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

Chapter Ten: Here Goes Nothing

The next morning, Dad and I sat in the coroner's office waiting room waiting for Joyce and Jonathan to finish looking at Will's 'Body'. Dad was just sitting there and I was nervously drumming on my legs.

"So that's it?" I asked quietly. "I finally tell you what happened to me and you're just not gonna say anything? You're jst gonna go to sleep and then continue on, business as usual?"

"I'm processing." He said. I sighed.

"What's there to process? A monster without a face kidnapped me and took me to what I think is an alternate dimension." He shot me a look.

"This isn't a joke, kid."

"Does it look like I'm joking?" I asked. "Joyce says he's still alive and I believe her, and what I should be doing is out there looking for a way to get back in there and get him, but instead I'm sitting here in the coroner's office, waiting  for them to finish looking at a body that's probably not even real." He shook his head.

"Even if I do choose to believe you," I rolled my eyes, "You're not going anywhere near that place again."

"Yeah, ok." He glared at me. "May I repeat, I spent a year hiding and running away from a monster from a parallel dimension and you think you're gonna stop me?" He sighed, shaking his head and turning towards the receptionist.

"What's taking so long?"

"Well, everything's been a bit chaotic around here without Gary." The woman replied.

"Without Gary?" He repeated. "Where's Gary?"

"Well I thought you knew. Those men from State, they...they sent Gary home last night." Dad looked at me and I raised my eyebrows, shooting him a knowing look.

"So who did the autopsy?" He asked, his eyes lingering on mine before he looked at her again.

"Someone from State." He looked at me again and I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms and legs.

A few minutes later, Jonathan came rushing out of the room with tears streaming down his face. I stood up, walking over to him.

"Jonathan?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked at me with wide eyes, stumbling forward, but I caught him, steadying him before wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him, despite the fact that I had spoken to him exactly once. He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around my waist and hug me back, however.

I led him over to my seat beside my Dad, lowering him into it and sitting in the chair across from them.

"How's your mom doing?" Dad asked him.

"I don't know."

"How long's this stuff been going on? With the lights and uh...Will and the thing in the wall."

"Since the first phone call, I guess."

"Phone call?" I asked, looking between them.

"Yeah, um the phone rang, and Mom insisted Will was breathing on the other line, and then it kind of...exploded, got burnt out, like...a light bulb." Jonathan explained. "You know, she's had anxiety problems...in the past. But this...I don't know. I'm worried it could be, ugh I don't know. She'll be ok. We'll be ok. My mom...she's tough."

"Yeah, she is." Dad agreed. She's also right, but I wasn't going to tell him that. Not yet, not now. Dad reached over, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. She is."

"Ma'am!" We all jumped up as Joyce came running out, the coroner trailing behind her. "Ma'am, I need you to sign-"

"I don't know what you think that thing is in there, but that is not my son!" She exclaimed.