American Heroes: A Stranger Things 3 Fic

Satan's Baby

Will, Dustin, Steve, and Robin rush into the convenience store like rabid animals, panting and gaping about for their friends. They tear down a couple aisles until they run into Erica who's gathering bottles of water in her arms. She raises an eyebrow when they reach her. "The hell were you guys?"

Steve makes a face. "We ran into that thing."

"What's going on?" Dustin asks Erica. "Where's everyone else?"

Before Erica can answer, Lucas skirts down the aisle and rushes up to them. "You're here."

"Yeah, just got here," Dustin says. "We ran into the Mind Flayer back at the cabin. What happened with you guys?"

"After you four left, El found the source, but when she went to see Billy, Billy saw where we were at the cabin, and he sent the Mind Flayer there."

"She found the source?" Will asks. "Where is it?"

"Don't remember exactly. Steelwork factory, I think."

"Are you guys alright?"

"Not really. El's got a massive cut in her leg. That's why we're here." He gestures to Steve, Robin, and Dustin. "You guys, go ask Max what she needs to treat the wound. Bring that water to El, Erica. Will, come find a bowl with me."

As Steve, Robin, and Dustin head down one of the aisles and Erica continues to gather water bottles, Will follows Lucas through the store. "Why are we looking for a bowl?" Will asks.

"No clue. Max said she needs it." Peering at the shelves, Lucas hums to himself while Will thinks back to what happened at the cabin. The taser. The sparks of electricity. It didn't feel like what happened at the hospital. No, that was different. Back there, he was enraged. Out of control as if something deep inside him clawed its way to the surface. At the cabin, it was like he could feel the energy, the electricity, flow through him. Like it was a part of him.

"Are you alright?" Lucas's voice brings Will out of his thoughts. "You're looking rough, and I don't mean that as an insult. How bad was it at the cabin? We thought El had stopped it for a while at least."

"Oh, it wasn't bad bad," Will says. "Nothing like the hospital."

"Did you fall or something? You've got blood under your nose."

"What?" Reaching up, Will rubs under his nose and flakes of red fall into his hand. His stomach tightens as he looks at the dried blood. Why hadn't Dustin, Steve, or Robin mentioned it earlier? How long had his nose been bleeding?

"You good?"

Will looks up to meet Lucas's eyes before nodding and letting out a faint, "Yeah, fine."

"Okay. There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Will studies his friend's face. "What is it?"

"Earlier, Erica said something about you and Mike. She heard you guys talking last night or whatever."

Didn't Dustin say Lucas thought it was about Mike and El? Will frowns. The list of people who know about him and Mike is getting longer every minute.

"I told her not to tell anyone else," Lucas goes on. "Dustin was with us too, but as far as I know, he thought she was talking about Mike and El."

A laugh escapes Will's throat before he can hold it back. When Lucas raises an eyebrow, he shakes his head. "Sorry, it's just... are you weirded out?"

"Of course not. If I'm being honest, I'm not all that surprised."

"How obvious was I?"

"Oh, it's not that you were obvious at all. It's just... you and Mike have always been closer than the rest of us."

"Why is it that everyone says I wasn't being obvious, but everyone figured it out?"

Lucas furrows his eyebrows. "Who else knows?"

"Besides you and Erica, Max figured it out, Dustin, and now Steve and Robin. I told Jonathan myself." He sighs. "It's fair to say at this point, everyone knows."

"As far as I'm aware, no one knows that everyone knows, other than you and me," Lucas says and then tilts his head. "Did something happen the night you destroyed Castle Byers? With you and Mike?"

"We..." Will pauses, trying to decide if he should tell the truth or not. It didn't feel right, telling people about him and Mike without Mike's permission. "We fought because I was jealous of El, and I was jealous of El because I'm in love with Mike."

Lucas squeezes his shoulder. "I'm sorry about what he said in the cabin about Eleven."

"Just have to deal with it."

"I'm sorry I was the one who brought it up. I should've let you tell me when you were ready. I'm really sorry."

"Lucas, it's fine." He pats him on the shoulder. "I'm glad you brought it up. Otherwise, I'm not sure I ever would have."

"Come here, man." With a smile, Lucas pulls him into a tight hug. "You're one of my best friends, Will, and you always will be. I hope you know that."

Will smiles back. "I know." When they pull apart, he gestures about the store. "So, where exactly would we find a bowl?"

Glancing around, Lucas chuckles. "No idea. Cereal aisle probably." They head down the cereal aisle, only to find no sign of a bowl. "Bowl... bowl! Bowl... bo – why wouldn't it be with the cereal?"

"I don't know."

"What else do you use a bowl for?"

"I... don't know."

As they turn out of the aisle, Lucas sighs then stops short, his eyes widening. "Oh shit."

There in the middle of the aisle is a stand stocked full of fireworks. The display is taller than both boys. Will and Lucas meet eyes before rushing over to it. Taking one of the boxes in his hands, a grin spreads over Lucas's face. "Oh, Satan's Baby... you ever shot one of these suckers?"

"No. Is it sweet?"

"That's an understatement."

"That doesn't look like a bowl," Max says, marching up to them. Her eyes linger on Will's bloody nose before staring down Lucas.

"Nah, it's way better." Lucas lifts the box to show her. "There's a reason this warning label says eighteen or older. This sucker is filled with a hundred and fifty grains of black powder, a.k.a., gun powder." He tosses the box to Max. "Strap two of these together and it's bigger than an M-80. Five of them? We've got ourselves a stick of dynamite."

"You want to kill that thing with fireworks?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Uh, yeah, Eleven." She throws the box back at Lucas.

Lucas's eyebrows draw together. "Against that thing? She's gonna need some backup."

Rolling her eyes, Max turns around and marches away, muttering, "Oh my god."

"Hold this." Lucas hands Will the box of Satan's Baby before piling more boxes into his arms. He adjusts his hold on all the boxes as Dustin and Erica walk over to them.

"What are you doing?" Erica asks.

"Backup plan," Lucas says, handing Dustin a pile of boxes. "Why don't you get us a shopping cart?"

"Get your own shopping cart."