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1.
Steve sighed.
He sighed again. And then again. And again.
He felt as if he was losing his mind, he was so fucking bored. Robin who usually made slow moving days at the Family Video store much much more bearable , but she barely had any shifts anymore since school had started. She’d ditched him for band practice far too many times.
So there he was, tapping his fingers on the wooden counter , waiting for something anything that would knock the boredom - and loneliness that had been creeping up on him - out of him. He was even getting bored of his own sighing.
He glanced at the screen displaying the time and perked up , quite literally - he straightened his back, and brushed the fallen strands of his hair behind his ears- 4:05 pm.
School was over.
***
Steve would never admit it to anyone , especially Robin , who’d just clocked into her short evening shift, but the sound of Henderson’s voice made his shitty day so much better.
The ring of the bell signalling Dustin’s arrival into the store was like a glorious symphony to Steve’s ears. He smirked and shouted across the room “Hey dickhead, How was school?”
Dustin replied without even taking a breath,
“Steve! Mike and Lucas both caught the flu so they missed Tommy Fraser fighting Johnny Rurand in the cafeteria - Tommy got sent home with chocolate pudding running down his hair . It was AMAZING I-“
“Henderson calm down, you’re so goddamn hyperactive. This is why I told you to stop eating that many Three Musketeers every day.”
“God, Steve you’re such a mom ”
This resulted in Robin unwillingly becoming witness to 5 full minutes of Steve and Dustin’s bickering , which had somehow found its way to the topic of ‘Which former president would make the best KFC mascot’. Dorks.
Robin had quite enough of this stimulating conversation - she coughed and then pointed at Steve.
“Oi dingus- quit antagonising the child. Are you going to help me rewind the tapes or not?”
And before Steve could start to protest , she swiftly pointed to Dustin.
“And dingus number two , is there any reason you’re here? - except to be a pain in my ass?”
Before Robin could continue or Dustin could answer her, Steve turned to Dustin.
“My new tv needs to be set up and I thought you’d come help me out tonight. We can watch one of your nerdy films if you want. And i’ll order pizza. Or we can get KFC. Or i can cook , i’m a great cook-“
He then rambled on “My new set is HUGE it’s like this big-“ while gesturing with his arms vaguely to help make his point.
Before he could continue with his seemingly incessant monologue , Dustin cut in - “Ahh Steve I can’t make it tonight , We have to prepare for a new campaign”
“I thought you said Mike and Lucas have the flu?”
“Oh me and Mike joined a D&D club at school- Hellfire.”
Steve looked at Dustin blankly which, much to Robin’s disappointment, encouraged Dustin to carry on.
“Hellfire is the club run by Eddie. He’s so cool. Did you know he has like 12 tattoos? He even did some himself. He’s so -“
“-cool” Interjected Steve. “Yeah, yeah I get it , he’s so cool . And are you talking about Eddie Munson?”
“Yeah I-“
“You’re ditching me for Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson?”
Steve’s eyes narrowed comically, and his hands had found his way to his hips , he looked like the epitome of exasperated mom. Dustin , on the other hand , was not at all aware of Steve’s change in attitude and was just smiling earnestly - blissfully unperturbed.
“Yeah , I mean I would love to hang out Steve , but I need to prove to Eddie that i’m a serious recruit for Hellfire. You know?”
No Steve did not know.
Steve was definitely cooler than the guy who’s been held back two years in school. Sure Steve’s popularity declined by a lot in his senior year because of that asshole Hargrove , but some people would still kill to hang out with him. Fucking Henderson making him doubt himself.
“I-“ Steve stammered and then sighed. He was too tired to deal with the influx of emotions he was feeling right now.
“Yeah I get it Kid , What are you here for then?”
Dustin’s toothy smile widened ,
“Oh I need to rent out Legend , I think Eddie will really like it.”
Steve ignored the twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach when he heard the name Eddie again, he could unpack that shit later.
After ringing Dustin up and using Steve’s employee discount for the 100th time(because damn the little shit is persistent), Dustin let out a quick “bye” as he hastily left the store.
Turning back to the pile of tapes Steve needed to sort , He was startled when he heard a muffled giggle - he looked to his right and saw a rare sight - Robin was giggling.
“What? , What‘s so funny?”
After her fit of laughter diminished , she let out a strangled “I-I can’t believe what i’ve just witnessed.”
“I’m so confused right now , Robin what?”
“It’s nothing Steve, it’s nothing . ” Robin smirked.
2.
It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon , and Steve wanted to permanently live in his comfy bed - but he couldn’t. No he couldn’t have a lie in because he was somehow roped into being the kids’ personal chauffeur every goddamn Tuesday.
So there Steve was , driving his car to the Wheeler’s house where he’d pick up Mike , Dustin, Lucas and Max to bring them to the arcade. After exchanging niceties with Mrs Wheeler , the kids rushed towards his car , arguing and calling shotgun. Steve got into his car ,then he stopped and mentally backtracked - sensing something was wrong . Before he could identify what was out of place Lucas piped up, “Oh Steve , Dustin isn’t coming today, he’s got a thing”
So that’s what he felt was wrong - Dustin wasn’t here.
Steve cocked an eyebrow and locked eyes with Lucas through the rearview mirror.
“What thing? ”
Lucas shrugged “I don’t know , he never tells us”
Before Steve could reply back , Max quickly interjected- “He’s probably with that guy again, the one with the hair”
Steve was nonplussed , isn’t he the ‘guy with the hair’ ? He didn’t reply though , focusing on the road and listened to the continuing conversation among the three kids.
Mike , who’d usually keep quiet during Steve’s car rides , chimed in.
“Yeah I think he’s helping Eddie with the new campaign , it’s going to be bitchin’”
Hearing the name Eddie brought a sour taste to his mouth , first Henderson declined hanging out with Steve to be with Eddie Munson , and now he was spending Tuesdays - sacred arcade days - with him.
Steve did not care one bit. Not at all.
Steve would deny it if asked ,that during the rest of the car ride he was thinking about Henderson and Munson being all chummy resulting in his stomach churning.
He was definitely cooler than Munson , he definitely had nicer hair , and he definitely was Henderson’s favourite. Not that he cared of course - he was just stating widely known facts.
His trail of thought was interrupted abruptly by the unified shouting of three middle schoolers telling him that they had arrived at the arcade.
“Ok shitheads , be back here at 6pm on the dot - I don’t want to be reprimanded by your parents for bringing you lot home after your curfew.”
Not like last time .
God that was an awful total of 40 minutes he had to endure from the Sinclairs , Mrs Wheeler and Mrs Henderson. A shiver went down his spine and he thought to himself he would never , ever , want a repeat of that day.
The kids hastened into the arcade as Steve drove off , he would run some errands in the time between picking the kids up.
He let his mind wander as his eyes peered at all the different kinds of chocolate at the grocery store - he remembered Max saying she loved dark chocolate earlier so he grabbed a couple of bars and dumped it into his basket.
He tried to distract himself by humming some Madonna song he heard on the radio earlier but his mind wouldn’t stop from thinking about the reason why Dustin wasn’t at the arcade today. Was Munson really that much fun that Henderson would back out of a day with his best friends?
Whatever.
Steve did not care.
3.
Today was the get-together at the Wheeler’s because the Byers were back in town from fuck knows California. It was as if order had been restored. At least for a little while , until the kids started pestering him when all Steve wanted was a little peace and quiet.
Instead of the usual four he’d been accustomed to entertain - he was dealing with six kids now because of the addition of El and Will.
Steve looked up pleadingly at Mrs “Call me Joyce” Byers but all he was met with was a shrug and sly smile. Damn it.
This ended in Steve being roped into playing some never heard of nerdy board game , the only one who shared his intense dislike of the game was Max - she looked like she’d rather be fighting demodogs than listening to the bickering that resulted when Mike tried to explain the game to El , and Dustin to Steve.
“Henderson I swear to God , stop patriotising me , I’m not stupid .”
“Are you sure Steve? Because it’s ‘ patronising’
not ‘patriotising’.”
“Girls don’t like smartasses”
“Who’s the single one here Steve? Not me. And are you sure you understand the game?”
“Yes Dustin I get how to play the game. Also it was my advice that helped you get a girlfriend. Don’t ever forget that.”
Steve momentarily forgot he was surrounded by 5 other middle schoolers while arguing with Dustin , so when Max interrupted , he looked up at her startled.
“It was also your hairstyle advice during the snowball that made Dustin look like he had a mountain as hair. So…”
“Hey! I think he looked-“
“Funny” Mike interjected causing both Dustin and Steve to glare at him harshly.
“Dustin has wayyy better hair now though” chimed Lucas.
“I’m growing it out. Eddie said I’d look great with long hair. Like his.”
This reply from Dustin left Steve briefly speechless.
What the hell.
Fucking Eddie Munson. Again.
Steve , without realising , scoffed loudly and a small scowl was visible on his face. Steve glanced at the six kids who were suddenly staring straight at him , Will looked as if he was contemplating something , everyone else looked at him inquisitively.
Steve could feel heat on his neck and didn’t have to look to know a red flush was gracing it.
Fuck why is he so flustered?
He blurted out a little too loud “What?”
Dustin hesitated and then shook his head.
“Nothing”
Shit Steve really had to get his emotions in check because what the actual hell was happening here. He was an adult , he can’t be this agitated in front of thirteen year olds.
Once the game had been left abandoned after Mrs Wheeler’s call of “Food’s Here!”
Steve could finally relax , as much as he could, with his ex and her new boyfriend sitting right across from him. Honestly for him, anything was better than reliving what had happened earlier on that evening.
Steve couldn’t understand that feeling he felt when Dustin mentioned Munson yet again , that feeling that made him want to sneer and curse Munson. For no reason.
Maybe this was a side effect from fighting those Upside Down monsters? He should really talk to Robin about this, after all - she was the brains in their relationship.
A hard nudge to his rib drew him away from his thoughts , he looked to his left to find the culprit - Speak of the devil - it was Dustin.
“Eat” mumbled Dustin to Steve while his mouth was full of piping hot pizza.
So Steve ate. He could unpack his emotions later.
4.
“Steve”
“Steve”
“Steve . Hellooo?”
“Steve are you there? Over.”
Just as Dustin was about to call out Steve’s name again , a sudden sound of static cut through the quick silence.
“What dickhead? It’s 3 in the fucking morning.”
“Steve! You’re awake , good. I need your help. Over.”
“Fuck off.”
“You’ve got to say Over. Over”
“Henderson I swear to God- What is your problem?”
Dustin could hear the sleepiness in Steve’s voice and couldn’t help but let a smile don his face despite Steve’s annoyance at him.
“I need you to come pick me up, I lost track of time. Please.”
Steve grumbled but quickly stumbled out of bed , tripping over a couple of books that Robin left behind the previous night.
“Yeah , yeah I’m coming. Where are you?”
“Um. The trailer park. You know- where you dropped off Max last month.”
“The trailer park? I thought you said Max isn’t talking to you guys anymore, Whatever , just stay put. I’ll be there in 10.” And just for the sake of it , he added “Over.”
“Thanks Steve. Over”
***
Steve pulled into the trailer park , and squinted to see if Dustin was waiting outside. Steve couldn’t see anything - it was too dark. Fuck, Steve really didn’t want to get out of his warm car - and luckily he didn’t have to as Dustin’s voice shouted “Steve!”.
Steve peered at Dustin , assessing him for any signs of - ‘I just came into contact with a baby creature from another dimension’ - and found none.
“Hey Henderson , This is the last time i’m doing you any favours. It’s too early for this.”
Dustin just chuckled and moved towards the car , and behind him was none other than Eddie Munson.
Steve titled his head , flabbergasted.
“I thought you said you were with Max”
Munson smirked and interrupted Dustin’s reply.
“Do I look like a 5’3 r edhead to you Harrington?”
Steve really really wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face , but his tiredness took over his desire to put Munson down a peg or two.
After a few long moments of tense silence , Eddie grinned , but the smile didn’t reach his eyes, “So. The former King of Hawkins High thinks he’s above talking to a freak like me.” and then he added,
“Bye Henderson , Tell your mom I loved the cookies.”
Steve narrowed his eyes as he watched Munson walk towards his trailer, then he rounded on Dustin.
“What the hell was that?”
Dustin looked at Steve perplexed , God this kid had fought literal monsters and was a straight A student - how could he be so dense?.
“What do you mean?”
“I thought you were with Max , not fucking Eddie Munson. What were you doing with him anyways? If he was selling to you, I will literally beat the shit ou-“
“Steve , STEVE - it wasn’t like that. Eddie wouldn’t do that.”
At that Steve scoffed and looked at the rearview mirror.
Dustin continued “We were just watching Star Wars films in his trailer and we lost track of time , I was supposed to be home at 10.”
“Seriously? You spent over 5 hours hanging out with Munson? Henderson what the hell is wrong with you?”
“Hey man. Not cool.”
Steve guilty replied “Sorry. But you know what I mean.”
“He’s not what you think he’s like. If you got to know him, You would really like him. He’s really smart and funny - his sense of humour is just different. He’s kinda like you.”
Steve’s expression was pinched , his lips flat and teeth clenched. The gnawing green monster inside of him was growing more and more Dustin talked about Munson.
“Whatever.” Steve sighed again, “I get it , he’s the best blah blah. I don’t care.”
As Steve turned to Dustin’s road he continued. “What’s your mom gonna think when you get home. At nearly 4 in the morning?”
“I have a spare key for the back door. Thanks for driving me Steve , I really appreciate it.”
And goddamn if the genuine smile Henderson sent his way didn’t make him feel a hundred times better.
“Bye!”
“Bye Henderson.”
The only thought in Steve’s mind while driving back home was “Fuck”.
5.
Hawkins had won the championship. Sinclair had won the championship. That little shit actually did it. Damn.
Steve walked out of the Hall , a wide grin taking over his face - sure his date with Brenda went horribly but nothing could break the high he was feeling right now that Hawkins had finally won. Nothing.
Or so he thought.
His joy-filled expression quickly dropped when he walked through the high school car park, and he heard a loud shout of glee and sudden chatter from the side door.
He glanced over his shoulders and stopped at what he saw - he first saw Erica Sinclair , narrowed his eyes and identified most of the group. He saw Erica , Mike , Dustin and some other older guys - including Munson. The first thing he noticed was the fact they were all wearing those nerdy Hellfire t-shirts.
The second thing was the fact Dustin and Eddie Munson were high-fiving. They both had wide grins that stretched across their faces , and were laughing with each other.
Steve felt the cool air become even colder , he glanced away from the group but the damage was already done. As he walked towards his car , his mind was racing with unwanted thoughts.
Did Henderson really replace him? That easily?
Steve wasn’t into the same stuff Dustin was into , Steve didn’t know what Star Wars was , he didn’t even know what that DnD game Dustin loved so much stood for - of course Henderson preferred Munson over him. In the moment , Steve couldn’t help but want to be more like Eddie Munson, despite his patchy denim jacket , messy hair and shit taste in music.
If Steve was more like Munson , maybe Dustin would like him more. And hang out with him again.
Steve let out a humourless chuckle , when did he start feeling like this ? Over a 13 year old who annoys the shit out of him? When did Steve start to miss him?
Steve should’ve known better , his whole life is proof that people are never content with him. People always move on from him, his parents barely utter a word to him when they’re home (these days they never are), and Nancy - god he can’t even think about what happened there.
He should’ve known even Henderson would find someone better , but Steve didn’t realise it would hurt this much.
When Robin finally got in the car , she took one look at Steve and frowned. A worried expression graced her face.
“Hey dingus, you ok?”
Steve wiped his hand over his face and turned to face her. “Yeah i’m just tired, this date was just terrible”
Robin’s worry didn’t cease at his words , in fact she was even more concerned. She didn’t want to push Steve into telling her what was wrong , so she just started talking about Vickie. The half-smile she got in return let her know the change of subject was appreciated.
+1
It’s been 4 months since the whole Vecna ordeal , yet Steve still can’t sleep without the lights on. He’s trying to move on , he really is - but it’s hard when he keeps having the same nightmare over and over again.
He sleeps better when Robin’s with him , she has a key to his house now and comes over every other day. The ‘sleepovers’ were one of the best things that could come from their shared trauma , as well as their friendship.
Same with Eddie , Steve sees him a lot more than he ever would have imagined he would before . Shared trauma really is the best foundation for unusual friendships. Eddie started coming over to Steve’s house 2 months after what happened , barging in with a mixtape and the cheap excuse of “I can’t believe you don’t know who Ozzy Osbourne is”.
Past Steve would hate to admit it , but Dustin was right - Eddie Munson was actually funny and pretty cool.
They first used to hang out at Steve’s place , listening to music in silence and sharing a joint. But after a couple of weeks , Eddie started showing a different side to himself that Steve had never really cared to see before. Now , Eddie popped in to Family Video every other day to endearingly annoy the hell out of Robin and Steve.
However there was one big downside to this - Henderson was avoiding him , Steve was pretty sure of it. It had been a month or so since they’d hung out , the kid hadn’t even called him on the walkie talkie to demand Steve to be his ride like he usually would.
Steve voiced his theories of why Dustin might be avoiding him to Robin and she just rolled her eyes “Henderson is fine , he came in here on Wednesday and he looked fine. Just go talk to him.”
“Dustin was here? Why didn’t you tell me?. He knows I never work on Wednesday’s. See he’s avoiding me”
Robin was momentarily saved from listening to Steve ramble by the chime of the door bell.
“Hey Munson , can you tell doofus over here to shut up about Henderson ‘avoiding him’”
Eddie , however, did not give her the reply she wanted , he strolled over to Steve with wide eyes.
“So you’ve noticed too? , He hasn’t talked to me properly in weeks and always glares at me whenever he sees me.”
Steve threw his hands in the air ,
“See Robin , something’s going on with the kid. I’ve got to fix it”
Steve then peered intently at Eddie.
“Tell me everything.”
Robin’s groan could be heard miles away.
***
Steve glanced at his watch , it was nearly six, he’d been waiting for over three hours. Mrs Henderson ushered him in at half past two and handed him a platter of cake. Now Dustin’s mom was at the grocery store - buying cat food while Steve was watching a trashy chick flick waiting for Dustin to come home.
During the film credits , there was a loud thud near the door that grasped Steve’s attention.
“Mrs Henderson, is that you?”
“ Steve?”
“Henderson?”
“What are you doing here?”
Steve visibly bristled at the pronunciation of ‘you’.
“I’m waiting for you dick. You sure took your time. Now let’s go to your room.”
Steve moved to walk towards the stairs and gestured for Dustin to follow.
When they arrived at Dustin’s room , Steve sat on the edge of the bed and Dustin copied.
“Why are you here Steve?” asked Dustin , apprehensively.
“This is an intervention Henderson , and you better be honest.”
Dustin looked at Steve inquisitively and scowled.
“What? Steve , I’ve done nothing.”
“ Exactly! You’ve done nothing . That’s the whole goddamn problem.”
“You’re making no sense. Are you high?”
“I know you know what i’m talking about. Don’t act dumb Henderson , it doesn’t suit you.”
“I have NO idea what you’re on about. What the hell?”
Steve stared at Dustin coolly , and cocked an eyebrow.
“Why have you been avoiding me? I had an extra ticket to that rerun Star Wars film and you said you had homework so you couldn’t go.”
Dustin shifted uncomfortably , picking at the lint on his bedsheets.
“I h-haven’t been avoiding you Steve , I was just busy. Plus I know you went to watch The Empire Strikes Back with Eddie.”
The way Dustin said Eddie’s name made Steve frown , as if he hated Munson. But that couldn’t be, the little shit adored Eddie.
Dustin was always talking about him , it used to make Steve jealous and stroppy , but ever since becoming close with Munson , Steve couldn’t care less- he understood.
“That’s the other thing. Why are you mad at Eddie? What happened? What did we do?”
Dustin didn’t answer , instead choosing the tense silence over talking about his feelings.
“Henderson you’ve got to tell me, I’m not leaving until you do.”
Dustin , as stubborn as he was , didn’t utter a word.
“Kid, I need to know what I did wrong.”
Dustin finally replied, “It’s nothing Steve , it’s fine.”
“It’s not nothing if it’s got you all moody like this. Tell me kid. Please.”
Dustin gave in.
“It’s just- It’s. It’s not fair. You used to hang out with me and we could talk about anything. But ever since Vecna all you ever talk about when we’re together is Eddie. ”
Before Steve could interject , Dustin continued.
“I get that you want to be friends with people your own age , but you can’t just ditch me. And not for Eddie, I thought you hated him anyways but I guess you’d rather hang out with someone you hate than me. ”
Steve’s frown deepened the more and more he processed what Henderson was saying. The feeling of guilt encompassed him quickly. Steve had no idea that this was what was making Dustin feel shit. And that made Steve feel shit.
“Hey, kid look at me. I miss hanging out with you, I love hanging out with you.”
Steve placed his hand delicately on Dustin’s shoulders and proceeded.
“I was going crazy these last few weeks trying to figure out why you were mad at me , and just because i’m friends with Eddie doesn’t mean i’m gonna ditch you. I prefer you over him any day. He can vouch for that.”
“Steve I-“
“Listen Henderson , the only reason i talked about Munson to you was because i thought you’d appreciate it. I thought it’d make you feel better to know I don’t hate Eddie anymore.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
They both sat in silence for a few moments until Dustin moved closer to Steve and then wrapped his arms around him.
Steve looked taken aback but reciprocated the hug , holding Dustin tight.
The next words that came out of Dustin’s mouth made Steve laugh.
“Oh shit . I’ve gotta apologise to Eddie now.”
“Yeah you do. Idiot.” Steve replied with a smile.