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5 times Eddie’s sheep said their Mom was coming to help them and the one time he realized ‘Mom’ was one Steve harrington
1~~~~~
“ Mom’s coming to pick us up,” Dustin explained. He and the other freshmen had been waiting out front for only five minutes when Eddie had offered to give them a ride. Dustin stretched the straps of his backpack with the attitude of someone who had won an argument. “We’re going to the arcade”
Eddie nodded solemnly, the arcade was serious business to many 14 year olds.
Speaking off said 14 year olds, Lucas perked up on the other side of him.
“We can still grab Max on the way right?”
“Yes Lucas we can pick up Max for your date” Dustin grumbled.
Will elbowed him “It’s not his fault your girlfriend lives like 10 states away”
“It’s only five!!!”
Eddie watched as the three devolved into some sort of debate involving girls and . . . Mormons? anyways, neither of those were anything he wanted to do with. Turning back he saw Mike just behind the commotion, seemingly pretending to ignore the fight breaking out.
”Okay . . . This is where we part ways then. Safe travels to yonder arcade- may all your high scores be reached.”
He turned resolutely back toward his van as he heard Mike finally join the squabble.
~~~~~~
5 minutes after Eddie left, the boys had mostly quieted their debate when the red beemer pulled up to the curb. Steve and Max both sat cooley in the front, sunglasses on. Kate Bush died out on the radio before Tears for Fears quickly started up.
“Alright, losers in the back!” Max yelled, half hanging out the window. Protests started up before Steve shut them down.
“Hey! I’m already gonna be 30 minutes late to work to take you all to the arcade-“ as the boys crammed into the back he added on, “Besides, Joyce is bringing El meet you all there as long as someone is always with her”
Steve pulled out of the dilapidated parking lot to shouts of excitement, then true screaming as he dropped a roll of quarters right into Will’s lap for them to argue over.
2~~~~~~~~
Digging into sub-par lunch was probably the best part of Eddie’s day, aside from actually getting to play Dungeons and Dragons. He got to shoot to shit with all his friends, check on his little sheep he’d taken in, and best of all antagonize the jocks when opportunity arose.
And while today did not seem to be a day to walk on tables, his fellow victims of the previous kings’ administration were taking a moment to celebrate the absence of those like old Hagan, Harrington, and Hargrove.
“Yeah man,” Gareth shrugged around square pizza, “Hargrove dying was pretty shitty, no one deserves to de in a crazy-ass fire-but he was probably the worst out of all of them”
“Oh Hargrove was heartless, but we didn’t have to endure him nearly as long as King Steve ” Jeff countered.
the freshmen at the table tensed, likely having already heard rumors. Frankie nodded, “ Fuck, King Steve was such an absolute douchebag” He gestured absentley with a sad fry, “you guys are lucky as hell you didn’t have to put up with his shit”
“Remember the time he played lookout for Hagan and he stole Eddie’s clothes during gym?”
Eddie snorted, “oh I remember the glare Mr. Sullivan gave me when I showed up to Pre-Calc in those gym shorts”
The older boys burst into various laughing fits, when Dustin stood quickly from his seat, face red.
“I’ll- I’ll be right back-“
Without another word he snatched the remains of his home-made lunch and took off for the double doors of the cafeteria exit. The group went silent for a moment at his quick getaway.
“The hell was that about?” Gareth grumbled.
Lucas, Mike, and Will all spared glances at each other that Eddie felt had a lot more meaning than he’d get to know.
Lucas’ voice waved through an explanation, “Dustin . . . He- uh-“
“He was in the mall fire, and he doesn’t like thinking about it” Will’s voice was level, and he spoke like he was quoting a phrase said often- rehearsed.
The older boys looked around at each other, they had nearly forgotten their brief mention of Billy Hargrove, one of the few casualties of that night last summer.
Mike huffed, “he probably went to call Mom ” The other two chastised him for seemingly calling out Dustin’s absence.
Eddie took over the conversation then, steering them along like he would for a campaign. “Let’s go ahead and not talk about it then. Instead- what are you all gonna do to try and survive tomorrow night's session?”
The older Hellfire members immediately jumped into debates, like he had predicted. He did notice though, that the freshmen stayed oddly quiet, looking equal parts sick and sad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dustin stood quietly in the nurse’s office, listening to the phone dial. He’d been in here often enough for all manner of things, and so him using the phone was simple enough to get away with.
the older Hellfire members' words rattled around in his head.
”King Steve was such an absolute douchebag”
Finally after what felt like an eternity, the phone crackled with life and Steve’s voice came through. “Steve Harrington’s home” he sounded like he had just woken up.
“Steve?” Dustin’s voice cracked and he wanted to hang up immediately just from that.
“Henderson? Is everything okay?” Steve suddenly sounded wide awake, as if preparing to jump in his car or grab his baseball bat.
“Yeah- yeah I just. . . . I just wanted to callyouandnowIknowthat’sstupidandI’m-“
”Woah woah Dustin calm down- I can’t hear you well over the phone. As long as everything’s okay just breathe for a sec dude.”
He took in a huge breath and held it for a moment, feeling his lungs burn. He let it out long and slow and tried again to come up with something less embarrassing to say after calling Steve in the middle of lunch.
“I think I’m having a bad day at school. And- and I just wanted to call and make sure you’re okay.”
The line went quiet and Dustin was suddenly worried he accidentally hung up.
“Oh.” Steve sounded surprised, like Dustin shouldn’t ever be worried about him, “Well, I’m as fine as I can be after you gave me a small heart attack. Man I thought there was like- a demogorgon at school or some shit.”
”No-no just, You’re a good guy Steve. I literally would be dead without you so, thanks.”
Again the line went dead silent, then Steve came back, voice just a little bit more shaky, “Dustin you- you don’t ever have to thank me for finally doing what’s right. I . . . Let’s just say you and the rest of the nerd-squad did just as much saving as you think I did.”
He laughed at this, feeling just a bit better.
“Okay. Sorry I bothered you, have a good day at work later”
”Don’t be sorry- tell you what, call your Mom after me and tell her I can pick you up after school, come hang out at Family Video for a few hours with me and Rob”
”Really?” He perked up. Robin let him have the candy that was close to expiring.
“Yeah really, You can even fight her for movie choices”
”Okay, bye Steve- Thanks”
“No need to thank me Henderson, I’ll see you at 3”
This time when the line finally clicked, Dustin felt just a bit better about his best friend.
3~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eddie woke from his rainy day nap to someone attempting to pound his front door down. He stood up quickly, and ignoring his head rush, he took the three long strides from his couch to the front door. Sending quick prayer up to no one in particular, he opened it, hoping there wasn’t a cop on the other side.
There was no cop, it also appeared that his rainy day nap had gone well into the night. Rain still came down in thick sweeps and was turning to slush a bit in the February cold. Max Mayfield from next door stood shivering and damp on his porch, and he looked down at her in surprise.
“Can I use your phone?” She said shortly. Straight to the punch then.
“Your tin can across the street didn’t come with one?” He snarked even as he moved aside to let her in. She went straight to the phone and picked it up from the hook with seemingly no qualms about making herself at home.
“the phone bill wasn’t in the budget this month.” She glared at him as she said it, even tho Eddie could absolutely understand the concept of picking the least important bill to forego for say; food.
“Then she’s yours for the using, Fair Lady Mayfield” he disappeared into the kitchen to at least pretend he could give her privacy in the same space.
He glanced around at his kitchen, and decided he had just enough mix left to make himself (and max) some hot chocolate.
Just as he set the mugs of water in the microwave he heard bits of her phone call faintly.
“-not home yet, and you said to call you if it got past 9 so . . .”
she shrugged as if the person on the other end could see her.
“Well . . . The power might also be off.”
This time he could see her flinch, and even he could hear the faint sound of someone yelling on the other end of the line. which- yeah there’s a big difference between the phone being off and the power being off. In this weather, Eddie was liable to let her spend the night at his house. He and Wayne both seemed to enjoy taking in strays.
”I know . . . I know . . . So are you coming to get me or not?”
She started actually bantering with the person instead of asking for help.
“Yeah gee thanks Mom, I got it. I’m at the trailer across the street from mine”
She listened to -her mother apparently? A final time.
“Okay, yeah you too. Bye”
Eddie came back into the room with two ridiculous mugs from his uncle’s collection.
“Here we go- tonight we have the most splendid concoction the gods have ever blessed us with- dollar store hot chocolate!”
As they sat there drinking their watery hot chocolate, Edie hope that Max was doing okay, he’d seen her here and there when she and her mother had moved in at the beginning of the school year. She didn’t seem to have the greatest home life, but he’d sworn he’d seen Sinclair at her house once or twice. Fifteen minutes or so went by, before he heard gravel crunching in front of his trailer. Max peaked out the window behind the couch and quickly chugged the rest of her drink before grabbing the bag and jacket she’d brought along.
She paused, one hand on the doorknob.
“That’s my ride, Thank you letting me use the phone”
”No problem Red.” He gave a jaunty salute that only made her scowl.
He watched her go, the rain had gotten worse, and he could barely make out a red car he vaguely recognized as one he’d seen a few times across the street. The distorted shape of Max’s mother in the drivers seat reached over and opened the door for her, and then as quickly as they’d come they were pulling away.
Eddie closed his door, shaking off the wet and the cold. He headed straight back to bed for real this time, and never heard the sound of Susan Hargrove coming home hours later to her dark and empty house.
~~~~~~~~~
Steve Harrington had long since hijacked his parents bedroom phone for himself. While there was no wall jack in his room, he’d stretched the cord from the hallway into his room and kept it on his dresser. Always nearby, always able to see it move as it rung or notice the flashing red light from the corner of his blurred vision.
When it rang one especially rainy night, he was answering before he’d realized he was out of bed.
“‘Ello?” He grumbled
“Steve?” He heard Max’s voice subdued on the other end.
“Max? Yeah Max I’m here what’s going on?” What was with these kids and giving him heart attacks over the phone he’d never know.
“Nothing- no- no code red anyway”
“Okay- are you okay?”
”yeah yeah it’s just uh . . . My Mom’s still not home yet, and you said to call you if it got past 9 so . . .” Max sounded like she was forcing herself to say the words, to ask for help.
“Okay, do you want me to come over or come get you?”
“Well . . .”
Steve braced himself, “What’s wrong max?”
she sighed, longsuffering “The power might also be out.”
Steve’s whole body went through a series of reactions at Max's statement that her thin tin-box trailer had no power- no heat- in February during a rainstorm that was quickly turning to slush.
“ MAX, do you know how unsafe that is??? What if you got sick? Oh my god what if You got hurt?”
”I know . . . I know . . . So are you coming to get me or not?”
“I’m on my way right now. I’ll only be fifteen minutes okay? Wherever you’re on the phone don’t leave. Stay right where you are.” Steve was frantically tugging his rain boots up, suddenly thankful he’d fallen asleep in his jeans and sweater from earlier.
“Yeah gee thanks Mom, I got it. I’m at the trailer across the street from mine”
She sounded exasperated with him, but he’d take her made over frozen or hurt any day.
“I’m leaving my house- be safe , and keep your walkie on you just in case.”
“Okay, yeah you too. Bye”
Steve let the phone fall back in the cradle and raced down his stairs, slamming his front door behind him.
4~~~~~~~
While Eddie liked contributing to the household budget, he hated when his uncle sent him to the grocery store. He always got off track, always got anxiety at checkout no matter how low the price or even if he definitely had enough money. And, though he was loath to admit it, he hated glares and second glances from other shoppers. Putting on a front at school was as easy as putting on his jacket every morning, but in public? Amidst the adults of Hawkins who definitely had better things to talk about and would still mention him along the phone tree later that night?
Well, that he got pretty sick of.
He was standing in the breakfast isle at Melvard’s trying to decide if they could do a different cereal this week when it felt like all the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Glancing around, he saw a girl standing like a statue in front of the doors to the frozen waffle. She had long dark hair that hid her face and a mismatched outfit that he could have appreciated if she didn’t give him full body chills.
She was like, the ghost of the freezer section or something.
Against all odds, she suddenly turned her head sharply and looked him directly in the eye. Eddie suddenly fumbled with his cereal choices and somehow ended up dropping both.
She just stood there. Watching.
“Uhhh hello strange small girl”
She tilted her head at that, Eddie hoped she didn’t like, curse him or something.
“Do you like- need help or something?”
She glanced back at the rows of food, then to him. “Yes. I have found the eggos. But I have lost my brother, and the Mom that brought us.” Her tone was . . . weird? For lack of a better explanation. Ever the drama kid, Eddie came to the conclusion that this was maybe how someone would speak if they had only ever read words, seen and not heard.
“Uhhhhh we could . . . Go to the front of the store?”
She looked around, like she was really truly lost in the smallest grocery store in Hawkins, and with the creepiest faraway look said, “No, I have found him.” And turned around.
Eddie was probably way too tired and way too close to absolutely shitting his pants when suddenly Will Byers came around the corner pushing a shopping cart with all manner of snacks.
“El! I knew you’d be over here.”
”You did?”
He laughed at this, seemingly more in the know than Eddie, when he turned and saw the dungeon master and grinned a hello.
”Hi Eddie! Nice seeing you here, are you ready for next week?”
”What next week?”
Will tilted his head in confusion, and suddenly looked so much like the girl it was scary. Was this the shining? He was trapped in the shining right now.
“Uh-Dungeons & Dragons?”
Oh yeah. Right. The game Eddie lived for. That game.
“Absolutely Good sir, And shall you be bringing this fair lady ‘El’ with you to our next game?”
‘El’ giggled at his remark and finally seemed a bit more like the average young high school girl Eddie had seen around.
Will shook his head at him, “No, El doesn’t play DnD like us, she hangs out with Max.”
El nodded along seriously, “Max is my Best Friend” like Eddie needed to know that.
He did actually need to get going tho, both to actually try and get most of his groceries and get away from whatever 5th dimension creepiness was going on with those two. He just was not in the mood today.
“WeeeeelP, I’ll have to see you two around then. I bid you both adieu” he bowed over his own buggy and threw the first cereal box he saw into it as he walked back down the aisle the way he came”
Will and El tossed a couple boxes of waffles into the cart, walking the other way, “Come on, the Moms are chatting at the front”
~~~~~~~~~
As Eddie was lost in 6 different directions elsewhere in the store, he never saw Steve talking to Joyce Byers over her service counter. Will and El brought their buggy, heavy with junk food over to them and started loading it up.
“Woah woah woah” Joyce chastised, “Excuse me sir, are you with someone today?” she teased Will.
“Yes, mam” he responded in an equally over the top voice, sticking his nose up in the air. “My chauffeur will be taking care of things”
At this Steve reared back like he’d been struck.
” ugh, chauffeur? Chauffeur ? After everything I’ve done for you baby Byers? After all the monsters I’ve slain?” Watching Eleven break out into hysterical giggling, he was inclined to go on, but Will broke before he did, relenting on the joke.
As they calmed, Joyce finished ringing them up and scrunched her nose at the price, but before she could do or say anything else Steve was reaching over with his credit card.
”Oh, Steve honey I couldn’t-“
”Well, I’m just trying to pay for the groceries my kids got, just as any upstanding citizen would do” he winked at her.
“It’s already bad enough I asked you to watch them today, and then for them to get you to bring them here and buy food-“
”Joyce,” Steve’s voice was even, but serious. “It’s okay, We’ll take this back and probably eat half of it tonight anyhow.” He glanced over at where the two were distracted with bags and said a bit quieter, “you know my parents don’t pay attention to any of their bills, as long as no one is calling to complain about me.”
Finally, with a look that suggested she hated hearing about Steve’s parents, she relented. Taking the card and swiping it quickly she turned on her wayward children. “You both are on your best behavior right?”
They groaned their assent but gave her smiles as they hurried their way out of the store. Steve waving a final time.
5~~~~~~~~~~~
Eddie was just getting to the most intense twist of the night. All the clues he’d laid, every off hand npc’s comment, and now, finally, the big reveal-
The door to the drama room slammed open with a bang, hitting the wall beside it with a crash that had most of the table (especially his freshman) screaming. Dustin whipped a radio out of nowhere, Lucas reached for something under the table, and Mike jumped up from his own chair to shove Will behind him.
Robin Buckley from band stood standing on one foot in the doorway, wearing a huge coat three sizes too big. Her other foot had been used to very dramatically kick slam the door open and still hung in the air precariously. Said foot quickly dropped back to the floor as she pinwheeled in place to stay standing.
“Robin?”
”Dude what the hell?”
”language.” Dustin griped at the others jokingly. They turned to glare at him as Robin caught her breath.
“Hey Dingus jr and company, you’re late”
the table looked around at each other and Mike shrugged, a tad apologetic.
“Sorry we ran like five minutes over”
”uh- try thirty ”
At this, most of the boys jumped up. Will starting frantically shoving books and papers in his bag, he was reaching around and across the table to grab all the boys’ notes and character sheets.
“Shit! Shit shit shit ” Dustin pulled his cap down further on his head, “Why didn’t you come tell us sooner?”
Eddie watched the full blown chaos and felt the air sucked from his metaphorical dungeon-master sails. There went his reveal. “Uhhhh what’s going on? Where’s the fire?”
Buckley jumped like she’d already forgotten that she’d burst in and ruined all his best laid plans. “The fire as you so eloquently put it, is that these four shitheads are over thirty minutes late to be picked up. It’s freezing, it’s dark, and-“
She spun around to where the boys were basically packed up by the door like this was the elementary car line.
”Your Mother is out in the car with a migraine and a pending anxiety attack from you all.”
She herded them out like she was their under-paid babysitter, as they shouted their goodbyes back at the remaining group.
“Bye Eddie see you later!”
“Bye- See you!”
“Bye guys”
”Later”
Robin waved with her own jaunty salute like she was a sailor or something, “Nice seeing you all, bye Munson!”
And just like that they were gone as quick as she came. The room glanced around at each other in shock.
Gareth looked around incredulously, “What the fuck was that?”
Eddie slumped down atop his pile of notes and dice behind his screen, like he could hide from the insanity the freshmen always brought with them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Steve was taking deep breaths of cold air, Robin was right to make him crack the windows before she went to find the kids. He looked down at his watch, 4 minutes and 23 seconds. Suddenly he saw them exiting the building, all five, perfectly unharmed if a little cold. Robin still drowning in his coat that she’d stolen to cross the parking lot. He took one last long breath in and out and resting his head against the steering wheel as the kids all threw their bags in his trunk and climbed in the car. Murmuring apologies for their tardiness.
“We’re really sorry Steve” Will ever the apologetic.
Dustin piggybacking on his comment, “Yeah if we’d know how late it was we would have called it earlier”
”It’s okay,” He sounded hoarser than he’d expected, clearing his throat he sat up to look at his kids all crammed into the back seat. “It’s fine really, I just- just don’t feel good today”
”Robin said you had a migraine” Lucas asked him without really asking the question.
“It’s just a small one” he shrugged them off.
Mike glanced out the window as Steve started the car and began pulling out of the dilapidated school parking lot. “Don’t drive us into a ditch, you know Nancy will kill you”
Steve sighed, just a hint of a laugh as he willed away the sharp pain in his temples, the back of his neck. “Yeah I believe it”
+1~~~~~~~~~~~
Eddie was moping as he rummaged through his locker, the rain that had been plaguing them for weeks now had caused a leak at school, the drama room behind the gym had taken the brunt, and now it would be weeks until they could use it again. He couldn’t find anywhere else safe to play on such short notice, and now he was going to have to cancel tonight’s session.
Slamming his locker, he shoulder his backpack- with more dice than actual homework- and started heading for the exit. At least he was escaping school early today.
He had just reached the doors when he heard shouting,
“Eddie! Eddie wait up!”
Dustin Henderson was barreling down the hallway without a care in the world for any other students, even as they glared at him the whole way. Behind him was the rest of the freshmen, keeping up surprisingly well with an air of excitement circling the group.
“What the hell man?”
Dustin adjusted his backpack with a little skip, “I know the drama club room is trashed, and its short notice, but I made some call- I know you hate to cancel- but this is fool proof”
Mike cut in, “Dude spit it out already”
Dustin whipped around to glare at him scathingly, “have you no patience for dramatics Micheal?”
Lucas beat him to the punch, “he called Mom, we can have DnD at the house tonight if you can take us over.”
“ Lucaasss” Dustin cried, betrayed.
Eddie actually perked up at this. Such he hadn’t met Dustin’s Mom, or any of the others for that matter, but she sounded like she wasn’t as corrupt as the rest of the adults in Hawkins were, blinded by the media and their ‘satanic panic’.
“Well what are we waiting for? Come, small children! To the creepy van!”
They all groaned at his terrible joke but he simply spun around, spinning his keys in hand.
~~~~~~~~~
He was listening to directions from Lucas, who’d won shotgun, when he realized they were driving into one of the richer neighborhoods on the outskirts of town. The houses were actually starting to look vaguely familiar, but it was hard to tell which houses had once held insane parties.
”uhhh Dustin? What did you say your Mom did for a living?”
Dustin leaned up into the front, “She’s a nurse. Why do you ask?”
“Uhhhh cause your house is crazy fucking big man, can’t believe you’ve been living it up this whole time and haven’t said anything”
Dustin gave him an odd look, calculating almost. Then as sudden as a strike of lightning his eyes got huge, and he darted into the back again and started whispering to the others.
Eddie tried to listen in, but Lucas distracted him with a final turn into the empty driveway of a large brick house. He’d barely put the car in park when the door to his van was slammed open and the boys practically sprinted to the front door, scrambling over each other. Suddenly Will made the final strike and got his own key into the lock twisting past Mike and Dustin who were shouting their displeasure.
Lucas walked slower, just passing Eddie and commenting nonchalantly, “We always race to see who can unlock the door first, but I won last time” he shrugged.
They stepped over the threshold of the house, and as the boys all scrambled to take off their shoes, Eddie was reminded bitterly that there was more money in this place than he’d probably ever seen in his entire life.
The house itself was white and grey, with fancy lights and hardwood floors, overpriced furniture and glass cabinets. But it looked like someone had thrown up an entire craft store. The living room had dozens of blankets and pillows- none of which matched. There were books on every surface and a shelf overflowing with vhs tapes by a huge television. When they walked into the dining room (seriously who the fuck separates cooking and eating into separate rooms) it was obvious the kids had played campaigns here before. The chair at the end of the table had already been turned into a makeshift throne. Will seemed to instinctively go to it before turning and giving Eddie a sheepish look before setting his things down at the chair adjacent.
Weird house aside, Eddie took in the silence outside their little group.
“Uh, is anyone else home? Like, y’know, the famous mom who let us come over?”
Eddie was feeling more and more confused by the minute, and that only increased when Mike shrugged and Will looked around as well.
“Yeah . . . They should be back by now.” He looked over at Dustin, who nodded, brows furrowed underneath his hat. He reached for his backpack when suddenly they heard the front door open.
“Oh Honey!!! I’m home!” That . . . sounded a lot like Buckley.
All the boys seemed to relax as one when Robin came stumbling through the entry to the dining room, sweater half on half off. “Hey guys, sorry we thought we’d be back before you but we had to pick up the girls, and then dingus insisted on stopping for snacks and a bunch of other shit-“
“Robbie I told you- I got stuff to make dinner. Just cause your scared of a kitchen spoon doesn’t mean I can’t get groceries”
Like a dark shadow rising up over poor band geek Robin Buckley; Steve Harrington came up behind her in the doorway and Eddie nearly choked on air. Holy shit. Holy shit. Steve Harrington, the fallen King of Hawkins High had somehow gotten into this house.
As Eddie was having an actual aneurysm, Harrington’s gaze swept across the room like a predator with new prey. Shit how was he gonna keep all the kids from getting the bullying of a lifetime?
Like he wanted to break Eddie’s brain even further, Harrington didn’t sneer, or glare, or even come out with a nasty comment like his old gang used to. He actually smiled.
“You guys get here okay?”
And. What.
“ Yes Steve. Ugh dude it was like 20 minutes from school.” Dustin groaned, he had dropped his book bag by a chair and foolishly walked closer. Eddie wanted to shout at him for walking right into a trap, but for once in his life he couldn’t think of what to say. Just as he thought it couldn’t get worse Dustin wandered right up into Harrington’s space and snatched a plastic grocery bag right from the jock’s hands.
This was it. He was going to watch this freshman die a horrible death.
“What’did’ya get?” Dustin rifled though the bag
”nothing for you with that attitude, only gummy bears and m&ms”
“Steeeevvvee” he whined.
Harrington suddenly clapped Dustin across the shoulders and directed him around into the doorway, taking back the bag. Was he gonna just kick him out?
“No I think the three musketeers ended up in the other bag- Max has it”
“Yes! Thanks Steve” and Dustin was dodging around the corner like he hadn’t just gone up against a top dog like Harrington and lived. Lucas brushed past him suddenly and nearly gave him a heart attack. He stopped in the doorway, only to stop and be handed a candy bar of his own.
“Thanks, I’m gonna say hi to Max before we start the session” and with that he too was gone.
“Okay,” Steve turned to the rest of the room and started tossing candy out to Will and Mike. A pack of m&ms went sliding down the table but he tossed the gummy bears at an unsuspecting Mike. “Think fast Wheeler!” Mike scrambled to catch the bag as it hit his hands but he couldn’t quite get ahold of the plastic before it hit the ground. Will laughed as he reached for his candy on the table and Mike grumbled menacingly.
Suddenly Eddie had Harrington’s eyes on him and he flinched, “Hey Munson, thanks for bringing them over with you. I wasn’t what you would want so if this is wrong blame Dustin”
As he held out a plain, nondescript chocolate bar from Melvard’s.
“What are you doing here?” Shit. Shit. Eddie did not just say that. He did not just say that.
Harrington scrunched his nose in confusion, but didn’t seem to get mad.
“Uhhhh I live here?” He turned to Buckley who was still perched next to him in the door. She had finally gotten her sweater off and into her arms. She also shrugged like she didn’t see a problem with being in the same room as a guy who had a documented record of making fun of people like them.
“Last I checked- yeah you still live here”
“Coulda fooled me, the way you and the kids have taken over” he swatted at her, but she dodged like it was a well established routine.
They both looked back at Eddie and he was startled by how in sync they were.
“You okay to set up all your game stuff? I know the kids said you guys could come over pretty last minute, I don't know if they left a big mess or not according to your- rulebook or whatever.”
Eddie was at a loss for how he had somehow ended up at Steve Harrington’s house, and how said jock seemed to know at least the base concepts of a table-top role playing game.
“Relax Steve,” Mike cut in, “we didn’t make that much of a mess and Eddie’s used to having too much stuff lying around for our campaigns”
Steve put his hands up like he was surrendering to Micheal Wheeler and his infinite sass. “Okay well, I know you guys know where everything is. Show Eddie anything he needs and I’ll let you all know when dinner’s done”
“Thanks Steve, we appreciate it” Will commented, nudging Mike to agree.
Harrington turned and walked through the door to disappear, he suddenly turned back and Eddie knew this was where the other shoe dropped;
“Hey Munson, the bathroom is down here on the left- let me know if you guys need anything, me and the girls will just be in the living room”
And just like that he was gone.
Dustin and Lucas came back like everything was right with the world. Dustin set a share size three musketeers down on the table and look around, “Yo, Eddie, you good dude? You look like you just saw a ghost or something”
Mike snarked as he too took his seat, “Nah, Steve’s just being all hosty again, just had to make sure Eddie knew where the bathroom was”
“Ugh,” Dustin groaned as he reached for his bag, “What a Mom ”
Suddenly all the neurons in Eddie’s poor brain misfired as one and he whipped around to look at the four boys he’d taken under his wing. The four boys who always had a ride home, or someone to call, or someone who was waiting for them. A Mom they all talked about equally like their own.
“ Steve Harrington is Mom? The same Mom you’re all always talking about???”
They all looked at each other before Dustin finally spoke up again.
“Uh yeah. Who else would we be talking about? He’s The Party’s unoffically shared mother hen.”
“Are we talking about the same person right now?” Eddie reached both hands up to tug at his hair, “The same dude who was King of Hawkins High? The jockiest jock to jock? ”
lucas looked at him in confusion, “what does that even mean?”
”also” Dustin pitched in, voice tilting snidely “He’s not that dude. Steve hasn’t been as asshole for like, at least 3 years”
Will shrugged, not even looking up from his binder of notes, “actually its been two years and five months but who’s counting”
Mike looked at him with a twisted expression, like he’d swallowed a lemon. “Has it really only been that long?”
“It does feel like a lot longer” Lucas nodded his agreement.
Dustin shrugged again. “Anyways, can we start playing now? Steve’s definitely gonna make us take a break for dinner and I really wanna get to the town we were talking about.”
Eddie felt like his brain had leaked out of his ears. The revelations that had been forced upon him were so absolutely bat shit insane he wasn’t even sure he could DM for these nerds. Hopefully his notes would be enough.
Although, if they did end up breaking his game, he’d just have to hit them harder next time.
“Okay little sheepies, you find yourselves back in Neverwinter. They information you had found has led you to . . .”
He fell into the game like always, and pushed the enigma that was Harrington to the back of his mind. He’d worry about it another time.
Unfortunately, that time would probably come a lot sooner than he’d think.