Chapter Text
The changing room was loud, not just because of everyone's energy, but also because of the atmosphere. Steve had known for a while that he was probably responsible for this atmosphere, but he didn't know what he could do about it.
"Okay, close your eyes, Stevie," Robin said, and Steve obeyed without thinking. Robin had been his best friend for almost three years now and was responsible for his makeup, and he trusted her completely. Steve felt the brush glide across his face, and it tickled a little, but he was used to it by now.
"Now for the hairspray," and before anything else happened, Steve held his breath and could already feel the spray raining down on his skin.
"Okay, all done. You can open your eyes now," Robin said, leaning over his shoulder.
"Thanks, Robin, you look great again," I said. "Oh, come on, I'd love to try something different on you sometime," Robin said as she sat down on the table in front of me.
"Maybe on the next album," I said, not even sure if there would ever be one, and I could tell from Robin's face that she felt the same way. "What's the problem today?" she whispered.
"I think Billy and Jason were both trying to pick up the same girl at the bar yesterday." "Oh my, what a problem," Robin said sarcastically. "As if they didn't have their pick." I smiled at her and sighed.
My bandmates have been arguing regularly for the past few weeks, although it's gotten a little better since Tommy started dating Carol. We've always had problems, though; we just hid them from the fans.
"They should party less and rehearse more," a voice said behind me, and before I'd even turned around, Jonathan was standing in my field of vision with Argyle.
"Yeah, you're the only one who comes to rehearsals regularly," Argyle said. "That's why you're the best," Robin said, nodding.
I had to stifle a laugh.
Me, the best?
I'm only in the group because my dad's the CEO of the company, and when he realized boy bands were becoming more popular, he started one, and at my mom's request, I joined.
Even though my dad would have preferred me to learn how to take over the company, my mom made the good point that this way I'd gain deeper insights into the business.
“We’re so successful because we complement each other so well as a group,” I said, and Argyle sighed.
“That’s such a rehearsed line,” Robin grumbled, and I grinned at her. “Come on, Steve, you all can’t stand each other. You’re only in the group because you’re good-looking,” Jonathan said.
“Oh wow, thanks,” I replied ironically, and he made an apologetic face. “Well, not you, of course,” he replied meekly.
“Of course.” I couldn’t help but smile back, and my friends did too.
“Well, you’re still good-looking,” Argyle said and started to run his hand through his freshly styled hair when a hand slapped it away.
“The show’s about to start,” Nancy’s stern voice said. “Sorry, Nancy,” Argyle mumbled, rubbing his hand.
“It’s about to begin. Shouldn’t you be with your instruments?” Nancy asked, and Jonathan saluted and left with Argyle.
The only reason I don't mind going on stage so much is because Jonathan and Argyle are standing behind me.
"Hey Nancy, do you think I could do something different with Steve on the next album?" Robin interrupted my train of thought.
I saw Nancy wince, which isn't good news, and then she looked at her notepad.
"Maybe, but right now this is his job on the team."
My job, of course.
From bad boy Billy, jock Jason, and intellectual Tommy to me, the sweet guy, or "older brother," as my fans call me.
I sighed.
"How many more shows until the end of the tour?" I asked Nance.
"Three, Detroit then Springfield and then we're in Chicago at the end. We'll have a press conference there about how the tour went and announce that you're taking a winter break and will be back in the summer with a new album," she replied matter-of-factly.
"Maybe back," Robin muttered. "We don't want to think like that," I retorted defiantly. Robin rolled her eyes.
"Wait, isn't that metal band playing in Chicago?" Robin and Nance asked, and I looked at them, confused. "Vicky's a big fan of theirs." She replied meekly, as if embarrassed to say it out loud.
"I can see if I can get you some tickets,” Nancy said, and wrote it down.
“We could all go to relieve some stress,” Robin said, and Nancy shook her head.
“Steve can’t be seen at something like that; it would ruin his good-boy look,” Nancy objected, and I sank a little further into my seat. I didn’t know the band, but hanging out with my friends would be cool, since my schedule usually didn’t allow it.
“I could do his makeup; in the end, no one would recognize him,” Robin offered hopefully. Nancy looked at both of us before sighing.
"Maybe. I’ll see what I can do,” she replied, which was a definite no.
“Five more,” an announcement came over the loudspeaker. “Well, I have to go now,” I said, standing up, looking at myself in the mirror, and adjusting my clothes: blue jeans with a striped sweater over them.
Robin and Nancy wished me all the best, and I made my way to my marker under the stage.
Billy, Tommy, and Jason were also standing on their markers, but they didn't even glance at me. A helpful stagehand handed me my microphone and in-ear monitor.
I could already hear the crowd yelling "Starcourt!"
Deep breaths and off we go.
The elevator squeaked dully, and we were already moving upwards. I closed my eyes at the first bright light.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw the huge crowds of people piling up.
“Welcome to Nashville!” Jason shouted, and the crowd cheered. Steve tried to read as many signs as possible and waved frantically to the fans.
Billy stood there, tossing a handful of roses into the crowd as usual, while Jason and Tommy playfully greeted the crowd together.
Steve turned to Jonathan on bass and Argyle on drums and nodded to them. Shortly after, the music started.
Steve lip-synced to the backing track, insisting on singing along, but in Robin's words, “Without autotune, the others sound terrible.”
They sang songs from their new album, Team, and also a few from their first album, Hawkins '84. Steve liked their first album; they were all around 16 and there were no stereotypical styles they had to conform to.
Back then, they all wore sailor outfits and sang their first songs as soft jocks. Although their initial name and concept were later considered too childish and not seductive enough, Steve liked it.
Even though Scoops Troup was a really stupid name, just because they were funded by them back then.
But he understood why they got the new name Starcourt when they turned 18. After almost two hours, it finally came to an end.
Steve was sweating profusely and really needed a break.
They'd been touring for six months and had concerts almost three times a week.
The guys struck their final pose and gave their assigned salute. Jason made a heart shape and pretended to throw it to someone, Tommy gave him cool finger guns, and Billy winked seductively at the camera.
Steve smiled shyly and ran his hand through his hair. The lights dimmed, and the stage moved down.
“Ugh, Tommy, you were in my way again at Soft Jocks,” Billy said, annoyed. “As if anyone would want to see you,” Jason said, irritated, and took a water bottle from a worker. I took one too and thanked him.
Billy shot Jason a venomous look. “I’m going to get myself a groupie for the night,” Billy said, grinning at Jason and then Tommy.
"Well, not if I get there first,” Jason said, shoving Tommy out of the way and hurrying off. “Well, I’m going to rest, say hi to Carol for me?” I said to Tommy, who just rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Are you trying to brag that you’re still single or what?” I shook my head, but he was gone before I could apologize.
“Come on, everyone knows they’re only together because Carol’s an actress and he wants the fame,” Jonathan said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Good show,” I said meekly, and he laughed.
Carol was an actress, but she only had brief success in a small supporting role, and her management didn't want Tommy to break up with her because her father was a director, and they hoped to get him into television that way, but it didn't work.
"We didn't have to dance around and pretend to be friends with those idiots," Argyle replied meekly, and I grinned.
"Come on, Robin and Nancy have already rented a movie and are waiting for us in the hotel room," Jonathan said, and then he and Argyle started arguing about which pizza we should order.
I knew I wasn't allowed to eat pizza, or at least not even a slice, since my mother had put me on a strict diet.
“Steve!” came a voice, and two arms immediately wrapped around his waist.
“Hey girls, you were awesome again!” Steve exclaimed.
Jane Hopper and Maxine Mayfield/Hargrove stood before him. The two had been signed to his father’s label last year and were currently Starcourt’s opening act.
“Oh wow, are those really Max and El from UPSIDE/NWOD?” Jonathan asked. Max just rolled his eyes, embarrassed, and El giggled.
“As if we’re big celebrities,” Max said ironically. “Well, who knows what the future holds,” Argyle grinned, giving El a high five. “Everyone has to start somewhere.”
“If you’re looking for Billy, he’s already gone,” I told Max, and she rolled her eyes again. She had taken back her mother’s name because she didn’t want to be associated with Billy.
“No, we’re here to tell you what a great show you put on,” she said a little quieter, and Steve ruffled her red hair. "Thanks".
“And Max, her boyfriend, and his friends would like tickets for Springfield,” El said excitedly, and Max glanced at her.
“Oh, a boyfriend?” Jonathan said in a suggestive voice.
“Not that kind of boyfriend,” Max whined, giving him the finger, which Steve immediately covered.
"Sure, just tell Nancy and she’ll get you the tickets,” Steve said, and Max gave him a relieved grin.
“Now off to the hotel with you two. Shouldn’t you have been in bed by now?” Steve asked, and El and Max both gave each other a look of surprise, which made Jonathan and Argyle laugh. “Careful, large crowd outside,” said Hopper, the head of security, and Steve nodded gratefully for the warning. He ushered Max and El toward Hopper.
“Here, get these two safely into the hotel,” he said, and Hopper nodded.
“Quickly through or fan services?” Argyle asked.
“Fan services, but you don’t have to wait for me,” Steve replied, and Jonathan sighed.
“Otherwise, you’d be out there all night.” Steve grinned at his friends and opened the door.
The guys spent half an hour taking photos and signing autographs. Jonathan and Argyle also had a small fanbase, mainly because they were Steve’s friends.
When they were finished, they got into a black limo, and Jonathan sighed. “Man, this is exhausting.”
“I’ll order some pizza and let the girls know,” Argyle said, fishing for his phone.
Steve turned his gaze out the window and took a deep breath. He liked music and he liked interacting with the Fans, but he didn't want the stress from the other boys or his father.
He just wanted a break and maybe even start writing a Song again.
*°*°*°*°*°*°*
Two weeks later in Springfield, Steve was standing in the locker room between Jason and Billy.
He didn't even know what this fight was about, but with a show so close, the two couldn't get physical.
"Okay, guys, calm down, please," he said, trying to make himself look bigger. "Stay out of it," Jason snapped at him.
"Mr. Older Brother, always trying to act all nice and sweet. You hypocrite," Billy scolded, swatting Steve's hand off his shoulder. "You think you're so perfect."
"Come on, you know that's not true," Steve replied, looking around for help. Robin was standing at his vanity, nervously holding her phone to her ear.
Hopefully, she was calling Nancy or Hopper.
“Not in the face if you want to fight. The show starts in 10 minutes,” Tommy said from his chair, and if looks could kill, he would die twice from Robin and Steve’s glares.
That wasn’t helpful. Steve prayed that someone would come and help him.
The door opened and there stood Max and El with Hopper. “What’s going on?” Hopper asked, and Jason took a step back from Steve and looked away.
“Nothing, everything’s fine,” Billy said and left the room, which made Steve sigh.
He turned to El and Max. “Are you finished with your songs yet?” he asked, ruffling El’s hair.
Max just nodded. Hopper sighed and assured them that everything was okay until he was called away again.
"We were wondering if you could say hi to our friends later,” El asked, and Steve nodded.
"Always for my favorite girls,” he replied, receiving two beaming smiles in return. “Oh wow, Harrington and I thought Nancy and I were your favorite girls,” Robin said, stepping up beside him. “You guys are more women than me,” Steve grinned, receiving a playful pat on the back of the head from Robin.
“Sit back down, I’m not finished yet, and we don’t have much longer, Stevie.” She gave the order and he followed the instructions.
“Which box are you in with your friends?” Steve asked Max and El. “Oh, to your left by exit 3,” Max replied, and Steve nodded. “Well, I’ll wave to you, of course, and now off you go to your friends, the show’s about to start,” he grinned, and the two of them immediately set off.
“Just one more stop in Chicago, and then we’ll relax on the beach,” Robin said, and Steve nodded. “Now, just a quick spritz of hairspray and get on stage!” she grinned.
God, Steve must have inhaled too much hairspray over the years; he’ll have lung problems when he’s older.
“All done,” Robin grinned, and Steve thanked them.
“See you later.”
I was standing under the stage again. Nervous, as always, and I went through the whole routine in my head one more time. Next to me stood Billy and Jason, trying not to look at each other. Those two will probably never be friends.
"Don't get in my way this time!" Billy snarled, and Jason snarled something back, but I couldn't hear it because the stage above us opened and we were lifted up.
"Welcome, Springfield!" I shouted and waved once through the crowd before blowing a kiss to Max and El's box.
It was rare that the girls wanted tickets, and if I could make them happy like that, I would pay more attention to them today, of course without ignoring the other fans.
My gaze swept across the crowd; there were many cute posters and a few unpleasant ones.
Many posters this time featured "The Hair" in glittery lettering. Tragically, this has become my nickname, given to me by my fans, simply because I valued their style more than others.
My fanbase name is "Babysitter," which I base on the idea that I'm the "older brother" in the group and probably interact a lot with my younger fans.
Jonathan and Argyle started playing, and I fell into the usual routine of the evening: dancing, singing, and occasionally interacting with the fans. A
t the end of the show, we struck our poses again and waited for the lights to dim.
But before that i looked up to the Max and El´s Box and winked.
We were slowly driven back down, and thankfully, I was handed a water bottle and a towel. "Max and El are waiting for you in your booth with their friends," Nancy said beside me, and I nodded gratefully.
Billy and Jason, as usual, stormed off in two different directions, and Tommy headed toward the exit with his phone in hand, where Carol and her chauffeur were surely waiting for him.
I walked toward the booth and could already hear El and Max's voices from a distance.
She didn't sound happy, and the next thing I heard was a loud noise, like something had broken. So I sprinted the last few meters and yanked open the door.
Max and El were standing opposite me, next to four boys, probably around the same age, and a younger girl. Max and El gave two of the boys a disapproving look. Something lay broken on the floor.
"What's going on?" I asked, and all eyes turned to me. The boys paled, and the little girl blushed slightly.
"Steve," El said, surprised, looking from the broken glass to me and then back to Max.
"Nothing, everything's fine," Max said grimly.
"Is anyone hurt?" I asked, running to the cupboard in the corner and getting a dustpan for the broken glass. The others remained silent, but that happens to me quite often.
"I just dropped something," Max said as I threw away the broken pieces. "It's not a big deal, we can replace it," I said, trying to defuse the situation.
“And who are you?” I asked the still quiet group, standing next to Max and El. I gently stroked Max’s back.
“I’m Erica, and I’m a fan of Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington. It’s nice to meet you,” the little girl said, offering me her hand.
I took it and gave her a bright smile, and she moved a little closer to one of the boys. Looking at them more closely, they even seemed familiar.
“Oh, you’re that Dragons band,” I blurted out, and three of the boys started to smile.
“The Party,” El said, and I nodded to her gratefully. “I’m Lucas Sinclair, and you already know my little sister, Erica,” a slightly taller but more athletic guy said, offering me his hand.
“I’m Dustin Henderson,” lisped a curly-haired boy, “and these are Will Byers.” He pointed to a shy, thin boy, “and Mike Wheeler.” The dark-haired boy glared at me.
“Wheeler? Like Nancy?” I asked, and he just rolled his eyes. “Yeah,” Max replied.
“It’s nice to meet you all. So if you become super famous now, I can say I already knew you,” I joked, and the kids just giggled in response.
“The show was great. We only came because Erica’s a fan. Not that we didn’t like it, but,” Will stammered, “but not exactly your music style.” I interrupted, and he looked at me, a little embarrassed.
“It’s okay. That’s the beauty of music, there’s something for everyone,” I said, ruffling his hair.
After that, we fell into a relaxed conversation. Even though Max still seemed a bit angry, everyone quickly relaxed.
Will and Lucas told me about their music, how it’s a mix of many different styles, and what their songs are about.
Meanwhile, Dustin quizzed me about my hair routine, and in the end, I simply handed him a few products to take with him while I explained how to use them.
Erica wanted photos and autographs for herself and her friends, and some to sell, which didn't surprise me.
The short time I'd known her had only shown that she, like Max, was very headstrong and clever.
Mike kept to himself and El, but that suited me fine. I can handle fans.
An hour later, I sent all the kids off again, as I just wanted to collapse into bed myself. "See you next week," Erica said, and I looked at her, confused, just like everyone else.
"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, and she rolled her eyes. "He's playing in Chicago next week," she said, as if it were obvious, but the boys apparently thought otherwise.
"The guys are opening for a big rock band," El explained, and the boys shouted in unison, "Metal band!"
"Oh, I think Nancy was going to get us tickets for that, so maybe I'll actually see your show," I said, and Max grinned at Mike, who now looked a little embarrassed.
“Really? That’s so cool!” said Dustin, waving to me as he walked past. “See you later, Steve,” Will said as he said goodbye, and I just waved back.
“Finally done?” Robin asked, and I sighed.
“Yeah, let’s go to the hotel.” Unfortunately, that didn’t happen because I got a call from Nancy on the way.
I was supposed to go to a club and pick up Billy and Jason.
No matter how much they dislike each other, they always end up somewhere together arguing.
Robin always claims it’s because they actually like each other, but I don’t know.
So Steve and Robin ended up in front of a club, and Robin said she’d go in and come right back out with the guys.
Robin knew Steve didn’t like loud places, and clubs were just too much for him after a two-hour gig.
Robin came out a short while later but didn’t look happy. Jason and Billy were behind her.
“Come on, Buckley, I’d be way better than Steve Goodboy Harrington,” Billy said, and Steve sighed.
Because Robin and he are such good friends, many reporters assume they’re in a secret relationship, even though Robin doesn’t like men.
Steve rolled his eyes and stepped from the car towards Robin. Billy can get aggressive when he's drunk.
“Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?” he asked after his gaze fell on Steve.
“Yeah, it’s me, don’t get your knickers in a twist!” Steve replied, annoyed, but Billy didn’t seem to like that.
“Don’t get all high and mighty just because your dad has money and you’re wearing a halo for all of America,” he yelled, and Jason just nodded.
"And now you come here with your bitch and pick us up like we’re babies! Or were you planning to share her?” Billy asked spitefully.
Steve wasn’t sure what was coming over him, maybe the lack of sleep and overwork.
Maybe it was the mounting anger at these idiots, but he lunged at Billy and punched him in the face.
Billy’s nose immediately started bleeding, and he screamed and threatened Steve, who managed to dodge a few blows before Jason intervened, on Billy’s side.
Steve could hear Robin screaming and saw the flickering of cameras.
If he doesn't die here, then Nancy or his parents will kill him.
Despite this, Steve continued the fight, punching and kicking Jason, and somehow managed to get him on the ground, with Billy facing him.
"Two against one," Steve said. "Not very fair for you," he laughed, and Billy charged at him, but instead of feeling the blow Steve expected, nothing happened.
But then he saw the police standing between them.
Steve spent the evening in a drunk tank, even though his breathalyzer test showed he hadn't drunk anything.
He still looked terrible, though.
His T-shirt, which he'd worn to the show, was ripped in the front and had blood spatter on it, and his pants were torn in several places and stained. Even his hair wasn't styled.
The next morning, Robin, Nancy, and Jonathan picked him up.
And when he left the police station and saw the swarm of reporters, he knew it was over for the band.