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The house felt wrong the second they stepped inside.
It wasn’t just the silence it was the kind of silence that lingered, thick and watchful, like the walls were listening. The air was stale, unmoving, carrying the faint scent of dust and something older, something that didn’t belong to any place still standing.
Y/N stayed close to Steve as they moved carefully through the hallway, their footsteps slow, controlled, every creak of the floorboards sounding too loud in the quiet. No one spoke. No one dared to. Instead, they communicated in quick glances, small gestures, and the notepads clutched tightly in their hands.
They settled along the wall, the group spreading just enough to keep watch without making unnecessary noise. Y/N lowered herself to the floor beside Steve, her back brushing lightly against the peeling wallpaper. The headphones rested around her neck for now, the tape ready, waiting.
She pulled the notepad into her lap, flipping it open with careful hands, the faint scratch of pen against paper the only sound she allowed herself to make. Steve nudged her elbow lightly, waiting until she looked at him before holding out his own notepad.
you okay?
His handwriting was quick, slightly messy, like he hadn’t thought too hard about making it neat. Y/N stared at the words for a moment before writing back beneath them.
yeah (:
She hesitated, then underlined it once, like even she didn’t fully believe it. Steve read it, his jaw tightening slightly, but he didn’t push. He just took the pen again, flipping the page.
after this we go see a movie?
Her lips twitched faintly at that, something soft breaking through the tension as she wrote back.
only if i pick
A quiet breath left him almost a laugh as he scribbled again.
what would that be?
She didn’t hesitate.
top gun
He glanced up at her, raising his brows slightly, then nodded once before writing again.
it’s a date <3
The words sat between them for a second longer than they should have, warm in a place that didn’t allow for much of it. Y/N’s fingers brushed lightly over the page before she pulled it back, holding onto it like it mattered more than it should.
Steve flipped to a blank page and started sketching, quick rough lines forming under his pen. It wasn’t neat, not even close, but she watched anyway, her focus drawn to it like it was easier than thinking about anything else.
When he finished, he tore the page carefully and handed it to her. Two stick figures stood side by side, holding hands, a crooked little house drawn beside them.
Y/N let out the faintest breath, something softer settling in her chest as she folded the paper carefully, keeping it close. For a moment, the house didn’t feel quite as heavy.
Then the floor creaked somewhere deeper inside, sharp and sudden, snapping the moment clean in half. Every head turned. At the far end of the hallway, Nancy and Robin stood side by side, each holding up a page.
we found vecna…
The words sent something cold straight through her. Steve’s hand found hers instantly. And just like that, the quiet shifted into something worse.
They moved without speaking, the message still hanging between them, heavier than anything else in the house. The silence wasn’t empty—it pressed in, thick and watchful, like the walls themselves were listening. Y/N felt it settle deep in her chest as Steve’s hand tightened slightly around hers, grounding her before she could spiral.
Nancy turned first, already focused, already moving toward the staircase with quiet determination. Robin followed close behind, her usual restless energy subdued into something sharper, more controlled. Y/N pushed herself up from the floor, the wood creaking softly beneath her weight, and Steve rose with her, their hands still linked.
They crossed the hallway together, every step slow and deliberate. The house reacted to it, each floorboard groaning louder than it should, the sound stretching unnaturally into the silence. The staircase loomed ahead, narrow and shadowed, the upper floor swallowed in darkness that seemed too thick to be natural.
Nancy took the first step, careful, testing the weight before committing. The wood creaked under her, long and low. Robin followed, wincing slightly at the sound, her hand tightening around her notepad like it might somehow keep the noise down. Y/N hesitated for just a second at the bottom, her grip tightening instinctively around Steve’s hand.
He felt it immediately. His thumb brushed lightly over her knuckles, a small, steady motion meant only for her. When she glanced at him, he didn’t say anything just gave a slight nod, quiet reassurance passing between them.
She nodded back and stepped onto the stairs. Each step upward felt heavier than the last. The air changed as they climbed, growing thicker, harder to breathe, like something unseen pressed down on them the higher they went. The house seemed to settle around them, the creaks of the wood stretching into long, hollow echoes that didn’t quite fade the way they should have.
By the time they reached the top, the hallway felt different. Darker. Narrower. The light didn’t reach as far, and what little did seemed dull, swallowed by the walls before it could spread. At the far end of the hall, her brother Jonathan stood outside a closed door.
He was still, completely still, like he had been standing there for a while. The moment he saw them, his posture shifted slightly, tension settling into his shoulders. His finger came up to his lips immediately, a silent warning before any of them could make a sound. They slowed as they approached, instinctively quieter now, their footsteps careful against the creaking floor. Y/N could feel the difference the closer they got, something in the air changing, colder, heavier, like the space around that door carried more weight than the rest of the house combined.
Jonathan glanced at Nancy first, then Robin, giving a small, confirming nod. Then his eyes moved to Y/N. Something in his expression softened not enough to lose the tension, but enough to show it was still him under it. Protective. Worried. He stepped closer, just enough to meet them without raising his voice, keeping it low, controlled.
“He’s in there.”
The words barely carried, but they didn’t need to. They landed anyway. Y/N’s gaze shifted to the door behind him, something tightening in her chest as she looked at it. It didn’t look like anything special just old wood, worn at the edges but something about it felt wrong. Like everything in the house led to that one point.
Jonathan followed her line of sight before looking back at her. “You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly, his voice softer now, meant only for her.
She didn’t answer right away. Her grip tightened slightly around Steve’s hand, her thumb brushing against his like she needed to remind herself he was still there.
Then she shook her head.
“I do.”
Her voice was quiet, but there was no hesitation in it. Jonathan studied his sister for a moment, like he was weighing whether to argue, whether to push back but he didn’t. Instead, he stepped forward and pulled her into a quick, tight hug, his hand pressing briefly against the back of her head.
“I love you,” she murmured against him.
“I love you too,” he replied, just as quietly.
It didn’t last long. It couldn’t. When he pulled back, his hand lingered on her shoulder for just a second before dropping.
She turned to Nancy and Robin giving a warm smile. “See you two for a girls trip?”
“A much needed girls trip” they both smiled.
Y/N turned around walking out holding onto Steve’s hand to the stairs leading to the attic.
Nancy stepped forward, her focus already back on the door. Robin inhaled slowly beside her, steadying herself, and Jonathan moved with them, his attention snapping back into place. They were ready.
Steve and her sat down on the floor with her music playing.
“Ready?” he asked holding onto her hands.
“Yeah…see you soon” she smiled back.
“I’ll be right here…” he held her hands tighter. She closed her eyes and waited. She waited for what felt like an eternity. She opened her eyes to see Steve gone no longer beside her. The attic didn’t disappear. That was what made it worse. The walls stayed exactly where they were, the dim light from the window stretching across the floorboards, the air thick and unmoving. But something underneath it shifted, like the world had tilted just slightly out of place.
Y/N sat where she had been, her chest tight, her breathing uneven, the weight of her own words still sitting heavy around her. The silence that followed didn’t feel normal, it stretched too long, too still, pressing in from all sides.
Steve wasn’t in front of her anymore. He stood by the window now, his back turned, his shoulders tense in a way that immediately felt wrong.
“Steve?” she said quietly.
He didn’t answer right away. When he turned, something in her stomach dropped. His expression wasn’t right. There was no softness in it, nothing familiar just something sharp, something cold that didn’t belong to him.
“You wanted him dead?” he said, his voice low, cutting in a way that made her chest tighten. Her pulse picked up instantly. “That’s not what I meant”
“But you said it.” He stepped closer. “So when we got into a fight did you wish death upon me?”
“No—” she shook her head quickly, stepping back. “That’s not—”
“You were there.” Another step. “You could’ve done something.” Her breath caught. “You didn’t.” The air felt heavier, pressing against her lungs.
“You let him die.” The words hit hard enough to make her flinch. That wasn’t him. It couldn’t be. Steve didn’t sound like that. Didn’t look at her like that. The realisation hit all at once, sharp and certain.
This isn’t real. Her chest rose quickly, panic threatening to take over, but she forced her eyes shut before he could say anything else. She cut him off, cut the room off, cut everything off.
Don’t listen. Don’t look. Think. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides as she searched for something anything real. For a moment, there was nothing. Just darkness pressing in, cold and suffocating. Then, slowly, something shifted. Warmth. Faint at first, barely there, but real.
It spread gradually, pushing back against the cold, filling the empty space around her until the tightness in her chest eased just slightly. Her breathing steadied enough to hold onto it. When she opened her eyes, the attic was gone.
Soft golden lights stretched across a gym ceiling, glowing gently against polished floors. The air felt warmer here, lighter, carrying a faint hum of music that settled into her chest instead of suffocating it. Decorations hung above, swaying slightly, blurred at the edges like the memory wasn’t perfect but it didn’t need to be.
The Snow Ball. She stood in the middle of it, completely alone. No voices reached her. No one called her name. Figures moved in the distance, indistinct and unimportant, like shadows that didn’t belong to her memory. None of it mattered. What mattered was the feeling. The warmth spreading through her chest with a quiet calm that replaced the panic.
The music, soft and steady, wrapping around her like something safe, something familiar. She turned slowly, taking it in, grounding herself in it, letting it settle into every part of her. This was real not the place, but the feeling, the memory itself. A moment untouched by everything that came after.
Her chest rose in a deeper breath this time, steadier, as she closed her eyes briefly, holding onto it. Holding onto the warmth, the light, the stillness that didn’t hurt. Something pressed faintly at the edges of it, something cold trying to break through, but it felt distant now, weaker, like it couldn’t reach her fully.
Not while she stayed here. Not while she held onto this. Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, anchoring herself in every detail the glow of the lights, the softness of the air, the quiet rhythm of the music. For the first time since she stepped into it, she wasn’t afraid. And slowly, the darkness began to lose its hold.
"Y/N?!" a familiar voice called out. Making her jump.
The voice showed itself. It was El.
"El!? You're here?! Did I make you up?!" she cupped her face scanning her expression.
"Y/N, I am here" El gently took her hands pressing against her chest.
"But how?" she asked confused.
"Oh, i piggybacked through a pizza dough freezer"
"What?" she asked even more confused.
Before El had time to explain herself another deeper more violent crash came upon them.
The red world pulsed around them, unstable and alive in the worst way. Lightning tore across the sky in violent flashes, illuminating the cracked ground beneath their feet. The air felt thick, suffocating, like it didn't belong in her lungs.
Y/N barely had time to react. One second she was standing beside El, her hand still wrapped tightly around her slammed into her from behind.
She was yanked backward so violently her feet left the ground. Her back hit something solid, something alive, and before she could even turn, a hand clamped over her face. Long fingers dug into her jaw, her temples, forcing her head back. She choked instantly. Air caught in her throat, her chest tightening as panic hit all at once. Her hands flew up, grabbing at his wrist, trying to pry him off, but it didn’t move. It didn’t even shift. Vecna held her like it was nothing.
“You cannot hide,” his voice echoed, low and steady, not around her—but inside her.
Her breathing broke into sharp, uneven gasps that didn’t pull in enough air. Her vision blurred at the edges as she struggled, her fingers clawing at his arm, her body twisting uselessly against his grip.
“El—” it came out broken, barely a sound.
El moved instantly, stepping forward, her hand lifting as she focused on him. “Let her go!”
The air around her warped as she pushed, pressure building in waves. For a second, it worked—Vecna’s grip faltered just enough for Y/N to drag in a breath but it didn’t last. His hand tightened again, dragging her back against him, his fingers pressing harder into her skull.
“You feel it,” he murmured, quieter now. “The guilt.”
Something inside her chest pulled. Not physically, deeper than that. Her breath hitched violently as the sensation spread, like something invisible had reached inside her and found something fragile, something essential—and was starting to drag it out.
“No—” she forced out, her voice shaking, her grip weakening.
It wasn’t pain. It was worse. It felt like she was being emptied. Memories flickered at the edges of her mind laughter, warmth, fleeting flashes of moments she couldn’t hold onto before they slipped away again.
“El—!” she gasped.
El pushed harder, her arm shaking slightly with the effort, her voice rising. “No!”
The ground cracked beneath them, splitting wider, the air distorting with the pressure. Vecna didn’t move. His focus stayed entirely on Y/N.
“You were there,” he said softly.
Her chest tightened. “You failed.”
“That’s not true—” she tried, but her voice wavered, weaker now, like even her words were being taken from her. His grip shifted slightly, tightening just enough to make her choke again, her breath catching, her body going tense.
“You wished it his downfall.” The words hit deeper than anything else. Her strength slipped.
Her hands fell from his arm, her fingers curling weakly at her sides. Her body trembled as the pull inside her chest grew stronger, deeper, slower, like he was taking his time.
Her breathing turned shallow, uneven, barely there. “El…” it came out softer now, fading.
El stepped closer, pushing with everything she had, her voice cracking as she shouted, “Let her go!”
With her physical body in the real world with Steve. The music stopped. “No! No! Shit!“ Steve tried to play the tape again but he couldn’t. It was jammed. “No! No! Y/N!?” Steve watched in horror as he sees Y/N’s eyes roll back blinking rapidly her grip on his hand loosening, he looked in horror calling her name as she started to ascend into the air. Steve tried to catch her from going further but all he could do was look and yell in horror. The tears falling from his eyes, his throat raw from the roars he was giving.
The air warped violently and the ground shook. For a second, everything held and something snapped. A force slammed into Vecna, just enough to break his focus. His head turned slightly, his grip faltering just for a second. But it was enough. Y/N’s body jerked in his hold, the pull inside her chest stuttering, loosening just slightly as the pressure broke. She gasped sharply and then she was gone.
The moment she dropped, the impact knocked the breath out of him as Steve hit the floor with her, his arms wrapping around her instinctively, trying to take most of the fall. Pain shot through him, but he didn’t care. He barely even felt it.
“Y/N—!”
“Steve… I can’t feel anything…” Her voice was weak, trembling, barely there. “I’m not ready… please, I’m not ready to die…”
“No—you won’t,” he rushed out immediately, his voice breaking under the weight of it. “I won’t let you. It’s okay, babe, I’m here—just stay with me, okay? Stay with me.”
“Steve, I love you-it’s-always been you” she cried out weakly.
“Babe I love you so so much” His words came fast, desperate, like if he stopped talking she might slip away. He scrambled up, pulling her with him, his hands moving everywhere at once—her face, her shoulders, her arms—like he could force her back just by holding onto her hard enough.
Her eyes were closed. She wasn’t moving. Nothing. Her head lolled slightly with the movement. His stomach dropped.
“No, no, no, no” His voice rose, louder now, breaking completely as he pulled her closer, one hand gripping the back of her head, pressing her against him like he could keep her here, like he could stop her from slipping away. “Hey, don’t do this! Please don’t do this.”
Still nothing. Her chest barely moved. If at all.
“Y/N!” he shouted, the sound tearing out of him, raw and desperate. “No—no, come on, babe—please, wake up!”
His hands shook against her face, brushing her hair back, his thumb pressing under her jaw like he was trying to feel something—anything that told him she was still there.
“Please…” His voice cracked again, quieter for a split second before it broke completely. “Please don’t leave me…”
The words hit harder than anything else. He shook her again, more frantic now, his grip uneven, desperate. Nothing. Her body stayed limp in his arms.
“No!” he yelled, louder this time, his voice echoing through the attic as it began to break apart around them. “Y/N, please—!”
His forehead pressed against hers, his breath uneven, shaking, like he was trying to hold himself together and failing.
“Come back,” he whispered, barely holding on. “Come back to me…”
A sudden gasp tore from her. Steve froze. But she didn’t move. Didn’t open her eyes.
“Y/N—?” His voice was smaller now, fragile, afraid to hope.
The house shook violently. The floor split with a sharp, cracking sound, wood tearing apart beneath them as a jagged fracture ripped through the attic. Steve didn’t move at first. He couldn’t. Not when she still wasn’t waking up.
Another violent shake snapped him back, instinct kicking in as he pulled her tighter against him, dragging them both away from where the floor was breaking apart.
“Stay with me,” he choked out, his voice still breaking as he shielded her from the falling debris, holding her close like he refused to let anything else take her.
Below, the house was collapsing in on itself. Nancy stumbled forward, grabbing onto Robin as another crack split through the floor, the sound deafening as the structure gave way.
“Move!” Nancy shouted, pulling her with her as the ground shifted again.
Robin caught herself, her breath coming fast as she looked up, her eyes wide, scanning the damage above them. “…four chimes…”
Her voice came out small. Horrified. Nancy froze for half a second, her stomach dropping as the realisation n hit.
“Y/N—”
“No!” Jonathan didn’t hesitate. He turned instantly, already running, already moving for the stairs, panic overriding everything else. “No, no, no!”
He took the steps two at a time, nearly slipping as the house shook again, but he didn’t stop. Didn’t slow down. He forced himself forward, pushing past the fear, past the noise, past everything except getting to her.
“Jonathan!” Nancy called after him, but he was already gone.
He burst through the attic door. The room was chaos splintered wood, cracks tearing through the floor, dust thick in the air.
And in the corner—
Steve. Curled around her. Holding her. Breaking.
Jonathan’s chest tightened violently as he dropped to his knees beside them, his hands already reaching for her, brushing her arm, her face, like he needed to make sure she was still there.
“No—no, hey” His voice broke as he leaned closer, panic hitting all at once. “Y/N, come on…stay with us”
Together, they both lift her, to steady her, to keep her safe as the house continued to tear itself apart around them.
Steve didn’t let go. Not for a second.
One Day Later -
The steady beeping filled the room, quiet but constant, the only thing keeping everything from feeling completely still. It echoed softly against the walls, blending with the low hum of the machines beside the bed. Her favourite song playing out of Steve’s radio.
Y/N lay motionless against the white sheets, her skin pale, her breathing slow and shallow, barely noticeable unless you were watching closely. And they all were.
Steve sat closest, hunched forward in the chair beside her, one hand wrapped tightly around hers. His thumb brushed over her knuckles in slow, repetitive movements, like he was trying to keep her grounded—keep himself grounded.
“She… her heart stopped for an entire minute,” he said quietly, his voice rough, uneven. The words felt heavy in the room. “I thought she was gone.” No one spoke.
Across from him, Jonathan Byers stood still for a moment, then stepped forward, taking Y/N’s other hand carefully, like she might break. His fingers curled around hers, his jaw tight as he looked at her face, searching for something that wasn’t there.
Behind him, Nancy lingered, her eyes fixed on Y/N, glassy with unshed tears. She swallowed hard, blinking them back as she stepped closer, her hand lifting hesitantly before resting gently on Jonathan’s shoulder. “I’m gonna…” she started, but the words didn’t quite come out right.
Instead, she leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Jonathan’s head, her hand squeezing his shoulder lightly. “See you later.” Jonathan nodded faintly, not trusting himself to speak. Beside her, Robin hesitated, her eyes flicking between Y/N and Steve. For once, she had nothing to say. No joke. No comment to break the tension.
She stepped forward instead, wrapping her arms quickly around Steve’s shoulders in a tight hug. He didn’t move at first, caught off guard, but then one of his hands lifted slightly, gripping her arm for just a second before she pulled away.
Robin looked at Y/N one more time, her expression soft, worried, before stepping back. Neither of them said anything as they left.
The door closed quietly behind them. For a moment, the room felt smaller. Quieter. Just Steve and Jonathan now, both holding onto her like letting go wasn’t an option.
Then the door burst open. Joyce rushed in first, breath uneven, eyes already searching, followed closely by Hopper and Will and El. They stopped the second they saw her. The machines. The wires. The way she wasn’t moving.
Hopper froze near the door, the shock hitting him hard and fast. His eyes locked onto Y/N, his expression tightening as everything seemed to register at once. For a second, he didn’t move at all, like his body hadn’t caught up with what he was seeing.
Joyce didn’t stop. “Oh my God—” The words fell from her as she rushed to the bedside, her hands already reaching, one coming up to Y/N’s face, brushing her hair back, the other hovering before gently taking her arm. “Baby… baby…” Her voice broke, soft and trembling as she leaned closer, her thumb brushing over her cheek like she was trying to wake her gently.
“What happened to you…” she whispered, her breath uneven.
Will and El followed right behind her, their movements hesitant at first, then quicker as they both reached the other side of the bed beside Jonathan. His eyes were wide, fixed on Y/N, taking in every detail, every still moment.
“Y/N…” he said quietly, like he was afraid to say it too loud. El stood there looking at her sister she just got, to only lose her.
Jonathan shifted slightly to make room, but he didn’t let go of her hand. Not for a second. His grip stayed firm, his thumb brushing over her fingers in the same absent, grounding motion.
Hopper finally moved. Slowly at first, then a step closer, then another, until he stood just behind Joyce, his eyes still locked on Y/N. His jaw tightened, something heavy settling in his chest, something he didn’t know how to fix.
“She’s here,” he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. “She’s still here.”
But the words didn’t sound as certain as he wanted them to. Steve didn’t look away from her. Not even once.
His hand stayed wrapped around hers, his thumb still moving slowly, like it was the only thing he knew how to do. The room filled again, not with noise, but with something heavier.
Fear. Hope. Waiting.
And the steady, unchanging sound of her heartbeat on the monitor.
El sat by Steve, looking at him with tears in her eyes, looking at him for permission to hold her hand, he gently let go placing Y/N's hand on hers.
El took a hold of her hand now "Y/N, I'm here"
She closed her eyes letting herself into her mind.
She walked around in the empty void, water splashing below her feet. "Y/N? Y/N!?!" she screamed out desperate to see her. But nothing. Nothing was there.
She opened her eyes again, seeing her family look at her sadly. Steve looking at El, looking for hope. But there was none. Only faith now.