better by myself - steve harrington AU

chapter 2 - yurtle

Cold air was blowing rhythmically through my open window, slightly swaying the bouquet of fake flowers that sat on my window sill. Even though it was late fall and the crisp evening air wasn't something most people would openly invite inside their homes, I liked it. I liked it because I got to wear thick sweaters and cozy down under my comforter. I much preferred being cold and having to grab a blanket than being warm and sweaty.

I was laying just like that; under my comforter wearing a big cozy sweater. My hands were naked and cold, holding up my favourite book and leisurely flipping through it. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I had read it a million times, the pages were worn out and bleached from the sun but it didn't matter because I practically knew it by heart. It amazed me that I never seemed to get tired of it.

My gaze shifted from the words on the paper to my door that was now cracked open more than I swore I left it. I sat up slightly to find a cause for it, thinking it was most likely Mews. The actual cause had me more confused than anything. Slowly making his way into my room was Yurtle. Dustin's turtle that I swore I hadn't even seen since the day my mom let him get it. I had completely forgotten it even existed.

To my extreme dismay, I got out of my snug little nest and scooped Yurtle into my hands. As much as I didn't like him being in my room, he was a cute little bugger.

"Dustin!" I yelled louder than I had to. "Why is your stupid turtle walking around the house?"

I was quiet for a while awaiting an answer, but I didn't get one. I walked over to Dustin's room and tried opening his door, but it was locked. "Dustin!" I yelled again, knocking on his door by kicking it since my hands were occupied. Still nothing.

"DUSTIN!" I screamed and kicked as loud as I could, and I finally garnered a reaction. I heard him mutter something from the other side of the door and he eventually unlocked it. He cracked the door open just enough for me to not see into his room. "Since when did you start locking your door?" I tried to look around his room through the small gap in the door that he offered me, but everything looked normal.

"Since when did you start being so nosy?" He retaliated back.

"Since when did you start being so nosy?" I mocked him. "Why is your turtle walking around like he's a house cat?"

"I didn't know he had left my room." Dustin answered simply, snatching the unassuming turtle from my hands.

"Why isn't he in his cage?" I asked.

Dustin sighed. "First of all, it's a terrarium. Secondly-" He seemed to be coming up with an excuse in the moment. "I just took him out to play with him and he escaped. Okay?"

I fixed my eyes on him in suspicion. He wasn't telling me the truth, and I pondered on whether or not it was worth it to find out why he was lying or not. "Can I come in?" I asked eventually, still with suspicion in my voice.

"No, you may n-" Dustin started, but I pushed open his door and stepped in anyway. "Hannah!" He yelled. "Mom! Hannah is violating my private space!"

"Mr. Yurtle was violating my private space." I snarked back at him. I looked around his room, seeing nothing incriminating, until... Something moved in Yurtle's terrarium. I barely noticed it, it could've been a fly buzzing around for all I knew, but I went closer to inspect it.

"Holy shit." I said under my breath as I laid eyes on the... creature. It was small and looked slimy, almost like a tadpole but... not?

Dustin had put Yurtle back on the ground and was now pulling my arm to get me out of his room. "Where did you get this?" I asked, my feet planted securely on the ground. He eventually got tired of trying to force me out and gave up.

"This is my discovery, okay?" He began. "Okay?!" He repeated, clearly wanting verbal confirmation.

"Okay, okay. Weirdo." I looked at him for a split second before turning my attention back to the tadpole. "What is it?"

"That's the thing," Dustin began, walking up beside me to look at the creature through the glass as well. "I don't know."

"You don't know? I mean, you must have some clue. Is it foreign?" I inquired. "Did you like... make this thing with some weird science?"

Dustin glared at me like he had never heard a more idiotic sentence. "You're incredibly stupid, you know that right?"

I didn't bother to respond.

"His name is Dart and I found him in the trash yesterday." He said after a while. I nodded, waiting for him to continue. "I don't know what he is yet, but I'm going to find out. I'm going to find out. This is my discovery and you will not get any credit."

"I don't care, Dustin." I said. "As long as this thing isn't going to kill me in my sleep I literally do not care about it."

"He won't do that, Dart is nice." He smiled at the slimy creature. I thought it was kind of cute, Dustin had always cared about animals, sometimes too much. Like this time, when he literally evicted his turtle from his home for a dumpster creature. But it was nonetheless one of his more endearing qualities.

"Just... tell Yurtle not to roam around the house, okay? I don't want to accidentally step on him." I said, beginning to make my way out of his room.

"Yeah, yeah. Close the door on your way out."

"Whatever you say, boss man." I mockingly saluted him even though he wasn't looking at me, and did as I was told.

I went back into my room, and my nest, but I couldn't keep reading my book. I could only think about how that was, by far, the weirdest interaction I had had with my brother to date.