Steve wasn't sure how he always got roped into being the driver and chaperone for these things. Just because Nancy and Jonathan were going on dates and Robin had weekend band things when they weren't working, didn't mean he didn't have a life too. He had a lot of things going on. Steve couldn't exactly name them at the moment, but whatever. The kids should just assume more often that he was busy. As if he wouldn't always come when they called. He was pathetic.

"Henderson! You better be careful!" Steve warned, pointing a finger at his curly haired friend. They were playing at a lake and had found a rickety looking rope swing, which they were currently trying to kill themselves on. He tried to relax, since they deserved to have a little fun after everything. But now all he could see were danger signs and all he could feel was the overwhelming need to protect. He used to be cool.

"Calm down, old man!" Dustin yelled back, doing a flip just to be a jerk. Steve wasn't going to admit that he didn't breathe until Dustin's head popped back up out of the water. These kids were going to be the death of him, either due to monster related things, or stress.

"Hey punk, what are you doing over here?" Steve asked, watching as Max started stalking over toward where he was leaning against the hood of his car. She looked a little upset, but he hadn't noticed her and Lucas fighting about anything, so he wasn't sure what it would be about. "Did you want something out of the cooler?" Steve had packed sandwiches and drinks for everyone and they were currently sitting in the shade next to the car.

"No," Max mumbled, standing a bit away from him, but facing his direction. Steve wasn't sure how to play this. Max was the most hot and cold with him out of all the kids, which was fine. Girls could be complicated. And she had just watched her step brother get almost mutilated in front of her recently. He survived, but it was a close thing.

"Okay," Steve said, dragging the word out a little bit. "Needed a break from the boys?"

"Always," Max huffed, rolling her eyes. El hadn't joined them for this outing, since Hopper was still in his overprotective phase following Starcourt. Her powers were still a bit wonky and he didn't want to risk them springing up at the wrong time. Hanging out at one of their houses was okay, so she was currently doing something with Mrs. Byers.

"I'd like to say we get less annoying as we get older, but that's not always true."

"Let me know if it happens to you."

"Ouch," Steve winced, clutching his heart dramatically. He finally got a small smile out of her. "So, what's up?"

"It's, uh…" Max mumbled, trailing off. She bit her lip, then spun around in a quick circle. Steve was so confused. Did she need a hair tie? Max's hair was already in braids, but maybe she wanted it a different way. He'd taken to wearing a couple on his wrist, since Robin would always forget and get frustrated when her hair was in her face during closing at the video store. But Max was acting too weird for it to be something as simple as that. And guessing was dangerous.

"I'm gonna need a little bit more than that." Max threw up her hands, turning around again and staying with her back to him. That didn't help. "I am so lost."

"I got my period!" Max hissed, pointing below her waist.

"Ohhhh," Steve replied, letting out a sigh of relief. He was expecting a crisis. This, he could handle. "Come with me. I've got something that will help." Steve waved her back toward his trunk, making a mental note to talk to her later about a better way to tell someone about something like this. She was too young to assume someone would look at her backside. And if he caught anyone doing that, Steve would handle them.

He popped the trunk, rifling around in the back corner to get what he was looking for. He really needed to be more organized, but as long as he knew where the first aid kit and his bat was, he was good. Steve grinned when he finally saw the edge of the pink bag, thinking back to the day he'd picked it out and showed it off. It had gotten a laugh and a look of appreciation, even though it wasn't a big deal.

"What's this?" Max asked, unzipping the edge and peeking inside.

"You know. Supplies," Steve said, quirking an eyebrow. Max looked surprisingly out of her depth. "Is this your first?" He could tell by the way her face turned as red as her hair that it was. He'd never had to deal with anything like this before, but he could handle it. It wouldn't be weird unless he made it weird.

"My mom doesn't like to talk about this kind of stuff. And the lessons in school are so lame," Max muttered, staring down at her feet.

"Well, I might not be able to explain eggs and stuff to you, but I can help with the stuff that matters," Steve offered, holding out his hand for the bag. She gave it back to him and he grabbed a few things out. "So, we've got pads and tampons. It's up to you to figure out what you prefer obviously, but I'd suggest the pad for now. Easier to deal with out here. Do you have cramps?"

"Uh, no?"

"That's good, but if it changes, I've got some painkillers in here. Over the counter stuff, so it's safe." He reached into an inner pocket, but didn't pull what he found out. This item was a little bit iffy and he really hoped he wasn't about to cross any boundaries. "There are a couple pairs of underwear in here too. Everything is clean and unworn, but it's up to you if you want to wear them. They are probably a little big."

"Why do you have all this stuff?" Max asked, looking up at him in confusion.

"Robin had a similar issue during a shift a while back, so I had to run to the drugstore to get her some stuff. Luckily Mrs. Byers was there to help me get the right stuff. After that, I just started carrying all this in my car. Robin hates carrying a purse, so it made sense," Steve explained. It wasn't a big deal. He liked to be prepared for anything, from a monster attack to a scraped knee.

"I- thank you," Max murmured, taking the bag back.

"Don't mention it. Actually…" Steve trailed off, digging for something else in his trunk. He pulled out a duffle bag, raising his eyebrows in triumph. "I've got some extra clothes in here. No more walking around covered in goo or being stuck in a stupid uniform. Take whatever you think will fit. I'll make sure none of the boys come over, so you can have some privacy."

"Okay," Max nodded, ducking down so she was hidden more behind the car. Luckily there weren't other people around, so they didn't have to worry about anyone else seeing what she was doing. Steve turned to stare out at the rest of them, glad to see none of them had drowned or disappeared in the few minutes he'd been helping Max. That would be so like them.

Steve couldn't hide his smile when Max stepped up next to him after she was finished. She was wearing a pair of his old gym shorts and his basketball team shirt. She probably didn't need to change her shirt too, but he didn't bring that up.

"You good?" Steve asked.

"Of course," she replied, already back to her typical cool demeanor. He didn't expect anything less. Steve was looking back out over the water again when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. He didn't have time to react before Max was walking back over to where everyone else was.

"What happened to your clothes?" Mike asked as Max moved past him to sit on a log.

"What happened to your face?" Max shot back. Mike held up his hands in surrender before jumping back in the water. Max looked over at Steve again and flashed him an appreciative smile. He nodded in acknowledgement, waving at her to keep having fun. Steve had done what anybody else would've. Nothing special. But that didn't mean he didn't appreciate the hug. Maybe not having a life wasn't so bad.