"You know, with the amount that you're over here Steve, we really should just invest in a guest room."
Steve flushed red and shifted awkwardly. He's always felt weird about spending so much time over at other people's houses. It's always been one of those things that he couldn't stop thinking about in the back of his mind. It was just nice to be in a house that felt like a home.
But Jonathan was quick to fit their hands together. "Mom, don't say that, he'll try to pay rent."
Nancy nodded from where she was curled up on Jonathan's other side. "He's already tried it with my mom. She laughed but Steve wasn't even joking."
Joyce turned, her arms full of blankets and pillows. Jonathan pulled his hand out of Steve's and took the mass of soft cloths from her.
"Steve, you already cook breakfast just about everytime you're over here." Joyce chided. "Not to mention the casseroles you bring; those save us four days of groceries at the very least. A guest room would be nothing."
Steve ducked his head, laughing slightly. "Please don't. If I have a room in any of your houses, I just might never leave."
Jonathan and Joyce's eyes turned big and sympathetic in the way they did whenever Steve talked about his home life or his absent parents. But honestly, it hardly hurt now.
It was like a scab from a wound that- at the time- seemed like life or death. Now, Steve had it covered up with band aid upon band aid on the form of people like Joyce Byers or Robin Buckley or Jim Hopper.
Real family.
"Besides," Steve continued, a soft smile on his face. "If I lived here I wouldn't appreciate being able to come here as much."
Joyce hummed, seemingly satisfied and Jonathan moved to set up the living room around them. He threw blankets over both Nancy and Steve, settled pillows behind them and finally sat in between them. Nancy immediately curled back into his side and Steve moved so Jonathan could wrap an arm behind his shoulders.
Steve immediately leaned into the touch, warm and happy. His eyes fluttered slightly, already on the edge of sleep.
"Alright. Don't stay up too late you three." Joyce smiled. She stepped forward, tucking the blanket tighter around Steve, as it had begun to slip down his shoulder. "Goodnight."
Jonathan and Nancy said goodnight, bright and cheerful, but Steve's was quiet, soft, his eyes already closed.
"Goodnight mom."
Joyce and Jonathan froze and Nancy inhaled sharply. Steve must've been sleeping because he merely pressed closer to Jonathan.
Joyce unfroze, her eyes filling with tears. "Goodnight Steve." She whispered before turning to Nancy and Jonathan. "Y'all take care of him, alright?"
Jonathan pressed a kiss into Steve hair, inhaling the smell of his fresh cucumber shampoo. Nancy shifted and curled a hand in Steve's hoodie.
"We will mom." Jonathan croaked. "As long as you get started on that guest room."
Joyce smiled and laughed. The sound was slightly choked and wet. "That'll be the first thing I talk to Hopper about tomorrow."
...
"We should go out for dinner."
Steve looked up to see Nancy looking at Jonathan who was looking at Steve. Nancy's hands were settled on her hips and Jonathan was sitting on his couch and honestly, Steve was pretty comfortable where he was.
He'd been planning to make some pasta and curl up with Nancy and Jonathan, put on one of Jonathan's playlists and relax. School was starting back up and soon they would be bustling around, up to their chins in assignments, throwing pained looks at Steve when he asks them if they want to hang out.
And once basketball season starts, Steve wouldn't even have time to try to relax. Much less help Jonathan and Nancy relax.
But Nancy looked excited and Jonathan looked hopeful and Steve was in love. God, he was so in love that he felt it in his toes. He'd do anything for them if they asked. He give them the sun, the moon, the stars.
He'd give them a night out too.
"Alright then." He smiled, standing and bowing to Nancy and Jonathan. "Where to, m'lady, m'lord?"
Jonathan flushed red and laughed. "Oh so I'm a lord now?"
Steve tilted his head, his smile turning flirtatious. "You've always been a lord."
Jonathan's eyebrows raised and Nancy stepped in between them, her arms out, a fond smile on her face. She reached out and curled a hand in the front of Jonathan's shirt to pull him into a kiss. Jonathan melted into it and Steve's chest felt like it was being pushed on from the inside out.
Sometimes it hurt with how much he loved them. He'd get overwhelmed by it and just want to kiss them all over.
Nancy pulled away, brushing a thumb across Jonathan's cheek before turning to Steve. He smiled, a flirty thing that had Nancy rolling her eyes before she grabbed the front of his collar and pulled him in.
Steve sighed into the kiss as Nancy's hands curled into his hair to pull him in closer. That pressure on his chest intensified til it hurt, but Nancy's nails lighty scraped against his scalp and he shuddered, going boneless. Nancy pulled away, a triumphant smile on her face and a hand still tangled in his hair.
Suddenly Jonathan was there, moving one arm to curl around Nancy's waist and the other to wrap around Steve's shoulders.
"You know what," Steve sighed, leaning into Jonathan with a blissful smile on his face. "I think we might just be loyal subjects in Queen Nancy's kingdom."
"I second that." Jonathan chuckled fondly, pressing a kiss to Steve's temple.
Nancy smiled up at them, bright and wide with shining eyes. "Queen Nancy. Hm, I like the sound of that. Let's go."
...
"lf I don't go to Waffle House in the next hour, I'm murdering both of you."
Steve snorted and looked up from his algebra.
They were all currently waiting in Steve's living room. Steve was supposed to be taking all the kids to breakfast because apparently he was now an actual mother. Robin, who Steve would never not be grateful for, offered to help wrangle all the kids if she was fed with pancakes and hashbrowns and Dustin, who was becoming a permanent fixture in Steve's life, was dramatically laying face down on Steve's rug.
"Hey shithead," Steve said, pointing a finger at the offending kid. "Maybe if your friends were on time for once, you wouldn't be hungry."
"Yeah," Robin cut in, moving from Steve's couch to flick Dustin's ear. "You should think murdering them. We're ready to go." Then she leveled a look at Steve.
"Well, except for Steve, who is doing homework, on a Saturday."
Dustin sat up and narrowed his eyes at Steve. "What the hell are you doing Steve?"
"Uh. Homework. Just because we have a three day weekend doesn't mean I can't do it now."
Dustin and Robin gaped at him and eventually Steve frowned too.
"Okay yeah, I sound ridiculous." Steve admitted, pushing his papers away.
Robin moved closer, picking up the papers and scanning them over. "Nancy and Jonathan have gotten to you huh? I think it's cool. At least now you won't fail math."
"I was not failing math."
Robin raised an eyebrow.
"Okay. Maybe a little bit." Steve sighed. "But it's easier now. History is still my thing. Jonathan's terrible at it."
Robin smiled and put the papers down. "I'll be sure to come to you if I'm having an issue with remembering my presidents."
The doorbell rang and Dustin shot up immediately.
"They're here! Let's go dumbasses!"
They watched him sprint out the room with matching amused looks.
"He calls us dumbasses like we aren't going to be paying for his meal."
Steve scoffed playfully. "We? Wow Rob, I didn't know we were sharing a wallet now."
Robin shoved him before following Dustin out the room and Steve watched her go with a fond smile on his face.
...
"She hates eggs."
Steve blinked and looked away from his bowl to Mike who was watching Steve cook from the table behind him.
Cooking at the Byers house always boosted Steve's self esteem because Joyce and Will would look at him with stars in their eyes and Jonathan got to sleep in for once in his life but cooking at the Wheelers was like cooking in a land mine.
Karen, despite loving the help, always protested, saying that Steve was a guest and he shouldn't have to and Ted would always interrogate Steve about doing a barbecue one day because it would be a good bonding moment for us. Nancy hated it when her parents did this but she hated it more when Steve cooked in her house. She'd always insist that he didn't need to, that he didn't have to prove himself to Karen or Ted because Nancy would argue for his presence every day for the rest of her life if she had to.
But truthfully, it wasn't about proving himself, it wasn't about bonding or even about boosting his own ego- he needed to do it.
Cooking was always one of the few things Steve felt good enough at that also made him feel useful. His mom taught him, because he needed to know how to feed himself if they were going to start going on month-long trips and Steve loved making things that other people loved. He also felt terrible for spending so much time in other people's homes, taking up their space- Jonathan and Joyce and Will have tried to convince him and Steve knows that Ted Wheeler looks forward to him coming over so he had someone to talk about baseball with but- Steve couldn't shake the feeling.
And, from the number of discussions- not arguments- that Steve's had with Nancy about it, he was sure that Mike knew about the 'controversy' of Steve cooking in the Wheeler kitchen. Or it could've just been boredom but Steve knew for a fact that Lucas, Dustin and Will were downstairs (and probably already awake) so he was clearly up here because he wanted to be.
Steve looked back at his bowl of ready to cook eggs and sighed. "Now you tell me."
Mike made a noise that was a cross between a grunt and a sigh and Steve frowned.
"Do you like eggs?"
"I guess."
Well. That sounded enthusiastic.
Steve dumped the bowl into the pan and moved to grab a plate so he could chop some strawberries.
"What's going on kid? Your fellow shitheads still asleep?"
Mike hummed a little. "No, not really."
Steve rinsed off the strawberries, grabbed a knife and moved his stuff to the table. He set up across from Mike and didn't speak until he was starting to chop.
"What does not really mean?"
Mike fidgeted, the same way Nancy did when she really needed to talk about something but didn't want to. For a second, Steve wondered what traits he'd unconsciously pass down to a younger sibling if he had one, thought about his semi self destructive tendencies and decided to stop thinking about it.
When he didn't answer Steve stood and turned back to the eggs, flipping them over. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He paused before adding, "But you can."
Steve knew that all the kids were different. El and Dustin responded best with physical touch, Lucas wanted to be taken seriously, talked to like an adult, Max wanted to be distracted and pulled out of the situation until she was ready to deal with it and Will-
Well, Will didn't like to be helped but Steve could tell that he liked a mix of distraction and physical touch. But Mike was something of a landmine. With him you had to know when to push and when to let it go. When to reach out and when let him be.
It took work but Steve was willing to do it. He didn't have anyone that was willing to work with him when he was a kid. He didn't even have his parents around to fuck up, which probably only served to fuck him up more but- that's life. Sometimes people didn't show up. Steve refused to be that person.
Mike was quiet again and Steve didn't turn around, reaching into the refrigerator to grab some orange juice.
"I- I'm just worried." He finally said. "About Will."
Steve stiffened.
He wanted to spin around, grab Mike's shoulders and shake him. He wanted to demand that he tell Steve what was wrong with Will immediately so he could help, so he could fix it, so he could make it better. Because he loved Dustin, he loved Lucas, he loved Max, he loved El, and sometimes, on a good day, he loved Mike.
But Will? Who was so strong and quiet and intense and who's been through so much? Sometimes Steve caught himself wanting to lock that kid in a room and keep him safe for the rest of his life. All of them really.
But he didn't.
He forced himself to relax, poured his glass of orange juice, grabbed a plate for the eggs, shifted them into the plate and turned off the stove.
Steve waited until he was sure that his voice would come out calm and easy.
"What happened?"
Steve grabbed a fork and placed the plate of eggs down in front of Mike, who was watching Steve with cautious eyes.
"He's been-" Mike paused. "Having nightmares."
Steve unconsciously, let out a breath of relief because this-this was something he could help with. Something Steve had experience with. No monsters, no visions, there was nothing Steve needed to take a bat to. Dustin wasn't going to come bursting into the door with a tiny demo creature, Lucas wouldn't need to shake out his slingshot, El wouldn't pop up behind him with a bleeding nose, Will was safe- it was fine.
"Okay." Steve nodded and Mike let out a breath, something soft and shaky as he reached for his fork. "Okay. I'm glad you told me. Do you want my help?"
Mike nodded slowly and Steve bit back a relieved smile, turning back to his berries. "I can help with that."
Mike looked at the strawberries that Steve had been cutting thoughtfully and smirked.
"You do know my mom's allergic to strawberries right?"
"Fuck off Wheeler."
...
"I can make you some tea? Would that help?"
Steve pressed his face deeper into the couch cushions. He felt Jonathan shift next to him and Nancy's hand rubbed Steve's back soothingly.
"I think some Chamomile could help mom, thanks."
Steve tried to grope around for Jonathan's hand but a spike of pain through his temple made him whimper. There was a pause before lips pressed against Steve's temple.
"Just relax baby." Jonathan whispered quietly. "We've got you."
Steve made a noise that was swallowed up by the cushions and wished he could pop off his own head without dying.
Migraine are a bitch.
He didn't get them often, Jonathan got them more, but when Steve had them they were vicious. It started with a weird throb at the base of his neck before moving into a full on headache and then he'd start flinching away from normal light and that's when he'd have to find a dark, empty room to lay in.
He nearly scared the shit out of Nancy and Jonathan when he got one while they were at his house. He nearly threw up before he retired to a guest bedroom and laid on the rug with a pillow over his head.
Afterwards they talked and they convinced him to let them help whenever he felt one coming on because he'd do the same for them.
So when Steve felt one coming on, he muttered a warning to Nancy and face planted into the Byers' couch. The cushions were soft and Nancy immediately turned the lights and television off and Jonathan settled in next to him.
Nancy brushed a hand through Steve's hair and he sighed.
"You need to get more sleep babe." She murmured. "They've been coming more often."
He hummed and Jonathan started kneading his shoulders lightly. Steve shuddered happily as the tension leaked out of him.
"And water." Jonathan's voice was low and Steve really really wished his head wasn't pounding like a drum because that voice made him feel things. "You should drink more of it. And peppermint and lavender help with these, I have some oils."
And Steve wanted to say, You have some oils? But his head was finally settling down and he didn't want to start it spinning again.
Nancy's hand in Steve's hair paused. "Uh, you have some oils?"
Steve couldn't stop the snort of laughter that came out of his mouth and then the following groan on pain after. Nancy immediately continued running her hands through his hair and Jonathan pressed another kiss to Steve's temple before going to find his oils.
...
"Will you marry me?"
"Nope." Steve answered automatically.
Lucas made an offended face. "You didn't even look up."
"I really don't have to."
"You're hurting my feelings."
"That seems about right."
"Steve!"
Steve sighed and looked up to see Lucas, standing in front of him, fit in a Wedding dress and veil that was about three sizes too big for him. Mike and Dustin were standing on either side of him, their arms out like presenters.
Steve's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "Holy shit. Where did you-"
Mike leveled a look at him and he clicked his mouth shut.
Right. They were at a thrift store.
Somehow Max and Will successfully convinced Steve to take El shopping because, according to Max, it's a crime that she doesn't have a large oversized grandma sweater. Steve offered to take them to the mall but Will shifted uncomfortably the same way that Jonathan shifted whenever Steve offered to pay for a nice dinner. And again, Steve couldn't help but think about a younger Harrington sibling. His parents were gone enough for the theory to have some weight to it.
Steve figured that any normal person would've been upset at the thought but Steve wasn't really normal, was he?
"Lucas, you look great-"
"But not good enough to marry." He sniffled dramatically.
Dustin wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I told you he wouldn't get it honey, don't worry, you'll find another."
Mike curled a hand around Lucas' elbow. "Yeah, and that dress really brings out your eyes."
Steve rolled his eyes. He knew he made a mistake when he took the kids to an improv class that one day."Alright, alright. Cut the dramatics. I'm not buying you a wedding dress. Besides, if I bought that for you your mother would never let me watch you again. Also, Erica would just cut it up and make it into dresses for her dolls."
"My mom would totally let me wear a dress!" Lucas exclaimed.
Steve patted him on the shoulder. "I'm not doubting that buddy. She might be a little weird about it being wedding dress though." Steve squinted. "Especially when it's got moth bites on it."
Dustin, with an arm still slyly wrapped around Lucas' shoulder, hummed. "Oh yeah, there are definitely moth bites."
El bounded up, arms full of comfy sweaters, pastel shirts and a smile that could contest the sun. "I got grandma sweaters." Then she looked at Lucas. "Pretty dress."
"I know right." He pointedly looked at Steve, as if saying- El likes it, how could you not?
"I didn't say it wasn't pretty." Steve scoffed. "I just said I wouldn't buy it!"
"Same thing."
"It's really not." El frowned and Steve raised his eyebrows at Lucas before smiling at her gratefully.
And that smile stay until Will materialized behind her, grabbing Mike and Steve and declaring that you guys need something bright and covered in sparkles immediately.
...
"I think I need to cry."
Steve lifted his head, blinking at Robin owlishly. She was perched there, on the bed with Nancy, having just finished painting Nancy's toenails. Jonathan, who had been manning the Spotify playlist from the laptop on Robin's desk, looked over with such a worried expression that Steve sat up to look more closely at Robin. She was staring down at Nancy's pinkie toe, her bottom lip quivering slightly. The brush for Do You Sea What I Sea was still loose in her hand.
Steve was at the store when she bought it- she thought the pun was the dumbest thing on the planet and Robin only collected the nail polishes for the stupid names.
"Wha-" Nancy started but Steve cut her off.
"That's okay Rob." He said, his voice gentle. Jonathan and Nancy's heads immediately snapped to face him. "Come on."
Robin sighed, something gusty and huge before moving from the bed onto the floor next to him. Steve only moved to grab the nail polish brush from her hand but other than that paused so Robin could fit her head in crook of his shoulder and press her nose against his neck.
"Do you need me to cry with you?"
Robin murmured a quiet no, not bothering to move her head from his shoulder. Steve nodded and for a moment they were just breathing in time together.
Then, Robin's breath hitched and she tensed. Steve rubbed her shoulder and hummed along to the track that was on and she sobbed. Steve moved so the two of them were sitting up with his back pressed against her wall. She automatically adjusted, huddling into his side and wrapped both arms around her as if he was trying to hide her from the world.
Steve's eyes flickered to Nancy and Jonathan, who were watching the two of them with matching worried and concerned looks.
He smiled, hoping he looked reassuring. He motioned for them to come down onto the rug with them.
Nancy paused for a half a second before she immediately dropped to the floor on Steve's other side and brushed some of Robin's hair out of her face.
"It's okay Robin," Nancy said softly, sounding a little nervous. "It's okay."
Steve could tell that it was bothering Nancy to no end that she didn't know what was bothering Robin, but from Steve's experience, if Robin says that she needs to cry then you'd have to wait until she was done crying to find out what's wrong.
Jonathan dropped to the floor in front of them, unconsciously sitting in between the three of them and Robin's bedroom door.
"You're okay Robin." He offered. "We're all here."
Steve didn't speak but he didn't tell them to stop. He simply curled his arms around her tighter and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Eventually her sobs petered out and Steve loosened his hold on her. She didn't pull away but she shifted slightly so she was facing Nancy and Jonathan.
"Sorry." She sniffled. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I just get- frazzled and I need to let it out?"
Nancy immediately nodded, glad that she wasn't in the dark anymore and Jonathan hummed thoughtfully.
"I get it."
"You wanna talk about?" Steve asked tilting his head down slightly. Robin shook her head but she opened her mouth to speak anyway.
"Just thinking of- of the kids." She sort of hunched into herself. And if Robin wasn't wiping tears away, Steve would've joked about how at this point they were basically co-parents. "There are monsters out there and- and they're just kids. Life already sucks enough and now they have to deal with other worldly demon things too? It's not fair."
Steve nodded.
Personally, he's spent many night thinking himself into a spiral about the kids and how they were doing, if they were okay and all the things that he could be doing to help him. Whether or not Will was sleeping okay, if Mike had talked to Nancy recently, if Dustin needed company, whether or not El was lonely.
God, he worried about the kids more than he worried about anything ever.
"No." Jonathan croaked, suddenly looking exhausted. "No it's not."
Nancy reached for his hand then reached for Robin's. "Thankfully they have us. We'll keep them safe."
Steve smiled, proud, and pressed a gentle kiss to Nancy's cheek.
...
"Can I come in?"
Steve felt frozen in place as he looked at Billy Hargrove, who was standing on his doorstep, soaked to the bone, sporting a black eye and a tense frown.
"Um-" Steve looked back into his house. He didn't know what for, his parents weren't home -thank God- and Nancy and Jonathan went home hours ago. "Sure?"
He stepped aside and watched Billy carefully as he stepped past him. Billy seemed quieter, subdued and vulnerable in a way that made Steve uneasy. So Steve waited until Billy had his shoes off and was as dry as he could get with the towel Steve gave him to ask the question that was plaguing his mind.
"Is Max safe?"
Billy hesitantly sat down on the couch. Steve frowned but figured that his mother wouldn't be home for another week, so he had time to deep clean the house before then.
"Uh yeah, she's fine." And even Billy's words sounded different. Slower, softer, a little less confident. "She's with the little toothless kid."
Steve grimaced at Billy's description and didn't sit down next to him. Not that he was afraid, but he preferred to see Billy's face at all times, so he sat in the armchair across from him.
"Are-" Steve paused, squinted at Billy. "Are you okay?"
And that's when Billy seemed to shut down.
His facial features hardened and he tensed like he was getting ready to bolt. "Maxine told me that I could come here in case-"
Steve nodded. He didn't need Billy to finish that sentence.
"Yeah. Of course." He paused, his eyes scanning Billy for anymore visible injuries. "I just meant- do you need anything? Some ice? A bandage? I have some in my room."
Billy looked up at that. He had a dry smile on his face and a dark look in his eyes. "You got a first aid kit hidden in your room Harrington?"
Steve nodded.
"Huh." Billy hummed, his head tilting slightly. "Max said it but- I never would've figured. King Steve."
Steve shifted. Billy said that like it was astonishing, like it was the craziest thing in the world. And Steve figured that from the outside, it must have been.
In the eyes of Hawkins, Henry Harrington was suave, charming. powerful, rich. Someone to yearn for the attention of.
In the eyes of his son, Henry Harrington was ruthless, rough, hateful, abusive. Someone to avoid as much as humanly possible.
'King' Steve couldn't do a thing about him.
"Happens to the best of us, I guess." Steve said casually before standing. He moved to walk by Billy and placed a cautious hand on his shoulder. "I'll get you that ice. You and Max are welcome over at anytime okay?"
Billy tilted his head slightly, a frown on his face. And if Steve was about to be carried off to a mental hospital, he'd say the frown was concerned.
"Well, not any time." He said gruffly.
Steve chuckled without any humor, old bruises aching. "My door is open most of the time."
...
"Hot chocolate helps. And good company."
Steve peered down at Will, who was sitting on his couch, arms curled around himself. He was shivering harshly, the cold making his teeth chatter.
Will blinked back up at him with eyes so huge and damp with tears that Steve felt his heart squeeze.
"Helps with what?" Will sniffled, scrubbing his eyes.
Next to Will, Max, Dustin, Mike, Lucas and El were all practically pilled on top of each other, limbs tangled, breathing in sync. The only reason that Steve knew something was wrong was because Will had untangled himself from Mike and Lucas, his breathing hitching like he was having an asthma attack.
"Helps with nightmares." Steve said softly. Will's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed like he was embarrassed. "It's alright. I get them too."
"You do?" Will asked, his tone shocked and confused, as if someone as awesome and strong as Steve shouldn't be plagued by nightmares.
"Yeah." Steve thought for a moment before reaching out a hand. "I'll tell you what, you come help me make some hot chocolate and I'll tell about them. And maybe, if you want, you can tell me about yours."
Will looked at his friends, still all tangled together. Max was laid over Lucas' lap, El had a hand curled in Dustin's shirt, Mike's face was pressed into Lucas' neck. Steve watched Will as he surveyed them, checking them over, eyeing their chests as they rose and fell.
It was something Steve did all the time.
It took a lot for him not to go around every couple of minutes and check their pulse, listen to their heartbeat, their breathing. Just to make sure that they were okay.
Will took a deep breath and turned away, placing his hand in Steve's.
"Okay."
...
"What's in the box?"
Steve smiled as he bumped the Byers' front door open with his hip and practically waltzed over to the living room, where everyone was waiting. He called them all together because he had gifts to present.
He was excited and giddy because he loved giving gifts. He felt like Santa Clause, especially if Dustin could be considered his elf. El must've caught his happy grin because she giggled and nudged Will.
"Be patient." Steve chided, placing the box down on the coffee table. "So, I've already talked to parents, so don't freak out about this okay?"
Nancy raised her eyebrows. "My mother said yes?"
Steve smiled. "I'm very charismatic."
Robin rolled her eyes and shimmied excitedly. "Show us what's in the box Harrington!" The kids all cheered in agreement and Hopper raised an eyebrow.
"You'd better get on with it son."
Steve sighed and reached into the box. "Okay, the first one is to El." Said girl squealed excitedly but when Steve pulled out the small grey kitten she went silent.
The rest of the kids and Nancy, Jonathan and Robin made varying sounds of excitement. El stood and reached out slowly.
"Kitty?"
Steve nodded. "She's yours. Do you want to hold her?"
El nodded, her eyes wide and Steve quickly guided her arms and placed the small fuzzy kitten in them.
"She's so soft." El gasped, voice full of wonder.
Steve nodded, his heart practically about to burst. "Yeah, at the adoption clinic, the woman told me that she was very cuddly and loved to be held."
El pressed a kiss to the kitten's head, eliciting purring in response. "Thank you Steve." She whispered, her voice half muffled by the grey fur.
"You're welcome kiddo." Steve said, his chest in pain from just how adorable they were. He then turned back to the rest of them, the box now meowing loudly. "Guys, come get your kittens."
...
"Has anyone ever told you that you're sort of a little bitch?"
Steve rolled his eyes and turned to glare at Robin. "No. Why would they?"
Robin shifted, moving to sit up, putting down the novel that was almost as big as Steve's head. "Because right now, at this exact second, you are hiding behind a chair because there's a spider in the corner."
Steve pouted because yes, maybe that's true. But, in his defense, the spider is huge. Too big to be faced without protection. So, Steve is hiding behind a chair but only because he's getting ready to be brave and face a demon.
"Listen Rob, I'm about to lay waste to this creature." He said. "I'm going to kick it's ass."
Robin raised an eyebrow. "It?"
"We don't assume gender here."
Robin rolled her eyes and Steve continued. "Also, It's not like you're doing anything to help the situation! What happened to Steve-and-Robin? Right now, it's feeling a lot like just Steve and then Robin, who's up there in her own world watching as Just Steve faces the evil creature."
"Shut the hell up." She snorted. She picked up her book again. "I don't kill bugs."
"Well, you better tell that to might be a deal breaker."
Robin's face turned pink. "Me and Katie are not dating!" She screeched.
"Katie and I." Steve corrected in a snobbish tone, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Katie and I are not dating!"
Steve shot her a disbelieving look. "Oh yeah, you two going off to roller skate and road trips and to get coffee isn't dating. It's just- what? Level one-hundred friendship?"
Robin glared, her face still pink. "You know what, you and I are about to be level zero friends in a second."
"You didn't deny it!" Steve crowed and Robin's glare intensified before her eyes flickered to the spider.
"Steve! It's moving!"
Steve immediately stopped smiling and scrambled back wildly, tugging the chair with him. The sound of it screeching across the floor almost riveled Steve's shouts of terror.
He kept scooting until his back hit the couch and Robin's laughter reached his ears. He opened his eyes to see the spider still sitting there, completely unbothered.
"Not scared huh?" Robin smirked and Steve stuck his tongue out at her, his cheeks red.
...
"What's that smell?"
Steve, who's face was buried in Nancy's pillows, sniffed again. The smell was fruity and fresh, like a berry smoothie. The bed dipped beside him and Steve turned his head to see Nancy, running a hand through her own wet hair.
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
Steve frowned and turned to Jonathan, who was fiddling with his camera at Nancy's desk.
"Jon, do you smell something different?"
Jonathan looked up, his brows furrowed. "Do I what?"
Steve sighed dramatically. "Do you smell something different?"
He tilted his head and leaned forward, an amused twinkle appearing in his eyes. "Different how?"
Steve gaped at him. Well now he was just messing with him. Well, two can play at that game. Steve sat up and took a deep inhale. Nancy had moved on to taking a brush through her wet locks and was watching them with an amused smile.
"It smells like-" He sniffed again, being sure to play it up. "It smells like blueberries. Or- no wait, maybe it's raspberry?"
Jonathan raised an eyebrow, his lip quirking upwards. "Ah. Raspberry. No. no, I smell it now."
Steve almost rolled his eyes because Jonathan didn't even pretend to sniff. God, does no one care about the dramatic arts anymore?
"Well," Steve said, shrugging nonchalantly. "I hope it's not raspberry. I'm actually deathly allergic."
Then he plopped back down into Nancy's pillows like he didn't say anything at all. Jonathan's face paled and he started sniffing frantically.
"You're allergic to what?" He shrieked and Nancy turned towards her dresser to hide her smile.
"I'm allergic to raspberries." Steve said calmly, being sure to take a deep breath. "Stop freaking out Jonathan."
Jonathan paused in his sniffing to blink at Steve. He looked at him like Steve's lost his mind.
"Stop freaking out?" Jonathan repeated. "What? You're sitting here, deathly allergic to raspberries when Nancy just bought some fresh raspberry shampoo yesterday!"
Steve waited a beat before smiling. "Oh, so that's the smell. See Jon, I told you it smelled different in here."
"What?"
That's when Nancy turned around, a huge smile on her face. "Steve, stop scaring him."
Steve immediately got off the bed and kissed Jonathan. He stayed stiff for a moment before pushing into it. Steve pulled away, a gleeful smile on his face.
"I'm just fucking with you Jon, I'm not allergic to raspberries, I'm allergic to peanut butter."
Jonathan blinked once before he glared. "I hate both of you."
Nancy laughed as she pulled Jonathan's sweatshirt on over a pair of Steve's sweatpants. She waltzed over and pressed a kiss to both Jonathan and Steve's necks, the smell of her new raspberry shampoo filled their noses.
"You guys are dumb."
"I'm dumb?" Jonathan spluttered. "He just faked an allergy!"
Steve hummed, reaching over and grabbing Jonathan's waist. "Let me make it up to you."
Jonathan immediately turned red but didn't move, lifting his head in a silent challenge. Steve smirked and leaned forward, kissing from Jonathan's collarbone up his neck to nibble at his ear. Eventually Jonathan relaxed under Steve hands and shuddered.
"Oh come on guys," Nancy groaned. "I just took a shower."
Steve paused and looked over at Nancy, causing Jonathan to whimper slightly.
"Nance, I'm making it up to him. Don't you want to help me?" He said, his voice low. Nancy's eyes widened and she smiled.
"Oh, definitely."
...
"I would lay you out in a second."
Steve reached over to the popcorn bag in Max's lap. "Then do it." He said without missing a beat.
Billy rolled his eyes but it was without malice. At this point they were simply playing their prescribed roles without a hint of heat behind any of it.
Since the first time Billy stayed over to get away from his father, there had been a couple more times with just him and with Max. While it was weird, somehow it felt natural, normal.
"You two better shut up." Max huffed, turning the volume on the television up higher. "We're gonna miss my favorite episode of The Office."
"You've seen this episode about twenty times."
"And what about it?" Max countered, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
Steve groaned dramatically, flopping his head onto Billy's shoulder. Billy tensed for a second but relaxed, gently shoving Steve away.
"Harrington, your hair is suffocating me." Billy sighed. "Get it away."
Steve glared. "My hair is a blessing."
"Your hair is stupid."
"My hair is stupid?"
"That's what I said."
"Well your face is stupid."
"My face is beautiful."
"Hardly."
"You know what, Harrington-"
"Oh my God!" Max exclaimed. "If I wanted to hear siblings fight I would've just gone over to Mike's house! If I knew you two being friends would get me two annoying brothers, I never would've suggested it."
Steve and Billy's mouths clicked shut.
Steve felt Billy and Max go stiff next to him as she must have realized what she'd implied and the silence was turning awkward, just like in the first couple of times Billy was in his house. And Steve didn't realize how comfortable he'd become with Billy and Max's presence.
He couldn't afford to lose that now. So Steve did what he did best: go with the flow.
"Max, I'd be grateful if I were you." He said casually. Steve leaned so his head was back on Billy's shoulder and his feet were pressed against Max's leg. "I am the best brother in the whole world. Not annoying at all. Unlike Mr. Ugly over here."
There was a pause and Billy exhaled harshly.
"I am not ugly. You wish you could look as good as me-"
"Steve, you don't even have siblings-"
Max didn't even seem to notice that the episode had finished and Billy didn't bother pushing Steve's head out of the way, to investing in arguing about how he was the better sibling.
Steve smiled, his chest warm, and began absently quipping back to them.
...
"I have a surprise for you."
Steve narrowed his eyes at Mike. It wasn't that he didn't trust him per say, but. Steve was pretty sure that Dustin, Max, El, Will and Lucas were all giving him matching looks and nothing about that screamed safe to Steve.
"Uh huh." He said dryly. "A surprise."
He was currently in the Byers home, sat on the floor of Will's bedroom, helping the kids go through his large multitude of sketchbooks.
Jonathan, Nancy and Joyce had been here but Joyce had to pop out because Hopper called and Nancy and Jonathan purposefully left him here to deal with them on his own, the snakes.
"Yeah," Will nodded, pushing another sketchbook onto his bookshelf and Steve's gaze softened. Will wouldn't pull out something that would kill him.
Probably.
"Alright?"
Dustin beamed and pulled out a blindfold and Steve began to write his will in his head.
They led him out of Will's room, down the hall to Jonathan's room, then past his room to the spare room that used to be Lonnie's. Steve tensed as they pushed him inside.
"Take of your blindfold." Lucas said, the telltale sound of him bouncing on the balls of his feet only increasing Steve's dread. He slowly peeled off the cloth and blinked rapidly, his eyes adjusting to the light.
Hopper, Joyce, Nancy and Jonathan were there, all crowded in the room, all wearing huge smiles that almost hurt to look at. Steve frowned, his eyes flickering around the room, looking for what he was supposed to be surprised about.
It was just a normal room, complete with a bed, a night stand, a mirror, a closet, a window. But, as Steve continued to look, he could see that one of his blankets was on the bed and some of his hoodies were in the closet. There was an AJR poster up on the wall; something that Jonathan would burn if it was anywhere near his room.
"I-" Steve's eyes stung and his voice was all choked up. "You-"
Hopper grinned, tilting his head forward slightly. "Come on son, you didn't think Joyce was kidding about the Guest room did ya?"
The kids were behind him, all waiting in anticipation, Jonathan and Nancy were were wearing matching smiles, Hopper was looking at him with such a soft look that Steve's own chest hurt, and Joyce-
Well, Joyce's eyes were wide and she had her arms wrapped around herself like she had to physically stop herself from pulling Steve into a hug.
"Do you like it?" She asked nervously. "I mean, I know you're used to things being bigger and more expensive but you said you liked my home because it was cozy and-"
Steve cut her off by pulling her into a hug. She paused for a second before hugging back tight.
"I- I love it." Steve whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt a little embarrassed at the waterworks but that was dashed when he heard Nancy and Jonathan sniffling. "Really Joyce, I wouldn't- God, I wouldn't change a single thing."
Joyce squeezed him once before pulling away, wiping the tears from her eyes. As soon as she took a step back, the kids practically tackled him, all with wet eyes and grabby hands.
Steve struggled to get his arms around them all. Lucas buried himself under Steve's arm, El pressed her face into his chest, Dustin's hat was knocked off by Will's arm, Max tucked her red hair into the crook of Steve's neck and Mike curled his fingers in the back of Steve's hoodie.
"You deserve a home that feels like home." Max whispered and the rest of the kids murmured their agreements. Steve wanted to argue. He wanted to say that- yeah, maybe he had a house that was cold and empty and huge and it echoed whenever Steve so much as took a single step, but he had a home. It was warm, it was comfortable, Steve could go when he felt unsafe or uncomfortable.
It just wasn't a place, it was a group of people.
"Thank you. I- I have no idea what to say-"
Jonathan smiled. "Just say you won't try to give us rent money and it'll be great."
Steve sniffled, looking up at Jonathan and Nancy with a shaky grin, already making monetary plans in his head. "Well, I shouldn't make promises that I can't keep."