Chapter Text
So here we are, on a particularly boring Tuesday, in Hawkins very own local Family Video store. The recent... troubling, seemingly annual upsidedown related incident is now a few months behind it's residents, leaving them in that all too familar state of sort of fine, maybe relieved, and yet inevitably on edge.
Steve can't deny the experience crossing his mind every time he allows his mind the freedom of wandering.
He feels the itch of healing scars, jumps at small yet sudden sounds... nothing new. Not for the past 4 years, anyway.
He can't help but find his gaze caught lost on Robin, sometimes, wondering how she's really coping with this whole thing... After all, her first experience with the upside down wasn't quite as hands on as it was this time --
"Hey. Earth to Steve." Says Robin, waving a hand in front of his face, trying to reach the man behind the stare.
He must not have realised how long he'd zoned out, because he has no idea when she actually got this close.
He shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, tightening his eyes shut.
"Agh, sorry... how long was I out?" He wonders, letting his eyes meet hers once again.
She scoffs in a teasing manner, shaking her head.
"You basically bored two Steve shaped holes in the back of my skull" she says, pointing to the back of her head.
"I could feel you staring straight into my soul. See anything interesting?" She wonders, tilting her head, with her familiar teasing smirk, leaning her hands on the counter in front of him.
He looks at her for a moment, contemplating the perfect come back... but he must be lacking his usual sarcastic spark, because he falls flat, shaking his head, letting out a deep sigh through his nose, before shrugging idly.
She raises an eyebrow at that.
"Wow. Steve Harrington, lost for words. Never thought I'd see the day" she teases, in a light tone, trying not to sound too serious.
He squints, with a mock smile, shaking his head in the slightest way.
"Ha ha." He retorts, equal to her tone, letting her know he's not truly offended. Not that she's ever managed to truly do that, of course.
She knocks on the counter in front of him.
"Seriously. You good, Harrington? You're making it a regular occurance to stare off into the middle distance, like a lone widow at the end of a black and white romance drama" she says, waving her hand in one slow, smooth motion in the air, as if setting the scene.
He raises an eyebrow at her vivid, yet specific example - letting out a short breath of a laugh.
"I'm good. Just..." he flops his head into his hands on the counter.
"Boooored" he whines.
She lets out a confident hah!
Patting the back of his perfect hair, giving a mock sympathy
"There there, Steve. Only five more hours to go!" She declares with fake enthusiasm.
He of course, catches her wrist gently after the first pat.
"Ah ah! Watch the hair" he scolds, looking up at her with very mild disapproval.
She laughs, giving him an apologetic, yet amused smile, before mouthing the word sorry.
Suddenly, that all too familiar sound rings out - the bell above the door, as an inevitable customer enters. Such a normal sound - one they should be long accustomed to, and yet... they both seem to jump, Steve quickly letting go of her wrist as both their eyes dart to the entrance.
There stands a somewhat regular visitor to their humble little video shop, who never actually seems to rent a damn movie... he holds his hands up in defence, like he walked in on something he shouldn't have.
Eddie Munson.
"Woah. Sorry. Am I interrupting?" He teases, inviting himself further in regardless, an amused smile crossing his face as he does so.
Robin sighs in mild relief, shaking her head.
"You totally scared me" she says, putting her hand to her chest, a little more dramatically than necessary.
Steve however, seems to roll his eyes. Not in a dismissive, or unhappy way - just... this guy again? He's worse than Dustin! Always popping up with no warning, sometimes almost daily, sometimes not for a couple of weeks at a time...
"Nice to see you too" he says, glancing between them, brushing his fingers along the rows of videos as he walks.
"Actually gunna rent something this time, Munson?" Steve retorts, walking around the counter to join them on the shop floor. He leans on the counter next to Robin, folding his arms, raising a curious eyebrow at the man staring back at him.
Eddie now puts a hand to his chest, giving a look of not so genuine offence. "Do I need a reason to visit my end of the world buddies now? And here I thought you were actually starting to like me" he says, an air of fake misery in his voice.
Robin hits Steve's arm gently, going along with Eddie's charade.
"Look what you've done now, Steve" she says, tutting at him.
"You've totally hurt his feelings!"
Steve really rolls his eyes this time, glancing between their expectant eyes.
In inevitable defeat, he puts his hands together.
"I am so very sorry, please forgive me" he says, in a deadpan, sarcastic tone.
Eddie looks up, resting a hand under his chin in thought, other hand resting lightly on his hip, giving a light hmmmm.
"Okay." He says with a nod.
"But you owe me" he tacks on.
Steve scoffs in mild disbelief.
"Owe you? What-" but before he can finish, Eddie cuts him off, stepping closer with a raised hand.
"Whiiiich! You can repay me right now?" he offers, in a questioning tone.
Steves disbelief drops to an expression of mildly unimpressed.
"What do you want, Munson?" He retorts tiredly.
"Well!" Eddie declares, looking mighty glad Steve asked. He walks in front of the pair properly, explaining his pitch.
"They're hosting a midnight drive in for the movie Aliens. Tonight. At midnight." He says.
Steve raises an eyebrow in mild disinterest.
"You said midnight twice. And?" He comments.
Eddie lets his arms drop, looking at Steve with an unimpressed glint in his big, disapproving eyes.
"And..." Eddie emphasises, gesturing his hand vaguely in steves direction.
"You have a car" he states, raising an eyebrow right back, matching his expression.
Robin breaks their glaring competition, clapping her hands together suddenly, having their eyes fall on her instead.
"Well, I for one think it's a great idea." She states, matter of fact.
"Great! Then it's settled." Eddie chimes in, matching her confident tone, the two sharing a wide grin due to their being on the same page.
Steve shakes his head, unfolding his arms to put his fingers to his chest, gesturing to himself.
"Wait, I don't get a say in this?" He asks with a squint.
Robin slumps her shoulders, letting out a groan of dissatisfaction.
"Come on Steve, there's literally nothing going on right now... what happened to your being booored?" She questions, doing a rather convincing impression of his earlier state, lolling her head to the side with a disgruntled look on her face.
Steve holds his hands up in defeat, caving as quickly as he always does to the request of a friend. Or a small teenager.
"Fine, fine! Okay! Drive in movie it is"
Eddie and Robin both let out a triumphant yes!; Eddie going so far as to throw his fist in the air in his triumph.
"That's the spirit Harrington" he says, nudging Steves shoulder with his fist, before stepping back towards the door as he speaks.
"Pick us up at uhh... 10?" He states, more so than he asks, clicking his tongue with a wink, before giving Robin a wave.
She waves back as Steve lets out a heavy sigh.
"Yeah, yeah. You better be ready!" He calls out, as Eddie abruptly leaves the store, not even sure he heard him.
... there's a small silence between them, before Robin lets out a small chuckle.
"What?" Steve wonders, glancing her way.
She simply shrugs, going back to the job she neglected moments before Steve's not so subtle staring.
He looks confused, like shes leaving him out of some inside joke with herself.
"Robin- what!?" He asks, almost pleading.