Everything Has Its Price
It comes to Steve for the first time when all the religious bullshit consumes his town. Eddie is dead, Max is in a coma and the entirety of Hawkins is fucked, no way around it. The ground is split, many dead or injured, fires everywhere and now Upside Down starts creeping into their world. Just peachy.
He listens to Max's song on repeat and thinks how fitting it is. Deal with God, exactly what they need, except the oh so benevolent God his parents pretend to care about couldn't give a flying fuck about them. As far as Steve is concerned, if He existed, he wouldn't just let them go through all of this. The children wouldn't have lost their innocence so soon. Eddie wouldn't be dead. And when he sees all the crap that Jason Carver spouted written on walls as if it was the holy scripture, all the talk about evil and devil and his minions, he thinks - why not. Why the fuck not.
Steve doesn't know if it will work, but he's willing to try. He excuses himself from the volunteer center and breaks into the half-collapsed library, finds some leftover books on paganism, Satanism, whatever he can find. And then he just proceeds to lock himself in the quiet Harrington household, pulls out a knife that should fulfill all the requirements and gets to work.
The first twelve entities he calls on don't answer. Ironically, it's the thirteenth that does. Steve doesn't even know its name and honestly, he doesn't care. He squeezes his bleeding palm more over the poorly drawn chalk symbol and he straightens himself, facing the blurry shape.
"You are an interesting one," it says, its voice deep and hollow. "What do you want of me?"
Steve clenches his hands, ignoring the sting. "I want to fix things," he says simply. "I don't care what it costs, take my soul, body, whatever you want, but all this shit has to go."
There is a booming sound, perhaps a chuckle. "Be more specific. What do you want to fix?"
"Max and Eddie. I want to bring them back. I want to...I want to make sure they live to see today. Not the end of the world today, I want them to live the lives they want. The lives they deserve." His voice is firm and resolute and the entity seems pleased.
"I don't care for your soul," it says with disdain, but Steve can feel it shifting closer, observing him. "End of the world, you say? That sounds promising. I feed on suffering, boy, your pain is what keeps me sustained. What do I have to gain from assisting you?"
Steve frowns and brushes back his hair, dying the front strand in blood. "As if this was a good thing for you," he spits out. "Sure, you'll have a feast now, but what do you think will happen when all humans die out? I've seen the world that's coming our way and let me tell you, it won't be a rich menu when it's all over."
"You make a good point," the entity admits and circles Steve now, interested. "Very well. Let me propose a trade then. I will give you a chance to...as you said, fix things. I will give you an extra day, for as long as you need. You will wake up the day when your world ended and will have as many chances to save your friends as you need."
Steve nods and watches the black mass without flinching. "Deal."
The entity chuckles again and warps, spreading across the once pristine living room. "Why agree when you don't know the price?"
"I don't care about the price. You can do anything you want with me, if it only affects me, it's worth it. It will always be worth it."
The darkness is touching is chest now, threatening to enter him, swallow him whole. "What a sight you are," it whispers. "This is what I want from you. You will be the only one to remember, the only one to know the stakes. You will try and fail, hurt and bleed, and I will be there to consume it all. When you eventually succeed, if it can be done, you will be let go. That is my offer. Feed me, child, and I will grant you as many chances as you need."
Steve musters a small smile, pained and tired, but a smile nevertheless. "Works for me. I accept."
Weeks, maybe months later, Steve upholds his end of the deal. He saves Eddie and Max, falls in love with the metalhead in the process and saves Hawkins. He is the only one to remember all the pain and tears and he's glad he is, no one should go through this because it was his choice, only his.
The night after they defeat Vecna, the whole group celebrates. Steve excuses himself, sneaks outside and draws a familiar symbol on the ground, cuts his barely healed palm again. "Are you satisfied?" he asks the black cloud that forms around him. "Is it over?"
The darkness shifts closer and strokes Steve's cheek, a teasing gesture from far beyond. "You kept your word and I will keep mine. Live your life, you earned it. As for me...this was the most exquisite meal I've had in ages. Thank you, boy. Your pain was delicious." And with that, the sign crumbles and disappears, blown away by the March wind.
Steve comes back inside and decides to grab a glass of water, his throat is suddenly dry and burning. He meets Eddie in the kitchen and they just relax against the counter, Eddie sipping beer and Steve his water, sharing comfortable silence.
"I still don't get how we survived that," Eddie whispers. They still have a long way to go, they need to clear Eddie's name, but they take it one step at a time. "So many things went just right, even thought it was a proper suicide mission. It must have been a bloody miracle."
Steve smirks into his glass and gulps down the rest of it. "Who knows?" he grins at Eddie, his heart light for the first time in weeks. "Maybe someone took Kate Bush's advice and made a deal with God."
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