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Steve's shift at the video store was once again interrupted by the little shits. This time it was Mike Wheeler who made the bell ring, entering the store with his growing hair and his Hellfire Club t-shirt. He was trailing after Robin - Steve guessed that they left the school together. For a brief moment Steve wondered what the hell the two were talking about on the way to the store but before he could come up with any ridiculous, probably false answer middle Wheeler ambushed him between the shelves as Robin went behind the counter to drop her bag.
"Something's wrong with Dustin." Mike said looking at Steve with crossed arms.
Steve almost dropped the movies he was holding in his hands. His mind went crazy thinking about what kind of creature Dustin might be looking after now, whether that creature hurt him or not; or, maybe it was the Russians again coming after Dustin because Steve let his name slip.
"What do you mean? What's wrong? Where's he?" Steve asked keeping his panic in control, and ready to run out of there to find the kid.
"He's avoiding me and bolting out of school right after it ends." Mike replied looking somewhere between pissed off and worried.
"Jesus, Wheeler, didn't you have a better opening?" Steve asked smacking the boy lightly on his arm. "You almost gave me a heart attack." he added giving out a breath.
"Everything gives you a heart attack." Mike answered rolling his eyes.
"Forgive me for having an appropriate reaction to our danger-filled lives." Steve replied with a glare.
"Just tell him what you told me." Robin said taking the movies out of Steve's hands and going on to placing them to where they belonged.
Oh, that's what they have been talking on the way. That made sense. Sure, the two of them were geeks or nerds or whatever but it wasn't the same subject. Robin was a band geek, and the kids liked their board games. Their social circles didn't cross much and Steve doubted they had the same classes. Still, Lucas and Robin were somewhat close with Robin playing in the band at Lucas's games so the two of them having a chance to talk and hang. Maybe, Steve was judging them unfairly, after all, Dustin and Robin got along well and Robin managed to get on the good side of Max too - even right now. So, she could have a closeness with Wheeler too. Or, really he was misjudging Wheeler because he was the most annoying one of the little shits.
"About a week ago, Dustin started running away from me in breaks. We still sit together in lunch, mostly with Eddie and the other guys. You know Lucas is always with the team. I tell him to-
"Look, Wheeler, I get that you are sad about falling apart or something and, that's a conversation we need to have because you are treating Lucas unfairly." Steve said cutting off Mike to get him to focus on the subject of Dustin. With his last words Mike was ready to object but Steve managed to shut him off, for the first time in their freaking lives, by putting his hand up. "But, that's for another day. Get to the point."
"Fine." Mike answered with a groan. "Then, after school he just disappears. I think he is going back home but he never waits for any of us." He continued with a scowl.
As annoying as he was, Mike Wheeler was a good friend, or he tried to be, Steve thought.
"A week ago he told me he didn't need rides anymore." Steve replied, trying to hide the pain in his voice.
Well, maybe pain was an exaggeration but it really broke his heart when Dustin said that. In the past year or so he got so used to driving Dustin around and it became such an important part of his week that suddenly he had this free time that he didn't know what to do with. Also, he realized that when Dustin excitedly told him stories about his day, all the shit he got up to with the other dipshits, that was the best time of Steve's day, when Dustin asked him for advice in the car Steve always felt so happy to help.
"See, that's what I'm talking about." Mike exclaimed, happy to find another example to back up his claim. "Dustin would never not ask you for rides. I don't think he plans on getting a driver's license." Mike continued with a little smirk.
Steve had to try so hard to hide his happiness at Mike's last remarks. Jesus, when did he become so sappy that his happiness was tied to how much a 14 year old wanted to hang out with him? Actually he knew when it happened: the day on the train tracks, when he gave Dustin the secret to his hair - something he never did with anyone.
"I will talk with him, okay?" Steve said with a nod and a smile.
Wheeler smiled, probably knowing that he did something to help his friend, maybe thinking the issue was already solved because he told Steve about it. Or, Steve was exaggerating the kid's trust in him because he wanted to think he was that reliable and important when it came to Henderson.
"Now, Wheeler, you want to take a look our new romance movies?" Robin said coming up from behind Steve with a laugh.
"Robin!" Mike said with a groan and Steve couldn't help but laugh.
"Come on, come on. I know just the movie El would like." Robin said still laughing as she gave pat on the shoulder to Steve and then, grabbed Mike and dragged him behind her.
The next day, Steve pulled up in front of Hawkins High way before the school ended. He parked as close as he could to the school to see the moment Henderson got out clearly. Mike was right, Dustin was one of the first people out of the building running to grab his bike. Steve's eye caught on his trademarked hat and thought, fuck it, as he pressed the honk. The few students and a teacher who was outside quickly turned to him with an angry expression as Dustin leaped out of his skin and tried to find the source of the sound. When he saw the red BMW, Steve could swear the kid was cursing to him under his breath.
To not give Dustin any chance to bolt away, like Mike told him that he was doing, Steve leaned out of the car and waved.
"Hey! Henderson!" Steve practically shouted. "Come on! Let's go!"
Even from the distance, Steve could hear Dustin's groans and curses. Then, he looked around, Steve guessed to see his schoolmates' reaction. Dustin's gaze lingered somewhat longer on two boys who were just leaving the building - Steve had no idea who they were but they definitely didn't look like they belonged to the new club the boys were so fond of. After a few seconds, Dustin apparently decided to leave his bike there, and jogged over to Steve's car. The little shit got inside and slammed the car door so hard that Steve was almost sure it was gonna break the window.
"Hey, slow-
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dustin said angrily before Steve could finish his sentence.
"What's wrong with you?" Steve asked in return, emphasizing the 'you', already driving away to not give Dustin any chance to get out and walk way.
"What's wrong with me?" Dustin asked throwing his hands up with a scowl. Before Steve could answer, he continued. "Is this because I told you I don't need rides anymore? You know we were gonna outgrow you at some point right?" He added harshly, raising his eyebrows in an all-knowing look.
"Ouch." Steve said, fake playing at being heartbroken while also trying to hide the fact that he was really heartbroken.
Between Dustin and Max, and perhaps with Wheeler too, the kids really knew to hit where it hurt. Lucas was the only good one, truly. Will and El too but Steve had limited communication with them, not like other the shits; still he didn't think Will and El would be as brutal as the others. And, also, as thick as Steve could be, he knew that most of the time the kids were harsh because they were lashing out. Not to overemphasize his place with them but Steve was one of the few people in their lives that they could say anything to and who would never walk away. Didn't mean their words didn't hurt Steve though.
"Are you going to tell me what the hell that scene was for?" Dustin asked this time still managing to keep his angry tone.
"I wanted to talk." Steve answered, contrasting Dustin's tone completely.
"Well, I can't think of any other way you could come up with to talk." Dustin shot back mockingly.
"Since you've been avoiding me, Mike, Lucas and probably Max too, I couldn't come up with something better." Steve said throwing glances at the kid. "Sorry."
Dustin didn't shot back this time and, Steve thought, 'score!'. Dustin came to him for advice a lot, especially before high school, which made Steve wonder if he was going to Eddie Munson for advice now, but just as he shot down Mike when he went on a tangent, that was the concern of the Steve of another day. Each time, Steve would do his best to give Dustin proper advices, sometimes telling him things that he once wished he knew, sometimes speaking from experience. The times when Dustin didn't outright asked Steve about what was on his mind was hard. Steve had to carefully choose his words to get him to open up - something admittedly Steve wasn't that good at doing.
Throwing another glance at Dustin, Steve saw that he was sulking and looking out the window instead of running his mouth and trying to literally win the conversation. As if the other signs didn't prove it, this time Steve really realized that there was a delicate issue here. The only times Dustin was ever quiet was really serious shit like how when they were talking about all the things that happened in the junkyard or the tunnels or the Russian base, or Hopper's death; or things about how Dustin missed Will and El, or when they talked about Max.
Not many people appreciated it because Henderson liked to run his mouth, he was a smart ass and he was always on the front with his intelligence but he had the biggest heart. He was such a sweet son as Steve saw in his interactions with Mrs.Henderson on the dinners he was invited to, he loved all his friends with all his heart and put their problems before his most of the time, he even accepted that he wasn't the best friend of the other boys as he would confide in with Steve before he went to camp last summer. Between all that, sometimes, it looked like he didn't quite get the love he gave to others.
Steve pulled the car over next to the road. It wasn't busy right now and he wouldn't get into trouble for stopping there. He needed to not drive while having this conversation. Steve's attention could not be divided.
"Come on, I could help. I have been where you are, remember?" Steve said smiling as he watched Dustin.
"No, you haven't." Dustin said with a scoff, still sulking. "You have been on the opposite side actually." he added with an eye roll staring through the front window.
"What side?" Steve asked, as confused as he was when the kids explained him anything science-fiction related.
"You were a bully, right?" Dustin asked, his eyes shooting right through Steve like he was challenging the older boy.
And there it was. Steve wondered when exactly he was going to be free from the ghost of King Steve. It felt like just as he was starting to be happy with his new-self, his past was thrown to his face. He knew he was an asshole and he did things he wasn't proud of. At some point, though, it should have been enough, right? Like his apologies and his improvements were supposed to count for something. It was not like he could change the past but he could be better. And, he thought he was better but today wasn't about him, it was about Dustin. Steve could think about all this later too - probably while getting drunk with Robin.
"I was an asshole, and a douche." Steve admitted, fixating on whether those two words meant the same and whether he was repeating himself.
"See. You wouldn't get it." Dustin announced proudly, because like always he was right.
"Wait, you are getting bullied?" Steve asked when finally things clicked for him.
"I have been bullied my whole life Steve." Dustin said so plainly, without any hint of emotion like he was used to it.
Steve's heart almost snapped into two in Dustin's words. This feeling was immediately followed by rage where Steve wanted to kill those that were bullying Dustin even if they were just kids too.
"That-that doesn't make it okay." Steve said and Dustin shrugged. "Wait, that doesn't explain why you were avoiding Mike and all?" Steve asked softly.
"Because I know Mike is going to do something stupid if he knows." Dustin admitted looking at Steve with big eyes.
"What do you mean?" Steve asked with a scowl, afraid of the answer but still needing to know.
Dustin sighed, turned to Steve and stopped for a few seconds. It looked like he was weighing whether he should tell Steve about this or not.
"In middle school, Troy and James used to bully us all the time. They called each of us different names." Dustin started explaining with a low voice as he pulled on his t-shirt. "One day, it was around the time when we first found El, they cornered us in the woods and chased us. We tried to escape, really." he continued looking up at Steve at the last words, as if to prove that he did good. Steve nodded encouragingly to show that he was approving and also to get Dustin to go on. "But, Troy grabbed me and threatened to cut off my teeth with a knife-
"He did what?" Steve asked practically screaming out of shock and anger but Dustin didn't seem fazed by this reaction as he continued.
"Unless Mike jumped off the cliff-
"The cliff?" Steve asked, or more likely shrieked.
"Then he jumped-
"Jesus, Henderson, wait." Steve said holding a hand up that was almost shaking. "What do you mean he jumped?" Steve shouted for the third time feeling his heartbeat in his ears.
"I think he believed that El would save him, which she did, it was awesome." Dustin answered smiling for the first time ever since he got into the car.
Steve gave out a breath and rubbed a hand to his forehead, then ran his hands through his hair. 'What. the. fuck.' he thought as he looked at the almost empty road, trying to process the shit he just heard. Sure, they were fighting inter-dimensional monsters on a yearly basis and all of them, including Mike Wheeler, stared at death about a million times but being willing to jump off a cliff to save Dustin, even Steve was more calculating when he threw himself into danger. Like of course he offered himself as demodog bait, but he had his bat and he tried to escape from it - not actively trying to die. Maybe, Mike wasn't actively trying to die at that moment either and maybe this just proved the strength of the bond he had with El but, Jesus, that was one hell of a risk. No wonder, Dustin felt guilty; no wonder he couldn't move on.
"But you are scared he's going to do something like that again to protect you? To save you?" Steve asked slowly as he turned to face Dustin.
A few seconds passed with no answer. Dustin took off his hat, put it back on again, tried to fix it on his head. Looked outside the window then to the floor. It was a tough subject, and Dustin looked like he didn't know the right words - which was an unthinkable situation for Steve.
"It's hard enough not to feel guilty when we jump into danger for each other when it comes to Upside Down. I don't want to feel like that daily." Dustin finally admitted, averting Steve's gaze.
Steve slowly leaned in and squeezed Dustin's shoulder tightly which forced the kid to look up to him.
"Look, Wheeler took a big risk, even a stupid risk, but you can't control what other people does for you at that moment." Steve said firmly, thinking about all those times he was the last to get out and first to stand against threats.
"You mean you won't stop volunteering to jump into danger?" Dustin asked with a smirk, but knowing the kid, Steve could see that it was a fake smirk that was probably hiding his fear at somebody getting hurt because of him, for him.
Steve only answered Dustin's question with a nod and a shrug, because it was true and there was nothing else he could add. After the fall of '84, when El closed the gate, they all thought they were done with the Upside Down for good. Ever since everything came back after that, in the last summer, they were constantly on alert waiting for the moment another creature was going to haunt them. When the Upside Down eventually was going to get them again, Steve was going to be the last to get out and first to stand against threats. As always.
"But, you can talk to Mike about it now. Tell him how that made you feel, I'm sure, even if he won't accept it because he's Mike, Wheeler has some left over issues about that day too." Steve said a few moments later as he gave another tight squeeze to Dustin's shoulder. "You might even get him to promise not to pull some stupid shit like that again."
Dustin looked at him with a scowl for a couple of seconds and Steve braced himself for a rude objection and an endless argument but it didn't come. Instead Dustin nodded and a small smile appeared on his face.
"I think I will talk to him." Dustin declared with another firm nod. "I have to admit you are getting better at this advice thing, Steve." Dustin added after a beat, going back to his shithead self.
Steve laughed and pushed him lightly on the shoulder. A sense of accomplishment washed over him. Hell yeah, he was getting better. That was his thing: learning from his experiences and mistakes. Mistakes. The ghost of King Steve once again appeared beside him, sucking the happiness out of his heart and head.
"Hey, Dustin." Steve started with an unsure tone. "You know I was never like those boys, right? I mean I was an asshole and I..." Steve trailed off and sighed, hating the fact that he might have been destroying his image in Dustin's eyes just when he heard something real nice from him after a long time. "...did call some people names but, I never, never, tried to hurt anybody like that or threatened them."
Steve waited for Dustin's answer as he was the one to avert the other's gaze this time. Dustin's opinion of him meant a lot, probably meant everything, if Steve was being honest.
"I know, Steve." Dustin said firmly and Steve felt like the roles reversed for a moment between them. "I know that, I was just being a little shit." Dustin said with a big grin and Steve felt the ghost of King Steve evaporating. Steve chuckled a little, feeling relieved that for Dustin all the improving Steve did over the years was enough.
"So, why didn't you tell me what was going on?" Steve asked with raised eyebrows, taking his role back.
"I don't want to come running to you at everything." Dustin admitted, unwillingly it seemed, with a sigh.
"That's my job, shithead." Steve replied with a smile and a hand tapping the steering wheel trying to act cool.
"Your job?" Dustin asked looking up at Steve, no longer thinking the hem of his t-shirt was the most interesting thing in the world.
"You know what I mean asshole." Steve replied softly. For some reason, he didn't want to say out loud the meaning in his mind even if he believed it fully. "You come to me with any problem, any, and I sort it out."
Dustin stared at him with an ever-widening smile. Of course, Dustin understood what Steve meant the moment the sentence was over. He was too smart not to understand but maybe the kid was looking for further confirmation; maybe, he didn't want to risk stepping over a delicate line just as Steve who was afraid of the same. Steve could see Dustin's eye glisten a little but instead of commenting on it, he decided to take in this moment.
"Next time then." Dustin said with a huge smile, and shining eyes.
"I mean, I hope there won't be a next time, but yeah." Steve answered with an equally wide smile.
Then, he reached in to ruffle Dustin's hair over his cap and for the first time since high school started Dustin didn't try to duck away.
Ever since Dustin grabbed the bouquet of flowers out of his hand and hopped into his car, protecting Dustin from real scars or emotional scars; from the Upside Down or from the real world was Steve's job. He liked to think it was similar to everything Jonathan did for Will.
Steve took this job more seriously than almost anything in his life and Dustin managed to fill the role of the younger brother so perfectly. He didn't think of quitting or retiring anytime soon - probably not until he was dead.
The next time those two boys found their way to Family Video Store, well, he didn't do anything illegal but Steve made sure they wouldn't be messing up with Dustin ever again.