Stranger Things: Doomsday

The next few minutes were, without a shadow of a doubt, the most embarrassing and awkward of Steven's life. First, he froze in the doorway, completely unsure how to react to the "surprise party." If it hadn't been for Tommy shoving him inside, he probably would've stayed planted there for a very long time.

But then they started singing, and what was already bad got even worse. Steven simply didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to sing along? Or clap? Was it wrong to just stand there like a statue? Was he smiling? Did it look forced?

There were so many questions spinning around in his head that he only snapped out of it when he saw Mary standing in front of him, holding the cake and telling him to make a wish before blowing out the candles.

'A wish...' He lowered his eyes to the candles, fully aware that kind of thing didn't exist. How many times had he wished for freedom? For the endless suffering to stop? For someone to save him or for a miracle to happen? No. No matter how much someone wishes for something, it only happens if they make it happen with their own hands.

But since Steven would never say that out loud, he simply blew out the candles.

********

After a few minutes of cake-cutting and accepting congratulations from everyone who came, Steven made his way over to Tommy and Carol while the room split into different groups—some busy devouring snacks and sweets, others just chatting.

"You should've seen your face," Carol said the moment he walked up, a teasing grin on her lips.

"You looked like a complete idiot," Tommy added, laughing out loud.

'Damn it.' Steven shook his head and took a sip of the soda he was holding, trying to ignore the heat rising to his face. "Fine, laugh all you want."

"The "cool" Steve Harrington turned into a scared little princess," she went on in an exaggerated voice—only making Tommy laugh harder.

Steven frowned. "Am I the only one not finding this funny?"

"Yep."

"For sure."

"Haaa..." Realizing they weren't going to stop anytime soon, Steven tried to change the subject. "So, were you guys the ones who planned this party??"

"Pfft, not a chance," Carol rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't even do that for my dad. Too much work for too little fun."

'...Why did I even bother asking?'

"It was your mom's idea," Tommy said, scratching his head. "She asked me for help, but I suck at this kind of thing, so I called Carol, who passed it on to Tina. She's the one who organized everything."

"Tina?" Steven turned his head toward the brown-haired girl, who was laughing with two other friends near the window. "... seriously?"

[Image]

"Yeah, man. She invited everyone and organized who would bring what—"

"Hold on," Steven cut in, turning his eyes to Tommy. "What do you mean by 'who would bring what'?"

"Well, your mom wanted something simple, but Tina didn't want to leave anyone out. I don't know all the details, just that they agreed each of us had to bring something to eat."

Steven's mouth dropped open, shocked. "You mean—"

"Yeah, besides the gift, I had to bring some cupcakes," Carol said with disgust. "Congrats, Steve, this is the most capitalist birthday I've ever seen."

"Uh..." Steven froze, not sure what to say. James not liking him wasn't news, but to the point of not even funding a simple birthday party and forcing everyone to pitch in? That wasn't a good sign. It also explained why the man wasn't there—he probably woke up early just to leave before people started arriving.

On the other hand, that meant everyone there, those people he had met just a few months ago, chose to come together, spend money and effort to make that day special. It was hard to believe '...how would Papa feel if he knew how far I got?'

********

A few hours later, the house was almost silent, except for the occasional sound of plastic cups being stacked and trash being collected. The party was over, the guests had gone, and Steven found himself next to Mary, the two of them working together to clean up the mess left behind.

"You didn't have to help me, you know?" Mary said as she tossed two disposable plates into the trash.

"It's fine," Steven replied, shrugging. "You've already done plenty."

Mary shook her head. "I didn't do much—it was pretty much your friends. Especially Tina. You need to thank her later."

Steven bent down to pick up a piece of paper. "I already did."

"Good job," Mary turned to him with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Steven instantly knew what she was implying. "No, nothing's going on."

"I didn't say anything," Mary shot back, raising her hands in a gesture of innocence.

"But I know what you were going to say."

Mary laughed. "Alright, alright. I won't say anything."

"Good..."

The two of them continued working in tense silence for a few seconds until Mary spoke again, her voice laced with a teasing tone. "Are you two dating?-"

Steven nearly let the trash bag slip from his hands. "No! Of course not! We're just friends!"

"You sure?"

"F.R.I.E.N.D.S," Steven stressed each syllable.

"Okay, friends," Mary relented.

Steven looked away, focusing on the living room, and realized he had already picked everything up. "I'm done. I'll leave the bag in the garage." He had barely taken two steps when Mary's voice made him stop.

"Steven. Do you know why I chose this date to be your birthday?"

"...today makes one year since I arrived, right?" he replied, without turning around.

"So you figured it out."

"Yeah, it wasn't hard once I started looking for a reason behind the party," he admitted, shrugging.

"Well... did you like it? I could've picked another date, but I thought this one was more... fitting," she asked, curious and a little worried.

'If I liked it?... I'd say it was more enlightening than anything else.' Steven looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Yeah, I liked it. Thanks, Mom." He didn't wait for Mary to ask anything else and walked to the door that led to the garage. The air outside was cold, making him quickly toss the trash bag into a corner.

Back inside, he climbed the stairs and headed to his room, his thoughts spinning between the party and Mary's words about Tina. But before he could reach the door, a strange sensation came over him. First, a slight imbalance, as if the floor beneath his feet had tilted. Then, a violent dizziness. The world spun, the walls pulled away, the floor became the ceiling, and the light vanished.

Steven staggered, heart pounding, trying to grab onto anything to regain his bearings. "What—" The word died in his throat as his legs gave out and he collapsed backward.

He closed his eyes, bracing for the impact against the ground, but instead, he felt himself swallowed by a cold, liquid sensation, as if he had plunged into water. Steven opened his eyes abruptly, and panic burst in his chest when he saw nothing but darkness—deep and endless. He was no longer at home.

Steven opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. He tried to use his powers, but nothing happened.

Then, all at once, a searing pain burst in his head, worse than anything he had ever felt. It was as if someone were ripping his skull open with a dull blade, from the nape of his neck to his forehead.

'AAAAAAAARGGHHHHHHHHH'

Pain.

A pain that consumed everything.

Pain.

An agony that felt endless.

More pain.

More

And more

In the midst of that sea of suffering, voices began to echo through the void, from every direction, distorted and fragmented.

"You betrayed me."

.....

.....

.....

"Am I not enough?"

.....

.....

.....

"They're dead."

.....

.....

.....

"Now you know who I really am."

.....

.....

.....

"I... will kill you!"

.....

.....

.....

"Scared, Steve Harrington?"

.....

.....

.....

"Hello again, Papa."

.....

.....

.....

"Monster... you're a monster."

.....

.....

.....

"Eleven..."

.....

.....

.....

"How much do you want? I'll pay anything."

.....

.....

.....

"I'm tired of you."

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

********

[November, 1983]

"Haaah" Pulling his face out of the water accumulated in the sink, Steve lifted his head and stared at himself in the dirty bathroom mirror of the movie theater. His skin was so pale it looked drained of life, almost anemic. The left side of his face was bruised, a consequence of the beating he took from Jonathan Byers. But the physical pain didn't matter—it was insignificant compared to the storm consuming him from within.

Because he had remembered.

Who he was.

Who he really was.

***

Subaru710777: I spent a good amount of time racking my brain over this chapter. Honestly, I've lost count of how many versions I wrote and rewrote. The reason? I realized there was a lot to explore about Steve's journey before the series began. Which might not be that interesting (I don't know about you, but I hate those parts).

So, after thinking it over a lot, I concluded it would be much more interesting and impactful to discover what happened and what led Steve to lose his memories alongside him throughout the series. If some people feel the change in the chapter was abrupt, well, it was meant to be. I'm open to opinions.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, images or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.