What was different about what was happening to Max, versus what was happening to Jude, was that Max knew about Vecna. She knew he'd come for her, she knew what trauma he would use against her. Jude only had an idea of something bad in Hawkins, he had no clue what. Meaning, when he fell still with white eyes, his mind trapped in an endless hell he hadn't known, he thought he was dead.

"Mike!" Jude called out, getting off the floor. The hospital lights were blinking all around him, making his head spin. How'd he get here? Where did everyone go? "Mike!"

He shoved a door open, immediately welcomed in the same room he'd last seen Bob in. Blood was on the walls, used to write in letters. 'Your fault.'

"I volunteer Hopper." his mouth opened without meaning to, putting a hand over his lips in shock that it happened without him even planning on saying it.

"Bob took Hoppers place, didn't he?" a painfully deep voice made Jude gasp, spinning around and staring back at the tall figure. He knew he'd seen him before, it just took a second to remember the exact D&D page it was on. "All because you volunteered someone in the first place. You had to have known Bob wouldn't let anyone get hurt."

"I didn't." Jude's voice was weak, his vision going blurry when his eyes filled up. "I-I didn't know."

"But you were so quick to offer Hopper though, weren't you?" Vecna walked closer to him. "Now he's dead too."

"I was just trying to tell a joke." Jude cried, he fell over a dead Demodog in the process of trying to walk backwards. "I was trying to make the situation better. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Yes." Vecna stood right above him now, Jude's back pushed flat against the wall. "I know how sorry you are, Jude. I can feel it. I know everything you think and feel."

Jude shut his eyes as Vecna's claw touched his forehead. "I know that you think you deserve pain. I know what you did."

When Jude opened his eyes, he felt like he was floating. He could see himself, like there had been two of him. He was in the dugout at first, watching Channing Barron pitch while he practiced with Bentley Bockanan. Jude stood by the gate, watching his past self remove his helmet and walk onto the field. He was still smaller in height then most of the other boys on his team, meaning Bentley wasn't able to see him walk to stand behind Channing.

When the blonde boy pulled his bat back, he hit Jude right in the face with it.

Jude watched his past body hit the ground at the impact, but as soon as he did he was in the locker room. He was alone, fresh out of the shower. It was the day Bob died, one year, the entire day had been haunting him. Mike or anyone else hadn't remembered, the only person that did was Joyce, but she wasn't here to know. Jude pressed his head against the locker, the constants guilt he felt even worse today. That's when he noticed his hand rested right where the locker closed.

"No." Jude found himself talking to his past body, but he couldn't hear, because it was just a memory.

Past Jude stared at his hand, keeping it completely still. He latched onto the locker before he could rethink his decision, slamming it shut without bothering to move his hand. Present Jude squeezed his eyes shut, immediately overtake by the smell of grease and salt. He reopened his eyes, met with the stove.

"Thanks for helping me." Randel spoke to his son as he hurried to grab orders from the counter. "Just finish off that burger for me and i'll bring you out a milkshake for how well you played out there today."

Jude smiled at his Dad. "Okay."

He was still in his baseball uniform, flipping the patty a few times before lifting the pan and dumping it on the plate. His eyes casted down at the burning fire from the gas stove, a bright blue shade rather then its naturally red. Present Jude stood right behind his old self, mentally begging him not to do it, not to give Vecna another reason to take him in the future. But, he still couldn't hear, slowly lowering his palm closer and closer to the flame as a burning sensation fell into the middle of his hand.

As a wince spread across his face, Vecna spoke again. "I know you think you deserve it, Jude. I don't want you to feel any of this anymore."

Back in the pizza shop, Corey had taken Jude's place to hold El in the water. Mike was kneeling infront fo Jude, trying to wake him up. He held his face, panicking. "El! El, did you find her? Did you find Max?"

El knew that Max would know what to do, making this mission to find her so much more important. Cory leaned down into her ear, knowing all of Mikes yelling was going to put her off. "Just try to focus. You know where to go, I know you do."

"Jude!" Mike was right in the verge of tears, Will watching in fear for his longest friend. "Jude! Just-Just wake up!"

"Music." El spoke. "He needs music."

"Music?" Jonathan gapped. "We have the van!"

"I know his favorite song." Will ran with his brother.

"You found Max?" Corey asked El. "Is she okay?"

"No, Vecna has Jude, Max isn't here yet." El said back, breathing heavy. "I am spying...she took her music off when trying to find him."

"Jude, please." Mike begged, hoping he could hear him. They all jumped when I'm Still Standing by Elton John started to ring all through the pizza shop, Will and Jonathan hurrying back in.

Jude gasped as he opened his eyes, in Vecna's hold with vines around every inch of his body. He could make out a small circle behind Vecna's head, a tiny opening forming as he saw the last thing he had before he was taken.

"I know that we fight all the time, more then what we probably should!" Mike was crying now as the lights blinked, the music blared. "And I know we've always been that way, but you're my best friend! My best friend! Even from the beginning, before I even knew, I wanted to be with you. I thought I just really, really wanted to be your only friend but I was wrong. I wanted to by your boyfriend! And now I am and I don't want that to change, so please just come back so I can keep living out my stupid dreams!"

Jude used his teeth to bite into the vine, hurting Vecna as he dropped him. He ran to Mike, to the sound of Elton John.

I'm still standing!

Jude gasped as his eyes flew open, weak as he fell over. "Jude!"

"Jude!" Corey and Will called on sync.

Jude's eyes were wide as he laid on the ground, Mike hovered over him as he held his head from the ground. It was quiet, they all watched, not knowing what would happen now. Was he gone? Did he remember anything? Was he still Jude?

"Do I still look good when possessed?"

Mike laughed as tears fell from his eyes, leaning down and kissing him on the lips.

"I found Max. He has her."

•

kylie speaks

not there only being one
chapter left with my bf:(