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Steve Harrington had lived long enough and had experienced too much to believe in “happily ever afters”. His sister used to read stories like that to him when he was young, stories of adventure and heroism that always ended with the knight saving the princess, and never having to fight a battle again. Of princes who became kings who only experienced peace all of their days.
He used to believe in those stories, and that they could become real. But after fighting that Demogorgon all those years ago, becoming wrapped up in a war that would steal his teenage years from him, he knew the truth. Happily ever afters were rare, maybe even impossible. After every battle won, there were nightmares, there was trauma, there was heartache and so much pain. There was a tough period of moving on, finding your footing again, discovering who you were in the after.
Most of the Party knew this too. They had lived it too. But not everyone involved in this mess had gone through it before. And that fact nearly hit Steve in the face.
The wooden bat came flying towards him, and Steve barely dodged out of the way in time, narrowly missing yet another concussion. Sand scattered over his shoes as he slipped to the ground, landing on his rear end roughly, the bat scattering to a stop a few feet away.
His heart raced in his chest, pounding over and over again. He had to remind himself that the Upside Down was gone, Vecna was dead, and everyone was safe.
It only took a few seconds to come back to himself. He heard a collective shout of fear and shock come from the crowd. Derek, with a frustrated scowl on his face, stomped over to the dugout, barely even casting Steve a glance.
“Did Derek try to kill Coach Harrington?" Lucy, the runner on first base asked, her voice quivering, and Steve scrambled to his feet.
“I’m okay, guys, don’t worry.” He said, giving a calming smile that he hoped would hide his concern. He gave a quick glance to the referee of the baseball game, the older man looking at him with concern. “My team’s taking a time out.”
The referee nodded, blowing his whistle, and Lucy rushed back to the dugout, where the other Cubs were sitting, nervously shifting where they were waiting to have a turn at bat.
“Hey, everyone, take a minute and get some water.” Steve said, making his way over. “I’ll talk to Derek.”
The team nodded, murmuring among themselves. Derek sat far away from them at the end of the bench, still scowling.
The kid didn’t look up as Steve got closer. Steve carefully sat on the bench beside him, wishing for just a moment that Coach Tudor hadn’t taken the day off today. But Steve was here now. He could help this kid out.
“Hey, bud. What did we say about throwing the bats after we strike out?”
Derek turned away from him, his lip quivering, fear in his eyes, and suddenly Steve was brought back to the smell of filth on his own clothes, watching as Derek coughed out whatever Mind Flayer substance was in him, waking up with a cry of anguish.
“I’m not upset. We just need to be careful.” Steve continued, yet the words felt meaningless. Something told him that Derek wasn’t upset about the game. He always had a bit of a temper, but he never threw the bat, much less looked like he was about to cry after.
Vecna had taken him over two years ago. But in Hawkins there were no such things as happy endings. Trauma still lingered. Pain still hung around like a ghost. And Derek didn’t have anyone to talk to, did he? His family somewhat got involved, but they didn’t know about the Upside Down, or Vecna, or what Derek truly went through.
“Derek.” Steve said, softer. “You having a rough day?”
“Leave me alone!” The kid shouted, whipping around, fury replacing the fear. Steve knew that the anger wasn’t directed at him. He had felt all too angry himself after his own experiences.
But what did Derek need? Space? Comfort? Just for Steve to stay?
Steve had to make a split second decision. He hoped it was the right one.
“Okay. We’re gonna continue the game, but if you ever want to talk, or for me to sit with you, let me know.”
“I won’t.” Derek huffed, turning away, and Steve took a deep breath. With a heavy heart, he got up, and left the boy alone.
Derek didn’t play again for the rest of the game. Steve tried to catch up with him before his mom picked him up, hoping to talk to him, but didn’t make it in time, and watched the kid hop into his car and drive away.
Next time. Steve promised. He wasn’t about to let another kid go through this pain alone. He was that kid himself not that long ago. Scared, confused, with no one to confide in. Isolated in his big house with no parents to confide in. Next time.
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“Next time” came in the form of the following Tuesday, as the Hawkins Cubs wrapped up their practice. All of the kids began making their way to their parents, some who watched the practice, others who didn’t. Steve’s eyes searched for Derek, and found the kid shuffling his way across the field to Steve, his eyes downcast. His mother was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully she was just late.
“Hey, Derek.” Steve began, “You did really well today.”
Derek didn’t reply. Instead, he glanced over to the plastic tub of baseballs. “Do you need help?”
Steve gave him a smile. Derek never offered to help him clean up, but Steve didn’t need to ask why. “Sure. Is your mom coming?”
“After she picks up Tina, yeah.”
Good. At least the kid wasn’t abandoned here. Steve grabbed the tub, and sat down on the ground, Derek joining him.
“What do you do?” Derek asked, looking into it.
“It’s pretty simple, just sorting.” Steve grabbed a ball from the bin, showing it to the kid. It was worn, seams beginning to rip apart. “If the balls are ripping, more than this, we give them to the younger grades. Anything better we keep.”
Derek huffed. “So that’s why the lower grades ball's were terrible.”
“Yup. I don’t make the decisions though. Put the bad ones on the ground, I’ll bag them up later.”
Derek nodded, and began to pick the baseballs up, inspecting them. Steve started as well, letting the two of them fall into a comfortable silence.
“You know, none of my family knows about the Upside Down.” Steve began carefully. Derek froze for a moment, before beginning to slowly continue the task. “After my first experience…I didn’t really have anyone to talk to.”
“Didn’t you have Nancy? And Jonathan?” Derek mumbled. Steve couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Jonathan? No, we weren’t friends then. Nancy and I never talked about it, I wanted to pretend it didn’t happen. Didn’t help though. I remember endless nights where I couldn’t fall asleep, nightmares…” Steve spun a baseball around in his palm. “I guess I want you to know that it’s okay to struggle. To have bad days. And you can always talk to me.”
The kid beside him took a deep breath. “I didn’t fight monsters.”
Steve couldn’t help but be confused. “What?”
“I didn’t fight monsters. I was just taken.” Derek said with a frown, dropping a ball quickly. “It’s not the same.”
“It’s still something terrible. You were taken against your will. You were manipulated, used. You have every right to be hurting.”
Steve didn’t expect Derek to jump over to him and wrap his arms around Steve’s neck, but he didn’t fight it. Wrapping his own arms around Derek, he tried to convey as much comfort and security as he could through his touch. He could feel the kid shake, his body quaking with sobs.
“I got you, bud, I got you.” Steve muttered, rocking him gently.
“I…I keep hearing him.” Derek cried out, “His footsteps, him threatening my mom…what if he’s still out there? What if he’s going to come back?”
“He’s dead.” Steve reassured him. “He’s dead; he’s gone for good.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
“Then I’ll protect you.”
His voice came out firm, bold, and despite not feeling like a hero, somehow he sounded like one.
“I’ll protect you. If you ever hear him, or see something scary, let me know. I’ll help you, I promise.”
“Even if it’s a Demogorgon?”
“Especially if it’s a Demogorgon.”
Derek nodded, and let go of Steve, sitting beside him awkwardly. Steve gave him a small smile, gently holding his shoulder.
“Was this why you were mad the other day? You were scared?”
“Sort of. I…I was mad that I was still hearing him too.”
Steve understood. “Stuff like this…doesn’t have a time limit. I’m still terrified of things I experienced when I was sixteen, and trust me, I’m a lot older than that now. Just…try to go easier on yourself, okay?”
Finally, Derek smiled. “Okay.”
Steve patted him on his shoulder, and let go. “Now, want to help your new coach finish up?”
“New? You just admitted that you’re old.”
“Ouch.”
The two laughed, and Steve hoped that he helped the kid, even if it was just a little bit. No one deserved to struggle with this alone. Not even fallen kings, or past bullies. And Steve was more than happy to help Derek as long as the kid needed it.