Chapter Text
In the blink of an eye, the creature’s lunging towards them, but Steve’s already springing into action, blindly reaching out and grabbing at Billy’s wrist, dragging the alpha backwards into the mouth of the hallway and away from the impending danger.
Protect, a voice repeats itself in the back his mind.
Steve intends to do just that.
When the two of them breach the threshold of the living room, Steve tugs Billy around the bend of the partition, pulling sharply to the left, and back into the cramped corner of the connecting walls between the dining room and hallway.
“Billy!” Steve yelps as he and the alpha both round the corner of the entryway, just nearly missing being grazed by the Demo-dog’s sharp, gnashing teeth.
“Steve,” Billy quietly huffs as he flattens his back against the small portion of the wall, attempting to regain some of his balance. The alpha sucks in a sharp breath as his head twists around and his eyes search out the room from whence they just came, “Seriously, what the hell is that thing?”
“Well, it’s–” Steve starts, unsure of exactly what to say, but before he can properly articulate his words, the creature pursuing them suddenly bursts through the entryway with a thunderous crash, chasing after them in a fit of long limbs, running head-first with its slobbering maw straight into the living room.
Bam!
Startled, Steve’s eyes grow wide with horror and he holds his breath, waiting on pins and needles for the moment that he thinks the Demo-dog will inevitably turn around and lunge at them once more.
Get ready to run. Run. Run. Run. Run–
Steve keeps holding his breath… but the moment he's waiting for doesn’t come.
Confused and letting his fight or flight response take a back seat for a quick second, Steve’s posture deflates and he releases the breath he'd been holding. Owlishly, he begins looking around the room, observing the beast as it starts pacing around the open space just mere feet in front of them, seemingly unaware of their presence.
Much to Steve’s relief, instead of immediately turning to maul the two of them, it seems as though the Demo-dog has somehow lost track of them in its frenzied pursuit– perhaps too confused by its own slow-thawing brain to make sense of its sporadic hunt. Miraculously, the creature begins blindly moving further into the heart of the living room without sparing the boys so much as a single glance from over its misshapen shoulder– almost like it doesn’t know that Steve and Billy are standing statue-still, cowered in the corner just behind its back.
Steve cautiously glances over to his side, looking up at Billy, who’s also nervously watching the creature move about. Steve nudges the alpha’s side with the point of his elbow, drawing Billy’s attention. With his mate’s blue eyes locked onto him, Steve quickly gestures with a finger to his lip to convey the importance of their continued silence.
Billy swiftly nods once in understanding before he makes a gesture with his own thumb, pointing it over his shoulder, back towards the kitchen. The alpha angles his head in the direction of the backdoor, raising his brow in question while maintaining eye contact with Steve.
He wants to leave, Steve assumes.
And a part of Steve wants to do just that, too. He wants to run away from this creature just like he had with Neil earlier. He’s not safe here– they’re not safe. Steve’s skin feels clammy to the touch and his head feels like it’s starting to pound again like Rick Allen’s drum set at a Def Leppard concert– he wants to be anywhere but here. If they make the right move, Billy and him could just slip out and then–
But he can’t leave. Not yet.
Protect, a voice– his own– the other’s– Steve doesn’t really know anymore– doesn’t really care who the voice belongs to, actually– it says to him, tone stern and commanding, Protect pups.
Steve’s eyes widen and his lips silently form around the words, “I can’t.”
Growing more agitated by the second, Billy rolls his eyes at Steve and whispers, “Why the hell not?”
It seems as though Billy’s forgotten, too.
Steve hisses, voice just as quiet, “My pups.”
“Ah, dammit,” The alpha curses under his breath as a heated blush creeps up his neck and over his bruised cheeks (Steve will remember his mate’s reaction to the phrase ‘my pups’ later when they’re all safe and away from danger). Billy’s eyes flick around the room as he reluctantly nods, “Okay, we need something to fight it with, then.” He gestures his head towards the Demo-dog still aimlessly pacing ahead.
Steve’s about to offer a suggestion to their dilemma, but before he can do so, his attention is suddenly pulled back to the creature when a series of loud noises reverberate from just mere feet in front of them. Thunk! He turns just in time to watch as the Demo-dog’s bulbous head begins to frantically whip back and forth from side to side as it feebly untangles itself from a hand-knit throw blanket; its body knocking over small tchotchkes and furniture as it moves frantically to free itself. Once the blanket slips free from over its head, the creature then tosses its head back into the air like a wolf howling at the full moon; its face unfurls with a wet, chittering sound as it shows off its many rows of teeth from inside its petaled lips.
Clunk!
Steve’s gaze shifts, and he catches sight of his nail bat as it topples over, knocked to the ground by one of the creature’s stray, furious paws. He helplessly watches as it rolls to a stop, laid out on the floor in the middle of the room.
We need something to fight it with, then.
The omega chews at his bottom lip, contemplating, If only…
Steve considers making a quick grab for his bat, but before he can decide on how to make his move, the alpha beside him reaches out a hand to rest overtop Steve’s shoulder as if to warn him against making a rash decision that could result in them both being maimed or worse. The omega risks a glance over at Billy, brows furrowed and rebuttal ready on the tip of his tongue, but then–
The Demo-dog’s frantic motions suddenly cease.
Steve turns to look ahead, and that’s when he sees the creature in the middle of the living room, standing over the fallen nail bat, staring down at it with an unnatural stillness. He watches with bated breath as the Demo-dog’s gaze slowly moves from the nail bat and then higher… higher… until– It stops moving, looking straight ahead at the small corner of the room where Billy and Steve stand paralyzed with fear. It finally notices them.
As they lock eyes with the creature, it feels like the world goes quiet. The room goes cold. Time stops.
Run.
Steve swears he can feel his heart stop beating.
Run.
He hears Billy let out a shaky breath from beside him, “Shit.”
Run.
The omega audibly swallows, nodding.
Within an instant, the Demo-dog's releasing a near-deafening snarl as its clawed feet grapple with the traction of the area rug, trying to make another lunge at them.
“Run!” Steve screams out as he grabs for Billy’s wrist again, pulling the alpha along as he moves down the hallway towards the closed bedroom doors.
“Oh, shi–” Billy yelps as he’s forcefully dragged down the hall.
Barely managing to dodge the Demo-dog’s claws as they round the corner, Billy and Steve can’t help but bump into the surrounding walls of the hallway (along with each other) as they attempt a series of [staggering] evasive maneuvers– almost like a game of Pong. And without missing a beat, the faceless creature chases after them, keeping close behind as the two boys clumsily stumble past the wood paneling of the narrow hallway.
“Shit! Shit!” Steve curses aloud as he glances over his shoulder, catching sight of the Demo-dog’s snapping, petaled face.
Closing in from behind, the creature makes a calculated swipe for Billy’s leg, striking the alpha’s shin mid-stride with its heavy paw. The unexpected swipe causes Billy to trip and stumble sideways into a wall..
Billy hisses as he falls into the paneling, knocking loose a mounted painting from its place on the wall, “Fuck!” Unbalanced, he huffs as he reaches an arm out to steady himself. Looking down, Billy glimpses the tear in his pant leg, noticing the sliver of blood streaking down the backside of his calf, “Fuck.”
“Billy!” Steve yells for his mate, pausing his escape.
At that same moment, perhaps thinking the alpha’s now slowed and vulnerable, the creature makes a move to attack again, this time aiming for Billy’s heel. Thankfully, though, Billy reacts quickly, defending himself by grabbing the painting he’d just knocked off the wall, and flipping it over to use as a sort of makeshift shield before the creature’s able to take another dig into his flesh.
Somehow managing to keep the Demo-dog at bay with just his brute strength and the thin barrier of the painting, Billy growls through clenched teeth, “Get off, you sick bastard!”
Steve’s at Billy’s side, with one hand on the alpha’s shoulder, steadying him, while his other hand grips the corner of the painting’s wooden frame, pushing outward towards the Demo-dog’s quick, swiping claws. Dread fills his veins when he hears the taut canvas of the painting begin to give and tear with a drawn out groan beneath the razor-sharp tips of the creature’s claws, “It’s not gonna hold!”
“Well,” Taking stock of their dire predicament, Billy takes a step forward, angling himself in front of Steve as he adjusts the angle of their makeshift shield so as to better utilize the solidness of its wooden frame, continuing to keep the creature at arm’s length, “What do you suggest?”
Steve’s gaze shifts from the Demo-dog, down to Billy’s wound– red.
They’re going to die here if he doesn’t do something.
A voice inside of Steve’s head continues its chant, Protect. Protect. Protect. It’s urgent– familiar– welcoming.
“Steve?” Billy calls his name, voice edging on concern as the alpha continues to hold onto the edge of the frame, shoving one of its blunt corners into the Demo-dog’s slobbering maw.
Focusing, Steve’s eyes quickly dart around the narrow space of the hallway surrounding him, looking for something to use as a weapon– something to help– to protect. Within the span of a singular heartbeat, his eyes finally land on a piece of furniture at the end of the hallway– voila!
Steve lets go of both Billy and the painting, “Hold on!” Wasting no time, he bolts in the direction of the lone rattan chair that’s nestled beneath the small window at the end of the hall.
“What are you–” Billy starts, but his attention quickly turns back to the Demo-dog as its teeth grind into the splintering frame of the painting.
Quickly, Steve makes it to the window, and with as much strength as he can muster, he hoists the chair high above his head and barks aloud, “Look out!”
Watching Steve out of the corner of his eye, Billy hastily ducks low, gluing himself to the wall as close as possible before yelling back, “Do it!”
Given the order by his alpha, Steve moves into a bladed stance, firmly planting his feet before sending the rattan chair hurtling through the air towards the Demo-dog. He looks on with no small amount of relief as the chair lands squarely on top of the creature’s head, smashing overtop of its skull with a clattering of splintered shrapnel, sticking from its grey, corpse-like skin like quills on a porcupine’s back. Steve breathes a sigh of relief as he watches the unexpected blow force the beast backwards into a tangle of grotesque limbs, stumbling away from Billy in a sudden state of disarray.
As the creature reels back, Billy pops up from his crouched position and swiftly moves to grip the remainder of the painting that he’d been using as his shield, "My turn, asshole!" The alpha then lifts the painting high into the air above his head, smashing the full weight of its bulk down atop the Demo-dog’s head in a series of heavy, concussion-inducing blows before the frame finally crumbles into fractured pieces within his grasp.
The barrage seems to stun the Demo-dog, effectively putting an immediate stop to its violent, thrashing movements. All at once, the creature falls to the ground with a heavy thump!
Billy sighs with relief, using their hard-won moment of respite as an opportunity to turn away from the beast and move down the hall to where Steve remains standing in a state of shock, “Great call, Babe,” The alpha says as he hurries to his mate’s side, resting a protective hand on the omega’s hip, “That was incredible.”
Stunned by their near run-in with death as well as the wreckage left in the wake of their assault, Steve just looks over at Billy and shakes his head, “I– I–” The omega swallows, visibly shaking, “Holy shit.”
“Bambi?” Billy calls to Steve, brow furrowed as he tilts his head, leaning in closer to check over his mate. He rests the back of his hand over the omega’s forehead before removing it quickly with a click of his tongue, “You’re still burning up.”
Steve shivers as he startles back into reality. As he comes to, his eyes land on the Demo-dog’s prone form spread on the floor. Staring at it, he shivers again before he drags his gaze back to Billy, “Are– are you okay? Oh my god, did–?” Steve reaches out to grasp Billy’s shoulders in a show of blind desperation, “Are you bleeding anywhere else?” Flashes of flickering Christmas lights cross his mind– the ceiling splitting open– Nancy’s bloodied palm, “Please tell me you’re not bleeding anywhere else, Jesus–”
Couldn’t protect. Weak. Bad omega. Burden.
“Hey, hey,” Billy shushes the omega’s concerns, “I’m alright, see?” The alpha looks down at himself and shrugs when he turns to show off the slow-oozing wound on his leg, “It’s just a scratch, I’m still in one piece, I promise.”
Red.
“Billy–” Steve whines, blinking back tears threatening to bubble from the corners of his eyes, “Shit– I– I’m so sorry, I–”
“Shh, hey,” Billy soothes, leaning in to hold the omega against his chest, tucking Steve’s nose close to his mating gland, “I said I’m alright, Steve.”
The omega hiccups as his bottom lip wobbles with the intensity of too-much emotion, “But–” Steve sucks in a shuddering breath and buries himself into the firm wall of warmth radiating from his mate. He moves to hide his face in the center of Billy’s chest as he breathes in more of the alpha’s comforting scent, “It’s my fault, and I was trying to protect you, but it–” Steve starts before his words turn into a series of pathetic mumbling. His thoughts flounder and his voice sounds uncertain to his own ear when he eventually pulls himself away from the safety of Billy’s sturdy bulk, “I–” Steve shakes his head to clear his mind of the assortment of potential what ifs, “Shit, I’m awful at this– I never meant–” He lifts his gaze to meet ocean blue eyes.
“It’s not your fault, Steve,” Billy soothes as his arms move to wrap around the omega, rubbing gentle circles into the tense muscles of Steve’s back, “You tried to get me to leave, but I was too busy being a knothead to listen.”
“But–”
“And you did protect me,” Billy cuts him off, looking down at where Steve’s still snuggly tucked up against his chest. He moves a hand to the back of Steve’s head, fingers entwining with the longer strands that brush against Steve’s shoulders, tilting the omega’s head back ever so slightly, “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” Voice gone soft, the alpha says just before he leans forward to capture Steve’s lips in a tender kiss.
The taste of salt and cigarettes slowly seeps onto Steve’s tongue, and gradually he parts his lips like a budding orange blossom– open and delicate. The kiss escalates with desperation– a primal need.
They probably shouldn’t be doing this– it’s too dangerous, he knows– but Steve can’t stop himself from tasting Billy– from licking into his mouth and swallowing down his breathy little hums of pleasure– he’s too pleased with his alpha’s adoration and open display of affection. Steve’s greedy– starving for it.
“Shh,” Billy soothes as he coaxes out sweet, contented noises from the omega’s parted lips, “My good omega.” The alpha praises, voice low and full of lust when he pulls back.
Steve shivers, whimpering as he chases after Billy’s lips, causing their mouths to clash again, hungry and hurried. Heat bubbles through his veins and a fog begins to build at the back of his skull.
Good.
Steve wants to fuck in the hallway– up against the wall– on the carpet– under the window– anything and everything.
Good.
“Hmm,” Steve purrs, loose and pliant in Billy’s hold. He pushes his face forward, looking for another taste of a kiss, “Alpha–”
“Now we gotta go get Max and the rest of your pups, right?” Billy hums, his smile playful as he looks down at Steve.
Pups.
My pups.
Protect pups.
The words feel like a bucket of ice being dumped over Steve’s head.
A light bulb switches on as Steve remembers his gaggle of pups still shut away in a nearby bedroom, Oh. His chest tightens as a feeling of immeasurable guilt washes over him. He aches with it. How could he forget his purpose? His pups? Again? He keeps slipping– weak. He needs to end this before he loses himself for good.
“Pups…?” Steve blinks as he comes back to himself, tearing away from the cloying heat, “Pups– My… Oh shit!” The omega bolts upright, pushing away from Billy’s hold. He wanders towards a closed door and begins shouting, “Dustin!” Steve begins pounding his fist against what he thinks is the door to Jonathan’s bedroom, “Dustin! Open up!”
A rustling noise stirs from somewhere behind the door, and with bated breath, Steve and Billy both turn to watch it before suddenly, like magic, the lock switches. Together, they watch as the knob turns, causing the door to open with a small crack.
“Steve?” A meek voice calls out from behind the door.
“Oh, thank God.” Steve breathes out a sigh of relief as he pushes the door open, just wide enough for both him and Billy to fit through before closing it shut behind them. Immediately, a barrage of fear-scent reaches the omega’s nostrils, clearing Steve’s head of any and all fog that might’ve been previously clouding his thoughts. Sobered, he glances around the dark room, calling out, “... Guys?”
“Steve!” Dustin yips as he crosses the room and throws himself at the omega. The pup’s short arms wrap around the teen’s midsection like a vice, trapping Steve in a tight hug.
“Oof– Buddy!” Steve huffs as the wind is knocked from his lungs with the force of Dustin’s momentum.
After Steve gently settles Dustin, the rest of the pups follow after the curly-haired boy, untucking themselves from their hiding spot behind Jonathan’s bed before quickly moving to surround the omega like a brood of homesick ducklings, “Steve!” They all cling to Steve like a scurry of squirrels on a willow tree’s branches, reaching out for and holding onto him as their worried gazes check him over from head to toe for any sign of obvious injury or distress.
“Are you okay?” Dustin asks, looking up at Steve with evident concern.
Steve nods, patting a hand over the back of Dustin’s shoulder, “I’m fine, Dust.”
“You look… weird.” Dustin comments as he looks up at the older teen, taking in the state of Steve’s unwrapped bandages and untucked shirt before his gaze finally lands on the sight of his disheveled hair.
Steve awkwardly coughs into his fist, hiding a slight blush as he recalls the moment before they entered the bedroom to retrieve the pups. He brings up hand up to comb through his tousled locks, “Yeah, well–”
“We heard a fight!” Lucas cuts in, stealing Steve’s attention.
Mike then adds like the annoying asshole that he is, “Did you get your ass kicked again?”
“Uh, well, it’s a bit more complicated–” Steve swallows, looking over his shoulder, back towards the door where his mate stands. That’s when he suddenly clocks the barrier his pups have [perhaps unintentionally] created, walling him off from getting close to Billy, “You see–”
But before Steve can say anything else to ease his pups, Max abruptly cuts in, flashing her fangs as she turns to glare at Billy, “What are you doing here?”
Steve watches in bewilderment as the small, red-headed alpha quickly moves in front of him with a swift motion, never once showing her back to her stepbrother. Max keeps one hand behind her back, placing herself ahead of Steve like a shield blocking his access to Billy– and it’s only then that he begins to register that not everyone’s on the same page when it comes to his mate.
“Hey, he’s–” Steve goes to raise a gentle hand to rest atop Max’s shoulder to calm her, but before he can make a move, the girl begins pushing him in reverse. Without even turning to look at Steve, she begins shepherding him backwards one step at a time, until eventually, Steve finds himself wedged up against the stereo stand at the opposite end of the bedroom.
Steve understands Max’s actions are territorial– protective. It takes a few seconds, but Steve realizes that she’s creating distance between him and Billy under the assumption that the distance will keep him safe… Which means she still sees Billy as a threat.
“Max–” Steve tries again as he allows himself to be maneuvered closer to the wall.
Steve’s once again interrupted when Dustin and Lucas both clue-in on what’s happening with Max, following her line of sight before taking notice of the intruding alpha standing by the doorway, “Who let him in?” Influenced by their friend’s protective behavior, the two boys hastily join her in guarding Steve. Acting like a pair of white knights, they both position themselves on either side of the omega, growling in unison as they face down Billy from a safe distance, “Back off, asshole!”
It’s all very sweet and thoughtful, knowing that his pups are willing to jump to his defense, however Steve’s patience is steadily waning after the day’s already taxing series of events, and so he barks out with no small amount of annoyance, “Hey, dipshits!” He huffs, smacking the backside of the boys’ heads with his open palms, “Knock it off!”
“But, Steve, he’s–”
The omega rolls his eyes, “He’s fine, Henderson.” Steve’s hands move to tousle the boys’ hair, “We, uh– we got it sorted out.” He glances up at Billy and the alpha– now looking thoroughly chastised– nods silently from across the room.
“Like your babysitter just said,” Billy says as he puts his hands up in a show of mock-surrender, “I come in peace, twerps.”
“No,” Max hisses, not moving or taking her eyes off of her stepbrother, “I don’t trust you.”
“Max–” Steve watches as Billy’s face falls upon hearing the girl’s immediate rejection.
Max furiously shakes her head at her stepbrother while pointing back towards the omega, “You hurt him.”
Billy nods, somber, “I did.”
Silence settles over the room as Max and Billy both openly look at each other; their gazes conveying unspoken words between just the two of them.
“Max, hey,” Steve’s voice is quiet as he moves to reach out like he’d attempted to earlier, resting hand to set atop the smaller girl’s’ shoulder, “Billy’s–”
“No, Steve!” Max whips around, furious tears building in the corners of her eyes, “He hurt you! Don’t try to excuse him, I was there! He– he–”
Soothe pup. Reassure. Protect.
Steve gently wraps his arms around her, encasing her in a loose hug, “I’m not excusing what he did,” He glances up towards Billy as he waits for the tension in her shoulders to ease a bit before continuing, “You’re right, he did hurt me. He could’ve hurt you, too. And that’s not okay.”
“But he’s– I–” She sniffles once before leaning in closer to scent him, “I couldn’t stop him, and–”
“Oh, Max, honey,” Steve holds her close, channeling the omega-softness once shown to him by a kind nurse, “Don’t– It’s not your job to worry about protecting me.”
Max shakes her head, “What if he tries to do it again?”
Steve’s grip around her tightens, “I won’t let him.”
Max goes still in Steve’s arms, “Wha? You can’t–”
“I can, I promise,” He says, voice steady, “I know I can be a real idiot sometimes, and I might not always put my own safety first, but…” Steve spares her a glance, “Max, you know that I’d do anything to keep you guys safe, right? I’m the babysitter, remember?”
An amused puff of air escapes from Max’s lips as she bobs her head, looking up at him through her tear-soaked lashes, “Yeah...” She concedes.
“Billy and I– We weren’t ourselves back there. This is all still new to us.” Steve leans forward and strokes his thumb against her splotchy red cheek, wiping away a stray tear from the corner of her eye, “Your brother and I still have a lot of things to work through, and it might take a little bit of time for us to do that, and I’m sorry that you all got caught up in it– it’s not fair to you guys.” He tucks a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, “But we’ll figure our shit out eventually, okay? You don’t need to worry yourself with our mess.” He nods, glancing at Billy, “Okay?”
The girl looks between Steve and then Billy, cautious and still unbelieving, “Okay…”
“And, Max, I promise you,” Steve says, voice calm as he searches Max’s eyes, “I won’t ever let Billy or anyone else hurt you guys so long as I’m here, alright?”
She holds his gaze and nods, “Okay.”
“And,” Steve adds, “For the record, we talked some things out and Billy apologized to me.” He tilts his head back and lets out an amused huff, “So, I guess you can say he does have some manners after all.”
Max’s eyes comically widen at that.
“But I think he maybe needs to apologize to you, too,” Steve looks over the girl’s shoulder, eyes wandering to search out his mate’s gaze again, “Am I right?”
Billy nods at Steve before clearing his throat and taking a step forward to kneel in front of his stepsister, “Max,” Billy breathes as he settles his weight onto his knees, “I’m sorry.”
The girl turns herself around in Steve’s embrace, shifting to face Billy as she continues to hold onto the omega as her anchor. Max doesn’t say anything to her stepbrother– just looks at him with an assessing gaze.
“I shouldn’t’ve done that– You know how I get sometimes, I’m stupid. Reckless.” Billy releases a frustrated sigh, “But that’s not an excuse to hurt you. Or Steve. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t better– But I promise I will be from now on. I’m going to be better, Max. I promise, I’m going to protect you both– You and Steve.”
Max pulls away from Steve then, moving to cross the room so that she’s nearly chest-to-chest with Billy. Standing before him, she looks up into Billy’s eyes; her gaze intense as she searches for whatever it is she’s looking for. Blue. Sane.
“No more lashing out.” Max says with an air of finality.
Billy agrees, “No more.”
“Promise?” She asks as her brow raises.
Billy nods, voice borderline pleading, “I promise.”
Max looks at her stepbrother for a long beat before shrugging, “Fine, whatever.” She turns and retreats back to Steve’s side, seeking more of his comforting omega scent.
“So, wait, you guys weren’t just trying to kill each other in the hallway like two minutes ago?” Dustin asks.
“Dude, weren’t you listening? Billy and I talked it out.” Steve scoffs, “We’re not killing each other.”
“If that’s the case,” Lucas steps forward, cutting through the tension with a scrutinizing look, gaze darting curiously between both Billy and Steve, “Then what the hell was all that fighting we just heard?”
“Well, like I was trying to say before,” Steve coughs into his fist, “We’ve got a bit of a… problem.”
***
“So, wait, let me get this straight–”
“Yes, Henderson,” Steve sighs as he takes a seat on the edge of Jonathan’s bed, “As I’ve already explained, that thing you made me shove into Mrs. Byers’ fridge wasn’t actually dead,” The omega rolls his eyes, obviously annoyed at having to repeat himself, “That’s why I kept asking you if you were sure it was dead before we stuffed it in there like Thanksgiving leftovers!”
Dustin dramatically waves his hands into the air in a show of mock offense, “Well, how was I supposed to know it wasn’t dead, Steve?”
Steve opens his mouth to argue with the boy, but then he quickly thinks better of it, instead opting to let the words die on his tongue. Rather, he huffs, “You know,” Steve crosses his arms over his chest, “It doesn’t matter. The fact is, there’s now a live Demo-dog in the hallway.”
“Yeah,” Billy adds as he takes a seat on the bed beside Steve, “Definitely alive.”
“But you guys took care of it,” Mike reaffirms.
“But you guys knocked it out,” Mike reaffirms.
“Well,” Steve shrugs, “Maybe?”
“It’s at least unconscious.” Billy says.
“Okay, concussed or not,” Max says as she looks over at Wheeler, “Like they just said, it’s alive. Which means it still needs to be taken care of.”
“... Right.” Lucas nods, drawing his thumb to his chin.
“Damn…” Dustin nods right before the omega catches him with an admonishing stare, mumbling, ‘Language, Henderson.'
“Can we still radio for help?” Lucas asks.
“From who, exactly?” Steve shakes his head, standing from the bed so he can anxiously pace the room, “Hop’s already got his hands full with closing the gate as it is,” He runs a hand through the tangled strands of his hair, pushing the fringe out of his eyes, “I’m sure this is all just child’s play compared to what the rest of them are already dealing with.”
“Yeah, we can’t take their focus away from helping El and Will right now. It’s already bad enough we’re not there to help them,” Mike says before sheepishly adding, “... Also, we don’t have the walkie anymore.” The boy turns away from the group, rubbing at the back of his neck.
“What?” Dustin moves to stand in front of the other boy, gripping Mike’s shoulder, “You don’t have it?”
“Gees! Look, I’m sorry! I dropped it when he–” Mike pauses, taking a moment to roll his eyes and point an accusing finger in Billy’s direction, “Was charging at us!”
Not for the first time, Billy throws his hands up in mock surrender, “Hey, I said I was sorry about that.”
“Jesus, Mike!” Dustin yells, ignoring the older alpha, “That was our lifeline!”
“So what? It doesn’t matter!” Mike huffs, deflecting, “Like Steve said, everyone’s already busy with closing the gate, so no one’s coming to help us, okay?”
“Yeah, but–”
“See?” Mike points out, “There’s a window right there we can all climb through. Problem solved. We don’t need help.” He shrugs as his group of friends turn to glance at the mentioned window, “What we need to do is follow our original plan and just go to the tunnels–”
“Yeah, no!” Steve swerves from his path of pacing, turning to glare at the little shithead, “What did I say earlier, Wheeler? No!”
The boy looks at Steve with a pout, “But–”
Max turns to Mike with a look of disgust, “Don’t be stupid, Mike.”
“Okay, let's say, even if I somehow agreed to do that, we still can’t just leave a live monster wandering around your best friend’s house for when he gets home!” Steve shakes his head as he positions his arms akimbo, “Do you have any idea how reckless that is?”
“At least it wouldn’t eat Will’s cat…” Lucas mutters under his breath.
Dustin grumbles, nudging the other boy in the chest with the point of his elbow, “I heard that.”
“So, what exactly are you proposing we do?” Max addresses Steve as she crosses her arms over her chest, “We can’t just stay here and do nothing. We know that thing is going to wake up eventually. And if calling for help is off the table, then…”
“Well… I’d say we need to kill it for good, but…” Steve stops his pacing before looking around the room, trying to formulate a plan in his head. Thinking aloud, he says, “But, no, that sounds too dangerous.” He shakes his head, “I’m supposed to be in charge of keeping you guys safe– I can’t let you guys get involved in something like that. It’d be completely irresponsible on my part…”
Mike’s quick to cut in, “Then we–”
“But I don’t think we should be going to the tunnels either,” Steve continues unperturbed, raising a finger to shush the boy, “After seeing them all in the junkyard, it makes me think there’s probably just going to be more of them...”
“What’s it gonna take to convince you that we don’t need to be kept safe!” Mike whines, throwing his head back in frustration as he raises his voice at Steve, “We need to help El!”
Steve groans, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration, “Mike, for the last time–”
“No!” Mike spits, stomping his foot over the carpet like the petulant child that he is, “Maybe you somehow take care of this one, but we already know there’s still dozens more out there! And if we don’t get to the tunnels and help El end this for good, they’ll probably come back. There’s no way you can keep us safe from that!” Steve watches as the boy’s shoulders shake with anger, “You’re delusional if you think you can!”
Billy rises to his feet, puffing his chest out as he looks down at Wheeler, “Watch your tone when you’re talking to him, kid.”
Mike meets Billy’s eye with a burning glare.
“No,” Steve says as he sidles up next to Billy, calming the alpha, “He’s right. I– I can’t stop all of them… Maybe I am delusional.”
Billy turns to Steve, “So, there really are more of these… things?”
“Demo-dogs,” Dustin clarifies, “And yes,” He nods his head towards the alpha, “There’s more of them. And they’re part of a collective hive mind.”
“Demo–wha–?” Billy looks over at Dustin as if he’s speaking a foreign language.
“The name doesn’t matter,” Max interjects, waving off Dustin, “What matters is how we’re going to get rid of them.”
Mike keeps at it, “The only way we can for sure put an end to them all is if we go out there and help.”
Billy looks over at Mike once more, “And you think we’d accomplish this by what? Going into some tunnels?”
“And setting them on fire,” Lucas adds for clarity.
“Wait,” Steve bristles, “Billy, don’t tell me you’re actually listening to them,” Worried, the omega glances at the group of pups and then back to his mate, “We can’t just–”
“Baby, if it means keeping you and Max safe, I’m willing to go out there and have a little monster barbeque.”
“You– You weren’t even supposed to know about this!” Steve laments, massaging his temple.
“But I do now,” Billy says, reaching out to wrap an arm around Steve’s waist, “So, let me help."
The omega sighs, “And they say I’m delusional? God, this is a mess…”
With Steve settling in his hold, Billy turns his attention back to Mike, “You know how to get there?”
Mike nods, “Yeah.”
Steve’s eyes widen with disbelief, “This is insane! We are not–”
“So, what, you want to keep them here?” Billy asks, hands outstretched as he gestures around the room, “Where we already know there’s at least one of those Demo-things just outside that door?” He pauses for a moment, watching as Steve mulls over his words, “Like the twerp said, yeah, let’s say we kill this one, but there’s still more out there.”
“Yeah, but…” Steve whines, tossing his head back to rest against the alpha's shoulder, “If we wait, maybe Hopper could–”
“We already know what kind of track record Hopper has when it comes to responding to distress calls. We’ll be sitting ducks if we wait for him to finish with whatever he’s doing.” Billy shakes his head, “Babe, I don’t like those odds.”
The omega chews his lip, “No, I don’t like it either, but…”
“So, we’ll go,” The alpha says, voice confident as he speaks, “We’ll drive out to the tunnels and I want you to stay in the car with the pups,” He nods, “I’ll be the one to go down there and roast these ugly bastards.” Billy tilts his head to offer Steve a hopeful smile, “It’ll be a win/win for everyone.”
“That’s not–” Steve turns in Billy’s arms as he nervously shakes his head, “Billy, you can’t do something like that by yourself–”
“Stevie,” Billy says, moving to cup the omega’s face, “We gotta do this, Baby. If this is how we get rid of those things for good– If this is the best way for me to protect you… happy to do this.”
Alpha protects.
It’s not just Steve anymore.
‘You don’t have to play macho-man anymore, kid.”
Steve has to remember he has people in his corner now.
Billy’s here.
Accepting his defeat, Steve lowers his head and gives a subtle nod, “Yeah, okay… We’ll go to the tunnels.”
Billy moves to squeeze Steve closer to his chest before angling his head to offer his lips to the omega. The two share a brief, chaste kiss before Steve pulls away to rest his forehead against the alpha’s own. Steve sucks in a long, grounding breath as he squeezes his eyes shut, focusing on the strength of Billy’s scent.
“You’re crazy, you know that?” Steve breathes.
Billy smirks, “And you’re beautiful.” The alpha leans in for another kiss.
“Great, now that that’s settled,” Dustin interrupts from somewhere behind Steve as he obnoxiously clears his throat with a series of loud coughs, “What are we planning on doing with the Demo-dog in the hallway?”
Just then a clattering noise echoes from outside of the bedroom door.
Thud!
“Shit,” Steve curses under his breath.
“I think its naptime is over,” Lucas grimaces.
Max scowls in the direction of the door, “So much for being concussed.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Billy says, taking a step away from the omega, “You guys go through the window to your car and wait for me. After I’m done with this, I’ll follow right behind you.”
“One problem,” Steve interjects, “My car is on the other side of town.”
“Shit…” Billy curses under his breath, “We’ll just take mine then,” The alpha nods as he begins patting his hands over his pockets in search of his keys. After a moment of fruitless searching, Billy’s hands come away empty, “Okay, one more problem,” The alpha hisses, lifting his gaze to meet Steve’s, “I can’t find my keys.”
Steve’s mouth falls open as he recalls their recent tussle in the living room, “They must’ve fallen out when we were…” A blush creeps up his cheeks.
“Oh.”
Mike cuts in, “Okay, so what if we get to the living room, grab the keys, and then go?”
“Yeah, that’s easier said than done, I’m sure.” Max looks over at the boy, unimpressed with his inability to comprehend the gravity of their situation.
“And we still have the Demo-dog issue to worry about.” Steve reminds them.
“Right,” Dustin ponders as his eyes roam around the room, “If we have to go out there, we’ll need weapons to fight it off with.”
The thought of his pups stepping foot into the hallway to face the Demo-dog sends Steve reeling. Weapons means fighting– fighting means danger– pups will be in danger– must protect pups, the voice inside of Steve’s head rambles on and on like a storm siren in late spring.
“No, there is no ‘we’ in this, Dustin,” Steve huffs, pushing Dustin back to fall atop the edge of the bed, “Just because I agreed to drive to the tunnels for now does not mean I’m letting you shits take on a Demo-dog in combat.”
“Steeeeeeevveeee–” The trio of young boys collectively begin their incessant whine before they catch Billy looking down at them with a stern glare.
“Here’s what’s gonna happen,” Billy says as he gestures at the group of Steve’s pups before pointing at the floor, “You guys are going to stay in here.”
The pups all release a collective groan.
Ignoring the pups, Billy moves around the edges of Jonathan’s bed, “Here, take this,” He says as he leans over, grabbing the task light on the nightstand before handing it over to Steve.
“Billy, what are you–?” Steve asks as he accepts the task light without argument.
Without pausing, Billy then moves to the window, pulling down the curtain rod, and stripping it of its draped fabric, “I’ll take care of that thing while Steve finds my keys,” The alpha says, clutching the curtain rod in his fist like it’s a mage’s staff.
“Are you kidding?” Steve balks as understanding dawns on him. He stares at the lamp he’s holding in his hand, “We’re not making it all the way down the hall with just a curtain rod and a nightlight–”
“You’re absolutely right, Baby,” Billy nods, grinning over at Steve, “We’re not making it all the way down the hall,” He takes a moment to pause, raising his brow, “We’re making a pit stop in the bathroom first.”
Steve blinks at the alpha, confused, “Huh?”
“You guys mentioned that fire could be its weakness– hence the burning of the tunnels, right?” Billy asks, looking around the room at both Steve and the pups, “So, why not try to maximize our firepower against the sonofabitch?” The alpha takes a step towards Steve, dipping a hand into the omega’s front pocket to pull out his chrome lighter, “And Stevie, you should know better than anyone else what the power of a good hairspray can do.”
“Oh!” Steve’s eyes widen as a crazy looking grin spreads across his face, “Billy’s that’s–”
“Genius!” Dustin beams.
Lucas nods sagely, “That’s actually not a bad idea.”
“Yeah, you just have to make it there first.” Max says, sounding more dire than Steve would like.
Billy nods, “Which means we should get out there before that thing has its coffee and really wakes up– A.K.A now.”
The omega nods, “Okay, guys, do not leave this room until we tell you to, do you hear me?” Steve orders, warily eyeing each of the pups as he moves towards the bedroom door.
The pups (Mike excluded), mockingly chirp together as they all roll their eyes, “Yes, Mom.” (Mike just crosses his arms and silently glares.)
“I mean it.” Steve huffs.
Billy looks to Steve as he grips the door knob in his hand, readying himself to rush out into the fray, “Ready?”
“Yeah,” Steve nods, clutching the neck of the task light in his hands almost as if it were his trusty nail bat, “Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
Billy turns his attention back to the door, “On the count of three.”
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three!”
The door swings open, and together, Billy and Steve rush out into the hall.
***
With their improvised weapons held tightly in their fists, Billy and Steve both tumble out of the bedroom and into the hallway as they finish their count of three. Once they’re in the hall, and the door behind them is shut with a speedy click of the lock, they begin to take stock of their surroundings.
Steve turns his head and is met with the sight of the once-unconscious Demo-dog slowly stretching awake from its temporary slumber. He watches as the creature’s body– still littered with a smattering of splintered shrapnel from the painting’s frame– gradually comes to life with a spark of awareness. As it wakes, the Demo-dog shakes its body like a wet dog, tossing aside the remaining shattered pieces of framework and furniture that’d been left covering its body. Slowly, it begins to unsteadily hoist itself upright onto all fours.
“Crap.” Steve whispers under his breath, unsure now of how exactly they’re going to get past the Demo-dog. He hadn’t realized it’d be completely blocking their path to the living room.
At Steve’s side, Billy nods, sucking in a sharp breath as he takes in the sight of the Demo-dog ahead of them, “Shit.”
The creature immediately zeroes in on the noise, whipping its head in their direction, focusing on the two of them as it rises on wobbly legs, most likely readying itself for another charge.
Run.
Anxious, Steve looks on as the Demo-dog’s face begins to split in a horrible display of waxen flesh and sharp teeth. He almost gags when saliva starts oozing from its stretched lips like puss from a wound.
The air suddenly smells of rot– death.
Unable to breathe, Steve covers his nose with his shoulder.
Unmoving, the Demon-dog seemingly locks eyes on Billy and Steve for a brief, assessing moment.
And then it roars. Monstrous. Deafening.
Steve startles at the sound, shrinking so that his back is further pressed against the locked bedroom door.
Run. Run. Run, His hindbrain tells him. Survive.
Billy is there at Steve’s side, though, placing a reassuring hand along the omega’s lower back, whispering, “Just stay behind me.”
Desperate for courage, Steve nods, “Okay.”
Turning back to the Demo-dog with his fangs bared in a threatening display of his own, Billy releases a thunderous roar, “Now!”
In the blink of an eye, the alpha surges forward, pulling Steve along to follow his lead.
“Holy shi–” Steve curses, trying to stick close.
The creature mimics them, barreling towards Billy and Steve with sluggish, uncoordinated movements.
Billy moves swiftly, acting as a human-shield for Steve as they make their way down the length of the narrow hallway. And as the alpha moves, he keeps the curtain rod extended forward while swinging it wildly back and forth ahead of their path, stabbing at the Demo-dog each time it tries to move to closer to them, “Back off you ugly fuck!” Billy snaps as he lashes out at the creature. His ranged defense forces the creature to hiss and backpedal enough so as to allow them better footing within the confined space of the cramped corridor.
As Billy continues to beat back the Demo-dog towards the end of the hallway from whence it came, Steve somehow manages to slip behind the alpha and follow the length of the wall until he finds the bathroom door that’s been left slightly ajar, “In here!” He yells over his shoulder as he opens the door with the gentle push of his finger. He grabs for Billy with his free hand, pulling the alpha along until they both clear the doorway.
Once inside the bathroom, Billy whips the door shut behind them with a loud slam and a click of the lock. Almost instantly, Steve can hear the sound of the Demo-dog rampaging through the hall before it comes to a stop in front of the bathroom door, loudly chittering from the other side. A beat passes before the creature furiously scrapes its claws over the wooden barrier.
That could’ve been us, Steve thinks to himself, breathless with the thought of his flesh being torn like silk from the bolt.
“Check under the sink.” Billy instructs, pulling Steve out of his thoughts.
While Billy stands guard at the door, Steve nods before rushing over to the vanity, beginning his task of opening the cupboard doors and searching for anything product that could be deemed helpful. He frantically digs his hands into the space beneath the sink, hastily grabbing any product he manages to find. Pulling one too many useless items has Steve feeling deterred, though, and so he can’t help but shake his head with mounting frustration as he tosses down a small stack of thin bath towels onto the floor, “Billy, I’m not finding–”
“Keep looking.” Billy tells him, unwilling to accept defeat as he continues to hold the door closed.
Steve continues his search, and eventually, after removing three bottles of Salon Selectives shampoos, a hair dryer, a container of Johnson & Johnson talcum powder, a bottle of Ten-0-Six, and a box of Ajax cleaner, Steve finally finds a full canister of Aussie Mega Hairspray. “Found it!” He shouts, tossing the purple bottle of hairspray over his shoulder and into the alpha’s waiting, outstretched hand.
Billy catches the canister mid-air, checking over the label with a sly grin, “Perfect, this’ll do nicely,” He lifts his eye to meet Steve’s gaze, winking, “Good job, Bambi.”
Steve feels like he wants to melt under the alpha’s attention and praise. Good.
A loud thump! against the bathroom door stops him from floating to high, though.
Not now.
Another clash reverberates against the door, and Steve watches as Billy’s rocked forward with the momentum of the impact.
Protect Alpha. Protect pups. Protect. Protect. Protect.
Steve focuses, brushing away the lingering fog and its accompanying heat.
“Okay,” Billy huffs, still using his weight to better secure the structure of the door. The alpha turns to push his back up against the door’s center, glancing at Steve with a questioning look before tossing the curtain rod over to him, “Ready, pretty boy?” Billy says as he digs his palm into the front pocket of his jeans, pulling out his lighter.
“No,” Steve heaves a loud sigh filled with exhaustion as he sidles up to Billy, taking the mantle of Billy’s position near the doorknob, “But I guess I need to be.”
“I know, Babe, you’re tired,” Billy offers a sympathetic smile before leaning over to peck a quick kiss to Steve’s cheek, “We’ll do this just like before, okay?” He nods as he turns and positions himself a few steps away from the door. Billy takes a moment to breathe, holding the canister of hairspray in one hand– finger on the tab– and his flipped opened lighter in the other. “On the count of three, I want you to open the door and then get behind me.”
Steve gives a single nod, “One.”
“Two.”
“Three!” Steve shouts as he turns the doorknob, throwing it wide open with a bang!
Immediately, Steve falls back so that he’s out of the line of fire, slipping to the side and away from danger as Billy ignites the lighter, pressing down on the hairspray’s nozzle. With a flash, a pillar of flame spits forward, singeing the air as it licks at the Demo-dog’s extended paw. Steve hears the creature wail in pain as its flesh bubbles and catches fire like marshmallows over campfire. With the Demo-dog distracted, Billy takes the opportunity to push forward, keeping his aim steady as he forces the creature back out of the doorway.
“Go!” Billy yells out to Steve, voice barely carrying over the volume of the creature’s distorted shrieking.
Run. Run. Run.
As soon as Billy forces the creature back enough for Steve to clear the doorway, the omega moves with urgency. Steve slides out of the bathroom behind Billy, making a run for the living room. His mind stays occupied only with thoughts of survival– Alpha. Keys. Weapon. Run. Protect.
Panting for breath, Steve races down the remaining length of the hallway at breakneck speed, relieved when he reaches the end where the living room’s archway connects with a mural of crayon-illustrated tunnels. Steve’s about to take the turn into the dimly lit room when he suddenly hears a loud curse coming from somewhere a few feet behind him.
“Goddammit!”
Alpha, Steve recognizes.
Concerned for his mate, Steve pauses his step, turning instead to look over his shoulder rather than make a run for the keys. What he sees, though, his mind can’t quite make sense of in time to properly react– there’s a mass of seething fire hurtling towards him.
Eyes not believing what he’s seeing, Steve turns around to fully face the flames as a dark plume of smoke begins to billow behind the blazing figure like a locomotive chimney. Through the growing veil of smouldering ash, Steve sees what he thinks is a demon sent from the fiery pits of Hell coming straight for him, and he watches in horror as it closes in, reaching for him with outstretched arms sparking like matchsticks. The blazing figure screams and Steve’s blood runs cold.
Run. Run. Run.
His eyes widen with mounting fear and He gasps, “What the–” Steve takes a subconscious step backwards, readying himself for retreat, but then–
The back of Steve’s shin bumps into something behind him, causing him to stumble slightly off-balance. His footing slips where the shag carpeting of the hallway transitions to the parquet flooring of the living room, and the disturbed equilibrium of Steve’s new position sends him falling backwards as his knee suddenly buckles beneath his own weight. “Gah!” Steve chokes out as his head begins to tilt back, giving him a clearer view of the ceiling up above.
As the world begins to gradually tilt on its axis, Steve hears a loud scream break through the violent drumming of his heartbeat, ‘Steve!’.
Caught in that last remaining split-second of awareness, completely consumed by both adrenaline and terror, Steve finds himself trapped mid-air without any way to stop his fall. In his mind, he’s moving through syrup– suspended in time and space, left open and vulnerable as gravity works at pulling him down, down, down... His descent feels unbelievably slow, but he can’t fast forward– can’t press pause– can’t stop it– Steve has no control over his wrecked, aching body as he free-falls like a meteor through the air, hurtling towards the ground below faster than a heartbeat.
He has just enough time to feel the encroaching heat of the air on his face– smell the burning of flesh and the nose-prickling stench of rot flooding his senses. Steve's eyes start to water as he realizes he’s most likely going to die– frozen, scared, and stuck staring up at Will Byers’ scribbled depiction of Hawkins. Steve’s going to die as a failure– a disappointment– a burden. He can say he tried. But Billy–
Steve’s still falling when his eyelids squeeze shut. He feels heat closing in around him, tickling his skin like the rush of air from a cracked oven door. A sudden burst of pain erupts like a flash of lightning before a hurricane. The crack of broken ceramic echoes through his ears as the rush of something warm and wet begins trickling down his nape. Steve senses brilliant shades of white hot fire bursting in front of his closed eyes and then– nothing.