#survivedbefore

@survivedbefore EDDIE'S BIRTHDAY 🎂🎉

               hearing   what   happened,   it   made   robin’s   heart   hurt.      part   of   her   was   honestly   GLAD   she   wasn’t   there   to   see   it,   though   she   hadn’t   much   enjoyed   being   dressed   in   pink   frills   either…      but   if   she   had   to   choose   between   uncomfortable   clothes   or   seeing   max   float   in   the   air   about   to   get   vecna’d?      YEAH,   she’d   pick   the   outfit   for   sure.      she   dabs   some   rubbing   alcohol   onto   a   cloth,   and   looks   down   at   the   scrapes   on   the   redheads   leg.      ❝   so,   this   is   PROBABLY   going   to   sting   a   little.      but   we   should   probably   clean   them,   you   know,   just   in   case.      don’t   want   an   infection   growing   in   there   right?      i   mean   with   running   from   this   vecna   dude,   trying   to   keep   eddie   safe   and   all   this   other   upside   down   shit,   we   don’t   need   to   worry   about   an   infection   too.      like,   what   a   CRAPPY   WAY   to   get   taken   out   right?      you’re   running   from   other   worldly   MONSTERS   and   it’s   a   little   cut   that   takes   you   out…   ❞      she’s   doing   it   again,   she   can   HEAR   IT.      rambling   because   she’s   internally   FREAKING   OUT.      ❝   sorry,   that’s   probably   not   helping.   ❞

      IT’S     SOMETHING     SHE     DOESN’T     HAVE    TO      SAY.        something     that     lucas     feels     deep     within     his    very     core.      hold     onto     her     as     if     she’ll    slip    beneath     his     fingertips     and     stop     existing    entirely    if    he    doesn’t.        he    had    come     so    close    to     losing    her.      the     helplessness    still     lingering     in     his     chest,     heart    still     hammering     so    rapidly    beneath    his     ribcage.      he    had    almost    lost    max,     merely    a     bystander    to    her     inevitable    demise.      there    was    nothing    he    could    do    except    shout    for    her    ‘til    vocal    chords    ached    and    hope    to    whatever    higher    being    existed    that    kate    bush    would    be    enough    to    save     her.       IT    HAD    BEEN,       she’s     still     here.      grasping    just    as    desperately    at    him     as    he    was     her.     relief    is    clashing    with     the    nerves   still    attempting    to    fizzle     out.       “     i’ve     got     you.     “     lucas     breathes    out.      it    comes    out     like    a     promise     he     never    intends    to    break.       he’s    got    her     and     he’s     never    letting    go    again.   

“you, stay away from neil as much as you can, do you hear me? don’t think he won’t hit you too, because he will the second he sees reason to, the second he has your mom on the end of his fists too.” mikey really couldn’t care less about susan; she wasn’t his mother, she wouldn’t protect him (not that his own mother did) but even he had to admit that he wasn’t sure he’d let sleeping dogs lie if he saw bruises on her, and he certainly wouldn’t if they started showing up on max. “i mean,” he scoffed, “look what happened to our mother.” 

mikey was the nicer hargrove twin, that was widely known, but even he had his days. if things grinded on him too much then his temper could come out, and at this point he was pretty sure the hargrove anger was infamous in hawkins. “i’m giving you a fuckin’ opportunity here, max. if you lack the balls, you can go play dolls. maybe susan will even fix you a nice little fuckin’ snack like the baby you’re being... or you can get over yourself, and put your big girl pants on and come with me. you’re scared of billy, i get that, most people are. but you need to fix whatever the fuck it is you’re done or he’s gonna stay mad. trust me, you don’t want that.” 

            "   midnight,   on   the   bridge.   come   alone."   max's   message   was   so   cryptic,   lucas   had   to   double   check   which   bridge   she   was   talking   about   —   a   bad   move   on   his   part,   if   her   subsequent   glare   was   any   indication.   so,   because   he's   hard-wired   to   blindly   trust   her,   there   he   is,   alone   on   the   bridge   they   shared   their   fifth   kiss   on.   her   presence   brings   with   it   that   automatic   max-smile,   the   one   that   he   reserves   only   for   her.   "   hey!   i   was   starting   to   get   worried   you   weren't   coming.   your   note   did   seem   kind   of   like   a   ransom   letter.   "