Do you wanna feel how it feels?

[the_freak]

Who: Eddie Munson, Billy Hargrove, Steve Harrington
What: Max is gone...
Where: The hotel
When: Early in the month, soon after Max disappears
Warnings: Violence, TBD



Sitting in Max's room, Eddie sighs, cursing and scanning over the list again. As though her name will have reappeared since he last rechecked. He wanted to see for himself before bringing it up to Steve, but now that he's looked around and proven to himself she isn't here...he feel overwhelmed. There's grief, there's fear- and god- how the hell is he supposed to tell Steve? And what about Hargrove? Worrying about the others at least lets him distance himself for the time being.

He picks up the tape player he'd stolen for her, flicking it open and seeing his custom mix tape still inside. Before he can get too emotional about that he shuts it and shoves it into his pocket.

Comments

[playingtough]

The walkman gets fiddled with in his hands, because Billy starts pacing a little bit. "I went to the Steelworks building. I was going to meet someone there. There was a noise, and then I got jumped. Pulled into the building and down the stairs by something so strong. And then... I was just a passenger in my own body." But that didn't happen to Max. Whatever happened to her wasn't really the same. That was good. She wasn't made to do bad things.

Max wasn't made to murder people.

"I see why you both were so protective of her here then. Was there any sightings of the Mind Flayer here? Or whatever that thing was called?"

[farrahfawcetts]

Steve shakes his head. "No. No, there's nothing of the Upside Down here. Thank God," he follows up. If there were, he'd be a wreck and he knows it. Half the reason he's able to be as relaxed as he is now is because this whole nonsense is like a vacation for him. A trip someplace safer than where he left. Before, he'd been so thankful Eddie and Max were here with him, safe and protected.

Now? Now he couldn't think about Max for too long. Not without feeling raw.

[the_freak]

"The main dude we called Vecna. Or uh...Henry...or One. But yeah, no sign of any of that stuff here, outside of us," Eddie confirms, a bit conflicted about leaving out what Vecna's been doing to the people he targets. But Billy doens't need that image in his head. Eddie hates that he has it.

[playingtough]

Vecna. Henry. One. Names that meant nothing to him. He knew his was called Mind Flayer, when Billy just called it a shadow. The cord connecting the headphones and the tape player wiggles as his hands shake. He's still furious that Max is gone, and he wants to hit something.

And there are two prime targets sitting awfully close to each other in front of him.

But he holds himself in check, and Billy doesn't lash out. They have a truce. He's going to hold his end up. "Good," is all he can say at first about the Upside Down situation. "So she'll be safe from that bullshit if she comes back here." Billy starts towards the still open door, clipping the walkman onto his side for the time being. "I'm gonna go lay down until the pain goes away. I'll have more questions that I expect answers for later."
The now free hand goes to test his midsection again. The pain was just a nibbling presence and thankfully nothing more.

"Just... stay out of my way." But the usual bite and snarl isn't there in his tone. Billy just sounds defeated as he heads out.

[farrahfawcetts]

Steve hates being basically told that he's gonna get interrogated later. But Billy is up and leaving before he can really decide what to do or say about it. He lets him go and turns to Eddie, cradling his cheek now that they were alone.

"You're okay?" He looks around the empty room and grief claws his throat. "Physically, anyway? Jesus. They weren't lying that we just get torn out of here..."

[the_freak]

Watching Billy leave, Eddie gives a grateful hum to Steve's touch and nods half heartedly, pulling Steve into a one armed hug.

"Didn't want you to find out on your own, man. I'm sorry..."

[farrahfawcetts]

Steve nods numbly, arms wrapping around Eddie and enjoying the security of the solid body against his own. He is more than a little reluctant to let go.

"I just wish I knew if she was okay. Or...if she just went back."