Ahoy, Dingus - Steve Harrington x Reader

Season 2 ~ Back at the Byers

Leaning against the kitchen counter, I look across the room, seeing Nancy place her hand on Jonathan's shoulder as he stroked Will's hair.

Steve made his way over to me, wrapping an arm over my shoulders as I snuggle into his side, enjoying the warmth coming from his body.

"It's been some night, huh?" Steve asks me with a chuckle, while lightly stroking my back.

"Yeah," I say with a small smile while looking at the kids, sitting around the kitchen table in silence.

"Sam Owens." Hopper says as he was on a call with a woman. "Dr. Sam Owens. I don't know how many people are there! I don't know how many people are left alive! I am the police! Chief Jim Hopper! Yes, the number that I gave you, yes. 6767... I will be here."

Clicking the phone down, the kids, Steve and I focus our attention on Hopper, waiting for a response.

"They didn't believe you, did they?" Dustin asks, his hands resting on the table.

"We'll see." Hopper says simply, turning around to face us.

"We'll see?" Mike cries, his voice laced with irritation. "We can't just sit here while those things are loose."

"We stay here, and we wait for help." Hopper demands, giving Mike one last look before walking out of kitchen.

Sighing, I shift over so Steve and I stood side by side and placing my hand on top of his that rested against the counter.

The kids went back to sitting in silence as Steve and I occasionally share glances. Not a single word has been spoken in twenty minutes but it felt like a lot has been said.

"Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?" Mike asks us, holding up a toy Bob had brought for Will.

"Really?" Lucas asks, leaning forward in his seat.

"He petitioned the school to start it and everything." Mike says, walking over to the table. "Then he had a fundraiser for equipment. Mr. Clarke learned everything from him. Pretty awesome, right?"

"Yeah." Dustin and Lucas nodded in unison as Mike places the toy on the table.

"We can't let him die in vain."

"What do you want to do, Mike?" Dustin snaps, looking up at his friend. "The Chief's right on this. We can't stop those Demo-dogs on our own."

"Demo-dogs?" Max scoffs, narrowing her eyebrows at Dustin.

"Demogorgon..." Dustin says, using hand gestures to prove his point. "Dogs. Demo-dogs. It's like a compound. It's like a play on words—"

"Okay." Max says, her eyes widening a bit.

"I mean, when it was just Dart, maybe..." I shrug.

"But there's an army now." Lucas concludes.

"Precisely."

"His army." Mike mumbles.

"What do you mean?" Steve pipes up.

"His army." Mike emphasizes. "Maybe if we stop him, we can stop his army, too."

"What?" I ask, not completely understanding where Mike was going with this.

Rushing into the other room, the rest of us trailing behind, he picks up a drawing of an unknown creature and hands the picture to Dustin, his eyes widening as he clutched the drawing.

"The shadow monster." Dustin says.

"It got Will that day on the field." Mike says, jogging my memory. "The doctor said it was like a virus, it infected him."