Prompt: E27. Waking up from a nightmare

Just a few years ago, when peculiarities first started happening, you wouldn't have believed what you'd end up in. One of the biggest things in your personal life was how the asshole Steve Harrington you had had a stupid crush on in kindergarten had gone through a redemption, and had ultimately became your boyfriend.

Through him, you had gotten yourself tangled up in strange happenings around Hawkins, and then you found out you were basically all part of a real-life horror film. And that led to even stranger things, you all just accepted your part in it.

So when you heard your friends had all gone missing, you didn't even hesitate to go through the hole in the basement. You just knew Vecna had taken them.

Vecna smirked, holding up a body. Guts were still spilling out of it, a fresh kill. You knew why Vecna showed it, you did, but you couldn't look at the face.

"This one screamed for you," Vecna taunted. "But you didn't come."

You felt a tear slip down your cheek, but you refused to speak, refused to show your fear. If Vecna would take you, you wouldn't go down begging and crying.

Vecna paused and threw Steve's body in front of you. His brown eyes unseeing, mouth open, blood trickling out. Vecna laughed.

"You see what you've done? You're too late."

No.

"You let them down. You let him down."

"No!"

Your eyes blasted open as you shot up to sit on your bed, and it took a moment before you realised where you were.

Steve's bedroom.

And he was right there beside you, breathing, slightly puzzled, groggy. "What is it?"

You took in a shaky breath, realising a tear was running down your cheek and you brushed it off. "Just that stupid dream again."

Steve was quiet for a moment, and you already thought he fell back asleep, but then you heard the sheets shift as he pushed himself to sit up. "The one about Vecna?"

You swallowed and nodded, before you muttered, "El said she can still feel him and it's possible he didn't die."

Your words made him sigh. "Yeah, I see those too. I feel like he's playing with us somehow. I'm thinking of asking El if that's possible from where he is."

El. She had been working on enhancing her abilities, making herself stronger, trying everything to prepare to fight the war that would wait in Hawkings. Mike had tried to ask her if there'd be a way to find more people like her, but she insisted most of them were dead because of Vecna and those who escaped, she had no idea where they went, they could be anywhere in the world and you didn't have time to look for them.

You closed your eyes for a moment. "What's the time?"

Steve shifted to look at the clock on his nightstand. "Not enough to get up. Almost three."

You groaned, reluctantly lying down again. "I don't think I can sleep anymore."

Steve joined you, pulling you in his arms. "Whether you'll sleep or not, I'll protect you from all kinds of monsters."

You snorted. "Even those you can't punch with your baseball bat?"

He smirked, his hand wandering up and down your back. "If they're causing you harm, I'd even fight with air for you."

You let out a small huff at that, but relaxed against him. You knew it was true, he'd do anything to keep you safe. And you'd do the same for him, and had done that too. There had been times you had protected each other during a fight, times one of you got hurt, times you were scared of losing each other. But despite that all, you had endured, you had stayed up to fight.

And that was something you'd do till the very end if necessary.