Chapter Text
It was three in the fucking morning who would be calling him this early? Late? He didn't know anymore. Steve Stumbled from his bed down the carpeted hallway to the phone.
“Hello!?” you could hear the agitation in his voice it was sharp yet somewhat groggy from sleep.
“Steve?”
The quietest voice there could ever be spoke from the other line. Steve soon came to realize that that small voice was Dustin Henderson. The kid who never shut up, or cared how loud he was was on the other line of this phone sounding like he was gonna cry. He was seeming much more alert now hearing the distressing state of the younger boys voice.
“ Hey Henderson.” he said with softness in his voice. “What's going’ on buddy, what's wrong?” the older boys voice twinging with concern or Dustin.
“ Shit shit sorry i'm so sorry!” Dustin began but was quickly shut down as Steve said it was perfectly alright. Just hearing that made his thoughts start to pile and turn into one big pile of mush. He didn't even realize that he was crying and gasping for breath.
“ That's it” Steve began “I'm on my way alright? make sure you're not naked” he joked to try and lighten the mood but ultimately fell short.
The line clicked Dustin was left sitting by the receiver alone with his own thoughts. He used to not mind being alone and shit ,but after the Demogrgon and Starcourt he couldn't fucking stand it. Every little noise was something coming to hurt him or the people he loves. What triggered tonight's episode was a multitude of things: first off his mother was gone for work meaning he was all alone , he had foolishly thought that he would be able to sleep seeing as it had been six months since Starcourt. He was ultimately wrong. His dreams were filled with the torment of the past few years: Will getting stuck in the upside down and not being able to find a way back and perishing, El not coming to save them intime causing mike to die from jumping off the cliff(that one would have been his fault), Lasty his least favorite Steve dying. Steve dying had plagued Dustin's nightmares for months haunting images of him when he had been beat up by Russians flashed through his head. Then he thought of what he said that night “if you die I die”