Just Friends...? || Steve Harrington x Reader

S1 ||CHAPTER 5

The Flea and the Acrobat

You all went to the Wheeler's where you all tried to process what the hell had just happened that afternoon.

"What was Will saying again?" you asked, while sitting in the couch on Mike's basement, Eleven resting her head on your lap. "Like home... Like home..." Mike answered to you "but dark..?" he continued. "And empty" Lucas continued to Mike's statement. "Empty and cold. Wait, did he say cold?" Dustin joined in, all trying to figure out where could this place be. "I don't know, man. There was too much static and the radio kept going in and out" you said "Like home. Like.. his house?" Mike said "Or maybe like Hawkins!" Lucas said, continuing what Mike just had said "Upside down" Eleven softly said, still her head resting on your lap "What was that?" you asked her. She looked up at you "Upside down" you tried to understand what that meant, until Mike approached the board of D&D "Upside down" he repeated El's words.

"When El showed us where Will was, she flipped the board over, remember? Upside down" Mike said, flipping the cardboard down. "Dark. Empty" he tried to explain "Do you guys understand what he's talking about?" Lucas said glancing up at you and Dustin.

You gently stood up and grabbed a pillow to put it under El's head, where your lap was before. You approached the boys to try to understand what they were saying. "Guys, come on, think about it." Mike said. You were starting to understand "Where was the first place El took us when we asked her to find Will?" you asked the boys "His house..?" Dustin replied "Exactly" you said. "Uh huh, he wasn't there. So, what's your point?" Lucas asked, with a tone of a annoyance "My point is.. What if he was there, but we just couldn't see him? What if he was at his house, but.. Upside down." you explained "Like in another dimension" Mike continued to your explanation, and you nodded at it.

You grabbed the board and turned it upside up "This is Hawkins." you placed your palm on the board, then you turned it upside down "And this is the upside down. A version of Hawkins. Dark. Empty. Cold." you said, placing your palm on the board again. "Like the Vale of Shadows" Dustin said. You snapped your fingers and pointed at him, glad that he was also understanding and had found a beautiful example of what were you trying to say.

Dustin grabbed the D&D book Mike had in his basement and placed it on the table. You got next to him to see the page. He started reading.

"The Vale of Shadows is a dimension that is a dark reflection or echo of our world." we all looked at each other as Dustin read. "It is a place of decay and death. A plane out of phase. A place of monsters. It is right next to you.. And you don't even see it" you finished reading and looked up to the guys. "An alternate dimension" Mike stated his theory once more. "But... how... how do we get there?" Lucas asked, finally starting to realize what this meant. "You cast shadow walk." Dustin replied. You nudge his arm "In real life, dipshit".

"We can't shadow walk, but.." he glanced at El "maybe she can" we all looked at Eleven. "Do you know how to get there? To the Upside Down?" Mike asked her. Eleven just shakes her head 'no'. "Oh, my God!" Lucas sighed.

It was time to go home already. You all had to rest well, because the next day early in the morning ... It was Will's funeral.

You grabbed yourself a black dress, some black boots and a black purple-like coat. After you got yourself all dressed up you went to help Dustin with his tie. "Do we really have to go? He's not dead" he exclaimed "Yeah, well.. Only us know that. And it would look really bad for his best friends not go to his funeral, now would it?" you said, finishing up with his tie. "come on" you said, leaving the room.