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

Chapter Eleven: Good Idea

I now stood in the dark room at the high school, enveloped in red light as Jonathan developed more of the photos he'd taken the night of Steve's party. I'd told them my story, leaving out the part with Eleven and the kids, just like I had with Dad, and they told me all about Jonathan's photos and Steve breaking his camera and how we'd gotten to this point.

"So why didn't you talk after you came back?" Nancy asked as Jonathan placed the paper in the chemical tray. I shook my head.

"We don't need to talk about that right now." I said, giving Jonathan a cautious look.

"No, its ok...I wanna know." He said. I sighed, biting my lip.

"Um...I wanted to, but everytime I tried I had a panic attack," I explained, "It was just me, alone in that place for a year and I had to avoid making noise or else it would find me, so...I guess I just had learned to find comfort in silence."

"I can't imagine." She said.

"I'm actually kind of grateful for it now." I said, causing both of them to glance at me. "Just because, when we get Will back, He'll...he'll have someone who understands, you know? I can help him adjust."

"He'll appreciate that." Jonathan said. I smiled.

"How long does this take?" Nancy questioned.

"Not long."

"Have you been...doing this a while?"

"What?"

"Photography." I clarified.

"Yeah. I guess I'd rather observe people than, you know..."

"Talk to them?" She inquired.

"I know. Its weird."

"Hey, I get it." I said.

"No." Nancy denied.

"No, it is," He said, "Its just, sometimes people don't really say what they're really thinking. But you capture the right moment...it says more."

I raised my eyebrows, moving away from them as I observed exactly such a moment as Nancy and Jonathan looked into each other's eyes. Steve Harrington can be charming and stupid all day long, but I don't think I've ever seen Nancy look at him that way.

"What was I saying?" She asked.

"What?"

"When you took my picture."

"I shouldn't have taken that," He said, putting a hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry. Its just..."

"That's it." Nancy interrupted. I ran back over, looking into the tray as the zoomed in picture appeared, and there it was in all its terrifying glory: The Demogorgan. "That's what I saw."

"The Demogorgan." I said.

"The Demo what?" Nancy asked. I shook my head.

"Nothing, its just a stupid nickname. But that's it, Jonathan, that's what your mom saw, this is the proof right here!" 

"I thought she was crazy, because she said that's not Will's Body. That he's still alive."

"And he is! Now you know he is, the proof is right here, if the monster is real than so is Will communicating through the lights!" I exclaimed.

"And if he's alive..."

"Then Barbra..."

"Well...I don't know if that's true." I said, causing both of them to look at me. "Obviously, I desperately want for that to be the case, but...Will and I got lucky. I just don't want you to be shocked if...the luck ran out, you know?" She looked down at her feet. "I'm not saying that that's what is going to happen, I just...let's try to look at this with a sense of realistic optimism, how about that?" She nodded.