#joyce hopper

[november, 1983]

[M/N] Munson, who was now fifteen years of age and in his first year of high school, Eddie being two years his senior in his junior year while he himself was a freshman. As many predicted, with three years in middle school he completely dominated the baseball season and was Hawkins star baseball player, throwing record breaking pitches and winning game after game for his school against rivalling schools that they couldn’t even dream of beating. Not only was he physically gifted but he was quite the genius in his academics, scoring within the top ten at the mid term and end of the year exams. He had to thank Wayne and Eddie for breaking him out of his shell because he was now more confident than he could ever imagine because he was very well liked by both populations of the school, including the teachers because unlike normal jocks, he was well mannered and very polite. Something he immediately noticed when he entered Hawkins High School, he could see and feel the difference between himself and Eddie. He didn’t want to say it out loud, especially not around Eddie, but he could see how many people did not like Eddie that much. The first time he saw the way the basketball jocks treated him and his friends with disdain angered him greatly, he wanted to say something to get them off of Eddie’s back but was told that he didn’t need to do something so drastic, he dealt with them since his freshmen year so he knew what he was doing, besides, it was embarrassing for him to interfere like that, his words.

“Aren’t you, like, embarrassed coming into school with me?” Eddie asked as he pulled up to the trailer in his van, one that he managed to salvage and put together on his own “You’re like super popular and you only just started. Can’t help but say I’m a little jealous.” [M/N] let out a laugh, throwing his head back then waving his hand to dismiss his worries.

“Embarrassed? Psh, why would I be embarrassed by you? I think you’re really cool, Eddie. I think you’re very brave with how you jump onto the lunch tables and perform your theatrics, I’m not nearly as confident as you to pull something like that off.” they exit his van and yet again another twinge of jealousy erupts through Eddie’s chest, from that twig that barely stood at his shoulder now stood head to head with him at the mere age of fifteen while he was seventeen years old “You’re the coolest person I know!”

“You’re just saying that because we’re practically cousins at this point.”

“Nah uh, you’re super duper cool, dude. Scouts honour.”

“You weren’t even a scout.”

“A guy can dream.”

“Why would you dream about that?” they’re laughing at this point while shoving at each other, [M/N] let out a gasp when he accidentally shoved Eddie to the ground and so the two of them stare at each other before bursting out into more fits of laughter. [M/N] was so happy whenever he heard Eddie call them actual cousins, when for a matter of fact that both of them knew that they weren’t even related, not even a little bit. To [M/N], even if it could possibly be one sided, he liked to think that they were almost like brothers “You didn’t happen to cross paths with Steve Harrington yet, right?” [M/N]’s head perked up at the mention.

“Harrington?” he spoke in curiosity as they entered the trailer, looking around for Wayne but concluded that he was chatting with a few of the neighbours before he had to go to the plant for his night shift “Isn’t he that basketball and swim team guy?” Eddie nods.

“Yeah huh, he’s the current King of Hawkins.” [M/N] couldn’t help but snort at that, snickering softly as he collapsed on the sofa.

"He sounds like more of a loser than you, Eddie.” he quickly looks away when Eddie whipped his head over to him, his wild hair that had gotten longer flying everywhere.

“So you’re agreeing with the fact that I’m a loser?”

“I never said that.” when Eddie began to ramble everything wrong with Steve Harrington, [M/N] began to think about the brunette himself. He did indeed cross paths with Steve Harrington, despite being a year younger than him they shared the same english class and he didn’t want to be rude but he had to admit that the dude was not that bright when it came down to the subject, he didn’t seem that bright in general. He wasn’t bad, but his work could do better, but that’s besides the point. This dude does the bear minimum and yet he’s still passing, but they also shared P.E together, both being the stars in their respected sports. Thanks to Venom, [M/N] had the perfect endurance and stamina to keep up with all sorts of sports so of course he was still ridiculously good at basketball as well but decided not to make it his main sports and stick with baseball instead. He didn’t voice his concerns but he noticed the way Steve looked at him in disdain, whether it be because he’s from the trailer park and he’s wealthy or the fact that his presence threatens his position as the King of Hawkins. He was well liked by majority of the population of the school and he doesn’t bully people either, he’s easy to talk to and very friendly. People were surprised he didn't have a girlfriend already, a lot of ladies are already lining up to offer themselves to be his girlfriend, but he always politely declines their advances, giving the excuse that he’d like to focus on his education first then pursue a relationship.

Speaking of which—

“Your words are very sweet, believe me, they are. But I think you’d be better off with someone that will pay attention to you with all their heart, and unfortunately, that guy is not me.” he gave the girl, who he barely knew for more than a week, an apologetic look and frowned softly when she cried as she ran off.

“Dude, give us some of the ladies. I’m desperate to get in a relationship man.” [M/N] rolled his eyes at his friend and lightly shoved him back.

“Take them, they barely know me and yet they’re wanting to be in a relationship with me. Do you know how frustrating it is to tell a new girl each week that I don’t want to be in a relationship with them?” he deadpans when they stare at him, he sighs softly and looked away as they began to ramble how lucky he has it. The reason he wants to be single is true, but there’s also the fact that Venom and him are inseparable and he didn’t want to bring someone into a relationship and hide the truth that he was a… freak.

“Well,” his head shot up at the sound of a new voice, looking up, he grimaced softly at the sight of the preppy boy Steve Harrington along with his gaggle of friends, Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins “if you don’t want them, I’ll gladly take them out of your hands.” a bead of sweat formed on his cheek as he looked up at Steve from where he was leaning against the lockers.

“Hey, hey now, Harrington. That’s no way to speak about women, saying shit like that as if they’re objects. Is that why you’ve been struggling to keep a steady relationship with any of them.” he smirks softly when his words managed to irk him, he scoffed slightly and crossed his arms “They’re all yours for all I care, be the heartbreaker that doesn’t stick around for more than a quick fuck.” his friends snicker softly but quiet themselves under the heavy eyes of Steve Harrington, son of the famous Richard and Lauren Harrington, a well known business owner and lawyer who had better things to do then stick around in bumfuck nowhere Hawkins Indiana.

“You should really watch what you say, Munson.” Tommy sneers at him.

“Oh, can’t speak for yourself, Harrington? Gotta let your little bitch do it for you?” now his friends were laughing while Tommy’s pale cheeks flushed with embarrassment, he raised a brow when Tommy took a step forward with a snarl.

“Wanna say that again, trailer trash?” [M/N] huffed softly before pushing himself off the lockers and staring down at Tommy, noticing how he immediately backed off when he realised just how different in physique the two of them were and that he towered over the meek senior.

“Or what, Hagan? Whatchu gonna do about it, bitch?” before any more words could be exchanged [M/N]’s friend stepped forward and held his arm out in front of him before he could do anything they’d both regret, Steve doing the same thing to get Tommy to back down “Is that all you’ve got to say, Harrington. No other famous words to speak?”

“You’re just as obnoxious as your cousin.” [M/N] lights up.

“Really? Well that’s a damn compliment to me, so thanks.” he winks as he bares his teeth in a smile, going so far as to doing a dramatic bow, just like Eddie “To be complimented by his majesty, oh King Steve Harrington, what a blessed day this is. This peasant thanks you for your kind words.” Steve sneers at him, stepping forward until they were in each other’s space, [M/N] wasn’t the least bit intimidated and just stared down at Steve with an unbothered expression.

“You’re just as annoying too, perhaps stupidity runs in the Munson bloodline.” that might had irked him but he didn’t let it show, simply tilting his head while leaning forward and sneering down at him.

“Oh? Is that so? Then I guess running around acting like a whore runs in your family, huh? I heard through the grapevine neither your mother or father could satisfy themselves with each other.” his smirk turned smug when Steve’s face turned red, his own hand clenched into a fist when he saw Steve raise his but before anything could happen a hand was suddenly thrusted in between them and they were pushed apart “Wha—“

“And we’ll have none of that!” he furrowed his brows when he saw that it was none other than Eddie.

“Wha— what are you doing, Edd—“ he pulled a face when a finger was pressed to his lips, silencing him from saying another word.

“Shush, shush, shush, oh dear cousin of mine. We’ll have no more of those words, you hear me?” he deadpanned at Eddie, who turned back to look at Steve with an apologetic but fake smile on his face as he started pushing [M/N] away “I’m so sorry about him, Harrington, sometimes i just can’t control this kid. Gotta mind of his own, what can you do? We’ll just get going now, so sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Wait— no, Eddie! I’m not—“ Eddie doesn’t let him finish as he continued to shove him away, his own friends following with the rest of Hellfire.

“That’s right, you need your cousin to fight your own battles! You’re just as much as a coward as he is.” Eddie kicked [M/N] away when he knew that remark got a rise out of him, his face turning a shade of red from anger as a couple veins started to pop. He was never angry about people insulting or teasing him anymore, the anger now came from others insulting him or Wayne, and as flattering as that is, it’s definitely what’s going to get him killed one of these days.

“Eddie, what the hell? I didn’t need you to step in like that. I could have fucked him and that Tommy bitch up like eating breakfast.” Eddie let out a sigh, placing his hands on hips with a sigh and shake of his head.

“Yeah, I know, I just didn’t want you doing it. You know what Wayne thinks about you getting into fights, remember?” [M/N] gritted his teeth, crossing his arms and turning away “I hate being the responsible one, dude. That’s your thing, not mine, but you gotta stop. You can honestly fight anyone else, just not him. Whatever he does can easily be covered up with daddy’s money, you know?” [M/N] let out a long groan while throwing his head back.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I just wanna show him where he can stick his fucking—“ Eddie raised his hands.

“I get it, I get it.” Eddie starts taking deep breaths and gestures for [M/N] to do the same, it takes him a couple seconds but [M/N] starts copying Eddie with the little breathing exercises until he’s completely calmed down “You good now?” he softly nods his head.

“Y-Yeah, I’m good, I’m okay.” Eddie nod and pats his arm.

“Good, cause now we gotta skedaddle on to class. Don’t wanna be late.”

“Dammit.”

“What are you worried about? You’re like a bonafide genius, you ain’t got nothing to worry about.” Eddie snickers softly when he heard both their friends grumble, muttering shit how it wasn’t fair, but [M/N] only sighed.

“Yeah, don’t make it easier though.”

“You can make it through the day.”

“Oh, right. You playing Hellfire later this afternoon?” Eddie grimaced when he remembered, slapping a hand onto his forehead and looked up at [M/N] with an apologetic look.

“Damn, that’s right. Sorry, think you can find a ride home?” he nod his head.

“Don’t worry about it, Roddy can drop me off.” he looks over at Roddy, the same boy he made friends with on his first day on the baseball field, and saw him smile while flashing a thumbs up “You can stay later if you want, I know how intense your campaigns can get, so I don’t want you to rush through them just to take me home. Perhaps I should learn how to drive so I can get home without relying on others anymore.”

“Or you can take the bus like everyone else.”

“I’d rather walk than get on a bus with the people attending this school.” another one of [M/N]’s friends slaps a hand on his back, snickering softly.

“He‘s got a point. Now come on, we really gotta go now.”

[later]

“Hey dude, I’ve been meaning to bring this up but my old man’s got this real old bike he’s been needing to get rid of and I think you’d like it. You’ve got a real love for motorcycles.” Roddy chuckled softly when he saw [M/N] whip his head over in his direction, eyes sparkling and face shining with anticipation “Okay, calm down, I haven’t even finished talking.”

“No, no, what I heard was you talking about how your dad wants to give me his motorbike. What model is it? How about make? Do you know which brand?” a book of promptly thrown at his face, it slid down and dropped to the floor and that same sparkle had yet to cease “What about year?” Roddy lets out a groan.

“Dude, why can’t you be this enthusiastic about girls?” he immediately deflates.

“Because a bike is something that I want and something that I can shape throughout the years.” he presses a hand to Roddy’s face before he could speak again, shaking his head with a stern look “Speak less.” he rolled his eyes and slapped his hand away.

“You can come take a look at it after school. My mum wants it gone, like, yesterday. It’s a little banged up, missing a couple parts and whatnot but with how good you’ve gotten at fixing up cars and shit, I think you can get it started again. Might not need your cousin to drop you off and take the bus anymore. Might be doing him a favour.” [M/N] frowned a little.

“I would like to burden him less. Let him stay out with his friends longer than to take me home.”

“You get a really cool bike out of it as well.” [M/N] perks up a little, Roddy smiles and smacks his arm, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and pulling him towards him “There’s the spirit, lets go, don’t wanna keep my dad waiting.” Roddy now wished he never brought it up because now he was acting as the third wheel between his own father and [M/N] as they were talking on and on and on about motorcycles and shit, especially the one that his dad was giving away. It was a 1970 Ducati Scrambler 350, sure it was a little worse for wear but with a little elbow grease, and an insane amount of luck, it too can shine like it did before.

“You’re really going to give it to me?” Roddy father nodded his head, beaming down at [M/N].

“Hell yeah. When my son told me about your love for bikes, I knew I should give it to you. Initially I was going to give it to my boy, but he wasn’t as enthusiastic about it as you are. It’s nice to share a passion with someone else, Roddy and I love baseball but I’m glad I can get along with one of his friends.” he nod his head.

“Agreed.”

“And I’m still here.” they both perk up at the sound of his voice, [M/N] becoming bashful for taking up so much of his time while completely ignoring his friend “And I have feelings.”

“Sorry.” Roddy’s father raised a brow when he patted [M/N]’s back roughly but the boy made little to no reaction, his back much sturdier than that for a sixteen year old “You’re Wayne’s boy, right? He talks about you all the time at the whenever I see him at the pub.”

“Really?” he nods his head.

“Uh huh, I mentioned giving you the bike after learning you were friends with my boy, and he looked delighted. I think he wants to work on it with you.” Roddy’s dad almost had to squint because of how bright [M/N]’s face got, yeah, just like Wayne said it would.

“Then, am I working on it here or…?”

“Don’t worry about it kid, I’ll strap it onto my trailer and drop it off at the trailer park.” [M/N] watches as Roddy and his dad move the motorbike onto a trailer and he starts becoming a little nervous again.

“You’re going through all the trouble for me? I don’t know what to say.”

“You sound like a damn girlfriend, shut up.”

“You shut up.” before they could start bickering Roddy’s mother appeared, she hummed softly at the two who immediately stopped rough housing and gave the older woman a bright and friendly smile.

“There you are Roddy, helping your father are you? It was so sweet of you both to give the hunk of chunk to your friend.” her words caused both [M/N] and Roddy’s father to gasp, she giggled softly at their reactions “Oh, I apologize, your prized motorcycle that you left in the garage to collect dust that you’re only know reluctantly giving away because I said so, hmm?” both boys look up at the older man and see him give his wife a sheepish look.

“Yes…” she sighed softly then looked at [M/N] with a warm gaze, almost reminded him of Wayne.

“I am happy my husband’s giving it away, but if you do manage to restore it to its former glory, I don’t suppose you could stop by and show it off a little.” he nodded.

“Of course, it did belong to you first.” he blushes softly when she reached forward to ruffle his hair, giggling at how bright his face got.

“You’re a sweetheart, I’m glad Roddy and you are friends. It’s almost like we’ve got another son.” said boy let out a sigh, pushing his mum over to where his dad was.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it. [M/N] is the favourite child despite not even being related, alright.” she laughs at the accusation before trotting over to her husband, who was chuckling at her words. He sighed and looked back over at [M/N], opening his mouth to speak before pausing and looking at [M/N] flustered expression as he ruffled his own hair “… dude, are you into older women?” he laughed when his face turned red from pink.

“That’s not it!” he then nervously pressed his fingers together “She’s just very nice, you have a nice mother.” he rolled his eyes.

“More like overbearing.”

“At least you know that your mother cares, no?” Roddy’s eyes flickered a little as he looked at his best friend, seeing the look of loss in his eyes as he stared at the happy couple in front of them “I’m almost jealous.” he knew better than to pry, despite being friends for a long time, there wasn’t much he knew about [M/N], he was secretive and not the talkative kind of guy.

“If you say so, loser.” Roddy’s mother chuckled when she saw the two of them on the floor wrestling with each other, though [M/N] was the one that ended up victorious. The next couple of weeks, leading up to late October and early November, Wayne and Eddie would find [M/N] working on the motorbike that was gifted to him early morning and straight after school. Of course he would take the occasional break but thanks to Venom he could work on it for however long he wants and not have to worry about overworking himself, but Wayne didn’t like that option all to much and would scold him about how necessary.

“Dude, you need a shower, you reek.” Eddie complained from within the living space when [M/N] came in, covered in sweat and oil, he laughed softly as he made his way over to the fridge for a drink.

“That’s a lot coming from you, Eddie.” the man gasped, hand to his chest.

“How DARE you, [M/N]. I’ll have you know I take care of my body quite perfectly, thank you very much.” he just rolled his eyes in response “Oh, while you’re there, could you get me a beer?” he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, sure.” he opens the fridge and sees a couple cans left, most likely from both Wayne and Eddie drinking the majority of them, he chooses to drink what was left of the orange juice so he takes the glass jug along with a can and sets it on the counter, Eddie’s face scrunches up in frustration as he stared at his algebra homework and lets out exaggerated groan.

”[M/N], can you help me with this question? I know Wayne told me not to ask you for help, but I—“ he jumped from where he sat at the sound of glass shattering, he whipped his head around and gasped at the sight of [M/N]. With a dazed look on his face, [M/N] had dropped both the jug and glass he had in his hands that evidently led them to shatter upon impact on the ground. Eddie cautiously stood up and slowly approached him, not knowing if this was another one of [M/N]’s episodes that hadn’t occurred in a long time, or if it was the exhaustion from working too hard. His face paled when he saw his eye twitch followed by a trickle of blood from out of his nose, his body swaying while his eyes dulled “[M/N]? Hey, [M/—“ he was already approaching the younger boy when his body was swaying but he was quick to rush over when he finally lost his balance and collapsed to the ground with an alarming thud. [M/N] comes to later in the night, looking over at the clock hanging on the wall he notes that it was three in the morning, christ, the last time he looked at the time it was still eight, nine at best.

“That is because you fell unconscious, [M/N]. Eddie failed to catch you, but he was the one that brought you to your bed. He was panicking whether or not to take you to the hospital, you should be lucky that he did not.”

“W-Where is he now?” he murmured softly, head still a little groggy from the fall.

“He retired to his room. He did plan to stay by your side but I guess he must have fallen asleep by accident.” Venom stares at [M/N], the boys body now drenched in sweat and body as pale as a sheet of paper “I can only guess you felt it too, it being the reason for your collapse.” Venom’s eyes lingered on the now terrified boy, whose arms came up to cradled his body close. Whatever he felt, it was something that he had only felt when he was still undergoing the experiments within that godforsaken laboratory. He felt his stomach churn, slapping a hand over his mouth to stop himself from hurling whatever was left in his stomach, further dehydrating himself. Did someone open a gate? Was there a lab in Hawkins that he wasn’t aware about? Was… oh god, was Doctor Brenner here?

“What if he’s here, Venom? What if THEY now that I’M here?” Venom hummed.

“We both know that if they knew we were here they’d have both Wayne and Eddie killed for harbouring us.” he flinched at the news, a soft whimper escaping his lips at the thought of being the reason that the people who cared for him since he was twelve were to be killed just for raising him.

“W-What should we do? A gate is open, that is why we reacted like that.”

“Let us ignore it for now. Until things get out of hand, we should have no need to flee. I suggest we bring this up with Wayne, he should know.” [M/N] nods his head, yes, he should. Wayne was already in the know of Venom’s existence, aiding him with keeping his hunger under wraps and making sure Venom didn’t get too out of line. In turn for his acceptance [M/N] had opened up little by little about what happened to him, and so he knows about the scientists and about this alternate world where his para— I mean, Venom came from; his origin. By the time it was the morning, where Eddie had awoken and Wayne had returned from work, [M/N] framed his fainting to, yes, overworking himself with school and the motorcycle. He got a scolding from Wayne and worried cries from Eddie, but he took it all with a flustered smile, and when Eddie left he told the actual truth to Wayne.

“Are you two alright? Should you be going to school then, boy?” Venom grinned.

“Do not worry about us. If anything happens, I can handle them.”

“And by handling them, you mean killing them.” he grits his teeth “I do not wish to have any more blood stained on my hands, thank you very much.” Venom scoffs, now turning to him.

“That does not stop you from laying your hands on your peers, [M/N].” he immediately shoots Venom a look, he raised his hands to shush the symbiote, who snickers when he sees the look on Wayne’s face.

“What does he mean by that?” he’s already out the door before he has to explain himself, throwing himself into Eddie’s van and desperately pleading to him to drive. By the time they arrive at school, [M/N]’s splitting headache had calmed down a little for him to focus in class but during intervals he’d put his headset on and listen to his music. His friends knew that he did not want to be disturbed, telling how he was quite literally ignoring everyone in existence with a pained expression.

“What’s up with him?” a fellow baseball player asked, Roddy shrugged his shoulders.

“Said he fainted after working on his bike last night.” he shook his head “At this rate he’s gonna work himself to death, the moron. The coach is not going to be happy about this.” they shrug their shoulders.

“I don’t know man, I think he’ll be just fine. He’s usually able to pull himself together after a grueling game.”

“I suppose.” and by that he just lets Venom take control, he does that when he’s lazy. He had Venom controlling his body but he was still in control of his mind, so as Venom moved him around he was the one answering for them and doing the usual school shit. But right he wasn’t really all there, he just kept thinking of that nagging feeling of a gate possibly being open; he was terrified of the thought that something might be happening in Hawkins—

“Whoa!”

“Now he’s done it!” he hadn’t realised what happened until it was too late, bumping straight into someone and knocking everything they had onto the floor. The moment he collected himself he looked down to see who it was and gasped in shock, a look of guilt evident on his face.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” kneeling down, he helped gather her books and hand them back to her, a bashful and embarrassed look on his face “I didn’t see you there, Nancy. My mind’s not all there, you know?” Nancy Wheeler, his academic rival since middle school where the two of them butted heads, but not in a bitter way, but a more playful and competitive way; good to have some competition around to keep things more interesting.

“It’s alright, [M/N]. You seemed a little distracted in class, you doing okay?” he folded his arms, his thumbs taping against his armpits.

“Just had a rough night, fainted.” she gasped.

“You fainted? Well, what are you doing in school? Shouldn’t you be at home resting?” he just laughed softly, waving his hand to dismiss her concern, but was flattered by it.

“Oh, pish posh, I’m fine. Little dazed every now and then, but what’s a good nap that can’t help?” she shakes her head, causing him to laugh softly, hand resting on the back of his head as she started to lecture him.

“If you don’t want to faint in the middle of school, much less during one of our lessons or even worse, during one of your games, I’d suggest taking things a little slower.” he sighed softly, nodding his head.

“Yeah, yeah. Just been feeling a little, I don’t know, jumpy?” by the time it was the end of school, nothing too eventful happened, well, if not for the police cars pulled up to the middle school. He was with a group of his friends as all the high school kids pondered what was going on, slowly word got around that a kid went missing; Will Byers, Jonathan Byers’ kid brother “Missing? Since when?” Roddy shrugged his shoulders.

“Beats me, some time last night?” he swallows thickly. No, it couldn’t possibly— nah, it was probably just a coincidence, right? That had to be it, it just had to. He shook his head and ignored the feeling gnawing in his gut, trying to think of anything else but the negative outcomes. During baseball practice he was a lot more, what’s the word? Ah, ruthless. The batters all noticed how his face scrunched up each time he got ready to pitch, not giving any of them a chance to hit the ball, instead throwing it straight into the catchers hands, or, whizzing right past them.

“What’s got him all riled up?” the coach asked one of the players on the opposing team, they shrugged in response to the question.

“Don’t know, he’s been a little off since last night. Said something about fainting?” they shrug again.

“Well whatever it is, I hope we get to see more of it during a game. He’s a fucking monster when he gets like this.” at the mention of that they see him ready to pitch the ball, he’s pulled his arm back and as he’s about to throw it the ball suddenly explodes in his hand. They all look in shock as he stands up straight, opening the palm of his hand to see that he had crushed the ball.

“Sorry coach!” he shouts as he hands the remains of the ball to the current ball boy, who handed him a new one.

“What’d I say? A fucking monster.” the practice ended with [M/N] dominating the entire field thanks to Venom's interference and he hadn't even broken a sweat, awkwardly laughing while apologizing to his fellow teammates when they glared at him for making them actually play "I'd like to see this kind of performance again, Munson!"

"R-Right, coach!" he was shoved off the court by Roddy before he could hold up the line "Sorry." he only shook his head.

"What's got you so worked up? I mean, seriously. I've never seen you this... jumpy, well, you haven't been this jumpy since middle school. Something happen?" he shakes his head, bringing his hand up to rub his arm.

"Nah, I'm good. Just... high school jitters?" he gave him a raised brow.

"Sure." his unease didn't settle even after practice because deep down, he knew that if Will Byers was actually missing, he knew exactly where he was. He was brought out of his thoughts where he was shoved from behind, nearly jumping out of his skin, he whipped his head around to see Eddie grinning rather goofily at him.

"Hey, dude! You ready to go home?" [M/N] swallowed thickly but nodded, Eddie raised a brow when he saw his unease "Hey, what's wrong? You doing alright?" he sighed softly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well... I'm just worried, about that Byers kid? I heard he's gone missing." Eddie waved his hand to dismiss his worry.

"Psh, the kid probably just got lost. We shouldn't have to worry." he says as he walks over to his van. [M/N] looks to the side as he jogs to keep up with him.

"B-But what if something did happen?"

"[M/N], nothing ever happens in Hawkins. From the years I've been here, the only interesting thing that did happen was my uncle hitting you with his truck." the younger of the two deadpanned at him, this caused him to laugh "Now cheer up, I heard Wayne's cooking his famous ribs for dinner." that sort of lifted his mood, though, it dampened immediately when they returned to the Munson trailer to see their guardian with a concerned look on his face.

"Boys, I don't want you going out late at night anymore." this caused them both gawk in shock "As soon as school is over, I want you to come straight home." Eddie was the first to snap out of his shock, approaching his uncle in protest.

"But I've got to practice with the guys! I can't cancel on them." he shakes head.

"If their parents know what's good for them, then they too will also ban them from going out." [M/N] approaches from behind Eddie, giving Wayne a look to explain himself, the older man let out a sigh as he ran his hand over his head "The Sheriff has asked us folks to help with a manhunt to search for Joyce's kid, Will. Apparently he's been missing since last night." their eyes widened.

"Holy..." he shakes his head "Was he abducted, or?" he gave a shrug.

"We won't know until he's found." Eddie went out for a smoke to clear his head, leaving Wayne and [M/N] inside. Wayne goes to speak until he noticed the panicked look on his face, the look of guilt dawning in his eyes "Are you feeling alright, boy?" he squeezes his eyes closed, sucking in a breath between his teeth.

"I think... it's connected to when I fainted." Wayne took a step back, [M/N] lifted his trembling hands and pressed them against his head "I don't know why, but it can't be a coincidence that I felt a connection open from that world at the same time that kid disappeared." Wayne took a step forward, taking his hands and lowering them so he didn't hurt himself.

"Or, like you said, it could just be a coincidence." tears swelled up in his eyes as he looked at Wayne, trying so hard to hope that it was a coincidence but deep down knowing that it wasn't "Do you want to join me in search for Will?"

"Will they allow that?"

"Well, the more the merrier. And besides, with Venom, he might make things easier." at the mention of his name, the parasite within his body made an appearance.

"I will try to assist, but I am a little limited when I'm confined within this body." this caused him to roll his eyes.

"When we're alone, we can go out and try searching for him." Wayne smiles.

"All the help is appreciated." that being said, it was all for naught because they found absolutely no traces of the young boy, even when Venom was let out he wasn't able to find anything. It was almost as if he disappeared off the face of the earth.

"[M/N], you and I know where he could be."

"We don't know that."

"Oh, but we do. We can go and find him."

"But that leads them straight back to us."

"And you'll risk that boy's life over yours?"

"... as selfish as it is, yes."

"Wow, I didn't know you had it in you."

And that brings us to...

"Poor dude, looks like he didn't get any sleep last night." [M/N], who he was fighting off his own exhaustion after being awake until the morning, sniffled at the comment he heard from his friends. Wiping away the saliva, he saw that they were all looking over at where Jonathan was and saw him putting up "MISSING" flyers on the bulletin board "Maybe we should say something?" this got him an eyeroll.

"Like what? "Hey, I'm sorry that your brother's gone missing, I hope he isn't dead in a ditch". Yeah, like he wants to hear that." this earned him a smack on the head by [M/N], who gave him a warning look.

"Don't be like that. He's probably going through a lot, how would you feel if someone you knew went missing?" this caused the lot of them to sigh or look away "He and his mother must be going through a lot." Roddy pats his back.

"We get it, [M/N]. We'll think twice before making another insensitive joke, right guys?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"We're sorry." he looks back over to Jonathan and takes a step to approach him until he overhears a comment coming from Steve and his lackeys that just made his blood boil.

"Oh, god. That's depressing."

"Should we say something?" seeing Nancy was a little surprising, well, since she and Steve were an item he'd expect to see her lingering around but he was a little disappointed in her taste in men.

"I don't think he speaks." Tommy snorts.

"How much you wanna bet he killed him?" he was suddenly shoved into the locker he was leaning against and before he could push himself up to see who it was, he jumped when a fist came into contact with the locker door, inches away from his face. Looking up, they were all startled to see [M/N] glaring down at him and even his friends trailing behind him were shocked at his sudden outburst.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? How could you say something like that? His brother is missing and you suggest that he's the one that killed him? It goes to show that you're an only child, huh? You probably don't even know what it's like to be loved, so you crave validation from everyone else." Tommy didn't know what it was but there was something different about [M/N]. He seemed bigger and felt like he was trapped against the locker with an animal blocking his path, or his voice sounded deeper. It carried a weight to it and made him feel a sense of pressure that had him trembling with each word he spoke "Until his brother is found, I don't want to hear another fucking word out of your mouth involving the situation. Not. A. Peep."

"O-Okay, okay. Geez, it's just a joke."

"A joke is meant to be funny, and that wasn't funny." he flinched when [M/N] finally backed away and ripped his fist back, he looked at the three of them with disdain and gave Nancy and disappointed expression with a shake of his head before going over to where Jonathan was. They looked back to where his fist connected with the locker and broke out into a nervous sweat when they saw the dent, or rather, the hole he made.

"I knew he had a good arm, but damn." Steve says as his finger traces around it "I would not like to be punched by him." Carol snickers softly, albeit a little nervous, and probes at Tommy's side.

"I think it'd be best not to mess with him anymore, don't you think? You've had a lot of close calls, Tommy. If it weren't for his cousin, I think you'd be sent to the infirmary." Tommy scoffed when that earned a snicker from Steve and Nancy.

"Yeah, right. That trailer trash doesn't scare me."

"Sure, whatever you say, bud." Tommy just scowled at them. [M/N] shook his head after leaving the group as he approached Jonathan, he had yet to notice him until he felt a hand on his back, and when he turned his head he was met with [M/N]'s sympathetic smile.

"Hey, Byers. I heard about your brother, and I want you to know that I'm sure things will get better. I'm confident that your brother is somewhere safe... hopefully." he grimaced a little at the end "That didn't sound very nice, but you get what I mean." Jonathan looked up at [M/N]'s reassuring face and softened a little. Despite being in the popular crowd, [M/N] wasn't like the rest of those jerks like Steve and his friends, he was a genuinely nice guy who looked out for the outcasts like himself and his cousin. He did remember [M/N] back in middle school, how he was just a shy boy who was nothing but jitters and nerves. So as [M/N] spoke to him, even when his words sounded a little off, he knew that they actually came from a place of concern and that he genuinely meant what he said.

"Heh, thanks, Munson." his face brightened and he patted his shoulder.

"I'm sure they'll find him. Maybe not now, but eventually. Just don't give up hope."

"That means a lot to me, [M/N]." this earned him a wink from the taller man.

"Attention, faculty and students. At eight PM tonight, there will be an assembly on the football field in support of Will Byers and his family. All are encouraged to attend. Volunteer sign-ups for the search parties are still available in the office." [M/N] had just briefly looked away from Jonathan to listen to the announcement over the PA system and when he looked back at him he was walking away, his shoulders slumped in dismay.

"I feel bad for the guy." he muttered softly.

"You say that and yet you're doing nothing about it." he scowled but knew that Venom was right.

Nothing eventful happened at school other than baseball practice and when [M/N] returned home he told Wayne he was going to look for Will one last time just to make sure he really wasn't out there before coming home, he swore that he wouldn't stay out too late like he did with the previous night and so Wayne took his word for it and would ask Venom in the morning if he stayed true to his word. He was jumping through the trees through Mirkwood in search of any sign of where the boy could have disappeared or if anything else could or would have appeared, he nearly lost his footing when he heard the sound of a feminine scream so he quickly leaps in the direction it came from and grimaced when he realized that he stumbled upon the Harrington household where Steve was throwing his so-called party. Psh, it looked nothing more than a get-together with only his clique as well as Nancy and surprisingly Barb.

"And he's popular, huh?" he scoffs as he rolls his eyes "What a loser, Wheeler can do so much better."

"Are you going to continue stalking them or are we leaving?" he waves his hand to dismiss his words.

"We're leaving, we're leaving." he concludes that he couldn't find Will no matter how far or low he searched and that he wasn't going to be found no matter how hard he tried, he just wasn't there. He knew where he was but was he going to do anything about it? Probably not.

"And you've returned!" [M/N] deadpans when he entered the trailer and Eddie was awake surrounded by papers and his D&D board, he was probably working on another campaign for his club "Any luck?" he shook his head and collapsed onto the sofa.

"Nope. That kid has practically vanished into thin air." Eddie let out a breath and could just feel [M/N]'s guilt from where he was sitting, he stands to his feet and approaches the guy and gently places a hand on his back to comfort him.

"Can I ask why you're going so far to find this kid? I'm pretty sure you're not even close friends with Byers to go this far." [M/N] turns his head so that Eddie could see his face and saw that his face looked guilty but also shameful.

"I just-- I don't know... I feel useless just laying around when I can do something about it." he sits up and looks up at Eddie "We're not related but you and Wayne are the closest thing I've got to a family, and I think I'd go crazy if one of you were to disappear on me." Eddie felt his gaze weaken on him and he could just remember when [M/N] was just a young boy and they first met, how he was just a weak little thing that couldn't even meet his gaze.

"Why you little..." [M/N]'s eyes widened when Eddie locked his arm around his head and started digging his knuckles into his head "You just have to play with my heart strings, don't you?!" this only earned him a laugh followed by a strangled plea for him to stop.

"Eddie, that hurts! Quit it!" it didn't really but he enjoyed it nonetheless, Eddie goes to stop but felt how [M/N]'s grip on him weakened until he practically feel limp in his arms. He was quick to let him go and push him back to get a look at him and saw blood trickle down his nose, his body swaying like it did before and he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"H-Hey! Oh, not again..." he grumbled and gently pushed [M/N] down so he could lay down, he rushes to get a wet cloth to clean the blood off his face then another and placed it on his forehead "This is the second time that this has happened this week, Wayne isn't going to like this." [M/N] shook his head.

"N-No, I'm fine..." he slurred as he tried to sit up but was pushed back down.

"Clearly. You've been overworking yourself, from your bike to looking for that kid. You need to take it easy, [M/N]." Eddie wiped away some more blood trickled out from his nose and saw the way he gritted his teeth "I don't think it's gonna be hard to convince Wayne, but I'm gonna suggest that you should stay home tomorrow." his eyes widened.

"No, no! I-I'm okay, honest." a groan left his lips and he presses a hand to his forehead when he got a headache.

"Uh huh, keep telling yourself that." Eddie leaves his side and [M/N] sinks into the sofa, the fingers pressed to his head now squeezing his temples.

"Another has been taken, [M/N]." he groans "These attacks are random. Whatever crawled out of that hellhole is nothing more than a wild animal." he rolls his eyes.

"I know, and the fact that it can travel between this world and the other is going to make it harder to catch. I can't sense it like those other experiments."

"We can travel between them, but you just don't want to."

"Of course I don't. If we're caught by the original, we're fucked. Though we are an entirely new entity, we are still somewhat linked to it, albeit weakly. It'll know of our presence the moment we step foot in its domain, and we can't exactly take it on." Venom hums.

"That... is true. But what are we going to do? If that thing is not stopped, more humans will die." he inhales deeply.

"... I don't know." Eddie returns not a second later with a glass of water and some painkillers, he downs them without much of a fuss to ease the brunette before telling him that he'll sleep it off. The pain didn't really last long, it's just whenever that monster attacks while travelling from that world to this one. He can feel when it strikes but he can't sense where, to him, it was unpredictable. The morning came and when Eddie told Wayne what happened he was promptly told to stay home and to just relax, Venom was laughing at him as Wayne scolded him for letting it get to this point.

"You've got to stop worrying about others and worry about yourself, boy." [M/N] laughed, throwing his head back when he did so.

"I worry about myself a lot, actually. How do you think I've survived this long?" he looks away when Wayne gave him a stern look, he exhales sharply and turns towards Eddie.

"Just because he's staying home, doesn't mean you are too."

"Aw, come on! [M/N] needs all the support he can get after collapsing twice, besides, I can help!" behind Wayne, [M/N] gaze hardened on him. He just wants to slack off and not do any school work, which is only going to do him more harm than good when he does go back to school "I care about [M/N] too, you know." he sweat drops when he saw the look on [M/N]'s face, he averts his gaze from the younger one.

"Those better be words of sincerity and not because you want to stay home, or I will be very upset with you." [M/N] lets out a grunt when Eddie was suddenly by his side, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling his cheek against his.

"No, no! I'm being honest! I've been so worried about his wellbeing since I saw him collapse twice!" they just continue to stare at him before Wayne dropped his shoulders in defeat.

"Alright, you can stay home too." he pumps his fist in victory, this earned him a smack from [M/N] "So long as you're here, you won't be working on your bike." his eyes widened and he stood up to protest, only to stumble back when his head started to throb in pain.

"Just relax, dude. The last thing we need is you becoming lethargic or cracking your head open if neither of us is around." I can actually heal such a wound, but you don't know that.

"I'll let the school know that you two won't be attending today." [M/N] shook his head because the instant Wayne turned away Eddie pumped his fist once again, this earned him another smack, this time in the back of the head. Wayne returns to the sight of the two of them smacking and pulling each other's hair, they stopped when they heard him clear his throat "How's about we go out for breakfast, hmm?"

"Hell yeah!" [M/N] rubbed the back of his head.

"Alright, but I thought Benny's was closed." Eddie laughed as he stood to his feet, taking [M/N]'s hand and hoisting him to his feet.

"There are other places to eat." and that's where they found themselves in a diner. [M/N] had a big appetite thanks to Venom but was always mindful when the Munson Family decided to eat out, trying not to order a lot or anything too expensive that it would hurt Wayne's wallet, so he ordered food that was fulfilling enough that it would satisfy his stomach and Venom's hunger. Eddie's head perked up when the waitress came by and set down four drinks, he opens his mouth to question it but saw [M/N] take them both "Why do you always get two drinks?" one of the drinks was [D/F], which was for him, the other was hot chocolate, for Venom.

"Why not? If I don't like one drink, I'll drink that other or have it wash down the first." Eddie narrows his eyes as he tries to understand the logic. Wayne, who knew why he gets two drinks, just shakes his head while placing a hand on Eddie's shoulder "Thanks for the breakfast, Wayne. I really appreciate it."

"Heh, it's the least I could do. I wasn't there when you collapsed, and I've been worried since you keep brushing it off. I care about you, the both of you. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know." whether he's referring to Eddie and him or Venom and him, he didn't know, but he was grateful that despite everything, Wayne was willing to help him no wha-- Eddie and Wayne snapped their heads up as [M/N] abruptly shot to his feet, his body trembling, breath hitching. His wide eyes locked onto something outside, his skin turning clammy as a cold sweat broke out. His stomach twisted violently, and before he could stop it, his hand flew to his mouth to stifle the urge to throw up "[M/N], are you--[M/N]!" they called after him, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he spun around and bolted toward the back of the diner, knocking over chairs in his desperate escape. He needed to get as far away as possible. Why was he reacting like this? Why had his face drained of color, his stomach twisting with nausea? Because outside, standing in plain sight, was a face he hadn’t seen in three years. A face he thought he’d escaped forever.

Doctor Martin Brenner.

He threw open the back doors to the diner and hunched over to empty his stomach, he plants his hands on his knees to steady himself but his mind was racing with a million questions. What was he doing here? Why was he in Hawkins? Is there a lab here in Hawkins? Did he see him? Oh, god, did he recognize him? What was he going to do now? Was he going to find him? Bring him back to the labs and torture him some more? Maybe separate Venom and him to place in some other poor sucker and leave him to die? Perhaps this was his karma for not trying to find Will. His head whipped back towards the diner when he heard a noise, could that be them? Was it them coming to get him? He decides not to stick around, despite being out in broad daylight, Venom quickly takes over and launches them into the air to get away from the potential threat that could bring them any harm.

"You must calm yourself, [M/N]."

"B-But it was the Doctor, he's here!"

"He is, but he is no threat. I do not believe he saw us, nor will he recognize us. We are not the same frail little boy we once were."

"But what if... what if he did? What will we do?"

"We can always leave. Try again somewhere else." his breath hitched at the suggestion, Venom touched down by the quarry before disappearing back inside of [M/N] but let his head circle around him "We can look after ourselves perfectly fine now."

"What about Wayne, and Eddie?"

"What about them?" Venom let out a sigh when [M/N] sat at the edge of the drop and looked down towards the water "We could have left years ago, put more distance between ourselves and the lab we escaped from three years ago, but we didn't. You wanted a sense of normality, you wanted to live rather than survive. But a life of simplicity? That is a luxury we can't seem to afford." [M/N] pursed his lips as his hand closed into a tight fist, his knuckles cracking under the pressure.

"I can't just... I can't just leave them, after everything."

"What choice do we have? If there is a lab here, then there must be a gate here too. It must be the reason why we keep feeling light headed." he takes a breath.

"Then let's find it." Venom cocked a brow.

"Are you sure?" he nods.

"I don't want to leave, Venom. We built a life here. We have friends, even a family where our father figure accepts us for what we are. If we figure out how the lab is hiding itself, we can make sure to avoid it." the symbiote hums.

"I guess you have a point. Let us find out where this lab is hiding." [M/N] let's Venom take over once more and now they search for where the lab could be located. If this lab was anything like the one they were confined too, it had to be hidden somewhere out in the woods. It was still broad daylight so they swung themselves up high and made sure to travel the high grounds, wouldn't want to startle any unsuspecting individual and case more of a panic.

Their best lead was the Hawkins National Laboratory. From what they’d gathered, it was one of several national labs established in the aftermath of the Second World War. It oversaw multiple subsidiaries, including Hawkins Power and Light. Still, both he and Venom had always gotten a bad feeling from the place. They’d warned Wayne time and again, if the power goes out, don’t call them. Ever. Now, standing at the fence that separated the lab’s property from the surrounding woods, that unease only deepened. Venom clung to the trees, slipping through shadows to avoid cameras or patrolling guards. For a company that claimed to handle power and lighting, they sure had a lot of firepower.

"How should we get in?"

"Hmm... we could always go in through the roof. Surely there are no guards up there."

"And if there are," the symbiote hissed, "we eat them!" he expected [M/N] to shut the idea down immediately but instead, he felt himself actually consider it.

"Maybe," [M/N] muttered "but I don’t exactly want to go through withdrawals. It's been three years since we ate a human. I’m not looking to relive that part of my life again." Venom only chuckled, licking his lips with a wet, eager sound.

"I’ll make sure you don’t taste their flesh or blood when we feast." [M/N] groaned. Venom only laughed as he swung them into the air, landing on the roof with ease. If any guards were alerted by their presence they were quickly dealt with before they could sound the alarm. By sticking to the shadows and hugging the corners to avoid detection from the building’s surveillance cameras, they made their way down to the lower levels of the laboratory with little effort. Venom could feel [M/N]’s unease grow with every step they took, haunted by vivid memories of the lab and the looming uncertainty of whether they'd live to see another day. Gently, he placed a hand on their chest and pressed down slightly. There he could feel their shared heartbeat begin to steady, a subtle reassurance that they weren’t alone.

"We’ll be in and out, I promise." [M/N] swallowed thickly from within Venom’s body.

"Okay…" the symbiote chuckled as they descended the elevator shaft toward the lower levels of the building.

"I do not wish to be here any more than you, [M/N]," Venom said, his voice low "I have no desire to be trapped again in a place where they tormented and tortured us in the name of science."

"Then let’s hope we don’t get caught because we'll lose everything if we do."

"I do not wish to lose our steady source of chocolate."

"You mean food?"

"Yes. And that." they slipped out of the elevator shaft into the vents, moving quickly and silently. Weaving past security and scientists alike, they made their way down to the building’s basement. If the strange thing they were sensing was correct, then a gate to the other world was open. They finally reached the control room, which thankfully was only occupied by a handful of people. Clinging to the ceiling, barely making a sound as they peered through the observation glass below they spotted monitors flickering with grainy surveillance footage, most of it focused on containment cells and energy readings. But one screen in particular caught [M/N]’s attention, an unstable rift pulsing with unnatural light. "There, that is the gate." [M/N] let out a breath as he watched it pulse, as if it were breathing.

"What have they done?"

"Is it ready?" [M/N] gasped at the all-too-familiar voice, even Venom felt a surge of panic ripple through their shared body. Doctor Brenner. Without hesitation, they slipped back into the vents they came through, moving quickly but silently. They didn’t leave though, no, they stayed close, just above the room, listening. "I asked if the body is ready." Brenner said coldly as he entered.

"Oh, um, it’s nearly ready, sir." one of the technicians stammered. "Just need to add a few more details before disposing of it at the quarry."

"Good. Hop to it. There are people getting too close to the truth, and with Eleven still out there doing who knows what, we need to hurry this up."

"Yes, sir." Venom, now fully merged into [M/N] to keep them silent and small in the vents, peeked over their shoulder with a wary eye on Brenner. Body? They couldn’t possibly-- [M/N] and Venom exchanged a silent, tense thought. Without another moment's hesitation, they slinked away from the grate and retraced their path through the shafts. They fled the building as fast as they had broken in, sprinting toward town, thoughts whirling faster the farther they got from the lab.

[moments later]

It had been hours since [M/N] ran out of the diner, and both Wayne and Eddie had been searching for him ever since. Wayne had tried to see what had frightened the boy so badly, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Their first stop was the trailer park, hoping he'd returned home to calm down. But when they didn’t find him there, they split up to cover more ground, Eddie combed through the woods while Wayne searched the town. Wayne couldn’t shake the image of [M/N]’s face. Pale, wide-eyed, trembling. He hadn’t seen the boy that shaken since he was a child, like he’d reverted back to that scared little kid who used to jump at shadows and sleep with the lights on. Whatever he saw… it really got to him.

"Where could those two have gone?" he muttered, sighing as he smacked his hand against the steering wheel. Things had just started getting better and now this? Dragging a hand down his face in frustration, he glanced out the side window. His foot slammed the brakes when he finally spotted [M/N], sitting alone on a bench. He rolled the window down, ready to shout his name, but paused as his breath caught in his throat at the sight of the boy’s state. Slumped, motionless… tired. Without another word, he parked the truck and climbed out, his steps slow and deliberate as he approached. Finally, he lowered himself onto the bench beside [M/N], the silence between them heavy with everything unspoken "Wanna talk about it, son?" they sat in silence for a couple of seconds until [M/N] pushed himself up, though he didn’t look at Wayne. His hand covered his eyes.

"…I saw someone from my past." Wayne took a slow breath.

"The men in white?" he gave a weak nod.

"Not just them… but the man who did this to me, to us." he hunched forward, hands outstretched as the black goop pooled into his palms "I saw him outside the diner, a-and I... I--I, I panicked."

"[M/N]--"

"I thought it'd be different this time, you know? I thought if I ever saw him again, I’d react differently. That I’d… be in control. But the second I saw him, I froze. It was like—like I was a kid again. Like I was back in that lab…" he trembled, the goop in his hands quivering with him "Back when they’d have the doctors cut me open just to see if my healing factor could save me from dying, and if it didn’t work the way they wanted, they’d starve me. They’d hope that when Venom started eating my organs, it would knock some sense into me because I was too valuable." the goop in his hands disappeared back into his hand as he dug his nails into his skin so hard his knuckles turned white.

"[M/N], you--"

"What makes it worse is that there’s a lab here, Wayne. In Hawkins! And they’ve opened a gate to that horrible world! Do you realize how bad that is? It’s like they want to end the world!" he was shouting by now until he paused to take a breath, grounding himself in the silence that followed. His hands were shaking as his palms were split open, bleeding, and he hadn't noticed "People are disappearing because of them… and they’re probably gonna cover it up. Call it some freak accident, or pin it on something else... and if they find out I’m here…" he finally looked at Wayne. His eyes were glassy, tears he hadn’t realized were there now trailing slowly down his cheeks as he stared at the man he’d grown to love. The man who’d become the father he never had.

"What?" Wayne asked gently.

"They’ll kill you. And Eddie." Wayne’s eyes widened at the severity in [M/N]’s voice “If I knew there was a fucking lab here, we never would’ve stayed. We--we put your lives at risk just by being here."

"You don’t know that, [M/N]." the boy shook his head, wiping his tears, smearing blood across his face without realizing.

"But I do. They’ve gotten rid of anyone who’s come too close to the truth. They’ve got the power, the recourses and they won’t hesitate to erase your existence as if you never existed." the tears mixed with the blood on his palms, staining his cheeks as he stood. The sight made Wayne’s heart ache. He hadn’t seen that look on the boy’s face since that night he found him, shaking and bloodied, crouched over and eating a dog while it was still alive "Maybe it’d be better if we left... to keep you and Eddie safe…" Wayne was on his feet in an instant, gripping [M/N]’s hand firmly.

"That is out of the question." he said sharply "I decided you were my responsibility the moment I hit you with my truck, and again the night you were at your worst. Don’t think some government bastards are gonna scare me off just for loving you like you were my own boy." [M/N] clenched his jaw, eyes stinging as he yanked his hand back.

"But what if Eddie gets hurt? He’s your real boy, not me. If we leave, you won’t lose anything!" his breathing hitched, and he turned away, shoulders shaking "Eddie will be safe, he’ll be out of harm’s way. You two can just… forget about us and move on w-with your lives." Wayne let out a slow, heavy breath as [M/N] struggled to speak, watching the boy lift shaky arms to wipe at the tears and the blood smearing his face, only making the mess worse. Without a word, Wayne stepped forward and gently took [M/N] by the arms, turning him around to face him. His rough hands steadied the boy, and when their eyes finally met, Wayne’s expression softened. The sight of [M/N]’s trembling lips, his tear-streaked cheeks, and the desperate attempt to hold himself together hit him like a punch to the chest.

"You listen to me." Wayne said, voice quieter now but no less firm. "I have raised you two for the past three years, and I know exactly what you are." he sniffled.

"What?"

"You are my sons, and nothing is going to change that." Wayne watched as [M/N] went through a range of emotions. His eyes brimmed again, wide and wet, and his breath hitched on a sob as his shoulders finally slumped. Wayne let out a sigh before reaching up and pulling [M/N] into a hug. The boy didn’t immediately return the gesture; instead, he let his body be held. "We’ll get through this. Just like before." he let out a soft huff when [M/N]’s arms finally wrapped weakly around him.

"I... will forever be grateful to you, Wayne. Y-You’ve done more for us than you’ll ever realize." he pulled away and wiped the tears off with the back of his hand. "I promise you, no harm will ever come to you or Eddie." Wayne shook his head.

"[M/N], no, I--" [M/N] took Wayne gently by the forearms.

"I'm serious, Wayne. If anything from my past ever threatens you or Eddie, we’ll make sure to protect you, just like you protect us. You're the reason we're alive, after all." the older man looked up at him for a moment before letting out a reluctant sigh.

"Alright, you win. Seems nothing I say is gonna convince you otherwise."

"Nope." Wayne waited as [M/N] wiped the blood off on his pants and used the hem of his shirt to clean his face up, they quietly walk back to Wayne's truck with [M/N] sniffling occasionally. He's starting the truck and readjusting his rearview mirror when he notices [M/N] looking at him, he cocked a brow and hummed "Are we really... not going to tell Eddie about us?" he spoke as Venom emerged from out of his shoulder.

"We believe if we keep this to ourselves and continue to keep Eddie in the dark, he won't take it well that we hid such a secret from him for so long." Wayne let out a sigh.

"I get that, but... you know Eddie. I don't want him giving an over the top reaction to you guys, overwhelming you with questions and whatnot." he smacks his hands against the wheel "And ultimately it's up to you guys to tell him, not me."

"Perhaps we should tell him soon. But now may not be the best of times." [M/N] nodded.

"With all the shit going on, I think if we tell him the truth he'll freak out."

"Indeed. Besides, we do not know if Eddie can keep a secret. He could absentmindedly reveal the truth."

"Give it time, you two. Eddie is many things, but he isn't a snitch."

"Like Venom said, absentmindedly."

"Give the boy a chance, I'm sure he'll be fine if you told him, but I won't push you to tell him." they both nod.

"Thanks, Wayne." by the time they returned to the trailer it was already dark out and Eddie's van was outside, guess he came back and was waiting for them to return. The moment he saw Wayne's headlights he kicked open the front door and sprinted out, [M/N] was stepping out of the truck when Eddie ran at him and tackled him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him as they went down.

"Eddie! Boy, what are you doing?" Wayne exclaims as he came around from the other side of the truck to check on the two, startled at the sight of how shaken Eddie looked.

"Thank god you're alright, [M/N]! I was so worried." [M/N], having collected himself, looked up at Eddie with a confused expression.

"I just ran off, Eddie, why are you so worked up?" Wayne helped them both to their feet as Eddie gave them both a worried look.

"You mean, you didn't hear?" they share a look.

"Hear what?"

"There was a body found in the quarry." their eyes widened in shock "I-I didn't hear the full details, but I was worried that it was you because I know you go there often. B-But if it wasn't you..."

"Oh, no..."

The news about Will Byers' body being found in the Sattler Quarry spread like wildfire. Some people were in disbelief, some mourned the loss and pitied the Byers family, while a few refused to believe it. But [M/N], he knew the truth. He knew that the body they pulled out wasn't really Will. He knew that whatever they pulled out was just a body constructed by Brenner to get people to believe that Will was dead. With him dead, nobody would go looking for him anymore. They'd quit and go on with their lives. But [M/N] knew. He knew the truth. And what? What was he going to do with that truth? If he told anyone, it's not like they'd believe him. And how did he, of all people, know that Will Byers, a kid he'd never met nor interacted with, was alive? How would he explain that to them? What a dilemma.

The next couple of days were a blur. From Will's funeral to the small memorial they held at the school, nothing particularly eventful happened. [M/N] went back to school but was on high alert now that he knew there was a lab located in Hawkins, heading home straight after school if he didn't have baseball practice. If it weren't for the fact that Venom was keeping him calm enough to avoid a mental breakdown during class, nobody seemed to notice anything off about him.

And that brings us to-

"Is that you, Harrington?" [M/N], who went out on a walk around town to clear his head, found himself at the Hawkins Theatre and there was Steve Harrington on a ladder cleaning the marquee "Finally got a job instead of relying on daddy's money?" upon hearing his voice, Steve flinched and looked down to see [M/N] smirking up at him.

"No, no, I'm just... cleaning up my mess." he cocked a brow and took a step back to see what exactly he was cleaning, Steve winced when he saw [M/N]'s face scrunch up before glaring up at him "H-Hey, I know this looks really bad! But I swear, I know what I did was pretty shitty of me and I-I'm gonna make it right! I swear." the longer he stared at Steve's face, eye swollen and face covered in blood, his face relaxed but he was still angry at the derogatory name he labeled Nancy.

"At least you got what you deserved, hmm?" he mocked as he gently kicked the ladder he was on, he snickered when Steve quickly grabbed the ladder to steady himself as fear flashed across his face.

"H-Hey!" he raised his hands.

"I'll stop. I'm curious on who beat the shit out of you. If it was Wheeler, I've got to give her props for not putting up with your shit anymore." Steve gave a nervous laugh as he went back to scrubbing off the red paint.

"Um, it was Jonathan, actually." he whistled.

"Byers? Wow! Didn't know he had it in him."

"Neither did I, though, I was asking for it."

"You probably shouldn't tell me, or else there will be a round two."

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure your punches are stronger than his." he winked while raising his clenched fist.

"They are~" he all but cooed but laughed when Steve rolled his eyes, but he did catch the brunette chuckle. He decides to hang around, occasionally shaking the ladder to freak Steve out and having a laugh each time he yelled at him to quit it "I never would have expected the Steve Harrington to do something like this. Where is your posse by the way? I'm surprised to not see your shadow lingering around." he asked as he looked around to try and spoke Tommy and Carol but couldn't see them anywhere, not even in Steve's car that was parked not too far from where they were.

"Oh, I, uh..." he starts as he's climbing down the ladder, [M/N] was nice enough to steady it as he descended "I kind of... ditched them."

"Ditched them? As in, abandoned them on the side of the road? That's cold, Harrington." Steve pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Well, no but- uh, yeah. I'm no longer... friends, with them." he shrunk under [M/N]'s eyes as he stared at him in disbelief, he then looks him up and down in shock.

"Dude, who are you? The Steve Harrington I know would never leave the people who feed his ego." he scratched the back of his head.

"Well, maybe this Steve Harrington doesn't want to be that guy anymore." his arm drops to his side as he looks [M/N] in the eyes "I'm sorry for all the dumb crap I've said to you and your cousin. I was being a jerk and now I know it wasn't really cool, so if you want to hit me for my past transgressions, I won't even blame you." [M/N] pursed his lips as he looked him up and down again before raising his fist, Steve flinched and closed his eyes but only grunted softly when [M/N] just knocked his shoulder.

"Hmm, maybe I like this new Steve Harrington." he then holds his hand out to him "I hope we don't have to butt heads anymore, new Steve Harrington. The last thing I need is Eddie coming in between us each time I try to have a civilized conversation with you and he mistakes it for me trying to knock your lights out." Steve gave a weak smile as he took [M/N]'s hand and shook it firmly.

"Yeah, I should probably apologize to him as well." he gave a shrug as he took his hand back.

"He might not believe you. He might think you're doing it because someone dared you to. Eddie holds a grudge like no other, like seriously." he grimaced as he remembered the time he accidentally stepped on one of his mini figurines and Eddie wouldn't talk to him for two weeks straight, it was excruciating "Besides, who you should be apologizing to is Nancy. I think she needs it more than me and Eddie."

"Yeah, you're right." he snorted as he stuffed his hands into his pocket.

"I know I'm right. And I also think she's dumb if she takes you back."

"What?"

"Dude, come on. You only now just realized how much of an asshat you were during your time at high school and you think that's enough to erase years worth of acting like you're better than everyone because you've got rich parents who seem to have better things to do than parent their only kid? It's gonna take more than an apology to change their opinion of you, oh King Steve Harrington." [M/N] narrowed his eyes on Steve when he saw the way he bit his lip, he thought he was going to deny his words but he instead let out a sigh.

"You're right." he chuckled.

"And like I said, I know I'm right." they both stare at each other before bursting out into genuine laughter "Haha, you're pretty okay when you don't have someone whispering in your ear."

"You too. I can see why everybody at school likes you." he flicks his hair for dramatic flare.

"I try." they laugh again until he pumps his fist against Steve's shoulder again "I hope this nice guy attitude sticks. I'd like to be friends with this new and improved version of you, Steve Harrington." he admits and winks at him.

"Y-Yeah, yeah! For sure, Munson." he smiles at him.

"Then I guess I'll be seeing you." Steve gives a nod.

"See you at school?" he gave a shrug but nodded his head.

"Sure, but you better hope my friends don't try to beat you up when you try to come up to me to strike up a conversation." he rubs the back of his neck.

"I'll pray." [M/N] laughs before finally waving Steve goodbye and walking away with an extra skip in his step, he hummed softly to himself and was almost excited to see Steve again.

"How rare. No homicidal thoughts after an encounter with that spotted human." he clapped his hands.

"I know, right? Who knew he could actually change, maybe Nancy was a good match for him after all. Perhaps I should give her a high give as well as Jonathan."

"Or maybe all he needed was a clean smack cross the face to knock some sense into him." he snapped his fingers.

"Or that. Whatever it was, I'm glad to know that Steve is a pretty good dude. Nancy did say he was a sweet guy but I always found it hard to believe, with how much of an asshole he was and all that." they continued their walk in a comfortable silence but a few minutes in and they both sense that they were being followed.

"We are no longer alone, [M/N]. I guess we weren't as inconspicuous as we thought we were." Venom spoke, noticing the sneer on [M/N]'s face as a van and a few men in suits began to follow them while, his clenched his hand into a fist as he continued to walk "How shall we deal with them? Should we flee?" despite the initial fear he could feel through their bond, the unresolved rage seethed inside him.

"No, not this time." Venom could feel an immense joy take over him "We'll do it your way." Venom chuckled.

"I'm glad you're finally seeing things my way." he doesn't say anything and lets Venom take the lead. The two continue to casually stroll down the sidewalk, the men in suits tailing close behind. Then, they take a sharp turn into an alley, the men close behind, but the moment they enter, [M/N] is gone.

"Wha-- where did he go?!" they scour the area but it was as if he disappeared.

"Doctor Brenner is not going to be happy that we lost him."

"How do we even know he's the one carrying the symbiote? It's been three years since Number Five escaped, there's no way he's still alive."

"I agree. He would have had to kill a lot of people to feed that monster. And the only known disappearances that have happened so far is the kid, so it's highly unlikely that experiment is still around."

"But Doctor Brenner was certain he saw him a few days ago."

"But how was he sure it was actually him? There's no way he looks the same as he did three years ago."

"We'll find out when we catch the damn kid."

"But where the hell is he?!" the same agent jumped in surprised when something dripped onto their shoulder, raising their hand, they brought it to their shoulder but grimaced at the feeling of a wet and sticky substance "What the...?" they all felt a chill run up their spines at the sound of a low rumble as a shadow loomed above them, slowly lifting their heads, fear struck their beings at the sight of Venom hanging above them. His jaw unhinged as rows of sharp teeth glinted in the dim light of the alleyway, tongue coiling like a snake as slobber drooled onto them.

"Right above you." screams and gunshots filled the alleyway when Venom dropped down from above, jaws closing shut on their head and killing them instantly. Venom let out a moan of pleasure at the taste of blood and flesh invaded his tastebuds, having gone so long from eating humans that he was salivating that a whole feast was before him. They slaughter the humans left and right, their pleas drowning out and becoming background noise as they continued to dine on their flesh, whether they ate them whole or piece by piece, it didn't matter "Delicious! I have been famished for so long, this feast has been absolutely... divine." he said as he held one of the agents, who was miraculously conscious despite being smacked into a wall, above his mouth as he opened his mouth.

"N-No, please...! We weren't gonna hurt you..." their eyes widened when Venom momentarily stopped and closed his mouth, that was until his face opened up to reveal [M/N] with a tired expression but his eyes were dark as he glared at them.

"Liar. All you people do is lie." he sneered before letting Venom take control again, he grinned as he licked his lips.

"I should thank you, if you hadn't appeared, [M/N] never would have allowed me to eat human flesh." he chuckled as he opened his mouth again "Enough talk, I hunger for more." he ignored their begging and closed his jaws over their head, biting piece by piece of their body and enjoying the flavor because he wasn't sure he was going to get another treat like this. The alley fell into an eerie silence when there were no more humans to eat, blood splattered all over the walls and puddles pooled at their feet.

"I... I don't feel too good, Venom." the symbiote chuckled and pats their chest.

"Do not worry, [M/N], I'll will make you feel better. Just leave everything to me for now." Venom could feel [M/N] grow nauseous after having to stomach several humans but he manage to suppress his discomfort and ease his mind "Do you feel better?"

"If you can get out of the alley I'd appreciate it. It reeks of blood and trash, and that is not a good mix." Venom sniffs the surrounding air and grimaces.

"It is not." he quickly launches them into the air and lands on the rooftops, he planned to dissolve back into [M/N]'s body but paused when he spotted several Hawkins Power and Light vans "... can I still do it my way?" he stood in silence as he waited for [M/N]'s response, practically jumping while clapping his hands when he let out a sigh.

"Fine, but make sure you're not spotted by anyone."

"Hehe, no promises." [M/N] could only breathe a sigh of defeat as Venom swings off, the next couple of hours is spent with Venom hunting down the Hawkins Power and Light vans and killing the occupants inside, as well as a few agents that followed the vans in their cars. They made sure to only attack when they weren't in any residential areas or if they were out in public they made it look like an accident, like redirecting the vehicles to crash into each other than finishing the job if the initial crash didn't kill them.

"Be careful, Venom. The last thing we need is to be spotted by Brenner, he could be lurking in one of those cars." he warned as Venom munched on a leg.

"Wouldn't that be a treat then? We could kill him." that was tempting, but it'd give away their position that they were in Hawkins.

"We're exposing ourselves enough by killing those agents. We don't want to paint an even bigger target on our backs, okay?" Venom hummed.

"We do not want that." [M/N] shakes his head.

"No we do not." he then lets out a hum "Maybe we can put the blame on the thing that's been lurking in and out of Hawkins."

"He is already aware that we are within Hawkins. He will know that this is our doing." Venom chuckled when he heard [M/N] huff.

"Well, it's the thought that counts." Venom spits out a boot he accidentally swallowed before proceeding to follow another group of vans but stayed far enough, sensing or maybe smelling that scent that they couldn't erase from their minds no matter how hard they tried. They pause when they noticed that they were following a group of children, three kids riding bikes while a forth was behind the boy with black hair. Venom seeped back under his skin as he watched the children, his eyes specifically on the girl, soon his eyes widened when he watched a van that was driving straight for them get flipped and block the road so the other vans couldn't chase them anymore. He whistled, those telekinetic experiments were always crazy with their abilities, though he was the one and only symbiote experi-- he paused when that little girl managed to spot him, despite the distance. Neither looked away until the girl disappeared over the slope of the hill and off to god knows where, now he knows why the Doctor is acting so irrationally.

"So there was another experiment here." he nods.

"Uh huh, and one that he Doctor is desperately trying to get back." there was a moment of silence.

"... should we go after them?" [M/N] thinks for a second.

"... nah. Not our circus, not our monkeys." he dusts his hands together before turning away "Let's go home. We've done enough." he makes a face when he can practically feel Venom pout.

"But [M/N]..." he whines.

"We're done, Venom." this earned him a huff.

"Fine, let's go." they look back at Doctor one last time before finally leaving, heading back to the trailer park. He made sure to clean himself of any blood and grime that got himself, he didn't want Eddie questioning what happened, much less Wayne. By the time he got back the sun was beginning to fall but he hadn't entered the trailer, he instead collapsed onto the sofa outside as he tried to collect his thoughts. He could already feel his stomach churning just at the thought of eating human flesh again, despite having a completely different digestive system to venom, the times he was forced to eat flesh wasn't easy to forget. He could feel it building up in the back of his throat, covering his mouth with his hand while his arm clutched at his stomach.

"[M/N]?" he glanced over and saw that it was Eddie, before he could say anything Eddie disappeared back into the trailer before emerging with a glass of water in one hand and a beer in the other. [M/N] takes the glass and downs the water in less than a second, some trickling down the corner of his lips. He wipes it away before leaning back on the sofa with a little more peace of mind, closing his eyes to forget about how hectic his afternoon turned out after his short but nice conversation with Steve Harrington "You good, dude?" he takes a deep breath as he can still feel the unease in his stomach, hear the sound of bones crunching and the spill of blood on concrete. But as he looked towards Eddie, the same person who helped him through all his episodes, who was there when he cried after every bad dream, who had just as much of a fucked childhood as he did but still smiled through it all. Eddie was startled when [M/N] hugged him, he tried to pull him off to see what the matter was but stopped when he only tightened his grip.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm good." he whispered softly, Eddie stared at him for a moment longer then huffed out a laugh and hugged him back. After a moment of silence Eddie pats [M/N] on the back and leans back in the sofa, chuckling softly when he saw [M/N] sniffle.

"I know I already asked, and I know you already said you're good, but... you good?" [M/N] let out his own laugh.

"Yeah, I'm good. I just had a... chaotic, afternoon." Eddie laughed as he raised his beer.