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˚⋆ ┊ ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING ┊ ⋆˚
☆⋅⋆ ─ act i. don't you want me, baby?

INTERLUDE - the first battle
( season one ; the upside down )

❀

⠀ ⠀ FOR SOME STRANGE REASON, FEAR HAD YET TO STEP IN AS Peyton's leading emotion when she stared around at twinkle-absent Christmas lights. Instead, she found herself leaning very much so into the fight side of her fight or flight response. Knuckles whitening from the ever-tightening grip of the handle of her newly nail studded baseball bat, she was left still very much contemplating winding a layer of barbed wire around it for good measure.

Their past week had been, to say the least, life changing. Hell, their past day and a half had been life-changing.

A trio of mature (self-proclaimed) monster hunters. They'd been chased, challenged, beaten, arrested... Peyton even got to live out a life long dream of hers.

Punching Steve Harrington right in his smug, entitled face.

Granted, Jonathan got the remainder of the hits after said instigating punch. But it was extremely satisfying nonetheless.

Jonathan had tightly wound what was left of the gauze around each of their palms, fresh blood seeping through to lure the beast to them. Peyton had still yet to come to terms with the reality of what was going on around her. There was a girl with superpowers. Some kind of dark dimension beneath Hawkins. And some kind of flesh eating, faceless creature whose flower-like mouth was anything but beautiful.

Faintly, creaking came from within the house, gaining Nancy's attention as she fearfully asked, "Did you hear that?"

Almost reassuring himself more than the trembling Wheeler girl, Jonathan replied, "It's just the wind. Don't worry," silence falling upon them once more, Jonathan took a deep breath, glancing toward Peyton who had yet to lift her eyes from the bloodstained carpet, "My mom, she said the lights speak when it comes."

"Speak?" repeated Nancy, confused by his choice of wording

"Blink," corrected Peyton, looking over as Nancy finally finished bandaging Jonathan's hand, "Kinda... like an alarm," although she wasn't sure either of the two were actually listening. Being in the position of third wheel wasn't exactly something the Evans girl was used to either.

"Is that too tight?" asked Nancy, doe eyes staring into the Byers boy's with deep longing.

"No, it's fine," reassured Jonathan, returning her yearning gaze. Peyton managed to keep her dramatic eye roll to herself, ignoring the stinging in her palm as her grip on the bat tightened.

The blonde stood, crossing the room and taking a deep breath as she tried to let her thoughts fill the eery silence. Every tap of a branch, shake of the wind, sent waves of anxiety though her body. She knew what was coming for them. And she hated the waiting game. Hated feeling like a hunted fox.

Almost taking a swing at the wall (of which she knew the creature hunting them could very well emerge from) sudden slamming at the door had all three at the ready.

What they hadn't expected, however was for said banging to be followed by the last possible voice any of them wanted to hear.

Steve Harrington.

"Jonathan!" the banging continued as he called out, Peyton, Jonathan and Nancy all turning to one another cluelessly.

Could they just ignore him until he went away?

Not now that they'd drawn blood... What if the demogorgon showed up?

They couldn't just leave him out there.

Not that Peyton would protest much about that. In fact, it was the first thing that came to mind upon realising the danger dear King Steve had put himself in. Maybe a Demogorgon's snack was what he deserved to become after the week he'd had.

Come to think of the week he'd had, what the hell was he doing at the Byers home?

After everything he'd said about Will. After getting his ass handed to him by Jonathan.

"Are you there, man? It's... it's Steve!" ready to tear him a new one, Peyton swung the bat till it rested neatly on her shoulder, her path to the door only stopped by Nancy's gentle grip on her elbow, "Listen, I just want to talk!"

Taking it upon herself to answer, considering they hadn't technically broken up, Nancy, rather gently, pulled the door open although Peyton made sure to stay near by just in case Steve decided to be more of an asshole than usual.

"Steve, listen to me," without even greeting the boy, Steve seemed rather relieved to see his girlfriend before the confusion of what the hell was she doing at Jonathan Byers' house? set in.

"Hey... Nancy, what-"

"You need to leave," the Wheeler girl emphasised, but it was clear Steve, like always, was not about to leave without a fight.

"What? No, I'm not trying to start anything, okay?" empty words did little to reassure any of the teens in the home, Nancy sticking to her guns as her grip tightened on the door.

"I don't care about that. You need to leave," palm slamming into the door when Nancy tried to close it, Peyton's eyes narrowed impatiently although the desperation in his tone seemingly helped to keep her anger at bay.

"No, no, no! Listen, I messed up, okay? I messed..." breathlessness, slowing his words, Steve sounded almost tearful as he pleaded with the girl trying to save his life, "I messed up, okay?"

"Really, please," begged Nancy, iron grip of the door softening alongside her heart.

"I just want to make things right," Steve begged, "Okay? Please... please..." beginning to notice more than he had in his panicked state, Steve's eyes drifted to the tightly wound bandages on Nancy's palm, "Hey, what happened to your hand? Is that blood?" desperation turning to concern, Steve reached toward her suddenly, "Are you-"

"Nothing," stuttered Nancy, ripping her hand away hastily, "It was an accident,"

"Yeah, what's going on?"

"Nothing!" repeated Nancy, although Steve seemed less than convinced.

"Wait a sec, did he do this to you?"

"No," suddenly jolted by Steve trying to push the door open, although evidently not with his full force as that would have sent poor Nancy flying, the Wheeler girl tried her best to keep her boyfriend at bay.

"Nancy, let me in!"

"No!" she insisted, but it was too late, "No! " Forcing his was past, Peyton had never seen such shock in the Harrington boy's eyes, "No, Steve!"

"What is..." he stared around at their various monster hunting traps and weapons, Christmas lights reflecting in his eyes although they'd yet to flicker, "What the f..."

Jonathan and Peyton exchanged a knowing glance; Nancy was still hurting after all he'd done. After all, he was still technically her boyfriend. Taking matters into his own hands, Jonathan grappled Steve with much less anger than their altercation mere hours ago, "You need to get out of here,"

"Whoa," Steve managed to shove Jonathan away in protest, all while staring around in confusion, "What is all-"

"Listen to me. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you, get out of here!" Snapped the impatient Byers boy, able to shuffle Steve somewhat toward the front door

"What is that smell?" questioned the Harrington, oblivious that Peyton's anger was past its boiling point, "Is that... is that gasoline?"

Clearly dissatisfied with Jonathan's less assertive and, let's face it, less violent approach, Peyton decided to pry the boys apart before promptly slamming Steve harshly against a wall. Wood creaked behind him as the hot-headed blonde's bat clattered to the floor. Yet still she stood with her arm flat across his chest, all patience lost for the so-called King.

"Listen, you insufferable jackass," she sneered through her teeth, face threateningly close to the shaky Harrington boy, "I'm not gonna pretend that I give a shit whether you die or not," opening statement already a shock to the rest of the teens, Peyton only shoved Steve again, meaning more to frighten than actually harm him for now, "But unless you want me to break more than your nose, I suggest you take your hero complex, and shove it up your-"

"Steve!" thinking he'd been saved from what would likely be a rather grotesque string of insults, the Harrington boy soon found Nancy's option to scare him away was infinitely worse, "Get out!" gun suddenly waving around the room, Peyton found herself instinctively throwing her arms in the air, even if it wasn't aimed at her.

"Jesus, Nance!" with wide eyes, Steve mirrored her actions, baffled at how the girl he was just days ago exchanging 'I love you's' with was now quite literally threatening to shoot him

"Wait- WHAT?" yell echoing through the halls, Jonathan seemed to be the only one left to pay any attention when the lights began to flicker, "What is going on?"

"You have five seconds to get out of here," persisted Nancy, voice shaking through her more than likely empty threat.

"Nancy!" Peyton suddenly snapped, the Wheeler having gone too far even for her to justify, "Quit waving that thing around!"

"Okay, is this a joke?" Nervous laughter doing little to mask his fear, Steve remained frozen in his tracks as he pleaded, "Stop. Put the gun down,"

"I'm doing this for you," insisted Nancy, of which Peyton knew was true. Left to question her own threatening skills, a glimmer in her eye tore her attention suddenly as it dawned on her what was happening.

The monster had found them.

"Nancy-"

"Wait!" still attempting to figure out what the hell had happened to his sweet girlfriend, Steve's blissfully ignorant brain simply thought this was their form of revenge, "Is this a... What is this?"

"Nancy!" this time it was Jonathan that pleaded for the Wheeler's attention to no avail.

"Three," she started to warn, cocking then gun, "Two!"

"No, no, no! No, no!" pleaded Steve, unsure whether he truly was begging for his life as he stared down the barrel of the gun.

"Nancy!" the double-voice yell soon tore the trigger-wielding brunette's eyes from her target, although she looked much more concerned than annoyed at the interruption.

"The lights," pointed Peyton, heel haphazardly scraping against the very nails she'd hammered through her bat for protection, "It's here,"

Grasping her bat desperately, Peyton wielded it as she stood facing the kitchen, back toward Jonathan and Nancy, all attention that had once been placed on Steve now completely lost as he watched in frightful confusion.

"Wait, what's here?" but his yells were simply ignored, his gazed flickering from Nancy to the flashing lights.

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?" beginning to move in circles so that every inch of house could be seen around them, Steve's hands remained visible as he noticed Nancy still wielded the gun, albeit no longer aimed at him.

"Whoa! Easy with that!"

"Where is it?" repeated Peyton urgently, as though anyone would have a realistic answer.

"I don't know!"

"I don't see it!"

"Where is what?" in a moment of weakness, Peyton tore her gaze from the corner of the room, lights only increasing in speed and sound by the second, getting louder and louder and she could no longer put up with Steve's clueless yelling all at the same time.

"Shut up!" more of a plea than a demand, surprisingly, Steve remained frozen where he stood, able to sense their fear was far more than just a prank.

"No!" he pointed, "Someone please explain to me what the hell is going-" but before anyone had the chance for explanation, a deafening roar ricocheted through the Byers home. Plaster shattered as bricks cascaded to the ground, all while the creature snarled with animosity, tearing through the fleshy gateway into their reality. And now that Steve could see what they were so eager to stop him from witnessing, Peyton's knowing that she might actually die was the only thing preventing her from uttering the words I told you so!

Gun aimed at the ceiling, Nancy began firing at will. But soon discovered that bullets did very little to harm the thing. Eyes widened in fear, Peyton stepped forward only to be hauled straight back by Jonathan.

"No!" he insisted, knowing their chances ti fight against this thing were slim. Still, Peyton refused to be the first to run. It wasn't until Jonathan wrapped an arm around Nancy's waist, pulling her toward him before shoving her toward the hallway, "Go! Go! Run! Go!"

Peyton was about to take off behind them before she noticed that Steve, catapulted from his mighty throne, was paralysed with fear. And, as much as she had stated that she cared little whether he died that day, his blood on her hands was not something she was ready for. Grasping him tight by the wrist, Steve's eyes remained glued to the beast as Peyton urged, "We gotta go, we gotta go!" and he soon followed the aggressive tug, stumbling on his feet as he too ran for his life.

Monster screeching at their heels, Peyton's tight grasp moved from Steve's wrist to his hand, guiding him down a hall where, luckily, Jonathan's urgent yell reminded them to "Jump! "

And Peyton soon remembered why.

Every inch of the place was booby-trapped.

And if they didn't jump, they were in danger of getting their foot snapped inside of a bear trap and end up a demogorgon's dinner.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Leaping over the wire trap ungracefully, Peyton dragged the, still yelling, Harrington boy through to Will's bedroom, where she slammed the door shut behind her so hard she heard the No Trespassing sign clattered to the ground. Shoving him to the other side of the room, Peyton ignored how Steve's increasingly panicked state left him all the more clueless and fearful than before.

"Jesus!" he panted, doing the polar opposite of being helpful, "Jesus! What the hell was that?" Peyton's eyes flickered closed, if only for a moment, silently preying to whomever would listen to grant her an ounce of patience but, "What the hell was that?"

The guy just wouldn't-

"SHUT UP!" with all three snapping at him, Steve soon composed himself the best he could, allowing the ones with the weapons to take their positions. Peyton turned with her bat ready to swing, all while Nancy aimed her gun and Jonathan lit his lighter.

They watched the chair before them intently, waiting for the bear trap to snap shut. But the smiley face painted on the wooden yoyo stayed still, mocking them as the monster's growls swallowed any other sound. Agonisingly slow footsteps started quiet and got louder, as though deciding whether it was worth it to tear its way through the door. But as the lights flickered and the yoyo had still yet to move, Peyton's fear made her angry, and impatient.

"What's it doing?" she sneered, glancing between the door and the Byers boy, who simply shrugged. He knew no better than her.

"I don't know," the lights and growls and flickers got louder and bolder and faster with every breath the teens dared to take. Tension only growing through unsteady heartbeats and squinting eyes until they just... stopped.

Peyton blinked, attempting to adjust to such sudden normality in her vision as Nancy questioned, "Do you hear anything?"

The hot-headed blonde glanced beside her to where Jonathan and Nancy stood close, and her worries only grew when she paused, discovering her answer to be a discomforting, "No..."

With Jonathan snapping his Zippo closed, Peyton silently volunteered herself to be the first to push the door open, although she suddenly found herself allowing Jonathan to be the first to peek around the door. Floorboards creaked beneath their feet, an unusually welcome sound when just moments ago all they could hear were growls and high-pitched ringing.

But as she stared at the unscathed bear trap on the, what could only be described as, Upside-Down-'gunk'-stained carpet, a sinking feeling soon overwhelmed the Evans girl. A feeling that her fellow monster-hunters visibly shared.

The monster was gone, sure.

But it wouldn't be for long.

They'd barely even harmed it, much less killed the thing.

With Jonathan in the lead, the four slowly, cautiously, made their way back to the centre of the Byers home. No creature in sight. Even the bridge between world simply another hole to the outside. And as much as the more experienced (term to be used loosely) of the four wanted what little time they had to think of a way to instigate their backup plan, none of them had time to think over Steve's incessant muttering.

"This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy!"

With no immediate threat to her life and Steve's attention elsewhere, this was the first time Peyton had actually gotten a good look at the damage she'd done. It was clear he'd yet to take a trip to the ER, evident in the way he still had dried blood accompanying his ever-growing black eye.

Or rather eyes.

As, although it was difficult to tell in the dim light, after one single punch from Peyton it was clear to see, even beneath the bandage, Steve's nose was truly broken. And though Peyton felt a twinge of guilt deep deep down, simply by being present in the Byers home he'd thrown the worlds biggest wrench in the works.

"This is crazy! This is crazy! This is CRAZY!" desperation turned to action when Steve made a beeline for the telephone, Peyton and Nancy exchanging irritated glances as they knew how little help the cops would be. Quickly in pursuit of the Harrington boy, Peyton, ever the brawn of the duo, snatched the hunk of plastic from his hand, quite literally tearing the wire from the wall before launching it across the room.

"What are you do- What are you doing? Are you insane?" but, rather than give Peyton the chance to retort and delay their plans even further, Nancy's words overlapped Steve's fearful questioning

"It's going to come back!" snapped Nancy, earning an appreciative glance from her friend, "So you need to leave," Steve's shock had him still frozen in place, although from the way he glanced between Nancy and the front door Peyton already knew the decision he'd made, "Right now!"

Steve's abrupt exit was in no was surprising to the bat-wielding blonde. And she hardly had time to dwell on the decisions of the guy she already had such low expectations of.

When the lights once again flickered and pulsated, energy building like the thing knew how to make them most afraid, all thoughts of Steve Harrington fled her mind. Backs to each other once again, Nancy, Jonathan and Peyton circled the room, trying their best to anticipate from which wall the monster would tear through this time.

"Where is it?" questioned Nancy once again, though still yet to gain a response from the more determined looking teens

"Come on," Jonathan challenged, ignoring the way the flame of his zippo was almost burning his thumb "Come on, you son of a bitch!"

"Anybody see it?" called out Peyton, glancing briefly over her shoulder although she knew better than to leave part of their surroundings unwatched.

"No," panted Nancy, breath only escalating with the speed of the electricity pulsating through the house, "Where..." she trailed off, lost for words as Jonathan tried his best to replace fear with bravery

"Come on!" taunting still, Peyton couldn't help but dread what yelling at this thing might to do piss it off, "Where are you? Come on!"

Flickering and energy and ringing grew louder and brighter until...

Silence.

Plunged into darkness, Peyton blinked hard, attempt at adjusting her eyes lasting a moment too long when a low growl made her stomach drop. Whirling quickly around, her eyes landed on the slick skin light reflected by the streetlamp outside, eyes widening when she noticed that the Byers boy remained with his back turned.

"Jonathan!" dragging him back just in time, the beast's talons were millimetres from his face when Nancy instead decided to open fire on the thing.

"Go to hell, you son of a bitch!" but once again the bullets may as well have bounced off its near impenetrable skin. With barely a glance toward Nancy, the beast was ready to strike not at her but at Jonathan. And once the Wheeler girl had emptied the chamber, she was helpless to watch as it sneered in his face, spit flying through wisps of hair like rainy winter wind.

Growl turning to a deafening roar, Peyton, in a life or death moment of heroism, swung the studded bat into its back, gashing its skin finally. Christmas lights flickered once more. But a truly wounded monster, it had yet to become. Bat flying across the room, Peyton's scream was a truly pained, guttural yell. The back of her head smacked into the wooden floorboards but she daren't move or struggle.

"Peyton!" Screamed Nancy, unable to do anything but stare with an empty gun. Jonathan was still in shock, scrambling to his feet as he fumbled helplessly in the dark.

"The bat!" Jonathan yelled with desperation, "Where's the bat?"

"I don't know!" Paralysed in fear, Peyton pursed her lips as saliva dribbled from its petaled mouth onto her face. Why it hadn't bitten her head off yet, she had no idea. Air struggled to fill her lungs when the weight of its claw pushed into her chest, ripping parts of her shirt as she tried her best to ignore the unearthly stench of its breath.

Primal, yet human, yell suddenly overlapping the beast's low growls, Peyton found herself suddenly able to breath in, staring around until her eyes landed upon none other than the self-proclaimed Hawkins Hero himself.

Steve Goddamn Harrington.

Wielding the bat that Jonathan had struggled to find.

"Steve!" relief mixed with dread when the beast's swipe at Steve was, miraculously, dodged.

Screeching in, what Peyton could only hope was, pain, the Demogorgon's attention had once again shifted to its new attacker, giving Jonathan the chance to help Peyton to her feet.

"Come on!" he urged, although managing not to yell despite the gunfires lasting affect on their hearing.

Steve continued to back away, dodging every swipe as he kept his eyes glued to the Demogorgon's striking claws. Low grunts escaped his lips as he struck the thing once again, this time in the torso, tearing through it jaggedly before using all his strength to pull the nails from bloody gapes. Suddenly dawning on her exactly what Steve's plan was, Peyton scrambled to the coffee table, searching for Jonathan's lost lighter that he'd yet to look for after his near death altercation.

With a sideways glance, a sense appreciation that hadn't quite taken over the excruciating fear enough to crack a smirk buzzed through her at the way Steve twirled the bat with ease, slamming it into the monster hard enough to send it stumbling back right into the hall they needed it to be.

With one final slam, just in time for Peyton to grasp the lighter, the bear trap snapped shut, metallic clang overshadowed by the Demogorgon's pained roar.

"He's in the trap!" yelled Steve, turning back to where Jonathan and Nancy had been somewhat spectating, yet still ready as ever to finish the job, "He's stuck!"

"Jonathan!" lighter tossed through in air, the matter of seconds it took to reach Jonathan's hand felt like the world had shifted to slow motion. And yet, the Byers boy caught it with ease. Flame lit with ease, Jonathan tossed the thing at the gasoline drenched carpet, fire following the path they'd made until it engulfed the beast completely.

It screamed and writhed and yet gained no sympathy from its capture. Orange light spreading through the halls, Peyton's want for the beast to die collided with her need to not die, for god sake!

Sprinting to their supplies, Peyton almost fell to the ground upon her abrupt stop, almost flinching at the cool metal contrasting the fire that teased her skin just moments ago. With fire extinguisher at her disposal, Peyton shoved Nancy and Steve apart, gripping the nozzle and aiming it yet only firing once she could no longer hear (and somehow see) the monster.

"Get back!" quick to listen to the assertive blonde, Steve found himself holding the girl steady, hands tightly gripping her arms as foam sprayed onto the carpets, swallowing the flames with ease.

Lights ceased to flicker, and smoke billowed through the halls, escaping through little cracks though not enough to stop the teens struggling for breath. With elbows covering their mouths and noses, the teens, with Peyton somehow leading, slowly made their way through the black cloud, arms swatting the smoke around.

But rather than a body, all the teens approached was an empty hallway.

All four breathless yet defendant, Steve's hands gripped the bat once more as Peyton's palm met the wall for support, yet to notice her blood-stained shirt.

"Where'd it go?" questioned Nancy, seeming to have comfort in wielding her gun whether it contained bullets or not. Peyton stumbled weakly, shocked to discover someone behind her had stopped her fall. Steve's face said it all when she turned to look at him.

I'm sorry...

Are you okay?

Please don't punch me in the face again...

But rather than stare in anger her eyes were thankful, almost tearful, because she knew their fight was far from over.

"No," remaining defiant, Jonathan shook his head, wanting more than ever to believe they'd come out of this victorious, "It has to be dead... It has to be."

Although Peyton wasn't so sure.

In a way, they were the victors. After all, they weren't dead. And the thing was clearly hurt. Badly too, or else it would still be on the attack. No, they'd forced it to retreat. For how long? They had no idea.

Eyes flickering down at the burning trap, Peyton watched flesh and blood still sizzled atop black, charcoal-stained metal.

They'd won this battle.

Now, they'd have to prepare for war.

surprise!

sorry for the cheesy final sentance i didn't know how to end the chapter lmaooo

hoping context clues are enough for a random s1 flashback chapter to make sense lol

so this was super fun to write bc, even being nine chapters in i haven't gotten the chance to write a whole lot of action stuff ?? the duffer brothers just enjoy dialogue and character building (which in all honesty im grateful for cause it makes me appreciate the action as well as love the characters even more)

i hope this was a good taster as to whats coming in the next few chapters as i get back to season 2!

also, should i write more of these? there's a few important things that happen in s1 that i haven't really mentioned yet

(as well as, ofc, getting to read the chapter where peyton breaks steve's nose lol)

ty for reading and voting
and commenting it really does make my day!

<3