Chapter Text
“You're sure everyone is okay?”, Steve gave all the kids a once-over. Trying to ignore Billy who was still lying on the floor, knocked out for now.
“Yes, we are. Nothing happened!”, Lucas rolled his eyes.
“Could you keep your voice down. No need to shout at me.” At least the boy had some decency to look ashamed.
“I'm just making sure nobody turns out to be possessed by one of these things.”
“Demodogs”, Dustin muttered. Steve could still hear Dustin's screams echoing in his head. For a split second he had thought that his friend would be the next meal for the demodogs. But they were here, slightly worse for wear, but alive.
“We should take care of him”, Steve knelt down, winching slightly as his head pounded viciously. “I need a belt”, he said as he undid his. Slinging it around Billy's wrists. Dustin handed him another one. After securing the ankles as well Steve stood up again. Nearly collapsing as his vision spun.
“Is anybody hungry?”, Dustin asked earning exasperated glances from everyone.
“How can you possibly be hungry right now?!”, Lucas again not using his indoor voice.
“I always get hungry when something terrible happened.”
“Figures”, Max said.
“Still have some Hershey's. Does somebody want some as well”, he pulled out three bars. The kids shook their heads. “Steve?”
“No, thanks”, the scent of chocolate made him feel sick. Mike leaned against the window ledge. Peering into the darkness.
“Do you see anything?”, Max joined him.
“No, but they have to come back”, desperation in his voice.
Steve's head hadn't stopped pounding as he walked to the fridge. Pulling the handle, his hands still shaking. They hadn't stopped shaking since he had grabbed Dustin. All the creatures rushing past him. Dustin's heart pounding hard. In that moment Steve thought he'd die, at least a climatic death. The door was stuck, no matter how hard he pulled it didn't budge.
“Steve, what are you doing?”, Dustin's voice making his headache even worse.
“I just need...”
“The demodog is in there!”
“What?”, this night was making less and less sense.
“The demodog, we put him in there, don't you remember?” It was getting harder to think. His memories fuzzy and far away. A hand on his wrist.
Dustin slowly pulling him away. “You can't open the fridge, Steve.”
Stepping onto something soft, Steve recoiled letting out a little scream.
Max rose her eyebrows, “Why are you screaming like a little girl?”, she asked.
Steve pulled his shoes out of what seemed to be the remains of chocolate sauce. “Why is that even on the floor?”
“Because we had to empty the fridge for the demodog.” “Great....do they have a freezer?”
“Outside”, Mike said. The last thing Steve wanted to do is go outside. What if another monster was waiting outside, or worse all the children ran away the moment he went through the door. But it was that, or taking some of the sedative, that's how much his head was hurting right now.
“Great”, he muttered then taking a look at his shoes. Once white now covered in mud, blood and some chocolate sauce. “I'm going outside, and you stay here. If I come back and one of you is missing, I swear to God the demodogs will be the least of your problems”, the kids gave him a half annoyed, half weird look. He picked up his bat and opened the door.
Cold wind messed up the rest of his usually meticulously styled hair. Good thing Nancy wasn't his girlfriend anymore otherwise this would have been awkward. The freezer stood underneath a little wooden shack. His torch started to flicker, “Such a cliché”, he muttered. If he died now this would be fucking ironic. He grabbed the first bag of peas he got a hold of.
The kids were still looking outside the window. “Dustin, heads-up”, he threw the boy a ice cream tub.
“Thank you”, a smile broke out on the boy's face. Grabbing a spoon from the cutlery drawer, slamming it back causing loud clattering.
“Could you please not do that, Dustin. You're going to break Mrs. Byers kitchen. Do you want that?”
“No”, he said, a bit of remorse on his face.
“Then be careful next time.” Dustin nodded and joined his friends.
Steve wrapped the bag of peas into a cloth and held it against his head. Joining the other kids. The darkness made him weary. He expected that any moment now a monster would slam through the window killing them all.
Headlights appeared in the distance.
“They're here!”, Mike sat up, ready to dash for the door.
“Do you think they're okay?”, Dustin asked.
“We don't know yet, do we?”, Lucas rolled his eyes....again.
“We are not going anywhere. Do you understand?!”, Steve dropped the bag of peas, the bat steady in his grip. “Get away from the window”, he said. The kids didn't budge.
“Now! Or do I need to remind you what happened the last time?” They shook their heads, and sat down on the couch. Steve opened the door. Waiting for the car to come closer. He recognized Hopper's truck, and soon he could see the Eleven and the chief. The car stopped and Hopper opened the door. Closely followed by the girl. Her movements slower and sluggish.
“Are the others back again?”, Hopper asked.
“No, not yet”, Steve lowered his bat. Relief making him light-headed. He had made it. He had kept all the kids safe.
“We should go inside, kid”, at first Steve thought Hopper meant Eleven, but Hopper laid a hand on his shoulder ushering him inside, followed by Eleven.
As soon as they were inside Mike and the other boys rushed towards the girl.
“El, you did it. You're alive”, Mike hugged her.
Max still sat on the sofa. Slowly Steve picked up the bag of peas. Holding it against his head, and sat down next to her. The bat still in his hands. They both watched the children smiling, laughing, talking . Both of them not really in the party, as Dustin liked to call it.
“Remind me that you need some driving lessons”, Steve told her.
“But I'm only 13.”
“Didn't stop you from driving, did it now?”
She smiled, “You nearly hit something as well.”
“Don't remind me”, Steve remembered the catastrophic drive back. After nearly being mauled by a herd of Upside Down creatures his sight had gone weird. So he had seen everything in double for a while. Resulting in nearly running them off the road.
“Does it hurt?”, Max asked.
“Yeah, it does.”
“Thanks for protecting me from Billy.”
“I didn't do anything, you saved me.”
Max shook her head, “Most people don't step up for me like that. Especially people that don't really know me.”
He smiled, “Guess we're friends now, random girl.”
“Guess so, crazy hair dude.”
Too tired to get into a long-winded speech about the effect his hair had on girls he just muttered, “My hair is not crazy, it's cool”, he leaned his head against the cushions.
Hopper had crossed the room taking in all the mayhem and stopped by Billy. “What happened to him?” Suddenly silence had befallen the room. Everyone looking anywhere but in Hopper's direction.
Steve wanted to say something, but Max was quicker. “He wanted to hurt Lucas, so Steve stopped him.”
“Steve knocked him unconscious?”, a look of disbelieve on Hopper's face. Why was everyone not trusting him to carry out a fight and win? He fought a freaking demogorgon.
“That's how you got the black eye?”, Hopper asked.
“I always get beaten up during a demogorgon invasion”, Steve muttered.
“I gave Billy some of the sedative”, Max said.
“What...How much did you give him”, Hopper knelt down taking his pulse.
“Not much. Just about this much”, she showed him the syringe.
Instantly Hopper relaxed, “Well, guess he deserved it”, his eyes locked on Steve now, “Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
“How hard did Billy hit you?” A hint of worry in Hopper's eyes. All eyes on him, even Eleven with something akin to pity. The last thing Steve wanted was spend a night in hospital. He just wanted to stay here for the rest of the night. Bring Dustin home in the morning and then sleep for a week, in his own bed.
“It wasn't that hard...”
“Not that hard?!”, Dustin interrupted him, “Billy slammed a plate against his head.” The worried look multiplied on Hopper's face.
“He nearly killed him! Steve woke up only after we....”, Lucas jammed him into the ribs giving him the look.
“Wait....Hold on. He woke up? Were you unconscious, kid?”, Hopper asked Steve.
“Not long.”
“15 minutes, at least”, Dustin not shutting up when he should.
“You could have a concussion. I should take a closer look”, Hopper muttered.
“It's fine.”
“No, it's not fine. Head injuries are serious. I don't want you dying on me as well”, Hopper shouted, making Steve's head hurt. What did he mean with 'as well'? Eleven laid a hand on Hopper's arm it seemed to calm him down. It was touching in a way that this man that didn't even know Steve was so worried about him.
“I'm not going to die”, Steve quickly said when he noticed Dustin's eyes going wide with fear.
“I...”, Hopper got interrupted by a knock on the door. Steve stood up, bat in hand, as Hopper drew his gun.
“Hopper, it's me”, they heard Joyce. His legs were wobbly now, so Steve let himself fall back onto the couch.
The kid looked terrible. Eyes red-rimmed, his skin pale, he was shaking. Nancy and Jonathan followed. His hand on her shoulder. Joyce was steering towards the couch ignoring the entire fridge contents dumped onto the ground. His heart sank upon noticing she'd lay Will on the couch, so they had to get up.
“Max”, she nodded and both of them wearily stood up. He counterbalanced on the edge of the couch as the entire room started to tilt.
Hopper threw a blanket over the boy, Joyce sat down next to him. Taking his hand into his. There was a time when Steve's mum would do the same. For a moment he wanted to call his mum and tell her what had happened. That he almost got killed twice by a monster, that the girl he loved didn't love him back. That he nearly got a bunch of kids killed.
“You're okay?”, at first he ignored the voice, thinking that somebody was asking Will, but then he felt a tug at his hand. “Steve, are you okay?” He turned his head, Max tugging at his sleeve.
“Yes...Yes I am. A-Are you okay?”
“I didn't get my head bashed in.”
“But it was your first time meeting one of these monsters. It can be scary.”
She looked away, shaking her head, “At least this time I had people who protected me”, she nearly whispered.
At first this didn't registered in his fuzzy brain. Then it hit him with full force, “Does Billy hit you?”
“Sometimes.”
“Does your father hit you?”
“My step-father? No, he doesn't.”
“If Billy ever hits you again you call me, okay?”
Max snorted, “No offence, but you got your head bashed in from him. He would have killed you.”
“I didn't have my bat with me. With my bat however...”, he gave her a sly smile burning pain travelling over his face. He was rewarded by another smile from Max, she took him by the hand and dragged him to one of the chairs in the kitchen.
“Before you fall down”, she said. They sat down watching the others. Eleven had moved further and further away from the small group. Nearly in the kitchen now.
“Hey, do you want to sit with us?”, Max asked. Eleven turned, a frightened glance on her face. Then her eyes locked on Steve. Again the look of pity. She sat down between Max and the older boy.
“Hurts?”, she asked, pointing towards his head.
“Yeah, a bit. Are you hurt?”, he asked upon noticing the traces of blood on her skin and the dark bags under her eyes.
“A bit.”
“You saved our lives. Dustin and I were in the tunnels and all the demodogs were rushing towards us. They nearly got us. Thank you.” She nodded solemnly, then she stretched her hand to his. Taking it into hers. Surprised he let her.
“Scared?”, she asked, his hands still shaking.
“I guess.”
“You kept Mike safe. Thank you.” To his utter surprise she hugged him.
“Who's that?”, Nancy pointed towards Billy.
“That's Max's crazy older brother”, Lucas informed her.
“Who knocked him out?”
“Max sedated him.”
“She did?”
“Awesome, right?”, Lucas proudly said.
“O-okay.”
“Sounds like you had quite the night”, Jonathan said.
“That wasn't even the best part”, Dustin piqued up, “We went down to the tunnels and...”
“Dustin, keep your mouth shut!”, Lucas tried to warn his friend. Too late.
“You were at the tunnels?”, Hopper asked.
“Tunnels? I never said tunnels”, Dustin took a few steps back as Hopper and Joyce exchanged worried glances.
“Harrington! You were supposed to watch them. How on earth did you think it was a good idea to lead them to the tunnels!?”, Hopper shouted, making Steve recoil.
“I...I...ahm...at the time...”, how could he explain to Hopper that he had gotten kidnapped and forced into going down the tunnels?
“You were supposed to keep an eye on the children. Not put them into danger.” Hopper crossed the room, grabbing Steve by the jacket collar, and pushed him against the wall. His head connecting with the hard surface, for a moment his vision gave out.
“It's not his fault. Steve tried to stop us from going”, Dustin shouted, trying to pull Hopper away from the older boy.
“Yeah, he didn't stop you enough!”
“I'm sorry”, Steve tried to struggle free from the grip, but he didn't have any strength left in him.
“He helped me with Dart when nobody else did” Dustin said.
“Who's Dart?”
“One of the demodogs”
“And he saved Dustin when the demodogs ran towards them”, Lucas joined Dustin trying to pull Hopper away.
“He saved Lucas and me from my brother”, Max said.
“Let go. All of you let go. I don't care because he led you to the tunnels.”
“He didn't. He passed out and we carried him to the car. When he woke up we already were by the tunnels.”
Hopper loosened his grip, “You're telling me you carried a boy older than you for miles?”
“No, we drove”, Max calmly confessed.
“You drove?”, Hopper nearly squeaked.
“It was very intense”, Steve tried to distract Hopper from the kids.
“Hopper, please leave the boy alone. Don't you see he's exhausted. We can talk about this in the morning, can't we?”, Joyce slowly pulled Hopper away. This time he allowed her to. Now that he wasn't in the man's grip Steve's legs didn't carry him anymore. He collapsed onto the ground.
“Steve?”, Dustin was by his side instantly.
“Damn it, he probably has a concussion”, Hopper muttered.
“Let me take a look”, Joyce said kneeling down next to him. “Lucas, can you hand me your flashlight?” She switched it on “Sorry, Steve”, the light shone full force into his eyes. Pain exploding in his head.
“You're hurting him!”, Dustin's voice sounded fuzzy and far away.
“We have to check if he has a concussion.”
“Why did you slam him against the wall. You know he was hurt!”, Steve had never heard Dustin being this angry.
“I'm....I messed up, okay. But right now we have to bring him to the hospital.”
He tried to sit up, grateful for Joyce's arms steadying him. “I'm fine”, how often had he said that? Branches were knocking against the windows making him jump. Will's terrified eyes looking through him. Clutching the blanket in terror. Upside Down particles still under his fingernails, in his hair, a stale taste in his mouth.
“We should call your parents”, Hopper decided.
“The phone's broken”, Nancy said, blushing a little.
“They're not home”, Steve saved them the trouble.
“Damn it. Do you have any other family we could call?”
“No.”
“Friends?”
As if this night could have turned any worse. He looked anywhere, but the kids and Hopper when he whispered “No.” “When are your parents back in town?” He shrugged, dad had been droning on about some kind of business deal, "My Mom comes back in a few days, I think", he added.
“You don't have to bring me to hospital”, standing up was hard, but he caught hold of the back of the chair.
Hopper, long-suffering look on his face, pulled his car keys out. “Can I leave you here, Joyce? I'm gonna call my Deputy and he'll take care of Billy.”
“Of course.”
“El, I'll be back later. You can stay here if you want to.” The girl nodded, taking Mike's hand in hers.
“Okay, come on son, we're getting your head checked out.”
“No”, he whispered, he couldn't leave the kids alone. Not after all the shit that happened. He couldn't bear to go now.
“What was that?”, Hopper asked.
“I said no!”, when he'd stood outside in the dark, all the demodogs howling, rushing towards him he'd been scared. The idea of staying in a hospital room on his own tonight wasn't something he could go through with, not tonight.
“We're going, whether you want to, or not”, Hopper's tight grip on his arm.
“No!”
“Listen, I'd like to go home into bed and stay there for the rest of my life, but you're injured and I can't just ignore that. So we're going to the hospital right now!”
Panic had been creeping up on him, but he had kept it at bay all this time. Not anymore, it hit him full force. “You can't leave me there. Please don't...I don't want to be alone tonight...not tonight”, Steve's voice broke, his eyes watery. Terror circling him and creating knots in his stomach.
“Sweetie, it's going to be okay”, Joyce slowly pushed him on the chair. Draping a blanket around his shaking frame. “If you have to stay overnight Hopper is going to stay with you, okay?”, she sat on the chair opposite of him. “Can you remember when your mother is coming back, or did she leave a number where we can reach her?”
Tears were spilling down his cheeks now. All the others standing around him, probably staring. “I...she's with my aunt”, he finally said.
“Do you know the phone number of your aunt?” It hurt to think, to sort through all of his memories and get to the information he wanted. Nausea was crashing in on him the longer he concentrated. Why couldn't he remember a simple phone number?
“Do you have the keys to your house?”, Joyce asked him in the same motherly voice, the one she had previously used for Will.
“Yes.”
“Okay”, she smiled brightly, “Did your Mom write down the number of your aunt somewhere in the house?”
“Yes, next to the phone.” Joyce looked past him to Hopper who nodded.
“So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to get a new phone. Meanwhile, you'll go to the hospital with Hopper. And when you've come back here we'll call your Mom. How does that sound?”
Wiping his tears away with his dirty sleeve, Steve nodded. Not trusting his voice enough to answer.
“C'mon”, Hopper helped him up, gentler now. All the kids were eyeing them worriedly as he went through the door. “I'm not going to leave you alone in the hospital”, Hopper softly said, as they were driving in the darkness.
Both half-expecting a demodog to be jumping at them at any given moment. Steve pulled the blanket closer to his body. His hands still trembling.