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It was a rather slow day at the Family Vide Store. Weekdays were like that until the school was over - just moms stopping by to pick a family film that they could watch with their happy little family. During the day, Steve was alone at the store, with Keith stopping by whenever he felt like it which made everything worse. When Robin showed up for her shift after her school ended Steve's face would light up like a kid opening their presents on Christmas Day. His whole day was spent counting the minutes until Robin showed up.
Today, it had been about an hour since Robin's shift had started and Steve was organizing some shelves at the back.
"Dingus, you have a visitor." Robin called out.
He made his way to the front of the store to see Lucas Sinclair. Jesus, that kid was getting taller every time Steve saw him. That wasn't doing too good for his self-esteem. The kids were growing up and what the hell was he doing with his life?
"Where are the other little shits?" Steve asked with a grin.
"It's just me." Lucas answered with a shrug.
"Good because Dustin and Mike never know how to put the movies back on the shelf I have to clean up after them." Steve replied with a groan, leaning on the counter.
"You mean I have to clean up after them." Robin said from behind the counter.
"I help." Steve said with an offended tone.
"When you are not trying to flirt with customers." Robin shot back this time rolling her eyes.
"I am just trying to help them too." Steve replied throwing his hands up, clearly trying to lie.
"Okay help Lucas too, he is a customer." Robin shot back this time with a smirk as she pointed at Lucas.
"Actually I wanted to talk to Steve." Lucas replied not really matching the tone of breezy banter that was going on between Steve and Robin.
Only after Lucas spoke up, Steve realized that the teen was quieter than usual and had a puzzled look on his face. In his defense, that day had been a super slow and boring day with only three customers coming by and him and Robin running out of things to talk about. His brain had been turned into a mush.
"Me?" Steve asked surprised.
Once again, in his defense, it was rare that Lucas had come to him for advice. Maybe this was even the first time.
"There is only one Steve here." Robin answered instead of Lucas, again with a smirk.
"Is everything okay?" Steve ignored Robin's comment and asked jumping into protective note immediately.
His question gathered Robin's attention too who was leaning over the counter ready to deal with any problem Lucas was going to throw at them. Lucas had understood the meaning behind Steve's question too, they had been dealing with monsters for years now.
"Yeah, it's high school stuff not the Upside Down." Lucas provided an answer with an encouraging nod, comforting the older duo.
"Equally hard to survive." Robin pointed out with a smile and a wink as she went over to fix the shelves Steve left a minute ago.
Now, Steve and Lucas were outside, in the alleyway next to the store. Steve was leaning to the wall as Lucas paced around kicking the dirt with his feet. Steve was fighting the urge not to light up a cigarette but, he knew, he shouldn't be a bad influence on the kids.
"I'm going to try out for the basketball team." Lucas eventually announced still looking around the ground.
"That's great." Steve said with a cheery voice trying to hide his surprise.
Steve knew these kids as nerds who played an insanely complicated game, loved all the science-fictiony stuff and the space and adventure stories. They weren't really the type to play sports, to be in the basketball team and hang with the popular crowd. Well, maybe, Lucas was cooler than the rest of the boys but still this interest of him caught Steve off guard.
"Can you help me train?" Lucas asked this time looking up at Steve.
So, this was why Lucas wanted to talk to Steve. It made sense. Steve was once on the team and not long ago too. He really didn't have any reason to say no to Lucas's request. He knew how to play basketball and at a decent level too, he was once on the team Lucas wanted to be a part of, he had a lot of free time, he wanted to help Lucas and he liked hanging with the kid.
"Sure, yeah." Steve said with a smile. "I have a hoop hanging above my garage door. You can come over in the weekend or maybe after my awful shift ends."
"Thanks." Lucas said with a small smile looking as if Steve's answer didn't satisfy him or maybe he had something else in his mind.
If it was Dustin in front of him, Steve would bite back with something like how Dustin wasn't appreciating his help and, then, nudge him to talk more but with Lucas it was different. He could just ask Lucas what was on his mind, instead of going around the words.
"I really don't want to go back inside and stare at the shelves I've already memorized. So, if you want to talk about something else or just hang out, please say the word and save me." Steve said in a playfully pleading voice and a smile.
Lucas looked to the street for a few seconds, two cars passed by and a group of middle schoolers who were laughing walked through the pavement. Lucas followed the group until they were out of sight, he sighed and turned to Steve.
"I don't know what to do about Max." Lucas said with an exhausted voice.
Obviously this was about Max. This store was taking away any thinking skills Steve had left, that wasn't already destroyed by the countless hits he suffered to his head. Dustin kept mentioning how Max was lashing out to them or just ignoring them, how she didn't look so good. Dustin didn't know how to help her either.
"How is she?" Steve asked eyes full of worry with knitted eyebrows.
Lucas just stared at Steve dead in the eyes without answering his question.
"Not good, right." Steve said leaning back up from the wall realizing how stupid his question was.
He wished they were sitting down for this conversation, Steve was too old to have this serious of a conversation standing up.
"I just-" Luca started and then stopped abruptly and rubbed a hand on his forehead. "I try to make her feel better, make her laugh but nothing works. She doesn't want to go to the arcade anymore, she doesn't want to do anything anymore."
The expression on Lucas's face, the exhaustion; this feeling felt eerily similar to Steve. He was suddenly hit by a wave of flashbacks: dinners at the Holland house, Nancy telling him that they needed to do something, Steve coming up with plans and with parties to go to, Nancy always half-heartedly agreeing but Steve never realizing that. Bullshit.
"Look, it's a hard balance but only trying to make her feel better doesn't work. Talking is important too." Steve said giving out a breath. At his last remarks Lucas seemed like he was getting ready to object. "I know Max is not the type to, well, talk about her feelings but it doesn't mean she is not having them. Sometimes trying to move on isn't the best thing."
Lucas nodded slowly a few times looking like he wasn't really taking Steve's advice by heart.
"Will do that. Thanks." Lucas said with a small smile and another nod before going back to kicking dirt with his feet.
"I'm-" Steve cut himself off and sighs. "I'm talking from personal experience."
That got Lucas's full attention. His shoulders perked up and he folded his arms in front of his chest clearly waiting for Steve to explain himself. In return, Steve thought 'screw fighting the urge' and pulled a cigarette box out of his pocket. As he took a drag out of his cigarette he watched Lucas's face hoping that the young teen wouldn't ask for one too because Steve was not in a position to give a monologue about how smoking was bad. He didn't want to feel like a hypocrite at that moment when he was trying to give advice.
"You remember Barbara Holland?" Steve asked as he exhaled smoke. Lucas nodded but Steve continued, "She was-
"Nancy's best friend."
"And she-
"Died around the time Will disappeared." Lucas finished his sentences with a look that urged Steve to get to the point. "I remember." Lucas added.
Jesus, Steve thought, he was used to dealing with smart asses through Dustin but did all the kids have to be one too?
"After she died and we learned about monsters and other dimensions I wanted to go back to normal. Nancy wanted someone to talk, somebody who could help her get justice for Barb. That wasn't me." Steve admitted painfully. He took another long drag out of his cigarette and continued. "I thought being as normal as possible would help but I was wrong."
Steve really, truly thought that it would help Nancy. He didn't want to go to parties or to dates knowing that they would cause her pain. The opposite actually. Steve thought having a resemblance of normalcy would help her, would help him so that they could move on and feel better. Back then he didn't realize dealing with the Upside Down was going to be a yearly thing so not thinking about it felt like a good option.
Right now, maybe Lucas was trying to do the same. Steve guessed that Max's feelings were more complicated with Billy Hargrove being, well Billy Hargrove. Screw same, Steve then thought. Just the fact that Lucas came to him for this question proved that the kid was trying harder than he was. Steve guessed he wasn't the first on Lucas's list to get advice on emotionally heavy topics, so it just proved that he was trying everything.
"I'm not saying that my advice will work, they are known to NOT work actually." Steve said which earned him a small smile from Lucas. "Grief is weird and I'm sure Max's grief is weirder. There isn't a magical way to make her feel better. I wish I had that superpower before. I wish we had it now." Steve confessed with a deep sigh. He wanted to end his rant on a better note, so he added. "But talking helps. Always."
Lucas nodded with a faint smile again, but this time it felt more real like he appreciated that Steve opened up, like he took Steve's advice more seriously because of it.
"I will keep that in mind. Thanks." Lucas said with a heavy nod that only showed how much he meant his words.
Steve felt good for the first time in days knowing that he helped Lucas - even if it wasn't much. It was easy to feel of use when they were fighting inter-dimensional monsters. Steve could easily grab a bat and stay in front of everyone, telling them to hold back. During the rest of the year, when they were living their boring lives in Hawkins it was harder. The rides he gave to the kids became something of ordinary, something he did everyday like brushing his teeth, and not that he complained, it actually gave some purpose to his life, but he missed when it was a big deal. He missed the way Dustin's face lit up when Steve offered to take him to the Snowball - a mix of confusion, shock, happiness and pride.
Steve was lost in his thoughts, weighing whether he should light up another cigarette or not, when Lucas spoke again.
"Barbara Holland died at your house." Lucas said so plainly, like it was a fact, because it was a fact.
“…Yeah?” Steve said, somewhere between a reply and a question. He didn’t know where this was leading which scared him.
“She died at your house Steve. You were dealing with your own stuff too. Yours and Nancy’s way of dealing with things just didn’t match.” Lucas stated once again plainly like it was that simple, like Steve didn’t need to feel guilty of how things turned out.
A combination of a chuckle and a relieved breath came out of Steve's mouth. It felt like it had been so long since the fall of '84 when it was only a year ago and Steve didn't realize that everything that happened then still weighed so heavily on him. How did Lucas realize that and chose the exact right words, at the exact right moments? Yeah, it might take time and maybe they would fall apart but Lucas was going to do good with Max.
“Kid, I thought I was the one giving advices here, you are kind of ruining my thing." Steve said with a smile rubbing a hand to his chin.
“You refuse to accept it but I’m like as tall as you. I have some advice authority here.” Lucas bit back with a smirk.
“You are almost as tall as me.” Steve replied, emphasizing the almost.
“Give me a few months.” Lucas replied with a shrug and a laugh.
Steve laughed and tried to ignore the feeling of fear, desperation and irritation that got to him at the thought of the kids getting older and reaching his height. Lucas was smiling too, looking better than his weariness of five minutes ago. It was clear how much Lucas cared about Max. Steve could see that in his eyes, in the way his voice got softer at the mention of Max's name, in the way he desperately tried to find a way to help her even coming to Steve - probably as the last resort.
At that moment Robin walked up to them, arms folded in her chest.
"Dingus, I get that your child needs you but I can only stare at the door for so long." Robin said with an annoyed smile. "Come inside and include me in the conversation."
"Someone's jealous?" Steve asked with a smirk.
"No." Robin said with a fake glare. "The kids are our problem now. Unfortunately."
"Hey, I'm right here." Lucas said throwing his hands up with a smile he was trying to hide.
"Still the kid, shithead." Steve grinned at him, taking in the feeling of being right with the kids which only happened never.
Lucas only smiled at him in that knowing look all the shitheads had, knowing that in a year he might be even taller than Steve.
"I should go." Lucas said, making his way towards the pavement.
"Am I really that boring?" Robin shouted after him, leaning against the wall with her arm.
"Steve's the boring one." Lucas replied with a smirk and turned around.
"Hey!" Steve objected and threw his hands up. "Saturday at 10, get a good sleep the night before." he added and Lucas gave him a thumbs up before walking away.
Steve didn't exactly know how good Lucas was at basketball but if Lucas were to make the team there was a chance that the new King of Hawkins High would be thousand times better than the old one. Steve would help Lucas just for that possibility too. The people left on the team could not hold a stick to Lucas Sinclair.