You were too stunned to speak, seeing that... thing move again in El's leg and her screams of agony. Jonathan realizes your state of mind, and takes things into his own hands. The kids were screaming over each other, incoherent nonsense flowing out of their mouths as they communicated the urgency of the situation to each other, trying to assess the situation.
"Keep her talking, keep her awake, ok???!" Jonathan yells to you before taking off. You nod, going over to her head. "Hey, sweetie. I need you to stay awake, alright? I'm right here, everything is going to be okay. Let's get her on this side!" You tell the others, moving her onto her back and around with the help of the others.
"Easy, easy easy." Steve says, helping as well. You stroke her hair as she sobs in pain. "You know, it's not actually that bad... There was a... The goalie on my soccer team, Beth Wildfire, this other girl slid into her leg and the bone came out of her knee, six inches or something it was insane-"
"Robin." Steve says from the side of you, the whole group looking to her in disgust of the vivid memory described in graphic detail. "Yeah??"
"Not helping."
"I'm sorry!" She says apologetically, just as Jonathan came back, knife in his hand. You finally got at what he was trying to do. "Anyone have a belt???" You ask the group. They look to you in a confused manner. "A belt! I need a belt!"
"I have one." Will says, immediately taking it off and handing it to you upon seeing your urgency. You race to her leg. "El, this might hurt a bit." You say, tying the belt around her leg just three inches above the wound tightly, as to cut off circulation. This regrettably wouldn't work as well as a tourniquet would, but you had to work with what you had.
"All right, El? This is gonna hurt like hell, okay???" Jonathan says calmly. "Okay!" She sobs out. "I need you to stay real still." He says, putting on surgical gloves before handing a wooden spoon to her. "Here, you're gonna want to bite down on this, okay?"
"Jesus Christ..." Dustin says as El puts the spoon into her mouth. You prop her leg up as to not lose too much blood, hoping that Nancy had a fist aid kit with bandages in her car to pack the wound with once you were done. "Holy shit holy shit..." Dustin says from the other side Max.
Jonathan puts the serialized knife up to the wound and the thing that was moving inside of it, hesitating slightly. "Do it." Mike says from El's head, holding her gently in his arms. "Okay." Is all he says, Dustin murmuring uncomfortable from the side.
He slides the knife into her leg, Eleven screaming in agony as the weapon slits open the wound. He drops the knife down to the side of him, sticking his hand into the wound as she screeches even louder than before. He shoves his hand around forcefully, trying to pry the creature out of her leg.
"Jonathan!" You say, seeing Eleven being on the brink of passing out due to the pain. "Stop talking!" He says in concentration, still digging around. This was far enough, and everyone knew it. "God dammit, stop!" Nancy yells from the side of him just as El spits out the spoon from her mouth.
"Stop! Stop it!" She screams. Only then did Jonathan stop, pulling his hand out as she winces in pain. "I can do it..." She cries out. "I can do it..." She says again, this time a bit more forcefully. She whimpers in pain as she sits up with the help of the other boys. She sits there panting for a few seconds before putting her hand out to her leg.
You can see the thing move around due to the force her mind was doing to it, El yelping in pain. She throws her head back, a bloodcurdling scream coming from her mouth. The glass window that showed the attractions of the gap shattered, covering you all in glass. You all duck from the stray pieces, just as El pulls out some slug like life form out of her leg, holding it up to her face with fury present in her eyes, before chucking it across the hall, all while screaming her head off.
You see the monster squelching, trying to worm its way away, but is stopped by a shoe stomping on it forcefully. Your eyes trail up the body the shoe belonged to, grinning from ear to ear as you see Jim Hopper in some... Hawaiian shirt with flowers on it? Whatever, you didn't care at the moment as to why that was. Joyce was standing to the side of him in a reddish orange shirt, purple jacket wrapped around her waist, and a strange man you had never seen before who was balding at the top of his head. He had black, bouncy curls on either side of his head, glasses and a bushy black beard. They were all standing just in front of the JCPenny only a few feet ahead of your group.
You smile in happiness at the sight of someone who was much more medically trained than you was here. You immediately go up to Hopper to tell him the situation and what the best course of action would be.
You don't need to though, as he was already bending down next to you, looking at the wound. "Do we need to pack the wound??" You ask, to which he shakes his head. "I don't think so. It doesn't look very deep, at least not enough to be fatal. We need some bandages though." He says, to which you nod, looking over to Nancy.
"Got a first aid kit in your car?" You ask, just as she nods, tossing you the keys. "I'm trusting you." She says, making you smile. "That's a bad idea." Is all you say before rushing out of the building and into her car.
You immediately unlock the nice, sleek car, opening the drivers side with a satisfying 'click.' You search the car, finally finding what you were searching for. "Bingo." Is all you say, picking up the small white box with a red cross on it.
You lock the car back, running back into the mall to see everyone huddled up in a circle around the fountain. El was resting in Hoppers arms, and you immediately go up to her, bending down to her injured leg. You can hear the group talking among themselves about a giant flesh spider type thing, but pay no attention, too focused on your job at hand.
Opening the box, you notice a white bottle inside it, and smile satisfactory. You open the bottle that read 'ibuprofen' on it, taking two red pills out of it before handing them to El. "Take these, it'll help ease the pain. Once we get out of here, we can take you to real medical help." You say, stroking her hair as she takes the pills from your outstretched hand. "Yes." Is all she says, taking the pills dry.
"What??" She asks when she sees you staring at her in awe. "I was... Gonna offer you some water but- never mind. It's nothing." You say, smiling up to her in a comforting manner.
You get to work cleaning the dry blood from her leg, which was doing much better now after some rest. It stopped bleeding so much, and was now less red. You sterilize the wound with whatever the box gave you, using everything in it to your use. Finally, you bandage the sucker up, El wincing at the pressure of it. "Sorry, we need to stop the bleeding for good." She nods in understanding to your statement.
"YOO HOO!" Someone shouts from the entrance of the mall, taking you out from your conversation with El. You look up to see the same man from before waving pieces of paper above his head. "...Who is that again???" You ask Hopper, finally gathering all the access materials into the box before closing it up again.
"A translator." Is all he says, looking to the man in dismay. Joyce rolls her eyes at him. "His name is Murray." She explains, and you make an 'oh' shape with your mouth, nodding your head. He guides you all to the nearest table, setting the two papers down onto it just as you all gathered around him, you standing shoulder to shoulder next to Steve. The papers he had looked like the same ones Robin had that mapped out the mall.
"Okay, this is what Alexei called 'the hub.' Now, the hub takes us to the vault room." Murray explains, pointing his finger down to one of the many squared rooms on the plans. "Alexei?" You say questioningly to Steve. "One of the Russians who worked on the gate, come on catch up." He explains, and you nod your head in understanding, punching him gently in the shoulder at his last statement.
"Okay, where's the gate??" Hopper asks from the side of Murray. "Right here, I don't know the scale on this, but I think it's fairly close to the vault room, maybe fifty feet or so?" He guesstimates, drawing a line to the two with his finger.
"More like 500." Erica corrects, stepping up to Murray from her spot as he looks to her with a questioning look. "What, you're just gonna waltz in there like it's commie Disneyland or something?" She sasses.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" He asks her with a condescending glare. "Erica Sinclair, who are you??"
"I'm Murray... Bauman-"
"Listen, Mr 'Bunman,' Im not trying to tell you how to do things, but I've been down in that shithole for 24 hours. And with all due respect, you do what this man tells you, you're all gonna die." She says, pointing to each one of the older adults. "I'm sorry, why is this four year old speaking to me?" Murray asks.
"Um. I'm ten, you bald bastard!"
"Erica!" Lucas exclaims at his sisters profanity, to which she whips around to face him. "Just the facts!" She explains. "She's right. You're all gonna die but you don't have to. 'Scuse me. Sorry, may I?" Dustin asks, going up to one of the chairs at the table to sit down.
He takes the plans upon doing this, getting a pencil from his vest to mark it up. "Okay, see this room here? This is a storage facility," He says, drawing a circle around the room he was talking about. "There's a hatch in here that feeds into their underground ventilation system. That will lead you to the base of the weapon," He continues, drawing a line over to the machine.
"It's a bit of a maze down there, but between me and Erica, we can show you the way." He says, finishing his plan before looking up to Hopper with hopeful eyes. "You can show us... The way?" He says slowly. "Don't worry, you can do all the fighting and the dangerous hero shit, and we'll just be your..." He looks over to Erica.
"Navigators." He finishes, looking up to Hopper who shakes his head yes before changing it to no. "No." He says, confirming this. Dustin looks to him with pleading eyes. He shrugs his shoulders. "Nope." And with that, Hopper trails off elsewhere, being the first to wander off onto their own. You sigh, going off to find someone interesting to talk to.
You see Robin lingering back, and immediately go over to talk to her. She smiles to you wearily, probably still shaken up by this whole situation. "Hey..." She says.
"Hey back." You respond, sliding down the wall to sit next to her. "I know... I know it's crazy, this whole situation, but I promise I will personally explain the whole story once this is over and done with." You say, looking over to her who smiled at you.
"I'll keep you to your word. Just so long as you tell me the whole story of you and Steve too while you're at it." She says cheekily. You groan, rolling your eyes with a playful smile on your face. "You know... We've talked an awe full lot about my love life... But not yours, what's up with that??" You ask, to which she takes in a sharp breath, looking to the ground in fear.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. We don't have to talk about it yet, sorry for asking I didn't know it made you uncomfortable-"
"No no... It isn't that. Not anything like that, just... I'll tell you later." You look to her in understanding, nodding your head before standing up, wiping your knees before handing a hand down to her. She smiles up to you, taking it. You see Hopper walking up to you, and meet him halfway.
"Our group is splitting up. Harrington is taking some kids to a radio your brother built, Wheeler is taking the rest to Murray's place, while me, Joyce, and Murray are going to end this. I want you to stay with El. Keep her safe. I know you have medical experience, so make sure she stays out of trouble and hold down the fort until I get back. I trust you, Y/n." He says, repeating those words he said to you all those years ago when Will went missing. You smile up at him.
"You got it chief. Stay safe, and don't die."
"Wouldn't dream of it, kid." He says, smiling down to you before ruffling your hair. You scoff, flattening it back down before going to see your brother off. You could see Steve lead him, Erica, and Robin out of the Mall. You run to catch up with them, barely making it over to them as Steve opened the door, keys in hand as he tossed them up and down.
"Oh yeah, now this... This is what I'm talkin about!" He exclaims, throwing his arms out upon seeing the nice yellow car with padded leather seats. You scoff. "'Toddfather'?" Robin questions upon seeing the bumper sticker.
"Oh, screw Todd! Steve's her daddy now!" Your face grows hot, cheeks flushing as he calls himself that, your brain going to the worst making you shake your head. "Did you just talk about yourself in third person??"
"Did he just call himself daddy???" Erica asks as well. You pull your brother into a hug before he could get into the 'Toddfather.'
"Stay safe, Dusty. Don't die, I love you." You say, to which he wraps his arms around you as well. "I won't as long as you don't die either." He responds, making you laugh. "Deal." You say, releasing him to shake his hand.
He gets into the car, just as you feel a finger tap you on the back, making you turn around to see Steve smiling down to you with a goofy grin. "Where's my hug?" He asks slyly.
"You get it when you come back. Alive." You elaborate, making him pout in disappointment. "Keep him safe." You say a bit more serious. "Of course." He says. "See you on the other side, princess." He says, leaning down before pressing his soft lips onto your forehead in a sweet kiss.
The nickname sends your brain into overdrive, and his sweet kiss makes your heart beat out of your chest. "Yeah- uh- good talk- bye." You say, stammering out a response before walking back to the entrance, blushing profusely. "Hurry up! We don't have all day Romeo!" You hear Erica shout from inside the car. "I'm going! Damn, can't you be patient for five seconds..." Steve responds, voice getting steadily softer as you get farther and farther away, eventually getting back into the mall.
You see everyone scattered amongst groups, saying their goodbyes. Murray was giving the house keys to Nance and Jonathan, Joyce and Will were talking, El and Hopper speaking softly to each other. You, however, go to the rest of the kids. You wrap Max into a tight hug, missing her after having not seen her for a while.
"Jeez, Y/n. It's only been a couple of days." She says, smiling as she hugs you back. "I know I know, but I was worried about you." You say, releasing her before patting her gently on the head.
"I was worried about all of you." You say, going up to Lucas and Mike to give them hugs as well. "We were worried about you too..." Lucas says, patting you on the back. Mike then turns around to Hopper.
"Hey... We should probably go." He says. Hopper sighs, the two sitting in silence before El wraps her arms around his neck, bringing him into a tight hug. Once she released him, you take her into your arms bridal style as to not hurt her leg.
"Not as small as you used to be." You say, laughing at the old memory of you carrying her out of the school three years ago. She smiles at that, wrapping her arms around you a bit tighter. Mike came next to you, rubbing her shoulder as Max trailed beside you as well.
"Mike." Hopper states, making you stop so he could face the man. "Be careful." Is all he says, Mike nodding in understanding before going to catch up with you, Max, and El. You lead the group out of the mall, following Max to wherever the car was parked.
Nancy unlocks the car as soon as you get to it from somewhere behind you, Max unlocking the trunk as Mike helps put her into the back. "Here, lay down." He says, gently draping her against the car as she whimpers in pain. "I know sweetie, we'll get you all better once we get to Murrays." You comfort her, moving her leg into a more comfortable position as you get into the car next to her, closing the trunk door behind you.
Once Nancy was confident that you all were safely in the car, she puts the keys into it before turning them, all for the engine to start sputtering. "What's wrong?" Jonathan asks, to which Nancy stammers out an, "I don't know." To which you look over to Mike in concern.
"You can't be serious!" She exclaims, trying the keys again only for the same occurrence to happen. "Didn't your mom just buy this car?" Lucas questions from in front of Mike. "Yes! I'm sure it's fine." Nancy responds, a bit annoyed. "Did you leave the lights on?" Will try's to reason. "No."
"Do we have gas?" Lucas asks. "Yes!" She screams, turning the keys forcefully into the car only for it to sputter in response. She screams again in anger, and Jonathan puts a comforting arm on hers.
"Woah woah woah! Just stop, stop! Pop the hood." He says, getting out of the car and out to the front. Nancy gets out as well not too far after him, and you all sit in a tense silence. You jump at the sudden sound of a revving engine piercing through the silence. You look out the window, seeing a strikingly familiar blue car. "Billy?" You question, as if he could hear you.
Suddenly, there was a big bang on the side of the car window, seeing Nancy's hand opening the car door forcefully. "Back in the mall!" She yells, pulling everyone out. You immediately get up, pulling the trunk door up to open it. Mike and Max both grab either one of El's shoulders, you grabbing her legs and putting them over your shoulder as you race back into the mall.
You all slow down as soon as you enter the giant place, Mike letting go of El's shoulder in order to dig in his backpack, pulling out the walkie-talkie he still had. You take his place, helping Max haul El back over to the chairs in front of the Dunkin' Donuts. You could hear Mike speaking indistinctly, trying to get in contact with the 'Scoops Troop' but to no avail.
Nancy gets down on her knees, taking one of the guns from an unconscious soldier. "Any others?" You ask, to which she nods, immediately throwing you another one from his other side.
"You're gonna kill him... Aren't you?" Max asks Nancy. "This is just a precaution, okay?" She reassures her. "And not just against Billy. If he knows we're here so does the Mind Flayer." Will explains from the side of her.
"I'm still confused as to why Billy is trying to kill us?" You say, looking over to Max for an explanation. "The Mind Flayer got him. He's building an army, just like last year. But this time.... He's stronger. He's in this world."
"El was right, the day of our sleepover. There was something wrong with him." Max finishes for Will, looking down to the ground sadly. You suddenly feel bad that you didn't believe her and brushed her off.
"I'm sorry." You say, to which she shakes her head. "Don't be. You were too busy with getting captured by evil Russians anyways." She says, smiling to you. You chuckle, shaking your head at the memory of earlier today.
"Scoops Troop, do you copy???" Mike says loudly, making you all turn your heads in his direction. He was walking in front of the now-dead car that El threw at the Russians, and Nancy smiles up to you. "No chance that thing'll drive, right?" She asks playfully.
"We don't need it to drive." Jonathan answers for you in recognition, obviously having an idea. "We just need the ignition cable." He finishes. You look back over to the car, going over to it. "Think we can push it over?" You ask the others who were following slowly behind you.
"Maybe..." Max answers, looking at the vehicle doubtfully. You try anyways, all of you going behind it, trying to push it over. Even Mike joined in once he lost all hope that there was no one who was going to respond. Will and El lingered back, watching a few feet back.
You get the car a few inches from where it last was before it falls back into place, all of you groaning in frustration. "Let me try." El says, determination in her eyes. "El..." Mike says, panting in exhaustion. She limps forward a few inches. "I can do it." She reassures him. You sigh, knowing how exhausted she must be. "El I don't think-"
"I can do it!" She says again, this time more forcefully. You groan, getting out from behind the car to the back of her, everyone else following your lead. She takes in a deep breath, putting her hand out in front of her, staring at the car in deep concentration. The car makes squeaking sounds of the metal moving, even if it wasn't. El was panting from in front of you, before finally letting out a sharp yell, putting her hand down in defeat.
"Hey, it's okay sweetie. We can do this." You say, patting her on the back reassuringly. She had tears in her eyes from frustration. "It'll be okay, I promise." You say comfortingly, to which she nods.
"We just need something to push it up..." You say, scanning around the mall before Mike suddenly runs up to the cars once display circle. "...Mike?" You question as he gets one of the short poles from it. "Just- trust me on this one, everyone get a pole!" He shouts. You finally get his plan as he runs back over to the car, not waiting on anyone.
Picking one of the display poles up, you race after him, getting back into your original spot behind the car next to Mike. The others weren't far behind you, going to their spots as well. Once everyone got back, you all put the pole up to the car, Jonathan to the other side of you.
"Push!" He says, everyone following his demand. The car flips onto its side, no longer at an angle. "Almost there guys!" You call.
"All right great! Now all the way! Ready? Three, two, one... Push!" He says, everyone pushing there poles on the car, making the car flip back over right side up. "Told you. Physics." He says cockily, smiling that his theory was correct. You all hop down off the counter from which you were standing, Nancy and Jonathan go over to the hood of the car to get it open as you go to stand next to Max.
"What's she doing?" She questions as Mike goes to stand next to her, pointing her finger over to El who was digging in the trash. You all look to each other, immediately going over to her to ask what was wrong. She pulled a coke can from it, bringing it over to a vacated space before staring intently on it. "El? Are you okay?" Mike asks once you were all a few feet away from her. She turns around to face you, worry in her eyes. She doesn't answer him.
Suddenly there was a loud stomping sound coming from above you. Pounding footsteps sound from the glass ceiling, and you look up in a concerned manner.
"Mike..." Max says, obviously noticing the sound as well. You see the glass shaking under a big weight, lights flickering slightly. "Nancy!" Mike yells to his sister who was across the room. You don't give her time to react though, taking El into your arms and pulling Max and Mike out of the way, instincts telling you to get away from the center of the mall.
You pull the kids over behind one of the many desks just outside of the gap, setting El down just as the glass gives way, showing a ginormous monster. It's fleshy-nightmare skin was moving, giving it a spider like shape, teeth the same as the demogorgons, roar even more terrifying. It must have been thirty feet at least. You cover your mouth upon seeing the creature, trying to muffle your terrified scream. It roars, making the mall shudder in fear as well, shaking the walls and roof.
You feel someone pulling you down, and you follow without hesitation, finally coming back to your senses which were 10x more enhanced. You pull your legs up to your chest, hearing and feeling every stomp it made with its heavy feet, every squelching or screeching sound it made. You close your eyes in terror, keeping your hand over your mouth to keep your loud breathing to a minimum.
"Griswald family this is Scoops Troops, do you copy??? Over!" You hear your brothers voice come from Mike's abandoned walkie-talkie from near the fountain. The creature automatically picks it up with one of its massive tentacles, screeching loudly into it before tossing it God knows where. Dustin's voice was still speaking indistinctly, more garbled than normal and you didn't take that to be a good sign. You can hear it growling from somewhere behind you, closer than it was.
It roars in anger, everyone panting in fear, terrified eyes looking over to each other. This goes on for a while, before it finally moves away back towards the others behind the car. Mike suddenly peeks his head up hesitantly. "Get down!" You whisper shout to him, getting him back onto the floor instantly. "It's turned away. If we go up the stairs now, we'll make it." He says to you, explaining what the hell he was doing in order to avoid your wrath.
"We can't do that." You state. "Why not???"
"Have you seen El's leg?!" Max says. "We have to try."
"No. No way, there has to be another way. Or we can wait for help." You say, shooting Mikes plan down immediately. "There is another way." El whispers to you, to which you raise your eyebrows. "Through the gap." She elaborates. You nod your head slowly, peeking your head up to make sure the creature was still turned around. "Okay, get onto my back." You say, holding your arms out to carry her piggyback style.
She hops on, and you look up once more to make sure you were all safe. "Okay. Now." You say, and you all run over to the gap. There were so many obstacles in the way that you struggled to get over, but eventually did, holding your arm out to help Mike and Max out.
Your heart drops when you hear Max collapse onto the ground, letting out a yelp in pain. She got her leg caught on a stray wired pole, which pulled her down despite your help. You see the monster pick it's head up, spotting your group, raising its head to let out a terrifying roar. You get Max untangled, grabbing her hand and dragging her over behind the back counter, all while El was still safely on your back, arms wrapped tightly around your neck.
Mike put up a decoy mannequin with the same shirt El was wearing as you set El and Max gently onto the ground. It takes the bait, grabbing it with one of its appendages before tossing it over to your hiding spot, all of you gasping in horror. You look over to the door. "We need to move closer." You whisper, nodding to another spot right across from the door that would lead to safety.
"When you get my signal, go. Don't turn back." You say, not elaborating any further. "What's the signal-"
You toss your gun across the room, making the monster bound towards it. The others immediately take off, going to the corner of the room where the next counter was. You run not far behind, the monster taking the bait before seeing that it was a decoy as well and crushes it with its large appendage. All of you were now huddled up behind the next hiding spot.
You hear the tentacle coming back again, how much closer than you initially wanted it to. Now you were weaponless, but it gave you enough time to be almost straight in front of the door, giving you a clear shot to the exit. The screeching was getting unbearably close, it was just around the corner and you could see it's terrifying fangs reaching out for you, just to the side of it. Suddenly, there was a loud pop, and just like that, the tentacle was gone along with the monster.
"Let's go!" You say, dragging everyone to their feet before ushering them into the white door in front of you. You close the door behind you, running in front of Mike to take the lead, until you realize you had no idea where you were going. You bend down, letting El jump onto your back before racing off to catch up with Mike and Max. He comes to an abrupt stop at one of the many doors, pressing the button to open it. Once it does, it leads you to the outside, gate open wide, you can see the green glass and moonlight sky, the sweet taste of the air and feeling that you were almost out making your heart leap with joy. That was, until you exit the gate to see a man getting out of his flame induced car. His brown mullet you recognized anywhere.
It was Billy.
You immediately turn back around, leading the kids back into the building, until you realized that the gate was still open. Max already had you covered though, as she was running back to press the button, racing back to you as soon as she did.
Mike led you back into the building, turning around every which way until finally coming to a stop at one of the white doors yet again. "In here in here." He says, ushering you and Max into the room hurriedly. You put El down momentarily as Mike presses the button to open the door frantically.
Suddenly, a door slams wide open, and Max goes to check it out. "Billy..." She whispers, making you all turn around to face her. You go next to her immediately. "Billy you don't have to do this." She pleads, but to no avail. He was still trudging down the hallway. "Billy your name is Billy, Billy Hargrove, you live in 4819 Cherry Lane, Billy, please, I'm Max, I'm your-"
He throws a hand at her face, you stopping it midair. He turns to you angrily, taking your wrist into his before twisting it unnaturally, making you scream out in pain, sinking to the floor. He slams Max against the wall, knocking her unconscious. Mike yells, going up to him before he knocks him into the wall as well. You get up just as he walks over to El's defenseless body, jumping onto his back. You wrap your arms around his neck, choking him.
He immediately goes up to a wall, knocking you against it repeatedly. He was so much stronger than the last time you had fought. The continuous banging against your frail body makes your head spin and your back feel like it was about to break, you could barely breathe. There were multiple horrible cracking noises, but you didn't let up your arms. Your mangled wrist was pleading you to let go, multiple cracked ribs begging you to lay down, preventing you from breathing properly, spinning head making the world go blurry.
Finally, he had enough, and flung you over his shoulder, making you collapse onto the ground. The last thing you saw before your vision went dark was Billy slamming El's head against the wall, flinging her unconscious body over his shoulder before walking out of the door.
———-
You feel someone shaking your arms and calling your name. You groan, but immediately wish you hadn't due to the searing pain in your chest that came from it. You try to recall what had led you to be in this state but... You couldn't remember.
You open your eyes, looking over to your left to see a bloodied, mangled wrist laying there. It was sprawled out in the wrong way, but you couldn't feel it. The pain in your chest was distracting you. Is that... Mine? You ask yourself, looking up to see the face who had awoken you. You see a red headed girl with braids in her messy hair, big scrape on her forehead, purple and blue tank top on.
She seemed... Familiar.
"What's your name?" You ask, trying to recall it like it was a dream. "...Max." She says in a concerned voice, as soon as she does it all comes flooding back. The Upside Down, Will, Barb, Nancy and Steve, Jonathan, Mind Flayer, evil Russians, Dustin, Max, Mike, Lucas, Robin, El. Wait.... El.
"We need to go get El! She's in danger!" You say, trying to sit up but immediately regretting it. You lay back down at the stabbing pain in your chest. "What??" She asks. "Get Mike!" You wheeze out, to which she does, going over to his body to shake him awake.
You try sitting up again, ignoring the pain this time. You cry out in agony, but continue to stand up. "Where's El?!" You hear Mike ask Max. You look over to him with worry in your eyes. "We need... We need to go." You say, stumbling over to the exit. "Here, let me help." Max says, taking one of your arms and draping it over her shoulder. You look at her gratefully and feel Mike help as well with the other shoulder.
"I think at least one of my ribs are broken..." You say as Mike opens the door, leading you into one of the shops. Rounding the corner, you see the giant spider monster, and Billy standing in front of it, El laying down a couple inches from him.
The monster lunges it's tentacle mouth at her, but Billy stops it, catching it with both his hands. "No!" He yells. Another one goes into his stomach, puncturing one of his vital organs. He screams in pain as two more stab into him, many more to follow.
You were frozen to the spot in fear and shock. You immediately push Max and Mike off of you, running down to El to pull her away, ignoring your lungs screaming at you to stop. Just then, one final tentacle stabbed into his heart, piercing through his skin. You hear Max scream, and cover El's eyes, pulling her away from the creature and now dead boy. He falls to the floor, white tank top covered in blood.
Suddenly, the monster starts screaming in pain, spastically running everywhere and into everything. You see it crash into one of the higher decks before falling to the ground, not moving any longer.
Mike and Max run up to El. You let go of the girl to let Mike embrace her, and go over to Max who was bent down next to Billy.
His chest was moving spastically up and down, trying to breathe but being unsuccessful. "Billy... Billy please get up, Billy get up..."
"I'm.... Sorry..." He says before falling still, his body stopped breathing. "Billy... Billy Billy wake up, get up, please please please...." You pull the small girl away from her brother and into your arms, stroking her hair softly. "It's okay... Shhhh... I've got you." You say, El joining in on the hug. "It's okay, it's okay." She says encouragingly, draping her body against Max. You hear police sirens ring out in the silence, and a troop burst into the mall.
"Hands up!" They scream, to which you oblige. They escort the four of you out of the building, paramedics waiting outside who immediately take you into their ambulance upon seeing your broken wrist and bloodied face. "Please, don't take me yet. I need to see everyone made it." You plead to one of the paramedics. She nods, going to El, Max, and Mike. The next group to get out was Lucas, and Will. They immediately run up to you, bringing you into a tight hug. "Ow- easy easy." You say, laughing at their roughness.
"We were so worried about you."
"So worried." Lucas agrees, and you ruffle his hair. "I was worried about you two as well. Now, go see the others." They nod, and go to see Mike. Next out was Nancy and Jonathan. She nods your way, walking back over to Mike. You see El looking around worriedly and you motion her to go over to you.
"They're fine, don't worry." You say, ruffling her hair. She nods, before going back over to pacing back and forth. Next to come out was Steve and Robin, which makes you so confused. Nonetheless, you run up to them despite your lungs pleadings. Evidently, your body had enough, as you collapsed halfway, almost face planting into the ground had it not been for Steve catching you, and bringing you into his arms.
You immediately starts sobbing into his chest, clinging onto his shirt like he would disappear if you let go. You realize how mentally exhausted you were. "I thought you were with Dusty." You choke out finally, to which he shushes you gently, stroking your hair with his long slender fingers.
"I was- I was so damn worried about you. Don't ever do that to me again." He says, kissing the top of your head. You lean into his touch even more, if that was even possible, as you were currently chest to chest. He suddenly grasps your chin gently, tilting your head up to face him. You look into his chocolate brown eyes longingly, light pink blush coating your cheeks as he strokes your bottom lip with his thumb, a soft smile playing onto his plump pink lips.
You both draw closer and closer until-
"Ma'am. We need you to come with us." The same lady calls from behind you, ruining the moment. You groan in annoyance. "Wait, what? Why?" Steve questions, letting go of your chin. You pick up your wrist to his line of vision, and he gasps upon seeing it, immediately taking you into his arms bridal style and into the ambulance where the lady was waiting for you.
"Steve- it's my wrist that's broken, not my legs." You say, laughing at his mother hen behavior. "Can I ride with her?" He asks the paramedic, ignoring your statement. The lady chuckles, nodding her head.
"You need to tell me everything that happened." You state, to which he laughs. The ambulance was on its way to the Hawkins hospital, figures flying by.
"Of course, pretty girl." You scoff at the nickname, finding it humorous that he used a pet name in every situation. And that, he did. Every last detail.
————
Three months had gone by since Starcourt Mall had burned down. Hopper had been pronounced dead a few days after, even if his body was never found. Joyce saw him die. El was distraught, as was everyone. But she had lost her father, and you were there for her, as you had gone through that as well.
You helped her through getting better, both of you bonding over similar trauma. Max was also torn apart by Billy's death, though she didn't show it to anyone. You could see it. You had gone through it. You tried to help her best you could, but she always brushed you off. And you didn't want push her, she would tell you when she was ready.
The Byers took El in as their newest member of the family, Jane Hopper. They broke the news to you that they would be moving to California a week ago, leaving you all in many tears. Many sleepovers were had between you and Max, just like old times. You would be writing letters to her multiple times a day, and she knew that. You would visit whenever you could.
It was moving day tomorrow. But you couldn't bother to worry about that right now. After all, you had a date. Smiling to yourself, you put on your favorite perfume that cost you a fortune when you went to the out of town mall with Nancy just the other day. Your hair was done nicely up, makeup drastic and dramatic. You were wearing a violet colored sleeveless dress, a ribbon cinching it around your waist, the neckline low and dotted with pearls. After putting on some jewelry to complete the look, you were ready. Just in time too, it seemed.
You hear the doorbell ring, and immediately put your black boots on, racing out your room door, patting Mochi on the head as you pass her.
Your wrist had fully healed, as had your two broken ribs. It was a painfully slow process, lots of days were spent laying motionless in bed. But you were as good as new now.
Dustin was in his room, probably reading Stephen King. You finally convinced him to read them, and now he was hooked. You were so happy that you accomplished your lifelong goal.
"Have fun, honeybun!" You hear your mom call from her favorite chair, and you wave to her. "Will do!" You call back, going to the front door. You take a deep breath, smelling it to make sure your mouth didn't stink. It didn't, much to your satisfaction. Closing your eyes, you give yourself a pep talk.
Okay. Y/n. You can do this! You're gonna be such a badass! You're gonna open that door and be the baddest bitch in the whole world. You say, nodding your head before opening the door.
Your jaw nearly dropped at the sight of Steve. His usually messy hair was done nicely up, swooping around to frame his perfectly angled jawline. He was wearing a tux, the black suit shining in the porch light. His bright brown eyes shined happily upon seeing you, gaze almost as starstruck as yours upon seeing your unnaturally formal self.
"You're... You... You look gorgeous tonight, Y/n." He stammers out, taking your hand up to his mouth before placing a soft kiss on it. "You are such a cliché, Steve..." You say, laughing at his movie star maneuver, while also quoting yourself from the pool party you had with him just two years ago. "However, you look very handsome as well." You flirt, pulling your hand back once he released it.
He immediately goes up to his car, opening up the passenger door for you. "My my, who would've thought that the Steve Harrington was such the gentleman." You say slyly, getting into the car. "Only for you." He says, getting into the drivers seat before starting the car.
"That is such a lie, you doofus." You say, chuckling at his cheesy reply. He digs into the compartment below the stick shift, picking out one of the many cassette tapes from it. You sigh at the familiar sound of 'Fly Me To The Moon,' recognizing the tape to be the same one he played that night of Halloween last year when you drove him home.
"I like this tape." You say, looking over to him. "Oh yeah? That's crazy, me too." He says, smirking back over to you. You roll your eyes, smacking him gently on the arm. He snickers, leaning back into the comfy seat as Killer Queen starts playing, both of you falling into nice harmonies at the song.
It didn't take long for you to get to the fancy restaurant you would be eating at. You actually didn't know what he was planning, said he wanted it to be a surprise. You didn't complain, trusting him with your life and knowing he wouldn't do anything that would make you unhappy.
He opens your car door for you once again, holding his hand out for you to grab as you step out, smiling up at him as the two of you walk into the familiar restaurant 'Enzos.'
A waiter was waiting at the door for you, escorting the two of you to one of the many tables, this one with only two chairs. He puts down two menus, before walking away. You look through the menus filled with Italian food, going to the drinks before spotting your favorite.
"What are you getting?" He asks casually from the other side of you. "I'm thinking about getting the chicken alfredo... But I'm not too sure yet. What about you?"
"Spaghetti...." You look to him with blank eyes. "That's... The most basic dish you could get at an Italian restaurant... Ever. But, you know, you do you." You say, deadpanning at him.
"Hey, I don't need that attitude from you right now."
"Aw, but you know you love it." You say cockily, putting the menu down as you decided what dish you would get. "Never said I didn't." He says, making you blush from the implication he was making.
"It's so cute when you do that." He says, poking his cheeks to symbolize your now red cheeks, which were now getting hotter by the second. "No, it's not." You pout just as the waiter comes back. "Are you ready to order?" He asks, to which you both nod. You tell him your order, stomach growling angrily at the mention of food. Steve looks at you with a raised eyebrow from the other side of the table, making you look down in anger at your rude stomach.
"I'll have the spaghetti." You snort at that, trying to cover it up with your hand but to no avail. He glares at you but doesn't say anything. "Is that all?"
"Could we have some mozzarella sticks as well? That'll be all." You say as he nods his head, walking away. "Talking about me being basic then you go ahead and order mozzarella sticks..." Steve says, shaking his head.
"Don't you dare slander my beloved mozzarella sticks!" You say, shaking your head in disappointment. He scoffs, a small smile playing onto his face. He suddenly grabs your hand that was sitting gently on the table, taking it into his so he could play with your fingers. You laugh at his kid like behavior, but let him nonetheless.
You smile gently as his pointer finger traces the lines on your palm, resting your head onto your free hand, looking around the restaurant.
It was really nice, probably the fanciest restaurant you had ever been to. Dim lights hang from the beige ceiling, a live band playing soft jazz at the back of the restaurant, waiters in white suits roaming around to make sure none of the customers weren't satisfied.
"What's your favorite color?" You ask suddenly, finished with your scavenger hunt around the restaurant. "Uhhh... Blue. What about you?" He responds, to which you tell him yours in turn. "That's a nice one as well." He says, smiling back to you, letting go of your hand as he sees the waiter coming back to the table with your food.
"For the lovely lady." He says, setting your plate onto the table with your favorite drink coming not far behind. A nice plate of mozzarella sticks was placed gently in the center of the small, candlelit table. "And for the gentlemen." He puts Steve's spaghetti in front of him, to which he thanks him softly. He bows. "Enjoy." He says, walking away.
You pick up a fork, taking the steaming food into your mouth. Your eyes widen at the taste of the exquisite food that seemingly melted on your tongue. You immediately look up to Steve with wide eyes, looking back to your food before taking another giant bite of the food. He laughs at your actions.
"Never been to Enzo's?" He questions, to which you shake your head, taking a sip of your drink before digging into the marvelous food yet again. He chuckles again, putting a fork into his spaghetti, spinning it around before putting it into his mouth. He groans in pleasure, making you look up to him.
"Wanna try?" He asks, to which you nod hurriedly. "Wanna try mine as well?" You ask, to which he grins. "Anything that makes you act like that is worth trying." He responds, handing you his fork to put in your food as you hand him yours.
You switch back, taking your fork into your mouth to taste the rich tomato sause and soft, warm noodles. You smile at the familiar taste, still unlike any other spaghetti you had ever tasted. "Mines better." You say sneakily, to which he shakes his head. "Sorry to disagree, but you're wrong. Mine is so much better." He says as you stick your fork back into your meal.
"Wrong."
"Right."
"Falsehood."
"...Righthood...?" He says hesitantly, making you choke on your drink from laughing at his attempt. "You're such a doofus." You state, taking a mozzarella stick from the plate in front of you. You groan at the taste of the superb cheesey flavor buried in the fried bready outside.
"You have to try one of these." You state, to which he sighs. "Fine." He says, to which you grin. You grab one of them from the plate, stuffing it into his mouth, having to reach across the table to do so. "It's not so bad, I guess." He says, grabbing another one from the plate, making you fist pump in victory.
It didn't take much longer to scarf everything down, very full as the waiter comes back to the table. "Allow me to take these off your hands." He says, taking the three plates and empty cups from your table. "You have any idea what we want for dessert?" He asks, and you look over to Steve in panic. You had no idea.
"Let me have the Chocolate Panna Cotta." He says, the waiter nods his head before walking back over to the kitchen. "What is that?" You ask him with confused eyes. "It's a surprise." He says, winking at you. You roll your eyes, smile working it's way onto your features.
It didn't take long for him to get back, a beautiful plate in hand. "Enjoy." He say, before walking away. The dessert looked like chocolate ice cream, pumpkin seeds on top of it for presentation, caramel drizzled on top of the figure. Steve grabs one of the forks that came with it, twirling it in his hands before digging in. You hesitate, poking the substance with your fork, which makes Steve let out a bark of laughter.
"Its not gonna bite you, Y/n."
"I know that!"
"Just try it. Trust me, it's the best thing ever." You look to him with a raised eyebrow. "If I die... You're paying for the funeral." You say, sticking your fork into the substance and shoving it into your mouth.
It tasted like hot cocoa in custard form, melting instantly on your tongue in gooey goodness. The caramel was a good touch to balance out the bitter taste of the chocolate like ice cream, the baked pumpkin seeds being salted and seasoned to perfection, making the experience all the more enjoyable. You sigh in pleasure, taking another fork full immediately upon swallowing.
It was gone in no time from you and Steve eating it like it would be your last meal. "I told you." He says, putting his fork down. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." You retort, making him snort. The waiter was back, taking your plate and forks from you and leaving you with the bill. Steve immediately takes out his wallet, getting a $100 from it before handing it to the man, signing the bill.
"Steve- I can't let you pay for all of this-"
"Ah ah ah, I'm the one who asked you here in the first place. I'm the one who has to pay the bill. Besides, it's already too late, I signed it and he has the money." He says, pointing up to the waiter who was looking to the two of you in amusement.
"Ah, young love." Is all he says before walking away. You blush at the statement, getting up from your chair, belly full.
Steve gets up as well, offering you his arm, which you take immediately, linking his with yours. As you walk out of the warm building, you realize just how cold it had gotten due to the sun going down, and shiver as a breeze went by trying to get back to the car.
Steve realizes this, and stops abruptly, unlinking your arms and taking off his suit, draping it over your bare arms. You blush at the gesture, cuddling deeply into it before taking a deep breath, loving the smell of him on it. The woody scent of his cologne was soothing to you.
He takes your hand back into his, leading you back into his car. "I actually have one last surprise ready for us on this date." He states, opening your door for you. You tilt your head to him as he gets in to the side of you, pulling the car out of the parking lot.
"Is that so? You're gonna have to explain this to my mother." You say slyly, seeing his ears turn pink at your statement. He doesn't respond, only turning up the music playing on the speakers. You smile gently, snuggling deeper into his coat. Eyes slowly drooping farther and farther until... Everything goes dark, your world enveloped in Steve's scent coming from his jacket.
———
"Y/n, wake up. We're here." Steve says gently from the side of you, shaking you awake with a hand. You groan, opening your eyes and rubbing them sleepily. Steve gets out of the car, grabbing something from the back trunk before going over to your side, helping you out.
You find yourself on a big hill, one similar to the one Dustin's cebero is located at. His car was parked as far as he could get it, though you would have to hike just a bit to get to the top.
Steve comes up next to you, taking your hand into his before leading you up the hill, something in his hand. You follow him without hesitation, looking to the sky to see multiple stars, the moon full. It was a truly beautiful sight.
You finally get to the top, gasping at the sight of all of Hawkins below you, many city lights lighting up the dark town. You hear a familiar song play from behind you, and you turn around hurriedly.
'Fly Me To The Moon' was playing softly on a stereo Steve had sat down from behind him. "May I have this dance?" He asks, sticking his hand out for you to take.
"Of course." You say, taking his hand into your own. He pulls you up to his chest, and you wrap an arm around his neck, feeling one of his taking you by the waist. He takes your other hand into his own, swaying you gently under the moon.
You lean your head against his chest, sighing contently as you hear his heart beating a slow melancholy song to you. He starts humming along to the song, the low rumbling in his chest startling you slightly before you adapt to it, joining in.
You stay like that for a bit before he comes to an abrupt stop, tilting your head up with his hand to face him. You stop breathing. A thumb traces your bottom lip, eyes staring into your soul. Your eyes wander down to his lips, and he leans in slowly, making sure you were okay with this. You were more than happy to accept, closing the gap between you two.
Butterflies explode in your stomach, electricity going through the both of you. You wrap both your arms around Steve's neck to deepen the kiss, running your hands through his hair. He groans in pleasure of your doing, kissing you deeply. Your lips danced together in synch, 'Every Breath You Take' playing on the stereo.
And for a moment, everything was perfect.
You didn't want it to end.
His hands roam over your back and neck, running through your hair before finally resting on your waist. You pull away, taking a deep breath. You were high on adrenaline. It was the perfect first kiss ever.
You put your head back onto his chest, listening to his slow but heavy breathing. "You... Don't know, how long Ive been waiting to do that." He says, to which you snuggle closer into him, wrapping your arms around his waist. "Me too." You say, soft smile playing on your face.
———
It was moving day. Steve had dropped you and Dustin off at the Byers once residence on his way to apply for the new job, your interview was tomorrow, as you couldn't miss Wills and El's moving day.
You were currently in their living room, helping pack up the remaining boxes with Dustin, Max, and Lucas. Max and Lucas were currently having a concert, 'The Neverending Story' being their only song. Max was quite bummed out that she wasn't there to here the supposed fantastic performance, but you assured her that she didn't miss anything. You had seen the cheesy performance done live at least once at your time at Dustin's camp.
"-Will unfold behind the clouds," they continue, dancing to the verses. "Wait, did we get that verse right? It's 'unfold behind the clouds'?" Max says playfully to Dustin.
"Yeah, but you're butchering it, so could you please stop?" He begs. "So then join in, Dusty bun!" Lucas says using Suzies pet name for Dustin, blowing him a kiss. "Yeah, come on, Dusty bun! Why don't you join us?" Max eggs him on.
"You guys are so funny, you could be on Carson." Dustin sasses, to which you snort. "Can't we just hear your rendition?"
"No." He states plainly to Max. "Please just one verse???" She begs. "No! No way. It's reserved for Suzies ears and Suzies ears only."
"Except for that one time."
"Except for that one time." He states, agreeing with your statement. "Well, why can't there be another time?" Lucas questions.
"Because it was karaoke night at camp, and that's when Dustybun here recognized his true feelings for Suzie." You say, smiling to your brother cockily who was glaring you down.
"Aw, how romantic!" Max says, Dustin deadpanning at her statement. She suddenly looks to Lucas, both sharing the same look before jumping back into song.
"Turn around, look at what you seeeeeeee!" They both sing, Lucas doing finger guns to Dustin as Max claps to the beat. Dustin flips them off, waving it around for them to see. You roll your eyes, standing up to take the box you taped up outside.
You place it gently down with the others, just waiting for the moving van to get there. Joyce was walking out of the house just as you were walking back in, carrying more boxes in her arms.
"Is El still in your room?" You ask to which she nods sadly. You walk to her room, the door wide open with El on the floor, hand over her mouth with tears running down her face, reading a letter with messy handwriting.
"Hey, what's wrong sweetie?" You ask, to which she looks up, startled. "Letter... From Hop." She sobs out, and you immediately go down next to her, bringing her sobbing figure into your own and stroking her hair gently.
"I miss him so much..."
"I know you do, sweetie. I know." You say back, shushing her softly, letting her hear your calm heartbeat to settle her own down. Her breathing steadily gets back on track, eventually getting up out of your arms.
"I'm going to miss you so much..." She says, making you tear up. "Me too, sweetie. Me too. But, this isn't goodbye. This is a 'see you soon!' Because you know I'm going to be visiting you a lot once I save enough money. And you know I'm going to use Dustin's Cerebro all year long until I can visit." You say, making her chuckle, wiping stray tears from her eyes.
Her gaze suddenly travels over to a woman standing in the doorway, making you turn around to see Joyce. "Moving vans here... We just got everything in. You okay?" She asks knowingly, to which El nods. "Yeah..." She says shakily. Joyce nods, walking out of the room.
She picks the letter up from the ground, folding it up before putting it in her flannels pocket. You stand up, holding your hand out for her to grab, which she does. You pull her to her feet, leading her outside where the van was waiting expectantly.
Joyce lingered in the house a bit longer, letting you say your goodbyes privately. You first go up to Will, taking the boy into your arms. Dustin was sobbing uncontrollably, taking El into his arms.
"It feels like only yesterday we got you back from the Upside Down... And now I'm losing you all over again." You say, choking up on your words, tears starting to pour out when you recall all the best memories you had with him.
He clings onto the back of your shirt. "Thank you for being the best babysitter ever." He says, making you let out a sob. "I'll visit soon." You say, letting go of him and moving on to Jonathan.
He puts out a hand for you to shake, but you wrap your arms around him, making him go stiff. "I'm going to miss you, so much, Jonathan. Even if we aren't as close as we used to be, I still care about you so much." You sob out, feeling his arms wrap around your shoulders. "I'm going to miss you too, Y/n." He says, patting you on the head.
You let go, finally taking El into your arms yet again, your sister even if it wasn't by blood. "See you soon." You say, rubbing her back. You would miss your sister the most out of all. You recall all those ice cream trips, the sleepovers, the rescuing and recovering, the comforting, the gossiping, God... You would miss it all.
You pull away, taking her tear soaked face into your hands, and wiping away her stray tears. "Keep growing your hair out, Repunzel." You say, kissing the top of her head before walking away to Joyce.
She wraps her arms around you. "You're free to visit anytime, sweetheart." She says, kissing your forehead gently before getting into the car along with the rest of the kids.
Jonathan closes the moving van, getting into the car with Joyce before everyone drives away, leaving everyone to wave them goodbye.
Dustin was standing next to you, and you hug him tightly. He sobs into your chest. "I don't want them to go I don't want them to go." He keeps repeating, making you start to cry all over again.
You take his stupid cap off, stroking his soft curls as he buries himself into your chest. "I know... I know." You say, seeing Mike, Lucas, and Max burst into tears as well, you motion them to join in.
They do, everyone piling over each other into a group hug.
Today, you had all lost two valuable party members.
But not forever, no. They would come back, you know they would. It was just a matter of when.
————-
HOLY BEJEEBUS. THAT WAS SO LONG. oh my lord, i'm gonna make this short.
if you made it this far, i congratulate you. you're a trooper frfr. this took 4 days to write. FOUR. DAYS. so i hope you guys liked it for the sake of my sanity 😭
have a good rest of your evening/afternoon/morning. love you guys <3
question of the day : when did you cry the most when watching stranger things?
word count : a whopping 11,012 words