Chapter Text
His body ached and his eyes, his eyes refused to open. The smell of rot filled his senses, it stung. He blindly lifted his hand to his greasy matted hair...what had happened to him? A cough wracked his aching body leaving him shooting up from the ground in a paranoid frenzy. Steves eyes scanned his surroundings his stomach dropping and mouth going dry. He was still in Hawkins, no, not Hawkins. He scanned the area again letting a weak whimper slip past his lips.
"Fuck..' Steve drawled his voice hoarse and exhausted. He slowly got up clutching his kitchen counter for support. He wandered the foyer picking up an old torn photo of himself, his fingers slowly dragged along the scorched faces of his parents sighing softly as he turned it in his hands. 'Am I not good enough for you two? I do everything and you don't even see me, your trophy son. Am I just another useless award sitting on a shelf in your eyes? Is that what I am?' A note he himself had written in his junior year of high school. His anger had since then mellowed out...or he'd just lost the motivation to be angry at all.
He dropped the photo back into it's place wandering about his 1983 home tiredly. As the realization slowly set in he took to the floor his chest tightening. "F-fuck..they- they fucking left me here." he whimpered knowing they hadn't meant too.
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The doors to Family Video slammed shut scaring Robin from her distant haze. She smiled wryly at the kid making his way to the counter a hopeful glint in his eye. Dustin bounced on his feet, just as lively as he was before this mess had even begun. He was the only person who could rebound as if nothing happened. "Still no sign of Steve?" he asked softly wandering the store. Robin shook her head a grave expression taking over her features. "Not yet kid, not yet."
Dustin looked over to the counter sighing. 'He has to be somewhere Steve doesn't just skip town without telling anyone, right?"
It had been about a week since the "Earthquake" Hawkins was slowly recuperating, stores were reopening, and people were going back home. Dustin slipped into the habit of stopping by Eddies old trailer and hiding out in his room. To Dustin that was a reprieve he missed his friend. The upside-down left scars on all of them, both physical and mental.
The teenager's mood dropped as he nodded to Robin retreating solemnly from the store. Hawkins seemed dull since the loss of Eddie and supposedly Steve. Everything was quiet and tense, nobody spoke not Lucas, not Mike or Wil, El, Hopper, nobody. Dustin was tired of losing his friends, the people he loved, why did this monster have to rip them away? Eddie was where he went for support, Steve, for a break, Max, Advice he needed them.
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Steves heart was racing as he sat curled on the floor. His body shook at the sound of footsteps resonating through the house a door on the far right of him slammed. "Hey, hey you're alright" a voice sounded next to him as footsteps slowly came closer. Steves body tensed, he cowered shaking his head rapidly. "Please... please I just want to go home let me go home please."
The person sat next to him silently the only noise being that of a hallow thud. "You're okay Harrington, we're both okay" Steve recognized the deep voice his breath getting caught in his throat. His eyes squeezed shut as he shook. "Steve, we're alive okay? Both of us will make it out of here I Promise." Steve nodded fidgeting with his own hands the loose jean vest hugging his torso. He never got to give it back to Eddie...his heart shattered knowing how much the vest meant to the older. The voice kept talking but he couldn't hear it.
Who was this? Why was he here? Why did he know him? How? Questions raced through Steves head his mind spinning almost audibly. "You've kept my jacket safe I see Steve?" The person next to him teased. His hands moved to Eddies vest subconsciously. He wracked his brain momentarily before it clicked. Steves eyes shot open staring wildly at the male beside him. "Holy fuck..." The other laughed wryly shaking his head "You alright Harrington?"