Chapter Text
Pulling up to the Byers's house, Steve knew he was going to get an earful because he was late. He was three minutes late. To other people that might not sound like a big deal, but Steve knew, when it came to Dustin, those three minutes might as well be hours because movie night was now a big deal. Once the whole Upside-Down was done and over with weekly movie nights became a thing for them. Normally Steve hosted, but Joyce missed the feeling of having a full house so the two came to a compromise, every other Saturday at Steve's and the others at the Byers.
He put the car in park, making sure to grab the bag full of candy and soda that the kids requested(*cough*demanded*cough*), before climbing out and heading to the front door. The Byers had, luckily, gotten their old house back so they didn't have the hassle of trying to find a new place to stay. Steve didn't even get a chance to step on the porch before the door was thrown open and Dustin was standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips.
"Where on Earth have you been?!" Steve stopped mid-step and stared at the younger boy in confusion, "We have been sitting here worried sick about you?!" He leaned forward just slightly to give his upper body a slight angle as he continued. "No phone call to let us know! Do you know how worried we were?" Muffled laughter could be heard from behind him, and Steve could see that Dustin was trying to keep a straight face but was failing miserably. Steve knew what Dustin was doing. The kids had labeled that pose 'The Mom Stance' seeing as he had used it whenever he was telling the kids off.
"You want to do this now, Henderson?" Steve then processed to hold up the bag in his hand with his other hand on his hip, "You want to do this when I have all your snacks? I'll throw it away; I'll throw it all away." It was an empty threat; everyone knew it but that still didn't stop Steve from making it.
From behind Dustin, Steve could see Eddie leaning against the wall watching them with a smile. He came to accept the fact he was bisexual when Robin told him that liking both men and women was okay.
"You can like both?!"
"Yes, Dingus, you can like both!"
Of course, she said he didn't have to label himself if he didn't want to, but he was pretty sure that's what he was. He noticed, or more Robin noticed, that whenever Eddie was around, he seemed to stutter more, and his face would heat up. Steve didn't see it at first, because how can you not know if you have feelings for someone, but according to Robin, the two have been flirting with each other since Eddie hotwired the trailer.
"He wasn't flirting, Rob!"
"He called you big boy! In what world is that not flirting?"
Dustin quickly rushed forward with Lucas on his tail. The two grabbed the snacks from his hand and rushed back into the building leaving Steve standing in the driveway. With an eye roll, Steve, once again, started to make his way into the building. He could see the kids had already thrown every blanket and pillow they could find on the floor and made themselves comfortable, Nancy and Jonathan were already seated in the armchair with Nancy partly on Jonathan's lap, Joyce and Hopper were sitting on the love seat, Robin was sitting on the couch leaving two open spaces next to her for him and Eddie.
Steve shuffled around trying not to step on fingers or toes and plopped himself in the middle of the couch with Robin to the right of him. He knew what she was doing, she was trying her hardest to be a matchmaker and took any opportunity to get him and Eddie next to each other.
"May I have the honor of sitting next to you, your highness?" Steve jumped at the voice. He didn't even notice Eddie was standing in front of him, "Didn't mean to scare you, big boy." Eddie chuckled as he fell onto the couch beside him.
"You didn't scare me," Steve immediately denies with a red face, "just took me by surprise is all." for some reason that didn't sound any better, and he wished he could take it back. Eddie smirked at him and threw his arm on the back of the couch, if he moved his arm just slightly it would be wrapped around his shoulders, Steve found himself wishing that was the case.
"So, Robin," Max turned to face the older girl, "What movie are we watching?" That's right, it was Robin's turn to pick the movie. The girl in question quickly stood up and reached into her bag that was sitting by the door.
"It's called 'The Black Phone'," She held up the case and Steve felt himself stiffen. The man on the cover looked scarily similar to someone he hoped to never think about again. Eddie seems to notice his reaction, it wasn't unknown that Steve wasn't a fan of horror movies, and moves his arm just slightly to where his thumb is touching his shoulder in a form of small comfort, "It's about a shy but clever 13-year-old boy who is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. He soon finds that he might not be as alone as he thought he was." Robin reads off the back. Okay, that's too creepy but just a coincidence, right? Steve tried to loosen the tightness in his chest, it was just a movie. The man on the cover is not who he thinks he is, he's just an actor and this is just another movie for movie night.
"That sounds interesting," Nancy commented while others nodded along, "I've never heard of it though, was it at the store?"
Robin nodded as she put the tape in, "I found it in a box in the storage room. I checked it out and it looked okay, but I brought another movie in case this one doesn't work because it was hidden away and covered in dust." Robin was now sitting in her spot next to Steve, "I played it for about five seconds before shutting it off to see if it would work and it did, so here we are."
"I wonder why it was in the storage room?" Joyce questioned as she got up to shut off the lights.
"Maybe it was because it was so bad that Keith didn't want anyone to watch it," Will suggested.
"Well, Will the Wise," Eddie spoke up causing Will to smile at his name, "We will be the judges of that."