Chapter Text
Steve was bored. There hadn’t been a single customer in the store in the last hour, all of his returns had been put away, and he’d straightened every shelf (even messing up a couple just to redo them) and Keith wouldn’t be in to relieve him for another two-and-a-half hours - if he showed up on time for once.
Looking down into their ‘lost and found’ box, he spotted a slinky and reached down to pick it up; nearly throwing it to the ceiling when the phone suddenly rang in his ear, startling him.
“Family Video, this is Steve. How can I help you?” he answered, forcing a smile on his face as Robin had taught him to make him sound friendlier than he was actually feeling, given his heart was beating a mile a minute. Demogorgons, Demo-dogs, and Russians, but it’s a phone that nearly does you in. Get a grip, Harrington.
“Steve! I need your help!” Dustin’s voice held a noticeable tinge of desperation and Steve’s heart began beating even faster. “It’s an emergency!”
He knew things had been too quiet these last few months.
“Dustin, what happened? Where are you?” He started going over contingencies in his head. His nail bat was in the car, he could lock up and call Keith to come in early and hopefully not lose his job–
“I’m at school. Where else would I be, dude?” Steve could hear the kid roll his eyes and his panic began to subside, slowly being replaced with annoyance. “Would you let me talk? I have to get back to class soon. Jeez.”
“What the hell, Henderson? You call me and tell me there’s an emergency and you need my help, then wonder why I have questions?” The long-suffering sigh that answered him made his eye twitch and suddenly the bat was sounding like a good idea once more.
“Look, Lucas has his basketball thing tonight–”
“The ‘championship’ game?” He still couldn’t believe they were calling it that; like a championship game in Indiana would ever be held in a podunk backwater high school gym like theirs.
“Yes, that.” The kid's eyes were going to roll out of his head at this rate. “Anyway, he can’t come to Hellfire tonight and it’s the end of Eddie’s campaign and he wants me and Mike to find a substitute–”
“No.”
“Please…”
“No. Even if I wasn’t already going to the game. No.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Anyway, I have a date tonight.” It wasn’t technically a lie.
“Just move your date this one time, come on!”
“To hang out with you and Eddie “the Freak” Munson?” he asked, letting his old King Steve persona slip out just this once, as he started playing with the slinky, and fought to keep a smile off his face. “Yeah, I’ll pass.”
“You’re just jealous that I have a new older male friend.”
“Ew.” Seriously, did you have to put it that way, Dusty? He started waxing poetic about finding ‘the one’ just as some customers finally showed up and he quickly got off the phone.
He may have gotten a bit too much enjoyment out of the annoyed sounds he could hear as he was hanging up, but that kid really needed to be taken down a peg or two on occasion.
An hour later, he had just finished ringing up the final customer in the minor influx that came with people stopping in on their lunch breaks, and started to work on rewinding the returns, when the phone rang again.
He glanced at the clock. Dustin should be in class, but he still had to suppress a sigh when he picked up the receiver. “Family Video, this is Steve. How can I help you?”
“You know that’s a loaded question, big boy.” The familiar voice brought a real smile to his face for the first time that day.
“Hey, babe.” He glanced at the clock again, his forehead creasing in concern. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”
“Free period.”
“Eddie…”
“Honest, Stevie, it’s just study hall. I’ve been to every class today. Promise.”
“Okay, well, not that I’m not happy to hear your voice, shouldn’t you maybe be studying in study hall, so you can make sure you graduate this year?”
“You know, I already have a father figure, Stevie boy. His name is Wayne.”
“What, you saying I can’t be your Daddy all of the sudden?” He asked, innocently, smiling wickedly at the groan he heard on the other side of the line.
“Don’t say things like that if you want me to actually stay in school the rest of the day.”
Steve laughed. “Okay. I assume there was an actual reason for this call?”
“Yeah. Are you still bringing that blonde airhead to the game tonight?”
“Be nice. You know I’m just doing it as a favor to my dad.” His parents were moving to Europe and his mother had convinced his father to sign the house over to Steve, rather than just kicking him out and selling it, so Steve had been doing his best to stay on his father’s good side until the paperwork was final.
“Seriously, Steve, she’s nice and all, but I don’t know how the girl’s head hasn’t floated right off her shoulders.” Steve snorted. “Anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a big favor.”
“What kind of favor?” Steve asked, skeptically.
“Well, you know it’s Hellfire night–”
“Yeah, Dustin called about an hour ago trying to recruit me.”
“Really?” Eddie cackled. “I assume you said no?” Steve grunted. “I almost wish you’d agreed, just to see Henderson and Wheeler’s reactions when they find out you know how to play.”
“Well, it’s better they didn’t. I do have a reputation to protect, y’know? Anyway, back to the topic at hand - what’s this favor?”
“Well, I have to set up for Hellfire, so I’m not going to have time to stop back by the house and…well…I really need something…for a client.”
“What?!” He looked around, self-consciously, making sure there were no customers lurking. “You want me to transport your drugs for you?” he hissed, keeping his voice low, just in case.
“Steve.” Now he could hear Eddie rolling his eyes; he and Dustin were spending way too much time together. “I’m not asking you to be a mule and cross the border or something. Just go to my trailer and pick it up and bring it to me.”
“No.”
“Steve, please. If you don’t do this for me, I’m going to have to take her back to my place tonight and I’d rather be with you.” Steve could practically see the pout on Eddie’s face. “You don’t have to stick around for the deal or anything and this girl really needs the stuff.”
Steve snorted. “I bet she does. That’s the thing with junkies–”
“She’s not a junkie, Steve. She’s a nice girl with some demons.” Steve could hear the sincerity and concern in his boyfriend’s voice; just like the day he called begging Steve to help him with a stray kitten he’d been carrying around school because it was too cold for it to stay outside.
“What kind of demons?”
“I don’t know, but she’s really scared she’s losing her mind. Night terrors and waking nightmares.” The final words were barely more than a whisper, but the sympathetic pain was all too easy to hear. “Weed isn’t going to cut it. I just want to help her, Stevie. She was nice to me.”
Steve sighed. There were very few people in this town who were actually nice to Eddie, so he knew the other boy was going to help this girl whether Steve aided him or not.
He really didn’t want to miss out on their time together tonight.
“Okay. What do you need me to grab?”
“The Special K,” Eddie answered, the trepidation clear in his voice.
“You said you were going to stop dealing that stuff!” Steve had been trying to get Eddie out of the harder side of the drug business before he ended up with more than the stint in rehab that Hopper had made him do the year before.
“It’s the last of my supply, I swear! I was going to see if Rick would just take it back, but then he got raided…” He trailed off, obviously deciding that reminding Steve of the arrest wasn’t the best tactic at the moment. “Please, Stevie, I just want to help her. I’m not even charging her for it.”
“Okay. Just this once, and I mean it.” Steve ran a hand over his face. “Where is it?”
“Thank you! It’s…umm…hmm…”
“Don’t tell me you don’t know where your own stuff is!” He rolled his eyes. Eddie was great at a lot of things, but drug dealing wasn’t one of them. Steve was pretty sure his ineptness was the only reason Hopper hadn’t locked him up and thrown away the key.
“It’s either in the living room or in my bedroom. Maybe the kitchen.”
“Eddie, that is pretty much your entire house!” Steve gave in and bounced his head off the counter a couple times. “Don’t you think Wayne would’ve found it if it was in the living room or kitchen?”
“Oh yeah. Good point. Check the pencil box in the cabinet under Sweetheart.”
“Okay.” Not for the first time, Steve felt jealous that Eddie’s guitar got a pet name long before Steve had. “I’ll head over after Keith relieves me and see if I can find it. You are so going to owe me for this, Munson.”
“Put it on my tab, big boy. Mwah!”
“Don’t kiss the school phone, Eddie, it’s not sanitary!”
“Yes, Daddy. Thank you and I promise I’ll be a really good boy for you tonight,” Eddie said, his voice cloyingly sweet, and hung up, but not before Steve heard the beginning of a mischievous giggle.
Dammit. That’s not fair. Steve took a deep breath, his pants suddenly feeling very constricting, and spent the last hour-and-a-half of his shift plotting a suitable payback for his incorrigible boyfriend.
**********
Steve said goodbye to his date (Bambi? Becky? Tina?), assuring her that no, really he was absolutely okay with her going off to spend some time with her cheerleader friends, and did his best to hide his relief as she finally disappeared into the crowd.
Glancing across the way, as he exited the gym, he noticed Eddie’s van was still present and he could see several members of Hellfire milling about outside, which meant they must’ve just finished their game. It would probably be at least another half-hour before Eddie would be free to head out for their planned rendezvous at Skull Rock.
Steve glanced at his watch; Pizza Hut should still be open, maybe he should pick them up a treat before heading out.
He started to head for his bimmer, when he noticed a familiar figure walking away with far less spring in his step than he’d expect from someone who just made a game-winning shot against a rival school.
“Hey, Sinclair!” he yelled, and hurried over toward the teen, patting him on the back. “Great game, man. That last shot was beautiful.”
“Thanks, man,” the boy visibly brightened at the praise, before his face fell and he glanced back towards the Hellfire gang. “I’m glad someone came to see me play,” he muttered petulantly.
Steve glanced back at the group. “Well, I mean, you didn’t really expect them to show, did you?” he asked, quietly.
“Of course, I did!” Lucas exclaimed, his pout more pronounced. “I begged them this morning to get Eddie to reschedule the game and come watch me.”
“Lucas…” Steve shook his head. “You knew when you joined the team that there might be conflicts with the Hellfire schedule. You knew that Dustin and Mike don’t like sports. You knew how important getting into Hellfire was to them.”
“I thought I was important.”
Steve winced. God, growing up sucked. “You are, but basketball isn’t. Not to them.” He paused, debating momentarily about whether or not this was the best time for this conversation. “I don’t think it’s all that important to you, either.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Kid, I haven’t heard you once talk about how much you enjoy playing the game since you joined the team. All I ever hear you talk about is how you’re getting to hang out with the popular crowd.”
“So? Maybe I’m just tired of being bullied,” the teen said, defensively.
“You think they’re not?” Steve scoffed. “Let’s say they did blow off Hellfire and came to your game instead, sitting in the stands, bored to tears, despite there being a 99.9% chance you were just going to ride the bench the way you have every other game this year.
“They give up something they actually enjoy, and which they have invested a lot of hours of their own time into, to be here for you, but exactly what do they get out of it - aside from getting to watch you become buddy-buddy with the very people who will continue to make their lives hell once school is back in session?”
“They’re my friends; if I get popular, they will be popular, too.”
“That’s not how it works, Lucas.” Steve sighed. “You are trying to cozy up to the same people who have always looked down on you and your friends for liking geeky stuff like D&D; do you honestly think that is going to change just because you’re on the team with them?
“Or are you going to just hide who you really are, because you know they won’t accept you if they knew, and then expect your friends to do the same?
“And if they aren’t willing to change, aren’t willing to pretend to be something they’re not and give up the things they enjoy, will you just turn your back on them altogether for fear of being dragged down by association?”
“You don’t know what it’s like–”
“I know exactly what it’s like.” Steve took Lucas by both shoulders, meeting him eye to eye. “I was King Steve, remember, most popular kid in school. But do you know how many friends I actually had during the height of that popularity?”
Lucas shook his head, eyes wide.
“Zero. I was strutting around the halls with my little entourage of hanger-ons who didn’t give a shit about me, aside from my money and that oh-so-precious popularity, then I’d go home, alone, to a big, empty house.
“I’d throw parties every week when my parents were gone just to have some life in the house, to try and not feel so lonely, even though I couldn’t tell you the names of ninety percent of the people who showed up.”
He let go of the younger boy, taking a deep breath to try and keep his voice from breaking as he continued, “Before that, though, before King Steve, I had a real friend. I had the best friend a person could hope for. He was fun, he was smart, and he actually liked me, not my money or what he thought I could do for him. Me.
“But he didn’t like the things popular kids should like; he didn’t dress or act the way popular kids should. It didn’t matter how much he was bullied for it, he refused to change who he was just to try and fit in. I always envied him for being that strong, that brave; for knowing who he was and not being afraid to show it.
“I wasn’t brave, though; I wasn’t strong. I couldn’t imagine being treated that way every day and not wanting to slit my wrists or something. So, when I was given the chance to join the popular crowd, I jumped at it. And when they began tormenting the one person who’d ever been a real friend to me, I just stood by and watched; I never said a word in his defense or let on I even knew who he was, let alone that he’d been my best friend since kindergarten, because I knew they’d turn on me the minute I did.
“And he never sold me out, even after I stopped talking to him altogether, despite the hurt and betrayal I’ll never forget seeing in his eyes.” He laughed, humorously. “I still don’t know what he ever saw in me; why he’d ever believed me worthy of his friendship.”
“Is he still in Hawkins? Do you ever see him?”
Steve nodded. “After I finally got my head out of my ass, after the Upside Down, I went to him and apologized, and even though I didn’t deserve it, he forgave me and gave me the chance to repair our relationship.” He glanced at the van in the distance, his voice sad as he continued, “I wouldn’t trade this second chance for anything in the world, but it still hurts that I’ll never be able to get back those years I lost - that I threw away - for the sake of being popular.”
Someone called out Lucas’ name in the distance, urging him to hurry along, so Steve reluctantly stepped away, but not without reaching out to give him another pat on the back. “Look man, I don’t want to rain on your parade; you did a great job tonight and you should be proud. Go have fun, celebrate and enjoy the accolades. You deserve them.
“Just don’t lose sight of what - and who - really matters, okay?”
“Okay.” Lucas promised, giving him a small smile, and began to hurry off to catch up with the rest of his teammates.
Steve stood watching until the younger boy was out of sight, before turning to leave and bumping into someone smaller and lighter. “Oh, sorry,” he said automatically.
“It’s okay,” a soft feminine voice replied, as the person he’d bumped into - strawberry blonde, with a ponytail, and what he now recognized as a Hawkins High cheerleading outfit - quickly ducked down to retrieve something she’d dropped on the ground. “Sorry, I was in a hurry–Steve Harrington?” The girl seemed shocked to see him as she stood up, crossing her arms nervously and trying to keep the item she’d picked up out of sight.
“Chrissy Cunningham?” He was equally amazed, because despite her best efforts, he’d seen the small black box she’d dropped and recognized it immediately; he’d dropped it off to Eddie just a few short hours ago. Glancing across the way, he noticed the backup lights coming on in Eddie’s van, and shook his head. What have you gotten yourself into, Ed?
“Long time no see. How’s Jason?” he asked, deciding to ignore the drugs.
“Oh, um, he’s pretty much the same, you know…” she hedged, shifting from one leg to the other and looking as though she were going to make a run for the hills at any moment; clearly drug deals were a new experience for her and he hoped, for both her sake and Eddie’s, that it wasn’t something she was planning to make a habit of.
“Yeah,” he agreed quickly, and took a step away, pointing toward the car lot. “Well, I need to get going. Good seeing you...”
She gave him a quick, utterly fake smile and turned to hurry off in the same direction as Lucas and the other players.
Steve just shook his head and made his way to his bimmer. He was really going to have to have a long talk with Eddie. The Cunninghams, and Jason Carver, were not the kind of people you wanted to get on the bad side of. They had a lot of political pull in this town, and if they decided to come after Eddie, Hopper wasn’t here to run interference anymore.
He didn’t know her all that well, but Chrissy didn’t seem the type who would purposely get Eddie in trouble; that didn’t mean, though, that she wasn’t putting him in danger simply by associating with ‘the town freak.’
Chrissy, whatever you do, just keep your mouth shut, and please, God, don’t OD or something.