[ Eddie shakes his head, a tight, forced smile still on his face. He can tell by the way the color drains from Steves’ face that his joke fell flat, and he isn’t thinking clearly enough to try to explain or come up with anything wittier, so he lets it go. ]

I know what you meant, Steve.

[ And then it hits him like a ton of bricks: I told you not to be a hero. He feels like he’s being scolded, and rightfully so. He lets his grip on Steve’s arm loosen, and drops his gaze to his hands, vaguely noting that his rings are gone. That’s annoying, and he thinks he would like a word about it with the so-called gods who brought him here. ]

Yeah, you did. And I agreed I wouldn’t, so, uh...I fucked up. I know that. I’m sorry.

[ Guess I paid for it, he thinks. He broke an unspoken promise and honestly, could have messed up the entire plan by going off script when he swore not to. He fully intended to follow orders, to do his part of the job and get the hell out of there, but when he was safely through the gate along with Dustin, he started doubting himself. Had what he done really been enough? It sure hadn’t felt like it, so he tried to do something more, tried to buy the others a bit more time. So it ended poorly for him. All he can really do is hope that it helped. ]

Yeah, man. It had to have.

[ There’s a hint of doubt in his voice, but he refuses to show it on his face. Maybe he’s trying to convince himself as well, but he knows the uncertainty is always going to eat away at him if he doesn't force himself to believe. ]

If everything went according to plan--it worked.