the unknown | steve harrington

chapter one: reunited

"You, Daphne Henderson, are a total butthead." The all too familiar voice echoed through the sports hall mirrored into this alternate dimension.

The cold, yet stuffy air caught in her throat as the orbs of the Upside Down swam around them. It couldn't be. There was no way this could be happening. Daphne's head swirled around her with possible explanations. She must be dead; she's seeing things.

"You gunna say something or just stand there gawking?" The voice said again, this time closer as the mane of hair came into view, and then his face, and Daphne couldn't breathe.

"It's not possible," She whispered to herself, her feet frozen where they were. "Am I dead?"

"I sure hope not, because that would suck for me," He chuckled, glancing at her through his curls.

"Eddie," She sniffled, wiping her nose, and as his grin widened her feet began to move as she walked, then raced towards him, smacking herself into him as she threw her arms over him. "Eddie, I can't believe— what— how are you— are you okay?"

The stream of questions rolled off her tongue as she pulled herself away, patting his chest down and looking at his legs which all seemed perfectly intact.

"One question at a time, maybe?" He shook his head, "God it gives me the creeps being here."

The two made their way to sit on the sidelines, Daphne couldn't take her eyes off him, nor her arms as she stayed wrapped around his waist. More so because she feared the moment she let go, would be the moment he leaves again. Eddie couldn't help but blush, not in a romantic way, neither of them felt like that, but in a way that he felt he had never really had a friend like Daphne, or her brother for that matter, before.

"How are you here?" Daphne started out, and he took a deep breath.

"I think I'm alive," he said, full of uncertainty as his eyebrow rose towards her. "I remember everything— dying— with you and Henderson." He sighed, "Then I woke up, just about 20 minutes ago, I think, and for some reason I just knew to come here." He glanced towards her again. "Did we win? Is that why I'm here?"

"No," Daphne's voice was small as she shook her head, "We didn't win." She sighed, "I don't know what happened, one minute I was home, with Steve, and we were helping out after Vecna basically split Hawkins in four, then it felt like the Upside Down was spilling into Hawkins, like the air and particles were there, and then—" Daphne sighed again, "I was here."

"Do you think we can get out?" Eddie asked, looking around.

"Man, we better," she shook her head, "we could try the gates again, but Lucas said they're basically lava now, I don't know, Hawkins is crawling with CIA."

"CIA, huh?" Eddie smirks as he picks at his jeans. "In Hawkins?"

"In Hawkins," Daphne laughs, Eddie joining in. "God, what have we gotten ourselves into?"

The two sat there in their exhausted giggles as it echoed around them, the thunder ripping through the atmosphere outside, seeping into the decayed building around them. Daphne was so ecstatic to have Eddie by her side, that it wasn't until the shock wore off that she realised just how much deep shit she was in.

It was at this moment she realised she's left Dustin, just after he lost Eddie, and Steve, when he has no one but that big house, and then there was Robin. Daphne's chest felt hollow as her chuckles lulled into silence.

"Hey, hey, we'll figure it out, okay?" Eddie coos as he sees her face fall, her eyes welling with a sniffle. Eddie's hand rubbing comforting circles on her back.