Steve Harrington x OC!Henderson
Book 1
Season 1
Slow Burn
Riley Henderson just wants to finish high school and live a normal life. But when her younger brothers friend, Will Byers, goes missing one night. Everything changes. And lets just say that n...
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Sitting in the back of the chief's truck was not something Riley ever thought she would be doing. Neither was anything she's done all week - but she's starting to come to terms with the fact that things are going to be different from here on out.
Hopper shuts off the engine after parking in front of the Byers' and Riley hops out first before helping the kids from the backseat one by one.
Eleven sets her hands on Riley's shoulders as she lifts her onto the gravel, and the front door to the house swings open. The thud it makes against the wall snaps her attention over, and she groans at the cause.
"Mike! Mike, oh my God-" Nancy shouts as she comes running out of the house and envelopes her brother in a hug. Riley arches a brow at her actions, wondering what it could've been that finally made her remember to act like a sister.
Mike stands perfectly still in her arms, just as shocked as Riley is, "Hi?"
She pulls away, hands still on him, "I was so worried about you! God, if you ever scare me like that again-"
Riley scoffs at her words, shaking her head slightly as she slams the car door. Of course, it take a grave situation to get her to care about her brother.
"Unbelievable," Riley mutters to herself.
Nancy must've heard what she said because she brings her focus to Riley but switches it to Eleven. The small girl, standing by her side, almost shrinks further under the scrutiny from Nancy, "Uh, is that my dress?"
"Are you ready?" Riley mutters to Eleven, kneeling down to be at her height. Her hand is in the older girls, eyes focused on the makeshift sensory deprivation tank to her left. She turns to her and nods slightly, "Yes."
"Good girl," Joyce says as she rubs her arm, "You know Riley and I are going to be here the whole time, okay? So if it ever gets too scary-"
"I understand," Eleven responds and she pulls down her socks and hands Mike his watch before taking the goggles from Joyce. She reaches out to Riley for help getting into the pool, and she happily obliges her, setting a hand on her back to usher her in.
The lights flicker as Eleven floats in the salt-infused water - a sign that her plan to use a bath is working.
"What do you see?" Joyce asks gently, being sure to not pressure her into rushing. Eleven swallows, her voice wavering, "Barbara?"
Nancy gasps and clings to the side of the pool, leaning in a touch, "Is Barb there? Do you see her?" Eleven pauses for a moment and leaves everyone in suspense before a sob wracks her throat, "Gone."
Riley's eyes dart over to notice Nancy's reaction; tears start to collect on her lashes and her hand covers her mouth in horror.
Eleven's crying too. Riley and Joyce quickly attempt to offer her comfort by holding her; the bottom half of Riley's sleeve gets wet as she interlaces her fingers together. Joyce shushes her back to a calm state, hands running over her cheeks.
A few seconds pass after that before Riley feels her tense up, "Will." Joyce sighs in relief at the mention of her son, her tone pleading and wrecked "Where is he? Where can I find him?"
"Castle-" Eleven hesitates, "Castle Byers."
The radio on the table crackles to life at Joyce's promise to rescue him, and a single word gets uttered, soft and quiet through the static, "Hurry."
Riley closes the door to the gym and turns to see Nancy leaning against the mascot's mural. Her only thought is that she's probably going to regret this, and she starts to approach her ex-friend.
Her head turns to Riley, ponytail flipping with the motion, and the look in her eyes chips away a piece of Riley's heart. It reminds her of the first time they both heard her parents argue and she sobbed at the idea of them not being happy with each other.
Riley sits on the bench that's beside Nancy before she casts her eyes back forward. Her elbows press into her knees as she tries and come up with something to say, some way to connect with her. Even though Riley didn't like Barb because she stole Nancy from her, she can't imagine what it's like to lose someone that way.
Just as Riley's about to open her mouth, Jonathan comes back in from outside and exchanges a somber glance with both girls. He joins Nancy on the floor, tucking his legs into his chest like her, and she speaks up, "We have to go back to the station."
Jonathan nods, "You still want to do the plan?"
"Your mom and Hopper are just-" She pauses and a tear hits her cheek, "Walking right into a death trap. We have to kill it."
Riley's forehead creases at what she's insinuating, leaning forward on her arms, "Wait, hold on. You guys want to try and kill that thing?"
"Yeah, but all of our supplies are at the police station after I got arrested," Jonathan says, nodding as he does so. Riley snorts at him, "I'm sorry, Jonathan Byers did what?"
He pushes himself up from the floor before wiping his hands on his jeans. Riley catches sight of his bruised and battered knuckles, her features warping further with confusion.
"It's a long story, one that's not really important right now." Nancy gets up with his help and pulls her hair tighter through the elastic, "Come on, let's go."
The two of them start to walk off but stop once they reach the door, turning back towards Riley after realizing she hadn't followed; she'd been sitting there in a state of disbelief.
"Aren't you coming?" Nancy asks as she points to the parking lot beyond the door.
Riley laughs lightly and she's completely baffled by their actions. She can't believe that they want to go off and attempt this, "You want me to help you fight a monster? A monster that might not even exist?"
"Believe me, it's real," Jonathan confirms, the serious tone of his voice sends a wave of fear through Riley and he looks over to Nancy, "We could use your help."
Riley scoffs at them and their ridiculous idea, rising to her feet as she answers, "And what, just leave the kids? You're out of your mind."
"That thing, whatever it is, its out for blood, Riley. Killing it might be the only way to keep them safe," Nancy states plainly, gesturing to the gym where the kids reside. She takes a few steps in Riley's direction and speaks with unwavering power, "So help us keep them safe."
Riley's head moves over at the sound of her brother's voice ringing out, and she watches the four of the kids interact for a brief moment. They've already been through so much this week, and they've proven more than capable of defending themselves.
Although she hates the idea of leaving them here, she would rather do that and help Nancy and Jonathan in their quest than have the monster attack the kids. She'd never forgive herself if she never tried to do something about it.
"Alright, fine," Riley sighs as she shoves her hands into her pockets and walks over to them, "Let's kill this thing."
