A Hero's Song

Chapter 10

The other half of the group was outside the Wheeler's when we arrived. When Steve saw Nancy's car, he jolted right up and ran to the driveway. Nancy hasn't even put her car on a full stop when I exited it and ran to meet Steve halfway.

"Jesus! Thank God you're fine." he sighed in relief as he pulled me to a hug.

I held on him tight, fighting the tears. My fists closed on his jacket, and I hugged him even a little tighter, relishing the fact that had it not been for Robin and Nancy, I wouldn't have even be able to hug my brother.

I held on him tight, reminding myself this is Steve. He's my brother who would drop anything just to come to save my ass. Vecna can say otherwise, but I know him better than he does.

"What's wrong, Blue?" Steve whispered, not even straining nor complaining with the crushing pressure of my embrace.

I sniffed, "I was so scared."

"So was I." He rubs my back and pulls away. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Thankfully, I'm not that easy to get rid of." I joked, because that's what I'm good at--joking at the worst of situations. Steve only snorted at the rather factual joke. "Where's Max? How is she?"

"Alive and kicking, miraculously." Max replied.

I smiled at her and breathed a sigh of relief in my head. "I can say the same."

"Except for the fact she fell." Lucas commented. "She had to ice pack her foot."

"Fell?"

"She literally floated in the air!" Dustin exclaimed. "You...didn't? But Nancy and Robin were so frantic earlier about you. Poor Steve here was losing his mind."

"Blue...she didn't." Robin said, making the four of them look at her then to me. "She got in a trance while we were on the road, sure. She was just...I don't know, convulsing and shit."

"But she stayed sat in the car," Nancy added, "But you guys are saying Max floated?"

"Like how Eddie said Chrissy did," I whispered, "But if I was in a trance too, how come that didn't happen?"

"Should this be something to worry about the either of them?" Dustin asked.

"I think it's better if we discuss this inside?" Lucas suggested.

We all agreed to his suggestion and aimed for the Wheeler's. Steve stayed beside me and just like he did in the school, he practically almost straddled me on our way inside. He wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders and helped me walk the steps.

"You okay?"

"Hmm-mm." I lied, everything Vecna said and did still fresh in memory.

Steve nodded and then gave me a weird look. "Why are you three barefoot?"

I snickered at the memory, "We outran two pregnant male guards and now, you gotta lend me money because I kind of owe Nancy three pairs of good heels."

~

I laid on the floor exhausted, yet wide awake. The rest of the group was fast asleep, with Dustin and Steve's snores overlapping.

"Blue? You awake?"

I turned to see Max lying on her side facing me. Very much awake despite what we went through. "Yep. Very."

"You want to go out for a smoke? Dustin is snoring already anyways."

I blinked and stared at her, "Are you crazy? You want all these people to take turns in strangulating me when they find out I gave you weed? What's the point of surviving Vecna?"