I had basically became one of El's main social outlets, since let's be honest, Hopper didn't trust anyone, not even Mike, being around her and being able to keep her safe,
(Mike's situation is different though, since the whole distrusting part was because one, he's a horny teenage boy and two, the first reason.)
It's honestly surprising that he trusts me around her. If any 'bad guys' came out to hurt her, I wouldn't be of much help only hitting a few guys before getting shot or something, and that's considering it's good day for me.
It's already a known fact that I can't fight to save my life, against humans apparently? Jonathan, Tommy, and Billy proved that to be true. If I couldn't beat up a couple of high school boys, one who had never fought anyone ... ever and was basically gentle awkward mess, how would I be able to fight gunned men?
I wouldn't. I definitely wouldn't. I'm like ninety-nine percent sure that I'd be used as a human shield, getting turned holier than all of the cheeses or any catholic priest, for that matter. El would have time to use her freaky cool mind powers to snap their necks, which is pretty unsettling to see a very innocent little girl do, and then save the day.
Being one of the only people that see her regularly, I have to deal with obvious questions and things you shouldn't be asking me. Like if I had a dollar for every awkward question, I could buy a small portion of my father's company.
"El, get in here. Dinner's ready.", I yell out of the kitchen and hear the patting of feet from the other room. "Before eating, we're putting up the dishes. No powers."
She gives me a pouty puppy-dog face, that she has been getting better at day by day, dropping the grocery bags back on the table with a crash.
She hands me, no powers, the bags, beginning to start the little system we have. The system is probably one of my best ideas, that actually worked out, without big time costing flaws, I have ever came up with. The first time was ... an awful horrible fucking mess.
The night ended with milk in places there shouldn't be milk, and taking my pick of Hopper's clothes, sadly when I tried his uniform on it looked like I was the after photo of a Jane Fonda workout tape, like a guy trying on his before the change clothes. And I didn't want to reck his confidence after seeing me wearing his baggy clothes.
I set up the table, putting plates, forks, and other cutlery in it's right place, the only good thing about my mother sending me to finishing school for two years in a row when I was younger, is that my table setting and manners is fucking top notch and not something to brag about.
We have only like two or so bags left sitting on the counter, when Hopper does his knock on the front door. El practically skips/runs all the way to the door and opens it revealing a semi drenched Hopper. I guess it was raining way harder than it sounded.
She drags him into the kitchen to show him all the food we made, when I say we, I definitely mean me, all I let her do is the small stuff like getting the ingredients and mixing, last time the kitchen, also dinning room, was a floury mess.
He looks it over, oohing and awing for El, some of which is probably real for an eight hour shift with only donuts and coffee make any other actual food seem like a delicacy. Hop goes to sit down at the table until he notices a few bags we didn't put up yet.
"Harrington," he says turning to look at me, "how many times do I have to tell you to stop buying us food?"
"Um, this one would make it the sixth, but that wasn't the question..."
"Just tell me or El that we're out of food so I can pay for it."
"I mean, it's not like I don't have money to waste, not that buying you guys food is a waste of money because it's not, but, yeah."
"You're a kid, use your money on something more -kid like."
"I've been buying my own groceries since I was like thirteen, it's fine. And I'm the one using your food, I might as well replace it, right?"
"Just because you've been playing adult since you were younger, doesn't mean you need to now. I'm the adult, quit acting like one."
"Fine, since you're not gonna agree with me anyway, I might as well try to give you a reason to. We can take turns - hear me out -, when I come over and cook dinner, lunch, whatever I buy groceries and if not, you do it. Final offer."
He already looks annoyed by the time I finish my spiel and doesn't saying anything at all; instead, he begin eating from the plate in front of him.
"I'll take that as a yes. Nice doing business with ya."
&
The bells on the door jingle as a teenager, known as the Steve "the Hair" Harrington, and his young "friends, if you consider them that, follow after him, more like baby ducks, finding anything that could be their mother and latching onto it, into the arcade.
Months had passed since she was discovered to be hiding in seemingly plain sight, and she was finally, slightly, ready to be out in big spaces. Well, if the arcade, Steve, Mike, and the Byers' house counted as a big space, Steve was definitely sure they didn't.
As soon as they entered the arcade, the "ducks waddled" away in different directions, trying to find the game of their choice in groups, part of the rules, even in places where the most dangerous person in the joint was a seventeen year old clerk with a severe case of acne, who may or may not practice "karate" in his spare time.
Steve followed Will to the Galaga, having grown fondly attached in a big brother way to him over the last couple of months, he did with all the kids, but more so Will for him being so ... needed to be protected?
For the next two or so hours, the kids plus Steve transitioned between eating shitty pizza, that Steve was very skeptical about based on the looks he got when it arrived to the table, but overlooked it since he got his own, because for some reason pineapple on pizza was considered treason to the kids, and a little bit of spit never hurt anybody, especially from a guy who girlfriend was his right hand, and playing all the arcade games Steve had money for.
Even though he was so busy making sure the kids didn't gorge themselves sick and didn't get into hassles with kids who took an "eternity", "Steve, did you see him? He had like fifty fucking quarters on the machine! A fucking travesty! Who does that?", his thoughts kept going back to Billy.
They had basically a whole system organized, that had working for them so far and wouldn't dare change. They kept in contact every few days like you know those couples who are always up each other's ass and get bored or overly dependent and invested in each other so when they break up it's like World War 3.
Yeah, they made sure that everything was exciting and something new or exciting when it came to talking about their day and ... other stuff. But what had Steve worried was Billy's random no show the night before.
Sure, Billy acted like a tough guy who didn't really care when he saw Steve, but he wouldn't purposefully miss their night with no explanation or phone call.
It took everything in him to ask Max if he had gone out of town or just anything, if anything was up with him. He decided not to since his pesky kids were already suspicious of him and Billy's relationship, although he didn't think the kids would venture into that train of though about about them or Steve whatsoever.
It's like his prayers had been answered, Billy burst through the doors and racked his eyes over the arcade until his eyes locked on Steve's.
Steve scoured Billy, as he came over, for injuries, but the parts of him that he could see were clear for the most part. He was already alert when Billy came closer and wasn't wearing his usually open up tight clothes, instead, was wearing sweatpants and a closed t shirt. It set off alarms in his head and couldn't wait for Billy to make it over to him.
He left the kids, who all had confused shocked looks, to meet up with Billy, They knew him and Steve were friends, but he never came around when he was with them. It was their rightful time where they didn't have to share and he was taking it from his, they were definitely going to talk about this later.
Already frantic and racking his brain for everything bad that could happen, Steve met Billy already expressing worry and panic.
"What happened? Are you okay? Do you need a lawyer cause I have the best in all of Illinois ready to come with just one call?", he said grabbing the sleeves of shirt standing closer than what they usually did in public.
"No, no, no, it's fine. I just need a place to stay for a little bit until things calm down with that fucking asshole. I know I'm not gonna be able to control myself if he keeps talking shit to me.", Billy replied holding Steve's hand, rubbing his knuckles with thumb.
"Did he hurt you? I'm gonna kick his ass!"
"Steve, it's okay. We'll talk about it later and if you tried to kick his ass, I'd have to kick his ass for kicking your ass. Stop worrying and spent time with your many kids.", he said grabbing the house key from Steve and putting it in his coat pocket.
"Chill out, babe. If you keep up at it, you'll end up throwing up. Okay?", Billy said pulling Steve in enough for only him to hear. "I tell you later. Please don't worry, I'm okay.
"Fine, but we are most definitely talking about it and then packing up all your shit and moving in with me. No discussion, see you at the house.", he talked without any hit of playfulness in his voice.
Steve griped Billy's hand and finally let go watching him leave. He sauntered back over to the kids, who were half over ever weird thing he did and just left it as Steve being Steve, while the other were very mildly curious in the new discovery.
"What the fuck? Was that?"
"You know just a good discussion between two bros, yep."
"That was very convincing. Couldn't of been anything else, yeah right.", came Will from his left while Max and Dustin nodded along with him agreeing with his statement.
Lucas, Mike, and Eleven had seen it as odd, but decided to ignore it for if they got overly invested in everything Steve did, they guessed they would encounter the horrors of what happened in the backseat of his car and why he exclusively had Rocky Road in his freezer, no joke like five tubs.
"Yeah, Steve, what was that? Why did you give him your house key? I know you're friends and all, but one of these days all your TVs and expensive rich boy shit is gonna be missing and he'll be gone.", replied a busy Mike trying to beat his high score, and successfully earning a look of alarm from both Max and Steve.
"What? We all know he hates it here and, hypothetically, if he was using Steve as a free ATM, it would make sense.", he shrugs his shoulder and goes back to playing his arcade game.
This is the reason why Mike was the least favorite. The little, tall, shit had no filter whatsoever, just goes around saying whatever he wants whenever.
"This is the reason people beat you up, Mike.", Will said from the table causing Mike to spin around quick and silently flip him off, then carrying on.
"Okay, I'm gonna ignore that whole conversation just now and... that.", Steve talked after a few moments of silence, gesture the air around Mike, getting the same reaction he had to Will.
"He just needs to get some stuff and shouldn't you guys be worrying about other stuff like your little dances, campaigns, and, I don't know, girls. All of that instead getting weirdly invested into my relationships, friendships."
"This is much more fun, though.", Dustin called out grabbing the last slice of the pizza from the table.
"I may have dropped the conversation now, Steve, but bet your lucky fucking stars that I'm bringing this up later.", he said grabbing Steve's drink and slurping it down with a gasp.
A/N: I'm so sure I'll have a second chapter up next week or so :)