Shortly after Mr. and Mrs. Ross came home, everything was forced back into the estranged normality that Aurora hated to stomach. While this meant that she finally got the chance to uphold her promise and go to Eddie, it also gave her mother more than enough ammunition to call her brother for help.
"Louis, this isn't like her. I'm worried." Her mother was overheard saying one night as Robin got ready for the high school basketball game. Linda had invited herself over after her brother stopped answering her calls and judging by the way he rolled his eyes, he was tired of the conversation.
"Jesus Christ Linda, what do you want me to do? She's home every school day, right? She's still getting good grades? She's fine. Leave the girl alone." He brushes it off, rubbing his temples. They sat at the kitchen table bickering for a while about what to do until her father finally snapped, pushing away from the table.
"Well, no wonder the poor girl doesn't want to be around you." He sighs, groaning in irritation as he stands to grab the phone.
"She's a smart girl. She knows she can't turn to Robin or you'll turn her into a spy so who's left? This Steve kid and Eddie, right?" He hums.
"I don't think she's with Steve. He's a very sweet boy and would take her in, honestly, I wish she'd give him more attention but whatever…" She rambles. He chuckles, snapping his fingers to get her attention back on track.
"She's most likely with Wayne's nephew." She finally tells him, standing quickly once he nods into the phone.
"Hey Lynn, how are you sweetheart, it's Lou Buckley. Wayne Munson should be at lunch right now, can you give him a message for me?" He spoke into the phone so eloquently with a wide smile that it almost seemed odd with how he had been reacting toward his own sister, leaning against the wall like a high school jock flirting with a cheerleader which only made Robin roll her eyes even harder.
"Yea, just ask him to keep my niece out of trouble for me. She's a smart kid and I know she's been helping his nephew with some things, but her mother is worried now so I just need him to watch out for her okay? Thank you darlin'. Yes honey, I'll have Susanna make your favorite this weekend. I'll talk to you later." He chuckles to himself before hanging up, turning back toward his sister.
"There. Was that so hard?" He rolls his eyes, shifting away from her to grab himself a beer.
"But-" She began, following after him.
"But nothing, Linda. Aurora is smart. Give her more credit than that." He groans. "She's been having nightmares right? If this boy is helping her through them and she's safe with a friend of ours then leave her alone. The last thing you want to do is ruin your relationship with her right before she's headed off to college. You do want her to come home on her own accord right?" He watches her step back, the look of concern widening her eyes. Robin knew what she had done to her daughter and couldn't believe she still had the gall to fuss over her leaving the house for her own sanity. Before she could say much else, physically having to restrain herself from blurting out all the misdeeds she had committed toward her beloved only child within the last two months, she takes a beer from her brother's refrigerator and takes a drink.
"You're right. She'll be home soon." She sighs, rubbing her own temples as her mind races further out of her reach.
While Rory was grateful for everyone's help during her outbursts, she hated feeling like the group's China doll. They had all been through a lot and yet she was the one who struggled to handle her broken pieces. She felt terrible for it, but did her best to accommodate their own trauma by packing Tylenol for Steve's persistent headaches, a small bottle of hairspray and a lighter just in case they came across another hellish beast, mounds of batteries for the walkies everyone seemed to share and multiple first aid kits in her car. No matter what she did, it didn't feel like enough to make up for the burden she had so selfishly become. If cuddling up to Eddie every night was all she could do to fight her own demons, she hoped her minuscule efforts would help the others.
"I don't mind having you here, baby Buckley, I don't want you to think I'm trying to get rid of you at all but are you going home for the holidays?" Wayne asks with a halfhearted smile, patting her shoulder as she stands in front of the oven. She smiles at his concern, laughing at the cringe he barely managed to hold back as he watches Eddie pour salt into their mashed potatoes next to her.
"I wasn't planning on it. Eddie and I were invited to a friends-giving that the kids are having and to be honest, I'd rather be anywhere but stuck at home trying not to choke on any of the small talk and bland food." She sighs with a slight shrug.
"Oh, so you're using us Munsons to escape the notoriously flavorless Wilma Buckley turkey, huh?" He teases, taking the bowl of mashed potatoes from his nephew before his intrusive thoughts could get the better of him and force him to add more unnecessary things to their meal. She laughs, leaning over the oven to turn off the stovetop before shooing them toward the other side of the counter.
"If you've had it you'd understand." She smiles while she hands them both beers and makes their plates, much to Wayne's protest. Once everything was set, she sat on the counter across from them, holding her plate up near her chest. For a moment, she loses herself in her own thoughts to realize how silent she had gone. She listened as Wayne spoke of his idea of creating an auto body shop so he could get out from under the factory labor, teasing Eddie about giving him a real job, and rambled on about memories he shared with her parents. Eddie even halfheartedly joked about how this was their first real Thanksgiving where Wayne didn't have to rush off to work right after eating or had a home-cooked meal since Wayne didn't really have the time to cook and Eddie didn't know how. It was too nice of a moment not to relish in.
"Don't worry, I'm working on it with him." She laughs, giving him a thumbs up as she takes a bite of the mashed potatoes he had doctored. After a few more platefuls, Rory throws away their paper plates and plasticware when Wayne shoos her out of the small kitchen.
"Nuh-uh, you cooked dinner." He smiles, kissing her head gently before turning to pack the leftovers away after setting aside plates for Max and Susan. Eddie chuckles as Wayne heads out the door to take the Mayfields their dinner, jumping into place next to her.
"You did great, Lite Brite. You should be proud of yourself." He compliments her, kissing her temple. She bites her lip, feeling bad for not helping clean up, but nods nevertheless before excusing herself to shower. Through the thin walls, she could hear them murmuring to each other, it wasn't until they stopped that it worried her. The voice in the back of her mind was all too eager to create a paranoia about her overstaying her welcome and needing to go home. She kept telling herself it wasn't true, reminding herself how Wayne had only asked for the door to be kept open about three inches so he could check on them before he went to work and how overzealous Eddie was to teach her to break into his room.
"Everything okay, Sunshine?" He asks softly as she walks into his room, towel-drying her hair. He recognized the distant look in her eyes from the doorway, even as Wayne shuffled around down the hall before turning out the lights. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't fallen in love with the way his handmade Corroded Coffin shirt had become her nightshirt, even more so as she saunters into his room with a pair of his boxers rolled up around her hips. She whines softly to herself, draping the towel around the doorknob before throwing herself into bed. She hides her face in his chest, cuddling into him as he covers her up in his blankets.
"You'd tell me if you were sick of me, right?" She mumbles against him. He chuckles, letting his hand slide slowly down the back of her head comfortingly, shivering slightly at the chill of her wet hair against his palm.
"You're stuck with me, Ross. I never want to see you go." He says softly, sliding his free hand behind his head so he could look down at her more comfortably. She props her chin up on his chest to look up at him, her tired eyes searching desperately for any sign of deceit.
"Wanna go to the arcade for a few hours before the party tomorrow?" He suggests, letting his fingers gently brush down the side of her face to tuck hair behind her ear.
"I'd love that, but I promised Joyce and Steve I'd help with dinner." She nods, laughing as he groans at the mention of having to entertain Steve. He'd never admit it, but seeing her laughing with Steve made him uncomfortable. He loved their friendship, but the thought of her choosing anyone over him hurt. Watching her eyes brighten whenever he joked enough to get her to laugh was torture no matter how many times she came to sit by him afterwards. He knew she deserved someone like Steve and not being able to be that for her crushed him.
"Well, what time is Harrington going to help? We can always go before." He tries to work around the schedule, wanting any and all of her free time to be his during the break. "Come on, you deserve some time to decompress." He pouts, pushing his bottom lip out. She whines softly at his big round puppy eyes and shifts upward to nuzzle into his neck.
"Okay okay, just stop giving me puppy eyes. They're too much." She laughs softly, her heart racing as she kisses his jaw. Having won, he tucks her into his chest as he wraps the blanket around their bodies, biting his lip to fight the triumphant smile tugging at his lips.
Just as she promised, early the next afternoon, Rory accompanied Eddie at the arcade. She could see his muscles tense as he fought to stay ahead of her as if the lead would allow him to hide his emotions from her. He struggled to keep the strain from his voice once she called his attention back toward her.
"Oh come on. Can't I just be excited to have you to myself for a bit before having to share you with everyone else?" He chuckles, tugging her through the doors toward his favorite game. Dragon's Lair.
"Eddie, I've been climbing in through your window for weeks now. If anything, the guys will be lucky to see me unattached to your hip." She teases, nudging him with her hip as she loads the machine with quarters. Watching his anxiety melt away with each tap of the controls was sweet. She found herself smiling as she stepped in toward the machine next to him to play some game she hadn't much cared for. She just wanted to watch him enjoy himself without being weird, despite that gremlin in the back of her mind screaming that she'd come off much weirder if she watched him any longer. Losing herself in her own thoughts, she hadn't noticed he had already won until he stepped into her, encasing her in his arms to regain control of her game.
"Focus, Sunshine. Here, I'll save ya." He smirks, kissing her temple as his hands shadow hers to help her along. She laughs at how he fumbles in his attempt to take control of the joystick while moving her hand toward the buttons. She'd never admit it, knowing he'd be too self-conscious to enjoy the compliment, but she loved the way his nervousness at their close proximity made him step into her as if it would help him gain even more control over the situation. After ultimately losing the game, his nervous fingers drum over the hard plastic machinery before resting on her hips. She took it upon herself to bet him that if she truly wanted to beat him at the game she could, playing for real this time. Just as her score neared the previously earned ranking, his nerves melted away into confidence. He wraps his arms around her waist, tucking his face into her neck and hair as his fingers dance up and down her ribs. Pulling the thin flannel she had torn from his closet this morning after her tirade about forgetting a complete outfit for the party back into him, he gently wraps his hands around either side of her ribcage, watching her shift as his fingers press into each bony protrusion down toward her waist.
"Eddie." She laughs, wiggling her hips to try to shake him off. His heart raced as she bit her bottom lip, the rosy hue dusting across the bridge of her nose and the apples of her cheeks when her squirming only prompts him to edge her deeper into his embrace.
"Focus. Don't you want to prove a point, Aurora?" He whispers, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear as his thumbs press into the taught muscles of her back. Her name was rarely ever used outside of urgency and yet the way he said it this time, with his hot breath forcing goosebumps to the surface of her left arm as his lips leave gentle kisses behind after each syllable demands for their skin to connect. She shivers, never wanting to hear anyone else call her full name again, fumbling as his nimble fingers fall around her waist.
"Come on, Princess. Prove me wrong." He chuckles darkly, the thick air to his aura looming over her as he breathes in the scent of her skin. It didn't seem to matter that she smelled of the same generic soap and shampoo he used, or that his favorite cologne wasn't being used to hide the scent of his dirty habit and occupation when sprayed on her skin. Lavender, sandalwood, and even the pungent patchouli he favored for the sneaky job of hiding the scent of his weed seemed to be created for her. It was what he imagined heaven would smell like when she wore it. As she wins, not daring to move from within his grasp, he knew somewhere deep down that even if she chose Steve Harrington to build new memories with, her subconscious would never let her forget the way his fingers fit perfectly in between her ribs. To himself, he hoped his fingers left scars behind so every man that came after him would know that they would never be enough for her. At that moment he had never felt so alive. Even as she turned to face him, her green eyes heavily lidded with a need he hadn't seen in her before. She bites her lip gently once more as she reaches up to brush a stray curl from his face. He thought that this may have been his chance to kiss her, to show her that she was the core of every thought he's had since they met, but the moment was soon lost as a group of screaming children came barreling past them in a game of 'keep away' with the bag of change another kid had taken hostage. Despite being angry that the moment was so easily lost, Eddie regained his composure when she smiled.
"Pick another game. I bet I can beat your score." She teases, trying to focus on his eyes again as if their moment had never happened. He felt awkward, watching her hips sway as she walked down the aisle toward another row of games in the back, but the rosy hue that remained over her features once she looked back at him reassured him he wasn't alone. She had wanted the moment to continue as well. It was an odd sensation, but one he welcomed as she traded places with him. He took his place at the next game, chuckling to himself as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I know my mom's been harassing Wayne." She sighs softly, leaning her forehead against his shoulder blade as her fingers wrap around the excess fabric of his Black Sabbath shirt. "When I go home to repack, will you come with me?" She asks, shifting to look at him. As the cutscenes darken the monitor, he could see her worried expression over his shoulder.
"Of course, but you're more than welcome to wear my clothes. You look so cute." He smiles. She laughs and shifts to his side, leaning against the game.
"You'd think I looked cute if I was forced to wear a potato sack." She smiles widely, taking hold of his jaw to kiss his cheek. The minimal contact was enough to have them both shivering as she shifted to duck under his arm, resting between him and the machine.
"Baby, you're the cutest little spud." He teases as she wraps her arms around his waist under his leather jacket and denim battle vest. He steps into her, smiling as she nuzzles into his neck. She took the moment as her sign to slip her hands up the back of his shirt.
"Stay still." She laughs breathily, using her touch as a distraction as he had tried to do. Tucked away in the back of the arcade, he groans softly to himself as her fingers slowly trace down his spine, her free hand holding him in place by his hip. His skin felt like it was on fire wherever she touched it. He needed more and knowing he couldn't have it combined with the fact that he'd have to watch her interact with someone he saw as being better than him drove him mad. It caused him to make another stupid mistake which ultimately cost him the high score. She feigns sympathy in a soft whine in his ear. His reaction surprised even him as his hands grip her hips tight, his lips parted in a needy pout as a breathy groan barrels from between his teeth. Despite it being a sound he dreamt of recreating for himself in the privacy of one of their own rooms, a deep blush washes over him. He tucks his face into her neck at the gentle sound of her siren laugh, everything inside him screaming that he had fucked up by letting himself react in such a way until her hands slip from his back. She stands on her toes, her fingers gliding up his biceps to grip his shoulders as her lips brush his ear.
"Don't tell me you're giving in that easily, little rockstar." She murmurs wickedly before finally releasing him. Despite the dark allure of her eyes, her features and mannerisms were back to acting as if nothing happened as she shifts to lean back away from him just enough to check on him. She watched his chest heave as he fought to regain control over himself, his already dark eyes were almost black with a palpable need. The inferno his gaze ignited in her was far too much to handle in such a public setting, forcing a blush to her cheeks as she shifts under the weight of their silent confession as her teeth graze her bottom lip. His eyes flickered to the subtle movement, widening ever so slightly as if begging to taste the strawberry chapstick she notoriously sported in these arctic months. Finding his footing within his well deserved confidence once more, she straightens against the machine as he steps into her. His nimble fingers brush the side of her jaw, tucking under her hair to take hold of her face as if her attention would be anywhere but on those eyes. Instinctively, she leans into him, one hand bracing herself on the machine as the other flattens against his chest.
"Eddie…" She exhales breathily, just barely audible between them as he leans down to share the same breath.
"We should get going." She hums, closing her eyes regretfully as her forehead lies forward against his shoulder. He smiles to himself, his shoulders sagging slightly with defeat, shifting to kiss her forehead as he nods with mutual understanding. "I'm sure the kids are already at the Byers' house. If we get there early enough maybe you can convince Jonathan to play something good." She adds with a hopeful smile, taking his hand. He nods once more, squeezing her hand twice to make sure she was alright with what had accidentally transpired, laughing as a form of release once she returns the gesture. He lifts her hand to his lips as they make their way back out to his van, kissing her hand ever so gently. She herself had been reeling from the sounds she was able to pull from him. How his skin felt even as he anxiously bounced in her arms in a fight for control. As he drove, she found herself following the curls that bounced over his shoulder with every bump in the road, biting her lip at the thought of how good that cheap Irish Spring soap smelled under the subtle tobacco scent that never truly left his vest or hair. She could tell she made him nervous after her bold insinuation and only hoped she didn't permanently ruin her relationship with him. No matter how much she craved his touch, especially when he was sleeping right next to her, she'd give anything to keep him in her life.
Luckily, they had left with enough time to head home so she could get changed into a proper outfit while Eddie helped her repack her bag for the next few days. She decided on a pale pink shirt left untucked from her black jeans, white Reebok high tops, and Billy's jacket before pulling her hair up. It wasn't much or something her mother would approve of had she been home, but she rationalized it as being busy and probably getting hot in the kitchen anyway. There was no point in dressing to the nines if she was going to be sweating. It wasn't until they had left that she realized she forgot Eddie's bracelet on her desk. While fixing the way Billy's charm laid against her wrist, she made a mental note to try not to take it off again.
Just as he thought, Eddie was forced to stomach the sight of her walking around the kitchen with Steve in tow, smiling and laughing about whatever it was that they shared in common. Realistically, he knew it shouldn't have bothered him as much as it did, but to the part of his brain that refused to let her go even while she dated California's favorite son, she would always belong to him. Despite physically being present as the children around him talked, he couldn't shake the daydreams that consumed his train of thought wondering what domesticity with her would be like had this little get-together been for their friends at their house in some alternate universe where she was already his. How would she react if he sat her on the counter to finally kiss her? His heart races at the thought of how her hands might feel in his hair in such a fit of passion. God forbid she make a noise if he shifted to kiss her neck.
"Stare harder, dude." Max laughs, nudging him out of his fantasies as she plops down into the couch beside him, pushing his feet off of the edge of Joyce's coffee table as she gets comfortable. He groans, rolling his eyes as he shifts around the group of children that followed close behind, disguising his effort to adjust the denim that tightened uncomfortably over his growing erection behind the need to accommodate them.
"Just tell her." Will smiles sweetly, the thought making him blush innocently as he situated his art on the table across from him to continue. For a moment, his heart flipped into a panic at the notion that he wasn't as stealthy as he had tried to be in hiding his fantasies and the reaction they drew from him. On one hand, he was no longer a child cursed with the inability and lack of experience in somewhat controlling his bodily reactions to such things that he berated himself for being so blatant about it. On the other hand, he knew he wouldn't lose any sort of credibility amongst the boys once they experienced their own moment of weakness. He had no doubt that Mike and maybe even Lucas had the traditional hormonal reaction to Max and El kissing them or holding their hands, but Aurora was different. Not only were the two of them obviously older than the growing Party members, but he doubted that their first girlfriends would've compared to what he had come to understand he felt for her. This was more than just the usual hormonal response to his brain torturing him with the play-by-play of scenes designed explicitly for his liking. It was her. It was the way he just knew she'd sound breathily whimpering in his ear, her nails carving crescent moon shapes into his hips as she held onto him while he fought to break her of that restraint. He wanted the entire house to hear the sounds he could elicit from her. His heart starts racing again at the thought of how she'd beg him to ease up, blushing while failing to coherently explain that their friends couldn't know how good he made her feel. Not yet, that'd be rude at a familial gathering. She'd just have to fight it, contain it, and swallow every moan he drew from deep within her very soul.
"I can't, oh wise one." He sighs finally after bringing himself out of yet another trance, referencing Will's DND persona, rubbing a hand over his face as he relaxes back into the cushions of the sofa.
"Come on, who's gonna take her attention away from you this time?" Mike laughs insensitively, ignoring the sideways glares that bore into the side of his head from Max. She laughs, a little too loud, when Lucas realizes the depth of what his friend said and smacks Mike upside the back of the head. Her laugh caught Rory's attention as she pulled cookies out of the oven. She smiles over at the group, catching Eddie's eye with a shy downward tilt of her head as she wipes her hands off on the apron she wore. He couldn't help but wonder what made her blush. Had she heard the kids pushing him to confess his feelings to her? Had she regretted their moment in the arcade? His eyes fall to the floor once more at the realization that behind closed doors he was perfect because he was what she needed, but in public just like everyone else her aesthetic called for someone different. It wasn't until a cookie breaks his laser focus onto the rings decorating his left hand lying still in his lap that he realizes he had gone completely unresponsive.
"Cheer up, sweetheart. I'll take you back to the arcade tomorrow, how does that sound?" Rory smiles with a playful wink as she gently places the warm cookie into his awaiting hand before setting a small plate of cookies in the center of the table. Max and El swat at Lucas, Dustin, and Mike in an effort to regain control over their outbursts about how it was a date, watching as his cheeks burn once more. He slowly takes a bite of the cookie, thinking about how close he had gotten to ruining everything with her just hours before. Could he really be that selfish with her again?
Despite forcing himself to suffer through the torment that debilitating voice in his head kept recreating, Eddie made it through dinner alive and even helped Robin clean up while Rory helped Joyce prep the bedrooms for everyone and Steve managed to get the kids outside to play with Jonathan's football.
"You doin' okay over there?" Robin asks softly, nudging him after realizing he had lost himself again while drying the same plate for the third time. He nods, setting the plate down in the stack, and shifting to grab another.
"Wanna share with the class what happened at the arcade? I'm assuming something big if you're gonna be moping about giving Steve these death glares all day." She teases, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"There's-what makes you think there's anything to share?" He deflects quickly, shrugging as he clears the clean, dry dishes from the rack. She laughs and shakes her head in disbelief.
"Besides you staring holes into her back all day? You've been acting weird lately. Weirder than usual." She stops, putting her wet hands on the lip of the sink to brace herself as if the weight of what she was about to ask him next needed support.
"Do you…do you have feelings for her?" She whispers, smiling wide. She watches his body go rigid, tensing at the realization that everyone knew his secret but the woman he carried it for, averting his eyes back to the open cabinet in front of him.
"So what if I do?" He asks in a low, hushed tone, turning far too quickly to face her that it almost scared her when he pointed the dish towel at her in his panicked, jerky movements.
"I know she deserves better, okay, she deserves the world and every star the universe has to offer, but I can't give her that ya know." He huffs, backing away slightly to recollect himself once the widening of her eyes finally causes him to realize what he was doing. "I can make her happy too." He whispers to himself as he goes back to work restocking the cleaned dishes into the drying rack. The entire response was for himself. Robin couldn't believe he felt he had to convince himself he was capable of giving her everything she had ever wanted.
"I haven't seen her this happy in a while." She confessed, nudging him with her hip as she drains the water from the sink and rinses it out. He looks at her, his big brown eyes sparkling with hope as he dries off his hands and offers her the towel.
"Eddie," She starts, putting a hand on his shoulder. "you can't be so hard on yourself."
"But she deserves someone who can give her the world, not just the stars from the jungle gym of some rundown trailer park." He sighs, tilting his head. She shrugs as she pulls away, nodding for him to follow her out to the cars to bring in the rest of everyone's bags. More specifically, to help with the boys' bags. They were all too excited about the food and promise of games to care about bringing their bags inside to claim spots for their sleepover.
"One thing you need to realize about my cousin is that she will choose whoever she wants based on how they treat her, not by what they can give her." She explains, watching his eyes flicker over the doorway to the Byers home as Rory comes into view next to Joyce. "And something tells me she'd be happier with those stars that she'd never be able to touch than she would be with a big empty house bought with mommy and daddy's money." She continues, noticing how his jaw tenses when she steps down off the porch to talk to Steve while the kids finish their game.
Later that night, after watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, whatever terrible football game was being televised, and a round of board games, the house slowly starts to simmer down. Sluggishly, worn down from all the excess turkey and cookies, everyone made their beds. The boys piled into Will's room while Steve and Eddie stayed with Johnathan and the girls stayed in the spare bedroom. It was heartwarming to give such a big familial sleepover to Elle for the first time, but with that security came bumps in the road. The dam was breaking in Rory's mind and nothing short of a miracle could save her from her demons.
Once again her nightmares started, pushing her to fidget and move about in her sleeping bag, fighting to get comfortable through the thick haze of dread and panic. She had never been so thankful to sleep on the floor next to the bed Max and Elle had elected to share. Finally, after several fitful minutes of trying to get comfortable, she takes her blanket out to the living room in hopes of redirecting her mind. Using the box of crayons Joyce had gotten Will a few years ago, she starts coloring on the blank pages she sprawled out on the coffee table. It didn't take long for the silence to weaken what little resolve she had left as if her demons were physical once again and clawing at her bones, making her cry as flashbacks of her recurring nightmares start to flood her senses.
"I'm sorry." She sobs as her eye catches the way the ceiling light glistened against Billy's chain. The air around her seemed to dry her sinuses, causing her head to ache and throb through glimpses of how beautiful their future should have been according to their plans. The sweet girl that would've softened his heart with his curls and her eyes. She had planned to name her after his mother. With these came the subconscious manner her brain seemed to latch onto the memory of the smile that was permanently fixed to his features every morning he woke up to her. No matter what hell he had walked through, he fell into her with ease every night. She never pressured him to talk about what had happened, instead focusing on his need for peace. She had become his safe space and knowing that made it harder to swallow his passing. She had made the mistake of not truly allowing herself to grieve for him during her time away, hoping the space would be enough to take away her pain. Was this her brain finally giving in to the terrible necessity? Looking down the dark hall toward the rooms where her extended family slept peacefully, she wipes her eyes just long enough to creep back into the room the girls shared to steal Max's Walkman. Clinging to the desire to drown out the vicious memories, she hopes the tapes she had found of Johnathan's would be enough.
"Please." She yelps, flinching when Billy's possessed form and voice fill her senses. His laugh was enough to break her, not quite his, and yet she could almost feel him through the moments she truly found him within it.
"Rory? What are you doing?" Robin yawns, rubbing her eyes as she makes her way down the hall toward her. Breaking her psyche, almost as if Billy's warped version resides within her now, she doesn't even bother to wipe the tears from her cheeks as she curls up on the couch with her pages and crayons. Those pages were quickly filled with the reminder that she was safe and protected on this side of the Upside Down.
"Hey. Talk to me." Robin says softly, covering up with her blanket as she sits next to her to see what she was scribbling. Disturbed and afraid for her peace of mind, she pulls her cousin into her chest. At that moment, nothing else mattered. She didn't care what anyone who came down that hall would think. She needed her to feel safe. While everyone in this house no doubt suffered from their own bouts of nightmares and PTSD episodes, she could see her cousin spiraling as she let her guard down to play house with the rest of the group. Humming, she tosses the Walk Man, the pages, and crayons, all of it went onto the floor so she could lie back with Rory's head on her chest. She needed understanding, comfort and for the love of whatever holy thing she prayed to, she needed to let this out.
"Let it out, baby." She breathes, running her fingers through Rory's long hair as she begins to sob openly.
"It's not fair." Rory hiccups, curling the blanket around her fingers to pull it into her chest like a makeshift teddy bear. Robin continues to hum the Elvis songs the two associated with their grandfather, rubbing her back in hopes that anything she was struggling to give her would be enough to console her yet again. She hadn't meant to be loud, if she truly was at all, and definitely hadn't meant to draw the attention of anyone else in the house.
Eddie, who had gone uncomfortably stiff on the floor of Johnathan's bedroom and needed to move, shifted slightly around the corner of the wall to get a better view, watching as Robin comforted Rory. Everything in him wanted to hold her and chase away every scary monster that plagued her. It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve to suffer. Walking slowly toward them, afraid the old floorboards would give him away, he strained to listen to what they were saying.
"Honey, it wasn't your fault. He knows that." Robin hushes her softly, tilting her head to examine Rory as she shifts her head down in an effort to hide her tears in the excess fabric she held close.
"He-he hates me. I should be a better girlfriend." Rory sniffles, rushing to wipe the tears away before they could get Robin's shirt any damper and ultimately failing.
"He doesn't hate you. He loved you. He wanted to be better for you." Robin tries to reassure her, shifting slightly to sit up so she could see her better as she wipes a rogue tear from her cheek.
"What would make you think he hates you? It's not your fault you weren't able to save him. You did your best." She continues, tucking hair behind her ear before squeezing her hand supportively.
"Every night he…he tells me how much of a slut I am for moving on so quickly." Rory huffs as if the statement burned her throat, flinching as her scars burn under the guise of that haunting laugh that rang in her ears.
"They're just nightmares, baby. It's okay." Robin tries to reassure her further, but Rory can't accept it. Squeezing her hand, she shakes her head as she looks up at Robin.
"He feeds me to the mind flayer as punishment for falling in love with Eddie and I-I…" She blurts out before bursting into tears, her features consumed with fear and a pain he hadn't seen in her eyes since Billy's passing as she sobs into the thick blanket with hopes of concealing her desperate need to scream. "If I couldn't save Billy what gives me the right to think I could protect Eddie? I-I've cursed him and he doesn't even know it." She cries, collapsing into Robin's arms. Out of shock from the confession that Rory didn't seem to realize she let off her chest, Robin's eyes searched the room for anything she could use to inspire an uplifting speech when she found Eddie's. Her heart sank at the sight of Eddie's big brown eyes watching her disheveled cousin pour her heart out in the Byers' living room. Eddie raises his hand slightly, offering to help, but with the weight of the confession on both of their shoulders she knew it'd be best he didn't. She shook her head slightly and waved him back, pulling Rory closer. The last thing they needed right now was for Rory to cling to him and be seen as certifiably insane if she felt now was the appropriate time to fill Eddie in on what really happened to the group.
"I thought your nightmares went away?" Robin asks softly, trying to clarify what she had just heard.
"No, they just got more manageable." Rory shrugs, sniffling.
"They were really bad when mom laced my soup. When she called," She began again after a long moment of silence as she played with her fingers in her lap. "They finally started to fade. I thought I was doing better like I finally ran out whatever sick clock my brain had developed for this terrible cycle. I-" She pauses, shaking her head as if the thought that Eddie had truly saved her must be expelled from her mind before whatever entity was haunting her could blame him more.
"Getting out of the house helps." She continues vaguely, running a hand through her hair to pull it up. Robin shifts to rub her back comfortingly again.
"I know momma would rather it just be the drive that clears my head or the adrenaline from sneaking into his room in the middle of the night, but it's not." She finally looks up at Robin with tears in her eyes.
"The nightmares are the most manageable when I'm with him, Robin. I feel terrible saying that out loud knowing he'd take it on as yet another job he has to pile onto his shoulders for me, but…" She shakes her head again and looks back down at her hands.
"Eddie doesn't even flinch. We've worked it out to where I come over around the same time every night and he helps me in. He doesn't want me falling, even though we've practiced it a million times. Every night he pulls me in and just holds me for a second. He.." She stops, her voice cracking as the tears come back again.
"You were right. I'm in love with him but he deserves someone normal. Not someone who can't even tell him the truth about their stupid nightmares." She sniffles, trying to pull herself together, ignoring the need she felt to run down that hall and cuddle up next to him on the floor. Even just for a few minutes. Maybe then she'd be able to rest for the night.
"You need to rest, Rory. Eddie will be fine, regardless of what you tell him about your nightmares. I'm sure he'd just be happy you wanted him to be the one to protect you. " She hums, helping her up. Eddie rushed back down the hall toward Johnathan's room, peaking back out to watch Robin help his exhausted ray of sunshine back to their room before he himself tried to lay back down. How the hell was he supposed to go back to sleep after that? Not only did she confess her feelings for him, but he was to blame for her nightmares. No more DND around Rory, he thought to himself as he wondered what about the mind flayer was so scary to her. How could an angel's mind twist things so intensely? Sitting up to reposition his pillow, it suddenly sunk in. His heart raced, blood pulsing thickly in his ears as her words echo in his mind. She's in love with me? A huge smile dances across his features, burning the muscles in his cheeks and jaw as the minutes drag on after the realization.
"Aurora Jade is in love with me." He breathes, the words feeling welcomed and yet oddly foreign on his tongue. His nerves tingled with joy as he contemplated how he'd tell her about his true feelings, but then that dark voice crept in again. Shaking his head clear of the negative thought, he chose to fall asleep riding the high of her sweet words. He'd address the nagging self-depreciation in the morning.