"Can you come back?"

Rocky grabbed the walkie from the back of the RV. "What?"

"Come back." Max spoke from the other side. "I was wrong, I want you to be here with me."

"What changed your mind?" Rocky grabbed his backpack.

"Just shut up and come back." Max said, shutting the walkie off.

"Stop the RV." Rocky jogged down the isle.

"What?" Steve glanced over his shoulder.

"I said stop the RV!" he repeated, opening the door.

"Woah! Woah!" Steve yelled, grabbing his shirt to avoid him going until after hitting his breaks. "Are you insane?"

"Where are you going?" Dustin leaned over the seat with wide eyes.

"Max needs me." Rocky stared at him, reaching into his bag and handing Dustin the knife. "You've got this."

"Wh-no. I need you too." Dustin argued.

"Come on, man. You're the strongest dude i've ever met." Rocky shook his head at him. "You can handle this."

Dustin sighed. "Just, stay in touch."

Rocky glanced at Eddie, pretending to pull him into a hug just to get a whisper in. "Protect him."

"Always." Eddie said back as they pulled back. "You be safe out here."

"You too." he nodded.

"Don't do anything insane!" Robin called as he got off the RV.

"No promises!" Rocky hoped off, shutting the door.

"I do not like this." Steve announced as he watched Rocky start to head back to the Crill house.

"He'll be okay." Nancy watched him from the back window. "He has to be."

Max turned her head when she heard the door open, holding a finger to her lips. Rocky sent her a smile in the bright blue lighting, walking over to join her while Erica and Lucas followed soon after. Lucas gave Rocky a spare notebook and found a pen in his bag.

erica and me will go to to the playground. stay with max?

Rocky nodded, flashing him a thumbs up and giving Erica a little pat of reassurance. They ran out of the Crill house, into the night and across the street. Rocky stood up to watch them go from the window. He looked back to see Max staring at him, he wiggled his eyebrows at her. Max rolled her eyes in return and hid a smile.

Running up that hill echoed slightly as Max moved over to let Rocky set with her again. She rammed her shoulder into his, making him do it back. Max hid her notebook as she wrote.

thanks for coming back.

Rocky gave her a side smile, taking his own pen.

duh.

Max grinned back. Rocky flipped his page and started to write again, Max tried to look but he smacked her in the arm with it and turned to write.

share a cherry coke tomorrow?

Max rose her eyebrows, pulling her pen open again. After a few seconds, she turned the notebook and showed a horrible drawling of a coke can, with two straws, and two hearts around it. Rocky smiled at her, making her smile back. A light flicker came from the window, making them look over. Max met his eye, nodding to indicate it was Erica and Lucas.

Max took the flashlight, holding it to the window and giving them a few blinks back. Rocky braced himself for what was coming next, running a hand through his hair and fiddling with the light. Max took his hand, the two walking down the hallway to follow the brighter lights. Max squeezed Rockys hand, making him do it back, before she dropped her headphones around her neck.

Lowering her hand, she turned off the walkman.

Rocky tried not to make any noise, staying still, but it was hard. Max stared at the light. "Hey! Asshole! I'm here. No more music. No more games."

Nothing was happening, the light just getting brighter and brighter. Max stared. "Do you hear me? What are you waiting for, huh? Come on! Do you want me or not?"

The lantern infront of them went dim before the one in Max's hand glew brighter then it already was. The brighter it got, the higher Rockys heart rate was increasing. Max took the lead in walking up the stairs with the lamp, her hand still clamped in Rockys as he followed her quietly.

They made it to the attic, where Vecna belonged. The light grew the brightest as they stood in the middle of the attic. Rocky inhaled, holding his breath as Max's hand fell limb and dropped from his hand.

"Max." Rocky whispered, circling her. She was back in her void state, not moving, just completely still with white eyes. Rocky tried not to panic, he knew this was part of the plan, but he didn't brace himself for it. "Okay, okay. I've got you."

He helped her down on the ground to make her more comfortable, moving her braids off her neck and taking the lamp from her hands to set up. He made sure her walkman and headphones were set up on the small box next to her. Her body shook just slightly, as it did last time. Rocky tried not to worry, the best he could, breathing heavy as he paced around her.

He then remembered Lucas and Erica. Hurrying to take the flashlight, he flashed it into the window and toward the playground where the Sinclairs were. Rocky looked down at Max in worry again, leaning down as her breathing got too heavy. It was worse then before, like she was gasping for air. "Hold on Max, I don't know why it's taking so long."

He hurried to flash a light into the window again, over and over. There was a creaking noise, a small one. Rocky turned to the door, almost expecting it to be Vecna himself. But, no. He wasn't as bad as Vecna, but the look in his eye was close. Rocky remembered him, what a jerk he was, how he was a good basketball player but had a weak right hook.

"Jason."

"Hey, Rocky." Jason stared at him in disbelief, looking at Max as he slowly circled her. "They got you too, huh?"

"You need to leave." the middle Byers tried to reason calmly. "Look, i'm trying to look out for you. You can't be here, dude. Go."

"The hell have you done, Byers?" Jason stared at Max in worry.

"Don't touch her." Rocky walked forward with his flashlight. "Leave right now, before I make you."

"Is this what your friends did to Chrissy? Were you part of it?" Jason approached Max, trying to wake her.

"Dude-" Rocky walked forward. "Do not touch her and mess this up. It's more complicated then you think."

"Back off." Jason pulled a gun from his waist band and aimed it at Rocky, causing his hands to go up and back away from him. But, it got his hands off Max.

"Put it down." Rocky spoke quietly to him. "You know you don't wanna do this."

"But I will." the blonde said in return. "Is anyone else here?"

"It's just the two of us." Rocky shook his head. His eyes flickered to the doorway. "Or so I thought."

Jason looked back, only to be met with an empty doorway.

Rocky took the base of the gun and yanked it from him, a trick Nancy had taught him. It slid across the floor, meaning Jason had to use his hands now. Rocky punched him in the face, doing it once again as he fell to the side. Jason grabbed Rocky by the waist and tackled him, causing the pair to flip over the box.

Jason stepped on Max's walkman, destroying it.

Rocky stared in a panic, a moment of weakness as Jason grabbed the collar of his flannel. He was quick though, head butting him harshly as Jason stumbling back. Rocky punched him again, grabbing his letter man jacket and punching him two more times in the jaw. Jason stumbled to the side as blood flew from his mouth.

He shoved Rocky's fist, twisting it and getting him good in the face. Rocky fell to the side as Jason grabbed him, trying to yank him as Rocky twisted around, reaching over his shoulder for Jason. His arms locked around his neck. Rocky leaned down, bracing himself as he yanked as hard as he could, pulling Jason over his shoulder as his back hit the ground.

Rocky panted as he stared down at him, his rib cage on fire as he looked for a breath. Only, Jason didn't stand up because his eyes were fixed on Max. Rocky turned, seeing her floating high in the attic as his heart fell. "Max!"

Rocky tried to salvage her walkman, but Jason's foot had destroyed it too badly. His heavy breathing turned into hyperventilating as he looked up at Max. "Please wake up! Max, please! I know you can hear me!"

She could, but she couldn't come back.

Her arms and legs began to crack to the sides, echoing within the attic. Rocky yelled her name, shouted for her, because it's all he could do. The Crill House shook in the slightest, Max's body falling. Rocky ran forward to cushion her fall, catching her as they both fell to the ground. He wasn't sure when he started crying, but he did as he moved to hold her. "Max, Max. Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?"

"Lucas!" Rocky cried out for him as he saw him and Erica run in, their eyes going wide. "Find a phone! Hurry, call someone! Lucas, please!"

They ran after a moment of shock.

Rocky cried as he held Max, her weak heartbeat the worst thing he'd ever heard. He moved strands of sweaty red hair off her forehead and held her face. "You're gonna be okay, Max. We're gonna get you some help. Just, don't leave me yet. Please."

"Rocky." she managed to get out, weak and pained.

"It's okay." he promised her, trying to keep it together more. "I'm right here, i'm not going anywhere."

"I can't-I can't feel or-" she gave a gasp as he rocked her slightly. "-see anything."

The blood from her eyes stained the flannel he wore, Rocky tried to wipe it from her face so she'd feel more comfortable, staining his hands as well. He sobbed over her as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "We're gonna get you help, it's gonna be okay."

"I'm scared." Max cried. "I'm so scared."

"You don't have to be scared. I'm right here, i'm not gonna let you go." Rocky promised her, trying to be gentle as he pulled her in more. "You're not gonna go."

"I don't wanna die. I'm not ready." she hyperventilated.

"You're not gonna die, you're not." he leaned down, their foreheads pressed together as his tears made the blood on her face wash clean. "Just stay with me, okay? Stay right with me."

He held her face, wanting her hand but knowing it would hurt her too bad to.

"Rocky." she whispered it, falling still in his arms.

"Max, Max." he panicked, pulling back and her into his arm more. "Max, wake up! Don't go, please! I need you, I need you so much! Stay with me, you're right here."

He cried and looked to the door. "Lucas, please!"

"Max!" Rocky yelled for her, her limb body in his arms. "No, no, no. You're okay, you're okay. Come back, come back to me! Please! Max!"

The house shook, Rocky pulled her body closer to him as he looked back, seeing a large crack start to form through the Crill house. It cut through Jason as he screamed out but not for long, Rocky lifted Max's body up as he held her, going into a corner of the attic to get them as far away from it as possible.

Rocky kissed Max's forehead, her lifeless body fitting terribly perfect in his arms. "I'm so sorry, Max. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

His sobs fell to quiet cries, his hand on the back of her head as he kept her as close to him as he could. Considering he'd never get to do it again. He thought about all he could have done, everything they'd done together. When they met after he ran smack into her in worry for Will, the way he protected her from the Demodogs, the way she was feed up with him most of the time, back at Hoppers cabin, the sauna, their hospital seats and how they really saw each other, Star Court, their goodbye, the way her face lit up when he came back.

All of it was so precious, so important to him, he just didn't realize it until right now. Rocky tried to slow his breathing as he held her again. "I'm sorry it took so long for us. I didn't think we'd end so soon, California. I wanted you for so much longer then what we got."

It was still, it was quiet. It was too still, it was too quiet. That should have been a bad thing, the worst feeling. And for a few minutes, it was. Rocky never felt this horrible before, the quiet of her heart and the stillness of her body mentally killing him in the most painful sense out there. Vecna didn't get Rocky Byers that year, his trauma was never used against him in that spring break in Hawkin Indiana. What Vecna got from him was so much worse, it was worse then killing and haunting him, he did so much more damage.

He took her from him.

"You're the best person i've ever known." he promised her, whispering like it needed to be a big secret. "I never wanna know anyone the same way I know you."

And after two more seconds of agonizing pain, Max's heartbeat came back slowly.

•

kylie speaks

i am not like papa. duffers
are like papa.