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narrans · 24 days

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My Borrowed Son | 11 | First Day of School

Chapter Eleven | First Day of School

Parker wasn’t sure why he was so jittery. Well… he did, and yet he didn’t. There were a million things going on in his mind, and yet he couldn’t summon the right words.

His mom had done it. He was going to school.

Well… kind of.

He was in virtual school, which was the next best thing. Parker knew he couldn’t attend normal school because of his condition, but that didn’t matter. Now, he would get to see other kids and hear all sorts of new things from his teachers. There would be homework and reading assignments and, if he was lucky, he would make some friends.

Parker had on his best shirt and made sure everything was tucked in and that his hair was combed out thoroughly. He had been waiting for this moment all summer and he was not about to leave a bad impression or get off on the wrong foot.

Something in the little boy was making him shiver and shake with both excitement and nerves.

What if the other kids didn’t like him?

What if he wasn’t smart enough to keep up with the work?

What happened if he was too smart?

Would he be bullied?

Or would he be welcomed with open arms like any other kid?

Was his condition going to make the others uncomfortable?

What if they asked too many questions about why he got to stay at home and go to school virtually?

Parker took a breath to calm down his mind. It was something his mom taught him. To reinforce the calm he was trying to bring over himself, Parker remembered his conversation with his mom.

“Now, Parker, remember what I said about your condition?” Amanda had asked him earlier that day and every day for the past two weeks.

“It is a rare condition that the doctors are still figuring out. I’m just like you, just a bit fragile,” recited Parker at the drop of a hat.

“If there are other questions about how you’re fragile?” prompted Amanda.

“It’s hard to explain, but it’s basically what it sounds like. My body is delicate. I can break bones easier and stuff like that and being outside makes my body react poorly. It also means I grow differently, so I’m a bit small for my age,” explained Parker. At that moment, Dr. Melissa Hargrove’s words also rang in his ears about how Parker’s body was just like any other kid’s body, just a bit smaller.

For whatever reason, Parker wondered why Dr. Hargrove, his pediatrician, knew about his condition, but he couldn’t find a lot of information about it online.

It’s not like it mattered in the long run.

What mattered was that Parker was getting what he wanted – a chance to be a normal kid.

His entire setup was a bit unorthodox, but it was necessary. Parker had a webcam perched on top of a few wooden blocks so that he was front and center, just like some kind of CEO in a company. His mom had purchased a nice desk for him as well as some bookshelves for him to put his notebooks.

Not only had his mom purchased a nice desk and bookshelves for him, but she also made an expansion to his room so he could have a study space. Everything was set up nicely, making Parker feel like he was in an office room like his mom’s office. It made him feel very grown up.

A computer was nearby so Parker could watch the screen and feel like he was part of the class. If he had a question, he had a few buttons he could press to raise his hand virtually. If he was having some tech issues, his mom was permitted to assist. If he misbehaved, his special permission to be virtual could be revoked.

But Parker was determined to make sure he never lost these privileges.

He intended to be the best student that ever was at this school.

As he readjusted his camera and his desk with his paper and pencils arranged just so, his mom paced not so quietly nearby. Her footsteps sounded like small earthquakes to him. It made the table tremble rhythmically. His mom’s pacing was usually soothing. The miniscule child had fond memories of falling asleep to his mother’s pacing. This time, however, it was making him feel anxious.

It wasn’t until he heard his mother’s signature tongue click that he knew she wanted to say something. He suspected she had a few things on her mind, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to hear.

“Parker, sweetie, do you need anything else before class starts?” she asked.

“No, momma. I have everything,” said Parker. Something about the apprehension in his mother’s eyes made Parker feel uncomfortable. There was a part of him that was afraid she would change her mind at any moment about him going to school, not that she had done anything like that in the past.

“You sure? You don’t want any water or a snack?” asked his mom. Parker shook his head and smiled up at her.

“I’m sure, but thank you,” said Parker. “Momma? Don’t worry. I’ll be good. I’ve got all my supplies and I’ll be fine. I promise.” He pushed himself away from his desk, glancing at the computer screen to make sure he was still on time, and walked over to the edge of the desk.

“I know, and I’m trying not to worry. I just want you to have a great first day.” His mom approached and knelt, her eyes lingering on his eyes. A child’s intuition and innocents are unparalleled, and now was one of those moments. Parker didn’t understand all of the emotions his mother was going through, but what he did know was that she needed reassurance. The moment felt right, so Parker reached out and rested his hand against his mother’s cheek.

“I’ll make you proud, momma.” His words immediately brought tears to his mom’s eyes, and it took everything in her willpower to not scoop him up and pull him away from the world. He was too sweet – too pure – to be exposed to the outside world.

If a mother’s worries were astronomical, Amanda’s were incomprehensible. The terror of Parker being revealed as a miniscule child that could fit in a human hand was almost crippling. The fear of him doubting himself or not succeeding in everything he deserved to succeed in made Amanda want to cry. The desire for Parker to be accepted and to make lasting friendships was stronger than adamantium.

She knew parenthood was going to be a challenge, especially with a small child like Parker, but she didn’t think emotions this intense would possess her.

Amanda wanted to say so much more, but the flicker of the computer screen revealing a classroom caught both her and Parker’s attention. He looked back at her and beamed, a smile spread from ear to ear, as he hurried back to his desk and pressed the “on” switch to his camera.

There he was on screen. The image flicked on and revealed the classroom on the big screen. It made Parker feel like he was watching a movie with his mom, except this one was interactive – real.

The camera picked up all of the sound of the buzzing classroom, which made Parker’s hair raise. It was an odd sensation, but something in the back of his mind begged him to flee and hide away from the camera. The other part of him that ended up winning out had him stay put on the camera and sit patiently as he waited for class to begin.

Where did that sensation come from?

Why was it always nagging him in the back of his mind?

Parker pushed it from his mind as he focused on the other kids in the classroom, absorbing every detail of the classroom. There were at least twenty other kids, all of them around Parker’s age, and they were walking around the room and talking to one another. Based on his position in the room, Parker suspected he was at the front of the room by the teacher’s desk since he couldn’t see it in the picture of the class on his screen.

The desks were arranged in groups of five, making Parker think that his area was set up at one of these five desks since he could only see four other desks around his screen but five desks at all of the other spots in the room. It made him wonder who he was going to be with and if they would get along. His palms felt sweaty and his insides flipped and churned nervously.

The clock at the front of the room was counting down to 9:00 a.m. Each second, Parker felt a fluttering nervousness swirling inside him. He spotted a few of the kids looking and pointing at the camera, many of them covering their mouths and leaning toward one another as they whispered.

It made Parker squirm uncomfortably. Were they talking about him? And, if so, why not just come over and talk? He recited the questions and answers in his head that he and his mother rehearsed, the anticipation of talking to someone new for the first time starting to make him antsy.

Still, he wanted to put his best foot forward. He smiled and waved at some of the nearby groups, but that only made the other kids look away.

The miniscule boy wondered why.

He was just like them, just not there in person.

Perhaps they just know one another from the other grades? Friends gravitate to one another from grade to grade. Maybe they’re just as scared as me?

Parker smiled again and waved as a group of three girls walked past his screen. All of them had this weird look on their face, like it was a mixture of confusion and disgust.

Were all girls like this? Parker wondered.

It felt like a punch in the gut, but Parker was determined; at least, he started off determined.

When the bell rang and no one approached, Parker was feeling defeated. Could the other kids see him? Did he look like some kind of screen robot? Or was this just how things were going to be?

Oh well… I wanted to go to learn too… Parker thought. I guess making friends is harder than I…

“Hey, are you new here?”

Parker was pulled from his thoughts to see a massive face of a girl about his age leaning forward toward the camera. She had charcoal black eyes and black hair that was spun in tight, curly spirals. She had a little gap in between her front teeth, and it was clear she had lost a tooth recently at the bottom left of her jaw.

Again, that instinct to flee and hide welled up inside of him, but Parker choked it down as he fidgeted with his penicils.

“Um… uh… yeah. Hi! Sorry. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Parker. What’s your name?” asked the anxious ten year old. The girl leaned away and stared at the screen, her penetrating eyes making Parker feel like she was actually looking at him, before she looked directly into the camera.

“I’m Bailey. Bailey Johnson. Don’t you have a last name? Daddy always taught me to say your first and last name when you meet someone new,” said Bailey as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned forward on her desk.

“R-right,” stammered Parker, feeling like he was starting to flounder already. He wasn’t going to shy away from this though. He cleared his throat and straightened up. “I’m Parker Silverstein. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” beamed Bailey as she shimmied in her seat. “Um… why are you on a screen? It’s the first day. You sick or somethin’?”

Parker didn’t have a chance to answer, not that he was eager to do so. It was the first time he was going to put his question answering to the test, but it was cut short by someone striking a triangle that hung over the whiteboard.

“Alright, everyone sit down and get ready. We’ve got a lot to cover today and, if you were in my class last year, you know the drill,” said a tall man at the front of the class. He wore black rimmed glasses that reminded Parker of the ones Clark Kent would wear in the comics to disguise himself from being Superman. The man had sandy blond-brown hair, much like Parker’s hair, but he had pale blue eyes that reminded Parker of glacier ice that he had seen in his science books. The man looked young, but he held himself with the confidence of someone older than him. The man began to pace back and forth at the front of the room and continued to speak, which quieted the room.

“For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mr. William Tamplin. You may call me Mr. Tamplin unless you’re my mother, which I don’t think any of you are, and I’m your homeroom teacher. I’m also you English instructor, math tutor, and I sometimes hold kickball tournaments for your grade range. I play the French horn and give piano lessons on weekends. Tracking?

“Good. Now, today is very simple despite all we have to do today. First and foremost, let’s get up from our chairs and give ourselves a little shake. First day jitters always keep me moving, and I can see some of you squirming in your seats already. So, let’s stand and shake.”

It was an unorthodox method to begin with, but a little more coaxing had the students standing and shimmying and shaking. Some of the kids started laughing, and even Parker stood and found himself laughing a bit at watching everyone get out their first day jitters.

Already, this was making him feel comfortable.

“Alright! Everyone back in your seats. We’re going to be doing a lot of these things throughout the day, so stay still until I ring this bell. As soon as you hear it, stand and get out those jitters. Okay?

“Good! Now, first and foremost we need to introduce ourselves. We’ll take turns, but let’s start small. Look at your classmates and shake everyone’s hand and introduce yourselves. You have thirty seconds. Go!” instructed Mr. Tamplin.

Parker had to admit that his teacher had a special way of conducting the room, and soon he had the names of the other five kids at his table. There was Bailey, of course, but also Davis, Lyanna, and Billie.

All of them asked, almost in unison, why Parker was on a screen and not at the table. Lyanna seemed less interested like Davis, who was currently drawing on his desk, but Bailey and Billie seemed genuinely curious as to why Parker wasn’t there with them.

“Well, it’s a bit complicated, but I have a medical condition. It just makes me a bit fragile, so I have to have school at home,” replied Parker.

“Lucky,” mumbled Davis as he continued drawing on the desk.

“Davis, you shouldn’t be doing that. It’s disrespectful,” scolded Bailey as she turned her charcoal eyes back to Parker.

“So, you’re sick a lot? That’s gross,” said Billie. “But you look fine to me. When I’m sick, I have snot, like, dripping down my face like the nasty monster. Like this. Blleehhh!” Billie proceeded to pretend snot was coming out of his face as he dragged his fingers down his nose.

“Ew! You’re disgusting,” Lyanna said as she rolled her eyes.

“You’re disgusting,” Billie shot back.

Parker was about to interrupt, but Mr. Tamplin rang the bell again and everyone stood and got out their jitters, something Parker was enjoying. It made him feel relaxed and connected to a class he could only see on a screen. It also distracted his table from the current argument they were about to engage in.

“Alright, now everyone needs to introduce themselves to the class, okay? One at a time so we can get to know your face. Just like I did, stand and tell us your name and a little something about yourself. It can be something you like doing. It can be your favorite television show or book. Ready? You have ten seconds and then the first student is whoever I point to. Go!”

One by one, the students stood up and introduced themselves, willing to participate in this game-like activity set forth by Mr. Tamplin. Parker was having a great time until, finally, he saw Mr. Tamplin’s eyes focus on him and his finger point directly at the screen.

“Okay. You. Who are you?” asked Mr. Tamplin. Parker suspected Mr. Tamplin already knew who he was, but it was part of the activity. Suddenly, Parker’s heart was in his throat and every thought was wiped from his mind.

Who was he?

What was his name?

What was he supposed to say?

Parker felt a mixture of nausea and excitement as he stood up from his at-home desk and cleared his throat. His heart was pounding a hole through his ribs. The edges of his vision seemed to blur and refocus.

Then, somehow, the words just came to him.

“Hello, my name is Parker Silverstein. My favorite book is The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, and I like inventing and making things,” said Parker. He took a breath of relief as he waited for Mr. Tamplin to instruct him to sit back down.

“Well, Parker, nice to meet you. Everyone say ‘Hi Parker’.”

“Hi Parker!” Everyone echoed back. It was the same thing everyone had done to one another the entire class.

“Now, Parker, would you like to explain why you’re on a screen? Or do you want to save that for another day?” asked Mr. Tamplin. The ten year old child felt a pit form inside him. It made him feel a bit awkward to be called out in front of everyone, but he kind of wanted to get it over with all at once.

Plus, Mr. Tamplin had given him an option of now or later.

“Um… I can tell them now. Um… so… I have a… um… medical condition. It’s a bit rare and it basically just makes me a bit fragile, so I have school at home,” explained Parker.

“Wonderful. Thank you for sharing Parker. Now, onto the next!”

Just like that, without any extra hassle, Parker had explained to over twenty other kids that he was just a little bit different, and no one had any other questions.

Though it was bound to happen, Parker was grateful that Mr. Tamplin didn’t open up the floor for discussion. He didn’t like all of that attention on him if he was being completely honest. It made his skin crawl and he felt like he needed to duck away and hide under the desk away from the camera.

At the same time, it was exhilarating. Parker had just made so many new friends, and some of them were right there at his table.

The day continued, for the most part, without incident. There were a few teachers that came into the room and had additional questions for Parker who emphasized to the class that he was going to get all of the same homework, additional lessons, and supplementary material like everyone else, but no one seemed interested in the particulars.

There was one teacher, Ms. Kendall Kain, who pulled Parker’s monitor to the side to ask, as she said, some “follow up questions.” Many of them were about specifics of his condition followed by a somewhat implying statement about Parker not looking sick. At some point, Parker called in his mom to answer some of Ms. Kain’s questions, which quieted Ms. Kain for the rest of the day.

Parker loved all of his teachers, except for Ms. Kain with her wrinkly brow and thick rimmed glasses held on by a gaudy beaded chain, and he was more than ready to tackle the literal stack of homework he was given.

After that incident with Ms. Kain, Parker’s mom peered in from time to time to give him a little thumbs-up, to which Parker always returned the gesture.

The rest of the day ran smoothly, ending once again with Mr. Tamplin.

Parker logged off from class and, with excitement, rushed out to his ladder to run to his mom to tell her all about the day he had at school. This was a promising start to his educational journey, and a tart to even greater things to come.

Parker was sure of it.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Beginning

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mx-kay · 2 years

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hiii!!! i just gotta tell you this scenario I’ve been thinking about!🥺

Dustin goes out into the woods (maybe to the picnic table Eddie was at with Chrissy) to clear his mind cause he misses Eddie so much. Dustin sits there crying out Eddie’s name, tears are pouring from his eyes as he thinks about Eddie, but poor Dustin is totally unaware that Eddie is alive and was turned into a giant, who of course is secretly watching Dustin from afar and his giant heart is breaking at the sight of Dustin crying😭

Hold On

Mini Giant!Eddie & Human!Dustin

Rating : T, SFW

Word Count : 2,621

TW : Several mentions of death, description of distorted body parts (not gore!!!), small mention of the Satanic Panic, very brief mention of self mutilation

Extra : I may have took a little creative liberty on this because I love vampire Eddie and also love when people give him a monstrous look that just happens to be mini giant sized. If you want one where he’s just a giant, send another ask in and I’ll write another version! Also, I apologize if this doesn’t flow very well. I wrote half of this while I was sick and Dustin was also really hard for me to write. Idk why, I think it’s because we’ve never really seen him grieve on screen so I had nothing to go off of. Hope he’s not too OOC. (Eddie’s design was inspired by l33chjar on TikTok, though more proportionate.)

———— 🦇 ————

It was around mid-April when the rumors started up.

Small towns were often known for how quickly gossip spread, and with Hawkins now dwindling population it was definitely no exception. The small handful of people who still dared to live there were quick to hear of the massive shadow now said to haunt the woodlands near the school. As if there wasn’t already reason enough to keep their kids locked indoors at all times.

As most rumors of this nature went, people couldn’t seem to come to an agreement on what it looked like. Some claimed it had an almost human appearance, despite its ink colored fur and ivory claws. Others would call it beastly, with sharp fangs and giant wings and glowing red eyes. Despite all the differing opinions though, one thing was always the same. The creature was massive. Easily over twelve feet standing upright. People claimed it was a sign that the devil was indeed in Hawkins, a few going as far as to say it was summoned by Eddie Munson through his ritual sacrifices.

Those who knew the truth about what laid beneath Hawkins were in just as much confusion on what it could possibly be. Demogorgons were definitely tall, but they weren’t that tall. The Mind Flayer was also a possibility, but even then there were details that didn’t add up. Other key details used to describe the creature were its glowing red eyes and giant pair of bat-like wings. Creatures of the Upside Down didn’t have faces, and the demobats were simply too small to be a possibility. Had they somehow evolved? Or was this an entirely new monstrosity they had yet to face?

No one was quite sure, and it put them all on edge.

———— 🦇 ————

Dustin knew he shouldn’t be here. Especially not alone. Not only had his mother basically banned him from going, Steve had also had several fights with him over going back. The woods near the school were a no-go zone, a place he should be absolutely nowhere near until they knew exactly what they were up against. Whatever was in there would more than likely not hesitate to kill or seriously maim.

Despite all this, the countless hours of hearing the adults of the group repeat it over and over and over, here he stood. Maybe a yard away from the tree line. The sun was slowly sinking behind the trees, casting him in a dark shadow and causing him to shiver. The spring weather was still clinging to the air, meaning it was almost cold in the shade. Maple seeds laid scattered in the grass as the evening birds sang. It was peaceful.

God this was a bad idea, he knew it was, but he was here anyways. He had to be. Eddie’s memorial was here, one Dustin had set up himself. Were they really expecting to keep him from visiting? “I’m never going to hear the end of this,” he muttered, already picturing Steve’s rant when he got back. Honestly, they probably should have expected him to come here. He wasn’t quite known for his keen sense of judgement after the whole Dart incident.

Taking a deep breath and shaking out the nerves, Dustin took a step forward. “Into the Death Star.”

———— 🦇 ————

Never in his entire life did Eddie Munson think he would hate trees as much as he did right now.

Well, maybe life. Was he alive? He still didn’t quite know the answer to that one. He quite vividly remembered not being alive for a moment, of shaky hands gripping him tight as Dustin cried over him. Pretty soon after everything went black, though, he’d sat up in a terrible coughing fit and feeling like he was having the absolute worst hangover. His entire body felt as if it’s been pulled inside out or something of the like. For a moment he simply had to relearn how to breathe.

It was only after his brain seemed to finally reboot that he noticed the physical changes. He had thought the feeling of wrongness was just the thick air of the Upside Down surrounding him, not his entire fucking body now stretched out like a piece of taffy. His already gangly limbs were now abnormally long and ended in black fur and sharp claws. That wasn’t even as bad as the new appendages he now sported, the large pointed bat ears and massive wings and whipping tail.

He didn’t quite have a definite number for the amount of panic attacks he’s had since his “rebirth”.

After crawling his way out of one of the massive cracks now tearing through Hawkins, Eddie’s first instinct was to find the rest of his party. When something as big as this happened, it was never good to have the party separated. With a little trial and error — or just him figuring out his now heightened sense of hearing and smell — he found himself in the woods surrounding Hawkins High. It seems most of Hawkins was now situated in the gym after losing their homes to the “earthquake”. It took all of his willpower not to run out and hug his uncle when he first saw him exit the building, even more so when he saw the necklace currently around his neck. Eddie’s necklace, the one he used in the Upside Down. Dustin must have grabbed it from him specifically to give to Wayne. God, they probably told him he was dead. Everyone either thought he was a murderer or dead.

He wanted to tell everyone he was alright. Well, alright as he could be after coming back to life looking like the demon everyone thought he was. Point is, Eddie hated that he couldn’t tell them he was alive. There were just too many people that could see him. The close calls he’d already had were enough to keep him farther back from the school. There was just never a good chance to get anyone’s attention without alerting the whole town. So he kept to the woods.

Woods meant trees though, and branches that just loved to snag as his new pair of wings. They were cool in theory, but actually having them was torture. “I’m gonna start purposefully tearing off branches at this point,” he grumbled to himself, tail lashing slightly behind him and nearly hitting the picnic table. That was an odd feeling as well. It was like having a second, more flexible spine connected to his ass. Uncomfortable. He wondered if it would grow back like a lizard’s if he tore it off, but knew he really probably shouldn’t test that theory. He needed it for balance anyways, with his legs now far more resembling an animal’s than normal human ones. Jesus, he’d already had to deal with body dysphoria before the incident, this was not helping.

A branch snapped up the path leading to the picnic table.

Eddie froze mid-step in his pacing, ears swiveling as his head turned in the sound’s direction. Shit. Shit. He’d been so lost in his head that he hadn’t heard the approaching footfall. It was close too, a quick but heavy step that seemed to have a purpose. God, Jesus, he was so fucking screwed. What if it was a hunter? Someone who’d come specifically to see if they could take down the mighty beast lurking in the high school forest? What if they had a gun and shot at him? What if it didn’t miss? He couldn’t breathe, his brain fuzzy with panic. Turning, he scrambled into the woods, flattening himself to the forest floor and, for once in his life, praying to anything out there that he wouldn’t be spotted.

The person entered the clearing the moment he stilled.

———— 🦇 ————

Dropping his bag, Dustin sat at the table with a heavy sigh. There were only a few things scattered over the top, moved from their original spots by the forces of nature, but he quickly placed it all back in the center. It wasn’t much. A bag of DnD dice and a few figurines, a handful of guitar picks, a Hellfire shirt, and a few other things. Most of it was placed here himself. It wasn’t much, but it was the best he could do in these circumstances. It hurt that he couldn’t do more.

“Hey Eddie.”

He liked to do this when he was alone here. Talk, act like nothing ever happened and Eddie was sitting right across from him. Pretend it was all ok.

“Sorry I haven’t been around. Steve went all mom mode and wouldn’t let me come. I think they’re all overreacting, we all know the Upside Down creatures hate fire. We could just burn whatever son of a bitch that’s in the woods.”

He looked back down at the backpack he’d brought with him. It wasn’t a flamethrower, but he had brought a lighter and a can of hairspray. He wasn’t stupid enough to not come at least somewhat prepared.

“Good news, Max is awake! She’s always complaining about how much her legs and arms hurt. Mostly just doing it to annoy us and boss us around, but everyone’s giving her a pass on that one. I think everyone’s just relieved she’s okay.”

He stopped for a moment, staring down at the pile laid out in front of him.

“She uh, she asked about you.”

The room had gone quiet as Max had questioned where Eddie was. Even if no one had immediately given her an answer, the silence said enough. They could tell it hurt her, even if she acted nonchalant about it. She wasn’t the only one. Everyone in the Hawkins group was mourning in their own way.

He could feel his eyes start to burn. “Jesus,” he sniffed, trying to wipe the tears away. It didn’t seem to help. “You know, I told Steve one time that if he died, I’d die. It was back in the secret Russian base I never got to tell you about. I think that-” he voice cracked. “I think that applied to you too.” He might not have physically died, but he didn’t feel alive either. Grief killed. He could feel something in him had died that day, was maybe still dying. His eyes burned, his throat burned, his chest burned. It burned and ached and ate him inside and left him feeling empty and hollow and dead.

He sobbed, “Why did you do it?” He’d asked himself that question so many times it felt like a personal mantra. “You could have climbed up and we could have covered the gate or hidden or something. We could have figured something out! Steve said don’t be a hero and you said you wouldn’t and then you did, and that’s bullshit! Bullshit! We have a rule in the party, friends don’t lie, and you broke it. You broke it and I hate you for it!” The yells tapered off into full body crying.

He was angry and hurt and almost missed the soft croaking sob from farther in the woods, “I deserve that.”

Dustin froze. He sniffed, trying to wipe his tears from his face. God, that voice. That voice, it sounded like … no, not it couldn’t be. There was no way. No possible way. “…Eddie?” The call was small and tentative, almost like he was afraid of being caught saying it. Like someone would jump out and laugh at him for even thinking of the possibility.

There was a moment of silence. Maybe he was just hearing things. Finally lost his mind from this.

“…Shit.”

There was a loud shuffling noise in the more shadowed part of the woods across the table from him. Dustin shot up from his seat, mouth gaping before he rushed to get around the bench. “Holy fucking shit, Eddie, is that you?!” he yelled, sprinting for the trees.

Something large snapped up in the shadows, quickly followed by Eddie’s voice, “Woah woah woah woah, hey, stop for a moment! Don’t come any closer!”

The frantic and frankly frightened sounding cry was confusing enough to stop him in his tracks. “Eddie, what…” The question went unfinished.

There was a sigh and a sniffle, “First off, you really need to watch your mouth. Don’t think Mama Harrington would like it too much if he caught you saying that.” Dustin rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to reply but was cut off. “Second…second, is…” He paused for a moment, almost sounding choked. “I’m not the same, Henderson,” he finally let out, “I think those bats might have done a little more than take a bite out of me.”

The admission hung in the air for a moment. A frown crossed his face, “What do you mean? Like, what, you’re a zombie now? Are you an Upside Down zombie?”

Something about that was funny as Eddie let out a soft snort of laughter, but it was quickly shot down, “No, no new affinity for brains.” He paused again before speaking, “Try blood.”

Dustin seemed to think on that for a moment before looking back towards the shadow in the woods he was sure was Eddie. “You’re a vampire?” he asked as if to get affirmation, but shook his head before Eddie could speak. “You know what, I don’t care what you look like, I’m coming in.”

The shadow sunk down into the bushes, “Henderson, Henderson, that’s not a good idea man-“

“No!”

It was quiet again, besides his hiccuping breaths. Dustin shook his head, tears springing back up. “No, Eddie.” His voice was cracking again. “The last thing I saw you do was die. I watched you die and it’s been on repeat in the back of my mind ever since! So I don’t care what you look like, I just care about seeing you alive so I don’t have to keep seeing you dead in my arms!” The last sentence seemed to echo through the forest for a moment, clinging to whatever it hit. The silence was near deafening, the trees themselves seeming to hold their breath.

A watery laugh echoed back, “Glad to see you haven’t changed Dustin.” He took a breath, and followed with a much softer, “Just, don’t freak out. Please.” And then the forest seemed to move.

Dustin gaped at the now massive shape, instinctively taking a step back as it rose. “Holy shit,” he breathed out, his brain trying to process what exactly he was seeing. Two points stuck out from the top of the head, reminiscent of horns, as two wing-like shapes devoured the rest of the body in shadow. Red pupils seemed to glow from the depths of the curly halo of hair around its head. His head craned back as the form began to walk forward and oh shit that thing was huge and he couldn’t help a few more steps back and-

There was Eddie. Eddie, who he saw die and who was now here. Eddie, the closest person besides Steve that he’d ever considered a brother. Eddie, who now had wings and fur and claws and oh those were bat ears not horns and was that a tail and never mind it didn’t matter he was here and honestly looked like a kicked puppy and Dustin could help but let out a sob and reach up for a hug.

He instantly knelt down and pulled him close, though was careful of his sharper edges. He could feel Dustin shaking as he sobbed into him, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. “I’m sorry,” Eddie whispered. He’d hurt the kid. Even if he’d been trying to save his life, he’d hurt him. “I’m so sorry.”

And for a moment, as the sun set, they simply held on.

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