resonance

09

You've never felt more useless than you did sulking on the Byers' couch, listening to Steve and Dustin bicker while they shoved a dead Demodog into Joyce's fridge.

"That's gotta be a biohazard." Max deadpanned from her spot next to you, a faint look of disgust crossing her face at the squelching noises floating through the doorway.

"That's what I said!" Steve's muffled voice yelled back, cursing when something fell out of the fridge and crashed onto the floor.

"Like you even know what a biohazard is." Dustin bit back. Mini-Wheeler scoffed and continued his anxious pacing in front of the entryway, muttering to himself. .

"I dunno, Dustin." Lucas rolled his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. "I don't really think shoving a monster corpse next to Joyce's casserole is the best way to preserve your 'scientific discovery.'"

"I know!" Dustin called back completely unbothered by the sarcasm in the other boy's voice. "The freezer would be better!"

The fridge jostled every now and then, stray jars and containers clanging to the ground as the two struggled to push the monster inside, bickering all the while. "Get the door, man!"

"What do you think I'm doing!"

Your eyes shot to the ceiling. This is what Hopper would rather you be doing?

"Ew." You heard Steve finally breathe as the slam of the door echoed through the house. "Jesus."

"I wanted to make another sandwich." You lamented dryly when they strolled back into the living room, Dustin looking pleased as punch, Steve... not so much.

The older boy sent you a worried look before glaring at the kid, perching on the edge of the couch arm. "Your 'scientific discovery' is gonna be the reason we die if our superhero here has no energy, dipshit."

"Then go make her a sandwich!" Dustin bit back, crossing his arms. "You can still reach most of the stuff in the fridge."

"Some of it's on the ground too." Max added with a smirk.

Mike groaned, interrupting Steve's insistence that Upside Down germs surely would have contaminated everything inside the fridge by now to huff loudly. "This is so stupid! That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs and we're here, just doing nothing!"

"Demodogs!"

You sighed. "She'll be fine, Mike." You didn't like the situation either but there wasn't jack shit you could do about it now. "El's strong and Hopper is with her."

"See!" Lucas nodded, pointing at you. "Chief said Nightcrawler here killed a ton of them anyway, El will totally be fine. Hopper will take care of her."

You squinted, recognizing the name from an old comic book movie. "Don't call me that."

"Like El even needs protection," Mike threw a dark look your way, causing your hackles to rise. "But it should've been her to go instead," he spat, glaring at you. "Some hero you are."

You hardly reacted to the boy apart from your eyebrows raising, a sharp contrast to the other occupants in the room, who held their breath at his aggression. "Take the bass out of your voice, Baby Wheeler," you said flatly. "Being rude to me won't bring her back faster. Besides, you said it yourself," you shrugged, noting how red he was turning at your lack of emotion. "She doesn't need protection. It's not like I wanted to stay here, either, but I wouldn't have agreed with Hopper if I didn't believe in her. 'Sides," you threw your eyes back to the ceiling boredly. "Who's gonna protect you all if they come back here?"