𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛, 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨

→ 𝙫.

"I'm not talking about failed romance." The two got back to pouring another bottle, Steve glancing to her. "I have this terrible, gnawing feeling that..." Steve looked to her, watching her glance towards Seb. "It might not work out for us this time." Robin admitted, Steve looking towards Seb too. "You think we shouldn't be doing this?" The two made eye contact, Robin scoffing with a smile as she continued her pouring. "I think we're mad fools, the lot of us, but... if we don't stop him, who will?" She asked, the two watching each group. Max and Nancy were testing the aim of the modified shotgun. Dustin and Eddie were playfighting with their shields and Erica and Lucas were testing out their spears together. "We have to try, right?" Robin asked, shrugging as Steve nodded a little. "To killing Vecna." He held the bottle up, Robin holding up a premade one. "Slash Henry." She smiled, Steve doing the same. "Slash One." The two hit their bottles, Seb glancing over everyone.

They all looked perfectly content. Nothing the matter as they conversed and prepared. Even if he wasn't talking. Nor moving. Nor making himself known.

All of your 'friends' are fine without you-

Seb inhaled sharply, his lip quivering as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to believe what Vecna told him. But how could he not? It was being played out right in front of him. He sat atop of the hill, watching how his friends ignored him without a care to invite him down. Not that he insisted on being the centre of attention. If anything, he wanted to be far from it. The amount of ordinary, normal people he saw on his journey to the War Zone. That's who he wanted to be. That's the lifestyle he yearned for.

To be normal.

They're mocking you. Seb's grip on the grass beneath him tightened as Vecna's voice pained his ears. You've done nothing but cause problems for them. Ever since him and his sister met Mike, Dustin and Lucas, so many problems occurred. Problems that wouldn't ever have happened if he was never friends with Dustin or Mike or Lucas in the first place. If he didn't follow his sister out of the lab that day. If he didn't conspire with Henry and followed Papa's rules. If simply he didn't exist. The grass ripped from it's stem, Seb holding the broken foliage up to his face. Dropping it lightly, he leant his hands on the ground behind him. What was he doing up here? Nothing. What did he need to do? Nothing. Were there any weapons he needed to make to defend him. Certainly not.

You are nothing but a tool to them.

Gulping, Seb felt his eyes sting. Vecna was right. Henry was right. They need him, sure. They need him to protect them. To help them complete their goal. Like tools help fix an engine. He was simply a mere tool they needed to fix their problems. That he created. He wasn't a necessity. Dustin was perfectly fine without him. Lucas was perfectly fine without him. Max was perfectly fine without him. He's sure Mike and Will have been perfectly fine without him. El has definitely been fine without him. She has others. El is the only one from the two who has benefitted from meeting these people. All Seb has done is create problems and be the extra baggage no one wanted. But whenever the extra baggage caused issues, they needed him to fix the issue then it would all cycle back to step one.

Being ignored.

When Dustin came back from his summer camp and everyone left him, Seb stayed. He watched the smile Dustin put on. He put on the façade of happiness since everyone else he wanted to stay had left. When El had Mike around at the cabin, Seb simply sat alone in his bedroom and listened. Listened to the people around him laugh and have fun. When he wasn't there. It had become integrated into his routine. The more time Seb spent alone, the more time he had to realise that maybe the reason that his friends have fun and laugh loudly and joke around and talk with pure glee and excitement was because he wasn't there. The only times he was actually with the people around him is when they needed him. As of now. Last year, he spent most of his summer alone. Cooped up in his room learning words and phrases so he could attempt to socialise with the people who didn't even want to socialise with him. Unless they needed him. Hopper trying to persuade him to talk to others. Was that because he was tired of Seb talking to him?