Plot wouldn't leave me alone, so out it goes. Starts off slow, but hang in there. Feel free to comment and critique. SPOILERS for S2. Happy reading!
Nancy cut the engine of her family's new Audi Quattro and removed the keys from the ignition. Its navy blue sheen reflected in the sunlight as she closed the car door with a dull 'thud' and made her way up the sizzling pavement. Her mom had thankfully let her borrow their new automobile for the day, and though Nancy had received a strict warning to drive slowly and carefully, she had sped the entire way here.
Hawkins National Laboratory. The U.S. Department of Energy. Or, as Nancy had always thought of it: Hell.
Today, Hawkins Lab presented itself as a medical facility, running tests and blood work and buzzing with the hum of radiographs being taken and developed. "Nurses" were scurrying around corners and down the fluorescently lit, chalk-white hallways, balancing vials and stacks of paper, beakers, and trays of instruments. As Nancy neared her destination, she could see a few chairs placed outside of the room she was going to enter, as if they were for friends, or family, waiting for visitation hours to see a loved one. No one sat in any of the seats provided. She thought of how the chairs had once been occupied earlier last year, everyone waiting for good news regarding Mike's friend Will's health. But all of that had passed now, and she pushed the memory away. Nancy looked up at one of the cameras above the doorframe and huffed out a breath in aggravation before turning the handle of the solid metal door in front of her and giving it a strong push.
Jonathan's hand was cold in hers as she walked over to his side and squeezed it.
"Anything yet?" she asked. He shook his head and put an arm around her waist, pulling her into his frame. She reciprocated by letting her arms hang loose around his hips as she rested her weight against him and gave a sympathetic smile to Joyce, who was seated across from them in a rather uncomfortable looking metal recliner of sorts. The woman was more than familiar to her now, what with their adventures against creatures of another realm, the saving of her youngest son, and – more recently – Nancy being head-over-heels for her eldest. And so, no matter how uncomfortable Joyce looked or how noticeable Jonathan's mask of concern was on his face, Nancy felt at ease. Because she was lucky. Because even with their last school year getting ready to begin tomorrow, Jonathan insisted he be a companion to his mother in this wretched place instead of enjoying his last day of summer. And so both Joyce and Nancy were lucky. And the least Nancy could do was be here for her boyfriend like he was for everyone else….
Joyce Byers was wringing her hands. Then plucking at her fingernails. Then glancing at the clock and letting out a puff of air. 1:17PM it read, the red letters glaring against the digitalized black frame. Joyce pulled at her jacket sleeves once more for what seemed like the twentieth time. Eyes back to the clock, another sigh. She smoothed the pocket of her work jacket. 1:18PM.
"Joyce. Please. For the love of God," Hopper groaned from the cot, "just sit still for two seconds. Please." With his eyes closed and his body dressed in a white hospital gown adorned with tiny blue flowers, the Hawkins Chief of Police hardly sounded threatening. But she was making him irritated, and he hadn't even been watching her. He could practically feel her nervous energy sinking through his skin. He let out a cracking cough, thumping a fist on his chest a few times. This, more than his words, spurred Joyce to action.
Joyce threw her hands in the air and jumped to her feet. The steel recliner gave a lurch as she stood. "What, Hop! What. How do you expect me to sit here and wait like this!? I mean…I mean, come on! It's been over an hour, Hop, an hour." She headed for the door, but did not reach it before a greying man in a white lab coat entered the room, a hefty chart in his left hand and his right resting on a child's shoulder as he eased her through the doorway.
"Hey, kid," Hopper called. Elle gave a small smile and went to stand by the Chief's right bedside after giving a half-hearted side hug to Joyce. The Chief gave Eleven's arm a soft little punch, both of them smirking at each other like they'd just shared an inside joke. "What's up, Doc?" Hopper quipped, trying to lighten the heavy fog of the room. Doctor Owens gave a tight-lipped smile as he reached forward to shake the Chief's hand. Hopper coughed again.
"Easy does it, Chief. So we ran some tests…" he started.
"I'm aware," the Chief deadpanned. The Band-Aids and taped gauze all over his arms and backs of his hands only proved his point.
Owens chuckled. "Fair enough, my friend. I guess we should move on to the important bits, then." He dragged one of the chairs from the hall into the center of the room and settled in the middle of their makeshift circle like a teacher during story-time. "I assume you all have taken standard biology – flora and fauna, animal and plant kingdoms – you know, high school stuff," he gave Nancy and Jonathan a look of reasoning, as if he were asking for their assistance. They both nodded, urging him to continue. "Now living organisms – those responding to stimuli – have been grouped into different categories. It helps us differentiate between all the various traits of specimen. You may have learned about fungi – another name for mushrooms-"
"I am trying," Joyce started, going back and forth between keeping her curled fingers to her lips and shaking a single digit Owens, "to hear you out, here, Dr. Owens. I am. But can you… can you please just tell us what is going on!? We have been waiting, in this…awful!...place, and we just want answers, not a lesson that takes me back to third period!" She huffed and cut her eyes to Hopper when he coughed again, a little sorry after her outbreak, but faced the doctor with her eyebrows raised in expectation. Jonathan looked at Nancy and squeezed her hand tighter.
"You asshole!"
"Haha! That's it. Best three out of five!" Lucas pumped his fist in the air. "I think I'll take your…hm...Panthro! You can bring it to class tomorrow." Lucas was practically radiating smugness as he put his leftover quarter into his pants pocket and started walking to find Mike and Will.
"How is that even fair!? Pac-Man isn't even hard-"
"Apparently it is for you-"
"-and how can you even justify dividing the Thundercats! It's blasphemy of-"
"Dustin! Lucas! Over here!" Mike was waving them over to an air hockey machine with "OUT OF ORDER" written on a taped sheet of paper hanging on its side. "Are you ready? Will has to go."
Will zipped up his jacket and put his hands in his pockets. "Sorry guys….You can stay if you want," he said, feeling guilty he had to cut his friends' fun short.
"Oh, save it," Dustin said, giving Lucas a shove sideways for good measure. "My hand-eye coordination has not been doing me any favors today and I need to resupply my stock." He pulled at the inside of his pockets, exposing the lining and lack of quarters. "I'm out."
"Yeah, we'll go with you, Will," said Mike, swinging his arm around Will's shoulder. "Besides, I want to see the look on Elle's face when we surprise her!"
Lucas and Dustin started making kissy faces and smooching sounds. "Oooh, Eleven!" "I miss you, Eleven, even though I just saw you yesterday!" "I lovvve you, Elle!"
Will let a snicker escape at Mike's reddened face.
"Cut it out, guys." Mike said as he rolled his eyes and hopped on his bike. The other boys followed suit and they all began pedaling down all-too-familiar paths and roads, dipping in and out of neighborhoods and zooming through grassy fields.
It was now nearing the evening, and the sun was beginning to set. The good people of Hawkins were by now settled in their homes for the night, ready the Hawkins Times, watching television, or cooking a homemade dinner – nothing unusual for a balmy Sunday night. Ever since the news of Barbara Holland's death had been unearthed, the Hawkins community had even more…lowkey….that is, bland. No one sat out in the yard or on their porches watching the moon take its shape. No splashing around in the neighbor's pool, or talking and drinking around a small backyard fire. Everything nowadays was just quiet. Somehow the lack of activity made the evening stranger.
They rounded down a paved hill and were beginning to veer off the road and onto one of their most-used shortcuts when Dustin stopped short and put his foot down to keep himself from tumbling off his bike.
Mike noticed first, doubling back to see what was the matter. "Hey! Dustin! Is everything okay? Come on, we're almost there!"
Dustin made to clear his throat but it ended in a series of hacks and coughs. "Son of a bitch!" he strangled out, now dismounting his bike entirely and bending over to brace his weight on his knees and try to catch his breath. Will and Lucas had now stopped and walked over, leaving their bikes in the fallen leaves.
Lucas beat a hand on Dustin's back. "Dude, get it together." Dustin waved his hand away and his coughs slowly began to cease.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and spit onto the ground. "Mom started smoking those damn things again," he grumbled as he got back on his bike. "Going to throw every friggin' cigarette out the window! Shit! Onward, fellas!" And they were off once more.
The earpiece crackled in his ear. It tickled a little, and he had to shake his ear. "Sir, the children are waiting outside."
Dr. Owens was grateful for the interruption. Honestly, he knew Joyce Byers was only concerned, but goddamn, could she lighten up. Could he get a word in? "In due time, I promise. Trust me, yeah?" he said to her as he rose to get the door. Great, more people to take his degree for granted. He should've gone to law school.
"Come in, come in," he said, ushering in the group of boys. They each took their respective place in the room. Will was pulled into Joyce, who squeezed his shoulders as he glanced at Nancy and Jonathan. It was still – even after a few months – weird to see Mike's sister so close to his brother. They were holding hands and it made Will pull a face. Jonathan grinned at him and rolled his eyes. Dustin, Lucas, and Mike had gone to stand in a huddle beside Nancy and Jonathan, but Mike smiled at Eleven and she smiled back.
"Now," Dr. Owens started, "where were we? Oh, yes, the fung-"
Another burst of coughing sounded in the room, all eyes turning to Dustin in surprise. Lucas nudged him in the shoulder and muttered a Dude, what is wrong with you? under his breath. Dr. Owen's eyebrow was raised.
"Hey, kid. You all right over there?" asked Hopper. Dustin held up his middle finger and he kept coughing. Hopper turned to Eleven. "Jesus, how are you friends with these-" Joyce smacked his arm and he looked up innocently at her. "-angels?"
Dr. Owens went over to Dustin and walked around him in a circle like a vulture analyzing its next meal. He looked at Jim, who furrowed his brows. Owens stared at Mike next. "Has your friend made contact?"
"Huh?"
"Has he been in Upside Down?"
"Yeah….I mean, but we all have. No thanks to you…" Mike retorted. Nancy raised her chin a little higher, secretly proud of her little brother's spunk.
"Did anything…happen? When you were down there?" the doctor asked.
Everyone in the room looked at him as if he'd turned into a Demogorgon with wings.
"…I mean….anything different? Just him?"
Lucas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Mike then spoke.
"That puffer thing. It sneezed on him."
Hopper cut his eyes to Dustin, who had stopped coughing and was now silent. The whole room was silent. Dr. Owens smiled and nodded. He clapped his hands together, startling everyone out of their trance. "Okay!" He said. "Well, good news."
Let me know what you think! This will be multiple chapters and lots of focus on ships (bc I can't tolerate anymore JonathanxStevexBilly fics, no offense to anyone) =D Until the next one..