.
steve breaks the silence first, though not with uncertainty.
"gate looks worse than last month," steve says, exhaling. "and by worse i mean... well, worse."
"that's a very scientific report," robin mutters.
"i'm not the one with the words, okay?"
"you don't say."
nancy cuts in, voice cool and focused. "the ground's thinning," she says, kneeling. "it'll break open soon."
jonathan crouches next to her. "you think it's another crawler or something bigger?"
"we'll know in a minute."
—
the younger group gathers closer, instinctively readying themselves.
"okay," dustin says, adjusting his goggles. "same plan as last time. el will do her thing, lucas and max distract anything with too many limbs, i handle comms and backup, will watches for movement, and mike... you do the stupidly brave stuff you always do."
mike glares. "that's not my job."
lucas scoffs. "it's literally your job."
"no, it's not—"
will nudges mike's side, smiling softly. "it kind of is."
mike opens his mouth to argue again, but the ground rumbles.
"looks like we're close," eleven murmurs.
dustin squeezes her hand, steady and sure. "right behind you."
heat rushes upward as the crack stretches open like a mouth. a torn-up limb drags across the soil, then another. the creature that rises is tall, skeletal, a tangle of moving shadow and exposed sinew, its head jerking toward them with a hungry, hollow hiss.
"okay," steve calls out, "let's not die this time! that's the goal!"
"you say that every time," robin says.
"and we haven't died yet, so it's working!"
max and lucas sprint left, weaving through its legs, drawing its attention.
"lucas!" max calls. "distract it! don't get eaten!"
"those instructions don't go together!"
robin and steve flank the other side, weapons drawn. steve lunges forward first, swinging his bat with a shout that echoes across the clearing.
mike and will stay near the edge, scanning the creature's movements, "there," will says, pointing. "when it leans forward, it exposes the spine. that's where el needs to hit."
mike doesn't hesitate. "el! aim for the back! big gross spine thing!"
"eloquently put," robin shouts from the other side
eleven steps forward, eyes narrowing.
but the creature moves faster than expected, lunging toward the younger group with a crackling snarl.
dustin reacts instantly. "el—"
eleven's powers whips outward, catching the creature's jaw and hurling it off-balance. the ground shakes with the impact. lucas grabs max around the waist, pulling her away just before a limb slices the air where she'd been standing.
"holy shit," she breathes.
lucas's heart is still thudding when she steadies herself against him. "you good?" he pants.
max nods, breathless but grinning, eyes sharp. "yeah. thanks stalker."
lucas bears a quick smile before getting back into action.
on the other side of the clearing, steve ducks under a sweeping limb and nearly eats dirt. "okay—ow—robin, little help?!"
"i am helping!" she yells, swinging her flashlight like it's a weapon. "emotionally!"
"that doesn't count!"
nancy fires two clean shots at the creature's joints, the bullets sparking against bone-like shadow. jonathan stays close behind, pressing another magazine into her hand without a word.
"if we can keep it off-balance," nancy says, "el can finish it."
"got it," jonathan replies, raising his flashlight to blind the creature.
el's hands tremble for a moment, from the sheer force building behind her eyes. dustin stands at her side, crowbar held like it's a holy artifact.
he doesn't move away from her.
he never does.
"you've got this," he says quietly. "i'm right here."
her jaw sets with something steely, certain.
on the far edge of the clearing, mike tries to pull will a little farther back, but will plants his feet, eyes locked on the demogorgan.
"don't," he murmurs. "i can see what it's doing. i need to watch."
mike looks at him once.really looks. like he sees the bravery in him, the steadiness, the stubbornness he used to hide.
"okay," mike breathes. "we watch together."
the creature rears up, shadow twisting into something jagged and awful, ready to strike.
lucas and max break apart, each sprinting in opposite directions, pulling its attention apart.
steve charges in from behind. "hey!" he shouts, hitting its leg with the bat. "over here, nightmare fuel!"
it turns, shrieking robin grabs steve's hoodie and yanks him out of immediate death. "if you die," she wheezes, "i'm gonna kill you."
mike glances at will again. "now?"
will nods decisively. "now."
"el!" mike calls. "it's open — hit it!"
eleven lifts her chin. the air bends around her, red blooming under her nose. she steps forward,
"do it!" he shouts, voice cracking with adrenaline.
the creature lunges —
all claws and limbs and impossible angles —
but eleven is faster.
a violent burst of telekinetic force explodes from her palms, hitting the creature dead-center in the back. the shockwave cracks across the clearing.
the creature convulses, limbs curling inward.
max and lucas dive for the ground. steve shields robin with his arm. nancy covers her ears. jonathan pulls her closer. mike grips will's hand like it's the only anchor he has.
and then—
silence.
the creature collapses, dissolving into dust that scatters in the frost-lined grass
the ground seals with a muted thud.
it's done.
dustin sinks to his knees, laughing breathlessly. "i cannot believe that worked."
eleven kneels beside him, brushing a leaf from his hair. "we did it," she whispers.
"you did it," he says. "i just tried not to die."
"you did that too," she replies, soft and proud.
max and lucas stumble back toward them, still half-laughing, half-shaking. lucas bends over with his hands on his knees, gasping.
"i think—" he breathes, "i think my life just flashed before my eyes."
"did anything interesting happen?" max asks, leaning on him.
"yeah," lucas says. "i almost watched you get sliced in half."
max shrugs. "eh. i've had worse."
"that's not a good sentence," lucas says, staring at her. but he's smiling anyway, wide and terrified and relieved.
steve flops onto the cold dirt with a dramatic groan, dropping the bat beside him. "okay. new rule. if hawkins wants to birth any more shadow-demons, it can wait until after i've had a nap."
"seconded," robin says, collapsing next to him. "preferably a lifelong nap. like... hibernation."
nancy approaches, scanning the treeline, adrenaline still sharp in her posture. jonathan touches her shoulder lightly, grounding her.
"it's gone," he murmurs.
she nods slowly, tension easing from her jaw. "yeah. it is."
but mike and will haven't moved. they're still standing where the shockwave hit, hands tangled together like neither realised they never let go. the moon slips between the branches for the first time all night, pale light catching in will's hair, turning it silver.
"are you okay?" mike asks.
will nods, but it's a small, shaky movement. "yeah. you?"
mike laughs under his breath, and it breaks just a little in the middle. "i am now."
they don't say anything else. they don't need to.
the clearing is quiet again. the danger is gone. the others are talking, laughing, shouting—alive. and for a moment, mike lets himself breathe.
"hey," will says softly, tilting his head. "you did good."
mike swallows hard. his voice is barely a whisper. "i only did good because you were here."
will's breath stutters. color blooms in his cheeks like he's trying to hide springtime in winter. "mike—"
but mike shakes his head, stepping closer, forehead almost touching will's. "i mean it," he murmurs. "i'm braver when you're with me. i'm... better."
will's eyes soften, he tries too look away but mike's hand is still wrapped around his. "mike," he tries again, voice barely there, "you don't have to say things like that just because we survived."
mike gives a tiny, incredulous laugh. "will... i'm not saying it because we survived." he squeezes his hand tighter. "i'm saying it because it's true."
before either of them can say anything else, dustin shouts across the clearing:
"can you two stop staring soulfully at each other for, like, ten seconds and help me up?! i think my legs gave out."
mike startles, stepping back, cheeks flaming. will laughs under his breath, something small and bright and relieved.
the group gathers in the middle of the clearing, the tension finally bleeding out of the air. frost crunches under their feet. their breaths drift upward in soft white clouds.
hawkins is still broken. the night is still cold.
but they're all still standing.
and for now that's enough.
"so," steve says, clapping his hands together, "who wants to vote that we go home, eat six thousand calories, and pretend this never happened?"
"aye," robin says, raising her hand.
"aye," max echoes.
"dustin?" steve asks.
"dustin is dead," dustin says, waving vaguely. "carry me."
eleven crouches beside him, hand brushing his shoulder. "i tried. you're heavy."
"i know," he wheezes, waving a finger at her. "i'm important. very, very important. medically. and emotionally."
max leans on lucas again, still shaking, but smiling. "i vote we all agree dustin's theatrics count as extra calories burned."
steve groans, hands on his knees. "i vote we agree he's insufferable."
eleven finally allows herself to exhale, small but steady, looking around at everyone. "we did it," she whispers.
the night stretches around them, cold and fragile. but they are still here. still alive.
—
as long as you’re
the last love of my life.
darling,
i would risk it all for you.
betting on a hand,
i was bound to lose.
deal me in again
‘cause it hasn’t killed me yet.