When Eddie had asked Henderson and Wheeler to find a replacement for Sinclair for their penultimate session of the Vecna campaign, he hadn't had high hopes. Even so, Eddie had expected anyone or their grandmother over Steve Harrington.

Yet there he stood in the doorway, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. Not that Eddie could blame him. The rest of the guys were shooting glares over in his direction, and Henderson had to shove Steve towards the table so Ronnie could get in the room. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she quickly made her way to Eddie's side.

"You sure about this?" She whispered as they both watched Steve take Sinclair's usual seat.

"Nope. What choice do we have?"

"Literally anyone else?"

"Sit, Ecker, for all we know Steve can play."

It turned out Steve had played before and had some basic knowledge, at least enough to have a filled-in character sheet, so Eddie wasn't forced to create something on the spot. In fact, things started off pretty well, and Eddie thought they might get through this thing without incident.

Until the mines.

See, Eddie had been expecting his full, competent guild tonight, people who knew his play style. So he'd made the mines challenging to test them, and the decision was in Steve's hands: take the carts to go deeper or risk crossing the crumbling paths. There was no right answer; both were dangerous, but Steve - and the rest of the party - didn't know that. It didn't stop them from shouting suggestions at Steve, who was looking more confused by the second.

"Steve, we're obviously supposed to use the carts. It'll take forever to climb out of here!"

"No, the carts are a trap. It's exactly something Eddie would do."

"I rolled for perception; there's nothing wrong with the carts."

"There's nothing on the path either!"

"Enough!" Eddie called over the arguing, and he nodded at Steve when they fell silent. "It's your paladin's decision, so shut up and let him choose."

All eyes turned to Steve, who hesitated and then said, "The path?"

Half of the group groaned while Henderson patted Steve's shoulder with a nod. "Good choice. Let's move people!"

Of course, the path wasn't clear. Mike's far-sight roll hadn't been high enough to reveal the goblins lying in wait. It wasn't an easy fight, and by the time the party reached camp, most had only a few hit points left, thanks to Steve forgetting to use his shield ability. The glares he was receiving hadn't gone unnoticed, and Steve was gone before Eddie could even call for a break.

"Seriously, Henderson?" Gareth asked as the door shut behind Steve. "There wasn't anyone else you could've brought?"

"No! And Steve's not a bad player. He just gets confused sometimes!"

"He almost got us all killed. I told him we should have taken the carts!"

"And if you had, you'd still be stuck in the mines," Eddie said firmly, pushing away from the table. "Don't be so hard on the new guy. We were all like that once. Let's take a break."

Eddie looked around as he walked down the hallway, but all the doors were firmly shut. He checked the bathroom, but everything was quiet. Eventually, he found Steve outside, his silhouette unmistakable, sitting under a street lamp.

Clearing his throat as he approached, Eddie sat across from Steve on the picnic table, pulling out a cigarette. "Got a light?"

Steve slid one across the table, watching Eddie light up. "You don't have to say anything. I know I'm shit at your game. If you've come out here to tell me to sit out the rest, don't bother."

Eddie raised his eyebrows, blowing out smoke as he considered Steve. "Actually, I wanted to apologize for the guys back there. They're passionate, and sometimes they forget that not everyone takes the game so seriously. Not your fault, and there was no right answer, by the way."

"What would have happened if I chose the carts?"

"They would have tipped over, landing the party deep in the bowels of the mines. Would've been one hell of a fight but, alas, you chose the path."

"And the goblins."

"Again, not your fault. If Mike had rolled a seventeen instead of fourteen, you would've known what was coming." Eddie shrugged, holding out Steve's lighter. "It's all luck and there's not always a right answer. Go with your gut, brave Paladin. I have a feeling you've got more to give."

Steve took the lighter back, looking puzzled but a little happier. He'd stopped scowling at any rate. "Promise you're not luring me back in to kill me?"

"Where's the fun in that? Come on, they'll be waiting for us."

"Waiting for you."

"No, us. No party is complete without their paladin. Let's go."

The session continued fairly easily after their break. With the party back to full health and in high spirits, everyone had relaxed again. Eddie knew the forest didn't present much of a challenge but was glad of that, letting them feel comfortable again until they approached the keep. "You come to a door, carved from the wall itself. Above is an inscription; listen closely if you wish to proceed: I run smoother than most any rhyme; I love to fall but cannot climb. How do you proceed?"

The party shared dubious looks, and Ronnie spoke first. "My blade is Elvish. It's smooth. Roll to strike?"

She rolled an eighteen, receiving cheers around the table, but Eddie shrugged. "It has no effect. Not even a scratch."

"Ugh, come on! Okay, okay, I'll roll for a fireball," Jeff said, rolling a twelve.

"Again, no effect." Eddie watched with increasing enjoyment as they tried everything under the sun except the actual solution, including yelling at the door, again to no avail.

They went around and around the table until Henderson finally asked, "Steve?"

Steve hadn't voiced an opinion yet, and he looked startled to see that Henderson was asking for it. "W-what?"

"The riddle. What do you think?"

He looked around, eyes widening in panic at being put on the spot. "I, uh… can you repeat it?"

Ignoring the groans, Eddie did, watching Steve intently as his brow furrowed. He held up a finger when Gareth opened his mouth. "You had your turn. Be quiet and let him think."

Finally, Steve's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "I use my uh, water thing-"

"A gourd, Steve."

"Fine, my gourd, and I splash the door."

Everybody looked at him in stunned disbelief.

"It's water!" Steve said defensively. "Right, Eddie? That's how we open the door."

After a long pause, Eddie smiled. "Splashing water upon the door has caused it to crumble into wet sand. You can now proceed inside."

"Steve, you are amazing," Jeff said weakly. And suddenly, everyone was praising him and slapping his back. Eddie sat back and smiled, catching Steve's eye to give him a wink.

The game ended soon after, it was getting late, and Eddie still had to work a shit at the Hideout that night. He promised the final battle would be worth the wait, and everybody packed away, talking animatedly about their adventure.

"Good session," Ronnie told Eddie, coming over to help him pack up the board. "Can't believe I'm actually saying this, but Steve Harrington isn't half bad at this."

Speak of the devil. Steve appeared at Eddie's other side, smiling almost shyly. "Hey, Eddie? Thanks."

"I didn't do anything. It was all you, brave Paladin." Steve's smile widened, and he looked more than a little pleased with himself. This propelled Eddie to say his following words before he could consider the consequences. "I can teach you if you'd like. How to play properly? Really show those buttheads what you're made of."

Steve hesitated but then nodded. "I'd like that. Here, call me, and we can set up a date." He took Eddie's pen from his slack fingers and wrote a number in his notebook.

"Come on, Steve, I gotta get home!" Wheeler whined from the doorway.

"Kids," Steve muttered, then smiled. See you later?"

"Uh, yeah, totally." Eddie watched him leave, only snapping out of his stupor when Ronnie burst into a fit of giggles. Face burning, Eddie got up to pack away. "Shut up."

Ronnie batted her eyes, clasping her hands under her chin as she sighed, "Oh, Steve, my brave Paladin, I'd love to tutor you privately. It would be such an honor."

"I swear to god, Ecker, if you don't shut your mouth, you won't be getting a ride home." It was an empty threat, and she knew it. But Eddie wanted to save face. "If Steve's going to be in the final battle, you'll want him prepared."

"Right. I bet you'd even sneak him a peak of that book of yours if he asked nicely enough."

Rolling his eyes, Eddie picked up a box and headed for his van. "Depends on what he's offering."

"Ugh, too much information."

"I'll spare you the details then."

"Hey, who's the final boss?"

"You'll have to wait and see." Eddie ignored her attempts to get information as they packed up his van.

Turning, he caught sight of Steve ushering the kids into his car and was surprised when Steve waved, catching him staring, so he waved back. He wondered if Steve would be joining them next week or if Sinclair would be back. Either way, it was sure to be a good one, but a tiny part of him hoped it was Steve. After all, he didn't want his effort to go to waste. He had a feeling the next week was going to be a good one.