𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆, stranger things

interlude ─ the first battle

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

˚⋆ ┊ ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING ┊ ⋆˚
☆⋅⋆ ─ act i. don't you want me, baby?

INTERLUDE - the first battle
( season one ; the upside down )

❀

⠀ ⠀ FOR SOME STRANGE REASON, FEAR HAD YET TO STEP IN AS Peyton's leading emotion when she stared around at twinkle-absent Christmas lights. Instead, she found herself leaning very much so into the fight side of her fight or flight response. Knuckles whitening from the ever-tightening grip of the handle of her newly nail studded baseball bat, she was left still very much contemplating winding a layer of barbed wire around it for good measure.

Their past week had been, to say the least, life changing. Hell, their past day and a half had been life-changing.

A trio of mature (self-proclaimed) monster hunters. They'd been chased, challenged, beaten, arrested... Peyton even got to live out a life long dream of hers.

Punching Steve Harrington right in his smug, entitled face.

Granted, Jonathan got the remainder of the hits after said instigating punch. But it was extremely satisfying nonetheless.

Jonathan had tightly wound what was left of the gauze around each of their palms, fresh blood seeping through to lure the beast to them. Peyton had still yet to come to terms with the reality of what was going on around her. There was a girl with superpowers. Some kind of dark dimension beneath Hawkins. And some kind of flesh eating, faceless creature whose flower-like mouth was anything but beautiful.

Faintly, creaking came from within the house, gaining Nancy's attention as she fearfully asked, "Did you hear that?"

Almost reassuring himself more than the trembling Wheeler girl, Jonathan replied, "It's just the wind. Don't worry," silence falling upon them once more, Jonathan took a deep breath, glancing toward Peyton who had yet to lift her eyes from the bloodstained carpet, "My mom, she said the lights speak when it comes."

"Speak?" repeated Nancy, confused by his choice of wording

"Blink," corrected Peyton, looking over as Nancy finally finished bandaging Jonathan's hand, "Kinda... like an alarm," although she wasn't sure either of the two were actually listening. Being in the position of third wheel wasn't exactly something the Evans girl was used to either.

"Is that too tight?" asked Nancy, doe eyes staring into the Byers boy's with deep longing.

"No, it's fine," reassured Jonathan, returning her yearning gaze. Peyton managed to keep her dramatic eye roll to herself, ignoring the stinging in her palm as her grip on the bat tightened.