---------------------------------------------

EDDIE WOKE UP QUICKLY ONCE OUTSIDE BEGAN TO CREAK. He must have fallen asleep on his seat whilst he was observing the soldier guy. "Shit." He spoke, staring out the window to see Dustin leading the group. Letting out a sigh of relief, he gripped the tarp, throwing it over...

No one?

"Oh, fuck." Eddie realised. Where did he go? Looking around, Eddie huffed. "Mr. soldier, comrade, guy?" He called out, hearing no one. Shit. He must have ran off whilst Eddie was sleeping. Or was he ever really there? Eddie might have been dreaming...

"Food delivery!" Eddie looking up quickly once the door opened, Dustin holding up bags through the window as Steve entered the building first. Eddie just stared around, wondering if he was still dreaming. Steve huffed, stretching his arms as he had to carry most of the bags here. Robin and Max moved passed him, Dustin rushing to the door and moving passed the adult. Steve just placed his hands on his hips, Eddie digging through the bags of food he had been given. The door was fully open, Steve not bothering to close it as he stood in front of it. "You're welcome..." Robin spoke, the four watching Eddie find a box of cereal, ripping it open like a wild animal.

Max watched as he looked to the boat, the girl looking the same way. Her eyebrows scrunched up, confused. She knew Eddie was traumatised, but not plain out schizophrenic. Robin flinched once the door slammed shut, Steve grunting. The boy probably shut it so hard he caught his finger in it by accident. It was a very Steve thing to do- "Guys!" Steve spoke, Seb feeling blood pour down his nose from slamming the door as Eddie flinched back into a ball. Steve had no time to see it was Seb as the boy gripped his jacket, yanking him down. Punching his face, Max moved back as Dustin yelled random words. "Who is that?!" He yelled, Eddie stunned.

So the soldier didn't run away.

Seb punched Steve's face repeatedly, too clouded by fear to notice the familiar face. "Shit, Robin, the oar!" Dustin let out, Max watching the older girl grab the oar that had been near the boat. Holding it up, she flinched lightly, watching Steve fail at trying to fight back. "Hit him!" Max yelled, Robin turning to them. "My aim is horrible-" "For God's sake!" Dustin yelled, snatching the oar off of Robin and moving forward. The girls, plus Eddie, flinched back as Dustin quite literally whacked the side of Seb's head with the wooden oar. The boy grunted, falling off of Steve and lying next to him. The older teen crouched back, feeling his back hit the closed door.

Dustin pointed the oar to Seb's face, Max and Robin leaning forward. "Why is it always me!" Steve cursed, holding his bleeding nose as Seb was knocked out, his head lolled to his right. "Shit, Dustin." Max let out, Dustin ignoring her as he scooped up Seb's head with the oar's wider end, his face contorting into one of confusion. The boy stayed silent, Steve staring up at him. "What?" He asked, Dustin observing Seb's face. It couldn't be... could it? The teen's eyebrows quivered, his grip tightening on the oar's handle. Max walked forward, as did Robin. Eddie stayed behind, holding the cereal close. "He's my soldier friend." He let out timidly, seeing the group's backs.

"No way." Max spoke, Dustin frozen in his spot. Seb is alive. Sebastian. His best friend. He's alive. And here. Right now. "Oh, shit." Steve let out, Eddie watching the group surround Sebastian's form. "I told him that I wouldn't let you guys see him-" Seb's eyes fluttered open, the hit not being that hard since it was Dustin. Seb saw shoes, the group watching his eyebrows knot up before his eyes travelled up slowly, meeting those of Dustin. Dustin Henderson. His best friend. His buddy. The two stared at one another, Robin covering her mouth. Not to ruin the sentimental mood, but Seb stunk. "Dustin?" Seb croaked out, Eddie's face quickly scrunching up.

"What-" He let out, flinching back once Dustin dropped the oar and fell to his knees, hugging Seb tightly.

––––––☆––––––

"HOW DID YOU EVEN..." STEVE STARTED, DUSTIN SAT STATING AT SEB. How was he here? How is he still alive? What's going on? "you know, get out?" Steve finished, Eddie beyond confused. They knew this guy? How? "I ran." Seb spoke, drinking some of the water that Eddie had been bought. Dustin and Steve looked to one another, the former observing Seb. "From who?" He asked, Seb staring at the floor. The group watched him look to his uniform, Robin's eyes widening. She was practicing band whilst Seb was literally fleeing death from Russians. "What about Hopper?" Dustin asked slowly, Seb looking up to him. "Is he... still alive?" Dustin asked further, knowing this may be a sensitive subject.

Shaking his head, Seb blinked away tears. "I couldn't help him." He whispered, Max looking down as Eddie looked to Robin. "Hopper? Like Chief Hopper?" He asked, Robin shrugging. "It's a long story." She advised, Eddie looking back to Seb. "Did they get him?" Max asked, Seb looking to her. "He's gone." Seb spoke, speaking simply as saying too much would make him sob. "What have you been doing for the past, like, year?" Steve asked, changing the subject quickly. Everyone looked to Seb again, Eddie way passed intrigued. All of this was going on as he was trying multiple times to pass high school?

"Running." Seb answered, Robin's head tilting. "From the mall?" She asked, wondering how it took the boy a whole year to get here- There were Russians in the mall? Eddie pondered as Seb shook his head, trying to remember. "They tried to take me away." Seb informed, Max sighing sympathetically. After all this time, Seb was still fighting and they weren't even acknowledging that possibility. "We ran. Me and Hop." Seb explained, Dustin listening to every word. "Ran away from the machine. Then, Russian's found us and tried to take us both away." He summed up, Steve still confused. "Wait, you were with the machine?" Steve asked, Dustin looking to him.

Yes, he was clueless, but he could at least try to be sentimental. Looking towards Steve, the boy mindlessly continued. Robin and Max watched Steve as he spoke too. "Wasn't there that protective glass thing? Why were you next to the machine?" Steve spoke as if Seb was stupid, the boy's face dropping. "I didn't mean to be." He let out, Max confused too. "What do you mean?" She asked, Seb looking to her. He liked her voice a lot more than Steve's. "It was an accident." He spoke, Robin squeezing her lips shut as she watched tears run down Seb's face. "Okay, okay. It's alright." Dustin moved in front of Seb, Eddie feeling as if he was in a movie.

The Munson awkwardly ate his cereal straight from the box, surprisingly hungry. Dustin kneeled in front of Seb, holding his hand. He couldn't believe the boy was alive. His best friend. Alive. "Let's just get you cleaned up, okay?" The Henderson assured, Seb nodding.

"Please."

☆

"THIS IS CRAZY." STEVE STATED THE OBVIOUS AS MAX AND SEBASTIAN WERE OUTSIDE THE BUILDING. The elder teen walked back into the building, having to drive back to pick up some clothes from his home. "No shit." Dustin spoke, staring out the window. He watched as Max and Sebastian conversed, the girl helping him clean himself. "I'm sorry." Max let out plainly, Sebastian looking to her. "For what?" He asked, Max sighing. "For not thinking. You were out there all this time and I just-" "Max, it's okay." Seb cut her off, the girl humming. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it yet. And that was completely fine, of course. "Holy shit, your leg." Max let out, Seb looking to his injury.

"What happened?" The girl asked quickly, not noticing how her literal rough housing of his leg made Sebastian wince. "I was shot." He managed to get out, Dustin sitting up in his seat as he saw the two. "I mean, like, what are we gonna do with him? No offence, but I can't do a Mike Wheeler and let him live with me." Steve surrendered, Eddie looking up to him. A 'Mike Wheeler'? "He can stay with Eddie." Robin suggested, Eddie looking up. "What?" He asked, Steve's nodding slowly getting quicker. "That works, right?" He asked, Dustin staring outside as Max undid the belt on Seb's leg, taking off his homemade bandage. "You're both in hiding, so, like, it shouldn't be a problem." Steve spoke, Eddie mindlessly nodding.

"You also called him your 'soldier friend', which isn't weird at all-" The elder three of the group stopped discussing options when Dustin sprung up, quickly moving out the building. "Woah, Dustin!" Steve let out, the boy following quickly. Robin followed, Eddie hanging out by the doorway as they all watched Max hold her nose, looking the complete opposite direction of one thing- "Jesus Christ." Steve let out, The group seeing a yellowish-greenish cut on Seb's leg. "You haven't, you know, been-" "He's been shot." Max let out quickly, Eddie's eyebrows raising. This was all very new to him. "I'm gonna start convulsing." Robin muttered, Seb laying uncomfortably. "How do I make it stop hurting?" Seb strained, Dustin sat right next to him. He was never letting this boy out of his sight ever again.

"You are asking the wrong people-" "Somebody get me a towel, some water and those pain killers we bought." Max interrupted Steve, the boy following her orders very quickly. "I don't really think this is like a skateboarding accident." Robin shrugged, Eddie agreeing awkwardly. "Yeah, I don't think getting shot is in the contract." He let out, Steve moving passed him. "Deja vu." Robin spoke, Steve looking to her. What?- "Just hold onto these first." Max gave the painkillers and the towel to Dustin, Seb watching the two. This was like the doctor's surgery you saw on Tv- Seb winced as he felt cold water rush over his leg, squeezing his eyes shut.

Eddie's eyes just widened as he watched Max scrub the wound mindlessly with her sleeve. "Are you digging for gold or something? Jesus." Steve stepped forward, Seb's chest heaving. "I'm just cleaning it." Max spoke, seeing no problem with her technique as Seb writhed more. Dustin held his shoulders, feeling the boy's head fall onto his arm. He was still conscious, of course, but just in a lot of pain. "Who hurt you?" Seb gasped out, Max snatching the towel from Dustin. Ignoring Robin as her faced silently contorted, Max scrubbed Seb's leg, him jolting back. "Don't blame me for not having soft towels." Max let out, Steve scoffing. "I'm not paying an extra two dollars for a towel that feels like tissue-" "That would've been better!" Seb seethed, Steve shrugging.

"Well I didn't think we would run into you here, did I?" Steve shot back, Robin sighing as Max wrapped the towel around Seb's leg, the tightening making him groan. "Woah." Eddie whispered, Max standing up. "Now, take those and then clean up." Max spoke, suddenly taking authority. Maybe she just wanted to get out of this situation. Fair play. "Are you okay?" Dustin asked, Seb making eye contact with Max.

"I thought we were friends."

-––––––☆––––––

JOYCE AND MURRAY SAT IN THEIR PLANE SEATS, THE FORMER CHECKING HER WRIST WATCH UNCOMFORTABLY. "Do you think I should've just told them?" She inhaled sharply, turning to Murray. The man gave no response or even acknowledgement, too engrossed in a random magazine to care. Giving him a nudge, Murray seemed to snap out of his trance and look to Joyce. "What? Told who?" He asked, Joyce huffing. "The kids. About Hopper. About Sebastian." Murray sighed, awaiting this talk. Joyce looked on edge the whole journey, he knew she was going to spit it out anytime. "It just felt so wrong to lie to them like that."

Murray nodded, "Right, right, right. Well," He inhaled, Joyce staring at the back of the seat ahead of her. "I'm not exactly an expert in parenting." The man chuckled, Joyce not doing the same. "But, for what little it's worth, I think you did the right thing." Murray assured, Joyce sighing. "The responsible thing." Murray continued, Joyce looking up. "Responsible." She repeated, Murray huffing. "Your children, bless their mischievous souls..." The two chuckled together. "...they like to get involved." Joyce had to agree with the man, making him continue. "This way, what? They play too much Nintendo, eat too much food,"

As Murray listed, Joyce felt better about her decision. This way they were more safe. This was the right thing to do- "smoke some ganja," Joyce whipped her head to Murray, her eyes widened. She doesn't want her children to be smoking 'ganja'?!- "pound some beers, experiment sexually." Murray listed mindlessly, Joyce stuttering for words. "What's the worst that can happen?" Murray asked, the PA beeping. "Excuse me, ma'am?" The two turned to a flight attendant, the woman crouching before them with a kind smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but you're gonna need to fasten your seat belt." She spoke, Joyce doing as told quietly as Murray nodded. "Of course. Mm." He smiled as she walked away, leaning back in his own seat.

"Buckle up." He teased, Joyce huffing. "Like this is really gonna save me if we crash." She spat back, Murray silently going back to his magazine as it was ever so intriguing.

---------------------------------------------

Hello! I'm so sorry for how late this update is, I've just finished school and had some problems with my account lol but I'm back now!

Anyway,

[2312 words!]

Hope you enjoyed!!

Byeee!