Love Is A Battlefield (A Stranger Things/Steve Harrington Fanfiction)

Chapter Eighty-Four: No Questions Asked

"Looks like someone forgot to pay their electric bill." Lucas said, mostly jokingly after trying to turn on a lamp. Dustin simply looked at him, raising his flashlight up and clicking it on.

"Where'd everyone get those?" Steve questioned. Dustin turned around to look at him incredulously.

"Do you need to be told everything?" He asked. "You're not a child."

"Thank you." Steve looked at me helplessly, and I shot him an apologetic look as Dustin took his backpack off and handed it to Steve.

"Back pocket."

"Was it really that big of a deal for you to tell him that?" I asked pointedly, resting my axe against my shoulder and putting a hand on my hip. He simply walked away and Steve pulled out a flashlight, dropping the backpack on the floor beside my duffle bag and coming to stand beside me.

"So, what's the verdict, Barbie? You feel anything?" He questioned. I shrugged, putting my axe down and reaching into my back pocket, pulling out my own flashlight and shining it around the room.

"I don't think it really works that way." I told him, glancing around. 

"They just left...everything." Nancy commented as she and Robin glanced into the living room.

"I guess a triple homicide isn't good for resale value." Robin replied.

"Hey, guys?" Max called. I turned around, stepping up beside her without hesitation. She was shining her flashlight towards the wall, and I followed her gaze, a shiver passing through me as I saw what it was. "You all see that right?"

It was grimy, and covered in dust, but there was no denying that this was the grandfather clock that had infiltrated every targets nightmares so far. 

"Yeah." Dustin answered.

"Yeah." Steve agreed as they all gathered around us.

"Is this what you saw?" Nancy inquired. "In your visions?"

"Its what all of them saw." I confirmed, tucking my flashlight under my arm so that I could put a hand on Max's back.

"I mean, Its...just a clock. Right?" Robin asked, moving past us to wipe dust off of the glass, "Just a regular, old clock."

"Why is this wizard obsessed with clocks?" Steve wondered aloud. "Maybe he's like a...a clockmaker or something?"

"I think you cracked the case, Steve." I moved away from Max, not looking away from the clock as I put a hand over Dustin's face and shoved him backwards.

"Leave him alone," I said half-heartedly, "But its not clocks in general, its...this clock. Specifically...why?"

"All I know is, the answers are here," Nancy said, "Somewhere. Ok, everyone stay in groups of two. Robin, upstairs."

Robin offered Nancy a two-fingered salute before following after her silently.

"Come on, let's go." Max grabbed Lucas' sleeve, dragging him down the hallway, leaving Steve, Dustin, and I standing in the entryway. Steve sighed, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the stairs.

"Was that a sigh?" Dustin asked, trailing behind us.

"No, I did not sigh."

"Why'd you sigh?"

"I didn't sigh, just come on, dude."

"You definitely sighed." I pointed out, releasing his hand so that I could hold my flashlight again.

"See, I thought so." Dustin agreed. "We both heard you-"

"We're just always partners, ok?"

"You have a problem with that?"