my girl, forever and always || steve harrington

the spy

part four

the group had set up everything before the sun had set which was what they had been working towards. the rusty bus that was her childhood hideout with dustin was now their base, protected by old tires and various junk pieces they had discovered throughout the yard. it wasn't perfect but it would have to do for now; cause they had no other options.

she found that the most difficult part of this whole ordeal was the waiting. the anticipation and anxiety from their situation caused lydia to bounce her leg incessantly as a form of self-soothing, even if it irritated her ankle. steve was messing around with his old metal lighter, flicking it open and closed in a rhythmic fashion. lucas was looking out through the emergency exit with his binoculars for any sight of dart amidst the autumn fog that covered the ground. dustin was next to his sister rubbing her back trying to comfort as much as possible because he felt guilty. he knew she didn't want to be here and he hated that he dragged her into this situation selfishly, but he needed her. so he was going to be there for her in any way he could.

"so you really fought one of these things before?" max asked steve. he only nodded in response. "and you're like, totally 100% sure it wasn't a bear?" the scoff that left lydia's mouth was unintentional but the question angered her.

"shit, don't be an idiot. okay? it wasn't a bear." dustin's response was harsh, but a tiny part of lydia was thankful for it because she would've said something much worse. "why are you even here if you don't believe us? just go home." part of him was upset because he knew that this is the same creature that almost killed his sister, twice. and there was no way he imagined that. but the other part of him was burning in jealousy of lucas. because she came here because of lucas. because she liked lucas, not him.

"yeesh, someone's cranky. past your bedtime?" max gave him one last look before climbing up the ladder to where his friend sat.

"that's good, just show her you don't care." steve commented and lydia shot him a disapproving glare.

"i don't." dustin was pacing again. he was really worked up. "it's just, this thing that i brought home was the thing that almost killed my sister twice. i know for sure it wasn't a fucking bear and i hate that she is acting like we're all just delusional. i don't think a bear would've opened it's face up to try and eat lydia. if she wants to be so damn skeptical she should just leave." eventually he stopped his incessant pacing and plopped down next to his sister in agitation. it was nice of him to be angry on her behalf, but that's not what she wanted for him.

"you don't have to be so hard on her because of me. i can fight my own battles, dust." she gave his arm a little squeeze and laid her head on his shoulder.

"yeah, i know." he rested his head on top of his sister's and felt the tiniest bit of comfort in this small gesture. because they were hiding a rusty old bus trying to trap a cat-eating monster, this simple moment meant the world to the henderson siblings. it was a second of normalcy in the chaos of their lives, and they let themselves enjoy being in the other's presence.

the growl that they heard immediately had them on their feet. steve and lydia rushed to the window that they had covered with a screen, allowing them limited visibility of the junkyard. the moon and a lampost illuminated the fog, making the scenery eerier than it already was.

the older henderson thought her heart was going to jump out of her chest because of how hard it was beating. she was almost 100% certain steve could hear it considering he was mere inches from her. that's why, when he grabbed her hand and held it tight she thought nothing of it and gave it a squeeze.