Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The doorbell ring almost made Steve drop the Eggo’s pile on the floor. Eleven, who had eyes full of desire staring at her upcoming breakfast, shrugged back to her last night’s scared position and started looking around like she was trying to find an escape solution.

“I’ll check it, ok? Don’t worry, you’re safe” Assured the angel, stooding up and going to the door “Why don’t you try putting the whipped cream, like I’d shown you, while I’m there?”.

She didn’t answer. No words came out of her mouth since the woods yesterday, but Steve kept talking like they were having a conversation. Letting things clear could be a good way to show her he was trustworthy.

The issue with this method is that it would take a few days and a lot of patience, something Steve couldn’t count on Eddie to show. And there he was, leaning on his door frame with a very grumpy ginger by his side.

How Eddie convinced her to be here at 8 A.M. on a Saturday was a mystery to the angel. Max Mayfield was, definitely, not a morning person.

“You better make me a hot chocolate, Steve” she grunted, getting inside with a backpack hanging on her shoulder “and everything I ask you without questioning. Where’s the girl?”

Crossing his arms and looking straight to her, he warned “Max, please be nice with the kid, we don’t know what she’s being through”.

“Haven’t you asked?” Sharing Mayfield's bad humor, Eddie complained “What the hell did you do until now?”.

“We arrived home at three a.m., Munson, of course I didn’t.” After they’d got in, Steve relocked the front door “I gave her food, let her sleep… It has been barely twenty minutes since she woke up”.

The angel’s opinion on Eleven’s innocence was still balanced. The way she was curious about everything in the house was quite suspicious, like, how could kitchen utensils and a TV be news to an adolescent?

On the other hand, there was that constant fear in her eyes and body language telling him something else was going on with the kid. Steve had never been to hell himself, but met a lot of people from down there and that wasn't a behavior of one of their creatures. Even Eddie, the most kind of all demons, hid his weaknesses with sarcasm and anger, it seemed odd to a hellhound to take the decision of attracting the antichrist using pity.

Mike Wheeler's actions earlier were quite a heaven material, enough to make Steve proud if they were in a less stressful scenario.

Max nodded and Steve headed the way to the kitchen, finding Eleven almost hugging the eggo’s dish, ready to run away with the food.

“It’s Eddie, remember him? He drove the boys home” Steve waited a few seconds but there was no answer “And this is Max, the girl I told you about. You’re around the same age, I guess, her clothes will fit you”.

“But you can eat before changing, we’re not in a rush” With a smile full of second intentions, Max sat by the girl’s side “In fact, I think I’ll have my hot chocolate with breakfast, thank you”.

Steve peeked at Eddie in time to get a glimpse of the proud father look in his eyes while watching Max’s attitude. It was cute to see him getting attached to a human like that, in a parental way.

Some immortal beings have families, for sure, but none of them had ever chosen one. Something in Steve wondered, in secrecy, how things could’ve developed between him and Eddie if he was still an angel. They got close, building a forbidden friendship after crossing each other’s ways like magnets being attracted to a field many times in all those centuries, so what if they could’ve been something? Would’ve they?

“Do you want some hot chocolate as well, Eleven?” asked Steve right before squirming because of the kick Eddie gave him on his ankle.

“Why are you calling her Eleven?” his face was red with anger and the angel couldn’t understand why “You don’t have to follow this stupid nickname Mike gave her”.

“Unless you know her name, Munson, I'm sticking to the one we have”.

Eddie groaned. He hated to admit that the angel had a point, and, nonetheless, using the name or not wouldn't change the fact Mike had chosen it.

If she was the hellhound, they would have to come with a plan B as soon as possible.

Surprising both, the girl pointed to her wrist, where the number 011 was tattooed “Eleven. My name”.

“Wait, is that a real tattoo?” In complete shock, Max stared at her “How? Why?”.

Awkwardly, Eleven seemed to search for an answer in her head, but nothing came out of her mouth. Eddie, suspecting of something, frowned his eyebrows and Steve, fearing to scare the girl again, made an intervention before the demon said anything “Don’t be rude, Max, that’s a personal question and she may not feel comfortable to answer”.

Of course he shouldn’t have expected Eddie to just let it go. With his best sarcastic tone, he called “Well, Steve, we won’t be able to help Eleven without knowing a thing about her. I mean, what are we helping her with, exactly?”.

“She’s hungry, so I gave her food. She needed a safe and cozy place to sleep, so I gave her a room. Now Max is here to help her with shower and clothes” with both hands on his hips and a bossy tone, Steve stood up for the girl… Or, at least, for his plan to get her confiance “that’s a start, Eddie, we can check on what else she needs later. Right, Eleven?”

Looking at her, Steve could notice her shoulders were a little shrugged but she didn’t seem as scared as before, it was more like a shy reaction.

Noticing the tension between the two older men, Max cleared her throat “Have you heard anything about Will yet?”

“Nothing new” Steve sighed “He’s only in observation at the hospital, though, any news means any problems”.

Hopper had called him from the hospital around four a.m., when he left the hospital with Jonathan so the older Byers could get some rest. Will was found at Lake Jordan with hypothermia and too confused to remember how he arrived there. Considering his history of being bullied, the chief promised to open an investigation in the morning, but he didn’t have much hope of finding something.

If what happened had something to do with the Armageddon upcoming events, he surely wouldn’t.

“I left the boys at Wheeler’s yesterday, told them to call here when they wake up” Eddie said “I’ll take them to the hospital, the birthday party is unlikely to happen at this point so it’ll be good to keep an eye on them”.

It was, indeed, a good idea, but not something they would discuss in front of Max or the new girl, who, besides Steve’s intuition, could still be the hellhound.

And then… the memory of some lacerations on Eleven’s arms and legs led him to realize it was a great opportunity to introduce the kinds of questions they needed to ask.

There were two kids lost in the woods yesterday. Even if Eleven wasn’t directly involved, she could have seen something.

“Eleven… Is there a chance that, whatever or whoever you were running away from yesterday…” Steve looked at her, not knowing how to keep going “got Will, the boy we were searching in the woods yesterday?” 

The girl took a long breath, unsure, and looked around like she was checking the ambience. Max, by her side, moved on her chair, uncomfortable, before Eleven answered “The bad dog”.

“A dog?” In an alarmed voice, Eddie asked, getting near the table. Steve couldn’t even think about damage control at the moment, his body freezed by her words.

There was a dog, then? In the woods?

“Papa…” when she hesitated, suddenly Steve knew how to help. The situation was tense enough for Max to notice he never lit up the stove, so he just finished the hot chocolate with a miracle and served it in two big mugs.

“Take your time, dear” assured him, passing her the drink. “This also goes well with whipped cream on top, wanna try to put it?”

She denied with her head, sliding the bottle of whipped cream into his direction. Smiling, Steve did it on both mugs, leaving Eleven mesmerized like on the first time he’d made it for the eggos. 

Surprisingly, Max put her hand over Eleven’s in a tender way “Look, I have a bad dad too.” Steve quickly turned his head to Eddie’s direction, only to realize by himself the demon probably told her the things Mike had said earlier about how Eleven probably escaped from her father “My mom got married again and then came to Hawkins to keep me away from him, so I understand your fear. You’re safe in here, ok? Steve and Eddie are friends, you can trust them”.

After drinking a little sip of the hot chocolate (followed by a big smile and a huge new sip), El seemed to be less afraid of talking “The dog wants a boy. Papa left with him” she started to stare at the mug with her eyebrows furrowed “They didn't see me go, Papa is mad but he needs to stay with the bad dog”.

Eddie cleared his throat and asked, tense “When you found Mike and the boys… were they with this bad dog?”.

Another head denial “Far”.

What was that supposed to mean? Steve wasn't sure. In fact, the conversation just gave him more questions to make, but the answer they needed was there: the hellhound didn't find Mike Wheeler.

The Armageddon could still be stopped.