superhero.

[jake johnson, cis male, he/him/his]who’s that? oh it’s [bob newby]. i hear they’re [forty-four] and are known as [the brain] around [radioshack]. they’re known to be [kind & selfless] and [gullible & frail]. some people say they remind them of [homecooked meals, tv static, bear hugs, the cheers theme song & your dad’s cologne]. they [do not] believe they died. 

Who: Jonnie + @newbyss

Where: The Byers Crib

Why: Let’s share a muffin.

Today’s visit was a surprise. Jonathan picked up a box of muffins and four black coffees on his way over to the Byers residence. He wasn’t sure who would be home today. These days it was impossible to gather everyone in the same room but he figured it was better to be prepared  just in case. He rummaged through his console before exiting the vehicle, popping a piece of gum in his mouth. His mom wasn’t a stranger to cigarettes but he wasn’t ready for her to know about the newfound habit - not yet, at least. He honestly hoped to quit before any of his family members actually noticed.

 Jonathan moved the flimsy cardboard box on top of the coffee tray as he walked up the patio stairs, reaching for the lanyard in his back pocket to open the front door with his spare key. The house still smelled like home no matter the amount of time away.

 “Mom?” He called out, hoping that he didn’t misread the work schedule during his last shift. The box slid slightly as he bent down to kick off his shoes. “Shit,” he used his chin to calibrate the tower, regaining balance as he straightened and walked down the main hallway into the kitchen. He placed his goods on the table and turned to the fridge, “I stopped by Tim’s on the way here … apparently they ran out of cream or something?” He spoke loudly to whoever was home, scanning for a carton of dairy on the shelves.

.

bob was spending more and more time at the byers’ lately. between driving will to work, doing handyman work for joyce, and sharing meals together just because that was something they could do now, he felt like he was spending more time here than at the motel he was paying to stay at. today, he was working on the leaky faucet in the kitchen that’d distracted him all through their last movie night. his head was underneath the sink as he lay sprawled out on his back on the kitchen floor, so he didn’t hear jonathan’s voice until he got closer, shifting to pull his legs in so he wouldn’t accidentally trip and nearly hitting his head off of the top of the cupboard as he scrambled to get his head free. 

“jonathan,” he exhaled. the name felt strange upon his lips when it really shouldn’t have. he’d been closer to will, certainly, because jonathan was practically grown up by the time bob had entered the picture, but a rush of guilt bloomed in his chest as he looked up at the boy -no, man- from his spot on the floor. he’d sought will out  when he’d...come back to town but not his older brother. and now that he and joyce were doing...whatever it was they were doing, that guilt hit him like a freight train. “your mom ran to the store. for milk, i think.” pushing off from the floor, he stood up, hands tucked into his pockets as he studied jonathan quietly. “did you get taller or did i just shrink?” his eyes flicked to the coffees and he pointed at them. “do you mind if i...?” 

  this  just  felt  normal.  it  felt  like  1984  all  over  again  -  bob  coming  over  to  fix  whatever  joyce  needed  -  her  repaying  him  with  a  cooked  meal  whenever  she  could.  money  was  tight  back  then  —  money  was  still  pretty  tight.  she  didn’t  have  a  car  after  all,  she  couldn’t  even  brag  that  things  were  better  than  they  were  before.  she  turns  back  to  look  at  bob  as  he’s  passing  by  the  photos,  smile  settling  on  her  lips  as  she  starts  walking  backwards,  gaze  locked  on  him  inspecting  everything.  she’d  surely  have  some  questions  to  answer  eventually  -  especially  the  one  about  why  eleven  was  in  so  many  photos.

    “there’s  a  plug  in  the  kitchen  that  doesn’t  seem  to  be  working  and  one  in  my  room  that  isn’t  working.”  she’s  pointing  to  each  room,  hand  dropping  from  where  she  was  pointing  to  her  own  room.  “and  then  i  think  the  bulb  in  the  refrigerator  just  needs  changed  -  so  i  can  do  that  later,  it’s  no  trouble.”  not  that  the  plugs  were  either  for  that  reason  …  she  could  have  easily  been  doing  it  herself.  not  with  bob  around  though  -  she  was  absolutely  going  to  exploit  this  service  as  much  as  she  could  -  just  to  simply  be  around  him.  “you  know  where  everything  is  -  i  don’t  need  to  show  you.”  nothing  had  changed.  once  the  byers  returned  back  to  hawkins,  it  was  no  surprise  that  they  managed  to  get  their  household  back.  it  wasn’t  the  prettiest  home  around..  not  after  everything  that  had  happened  throughout  the  years.  “i’m  going  to  cook  you  some  food  as  a  thank  you  and  i’ll  bring  you  in  a  bottle  of  water  in  a  second.  just  give  me  a  shout  if  you  need  me.”

.

joyce was more than capable of fixing the odds and ends at home and bob was more than aware of that. but if she wanted him around and he wanted to be there, feeling useful as he was doing so was a good compromise. “i got it.” he knew which drawer in the kitchen was the designated junk drawer, so he snagged a fresh bulb from it and replaced the one in the fridge before moving on to fiddling with the plug -not before making sure he’d flicked the right switch on the fuse box to make sure he wouldn’t accidentally shock himself. coming back from the dead just to get electrocuted? not cool.

“you sound like my mom. put some meat on your bones! not that you’re like my mom. uh.” bob shook his head as he turned his attention back to the plug that didn’t appear to be working. there was a connection missing, he thought, and once he closed the circuit, it would probably work fine. “but i won’t say no to something other than takeout. i think i’m keeping benny’s in business again.” he chuckled softly, tongue pressed into his cheek as he worked. “did you adopt a third kid while i was gone, by the way?” when bob had been in hawkins, eleven really hadn’t been, but bob couldn’t say he was surprised. joyce had always, always had a big heart. it was one of the things he loved most about her.

  so…  it  was  safe  to  say  she  was  still  struggling  with  the  news  that  bob  had  returned  out  of  seemingly  no  where,  along  with  lowkey  hurting  will  in  the  process  thanks  to  her  keeping  it  all  from  him.  not  that  she  meant  it  -  she  had  just  been  confused  that  so  many  people  were  interacting  with  him  and  forgetting  that  he  DIED.  thankfully  it  only  took  her  a  few  hours  from  their  initial  interaction  to  realise  that  she  wasn’t  going  crazy  at  all.  other  than  that?  life  was  fine  for  the  most  part.  it  was  her  usual  routine  of  working  her  ass  off,  trying  to  hang  with  her  kids..  rinse  and  repeat.

    she  practically  stumbles  over  her  own  two  feet  as  she  moves  towards  the  front  door  in  a  hurry,  bob’s  voice  ringing  throughout  her  ears.  “sorry.”  joyce  mumbles  as  she  opens  the  door,  holding  it  open  for  the  other.  she  definitely  felt  like  it  took  her  way  too  long  to  get  to  the  door  when  in  actuality..  she  was  pretty  quick.  “oh..  uh,  my  car  got  totalled  a  few  weeks  ago  -  it’s  a  long  story.”  not  really  …  they  got  into  some  trouble,  as  always.  “how  you  doing  though?  settling  in  again?”  she  indicates  with  her  head  to  come  in,  smile  settling  on  her  lips.

.

a slow smile spread upon bob’s face when she opened up the door for him. he’d missed her even though it had only been a few weeks in his head. the smile faltered, though, and his eyes widened almost comically at the news that joyce’s car had been totaled. about a hundred questions flooded his mind, but since joyce didn’t seem overly concerned about it, he held his tongue. “i got nothing but time,” he reminded her honestly. it wasn’t like he could go anywhere. and, truthfully? it wasn’t like he wanted to. there was no place else he’d rather be. 

bob followed her inside and took in the interior. it looked mostly the same, though the photos on the walls had older versions of jonathan and will and...was that jane in those photos? he made his way down the main hallway, fingertips tracing the picture frames almost reverently. he’d missed so much in his time away and he wasn’t sure what to do with that except be here for them all now as much as he could. “i’m settling!” he agreed, walking back to the living room and setting his toolbox down on the floor. he stood with his hands on his hips as he tipped his head. “what needs fixed first?”

after ransacking melvald’s for tools, bob set off to the byers. his own ragtag toolbox was probably long gone since his place in hawkins had been sold after he’d missed rent several months in a row, so he made sure to grab some of the essentials before heading over to take care of some of the repairs...and to see joyce. he made his way there without even having to think about it. it’d been years since he’d been there, technically, but he’d known the way to joyce’s like the back of his own hand. it felt like yesterday even if the boys had grown up by now. jonathan had moved out. will had graduated high school. and bob was still stuck in 1984!

parking near the curb, bob headed up the walk and to the front porch. he actually still had a key to the house on his keyring. it had been with a collection of his belongings when he’d left the hospital. keys, wallet, a well-worn jacket, and a few arcade tokens were all he had to show for the years in between. bob hesitated to use it, though. time had passed for the byerses, even if none had for him. he lifted his hand to knock with the hand not gripping loosely onto the toolbox. he hoped somebody was home...joyce’s car wasn’t out front. had she gotten a new one since ‘84? “hello?” he called. “anybody home?” he let the question hang for a moment before adding. “it’s just me. bob?”

  hawkins  had  definitely  changed  over  the  years.  she  knew  the  town  was  cursed  but  she  thought  that  was  simply  the  universe’s  way  of  getting  back  at  her  because  of  her  bad  attitude  as  a  teenager.  but  she  never  thought  it  could  be  this  bad.  the  only  good  thing  to  come  out  of  hawkins  was  her  kids  really.  “they’re  great!!”  well..  she  wouldn’t  necessarily  use  the  word  great.  they  were  suffering  just  as  much.  and  it  was  clear  how  much  she  regretted  her  use  of  words  as  her  lips  curled.  “the  boys  are  good..  very  grown  up.  jonathan  moved  out,  will  works  at  radioshack,  going  to  college  and  everything.  and  eleven  is  doing  really  well  too.“  there’s  not  as  much  as  a  pause  before  she’s  smiling  again.  of  course  she’d  always  consider  eleven  her  own,  not  that  bob  would  know  why.  “and  the  rest  of  the  kids  are  doing  well  too  -  going  to  school,  working  their  asses  off..  and  still  seemingly  getting  into  trouble.”  not  their  faults  really.  she  couldn’t  really  fault  them  when  trouble  followed  them.

    head  lifts  from  his  shoulder  with  a  slight  scowl  -  not  at  all  scary  like  she  probably  wanted.  “i  thought  i  lost  you  forever.”  forever..  what  a  big  word.  a  word  she  once  associated  with  bob  newby.  “i  don’t  want  to  lose  you  again.”  she  still  wasn’t  exactly  sure  how  he  was  here..  wasn’t  sure  if  she  was  dreaming  or  not.  but  this  felt  good.  this  felt  normal.  of  course  she  was  going  to  run  with  this  feeling.  “you’re  not  leaving  unless  you  really  need  to.”

      he  was  right  though.  they  had  lingered  enough  now.  someone  was  probably  looking  for  one  of  them.  joyce  stands  up  with  a  little  groan,  hands  reaching  out  for  bob’s  to  help  him  up.  “hey  um..”  the  woman  starts,  “if  you  feel  like  it  -  a  few  of  the  plugs  at  home  don’t  work  and  i  think  there’s  something  wrong  with  the  refrigerator  too.”  all  things  joyce  could  probably  figure  out  herself,  yes..  but  she  wasn’t  going  to  pass  an  opportunity  to  have  bob  around  more.  plus  at  least  she  knew  with  confidence  that  bob  could  figure  it  out.  “if  you  feel  like  it.  you  don’t  have  to  or  anything.”

.

“radioshack, huh?” a fond grin appeared upon his face. he’d always had a soft spot for the byers boys and even if it had nothing to do with him at all, bob thought it was kind of sweet that will had taken up the mantle he’d left behind at the radioshack counter. bob made a mental note to try and stop by to check in on the kids before he left. if he left. that seemed like a no-brainer two days ago but now? looking at joyce, bob was finding it difficult to commit to that. he didn’t feel great about leaving her and the kids...again. 

and when joyce said that? well. bob was already trying to figure out the rental car situation. he pressed his lips together trying -and promptly failing- to keep from laughing at her attempt at a scowl. “you won’t! you can have my number if you ask real nice.” which reminded him...he really needed to call johnny. his cousin had been kind enough to give him a place to stay, but did he really not remember anything? if bob had really died, why was joyce the first person to comment on it? “i don’t. my cousin’s house plants will live without me.”

he climbed back to his feet with joyce’s help, his hand lingering a second too long in hers before he tucked both into his pockets. her question made him cock his head slightly, the fond smile returning. “i’ll have to check my calendar,” he joked, stroking his chin thoughtfully as if doing just that in his head. “nope. i’m all yours.” he had zero plans because he’d only been back for two weeks...back from the dead. he wondered if that would freak him out later or if he was just so numb from scott’s passing that even that couldn’t shake him. “i’ll be there. how’s tomorrow sound?” it was nice to be able to make plans again. especially with her.

When the man didn’t freak out, yell at Murray, call him insane, Murray paused. The other tested out the border wall once more, causing Murray’s eyebrows to shoot up. Now, here was someone with the right idea! “Have you? Like what?” he asked, unable to stifle his curiosity. Murray took another puff from the joint and held it out to the other. “Mother always said it was rude not to share.” 

As the other man studied him, Murray did the same. No recognition bells went off, not even from the countless files Murray had studied in his attempt to acclimate to Hawkins. “I’m not big on manners,” Murray said, waving away Bob’s apology. Then it clicked. Bob Newby. “Joyce’s Bob Newby?” he exclaimed, eyes widening as Murray took a step closer to Bob Newby to study his face up close. “I’ll be damned.” Mr. Disappearing Act in the flesh. “I’m Murray Bauman, friend of Joyce. Investigative journalist,” he said, finally taking the man’s hand in a handshake. “You’re in town for the funeral, I gather?” 

.

he hadn’t expected the other to ask. so many people in hawkins, indiana walked these streets oblivious to the things lurking underneath, himself included before that fateful day. bob cleared his throat, eyeing the stranger curiously. he almost said no, thank you, i don’t smoke, but learning that he was trapped in town for who knew how long seemed like enough reason to try it again. he’d smoked a few times in high school (who hadn’t?) and as he took a quick drag, he choked on it just like he had in scott’s bedroom all those years ago. was it the weed or the memory that made his eyes burn like that? either way, he handed the joint back with a cough.

an almost proud smile turned his mouth at the other’s -murray bauman, he’d learned- reaction. bob redirected his gaze to the ground, a bashful red tint to his cheeks as he said “if that’s how she describes me, yep.” bob couldn’t tell if this friend of joyce’s was just surprised or wary of him. what had joyce told people about his disappearance? bob couldn’t even explain it himself, so he imagined it couldn’t have been great. he shook murray’s hand firmly and nodded. “yes. scott was...an old friend. i was just supposed to be here for the long weekend but...” he gestured to the invisible barrier helplessly as if to say i’m stuck now! 

  “i  wanted  to  bring  the  boys  and  eleven  as  far  away  from  here  as  possible.”  she’d  leave  out  the  details  of  how  they  got  their  home  -  large  and  completely  unlike  what  she  owned  back  in  hawkins.  that  was  a  conversation  for  another  day,  really.  there  was  no  point  opening  up  to  someone  if  something  happened  to  him  again.  she’d  learnt  her  lesson.  “i  thought  it  would  do  us  some  good..  a  place  with  no  memories..  no  solid  reminder  of  someone…”  hence  why  maine  hadn’t  been  her  go  to.  she  had  just  lost  hopper  at  the  time  -  she  couldn’t  go  to  a  place  that  reminded  her  so  much  of  bob.  she  wanted  to  make  it  hard  for  people  to  visit  them..  find  them  even  -  that  hadn’t  worked  out  so  well.

    it’s  so  natural  the  way  she  gives  his  hand  a  squeeze,  head  coming  down  to  rest  against  his  shoulder.  what  brought  her  back?  all  of  this  nonsense..  her  children,  karen’s  children  -  the  kids  her  own  children  loved  and  adored.  “there’s  so  much  you’ve  missed  out  on.”  is  her  only  response,  eyes  slowly  closing.  for  the  first  time  in  a  while,  there  was  silence  in  her  head  ..  tranquillity  even.  for  years,  the  other  had  been  in  her  dreams,  in  her  nightmares.  and  now  he  was  here.  “i  wish  i  could  say  the  same  about  you.”  head  shoots  up  quickly,  turning  to  look  at  him  with  wide  eyes.  “that  sounded  bad  …  you  know  what  i  mean..”  he  shouldn’t  have  been  here  -  she’d  make  sure  she  got  to  the  bottom  of  all  of  this.  

      “it  is  nice  to  see  someone  you  thought  you  lost  forever  though.”

.

that made sense. hawkins, bob was learning, was not the quaint little midwestern town he’d grown up in. it wasn’t even just a corrupt one, though he still wasn’t totally sure what to make of mayor st. james. ever since the map, bob had been sure there was something more to this little town. he’d just...never really had the chance to dig into it. until now. apparently, he’d been granted some sort of second chance. but why? bob did’t know. but he was surely going to make the most of it! “how are the kids?” there was a hint of guilt in his tone. he felt terrible that he hadn’t made it just a few more steps before-

he shook it off. now that joyce had mentioned it, the details of that night were sharper. more clear. the beasts in the lab weren’t just shapeless blobs anymore, and if he thought about it for more than a few seconds, he got closer and closer to reliving the moment where he’d stopped living altogether. it was a bizarre experience, one he’d rather let sit in fact. 

his body reacted to hers instinctively, shifting so that he could wrap one arm loose and low around her waist, the other hand carding through her hair to cradle the back of her head. “if it makes you feel better,” bob mused, a low chuckle building in his chest. “i can just...go. make my goodbyes to classmates who don’t remember me and be out of your hair forever.” not that he wanted that. he wanted the complete opposite, actually. now that he was back, bob wanted to make good on promises he’d made...years ago? that was still confusing. suffice it to say, he’d be there as long as joyce and the kids wanted him around. it was the least he could do.

“we should...probably get back out there, huh?”

spencer looked at bob, holding back his chuckle when the other burned his mouth. not that he thought that it was funny, but because in essence, bob seemed pretty much the same as he was before. that’s why spencer thought it was so weird that he had returned and wasn’t sure what had happened to him. like he hadn’t just left town. it was weird to think that the small town had felt so empty with bob and that now he was just back like that. “no, you don’t… you don’t need to give me his number, i believe you.” he said, but even he had his doubts about what was happening in that town. but bob wouldn’t lie to him, he was just too honest and too good to be actually lying. at least he hoped that he wasn’t. “it’s good to have you back, bob, really.” he said with a small nod.

he followed bob with his coffee, sitting down on the table that he had found for them and watched him carefully. he was so confused at his story. “why were you at the hospital?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. it was weird that he had been in the hospital but not sure why he had been there. there were holes in his story and spencer would be damned if he didn’t figure it out. he had to figure it out, if not for bob, for the sake of the town. “you didn’t happen to meet… any kids while you were out in the woods? because… there has been reports of plenty of kids returning and apparently they were in some sort of… cult.” he said, lowering his voice so any of the bystanders wouldn’t hear. “you only came back because of scott? no other reason? nothing at all?” he asked.

.

a relieved sort of smile appeared upon bob’s face as spencer said he believed him. bob wasn’t sure if that was true, but at least he wasn’t questioning him about tree communes. that was part of the story the authorities had fed him when they’d picked him up from the gas station along route 40, but no matter how hard bob tried, he couldn’t remember anything about a forest commune. in fact, it was like...time just stopped after that day in the lab and picked up the day he walked out of the trees. it didn’t make sense, but the doctor had told him that everyone responded to trauma differently, and who was bob newby to question a man with a medical degree? his smile softened around his cup. “it’s good to be back. i missed hawkins.” it wasn’t much, but it was home.

“i’m not really sure,” bob admitted with a shrug. he sipped at his cocoa and then drummed his fingers against the tabletop. “when i wandered into a convenience store on the highway, the clerk called the cops. they took me there. i guess i looked a little...rough?” his shoulders raised and fell again. he nearly choked on his next sip of cocoa. “cult?” he echoed lamely, eyebrows darting back towards his hairline. “i mean, maybe? there were supposed to be a bunch of people out there, but i just don’t remember it. i was...” bob hesitated as he looked across the table at spencer. he wasn’t sure what the mayor knew about the supernatural things that happened in town. heck, bob didn’t even know much at all! he’d barely scratched the surface before he’d...left town. “...i was in an accident before the commune. some kind of animal or something got me. in the old hawkins lab? the doctor thought i’d put up some kind of amnesia as a...coping mechanism or something. i don’t know.” he chuckled halfheartedly as he added “i’m not a doctor.” a little bit of heat rushed to bob’s cheeks. he cleared his throat and said “well, i was seeing someone before i left, and i suppose i wanted to check up on her and the kids but...yeah, no, mostly for scott.” 

  if  anything,  joyce  at  least  hoped  bob  would  be  sticking  around..  that  he’d  have  no  choice  but  to  stay  once  all  of  this  was  figured  out,  when  he  actually  could  leave.  she  couldn’t  deal  with  losing  another  person  -  or  going  through  the  grief  of  thinking  you’ve  lost  someone  when  you  most  certainly  have  not.  that  was  sick.  hand  moves  to  rest  upon  his  own,  another  reminder  that  he  was  in  fact  here..  with  her.  he  was  truly  real.  “i  don’t  blame  you.”  not  that  hawkins  was  the  most  ideal  place  to  come  back  to.  but  it  was  better  than  being  DEAD.

    she  takes  the  time  to  breathe  -  steadily  inhaling  and  exhaling  to  keep  her  head  level,  to  remind  her  that  they’re  at  a  funeral,  hiding  out  in  a  closet.  things  would  only  get  worse  somehow..  but  for  now?  she’d  enjoy  the  quiet,  enjoy  the  time  she  had  that  she  missed  out  on  with  bob.  “i  brought  the  kids  to  california,  you  know..”  joyce  starts,  crossing  her  arms  over  her  chest.  “decided  to  finally  get  them  away  from  all  of  this  and  yet…  here  we  are.  right  back  in  the  madness.”  she’d  leave  out  some  of  the  details  for  another  time.  “i  wish  i  kept  them  out  there.”  though  she  had  a  funny  feeling  they’d  all  end  up  back  in  hawkins  one  way  or  another.

.

“california?” bob parroted back at her, head tipped to the side in surprise. they’d talked about moving, a little bit, when they’d been together. he always figured they’d go back to maine, where his grandparents lived, or at least somewhere in the same timezone. bob had never been further west than chicago and he didn’t think his skin would fare well in that heat, but if that was where joyce wanted to take the boys, he was certain he’d have followed willingly. eagerly, even. “what made you choose there?” he could picture joyce and her kids out there if he thought about it long enough. he wondered if they’d been happy there..and why they’d come back to hawkins.

he threaded their fingers together out of habit and shot her a wistful smile. “what brought you back?” bob could guess. her kids had connections here that were strong, not unlike bob’s with scott. if he could have one do-over in life, it would be to return to hawkins much earlier then he had. he could have had many more years with his friend. but there was nothing he could do to raise the dead...his own apparent resurrection notwithstanding. “not that i’m not glad to see you.” 

spencer raised his eyebrows in confusion when he heard bob talk about wandering out of the woods, he shook his head slightly. “what do you mean? you wandered out of the woods?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. now bob’s return definitely seemed more odd. he hadn’t seen the other in years now and now he returned, saying that he had gotten out of the woods? there was something odd about it. he thought he remembered some of the kids that had returned saying the exact same thing and now he was worrying. if bob had returned at the same time as the other kids, then he would probably be a suspect for the disappearances. why else would a grown adult disappear like that? “are you sure you were in chicago, bob?” he asked, deciding not to accuse him directly. but he needed to know what this was about. it was part of his job anyway.

at the question, spencer thought about declining, but it was bob. and if he was lucky enough, maybe he would find out what was happening. “sure, that sounds like a good idea.” spencer said as he followed bob out of melvald’s and into the small cafe next to it. he watched the other carefully to see if anything seemed off, but it just seemed like bob. nothing else. “i’ll just have a coffee… thank you.” he told the other. “what did you do in chicago?” he asked, deciding to continue the conversation.

.

when the teenager behind the counter rang him up, bob handed over a ten dollar bill and told him to keep the change with a thumbs-up. he knew what working in customer service was like. any little bit helped. he accepted his cup of hot coca with a smile and took a sip before responding to spencer, effectively burning the top of his mouth a little bit in the process. “son of a biscuit,” he whined, pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth and popping the lid off of his to-go cup to let some of the steam escape. “yes. my cousin john lives out there. did you want me to give you his number? he can vouch for me if you’re worried i’m lying to you.” bob’s tone was innocent. he said it with a smile. but he had been in chicago...he just wasn’t entirely sure where he’d been before that. 

when the employee handed over spencer’s coffee, bob replaced the lid on his cup and headed for one of the empty tables in the ship, sitting down and carefully taking another sip of his drink. this time, it went down smoothly and he smiled into the warmth. his shoulder raised and fell in a shrug as he cupped his mug in both hands. “not much. went to the hospital and talked to the cops, but no one could really explain what happened to me. i don’t remember much of it, either.” maybe he shouldn’t have been telling spencer st. james any of this, but bob was nothing if not honest. “honestly? i did a lot of cooking. johnny lives on takeout and i figured it was the least i could do since i was mooching off of him. and when i heard about scott...” he trailed off lamely, looking at a spot over spencer’s left shoulder and taking a second to gather himself. “it just seemed like it was time to come home.”

since being back in town, bob had gotten his old job back at radioshack. not his last job at the store.. he’d been manager back then. but after a series of no-call, no-shows (and disappearing for almost four years), he had to start from the bottom (as a team member and cashier) and work his way back up. which bob was totally fine with! it kept him busy and out of the motel during the day. plus, he was good at his job. he liked helping people and (most of) the customers were happy to learn from him. 

he was just finishing up rearranging a display of their newest walkmans when the bell above the door jingled pleasantly, indicating that a customer had entered. “welcome to radioshack!” bob greeted as he turned to face the customer. “what can i do for you today?” he hoped that he could be of assistance. and, if not, he hoped he could find one of his younger coworkers who could.

      Okay. He–it–the Doppelganger or zombie-Bob or whoever, whatever, this was…it stepped back to give him some space. Which was a little more sensitive and respectful than he would expect a murderous monster to act, leading credence to the idea that this actually was (against all odds) the actual Bob Newby returned to life, rather than a devious shapeshifter wearing his face. Unless it was really going the extra mile to earn Will’s trust and make him lower his guards. Jesus Christ, this was confusing and insane and he didn’t know what to think. When maybe-Bob-maybe-beast reached out and slipped an old arcade token onto the counter and retreated once again, Will hesitated for a moment longer before caving and picking the coin up, gaze flickering back and forth a few times as he tried to inspect it and yet keep an eye on the potential imposter at the same time.

     He hadn’t been in close proximity to the Doppelganger during any of the times it had struck so far (except maybe with that Peter guy in the cabin, but he didn’t know him anyway.) But Will was pretty sure it had never enacted such an elaborate scheme to fake someone’s identity, detailing personal anecdotes shared between only a few souls, let alone bringing props to support the story. Even if the creature did have some sort of ability to access the minds of those whose faces it wore, Bob Newby was already dead, so how would it have access to his memories?

     All the evidence was pointing to one conclusion, that this was…the real Bob. And that was—secretly and shamefully—the answer Will was hoping against. Maybe he wouldn’t have preferred there to be an actual monster standing across from him, seconds away from killing him at his workplace, but it would have been a hell of a lot easier to deal with emotionally than the baggage of grief and pain that had just opened back up.

     “It’s really you,” he whispered, the end of his sentence coming out more like a question than he’d meant it. There was no way this wasn’t him, but it still didn’t make any sense how he could be back. Nevertheless, he was. He was right here, right now. Will moved out from behind the counter slowly, steps halting and unsure because he wanted to get a closer look but he also wanted to run far away. Bob. “You were dead,” he said, his voice breaking, and that was the last crack in the dam, everything coming out at once in a flood of tears. He closed the remaining distance between them, pushing himself into Bob’s arms like a child seeking comfort. Or forgiveness. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

.

if will hadn’t remembered or if he’d continued looking so worried, bob would have taken the hint and left. he could return to re-apply for the job he’d held any time. or maybe he’d see if one of the other stores in town was hiring. the last thing bob wanted to do was put will in a bad spot and if he was working at radioshack, then maybe bob would just have to find someplace else to earn rent money. if will needed space, that’s what he’d get.

just as the thought crossed his mind, though, will was coming out from behind the counter. bob half expected the boy to lash out or to yell at him to get the hell out of the store, but that was silly. this was will, the same soft-spoken but respectful boy he’d known in 1984, just a few inches taller and with a different haircut. if he thought about it, bob wasn’t surprised at all. he opened his arms automatically and pulled will into a hug, one arm secure around his shoulders and the other hand gentle at the back of the boy’s head. “believe it or not, you’re not the first person to tell me that.” he was going for a joke, but was afraid it fell flat. 

he hugged will in the middle of the store for a long time, murmuring soft reassurances and only drawing back when will apologized. to him! bob couldn’t let that stand. he drew back to look at him properly, still holding will by the shoulders even as he shook his head at him. “no, i’m sorry. i never meant to leave you guys.” and that was the truth. bob had always intended to stick by joyce’s side in hawkins until -and if- she wanted to move the boys elsewhere. and then? well, then bob had always planned on going with them. whether he’d died or just been attacked and joined a forest commune, bob had left joyce and her boys and that was his biggest regret in life (the second biggest? not being there for scott in the end.) “but i’m back now,” bob said, offering what he hoped was a reassuring sort of smile. “and i’m here to stay. mostly because i can’t leave, but...” but it was the thought that counted.

gabe nodded as he set his own down, and took the pineapple from the other and gave it another thoughtful squeeze. squishy, but not too squishy, that was the general rule of thumb for fruits right? he looked at it, studying it for a moment, so his pineapple testing method might seem more legitimate, he still held onto it, “i think she’s a keeper.” he flashed the other a smile, then looked over the rest of the pineapples before them, bringing his hand up to stroke his mustache, “say…” he said, clearly having mulled his words over, “maybe i’ll get one.” 

conversation about pineapple was all well and good, especially when the other was so pleasant too engage with, but this was the real meat of the conversation. he continued browsing, for the perfect pineapple with his free hand as he tried to act like he didn’t know this man’s full name, date of birth, and deepest trauma. maybe it was a little dishonest, but he’d feed into the illusion of a nice conversation, especially if it meant giving bob a sense of normalcy in the midst of everything he must be going through. that’s great, but what happens when he finds out you’re his therapist? a little voice nagged at gabe then he clicked his tongue and sighed in an effort to silence it. somewhat awkwardly, he looked to bob to explain himself, “sorry, this here one is prickly.” he chuckled, then continued on with the conversation, “seems like a good place to grow up.” he commented, following it up with a question, “did you like it?” as it donned on him he was still carrying the pineapple, he disjointedly passed it back, then shook bob’s hand like a proper gentleman ought to and introduced himself, “gabe diaz, nice to meet you.” continuing to play to fool, he picked out another pineapple and asked, “what brings you back?”

.

as his companion tested out the freshly chosen pineapple, bob watched and shifted his weight from one foot to another. he’d thought the fruit seemed fresh, but a second opinion couldn’t hurt! his grin only widened when the other said he might look for a pineapple of his own. “you should! it goes great in a fruit salad.” he took the fruit back and maneuvered it so that he could cradle the pineapple into the crook of his left elbow so that he could return the handshake. “good to meet you, too, gabe diaz,” bob replied, testing the name out. 

bob began weaving his way through the aisles of the market, plucking a container of green grapes and studying a selection of different kinds of apples as he thought about his new acquaintance’s -gabe, he reminded himself- questions. he was still close enough that they could hold a conversation, even as he plucked an apple from its basket and shined it up on his shirt sleeve. “i liked some parts of it. i was kind of a nerd in high school. you know how kids can be.” he rolled his eyes good-naturedly as if to say that it was fine now and he’d grown out of it. the almost permanent smile he wore faltered a bit as he spoke again. “did you know scott clarke?” being gone for a few years meant that maybe he didn’t know everyone who knew scott anymore. that was weird. he was still trying to wrap his head around what had happened to him, let alone what had happened to scott. if he didn’t think about it, it was almost like he might run into his friend around the next corner. but that wasn’t true, was it? 

“we were friends.” that wasn’t right. that made it sound like they’d just been classmates and that didn’t do what he and scott had been justice. “good friends. so i...came back for the service.” because scott clarke was dead. and bob newby wasn’t, even if a few people had told him otherwise. it was confusing if he thought about it for too long.

.

spencer looked over at bob, raising an eyebrow. last time he had seen bob, he was sure that he was still the same height. he didn’t know where this was coming from. spencer had no idea where bob had been for these past years, he hadn’t even heard from him. and now he was back, also at the same time that a lot of people were returning too. “thank… you? i suppose.” he said, shrugging his shoulders, unsure on what to say. talking to bob didn’t seem like the same as before. it felt like he was gone too long and that now that he had returned, the two didn’t have anything to talk about.

spencer pursed his lips at bob when he mentioned scott clarke and their friendship. it must have been hard for bob to go through that, to go back to hawkins to find out that his best friend had died. spencer couldn’t imagine what that was like, but then again, he wasn’t necessarily the type of person to have friends. “i’m sorry. i know it must be rough and what happened at the carnival is a tragedy. i can’t imagine what families are going through right now…” he said, shaking his head. he looked over at bob, raising an eyebrow. “chicago? you have family there?” he asked. he wanted to know more.

.

with a sad smile, bob accepted spencer’s...condolences? with a soft thank you that was barely above a whisper. being back in town was...weird. he felt like no time had passed at all, but at the same time, it felt like more than a few years had gone by. they’d even rearranged the store a little bit so it’d taken him much longer than usual to find his batteries. speaking of, he reached over to replace the AAAs he’d been searching for and slipped his hands into his jacket pockets as he watched spencer with his head tipped slightly. “my cousin lives there. when i came to and wandered out of the woods, i guess i came out on that side of the highway, not the one towards hawkins...” he shrugged, not realizing what he was sharing would probably be very interesting to spencer. 

“say, spence, did you want to go grab a coffee or something? catch up?” without even waiting for an answer, bob led the way out of the store and to the little cafe next door where he ordered himself a hot chocolate. so what if it was july? hot chocolate always hit the spot! he glanced over his shoulder. “what’ll you have? it’s on me.”

  she  couldn’t  be  dead  -  she  had  visited  her  own  son  in  hospital,  even  visited  a  few  others  too.  they  all  couldn’t  be  dead  too.  she  was  alive.  this  was  happening.  bob  was  here.  alive.  she  takes  the  time  to  sit  down  on  the  ground,  small  legs  stretching  out  as  she  looks  up  at  him.  “sorry..  if  i  stand  up  any  longer,  i’ll  pass  out.”  because  this  was  crazy  and  it  shouldn’t  have  been  happening.  hawkins  was  an  odd  place  but  she  never  thought  the  town  would  be  so  cruel  to  do  this  to  her.  “trauma  response  makes  sense  -  but  i  promise..  i  saw  you  die,  bob.  i  wouldn’t  lie  about  that.”  but  no  one  else  had  reacted..  no  one  else  seemed  to  care  that  someone  who  died  was  strolling  around  hawkins  -  at  a  funeral  of  an  old  friend.  

    gaze  drops  towards  her  hands  once  again,  inhaling  at  bob’s  question.  if  only  he  knew  what  happened  in  between  him  not  being  around  and  now.  they’d  catch  up,  she  was  sure  of  that.  “yeah.”  she  doesn’t  like  the  taste  in  her  mouth,  the  way  her  head  immediately  starts  to  hurt  at  bob’s  question.  things  had  always  been  complicated  but  now  they  were  insane.  “it  started  a  while  ago..  long  story  short  -  there’s  some  sort  of  barrier  surrounding  hawkins.  no  one  can  leave.”  not  to  mention  will  going  missing,  some  of  the  kids  getting  injured,  her  car  getting  totalled…  she  was  still  cycling  around  on  will’s  bike  when  she  couldn’t  get  a  ride  somewhere.  

     “i’m  sure  the  kids  know  more  than  me  but  i  haven’t  got  speaking  to  them.  there  could  be  so  much  more  happening.”  hand  gestures  to  the  door  of  the  closet,  referring  to  the  funeral  they  were  at.  “and  then  on  the  fourth,  there  was  an  explosion  of  some  sort.”  fireworks  -  she  remembers  that  part.  she  hadn’t  gotten  around  to  investigating  what  exactly  happened  considering  she  stayed  at  home  that  night  ..  until  she  got  the  phone  call  that  her  eldest  was  brought  into  hospital.  definitely  a  change  of  scenes  for  once.  “scott  passed..  henry  melvald  too.  jonathan,  nancy  and  a  few  others  were  brought  into  hospital  for  injuries..”  it  was  only  talking  through  all  of  this  that  she  was  realising  how  tired  she  actually  was,  hands  raising  to  her  eyes  to  rub  the  exhaustion  out  of  them.  

            “this  town  is  cursed.”

.

if joyce said he’d died, he believed that was what she’d seen. but that opened a whole new can of worms. if he’d died, how was he standing here, now, in the coat closet of the only funeral home in hawkins while his best friend was going to be six feet under soon? it made bob’s head hurt, so he was going to table that thought for now. there’d be time to figure it out later. right now, he needed to make sure joyce was okay, though he didn’t know how to do that when his mere presence seemed to freak her out. but if she’d actually died and showed up back in town like nothing had happened, bob would be freaked out, too.

when she confirmed that no one could leave hawkins, bob let his back hit the far wall of the coset and slid downward until he hit the floor. he was careful not to accidentally touch joyce when he stretched his legs out. “but people can come to town,” he pointed out, pointing his thumb into his own chest. bob had seen a lot of out-of-towners out there, too. did they know they were stuck? 

bob tipped his head back, eyes closed as he massaged his temples. the kids...that could be a lead, but bob didn’t want to drag them into more craziness than they’d already dealt with. if joyce’s wary look was any indication, things hadn’t slowed down since he’d...left town. but he did want to see the boys. apologize for leaving them hanging. he owed them that and much more. tentatively, he leaned forward to rest a hand lightly upon her knee in what he hoped was a reassuring sort of way. “maybe. but i can’t say i’m mad about being back here.” especially not if the alternative was...well, he still needed to process that. 

     He tensed up as Bob ruffled his hair, probably wearing an expression that led the man to believe he was simply embarrassed or annoyed by the familiar gesture of affection, when the reality was that he was trying to process the fact that a fucking ghost was tousling his hair. So, he wasn’t an illusion. But then, what…All of a sudden, something clicked. Doppelganger: a shapeshifter that could take the appearance of a human to lure its victims to their unsuspecting doom. Will didn’t know why the creature would choose the form of somebody who was known to be dead instead of a living person who could actually trick Will into falling for his act, but maybe it was just to throw him off balance, and in that case…well played. He was well and truly rattled.

     His fingers itched to pick up the phone behind the counter, but it wasn’t like the cops would take him seriously. Who are you gonna call? he questioned himself derisively, and then his brain oh-so-helpfully supplied, Ghostbusters! Shot back to Halloween of ‘84, startled into dropping Bob’s JVC, running and hiding from inter-dimensional monsters, confessing that he felt like he was losing his mind and promises of going crazy together. Mike. The one person who would understand all of this in as few words possible. But that would still require him to make a phone call while the Doppelganger was standing right in front him. Waiting for an answer.

     Why hadn’t it made any move to hurt him yet? Why was it trying so hard to stay in character? What the hell was it waiting for? Steeling himself to say something, anything, to challenge the monster when he felt absolutely frozen in place, Will shook his head, remembered the real Bob and his amazing advice—this time I didn’t run, I stood my ground, I said go away, GO AWAY—which hadn’t worked…And he wasn’t afraid, he was angry. He was angry at Bob for dying, and he was angry at this thing for trying to dig him back up now. “I know what you are. You don’t have to pretend to be him. W-why are you even trying to mess with my head? You hurt my friends without hesitation, without bothering to play this bullshit game.”

.

will’s reaction was...surprising. even if will remembered that he’d apparently died, bob expected something more like disbelief or shock not...whatever this reaction was. holding his hands in front of himself, palm out, bob spoke in a slow, soft tone, almost like he was talking to his cat after he’d accidentally stepped on its tail. (what ever happened to whiskers, anyway? he kind of hoped that he’d escaped through the broken screen in the living room like he always did, maybe found a home with the henderrsons. claudia always took great care of her pets.) “hey. i’m not really sure what you’re talking about, but it is me.” he took a breath and bit down on his lower lip. “i’m not sure what i can say to make you believe that, will, but it is me. just me.” 

he took a step away from the counter so that he could put some physical distance between them, like that might make will feel better. bob reached into the pockets of his jacket to hide how badly his hands were shaking. bob didn’t know what was going on any more than will did, but seeing that look in will’s eyes made his heart ache. how was he supposed to explain that he’d died but that he was very much alive now when he couldn’t explain that to himself? 

his pockets had a bunch of nicknacks in them: keys, a pocket knife, spare batteries he’d bought at the store before coming over here, an unopened tube of chapstick, receipts and...what was that? his fingers closed around something cold and metallic. bob pulled it out of his pocket and revealed a token from that arcade he and joyce and will had driven out to once, labor day weekend 1984. it was all the way out in indianapolis. the token was scuffed and the logo a bit worn, but it was still there. would an impostor have that in his pocket? perhaps, if they did their research. but-

“do you remember that time your mom and i took you out to this arcade?” he stepped forward to slide the token across the counter to will and then took a step back again, hands back in his pockets. “or, well, how we got a flat tire on the way back? i got out to try and change it, but no one ever taught me to use a jack. your mom let me struggle for ten minutes before she came to the rescue. fixed it in five minutes, flat.” he smiled and shook his head at the memory, wondering if that might be enough to regain a little bit of will’s trust. bob sure hoped so.