Halley's comet | Steve Harrington

xxvii. return of the dickbag

"𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕."

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"This fort; where is it?" Halley stood with Jonathan and Joyce as Hopper questioned them about what El had seen, and where he would find it in their dimension.

Joyce, surprisingly, was far more lucid than her children at that point. "It's in the woods behind our house."

"He used to go there to hide." Halley wasn't looking at the others, instead focusing on the boys over on the bleachers; they had wrapped El up in a towel and were talking now. All of them looked completely exhausted. Her attention was pulled back when she heard Hopper's shoes start to stomp away.

With only a second of hesitation, the three Byers took after him.

Hopper pushed out into the parking lot, but Joyce was hot on his heels. Reaching out to stop him before he could get into his car.

"Hey, get back inside," he said, pointing back at the door that had shut only a second before. The cold nipped at Halley's cheeks, but she stayed quiet. She and Jonathan stood waiting for Joyce to tell them what to do. "Look, if something happens to me— I don't make it back—"

"Then I'll go!" Joyce shouted, cutting him off. "You stay, are you kidding me? He's my son, Hop. My son." She was up in his face, and for a moment Halley was ready to jump in and stop them before things got physical. But she had to remind herself that it was Hopper, and that he would never do that. "I'm going!"

She turned back around, taking Halley's shoulder in her right hand and Jonathan's in her left, speaking in a much softer tone, "Listen, I need you to stay here-"

"What? No-"

"And watch over the kids." she gave a pleading look.

"No, Mom I can help-"

"Please, Jonathan." that was the end. With the look in her mom's eyes, Halley knew that there was no arguing about this. Joyce wrapped her arms around her kids and squeezed as if she would never see them again. Halley tried not to think that that was a possibility. Hopper yelled for her to hurry up. "I'm gonna find him." she looked at each of them in their eyes. "I'm gonna find him."

Hopper took off just as Joyce slammed the car door.

"Wow." Halley's legs were shaking, but she couldn't figure out if it was because of the cold or because of what had just happened. "Wait, Jon-" he was going back inside, his back turned, and with no desire to be left alone outside in the dark, she followed him.

That's when they found Nancy. Sitting up against the wall with her knees pulled to her chin. They must have passed her when chasing after Hopper. Jonathan slid down beside her.

"We have to go back to the station," she said, after waiting in an electrifying silence. The two looked at her, not exactly disagreeing but confused to all hell. "Your mom and the chief are going to go in. They'll sit there like bait, she paused, tears still threatening to spill, "That thing is still in there. We can't just sit here and let it get them too."