She turned from the tulips to see the two boys falling asleep against the white sheets. Steve had his hair messed around his head, lying closest to her with his head in his arms. Dustin was in a similar position, snoring quietly with his mouth open. Rory could feel that she was being medicated and she felt weirdly faint, woozy. Her head span and she reached to stroke Steve's hair. He hummed under her touch and she smiled gently as he opened his eyes and found himself staring at her.
"Rory?" He murmured as he raised his head and stared at her through bleary eyes.
"Hi" Rory spoke gently, "sorry if I scared you... didn't mean to go down like that"
"Never been so terrified" Steve stared at her, "it was like time stopped... he's been arrested Rory"
"Good" Rory sighed, "don't wanna think about it all yet okay? Just need some time... I've been stabbed, can I use that as an excuse to get out of everything?"
"Yeah you can" Steve turned and stared at Dustin, nudging the boy in the side. Dustin snorted in his sleep before he sat up and stared at Steve as though he'd just ruined his dungeons and dragons game. Only a second later he turned in surprise and found his eyes latched onto his sister who was sitting there smiling at him humorously.
"Hey" Rory grinned,
"You're awake!" Dustin exclaimed, "finally... it's been two days... I uh... got you some flowers"
Rory smiled as she stared at the tulips and fought the urge to cry, something she'd been doing a lot.
"They're perfect" Rory murmured, "Steve can you uh... give us a minute?"
"Oh yeah course" Steve jumped up, "I should probably go tell someone you're awake I'll uh... be back soon"
Rory watched as he turned and hurried out of the room with a stride in his step. Dustin looked slightly nervous as he took Steve's seat and stared at his sister with an expression she'd never seen him show her. But it wasn't anger and it wasn't hate, Rory smiled at him gently, timidly as though expecting him to strike.
"You should've told me" Dustin spoke easily.
"I know" Rory nodded, "I did a lot of things wrong because I was scared of what was happening to me and I regret what I did but I regret letting you think that I could ever leave you willingly the most because I hated leaving you and I have missed you every single day since I turned my back on you"
"I know" Dustin nodded, blinking rather rapidly. "I'm sorry for what happened to you and I... wanted to thank you for what you did"
"You don't need to" Rory shook her head, "I should've gone to the cops—"
"You were a kid" Dustin sniffed, "Rory I'm sorry for everything... I was just hoping we could... be siblings again?"
"Jesus" Rory sighed as tears escaped her eyes and she tried to brush them away with the back of her hand hastily as though expecting that he wouldn't see them. "I'd really like that"
Dustin nodded before he moved forwards, she sat up to hug him and it felt like the only memory she ever needed. Dustin hid his face in the space of her shoulder and his back trembled with tears as she held him tight and followed his tears in patterns of her own. They cried together in the hospital room and Rory could remember how it felt to have a brother who needed her.
"I love you" Rory whispered, "I always loved you and I wish I'd been better for you"
"You were" Dustin sobbed, "you stopped me from getting hurt... even though it meant giving up—giving up your own safety"
"I never meant to hurt you" Rory whispered, "I don't know if Steve told you but... I came back when I found out you'd never got those presents"
"You tried to send them?" Dustin asked as he sat back away from her.
YOU ARE READING
𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 | steve harrington
Fanfiction☄︎ ⋆·˚ ⋆ *. ⇒ 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐈 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 When Dustin was eleven years old his sister walked out on him, stealing his dad with her. Lost childhoods and neglect littered his life like the bottles of wine his mother spilt with her dep...
