Dustin was sitting at the table when Steve came downstairs. The smell of eggs and bacon slithering through the halls and drifting into Steve's room. Steve had gotten up and carefully slid into a crew neck, the same as the yellow one he had worn a couple of days prior but in a baby blue shade, the yellow one long gone to the police station, not like Steve would have even worn it. He would have just thought of the lake. And the canoe. And the portal. And the demo bats. And Eddie.
And that's the worst thing that could happen to him right now. Steve did not need to cry right now.
As the end of the staircase approached, Steve took a deep breath and took the last steps down, not sitting at the table, he stood against the wall in the dining room, staring at the chairs as if they were all taken by ghosts, when in fact, the only person in a chair was Dustin Henderson, and the other 7 were empty.
Dustin was sniffling, his eyes were red, and his fingers were gripped tightly around a chain- oh he recognized that chain, it was Eddie's guitar pic necklace. He sucked in a breath, biting his tongue. Dustin should keep it.
"You could wear it." He suggested, Steve glanced at Dustin's balled fists when the younger boy made a sound of confusion. "The necklace. You should wear it. He would have loved it if you did." Steve hid the cracks in his voice well.
Dustin slipped it over his head, his left hand still holding it tightly as he picked at the bacon on the plate in front of him.
"You should also eat your breakfast because you haven't eaten in a day and you'll faint if you stand up." Nancy pointed a fork at Dustin while she whisked together eggs, pouring the egg into the pan and using a spatula to mix around the mixture.