The Babysitters: Steve Harrington x Reader

Chapter 21

I rolled over on my side, my eyes felt like they were glued shut, never to be opened again. And I was okay with that, I think. Until the rolling to my side didn't stop, and I felt my stomach lurch as I slipped from my side of the bed and on to the cushions beneath me.

I grunted in pain, and then my eyes wrenched open in realization: someone slept on these cushions beneath me last night. I scrambled up, half expecting to see Steve's face even more smashed underneath my weight, but he was gone. There was light seeping in through the window's shutters, so I new it wasn't an ungodly hour of night.

I peeked over the edge of the bed to see Nancy still sound asleep. Good, I didn't accidentally wake her. I grabbed a blanket from Steve's makeshift bed and stood up, passing both Johnathan and Nancy asleep as I left the room. I caught a glimpse of their hands clasped together over the side of the bed and smiled to myself. I just hope Steve didn't see when he had woken up, it would crush his little heart.

I crept into the kitchen; the kids were still asleep in the living room. Dustin and Lucas were a tangle of limbs; Dusty was always quite the cuddle-er, and Lucas seemed to be the only one who would tolerate it. Mike's arm was slapped over Dustin's face, dangerously close to falling into Dustin's open mouth, through which he was lightly snoring. Max was sleeping on the other side of Dustin and Lucas, curled up with her back to the rest of them. They all looked so peaceful. Relatively. I don't think I could clearly make out the rise and fall of Lucas's chest underneath Dustin, but I'm sure he was fine.

I turned my back on the kids to see an unexpected sight. Steve and Mrs. Byers sitting at the table, chatting softly over morning coffee.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Joyce said as she noticed me walk into the room. "Did you sleep well?"

"Fell off the bed," I shrugged with a smile, "So you tell me." Steve laughed, his shoulders shaking as he bowed his head. My eyes were drawn to him, and I didn't look away; even when I asked Joyce, "How long have you two been up?"

"He was already up when I came out here, which was at least 30 minutes ago," Joyce explained, taking a sip of her coffee.

Steve looked up, and our eyes met. He threw me one of those stupidly attractive smiles as he said, "I'm a morning person."

"Somehow that makes you even more insufferable," I grumbled, breaking eye contact with him and letting out a breath I had locked in my lungs. I sat down in the chair next to him, bundled in the blanket I grabbed.

"I love your little cocoon," Steve commented smiling into his mug of coffee.

"Shut up."

"Are you not a morning person, Y/N?" Joyce asked with a smile.

"Not in the slightest," I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes with the heels of my hands. "What day is it," I mumbled.

"Sunday," Joyce answered with a laugh.

"Ohhh no," I said with a groan. I rested my head on the table. "That means tomorrow is Monday."

"Well, that is usually how weeks work, sweetie," Joyce said, still in her lighthearted tone.

"I don't think any of us have the mental capacity to go to school tomorrow. Especially with Will, and the loss of Bob..." I trailed off.

Joyce nodded. "I talked to Hop. He has arranged so that every one of you kids gets this week off, and you don't have to go back to school until after thanksgiving break."

"How do we even explain that to our parents?" Steve asked, his knee bouncing.

"I thought they weren't in town?" I asked him.