-y/n's pov-
"mike shush! they're sleeping!" I heard will's voice softly scold.
"I know! just one more picture hold on.." mike's voice then appeared.
CLICK!
"huh?!" I dozily opened my eyes at the clicking noise, "w-what's going on?"
sat before me, also on the
air-mattress was a giggling mike and will, mike with a camera in his hand and many printed photos discarded on the floor.
"what the hell-" I exclaimed before looking at where I was, "oh- I see why you were taking pictures now"
el had nuzzled her head into my chest and her arms were wrapped around my shoulders as muffled snores were heard.
"reminder that I will get you back." I playfully warned the boys before cuddling back up to el.
——————
"alright brochachos, we're here!" yawned argyle awakening both me and el from our slumber.
I looked through the window to see complete and utter chaos, scared people crowded the streets, all gathered around destroyed buildings that clouds of smoke rose from.
—————
shortly after, the van skidded to a halt in a nice neighbourhood in front of a large house. the van door opened with a slam and out we piled.
hope clouded the faces of the people that stood before us, though I knew none of them.
"Mum!" Mike exclaimed as he collided with a blonde haired woman in a hug.
Jonathan sprinted up to another girl and lifted her during their own hug and as for Will and El, they ran up to a boy who looked our age and they shared a loving hug.
watching three reunions at once was a heartwarming sight and I couldn't help but smile. that was when I felt a tap on my shoulder, I swung around to see a boy and a girl who I presumed were Jonathan's age.
"Don't tell me I've got another kid to babysit!" the boy chuckled, the girl then patted his shoulder and laughed,
"think you do steve."
the boy shook his head typically before holding out his hand for me to shake, I accepted his offer as he told me his name.
"steve." he grinned, the girl then held out her hand which I also shook.
"robin." she smiled.
"y/n," I told them with a beam, "el told me a lot about you, robin."
her face grew worried for a split-second, like she didn't want someone to know something, "she did?"
"mhm! you seem really cool, both of you!" I smiled, the compliment only made their own smiles grow.
—————
the hospital door opened with a click as me, mike, will, el, nancy and Jonathan walked in.
"oh my god!" a boy sat in the room exclaimed as he hugged mike and will.
after, he shared a sweet hug with El,
"I'm sorry.." el said into his shoulder, they then broke apart and El slowly approached the bed where Max's unconscious body rested.
el put her hood down and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Do they know.. when she'll wake?" asked el.
"No," the boy I knew to be Lucas replied, "they say she might not.. her heart stopped for over a minute. She died. I- I mean clinically but then she came back." Lucas inhaled deeply, "the doctors don't know how, they say it's a miracle."
all eyes then fell to el, who was just staring longingly down at her lost best friend. she then held max's casted hand in her own.
"I'm here max." she softly spoke before closing her eyes and from my guess, tried entering Max's mind.
-time skip-
the surfer boy pizza van trekked through a dirty path in the woods until it reached an old wooden cabin.
"and this is where me and hop used to live," el informed me.
we all then hopped out and walked up the porch to the house and entered. inside, everything was overgrown and forgotten, cracks and large holes were in the ceilings and the whole place was covered
head-to-toe in a thick layer of dust.
"Oh Jesus" said Jonathan under his breath.
"Holy shit," mike gazed around the room, "this place is a total disaster!"
"ah well, we can always tidy it up if we work as a team, am I right?" nancy spoke whilst pulling some cleaning supplies from a cabinet.
————
mike was sweeping leaves from the floor with will as me and el went around picking up leftover rubbish.
nancy and jonathan were outside, covering the broken windows with planks of wood and argyle was doing.. well god knows what he was doing.
————
el had wondered off into her bedroom, I'd decided to leave her be for a little, she seemed upset about being in the place where her adoptive father that she had lost raised her.
well, that was lost.
a car's wheels scratching the sticks of the forest floor was heard from outside so I cautiously approached the door and peaked through.
there was a black car, waiting outside the house, my heart skipped a beat. was I going to be taken away again??
but thank god joyce byers and an unfamiliar man stepped out instead of a bunch of government people.
I stepped down the porch steps slowly along with Jonathan and Nancy.
At the sight of Jonathan, Joyce leapt forward and attacked her son with a very motherly and tender hug.
hopper gave a nod to nancy before his eyes fell to me, he gave me a puzzled look.
"she- err.." I stuttered, "she's in there." I pointed back over to the house and the man I had guessed to be hopper smiled and headed up into the house.
before I could say another word joyce was already squeezing me in a very caring hug.
"are you okay?" she asked me as if she was my own mother.
I nodded and gave her a reassuring smile and that was when mike and Will left the house. Joyce sped over to Will before giving him a hug and asking how he was, Jonathan then joined the family hug too.
a few moments later hopper and el left the house together, joyce's face lit up and a smile stretched across her face when she saw el. el gave her a toothy grin and a little wave before they also hugged.
"I'm happy.." el spoke as the hug broke, "you went to your.. conference." she turned back to a proud hopper who was standing on the porch.
"that was quite the experience!" chuckled joyce whilst the car drove off.
mike then walked over to hop, "hey," mike greeted.
"you've grown" commented hopper.
"yeah," nodded mike with a
smile, "you shrunk."
they then both shared a gentle hug.
"hope you've been keeping good care of el for me," said hopper once the hug ended.
"don't think that's my responsibility anymore hop." mike replied to a confused hopper before gesturing over to me, who was happily talking to will.
hopper quietly chuckled to himself.
—————
suddenly, will raised his hand up to his neck.
"will?" I asked, "are you okay?..."
he didn't respond, he just eerily turned around and stared up at the sky where a storm was brewing. quickly after, everyone else followed his gaze at the sky as small snow-like flakes began to flutter from the clouds above. I managed to catch one on the end of my finger and I inspected it carefully.
——————
our footsteps echoed around the trees as we walked in a line through the woods. we kept on walking until we reached a grassy hillside. flowers and plants bloomed on one half on the hill but the other.. it was infected with dead and lifeless grass and weeds.
whilst everyone stopped in couples, jonathan and nancy, mike and will, hopper and joyce, me and el decided to keep on walking as far as the green grass went. el knelt down and picked a dead flower from the ground before looking at it with curiosity but our attention was quickly stolen by a rumble of thunder in the distance. el stood back up and slid her hand into mine whilst all of us gazed at the destruction that the upside down had caused to hawkins. four red, lava-like rivers snaked around before they all met in the centre. the centre where a huge cloud of black smoke polluted the air. red strikes of lightning illuminated the smoke clouds, creating an ominous mix of colours.
el's grip on my hand tightened as the same thought passed through all of our heads.
the end of hawkins was nigh.