𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻 𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓘𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼

Steve Harrington, Vecna

Stranger things 4 spoiler.

Headaches. Headaches that felt like someone was drilling into her skull. She'd just take a tablet and then attempt to carry on. She didn't think anything of it at all. Everyone gets heachaches. It was never really a worry to her, sure it was pain in the ass, but not a worry, not at all.

She let out a sob as the mindflayer careless threw Billy to the side, disgarding him. She sprinted to her brother and kneeled at his side. She heard Max reach her side, the two sisters crying. "Billy, come on, Bill?" she asked wishing her worst thoughts were false. She turned away to look for the group only for none of then to be there. Her friends who had once stood scattered around the mall had disappeared. She turned back to Billy only to see him sat bolt upright causing her to jump back as the lights began to flicker on and off. "I died for you. What a waste," Billy spat the words. "You are too much of a coward to even admit to yourself that you killed me," his words were like venom, hurting her slowly as she took each word in, "You, are the reason I'm dead. I'm dead because you were to scared resque Eleven." She shook her head violently closing her eyes tightly. Willing it all to disappear. Billy then reached out to choke her. Then, everything disappeared. "Hey, hey, sweetheart are you okay?" Steve asked. She looked around to see her back in Steve's room. It was just a dream. A nightmare. "Yeah, sorry, just a nightmare," she smiled shyly. Steve's gaze softened. He knew she'd struggled after the death of her brother, nightmares weren't an uncommon endurance. But, Steve was always there to comfort her and help her through these plagued memories that haunted her. "It's okay, it's all over now, you're safe. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise," he comforted her as she lay down back next to him as he held her close to him. With his comfort and his words, she willingly let sleep wash over her.

She was stocking the shelves at the family VHS store skimming over the titles as she did so trying to find a decent movie for her and Max to watch that night. "What you doing?" came the familiar voice of her boyfriend. "Stevie, you can literally see what I'm doing," she joked smiling at him. "Calm down, jeez. No wonder no one really likes you." She was shocked. Steve was far too kind and caring to ever say that, she paused what she was doing and looked up at her boyfriend. "I mean, Jesus. You killed your own brother. Because of you your mom's an alcoholic. Because of you your sister has to see a school councilor." Steve was  embodying ever terror that had consumed her since the last summer, looking down on her with no remourse. "Hell, I don't even like you. I just felt sorry for you." he voiced making a single tear slip from her eye. "No one does. And you thought I loved you," he exclaimed laughing slightly as if the idea of loving her was so erarical. She blinked only to see Steve behind the desk looking over to her nervously. "Hey you okay?" he asked sounding nothing like the Steve that had stood beside her seconds ago. "Yeah, yeah," she repeated almost trying to convince herself that she was fine as she subtly wiped away her tear. Steve continued to gaze at her, his eyes captivating his concern but he didn't want to push her to open up, not if she wasn't ready or didn't want to talk.

She had missed the latest updates on the mysterious deaths and their links to the upside down as the headaches had plagued her so much that they made her physically sick and hadn't been able to investigate with thr party. However when she arrived at the Wheeler house she was bombarded with hugs before they settled down to explain what was going on. The concept of Vecna seemed terrifying to her and she hoped none of her friends would have to endure it in any way. "So, do you know who's at risk next?" she asked. "No, but there are warnings," Max stated. "Headaches, visions. Visions that portray the victims worst fears," Dustin elaborated. She froze, gobsmacked. Steve turned to look at her confused. "How long would someone have?" she asked trying to hide her nerves but failing. "Why do you ask?" Dustin said looking between her and Steve. "Dustin, how long would they have?" she asked. "Twenty four hours after the first vision normally, why?" he questioned. "Well, I've got about six hours then," she stated. Max's face fell and Steve felt worry consume him. "What?" Max asked concerned for her older sister. She was been Billy's twin. She was Max's older sister. She helped Max settle into school. She's help Max learn to skate and patch any wounds created in the process. She'd been so strong as she held it together despite her dad abandoning her. When Max felt a tear slip from her eyes she couldn't help it, her older sister noticed and immediately pulled her into a tight hug as she held her close telling her it was going to be okay. When the parted she turned to be met with Steve. "We'll find a way, we always do," he said trying to reassure her, at this point they were both on the verge of tears.

"I want to visit Billy's grave." she said breaking the strong silence that had settled over the group for quite a while. "If Nancy and Robin don't find a way and I-" she apused not wanting to think about that possible consequence. "I want to of said goodbye to him too," she said. Steve nodded knowing how much her brother meant to her despite them never seeming close when he was alive. "Wait, I've got something for you," she said stopping them all from moving. "I, um, just in case." she said. "I don't think they let nineteen year olds write a will so I kind of wrote my own," she said handing the piece of paper to Steve. Steve opened to sheet of paper reading it. "Max gets any tapes, money and photos of the family. Dustin gets my collection of video games. Steve gets my hairspray and anything that he wants. Same for Max," Steve stopped reading. The idea that he could loose her forever had finally sunk in. He didn't want to have to say goodbye. He didn't want to have to sort through all her things with Max and determine who got what. Steve stood up and went and hugged her tightly. Max then joined the hug, then Dustin, then Lucas, each till they had formed a group hug in the middle of the Wheeler's basement, each one holding back tears.

"Alright, I'm calling it, she's had her minute," Steve said slamming the car door behind him to go and check on his girlfriend. "Hey, come on, we've got to go," he stated. She didn't respond, she didn't even move. "Babe?" he asked getting closer to her. When he saw all her eyes had turned a sickly shade of white Steve visibly panicked. "Hey guys! Guys!" he yelled causing all the younger teenagers to run to him. Steve tried to shield Max from seeing her sister on the verge of death as she did her brother but Max fought past him. "Dustin, get in contact with Nancy and Robin," Steve ordered. Max desperately repeated her name, hopelessly willing to get her older sister out of her trance. Steve was too busy trying to hurry Dustin. "Music! They say play her favourite song!" Dustin shouted back. "Her favourite song, there's a tape, a Queen tape in the glove box of my car, she keeps it there for late night drives!" Steve told Dustin. "My Walkman's in the backseat, grab that too," Max added still focusing on her sister. Dustin hurried back, putting the tape in the Walkman as he did so. Steve placed the headphones on his girlfriends head just before she began to levitate.

She gasped for air as Vecna's grip around her kneck tightened. She held back a sob as she knew this was it. She was doomed. She was going to die. She was going to die and all her family would witness her gruesome death. She'd leave them all. She'd leave her friends. She'd leave her sister. She'd leave Steve. Just as she was about to give in, she heard the faint voice of Freddie Mercury singing Somebody to Love, then she noticed an opening where an abyss of blood red previously polluted her vision. Instead, it was replaced with a glimpse back home. Steve holding Max tightly next to him in a comforting hug as they both gazed up at her body that floated in mid air. With a final glare at Vecna she turned to the monster, "You'll never get me, not this easily, anyway," she said before bolting towards the hole in the upside down, oblivious to the debris that fell around her.

She let out a loud gasp. "You're okay, you're okay," Steve repeated brushing the hair from out of her face. "I'm okay, ik okay," she copied letting a tear slip from her eyes as he nodded as Max tackled to pair into a strong embrace. "You're okay," her little sister cried. "Seems to be an echo," she joked smiling happily as she let the tears of relief flow freely. Steve kissed her head as the three of them stood allowing the other two boys to join the hug. "You scared the shit out of me," Dustin said making her giggle despite it being the truth for all of the group. Steve held her in a side hug as she held Max's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.