Really? ||Steve Harrington x Female Reader||

The Vanishing of Will Byers: Pt. 2

When I got to Nancy's car, I noticed her face turned in a frown and her eyebrows scrunched together, like she was thinking. I climbed into the passenger seat and threw my bag in the back before focusing on her.

"What's-"

"Will's missing," she informed.

My mouth dropped open, the sinking feeling from before coming even stronger.

"You're joking, right?"

Nancy shook her head, starting the car and driving us home. I stared at her until I realized I looked like a creep. My eyes drifted down to my fidgeting hands, trying to contain my thoughts. Will Byers went missing. My brother and his friends were the last people to see him. Where was he? Was he kidnapped? Was he- was he even alive?

The light click of the car door broke me from my thoughts, pulling me back to the present. We were in front of my house, with Nancy patiently waiting for me to get out. I muttered a quiet, "Thanks", grabbed my bag, and trudged to the front door, weakly shutting the door behind me. I plopped down on the couch, still trying to figure out everything that had happened.

"Y/n?"

The soft voice gently broke through my thoughts. I sat up and looked at the doorway. Dustin stood there, his head turned to the ground and his hands gripping the end of his shirt.

"I don't know if you heard-"

"I know Will's missing," I interrupted. Dustin's head turned more downward. I sighed and walked over to him, pulling him into an embrace. "He's going to be okay, ok? He's resourceful, and smart, and strategic. And he's got all of Hawkins looking for him."

"I- I know," Dustin mumbled, his voice cracking. "It's just... I was the last person to see him. That's just weird to think about."

"It's not gonna stay that way for long," I comforted. "We're gonna find him, ok?"

"O-ok," he sniffed.

I pulled away from him and offered a comforting smile, an idea forming in my head.

"I'm actually going to go over to the Byers' and see if they need anything. Do you want to come with me?"

Dustin shook his head and said, "No, I think I just need some alone time."

My initial thought was I can't just leave you alone! But then I realized that that was exactly what Dustin needed. Time to process exactly what had happened and how to deal with that.

"Lock the door and don't answer it," I ordered, grabbing a pair of keys and walking out the door. "If anything happens, call Mom or the neighbors. If you really need to, have Mews protect you."

"But Mews is just a kitten!"

I ignored Dustin and slammed the door shut, walking out to 'my' car. I started the ignition, and drove to the Byers.

About halfway there, I fully realized what I was doing. I was driving.

"Why am I driving again?" I asked aloud. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't afraid of driving, I actually liked it a lot, I just sucked at it. The amount of times I'd knocked over some mail box was about as many girls Steve Harrington had dated, and that was saying something.

Because you don't want to get kidnapped, I mentally reminded. Plus, if some guy living in the forest tries to kidnap you, you can just run him over.

I arrived at the Byers house with almost no incident (the squirrel I hit looked old anyway) and walked inside, careful to step over the many items strewn across the floor. Books, clothes, cigarettes, you name it, it was probably there. Down the main hallway, I could hear Joyce pleading with someone over the phone.