for inhairently

[thefreak]

( The first time Eddie had been whisked away to another world, he had made peace with dying. The city had presented him with an odd conundrum. If he sought to return back to Hawkins, he would die for real. It felt unfair to Steve, who he would not blame for wanting to return.

But the heart wants what it wants, and Eddie couldn't stop himself from falling in love with Steve.

So, waking up in a new world without his second half seemed like cosmic justice, in a way. Maybe Steve got to return home after all. He knows that's not the case, but it feels better than the possibility that Steve is still stuck in the city without him—or worse, that he has been wiped out of existence entirely.

After all, they were just unwilling participants in a simulation. At least here in Neovia, it doesn't feel that way. There are people here, real people in addition to those who share his same predicament. There's a sense of purpose as well. Too long had Eddie spent his days waiting for the next bad thing to happen with nothing to do in between. This place has given him a job without passing judgment about his past and a roof over his head even though he arrived without a single cent to his name.

Deep down, he knows it's too good to be true. But for now, as he strolls into town to pick up groceries for the week ahead, he thinks maybe it wouldn't be so bad to settle down here, at least for a while.

Maybe he can move on and let Steve go. )