A Threnody of Tears | Steve Harrington ✓

Chapter Fifteen

The group looked around the side of Eddie's trailer, with Eddie wearing Max's Michael Meyers mask, before following Eddie as he led them across the trailer park. Maggie couldn't help but let out a laugh at the sight of them, a huge gangly group that seemed to struggle to stay close together, as Eddie opened a window to a camper, sliding inside before everyone else followed him. 

"Where'd you learn how to do this?" Steve asked as he followed Maggie over to where Eddie was messing around with the wires.

Eddie smiled. "Well, when the other dads were teaching their kids how to fish or play ball, my old man was teaching me how to hot-wire. Now, I swore to myself I wouldn't wind up like he did, but now I'm wanted for murder, and soon, grand theft auto. So, uh, I'm really living up to that Munson name."

"Let's just hope he can do it," Maggie interjected with a teasing grin. "It's only worked once before." She continued as both her and Eddie laughed at the memory, Steve looking between the two, wanting to be filled in. 

Robin popped in, joining their conversation. "Eddie, I'm not sure I love the idea of you driving." 

Eddie looked up at the three with a smile. "Oh, I'm just starting this sucker. Harrington's got her." He said, leaning closer to Steve. "Don't ya, big boy?"

Steve sighed loudly, opening his mouth to retort when the camper's engine started. The owners immediately began to bang on the door in fury. 

"Shit! Go." Steve said, shoving Eddie out of the seat. "It's just a car." He reminded himself, before turning around. "Everybody, hang on to something!"

 "Oh my God! Let's go! Let's go!" 

Maggie tried to steady herself, holding onto something, only to slam back in the passenger seat as Steve set off suddenly.  

"Shit, they look pissed," Dustin said, looking out the back window.

"It's not every day you lose your house and car in one fell swoop," Robin said with a shrug. 

Once everything had settled in the camper and Steve seemed more at ease with driving what was basically an enlarged car, Maggie turned to him. "How's it handle?"

The two hadn't quite discussed what had befallen upon them once Maggie had come out of her trance, although it had been the only thing on their minds and were desperate for a chance to discuss it.  

"Not half bad. Considering that this is a... house." Steve started, pausing a second over his next words and if he even wanted to blurt it out to Maggie when he didn't even know what they were yet. "Yeah, it's... it's silly, but I... I've actually... I always had this dream that I'd have this really... really big family. I'm talking, like, uh, a full brood of Harringtons. Like, five, six kids."

Maggie's eyebrows rose. "Six?"

Steve nodded, a small smile crossing his face as he thought about it. "Yeah, six little nuggets. Three girls, three boys. And... and every summer, I figured all of us Harringtons, we would pack into something like this and... just see the country. You know, the Rockies, Grand Canyon, maybe Yellowstone. End up in some beachside town in California. Spend a week parked in the sand. Learn how to surf or something."

Maggie smiled. "That sounds nice."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Well, uh, except for the six-kid part. That sounds like a total nightmare." 

"If only I had some practice." Steve joked as he gestured to the back of the van. 

"Alright, I'll give you that one." Maggie returned, the two falling into a comfortable silence. 

"So, this you and I thing?" Steve started awkwardly, turning back to look at her, unable to wait for a second longer. "I don't even know what to call it, but are you okay with that?" 

Maggie smiled. "Yeah, I think so. Maybe once this is all over, we should do something formally."

"Are you asking me out, Mags?" Steve asked with a smile. 

"Perhaps." She grinned. 

"Well, in that case, it's a date."

The camper soon pulled into the War Zone carpark as Steve parked it off to the side, before following the others into the store with Dustin, Lucas and Eddie staying behind to make sure that Eddie wasn't spotted. It would be the worst place for him to be spotted with a plethora of weapons on standby. 

"So much for avoiding angry hicks," Robin said, looking around the store as they paused in the doorway. 

Nancy nodded. "Let's be... fast." 

"Yep."

"Definitely. " Erica agreed, as the group broke up, heading in different directions. 

Maggie moved around the store, gathering the essentials as her eyes caught on strips of cotton that could be used in the Molotovs that had been discussed. She immediately made her way over to Steve and Robin who were gathering gasoline cans. 

"Hey, I found this and I thought this could work-" She trailed off, immediately noticing the silence between the pair as Robin stared across the store at a girl Maggie knew went to Hawkins High School but couldn't think of her name. 

Maggie immediately felt awkward, like she was interrupting a moment that she shouldn't. "I'm going to go-" She trailed off once more as watched a guy come up behind the girl that Robin couldn't take her eyes off, wrapping his arms around her before kissing her. The look of heartbreak on Robin's face said it all as she briefly made eye contact with the girl before running off. 

"Robin. Robin!" Steve shouted after her, turning back to Maggie who couldn't stop staring at where Robin had gone, a guilty look on her face. "Are you okay?" He asked, turning back to her.

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have-" She trailed off. "It wasn't my place."

"It's okay," Steve said, understanding immediately where she was coming from. "Go find her, I'm sure she would like to have someone around her right now."

Maggie nodded, guilt still pressing down on her chest as she moved throughout the store only to find Robin half-heartedly moving through items on the shelf, sniffling slightly. 

"Robin," Maggie called softly, getting the girl's attention. "I'm so sorry. I should've left when I said I was going to, it wasn't my place."

Robin smiled slightly. "It's okay Mags, honestly. It was bound to happen eventually anyway."

Maggie frowned. "No, don't say that. There'll be someone for you, I promise."

"Thank you for not thinking any different of me," Robin said softly, before pulling Maggie into a small hug. 

"Never." Maggie returned with a soft smile, reciprocating the hug. 

"Uh...Mags?" Robin started, upset to interrupt the moment between the two. 

"Yeah?" Maggie replied with a raised eyebrow. 

"Look," Robin said, pointing around the store. 

Maggie immediately spotted the group of basketballers who seemed to be suspiciously spread out across the store, quickly joining the others in the mad dash out of there and back to the camper. 

"We gotta go," Steve said, falling into the driver's seat and starting the engine immediately. 

"Your old friends are here." Erica turned to Lucas in explanation. 

 "Shit! Let's go!" He called out in response.  

 "I'm going! I'm going!" Steve shouted. "Sit down!"