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“Would you like dinner?” Steve was bustling around the kitchen, Eddie was sitting on the counter, not at the counter, no, he was on the counter. He could see Max and Lucas playing basketball outside together, the two children actually laughing for once.
“Hm?” Eddie asked, his mind not focused on anything in particular, maybe the next DnD campaign, he just couldn’t focus.
“Dinner, what would you like?” Steve tries again, he has a slight smile that looks more like concern.
“Whatever is fine.”
“You say that, but do you mean that.”
“I do today.” Steve sighed at the response.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Okay, so I’m writing this new campaign and I’m at a road block.”
“A road block?”
“Okay, so imagine a demogorgan, wait you don’t fucking play.”
“No, I know what it is, continue.” Steve leaned against the counter.
“Okay so imagine you encounter a demogorgran, the goal is to defeat or over come it right? Okay so that’s the end goal, the issue is the demogrogan is just a road block to the larger task. Does that makes sense at all?” Steve looked at him with intensity, Eddie, Eddie didn’t know and he knew that, but did he?
“It’s the distraction.”
“Not exactly, I mean, kind of. I don’t want it to be the big reveal you know? Like that would be fucking lame, roll a fifteen and defeat it, it just has no power to it.”
“Well what’s your game plan?”
“The game plan is the issue! I’m drying with ideas in my old age.”
“You aren’t old. Okay, so the kids get to that point in the game, you don’t want anything more dramatic or you want it to be more dramatic?”
“More dramatic, but I can’t think of anything. I am drawing a fucking blank man.” Steve paused, he wanted to answer, he wanted to give advice, but he was walking a fine government line.
“Well, take a twist you already know.”
“A twist I already know?”
“Yeah, like something you’re familiar with.”
“Okay, okay.” Eddie reached for his notebook and looked up at Steve who was still looking at him with a type of fondness. “Steve Harrington,” he began his dramatic monologue, “player of nothing but sports, you approach the demogrogran with your team, what is your first move?” He changed his voice again to mimic Steve, “I do not know for I do not play this game, but my best guess is to run from it.” He deepened his voice, “You cannot run from it Steve.” Steve laughed a bit at the antics, Eddie continued, “You must face the demogorgan in order to move forth with the task to defeat the evil.”
“The evil what? Mind Flayer?” Steve questioned, Eddie straightened his back more as he looked at Steve.
“Steve that’s it!”
“What’s it?”
“That’s the twist!”
“That's the twist?” Eddie pauses, writing down notes, Steve continues to watch him, about five minutes later Eddie looks up at Steve with a devious smile.
“You get past the demogorogan using your wizard powers,” Eddie’s voice continued the deep theatrical way he did his campaigns, “Only the true factor to defeat those around you are still there. For instead of using a team, you shall go against thee, one of you is not like the others, one of you is working for the greater darkness to swallow you whole. How does one get to find out who though? Who be thee spy working towards the greater darkness, in hopes to swallow thee whole? Steve! How do you find out?”
“I ask questions.”
“What three questions shall they be?”
“I ask you, or the other players?” Eddie groaned before responding.
“The others will know.”
“Who am I to you? I only need one.”
“You need more than one.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I only need one.”
“Okay, whatever, fine.” Eddie throws his voice once more, “You ask your group who thy is to them, they each respond Steve the midwestern mom, now what shall ye do?”
“How did we meet?”
“How did you meet? Really Steve? Okay, sure. Each player responds with an answer, for the sake of this we are going to pretend you got one, now what shall you do?”
“I… figure out how to help them?”
“No! You slay them! You have to slay the inner darkness!”
“Won’t the inner darkness just move to another player?”
“Fine, you’re the inner darkness, what does thy do?”
“I ask for help to remove it, without killing myself. It would be useless. It needs a host.”
“You roll a ten, receiving help, divine intervention is with you today, there is a way to solve the darkness within thee.” Eddie monologue is interrupted by the kids running into the house.
“When are we eating?” Max yells, kicking her shoes off. Eddie just pauses, realizing instead of cooking Steve has been sitting here with him, pretending to play a game Steve knows nothing about.
“Um, we’re ordering pizza!” Steve yells, still involved in the DnD campaign. Eddie is silent though, he doesn’t know the last time something sat there and tried to help him, well he hasn’t really asked for help. Just, why the hell is Steve Harrington just listening to his give his DnD campaign speech?
“Cool! I’m going to go back outside!” Max is trying to shove her feet back in the shoe she got off as Steve is smiling at her.
“What toppings?”
“Pepperoni, duh.” She answers.
“Is Lucas staying?”
“Yeah.” She smiles as she rushes back out.
“I’m sorry, you should have been cooking instead I’m making you listen to me.” Eddie has his hands in his hair, a feeling of uncertainty fills the air.
“No, continue, let me order super fast and then we can keep going.” Steve says in a rushed tone, going to grab the phone. He wants to tell him he can’t remember the last time someone listened to the campaign before he presented it, the way Steve just listened and attempted to help, Hell he did help. Steve smiles back to him while he’s at the phone giving their pizza order and Eddie just isn’t sure what the feeling is inside of his chest when he does that.