#WE GOT THE BOY BACK! IT ONLY TOOK 90K BUT HE'S HERE FOR REAL NOW!!!
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And Who Are We At The End Of The World? - Reunions and Secrets
Chapter 13/? - - - Read it on AO3
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Word Count: 13,809
Summary: Hop is racing back home to see his girl, the rest of the party is simply killing time until some parents show up. But, the three who boarded a plane from California might not be the only ones jumping into things... There just might be a few more faces coming back around...
More ST Fics
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Unfortunately, the walkie Steve handed the Byers boys had a dead battery. So the folks in the car couldnât call ahead and tell El that her dad was coming back. Which just about made Hopper mad enough to swerve off the road. He felt like every second she didnât know was a second she was sad or in pain. The boys assured him that, while she obviously missed him and was going to be crazy happy to get him back, she was happily watching a movie. But that didn't ease him. He needed to get back to Hawkins and let her know he was okay. And he needed to do it at that very moment.
At the house, everything was otherwise fine. Everyone was bundled together across the couch or sitting on pillows in front of it, wrapped under various blankets.
After Jonathan had to go, Argyle and Nancy were left sat together on the left, surprisingly getting along pretty well after Nancy resigned herself to the fact that he was pretty good company. His easygoing everything still confounded her, but, somehow, it made Nancy stop in her tracks and think to at least give it a try. Now that she knew he wasn't just stupid and unaware. Instead, he just chose to lean on the happier side of things anyway, and Nancy could use a skill like that. They still weren't super close, but there they were, sitting next to each other while Mr. Banks approached the climax of his character arc.
Next to that pair sat Steve and Robin, with Erica between them on the floor. Obviously, they were together, as best friends like them liked to be. Robin had even gone so far as to have her legs crossed over Steve's while El hugged onto her arm. Robin wasn't entirely sure how she managed to secure a spot in the girl's heart since they barely met before she left for California, but it made her feel pretty good anyway.
Next to El were Mike and Lucas, with Dustin sitting below them on the floor cushions. Their band of boys on the right end of the living room had included Will until he had to leave for the airport. But they still sat close together. Like they had for sleepovers from years past. They were all comfortably awaiting the arrival of some real adults and to start eating the dinner theyâd put together.
And the movie itself was beginning to wrap up with that damned âLet's Go Fly a Kiteâ scene that had Steve doing everything in his power not to sniffle. If nobody looked at him, no one would see that the last few minutes always made him tear up. He just had to keep it together. Just for a minute longer.
And then Robin looked over.
Of course, she did. Because she noticed what this movie did to him when they watched it together last time. But she didnât draw any attention to him. She just nuzzled in a little closer to his side and rested her head on his shoulder as they watched the credits roll past a kite-filled, cloudy sky. It was nice being known like that, he decided. Nice to have someone know what you needed and how to go about it. Even if she pushed his buttons too.
As the movie was just ending, there was frantic honking coming from the driveway. The kids had just the time to get stood up and look at the front door before it was thrown open by Jonathan and Will.
âEl! Come on!â Will yelled, looking like he was bursting with good news.
El was already approaching, planning to see Joyce and welcome her back, when from behind them walked in Jim.
âHi,â he said like it was the only thing he could think to say after missing his girl for the past eight months.
And while she was slowly stepping forward a moment ago⌠the second she saw his face and that warm smile he was wearing, she was running right into him. Probably couldâve knocked him over if he hadnât braced for it. And before wasting another second, she was wrapping her arms around him and noticing how differently they fit together this time. He was so thin, and she was taller, her arms longer.
But it was still him. It was still Hop.
She buried her face into him as the tears dropped from her squeezed-shut eyes. Jim also looked like he was about to cry if it was any consolation. Then, after a moment, there was a barely-said mutter spoken into his shoulder.
âWhatâs that, kid?â he asked her to repeat.
El pulled her head back just enough to spill out between her cries,â Iâm sorry. My- they never came back- Iâm sorry I couldnât find you-â
âHey. No.â he pulled her in tighter as he said it,â No sorryâs from you, kid. I donât even want to hear âem. I knew if there was any way youâd known, you woulda got me back, alright? I didnât doubt that you would have gone beyond hell and back to save me. Okay? Itâs not your fault, and I never thought it was. Not for one second, El.â
She tucked herself back into him as if trying to escape the rest of the world to focus entirely on the fact that he was actually back with her,â I was waiting the whole time. I always left the door open three inches. I never stopped believing youâd come back.â
He chuckled, and it shook her in such a familiar way. Filling her with the warmth of his laugh for the first time in too many months,â Oh, I know. I know you did. Itâs okay now, Iâm here. Iâm here. Iâm sorry I was gone so long, kid. But I made it back before I missed a birthday.â
She nodded her head against him and huffed her own laugh,â You did.â
âWeâre going to have a big one this year, you hear me? No hiding and no secrets this time. You and me, we're going anywhere you want to go, and anyone you want to bring can come. Okay?â
âYeah.â she agreed while she wiped at her eyes and finally pulled away enough to really look at him,â You look soâŚâ
âSoâŚ? Not fat?â he joked.
She laughed, but she missed the squish. Then she looked back up,â And your hairâŚâ
âMy hair? Look at your hair.â he ran his hand over the short buzz with a sigh,â Yeah. I kinda stole your look, kid.â
âYeah.â
âWell, what do you think?â he asked, leaning his head down and turning to the left and right to let her make a proper evaluation.
âBitchinâ,â she decided before reaching back around his middle,â Except for this part. Donât like this at all.â
âYou donât? I tell ya, when I go see my doctor, heâs going to say that being presumed dead was just what I needed. You just wait and see.â
She shook her head, and that was the moment Joyce came in. She and Murray struggled with some of the bags, seeing as her boys and Hopper ran to the front door without helping. But when she made it in the door, she just looked at her girl.
Elâs smile brightened a little more, and she said,â Thank you.â
Joyce pretty much just dropped everything at that and surged forward to get El into her arms. There was no denying that, over those eight months theyâd been without Hopper, El had become her kid too. El sniffled against her for a minute until they all came down from the emotional high of their return. Past El's greetings from them, there were handshakes and hugs with Hop and more hugs and kisses on cheeks from Joyce as they both made their rounds through the rest of the room.
That is until Hopper put a hand to his stomach and groaned,â This is nice and all, but I was promised a big supper. Can we eat already?â
They all laughed at that and motioned to the open dining room doors for the adults to trickle into. The kids moved all the bags from the doorway into the living room and brought all the food in from the kitchen. Then dinner was finally underway. It was nice. Warm. The only dinner like it the Harrington House has ever seen. It was a good change.
They didnât talk about what happened - or, more accurately - what was happening. They knew they couldnât avoid it for very long, and the kids really did want a plan for what they could do to keep pushing forward. But⌠it was suppertime. They could talk about how awful everything was later. But for that moment, they could eat and laugh at how terribly Hopper stuffed his tortilla as it burst at the seams and spilled out all over his plate.
But once theyâd all had their fill, Nancy mentioned Susan. It was time to get back to business. Steve was the one to call her trailer, it was already after 8:30, but she answered quickly and said sheâd be there shortly for whatever conversation it was they were going to have.
During this, El noticed that Jim and Joyce were connected by their pinkies. Not outright holding hands at the dinner table. But still, they were just a little bit tied together. Just two pinkies, barely crossed, but they said a lot. She looked at it a beat longer before finding their fond smiles and asking,â So I get to keep staying with Miss Joyce, too?â
âUh-â Jim startled slightly. Like heâd been caught red-handed. But after a second, he simmered down and answered,â Uh, yeah, kid. You can keep staying with Joyce, too. When we arenât homeless, that is. We both can if thatâs fine by all of you,â he said around the whole table, pointedly including Jonathan and Will in the question.
âYeah.â they all seemed to answer. Happy that their household wouldnât be splitting apart with the good news, and in agreement that it was about time for Jim and Joyce to get to be happy together. They've been heading in that direction for a while anyway, right? Then everyone moved to the living room, so they could try and figure out more of exactly whatâs been going on everywhere.
âAlright, we need favorite songs.â Nancy started as she sat down and pulled back out her notebook and pen.
âWhat?â Jim asked, clearly that question was just about the last one heâd have expected upon his grand return. He was in Russia for eight months, after all. Surely that sort of thing shouldâve come up first.
âYouâre favorite song.â Robin repeated for Nancy,â We need to write it down and everyoneâs getting their own on a cassette with a Walkman before much longer.â
âOkay?â he agreed, still confused,â itâs-â
âIt's 'You Donât Mess Around With Jim',â El answered for him, a proud smile tugging at her cheeks. God, they had to hurt by then. If she smiled any harder they'd bruise. Her grin just hasnât faltered since her dad walked through that door. Not for one moment.
âYeah. Sheâs right. Obviously.â Jim agreed. It wasnât a difficult guess. It was the song he played when they moved into his cabin together. The same one he blasted in the car when he had a good day. It seemed like it was more his song than Jim Croceâs sometimes.
They looked expectantly to Joyce next, who just sort of furrowed her brows and asked herself,â What is my favorite song?â
âWhat about âUptown Girlâ?â El considered.
Joyce scrunched her nose and shook her head.
Jonathan tried to come up with something next,â Well, it has to be something Fleetwood Mac, right?â
âI mean, probably. They are my favorite, but Iâm not good at remembering the names.â
âWhat about âDreamsâ?â he offered.
To that, she shrugged and gave a thoughtful,â âŚYeah. Yeah, I like that one.â
âOkay, but do you just like it, or do you love it? âCause, it kinda needs to be one that you really love, like a lot.â Robin emphasized.
âUm⌠okay, whatâs that one thatâs allâŚâ Joyce asked her kids and started humming a chorus line.
âOh! Oh! I know it⌠Itâs- itâs-â Will racked his brain for it. The title was on the tip of his tongue,â Itâs- Oh! Itâs âThe Chainâ! Right?â
âOkay, then thatâs it.â Joyce decided,â Thatâll be my favorite.â
âAnd Murray?â
âWhat is this for?â He questioned Nancy back, like something as simple as his favorite song was a sort of sensitive information that sheâd abuse.
âSaving your life?â she answered.
âAnd if I donât buy that so easily?â
âAlright, you paranoid bastard,â Erica cut in, having no patience for him,â Newsflash: thereâs an evil mind wizard who might try to possess the box of nuts and bolts on the end of your neck. And if he does, the only hope youâll have is that somebody in this room will have the good sense to put some music over your ears that'll snap you out of his spell. So, unless you really want to die over a song title, I suggest you cough it up.â
âI see youâre still a pleasure, Miss Erica SinclairâŚâ he held a snide smile for her before answering,â Itâs âNo Moreâ by Billie Holiday. Duh.â
âThe âduhâ was petty and uncalled for.â she checked him.
âAbout as uncalled for as a five-year-old on the doomsday team?â he threw back,â Whatâre you going to do, color the wizard to death with crayons?â
âThis eleven-year-old,â she corrected,â has already stabbed a tire on a police car and swung on a psycho with a blunt object for the cause, and sheâs prepared to do a whole lot more. Whatâve you done for it? Besides lying about a vacation to Alaska?â
He held up a finger at her,â For the record, we did go to Alaska. We just also took a little trip over to-â
And then there was a knock on the front door. Susan Mayfield must have arrived. And they didnât even get through where Jim has been, what Henry/Vecna/One was, or what they were going to tell her about any of it. At any rate, it was happening right now. Nothing they could do about it. Theyâd just have to follow Jim and Joyceâs lead.
Steve stood up from the living room and went to answer the door. He was the one who invited Susan over, after all. But then, he was left only to find it wasnât Susan Mayfield standing on his front porch, but Karen Wheeler instead.
âHi, Steve!â She smiled at him, holding a glass container with what looked like lasagna in it,â Thought weâd take the first shift to drop off some food to keep you kids fed-â
That was when her eyes slipped from his frozen expression and over his shoulder to see Ms. Byers in the living room,â Joyce? When did you get into to-â, and then her gaze fell just to the left,â Hopper?! Okay- Okay, what is going on here? Heâs supposed to be⌠â
âSorry, sorry! Hard getting these all in one trip.â Claudia called up as she joined Karen in the doorway with at least three different containers of food herself.
When neither Steve nor Karen responded, Claudia turned to the other mom to ask,â Whatâs going on?â
And when she looked back inside and saw the same guests that had Karen stunned, she reacted in just about the same way,â Joyce? Ho-Hopper? Whatâre youâŚ?â
âUm... Surprise?â was all the boy could come up with.
âSurprise?â Karen questioned back at him.
Joyce came forward to meet her at the door,â Hi, Karen. Claudia.â
âJoyce, what the hell is going on here? He- He died. There was a service, and there were articles, and the news- And- And you mourned, Joyce. And his kid-â Karen had to close her eyes to stop her sputtering questions - her mind was clearly running faster than she could manage- to focus on what she really needed to ask,â What is going on, and why do my children and a bunch of their friends know about it?â
âWhy is my Dusty-bunâŚ?â
âUm- Itâs-â Joyce tried to figure herself out, untilâŚ
âClaudia? Karen?â
Ah, thereâs Susan.
âDo they know?â Susan asked Steve.
âDo we know what?â Karen echoed the question.
Jim stood up from the couch and came to the front,â Okay, so this is happening.â
âChief Hopper?â Susan now questioned.
âNow that weâre all up to speed on how clueless the moms out here are, can someone please explain what the hell is going on?â Karen requested.
âSeems to me,â Jim decided,â the only option here is to go over everything. From the beginning, for everyone here, until we get to where we stand now. Sound good to everyone?â
âThe NDAs?â Nancy inquired from the living room.
âIâm gonna say, executive decision, fuck the NDAs. Iâm legally dead, and if the suits didnât nab me off the planeâŚ" he shrugged," Well, way I see it, everything I do before they realize Iâm back is kinda their fault for being so bad at their jobs in the first place.â
âNDAs? Suits?â Karen asked.
âOh, don't worry, Mrs. Wheeler. Weâll cover that,â Jim acknowledged.
âHoly shit- this is really happening,â Mike said to Nancy, trying to wrap his head around his mother, Karen Wheeler, knowing about all the stuff theyâve been up to over the last two and a half years.
âLanguage, Mike,â she called over.
âOkay, Mom, itâs kind of crazy to think that weâre going to be inviting you into hell, but-â
âLanguage, Nancy!â
Steve pulled the door open further and motioned for the moms to join the rest of them in the living room,â Why doesnât everybody just come on in?â
âYeah, bring âem all in, Steve. Letâs just tell everyoneâs mothers about the goddamn Upside Down.â
âLanguage, Dustin!â Claudia had to say to her own. To Karen, she huffed,â Geez, youâd think we raised our kids in a barnâŚâ
âAnd what was that? The âUpside Downâ that youâre going to be telling us about?â Karen pointed out as they all got seated in Steve's living room.
Joyce thought,â Well⌠um, where do we start?â
âWith me?â El raised her hand.
âYeah, weâll start there.â Jim agreed.
The next hour or so was filled with the coverage of everything. Everything that started way back in November â83, and they moved forward as chronologically as they could. The kids told their sides, adults answered most of the questions, had to excuse how they couldn't stop the kids from being involved, explained away every coverup story, filled in context for every mystery scar⌠It was a wild ride. There were a lot of interruptions and even more disbelief. El had to change the tv channel five times and lift it off the entertainment center before any of them started to believe they were telling truth. But when they did⌠oh, when they did.
âAnd thatâs about everything that happened up until two weeks ago.â Joyce concluded,â Clearly, more has just gone on, but we havenât even had time to discuss that amongst ourselves yet, so I guess youâll be here while we try to figure that out, well, now.â
âYouâre trying to tell me that my children couldâve died countless times over the last three years, just because⌠why?â Karen was at a loss for words.
Joyce swore to her,â We always tried to keep the kids out of it. We told them over and over again to stay home, or at the middle school, and, just, not put themselves on the front line while we tried to deal with it. I donât know if youâve noticed, but our kids donât listen very well.â
âYouâre telling meâŚâ Karen muttered, shooting a glance at her own.
âAnd they saved my Will. Back when he went missing, so many people didnât believe that something was going on. And El, she never chose to be a part of this. She got stuck with it. And this town is stuck with it. The Lab... the problem is here, it started here. And, at the end of the day, this is the crew trying to solve that problem.â
"We're the doomsday team," Erica added, using Murray's name for their group.
âAnd Max? She just⌠happened to have made friends with the kids involved and wanted to know everything herself? The reason sheâs in a hospital bed right now is because last year we happened to move to the town with monsters, and she happened to find the only boys who knew about it?â
They were all struck a little silent by the question. It was Lucas who eventually answered her,â Yeah. That's pretty much how it...â
Susanâs hand pressed into her chest, and it didnât seem like she even saw anyone else in the room,â If I hadnât said that we needed a change of pace⌠to get away from California and the fighting⌠Sheâd be fine?â
âItâs not your fault, Susan.â Claudia put a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her.
She stood up out of the other mother's reach,â I was the one that said taking Billy to the Midwest might temper him. I thought a small town without so much to do might bring down his aggression and help us manage his behavior⌠If I had just let Neil take us to Vermont instead, we wouldnât beâŚâ
âSusan. You didnât know. If you did, you wouldâve never made that choice.â Karen assured her,â If I knew my kids were doing this, I wouldâve packed them up the second...â Karen looked at Joyce when she realized what she was getting at. She would've made her kids leave after Will went missing. Leaving him behind for their family's good.
âI wouldâve moved Dustin and me to my brotherâs ages ago,â Claudia added.
âBut I brought them here! If I hadnât, they never wouldâve-â
âMaybe they wouldnât have.â Nancy gave her,â And maybe things would be a little bit better for a few of us if everyone had pulled us away from Hawkins when Will went missingâŚâ
She shook her head and continued,â But if you had, he wouldâve never been found, and he wouldâve died, scared and alone. And Joyce and Jonathan wouldâve never known what happened to him. And El wouldâve never stayed free of that lab. And maybe Barb wouldnât have been at the wrong place at the wrong time because of me, and maybe sheâd be fine. But someone else wouldâve been in her place. And maybe all the people who were still here wouldnât have stood a chance if we weren't here. But we were. And we noticed, and we fought back against an invading dimension of monsters with three successes and one pending results. There were losses. We know that. But we are what Hawkins has to fight for it. And I donât regret being on the team.â
âYou donât?â her mother asked.
âNo. I really donât. I wish Iâd done a better job in places. I wish I didnât⌠make so many mistakes. But I donât regret being on the team. Weâre the team. And we have each otherâs backs.â Nancy looked over and took Robinâs hand in hers before she realized she was even going to do it, simply remembering the vines and the fear,â We donât leave each other behind. Even if we have to face down terrifying creatures or carry someone bleeding out of hell, we have each other. And now that you know whatâs going on, youâre all on the team, too.â
Susan seemed a little far off in her head, but she sat back down while Claudia asked,â And what does that mean? Being on the team?â
âIt means, well, you help us not let the world end. Whatever skills youâve got to bring to the table, weâll use âem and find a way out of this mess. Because we donât have any other choice.â Jonathan answered.
Karen continued,â And whatâs happening now? Whatâs all this⌠spring break business that happened?â
And thus, they went into another long hour of explaining. Now having to string together Henry Creel and Russia, which was a much more convoluted mess to sort out. It took a while, but they explained everything until everyone - all seventeen of them, as crazy as it was - knew where they stood currently on the apocalypse radar.
They also ended up eating a lot of the brownies Claudia had shown up with.
Comfort food to combat the reality of their horror stories. Or something like that.
By the end of the night, everyone was way more involved, and Lucas and Erica were left begging Karen not to tell Sue and Charles about everything. They were less keen on joining the club of kids whose parents were on the in. But she wasnât having any of it. She wished she had known what was going on, and Erica is still only eleven, for goodness sake. They deserve to know when it concerns their eleven-year-old. The Sinclairs would be brought into the fold. And that was final.
But she wouldnât be reaching out to the Buckleys and the Harringtons. She didnât know them like she knew her neighbors, and both Steve and Robin were very insistent that their parents would only cause issues. Which is the same reason that Karen decided she would not be telling Ted what was going on.
She knew her husband. Knew how he saw giving to anyone else as tantamount to accepting theft. He audibly complains about feeding Mikeâs friends when they were over. If he was aware of the situation⌠he would just up and move them. No discussion. He would just list the house and have them moved to another state without a second thought or consideration. And, as much as Karen would love to remove her kids from the risk entirely, she canât not help. Not when other mothersâ children would still be in harm's way and theyâd be leaving them worse off without the support.
So Ted wasnât to know. Neither was Holly, obviously. Those Wheelers wouldnât be a part of this.
The other three would handle it themselves.
And with that thought, Karen suddenly knew a little bit about how her daughter felt these last few years. Keeping such a big secret to spare her family pain and allow her to be there for her friends. She had a good eldest daughter. Sheâs always known so. But it was new to see it from this light. To know what was actually going on and how strong she's been this whole time.
Sheâs just been âtrying to manage it allâ.
Like sheâd told her the other morning in the hospital hallway. Nancyâs been very alone in managing everything. But sheâs had the other members of this team. And now she had her mother. So Karen was going to fight tooth and nail to take some of that burden off her shoulders. And keep her husband off her back. She'd be making sure he dropped his whole 'no keys until you can prove you'll be responsible' thing.
âAnd those other two should be joining up soon,â Jim remembered.
âTwo more?â Steve asked, eyebrows climbing on his face to imagine their group growing even further.
âYeah, we brought them over but couldnât really seat them on a commercial flight, for obvious reasons. Dmitri and his son Mikhail.â Joyce explained.
âMikhail? You donât think thatâll be confusing?â Mike wondered.
âWould you prefer we left them to the Soviets where Dmitri wouldâve been hunted down and executed for defecting because you and his son sort of have similar names, Michael?â Murray questioned.
Joyce dismissed,â He doesnât even go by Mike. So, as long as you didnât decide to give 'Mikhail' a try, we should be fine.â
âSo we actually have Russian friends now?â Robin asked.
âJust the two. Yuri was a bastard, so we didnât invite him along. But Dmitri and his son were good. He was the only reason we knew Hop was alive and in Russia, and heâs sticking the thing out with us now that heâs fought the same monster and wants to retire to small-town America. And his kid was a little quiet, but we did snatch him up in a sudden helicopter ride, so I think he was just shy. Anyway, we got them to America, and I handed off my car to them in California with directions on a map on how to get here so we could help them get set up.â
âHow were you planning to pass off heavily-accented, eastern Europeans as just simply 'the new guys in town'?â Erica pressed.
âYou donât know how strong their accents are.â Murray pointed out.
âYou telling me no oneâs gonna notice the voices of Mother Russia?â she asked back.
âOkay, they have pretty unmistakable accents, but whatever. We can make up some shit about them being double agents in witness protection or something.â Jim grumbled.
âRiiiiiiight, because people in Hawkins are so understanding and respectful of each otherâs privacy.â
âOkay, from what Iâve heard, the town is clearing out anyhow. Whoeverâs still kicking around can just deal with it.â
There was a little bit more chatter as they finished catching everyone up. Eventually, the moms decided it was time to return home, but they ended up agreeing to a real sleepover at Steveâs, now that they knew what their kids went through. It seemed like letting them spend time together, where they got to keep an eye on each other and know that no one was in danger, was something they just couldnât say no to. So the three of them headed off into the night with the understanding that theyâd be coming back to Steveâs with Erica and Lucasâs parents in the morning to explain it all to them too. And once everyone was together, they'd figure out a strategy for taking out Vecna. Once and for all.
They couldn't do it that night though. So everyone got ready to wind down.
The California crew changed into their newly delivered pajamas, and Claudia made the rounds to everyone's house before dropping off things for the locals. Meanwhile, Steve was getting room assignments figured out. The kids, again, banded together to camp out in the living room with plans to doze off to The Sound of Music. Steve was walking Hopper, Joyce, and Murray up the stairs to show them around the house. Seeing as Joyceâs house was in California, Hopperâs cabin was in shambles, and Murrayâs place was in Illinois, theyâd all be joining them in the now slightly packed Harrington house. He was in the process of offering the master to Joyce and Hopper since they were an item now and bringing up showers.
âJoyce mentioned you guys didnât have time to stop and clean up, so I can grab you all some towels and leave you to the bathrooms.â
Jim looked over the moon to think about it,â Oh, kid, you donât even know how long Iâve been looking forward to a real, hot shower-â Then he suddenly stopped and grabbed Steveâs shoulders with wide eyes,â Wait- Steve.â
âYes?â he asked.
âYouâre rich people,â he said, asserting the fact without any further context.
Steveâs expression turned more confused,â Yes?â
âDo your parents have- have one of those- those tubs with the- with the-â
âThe jets?â Steve figured,â Yeah, they have a jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom.â
âOh my god-â Hopper pulled Steve into a just short of crushing hug and smacked a surprising kiss to his forehead before nearly running down the hall, calling back," Joyce! Weâre taking the dibs on the master! I LOVE RICH PEOPLE!â
Which was⌠Okay, was there something in the water? Because everyone kept hugging Steve, and he wasn't entirely opposed to it, but geez, itâs not the level of daily physical contact heâs used to.
Besides that display, Joyce followed in with their bags, and Steve showed Murray to one of the guest bedrooms to make himself at home. Steve went back downstairs to see the kids throwing around even more pillows and blankets and just about beating them into submission to get themselves settled and comfortable for the movie.
Steve took a vote for popcorn and ended up juggling four big plastic bowls of the stuff back into the living room. He passed them out and noticed Robin and Nancy looking over something together while Jonathan and Argyle whispered and glanced over at Argyle's bag. He thought nothing of it until, as he was trying to retake his seat by Robin for the movie, she and Nancy stood up. Said they were going to âbe right backâ before they broke for the dining room. Then the other two split off right after, presumably to get stoned.
All of this left Steve, once again, so very outnumbered by a bunch of children.
âAlways the babysitterâŚâ he groaned as he tugged on the blanket Erica was hogging.
âThen be a good babysitter and sit quietly. Itâs starting,â she shot back, like the little spitfire she was, but she let them share the blanket anyway as the opening credits rolled over landscape shots of the Swiss Alps and the orchestra faded in.
The two California boys ended up sitting in the grass against the side of Steveâs house, just out of the view of the street or any neighbors. Argyle was sparking up a joint for them to pass, no longer worried about running out since his MamĂĄ Isadora was nice enough to throw in his stash with his clothes. He thanked his lucky stars all the time that she was so into the flower power, peace and love stuff of the 70âs when he was younger. It was nice that she just understood that kind of stuff with him.
But right now, Jon was the one he needed to reach an understanding with. Because heâs been biting his cuticles down to the quick ever since they crossed the Indiana state line. So, once he got the joint started and took his own drag, he handed it over to his best friend and looked up at the stars. Letting a comfortable silence fall around them just long enough for Jonathan to take a deep inhale and get resolved to reach a blissful marijuana haze. Once he committed himself to getting it, he'd be cornered until they got there.
A winning strategy to make sure he couldn't escape.
âAlright, brochacho, whatâre you doing right now?â Argyle asked, looking over at Jonathan as he let out a puff of smoke.
Jonathan looked back, confused, and handed over the joint,â What do you mean?â
Argyle let him stew in the question for a second as he took his turn before giving it back and reiterating,â With Nancy. Whatâre you doing with Nancy?â
âI-â he hesitated to take the blunt being handed back as he tried to deny it,â Iâm not doing anything.â
âAnd thatâs the problem,â Argyle proclaimed.
And he looked serious about what he was saying, which Argyle didnât do often. So Jonathan tried to avoid his eyes. Rolled his own and looked away to ask,â How could that be the problem?â
âWeâve been in your hometown for over 24 hours now. Right?â
âAnd?â
âAnd you havenât talked to her. Not once, one-on-one.â he pointed out,â Which you kinda have to do to tell her youâre going to Lenora Community.â
Jonathan waved around his hand as he searched for a usable excuse,â Weâve all been busy with the group, and always with the whole group, and there just hasn't been time to-â
Argyle cut through his fumbling with ease,â Youâre avoiding her, man.â
Jonathan took another draw and locked his eyes on the blade of grass tickling his ankle,â That such a bad thing to do?â
âItâs only gonna get worse the longer it takes to talk to her. You need to tell her you didnât apply to Emerson.â
He tried to explain,â I- I was already floundering with how I was supposed to say it before. And that wouldâve just been over the phone-â
âOver the phone wouldn'ta been right anyway,â Argyle threw in, not that Jonathan was really listening.
â-But how am I supposed to just spring this on her now? Right to her face, in the middle of this bullshit Upside Down stuff? And then - after it all blows up and Iâve hurt her - then weâre all just going to go back to California, and itâll look like Iâm running away from the train wreck I caused. Just leaving her behind because Iâm not man enough to deal with the fact thatâŚâ
That he didn't feel like he was worth Nancyâs time to keep trying. Jonathan was all messed up right now, and he couldnât seem to pull himself together, and he just couldnât saddle Nancy with that job. He wouldn't. It wasn't fair to her. He cared about Nancy. Still loved her, in some way. But it wasn't⌠wasn't how it should be. And he was making it worse every day.
He took another hit, beating himself up in his head and seeming to forget his manners when it came to their puff, puff, pass now that Argyle was making him stop and think too much.
âYeah, itâs gonna suck. But you canât pretend like itâs not happening.â Argyle told him firmly,â She deserves to know that sheâs headed to Boston alone, and you deserve to not look like youâre gonna blow chunks every time youâre in the same room because you're so guilty over it.â
Jonathan finally looked back over at him, lifting up his hand to admire the joint and ask,â Canât we just keep smoking Purple Palm Tree Delight? Eventually, make the problems actually blow away like the seed pods of a dandelion?â
Argyle took it from his fingers and assured him,â Itâs pretty incredible, dude, but not that powerful. Itâll make it feel like they have for a few hours, but youâre always gonna sober up, and the problemâs still gonna be there. Pushing it off will only make it suck even more.â
âI know youâre right. But-â Jonathan tried to argue.
But Argyle kept going,â I already told you, back in Lenora, that you canât keep lying about it. And now I know your crew of little dudes has a catchphrase about how âfriends donât lieâ. Seems like you know what you gotta do. Even if you and Nance are hitting the rocks, you should be a good friend and be honest with her about it. Before sheâs in the car driving up north thinking youâve abandoned her outta nowhere.â
Jonathan rubbed his hands down his face and nodded into them,â I know. I know, youâre rightâŚâ
âThat it? Or you gonna try and squeeze another âbutâ in there?â Argyle got the sentence out without breaking the moment by laughing, but just barely. He definitely smiled to himself at the phrase âsqueeze another âbuttâ in thereâ.
âThatâs it,â he admitted,â Youâre right. I need to break up with her. Sooner rather than later.â
Argyle clapped him on the shoulder and held back out the joint as his reward,â Good boy, Jonny.â
âCanât do it tonight though.â
He shrugged against him,â Tonightâs practically over anyway. And you did good making the decision and saying it out loud. We can lose ourselves to the Purple Palm Tree Delight for now, but donât let yourself get all swept up in things that you keep pushing it off again.â
âYeah. Iâll do it.â Jonathan smiled a second before adding,â I know youâll keep hounding me if I donât anyway.â
âYou know I will.â Argyle agreed with a self-satisfied smile and a ruffle to Jonathanâs hair.
They ended up staying outside together for a while. Enjoying the easy bliss that the bud draped over them. They were probably out there close to an hour before they decided it was too chilly and went back inside to watch the movie. The girls, however, were not doing something as simple as they were. Instead, Nancy and Robin collected themselves back in the dining room where Nancy unpacked her purse of the notebook, loose papers, and sticky notes into the table.
âSo you said you were working on an article?â Robin asked.
Nancy nodded as she sorted through all the bits of her work so far,â Yeah, the one I was starting before all of this happened. I figured, even if itâs not the same one I was planning to write, I could still put something together. Just, less about the murders as a mystery, and more about Eddieâs innocence of them. You know?â
Robin was following the idea well enough, but Nancy just poured a ton of disorganized chaos in front of her, so she wasnât really sure where to look,â Annnnd, this is what you have to work off of?â
âWell, itâs a rough idea right now.â she excused,â Over here, I have my interview notes from Wayne before we knew what was going on, and these pages have a couple of ideas on how to organize and frame the story, and - well, obviously we canât talk about Upside Down stuff - so Iâm still trying to decide how much of our story with the police I can use. Without making the whole thing just look like a story drummed up by a group of teenagers. Which is what it is, at the end of the day, so I keep trying to find a way to distinguish it. Other sources, or just something to make it seem more solid. More reliable.â
âAnd you want my help on it?â Robin clarified.
Suddenly it struck Nancy that maybe they werenât friends enough for her to have asked Robin to do this for her,â Is that weird? Iâm sorry-â
âNo, no. Not weird.â Robin assured her,â I just- Iâm not on the school paper, so I donât- I donât know how helpful Iâll be with the whole journalism thing.â
Nancy went just a little rigid at the question. She didnât meet Robinâs eyes for a bit. Instead, she fiddled with the papers in front of her as she explained,â Freddieâs already gone. I saw Tonya on the missing personâs board at the high school. And Mary Pat was getting into her parent's car with half a dozen suitcases when I was leaving the hospital. I could try to track down Markus, Amelia, Lucy, Elijah, or Christina, I guess⌠But they donât know the truth, so Iâd be spending half the time brainstorming just trying to keep my mouth shut, all while having to convince them Eddieâs even a good guy in the first place-â
Then Nancy took a breath and looked at Robin again,â But you already know those things. And I know youâre smart, so Iâm sure youâd be a lot of help while we work on this and⌠I donât know. I thought, if we put together something good enough and published it, we might be able to help Eddie get out from under everything. At least in the eyes of the people of Hawkins.â
And Nancy still looked like she was asking. Still unsure that Robin would be willing to help her out on this even though theyâve teamed up on both Dr. Hatch and putting together the original cover story. So Robin smiled and gave a joking,â And weâre friends, so Iâm obviously going to help you.â
Which pulled a grin onto Nancyâs face as she quipped right back,â Yeah, I was kinda banking on that part too.â
âAlright,â Robin clapped her hands together and surveyed the papers before them,â So besides Wayne pointing the finger at the Creels, heâs also a character witness, like the boys are.â
âYes, and I can use that, but I need more than just super biased quotes to pull from.â
âWell, the people who are most convinced that Eddieâs the devil are the ones fleeing the county. So we only need to put together enough of a story to assure the people who are still here and on the fence.â Robin hummed to herself,â Um⌠what about teachers? Do we know any teachers that particularly liked Eddie? Thatâd be a little less personal and credible.â
âHe was in band and drama. We can reach out to both directors and see if theyâd be willing to say something good about him.â
âAnd what about Steve?â Robin suggested.
âSteve?â Nancy had no clue what Robin was doing bringing him into it.
âWell, the guyâs pretty famously not the kind of person whoâd be tight in Eddieâs social circle, right?â she began to explain,â So a statement from him about what happened while we were all out there, itâd look better than one from the kids. Or from you being a Hellfire kidâs sister. Mr. Well-Known and Popular taking center stage to say even heâs sure Eddie didnât do anything.â
âYeah, something from Steve could help.â Nancy agreed.
âIs there anything else you mightâve not thought of yet?â
âWell,â Nancy considered,â Something that we didnât have before, but have now⌠is Jim Hopper. If we re-introduce Hop back into the town soon and get a quote that he looked at the case and his gut says itâs not the Munson kid, heâd be a pretty official source.â
Robin seemed to brighten up seeing Nancy come up with something even though she seemed stuck a moment ago,â See. Pretty damn well. Despite a few I-donât-knowâs.â
âWe still donât know if itâll work.â Nancy tried to remind her.
But Robinâs belief in Nancy was pretty unshakeable,â Well, by my count, thatâs a few character statements, an inside peak from semi-heroic Steve Harrington, long lost chief Hopperâs opinion on the official report, and once the police department drops the charges⌠If I was reading something with all of that, Iâd be pretty convinced. Youâre a genius, Nancy, bask in it.â
âIt happens to be a lot easier when I have you tackling the problem with me.â Nancy tried to share the praise.
âOh, please,â Robin waved her off,â Iâm just stoked I get to help Nancy Wheeler write the most important newspaper article to come out of this town.â
âOkay, a triple murder that preceded a natural disaster is probably the biggest thing to officially happen in Hawkins,â she had to admit,â But itâs still just the school paper. Itâs not like Iâm the editor at the Hawkins Post or anything.â
âDoesnât matter. When Emerson sees you, Nancy Wheeler, reporting live with the first inside scoop, they are going to beg you to run your own class up there.â
She rolled her eyes at the other girl and teased,â Oh really?â
âAbsolutely. Theyâll be almost as amazed as I am and throw a degree at you as soon as you step on campus.â Robin sat back while Nancy shook her head at her,â What? You think Iâm expecting too much of them?â
And Nancy couldn't stop the giggle rising in her chest, nor the automatic âYouâre an idiot, Robin Buckleyâ that slipped out of her.
âYou just said I was smart!â Robin tried to dispute.
âMaybe, but you can still be an idiot too.â Nancy continued to huff until her cheeks her red. She fanned them off when theyâd settled down a bit and reached over,â Here, take a pen and help me start drafting this thing. And if you can come up with a snappy, eye-catching title, thatâd be helpful.â
Robin pulled out her extra gravely, spooky narrator voice and offered,â Eddie Munson: More Man Than Monster!â
âAlliteration is not the only requirement.â
Next, she buzzed through,â We Know You Think Heâs A Serial Killer With Demon Powers, But Heâs Just A Dorky Guy, And Jasonâs The Crazy One!â
âI said snappy, Buckley! That's way too long! Come on, gimme something I can work with!â
âIâll come up with something! Let me think on it a minute.â
They sat at the table working on it together all the way until Maria ran away from the von Trapps and the intermission started. At that point, all the kids ran off for bathroom breaks, and the girls took the hint it was about time to join them and wind down for the night. By then, Jonathan and Argyle had already returned, and Hopper had made himself comfy, looking like he was ready to doze off right there.
Steve stood up and took all the bowls of popcorn, empty except for the remaining un-popped kernels, into the kitchen to dump out and clean up. When he was focused on this task, Joyce mustâve wrapped up her shower and snuck up behind him. Somehow just suddenly coming up behind him with a kind of serious and gentle energy that said she had something to talk to him about.
âHi, honeyâŚâ she already sounded like she had a specific thought on her mind she was getting to.
âHi, are you both getting settled in fine?â he thought to ask while he scrubbed away popcorn butter with a soapy sponge.
âOh, I wouldnât be surprised if Hop just conks out on that couch, so yeah, Iâd say so.â she gave a small laugh at the thought.
âThatâs good.â was all he could come up with when he realized he didnât have anything else to stall with until he finished the dishes.
âUm, Steve?â
âYeah?â
She took a step closer to him,â Is there any reason I had to wipe some dust off the bedside table?â
Shit.
He tried to excuse it,â I shouldâve cleaned that up before you guys got here-â
âHoney,â she interrupted him with a soft voice,â How long has it been since your parents have been home?â
Right. That⌠that makes sense to ask, given the evidence she found. Great. Great, great, great. How does he get out of this without just spewing a few obvious lies?
âIt hasnât been that long.â he tried anyway.
Joyce made a face like she wanted to wince,â Itâs dust⌠It takes a while to collect like that.â
It does, doesnât it? Yeah. Of course, it does.
Steve tried to sound casual, like it wasnât a big deal, and he was just tossing the numbers around to remember how long itâs been exactly,â I guess⌠itâs been about three months.â
âWait- youâve beenâŚâ Joyce looked heartbroken for him,â Were they even home for Christmas?â
He shrugged and moved on to the last bowl, hoping he could finish it up quickly,â Itâs fine. You know, Robin came over every day that week, and we watched all of our favorites. We had a good time. Even ended Christmas Eve with Itâs A Wonderful Life before I drove her home so-â
âSteve. Iâm so sorry.â
âYou didnât do anything wrong.â
âI wish Iâd known.â she insisted.
âWhy?â he couldnât help but ask. Because, really, why should she have? Joyce didnât owe him a proper Christmas. He wasnât her kid to take care of. And it wouldn't have done anyone any good anyway,â What would've been the point in making you sad in Lenora?â
She didnât have an answer for him. At least not immediately. But after he put down the bowl on the drying rack and looked at her to try and pass back into the living room, then she spoke up,
âYou know, we havenât really talked it through as a family yet - the familyâs changing, and there hasn't been a second to consider it - but I think weâre going to decide to move back over here. To Hawkins. Once everything resolves.â
âThatâll be nice. For all the kids to get to go to school together again, I mean-â
But Joyce continued,â I bring it up because - I know itâs quite a ways away still - but Iâd like to invite you to our house for Christmas this year. If your folks are gone again, and you donât have family to spend it with.â
Oh.
She didnât want to pressure him, so she added,â You donât have to if youâd be uncomfortable or anything. I just wanted you to know youâd be welcome at our dinner table and around our tree, even if itâs smaller than what you might be used to-â
âNo. No, that soundsâŚâ he struggled with how to describe exactly how warm and fuzzy the invitation made his chest feel, but he settled on,â That sounds really nice. I, uh, really appreciate the thought, Joyce. I donât know whatâll happen in nine more months, but-â
âNo, of course, itâs still really far away-â
âBut Iâd like to. Join your household for Christmas.â he decided anyway.
A soft smile came to her face,â Then, I hope Iâll get to see you if your parents arenât able to-â
âWould it be okay if I showed up anyway⌠even if they were in town?â he was a little shy to ask, but honestly, even if his mom and dad were there, heâd rather go somewhere where it'd actually feel like Christmas.
âOf course, sweetheart.â she assured him, reaching up to set a comforting hand on his shoulder,â Any reason at all, youâre always more than welcome to come by. When we arenât already borrowing your home, that is.â
âOkay.â he nodded,â Thank you, Joyce. I-â
âSteve!â Dustin yelled from the living room,â Are you trying to miss the Baronessâs horrible attempt at parenting or something?!â
Joyce smiled wider, in that warm way that moms always seemed to in movies, and told him,â We should probably head in to join them.â
âYeah. Probably.â he agreed.
They ended up all together in the living room as the last hour and a half of the movie played through. By the end of it, the kids had fallen asleep, including El, who was cuddled up on top of her snoring dad. Joyce went back up to the master bedroom, and Murray went for the guest room he was set up in. Nancy headed for the other while Robin welcomed herself to Steveâs room since he was passed out in the pile.
Maybe an hour or so after the movie finished though, he blinked his eyes back open to realize heâd fallen asleep in the first place. Erica ended up using his lap as a pillow, so it took him a few minutes of very slow and careful movements to get out from under her head before he was able to break for the stairs and try to get some sleep in an actual bed. Instead of a car seat and sofa cushion, of course.
Lo and behold, he opens his door to see Robin all spread out like a starfish under his covers. He couldnât help but roll his eyes as he crossed the room and had to shove over her limbs to try and squish himself into bed.
âHey. Doofus. Itâs rude to wake a sleeping lady,â she mumbled half-asleep to him, most of it went right into the pillow.
âItâs rude to steal a guyâs bed and spill all his secrets.â he fired back.
âYou fell asleep on the couch, I didnât want a sore back,â she rolled over a bit so she was speaking more clearly.
âI had a crazy morningâŚâ he groaned.
With that, Robin seemed to wake up just a bit,â What do you mean 'crazy morning'? Explain.â
Steve felt the familiar urge to clam up, the warning to not be vulnerable, but he always knew he could ignore it when it was Robin he was with,â My dad called. Got an earful. Kinda went off on some junk cars and shit after.â
She turned over enough to look at him,â You okay?â
âYeah.â
âYou want to-?â
âNah. Iâm tired, Rob. Just wanna go to sleep.â he looked back at his ceiling and mumbled,â But weâll find some time to run off and talk about it later. That and what we're doing about Vickie.â
"Dingus," she shoved him before snuggling herself in a little closer,â Sorry I told so many of your secrets today.â
âItâs fine.â he sighed and looked back at her,â You spilled a few of your own too, so I guess itâs sorta even.â
She grinned at him,â A few.â
âBut not all of them.â
She closed her eyes and hummed for a moment before nodding along,â Nope. Not all of them. Iâm a girl who likes to keep an air of mystery about her, you know.â
âThat why didnât even bring up the other reason why you like âDancing Queenâ so much?â he asked.
There was a pause after the question before Robin spoke in a voice rich with the sound of her smile,â I haven't the faintest clue as to what you're referring to.â
âYouâre telling me itâs not even a little bit because we spent your seventeenth birthday together?â he dared her to deny it.
Her voice hiked a pitch higher as she feigned confusion,â We did?â
âOh, yeah,â he squished in closer behind her and reminisced,â Little over two weeks after Starcourt burned down when you were still so freaked out about joining the end of the world club that you didnât even want to celebrate? You were all âwhatâs the point of anything- nothing is safe- how do I live life as a normal person anymore- I canât handle this-â all the time. So I convinced you to come with me, and I snuck you into a club over an hour away the night before. You were stammering the whole ride over that you werenât even eighteen yet - not even seventeen yet, technically - so there was no way theyâd let you in. But I managed it anyway. And I even got the DJ to play your favorite song for you, right at midnight. So you got to be the Dancing Queen the second you became seventeen. What? That didnât have anything to do with that at all?â
âThat happened?â she tried again.
âYouâre so stupid.â he playfully shoved her messy head of hair on his pillow,â You didnât even let me sneak you a drink, so I know you remember it.â
âMaybe I do. Sue me for trying to keep a few of our secrets just our own.â
âNever.â he hummed as he shimmied to try and get comfortable. Ended up laying his arm over Robinâs waist when a thought occurred to him,â You know this is gonna cause so many rumors, right?â
She gave a melodramatic gasp and cried,â Steve and Robin! Sharing a bed! What ever might they do?!â
He played along with her theatrics,â It couldnât be⌠theyâll⌠fall asleep!â and then he squeezed his arm around her tighter for effect.
âYouâre such a dork,â she told him.
âNo, Iâm not. Youâre all the dorks. Lucas, Max, and I are the cool ones.â
âSure, sure. You keep telling yourself that.â she reached over her shoulder to pat his head.
âItâs the truth-â
Then she smeared her hand down his face,â Sssshhhhhhhhh, Stephen, my sweet summer child, shut up and let me sleep.â
âIâm older, and I was born in winter-â he tried to correct her, but she was smooshing his lips around before he could finish.
âSsssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhâ
He had to shake his face to get her to back off,â At least scoot over, Rob. Youâre hogging all the bed space.â
âDonât be afraid of some cuddles.â
âIâm not, but weâre already spooning, and my ass is hanging off the mattress. Now scoot.â
It took a few more minutes for them to get themselves situated, but once they did, Steve and Robin both felt safer than they had all week.
They fell asleep like that. Robin all wrapped up in Steveâs arms. They both ran warm though, so theyâd most likely end up kicking each other away as the night went on, but that was just par for the course with them. Itâs still a little crazy to him that he has someone he cares about enough to hold, and itâs not some romantic thing. All of the touch he got to have in the past has come from romance. But when itâs the two of them, it didnât have to be about that. He can just love someone without all the other stuff.
It was nice. Simple. Easy.
Steve Harrington seems to be learning a lot about non-romantic love those days. The way he was with the kids, his platonic bond with Robin, all these Hawkins moms showing him what familial ties to their kids can look like, even extending some of it to him⌠He did wish he could get a handle on the romantic kind too, seeing as he felt like he was completely losing interest in it no matter who he was with. But at the end of the day, the non-romantic stuff was pretty nice too.
Those were the kind of thoughts that carried him off to sleep. Robinâs were of a similar vein. Appreciating her best friendâs snarky remarks and comfortable arms as she drifted off. But her mind circled who else sheâd like to share a nap with someday. She had thoughts of Vickie, of course. Funny thing is, Vickie wasnât the only one she consideredâŚ
But that was a secret she wouldnât dare speak of.
The rest of the night was nice. Uneventful. No monsters or phone calls. And when they woke up in the morning, just as was expected, they were both nearly pushed off of the bed by the other in a tangle of limbs and sheets. What they hadnât expected was the smell of cooking wafting up from the kitchen.
Because Hopper took it upon himself to make breakfast.
God, he was such a dad. A good dad. For a house of way too many kids with shitty dads, he was a good dad.
Robin and Steve shoved against each other as they woke up and muddled their way downstairs, and it didnât take long for everyone to have gathered to eat. Jim wasnât very thoughtful about being quiet. The sound of pans on the stovetop wasn't gentle, it was time for everyone to wake up already anyhow. Seeing everyone with bed heads and sleepy eyes around the table was pretty fun. They all ate the array of bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, and eggs as Jim whipped them up.
Wasnât too much later that there was some knocking on Steveâs front door. The five parents were each equipped with a mug of coffee and welcomed into the living room to discuss⌠everything. Again. It went just about the same as it had with the moms the night before. But this time, Nancy was sure to get all their favorite songs, too.
Karen has apparently always loved Olivia Newton-John and had a particular attachment to âI Think Iâll Say Goodbyeâ. Claudia got stuck between something by The Pointer Sisters or Billy Joel. It was Dustin who said that, because she was borderline in love with Billy, something of his was the safer bet. So she decided on 'Just the Way You Are'. Susan could only think of Cyndi Lauperâs âTime After Timeâ because of how much Max played it after the Snow Ball. Sue always used Diana Ross songs for her kids' lullabies, âReach Out Iâll Be Thereâ was her favorite. And Charles always insisted that the song they played for the first dance at their wedding was the best in the world, Stevie Wonderâs âMy Girlâ.
When everyone was settled on the situation most of the kids said theyâd head home with their own parents in a bit, except for Lucas who went ahead and rode to the hospital with Steve before they all split off. The two wanted to check on the patients, of course. Susan had to work, but they promised her theyâd call if anything happened or after she got off to tell her how Max looked. The boys walked fast past the cameras and got checked in to visit with Max and Eddie before they broke off into the opposite rooms with a plan to check in around lunchtime and eat together if there wasnât any change in eitherâs condition.
So Lucas went into Maxâs, and Steve turned into Eddieâs room and greeted him as he sat down.
âSorry, Iâm late today. Planned to show up on time, at eight, but those kidsâ parents are so talkative. Honestly, youâre lucky youâre missing out on all the discussion thatâs happened at my place in the last twelve hours. Turns out every parent in the midwest wants to be on the apocalypse squad. Anyway, sorry I was late. Iâm here now for whateverâs on tv today.â
Steve was trying to relax and sit still. He honestly was. But it sucked. Everything sucked, and there was nothing good to watch, so he stood up practically every ten minutes to flip back through the channels on the hospital cable. He sort of wished he was the kind of guy who liked reading. Lucas seemed to enjoy reading that book to Max. They talked about it on the drive over. Lucas was apparently doing different voices for each character and everything. Making a show of it for her. It was sweet.
Steve couldnât do something like that.
On what was probably his tenth time switching around the channels, he heard something. Something like the sound of fabric moving around a little. And it came from behind him. Where Eddie was.
He turned around, but Eddie wasnât making any noise. Didn't look like he was stirring. But his face mightâve looked a little different. Like his expression had shifted, just a little bit.
Steve abandoned the unentertaining tv set, carefully sitting back down in the bedside chair,â Eddie?â
And there it was. A scrunch of Eddieâs nose and a sound that made the whole world seem brighter.
âMmmmâŚâ
Thatâs all it was. A low, grumbling hum. But it meant he was back. Eddie was back, and they didnât lose him. Steve didnât fail in getting him back soon enough.
Steve leaned forward,â Hey, hey, you coming to?â
Eddie didnât even open his eyes as he groaned,â Was I dreaming, or were you kissing on me last night, Harrington?â
The comment pulled what Steve would call a stupid smile across his face, but he smiled all the same. He canât be too messed up if heâs cracking jokes, right? He rolled his eyes at the other and said, in a purposely somewhat stuck-up tone,â Itâs called performing CPR, Munson, and it was not last night, for the record. But a nurse can tell you all about that, so Iâll go get-â
Eddie turned his head over and opened his eyes to look at Steve, quickly interrupting him with,â Well, I canât have been out too long. I see youâre still working on those whiskers, same as I last saw âem.â
Heâd tried to motion towards Steveâs face, only to find he didnât get very far with the cuffs. Not what a guy likes to wake up to. At least not in this condition.
âGod forbid anyone tries anything around here.â Steve huffed, but sat up to pour some water from the plastic pitcher into the cup with the straw and wordlessly held it up for Eddie to take a sip,â Itâs been a couple of days. Four days exactly. Four days since you tried to pull that stupid hero stunt.â
After a gulp to wet his whistle, Eddie let go of the straw and shook his head,â Stupid hero stunt? Nah, that doesnât sound like me. I thought we agreed on that.â
âYeah, I thought we did. I said you and Dustin werenât allowed to do hero shit, and then look at the mess I find not even an hour later.â Steve sat back and put down the cup.
âOh, this? This wasnât hero shit.â Eddie said.
Steveâs eyebrow quirked up,â Really? It wasn't?â
âIt absolutely was not. Because - Iâll remind you - you said, and I quote, âDonât be cute or play hero.' And I agreed not to be a hero. So all thisâŚ?â
Steve let a small laugh slip out before he figured,â This was you being cute, you mean?â
Eddie thought for a second that heâd like to pull a lock of hair in front of his face to play coy. Maybe rattle off some kind of teasing response like âYou tell meâ or âDid it work?â But the chains pinning his hands to the bedrail insisted he went for a different tactic.
So, instead, he settled for a wolfish grin and a more confident kind of remark,â Hell yeah, this was me being cute, man.â
Steve shook his head in a way that vaguely reminded Eddie of when Wayne caught him trying to quietly strum his guitar past 3 am back in middle school. Wayne gently scorned him, told him it was a school night and the boy needed to get some sleep. Then he took the instrument and put it on top of the cabinets in the kitchen so he couldnât reach it. But he hadnât been mad. It was a kind of amused, faux-disappointment.
Anyway, itâs what Steve looked like as he said,â It was still stupid. You tried to leave a little early there, you know.â
Eddie shrugged and shifted a little in the bed,â Wasnât really trying to. Just thought the light at the end of the tunnel looked pretty nice ân all.â
âYeah, well maybe ignore it a little longer next time. I had kids sobbing all around me because you decided to stop breathing on the way here.â
âSorry âbout that. You think theyâll forgive me for it?â he looked over at Steve with pleading eyes.
âThey will when they see you talking again.â Steve started to stand up,â So, I should go get a nur-â
But then Eddie interrupted him again, and pretty sharply too,â Where are those gremlins at anyway? Canât believe Steve Harrington is the one bothering to come by this sick guyâs bed.â
Steve got quiet and relaxed back down in the chair.
âMax got hurt real bad, sheâs in another room. Hasnât woken up yet. The kids are with their families trying to figure stuff out. Plan the next move. Hawkins was hit with a lot, so itâs a bit of a shit show all over town. And weâre the crack team here to clean it up.â
âJesus, what happened?â
âYou donât remember?â he asked,â When the world started shaking, and everything went red while the ground split open?â
âOkay, that rings a bell. But, to be fair, I was bleeding out, man. Shitâs still a little bit fuzzy.â Eddie explained.
Steve nodded knowingly and said,â Which is why I keep trying to tell you that I should go get a nurse-â
âDo you have to?â Eddie cut in suddenly. And there was something behind the way he said it. Steve couldnât exactly pin it down, but he didnât just seem inconvenienced or disinterested.
âThey kinda need to look you over. Make sure there isnât anything else wrong with you, besides the loose screws.â
Eddie turned away a little, and got quieter,â The second you tell them Iâm up⌠itâs going to be a whole thing, isnât it?â
And Steve didnât have an answer.
âItâs going to get crazy, and everythingâs going to happen so fast, and itâs⌠gonna be scary, man...â
Thatâs what it was. Eddie looked scared. Steve could see it now. It wasnât like when Eddie was ranting and raving when heâd been freaked out before. This Eddie looked small.
âAnd once it starts, itâs not going to stop, so just - I donât know - keep wasting my time and tell me whatâs going on before they lock me in a cell and throw away the key,â Eddie asked him.
Steve tried to assure him,â They arenât going to-â
Eddie locked his eyes with Steve again,â Please? Let me have just a little bit longer?â
And Steve just couldnât say no. Seemed to feel that way a lot those days. Maybe he spends too much time with people whose lives suck so bad he just wants to give them whatever they want.
âA few more minutes. But then an actual, medical professional needs to make sure you wonât croak on us.â
âDeal.â
Steve leaned back in the chair and started,â Well, the Upside Down was trying to get into this side. In Hawkins, the ground split open and both sides were connected for a bit. The gate cut this huge âXâ across the city which was recorded as a huge earthquake. Like record-breaking magnitude getting reported on every news station kind of huge. I mean- City Hallâs gone, the General Hospital took damage, Library is about half rubble right now. Some of the trailers were completely destroyed, including half of yours, and a line was cut through some of the suburbs, not sure how many of those houses came apart, a few of the businesses downtown were demolished, and the others are all closed down anyway⌠And todayâs Monday, by the way, but theyâve got the high school set up as the relief center right now, so there are no classes youâre missing or anything. Like I said, shit show. Everywhere.â
âSounds like there are a dozen other things you could be doing if you wanted to then. Like resting up yourself. So whatâre you doing here? Didnât think my display, as incredibly cute as it was, woulda been enough to turn your head.â
âDonât flatter yourself, itâs just a lot quieter here than at my place.â Steve found himself brushing off the fact that he, in fact, had been pretty worried about Eddie the entire time.
âWhat does that mean?â
Moving right along, he scratched the back of his neck and admitted,â Uh, itâs a little packed back there right now.â
âWhy would your family come to Hawkins now for a reunion?â Eddie assumed.
âOh, no. Not my family. My folks are over in Washington right now.â And after he said it, he realized heâd just set himself up to explain a little bit more about his family life than he had originally planned to tell someone he just met officially less than two weeks before.
âWashington?â Eddie asked.
And yup, they were going to have this conversation it seemed. Hopefully, Steve can make him lose interest quickly enough,â Work. Work for my dad, at least. Momâs just with him to make sure he stays in line.â
And Eddie just looked at him all confused.
âStays faithful,â Steve hinted.
âOh. So who is in your house right now?â
âSome of the Byers. Jonathan, Will, and El. And a new guy, Argyle. They all showed up a few days ago. And then we got a shipment of homeless adults in last night too. Joyce and Hop and Murray - speaking of it, turns out Hop is way less dead than we thought. And all the kids crashed there, too. Our party loves sleepovers, it seemsâŚâ Steve was lovingly shaking his head when he noticed Eddieâs wide eyes on him,â What? Those people help save the world all the time. I wasnât going to just let them sleep on those stiff cots in the high school. Itâs a four-bedroom house, might as well put them all to use.â
âAnd youâre sure the Harringtonâs are fine with the fact that their son is passing out their keys like candy on Halloween?â Eddie asked doubtfully.
Steve thought to himself for a moment and admitted a truth he had been trying not to think too much about over the last few weeks,â I donât think theyâre really planning to come back to Hawkins after all this.â
âReally? Just a couple days and youâre already so sure theyâre done with this place...â
âWell, itâs beenâŚâ he hummed to himself, putting on an act like he had to actually think about it. Like his mind doesnât tally every morning he wakes up and his mom and dad are still gone. Like he doesnât already know he hasnât seen them for over,â Three months? Yeah, I guess that sounds about right.â
Heâd tried to make it seem like some casual thing, hoped he did a better job than he had in front of Joyce the night before, but Eddie didnât take it as something small,â Three months?â
âYeah, my dadâs a busy guy, and Iâm not a baby anymore. Once I graduated they wasted decidedly less time in Indiana.â
âThe town their kid lives in has a serial killer, faces the biggest earthquake the Midwest probably has ever seen, and they donât come home to check in?â Eddie pushed. While his parents were out of the picture, he couldnât even imagine Wayne letting him go even a week without seeing him, even if heâd graduated.
âYou give Mr. and Mrs. Harrington too much credit.â
âDamn. So youâre fucked up just like the rest of us, huh?â
âThe stars; theyâre just like you and me.â he ended the line with a wink.
âJesus. And, not to be self-centered and all about me or anything, but⌠how is the town with the wholeâŚ?â
âThe whole⌠suspecting you of serial murder thing?â Steve finished for him.
âYeah, thatâs the one. How are they doing with that?â
âWell, most people probably still think you did it. But, uh, weâre working on it. Well, Nance and Robin are leading the thing mostly. Itâs looking up, believe it or not. They have some strategy, and the cops seemed like they were leaning our way after we gave our statements. Theyâll need to take yours, too. But I think weâll get out of this.â he explained,â But if some guys with a camera crew try to talk to you, call a nurse and get them kicked out. Theyâve been crowding the front doors and trying to get into your hospital room for the last few days, apparently.â
âCamera crew?â he wondered, interest piquing.
âA news team from Indianapolis has been trying to do a feature on the âSatanic killings that opened a portal to hell in the super cursed small-townâ. And a few other fringe groups are looking to stake their big break on your sudden fame too.â
âSoâŚâ Eddie considered,â Youâre saying this is my chance to shoot to stardom? Quick, I need you to bring my sweetheart, an amp, and a mic. Help me land my career in the big leagues, Harrington.â
Steve stood up and placed a hand on Eddieâs cuffed wrist with a tight smile,â I absolutely will not.â
Eddie scoffed and tossed his head over at the betrayal.
He let go and started heading for the door as he continued,â I will, however, make sure a nurse comes in to look you over. Iâll also radio the kids and let them know youâre up. Youâre in for a storm of love, you know? Gonna get bruises from all the hugs, Iâm telling you.â
âYeah, yeahâŚâ Eddie called to him as he went into the hall.
And maybe Steve did originally intend to do the responsible thing and get a nurse immediately. But then he thought about Lucas. Someone who was right there already and deserved to see Eddie as soon as possible. So he just walked into the other room instead.
âHey Lucas, you wanna take a break?â he offered, hanging off the door frame for a second as he stepped inside.
âI donât need a break from Max. And we said noon, itâs not even eleven oâclock yet.â
âYou might not need it,â Steve agreed,â But thereâs something across the hall you might want to see.â
Steve thought to himself that part of the reason he wanted Lucas to see Eddie, wasnât even for Eddieâs sake. It was for Lucasâs. Because he needed to see someone come out of a coma before he convinced himself that Max never would. Steve needed to foster a little bit of hope wherever he could with these kids.
âWhat?â Lucas questioned.
And instead of dancing around the good news any longer, Steve let the smile break across his face as he told him,â Eddieâs awake.â
And Lucas all but shot up out of his chair,â He is?â
âYeah, he is. Iâll radio everyone else and let âem know, but since youâre already here, you can stop by if you want. As long as you call a nurse over after you two have a minute to catch up.â Steve made him agree to do it.
âYeah, yeah,â Lucas took a few steps toward him until he froze and looked back at Max,â Will youâŚ?â
âYeah, Iâll keep an eye on Mayfield.â Steve closed the distance between them and clapped Lucas on the shoulder,â Go ahead and try talking to someone whoâll answer for a bit.â
And so they switched places.
Steve sat down in the chair Lucas had been in and picked up the book he set on Maxâs sheets. He thought about maybe picking up where the kid left off, but set it back down and decided that wasnât his thing. His thing seemed to be waxing on emotionally to sleeping people. So he crossed his legs and set himself to try and convince Max to pull through. Even though they figured she wouldnât until Vecna was dealt with, he still wanted to try a little pep talk.
âCome on, Maxie. Youâre the last one now. Canât believe you let Munson beat you. Wouldâve bet good money you were a way faster little punk than he was. So⌠hurry up, alright. Iâve been told youâre supposed to go to a movie on Friday. Might be patching things up with a certain ex-boyfriend you shoulda never ended things with. I donât know what Friday youâll be aiming for at this point. But thereâs some cool stuff out right now, if you wait too long there might only be boring stuff screening. And we canât let you and Lucas get back together with a boring movie. I really would like to see you two happy together, you know? So you need a good one. Make this old man proud and snag him up before some other girl tries to steal him. But you gotta wake up to do that⌠so, I donât know, sucker punch Vecna or something and break out of this already. I think you can take him down. Way tougher than anyone else I know. Don't keep me waiting. We need you back.â
#I'M SORRY Y'ALL#I FORGOT TO POST THE UPDATE ON TUMBLR#THIS WAS ON AO3 WEEKS AGO#THAT'S MY BAD!!!#Anyway-#WE GOT THE BOY BACK! IT ONLY TOOK 90K BUT HE'S HERE FOR REAL NOW!!!#And he's flirting right out the gate#Next chapter is going to be all about the reunions so there will be lots of F E E L I N G S#This chap was the longest one so far and a BEAST to tackle. But by the end we got a lil Jargyle Ronance and Steddie all fit in#And Erica and Murray are mortal enemies my beloveds#And Robin and El are forging the unbreakable bond of being autistic girls together#And I'm roping these parents in to everything (and there may be a few hints for down the road stuff in their songs)#AND I'M BRINGING OUR RUSSIANS OVER! I HAVEN'T FOUND THEM IN A SINGLE FIC AND I'M TIRED OF IT!#And there are even a few MORE people I'm planning to get in by the final showdown - this will be Avengers Endgame kind of massive team up#And I also have big plans to write a Modern The Sound of Music Steddie AU after this one now bc I rewatched it for the few refs I threw in#I want to get this one most of the way finished before i start it though so i don't get side tracked. But it's coming.#Steve Harrington#Eddie Munson#Steddie#Steveddie#Steve x Eddie#Nancy Wheeler#Robin Buckney#Ronance#Robin x Nancy#The Fruity Four#Stranger Things#Stranger Things 4#Stranger Things 4 spoilers#Stranger Things 4 volume 2 spoilers
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A little rambling: on grief; and grieving a dog, a cat, an unborn child, and pieces of me that got hurt along the way.Â
2300 words under the cut.Â
Itâs a very gloomy day today. I donât usually mind; I like rain. But on a bad day, or a bad week, it only seems to insulate me in my own dark thoughts. Thatâs what today seems to be. Iâll work on fixing it later-- getting some exercise, sunlight if the clouds clear, making some tea. Shouldâve done that already, but I forgot. Ate half a banana, at least.Â
As Iâve complained about a few times lately, Iâve just not been doing especially well. When and why did it all start? Itâs hard to say, but this âunwellnessâ spell seems most potent starting April 11th (my anniversary, unfortunately, which is why I can remember it), when I came down with a gruesome stomach bug. Really havenât been feeling right since. Iâm really bad about being sick; it scares me and I handle it badly. I assume thatâs part of what has messed me up.Â
But grief is the other part, I think. Grief, and my being scared and worried that what caused it could strike again at any minute. Look, Iâm... 32 now, and Iâm sure that most people by this age have experienced profound loss. Iâm probably not unusual, and Iâm certainly not alone, but I think all the loss Iâve experienced is just piling up on me now, like there wasnât enough time to process the new fresh ones before newer fresher ones came on, and so now even the old tough scars are aching.Â
When I was a teenager, my parents died. They were old, and it was health problems. It was not a surprise, but that didnât make it easier to deal with in freshman year of high school. (What made it easier to deal with? Rabidly cleaning out the fridge and watching Lord of the Rings tapes the neighbors lent me. Thatâs all I did for three days after my mom died.) Itâs been a long time-- more than half my life ago-- and I do feel like Iâm âover itâ, but sometimes it just wells up, tears from nowhere. Maybe thatâs just how grief is.Â
A certainly had a good decade of my 20â˛s. I got married at 19, and had a pretty uneventful set of years. That felt normal to me. I do think, though, that the loss of my parents haunted me in that time, quietly. It influenced everything I did; it probably still does, if only because it changed the person I have become. But other than that, things were good, I think. My dog Roxy died two years ago, when I was 30, not long after I got back from seeing my siblings for the first time in ages. She was violently ill, and died right in front of us as we were getting ready to take her to the vet. I think Iâve written about it. In fact, the next day I wrote a depressing fanfic piece, certainly as a coping mechanism. (It made people cry, so, mission accomplished, I guess.) I think that helped a lot. A few months later, my in-lawsâ dog died too, while mom-in-law was on vacation, and that was rough as well. I wrote another sad fanfic about death. I really like both of these pieces, because they mean something, and theyâre very raw. Furthermore, Iâll always have them, as tokens for Roxy, Ginger, and the little pieces of me they crushed when they died. I donât know if the exchange is worth it, but itâs what I have.Â
My grief over Roxy was gentle, as time went on. It didnât bother me. I think Iâd processed it well. Iâd written out my feelings. I held her body in numb arms as my husband dug her grave. It was okay.Â
In early 2020, basically on my 31st birthday (and right as Covid was happening), I found I was pregnant. Long story short, those were the densest two months of my life, where everything seemed to change so quickly. My thoughts and feelings could fill so very many pages; this is not the place Iâll leave them. The point of this particular story is that it didnât work out. The baby âdiedâ not terribly unlike Roxy had-- violently ill, in front of me, with far too much blood. I passed out three times-- the real start of this current fearful nature, because I cannot overstate how very much I felt like I was going to die. I went to the ER; it was miserable, an ordeal I could say quite a lot about. I wonât, though. I have before, and I likely will again, elsewhere.Â
This... This grief... I think I still donât know what to do with it. I donât think I ever will. Months later, I started writing a fic to deal with my feelings, though it took 90k words and many months before I got to the part where I could really delve into my trauma. And it has helped, Iâm sure. Iâm really sure. And I care about this fic so much, because like the others it is raw and real and itâs something Iâd never have if not for my experience. Again, it may not be a fair trade, but itâs what I have.Â
I donât grieve for the baby. It didnât make it far enough to even have a heartbeat. It doesnât have a name, a gender. It doesnât have a grave. We let the hospital take care of it. But I still grieve. Iâm sad. Wrecked. I grieve what it could have been. I grieve the hope that was spent and lost on it, a precious resource that will take a long time to grow back, if ever. I grieve over not only my own disappointment, but my husbandâs, and my in-laws. Theyâve never pressured us to have kids, but theyâre in their 60â˛s now, with no grandchildren. I think they feel... lacking, in a way. I understand. I feel the same (though different). I wanted to give them that. I wanted to have that.Â
I still....?
I canât say. I donât know what I want. The event complicated my already complex emotions. Iâm still waiting for them to simplify. Maybe they will, or maybe they wonât.Â
I was alright for a while. Stressed enough because of Covid and familyâs declining health. Then in early April 2021, just a year after the miscarriage, I got badly sick. Gross, but not what most people would call a real issue. But only a year after the miscarriage, when my body betrayed me and I was at its horrid mercy, this felt like too much. Again I felt like I was going to die. A week of near delirious fever and nausea; Iâd have handled it badly enough in any other circumstance.Â
As expected, I got through it. A horrible week, but just a week (or so). And then my dog Tobi died, just days later.Â
This is it. This is the one I... Iâm speechless about. The one I... maybe havenât processed enough. I was just back from the edge of being badly, violently ill. I didnât have the energy to write, physically or emotionally. And that just made it worse. I love writing. Itâs my outlet (surprising, Iâm sure). I wanted to write. I thought I ought to write. I needed to write. But I couldnât. I couldnât muster the words. I still... canât.Â
Tobi was... my baby. Not literally, of course. I didnât conflate him with my lost child or anything. Tobi was 14. Iâd had him since I graduated high school and got an apartment. Adopting him was one of the first things my husband and I did as an established adult couple, before we were even married. He was there, at my wedding. The photographer took a cute picture of me holding him before the ceremony. He was 11 months old at the time. Still had all his brown spots before they turned tan, then later white. He was there; he was always there. He was my entire adult life. And now Iâve lost him, the pup I had longer than my marriage (though soon we will outlast him). He was the big brother to all my other pets. He practically raised all the cats, and they adored him. (Tobi was a chihuahua, so they might have thought he was just another cat.)Â
He was a sweet boy, who loved his mom and dad first and foremost. When he was little, he was scared of everyone else. Eventually he warmed up to strangers and friends, and in his old age he mostly liked to nap somewhere on his own. He was silly and playful; he always chased the cats when they wanted to be chased. It was a game they all loved.Â
The vet... well, we took him in when he started to cough badly. Heâd had a cough for a few months, but it wasnât constant and didnât seem to be affecting his quality of life much. But that day it was bad, so we took him. (We canât afford frequent vet visits, so this was clearly desperate.) The vet took him and put him on oxygen. We had to stay in the car because they werenât open for human guests. Then she came and told us a scan had revealed cancer, marbled through his lungs. He was suffocating. In fact, he wouldnât likely even make it home, not even the two mile drive. We had to put him down. My husband and I cried like babies. Weâd never put an animal down before. Generally speaking, we donât really âbelieve in itâ, if that makes sense. But faced with this situation, we had no choice.Â
I didnât see him again. I think thatâs the worst part, though it would have been equally bad to see him, I think. And it was all so sudden. He was playing and chasing the cats the day before. Begging for treats of human food. Barking at the Roomba. And then I had to pay hundreds of dollars to say goodbye to him. It felt so unfair. I cried all day. My husband and I, we just went home and laid down and wept.Â
But I still havenât written about it, not in the way that I wrote about the others. For all that I wrote here, it doesnât begin to encompass my deeper feelings on what it means that he is gone, and how I felt to have to make that decision. I have ideas. I think I know what I would write, if I could, but writing... still mostly eludes me. I may try. I probably should.Â
I take a deep breath. I know I should sum this up and take care of myself, but thereâs yet a little more to say.Â
I think Tobiâs death is a large part of what affects me still, but several weeks ago I had what I could only call a panic attack. In the middle of the night I awoke, my heart beating rapidly, a horrible feeling of dread like certainty that all I could possibly do was die. It took over two days for me to feel mostly normal again, and then I still felt vaguely nauseous for two weeks. Then, just a few days ago, it happened again, but this time before bed. I could feel it rising in me, this indescribable sickness. It took several days ago before I felt normal. And this is where I am now.Â
Sadly, a little while after the first panic attack, my husband and I failed to save a malnourished feral kitten. It was not a surprise, but yet one more reminder of the fragility of life, and how little I can do to keep death away from those I care about. This poor thing, it was so desperate to live, but nothing we could do could save it. I could have poured all my time into trying, could have scrounged up money to take it to the vet (when I should take my own cats, who all have colds), but I know better. I know... so much of the time, thereâs nothing you can do. And now Iâm trying to help what might be its siblings, a few cute feral kittens nearby. My favorite seems... a little lethargic, and not very interested in eating the wet food and meat scraps I sometimes bring by. I donât think thereâs anything I can do, if it ends up being sick, if it ends up being malnourished. I canât bring it inside when it could infect my own cats. I have to care for them first.Â
But knowing that it could die... it bothers me.Â
And knowing that I could die. I could die. Iâm too aware of that, on top of everything else. I hate doctors, so I never go. (Also Iâm poor.) This toothache? Could be a terrible abscess. My brother went to the ER for sepsis from an abscess tooth recently! Thatâs probably what caused the panic, to be honest. But then... why have I felt so week? Is there a problem with my blood? Am I sicker than I know? Do I have breast cancer? My grandma did, and I know I should get it checked out, but itâs just ONE MORE THING. Itâs always like that.Â
And thatâs... how I feel right now. Covered in âone more thingâs on rainy days and night-work schedules. Trying to take care of myself but not always knowing what that means. Lacking the inspiration to do the things I know I enjoy, because worry and apathy holds me back from everything.Â
Iâm okay. Really. No day of mine is ever entirely without merit, and I have plans to do most of the things that should keep me healthy. But the day is short when my needs and long, and the day is long when Iâm paralyzed by apathy.Â
So. Iâll just take it a moment at a time. And when I can, Iâll try to keep writing.Â
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Legally Ginger - Chapter 3 "What, Like It's Hard?"
Title: Legally Ginger Chapter 3: "What Like It's Hard?"
Rating: Teen (I'm sorry Ron and I are equally fond of the f word)
Summary: Based off the movie Legally Blonde. Ron makes the move to Boston but his Harvard career is off to a rough start.
Author Notes: I do want to caveat that not everyone who attends an Ivy League school is a snob so no offense to anyone that did; itâs just a fun romcom stereotype.
Additionally, I felt the need to address that it can be a bit scary for anyone to stalk someone across the country but particularly a man stalking a woman across country is historically problematic. Unfortunately, given it's basically the entire plot of this story, we can't completely avoid it. So remember, this is a fun thing in movies but a red flag in real life.
And yes, I do crib more from the movie on the curriculum. I did not attend law school and can use the help. So I bolded the language that was either verbatim or heavily cribbed from the movie.
Chapter title is a movie quote.
Thank you so much to adnei for all of the beta help and feedback!
I've been so excited to share this chapter with all of you and I think when you get to the end, you'll know why. Let me know what you think!
Link to AO3 or read more below.
âAll set then?â asked his dad, closing the back of the old Ford Escape Bill had passed off to him.
âI think thatâs all of it,â Ron agreed.
âWell, Iâll go get your mother then to see you off,â Dad said.
The twins and Ginny were standing on the curb, having already loaded the boxes they carried in the vehicle.
âWell, in two days, youâll be knocking on Astoriaâs door to find out if this crazy plan worked.â
Ron laughed. âNot exactly. Hopefully I run into her the first week.â
Georgeâs jaw dropped. âYou spent 90k of Murielâs cash and wasted the best party semester of your life to hope to run into her?â
He hadnât gone the entire spring semester without seeing Stori. Sheâd sought him out a few times for a bit of, as she put it, mutual stress relief, but refused to discuss anything further about their relationship. She had bid him a teary goodbye at their commencement ceremony, where he had been evasive about his post graduation plans.
âThe point was to be worthy of her, not scare her. Ginny, imagine you get drafted by the Red Stars and suddenly that douche you dated, Corner, is working there as the strength and conditioning coach. Youâd be freaked out.â
âItâs a good point,â said Ginny.
âLook, Iâll show up, Iâll get to know everyone, make my connections, and charm the professors. Sheâll know Iâm there without me ever telling her.â
âYou never faded into the background at CULA,â Fred agreed.
âIâll say hi if I see her but sheâll be knocking on my door by October,â Ron said confidentially.
âOh yeah?â Georgeâs voice was skeptical.
âYou didnât think Iâd make it this far,â pointed out Ron. âItâs⌠itâs got to work.â
Suddenly, he felt his confidence drop. Was this a stupid plan?
âBest of luck, bro,â said Fred, giving him a one armed hug.
âRegardless of everything⌠Ron, you got into Harvard. Harvard. Donât let them take that away from you,â Ginny said fiercely.
âYeah, yeah, you sound like Mom now,â Ron said, brushing her off before his cheeks could burn. âWhereâs she at? Iâm burning daylight here.â
âIâm right here,â said his mom, walking out the front door of the ranch home heâd grown up in, holding a cooler. âI have some sandwiches to at least get you through the first day on the road,â
âFirst hour maybe,â George scoffed.
âThanks Mom,â he took the cooler and stuck it in the car. When he turned back around, his dad had joined them again.
âWell, this is it,â he said awkwardly.
âOh⌠Ginny, go pack a bag and join your brother. Weâll buy you a plane ticket home. Or I can come along,â his mom blurted out, nervously twisting her hands.
âMom,â Ron groaned.
âMolly, heâll be okay,â his dad said gently.
âCall me once a day,â Mom said. âJust during the trip,â she added, when Ron started to object.
âOkay,â he agreed. He drew her into a hug.
After heâd said goodbye to each of them, he whistled. âPig, come on boy!â The pug ran across the yard and allowed Ron to scoop him up and put him in the passenger seat. He climbed into the driverâs seat and swallowed hard. Was this a big mistake?
âWeâre so proud of you, son,â his dad said.
âWeâll see you at Christmas?â his mom asked.
Ron didnât trust his voice so he just nodded and closed the car door. He started the vehicle and with one last wave, he backed out of the driveway.
**********************************************
Five days later, Ronâs alarm was blaring.
âWhat fucking time is it?â he muttered, slamming the sleep button. In response, Pig grunted and rolled over.
It had been four days of naps and showers at truck stops, coffee, Monster, and fast food but heâd arrived yesterday in order to get a decent nightâs sleep before todayâs orientation. He, however, had failed to calculate in the three hour time difference that combined with his driving fatigue, was wreaking havoc on his mind and body.
He sighed and went to a still packed box marked âclothesâ. He immediately groaned. His khakis were wrinkled as hell. Should have hung them in the bathroom last night when he showered to at least get a little help from the steam.
Luckily, he had a couple dress shirts in the garment bag with his sports coat and two suits. During his brother Percyâs summer visit, heâd used one of Ronâs rare free days to take him shopping. Percy had gotten some advice from a friend of his that attended the University of Chicago on law school attire and had insisted Ron needed at least three suits.
Ron, who was expecting that this whole thing would be wrapped up by spring, balked at the idea but finally agreed to one new suit to go with the one he already owned, a blazer, khakis, and a few polo shirts. He had shirts and tie combos from various formal and semi-formal events, but doubted heâd need much of it. Percyâs friend had said classes were business casual and while his golf shirts were comfortable enough, Ron really hoped that by the second week, everyone was wearing hoodies in class.
He finished getting ready and then grabbed Pigâs leash. âCome on boy,â he prodded the slumbering pug. âIf you donât go now, youâll be holding it all day.â
They walked the campus, enjoying the morning quiet. While it didnât give Ron the ease and sense of belonging CULA did, it was an impressive campus. For a moment, he wished heâd taken his mom up on the offer to come out with him - sheâd love to see this. He hated the loneliness he felt and was glad to see Pig do his business. Sooner he could get to orientation and meet some people, the better.
********************************
Orientation had been a mix of boring and interesting. Heâd slipped in right at the last minute and sat in the back row to ensure he went unnoticed if he were in the same group of students as Astoria. Luckily, he didnât notice her in the room. While he missed her terribly, he hadnât come this far to destroy his plans now, and running into her before classes even started was not the plan.
Now they had moved into the social mixer part of the evening, which he was delighted to see that unlike undergrad, law school mixers included booze.
âUh⌠you have anything local?â Ron asked the bartender.
âNothing craft but I do have Dogfish Head,â the bartender said.
âThatâll do,â Ron responded, sticking a dollar in the tip cup. Had Astoria accepted his proposal, maybe he would have pursued the Boston Beer job and heâd have cases of this stuff in their kitchen. The bartender handed him a glass full of his other life and he wandered over to a small group of people, chatting.
âHi, Ron Weasley,â he said sticking out his hand to the woman on his right.
âUh, hi,â she said, sounding surprised but not unfriendly. âLisa Turpin.â
âNice to meet you.â
âErnie MacMillan,â said a blonde man, standing next to Lisa. Ron shook his hand and then shook the hand of the man next to him who introduced himself as Jack Sloper.
âWe were just discussing undergrads,â Ernie said. âJack and I were both Princeton men, although I took a gap year in Europe so different classes. Lisa here was an Eli. How about you?â
Ron inwardly winced. This guy sounded so pompous. An Eli, really? Anyone who watched a few seasons of Gilmore Girls knew what that was. Ron took a deep breath. âWest coast here. I graduated from CULA.â
âThatâs a solid state school system,â said Ernie. It wasnât an insult, but when he said it, somehow it sounded like one.
âYeah, well, it got the job done,â he said, forcing his friendliest tone.
âWhat were your undergrad degrees in?â Jack asked the group.
âIâm afraid Iâm a bit of a stereotype. Political science for me,â Ernie chuckled.
âSame,â said Lisa. âAlthough I double majored in French.â
âI was a double major as well. Economics and Spanish,â Jack responded.
âThere just wasnât time for a double major while I was student body president, Iâm afraid,â Ernie said. âWhat about you, Ron?â
âUh, yeah, just the one major for me. Food science,â he said self-consciously.
âFood science,â Lisa repeated, her tone again not unfriendly but certainly not welcoming. Ronâs whole body stiffened.
âLike cooking?â asked Jack skeptically.
âNo, there are a few different concentrations but I was focused on food biochemistry and microbiology,â he explained.
âI think the only micro Iâm aware of with food is microwaves or microbrewing,â Jack said, letting out a condescending chuckle.
âActually, brewing was a big part of my internship last summer. I was at Anheuser-Busch working on their new sustainable brewing initiative,â he said.
âInteresting,â said Lisa. âErnie, where did you spend your time abroad?â
âI assume youâre interested in whether I spent any time in France, which I can assure you that I did.â
âI hope when you say France, you donât just mean Paris,â said Jack and Ron was glad to see his condescension focused on someone else.
Ernie laughed loudly in response. âOf course not.â
Ron took a big swig of his beer. This was going to be a long night.
***********************
Ron shifted his backpack as he carefully studied the room numbers next to each door. Everyone else looked so comfortable and confident and he wondered if all of his fellow students had mapped out their routes in advance of the first day of classes.
His eyes were so busy shifting from the left side of the hallway to the right that he failed to notice someone stopped right in front of him until he slammed into them.
âOoof,â he said. âIâm sor - â
âRon?!â
Of course he had just walked right into Astoria.
Astoria stood there, mouth hanging open as she stared at him. Despite the gormless look on her face, she looked absolutely gorgeous with her blonde hair pulled back into a tight curled ponytail, the kind he used to love to pull out at the end of the day. Even though it was just barely September, she was wearing an orange cardigan and he thought about how she obsessively dressed in what she called âthe colors of the seasonâ.
âHey there,â he forced out in what he hoped was a casual tone.
âWhat the hell are you doing here?â she asked, looking shocked.
âGoing to class,â Ron responded. âDonât want to be late; see you!â He took broad steps around and away from her.
Ron let out a sigh of relief as his classroom was the next one he spotted. He took a deep breath as he walked into the lecture hall for his first class. He spotted a seat near the middle of the room that felt like the right place for the impression he wanted to make.
âHey,â he greeted the guy next to him. The guy nodded, not even looking up from his laptop. Ron shrugged and pulled his computer out of his bag and powered it up.
While it was sooner than he had hoped, Ron had played it pretty cool with Astoria during their chance meeting. Short and to the point, nothing dumb or embarrassing said. His most successful interaction at Harvard to date.
While he was congratulating himself, a severe looking older woman walked purposefully to the front of the classroom and cleared her throat.
âWelcome to the start of your legal education,â she said. âIâm Professor McGonagall.â
As the professor began to speak about the syllabus, Ron allowed his mind to wander back to Astoria. She hadnât looked upset or angry to see him, merely surprised. Maybe a bit uncomfortable, which was understandable. She also looked phenomenal. It had been way too long since they had been together and he had almost forgotten how stunning she was.
âCan you tell us about Gordon v. Steele?â
Ron looked up with a start. âHuh?â
Professor McGonagall was standing right in front of him, looking annoyed. âCan you tell us about Gordon v. Steele as it relates to subject matter jurisdiction?â
âUhâŚâ Ron said, shocked. âItâs the first day of class.â
The classroom was now silently watching him.
âDid you not read the first fifty pages of the assigned text?â McGonagall asked.
âI didnât realize there was an assignment,â Ron said nervously. He heard a snort behind him and his head whipped around to look at the source.
Professor McGonagall seemed to hear the snort too and shifted her focus. âAnd you, young man? You could answer my question?â
âOf course,â the smartass snorter said. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair.
Oh, thought Ron. This guy is the worst.
âSo would you support my decision to ask this student to remove himself from class until heâs prepared?â
Ron froze.
âYes Professor,â said the cocky douchebag.
Professor McGonagall motioned to Ron. âOnce youâre prepared, you will be welcomed back to class. Until thenâŚâ
Ron packed up his laptop, completely stunned. He gave a hard stare at the messy haired jerk, who smirked back at him as he stomped out of the room.
**********************
âYou have to be fucking kidding me. Where the fuck does she get the right⌠and that fucking douchebag,â Ron muttered.
âExcuse me,â a voice rang out from behind him. âThatâs more profanity than I care to hear in a week, let alone at 8:30 on a Monday.â
Ron looked up, irritated by the interruption to his own self pity. The reprimand came from a pretty curly haired brunette perched on a neighboring bench, a giant stack of books beside her. Despite her scolding words, she had a hint of a smile. A smile that actually looked friendly.
âSorry,â he said, ears turning red. âI just⌠are they always that mean?â
âMean?â
âYeah, like, call you out like that. My professors have always liked me all right,â Ron replied, feeling quite embarrassed to explain this to her.
âYes, they tend to do that. Socratic method,â said the woman.
âAh,â he responded. He knew the name Socrates thanks to his philosophy major ex, but nothing of the method.
âWere you with McGonagall?â
âYeah. She kicked me out!â
The brunette made a sympathetic noise.
âShe ever kick you out?â
The woman now looked scandalized. âNever! But I had nightmares about her my whole first week. Who else do you have?â
âUh, Sprout, Slughorn, UmbridgeâŚâ
âUmbridge likes when you speak up in class but make sure you always concede to her in the end. Slughornâs kind of pretentious but if you make good use of your thesaurus for his papers, heâs easy to please.â
âNice, thanks,â Ron said, nodding his head with a slight smile. She grinned back at him.
âThis place is tough; donât let one setback your first day throw you off,â she urged.
âIâm glad I picked this bench. So what year are - â
âRon? Can we talk?â Astoria was standing in front of him, looking a bit nervous.
âIf you want,â he said carefully.
âPlease,â she said, taking a few steps back. Ron lifted a hand in goodbye to the girl on the bench before approaching Astoria.
âSo⌠youâre at Harvard,â she said nervously, rubbing her right hand over her left.
âI am,â he confirmed.
âAnd⌠you got into Harvard,â Astoria said.
âClearly,â he answered, a bit irritated by her tone. She didnât really think he was an idiot, did she?
âHow was your first class? â
âIt could have been better,â Ron admitted.
âThatâs because you-you donât belong here,â Astoria said. âLook, maybe I shouldnât, but Iâm trusting that youâre not here to, like stalk me or hurt me or something. Regardless, this just isnât something you can do. The people that are going to be successful here⌠theyâre like, bred for this. And itâs not you. I didnât break up with you to be a bitch. This just isnât something youâre cut out for.â
âStori - â he tried to interrupt.
âAnd Ron, it costs a fortune to go here! How are you even covering this? I still care about you. Please, just cut your losses now,â she pleaded.
âNo way,â said Ron, feeling the fire to prove himself ignite. âLook, my first class was rough but itâs because I didnât get it. I didnât understand how all of this works. Now I do. Frankly, that asshole that got me kicked out did me a favor because - â
âStori, there you are.â Out of nowhere, the aforementioned asshole from class appeared and slung a possessive arm around Astoriaâs shoulder.
âOh, hi,â she said, biting her lower lip and no longer meeting Ronâs eyes.
âWe havenât properly met although, after that disaster in class, maybe itâs pointless,â chuckled the douchebag.
âRon, this is Harry Potter⌠my fiancĂŠ.â
Ron clenched his jaw but he knew his ears were reddening in a dead giveaway. âReally?â
âHarry was my high school boyfriend. We reconnected this spring and it just felt⌠right,â Astoria answered awkwardly.
âWell⌠congratulations.â
âThanks buddy,â Harry said, voice dripping in mock sincerity.
âI, uh, Iâve got to go,â Ron said. Summoning every ounce of self control he had, he quickly walked in the direction of his residence hall, Astoria calling after him.
#au romione#romionecom#romione fanfic#ron x hermione#ron weasley#ron and hermione#hp fanfic#harry potter au
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