𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄 | 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘔𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯

𝐢𝐱. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤

~ nine. the piggyback ~

***

Seven Hours...

Hands raking through her hair, Val found herself on a begrudging trek back to central Hawkins. For someone who longed for independence, she sure wasn't faring well on her own. But, in the same way you can feel lonely surrounded by people, independence doesn't necessarily rely on being alone. In the company of people who didn't care for her finely crafted exterior, Val felt stronger than she ever had... and then, through her own naivety, she had cast it aside.

The wind ruffling her hair wild around her shoulders, she wrapped her arms tighter around herself to conserve the heat but, after the shivers continued, eventually admitted defeat and succumbed to the elements. Her hands dug into the pockets of Max's mom's jacket, finding a lighter she had left there. She took it out and watched the flame flicker, providing nothing more than a small spotlight surrounding it. She couldn't help but remember the days in Holland Road when, although she was scared out of her wits, she had the warmth of another person to keep her grounded. And not just any person – her person.

Val's relationship with Eddie was like an eclipse. The moon was always there, ever-present above them in the sky, but that was all. It was only when something remarkable happened that people took notice. Without this whole ordeal, she never would have seen beneath the surface of his eccentric persona and that would have been the very definition of a tragedy. He was like jazz on a summer's day: the perfect combination between adrenaline and comfort. God, she missed him.

She missed the references to things she didn't understand, the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't looking, and, most of all, the way she felt when she was around him. Val wasn't the same coward she used to be and a large part of that was thanks to him. Eddie was unapologetically himself for better or worse and his attitude was contagious. But he wasn't here now. And neither was his courage.

The voice of Steve Winwood filled the night, almost mocking Val as she walked alone. Her sobs became lost to the open air, hanging in time as a lasting memory of what 'rock bottom' felt like. But this feeling wasn't forever; once Eddie and the others took care of Vecna and brought justice to Hawkins once again, they could get firmly back to normal. Well, not normal normal but one where Hellfire freaks and Dolphin sweethearts could make their own normal. That was the reason behind all of this.

Six Hours...

By the time Val returned to civilisation, night had officially fallen like a blanket over the sky. The people of Hawkins were locked up tight in their houses and the monsters were coming out to play. Gun in hand, she crept through the back alleys, flinching at any sudden movement, in search of a safe enough place to ride out the next few hours. Holland Road was too far a distance at this hour and, anyway, it wouldn't feel right to return alone. Then there was the shed in her family's backyard but, despite his insistence otherwise, Val knew part of her father's nightly routine involved taking himself there to be alone with a beer and a cigarette. Everywhere else would soon be closing for the night, which only left one option: keep running.