Do You Think We're Friends In Every Universe?

by frog_with_anxiety

Summary:

Of course, darling, I couldn't live without you.

 

Stranger Things watches a Stranger Things AU

Notes:

• Inspired by [Restricted Work] by BritChick91 (Ms_Eerie), Ms_Eerie (Log in to access.)

I love stories where people have the main characters react to the story, but I had this idea where they see the story not from the film/tv show's perspective, but the perspective of the characters who lived it and are trying/have the chance to change the outcome. It adds an air of mystery to the story where the only people who know what happened in the canon timeline are the main characters (aka Steve and Robin).

The characters reacting have no concept of the horrors Steve and Robin have witnessed, just that whatever it was was so bad they are doing everything in their power to change it.

Also major kudos to BritChick92(Ms. Erie). Their story "The Future Mrs Harrington" heavily inspired this story.

Chapter 1: You Don't Know It Yet, But We Will Be Family

Summary:

Finally, a proper prologue chapter.

The world they found themselves in was not their own, that was for certain.

This was a rather lavish theater, a far cry from the cozy homes they had been in just seconds before.

But how? How were they here?

Nancy and Mike were just eating dinner. The Byers were settling down for the night. Eddie and Wayne were bickering over who was supposed to do the dishes. The others one could assume were doing similar things. Normal, everyday things. Y'know, like not suddenly appearing somewhere that existed in a space between worlds.

Suddenly, Will looked to a shadowed corner, clearly sensing something no one else did. From the darkness approached a figure. It was feminine in nature, before it slowly materialized into the form of a woman.

The Woman was a small lady with short, curly hair and oversized clothing. Somehow, Max thought she knew her, or rather the form she bore. Something was odd, however. Max couldn't see her face, or rather, she could see the woman's face but there was no way she'd ever be able to describe it in words. Almost like it was being censored-like her eyes could see it but she couldn't process it.

The chief stood in front of them, a public defender first and foremost, regardless of his own feelings. He reached for his gun as the Woman came towards them, suddenly realizing that he no longer had his gun. Despite this, Hopper still put himself between the strange figure and the others.

“Where are we? Why are we here?” Hopper demanded, putting on a defensive front.

"Everyone here is connected to each other through the Upside Down. Either you are someone directly affected by it or know someone who will be," the Woman explained, raising her hands in a 'I'm not here to hurt you' manner.

"The Upside Down?" Max questioned, to which the Woman nodded.

"It's a dimension that directly mirrors your own, except no humans reside there, just monsters."

"Monsters?" Lucas whimpered, hugging himself.

"Beasts that feed on flesh and blood, a hive mind hellbent on consuming any living thing it can get its claws on," she elaborated, "the dimension was not always this way. He twisted it in his own cruel image."

"Who's... he?" Will asked, his voice soft. The Woman gave Will a particularly sad look.

"The ones I will show you call him Vecna. His true name is Henry," the Woman answered after a few moments, finally taking her eyes off of Will and returning to the main group.

"Vecna? Like the DnD monster?" Eddie's voice rang out in the crowd as it finally quieted, causing them to all look at him. He looked shocked that people could actually hear him. He flushed red, but the Woman just smiled at him. He was always one of her favorites. Too kind of a man and taken too soon, she lamented.

"Yes," she chuckled, "many of the monsters you'll see as we go on were named after the creatures from that game. It was the only reference point they had."

"Not to sound repetitive or anything," Gareth started, "but who's 'they'?"

The Woman just gestured to the couches, a smirk on her face.

"Wouldn't you like to find out?"

Notes:

List of people in the theater
Adults:
-Joyce Byers
-Jim Hopper
-Wayne Munson

Older Kids: Steve is not there for reasons :)
-Jonathan Byers
-Nancy Wheeler
-Billy Hargrove
-Eddie Munson
Corroded Coffin:
-Gareth
-Jeff
-Peter (Freak 1) I feel bad he doesn’t have a name
-Robin Buckley

Younger Kids: Eleven is not there for reasons :)
-Dustin Henderson
-Mike Wheeler
-Max Mayfield
-Lucas Sinclair
-Will Byers

Chapter 2: You Die, I Die

Summary:

Fall, 1989

June 19th, 1983

[ The camera opens on a sign that says “Welcome to Hawkins”, now covered in vines and filth. The sky is red. The camera followed one of the fissures in the ground as creatures crawled their way out from the Upside Down. Demogorgons, demodogs, demobats, and other vicious beasts. Half-eaten and decayed corpses line the streets, buildings are crumbling, and the world, for a lack of better terms, is dying.

NARRATOR: It’s been almost three years since the world ended.]

 

“Since the world… ended?” Joyce whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.

“This is the future you’re trying to prevent, isn’t it?” Hopper asked the Woman. She nodded.

“We lost a fight to being more powerful than any of us realized,” the Woman told them. Her eyes grew misty, “Too many have suffered because of him, especially the two you are about to meet.”

 

[ NARRATOR: I remember the days when all I used to worry about was throwing parties and passing my classes. 

The camera shows the destroyed Hawkins High School, with the gym’s roof having been caved in, showing off the first attempts at a safe zone. There are a lot of skeletons there, from adults to children.

NARRATOR: It all seems so silly now.

Suddenly, the camera switches to a forest of some kind. A pair of boots pass by as their wearer treks through the woods. Suddenly, a demogorgon appears from nowhere, lunging at the unseen person. The person, a man, reacted quickly, swinging a bat covered in nails towards the creature. The demogorgon screeched when it made an impact. The man wasted no time, hitting the creature repeatedly, nailing it over and over again until it collapsed to the ground, where the man raised his boot and brought it down on its head, crushing it and splattering gore everywhere. The camera panned upwards as the man stood, revealing it to be-]

 

“Harrington?!?!” Gareth shouted, shocked. Everyone looked on in horror at the revelation. That was the Harrington boy?

This Steve Harrington was far from the snobby jock he used to be. Four slashes wrap around from the back of his head to his face, slicing through his left eye and over his lips. The eye is heavily scarred, suggesting little to no vision remained. His ear is practically gone and the left side of his lips was twisted into a permanent scowl from the scarring, leaving just enough room for his teeth to poke through. Harrington had the beginnings of a beard as well, although it was more stubble than anything. Not to mention the clothes he wore were more accurate to a soldier than a prep, every article spattered and stained with blood and guts. 

 

[ STEVE: It’s been so long since we’ve seen anyone.

Steve dislodged the bat from the body, pulling some flesh with it. He shook it slightly, flinging black blood everywhere. He continued onwards through the woods.

STEVE: The kids were evacuated a long time ago. God, what I would do just to hear them call me stupid one more time.

It shows a flashback, changing to a bunch of military trucks loaded to the brim with people, highlighting a boy with curly hair and a hat whose back was to the camera.

 

STEVE: They tried to evacuate people, but they never made it out . Robin and I found what was left of the trucks a while back. Guess not even machine guns could take those things out. Poor bastards, they never stood a chance.

In the present, a camera pans over the destroyed remnants of the trucks, now overgrown with the vines. It lingers in front of a skeleton in military garbs, sitting in the front seat with a revolver in his hand and a hole in his head. It then passes over the skeletons and debris, only stopping at the same hat from the boy, now stained black from blood and dirt.

STEVE: If they’d listened to us, maybe they’d still be alive. Anyone who knows anything about those monsters knows bullets don’t do jack shit to ‘em. Something sharp will work in a pinch, if you know what you’re doing, but fire– *he paused for a moment*

STEVE: fire will get the job done just fine.]

 

For a moment, the hat reminded Lucas of Dustin, but he pushed the thought away. Dustin was right next to him, perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about.

“This whole apocalypse thing, this wasn’t the first time you dealt with those things, was it?” Hopper asked. The Woman paused, before slowly shaking her head.

“The earliest events happened in ‘83, but everything fell apart in ‘86. They were more isolated incidents than an apocalypse, though,” she replied.

“Wait, what do I have to do with Steve? I don’t even know the guy,” Robin wondered. The Woman shrugged.

“You will.”

 

[ The camera focuses on Steve again as he approaches a log cabin in the middle of the woods. The cabin is surrounded by booby traps, as shown by the delicate nature in which Steve avoids them. Barbed wire, trenches filled with spikes, and boarded-up windows made up the outside of the building. Finally, Steve makes it to the door, raising a fist and knocking on it in a specific pattern. It opens, revealing an equally scarred Robin Buckley with a gun in her hand. It’s not for Steve, though, it’s for anything that might follow him inside.

ROBIN: You’re late, dingus.

STEVE: *shooting her a smile as he entered* Well, I didn’t exactly have a watch to time it with. Anything happen?

ROBIN: *shaking her head* Nothing of note. A pack of demodogs ran by earlier, but otherwise? Nadda, zilch, nothin’.

The inside of the cabin was fairly sparse aside from old furniture. There was a mattress on the floor, tucked into the corner and covered with moth-eaten blankets. The windows were boarded-up on the inside as well, the boards peaking out from beneath the blankets nailed over them. In fact, many of the walls had curtains or blankets nailed to them.]

 

“What are the blankets for?” Will asked, curious. 

“Probably sound-proofing,” Eddie quickly answered, “it dampens the sound and makes it harder for things to hear them. I have a similar thing set up in my bedroom for when I play my guitar.”

“That’s pretty smart,” Dustin mused, making people look over at him in confusion. He quickly elaborated. “I mean, those things don’t have eyes, so it makes sense they would rely on their other senses, like hearing. Like spiders don’t have ears, so they make their webs and follow the vibrations to find their food.”

“God, I hope there’s not a spider thingy,” Robin shivered, “I hate spiders.”

 

[ STEVE: You didn’t have to wait for me.

ROBIN: Of course I did, I wasn’t about to let you wait outside. Knowing your luck, something would eat you. You’d be a little Stevie-kebab, and that’s no good for anyone.

STEVE: I’ll have you know I am very delicious, considering all the things that have taken bites out of me.

ROBIN: How many Michelin stars do you think you’d get?

STEVE: *chuckling* At least two.

The two laugh for a few moments before getting ready for the night, changing out of their battle gear into something a little more comfortable. As they change, the scars littering their bodies are revealed. Robin is covered in bites and scratches while Steve has more scar tissue than skin, huge swathes of his torso taking on a reddened hue. He hisses slightly when he moves, stretching the too-tight skin. ]

 

“What the fuck does that?” Jeff gasped, “God, it looks like he was eaten alive!”

“Considering what we’ve seen so far, he probably was,” Billy remarked, subtly pulling Max to his side. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but held her tongue instead, pressing further into him. If anyone were to ask, it wasn’t because she was scared, it was because Billy was. Totally.

"Is that thing from earlier part of that hive mind you mentioned?" Will asked quietly, almost shyly.

"Yes," the Woman confirmed, "they call those ones demogorgons."

"Wait, like the DnD creature?" Eddie questioned. The Woman just smiled.

"The very same, yes. All of the monsters were named after DnD characters or a variation of one. Like demodogs, or demobats."

 

[ STEVE: *groaning* God, I wish lotion was still a thing. This shit hurts.

Steve sets the nail-bat next to the bed and Robin checks under the pillow, showing off a loaded revolver. The two curl up on the bed together, Robin pressed to Steve’s chest.

ROBIN: Do you ever think about the Before?

STEVE: *hesitating* ... Sometimes.

Robin waits for Steve to continue, tracing the scars on Steve's chest. He lets out a shuttering breath.

STEVE: *voice quiet, sorrowful* Sometimes, I dream that everything is okay. That the banging on the door isn't a flesh-eating monster but Dustin, because even after I got him a key he'd always forget it.

We are shown a memory of Steve and the same boy from earlier, his face no shown to the audience. He wrestled with Steve, the two laughing like maniacs.

STEVE: That I'm back at the championship game, watching Lucas nail the winning basket.

Another memory, this one of Steve pulling Lucas into his arms, hugging him tight and holding him against his chest. Lucas is in a basketball jersey, smiling so wide it must hurt.

STEVE: That I'm here, but not the here of now, the here when Hopper was still alive, when El and Max would beg me to come over just so they could braid my hair and paint my nails.

We are shown Steve with two young girls. A curling iron sits on the ground, clearly the reason for Max's ginger curls. The two girls crowd around Steve, pinning barrettes in his hair while he waited for his nails to dry.

STEVE: God, I even miss Mike, the little shithead *sniffling* Funny, isn't it? He did nothing but insult me, but, fuck- What I wouldn't give for him to call me a douchebag one more time.

The screen begins flickering back and forth, flashing between them on the bed and them bleeding out on the ground in the same position. There are flashes to a battle where several winged demogorgon creatures are surrounding them.

We see them fighting, but in the end it returns to Steve and Robin curled up together, bleeding. Steve is coughing up blood, lungs punctured, while Robin’s guts are spilling out. They look at each other, knowing that this is the end. 

ROBIN: *Panting* L-Love you, dingus.

STEVE: *Gasping for breath* L-Love y-you, R-Robs. S-See you in t-the m-morn-n-ning.

ROBIN: P-Pancakes?

STEVE: *hacking up some more blood* W-With ch-choc-colate chips.

Robin smiled, blood leaking from her mouth.

ROBIN: M-My favorite.

Robin started humming a broken tune. Steve’s breathing staggered for a few moments before eventually it stopped. Robin stopped humming, realizing that Steve had died. She started softly crying, shuttering, clinging to her platonic soulmate. The screen began to fade to black as the camera focused in on their connected hands, staying until Robin’s hand went limp too.]

 

The people in the room fell into a deep silence. No one moved, as though the smallest shift would end the world. 

“Harrington was a piece a work on a good day, but fuck-” Jeff cut off, sounding close to tears.

"I died?" Robin stared at the screen in horror

“No one deserves that,” Dustin whispered, pressing closer to Lucas next to him.

“Why would you show us this?” Joyce demanded, her sons clinging to her, “what could we possibly gain from seeing that?”

The woman just raised a finger, stopping Joyce from continuing. She then gestured to the screen.

 

[ The sound of an alarm rings out. The scene opened with a bedroom shot. It panned over a Hawkins High Swim Team shirt to a lump on the bed. It changed to the perspective of the lump as they threw the blankets off of themself. They look down at their hands, noting the scarless skin and lack of callouses. The POV rushes to the bathroom, collapsing against the sink. The camera panned upwards, stopping once the POV locked eyes with himself, the sixteen-year-old body of Steve Harrington.]

 

“What the hell?” Eddie exclaimed, only to be shushed by the woman.

 

[ Steve inspected his face, caressing the places he once knew to bear scars of injuries past. He then removed his shirt, giving his torso the same treatment.

STEVE: What?

He rushed downstairs. Steve is running so fast he crashes into the wall, knocking down picture frames. He paid no mind to the sound of the glass shattering, his only goal being to make it to the kitchen. He reached the phone, quickly putting in a phone number, anxiously waiting for someone on the other line to pick up. Steve perked up when someone picked up. He swallowed.

STEVE: Robbie?

There was a sob on the other side.

ROBIN: Am I dreaming, or did you- did I-

STEVE: Yeah. Yeah, I think we did, Robs. But, um- 

Steve glanced over to the calendar attached to the fridge, showing that the date was June 19th, 1983.

STEVE: I don’t think that’s the biggest of our concerns right now. ]

Notes:

I'll probably edit this later, but this is more of a concept.

Please comment and let me know what you think?

Chapter 3: Though we don't share the same blood, you're my brother and I love you that's the truth

Summary:

June 19th, 1983

Notes:

Chapter Title from the song 'Brother' by Kodaline, 2018

“They time-travelled?!?!” Dustin exclaimed, practically vibrating in his seat.

“Is it really time-travel if it’s their minds, not their bodies?” Gareth questioned. Dustin paused, thinking it over.

“Fair enough,” Dustin conceded.

 

[ The next episode starts. It opened with Steve pacing the length of the entryway, seemingly waiting for the arrival of Robin. The boy, not man despite his mental age, perked up at the sound of tires outside. He rushed to the front door, throwing it open to see a much younger Robin outside.

The girl practically threw her bike to the side in an attempt to reach Steve. The two collided, fitting against each other as though they were puzzle pieces. Steve pressed kiss after kiss into Robin’s hair, tears streaming down his face. She clutched at his back, as though afraid he would disappear if Robin let go. The two pulled apart slightly, just enough to see each other’s face.

 

ROBIN & STEVE: Holy shit-

 

The two broke out laughing, wet from their tears. 

 

ROBIN: You’re okay.

 

Steve smiled, trembling from the rush of emotions upon seeing her. He grabbed Robin’s hand and pressed her palm against his chest, letting her feel his heartbeat. He then cupped Robin’s cheek with his free hand, slowly moving it down to press two fingers against her pulse, feeling the faint thumping of her heart.

 

STEVE: *sniffling* We’re both okay.]

Robin stared at the screen. The Steve she knew was a grade A asshole. Asshole with a capital A. She couldn’t even comprehend a single situation where Steve and her would hang out in any capacity, yet somehow, the two were friends in the future. Good friends at that, considering how easily they moved around each other, clearly so well-versed in their knowledge of each other.

[ The scene cuts to the two in the living room, shoulder-to-shoulder as they stared down at a small notebook Steve had found in his bedroom. Robin had a pen clutched in one hand and Steve’s hand in her other.

 

ROBIN: What do we do now? Just live through life until monsters from the Upside Down come knocking on our door? Hell, even just the government! We tell anyone and we’ll be in straightjackets until the day we die.

STEVE: *dryly* That’s if they don’t kill us first.

ROBIN: I’m sorry, what?

 

Steve gave her a look.

 

STEVE: What do you think happened to Benny? He was the first person to help El after she escaped the lab. The government overheard his call to CPS, tracked him down, and put a bullet through his skull. They clearly don’t care about the backlash as long as they get their little pet project back.]

 

“They killed Benny for helping a kid?” Jonathan asked, shocked.

“Yeah, what the hell?” Peter shouted, agreeing with Jonathan.

“Who’s El?” Mike asked the Woman, curious. She just gave him an eerie smile.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

 

[ ROBIN: Okay, I’m clearly missing a lot more shit than I realized. Who else died from all the Upside Down bullshit?

 

Steve hesitated, deep in thought, before finally gesturing for Robin’s pen. She handed it to him, watching as he began scribbling down names.

STEVE: Well, Benny of course. Then-

 

Steve paused, swallowing. The camera centers on the page as Steve finally writes the name ‘Barb Holland’.

 

STEVE: Barb.

ROBIN: *softly* I don’t think you ever told me how she died, just that it was Upside Down related.

 

Steve stood, leaving the pen on the coffee table. He walked over to the window overlooking the pool.

 

STEVE: *quietly* I invited Nancy to a party, back before we were officially dating. Barb came along for moral support, I think. Nancy basically said she was being a buzzkill, so Barb tried to shotgun a beer. She cut herself and just wanted to go home, but Nance didn’t want to, so…

 

Steve trailed off with a humorless laugh. Robin waited for him to continue.

 

STEVE: Y’know, I always told the kids the reason I didn’t want to swim while they were over was because I wanted to keep watch in case something happened. The real reason was that the demogorgon killed Barb there while I was having sex with her best friend.]

 

Nancy let out a bloodcurdling cry at the revelation. Mike, despite how he usually acts around his sister, hugged her, allowing her to cry into his hair.

 

[ Steve turned back to Robin, leaning against the window with his arms crossed.

 

STEVE: They're attracted to blood, and their favorite prey is anything still living when they start eating.

 

ROBIN: *softly* Anyone else the first time around?

 

Steve snapped out of it, deciding to continue on.

 

STEVE: I think the demogorgon may have killed some hunters, and a few local pets, but otherwise, no. I’m pretty sure Will was the only other one really affected by it.

 

Robin nodded, writing Will’s name on the list, now aptly titled ‘People we need to save’.

 

STEVE: Then there was Bob, Joyce’s boyfriend. I don’t remember his last name, but Mike said he sacrificed himself so they could escape Hawkins Lab when it was attacked by demodogs. Poor guy became puppy chow. There were all the flayed people too, but other than Billy and Heather, I’ve got nothing. I think there was a nice Russian guy who helped Hop and Joyce, Al-something. Definitely started with an A. Shot by one of the guys he betrayed to help them.

ROBIN: *scribbling* And the next part I was unfortunately here for.

 

Robin then writes down the names of Vecna’s victims: Chrissy Cunningham, Fred Benson, Patrick McKinney. Robin stares at the names before finally writing two more with a shaky hand, Max Mayfield and Eddie Munson.]

 

“I die?” Max whimpered, finally dropping the mature and too-cool-for-this attitude as she tucked herself into Billy’s side.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Billy growled, clutching her tightly to his side. Max might be a pain in the ass, but she’s Billy’s pain in the ass. Billy heard something about him dying too, but he paid it no mind. He’d rather be dead than let anything happen to his sister.

Eddie stared at his own name on the page. His uncle reached over and grabbed his wrist lightly. They’d never been the most physically affectionate pair, it just wasn’t in his uncle’s nature, but without fail, the man always knew when Eddie needed it.

 

[ ROBIN: What’s the game plan then? I mean, Will didn’t disappear until what? Early November? We’ve got almost five full months until anything happens.

 

Steve approached Robin, stopping before her.

 

STEVE: Well, we’re gonna have to prepare regardless. First aid, weapons, yadda, yadda. God, this shit was so much easier when Nancy was telling us what to do.

ROBIN: *groaning* Fuck, we’re gonna have to get back into shape again. I’d just gotten abs, Steve, abs!

STEVE: Tell me about it. Look at me! *gesturing towards his soft stomach* I didn’t start caring about my body ‘till junior year. All of my hard work, wasted! How am I supposed to kill monsters with all this pudge?

 

Robin reached forward and poked Steve, making him shriek.

 

ROBIN: *giggling* Squishy.

 

Steve swatted at her, making her laugh harder. Robin flipped the paper and started a to-do list, adding what they discussed previously while Steve began pacing once more.

 

STEVE: I think our first concern is stopping Will from being attacked by the demogorgon and finding El before Benny does. And I won’t throw that party either, so Barb’ll be fine. That’s four down and a shit ton to go.

 

Robin stopped writing, seemingly realizing something Steve hasn’t, but Steve continues.

 

STEVE: The other people might be more of a problem. Maybe I’ll get a job at Benny’s, that way I have an excuse to be around when El shows up. Pretty sure she showed up the day after Will disappeared, so if I get the job I’ll have to be free that night- 

ROBIN: Steve.

STEVE: Should I try to befriend Jonathan early? Maybe I could offer to babysit Will, that way he at least knows who I am and won’t think it’s weird if I try to help him. Actually, he might think it’s weird, but if Jonathan knows I’m friends with you-

ROBIN: Steve!

 

Steve stopped, turning to face her. He spots the serious look on her face.

 

ROBIN: Steve, if we do this-

Robin paused for a moment, staring down at the list of people.

ROBIN: If we do this, and it works, the kids won’t know you, not like they did before. They won’t have the same reasons to know you, and you won't have a reason to know them.

STEVE: *swallowing* I know.

 

Robin stared at him, concern obvious on her face.

 

ROBIN: Will you be able to live with that?]

 

The kids didn’t even know who Steve was, only hearing about him from their older siblings if they had them, but what could have happened for him to care so deeply for them? To love them so much that he was willing to sacrifice the possibility of knowing them if it meant they would survive? But what were they surviving?

Why would Steve worry so much about Will? About Jonathan? Joyce feared what may have happened to cause that.

How did he ever meet Max? They live in California, why would they end up in Hawkins? Billy didn’t want to know.

Steve was willing to abandon the prospects of a romantic relationship just to save her best friend. He’s shown that he even loved Mike, who apparently treated him like shit. The nosy part of Nancy wanted to know more.

Why was Eddie involved at all? Enough that Steve and Robin would risk everything just to save him? He’d barely interacted with Robin and Steve’s never spoken to him aside from the occasional “freak”, but even then. Eddie was scared of what that meant for him, and his bandmates agreed.

 

[ Steve ran a hand through his hair, avoiding Robin’s eyes. After a few tense moments, he finally met her gaze. His eyes were filled with unshed tears, a determination in his eyes only found in soldiers.

 

STEVE: If it means they live past the age of sixteen, I’ll do whatever it takes. I’d rather watch them grow up away from me than have to bury their corpses again. I couldn’t live through that again, I just couldn’t.]

Chapter 4: 'Cause the best of me loves the best of you

Summary:

June 19th to ~November 3rd, 1983

Notes:

Title from "Best of You" by Andy Grammar, 2019

"So we’re all dead,” Jonathan gravely surmised, “in that future, anyway."

The Woman nodded, a grim look on her face.

"I can’t believe they’d give up everything just to protect us,” Mike murmured, "we don’t even know them."

 

 

(same “episode”)

 

[ROBIN: Maybe you don’t have to. Avoid them, that is.

 

Steve made a confused noise.

 

ROBIN: I mean, you said something about babysitting Will for Jonathan, right? Didn’t Jonathan work at Benny’s? I feel like he mentioned that at some point.

STEVE: Pretty sure he did. I think he also took shifts at the diner in town too.

ROBIN: Then you should definitely see if you can’t get a job at Benny’s. That’s Eleven, Will, Jonathan, and Benny in one swoop. Four birds with one stone. The Party adores Will, so if they find out you ‘saved’ their friend, then they’d probably want to be around you. Maybe you can still be their babysitter, minus the monster-hunting and near-death experiences. Trauma-bonding without the trauma.

 

Steve thought about it for the moment.

 

STEVE: That’s… a pretty damn good plan. It gives us a good head start. Alright, I’ll see what I can do. What about us though?

ROBIN: Us?

STEVE: *gesturing between each other* No offense, but you’re a band geek who doesn’t like jocks, and I’m the great 'King Steve’. People are gonna think it’s pretty weird if we suddenly show up as friends.

 

Robin opened her mouth, but hesitated. She sighed.

 

ROBIN: Yeah, I’ve got nothing.

STEVE: ...What if you were my girlfriend?

 

Robin made a face at that.

 

ROBIN: Um, unless you’ve grown boobs that I don’t know about, you’re not exactly my type.

STEVE: *rolling his eyes* I’m serious. If we date, that gives us a reason to be around each other and it gets your parents off your back about dating. Besides, I don’t think I could pretend to date Nancy. *he shivered* It’d be like dating a child, yuck.

ROBIN: Agreed. That’s probably our best bet.

STEVE: Alrighty. We’ve got five months. Let’s do this shit.]

 

“Steve… knows?” Robin whispered, almost scared. The Woman walked up to Robin, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“There’s not a person in here who would condemn you for that, and even if there was, I wouldn’t let them hurt you,” the Woman told her, leaving no room for argument. She stood, looking over the group. “I should hope this knowledge won’t become a problem?”

The majority of them quickly shook their heads, but after a few moments, Eddie spoke out.

“I mean, I’d be a pretty big hypocrite to judge you,” Eddie looked at Robin, a kind smile on his face. 

“You too?” Robin asked, hopeful. Eddie nodded.

“Me too.”

 

[The audience is a shown a series of scenes, clearly taking place over the span of a few months

The first scene shows Steve and Robin chatting with Benny at his diner with the date July 5th layered over the bottom in white text. You cannot hear what the two are saying, but Steve smiles and shakes Benny’s hand, clearly receiving good news.

It cuts to July 29th with Steve and Jonathan working a shift together. Steve’s cooking up an order while Jonathan is cleaning dishes. While putting a pan in the sink, Steve bumped hips with Jonathan. Jonathan shot Steve a look, but Steve just smiled, asking “How’s your brother doing?” Jonathan hesitated, but began telling Steve about the newest mixtape he wanted to make his brother. A camaraderie is beginning to form.

On August 5th, Steve is shown talking to Jonathan at the Byers residence. Jonathan is instructing Steve on Will’s bedtime routine as he gets ready for a night shift. He hugs Will goodbye. 

When school starts up, Robin is shown amongst the popular girls, fake gushing about her ‘relationship’ with Steve. Chrissy Cunningham is shown sitting right next to Robin, comfortable at her side. Carol sits on Robin’s other side.

Finally, the scenes end on Steve in the Hawkins High gymnasium, now October 28th. It was afterschool conditioning for the upcoming basketball team. He was shown pacing, or more accurately prowling, in front of the basketball team, a serious look on his face. 

 

STEVE: Do you know why we’re here today?

 

The players just stare at him, seemingly confused.

 

STEVE: That wasn’t rhetorical. Do. You. Know. Why. We’re. Here. Today.

 

Seeing that Steve was serious, they started glancing at each other, gauging who should answer. Jason Carver, a sophomore, cleared his throat. Steve came to a stop in front of the kid.

 

JASON: We didn’t meet expectations last practice?

 

Steve scoffed.

 

STEVE: True, but that’s not why we’re here. Anyone else want to give it a try?

 

Steve gestured slightly. No one spoke.

 

STEVE: No? Well, I’ve been thinking, and as the captain of this team, I’ve decided to implement some new rules, with coach’s approval of course. 

 

The players look amongst each other, uneasy looks on their faces.

 

(This is where I add in random characters fyi.)

 

TIM: *annoyed* Rules? Since when do we need rules?

STEVE: Since attitudes like that started ruining this team.

BRIAN: Are you serious?

STEVE: Deadly so.

 

Steve chuckled slightly, enjoying the inside joke only he understood.

 

STEVE: Starting today, if I hear a single thing, even the smallest whisper, about you causing anyone problems in school or outside of it, you will face punishment. That includes both verbal and physical altercations. Punishments will vary, but they will be based on the severity of your act. It could be as simple as running laps or as bad as being banned from all extracurricular activities for the rest of the school year.

JASON: What the hell? You can’t do that!

 

The team looked to the coach standing a few feet behind Steve.

 

SCOTT: Coach, you can’t seriously be allowing this?

 

The coach shrugged slightly, unperturbed.

 

COACH: Steve came to me with concerns and I agreed. He has my full permission to give punishments on my behalf as long as they are reasonable.

STEVE: We are the face of Hawkins High and I will not let our school, and by association our town, be humiliated because we have not instilled proper manners into our athletes. So you can either suck it up and shape up, or you can walk your ass out of here because I refuse to allow bullies on this team.

TOMMY: *scoffing* Like you’re a saint. Since when did you care about other people’s feelings?

 

Steve locked eyes with Tommy, an unreadable emotion in his eyes.

 

STEVE: Since I woke up and realized I hated who I had become.]

 

“He’s committed, I’ll give him that,” Hopper remarked, “definitely a far-cry from the kid whose parties I’d have to bust.”

 

[In the lunch room, Steve took his place at his usual table. Despite the conversation several days prior, the basketball players still sit by Steve. They seem to have taken Steve’s words to heart. Robin took her spot at Steve’s side, not moving when Steve wrapped an arm around her.

A ruckus sounded off behind them, making the two glance back. They spotted a familiar metalhead, his hair much shorter than it was the last time they had seen the man and his jacket missing many of the patches they were familiar with, but it was him.

The two shared a look, agreeing on their newest objective.

Save Eddie Munson.]

 

“So they’re trying to prevent whatever happened in their future, correct?” Eddie asked, “aside from, um, dying, what do I have to do with all the monster stuff?”

“Wrong place, wrong time, unfortunately. You were given the option to back out, but you stood with them until the very end. They think very highly of you,” the Woman informed him.

“I’m no hero,” Eddie protested, “not even close.”

The Woman just smirked, “I’ll let you continue to believe that.”

Chapter 5: He's got the personality, Not even gravity could ever hold him down

Summary:

November 6, 1983

[The scene opened with a shot of a calendar on Steve’s fridge, focusing on the large red circle on the day ‘November 6th’. The camera went up the stairs and into Steve’s room. Robin was on Steve’s bed, watching as Steve got dressed for work.

 

ROBIN: So, Will tonight and El tomorrow?

 

Steve made a so-so face, shrugging on a sweatshirt.

 

STEVE: I’d like to get them both in one go if possible. From what I understand, El escaped the same night Will was taken. She spent a whole day alone in the woods by the time the boys found her. The idea of El being out in the woods, even if she can hold her own… *upset noise*

ROBIN: Yeah… Makes me feel yucky, too.

STEVE: You sure you’re okay just hanging out front?

ROBIN: Don’t worry about me, Stevie, I’m gonna be hanging out with your boyfriend~

 

Steve grabbed a loose sock on the floor and chucked it at Robin, making her shriek.

 

ROBIN: Gross!

STEVE: *flustered* Eddie’s not my boyfriend!

ROBIN: But you sure wish he was! *mockingly* Oh, Eddie, I love your pretty doe eyes-

STEVE: *incredulous* Doe eyes?!?

ROBIN: Shush- *still mocking* and I just want to run my fingers through your fluffy hair and smooch you-

 

Steve managed to locate the other sock and fling it at Robin, which does nothing to stop her maniacal laughter. Steve tackled her to the bed when she tried to run, trapping her beneath him as he ran his fingers over her sides.

 

ROBIN: No- Ah- Stop! *laughing*

STEVE: YOU DESERVE THIS!]

 

Gareth glanced over to Eddie, who was hiding his face behind his hair. Gareth knew his friend well enough that his face was bright red underneath his curls.

“Do we want to talk about that?”

“Nope. Nuh uh. Absolutely not.”

“Fair enough.”

[The two eventually calmed down, falling into a comfortable silence as they laid next to each other.

 

ROBIN: I think you should try this time.

STEVE: Robs.

 

Robin shifted, now propped up on her elbow. She had a sad look on her face.

 

ROBIN: I saw him when the Vecna shit first went down. He was into you, dingus! He was practically eye-fucking you when you stripped at Lover’s Lake.

STEVE: Robs-

ROBIN: Steve, I’m serious. I think it’d be worth a try. I know you have this whole self-sacrifice thing going on, but you deserve happiness too. Who knows, maybe gay love will save the day.

 

Steve gave a small smile at her words.

 

ROBIN: There he is! Show Eddie that little smile and he will be tripping over himself to buy you roses and write you songs!

 

Steve blushed and batted at Robin as he stood, his face bright red.

 

STEVE: *groaning* God, I can’t go to work looking like a tomato.]

 

“That’s… really sweet, actually,” Nancy mused, shooting a look towards Eddie who was still hiding behind his hair. Eddie let his hair part slightly, staring up at the screen.

“I’m not that great,” Eddie muttered. Wayne swatted at his nephew’s arm.

“What’d I say about saying that kind of stuff?” 

“Not to when you’re around?” Eddie tried, making his uncle sigh. 

“Close enough.”

 

[ The scene cuts to Steve at Benny’s, at his usual place by the stove. Steve plated a burger and set it on the window for Benny to grab. While waiting, Steve tried to spot Robin. He found her in the corner booth with Eddie Munson at her side. 

The two were hunched over a chemistry textbook as Robin explained something about chemical formulas. Eddie answered a question softly, but correctly, to which Robin praised him. Steve smiled from where he stood. Robin glanced up, catching Steve’s eye. She gestured towards Eddie with her eyes, clearly telling Steve to make his move. Steve’s smile fell slightly as he shook his head, mouthing ‘not now’.]

 

“I’m still confused about the whole Will thing,” Joyce fretted, “what’s going to happen to my boy?”

“If those two get their way, hopefully nothing,” Jeff replied, leaning back in his seat, “They certainly put in enough work to avoid it.”

“No kidding,” Gareth agreed.

 

[Steve and Robin are now in Steve’s Beemer, seemingly patrolling the streets. The camera phased through the backseat and into the trunk, showing the audience various supplies including a new bat with nails freshly hammered into it, a hefty first aid kit, and a few containers of flammable liquids, ranging from kerosene to hairspray.

The camera returned to Steve and Robin in the front seat. Suddenly, something large runs across the road, causing Steve to slam on the breaks. Steve parked and the two got out of the car, trying to spot the thing. Whatever it was, it disappeared into the woods. 

 

ROBIN: Steve!

 

Steve turned to face Robin, who was pointing at a street sign. Cornwallis and Kerley. They suddenly hear a scream, one that definitely didn’t come from an adult.

 

STEVE: *panicked* WILL!

 

Steve quickly rushed to the trunk of his car, throwing a hairspray to Robin and grabbing his trusty nail bat. The two ran towards the scream. 

Steve spotted Will’s bike, overturned by the side of the road. As they approached, they saw Will on the ground below a shadowy figure. The creature’s face began to split open, a familiar five-petal shape appearing in the darkness. Steve loudly whistled, catching both Will’s and the demogorgon’s attention.]

 

“Holy shit!” Peter exclaimed.

“Oh, god!” Joyce cried out, pulling Will into her arms. Jonathan pressed against Will’s other side, sandwiching the boy between them as though he would disappear.

 

[STEVE: HEY!

 

Will scrambled out of Steve’s way as he charged the demogorgon, Steve slamming his nail bat into the creature as it leapt over Will and towards him. It shrieked as Steve ripped the bat from the creature, tearing flesh away as he did so, only to hit it once more. 

While Steve was beating the demogorgon, Robin swept up Will, cradling him to her chest as she carried him to Steve’s car. She placed him down in Steve’s backseat, placing a soothing kiss on his forehead before leaving him to join Steve.

Will watched from the car window as Robin pulled out a lighter, shook the can of hairspray, and pressed down on the nozzle. The spray caught fire once it touched the open flame, creating a makeshift flamethrower. The demogorgon roared as Robin approached with the fire, illuminating and revealing to the audience its true appearance. 

Blood poured from its wounds, showing the sheer amount of damage Steve caused. Not long after Robin arrived with the fire, the creature took off, clearly deciding that the fight wasn’t worth it. Steve gestured towards the car before giving chase. While Steve followed it, Robin returned to the car, opening the backseat door.

 

ROBIN: You okay, bud?

 

Will just nodded, out of breath. Robin placed a hand on Will's back, rubbing it in a comforting way. Steve returned not long after, his bat still dripping with black blood.

 

STEVE: Don’t think it'll be back tonight. Must’ve gone back through its hunting gate. 

 

Steve eyes land on Will, changing from war-hardened to compassionate in a moment. He walked over to Will, kneeling before the boy. Steve reached for the boy’s hand, holding it tight. He gave it a small squeeze.

 

STEVE: *softly* You’re okay, I promise. Robs and I scared that thing off, it shouldn’t be coming back if it would like to live another day. 

 

Will started crying. Robin moved out of the way so Steve could hug Will.

 

STEVE: Shhhh, I’ve got you, Will, I’ve got you. You’re safe now.

WILL: *sobbing* I-I didn’t- It came out of n-nowhere. I c-couldn’t-

ROBIN: *gently* It’s okay, bud. You’re just a kid, you did your best.

 

Steve pulled away slightly, wiping tears from Will’s cheeks.

 

STEVE: Your mom’s shift should be over soon, right? Let’s get you home and fixed up, alright?

 

Will nodded, wiping at his running nose. Robin grabbed a spare blanket from the trunk, wrapping Will up in it before joining him in the backseat, pressing the terrified boy to her side. Steve took his place in the driver’s seat after grabbing Will’s bike and shoving it into the trunk, quickly pulling back onto the road.]

 

“Was that fucking crazy or what?” Eddie exclaimed, gesturing wildly, “Like, holy shit!”

“He… saved my life?” Will stated, as though questioning the choice.

“God, remind me to hug that boy the next time I see him,” Joyce whispered into Will’s hair, tucking him beneath her chin as she hugged him.

 

[They pulled up not long before Joyce did. While Steve was taking care of Will’s bike, Robin helped Will into the house, getting him settled on the couch. Joyce pulled up as Steve made his way up the steps to the house. Joyce spotted him and rushed over, where Steve then led her into the house. She inspected Will all over, seeing Robin’s first aid job. While Robin was talking to Joyce, telling her to watch out for a concussion, Steve spotted a flash of white in the woods. He looked at Robin before coming to stand at Joyce’s side. The two bid her and Will goodnight before heading out.

Steve drove the two of them back to Mirkwood. They glanced at one another before finally getting out. They head back into the woods, armed with the nail bat and lighter. They glance at each other, before finally disappearing from view of the camera.

 

They had a little girl to save.]

Chapter 6: What if I lose it all? Oh sister, I will help you out

Summary:

November 6, 1983

“Is this about that girl, El?” Nancy questioned, “assuming that El is short for Eleven.”

“Eleven? Who the hell names their child after a number?” Hopper huffed. The Woman nodded.

“I won’t tell you who named her, that will be revealed eventually, but yes, El is short for Eleven,” she answered.

 

[The friends traversed the woods, knocking aside brush and shrubbery that had grown brittle from the approaching winter. 

 

ROBIN: Will’s search party didn’t find her, how exactly are we supposed to?

STEVE: Well-

 

Steve used his nail bat to poke a bush.

 

STEVE: El didn’t talk about her time before the Party, really. I only know the basics: Near Mirkwood, escaped the lab through a drain, and where the boys found her.

ROBIN: That doesn’t give us much.

STEVE: *sighing* No, it doesn’t.

 

They hear rustling behind them, causing them to turn around. Robin raised her hairspray in defense, but Steve hesitated to do the same with his bat.

 

STEVE: Eleven?

 

The rustling paused, almost scared. Steve listened a little closer, realizing he could hear quiet breathing. He smiled slightly; he recognized those breaths.

 

STEVE: Hey, sweetheart. I know you’re scared right now, but we just want to help you. We want to protect you from the bad men.

 

A small, shocked noise came from behind a tree. A tiny hand appeared, soon to be followed by a small face and an equally small body clothed in a dirty hospital gown. The little girl stayed where she was, but she could now see them. Eleven stared at them with her usual look, a strange combination of confusion and knowing too much.]

 

“Oh my God,” Eddie exclaimed, “She’s so tiny!”

“Oh, poor baby,” Joyce worried, “she must be cold.”

“Why is her head shaved?” Mike asked, looking to the Woman for answers.

“You’ll see.” The Woman smiled cryptically.

 

[ELEVEN: You know bad… men?

 

She tilted her head, as though the new angle would make things make more sense to her.

 

STEVE: *nodding* Yes, sweetheart. My name’s Steve, and this is Robin-

 

Robin waved awkwardly.

 

STEVE: We can help you hide from the bad men. If they want you so badly, they’ll have to go through us to get you.

 

Steve offered Eleven his hand, slowly to not spook her. Cautiously, Eleven stepped out from behind the tree and approached them. She took Steve’s hand, his hand big enough to swallow her own.

 

ELEVEN: Is… Good. I… Like that. Feel... Safe.

STEVE: Can I pick you up? It’ll be easier to get out of the woods that way.

 

Eleven stared at Steve for a few moments, flicking between his eyes and their connected hands, before finally nodding. Slowly, Steve reached around the girl and scooped her up, cradling her in his arms. Robin took the nail bat for Steve as they returned to the car. Steve was humming the entire trip back to the car, so combined with the swaying motion of being carried and Steve’s warmth, Eleven found herself falling asleep in his arms.

The scene shifts to Steve carrying Eleven into his house, the girl now wrapped up in a blanket burrito style. Robin ran ahead to open the door for them, ushering the two inside while she kept watch. She followed them just in time to see Eleven pull the blanket away from her face, nose scrunched cutely.]

 

“I CAN’T-”

“SHE’S TOO CUTE-”

“AHHHH-”

 

[STEVE: You hungry, Ellie?

 

Eleven looked at Steve, confused.

 

ELEVEN: El-ee?

STEVE: It’s a nickname for Eleven.

ELEVEN: *confused* Nick…name?

ROBIN: Right, um, a nickname is a name given to someone that isn’t the name they were born with. Only the coolest of people get nicknames.

ELEVEN: Cool?

STEVE: Yeah, kiddo, you’re the coolest.

 

Eleven, now dubbed Ellie, nodded to herself as though Steve had given her the secret to the universe.

 

ELLIE: I am cool.

ROBIN: *chuckling* Yeah, you are. Now, would thou child dubbed thee ‘coolest’ like a bath?

 

The color drained from Ellie’s face at Robin’s words and she started to shake. Steve panicked and froze, not daring to move.

 

STEVE: Woah, Ellie what’s wrong?

ELLIE: *Tearing up, shaking her head* No bath, no bath! I do not want to see the dark place!]

 

“The dark place?” Dustin repeated, voice shaking.

“Good God,” Hopper muttered.

 

[Steve and Robin shared a look.

 

STEVE: *softly, trying to avoid being thrown into a wall* It’s not that kind of bath, I promise. We just want to get all that mud off of you and give you some proper clothes. You don’t have to go to the dark place if you don’t want to. It’s your choice.

ELLIE: *shaky* My choice?

 

Robin kneeled before Ellie, cautiously taking the young girl’s hand.

 

ROBIN: That’s right, baby. We know the bad men didn’t let you decide, but we will. You’ll never have to go to the dark place again if you don’t want to.]

 

“I’m going to fucking kill whoever raised her because what the fuck,” Gareth hissed.

“Why the hell does a child not think she can have a choice?” Hopper seethed, clenching his fists.

 

[Ellie hesitates before finally nodding.

 

ELLIE: *quiet* I am dirty. I… I would like to clean myself.

 

Steve and Robin release the breaths they had been holding throughout that whole conversation. Crisis averted. 

 

ROBIN: Of course, Els. *to Steve* I’ll get her all cleaned up if you want to find some clothes for her.

STEVE: Sounds good to me. I’ll see if I can’t scrounge up something for dinner.

 

Steve headed upstairs to his room, hearing Ellie ask Robin what scrounging was. Luckily, Steve had a box of his childhood stuff in his closest, which thankfully contained some clothes. The clothes, an old t-shirt and pajama pants, were big enough that they’d probably still need to roll up the sleeves, but not so much that she’d be swimming in them like she did with Hopper’s clothes in the other timeline.

Steve left the clothes outside of the bathroom, hearing Robin and Ellie giggle over something as he left. After inspecting the cupboards, Steve decided on something simple that wouldn’t upset Ellie’s stomach. 

Flashback to Steve discussing with Hopper how difficult it was to work El up to more complex foods because the meals at the lab valued nutrition over flavor.

By the time Steve finished up a simple meal of lightly seasoned chicken and broccoli, Robin and Ellie had exited the bathroom. Ellie’s eyes lit up at the sight of the steaming food at the kitchen table. Robin quickly took her seat at the table, with Ellie hesitantly following suit.

Robin dug into the meal, but Ellie didn’t move, looking to Steve for instructions. Steve was plating his own meal when he caught her eye.

 

STEVE: Go ahead kid, you don’t have to wait on me.

 

Ellie immediately began shoving the food into her mouth, freaking out Robin.

 

ROBIN: Jesus, Els, slow down! You’re gonna give yourself a tummy ache.

 

Ellie paused, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Steve sat down in his seat, gesturing to her plate.

 

STEVE: It’s fine, sweetheart. Don’t go so fast, alright? You’ll hurt yourself.

 

Ellie began eating once more, now half the speed. The camera zoomed out as they ate dinner, exiting through the window and entering the woods. The camera then travelled all the way to the Byers house where it landed on Will Byers getting a glass of water from the kitchen. As he returned to bed, the camera focused not on Will, but on the small crack in his wall that was growing bigger, a red glow emanating from the other side.

A claw wiggled through the split in the wall, followed by a low growl as the full hand came through.

Some things cannot be prevented.]

 

“What does that mean? Some things can’t be prevented? Is something going to happen to Will?” Jonathan panicked, looking to the Woman for answers. She did not answer. If she had, Jonathan had the feeling it would have been the same answer she’d be giving all night. You’ll see.

“Must be a canon event,” Eddie mused. Everyone turned to look at him. “I don’t know, it just sounds like this comic book thing, sorry.”

“Holy shit, you might be onto something,” Jeff exclaimed.

“Canon event?” Nancy questioned, “what does that even mean?”

Jeff just turned to Eddie, “You know more about this shit than I do.” Eddie just sighed, running a hand over his face.

“Well, in Marvel Comics, there’s this thing called a canon event. There’s multiple different universes, but a canon event is when something in a universe cannot be changed and will happen no matter what you do. Like, if a character in one universe was destined to die, you could change every single factor possible, but at the end of the day the person would die regardless. The universe doesn’t care how it happens, as long as it does.  Otherwise, the universe collapses on itself, although I imagine that part is exclusive to comic books.”

“So, you think all the stuff Steve and Robin did to stop Will from being attacked by whatever that thing was, means nothing in the end?” Nancy questioned. Eddie just shrugged.

“I mean, it’s a thought. But like I said, it’s comic book stuff; not exactly proven science. That doesn’t mean they didn’t change anything, just the specific event has to happen. Maybe things’ll change because they found that little girl a day early. Who knows?”

Notes:

I think canon event came from the spiderverse movies but tomato tomato

Chapter 7: Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly

Summary:

November 7th, 1983

Notes:

I'm not gonna lie, I'm afraid I'm messing up El's character a bit. I'm trying my best not to make her feel like a big toddler who always needs help, but I want her to act like a sheltered, traumatized child. That's why Robin and Steve are walking on eggshells around her.

[The scene opened with Ellie waking up in a bedroom she does not recognize at first. The girl was startled upon opening her eyes. Ellie lifted herself up onto her elbows, taking in her surroundings before noticing her clothes. She patted them, as though not believing she was finally out of that hospital gown.

Ellie finally got to her feet, stumbling slightly. She wandered around the room, opening drawers and the closet door. The sound of footsteps echo down the hall, startling her. Panicking, Ellie crawled under the bed, pushing herself so far back she touched the wall. The door opened, although from Ellie’s perspective she can only see two pairs of socked feet.

 

STEVE: *perky* Good morning-and she’s gone.]

Eddie snorted at Steve’s blasé reaction, garnering a look from Robin. He blushed when he saw her ‘I know what you are’ face. Embarrassed, the metalhead flipped her off.

Wayne saw the interaction from the corner of his eye, but chose not to say anything. If he knew his nephew, the boy would rather pine to death than say anything if not pushed. A hopeless romantic he was, no matter what Eddie liked to claim.

 

[Robin peeked over Steve’s shoulder at the seemingly empty room. Steve took in the slightly opened drawers & the unlatched closet door. He then placed down the tray he had been carrying on the dresser, eggs, toast, and juice sat atop of it. Steve gestured to the bed with a nod, informing Robin of Ellie’s position. She remained by the doorway while Steve took a seat on the bed.

 

STEVE: Elle, Robin and I brought breakfast. You’ve got eggs and some toast, and Robin picked up some apple juice from Melvald’s this morning. I think you’ll like it. Robs’ has got a sweet tooth a mile long so it might be a little sweet for you, but I can get you some water if it is.

 

Steve did not move, just waited. Eventually, Ellie cautiously poked her head out from under the bed, laying eyes on Steve and Robin. Robin waved from the doorway, a smile on her face.

 

STEVE: *softly* Hey sweetheart, you hungry?

 

Ellie nodded and crawled out from under the bed. Robin grabbed the tray while Ellie got situated at the head of the bed, setting the tray on the bed in front of her. Ellie hesitantly grabbed the fork and stabbed one of the eggs. Her eyes widened when the yolk began oozing out. She looked to Steve as though asking him for help. He chuckled.

 

STEVE: They’re sunny-side up kiddo. Try dipping the toast in the yolk.

 

Ellie looked at him in disbelief before grabbing a piece of toast with her free hand and dabbed it in the yolk as he instructed before taking a bite. She froze before quickly putting the toast in the yolk once more. Ellie quickly began devouring the meal, finishing it in a few minutes. 

She accidentally spilled the juice on herself, the comforter, and the tray while drinking, making her freeze. Ellie looked to Steve in fear, waiting for his reaction, but Steve just smiled and slowly reached for the dry napkin on the tray.

 

STEVE: It’s alright. If I got mad every time sheets got covered in food, Robin wouldn’t be allowed in the house. That girl spills everything.

ROBIN: *snarky* You wouldn’t be able to survive if I couldn’t come over. You need your daily Robin fix.

STEVE: *solemnly* Of course. *turning and winking at Ellie* She wouldn’t be allowed on the couch, then.

 

Robin let out an offended noise, but Steve just laughed at her while he patted the bed dry He handed Ellie the other napkin so she could clean herself up. Ellie, albeit quietly, giggled along with Steve. 

 

ELLIE: *softly* All done.

STEVE: Alrighty then. You want some more juice or would you rather we show you around since you’ll be staying here for a while?

 

Ellie thought about it for a moment, before shyly asking:

 

ELLIE: …Both?]

 

“I am going to stab whoever hurt this child,” Peter declared.

“Get in line,” Hopper practically growled, his hand instinctually reaching for where his holster usually was.

“Technically I’m not supposed to say much because spoilers and whatnot,” the Woman stated, “but if it makes anyone feel better, the people who facilitated her containment do receive their just desserts.”

“Good,” Wayne stated darkly, crossing his arms. 

Gareth leaned over to Eddie, whispering, “Is your uncle always like that?” Eddie nodded.

“You should have seen him with my dad after I showed up half-dead on his porch. I thought I was about to witness a murder.”

[Steve’s smile grew even wider.

 

STEVE: We can definitely do that.

 

The scene cuts to Ellie, now dressed in clean clothes, being led around the home by the two, one hand clutching a cup of juice and the other holding Steve’s hand. He pointed out various rooms, opening doors and showing her what was inside. The phone rang, so Robin left them to answer it. To distract Ellie from Robin’s absence, Steve showed her his room. The girl lit up when Steve showed her his bedroom, much different than the blank walls of the lab.

In the few months that Steve and Robin had been in the past, they had quickly redone Steve’s bedroom. The walls were now a pastel yellow rather than the plaid and various posters and paintings practically lined the walls. The blankets were a soft blue and the bed was covered in pillows, most likely Robin’s addition. There was a desk in the corner that looked not empty, but like it was waiting to be covered in well-loved things that haven’t come yet. It feels lived in.

 

ELLIE: *quietly* You and Robin are…more, than others.

 

Steve looked down at her, his face showing not surprise, but understanding.

 

STEVE: Yeah, we are. Does that bother you?

 

Ellie shook her head.

 

ELLIE: No, I am more than others too. You are more, but a different more than me.

STEVE: Is it a bad kind of more?

ELLIE: I… do not know. I do not think so.

 

Robin came back up the stairs, a pale look on her face. Steve spotted her, quickly switching to his ‘battle face’.

 

STEVE: *Concerned* What’s wrong? Did something happen?

 

Robin swallowed, shaken up.

 

ROBIN: That was Jonathan. Will was gone when he woke up this morning.

STEVE: What? No, we-we changed things! He wasn’t home alone, we stopped that thing from following him- Just- How?

ROBIN: *freaking out* I don’t know! Jonathan says that all of his stuff was still at the house. It’s like he just vanished from his room!

ELLIE: Taken.]

 

"Oh, God," Joyce whimpered.

 

The two slowly turned to look at the young girl. Ellie shuffled where she stood, uneasy from the stares.

 

ROBIN: Taken?

 

Ellie nodded, so slight that it was almost unnoticeable. Steve kneeled in front of Ellie, the two now eye level with each other. He still held her hand, and squeezed it once.

 

STEVE: Ellie, baby, I need to ask you something okay?

 

She nodded again, this time much more firmly.

 

STEVE: Is Will in the other place, the Upside Down? It looks like here, but dark, and cold, and filled with monsters. 

ELLIE: *whispering, shaking* Yes.

 

Steve and Robin shared a look, a new determination in their eyes. Steve turned back to Ellie.

 

STEVE: Thank you, sweetheart. That’s all we needed to know.

ROBIN: So… Plan B?]

 

"Considering what we've seen of their other plans, I'm not super confident," Billy remarked.

"I mean, they're survived this far," Eddie pointed out, gesturing to the screen, "although the 'beat it 'til it dies' routine will only work for so long. Something's gonna be smart enough to see past that."

"That's what worries me the most," Nancy fretted, "what's going to happen when something is?"

 

Steve nodded, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

 

STEVE: Plan B. Hope you like hunting, ‘cause we’ve got a demogorgon to bait.

 

Steve looked out his window at the pool, then to the woods.

 

STEVE: It's November Seventh, Robs. I know exactly where it’s gonna be next.]

Chapter 8: We've taken different paths, and travelled different roads. I know we'll always end up on the same one when we're old

Summary:

November 7th

Notes:

Happy almost Halloween!

“Are they seriously going to try and kill that thing?” Mike asked.

“I mean, they got pretty close last time. It just ran off before they could finish the job,” Dustin replied, “I wouldn’t be surprised if that managed it this time.”

“If Will’s in the Upside Down, wouldn’t killing the demogorgon be counterproductive?” Gareth pointed out, “That thing is the only thing that can go to that place.”

The Woman chuckled, catching their attention. She just smiled.

 

[Steve and Robin waited until night came to start ‘Plan B’. They helped Ellie get settled into her new place in the home. Robin’s mom had dropped off the boxes of Robin’s old clothes earlier under the assumption that they would be sorted and donated, which was partially true. 

The scene showed the three in the living room while Ellie went through Steve and Robin’s old clothes. They cheered her on as she tried on various outfits, a little fashion show just for her. Ellie was flushed a bright red from all the attention, clearly not used to positive attention that doesn’t want anything from her. Robin pulled out a cute little dress, a little baby blue number with white lace. 

Ellie looked at the dress, a sheepish look on her face. Robin saw the look and held it in front of El, imagining what it would look like. She nodded.

 

ROBIN: You’d look so cute in this Els, don’t you think Stevie?

STEVE: *smiling* Oh, definitely. The cutest.

 

Ellie blushed, taking the dress and walking back to the bathroom. She came out again a few moments later, now wearing the dress. She thumbed at the lacy collar with a small smile on her face. 

 

STEVE: Oh, scratch that, Robs. She’s not just the cutest, she’s the prettiest.

 

Ellie’s face somehow grew darker, flustered from the compliments.

 

ELLIE: Pretty?

ROBIN: Of course, sweetheart. So pretty.]

 

“I think it’s so sweet that they’re trying to make her feel like a normal kid,” Nancy mentioned, “if the ‘bad men’ are as bad as I think they are, then I can’t imagine they allowed her anything like that.”

“Why the shaved head though?” Mike wondered.

“Maybe she needs it to read your mind~” Lucas teased, poking Mike. Mike flushed and shoved Lucas off the couch they were sitting upon.

“Knock it off, knuckleheads. You’re gonna break something,” Hopper scolded. Lucas climbed back up onto the couch, taking his place in between Dustin and Mike. The two stuck their tongues out at each other once Hopper turned back to the screen.

 

[The next scene cut to Ellie, still wearing the dress, watching from the kitchen doorway as Steve made dinner. This time he was whipping up a simple chicken alfredo with peas, which Ellie eyed suspiciously.

 

STEVE: *Amused* You need vegetables, Elle.

ELLIE: It looks… ew.

STEVE: If you don’t like it, I can fix you something else, but it will be healthy for you. You’re wayyyy smaller than I’d like. A kid your age should be… squishier. You’re practically a skeleton.

 

Ellie looked down at herself, as though seeing her bony frame for the first time. She poked her tummy.

 

ELLIE: Squishy…

 

Robin finally came down the stairs as Steve was plating the food for them all. She plopped down two backpacks, which made a clanging sound when it hit the ground. It startled Ellie slightly, but Robin placed a soothing hand on her shoulder, calming the scared girl. Ellie stared at the bags, a troubled look on her face.

 

ELLIE: *quiet* Are you… going to find Will?

 

Steve nodded, setting the food on the table.

 

STEVE: Yep. If this goes the way we hope it does, Will should be home by tomorrow at the latest.

 

Ellie stared at them.

 

ELLIE: How are you going to find the monster?

ROBIN: Well, it’s attracted to blood, ain’t it? We’re gonna set a trap for it, then when it shows up, distract it. Steve’s gonna go through the gate and I’m gonna handle things on this side and make sure he can make his way back through. Once I know Steve’s got Will, I’ll bait it back through so they can get back to us. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

ELLIE: Lemon… Squeeze?

STEVE: It’s just a phrase. A silly way of saying it’ll be easy.

 

Ellie nodded solemnly, as though Steve told her government secrets.

 

ELLIE: *confident* Eeezy peezy, lemon squeeze.

STEVE: *Chuckling* Yeah, Elle, lemon squeeze.]

 

“Lemon squeeze is so metal,” Eddie cackled, “I love that little girl. It’ll catch on, I just know it.”

“They’re so cool,” Dustin gushed. He turned to Robin, who had an incredulous look on her face, “I can’t believe how cool you guys are!”

“You and me both, kid,” Robin murmured.

 

[The two left Ellie tucked into a heavy blanket on the couch, curled up with a cup of hot chocolate, a stack of kids books, and the tv playing The Smurfs. Elle was absolutely mesmerized by the little blue people, so Steve and Robin felt comfortable about leaving her behind, with strict instructions to leave all blinds closed and not leave the house.

The friends each slung a backpack over their shoulders, Steve armed with his trusty bat and Robin taking up an axe. She tested the heft of the weapon, deeming it worthy for her use. Both of them have a hairspray in a back pocket and a lighter in their front as a failsafe. Steve, however, snagged a box cutter the last time he was in his shop class.

They eventually made their way into the woods, leaving Steve’s car on the side of the road near the Byers house. They, of course, were dressed to the nines if the nines were interdimensional warfare. 

 

ROBIN: So Jonathan’s out here?

STEVE: *Nodding* At least he was last time. He was looking for Will and he came across the party I was having.

ROBIN: *hesitantly* …was that the party where-

STEVE: Yeah, it was. 

 

They fell back into silence, trudging through the woods trying to avoid the wildlife that should be in an Indiana forest, lest they run into a bear. A branch snapped off to the side. Steve glanced over, spotting a spot of blue, which was definitely not a deer, nor a demogorgon.

 

STEVE: Jon? Is that you? It’s Steve and Robin.

 

Slowly, Jonathan pushed his way through the dead brush, looking like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He was followed out by-

 

STEVE & ROBIN AT THE SAME TIME:

R- Nancy?

S- Barb?

 

The three had the audacity to look bothered by Steve and Robin’s presence.

 

STEVE: What are you guys doing out here? It’s dangerous.

BARB: *Rolling her eyes* That’s kind of the point, Harrington. We’re part of Will’s search party–Y’know, the one everyone else in town joined?

 

The words were sharp, making Steve flinch.

 

ROBIN: *Annoyed* You don’t have to be an asshole about it, Barb. We’re looking for him too. Think we dress up like this ‘cause it’s fashionable?

 

She gestured to their clothes. Jonathan was staring at Steve’s bat, which even in the dark glittered with black blood in the moonlight. Steve saw him looking, so he discreetly tucked the bat behind his leg.

 

NANCY: *trying to break the tension* Why don’t we all look together? Safety in numbers, right?

JONATHAN: *Still looking at the bat* Yeah… Safety in numbers.

 

Robin and Steve shared a look before shrugging, deciding to go along with it. They continued through the woods, the group of two now a group of five.

Steve and Robin trailed behind slightly, whispering amongst each other.

 

ROBIN: *Whispering* What are we supposed to do now? Barb was supposed to die today and Nancy wasn’t supposed to be out here! We were trying to keep them from being involved.

STEVE: *Whispering* I think this might be another one of those inevitable things, like Will disappearing.

ROBIN: Do you think Barb’ll be okay?

STEVE: Barb was a case of the wrong place, wrong time, I think. I imagine she’ll be fine as long as she’s with us.

 

They paused for a few moments, making sure the three in front of them weren’t listening.

 

STEVE: Thanks, by the way. Barb’s always been… feisty, with me, even before I started dating Nancy.

ROBIN: Yeah, well, no one talks about my platonic soulmate like that, not even said platonic soulmate.]

 

“It’s weird to think that in their original timeline Steve dated my sister,” Mike said, “like, our Steve is an asshole. This one is actually kinda cool.”

 

[Suddenly, Barb’s voice rang out.

 

BARB: *voice raised* Are you guys going to share with the class or are you going to keep whispering amongst yourselves like tween girls?

ROBIN: I don’t know, are you going to stop acting like we have the plague?

STEVE: Robs-

 

Steve was interrupted by a loud growl. The group stopped in their places, frantically looking around to find the source. 

 

JONATHAN: What the-

 

Suddenly, Jonathan was knocked off his feet by a large body slamming into him. Nancy screamed as the demogorgon loomed over the dazed Jonathan. 

Steve quickly ran up the monster and slammed his bat into it. It screeched in pain, but was cut off when Robin swung her axe and nailed it in the shoulder. It appeared to be the same demogorgon from the night before, so it was quickly run off by the two.

Steve helped Jonathan to his feet, taking most of his weight. Nancy ran up to him, checking him over for his injuries. Robin however, turned to Barb, one hand on her hip and a bloody axe in the other.

 

ROBIN: *snarky* Aren’t you glad we ‘shared with the class’?

STEVE: Robin, not the time.

 

Robin lost all the fire she had when Steve said her name, practically losing all tension in her body almost instantly.]

 

“Maybe Steve was right, like no matter what happens we still end up involved,” Max stated, “they tried to keep those three out of it, and the monster still found them anyways.”

“Another canon whatever,” Billy agreed.

“Event,” Eddie corrected. Billy just snapped and pointed at him.

“Yeah, that.”

“Different circumstances, same result,” Dustin recalled, tapping his chin, “if Barb actually died, then that would’ve been one hell of an introduction to those monsters.”

“I’d argue it’s almost better this way,” Gareth remarked, “like, sure, they’re still involved, but at least Barb’s still alive. 

 

[UNKNOWN VOICE: Nance?

 

Steve slowly turned, locking eyes with, to his utter shock and horror, Mike. Lucas and Dustin stood behind Mike, shielded from Steve by Mike’s arm.

 

STEVE: *whispering* Fuck, you were there that night.]

 

“Guess we still end up involved too,” Lucas noted.

 

[The kids just stared at Steve in confusion, eyes flicking from Steve’s face to his bloody nail bat.

 

MIKE: What the hell was that thing?

 

A shriek sounded through the woods, distracting them. They all whipped their heads to face the direction the sound came from. The kids flinch at the sound, huddling together in fear.

 

DUSTIN: *quietly, terrified* Steve?

STEVE: It’s here.

 

Screeches echoed through the woods.

 

ROBIN: *worried* Steve, that sounds like helluva lot more than just one.

STEVE: Sounds like it brought friends. We need to go, NOW.

 

Steve and Robin ushered the group back towards Steve's car, which was parked on the side of the road. They corralled the teens into the car first, getting the younger kids settled on their laps. Robin took her place in the passenger seat as Steve threw himself into the driver’s side, quickly starting the car and slamming on the gas.

In the rearview mirror, Steve could see a few demogorgons break from the tree line. They rushed down the road, following Steve’s Beemer.

 

STEVE: Fuck!

 

Steve whipped the wheel to the side, turning and peeling down the next road. There were protests in the back seat, but Steve ignored them, too concerned about losing the demogorgons behind them.

 

MIKE: *screeching* What the hell is going on???

STEVE: *shouting* Robs, how close are they?

 

Robin glanced back, staring for a few moments.

 

ROBIN: At least forty feet, but they’re gaining.

STEVE: Shit-

 

Steve sped through another turn, jostling the untethered kids in the back.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang as something landed on the roof of the Beemer. There were screams as several large claws tore through the metal.

Steve frantically tried to right the vehicle, but the added weight of the demogorgon on the car made it difficult. Steve made a split second decision as the creature began ripping the roof off, trying to reach the people inside.

In the mirror, Steve watched as the demogorgon swiped at Dustin, who had pressed himself into the space on the floor between the front seat and back. Steve saw red.

 

STEVE: *Shouting* Hold onto something!

 

Suddenly, Steve slammed on the brakes, probably ruining his brake system with how hard he did it. The demogorgon flew from the roof, skidding across the road at speeds well over seventy. Another one rammed into the back of the car and the third barely managed to stop before doing the same. 

Steve quickly changed gears, turned to face the rear, and hit the gas, reversing back down the road. He ran over the one that hit his car and the other one threw itself out of the way to avoid the same fate.

Steve whipped the car around and switched gears back to drive, taking them all the way to the Byers house. He pulled to a stop in the driveway, turning off the car. The group sat there for a few minutes, trying to catch their breaths.

 

ROBIN: Steve.

STEVE: Yeah?

ROBIN: That might’ve been the coolest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.

STEVE: Good to know, ‘cause I improvised all of that.

 

Steve turned back to face the others, concern on his face.

 

STEVE: Is everyone okay?

LUCAS: Define ‘okay’.

STEVE: Fair enough. Is anyone hurt, then?

MIKE: That thing nicked Dustin’s arm.

 

Steve’s face fell before quickly switching his attention to Dustin, who was behind his seat. He was clutching at his arm, blood gushing from a large gash.

 

STEVE: Robin-

ROBIN: Got it.

 

Steve exited the car and opened the back door, reaching for Dustin’s arm. He gently removed Dustin’s hand from the wound and replaced it with his own, Steve’s large hand applying pressure much better. Robin returned from the trunk of the Beemer, the first aid kit in her hands. 

Jonathan guided the three into his house, showing them to the couch. Steve sat Dustin down, still applying pressure to the wound.

 

ROBIN: Think it’ll need stitches?

STEVE: *sighing* I’m no doctor, but it’s too deep for my liking. Jon, can you get me some warm water and a cloth? Robs, suture kit?

 

Dustin’s face paled from something other than blood loss as people rushed off to get what was requested.

 

DUSTIN: *squeaky* What?

LUCAS: Oh, god-

MIKE: Is he gonna die?

 

Mike accidentally bumped the couch in his panic, jostling Dustin. Dustin winced, a tear slipping down his face.

 

STEVE: *softly* I know it’s scary, bud, but we’ve gotta stitch it up.

DUSTIN: Will it hurt?

STEVE: *hesitating* I won’t lie to you, Dust, it will. We have some numbing cream, but you’re bleeding pretty bad. I don’t want to waste time waiting for it to set in.

 

Dustin whimpered, tears streaming down his face.

 

ROBIN: *handing Steve the suture kit* Hey Dustin, think about it this way. It’ll definitely scar, and only the coolest of people have badass scars like that.

DUSTIN: *Sniffling* Yeah?

STEVE: *nodding* Uh, hell yeah! Not everyone can brag about seeing a demogorgon in person and live to tell the tale.]

 

“I get a cool scar? Sick!” Dustin exclaimed, excited.

“Kid, I know it looks cool from here, but that shit hurts,” Hopper informed the boy. Wayne nodded from where he sat, having been a nurse back in Vietnam.

“Trust me boy, it won’t look so cool once he starts stitching you up without anesthesia,” Wayne warned.

 

[Jonathan returned with the water, freshly boiled with a cloth. Robin handed Dustin a few painkillers, making Steve shoot her a look. She was holding a bottle of water.

 

ROBIN: Thought he could take them now so they kick in faster.

 

Steve hummed in approval.

 

STEVE: Chew them, they’ll digest faster.

 

Dustin did as he was told, face twisting from the taste. He took a swig of water from Robin’s bottle, face red from the pain. Steve turned to the other boys.

 

STEVE: I have a very important job for you two.

 

They perked up at Steve’s words.

 

MIKE: Yeah?

STEVE: I need you two to sit by Dustin and keep him calm. This is gonna hurt pretty bad, so he’ll need comforting. Help him be brave?

 

With little prompting, the two took a seat on either side of Dustin. Lucas grabbed his hand and Mike hugged him from the side. Steve released Dustin’s arm for a few moments to clean his hands and prep his needle. He returned to the arm, cradling it in his arm, needle posed for insertion.

 

STEVE: Ready?

 

Dustin nodded, closing his eyes.

Steve began stitching the wound, holding Dustin’s arm still as he jerked. He cried out, sobbing with every stitch inserted into his skin. Robin stood behind Dustin on the couch, rubbing his shoulders and helping keep him in place. She hummed nonsensically, trying to comfort him. Dustin’s face was so red as he sobbed it looked like he was going to burst blood vessels.

Nancy tucked her face into Jonathan’s neck, refusing to look at the scene. Barb looked nauseous, gagging slightly before running to the kitchen and vomiting into the sink.]

 

“Fuck, I might vomit too,” Jeff gagged, placing a closed fist over his mouth as though he could keep the vomit in his mouth.

Dustin’s face was horrified as Steve treated the wound. Will refused to watch, hiding his face in his mother’s side while Mike and Lucas held Dustin, mirroring the image on the screen.

“Told you so,” Wayne said.

 

[Steve quickly finished up the stitches, tying them off with a surgeon’s precision. Steve coated the wound with an antibacterial spray, hoping the numbing properties would kick in soon. He wrapped the arm tightly, placing a kiss on the wrapping as though that would heal the wound.

Steve pulled Dustin into his arms, gently so as to not worsen the injury. The boy cried into Steve’s shoulder as Steve rocked him, as though he was a toddler instead of a twelve-year-old.

 

STEVE: *shushing* You did so great, bud. So great.

 

Not long after, Dustin passed out from exhaustion. Steve laid him down in Jonathan’s room to sleep, with the boys joining him in dreamland not long after. 

Jonathan looked at Steve with a strange determination.

 

JONATHAN: You knew those things were there. That’s why you had those weapons.

 

It wasn’t accusatory, per say, more a statement.

 

STEVE: We did.

NANCY: *shakily* Have you faced… them, before?

 

Robin nodded, cleaning up the bloody remnants from the make-shift surgery table.

 

ROBIN: We call ‘em demogorgons. Real nasty fuckers with one hell of a bite.

JONATHAN: Like from DnD?

STEVE: Eh, they just share a name. Pretty different in real life.

JONATHAN: Do… Do those things have something to do with Will?

 

Steve flinched slightly, but Jonathan caught it.

 

JONATHAN: Oh, god.

BARB: Are you saying those things took Jonathan’s brother? And you didn't think to tell anyone?

STEVE: *snarky* What the fuck were we supposed to say? ‘Hi, there’s these freaky monsters from a hell dimension underneath our own and they took a boy from his bedroom without leaving a trace. Please don’t put us in straightjackets.’ Yeah, ‘cause that would’ve gone down so well.

JONATHAN: *hurt* Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were friends?

 

Steve sighed, running a hand over his face.

 

STEVE: It’s not that I didn’t trust you, it’s just- I thought he’d be okay. We stopped it from taking him yesterday, we didn’t think it would come back for round two.

 

Nancy’s face twisted slightly as she realized just what Steve said.

 

NANCY: Did you say ‘hell dimension’?

 

Steve froze, realizing what he’d said.

 

STEVE: Um… shit.]

Chapter 9

Summary:

November 7th, 1983

Notes:

I hope Steve isn't too much of a sad, wet puppy. He's just dealing with a lot. Robin is his emotional support lesbian.

[NANCY: *barely not freaking out* So those things that chased us are from the Upside Down, which is another dimension that is identical to ours except gross and filled with monsters?

ROBIN: *shrugging* Yeah, that about sums it up. Crazy, right?

NANCY: *silently panicking* I’m thinking of several other words, but sure, crazy works.]

 

“I second that,” Gareth stated, looking startled.

It appeared that no one really knew how to respond to the previous scenes. Some seemed horrified at what they had just seen, almost comatose in a way. 

“They could’ve died,” Nancy whispered, covering her mouth with a hand, “If Steve and Robin weren’t there, we would’ve been dead.”

 

[Barb stood next to her friend, pale and shaking. 

 

BARB: *frantically, to Steve and Robin* How the hell are you guys so normal about this? A giant monster-thing ripped the fucking roof off of your fucking car.

 

Nancy looked at Barb in shock, clearly not expecting those words out of Barb’s mouth.

 

BARB: *continuing* You killed one of those things! And you’re just acting like this is just another damn Tuesday for you!

 

Steve winced at her words. He looked to Robin, as though asking permission. She sighed and nodded.

 

STEVE: If we’re being technical, it… kind of is.

JONATHAN: What?]

 

“Here comes the big reveal,” Billy mused, doing a jazzy gesture with the hand that is not pressing Max to his side.

“Dun, dun, dunnnnn,” Max added, driving Billy to ruffle her hair. She made a strangled noise, protesting loudly to the motion.

 

[Steve glanced over at Jonathan, who hadn’t spoken since before the Upside Down discussion. Steve ran a hand down his face, clearly frustrated.

 

STEVE: We knew that Will was going to be in trouble that night. We knew that he was going to be taken.

 

Jonathan let out a choked noise at Steve’s words. Steve paused, but decided to continue.

 

STEVE: All of this–The monsters, the Upside Down, Will, Ellie… We are always there because we knew what was going to happen and where.

NANCY: Steve, what are you saying?

ROBIN: *softly* What he’s saying is that we’ve done this before. We thought… We thought we could stop it from happening.

 

Robin sounded grim. Jonathan ran a hand through his hair as he took in their words.

 

JONATHAN: Will was always going to be taken?

 

Steve nodded, forlorn.

 

STEVE: *frantic* Jon, I swear, I thought we could stop it. We tried so hard–

 

Jonathan cut Steve off by grasping his shoulders. Jonathan looked Steve dead in the eyes.

 

JONATHAN: Steve, I’m not upset at you. I’m upset at the things that took Will. I’m upset that the kids got involved and that Dustin got hurt. I’m upset at everything and everyone but you and Robin. I’m not sure what exactly happened wherever, or when-ever you came from, but you tried. Everyone thought he ran away, but you two–you tried to save him, and I will always be thankful for that. 

 

A cracking sound came from down the hall, freaking out Steve and Robin while confusing the others.

 

NANCY: *whispering* What was that?

ROBIN: *whispering,* It’s coming through. Probably hungry, hurt, and majorly pissed. Must've tracked us through sound. You can hear our reality from the Upside Down.

 

Steve looked to Jonathan, one brow raised in a question.

 

STEVE: *quietly* How attached is Will to his bedsheets? *Before Jonathan can answer* Actually, I’ll just buy him new ones.

 

Slowly, Steve walked into the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards, taking out a can of spray cooking oil, popping the cap off and setting it on the table. Jonathan had a confused look on his face, but it quickly changed to terror when a low growl sounded from down the hall. 

 

JONATHAN: *panicked* The kids–

 

Steve raised a hand, silencing him. He quietly walked down the hall, listening as the demogorgon wandered Will’s room. The kids peeked out from Jonathan’s door, but Steve waved them off and they shut the door. Will’s door was slightly ajar, allowing the camera to catch a glimpse of the demogorgon inside. It sniffed around, seemingly trying to locate the people currently residing in the building. Steve pulled his lighter from his pocket, flicking open the top. 

The sound caught the demogorgon’s attention, causing to whip around to face the door. It opened its petaled face, screeching. It tried to rush Steve, but he kicked the door into it, quickly raising his spray and lighting the aerosol. The creature screamed in pain as it lit up, flailing its limbs wildly in an attempt to escape the flame. It dove for the fresh gate it had ripped into the wall, wriggling through like a mouse forcing its way into a hole.

Steve cautiously opened the door the rest of the way, looking around for anything that may suggest it would return. The room has an almost gray haze to it now, and the fresh gate carved into the wall spewed out some ash, making Steve wrinkle his nose at the rotten smell.

He glanced back at Robin who had followed him down the hall along with Jonathan, Nancy, and Barb, an unsure smile on his face. Robin had retrieved Steve’s bat from the car, handing it over to him along with a flashlight. Steve untied the handkerchief from his belt loop, quickly tying it around his mouth and nose.

 

Steve gave a two-fingered salute before approaching the gate in the wall. 

 

STEVE: If I die, you get everything.

 

Before he could enter, he was stopped by a hand grabbing his shoulder.

 

JONATHAN: *Serious* If Will’s in there, then I’m coming too.

STEVE: *shaking his head* It’s too dangerous.

JONATHAN: Then why is it okay for you to go and not me, huh? You said my brother’s in there, so I’m going. I’ll follow you in whether you agree or not.]

 

“You’d come find me?” Will asked, voice small. Jonathan hugged his little brother, sniffling slightly.

“‘Course I would. I would go to the ends of the earth if it meant finding you,” Jonathan assured him, squeezing him one more time before releasing him.

 

[Steve cursed under his breath.

 

STEVE: Fine, but you do everything I say, and I mean everything. The last thing I need is to worry about two kids in danger.

 

Jonathan rushed to the kitchen, returning with a kitchen towel wrapped around the lower half of his face and a knife. 

With a slight gag, Steve began forcing his way through the gate. After some struggle, he eventually punctured the gate. He nodded at Jonathan before crawling through.]

 

“So that’s the Upside Down,” Robin remarked, almost in awe of the rotten realm. She shivered slightly.

“God, I can only imagine the smell,” Max wrinkled her nose in disgust.

 

[Steve cautiously rose to his feet once he was on the other side, taking in the ash-filled air and the dark skies through the windows of the twisted Byers home. Jonathan followed him through soon after. The other boy’s eyes widened at the hellscape they had just entered. The two watched as the temporary gate closed behind them. Jonathan looked at Steve in fear. Steve huffed in amusement, gesturing to the world around them.

 

STEVE: Welcome to the Upside Down. Try not to miss oxygen too much, you won’t find much here.]

Chapter 10: Holy Diver, Holy Diver; There's a cat in the blue coming after you, Holy Diver

Summary:

November 7th-November 8th, 1983, later scene is Thanksgiving, 1983.

Notes:

I know its been a hot minute but enjoyyyyyyyy

This is going to be a Steddie endgame story, but if you're curious otherwise I'll put my queer headcanons at the end! Slightly warning just in case. Nothing too bad, but a warning nonetheless.

[The camera opens on Steve and Jonathan trekking through the woods, hopping over vines as they headed towards Castle Byers. Steve stabilized Jonathan when he landed wrong, stumbling slightly.

 

JONATHAN: Thanks, man.

STEVE: *shrugging* No problem.

 

The two continued in silence for a few moments. Steve had pulled ahead slightly, leaving Jonathan a few steps behind him. The camera focused on Steve ‘s face as Jonathan finally spoke.

JONATHAN: We lost, didn’t we?

 

Steve stopped, a haunted look forming on his face. Jonathan continued.

 

JONATHAN: The way you cling to Robin, the concerned glances towards Barb–something happened to us, didn’t it?

 

Steve finally turned to face Jonathan, a distant look in his eyes, like Steve wasn’t truly there. 

The sounds of screams started as the footage glitched, overlaying the current Steve with the one from 1989. The camera cut to Jonathan, with the screams growing louder. Finally, the scene changed to a flashback of sorts.

It showed an older Steve, not as many scars as 1989 Steve but more than the current one, clutching a teenage Will to his chest as the boy screamed for his brother. Steve tried to pull Will away, but he fought Steve, clawing and reaching for Jonathan who was offscreen.

It then cuts to the silhouette of Jonathan distracting a large demo-creature. The creature easily overpowered Jonathan, grasping him by the neck and pulling him close to its body before finally reaching up and grabbing Jonathan’s head between its claws, crushing his skull with a loud echoing crunch. 

It allowed Jonathan’s body to fall, the camera zooming in on the shattered skull and the liquified brain matter that oozed out.

 

JONATHAN: *concerned* Steve?

 

Steve snapped out of it, shaking his head as Will screaming for his brother echoed in the back of his mind. It cuts back to Jonathan, safe and uninjured.

 

STEVE: *quietly* Something like that.

 

Jonathan didn’t push after that.]

 

“It’s one thing to know you died, but to see it-” Jonathan cut himself off, shaking his head as though that would wipe the memory from his head.

“It’s another thing entirely,” Hopper continued for Jonathan, a grim look on his face.

“It’s weird to think that this Steve and Robin have, for all intents and purposes, gone through war,” Gareth remarked, “Like we saw them all scarred up and stuff earlier, but now it’s sorta trippy seeing teenagers act like soldiers. They should be worrying about pop quizzes, not killing fucked up monsters.”

“I keep forgetting that,” Nancy admitted, rubbing her arm slightly, “I forget that everything isn’t fine until something that seems so small to us just brings it all back to the surface for them.”

[The two finally came upon what was left of Castle Byers. Jonathan began panicking, tugging at his hair frantically.

 

JONATHAN: He wasn’t at home, and he’s not here! Where is he? Oh God, something must have happened-

STEVE: Jonathan, I love you dude, but please shut the fuck up.

 

Jonathan shut his mouth but made no moves to remove his hands from his hair. Steve approached the broken fort, kicking a few pieces aside as he searched. He came upon some colorful wrappers, or about as colorful as Upside Down food would be.

 

STEVE: Smart. Packaged food would have been the way to go.

JONATHAN: What are you talking about?

 

Steve looked even closer, spotting the half-eaten body of a demobat. Cooked, of course. Steve chuckled slightly; Will always was the most resourceful, aside from Max. He leaned down and picked up the corpse, shaking it slightly to get Jonathan’s attention.

 

STEVE: Honestly, your brother may have been the best Party member to get stuck here. He’s smart, at least. *humming slightly* Takes after Joyce, that’s for sure.]

 

Joyce perked up slightly at the notion, a small ray of sunshine in a rather dark storm.

 

[A loud chitter rang out from the distance, startling the teens. Steve dropped the corpse, readying his bat for a potential fight. Jonathan raised his kitchen knife, shaking but determined. A snuffle, then a few sniffing sounds, before the footsteps finally faded as the creature walked away.

 

JONATHAN: *quietly* Where’s it going you think?

STEVE: Must have found some-

 

Steve paused, a small imprint on the ground catching his attention. The camera followed Steve’s gaze downwards to the small shoeprint, a seven, if he had to guess. The perfect size for a young boy

 

STEVE: *voice suddenly quiet* -thing better to hunt.

 

A shriek sounded from where the demogorgon disappeared, signifying the creature had located prey. The boys shared a look before rushing towards the screeches, weapons drawn.

A loud snap echoed through the twisted forest, not of bone but rather wood. They come up on the creature clawing its way up a tree, knocking aside dead branches easily as it chases something up the tree. That something, of course, being Will Byers.

 

JONATHAN: *panting* Oh God, WILL!]

 

Jonathan and Joyce crowd Will once more, although this time, the other members of the Party leave their couch to join the Byers, plopping down on the floor in front of them and making sure they can all reach out and touch Will if they wanted to.

 

[Steve looked around, spotting the tree on the other side of Will’s tree.

 

STEVE: *shouting* Can you climb?

JONATHAN: *panicked* Wha- Yes?!?

STEVE: I need you to climb the next tree over. Get ready to catch Will!

 

Jonathan heeded Steve’s words, pulling ahead of the jock. He leaped, using his running start to his advantage. Jonathan may not be a jock, but he didn’t live in the woods for his whole life to not know how to scale a tree, quickly catching up to Will and the demogorgon.

Steve rolled his shoulders before winding up his nail bat and slamming it into the tree the demogorgon was climbing, cracking the barrel of the bat. It shook the beast somewhat loose, causing it to drop a handful of feet down the tree. It did not spare him a glance, confirming that this demogorgon was not instinctual, but controlled, locked on a target.

 

STEVE: Oh no you don’t, you bastard-

 

Will saw the creature’s fall, spotting Steve at the base of the tree. His face, while drooping with exhaustion, lit up at the sight of him. Jonathan snapped a twig as he arrived at the top of the tree, catching Will’s attention.

 

WILL: *crying out* JONATHAN!

JONATHAN: *shouting* WILL, JUMP!

 

Will leaned back, using the tree’s top to launch him forward as he jumped towards his brother. The camera zoomed out to show a side shot: Will, jumping into his brother’s arms, and the demogorgon jumping after Will. Will nearly missed if not for Jonathan reaching out and snagging Will’s hand, catching him and pulling his brother into his arms. The demogorgon jumped short, however, falling and getting struck by various branches until it landed on the ground, unmoving.]

 

“Holy shit!” Eddie exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. The tension that filled everyone’s body released almost instantaneously as the on-screen Jonathan caught Will. “Now that’s what I’m talking about! Byers, I knew you had a badass in there somewhere!”

Jonathan flushed red, ducking his head down to hide the blush from Eddie’s words. Will just poked his brother’s face, giggling at his brother’s embarrassment.

 

[The scene cuts back to Will, held tightly to Jonathan’s chest as the teen cautiously, but not without urgency, climbs down the tree. Upon landing on the ground, Jonathan properly cradled Will to his chest, peppering his face with kisses and nuzzling his younger brother, as though not truly believing Will was there. He whispered apology after apology into his baby brother’s hair.

 

WILL: *raspy, tearful* You found me.

JONATHAN: *eyes shiny with tears* Of course I did, you’re my brother–You’ll never go anywhere I won’t be able to follow.]

 

“Told you I’d find you,” Jonathan nudged Will, earning himself a big smile. Will snuggled into his brother’s side while his mother ran her hand through his hair. His friends were within reach and his family was by his side. Will rested easy knowing he’d be okay no matter what happened.

“Okay, that shit was unfairly cutesy,” Billy groaned, making Max laugh at his dramatics. He ruffled her hair once more, receiving an annoyed sound in return.

 

Jonathan locked eyes with Steve over Will’s head and smiled.

 

JONATHAN: *wetly chuckling* I also had more than a little help.

 

Jonathan nodded towards Steve. Will followed his brother’s gesture, laying his eyes on Steve once more. Steve smiled and waved. Will raised his to wave back when the creature growled, shifting slightly.

Jonathan quickly pulled Will away from the monster as Steve rushed over to join them. The babysitter bared the cracked bat, fully prepared to split the damn thing over that demogorgon’s head.

Thankfully, it gave him the opportunity after it dodged his first attack and sent Steve flying into a tree. It attempted to grab Will, only narrowly avoiding being cut with Jonathan’s knife when Steve came rushing up behind the beast and making true of his initial intentions, cracking the bat over the beast’s head and embedding the nailed tip of the bat in its flesh.

Splinters rained down as the bat finally gave out, leaving nothing more than the handle and a bit of the barrel left. It seemingly split across where the nails weakened the end of it. 

The creature clawed at its head, managing to grab the nailed end and yank it out of its skull. It threw it to the side before turning to Steve, roaring in rage. It managed to swipe at Steve a few times, stumbling from its head wound.

The camera switched to Will as he frantically looked around for a few moments before finally spotting what he was looking for off-screen. He disappeared from the frame before it returned to Steve as the two fought.

 

WILL: DUCK!

 

Steve dropped to the ground, flinching at the sound of a bullet whizzing over his head as it hit the demogorgon in the side of the head. The demogorgon whirled around to face Will, who had located the rifle he’d lost in his panic and fired the round. 

He quickly reloaded, ejecting the bullet shell with a practiced ease. The boy aimed once more and nailed the creature in the head again, this time into its gaping, toothy maw. As it fell back, Steve took the opportunity and rushed over, pulling Jonathan to his feet before practically dragging the other teen towards his brother.]

“Damn, Mama B,” Jeff let out a low whistle, “you raised some kickass kids.” 

“I can’t wait for you to see the future,” the Woman stated excitedly, startling the group. She spoke rarely, usually only if spoken too, so the sudden intrusion was a surprise. The Woman looked at Jeff, smirking. “Let’s just say like mother, like sons.”

Joyce just puff out her chest at the praise, all 5’3 of her vibrating with pride in her children.

 

[Jonathan definitely got the memo, hitting the ground running once he got his feet under him. Jonathan scooped Will under the armpits, pulling him into his arms and taking off. The gun clattered to the ground during the motion.

The boys ran towards where the Upside Down Castle Byers used to stand. The camera switched to an overhead shot of the kids running from the demogorgon as it gained more and more distance on them.

 

STEVE: *grunting* Damnit!

JONATHAN: Look!

 

As they approached the fort, you could see a gate starting to rip open in a nearby tree. Tendrils pulled themselves apart, revealing little Ellie on the other side, blood dripping down her face while the Party, Hopper, Nancy, and Barb stood behind them, seemingly entranced by the abilities of this little girl.

Robin stood at Eleven’s side, seemingly unsure whether or not she should place a hand on the girl’s shoulder. Behind them, the demogorgon tried one last time to keep them in the Upside Down, leaping forward with a shrill shriek. Ellie threw up her other hand with a shout, freezing the demogorgon in the air as Steve, Jonathan, and Will tumbled through to the Rightside Up.

Joyce rushed over to the group, surprisingly pulling all three boys into her arms. She released them in order to properly look them over, picking at their clothes and hair, checking every last inch of her boys. Steve forced himself to his feet, groaning the whole way when-

 

ROBIN: *shouting* STEVE!

 

Eleven faltered slightly, leaning against Robin as her arm shook from where it was raised. Steve whipped around to face where Robin was pointing. He watched, frozen, as the demogorgon forced its claws through the slowly sealing rip in reality. 

It began pulling the gate back open, tendrils peeling apart as Ellie wavered. She let out a final scream before collapsing, only avoiding hitting the ground thanks to Robin catching her.

Steve spotted his bat that had dropped when they came through the gate, taking in the snapped-off end of it, with about two feet left of the original three. While the creature finally pulled it way through, Steve dove for his bat. He rose as the camera made a wide arc around him and landed on a side shot of Steve and the demogorgon. A standoff for the ages. 

 

NANCY: *shrieking* Steve, what are you doing?!?

 

Steve glanced at the splintered bat, before quickly taking it in both hands and smashing it over his knee, splitting it in two more easily manageable pieces. The sound made the demogorgon bellow in rage. The acoustics for ‘Holy Diver’ by Dio start to play in the background, softly but growing louder and louder every second.

 

STEVE: This fucker’s been haunting my dreams for the last seven years. The only place it's going is hell after I send it there.]

 

“Holy shit,” Dustin gasped, but no adult cared to call him out for his language since they were all thinking the same thing.

“Why do I know this song…” Eddie murmured, twirling a strand of his hair around his finger.

[The song is at full sound when Steve charges the demogorgon, twin wooden blades  It roared and shot forwards, claws bared and mouth open wide. 

 

Holy Diver

You've been down too long in the midnight sea

Oh what's becoming of me?

 

Steve sideswiped the creature, digging in his blade and dragging it down the creature’s ribs, tearing flesh and revealing dark bone.

 

Ride the tiger

You can see his stripes but you know he's clean

Oh don't you see what I mean?

Gotta get away

Holy Diver

 

The camera cuts not to the group, but to the government agents watching from a distance. It focuses on one woman, who watches in curiosity. We see the fight from their position.

The creature lashed out, nailing Steve in the side and throwing him against a tree. While dazed, he ducked just in time for the demogorgon to impale the trunk with its claws, clearly having been aiming for Steve’s stomach.

 

FEMALE AGENT: Fascinating.

MALE AGENT: Ma’am, shouldn’t we do something?

FEMALE AGENT: …No. Let’s see how this pans out.]

 

“Who’s that?” Lucas asked, confused. Mike throws his arm out, hitting Lucas in the chest. “What was that for?”

“The bad men!” Mike exclaimed, having put it together. Nancy followed suit.

“Oh my gosh, you’re right! When Steve and Robin found Ellie, they called her Eleven and told her that they would protect her from the ‘bad men’,” Nancy made the air quotes with her fingers, “they must be involved with the monsters too.”

“Ellie came from the lab, so it’d make sense that they’d be following the monsters from the world only Ellie can access,” Billy added.

 

[The camera cuts back to Steve fighting for not just his life, but the life of others.

 

Got shiny diamonds

Like the eyes of a cat in the black and blue

 

Steve rolled off to the side, driving one of the bat pieces into the creature’s knee, twisting and tearing the ligaments and tendons just enough for the joint to give out.

 

Something is coming for you, look out!

Race for the morning

You can hide in the sun 'till you see the light

Oh we will pray it's all right

 

Gotta get away, get away

 

The scene flashed to the battle that took Steve and Robin’s lives, cutting in between Steve’s strikes with the creature. This time he won’t lose.

 

Between the velvet lies

There's a truth that's hard as steel, yeah

The vision never dies

Life's a never-ending wheel, say

 

The Demogorgon tried to rush Steve one last time when-

 

Holy Diver

You're the star of the masquerade

No need to look so afraid

Jump, jump, jump on the tiger

You can feel his heart but you know he's mean

Some light can never be seen, yeah!

 

With a valiant cry, Steve impaled the creature in the stomach with the bat handle, shoving it in until his hands were nearly swallowed by its flesh. He then forced it down, ripping the creature open and gutting it. The demogorgon spewed up blood, covering Steve in the black liquid as it struggled in vain to save itself. And if that wasn’t enough, Steve tore the wooden spike from the creature and, with another shout, jammed it right into its open maw, driving it all the way through its head.

The demogorgon shrieked, stumbling backwards a few feet before finally succumbing to gravity and falling to the ground with a thud.

The guitar riff slowly started fading out as Steve caught his breath, having slayed the beast that terrorized the Party, that hurt his kids. Steve leaned down and spit on the corpse, more blood than spit really.

 

STEVE: Go fuck yourself, Henry. Byers better be off your grocery list, you wrinkly ballfaced bastard.

 

Steve stumbled as a small body slammed into him, only for a much larger one to join them. He’d recognize his girls anywhere though, so he clutched Robin and Ellie to his chest. Then he realized.

 

STEVE: Oh fuck, please stop touching me. I’ll never get this shit out of your clothes-

 

The two girls started laughing, Ellie’s much more tired than Robin’s.

 

ELLIE: Do not care. Get more later. Want Steve now.

 

She clung to Steve once more, seemingly not noticing her even-shorter-than-usual sentences. Steve sighed but picked Ellie up regardless. He cradled her frail body to him, raising his only clean sleeve to clean the blood that had dripped down her face.]

 

“When we go back,” Joyce started, “what version of our world will we go back to? The one they fixed, or the one they came from?”

“I’ll explain it once this is over,” the Woman promised the mother. Joyce still looked unnerved, but accepted the answer.

 

[Dustin: Steve!

 

Steve looked over to the others who now rushed over to them, having waited for the danger (and the moment between the little family) to come to an end. He had hoped he could form their little found family again, and it looks like fate always pushes them together.

 

STEVE: *tired, but smiling* Hey, guys.

MIKE: *excited, practically jumping up and down* That was so cool!

 

The scene slowly fades out as they all surround Steve, checking on him and celebrating his victory. 

 

The next scene fades in, opening with Steve’s front door and a hand reaching up to hit the doorbell. We hear children shouting in the background, presumably the Party.

The door opened, revealing Steve, now clean and bandaged up. The smile quickly fell from his face.

 

STEVE: *rolling his eyes* Oh, for fuck’s sake.

 

The camera cut to a group of government agents. One in the back gave a little wave, a small smile on his face. Steve just raised a brow at it.

 

STEVE: And what the fuck does Uncle Sam want now? I haven’t seen any strange Russian girls since the last time you asked, okay?

FEMALE AGENT: This isn’t about that-

STEVE: Well, unless you’re charging me with a felony or something, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave. I’m a minor and my parents aren’t home so… bye.

 

Steve tried to shut the door, but the woman stopped it from closing all the way with her hand. Steve opened it slightly, giving her a nasty look.

 

FEMALE AGENT: *curious* How is it that a teenager can kill one of those things with nothing more than a baseball bat?

STEVE: *mocking her tone* How is it that a monster from another dimension almost killed several children and did kill several adults?

 

The two stared each other down, daring the other to break first. The agent, naturally, broke first. She finally looked away, her lips pressed tight.

 

FEMALE AGENT: Why don’t we continue this conversation inside?

STEVE: Why don’t we continue it right here? You’re already trespassing–don’t want to make it home invasion too.

 

Steve flashed a polite smile from where he leaned against the doorframe, somehow friendly and menacing at the same time. The woman looked unnerved, standing tall despite how her resolve was very clearly dissipating at an alarming late.

 

MALE AGENT: Kid-

 

Steve shot him a venomous look, so the man quickly changed course.

 

MALE AGENT: -Sir, we really don’t think this is a good conversation to have outside.

STEVE: *rolling his eyes* And I told you we’re fine having it where there are witnesses. I’m not a fucking idiot.

 

The male agent snarled and reached a hand out towards Steve. Steve grabbed the offending hand and pulled him forwards, slamming him against the front door of Steve’s house. The other agents reached for the guns they had secured beneath their jackets, but the woman raised a hand. 

Steve had one arm wrapped around his neck in a chokehold and the other grabbing the agent’s free hand. They waited with bated breath while Steve held their fellow agent chest-first against the door with the agent’s hand trapped between his chest and said door. Steve pressed harder.

 

STEVE: The only person going anywhere is gonna be one of you in a damn body bag. I already told you what happened. I was hanging out with friends at the Byers home when Will’s friends came banging on the door because something followed them through the woods. It attacked us, we scared it off, end of story. If you don’t leave my damn property, you’ll find the end of your story takes place in a morgue.

JOYCE: *from in the house* Steve? Honey, are you okay?

 

Joyce’s words caught his attention, making him loosen his grip on the agent. With a snarl. Steve threw the man away from him and off his porch. The man fell to the ground before the other agents could catch him. He scrambled to his feet, stumbling slightly.

Steve turned to his door but before entering, looked back at them with an almost bored look.

 

STEVE: I already cleaned up your mess and signed your damn NDAs, leave me the hell alone. *leans into the female agent’s space* Don’t write a check you can’t cash. Unless you wanna pay with your life instead, ‘cause that I can work with.

 

Steve then reentered the house, locking the deadbolt too. He finally returned to the kitchen, where Joyce was showing Ellie how to mash some potatoes for Thanksgiving. They both glanced at him.

 

JOYCE: You okay, sweetie?

STEVE: Pfft–Yeah, just a Jehovah’s Witness. Pretty annoying and told me all about a lot of stuff I didn’t care to listen to. If they know better, they won’t be back to bother us.]

 

“Fuck me–” Eddie quietly groaned, shifting in his seat as the ending lyrics of Holy Diver play from the screen. He thanked whatever beings were watching (or more accurately the Woman in the corner) that Wayne was distracted by whatever conversation he was having with Chief Hopper.

His friends, however, were very aware of Eddie’s…crush… on the notorious King of Hawkins High, and very clearly picked up that Steve being a more-than-decent guy was definitely fueling the flames of what was an originally dying fire.

Eddie would wipe Gareth’s smug smile off his face when Eddie killed off his character in their next DnD session.

“To answer your question, Joyce,” the Woman started, “I do not truly know for sure.”

“Then why answer?” Nancy retorted, jumping into the conversation. The Woman just gave her an annoyed look, but continued regardless.

“I may have been powerful enough to bring you here, but that does not necessarily mean that your world will go one way or the other. You may fail the first time or secure a victory the first time, I do not truly know the correct path. This is just a way to show you the most successful route to said victory, though that is not to say that you cannot succeed if you do not choose the supposed ‘correct’ route. It is still your future, and you can make it whatever you like.”

Notes:

-Joyce, Hopper, Wayne, Dustin, Mike, Carol, Jeff, and Peter are all straight but allies regardless.
-Murray, Alexei, Billy, Eddie, Gareth, Robin, and Will are gay. (I see Billy as someone who has horrible internal homophobia due to his dad and overcompensates to appear straight. Definitely wanted to fuck Steve though)
-Steve, Tommy, Jonathan, Nancy, Chrissy, Vickie, Lucas, and Max are Bisexual.
-I think Eleven would be Pansexual, although I don't know if they used that word back then.

I will say that specifically:
-I do see Steve as pretty gender-non-conforming, not quite genderfluid but like gender-adjacent. He just likes to be ✨pretty✨
-Bi4bi couple Jancy that both ogle Steve when he's not looking lol.
-I don't know if this is a hot take but I think Vecna/Henry/One is actually ace, if not aroace. However, I think he would be willing to use sexual stuff to manipulate and torment. I mean, his whole thing is violating people's bodies in order to control them/manipulate them, which to me feels very sexual assault coded. That is just my opinion, I am not trying to disrespect anyone.
-I do also think Eleven would also have a strange relationship with sex. I think the technical term for it would probably be (i hope my knowledge serves me) panromantic demisexual. Trust is so important to her that I imagine she would have to have a deep, emotional relationship to feel sexually attracted to someone. Has legit no concept of horny.
-Also in my heart Alexei is alive. What do you mean he's dead? He and Murray are living it up being old gay men and bickering in Russian in Murray's conspiracy bunker.

Chapter 11: Farewell, I've gone to take my throne above. But don't weep for me 'cause this will be the labor of my love

Summary:

November 9th

Notes:

Tadaaaaaaa!

“How come I’m here, but Steve isn’t?” Robin wondered aloud, turning to look at the Woman.

“And what about the little girl?” Joyce continued, “she should be here too, shouldn’t she?”

“Well, it is rather simple. They have already suffered enough prior to the events you are seeing, why should I make them suffer more?” the Woman questioned, tilting her head in confusion.

“But I’ve seen a lot in that future, why am I here to see it now?” Robin asked, gesturing towards the screen where future Joyce and Steve were frozen in time.

“Because you have not seen it yet. Until today, you were living a happy, secure life. Jane and Steve have never had that. This is not a matter of your potential future, but their past. Jane was an experiment for the majority of her life until the day she escaped after the rest of her fellow lab rats were slaughtered by Vecna in front of her. Steve was neglected and the few occasions his parents were around, he was horribly abused by them. Why should I subject them to watching themselves endure more hardships and, in some cases, literal torture? That would be cruel, would it not?”

Robin looked sufficiently scolded by the time the Woman finished speaking, her face red with shame.

“Steve was abused?” Eddie growled, gripping the couch cushion so tightly he could feel the fabric tearing beneath his fingernails. Wayne placed a hand on Eddie’s shoulder, trying to comfort the angered teen. Of course, that’s not to say Wayne wasn’t already thinking about how many bullets he had left for his shotgun and whether or not he should pay the Harringtons a visit, but he didn’t want his nephew to do something stupid.

“I–I didn’t know…” Robin whispered, curling into herself. 

“Of course you did not. He would not have wanted anyone to know,” the Woman told them. A silence fell over the group, tension so thick you could slice through it with a demogorgon claw. The screen shifted, showing the next ‘episode.’

 

[The scene opened with the Party piled on Jonathan’s bed, sleeping the morning away. The date November 9th, 1983 appeared at the bottom of the screen. Will and Dustin were squashed between Mike and Lucas, the two boys clinging to their injured friends as though a demogorgon was going to drag them away again. Outside, the sun was just coming over the horizon, pale beams of light coming through the gaps in the curtains.

In the living room, Steve is seen perched on the arm of the couch. Robin was standing next to him while Ellie was sitting on the couch, curled up against his leg and knocked out cold. She had one of Steve’s hands clutched tightly in her own, hanging on despite being asleep. 

Joyce sat in the chair adjacent to them while Hopper was pacing behind her. The other three teens were gathered nearby, an almost haunted look on their faces. Jonathan glances down the hall every so often, as though he could see Will through the wall.

JONATHAN: *quietly* You said that you knew Will was going to be taken; that’s why you were there that night.

 

It was a statement, not a question. Steve just nodded, rubbing his thumb back and forth over Ellie’s knuckles.

 

JOYCE: How did you know?

 

Steve and Robin shared a look before Steve finally answered.

 

STEVE: I wasn’t there from the beginning, like everyone else. I showed up at the end of everything the first time around. Wrong place, wrong time.

JOYCE: *distantly* The first time?

STEVE: We’re… We’re not from here. This time, I mean.

 

Barb had an incredulous look on her face.

 

BARB: *in disbelief* Time travel? That’s what we’re going with?

ROBIN: *shrugging* Can’t say it’s more far-fetched than demonic lizard men with flower faces and thousands of teeth kidnapping children from their bedrooms or little girls with reality-altering superpowers.

 

Barb blinked a few times before finally making a ‘fair-enough’ noise.]

 

“I like that Barb just accepted it,” Gareth chuckled, “just, ‘oh yeah, that tracks’ and went on with her life.”

“I mean, yeah, fair enough,” Nancy agreed, finally relaxing in her seat. Now that no one was in danger from monsters or government officials, she felt comfortable enough to enjoy the scenes shown rather than panicking over what was going to happen next.

 

[HOPPER: *brow raised* Where are you from, exactly? Or when, if we’re going with time travel, that is.

ROBIN: *thinking for a moment* 1989-1990ish, I think. *making a ‘what can you do’ noise* Not like we could check a calendar.

JONATHAN: *cautiously, as though scared of their reaction* In the Upside Down, I asked if we lost and Steve said “something like that”. *looking to Steve* What did you mean by that?

STEVE: All this bullshit–

 

Steve vaguely gestured towards the livingroom’s new additions (ripped wallpaper, holes in walls, perhaps even the smoldering demogorgon corpse in the front yard from where it laid burning) 

 

STEVE: –doesn’t end here. Hell, I don’t even know if it started here. We just got caught up in it and paid the price for it.

NANCY: *softly* The price?

 

Steve’s eyes were sad as he looked towards Nancy. A look of realization crossed her face upon meeting his eyes.

 

NANCY: *shakily* You don’t mean?

STEVE: *humourless chuckle* The highest price anyone can pay. By the time we… woke up here, every single person in the room except for me and Robin were dead, and even then, we weren’t far behind.]

 

“Has anyone else wondered how you died?” Eddie asked, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. Jeff glanced over at Eddie, concern twisting his usually soft features. Eddie caught his eye, but he quickly ducked his head, his long locks shrouding his face like a curtain. “Cause I have, and I’m not liking how it’s looking in my head, considering how Byers went.”

“I’m trying not to at the moment,” Nancy mumbled. She slowly reached over and curled her hand around Mike’s elbow. She saw him spot her in his peripheral vision, but he said nothing, most likely sharing the thoughts she’d been having. How did they die? Was it quick? Was there blood?

One stuck with her in particular.

Did Mike suffer?

The thought made her shiver.

 

[The silence following Steve’s words was deafening. They all stared at the two teens (adults? How old were they really?) in horror.

 

STEVE: *swallowing, voice rough* Where we’re from, Will vanished on November 6th, 1983. He’d left the Wheeler house but was gone by the time you two came home. He was taken by a demogorgon from the shed after he’d tried to fight it off with Lonnie’s old rifle. He was stuck in the Upside Down for a week. He only returned alive because Hopper did CPR on him until he started breathing again.

 

Joyce gasped while Jonathan made a sound akin to a dying animal. Steve pushed forward, grabbing Robin’s hand with his free one.

 

STEVE: About a year later, Will was possessed by the Mind Flayer. It used him as a spy in order to break its way into our dimension. Kind of a group effort, really, since the kids and I were burning the vines and killing demodogs while you guys were burning the Flayer out of Will and Ellie closed the rift. And don't get me started on the melted-flesh body that fucker made out of people and rats.]

 

"We kill monsters?" Dustin squealed, whipping around to face the Woman.

"Slight correction: Steve kills the demodogs while you guys watch."

"Aw, damn it," Dustin slumped, pouting in his seat. Will giggled at his reaction.

 

[The others flinched at his words.

 

NANCY: *confused* What does Ellie have to do with this?

 

Steve looked over to Hopper.

 

STEVE: That lead you were following, about the Ives woman? That’s Ellie’s mom. She was right the whole time.

JONATHAN: *concerned* Right about what?
HOPPER: *to everyone* Terry Ives claimed Hawkins Lab stole her daughter and lied to her about Jane being stillborn. 

 

There was a wild difference between the various emotions being experienced throughout the room, ranging from rage, to terror, to revulsion. 

 

HOPPER: *continuing* You mean that little girl *to Steve, gesturing towards the sleeping Ellie* is Jane Ives?]

 

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Wayne muttered, running a hand down his face. He avoided looking up, not willing to see the reactions of the people next to him or on the screen.

“You better share the bucket ‘cause I might join you,” Billy grimaced at the thought. Who in their right mind would steal a child, lie to the mother about their death, and then experiment on them? How the fuck could they sleep at night?

“They stole a baby?” Lucas exclaimed in disbelief.

“Holy shit, this just got way darker,” Peter breathed,

“You can say that again,” Max stated, leaning against Billy.

“Why did they take her specifically?” Billy asked the Woman, who’d been watching off to the side.

“Her mother was a part of MKUltra while she was pregnant. She didn’t realize she was pregnant until after the experiments occurred. Dr. Brenner sought out children with similar backgrounds to Henry or ones with unique brain chemistry. It takes a certain kind of mind to be able to withstand psychic abilities, notably ones fortified due to outside influences, such as trauma or drugs."

 

[STEVE: *sighing* Back in the 50s, Hawkins Lab found a child with these… psychic abilities. His name was Henry Creel.

JOYCE: I'm sorry, Creel? As in the Creel murders?

 

Steve nodded.

 

STEVE: Victor didn’t kill his family, Henry did, although whether that was his idea or something else’s, I don’t know.]

 

“It was Henry?” Wayne sounded shocked. It made the Woman laugh internally, knowing that they discovered the truth about Vecna due to Wayne. She wondered how surprised he would be if he knew that fact.

 

[STEVE: *continuing* From what I understand, he’d been exposed to something from another world. It… changed him, somehow. Made it so he could do things with his mind: move things, enter the minds of others, and connect to a world beyond our own. They call it Dimension X.

JONATHAN: Is that what the Upside Down is?

 

Robin made a vague so-so gesture.

 

ROBIN: Ish? It’s the bridge between our worlds. Dimension X is a completely separate world.

STEVE: That’s what Hawkins Lab was doing. They were trying to access it and somewhere along the way they found Henry.

BARB: *catching on* And he just happened to be the only person able to access it.

ROBIN: *winking* Got it in one.

STEVE: When they realized that he wasn’t going to help them, and they couldn’t make him, they sealed his powers and started taking children that matched Henry’s… qualifications, so-to-speak, so they could continue the experiments.

HOPPER: *grouchy* That’s where Ellie comes in, I imagine.

ROBIN: Ellie isn't short for Eleanor, or Ellison if you're being fancy about it- It's short for Eleven. The kids weren’t people to the scientists; they were numbers. Experiments. Took them from their parents young and raised them in the lab so they wouldn’t know any better.

HOPPER: Jesus Christ.

 

Hopper swore loudly. He cut himself off when Ellie made a noise, everyone practically holding their breath to see if the young girl woke up. Thankfully, she remained asleep. Hopper took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair, taking a moment and walking away from the couch to cool off. The other teens looked green, as though they would vomit.

 

NANCY: *seemingly nauseous* How… How many were there?

STEVE: Twenty, I think. It’s been a while since I’d asked. Regardless, El’s the only one left.

 

Steve looked down at Ellie with a soft look, checking if she was asleep before continuing.

 

STEVE: *whispering* Henry killed them all, and she sent him to Dimension X where he couldn’t hurt anyone.]

 

“Sweet Jesus,” Eddie stared at the screen, taking in Steve’s words.

“A child should never have to go through that, ever,” Joyce hissed, clenching her fists.

“Steve’s got her,” Robin stated in a hushed voice, speaking for the first time in a while, “he’ll keep her safe. It’s kinda his thing, from the looks of it.”

 

[Steve shot them all a threatening look.

 

STEVE: *serious, almost threatening* She doesn’t remember that, and I’d like to keep it that way. She’s already traumatized enough. *growling* Those bastards practically tortured them.

 

Then, with a knowing look, he glanced towards Hopper, who looked like he wanted to kill every last one of those scientists. He’d have to get in line after Steve and Robin, and judging by Joyce’s face, she’d probably join him. After all, those bastards are, however distantly, the reason her boy was hurt.

 

STEVE: *To Hopper* Henry killed most of them, by the way. Probably the only helpful thing he ever did. Feel free to gun down the rest of those fuckers, Hop.

 

Hopper paused at the casual nickname Steve gave him, as though unsure of how to react.

 

STEVE: That’s why Ellie was able to open the gate we came through. She has some control over the Upside Down, or at least can manipulate it. Something to do with the hivemind, I think. Psychic stuff and all that. *laughing slightly, turning to Robin* Dustin would probably figure out some way to connect it to Star Wars.

NANCY: *confused* If Ellie can control the Upside Down and Dimension X, doesn’t that mean Henry can since she’s connected to him?

ROBIN: *wincing* That’s kinda the problem, actually. We stopped him from getting Will, sure, but he doesn’t stop there.

 

Robin reached into the zippered pocket of her jacket, opening it and taking out a folded paper. It’s the list from several months prior, the one that detailed the deaths of those closest to them. She unfolded it and stared at it. 

 

ROBIN: We’re not doing too bad, eh?

 

She grinned and nudged Steve, who reached over and plucked the list out of her hand, looking over it for himself. He gave her a little smile of his own. Steve placed the list down on the coffee table in view of everyone. Joyce grabbed the paper and began reading it, her face growing paler with every written word. 

The camera cut to Joyce’s thumb resting next to Barb’s name, focusing on the date. Her eyes shot up, quickly landing on Barb with a haunted look. It switched back to a wide shot of the others crowded around the woman, reading this list for themselves. Barb froze when she got to her name.

 

BARB: That’s why you looked so shocked to see me, wasn’t it? I was supposed to die.

 

Steve flinched at her words, so Robin answered for him.

 

ROBIN: Steve had a pool party in our time and you got hurt, and, well, demogorgons are attracted to blood.

 

Robin’s nonchalance covered the horror pretty well, but something occurred to Nancy.

 

NANCY: *softly* Barb died at your house, didn’t she?

 

Steve just nodded.

 

NANCY: Is that why you’re always out and about? I don’t think I’ve seen you go home this past school year.

 

Steve didn’t answer, but it was pretty obvious that Nancy was right.

 

Joyce: How can we help?

 

Steve and Robin stare at Joyce like she grew a second head, but her brows were furrowed in determination and her eyes bore a fire akin to the Joyce from their timeline. It was a look that resonated in Steve, having seen it many times. 

 

JOYCE: Don’t look so surprised. *Suddenly explosive, practically spitting out the words* That FUCKER–

 

Jonathan gasped at his mother’s words, but she continued, gripping the page in her hands, damn near ripping it.]

 

In real life, Jonathan shot his mother a surprised look, but she looked proud at her on-screen self. 

 

[JOYCE: – hurt my boys in your timeline, and tried again here. No one gets to touch my family and get away with it. I’ll put a bullet in him myself if I have to.

HOPPER: *agreeing* You can even use my gun. I’ll keep it loaded just for you.

JONATHAN: *seething* I want to show that bastard what hell is really like.

NANCY: *pissed* I’ll join you.

 

The two glance over at Barb, briefly snapping out of their rage to check with their friend. She had an unreadable look on her face.

 

BARB: *lowly* Creel killed me with no remorse; I’d like to return the favor. Besides–

 

She finally met Nancy’s eyes.

 

BARB: You’re my best friend. No doubt I’d end up following you into battle anyway.

 

Steve looked around this group of misfits. It was odd, seeing them where they started after witnessing how far they’ve come. 

Drunken cop to beloved father and protector.

Single mother to the bane of the government’s existence (He was extremely impressed by that one. Soldiers feared the small woman, knew her by name even).

Sweet bookworm to gun-wielding badass.

Shy photographer to arson-favoring monster slayer.

Anxious band geek to his best friend, the platonic love of his life, his other half. The person he’d gladly die for again and again.

Then there was Barb. The fierce friend of Nancy to the ghost that haunted him since the day she died. The bloody sentinel that stood guard at his pool until a gate ripped through the water feature in the apocalypse that wasn't, and hopefully will never be now. Never moving, always watching, forever screaming Nancy’s name.

Funny how after everything, they still found each other in the end. Robin was right, like usual, and judging by her face, she agreed.]

Notes:

Comments welcome!

Chapter 12: Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene, digging the dancing queen (tidbit)

Summary:

November 15th~

Post season 1, Pre-season 2.

Notes:

It's a little shorter than the others, but only by 1000 words or so and I liked how this one flowed. Enjoy!

[HOPPER: *confused* You want her to stay with me?

 

Steve and Hopper stood by each other in his cabin, newly cleaned and refurbished (mostly second-hand and what he owned on his own, of course), watching as Ellie examined every nook and cranny, dragging an amused Robin along for the ride. The girl was wearing new clothes, graciously donated by the various family members of the Party. The coat she wore was Joyce’s, paired with Barb’s old overalls and one of Nancy’s sweaters. Of course, Steve and Robin’s addition was the navy Nikes paired with pink striped socks. With their lack of style, it’s a wonder how those two manage to get dressed in the morning.

 

STEVE: *suddenly shy, rubbing his neck* Is… is that going to be a problem?

HOPPER: *shaking his head* No, but I can’t imagine why I was your first choice. You’d be better off asking Joyce, or even Buckley’s parents.

 

The scene cuts to a flashback from Steve’s timeline. It was a birthday party, and considering where it was, it was obviously El’s. Everyone was there, from Party members to parents. Hopper sat in his chair, El sitting crisscross in front of him on the floor. She shook a box, trying to figure out what it was without using her powers while Hopper looked down at her with a soft look on his face.

She squealed in excitement when she opened it, revealing a barbie doll. She immediately showed it to Hopper, to her dad. He gasped at the doll, as though he wasn’t the one who picked it out. She hugged him, squeezing him tight.

Back in the present day, Steve just smiled at the memory.

 

STEVE: *softly* … No, I don’t think I would’ve been.

 

A sneeze came from off-screen, drawing the attention of the two men. Ellie had kicked up some dust during her exploration, making her sniff aggressively. Steve glanced at Hopper, seeing a version of that same soft look on Hopper’s face that he remembered. It’s not as soft as it was by the time El was an older teen, but the beginnings were there, and that’s all Steve needed to see to know that this was the best choice he could’ve made for her.

 

HOPPER: Did she… uh, end up with me in your world?

STEVE: You found her in the woods after everything went down the first time. Everyone thought she was dead so you kept her hidden for a year or so.

HOPPER: *serious* Think I should do that again?

 

Steve tilted his head, clearly thinking over the best course of action.

 

STEVE: *slowly* For a while, yeah. Just… don’t be so paranoid about it, I guess. The kids know she’s alive, and as long as you’re careful about it, you don’t have to isolate her so much.

HOPPER: *sucks in air through teeth* That bad, huh?

STEVE: *snorts* Well, she went on a joyride with a trucker to visit her mom and find her sister.]

 

“That’s every parent’s worst nightmare come to life,” Joyce shivered.

“Wayne, I am so sorry for, like, everything I’ve ever done because that single sentence is instilling levels of fear I have never felt before,” Eddie looked stressed as he spoke, staring at the screen in horror. Wayne just laughed at his nephew’s words and ruffled his hair.

[HOPPER: She has a sister?

STEVE: Sorry, her lab sister: Number Eight. She was the only one who escaped on her own. Lived out in Chicago. Still does, currently. We visited her last weekend. Way too hardcore for my taste, but cool enough, I suppose. Kali’s sort of wanted by the police, so it’ll be a hot minute before they see each other again.

HOPPER: It’s concerning how easily you say that.

STEVE: *shrugging* You know how it is. When you’ve seen enough shit, you stop being surprised by shit.]

 

“It… concerns me, the nonchalance of Steve and Robin,” Max approached the words carefully, feeling how they rolled off her tongue, “like what the blond metal guy said about it earlier. I don’t know, it just feels strange that when the situation isn’t dire, they just joke around about it like they haven’t watched everyone they love die.”

“Sometimes, that’s the only thing you can do,” Wayne murmured, “no more tears left to cry, no more screams to let out, no more things to hit- you can’t change it, but you can control how much it hurts.”

“Like exposure therapy,” Billy offered the older man, who nodded in agreement.

“Time doesn’t heal all wounds, it just scabs them over. The scars will fade eventually, but if you ain’t scared of ‘em, and treat you ‘em well, you’ll see ‘em less and less.”

 

[HOPPER: *Amused* Fair enough. How long should I keep her hidden?

STEVE: … Eight months to a year? That seems reasonable to me. Besides, she’s young enough she’ll be practically unrecognizable by then anyways. I’ve got a few people who owe me favors that can hook us up with some fake documents. Still down to be a dad?

 

Hopper looked over at Ellie, the corners of his lips twitching like a smile was waiting to emerge.

 

HOPPER: *softly, or as soft as Hopper can be* She’s a sweet kid. Can’t imagine I’ll get sick of her that quickly.

STEVE: *snorts* She’s a lot fiestier than she looks, and if she ends up how she did in my time, she’ll only get worse. I’m glad I wasn’t that close to her while she was going through puberty. *Shivers* A telekinetic teenager and period hormones are a match made in hell.

ELLIE: Steve!

 

The two men looked over as Ellie ran up to Steve, Robin following close behind with a big toothy grin.

 

STEVE: *one brow raised* Well that’s a suspicious look if I’ve ever seen one.

ELLIE: *insistently* Open.

 

She gestured to his hand with hers, both clasped around something between them. Steve clearly knew that something was in her hands, but played along. He opened his hand, allowing for Ellie to place something small in his hand.

As she pulled her little hands away, it revealed a baby mouse. It was a pinkie, being that it barely had any fur. It squeaked quietly, nuzzling into the warmth of his hand. Steve quickly cupped the mouse, afraid it would fall out of his hand.

 

ELLIE: Birdie said it is a bay-bee. Needs to be pro-teck-ted. Can we pro-teck it?

HOPPER: *confused* Birdie?

ELLIE: *serious* Steve calls Robin ‘Birdie’ because robins are a kind of bird, but only the cool-est people have nicknames, so she is Birdie because she is cool.]

 

“Child logic, gotta love it,” Jonathan smiled as the little girl spoke, nudging his own brother in turn.

“I’m not that bad!” Will protested, but both Joyce and Jonathan just laughed at the young boy.

“Oh baby,” Joyce gasped between bouts of laughter, “you used to leave food on your plate at the Wheeler’s house because you wanted to make sure their garbage disposal got fed when they did the dishes.”

Clearly Will did not remember this, judging by his bright red cheeks. The rest of the group burst out in laughter at the boy’s embarrassment, making him groan loudly and tuck his face into Dustin’s shoulder, as though hiding himself from them. The boys just patted his back in solidarity. Party members and all that.

 

[Steve and Hopper shared a look. Hopper just sighed, running a hand down his face.

 

HOPPER: *exasperated* This is going to be a regular occurrence, isn’t it?

 

Ellie just smiled at him.

 

HOPPER: *still exasperated* Don’t tell me I start picking up every stray off the street.

 

Steve’s face fell at Hopper’s words. Concerned, Ellie put her hand on Steve’s wrist, giving him her usual confused-yet-all-knowing look.

The screen cut back to the flashback from earlier. It stayed on El as she inspected the barbie doll. Suddenly, she looked offscreen at someone. She shouted “Steve, look!” in excitement as the namesake man joined her on the floor, leaning his back against the side of the recliner.

The scene changed to memories of Eleven’s past: being harmed by the scientists, watching them torture others, being trapped in the copper room.

Then to Steve’s: breaking a glass as a child and being screamed at, being dragged by his hair and locked in a pantry with blood streaming down his face as he banged on the door, watching his parents leave him, a small child, home alone for the first time, not realizing they weren’t coming back anytime soon.

 

STEVE: *quietly* Nah, just the ones that needed it the most.]

 

“Fuck,” Robin whispered, unable to take her eyes off the screen. That singular word seemed to sum up what everyone was thinking.

Those memories brought back Wayne’s own, reminding him of the day the police brought a shivering boy with a shaved head to his doorstep. He hadn’t spoken to his brother in years, so his surprise when he discovered not only did he have a nephew, he needed a place to live because Al had been charged and sent to prison. Despite the sudden discovery of more family, Wayne knew he loved that boy from the moment he laid eyes on him. Even years later, Wayne could never understand how his brother could lay a hand on Eddie. Despite his supposed “hellish” nature that the rest of the town was so convinced of, Wayne knew Eddie was a kind man, a good man. To see those kids suffer a similar fate, it made his stomach churn. Hell, even looking at that bald little girl made him feel sick.

Jim Hopper’s own father wasn’t the best of men, but all things considering he got off pretty lucky. The man was a hardass on a good day and an alcoholic the rest of the time, but in a town like Hawkins the only adult recreational activities available were hunting, drinking, and/or shouting slurs at minorities. Hopper tried his best to be better than his old man when he married Diane, wanting nothing more than the best for Sarah. And then she fell sick, and all of a sudden he understood why his father took on alcoholism as a personality trait. But knowing that these kids wanted him around, even heavily implying that he became the only true father those two kids knew, well, they seemed like good enough kids. He just hoped that he could be that man for them when he properly meets them for the first time.

If there was one thing that Joyce regretted, it was Lonnie Byers. She’d never regret her boys, oh no, but she definitely regretted staying with that man as long as she did. Lonnie brought in most of the money and they were barely getting by as it was, so she was stuck. She had been trying to save up, so they could have something, but her plans changed the moment she saw Lonnie raise a hand to Jonathan with the intent to hit him. Joyce couldn’t help but see Jonathan in the Harrington boy and Will in Eleven, and if she had anything to say about it, those two were going to get the love they deserved if it was the last thing she did. Will looked so excited at the thought of spending time with Steve and Ellie, and she certainly had enough love for four kids.

I can see it now, Robin realized, why I chose to be friends with him. He loves so freely, so purely, despite everything; I can only hope to earn that love again.

Notes:

Comments welcome! I love hearing what you guys think!

Chapter 13: I get overwhelmed so easily, my anxiety creeps inside of me, makes it hard to breathe, what's come over me? Feels like I'm somebody else.

Summary:

~June-ish, 1984

Notes:

I tried my best to base this off of real life descriptions of panic attacks. I hope this is accurate, but if there are any big issues that anyone spots please let me know.

“This one is... not for the faint of heart,” The Woman warned, “ I do not know if the children should be here to see it.”

“We saw Steve and Robin die though,” Mike pointed out, making a gesture that was supposed to portray the explicit violence of that scene, “that was pretty… graphic.”

“We’ve also seen us get hurt, like when Dustin got scratched by the demogorgon,” Lucas added.

“Or when Steve killed the demogorgon!” Dustin threw out.

“Well, these ones are a bit more… visceral,” the Woman hesitated on the last word slightly, trying to find one that truly encapsulated the upcoming scene. “Besides, the Chief and Mr. Munson were quite right earlier- it’s a lot less ‘cool’ when the horrors are happening to you.”

“We’re gonna see what happened to us, aren’t we? That’s why you don’t want us to see ‘cause we’re kids,” Will guessed, to which the Woman confirmed with a nod.

The Woman looked to Joyce, gesturing to Will, “You are his mother, yes? What do you think?”

“Considering all the things we’ve seen so far,” Joyce cautiously started, “I think they can handle it. But! I will be insisting we check in occasionally, if it’s as bad as you think it is.”

“That is a reasonable compromise,” the Woman conceded, “very well. We shall continue. Should anyone need a moment, we shall stop. Let us continue,”

 

[The scene opened outside of the Harrington home. More than a little time has passed, considering the lack of snow on the ground and the bright green leaves on the trees. The camera zoomed in, entering the home through the open living room window. It passed by the kids who were engaged in a high stakes game of monopoly, landing on Dustin.

 

DUSTIN: *whining* Steeeeeeeeeeve~, it’s your turn!

 

The camera continued into the kitchen as Dustin called for Steve, landing on said teen who was fixing up a couple snacks and a couple of cokes.

 

STEVE: I’m coming, you little shit! I just need to-

 

Steve didn’t mean to hit the bowl. He didn’t tuck in his elbow enough as he was turning, but the shattering rang out loudly, enough that the kids heard it.

 

WILL: *concerned, from the living room* Steve?

 

Steve stared down at the glass shards, looking at it as though it would attack him. The screen started getting blurry, the scene now from Steve’s perspective. He looked down at his shaking hands, his breathing growing more and more erratic. Why couldn’t he catch his breath? It was just a bowl. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, could feel the growing speed of the thumps in his chest. A ringing starts up, growing louder and louder, swallowing up any other noise.

Steve stumbled into the living room, gasping for air as he clung to the door frame. He looked up, and you can see that reality is starting to switch between the reality of now and the reality he left behind. He glanced towards the kids, who have since paused their game upon realizing that Steve was freaking out. Steve stared at them as they, too, started glitching in and out. 

 

(scene cuts between each of their deaths)

 

Will, with his empty eye sockets, blood gushing from the wounds, mouth open in a permanent scream. Vecna claimed him, just as he always promised he would. 

Mike, chest caved in and ribs broken, suffocating on his own blood but unable to draw breath into his crushed lungs. He was already dead by the time Steve got there, Mike’s body forever guarding the corpses of the several small children he tried so desperately to save.

Lucas, throat bearing four slashes from the hit he took for his little sister, claws cutting through arteries like scissors through paper. Steve wondered if you could still see the blood on Erica’s hands from when she tried in vain to save him.

Dustin, his little brother, gutted like a fish. A hero, just like Eddie, Steve had choked out, making Dustin smile, teeth coated in blood. That was the last time Steve saw Dustin smile. Steve knew the moment Dustin’s heart stopped, that moment might as well be etched in his soul, but he hoped Dustin knew how much Steve loved him. He spent the boy’s last moments telling him so.

Ellie, poor girl, she never had a chance. She tried one last stand against that tyrant and his pet interdimensional monster, but it was too late. He had grown too powerful, practically lobotomizing the girl and then some with a wave of his hand. If Steve closed his eyes, he could still see the liquified brain matter oozing from every orifice on her face.

Steve sobbed when he met Dustin’s eyes, still seeing the mutilated visages that had plagued their forms once they died.]

 

The Woman paused, sensing that the group needs a moment. And good thing she did since-

“Holy shit,” Peter choked out.

The kids were not doing great, but who could be considering what they had just seen. Mike looked a little green around the gills, so the Woman quickly shoved a bucket into his hands. Mike retched loudly, vomiting into the bucket. Will was sobbing, tucked into his mother and brother’s arms. Lucas and Dustin were clinging to each other, Dustin crying with his head tucked into Lucas’ neck while Lucas stared off into the distance.

“My sister, Erica, what happened to her? Was she okay?” Lucas begged to know, but his face fell when he saw the Woman’s reaction.

“Erica and Will were the only ones who survived the initial attack,” she comforted, but the attempt fell flat, “Steve and Robin did their best, but by the time they got there it was too late for most of you. Steve… Steve never really forgave himself for that.”

“But we didn’t stay safe,” Will whimpered. The Woman refused to meet any of their eyes.

“No, you didn’t,” she admitted.

“I see why you said it wasn’t ‘for the faint of heart’,” Eddie stated weakly, blinking away the tears in his eyes, “because what the fuck.”

The group fell into silence, each processing the scene they had just witnessed.

“He buried you,” the Woman’s words echoed throughout the quiet room.

“What?” Mike asked, still clinging to his bucket.

“He insisted on going back and burying you guys,” she recalled with a soft smile, “carried each one of you for miles so he could bury you out by the Cabin. Took several trips but Steve refused to stop until it was done. Wouldn’t even let Robin help, had to do it himself.”

“The Cabin we lived in?” Robin asked rhetorically, even though she knew the answer.

“He couldn’t bear to leave you guys behind. Said you deserved a proper burial.”

No one really knew how to respond to that.

 

[The scene returned from Steve’s perspective, showing the world how it really was, not what Steve was seeing. Will reached out for Steve, however Lucas tried desperately to stop him. The sudden movement of Lucas cutting off Will made Steve flinch, causing him to stumble back and trip on the bunched up carpet left behind from the kids moving the furniture for their movie night.

Steve crashed to the ground, landing at an awkward angle that had to have hurt. He scooted away from the kids until his back hit the wall, still stuck in the violent storm that was his mind. Steve fisted his hair, tugging so hard his scalp began turning white from the strain.

The screen returned to his perspective, sharing with the audience how Steve’s panic attack continued, still going and crescendoing and getting bigger and bigger and-

 

WILL: *cautiously, concerned* Steve?

 

Suddenly, the crescendo stopped. All sound cut out except for the voices of the kids. He could hear them whispering amongst each other, although the volume could be from the ringing in his ears, despite how it was now fading out of existence. Steve did not dare look at the kids, but he focused on their voices, clinging onto the fact that if they were really dead, they wouldn’t be able to talk to him.

 

Ellie: *softly* Steve, eggo?

 

Steve looked up at the young girl, his face flushed red and wet with tears. She held out one of her waffles to him, presenting it as though it was the crown jewels and not a cheap breakfast food. When Steve didn't immediately react, the girl panicked and ran off to grab another eggo from her plate, now frantically offering two waffles to the boy.

Steve knew how important food was to her, making the gesture of her sharing her favorite all the more sweet and heartbreaking.

 

Ellie: *sniffling, lip quivering* Eggo? Eggo fix it?

 

They were the last two left after all, and she wouldn’t just give them away to anyone.]

 

“Oh my god,” Joyce whimpered, holding a hand over her mouth as though that would stop her cries.

“Why’d she try so hard to give him the food? It’s just a waffle,” Dustin asked, not truly understanding the significance of Ellie’s offer.

“The lab would withhold food from her and the other experiments as punishment,” the Woman told the group, a distraught look on her face, “giving up not just food, but her favorite, the kind bought specially for her, would be worth more than anything else to her. It’s the first food she got to choose on her own.”

“I thought she just hadn’t had dinner yet that first night,” Lucas’ voice was quiet as he recalled how Eleven had eaten with Steve and Robin, “they did it on purpose? Why would they do that?”

“Sometimes monsters don’t hide in the closet or under the bed, they wear human skin and walk amongst us,” Hopper rarely grew philosophical, perhaps it was old age approaching, “the worst monsters are the ones who think they are helping the many by sacrificing the few.”

“The few,” Mike repeated quietly, voice wavering, “like Eleven.”

 

[MIKE: *softly, kindly* I think he needs more than an Eggo, El.

 

Suddenly, a blanket was thrown over Steve’s shoulders as he pulled to his feet by the combined efforts of the kids. They guided him to the couch, supporting him the whole way there. Steve fell onto the cushions with an ‘oof’ sound, melting into the couch as the exhaustion burrowed its way into his bones. 

 

ELLIE: *exclaiming* Feet!

 

The boys looked to where she was pointing, taking in the bloody foot prints leading from the kitchen.

 

LUCAS: *to Will* Must’ve stepped on some glass.

 

Ellie and Dustin curled up against Steve, successfully trapping him beneath them while the other three ran off, Mike and Lucas disappearing into the kitchen and Will running upstairs to get the first aid kit from Steve’s bathroom. Ellie gently placed the eggo waffles into Steve’s shaking hand, curling his fingers around the breakfast food manually so he wouldn’t drop it. She patted the closed fist, clearly proud of herself.

Steve flinched at the sound of something clattering on the floor, presumably a dish of some kind.

 

MIKE: *shouting* Everything’s fine!

 

The two boys finally exited the kitchen, now balancing six hot chocolates between them. Lucas had a look of intense concentration as he balanced the three mugs he had been trusted with, tongue sticking out as he continued towards the couch.

The boys passed out the drinks, with Lucas handing Steve his personally with a shy smile. They joined Steve, Dustin, and Ellie on or near the couch, all of them getting as close to each other, and more importantly Steve, as they could, even if it meant sitting on the floor. 

Will eventually reappeared from the second floor, the kit held tightly in his hands. Steve tried to take the kit, but the boy just pushed Steve’s hands away. Will sat on the floor and pulled Steve’s injured foot into his lap, gently pulling glass shards from the appendage with a pair of tweezers.

 

DUSTIN: *concerned* Are you okay now, Steve?

 

Steve hummed a yes, affectionately knocking Dustin’s head with his own.

 

STEVE: *exhausted* Sorry, I never meant for you guys to see that.

MIKE: *quietly* Does that happen a lot?

STEVE: *makes so-so gesture* Not as much anymore. They get worse when Robin’s gone.

WILL: Should we call her?

 

Steve shook his head.

 

STEVE: Nah, I think I got it out of my system.

 

They fell into a comfortable silence, only interrupted by the sounds of people slurping up hot chocolate.

Will finished cleaning Steve’s foot, allowing him to take it back and rest it on the floor. The boy began tidying up the kit, setting it to the side once finished and grabbing his own mug of cocoa.

 

WILL: *to Lucas, quietly* Why didn’t you want me to touch Steve?

LUCAS: My dad gets like that sometimes. Mom says it's because he saw something so scary while he was in Vietnam that now his body sometimes forgets that he’s not there anymore.

WILL: *to Steve* Is that what happened to you? You forgot you weren’t there?

 

Steve just nodded, not wanting to put the full truth on the kids.

The kids pressed in closer, trying to comfort Steve through their presence. Mike leaned against Steve’s leg from where he was on the floor, laying his head on Steve’s knee.

 

MIKE: *determined* We’ll make sure you remember next time.

ELLIE: *nodding* Keep Steve safe.]

 

“PTSD,” Hopper stated, catching the others’ attention.

“What’s that?” Dustin asked, curious.

“That’s the actual name for what Steve and Sinclair’s dad suffer from,” Hopper elaborated, waving a hand towards the screen, “I forget what it stands for exactly, but when you go through something traumatic, it can literally rewrite how your brain works. Steve’s brain has been… accidentally trained, I guess, to react to loud noises as threats because where he’s from, any loud noise was a threat. There wasn’t a threat, but his brain remembers the last time a noise like that was a threat. Basically, his brain forces his body into overdrive, but with no visible threat, it panics instead because it doesn’t understand there isn’t one.”

“So his body thinks there’s a threat, even though Steve knows there isn’t one?” Mike summarized.

“It’s a nasty thing,” Wayne added, “sometimes you even see things that ain’t there. Your brain can’t find anything to fight, so it’ll make up somethin’ for you to be scared of.”

“I don’t think I want to know what can make Steve afraid,” no one dared to argue with Nancy, because if what they had just seen was the response to there possibly being a threat, not one person wanted to know what truly brought out that fear. Steve may have handed the demogorgon its own ass on a silver platter but other creatures have been hinted at on many occasions, many of which are implied to be even worse than the beast that was that thing.

“Well,” Jonathan started, “knowing Steve, he’d probably find a way to beat the shit out of it.”

Not even the Woman could find fault in Jonathan’s logic.

Notes:

Comments welcome and appreciated! I love hearing what you guys think!

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of There's a cruel beauty in suffering, and a comforting pain in healing