Sturniolo Triplets - One Shots/Short Stories

Vecna'd - M

Warnings: Fiction, Monsters, Alternate Dimension, Curse, Mentions of Nightmares, Anxiety, Panic, Illusions, Possession, Cursing

Of course Matt is Vecna's next victim, because of course it's him

A/N: This story only 'makes sense' if you've watched Stranger Things S4. Tbh, this one isn't all that creative or original, since I basically just rewatched the two episodes and wrote a part following Max's struggle with her possession, but with Matt in her place. So disclaimer I guess, most of the dialogue is taken from the series. I never tried writing s ST fanfic before, so I guess I wanted to start somewhere... let me know if it's stupid... or if it's fun to read anyway and I should do more crossovers.

Enjoy! :D

The Story:

Matt came home from school, throwing his backpack to the corner, headphones still on his head as he made no moves to remove them. His brother's weren't home yet, but Matt didn't think much of it, since they never spent any time together anymore, it wasn't unusual for them to spend time with other friends in the afternoons.

Ever since Billy sacrificed his own life to save him earlier that year, Matt hasn't been the same. Constant nightmares plagued him, horrible images of not only Billy, but his brothers and friends dying and coming back to haunt him, blaming him for their deaths. At some point, the nightmares go too much for him to handle, so Matt resorted to avoiding sleep all together. It left him drained, only adding to the mental and physical strain, and it didn't take long for the headaches to start.

Considering the not-sleeping, constant stress, guilt and overwhelming anxiety he was feeling, it wasn't really surprising, but they were still brutal and a hell of a problem to deal with. If not for the pills he managed to swipe, Matt honestly didn't think he could make it through the day.

No one knew what spurred Billy on in that moment, making him act in the way he did; maybe it was pure instinct, or maybe it was the guilt and regret he felt for hurting all those people while possessed. No matter the reason, the end result was the same – Matt was still here, living, while Billy was gone, buried six feet underground.

And Matt couldn't handle it.

The sleep deprivation, combined with all the guilt and self-loathing Matt was experiencing (it's my fault a person died, if I was strong or fast enough to get away from that monster, Billy wouldn't have needed to save me, he'd still be alive, it was all my fault, heisdeadbecauseofme!), affected him in his daily life as well.

Matt started avoiding his brother and friends, joining their D&D sessions less and less frequently, until he stopped showing up all together. He left for school earlier than Nick and Chris, and snuck away at the start of each lunch break, spending them alone, listening to music. At home, he either locked himself in his room, or left to go out, walking around aimlessly to pass the time.

His brothers and friends obviously noticed the change in him right as it happened, but despite their worry and genuinely missing him, there wasn't much they could do. At first, they tried forcing him to talk and hang out with them, but that only made Matt shut down more, so they eventually backed off and decided to give him some space, hoping that he'd come around sooner or later, after having some time to deal.

But as seasons changed, Matt didn't, and so he kept fighting the demons that plagued him on his own.

Until recently, at least, when a few mysterious deaths forced the whole gang back together again, to solve yet another crisis and prevent an upside-down apocalypse.

When the news of Chrissy's death and Eddie's apparent involvement reached Matt, he instinctively knew trouble – their kind of trouble – was around the corner... again. He could feel it.