even weirder stuff || stranger things x female reader (season two)

nine - the gate

Sunday, November 4, 1984

You did not have anything to say at the moment.

Usually, you would find a lame joke or something sarcastic to say to light up the mood, but right now the beeping of the machines next to Will's bed were too loud to be interrupted. Yet it seemed to make the silence even heavier.

Joyce was meeting with all the doctors from Hawkins Lab at the moment, who had failed to identify what happened to Will. He said it was burning him, but there were no signs of any burn. His screaming was definitely real pain, though, at least until they sedated him, and now he was unconscious in a bed, and you had been watching him the whole night.

It was weird being in this lab you knew El had been kept in for years. It was your second visit here and the atmosphere was still as unsettling as ever, even though both times Owens was in charge of the place. Bad things had happened here. They couldn't have kept Eleven there, you figured, as there were windows and too many ways to escape. There had to be some bunker-ish space somewhere in the lab.

You weren't going to snoop around, though. You wouldn't leave Will, nor Mike's side, especially with Joyce not being here right now. You hoped she would be back soon.

Hopper was alive, too. Apparently Bob and Joyce had found him. You were still mad he disappeared like that, but also glad he was okay. Right now he was getting checked up, like Bob, who didn't have any injury but still adventured in the tunnel vines.

Since you didn't find anything comforting or relatively funny to say, you just drag your chair closer to Mike's and wrap an arm around his shoulders, squeezing it gently. He lets out a deep sigh and leans his head on your own shoulder, relaxing a bit.

"Doing okay, buddy?"

"Eh, no," he shrugs. "I mean... We said we'd protect him."

You look at Will, motionless on his bed. You did promise you would protect him. You did not expect him to burn from the inside with a wound you couldn't see nor heal. How could you protect him in this situation?

"Not much we could have done. What's important right now is that we're here looking over him. We have to do our best to find out what's happening, okay?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna do something stupid now," you announce.

"What?"

"I'm gonna sneak around and spy on the mad scientists."

"That's such a bad idea. I'm in."

"Okay, so here's your part of the plan: you stay here and watch over Will."

A second passes before he frowns. "No-"

"Come on, there's no way he can stay alone in this condition. Stay and take care of him," you pat his head as you stand up. He seems to understand as he leans back in his chair with pursed lips. You wink before you exit the room.

You look right, then left, then right as if you were crossing a road. People on your right. Nobody on your left. You choose left.

You have the time to take about one step in that direction before a voice stops you.

"Miss Harrington?"

You freeze, tensing up as the soft voice calls your name.

"No, you're mistaken," you try, not turning around just yet.

"Then who might you be?"

You hesitate for a second before spinning on your heels.

"Alright, you got me. I'm (Y/n) Harrington. Well done."