Undercover - Steve Harrington x Y/N

Chapter 4

      I turned the radio up when Time After Time came on.
      I started to sing dramatically. I looked over at Steve who was chuckling. "Join in Steve!" I yelled. He shook his head as I continued to sing.
      "You're ridiculous." He said. "And definitely drunk."
      "Am not." I said. I was.
      Once the song stopped, he turned it back down. "Hey, Y/N. On a scale of one to ten, how drunk are you?" He asked.
      "One. Because I'm One." I said. I giggled uncontrollably.
      "So an Eleven." He said. I laughed harder.
      "Eleven." I laughed.
      "Can I tell you something?" He asked. I nodded.
      "All ears." I told him.
      "You're beautiful." He said. I stared at him. "Like, really beautiful. And you have so much.. fire. You're awesome. And I think.. I think that ever since that night.. I've had this slight crush on you."
       "Seriously?" I asked.
      "Yeah." He replied.
      "Can I tell you something?" I asked. He nodded. "I think you have awesome hair." He laughed slightly. "And you're like.. perfect. In almost every way. And I think I've been jealous of Nancy." I mumbled.
      "Really?" He asked.
      "Yeah." I replied. "Perfect Steve.." I mumbled again. I felt my body grow tired. I fought it off. "But you know, you could never love me like you love Nancy. It's just not possible." I slurred. "Nancy is also perfect. That's why you worked. And that's why you and I wouldn't work."
      "If you believe that, you have a twisted look on relationships." He said. "And who's to say you aren't perfect?"
      "Papa." I said. He looked at me.
      "Brenner was an idiot. You are perfect." He said. My body finally gave in to the drowsiness. I fell asleep. I don't recall anything afterwards, except for Steve whispering something in my ear. "I think I love you.." he said.
       I woke up the next morning. I had a headache. Joyce was sitting over me. "Hey, it's time to get ready for school." She said. I sat up.
      "Alright." I said. I got dressed and walked out. Joyce had just walked out of the door.
      "Hungover?" Jonathan asked when I touched my head.
      "Maybe a little." I said. I heard a door shut outside. I figured it was just Joyce or Bob and Will leaving. I heard a knock on the door. "Uhm, okay." I said.
      I walked over and opened it. "Hey." Steve said. "Sorry, I was just wondering, you know, if you wanted to ride to school with me?"
      "Sure." I said. I grabbed my bag. "I'll see you later, Jonathan!" I yelled as I walked out the door. Steve opened the car door for me. I got in and he shut it behind me.
      Steve got in and pulled out. "So, uh... do you remember anything from last night?" He asked.
      "Uhm, I remember getting drunk and kissing Billy Hargrove." I said. I didn't tell him I remembered the car ride, or even him whispering to me.
      "Ew! You kissed him?" He asked. I laughed.
     "It was aggressive and he tasted like beer." I said. "And cigarette smoke."
      He laughed. Once we reached the school, I grabbed my bag. Steve was already out and opening my door. "You're being a gentleman today." I said.
      "I always am." He said. I got out and he closed it behind me.
      That day was the day Steve and Nancy officially broke up. Steve came to me after he finished his practice.
      "Hey Stevie." I said as he approached me. I looked up from my book. "What's wrong?"
      "Nancy and I broke up." He said. I put my book down and sat down on a bench. He sat next to me.
      "What happened?" I asked.
      "We had this big fight last night, and she told me she didn't love me. And she couldn't today." He said. "Y/N.. I just.. I don't know."
      "What don't you know?" I asked.
      "If she loves me." He said. "Y/N, what do I do?" He rested his head on my shoulder.
      I sighed. "I don't know.." I said. "I wish I did, but I don't. I'm sorry." I put my head on his.
      After a minute, Steve put his head up. "I should get you home.." he said. "Come on."
      I grabbed my book and we walked to his car. He opened the door again, then shut it once I got in.
      Most of the ride was quiet. Music played.
      "Steve?" I said. "I just.. I really am sorry."
      "It's not your fault, Y/N. You didn't do anything." He said. But I felt like I did. Maybe I wasn't supportive enough, or something.
       I nodded once.
       Once we made it home, he opened the door to let me out. We said our goodbyes, and I went into the house. I fell asleep while watching Happy Days.
        I didn't wake up until the next day. When I did, I  changed. Steve picked me up again.
      Nancy and Jonathan didn't show up.
      Robin and I hung out for awhile.
      "I mean, it sucks! Totally, but like, like I said, Nancy and Jonathan make a cute couple." She said.
      I took a drink of water. "I mean, I guess. But Nancy and Steve were like, perfect for each other. They were both perfect." I said. "Which is why, Steve and I would never work out. He's perfect and I'm.."
      "Also perfect." Robin said. "Seriously. You're perfect. In every way. You're beautiful." She smiled.
      "But I'm not perfect.." I said.
      "You're pretty damn close." She cut me off.
       I saw Steve walking over. "We can finish this talk later, I gotta go." I said. I hugged her, then walked down the bleachers.
       "Ready to go?" He asked. I nodded. We walked to his car.
      The ride was silent yet again. I got out. When I walked in, there were papers all over the floors.
      "What the.." I started. Joyce and Hopper were frantically putting them down. "What are you doing?" I asked.
      "Shh!" Joyce and Hopper said at the same time. I walked out of the house.
      "Steve, can I just hang out with you?" I asked. He nodded.
      "Sure." He said. I got back in the car. "So, what was that about?"
      "I have no idea." I said. "I think something's wrong again."
      "What do you mean?" He asked.
      "It's probably nothing.." I said. I turned the radio up some. I felt Steve's glare every so often. I ended up spending the night at his house.
      Nothing happened. We just talked, and laughed. I did realize I loved him, though. But I couldn't do that to Nancy.
      "You know, maybe I should apologize." He said. "You know, maybe I over reacted. I should get her flowers. Girls like flowers, right?"
      "Yeah." I said, laughing. "You should. That's actually a really good idea. We'll do it tomorrow." I said.
      The next day, we got up and went to the store. I picked out these really pretty flowers for her. "She'll love these." Steve said.
      We drove to her house. I sat in his car as he got out. I gave him a thumbs up. He didn't make it to the door. Dustin stopped him. He walked towards the car and got in the back.
      "What the hell?" I asked. He rushed Steve into the car.
      Dustin explained that he had this creature in his root cellar and that it ate his cat. "Why the hell didn't you kill it?" I asked.
      "We were friends!" He yelled.
      "It's clearly a monster from the Upside-Down!" I yelled back.
      We went back to Steve's to get the bat from last year.
      Afterward, we drove to Dustin's house. We walked to the root cellar. He opened the doors. We pointed our flashlights down the stairs. He wasn't there.
      "He must be further in. I'll stay here in case he tries to escape." Dustin said. Steve and I looked at him.
      I walked down first. Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, Steve turned on a light.
      The first thing we saw, was it's skin. "Ew." Steve said.
      Steve told Dustin to come down. Steve showed him the skin.
      "Shit." I said. I found a hole where the monster had dug it's way out.
      "Oh shit." Dustin said. We stayed up the entire night gathering things. Meat, Gasoline, and a few other things. Our plan was to lure Dart in. Yes, he named the damn thing. Then we were going to kill him with the fire.
      We headed to the old junkyard.
      I took a backpack of stuff that I found at a weapon store nearby. We walked parked on the road, then walked the rest of the way.
      "Lucas is going to meet us there." Dustin said.
      I decided to jog ahead. Despite not sleeping, I had a lot of energy. I only slowed when I couldn't run anymore.
      I continued to walk until I reached the junkyard, then I took my backpack off and laid on the ground until the others reached. Once they did, I sat up. "Oh yeah. This will work." Steve said.
      We walked around. They dumped the buckets of meat on the ground.
      "I said medium well!" Lucas yelled. The new girl was standing next to him.
      "What the hell?" I mumbled. They walked toward us.
      Lucas and Dustin went off to talk. I put my hand on my forehead. "Shit." I said.
      "What?" Steve asked.
      "Another person who doesn't need to be here is here. Another person is being dragged into this shit." I said. "This is bullshit."
      "It's fine. We'll just have to keep her safe." Steve said. "And we will."
      "Okay." I said. I continued to help him move things around.
      Once we got most of it set up, Steve poured gasoline in a line from the food to the bus.
      It was getting dark. We all piled in and shut the doors which had been reinforced with metal sheets.
      I sat in between Steve's legs and leaned back onto him, half asleep while we waited. Dustin and Max argued.
      I heard a screech. Images of this monster flashed through my head, causing a headache. I shot up. Steve and I looked through the window.
      "Do you see him?" I asked.
      "No." Steve replied.
      "Lucas! What's going on?" Dustin asked.
      "Hold on!" Lucas yelled back. "I've got eyes! Ten o'clock!" He yelled. Dustin rushed over. I backed away from the window.
      He wasn't taking the bait.
      "Shit." I said. I walked toward the door.
      "Y/N? What are you doing?" Steve asked.
      "Being bait." I said. "I have a standing chance."
      I walked out the door. "Come and get me." I said. "Come on. Dinner time."
      He came out of the fog. I raised my hand, prepared for him to lunge.
      "Y/N! Watch out!" Lucas yelled.
      "I'm busy!" I yelled back.
      "Three o'clock!" He yelled. I looked back. There were more.
      "Shit." I said.
      "Y/N! Abort!" Dustin yelled.
      One lunged for me. I dodged it, barely and ran toward the bus. "Shut the damn door!" I yelled. "Give me a second!"
      I stood in front of the door and threw them off of the bus. One managed to get on the roof. I heard screams.
      One landed on top of me. I felt it's slimy claws pierce my arms. I screamed, which threw it off of me. Nothing came after that. They all backed off. I waited for a few moments before I sat up.
      "Shit." I said. I sat up. "Is everyone okay?" I asked as they walked out of the bus.
      "Yeah." Steve said. "Jeez."
      "Do you think she scared them off?" Dustin asked.
      "No way." I said. "They're very.. persistent." I said. "They're going somewhere."
      I looked at my arms. They had slices in them. They stung.
      Steve walked over to me. "Holy shit, are you okay?" He asked.
      "I will be." I said, putting my jacket on. We have to leave." I said.
       We walked on the railroad. I walked ahead. I heard a noise. Steve heard it to. There was screeching. I ran toward it.
       The others followed. We reached the edge of a hill. It led to Hawkins Lab. We walked down the hill.
      We walked to the front. There was a car. We heard voices.
      "Hello?" Jonathan called. "Who's there?"
      We walked out. "Steve?" They said in unison.
      "Nancy?" Steve asked.
      "Jonathan." I said. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
      "We're looking for Mike and Will." Nancy said.
      "They're not in there, are they?" I asked.
      "We're not sure." Nancy replied. The monsters screeched again.
      They argued for awhile.
      "The powers back!" I yelled as the lights turned on.
      They went in and pushed the button. It didn't work. Dustin went in and rapidly pushed it.
      The gate suddenly opened.
      "I got it!" Dustin yelled.
      Nancy and Jonathan got in their car and went in. "I should be with them." I told Steve. "I know my way around."
      "They'll be fine." Steve said.
      A few minutes later, two cars were rushing toward us. Hopper started. We all piled in.
      I looked back at the lab I once called home. I felt tears sting my eyes as I looked away.
     We went back to the Byers. I sat in the kitchen with the others. I listened to Hopper arguing with someone over the phone. Steve walked in.
      He stood next to me. I could hear everyone arguing, but the words didn't register.
      I heard screams in my head. The screams of the scientists. I tried to shut them out, but they wouldn't go.
      I felt Steve's hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him.
      I stared at him. The screams soon died down.
     I remembered my injuries. I took my jacket off. The sleeves dripped with blood.
     "Holy shit." He said. "I didn't know it was that bad."
     I looked at the large cuts on my arms. I walked over to the sinked and washed them, wincing when the warm water touched them.
      Steve asked Jonathan where the bandages were, and he came back with a big box of them.
      I held my arms out, and he carefully poured some alcohol on them, to which I groaned in pain, then wrapped them.
      "Sorry." He said. "Too tight?"
      "No." I replied.
      I heard the boys discussing things. Bob was one of them. Bob didn't make it back.
      "There's an army of them now!" Dustin exclaimed.
      "His army." Mike said.
      "What do you mean?" Steve asked.
      "His army. Maybe if we stop him, we can stop his army, too." Mike said.
      They ran out of the kitchen to Will's room. Steve followed.
      They ran back in with a book. "The mind flayer." Dustin said, flipping through the pages.
      "What the hell is that?" Hopper asked.
      "It's a monster from an unknown dimension. It's so ancient that it doesn't even know its true home." Dustin explained. "It enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains using its highly developed psionic powers."
      "Oh, my God, none of this is real. This is a kids' game." Hopper said.
      "No, it's a manual. And it's not for kids. And unless you know something that we don't, this is the best metaphor-" Dustin complained.
      "Analogy." Lucas corrected him.
      "Fine. An analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is." Dustin said.
      "Okay, so this mind flamer thing-" Nancy started.
      "Mind Flayer." Dustin said.
      "What does it want?" She said, sighing.
      "To conquer us, basically. It believes it's the master race." Dustin said.
      "Like the Germans." Steve said.
      "Nazi's. The Nazi's?" Dustin asked.
      "Yeah, yeah, the Nazi's" Steve said.
      "Yeah, if the Nazi's were from another dimension. Uh, it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself." Dustin continued.
      "It want's to spread, take over other dimensions."
Mike said.
      "We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it." Lucas said.
      "That's great, that's great. That's really great." Steve said, walking back a little. "Jesus."
      "Okay, so if this thing is like a brain that's controlling everything, then if we kill it..." Nancy said.
      "We kill everything it controls." Mike said.
      "We win." Dustin said.
      "Theoretically." Lucas said.
      "Great, so how do you kill this thing?" Hopper asked. "Shoot it with Fireballs or something?"
      "No. No, no Fireballs. Uh, you summon an undead army, uh, because... because zombies you know, they don't have brains, and the mind flayer, it.. it... it likes brains." Dustin said. "It's just a game. It's a game."
      "What the hell are we doing here?" Hopper asked.
      "I thought we were waiting on your military backup." Dustin said.
      "We are!" Hopper yelled.
      I walked over to Steve. "But even if they are how are they going to stop this?" Mike asked. "You can't just shoot this with guns."
      "You don't know that! We don't know anything!" Hopper yelled.
      "We know it's already killed everybody in that lab!" Mike yelled back. I lowered my head.
      "And we know the monsters are gonna molt again." Lucas said.
      "And we know that it's only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town." Dustin said.
      "They're right." Joyce said. Her voice was shaky. "We have to kill it. I want to kill it."
      "Me too. Me too, Joyce, but how do we do that?" Hopper asked. "We don't exactly know what we're dealing with here."
      "No, but he does." Mike said. "If anyone knows how to destroy this thing, it's Will. He's connected to it. He'll know its weakness."
       "I thought we couldn't trust him anymore." Max said. "That he's a spy for the mind flayer now."
      "Yeah, but he can't spy if he doesn't know where he is." Mike said. "We can change his surroundings to something unfamiliar."
      "The shed." I said. "We can use the shed."
      Hopper looked at me. "Good idea, kids." He said. He walked out to the shed. I watched him throw tools and other things out of it and on the ground. Steve and Nancy went out to put tarps up. The boys went through the trash.
      After awhile, the rest of us joined Steve and Nancy in the shed to hang more tarps, cardboard, tinfoil, and paper up. By the time we were finished with it, it was unrecognizable.
      They put a chair covered in cardboard and sat him in it, then put another facing him.
      We walked back in after they took him out.