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CHAPTER FOURTEEN ; REUNITED
also known as;
( the upside down ; part three )

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"DO YOU WANT TO BORROW MY WALKMAN?" STEVE ASKED STELLA SOFTLY AS THEY PULLED UP TO THE HOSPITAL. The drive over had been absolutely silent, both teens choosing to mull over the previous events then having a conversation. Neither were to blame, as they had faced possibly one of the most stressful situations of their entire lives. And now, as they pulled up beside Chief Hopper's truck outside the medical centre, they didn't know what to say or think.

"That'd be great," Stella whispered, opening her eyes to see her friend reaching into the backseat in search for the music player. Her head was pounding and her heart was only just beginning to slow, the aftermath of the incident that occurred only a half hour ago still settling in. Her trembling hands were hidden at her sides, and despite the long car journey, she was still struggling to catch her breath.

Steve watched her for a few seconds, fiddling with the Walkman in his hands. She didn't seem to notice him observing, as she was busy staring straight forward with a blank expression on her face, as if she were completely tranquil. To a stranger, this wouldn't have been much out of the ordinary, but to those who happened to know the eccentric girl, a blank stare meant she was breaking on the inside.

"Hey," Steve muttered almost inaudibly, though it was enough for Stella's head to slowly turn to look at him. He tried to smile but against the tough cuts and bruises littering the side of his face, the pair were only reminded of how ridiculous their day had been. Neither could have predicted in the morning that they would be sitting in the same car trying to rekindle a lost friendship after fighting a supernatural monster with the high school's self-proclaimed outcast and smart popular girl. But, nonetheless, they were trying. "I, uh, never thanked you for saving my life."

Stella broke their eye contact to focus on her dirty jeans. "I never thanked you for saving mine."

"I guess we're both heroes today," Steve chuckled dryly, before reaching over Stella and into his glove compartment, pulling out the mixtape she hadn't bothered to look at earlier in the afternoon. The light from both inside the car and the flickering of the lamppost outside was enough for Steve to scan over the contents of the tape, before slipping it into the Walkman. The boy handed it over to the girl, who hesitated before reaching out. Her shaking hands wrapped around the plastic and metal, and she carefully ran her fingers over the brand new headphones. "I made that mix for Nancy, but I never got around giving it to her. Now that I think of it, she probably wouldn't like a whole lotta stuff on there."

"There's a lot of Billy Joel on here," Stella noted, looking over the empty case, though a hint of a smile played at her lips. "How could you not like him?"

"Maybe you should keep it," Steve shrugged, and Stella's grip on the music player tightened slightly. "Think of it as...a token of the strangest day of our lives."

"You're right about that," Stella scoffed, before sighing quietly. She swallowed as she looked back up, seeing Nancy and Jonathan walking up towards the entrance of the hospital. They had gone in Jonathan's car, leaving the two misinformed and still majorly confused teens to themselves. Steve glanced over to see the sight as well, his face falling a little more. Stella's eyes trailed over to him, and she forced an encouraging smile. "Everything's gonna be fine, Steve. You know that, right?"

Steve was silent for a few seconds, before pulling the keys out of the ignition. "Nothing's gonna be the same, though."

He then reached over and opened his car door. As his foot hit the pavement, Stella placed her hand on his arm. He turned his head and looked back at her clearly knackered expression. The girl was reluctant, but her eyes were still full of whatever determination she had left. "Thanks."

"For what?" Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and Stella retracted her hand and ran it through her tangled hair.

"For everything you've done for me," she gestured to the Walkman in her hands, then everything else around her. "You are a good guy, Steve."

Steve pursed his lips, before nodding once and stepping out of the car. Stella exhaled and picked up the headphones of the Walkman, letting them fall around her neck before stepping out as well.

The two mismatched teenagers trudged up towards the front doors of the hospital, unsure of what awaited them. They didn't know how long they were going to be inside or what could possibly happen when they left, but they were prepared to wait.

★☆

Well, I don't know why I came here tonight
I got the feeling that something ain't right --

"Star!" A chorus of young voices echoed through the halls of the hospital, catching the attention of anyone in close proximity. Stella looked up from where she sat in the waiting room, seeing the exhausted but relieved faces of the boys in the window. She had been nodding off every ten or so minutes, her eyes growing heavier and heavier as the hour passed. Stealers Wheel had been bleeding through the headphones she wore when she heard the yells in the corridor.

Despite the upbeat song, she still felt like an absolute mess. Even if Will was in one of the hundreds of rooms, alive and well, she still couldn't wrap her head around it. He was dead. She had seen his body pulled from the quarry. She had wept at his funeral. But after everything else that had happened, this event seemed the least surprising.

At the sight of the three children, she suddenly felt her fatigue fade away, shooting out of her seat between Steve and Chief Hopper, rushing out the door and sighing as she once again felt at ease. Her headphones were knocked back onto her neck, Stuck in the Middle With You still playing at a low volume. Stella didn't seem to pay much mind to it, though. Even though she felt like absolute shit, knowing that the kids were all safe and out of harm's way was enough to put a smile on her face.

"Is everyone okay?" Stella asked as she was practically tackled into a group hug, surprised at the unusual silence that hung over them all. She couldn't deny the happiness that sunk in when she was reunited with some of her favourite people in the world, though she was also apologetic due to the fact that she had doubted them and shut them down. She looked around the group, before frowning slightly when she noticed something missing. "Where's..."

Mike's grip on her waist tightened considerably before she could finish her sentence and he shifted his face so that it was out of her sight. Stella pursed her lips and looked over at Dustin, who shook his head solemnly. Stella felt her heart break a little as her gaze returned to Mike, trying to imagine how he must be feeling.

It seemed that during the week Eleven had been a part of their little group, she had become more than just a friend to them, especially Mike. Seeing as she hadn't seen them a lot for the second half of the six days, she hadn't noticed the impact the girl had had on the party. Maybe for Mike it was a little more significant.

"Where's Will?" Lucas asked, his eyes wide and curious. Dustin appeared to be the same. Mike, however, was still shielding his face. "Can we see him yet?" 

"He's been in there about half an hour, I don't think they're letting anyone outside of family inside with him yet. We're all waiting in there to see how he is. Why don't you two get some rest?" She patted the backs of Dustin and Lucas. "We can talk in a minute. Do you want anything from the cafeteria?"

Just as Dustin opened his mouth, Lucas pushed him through the doors of the waiting room. "We're fine."

Stella smiled softly at the boys, before looking down at Mike. She barely noticed Karen and Ted Wheeler walking past as she ushered their son a few feet from wandering ears. Karen eyes followed the teenager and her son, her lips downturned and parted slightly as she watched Stella connect with the preteen in a way she never could.

Stella bent down so that she was at eye level with Mike, lifting his chin with her hooked index finger. She didn't know if her heart could take another hit but apparently it could, as seeing her friend's blotchy and gut-wrenching expression. His eyes were watery and tears had dried on his cheeks. His breathing has heavy and he was visibly trembling, something that made Stella's stomach drop. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Mike sniffled quietly and choked out a breath, before shaking his head. Stella sighed through her nose softly, before wrapping her arms around the small boy and enveloping him in a tight embrace. She didn't know what had happened to Eleven, but clearly it must have been bad enough to make Mike break down. Dustin and Lucas seemed quite beaten up about it also, and she only wished she could have been there for them. 

Feeling her shoulder dampen from Mike's tears, Stella rocked him back and forth slowly to calm him down. One hand protectively held his shoulders while the other ran through his hair in attempt to soothe him. "You're gonna be okay, kid. We're gonna be okay."

"It hurts," Mike hiccupped, his grip around her neck tightening. Stella turned slightly to kiss the side of his head. The twelve year old's weight was practically all on her, as if she were his crutch. For now, she didn't mind at all. 

"It's gonna get better," she whispered, closing her eyes. "It'll take some time, but I promise, it's gonna get better."

★☆

As the mundane Ted Wheeler had taken her seat beside Steve, Stella was seated in-between Mike and Lucas. She, Dustin and Lucas were all fast asleep, the latter leaning on her with Dustin leaning on him. Stella's head had rolled back so that it rested against the glass window, soft snores escaping her lips as she finally managed to get much-needed rest. 

The song Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens was what had eased her enough for her to shut her eyes, finally succumbing to her exhaustion. She wasn't the prettiest sleeper by a mile, her mouth hung open slightly and a small pool or drool was threatening to fall. Her arms were wrapped around herself and her legs curled up underneath her chair. 

A sudden shaking made her shoot up with wide eyes, looking around in panic before settling on Mike in front of her. She groaned and blinked a few times, music still blaring in her ears. "Wha...What's wrong?"

"Will's up!" He exclaimed, which seemed to wake up the three a little more. Dustin and Lucas both leapt out of their seats, but it took Stella a moment to collect herself. She pressed stop on the Walkman and jogged out of the room after the boys, handing Steve the music player for safekeeping. 

The three kids were going as far as they could in pursuit of Jonathan, who was leading them towards the hospital room. Stella tried to keep up with them, though she wasn't actually one hundred percent sure she wasn't still dreaming. 

"Byers!" She heard Lucas call, and she stopped in the doorway Jonathan was holding open to her left. He smiled softly at her and she returned it as she stepped through, her eyes trailing to the small figure on the bed. 

Mike, Dustin and Lucas all piled onto Will Byers, who giggled as he was embraced by his best friends. Joyce's smile was wide, though she still managed to warn them not to harm her newly rescued child. "Be careful with him!"

Stella stood up beside the mother, the height difference between the two almost amusing. Joyce reached over and wrapped her arms around the teenager, the two sharing a short embrace. Stella smiled once again, looking from the frail boy to the incredibly strong mother. "I'm really happy for you, Joyce. Will's an absolute miracle."

"Thank you for everything you done," Joyce's naturally wavering voice was quiet, but grateful. Stella's eyebrows knitted together and at that sight, the mother elaborated. "For taking my shifts at the store, for helping in search parties, I really appreciate it."

"Anything for the Byers," Stella grinned, before looking back at Will. The boys were gushing about the past events to him, and she managed to catch the tail end of it as she stepped forward. 

"Agents started grabbing us and stuff--" Dustin recalled as Stella appeared beside him. 

"Damn, you guys need to tell me the whole story," she chuckled, before reaching forward and nudging Will. Despite being confined to a hospital bed, hooked up to several machines, he was still the Will Byers she knew. "Hey, buddy. You really gave us a scare."

"Hey, Star," Will grinned, his eyes bright as he stared up at the teenage girl. Stella felt her smile widen as she realised that all her boys were safe. They were all in the same room, all completely different then they were at the start of the week. They had endured the unimaginable, but she knew now that if they stuck together, they could do anything.

★☆

dedicated to Frankfurt03 and suckmymccall !! y'all are great !!

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATEEEE!!!!!!! ALL STELLA'S BABIES ARE BACK TOGETHER AND I'M SO HAPPPYYYY!!!!! WE LOVE LOVELOVE MY KIDS AND I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M NEARLY FINISHED PART ONE (I NEED TO STOP SAYING THIS)

it's also nearly christmas!! i plan to update before next monday so that it'll be great timing and everything will be really happy yay i love happy 

anNnNnnD I'm seeing star wars again tomorrow!! no spoilers but it's gotten a LOT of mixed reviews -- i was 100% there for it and was so thrilled by the change of pace, cause it was a brand new star wars film rather than a remake of another!!! it was a great building block for the plot of the trilogy and can i just say the diversity was AMAZING (guys, i saw this on twitter and i nutted cause the four main leads are a powerful female warrior, a badass vietnamese female mechanic who isn't weak and can choose her own path, a black male soldier with ptsd and a latino male pilot who doesn't follow the usual alpha male stereotypes !!!!) also the general character development was WONDERFUL !!! a change can be good sometimes guys!! (also the cinematography was incredible woW)

^^ i have lots of feelings about tlj hmu if you wanna chat about it lmao

ANDNDNDNDNDND the very lovely bitchmafia created some awesome character banners for glory days!!! thank you so much, they're amazing !!!!

MY BOY TIMMY TIM WILL BE INTRODUCED IN PART TWO!!!! I'M SO EXCITED FOR HIS CHARACTER AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!

catch la later dudes!!