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

twenty five - late for tea

Tuesday, January 1, 1985

You're in the woods and you don't really know how you got there.

What you know, on the other hand, is that Bob is waiting for you. You're late for tea.

You stand up from your sitting position, looking around for the direction to take. The world is dark, it's night, or so you think because you can't see the sky due to the thick tree branches.

'Weird,' you think. 'those are the woods behind my house, but the trees are different.'

Yet you knew it was Mirkwood, as the boys liked to call it.

There. A glowing light in the distance. You follow it, gradually fastening your pace. You were late for tea.

"You're late for tea," Bob offers you a kind smile as you approach him. He's holding a lantern. This is where the light was coming from. "Come on, let's find the table."

You nod and start following Bob through the forest.

"Will Barb be there?"

You knew she would, but you still asked.

"Barb, Barbara, Barbie," Bob says, chuckling. "Yes, she's waiting for us. Let's hope her tea hasn't gone cold."

You keep walking, hoping to arrive soon and to not wake up before seeing Barbara. You really wanted to see her.

"There we are!" Bob chants as you reach a table set in a clearing. It is full of delicious food, and you eagerly approach it, but when you see it more clearly, it is all things you dislike. You smile at Bob awkwardly as you both sit at the table, and keep your hands on your knees as you see him fill his plate with goods.

"Where's Barb?" You ask, looking at the empty seat at the end of the table.

"She's gone," Eleven says. She's sitting in front of you. You could swear she wasn't there a few seconds earlier. She's back to having a shaved head and is wearing that pink dress from last year. "Gone. Gone, gone, gone!"

"Shhh," Bob calms her down before turning back to you. "Her tea must have gone cold."

You were too late. If only you had gotten here more quickly, you would have seen Barb. You wanted to ask her if she was okay. Tell her how Nancy was doing now that she was gone. Say you were sorry.

"I'm sorry," you tell Bob.

"What for?" He says disinterestedly, loudly munching on a chicken wing.

You don't know what to say. Did he not realize he was dead? Surely he did. His clothes were covered in blood now.

"Say, how is Joyce doing?" He asks, sipping on his tea. You have a cup of it in your hands too, but it's cold.

"She's sad, I guess."

"Sad how?"

"Very sad."

"Hmm. Oh, (Y/n)."

"Yeah?"

"Happy New Year."

You're not in the woods anymore. You're in a corridor, a long, dark corridor that would have been white had red lights not been flashing warningly, indicating you were in danger.

"Come on," Mona sets a hand on your shoulder. You frown, she's not supposed to be here. "We have to run."

She grabs your hand, and you sprint off. You don't know where, but she does. The corridor belongs to Hawkins Lab. There are dead bodies on the floor. Most of them have the same faces; Bob, Molly. You're almost disappointed none of them are Barb, because you really wanted to see her.