Strange Things Are Happening. (Jonathan Byers x OC) Wattys 2017

16.

Jonathan looked up when Nancy and Samantha returned from their showers. Nancy hadn't wanted to be alone, so her cousin happily agreed to sit in the bathroom with her and she did the same for Samantha.

"Better?" Jonathan asked and she nodded.

"Yeah."

The blonde noticed that Jonathan had set up a sleeping bag on the floor and when he saw her looking, he cleared his throat.

"I...I hope this is okay. I found it in the closet but I can go home."

"No!" both girls said loudly and Samantha stepped forward and placed her hand on his arm.

"Stay, please."

He could see that what had happened to her cousin tonight had scared her. Hell, it had scared him.

"Please," Samantha repeated in a whisper and he nodded.

"Okay."

Nancy disappeared out the door again, leaving the two awkward teens themselves.

Samantha crossed the room to the bed and climbed on, grabbing her blanket to wrap around her.

"Are you okay?" Jonathan asked, scratching the back of his head.

Samantha nibbled on her bottom lip, staring at the photo strip of Nancy, barb and herself that was on the wall. Then she finally shook her head, "No."

Slowly, he made his way over to her, taking a seat beside her, their legs brushing as he did so. He kept his gaze on her, hands twitching as he deliberated his next move then finally, he slipped his hand into hers, which she squeezed tightly.

"I thought she was going to die, Jonathan," She whispered, "When I heard her yell my name..."

"Hey," he whispered, turning slightly so he was looking at her straight on, "She's safe. You're safe. I'm safe. We all are."

Her forehead rest against his, as if she was drawing comfort from his touch and he closed his eyes.

"You being here makes me feel safe." Samantha admitted and he felt pride well up in his chest.
She felt safe with him.

"I'll keep you safe," he whispered, "I promise."

The two of them sprung apart as Nancy three the bedroom door open again and if she noticed how close they had been, she had chosen not to say anything and she held up the tray of food she was carrying.

"It's just what we had leftover from dinner," she said, placing the tray down on her bed, "I don't know if any of you wanted something."

They didn't.

The food sat on the bed untouched for a good twenty minutes as they sat in silence before Samantha took it downstairs, returning to see Jonathan draping his jacket over Nancy's shoulders.

"Are you ready to talk about it?" Samantha asked, taking a seat on her other side.

"That...thing. It was feeding on the deer." she whispered, "I guess I must have disturbed it because the next thing I know, it's chasing me through this place."

"What was the place like?" Jonathan mumbled.

"It was the forest. Where we were but it wasn't. It was barer. Horrible. And everything sounded weird."

She started crying and Samantha took her hand, squeezing it to try and give her some reassurance.

"I think that maybe we should all just try and get some rest," the blonde whispered, letting out a shaky breath, "Try being the key word here." She looked at Jonathan, "You have the gun, right?"

"Uh, yeah," he nodded, looking over his shoulder just to be sure, "Yeah."

The two girls climbed into Nancy's bed while he got ready to get into the bed he had made on the floor.

"Do you want the light off or-"

"On," Nancy interrupted Samantha, "Please."

"Okay."

Surprisingly, out of the three teens, Nancy was the first to fall asleep. Her body relaxing onto the bed beside Samantha while she stared up at the patterned ceiling.

She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes but all she could see was Nancy's hand shooting out of the tree, remembering her sobbing in her arms as she held onto her tightly.

She wasn't going to sleep tonight.

Jonathan was doing the same as her, staring at the ceiling while clutching the gun tightly in his hand.

"Jonathan?"

He froze when he heard Samantha whisper his name but quietly cleared his throat to let her know that he was indeed awake, "Yeah?"

"Can I...can I come down there?"

His face flushed and he was relieved that she was still laying down and he propped himself up on his elbows, "Uh, sure. Yeah."

She slowly made her way down and he quickly shuffled over as best he could to make room for her. She lay down and once he was sure she was covered with the blanket, he did too.

They were close. So close, that Jonathan could feel her arm brushing against his.

"You warm enough?" he asked, glancing over at her.

"Yeah." she mumbled, shrugging.

He made the bold move in turning onto his side, moving the gun so it was under the pillow they were currently sharing but he made sure to keep a hand on it at all times.

"That better not go off under there." Samantha said seriously but seconds later, a giggle escaped her lips.

"It won't. I've made sure that the safety is on." he promised.

Nodding, the blonde shuffled close to him and rest her head on his chest, making him tense and she immediately backed away, "I'm sorry."

"No," he said quickly, "Don't. Just...come back?" 

Biting her lip to suppress a smile, Samantha did so and rest her head back on his chest, feeling his arm curl around her waist. 

Right now, there was no place either of them would rather be.