Un-Dead {Steddie} (discontinued!!)

2~ Family

Recently Steve had been staying at Robin's. Steve kept having night terrors, they would always end with him holding Eddie's bloody body. Steve thought he just needed a change in scenery, to be around people.

Robin's family was extremely nice and inviting. However it was very different from Steve's normal life. He didn't want to brag, but Steve's parents owned the biggest, most lavish house in Hawkins. Steve was used to a very luxurious lifestyle, but nothing could replace a welcoming family. That's what Steve needed, family. Not money.

"Honey, we love having you over, but aren't your parents worried?" Robin nudged her mom, giving her that 'why would you say that?' look. "No? They're on a business trip." Robin's mom almost choked on her food, having to take a sip of her water. "For how long?" Steve took a minute to think. "Well this one is rather short I guess. Maybe four more months." Steve continued to eat his food, what he had said was normal to him. "Four? Honey you're only seventeen, how long have they been doing this?" All eyes were on Steve, was this not normal? "They started going on trips when I was five I think. But they would only leave for a few days at a time. They didn't start leaving until I was probably seven. By that time I was very self sufficient, I knew how to cook, wash dishes, shower on my own, and do laundry. My parents didn't see a need to stay around for long when I was perfectly capable of doing everything on my own. They are very work oriented." Steve's tone suggested that he was defending his parents. This came to a shock to everyone including Robin. "Jesus, I can't imagine leaving my five year old alone! You're a Buckley now, I don't care what you think about it." Steve felt a smile creep across his face, all those sleepless nights spent wondering if his parents would ever come back were over. This was his family now.

After breakfast Steve wandered back to his room. He felt the strong urge to shower, he probably needed one considering he hasn't had one in a few days. He opened his closet trailing his hand over the hanging clothes. He stopped when he saw the denim vest. Eddie's denim vest. Steve garbed the vest and clutched onto it like the world was ending. When Eddie died, his uncle Wayne gave Steve and Dustin some of Eddie's old stuff. Steve got a lot of his clothes, because they wore the same size and Wayne gave Steve some of Eddie's cologne. Dustin got things like Eddie's D&D books, and weird figurines. Steve put all of Eddie's clothes in a special place in his closet. They were all hanging up next to Steve's normal clothes but instead of plastic hangers, he kept them on black velvet hangers. The vest was the divider, Steve always had it in the middle of his clothes and Eddies. Steve never wore Eddie's clothes apart from the vest. Anytime Steve felt anxious or scared he would put on the vest. It took him back to the day Eddie gave it to him. The day in the upside down, when Nancy was helping Steve with his injuries. He remembered Eddie throwing him the vest. Later when they were walking to Eddie's trailer, trying to find a way into the real world, how Eddie complimented him on how well it fit. It helped Steve then, and it helps him now.

Steve grabbed random clothes and the vest, and headed to the bathroom. He let the water run until it was warm enough. In the shower he thought about how he could have saved Eddie. He thought that if he went with Eddie instead of Dustin, he could have saved Eddie. Steve should've been there when he wasn't. He should have. But he wasn't.