After Rocky checked Dustin's house, he figured they'd only be at Mikes. As he got to the Wheelers, cold from the lake and his lack of shirt, of course he was met with police cars infront of the house. "Are you kidding me?"

Making a B line behind the house, he hid out back and peered through the windows. He only saw his friends parents in the living room speaking to police, but not friends. His eyes shifted when he saw Max storm out of the room with the new chief, huffing in annoyance. Rocky opened the door silently. "Max."

His whisper was silent enough for her to only hear. Max looked back, sighing in relief. He held a finger to his lips, hiding behind the other side of the wall that the police were on. Max tried to act casual as she walked over his way, not saying anything as she grabbed his hand. They kept close to the wall to avoid anyone seeing, making it to the downstairs bathroom as Max pushed him in, following and locking the door.

"I thought you were at Lovers Lake?" she turned to him.

"I was, but I came back for you guys." Rocky nodded. "The others, they went though the gate."

"What?" Max gapped in disbelief.

"I know." he shook his head. "But, they'll be fine. The gate lets them pass in and out, like how Vecna does."

"What happened?" Max took note of the small gash right under his collarbone.

"Scratched it on a branch pulling Eddie's boat to safety." he said in return with an exhale. "What did the cops say?"

"We're sticking to the story that we were there for a night swim." Max shook her head, opening up the cabinet. "Bingo."

Rocky backed up as she hoping on the counter and waved him in closer. She pulled the disinfect wipe out. "So, they sent you to warn us?"

"Well, they actually went in after me but then Eddie went in to get them and I-" he winced when she stung him with the wipe. "-ow."

"Sorry." she gave a forced side smile.

"But, I wanted to come back and check on you guys. Make sure you didn't get arrested or anything." Rocky nodded his head, his hands digging into the counter on either side of her legs. "Get roughed up any?"

"No." Max laughed as she put the bandaid to him.

"You sure?" he teased in return, grabbing her face to examine her entire face. "No bruising, no blood."

He pulled his finger back. "Follow my finger."

Max rolled her eyes but followed his finger, smacking him when he got faster just to mess with her. Rocky cracked a grin as he dropped his hand onto her leg. "Think you passed the examination process."

"You think?" Max hummed as Rocky gave her a little grin. "Thanks for coming back for me."

"Duh, what else would I have done?" he shrugged, leaning into the counter a little bit more.

"Honestly you're the only person keeping me together with all of this." she motioned to her headphones around her neck.

Rocky's eyes softened slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah." Max gave a snort. "You do-"

She was cut off by him leaning in and pressing his lips into hers.

Max was taken off guard for half a second before realizing what was happening, her hands cupping his face while his moved up her legs to hold her waist, almost afraid she'd be out of reach or start to slip away, through his fingers. Max leaned in a little harder, making his head pushed back in the slightest, but keeping their lips together. She felt him smile into their kiss, not being able to hold back a laugh that vibrated onto his lips.

"Max, we have-" Dustin began as he opened the door, stopping as Rocky yanked away from Max, clearing his throat. Dustin's eyebrows shot up, looking between the two. He focused harder on Rocky. "Where's your shirt?"

"Oh." he forget he was lacking. "In the Upside Down, I think. Steve, Nancy, R-"

"Yeah, we know. Went into the Upside Down looking for you." Dustin nodded. "You could have told us this instead of doing whatever was going on in here."

"Nothing was going on." Max shook her head, jumping off the counter.

"Oh, nothing?" Dustin asked loudly.

"Shh." Rocky pushed through the door. "Police are here, man."

"Yeah, we're leaving." Dustin encouraged the pair to follow. "Maybe go take one of Mikes shirts first."

"Fantastic idea, i'll meet you out front." Rocky hummed as he crept up the stairs, turning back to send Max a wink and a smile, her face reddening like the shade of her hair.

"Okay, Rocky, I need Laugh and Love." Dustin spoke as they got into Eddie's trailer.

"What the heck is Laugh and Love?" Erica asked in judgement.

"What even is the plan here, Dustin?" Rocky huffed.

"Okay, we break through-" he motioned to the ceiling. "-and yank em out."

Rocky hesitated. "Got it."

"You had a curtain rod last year, yeah?" Lucas yanked one from the window. "Do your think."

"He has a thing?" Erica rose her eyebrows.

"Apparently." Dustin looked to Max as she glared.

Rocky used the curtain rod to jab it into the weakening, and clearly the gate entrench after Chrissy's dying spot, ceiling, having it pass rather easily. He attempted a perfect circle but ended up having a very wonky one, piecing of the ceiling falling onto his face. As he backed up, he stared down into the Upside Down until Steve's face appeared.

The Byers boy smiled. "Never thought i'd love seeing your annoying little face, Steve The Hair Harrington."

"Rocky!" was all he could yell with a point. "I was almost eaten because of you."

"It's true." Nancy appeared.

"Robin? Eddie?" he questioned, looking up at an upside down them. Eddie and Robin came into the circle. "Sorry I almost killed you guys!"

"Just get us out of here?" Robin suggested with a laugh as Dustin did the same, waving.

"Are you wearing a Hellfire shirt?" Eddie looked up at Rocky's attire, taken from Mikes closet.

"Figured I could promote your brand." he shrugged back.

"We should tie blankets together to pull them out." Max confirmed as she hurried to the back bedroom while Rocky went into the hall closet. When he shut the door, they collided. "Oh, sorry."

"Don't worry." Rocky cracked a grin down at her. Max hesitated before leaking in and planting the quickest peak onto his lips, not even half a second, before hurrying back into the living room. Rocky nodded with a boyish smile. "Well, okay."

"Those stains are, uh..." Eddie trialed off as Erica and Lucas dropped the mattress below the gate. "I don't know what those stains are."

"Not quite sure how these physics work." Dustin said honestly as he took the tied bedsheets and looked up at the ceiling. "But, uh, here goes nothing."

Tossing the sheets as hard as he could, they planted at the bottom. Rocky laughed. "Success, baby!"

"And if my theory is correct..." he trialed off, letting the sheets go as they stayed still. "Abracadabra."

"Holy shit." Max grinned in fascination.

"All right, pull on it! See if it holds!" Dustin called to the group. Robin did so, laughing as it held.

"This is the craziest shit i've ever seen in my life." Erica exclaimed as she smiled widely. "And i've seen some crazy shit."

Dustin held his hand up, getting a high five from her.

"Come on, Christmas will be here soon!" Rocky called sarcastically up to the group. "Only getting older out here."

"Guess i'm the guinea pig." Robin latched onto the sheets first, grunting as she crawled up.

"All right, let's clear the landing pad." Dustin encouraged as they all stepped back, giving Robin space to flip from the ceiling hole and flop onto the mattress.

"Oh, thank god." Robin laughed as she sat up with a smile, taking Rocky's out reached hand to pull her onto her feet.

The trio stared before Eddie nodded. "All right, I guess i'll go."

"Come on, Eddie." Rocky encouraged as he climbed a bit faster then Robin, flipping a lot harder.

"That-" he sat up with a breath. "-was fun."

He took Rockys hand, pulling him to his feet with a pat to the back. Rocky grinned up at the ceiling. "Nance? Pull another Halloween Party of 84?"

"What happened in 84?" Lucas frowned his eyebrows.

"Tina's halloween party, Nancy and I thought it would be a good idea to do a front flip onto the couch together and roll off." Rocky nodded his head.

"Two very bruised tailbones." Nancy laughed up at him. She looked over at Steve. "See you on the other side."

"See you on the other side." he agreed.

Nothing happened.

"Nancy? Hey! Nancy, stay with me." Steve's yells rung after a second.

"Steve, what's happening!" Rocky called up to them.

"Vecna." Max confirmed.

"Nance!" Rocky yelled for her.

"Oh my god." Steve was panicking.

Rocky grabbed onto the bedsheets. Max stopped him. "What are you doing?"

"Steve's freaking out, he doesn't need to handle this alone." Rocky said in return, holding onto her arm a moment before climbing up. Steve breathed heavy as Rocky flipped and landed next to him, he shook Nancy relentlessly. Rocky grabbed Steve. "Hey! Hey! Steve, Steve! Calm down, find your heartbeat, man. We're gonna get her out, just like we did Max."

Steve's hyperventilating slowed down with Rocky's hands on his shoulders, still holding onto Nancy's. He nodded his head, staring at him. "We'll get her back."

"We will." Rocky promised him. "And quick, I don't know how long we have."

•

kylie speaks

see you guys on july
1st, be ready!!!