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Steve flinched as he felt the barrel of the gun dug into his temple, the cold of the weapon burning into his skin. He didn’t know what hurt more, the bleeding cut on his forehead, the lethal weapon that was about to kill him, or the knowledge that the man behind the gun was his father.
He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t say anything. All he could do was stare at Hopper and internally beg him to leave, to escape while he could, though he knew that nothing would happen. He wishes he could scream at him, yell and make sure he was heard, but he couldn’t.
“James.” Hopper said, his hands held out defensively. “I know you don’t want to do this. He’s your son.”
“My son doesn’t deserve to live.” His father growled, gripping Steve’s shoulder harder. Steve whined, shifting where he sat, but his father righted him up as soon as he did. “Stop moving! This gun is loaded, you know!”
Steve knew that he would’ve said a snarky remark to that if not for the gag in his mouth. This was how he was going to die, wasn’t it? Killed by his own father?
This was not how he expected his night to go. Coming home to the sound of screaming, shattered glass, being beaten and shoved into the closet, bound by rope he didn’t even know they owned. He didn’t know who called the cops, but as soon as Chief Hopper knocked on the door Steve instantly was used as leverage, or was he something else? A show of power, of strength? Or did his father just want to kill him with an audience?
Steve didn’t know. All he knew was that he was about to die.
“Please, James. You don’t have to do this.”
“I’m surprised I’ve gone this long putting up with his games.” Mr. Harrington said. “He’s a disappointment, a waste of good money and space. I’ve had enough of his attitude, his stupid parties, and his facination with his silly hair! He doesn’t deserve to live in his house, under my roof, and ruin his own life.”
“Then get him his own house.” Hopper said, clearly trying to diffuse the situation. “There are other ways to fix this. Murder isn’t the answer.”
“Isn’t it, though? How else will the world be rid of him?”
Steve began sobbing, his body shaking under the sheer force of them, and the gun pressed against his skin even harder.
“Be quiet! No one wants to listen to your pathetic cries! Didn’t I tell you to man up? No wonder why no one loves you!”
Hopper’s eyes took on a look of pity and worry as he studied the kid and the situation. Steve tried to stop his cries, but he couldn’t.
He was going to die. He was going to die. He was going to die.
If he weren't trying to contain his sobs, it would’ve become humorous after a while. He thought he was going to die because of a monster, not by a human hand.
But sometimes weren't they one in the same?
“James. Let go of the kid. This will all be so much easier for you if you let him go.”
“Let him go? Do you think I’m that easily fooled? I’m not letting him go to ruin his life even more!”
Hopper swiftly pulled out his gun, his limbs stiff from stress and worry, yet he held it high, aiming for Mr. Harrington’s head.
“Let him go or I’ll shoot.”
“You shoot and I will, and then there'll be two bodies tonight.”
Steve couldn’t let that happen. His father couldn’t die, he didn’t deserve that. He had lived a good life, he was well respected, had tons of money, ran two companies. His death would be bad. But, Steve’s death? It didn’t matter. It wasn’t like he was contributing much to the world anyways. He was a disappointment, a waste of space. Maybe his father was right.
Yet, Steve couldn’t help his chest from tightening at the thought of death. He wanted to live.
Please let me live.
He tried to speak through the gag, the only noise being heard was muffled cries, and Mr. Harrington smirked.
“You want to speak? You want to say something to the man that doesn’t even care about you? I’ll kill you, then I’ll leave, and Chief Hopper here will write his report, tell the news, go home, and forget all about the pathetic boy that you are. You still want to talk to him? Say goodbye?”
Steve nodded, breathing heavily, his chest heaving with emotion and fear. Without moving the gun from his head, the gag was removed from his mouth, and Steve flinched, tears blurring his vision.
“Go on! Talk!”
He tried to meet Hopper’s eyes, his panicked gaze reaching the Chief’s with pure desperation, though he knew that there was nothing Hopper could do to save him.
“I’m…I’m sorry.” He gasped out between sobs, and his father’s hand gripped him harder, causing him to whine.
“It’s okay, kid. You have nothing to apologize for.” Hopper said softly, and James laughed.
“You really think that, Chief? You really don’t know who he is, do you?”
“I know exactly who he is. He’s an amazing kid who’s saved so many people over and over again, deserving of more love and happiness than most people I know. He’s strong, brave, and one of the few people I trust. And if you kill him一” Hopper’s own eyes began to water, yet he still kept strong, his gun trained on Steve’s father with precision. “You’re in for a world of pain.”
“We’ll see about that.”
A gunshot rang out, and Steve saw fear grip Hopper’s expression. Another gunshot could be heard. Steve fell to the ground, pain erupting in his head and blood falling into his eyes, his breath being knocked out of him at impact. He collapsed to the ground, darkness consuming his vision.
“No…” He begged, trying to keep his eyes open. “Please no..”
Loud voices could be heard barking orders, and Steve felt someone pick him up, cradling his limp body in comforting arms. He flinched away, thinking that it was his father, his father that killed him, but the hands were too gentle for that. He opened his eyes, eyes he didn’t even know he closed, and couldn’t see anything. Everything was dark.
“I…please…please…”
“It’s okay, kid, it’s okay, I got you.” Hopper. That was Hopper’s voice.
“Am I…am I dead?”
“No, you're not, Steve, you’re very much alive. I won’t let you die, I promise.”
Steve shuddered, leaning into the chest that he was cradled in. He didn’t know what was happening, he couldn’t see, but everyone around him was talking in panicked voices, including Hopper.
“Call an ambulance!”
“Hop…” Steve whispered, clutching the older man’s shirt, and he could feel Hopper grab his hand with his own.
“I’m right here, Steve.”
“‘m I dyin’? Why…why can’t I…I see?”
“You got some blood in your eyes, kid. You’re not dying.”
“My…my dad…”
“He’s not going to hurt you.”
“Is…is he…?”
“Yeah, he’s gone.”
Steve didn’t know how to feel about that. He could soon feel a damp cloth pressed against his forehead, soon sliding across his eyes, making him able to see blurred images in front of him, but everything didn’t look right. He could hear blaring sirens outside of the house, faint but shrill at the same time, and he could feel his grip on reality begin to falter.
“Hey, hey! Stay awake, Steve!”
His eyes closed, his body finally giving up to the darkness.
-------------------------------------------------
“No! Steve! Wake up!” Hopper exclaimed, shaking the kid gently, the kid that had just gone unconscious in his arms as he held the cloth to his head wound. Callahan watched him with worry as he stood, frozen in place, James Harrington dead at his feet, a bullet in his back.
Hopper hadn’t expected Callahan to be the one to pull the trigger, but there was no mistaking that it was the right decision. Steve was alive because of it.
“Callahan, get the doctors in here!” Hopper exclaimed, holding Steve closer to his chest. The kid was still bleeding from the cuts on his head, the worse one just above his eyes, causing the dark blood to seep into the kid’s eyes. He was lucky that Mr. Harrington’s bullet had only grazed him, but it was still a bad wound. He needed to get help as soon as possible.
It took Callahan a second to blink out of his trance, running to the door and calling for help. It didn’t take long for the medical staff to rush in, taking Steve out of his hands and placing him on a stretcher. As they prepared fluids and bandages, Hopper held the kid’s hand and kissed his head gently.
“You’re going to be okay, Steve. You’re going to be okay.”
“Hop…”
Steve’s eyes opened weakly, dulled by shock, pain, and whatever sedative he was being pumped with, delirious.
“Kid. Kid, I’m here.”
“Chief, are you able to ride in the ambulance with him?” He heard a medic call, and he nodded, giving a watery smile to Steve, who watched him with confusion, blood still falling into his eyes and down his cheeks and the side of his head.
“I’m going to be with you through every step of the way, alright? You’re not going to be alone.”
“Not alone?”
“No. I’m right here for the whole ride.”
Steve managed to smile at the words before falling unconscious again, and Hopper held his hand as he was placed into the ambulance, medics working around him. He refused to let go of his hand.
He knew what he said was true. He was going to be there through everything, through grieving his dad, to finding his mom and telling her what happened, and everything after that.
Hopper wasn’t going to let this kid go through anything like that again. Never, ever again.