Lost and Found | Stranger Things Reader Insert

Warnings: mentions of death

Word Count: 2998

"Byers's body was found in the water of this quarry by state police earlier this evening. It was discovered by state trooper David O'Bannon, just after dark. The state police are mounting an investigation to determine Byers's cause of death, but an initial inquiry-"

Ted looked over to his wife as the news broadcaster continued on with the story. "Should I go down and talk to Michael? And you could talk to (Y/N)?" He softly asked. Karen, whose eyes were glued to the television, swallowed and blinked rapidly.

"Give them time. They'll come to us when they're ready."

As if on cue, the married couple could hear the quiet footsteps of their daughter descend the staircase. Soon, she was standing just outside the room, a faraway look on her face. She slightly swayed on her feet, but didn't move to steady herself. Karen noticed her and softly smiled through her tears. "Hey, sweetie."

Slowly, Doc turned her head to her parents, that same distant look in her eyes. Ted cleared his throat and motioned her forward. "Do you wanna talk?"

But she didn't answer them. Instead, she turned away and walked to the basement. Ted slowly dropped his arm before Karen firmly grabbed his hand, blinking back a new flow of tears. She couldn't imagine what her daughter was going through, and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her in her arms and talk through her feelings with her. But she also needed her to feel comfortable, to feel safe.

Anyone knew that Doc felt the safest and most comfortable with Mike.

Her mind was hazy as she made the last three steps into the basement, pausing and staring forward. She had been doing that a lot. One second, she would be consciously walking about. The next, her mind and expression went blank. Sometimes she would think about Will, sometimes she thought of nothing, most of the time she couldn't remember if she even was thinking. And if she was, she couldn't remember what. The only way she would snap out of her trance was through noise. If she dropped an object and it thudded against the ground, if someone called out to her. It would bounce around in her head until eventually those vibrating particles reached her eardrums and set her mind in place. She'd slowly blink and return to life.

"Doc?"

She blinked once, twice, then slowly turned her head to Mike, who sat on the couch. He held a stack of papers in his hands and a concerned look on his face. "Wanna sit down?"

"Yes." She answered almost immediately in a raspy whisper. Doc trudged her way over to the couch, passing by El's fort, where the girl paused her fiddling with the walkie to stare up at Doc. But Doc paid her no mind and sat beside her brother, resting her head on his shoulder. "Are those Will's drawings?"

"Yeah. I was just gonna look through them..."

Doc nodded as Mike began going through the drawings. Most of them were of Will the Wise and his adventures based on their D&D campaigns. Ones of him riding a horse, of him being gruesomely eaten by a dragon. Mike furrowed his brows at one drawing of Will the Wise and a character he couldn't recall. It definitely wasn't one the boys had created, wasn't a princess, either. "Hm. I wonder what this was."

"Oh," Doc gasped with a small smile, gently holding the drawing in her hand. "It's my character I made... the sorceress... I hadn't come up with a name yet, but Will and I sometimes talked about her. He couldn't wait for her to join the group."

Mike heavily sighed and set the papers on the table. "Yeah... he couldn't wait for you to join the group..."

"Really?" Doc stared up at him with big eyes.