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The volume in the radio station was typically designated to the recording room, high volumes outside would tamper with the audio to external. This case, they were lucky they were not recording. Screams fillled a room of sobbing, the kind of sympanthy that would protect those they loved from danger. Danger that gripped at their hearts as they watched Steve rising slowly, his eyes in the back of his head. Jonathan had run off to Steves car, while others attempted to help but all in return was this horrible gasping noise like they would implode.
“I found this in his car” Jonathan scrambles, the tape cossetet shakes in his hand as Nancy takes it from him placing it into the walkman, full volume. The cable dangles high in the air as Steve rises higher, his whimpers highlighted by each still breath.
Nancy strucks play as a faint noise sounds from around Steve’s ears, his body rises stretching the cable to its limits. She reaches up with her tip-toes to mantain the distance. His body stopped rising, his body limb, his eyes rolled back. Dustin was sobbing quietly, his head leaning on Lucas’s shoulder who rubbed his back sofetly, ever so often his hand would swipe under his eye, his mouth wording “Max” over and over.
Will was sat next to Mike, his head leaning on his shoulder his hair was tracked in sweat and his nose bloodied slightly. His head was thumping loudly, Mike layed his hand over Will’s rubbing small circles over his knuckles. Mike sniffled wiping his eyes, clutching his arm around Will tighter, Wills seizure and Steves rise was some twisted parallel of priorites.
Steve remained in the air, upon this Dustin sobbed harder as Lucas held him in case Steve fell. Another broken leg would be too much during this time. Robin was on the other side of Steve, continued yelling out every harsh joke she could to encourage him to wake up, pulling at the his jeans, screaming through ragged sobs, her voice a crackled mess of radio chatter.
“Steve, you dingus please” she screamed her voice cracked “pleas-”
Suddenly, Steve’s body dashed to the floor his breathing in quiet gasps, Robin dashed towards him holding onto his shoulders.
Jonathan and Nancy shared one small look before clambouring to support Steve as well, his hand was gripped in Robins jacket for dear life as she hugged him tightly. His breathing leveled out before he startled his arms jumping up into the air as Dustin baralled into him, sobbing harder than ever before gasping in air as he rested his head on Steves chest.
Steve quickly recovered wrapping his arms around him, staring off lightly into the wall, before closing his eyes resting his head on Dustins curls and hugging him just as tightly. After about a minute, he lifted his head whispering lightly to Robin.
Mike nudged Will lightly trying to get a notion out of fatigue. A small smile was shared with them, Will’s hand clasps Mikes before he leant further into him, the sorcerer powers draining him significantly.
Robin shook her head, lightly her lip bitten eyes widened ever so slightly.
“Exc-” Steve coughed lightly “Excuse me Henderson” he muttered, “l need to go grab something” he added slightly louder. Confusion laced the room enfusing around Steve.
“You need to rest man” Jonathan concurred, followed by a small nod from El, her hair soaked in water, a blindfold loose on her arm, Joyce and Hopper helping her out of the tub.
She wiped her hand for under her nose “You and Will too” she gestured to Will half asleep at this point. El years ago would have been expected to look similar if not for the long excrutigin hours of trainging. She smiled at the two best friends, fianlly close after all this time, reverting her eyes to Steve.
Steve rubbed at under his eye before gasping a quick “excuse me” as Dustin made his way off of him, Robin loosened her grip immediately but like his best friend made motions to prevent him from moving.
Nancy hulted them, “leave him be for a moment” she quickly started a flicker of a fire within her eyes, her voice grew softer “l threw up after my experience with Vecna”
Jonathan held her shoulder softly, trailing his hand down her arm to join their fingers together. Nancy smiled softly, the grounding texhnique from that night still working like magic.
The room fell into some form of silence, breathing loud from the moments before, blood cooling could never truly be a quiet process.
Lucas from his place near the table gasped as well. His arms shot down to his hips as he pushed himself from leaning against the table “the song needs to keep playing” he began.
A shudder exploded into his back, a headache of emotions consorted his body. *Max* her closed eyes and silence shook him, he longed to feel his hand within hers. He rubbed the fingers against his leg just as he did with his daily vistits. His legs pulled him towards the door. Instead it was to the headphones that had clattered off onto the side in the fall which he pushed himself towards. He reached into the walkman and pulled out the Tape “For Stevie <3” it wrote.
His eyebrows knotted together before he shook his head ever so slighly, he had to remain focused. He placed the tape into Robins hands she had stood up so quickly, watched Lucas as he went. He was also similar in speed but still maintained that slur to his steps, his eyes darkened with worry, pooling fo*r her* hand.
“Thank you” she spoke before running to the radio station. Everyone who was able stood firm, emotions rolled off their shoulders. Will leant into his best friends side, Mike did not have the heart to remove him from his shoulder, instead his mouth cornered at the edges for a second with a slight nod to Nancy and Jonathan who noticed.
The rest dashed after Robin, each one looking into every room and hallway as they went from the basement. The stairway, the snack room, records, until the recording station.
No Steve.
There presences alone was over the maximum, three was the limit. Earlier they had broken that rule only for a moment with four people within the room but that barely stood any ground with Steve handing Robin a soda, while Jonathan and Nancy spoke in the corner about the main position of the manual should be for now on.
Robin with her jumbled run had managed to place the tape into the slot on the radio, it was something that Dustin had created with one of the old garage cars, Steve’s car that time had been saved.
Now, the “For Stevie <3” was unmistakenable. To Dustin he thought it was from Nancy until her brows grew closer, her journalisitic mind a storm of sorts. Jonathan did not change much in expressions, his mouth hardened slightly as if an eye roll could be subtly placed. Lucas fixed his eyes upon it, his mind completed a mental tick to confirm what he saw.
Robin spoke through “some past girlfriend of his really” she muttered as some kind of joke, her nerves getting the better of her. She walked over to the volume her casual manner from this morning deflated. The volume knob once lazily spun with heart eyes was now wripped into full volume.
Nancy began to move away from the door before a small tune began to play from it.
“Yours Wheeler?” Dustin began before she shook her head lightly.
The song which within its moments of discovery had not been positioned in such a manner to have wires strung in there minds but all hypothesis had her name highlighted upon the tips of their tongue.
The small moment of a soft drum solo built as a guitar tuned in before all way heard was the melody that Steve had always hummed under his breath. Most of them knew it, the song “made for loving me” by Kiss began.
A soft chuckle escaped Jonathan, before the rest of them were containing giggles like Dustin broken. Robin the kind of hysterics hanging of each word. Lucas with a large smile, Jonathan with this annoyed eye roll of hidden amuesemnt and Nancy with a small smile.
“Figures” Lucas muttered earning neighbouring smiles to him from the group.
Within the radio shack they waited, the volume was blasting so a few of them restorted to staring at the mechanical maze around the booth. Robin remained her ears covered by headphones playing the song she had shown Vickie a small comfort. Her mind had raced to what the others had thought, placing headphones on like she would get possessed next. Instead, she knew what Steve would think her platonic soulmate would know the hand was like a brush of Vickies hair against that cheeck on that last date or that small brush of a shoulder.
Her breath finally exhaled in a long motion that only happened with Vickie or Steve, especially when pondering on that shared look in the volunteering with Steve there. She hummed the song under her breath and sat at teh cahir, a foot lifting up to rest upon it.
The others were in a similar state Jonatahn and nnacy shared soft smiles and laughter in the aray of cables. Dustin tapping a tune too farmilar with ‘Never Ending story’ to not have Lucas remember bringing up this moment after this day. His own hand prevented him, placed behind his back as he rubbed the other hand imagining a certain Ginger haired girls bostrious laughter and jokes whisphered in his ear, he softly smiled.
—STEVE—
The man was rambling to himself, his hair tossled ever so often upon walking away from them was now being strongly gripped by his hands, one running over his face as the other pulled. His feet danced in a ironic dance of scrambled longing, jogging round looking for any signs of that tape gifting bastard.
“Eds” he called, his words had grown small in this time, similar to there own secrets whisphered in the dark, letting only small whispers of life view their hidden moments of intamicy, only wanting to reveal the window of their relationship when they were prepared to.
“Eddie” he raised the volume, looking around the car park again, behind the building before a small gasp ran through him. He was not around the building, his eyes sprung open in that funny manner and a gargle in his throat like back at the trailers. He even looked into his car but nothing.
His blood did not spike, it chilled. His heart raised into his throat, an itch grew in his arm as his breathing picked up.
“Eds please” he gasped, spinning in a circle, gripping his hair for dear life. Raising both hands over his face before venturing to the entrance. His feet once light and pondering to a bathroom were harsh and crackled around the cement walls.
“Eddie, c’mon man” he muttered under his breath turning into the break room, he was not hiding behind the door. A Twinkey outstretched on his hand with a hungry smile. Nore was he on the other side of teh room hidden near the closet, arms outstretched preparing to cacoon Steve into his space from his back and stuff him into their closet. Perhaps standing on a table, crossed his mind before he enered before it got harshly slapped in his face by reality. He would walk onto each table belting the song lyrics of his, arms dancing and outstretched before getting closer, slowly crouch in front of him and bringing Steve face to his, with ringed fingers that drove Steve in sane. He would whispher out those last few words like smooth honey from a texas accent Steve loved in that one movie before exploring Steves mouth, the fireworks to applaud his performance.
Instead Steve crashed into them, his body blossoming in pain as the bruises soon would, beautiful to him once decorating his neck know dulled in his mind to a blunt knife. The knife reminded him of this unease in his gut, this prolonged tearing of brain tissue.
He was not here.
The guided sanctuary of a small muted tune guided him to a place of sancturary.
— PARTY —
The group continued there listening until it concluded, they gathered in the room, they had to know how it worked. Like the music box it could not be something that they all inantely knew the manual told them that much.
Robins hands drifted to the button, looking into everyones eyes to make sure before her non-sensical rambling. Before she stuttured her muscles jolted.
They heard a voice from the recording that did not belong to KISS.
—STEVE—
Steve rounded the corner a small smile graced his lips, he had finally found-
“Eddie!”
Around the corner he finally saw it, Robin, Nancy, Lucas, Dustin, Jonathan and -
No Eddie.
His eyes scanned the room, he might have hidden under the desk, or the chair or the ceiling he was a cheeky bastard.
But to his disappointment still nothing, not even a wasp of his curly hair, the small hint of his laughter, the kinky handkerchief out his pocket, not a beautiful hazel eye/
He was not here.
“no” he muttered, taking a step back until his back hit the wall.
He was never here.
“no no no no” He gripped his hair as he rambled, the blurs in front of him approached with arms in front of him like a fucking wounded animal.
“no no no no-” the mantra began again this time through sobs and incoherent whisphers of one word.
This word graced his lips perfectly, recited in Eddie’s company, when finding him in that shed, the upside down motivational speech he did and now. Now in this horrible moment with a pulsing in his skull, the hammering of his palms, the shaking of his body. The word uttered as his eyes closed and his head hit the wall behind him.
“Please”
—PARTY—
Steve, his outburst of excietement began to fall from his face, his eyes darting to each of them. Before they abrutely clouded, his face fell. All they were, were spectators frozen until Lucas made a gentle step forward. Arms raised.
“steve?” he questioned pearing at an angle at his friend, he visibly sunk for a second.
The others seeing this positive reaction decided to reinact this motion, as they slowly walked.
Steve’s clouded eyes remained permant while his tense shoulders returned and the hammering of his breath began its constant rhythm.
“Steve we just want to help” Robin spoke
“Steve?” Dustin mirrored
“We’re not gonna hurt you man” Jonahan motioned to the rest of them as he too began to walk, closer to Steve then the rest
The tumbling of no continued this time accompanied by a heart wrenching companion that made Steves chest quickly rise and fall. He backed into the wall, sobs interlaced into his speech before his head hit the wall behind him with a small thud.
His body limp.
“What the hell?” it was Joyce, her eyes widening. Hopper stood next to her with El, it was close to a mission after all. Erica waved to Lucas her own mouth uttering a word no one should have let her repeat since she was 10.
Murray pulled a hand over his face, his hand rolled off before he yelled “l will be in the truck if you need me”
Hopper grabbed his arm “It’s ok, we will update you” he said firmly, nodded at Murray.
Murray scampered off, a small sad nod to his head as he exited through the door.
Hopper ventured towards Steve, so did Joyce. The other children had backed away this time. It was only then that Joyce felt Steve’s cheek rubbing a thumb under his eyes where some tears had escaped.
“This poor boy” she whisphered, stepping back.
Hopper grabbed Steve into his arms, his head lulled back and his arm dropped limply.
Dustin felt bile rise up into his throat as a cold air washed over him, reality mirrored slightly in front of him, until it broke into pieces in the backs of Dustins mind as Steve was carried to the safety of the basement sofa.
The others sloshed behind them all low limbs and heads drawn down, it was difficult to say anything really, the usual sort of casualness to how they ran all halted when something truly unespected occured. Steve always had this flare to him, this anger or annoyance but playful softness to it all.
They turned to one another, Dustin already dashing with Robin, Erica not far behind. It was like some haunting Scoops Ahoy reunion as they dragged the man who saved there life. Erica’s powerful quick strides and robins ringing of her hands, dustin wiping his face and the rest faces just as cloudy like a cleonmymbous grouping.
Steve was laid onto the basement couch, his hand lay at his side dangling over the edge. Upon seeing Steve carried in Will was fast asleep on his friends shoulder. Mike’s eyes darted to the hand, he remembered Wills hand being like that, resising the urge to grab it with his and feel Will’s pulse to know truly he wasn’t possessed.
Steve began to thrash around, eyes spanned in sympathy, his words bubbled on sobs before something fell from his pocket as he rolled
Pictures.
Dustin gazed at them, not this suprised look on his face that everyone else consorted but instead an itch to pick them up grew on his arm.
He picked them up, placing them on the table, “In his pocket” he reasoned, it felt wrong planning this crawl without him.
It was only then they realised why, this wasnt a crawl into the upside down, it was into the most closed off mind there. Steves.
The pictures were flipped over to the white side of the polaroid displaying nothing. Until they flipped, as El gracefully rose her blanket creating a breezr that moved them. Some small mental practice before the thoughts from Steve lingered too long with their cling to her.
It was theorised to be steves girl or something like that maybe Dustin or his hair. They did not expect to see those though.
Steve was dressed in his sailor uniform, a peace sign next to Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson in a black outfit holding his signature horns and forked tongue.
That was not all there was, each photo was like the timestamp of another. One closer to Robin showed Eddie having Steve in his lap, a cigarrette on his lips as Steve smiled at the camera, a peace sign as Eddie placed the camera above them a small glint in his eye. She smiled softly, looking at Steve staring at Eddie, it was that kind of look she noticed in the morning in that car mirror. Applying eye liner thinking of who she was going to sit next to in the band performance at the basetball match, that sparkle to her eye.
“huh” she smiles, a small smirk on her face.
She scans quickly through all the others, each one those sparkles shine like stars. Sitting at the table with Wayne, christmas hats on either of their heads, Steves arm on Eddie chair. In Steves car, Eddie raising a rock sign as he sits under the backseats, jock jackets behind them, Steve laughing but still pressing the camera. Another closer to Erica, a D and D script on the table, Steve asleep his arms as a cushion, Eddie sticking a thumbs down behind the camera. Hopper was glaring at another photo, Eddie in the driver seat with Steve in the boot, his eyes dazed drunk, hopper could be seen driving away in the distance. Closer to Mike and Will was another one taken by Wayne, Eddie and Steve shoulder to shoulder asleep on the sofa. Then near Lucas was at the basketball game, Steve that one time he was late and couldn’t make it, leaning on the doorway as Lucas was carried by his teamates, a ring finger sneaking into the photo. Another one, Steve talking a photo of Eddie his face covered by a hug smile and crinkled eyes, flipping him off to cover D & D secrets.
Her small smile and a buzz floods over her body until she sees the one Dustin is gawking at.
The only one not on the table.
“Oh my *god*” he sobbed, his hand muffling his mouth. The picture shook in his hand, his eyes dared to look again already welling with tears. His hand moved to wipe at his eyes, another sob breaking from him, Lucas walked round to rub his shoulder, facing in front of him.
“They were closer than we realised man” he said, squeezing Dustins shoulder before moving his arm.
Dustin gave a small chuckle, the back of his hand moving to his eye.
“Best friends apparently” Lucas added, his small serious smile at the end of his last words faded only replaced with a glazed over look in his eye.
A small “even l didn’t know” echoes into the room.
Robin turns towards Dustin, a tiny sad smile traces over her face. Matching his face as it all comes to fruition, “This photo its so special to him” Dustin chokes, “l can tell, there’s a thumb dent in the middle” he sobs again this broken thing. His hand turns to show only a blur of the photo before his head bows into his chest and he sobs so greatly it takes over his entire form.
“Oh Dustin” soothes in minds, whispers and the voice of Joyce Byers with the variation of “poor boy”
He continues to cry before mumbling a broken phrase “this is so private” he sobs “yet here l am holding it and he w-was crying his eyes out to see him”
“l know” Robin speaks, she doesn’t say it looking at photos or at the floor, her eyes bore into his, she nods her head gently “l know” she nods her head slowly “l know”
Dustin smiles sadly, gosh the emotioanl espressions of smiles, they capturesd so much in this room but nonne of them seemed to master tehe great act of happiness. Not 1000: Happiness!
Then a small voice echoes “Eds” from the coach, a hand rubbing a face.
An icy chill cast over the room, the same way he liked it, a chill down Will’s spine which Mike attempted to rub away.
It was a shadowed reminder of it all, the deaths ripple in the room, all the way back to Steve. The refractory point, whos lopsided smile seemed to stand still. Only reverberating an ever-present emotion of the time. Please do not tell us this. Echoes in the room, contrary to popular belief it is not an isolated belief.
“Eds” reverberates again, his voice rough like he just took a nap. “Eds” he said again his voice clearer.
“Steve” it was Dustin.
“Dustin?” he questioned his voice a small whispher, he propped himself up slowly until he was sat foreward, his eyes lingered on the man in front of him, all eyes on him. His eyes were on Dustins face.
Dustin held the photo out to him, Steve slowly reached to grab it, fatigue rushed out of him, his eyes widening. He checked his back pocket with his other hand, eyes widerning further he took the photo.
His thumb stroked on the edges of the photo before he held it close to his heart. His eyes ran out of tears yet sobs broke free from him, his head bowed down.
All the others could do was stare what else can u do when Steve sobs further. His hand over his mouth as he stares at the photo.
“l guess l owe you an explanation” he croaked.
Looking up he started into Robins eyes who shook her head, no her action whispered but he felt it, this weird pull to talk to reveal this moment.
“We would have said” he mustered, eyes rooting at the floor.
“something came up” another sobbed ripped through his throat his croaky voice became a gravelled mess.
“The kiss didn’t help” he whispered into the cold silence a hand scratching the back of his head. “We were joined at the hip after that, secretly but that glass -glass against my neck wasn’t the first time we had a similar situation”
The silence seemed to hum, he raised his eyes meeting Robins again “he’s the first l called as he was always there” he took a deep breath his hand through his hair.
“Until he wasn’t, so when l saw him in that batsh-“ he coughed up a little “assholes mind l just thought these photos could continue” eyes downcast as quickly as they raised, looking at the photo this thumb tracing it.
He smiled softly.
“I got so lost” he muttered, his eyes tracking the photo “like the nice lost l had with him, when we-“ his hand covered his mouth then into his hair again. Hands holding the photo closely “we found each other” he breathed.
His breathed words a few inches from silent but all eyes were on him, shocked but Dustin had known. It reminded Steve of that, his eyes casted the photo away from the eyes he tracked.
The sympathetic eyes, Joyce’s hand over her mouth. Will and Mikes shared embrace mirroring an old love, understanding laced in brown flames. Hopper looking shocked and stilled, eyes glazed into the nearest wall but a small shared face. Robin tear tracked, Lucas the same, his hand hovering over his other hand grazing the space between his thumb and fingers.
His eyes returned to the photo no longer glazed or teary eyed to blur the pain. Steve his smile visible as his back was against the wall. His face was a breath away from Eddie who grinned wildly, hand at his jaw, arm outstretched for the photo. Steve with his hand on Eddies chest, his other was with his fingers in Eddies hair and thumb circling his jaw mid-motion. Purple and pink marks of love on each others necks. A kiss away from harmony, heaven home.
Steve eyes spilled with love, his pupils massive as his hand fell to his mouth sobbing grew in a massive flood . It was told, his love shared from his mouth, never to rejoin his true love in blissful embrace.
No one knew who’s eyes filled with more tears, Dustin had the same affect, his best friend became a blur in front of him, who held out wavy limbs in his vision.
Robin’s smile wobbled, as all could be heard was Dustin’s gut-wrenching sobs not the kind muffled by his hand or ever so silent.
Engulfed within a hug the pair was swayed by Steve hushing Dustin softly, both boys opposed how when usually did. Steve clutched Dustin like a lifeline while the other held him as if he would break.
Steve mumbled something softly, Dustin raised his eyebrows in confusion.
Steve let go of the hug slowly as Robin stepped foreward. Steve shook his head mouthing “nevermind”. Robin enveloped him in a hug his arms under hers as she played with her hair, his face in her neck.
“What Steve?” She whispered
“He‘a really gone isn’t he” he whispered, his voice breaking upon the last word.
She softly whispered a mumble of words into his ear, his arms wrapped round her further clutching her top.
“We’re here” Lucas murmured a hand on his shoulder, Steve jumped.
“Sorry” Lucas murmured a ghost of a past adventure.
Steve hugged him too, each hug was a little bit of pain shedding his skin, his heart would always ache but the forehead kiss from Joyce. Trio hug with Mike and Will, tapping three times into his skin.
A soft we do this too, they noticed Steve’s fingers tapping it over and over onto the picture.
Hopper gave him a large hug too, “l will do everything in my power, to make him known” he said upon separating. Determination on something else sending a soft smile to their eyes as opposed to consistent worry.
Erica placed a hand on his shoulder, he leant down when she tapped his ear. “I saw you two together last year, anyone says anything about him l will kick them dipshits” she whispered eyes fired.
Another trio hug occurred. Jonathan his eyes turned to him, a soft sympathy as opposed to his death stare. Nancy a sympathetic look she always did when Steve’s parents were absent from conversation but bruises followed his lips in his appearance.
Finally, Steve placed the photo onto the table, his eyes ghosting them as the others crowded. His fingers dusted the air, a harsh mirror of his lovers account of fiction, he breathed.
“Love found me” he added a slight kick to his voice, like Eddie. “In a trailer park in 84…”