Don't Panic - B. Hargrove

SIXTEEN

"Woah, what happened to you?" Steve asked as the other boy practically jumped him as soon as he had rung the doorbell.
David remained quiet, pressing his nose into his best friend's coat. Usually, he wasn't that physical with Steve, but he was so happy to see him; he just needed a hug.
And Steve didn't complain; he just put his arms around the tiny boy and held him close for as long as needed.
When David peeled himself off of his friend, he felt much better.
"They left me alone." he simply answered the boy's previous question. "Yeah, I can see that. Why?" " They need to save Hopper. He got lost in a maze of vines" David shrugged, and Steve didn't look any more enlightened.
"What are you doing here?" the other boy asked in return, and Steve ran a hand through his hair.
"I wanted to pick you up as moral support. I bought a rose and wanted to go apologies to Nance."
"Nancy isn't back yet, "David told his friend as he let him into the house. "Well, then, I figure I can stay with you," Steve mumbled, looking around. "Jesus, What is all of that?" he asked, mouth ajar.
"It's a map of Hawkins." the other boy told him.
"Really? You can read that?"
"I swear, if someone asks that question one more time, I'm throwing a hissy fit," David told him dead in the eyes.
"Well, we don't want that."Steve chuckled, putting both hands on his hips as he looked at Will's drawings. "But seriously, why can't you just buy like a normal map from the gas station or something."
"Because a normal map doesn't have the upside down." David stepped next to him.
Steve looked down at him, eyes wide, mind most likely flashing the memories of the monster they had fought at this place almost a year ago. He had seen the damage and the pain it had created and in his brown eyes flashed to fear.
"That's the upside down?" David shrugged.
"Probably. It's a working theory. It could also be a sort of connection between the worlds, just random vines or just ametaphor. But I'm positive it's nothing good."
"Okay...that sounds...not good. And your family...they went finding that out?"
"No. They are trying to rescue Hopper. He's stuck there," David pointed at the red x. "Will saw him in some vision. And no, I don't know how either."
Steve blinked. "Visions?" "Visions."David nodded.
"And I thought I could just snatch you away to get Nancy back." Steve huffed, running a hand through his hair.
"Yeah, you really thought that would be a good plan?" the other boy said indifferently.
"I know I'm not the brightest, so I thought you could help me out..." "Why on earth did you think I would be the one to help you out with a girl? What qualifies me for that at all?" David looked at his best friend again. "Maybe I just needed you to tell me it's a bad idea." the taller boy shrugged.
"It's a bad idea." the other echoed, and Steve rolled his eyes at him but chuckled nonetheless.
"That's why you're my best friend, Doodle. I really need you." Before David could return how much he appreciated that statement, of course, mumbled and packed into words that did not bring the message across, the phone rang.
The tiny boy was quick to leap over and grab it.
"Hello?" he asked breathlessly, sprawled out on the floor.
"Doodle? It's me, Dustin. I really need your help. Can you come?" a familiar voice said on the other end, the lisp more prominent than ever.
"Dus, I really don't have time for another rocket." David tried to wave him off, but Dustin refused to let that happen.
"There's a Demogorgon in my basement. Sort of. We need to kill it."
David froze.
"Doodle? You're the only one left. Please. I'm alone with it."
"Okay, we're coming right over. Don't move, Dustin. Don't move!" He hung up, smashing the phone down, then jumped to his feet.
"Can you drive me to Dustin's? Now? Immediately?"

Meanwhile, Billy had stopped by the arcade to drop off Max. He hated how driving her around had become his responsibility. He could think of better things to do on a Saturday afternoon. So many things. And yet he was forced to drive around like a servant.
He was really much pissed as he stared out of his window, lighting a cigarette. And his anger got to a new height as he watched Steve 'the fucking hair' Harrington drive by with none other than David Byers in his passenger seat, hand comfortably laying on the tiny boy's thigh, both of them not even glancing in his direction.
That little sneak peek of what seemed to be Byer's plans for the night was more than enough to make him hit the stirring wheel with all his force, not able to deal with all the feelings inside, mixing and flipping, aching and gut-wrenching. It was the most intense he had felt in a way, and it was too much to handle.
Way too much. 
If he could get his hands on Steve Harrington right now, he would kill him. Snap the neck with the pretty head like a twig. That dirty little asshole with his touchy hands. Maybe he would break every finger, slowly, one at a time.
He thought he had been clear enough with his warning not to touch that particular boy. If Harrington lay his hands on any other, he wouldn't care. Why didn't he just take Tommy, who was so desperate for his captain's attention?
Why did it have to be David Byers out of all possibilities?
Why was the boy he was feeling so weirdly attached to?  Billy should be the one driving David around. It should be his hand on his thigh. At least that was the angry growl coming out of his throat telling him. But a nagging voice inside his head was whispering that it was the no's choice, and if he preferred Steve, he had to live with that. But he had no ear for that jiminy cricket shit and it obviously couldn't overrule the anger.

Freshly arrived at the Henderson house, Steve and David stared down at the hatch leading down to the basement, the eyes of Dustin Henderson watching them intensely.  David really liked the boy; in fact, he was his personal favorite out of his brother's friends with his sheer weird antics and strange little ideas.
They had built three detailed replicas of the Apollo space shuttle together, and David had enjoyed the beam on the small boy's face, who was even tinier than him, as they shot into the sky.
So naturally, he would have thought the boy would be too smart to raise a Demogorgon as a pet. And he was a bit offended he hadn't asked for his help on that journey of adventure. 

"So there is one of those monster things down there ?" Steve asked, having, as usual, only understood half of Dustin's rambling.
"It's not exactly one of those monsters. It's more like a dog, " David specified, himself having gotten every single detail of the story.
"So there's a fast monster dog down there trying to play fetch with you?" Steve asked again.
"Pretty much ." Dustin shrugged under the boy's gaze.
Steve sighed, lifting the baseball bat in his hand that was spiked with nails. It was a striking reminder of last November and had lived in Steve's trunk ever since.
Just in case, and now it was the perfect opportunity to use its deadly qualities once again.
"Let's kill this fucker." Steve announced, nodding at David, who hoisted his father's old flint.
They were ready to go to war. Dustin carefully stepped forward to unlock the hatch.
"Ready?" he asked.
Steve and David nodded. With a loud squeak, the door swung open, revealing a pitch-black hole. Steve frowned as he took the steps down, and David's heart drummed against his rib cage as his friend disappeared into the darkness.
He wasn't a hero, nor was Steve. And more importantly, none of them knew how to slaw a thing like that. It was silent for a while; David and Dustin held their breaths. Until the light was snapped on and Steve looked up at them. He held up the bat that was covered in slimy goo.
"It's not here," he announced. "But I found this."
David put down the gun and climbed down the stairs to inspect it.
"I think it's skin,"he said after a good look, oddly fascinated by the idea that the Demogorgons shredded their skin. "Dart's grown," Dustin concluded, sounding slightly too proud for the occasion.
"I think it dug its way out of here ." Stave pointed out, gesturing to the wall in the back from where a new tunnel led under the earth.
"That's not good." David dryly commented on that.
"I think we should make a plan and call the others."