Robin looked up as the ducklings, as she liked to the call them, came running into the store. "Can we see him?"
"Oh Steve your kids are here!"
Steve came out of the back room holding a few movies and candy to restock the shelves. "Hey kiddos, what's up?"
"We wanted to know if you and Robin could come over today after work." Will said with a smile. "We are doing a movie night. Any good movies?"
Robin smirked. "I'll help them find a movie you bring the popcorn Harrington."
"On it." Steve smirked grabbing some popcorn off the shelves and a few different candies.
"Who's all in?" Robin queried.
"Max, Dustin, Mike, Lucas, El, Nancy, Billy, Eddie, Jonathan, you two, and Me. Mom and Hop are gonna be going on a date so they said we could do a sleep over with movies."
"Sounds like a party." Steve chuckled as he watched Max and El look over a card board cut out.
"We are having pizza too!" Dustin exclaimed while Mike and Will nodded enthusiastically. Lucas was following Robin around the store looking at tapes. They picked out a heartfelt romance, an action adventure movie and a horror.
They figured start with the worse one first and work their way up as the night progressed knowing after all the hell they'd been though it wasn't going to be awesome to end the night with a horror.
"Alright see you kids after work. Tell Billy and Eddie to make sure they bring extra blankets." Robin said with a smile. "I'll keep your mom safe before the shift ends."
The kids laughed and Steve rolled his eyes.
Theoretically Robin had become the group mom while Steve was the group babysitter. Billy was the muscle and kept the kids safe when he could, Eddie was good at keeping them rounded at Hell-Fire but otherwise the kids ran circles around him. Nancy and Jonathan worked well at being the sleuths of the group.
They did well as a working unit. The older teens took 'shifts' carting the little monsters they called children between school, the arcade, and one another's houses. Billy would bring them to the pool during his shifts when he could swing it and while El and Max found Hell-Fire to be a less then enjoyable experience they would at least join in to make sure everyone stayed together.
Eddie was aware of the girls not fully enjoying the game so he bought a mini arcade game for Max and El to play with.
Joyce's or Steve's house had become group hang out. Steve had a pool and was larger but his parents didn't always want everyone there. But Joyce's was safety. Joyce and Hopper were the only adults who fully knew what was happening and they knew very well that they preferred them to be around.
The place felt right for them to be so that's where they stayed.
The two enjoyed becoming the group parents. They didn't even mind the intrusion if they were being honest.
Billy, Eddie, Steve, and Jonathan helped Hopper build a fort/treehouse in the back to give the kids a safe haven.
Robin and Nancy adored Joyce and learned to cook to help Joyce when everyone came over, which was often.
As the team got ready to leave, Max called Billy. "Maxine."
"You know I hate that Billy," she grumbled but couldn't help but smile, they'd gotten much closer after he helped save El. "Robin says bring extra blankets."
"Alright little lady." He mumbled at her. "Babe Robin requests blankets!" Billy yelled causing Max to jump in surprise.
"Noted, blankets for the queen." Eddie yelled back as he stumbled half hazardously to find the blankets.
"See ya there little sis."
"See you Bills." She smirked hanging up. "Eddie calls you the queen?"
"I am pretty amazing." Robin snickered doing a fake curtsy. "Stay safe head right to the Byer's."
"Promise." El smiled waving as they took off for the bikes.
Steve and Robin headed to the Byler's the moment they closed the shop. They saw Billy's car so they knew Eddie and Billy were there, Nancy's car was there but Jonathan's wasn't. "The party has arrived." Robin shouted as she kicked the door open.
Eddie waved and Billy sat upright having been resting his head in Eddie's lap while the kids ran around chasing a ball El was using her powers on.
Nancy came around the corner with some bowls for the candy. "Perfect, now Jonathan needs to just get back with pizza and we are set."
"Told you we should have gone Nance." Billy remarked. "Eddie and I would have been back by now."
"You both would have been to distracted making out with one another to bring the pizza back. Or you'd get pulled over for speeding, and the cops in this town would have taken the pizza." Nancy rebutted with a smirk.
"He is the best kisser in all of Hawkins," Billy said without a care in he world, "and you know if either of those officers tried to take our pizza I'd make them see stars."
"We know you would Billy," Robin smirked, "it's why you're our muscle."
Billy smiled flexing his arms, Eddie hummed his approval.
Steve got the popcorn going while Robin poured the various candy in bowls. El smiled hearing a car door close. "Pizza's here."
The kids all ran to the door, Nancy held the door open for Jonathan who had six boxes of pizza in hand. "Pizza has been served." Jonathan smiled as he placed the boxes on the table. Everyone was quick to grab their slices and sit around the TV. Nancy sat in Jonathan's lap, Billy on Eddie's. Robin sat beside Jonathan and Nancy and Steve sat beside her and next to Eddie and Billy. The kids sat in a half moon on the floor in front of them on the floor. El and Max sat beside one another, Lucas on Max's right. Mike sat beside El, Will and Dustin beside them.
"Ready monsters?" Billy asked as he nodded to Robin who started up the film.
The kids nodded enthusiastically but prepared themselves for some fear. The kids looked up at the screen with big eyes as the main character was running down the hall away from whatever the big bad was. As the main character screamed the lights in the room flickered. Billy's head looked up at the lights his eyes narrowing. "Did anyone else notice the lights?" Billy whispered. Eddie nodded, and the kids seemed to ignore it. Jonathan and Steve did however notice the lights. Robin and Nancy were too engrossed in the movie to notice it however.
Billy bit his lip as he kept his eyes on the lights to see if they flickered again. As the movie continued and someone was killed the lights flickered some more, El was shaking and hiding her face in Max's arm. Mike squeezed her hand. They continued to watch the screen before them when the protagonist was sitting in the kitchen. The lights in the movie flickered and then a loud noise in the background of the movie startled the group. El screamed which caused the lights to flicker once more and everyone lifted up off the floor or couch a bit.
Everyone sat upright looking down at El who was shaking.
"Whoa, that was kind of epic." Max said with a smirk on her face. "You lifted us all up cause you got scared."
El nodded, Billy took a deep breath glad that she was the reason for the lights flickering and not some monster or creature. "Actually impressive." Billy agreed. "Can we finish the movie girly?"
El nodded. "Yes. No lie."
Billy nodded and Robin smirked, they were glad that the kids were okay. Steve was honestly impressed that El was able to lift them all up. After what happened at the Starcourt Mall her powers went out of whack, she still had them but wasn't able to control them very well anymore.
They continued to watch the movie when the big jump scar happened. El screamed again and shuffled back a bit. As El screamed everyone rose up quickly. Eddie held onto Billy and the couch while Jonathan held Nancy. Nancy managed to grab a hold of Robin. The kids were lower to the floor so when they rose up they didn't go as far as the teens on the couch. Steve hit the ceiling and slammed into the ground.
He groaned and rolled over coughing, everyone was quick to race to Steve's side. "Shit girl maybe no more scary movies." Eddie laughed as Robin shouted orders. Nancy raced to get ice while Billy and Jonathan picked Steve up and laid him on the couch.
"I'm sorry," Eleven said with a soft whine. "I didn't mean to."
"No.. no you're fine. We knew what you were capable of after the first time." Steve managed out after another groan. Robin sat beside him and iced his forehead while Nancy changed the movie over knowing very well they didn't need anymore accidents.
"Sorry." El repeated.
Steve smirked at her. "Don't.. really El, it was kind of cool, plus Billy beat the shit out of me in this very room. I've had worse."
"Sorry." Billy retorted. "I apologized the first time."
"I know you did." Steve retorted. "Really Eleven I'm okay. No Lie."
She smiled at his response, that was a good sign at least. That he was oaky, and she hadn't hurt him too badly. Robin smirked a bit as she set the ice on his forehead. She was happy to be the group 'mom'. She hoped to find a girlfriend to bring into the mix eventually, but for now she had her family to take care of.
"Steve, I think you get the most shit out of all of us." Eddie chuckled. "Honestly."
Steven nodded. "Worth it when it comes to these monsters." He coughed a bit again the wind having been taken out of him when he hit the ceiling without warning. The kids smirked at his comment. He was their group babysitter and they wanted to keep it that way.
"Alright, no more horror movies, lets all remember that one." Robin smiled as she propped Steve up while the others adjusted to the arm chairs and the kids went back to the floor.
They were going to keep having their movie night, even with the accidents. This was their crazy unorthodoxed family, and they were happy to have it anyway it came.