The Disappearances ➙ Steve Harrington [01]( complete )

vi. prank call

vi. prank call

"Jonathan, wow-" Joyce said from the living room at ten o'clock that night, a few minutes after Steve had snuck back out the window, just as Joyce came back from searching for Will. Jackie held two hot chocolate cups in her hands, walking into the living room and placing them on the table without the pictures, "You took these?"

There were multiple pictures surrounding the coffee table: one of Will when he was eleven on his new bike, another of him drawing a rocketship with his small crayon box mom had given him for his 10th birthday, one of Jackie with Jason who was her freshman homecoming date, and the last one was Will with her on the night of Halloween this year.

"Amazing, aren't they?" Jackie asked, holding onto her own cup of hot chocolate, sitting on the arm of the couch next to her mom.

"I know I haven't been there for you, either of you..."

She led off looking at her two eldest children with regret in her eyes, "I-I've just been working so hard and I... I just feel so bad. I don't even..." She chuckled looking at Jonathan, "I don't even know what's going on with you?"

Jonathan continued to look down at the table, the sign with a space for Wills picture below 'Have You Seen Me?' screaming at the crowd of three, as Joyce held onto his knee.

"Alright? I'm so sorry about that."

Jackie looked at her brother with guilt filling her eyes, knowing that her family wouldn't be going through this if only she had been here when her brother came running home for help.

"Hey, what is it?" Her mother's soothing voice asked, drawing her out of her guilty memory and to her softly sobbing twin brother.

Joyce held onto her son's arm, "What is honey?" Jonathan sniffled before answering, "Nothing." Joyce shook her head at her crying son, "Tell me, tell me honey."

Jonathan continued to shake his head as his sister stared at the wall, not wanting to intrude on the mother- child time happening next to her, something she's wanted since her dad left them. "No."

"It's just..." Jonathan's voice broke before he answered in a small whisper, "-I should've been there for him, for Will."

Jackie let a small tear escape her eye at the mention of her younger brother, as her mother tried to reason with Jonathon, "No. Oh, no. You can't do that to yourself."

Joyce rubbed up and down his arm in a soothing manner, "None of this was your fault, do you hear me? Either of you-" She looked back at her daughter and gripped her hand, "-None of it."

She nodded as Joyce continued, "He is close... I know it, I-" She stammered as she tried to explain the feeling, "I feel it in my heart" She sucked in a breath pulling Jackie next to her, and wrapping both of her arms around her twins, "You just have to... You have to trust me on this... Okay?"