Chapter Text
Dustin Henderson grew up alone. He had his Mom but that's different from having a sibling. He had always wanted a sibling. He wants it when he sees Nancy and Mike's playful arguments, always filled with teasing remarks and laughter, he wants it when he sees Jonathan and Will's brotherhood, the kind that withstands time and hurt, he wants it when he sees Lucas and Erica snarky fighting, but would burn the world for the other.
He wants a sibling and he gets Steve Harrington. Steve Harrington, was nothing to him before the Fall of '84. He was Nancy's dumb jock boyfriend that maybe, kind-of helped them.
But Dustin always thinks back to that day in the Wheeler's yard. Forcing Steve to come with him, roses in his hands as he sits in the Beamer's front seat. Steve is the best decision he's ever made. Steve is his brother, through laughter and blood and movie nights and annoying remarks and endless driving. Steve is the brother he's always wanted. It's exactly what Nancy and Mike has, what Jonathan and Will has, what Lucas and Erica has.
Steve cares for him, in ways that exceeds human possibilities. This is the guy who had concussions and still used his whole body to shield him from an army of demo dogs. This is the guy who told him to run and left himself to be tortured so they could run away. This was his brother. Fuck blood. Fuck genes. Fuck all of that.
Steve Harrington is his brother.
Steve Harrington was his brother.
It's been twenty days. Twenty days since they ended everything. Finished it. Killed Vecna. Won.
One hundred and eighteen days since Eddie Munson cut the rope.
Twenty days since Steve Harrington used his body to save El from a demogorgon.
Dustin feels nothing. He feels like the shell of the person he used to be. There are no words good enough to describe how he feels. He gets two brothers in the span of four years and they're both taken away from him in a blink.
Dustin finds relief in counting the days.
Day two was when they bury Steve, just beside the makeshift grave they gave Eddie. It's a service just for them, just for family.
Day three was when Max finally woke up. Dustin makes the trip to the hospital, even if he doesn't feel like doing so, even if his bones feel brittle. She looks for Steve and Eddie and Dustin vomits on the bathroom.
Day six was when El finally visits him, apologizes but it's not her fault. She saved all of them, and she doesn't need that on her plate.
Day ten was when Robin came to visit. It's the first time he sees her after Day one. They don't do anything, they watch as the first sun sets after months of gray skies and stormy clouds. Robin falls asleep on his floor, holding his hand, it's the first night Dustin gets a full sleep.
Day thirteen was when Erica takes him out for milkshakes. They sit there in the newly opened diner, sipping strawberry milkshakes. It's the most quiet they've ever been together. They go home together, and both unceremoniously watch Back to the Future. No one says anything when they're both crying by the credits.
Day sixteen was when Lucas, Mike and Will come to visit him. They try to cheer him up, but Dustin doesn't even want to look at another D&D book ever again. Instead, they bike to the Quarry. It's cold and it's windy and they scream and shout at the empty Quarry until their lungs go dry and hurt from it all. They go to Mike's house after, fall asleep huddled in the basement like they've always done, with pieces of their childhood, broken and smashed, in the back pockets of their pants.
Day twenty is today. It's exactly how old Steve Harrington is when he died. Twenty. Five more years and Dustin would be older than Steve. Six more years and Dustin would be older than Eddie. He takes the day off, he takes the day to wallow, to stay in his bed. He turns off his walkie, assured that nothing is ever gonna happen again and if it does, he doesn't have a lot to lose.
Day twenty is when he gets the call. Robin's voice is frantic, "Come to the police station. The Harrington's are back in town."
Nancy picks him up. It's a quiet ride. He's not sure why Mike, Lucas and Erica is also in the car but Dustin's hand doesn't stop shaking. He never liked Steve's parents. He's never even met them before.
They arrive at the station to find the pizza van and Joyce's car there. Dustin enters and sees the whole goddamn party, even Max who was in a wheel chair, present.
"What the fuck is happening?" Dustin hisses at them.
"Robin called us all here. We don't know why." Jonathan answers as they all wait for someone to tell them what the fuck is happening.
Hop comes out of the back of the station, where the one and only, tiny, conference room is. He motions for them to come and they all move like tiny ants to the small conference room.
Inside is a man wearing a suit, he has a briefcase, held tightly in his lap. Joyce is consoling Robin, who's sniffling and glaring at the two other people in the room. It takes Dustin one look and he knows it's Steve's parents. He's seen them in pictures and Dustin hates the fact that his mother has his eyes. He looks away.
"What's happening?" Nancy asks, back straightening and rushing to Robin as soon as she sees Steve's parents. The room gets divided into two, the whole Party on the other side and Steve's parents on the other side. The man in the suit is still in the head of the table, Hopper standing beside him.
"Why did you call them? We should sue you all for burying our son without consent!" Mr. Harrington snarls at Hopper, before tossing them a glare.
"Your son wanted to be buried without you!" Robin slams at the table.
"And how would you know that?!" Mrs. Harrington hisses back.
"Because rather than going and leaving him for 6 months at a time since he was fucking 12, I was there every fucking day!" Robin screams back, and Dustin gulps. He's never seen Robin this mad and its gives him chills.
"You're late. I called you from day one to tell you your son— is dead and you don't come back until 20 days later?!" Nancy barks back.
The man in black sighs, letting the case fall with a thud at the table, "Now that everyone's here. I can now read Mr. Steve Harrington's last will and testament." There's murmuring in the room.
"We will contest that will!" Mr. Harrington shakes and the man calmly opens his files, "Steve made the will in good health, he signed it when he was healthy and living. You can contest it but you don't have sufficient grounds."
"Now." He opens a packet, sliding a paper out of it, "I, Steven Joseph Harrington, being of sound mind and body, declare this to be my last will and testament, and revoke all previous wills and codicils made by me, either jointly or severally. I am of legal age (19) to make this will."
Dustin holds on to a chair, he feels a hand coming behind his body to support him but he doesn't know who it was. God, Steve was only 19. 19 and he has his own fucking will.
"Declarations. Number one. This Will will only get read if Robin Buckley, Dustin Henderson and Erica Sinclair give my executor three specific codes that will let him know that they are the real beneficiaries."
"THIS IS STUPID! How would he even be in sound mind? Like, codes? What kind of games is his playing!? Steve never really grew up!" Mrs. Harrington swings her expensive bag and Hopper glares, nose flaring from the comment, "One more move and I'll throw you both out."
"Mr. Henderson, your code is numeral. While the others are code words." Dustin hears Robin chuckles wetly.
"Ahoy." She croaks out without doubt, the executor smiles at her, looking down at the paper before looking back at her, "Welcome to this ocean of flavor, Ms. Buckley." Robin doesn't stop the gasp of air that overtakes her body.
Erica raises her hands, "America?" The executor shakes his head. Erica laughs, when something clicks, "Tina." The executor smiles at her, takes a glimpse at the paper before back to her, "You will be back for Uncle Jack's birthday, Ms. Sinclair."
All eyes turns to Dustin. Numbers? What numbers would Steve know? The executor senses his dilemma when time passes by and he doesn't say anything.
"We're wasting time here!" Mr. Harrington shouts. Hopper dangles his cuffs and it shuts him up immediately.
"Steve said that this number once saved your lives." The man says.
Dustin frowns, clenching his jaw when it all clicks. He gulps before saying, "The Planck Constant. 6.62607015."
He smiles, looks down at the Will before back at him, "Never ending story, really, Dustybun?"
Dustin laughs, tears filling his eyes. It's the first time he's ever laughed in twenty days.
"I devise and bequeath my property, both real and personal and wherever situated, as follows: Robin Buckley will get $5,000 towards her college funds if and only she asks her crush out." Robin bursts out of laughter, "Oh my god, this dingus."
"Robin Buckley will get all my clothes, and from there she can choose what to do with them, either share them with the group or donate them. Robin Buckley will also get $2,000 for a planned trip to Europe."
The Harringtons laugh, making all of them turn to them, "What? You think he has that money? He doesn't even have a dollar to his name!"
They aren't phased, they all have a shitload of money sitting in their banks from the government.
The executor raises an eyebrow at them, "That's where your wrong. Did you know your son paid me extra just for the codes?" He turns back to them.
"Robin Buckley will also get this locked box. She knows where the key is." The executor takes out a box and pushes it to Robin. Robin immediately takes it, cradling it to her arms like a child.
"Erica Sinclair will get a $1,000 for lifetime supply of ice cream. Inflation not included. Erica Sinclair would also get $3,000 towards her college funds if and only she promises to come visit his grave with a tub of ice cream every year. Steve also left you this envelope." Erica reaches over for the envelope, tears in her eyes as she clutches the envelope to her chest.
"Dustin Henderson will get my car, my bat and $10,000 towards his college fund. There are no conditions. Steve also left you this envelope." The executor hands him an envelope.
"The rest are as follows: Max Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers, Jane Hopper and Mike Wheeler will get $3,000 for their college funds. Each of you would also get envelopes." He distributes the envelopes. "Max Mayfield and Jane Hopper gets an extra $500 if and only they use it for a girl's day out. Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers, Mike Wheeler gets an extra $100 in pennies for their next trip to the arcade."
"Steve extends his most heartfelt apology to the adult kids and the adults. He didn't have the most money, and didn't have anything left to give. He did however give you the freewill to take anything you want in his bedroom as it is his. He also would like to leave his beautiful mixer to Joyce Byers." The executor passes more letters out.
"For his parents, James and Monica Harrington: I leave you both a dollar. I am dead. I could be petty." The executor then proceeds to take out two dollars before handing it to them.
The couple blanches, starting to scream a scramble of obscenity but the executor ignores them, "Here are Steve Harrington's last written wishes. He is to be buried beside Edward Joe Munson, you are to get milkshakes after this and you are to move on with your lives."
"Edward Munson?! That satanic murderer?!" His parents huff and Dustin has to be held back before he climbs over the table and tears them apart with his bare teeth.
"You can contest it." The executor calmly says, as he starts packing his stuff. He shakes their hands, completely ignoring the Harringtons, "I express my deepest condolences to you and your family. Steve was a wonderful client and I am sorry to have done this only 2 months after we made this Will."
They get milkshakes after that.
They all go home after that, hearts heavy, but full with the knowledge that Steve Harrington takes care of them, even beyond the grave.
Dustin doesn't read his letter.
Life continues.
Day three hundred sixty-five is when he first uses the nail bat. He swings at the darkness only to knock a lampshade. It was only a nightmare.
Day four hundred and eighty-two is when he gets his driver's license. He cries the moment the instructor tells him he passed, because he did it. He did it, as he sobs against the steering wheel of the Beamer.
Day two thousand nine hundred twenty two is when he finally opens the letter. Dustin can't help but laugh when the first line is, "You little shit. You didn't open this till like 5 years later, didn't you?!"
Because, of course, he knows. Steve Harrington, is and will always be, Dustin Henderson's brother. And he will always know him, even six feet under the ground.