You Will Always Burn As

“Don’t ever do that to me again, asshole,” Gareth hissed, making absolutely no move to let go of him. “Bats are officially forbidden.”It didn’t matter that the Upside Down was closed for good, that Creel was dead, that the government had painted Eddie as a victim instead of a criminal; Gareth was still terrified. If he blinked, Eddie would vanish. If he let go, Eddie would die.“Gar?” Eddie’s voice softened. “I’m okay.”“Like hell you are.” Because Eddie was covered in still tender scars that made him wince when he moved. Eddie still needed a wheelchair and they didn’t know how long it would take him to walk again. He’d lost parts of his organs, he’d been in a coma. He could have been killed.His best friend could have been eaten alive.*In one world, Eddie dies to the demobats. In this one, he doesn't. He lives and Gareth struggles to process how close he came to losing his best friend.