Love Is A Battlefield (A Stranger Things/Steve Harrington Fanfiction)

Chapter Seven: Hawkins National Labratory

As expected, the next morning when I left my room, Dad was sitting in the kitchen waiting for me.

"Riley, can you sit down for a minute?"

"Can't. I have to get to school and I think you have a guest you should be drooling on over breakfast." I said, making a break for the door. He kicked the chair opposite him so it slid across the floor and into my path.

"Sit. Now." I sighed, pushing the chair back over and sitting down in it.

"What?"

"We've been waiting a year to actually be able to talk to each other, and you just storm off into your room?" He asked. I shrugged.

"You were busy."

"Riley, don't pull this crap right now-"

"What crap?!" I exclaimed. "Is this me 'pulling crap', Dad? You didn't even notice my truck wasn't here when you pulled into the driveway!" He hesitated. "You came home, you took care of business, and then it wasn't until you stopped for your cigarette break that you even noticed I wasn't there, and you didn't even bother to put the dang thing out and go look for me!" 

"Did you ever stop to consider that I was trying to keep myself from having a breakdown so that I could go and find you?!"

"Yeah, well I doubt it was very hard, there was no stopping you when it came to Sara." He paused, and I could see by the look in his eyes that he was thinking back to our argument the night I disappeared. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Forget it, I'm late for school." I stood up, turning towards the door.

"You're not going to school." I stopped, turning to face him.

"Excuse me?" He sighed.

"Look, clearly your ticked off at me right now, which means you're not gonna want to sit down and talk about what happened to you anytime soon," I sighed, looking down at my feet, "But I need to know, so until you calm down, and can talk to me with a clear head, you're gonna come and help me with the Byers case."

"What?!" I asked. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's the problem? You were dying to jump on the case two days ago, now its an outrage?" 

"I wanted to look for Will not be babysat by you all day-"

"I'm not babysitting you. I think you could actually be helpful." He said. I shook my head. "What's the matter, you got somethin' better to do?"

"No." I lied begrudgingly, picking absently at the table wood. He nodded.

"Then come on, let's get a move on, we've got places to be."

"Like where?" I asked.

"Hawkins National Laboratory." He said, walking out of the room and hitting the door frame as he went. I sighed, dumping my bag and following him out, completely forgetting about the radio that was hidden away inside of it.

~~~

I was sitting in the passenger seat of Dad's truck, Powell and Callaghan in the back, talking as we pulled up to the lab.

"There she is," Powell said, "Emerald City."

"I heard they make Space weapons in there." Callaghan said.

"Space Weapons?"

"Yeah, you know like Reagan's Star Wars? I guess we're gonna blow the Ruskies to smithereens." Dad pulled to a stop in front of the gate operater.

"Hi, can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah, we're here for a tour." Dad said. I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest and looking out the window.