Chapter Text
Steve was stupid, El had decided. But not the kind of stupid that he seemed to be self-conscious about; that he wasn’t smart. No, Steve was the kind of stupid that meant he didn’t let people care about him, didn’t let people take care of him, didn’t let people help him because he didn’t think he was worth it.
Very, very stupid, El thought again as she squeezed Steve tighter in the back of Hop’s truck on the way to the hospital. She could feel the small shakes Steve’s body gave, how strained and tired his voice was when he said ‘I’m okay, I’m okay’ over and over, not that she could hear him very well over her own sobbed apologies.
Even when Steve was so hurt, he was still comforting El, and it made El feel so happy but so sad and angry somehow too. Because El thought Steve was gone and here he was, acting like El was more worthy of being worried for than himself. She really didn’t understand it.
She couldn’t offer as many denials or ‘no’s to Steve’s sorrys and concern for her as she wanted to, since El was very tired herself too. She had run so far, her worry and determination carrying her bare feet across the woods, desperately in the direction she knew was school until she finally cleared the trees, thankfully seeing the school once she stumbled into a clearing and Hop’s truck pulled up in front. He found her too easily, a fact that really upset El, since he made her stay in the car, made her promise as Mike and Lucas then spotted them, as if proving Hop’s point that El was too easily seen and needed to hide. She wanted - needed - to find Steve. But the boys reassured her, using their walkies to contact Max, who answered with Jonathan that they had found Steve, that he was okay.
El nearly cried some more when she heard Steve’s panicked voice yell at Max for telling everyone that he was hurt.
He was okay. At least for now. Hurt, but not gone.
When Steve finally did get back to the car, he didn’t look too hurt, but he looked so very tired. He couldn’t even walk right and needed to be helped by Jonathan and Hop. And he had band-aids and blood on his clothes and bruises too. El felt her tears come back then and so after he opened the door, she pulled a very surprised Steve into a hug and didn’t let go the whole car ride. Not until they got to the hospital and Hop made her wait in the car again because ‘too many people’. El wanted to fight him on it, but Hop made it clear that Steve couldn’t go in with El.
Steve saying that he was ‘fine’ and that he ‘didn’t need to go into the hospital at all’ is what finally got El to let go and agree to wait in the car. But she pouted tremendously about it. So did Steve, but it was for his own good.
And then, after many hours, after it was dark, Hop came back, but not with Steve.
“They need to keep him for the night.” Hop explained, looking tired, looking angry about something. But he turned in his seat, facing El as he explained carefully, “He needs to get more tests done tomorrow, to make sure that his head is okay.”
“Tests?” El asked, worry running through her. She knew tests. Tests were awful.
“It won’t hurt him.” Hop reassured her though, knowing what worried her, and she believed him. He then carefully explained what they were going to do next. “For tonight, we’re gonna go home. And then tomorrow, I’m gonna take Steve home.”
“Home?” El said, asking for a very important, specific answer. Hop understood her just fine.
He nodded, a small smile on his face. “Yeah, our home, don’t worry.” he said before the small smile was gone, replaced with that very angry look again. “His parents aren’t home. Haven’t been home for a while, apparently… Said they’re not comin’ back right now either. Too busy.” he seemed to spit the words. “And Steve needs to be watched. So, I offered to spare ‘em the trouble of booking a last minute flight. Steve’ll be staying with us for a while.”
And though El felt angry that Steve’s family wouldn’t be coming home for him, even when he was so hurt, she was sort of glad. Because it meant that Steve got to come home with them, back to the cabin, once he was done with his tests.
Which he had a lot to do, apparently, because it took so long for him to be ready to be picked up.
El kept busy all that next day. She took a shower at Hop’s insistence, but didn’t have the heart for the ‘full routine’ for her hair, not now. She talked with the Party on the walkie, filling everyone in on how Steve wasn’t home yet, but how she would tell them more information when he was. They were disappointed, but understood.
(She thinks that they were busy too, based on the sound of Joyce and Nancy, she thinks, speaking very loudly to Dustin and Lucas in the background. Something about stopping or planning a ‘siege’?)
El also made Hop’s bed, as that’s where Steve would now be sleeping because he was still getting better and needed to stay in a ‘real‘ bed, even though Steve was always unhappy about Hop offering to sleep on the couch, even though he always refused. This time however, Hop would not be offering. This would be Steve’s room for now.
El also spent time making sure there weren’t a lot of lights on in the cabin, especially in his room.
Steve had something called ‘epilepsy’ now, Hop said the doctor said. It meant that sometimes his brain would go all funny, that sometimes he couldn’t control his movements and his eyes would go blank, that he would hurt. But they gave him some medicine, and the doctor said he should improve. Not completely get better, it was something that Steve would apparently always have now, but the medicine should make his headaches better and make sure that his ‘fits’ didn’t happen very often.
They needed to avoid things that could cause his fits though, things like very loud noises or too bright lights. So it meant no TV or stereo for a while, which made El a little sad because she loved to do those things with Steve and knew Steve liked those things too. But that was okay. Soon, because of the medicine, he’d be able to do those things again anyway. Hop said the doctor had said so. They just needed to wait for the medicine to start working, and Steve needed to get better from his last fit in order for that to happen.
It was already dark again by the time Steve finally came home that day. There really must have been a lot of tests.
El made sure it was very quiet in the cabin for Steve and there were only one or two lights on in the house. It was very dark, but El didn’t mind. When the knock sounded on the door - Steve’s knock! - El opened the locks with her hands instead of her powers, so she could be slow and careful, so it wouldn’t make a lot of noise.
Then there was Steve. His hair was all matted, like it had been touched and moved around a lot - El was happy that no one had to shave it though, she thinks Steve would have been sad if he had to do that like El used to. His bruise on his face was darker now, but El knew that bruises got darker before they got better. His usually darker-than-her’s skin was very different now. Lighter. Pale. He was also in a different sweatshirt than he had been wearing yesterday, but he was still wearing the same jacket; the one that was Hop’s (which caused El to smile). She noticed that Steve still looked very tired though, so after she hugged him very tightly, but not too tightly, she took him by the hand and led him to Hop’s room - Steve’s room, for now - so he wouldn’t bump into anything in the dark. She made him sit on the bed, taking off his shoes and then putting them to the side, fetched him a glass of water, and then wished him goodnight, making sure he had extra blankets and pillows so that his head would be comfy.
As El closed the door, she noticed Steve's surprised little look, the one he got when he wondered why someone was being so nice. He hadn’t even managed to say a word really all night, El pretty much making sure he was comfy and ready to sleep as soon as possible. He looked like he needed sleep.
When the door had finally closed and Steve offered no sort of protest, Hop held out his hand to her.
El smacked her hand against Hop’s. A high-five, but low.
“Good job, kid.” Hop said quietly, voice laced with pride. And sounding a little bit teasing. He turned to her and smiled. “I think we caught ‘im.”
El smiled back. She hoped so too.
They wouldn’t let Steve hide now. No matter how hard he tried.
Things were quieter in their little cabin than they had ever been before after that, but that was okay. El sort of liked this new change.
Hop didn’t go into work right away the next day. In fact, he was up and making breakfast before Steve or El (which is something he hadn’t done in a while, especially not when Steve slept over). El woke before Steve and noticed that Hop was trying very very hard to be quiet. It was hard for him though most times because he was so big. He was doing a good job today though, and El was proud of him.
Usually the first to rise, Steve didn’t come out of his room until much later, further proving that he was very tired, since he had let Hop ‘struggle’ in the kitchen for so long without any help. When he came out of the room, he was now in a new shirt and a pair of comfy pants Hop had left in the room for him. They were a little too big on Steve since they were Hop’s, the pants too long at the feet and the shirt too baggy on his top, but that was okay. He looked comfier than he did yesterday in his jeans and slightly bloody sweatshirt.
Steve had approached so quietly that El almost didn’t notice him, standing in the doorway.
“Hi.” El greeted softly when she noticed him, offering him a smile. She couldn't help it, she was so happy to see him. And they sorta had a sleepover, something Steve hadn’t done with them in a long time.
El’s greeting caused Hop to turn away from the stove, almost not noticing Steve either since he was being very quiet today. “Morning, kid.” Hop greeted Steve, pulling the big pan of eggs away from the stove. “Hungry?”
“N-Not really.” Steve said, voice quiet and croaky, like a frog. It made El frown. ‘Not hungry’ wasn’t a very Steve-like answer. El’s never seen him refuse food someone had offered him before.
“Try to eat a piece of toast or something?” Hop suggested, scooping some of the eggs onto three plates, probably thinking the same as El. “Shouldn’t take your meds on an empty stomach.” he warned and oh. That was important information. El would make sure that she’d remember that.
El then took the plates, with her hands, and put them onto the table as Hop grabbed the toast. El looked to Steve then.
He was still standing in the doorway.
El sighed. She thought that this might be a bit hard. Steve was always so…resistant when it came to people helping him. So, she walked over to Steve and grabbed his hand. “Come on.” she said, pulling Steve towards the table.
Steve followed, a bit wobbly on his feet, El noticed worriedly, so she made sure he got to the table alright and sat him down. She then got forks and put one down right on Steve’s plate for him.
Then Steve just looked down at the food, an upset look on his face.
El didn’t really know what that upset look meant, but thankfully Hop seemed to. “Nauseous?” he asked.
Steve still didn’t look up from the food, his mouth pulling into a longer frown. But he nodded. Slowly.
He was being very quiet today, El noticed again worriedly. And he was squinting a lot.
El looked around the room to see what could be the cause, remembering the things Dustin had read to her on the walkie last night; ‘possible triggers’. Her eyes landed on the kitchen window then. There was a little sliver in between the curtains, letting in some light for Hop to cook. He didn’t need it now though, and Steve needed it closed, so El used her powers to close it.
She regretted it, because Steve jumped at the sound, looking at the curtains with wide eyes.
“Sorry.” El apologized, feeling very bad. She can’t believe she messed up so quickly.
“N-No. No, it’s okay.” Steve said, letting out a quick breath, as if to calm down before he turned back towards them. His shoulders untensed, slowly. “Sorry.” he now apologized instead, causing El to feel worse.
“Nothing to be sorry for, kid,” Hop spoke up, thankfully coming to El’s rescue, finally pulling out a chair and sitting down too. “You’re gonna be out of sorts for a few days, especially with your meds. But once you get used to them, everything should feel back to normal again.”
“‘Normal.’” Steve repeated, sounding like he was laughing at the word, a laugh that sounded like he didn’t actually find it very funny, not really. Steve then looked up at Hop, with his tired eyes and he grimaced, looking like he regretted saying that. “Sorry, Chief. But I don’t feel like any of…” he began, looking around the room, until that uncomfortable look - nausea - returned to his face again. He looked back down to the table and tried again, “Any of this is normal.”
“No.” Hop said, causing Steve to look back up at him without lifting his head. Hop met Steve’s gaze very steadily, before he continued, “But it will. Give it time, son.”
Steve looked at Hop some more, his mouth was opened a little bit as he seemed to think, a little bit of his hair hanging in his face. It looked like he’d need to wash it again soon, it was too shiny and limp now, not how El’s ever seen it before today…
“Right.” Steve eventually said in a sigh, El feeling relieved when Steve finally picked up his fork and started to eat a little bit, even having some eggs. He didn’t seem like he completely believed Hop, but it looked like Hop made him feel at least a little better, since Steve managed to eat most of the eggs - even though Hop made them very plain, something that Steve usually complained about, but seemed to appreciate now. He only had a few bites of toast before his sick look came back and he stopped.
Hop then got Steve some water and picked up a white bag from the counter that had a little orange bottle inside of it, filled with Steve’s new medicine. Hop shook out a couple of the small things inside - medicine that came in a ‘tablet’ - and then placed them in Steve’s hand. El was glad Steve wouldn’t need any medicine from a needle like she used to, when she lived at the Lab. Those kinds of medicine were usually painful, and she thinks Steve could use less pain right now.
Though Steve didn’t seem much happier with the pills either, a grimace on his face as he put them in his mouth and then took some big sips of water soon after. He was quiet as he continued to sit at the table, drinking the rest of his water very slowly. But that was okay, because Hop had his coffee to drink and El her juice; it was a ‘coffee and contemplation’ type of morning and that was just fine by El. She usually only had those with Hop - Steve’s mornings were the exact opposite, ‘coffee and chaos’ (Hop’s words) whenever he stayed here before, usually because he would sing loudly to the stereo or radio as he cooked many things at once, moving from place to place in their kitchen very quickly. But since Steve needed some quiet today, they could have one of Hop’s preferred mornings and they could enjoy their different drinks, all together.
“The kids are grabbing some things from your place for you.” Hop spoke up again after a bit, Steve looking up at him, confused. Hop then carefully explained, “You’ll be staying here for a while. Long as you like. Or probably not.” Hop seemed to change his mind. He gave Steve a knowing look. “Probably as long as we’d like, ‘cause you and I both know that you’d be out that door already if you had your way.”
Steve finally smiled a little bit at that. “Yeah…” he said, before he seemed to worry about something again. “You said the kids are, uh, getting my stuff…?”
“Yep.” Hop confirmed before taking another sip from his coffee. “You’ll get it a bit later. Anything you need in specific?”
Steve shook his head, seeming to regret the motion, based on how he soon closed his eyes and sat still for a second. “N-No.” he eventually said instead, eyes still closed.
“Hair stuff.” El spoke up finally, drawing both Steve and Hop’s attention. “You can use mine. When you want.” she offered Steve. “I can do hair for you too. When you feel better.”
Steve’s face scrunched up a little bit then. Not annoyed or angry but…sad. Happy-sad. “T-Thanks, kid.” Steve seemed to choke out. “But, not right now. I think I…need to lie down? I’m still pretty… I-I don’t feel so good right now.” he seemed to struggle to say.
“No problem, kiddo.” Hop directed at Steve, who looked a little bit surprised and embarrassed at the use of that word for him. “Why don’t you go on and head back to bed? The kid and I can clean up in here.”
El got up then, holding out her hand to Steve before he could try to fight Hop on that suggestion. “Come on.” she said again. Steve looked at her hand, that surprised-embarrassed look back again, before he let out a little breath. A little laugh.
Then he took El’s hand and let her help him up from his seat and she led him back to his room, letting him lean on her just a bit when he seemed to struggle to walk straight. She led Steve to the bed and he sat down, giving her an embarrassed look but not saying anything when El just gave him a hard stare, her best impression of Hop. Steve sighed, giving up on fighting for once as he swung his legs up onto the bed and El then drew the covers over him. His pale face was a little bit pink as he turned away towards the wall, and El smiled, glad to see some color back.
“Sleep tight.” she smiled in return before she turned off the table lamp and quietly pulled the door closed (but she kept it open just a little bit, just in case Steve needed to call to them).
Steve offered a quiet little ”Thanks.” that was slightly muffled by the blankets since El tucked them up to his chin, to make sure he would be warm.
She then went to join Hop in cleaning up the dishes, making sure she kept her steps light.
“Will take time.” El said to Hop as she helped dry the pan that Hop had already cleaned the eggs out of. “But he will get better. Yes?” she said to him, not really asking.
Steve was embarrassed, and probably still felt a little like he didn’t need or deserve the help that was to come from her and Hop. But the way he laughed quietly, sighed, and just took El’s hand and let her lead him and tuck him in - take care of him - told her that he was willing to at least try to let El and Hop show him that he did deserve those things.
Hop smiled at her observation. “You bet. He’s a tough kid.” he said, and El could hear how much he liked Steve for that - ‘fondness,’ she thinks it was called.
“Very. Too tough.” El added, a little bit frustrated. “Need to make him like help.” she declared, sharing her plan.
Hop huffed a laugh. “That’ll be tough, yeah…” he trailed on purpose, as he started washing the plates. “But we can do it. He’ll fight us like hell though.”
El nodded. “A fighter.” she shared. She had figured that out for herself just before.
“Through and through, it seems...” Hop agreed with another laugh, another fond look.
Hop was right. It would be tough to make Steve feel better. He seemed very off right now. Not bad, just different. Quieter. El imagined he still didn’t feel very good, that he was probably a little bit embarrassed and confused a lot right now. But that was okay, because El and Hop would help him understand. Help him feel better any way that they could. It’s what Steve always did for her, after all.
Steve came back out of his room a little later in the day, looking a little tired but much less than he did earlier. He didn’t look so pale either. His hair was further messed up as he scratched his head, going to rub his eye but regretting it when he remembered too late that he had new hurts on his face. He looked around the cabin, seeming a bit confused.
“Where’s Hopper?” Steve eventually asked, once he had apparently finished taking in where he was. El could somehow still hear the sleepiness in his voice, like he wasn’t completely awake yet. That must mean he slept very deeply. She was glad that her and Hop must’ve done a good job in being quiet.
El put her magazine down on her lap, turning back to look at him, a happy smile on her face not just because Steve rested, but because he had said ‘Hopper’. Not ‘your dad.’ Not ‘the Chief’. Hop would be sad he missed it though. El hoped Steve would say it again once he got home.
“Needed to go.” El informed. “Fixing things at school.”
Steve’s eyes lit up in understanding, a worried little look crossing his face as he seemed to think about what that meant. There was no point in worrying about it though, so El scooched over and patted the spot on the couch next to her.
“Sit?” she requested, lifting the magazine into the air. Rolling Stone, the kind that Steve told her to hide from Hop because the content could be ‘more than just a little PG’ sometimes. “I can read to you.” she offered, even though she knew it’d be hard to read without his help (she didn’t want him to hurt his head more by trying to read right now, not for her sake). She could manage though.
Steve looked surprised, but sighed, slowly walking over to sit next to her, El throwing her blanket over him too, quite pleased that he didn’t try to fight her right now either. He was learning very quickly.
“Anything good?” Steve asked, leaning back onto the couch’s arm. El then rearranged his legs, so they were in her lap, and then placed the magazine over them. He had long legs. He’d be more comfortable if he could stretch them out.
“Madonna.” she smiled, knowing Steve quite liked her.
“Nice, nice…I…” he trailed with a very small bob of his head. But it seemed that Steve had something he wanted to ask her first before they read. “I—. Hey, kiddo. About the other day…” he trailed again, but this time he stopped, for some unknown reason.
El was sort of glad Steve seemed to want to talk about this though. She wanted to talk about it too, namely how worried she was because Steve decided not to share his problems with them. She hadn’t said anything yesterday or this morning though because she knew he needed rest. But, since Steve was bringing it up himself, El thought it must be okay now. He must be ready. El certainly was.
“Really worried.” El said, unable to keep the slight bit of annoyance from her tone as she put the magazine down on top of Steve’s socked feet peeking out from the edge of the blanket. “You were hurt. Been hurting, but you never said.”
“Yeah,” Steve answered, seeming uncaring about himself hurting, looking up at the ceiling. “I didn’t wanna worry you. I didn’t wanna worry anybody, I guess.” he said.
El sighed. He never did. And yet…
El pinched his leg, causing Steve to jerk a little bit and look down from the ceiling and back at her, surprised. “You not saying… Made me more worried.” El carefully worked out how to say. She wanted to be sure that Steve would understand her.
Steve swallowed, legs relaxing in El’s lap again. “Sorry.” he eventually said. “It’s hard for me to ask for help sometimes. I…didn’t really realize that until before now.” he admitted quietly, seeming to also carefully think about the words he was saying, based on the way his eyebrows were scrunched up. Then he laughed, very soft. It sounded more like a not-happy-with-himself sound than anything though. “Actually, Max pointed that out to me. She’s mad at me for that too...”
El let out a little noise of her own, but it was more like a frustrated-but-accepting sigh. Max was very helpful. She was one of the first people to get to Steve when he was hurt, and that lesson - to say when he was hurt - was one that El thought was very important for Steve to learn too, just like Max apparently did. And El told her to hurry and she did, so El was grateful for that too. El doesn’t know why she was a little surprised though. Max had helped Steve and El before after all. Maybe Max wasn’t so bad.
“Means you should stop. Stop not saying.” El explained, deciding to save complicated thoughts about Max for a different time. But then, she decided to add, “And good she helped. Happy I called her.” voice very honest. She knew it’d make Steve happy to hear that, so she figured she should admit it.
But Steve didn’t seem to know that El called Max. “You did?” he asked.
El nodded. “Yes.”
“Oh.” Steve said, seeming to think. Then he said, “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” El answered, not really thinking there was any reason to thank her.
Steve was quiet a little more and El let him be. He was finally talking more than he did at breakfast, but his voice was still slow and low. But El would be patient. He was always patient with her. “When I was…uh, having my little freak out. For a second there I thought… Well, my memory of what happened isn’t so good, but for a second I thought that…I saw you. In the alley. You were, like, there, but not there, at the same time? So…were you? There, I mean?”
“Yes.” El answered, surprised. That day, she had thought Steve had looked at her too, but only for a second. She thought she imagined it, but… “You saw me?”
“I…Y-Yeah. Yeah, I think I did.” Steve answered, not looking at El, looking like he was trying very hard to remember. Hop said the doctor said that problems with Steve’s memory might happen sometimes and Steve just said he didn’t remember all that well, so she let him take his time. Ask whatever questions he wanted. Finally, Steve looked back up at her. He seemed ready now. “How did that happen, exactly? How were you…almost there?”
El didn’t really have a good way to explain that though. So, she tapped her head. “I went looking. Saw you. I was watching. You scared me.” she kept going in her explanation. She figured the more she said, the more Steve would understand. But that wasn’t how it went.
Steve tilted his head a little bit. “You like, had a vision? Of me?”
“Sorta.” El said with a frustrated shrug. But that answer wasn’t really right, so she did her best to explain again. “I did not just see. I looked. Watched you at school. I was worried.”
Steve looked surprised. Very surprised. “You were watching me? Like…all day?”
“Sorry.” El apologized, feeling bad that he must be upset about it.
“No, it’s uh, it’s okay.” Steve said though, making El feel better. “You saved my ass, after all. I’m sorry that I scared you.” he apologized instead.
“It’s okay.” El returned, feeling relieved. She didn’t regret watching Steve - it helped her save him after all - but she could get that maybe it was…weird? She was glad he wasn’t upset though. But, El wouldn’t have needed to look for him if Steve had told someone what was wrong. That he was hurting. So, El decided to continue, “You need to say when hurt. When you need help. When you need rest. You did good job at breakfast. But remember…do it more. Understand?”
Steve looked surprised again, the kind he got when people showed they cared about him and he didn’t quite know why. But then he smiled, lightly, almost helplessly. “Yeah. Yeah, you got it, kid wonder...” he agreed with a sigh, El glad that he was quickly learning to be less of a fighter when it came to this. “Hey. How about we hear that Madonna story now? What’s it about?” Steve then asked, relaxing into the couch a little bit, much to El’s relief. Good. He needed rest. He shouldn’t worry so much about things that were done now.
El turned back to the magazine in her lap, a smile of her own on her face. Before she looked at the words. She then focused very carefully on reading them right. “‘Ma-donna…and…Ro…sanna. Their new movie is…hot’.” she read aloud. But she looked at the cover a little bit confused. She picked her head up and asked, “How is it hot?”
“Probably just because Madonna’s in it.” Steve answered in a tone suggesting he found whatever he said to be a little bit funny. “Rosanna Arquette’s pretty cute too though.” he seemed to decide, with a small little shrug before he leaned into a cushion, getting a little bit more comfy.
But El was still confused. “Why their…temperature? Why is it important?”
Steve’s eyes then widened. Suddenly he seemed less comfy now. “Oh. Uh. We haven’t come across that word yet? How…? Literally, how?” he said, sounding a little bit panicked and like he was mostly talking to himself. El frowned. She didn’t mean to confuse or upset him. He just started to relax. El wasn’t doing a good job of watching him while Hop was out if Steve was stressed. Steve seemed to recover though thankfully. Sorta. “Okay, nevermind. Fantastic… Uhhh…there’s like a couple a’different meanings.” he tried very hard to explain. El would have interrupted, if he gave her a chance. She didn’t want to make his head hurt for nothing. “One way is like…something is new and like, really cool and popular right now.”
El nodded, appreciating his careful explanation. He didn’t look like he was hurting right now either, so she was glad for that. And then El heard a knock on the door, a knock she knew well. So, El unlocked the door with her powers, but she still wanted to continue their conversation, so she asked a ‘follow up’. “So something can be ‘really cool’ and ‘really hot’?”
Steve seemed very focused, because he didn’t seem to hear the door. El must have been getting better at being quieter with the locks too. Steve nodded, “Uh, yeah. Yeah, it can. They’re just words to describe something that you like. Like bitchin’.”
“Okay.” El said. It made sense. But then, “What other meaning? You said a couple.”
“Uhh, I did, didn’t I?” Steve said, scratching the back of his head, more gently than he usually did, El couldn’t help but sadly notice. “Shit…uh, it’s like a way of saying that someone is really beautiful… I-I guess it’s a less gentlemanly way of saying she’s really pretty.”
She filed ‘gentlemanly’ away momentarily, because she had something else she was interested in saying. “Nancy’s hot.” she said definitively.
Steve jerked, as if he had been hit. “H-Huh!?” he voiced, sounding very surprised.
“Nancy’s really pretty.” El explained, having a good idea as to why Steve was being so strange. But she didn’t see any other problem in making her point. “And nice. Do you think that too?”
“Yeah!” Steve quickly agreed, as if he thought he’d be in trouble if he didn’t, or like he thought the answer was obvious, maybe. “W-Well, yeah and no. Nancy’s not hot. She’s beautiful.” he said very evenly, as though he were very serious. Like he very much meant it.
“Well, I was about to be really offended, but thanks, Steve.” Nancy then said.
Steve jumped, El thinking for a moment that he’d been hurt, but he was just surprised, it seemed, that Nancy had been able to enter the cabin without his notice. El must have been very good at trying to be quiet for him.
“N-Nancy?!” Steve screeched, his face almost turning white again, looking like he began to breathe heavily. Both El and Nancy then became very worried.
“Okay?/Are you okay?” El and Nancy asked at the same time, El scooting closer on the couch to check him and Nancy dropped all the bags she was carrying with a loud thump as she knelt on the ground in front of Steve, getting close but still keeping her distance.
“F-Fine, fine!” Steve quickly said, looking a little bit shaky, so El grabbed one of his hands and held it in her own, giving it a pat. She knew he liked that when he felt overwhelmed. It seemed to work as El wanted, since Steve slowly untensed. He even gave El’s hand a little squeeze. “I’m fine. Just scared me, s’all… What’re you doing here, Nancy?”
Nancy frowned, looking confused. “Didn’t Hopper tell you I was coming?” she asked, looking at the three bags she had brought with her that Steve didn’t notice yet. “I have your stuff.”
Steve seemed to be surprised as he looked at the bags, his eyes wide. “Jesus, Nance, I’m not movin’ in.”
Nancy smiled very softly before she got to her feet once she was satisfied that Steve seemed okay. “Yeah, well, the kids might have gone a little bit overboard. I’m just the delivery girl. Something they are very upset over.”
Steve frowned, confused still. “Why? What’s wrong? Are they okay?”
Nancy’s little smile then disappeared, replaced with a look that seemed disbelieving-but-not. “Yes, they’re fine. They’re worried about you, Steve. They’re pissed they’re not allowed to come and check on you themselves.” she revealed, sounding a bit frustrated. El knew that though, that the Party wanted to come to the cabin, since she’s been giving them updates about Steve on the walkie. It didn’t seem like Steve did though, based on his open-mouthed look. Nancy continued, “Do you know how much extra crap they gave me because they thought it was ‘vital for your recovery’?” she asked, bringing her hands into the air and making a weird motion with her fingers at a certain string of words - ‘air quotes’.
“Oh.” Steve said, looking like he didn’t think that could be a reason at all. El shook her head.
Nancy seemed annoyed at Steve not knowing - at his ‘obliviousness’ - too. But she instead got back up onto her feet, looking down at Steve very closely.
It then got very, oddly quiet as Nancy and Steve sort of just stared at each other. Well, Nancy waited patiently, checking Steve over with her eyes to make sure that he was okay. Steve fidgeted.
El shook her head again, giving Steve’s hand another pat before she carefully removed his legs from her lap and went to the bags.
“I’ll put in room.” El said, not asking as she went to the bags and lifted them up with her powers, since they seemed heavy. She thinks that Nancy and Steve wanted a second to speak together, and thought that maybe it would be easier if she wasn’t there.
“You don’t have to—” Steve started to protest, but El put up another hand - ‘the hand’ - so Steve could talk to that instead of making any protests. The way Steve shouted with much dramatic shock ‘I should have never taught you that!’ made El giggle, before she closed the door to Steve’s room, but not all the way. She left a couple of inches again.
She began to unpack, seeing lots of clothes and things that Steve would need while staying here. Even a toothbrush and his combs. And then there were some records too, with different notes attached to them with tape - the sticky kind.
Notes that said things like;
Warning: He will scream #6 at the top of his lungs and dance very terribly. - Dustin
He likes to pretend to know all the words to #13 but he just mumbles very confidently. - Lucas
He knows all the words to all the songs but likes to pretend he doesn’t. - Lucas
#1, 2, 3, 10 are his favorites. - Dustin
# 4. For when Steve’s really in his feelings. - Max
El smiled at the notes and records. It was a very thoughtful thing to do. Steve liked to listen to music for ‘background noise’. Maybe it would help him feel better? She knows they should avoid loud noises, but TV pictures were worse for him, weren’t they? Maybe a record playing very quietly would be okay?
El also noticed a couple of containers - a tupp-a-ware and a thermos - which had attached to it a note that said;
Feel better! Call if you need anything. - Joyce ♡
El smiled, having a good idea of what it might be. She thinks that it’s probably Joyce’s chicken soup in the thermos. It tasted a little different than the one Hop got from the can - ‘saltier,’ she would learn - but she liked the taste, liked that Joyce would make it for her and give it to Hop whenever he mentioned El being sad or sick. El was sure Steve would like the fact that Joyce made it for him too.
El went to go and put away the thermos and the tupp-a-ware - which looked like it had some crackers inside - before she paused at the door, something stopping her.
“Have you been taking your medication?” El could hear Nancy ask from the living room. This was the reason El left the door a little bit opened, she must admit. She felt a little bad for listening in, but her desire to look out for Steve won over any bad feelings she had.
“Yeah.” Steve answered, voice sounding distant, but not just because of how far away he was. His response was purposefully short. Very unlike the usual Steve, who El thought was slowly coming back… Nancy must have made Steve feel like he needed to hide again. El frowned, but kept listening.
“How’re you feeling?” Nancy seemed to try again as she stepped lightly across the creaky floor and then sat on the couch next to Steve.
“Okay.” was all that Steve said again though. Predictably.
“‘Okay’...” Nancy repeated, apparently annoyed with the answer too. She was also apparently done letting Steve give his one-word answers, because she continued in a slightly annoyed tone, “You’re not okay, Steve. You had a seizure. You had to go to the hospital.”
“Okay, yeah, I got some memory problems sure, but I do remember that much, Nancy, Jesus. Give me some credit here.” Steve said quickly, the tone he had when he was uncomfortable. “And, in any case, I’m still not sure that any of that was entirely necessary…” he added on, voice in a mumble.
Maybe El should go back out there, actually. So she could hit him.
Nancy let out a frustrated noise, clearly angry, but she seemed to move on, “Are you going to press charges?” she asked. El tried to listen better, even though she didn’t really understand what Nancy just asked.
“Press charges?” Steve repeated, seeming like he didn’t know what Nancy meant either, but for different reasons than El. “Against Billy?”
“Of course against Billy! He assaulted you, Steve.” Nancy said very pointedly, her voice sounding higher as she tried to keep quiet but her frustration with Steve, with the situation, got the better of her. “Twice now, in fact. He caused you to have a seizure. He—”
“He didn’t mean to do that…” Steve argued, a little weakly.
“He was the whole reason you had one to begin with! It doesn’t matter if he ‘didn’t mean’ to make the seizure happen!” Nancy was actually almost-shouting. “Again, he assaulted you! Again.”
“You weren’t there, Nancy!” Steve finally answered back with as much emotion as Nancy, sounding ‘riled up’ and causing worry to flood El. He shouldn't be getting stressed like this. El should go out there and stop this. It was a bad idea to leave them alone, maybe.
But then, Steve seemed to take a breath, as if to calm himself. “Look, Nance, if he so much as glares at me, I’ll literally go marching to Hopper myself. But I think the Billy problem it’s… I think we’re good now.”
“You’re good?” Nancy repeated, sounding like she found the idea very silly.
It was Steve’s turn to let out a frustrated noise now. “You weren’t there, Nance. You didn’t see his face. Billy he was…he was spooked.”
Nancy was very quiet then. “We have evidence. We don’t have to let him get away with it again.” she said when she spoke again, sounding like she was giving up on trying to argue with him, but was giving it one last shot. “He doesn’t deserve it, Steve.”
“Truthfully, I’m not really doing it for him.” Steve said, voice sounding a bit mean (not like El thought he was wrong to do that though). “It’s more for Max than anything. But if he bothers her or me again then…yeah. Yeah I’ll say something. But like I said, I think maybe this…scare drove the message home. The message to leave us alone. I mean, what’s a better piece of blackmail than ‘if you bother me again, I’ll spazz out so hard, it’ll land me in the hospital and your ass in jail’?”
“You didn’t ‘spazz out,’ Steve. You had a seizure.” Nancy said again, as if to remind Steve, her voice pitched very high in her frustration and disbelief. “You have epilepsy now. Forever.”
“I know, Nancy.” Steve bit out, sounding annoyed again too. “I saw the official diagnosis and all that other shit with my own eyes, you know? That’s what happens when you sign the paperwork…”
“And you’re here…” Nancy said, as if to herself, seemingly having nothing to do with what they were talking about. “Your parents really aren’t coming home?” she then asked, and El understood a little bit better then, she thinks. She was still upset that Nancy seemed to be getting Steve more worked up then El thought she should, but Nancy was smart. And, El thinks, maybe one of the only people who could get through to Steve. Maybe one of the only people to notice something sad, something wrong like that and point it out to him.
“They’re busy, Nance.” Steve huffed, still sounding very frustrated but now El could hear something else there. Something that sounded a little bit sad. Something that sounded like he was trying to reason with Nancy as much as he was trying to reason with himself. “They have, like actual conferences and shit this week. And besides I’m 18 now, so I didn’t even, like, need them at the hospital really. For, y’know, paperwork, and shit. I got a healthcare card.” he explained, sounding more and more uncertain as he went on.
“Steve,” Nancy began quietly. Sadly. “I don’t mean ‘for paperwork’...”
Suddenly, El felt a strange change in the air. Like the fight was over.
“Yeah...” Steve breathed out after a moment, long and sad sounding. Whatever Nancy had been trying to do finally seemed to be working. “Yeah, I don’t think I did either, really… Hopper - the Chief—” Steve corrected, which El wasn’t very happy about. “—was with me the whole time though.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Nancy said, El able to hear that the smile was now back on her face. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there.” she added quietly, causing El to change her earlier thought. Maybe it was only a little smile.
“I didn’t mean that before, Nance, about you not being there.” Steve said quickly, the regret clear in his voice. “It’s okay. I mean, I can’t have practically the entire student body of Hawkins Middle and High playing hooky just for me, after all.” he said in a joking tone, and Nancy laughed, small and tiny, but it was a laugh.
Steve was very good at making people laugh, El thought, but he used this ability at weird times. Times when people were trying to worry about him. Very tricky…
“Besides…El and Hopper have been looking after me real good.” Steve spoke up again, and El smiled, both at the true statement itself and because Steve didn’t correct Hop’s name this time. “Double besides, you apparently had your little spy looking after me for you.”
“He’s not my spy, but…” Nancy said with a bit of mock offense in her voice. Not that El really knew what they were talking about. El would have worried that the ‘spy’ was something bad, had Nancy not then sighed, “He worries about you too, you know?”
“Yeah, well, I guess I got a little whiff of that today.” Steve seemed to give up with a dramatic whine. “You shoulda seen him in action, Nance. Get what you see in him. Real dashing.” he teased, but there was something a little bit sad and…wanting in his voice.
“Steve…” Nancy sighed again, voice very sad. Sadder than it had been this whole time.
“I appreciate you guys looking out for me.” Steve spoke up again before Nancy could say anything else, maybe try to address Steve’s own sad tone. But Steve never gave her the chance. He never gave people the chance to do that, El noted a bit angrily.
That wasn’t good for him to do. Sometimes, it was just nice to sit with your emotions and, El thinks, she may have the perfect thing to help Steve with that, thanks to their friends.
With a sense of determination, El exited the room and headed to the record player in the living room with one of the albums with Max’s helpful notes. She knew that Steve really liked this group of singers - even though he pretended not to sometimes. She pulled out the record, counting the lines - the grooves - in the way that Steve taught her, so she could find just the right song and play it now and not have to wait. She put the record down and then placed the needle over the line she wanted - number 4 - and let it play, making sure she turned the volume very low though before she did.
Steve and Nancy turned to El when the music started, apparently not noticing her coming in. They both had very, very wide eyes though as the guitar continued to slowly ‘pwang.’
“A song for feeling better.” El decided to happily explain, smiling at Steve. “ABBA.” she added.
Nancy still looked very surprised, but then Steve gave a very, very wide smile and said, “Kid wonder, you get me down to my very soul.” before he then, very carefully and a bit shakily, stood up, dropping the blanket to the couch. Nancy stood up with him, reaching out and supporting him as if she didn’t think twice to do it.
“Steve, what’re you doing?” Nancy asked worriedly. “You shouldn’t be—”
“Nancy, you of all people should know that I simply cannot sit while ABBA’s on.” Steve said as if it were obvious. “Especially this song. So, you don’t want to join me anymore, that’s fine, otherwise El’s just gonna have to help me not fall on my ass.”
El didn’t mind having to do that, whatever it was, but it didn’t look like she would have to. Nancy let out a disbelieving noise, rolling her eyes before she then grabbed Steve’s arms and placed them on her smaller shoulders. “Then I have to lead. Just so you don’t ‘fall on your ass.’” she explained, the look in her eyes a little bit sad, but amused.
Steve grinned, loosely clasping his hands behind Nancy’s neck as she placed her hands on his hips. “Fine by me.” he agreed easily.
And then they started to sway and then El realized;
Oh! They were dancing.
El felt very much like she couldn’t look away. It was like their own private Snow Ball, here in the cabin. The worry she had for Steve - who had stood up so shakily, who looked a little bit sad as he stared down at Nancy despite the smile on his face - vanished when she could tell that Steve was happy. Especially when he started to softly hum. When he started to lightly sing, as if he couldn’t help it, “…tread lightly on my ground…oh please, don't let me down…” humming the words he pretended not to know, voice a bit louder than the singers’ low voices on the player.
And Nancy laughed, soft and light, just as the song said before. “You’re an idiot, Steve Harrington.” she said, but it didn’t sound like a very mean comment to El’s ears.
Steve smiled at her, humming some more before he returned in a very earnest voice, “You’re not hot, Nancy Wheeler.”
The laugh Nancy gave to that was the loudest and longest El had ever heard from her, as if it was ripped out of her. Steve got closer then, almost slumping against Nancy as he rested his cheek on her head, chuckling too, looking unquestionably happy that he made Nancy laugh. Nancy didn’t seem to mind that Steve rested against her though, leaning forward and resting her own cheek on Steve’s chest as she closed her eyes. They continued to sway, not going anywhere, barely moving their feet, but looking content. Looking happy.
They looked very nice together, El couldn’t help but note a little bit sadly. She knew they weren’t together anymore and she once again briefly wondered why.
And then El realized.
‘Anymore,’ Steve had said.
Oh.
Steve and Nancy had danced to this song before, El realized. That must be why it was one that caused feelings for him when he listened to it. She wondered if Max knew that…
It concerned El a little bit - she wondered if she made a mistake putting a record on after all. Steve still wasn’t very steady on his feet and dancing with Nancy to this song again when they weren’t together couldn’t feel nice but…watching Steve and Nancy sway here together, El was having a hard time believing that. They looked happy, and a tiny bit sad too.
It was confusing for El, honestly. But, if it was confusing for her, it must be very confusing for Steve and Nancy too. El wondered if it was so confusing, that there wasn’t really a solution to the…problem? It certainly wasn’t a problem El could fix for them.
“Hey DJ,” Steve said suddenly, pulling El away from her thoughts. The song ended, El finally realized, but Steve and Nancy did not sit back down. Nancy and Steve weren’t as close together as before, but they were still touching, as if Nancy really was trying to hold Steve up despite her smaller size. Steve didn’t seem to need it though, as he was standing a little bit straighter now, not looking quite so shaky or sad. What also surprised El about Steve calling out though, was that he seemed to be addressing El. He held out his hand to her after all. “You gonna let me have this dance or what?” he then asked, sounding a bit offended-but-joking.
El blinked, probably looking a little disbelieving. “Really?” she asked. She got to be part of the dance too? She didn’t know you could just dance with someone else. Was that really okay?
It seemed to be though, since Steve gave her a wide smile. “Of course.” he said, as if it were obvious.
Nancy looked up at Steve curiously, but then her look turned the softest it had been all night as she stepped away from Steve. As she made room for El.
And so El ran over to him, probably a little too enthusiastically.
Steve then took her hands into his own. They were much bigger than hers but smaller than Hop’s. Less hairy too, she couldn’t help but note a little bit teasingly, even if it was only to herself.
“I don’t know how little Wheeler does it,” Steve began, pulling her a little closer. “but I’m sure it wasn’t right. I’ll show you how the right fellas outta do it, okay?”
“He says, after I lead…” Nancy muttered as she sat primly in Hop’s chair, watching the pair in amusement. She muttered it quite loudly though, like she wanted to be heard. She was smiling too. Teasing.
“Hey, quiet over there in the peanut gallery. You had your turn.” Steve hushed, before he turned back to El. “Put your feet on my feet. C’mon, you won’t hurt me.” he prompted when El hesitated. El still worried a little for a moment, but Nancy didn’t seem to have a problem with it. Steve didn’t look quite so tired right now. He actually looked more awake than he had all day. So, El did as Steve asked and stepped up onto Steve’s socked feet, Steve pulling her up a little bit and El smiled at the sign that his strength was returning, if only a little bit.
And then Steve started to bob a little bit, from side to side, stepping forward and back, keeping El in place with his hands as he did it carefully. This song had a very different beat than the other - a different ‘tempo’ - but Steve seemed to match it okay enough as they bobbed back and forth, El unable to contain her giggles as Steve got more and more enthusiastic as the song went on and he started to sing again; “We're like sun and rainy weather, sometimes we're a hit together, me and I—” he drew out in a breathy, higher pitched voice. It still sounded very nice though, and he didn’t stumble over any of the words, even though the singers sang them quite fast. El grinned more. He really did know the words best to the songs he claimed to not like to the others.
Nancy laughed some more too. “This isn’t how most boys do it, El.” she warned, resting her cheek in her hand as she tapped her foot and dipped her head back and forth to the beat.
“No, it’s better.” Steve assured, leaning a bit forward so El leaned back, El unable to help her delighted laugh at the feeling of falling but being held in place.
And El couldn’t help but agree with Steve as he sang some more, “I don't think I'm different or in any way unique, think about yourself for a minute, and you'll find the answer in it, everyones a freak—” making his voice deeper and higher as he went on, to badly match the singer in the song, making El’s arms move in a strange, winding motion with his own, making El feel light and happy as she laughed.
It was better, in a way. Different, but still good. Just like Steve. Just like her.
When the song was finished, Steve collapsed back down into the couch, bringing El with him and causing Nancy to fuss over him in worry. But Steve looked happy, smiling widely despite how droopy his eyes seemed, letting El lay on top of him, not seeming to mind her weight.
“There.” Steve started a bit breathlessly, chest rumbling underneath El. “You go to Homecoming with some of those moves, you’ll be the talk of the town.”
“Maybe not for the right reasons.” Nancy teased, sitting back down in the chair and shaking her head at Steve.
“Homecoming?” El repeated, the word unfamiliar.
“A high school dance.” Nancy informed.
“That’s right, you’re looking at Hawkins High Homecoming King two years in a row.” Steve announced, sounding very confident as he tipped his head back and puffed up his chest a bit, causing El to lift up just a bit and laugh. Steve’s chest deflated then, as he quickly added, “Not this year, but like the years before… Anyway my point is, trust me kid. You’ll knock ‘em dead. Little heartbreaker in the making, I can tell.” he assured, ruffling El’s already tangled hair. She didn’t brush it very well yesterday.
Nancy laughed again, sounding like she thought Steve was being very silly again, but El couldn’t help her excited smile.
“Really?” El laughed, breathless and a little bit tired herself but so very happy, and so very excited too.
A high school dance. El forgot those were things she could look forward to one day.
“Really.” Steve smiled, before he let out a very loud huff. Drama Queen, El thought. “Though I guess if you did land yourself a Wheeler already…you might as well hold onto ‘em. You could do a lot worse for yourself than one of those.”
“Gee, thanks, Steve.” Nancy said flatly, but El could tell she found him to be funny. That she felt a little bit sad for him maybe, too.
Steve smiled softly, before his hand went to El’s head again and started gently combing out some of the knots with his fingers. He leaned his head back again but closed his eyes this time, ready to rest again apparently. “You’re welcome, Nance.” he returned, voice a tiny bit sad now too but not as much as before. He sounded, looked happy. Content.
El smiled softly too, dropping her head down onto Steve’s chest and giving him a tighter hug, to show she was sorry he was sad. To try to make him feel better, even if it was only just a little. Steve pat her on the back with his free hand - a thanks - before he then brought up his other hand and continued working his fingers through her hair.
This felt easy and yet so hard at the same time. El suspects a lot of things felt like that for Steve; joking around, assuring people, even when he didn’t feel very happy or confident himself. It must be hard to do it all the time, and Steve was very good at it, but El was glad that he was letting himself be a little bit worse at it. Glad that he was letting El help him with his problems by talking about them, even if all she could offer was a hug or a pat sometimes.
But that was okay. Because she thinks that like Hop said, they just needed to give it time. And slowly, Steve would understand that it was okay to allow other people to help him. That eventually, it would feel normal.
It was a good thing that they had a lot of time now to help Steve slowly figure that out.
Steve staying with them at the cabin for a while was going to be good for him, and a lot of fun for El too, she thinks. She also hoped that maybe he’d hang around more after he was better, that maybe they could go exploring outside together once El was allowed out? Maybe go fishing or hiking? That was something Hop said he liked to do. Maybe Steve would like it too? She honestly doesn’t know. She feels like he would probably like it just because Hop asked him along, but she looked forward to finding out for certain. Looked forward to learning about all the things that Steve liked about life. Like dances and movies and food… El feels like she’s only really scratched the surface with Steve here, despite all they’ve done and talked about together.
El smiled widely as she felt Steve’s fingers then begin to idly braid her hair as he and Nancy began to talk, lightly and easily. Happy.
El quite liked having babysitters around, she decided definitely. She’s always thought that, but it was nice to know for certain. She also really loved having a brother around, if this is what it’s like, even if she’s only ever had one inside of the cabin. She imagined having one outside would be just as fun. She was excited to discover the differences - if any - come the summer, when Steve was better and El was allowed out.
But that could wait. ‘Give it time,’ Hop had said.
So El just hugged Steve a little bit tighter as she closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling of warmth all around her as a record played and she could feel Steve’s gentle hands in her hair, hear the rumble of life in his chest beneath her ear.
They had time.