little things; stranger things littlespace oneshots

♡ 4 - roadtrip ♡

request from 19eking :-)
cg!steve
little!eddie (4)

Steve rummaged through the kitchen cabinet, attempting to pick out a cereal for Eddie's breakfast.
"Frosted flakes?" Steve asked.
"No." Eddie responded.
"Fruit loops?"
"No."
"Lucky charms?"
"Nooo." Eddie dragged on, laying upside down on the couch with a blank expression.
"Well, what do you want then?" Steve sighed, defeated.

"m' bored." Eddie pouted. Steve looked over at the boy with a look of sympathy. He could only imagine how boring Ed's life had been lately with the allegations between him and Chrissy. Despite Eddie having been cleared as a suspect, much of the town still resented him- even more so than before. He had been in fearful hiding for weeks prior, and was afraid to go out even after he was proven innocent.

"I know, bud, I'm sorry. If you want, we can do something today!" Steve offered in attempt
to restore some sort of normalcy in Eddie's life. Eddie sat up at this and let out a small gasp.
"Something?" he asked happily. Something was better than nothing, which was what he had been doing recently.
"Yeah bud, something." Steve laughed. "What would you like to do?"
"Car!" Eddie piped up. This was his way of asking to go for a drive. He always enjoyed going on car rides, in or out of littlespace. He could just block everything out and gaze out the window as he admired the passing scenery.

"Sure, we can go for a ride. Where do you want to go?"
"Swim! Swim!" he cheered. Eddie missed it. He hadn't gotten out much lately.
Unlike Steve, little Eddie didn't understand that he was a social pariah since the incident, and Steve didn't exactly want to drop that bombshell onto him or remind him of the incident, so he hesitated. That is, until he thought of a better idea.
"Alright, sweetheart. But the ride's going to be awhile, and we can only go if you be good and eat your breakfast." Steve agreed.
Eddie's face lit up and he nodded vigorously, sprinting to the kitchen.
"And no running!" Steve called after him.

Within a few minutes, Eddie inhaled a bowl of cereal, plopping the bowl down in the sink. He resembled a wild animal, but a polite one at least.
"Hey bud, I think you're supposed to chew." Steve half-joked, walking into the kitchen. Eddie swallowed the last bit of his cereal.
"No time! Go! Go!" Eddie insisted, pushing Steve towards the door. Steve laughed at his eagerness.
"I know, Eds. We're going soon, we just have to finish packing."

Eddie frowned at that, but complied anyways. He ran around the house, helping Steve prepare. Steve packed snacks, sunscreen, waters, and other car-ride-swim-day necessities.
"I don't think I'm forgetting anything." Steve said, a little unsure.
Eddie on the other hand brought along his coloring books, crayons, favorite blanket, headphones, pacifier, and stuffed dragon. Which were considered necessities to Eddie, and Steve if he wanted a roadtrip without a fuss, so he didn't complain when he saw all that Eddie brought.

"Alright, ready to go?" Steve asked. Eddie puffed out his cheeks and nodded. The two headed out and packed their belongings into the car. Steve sat at the wheel while Eddie made himself comfortable in the backseat. He had a coloring book laid out on his lap, his dragon plush in his arm, and a paci in his mouth. He put his headphones on and clicked play on the cassette. Even little Eds was a metal-head, so Metallica's Master of Puppets blasted in his ears as they drove off.

Both Steve and Eddie appreciated silence sometimes, so Steve drove peacefully while Eddie quietly colored some, took naps, and jammed out to his tunes for an hour. About an hour and a half in, Eddie began to tap his foot rather quickly, but with his headphones in, he didn't realize it was making noise. Steve turned the rear view mirror to look at Eddie, who had a distressed expression plastered onto his face.

"Eds, you okay back there, bud?" Steve asked, reaching over and patting his knee to get his attention. Eddie turned away from the window and pulled off his headphones, looking up at Steve through the mirror.
"Is everything okay?" Steve asked again.
"bathroom.." Eddie said, visibly embarrassed.
Steve mentally facepalmed. That's what he was forgetting earlier. He forgot to remind Eddie to use the bathroom before they left! How can you forget to tell a four-year-old to use the bathroom before a two hour long car ride?
Well just be Steve, I guess.

"Can you hold it, bud? We're almost there." Steve pleaded. Eddie only shook his head, still embarrassed. Steve sighed, and before he could talk, he was interrupted by a small "m' sorry!" from Eddie.
"No no! Eds, I- it's okay, I should have reminded you before we left." Steve said in an attempt to soothe him while simultaneously driving. Frankly, he had to go too.
"We'll just take this exit and find a bathroom here." added Steve, turning the car onto the exit. He parked the car at a nearby movie theater and found a bathroom. When they were finished, they headed back into the car.

Eddie put his headphones on and hugged his dragon to his chest while Steve started up the car. The rest of the ride went uninterrupted, except for the cute occasional noises from Eddie as he stared at things through the window. After a good twenty minutes, Steve parked the car and got out to unbuckle Eddie. Steve grabbed the bags with one arm and Eddie's hand with the other, walking them along. Eddie swung their hands back and forth and stared at the pavement while he kicked up dust from it.
"Where we goin'?" Eddie asked.

"Look," Steve answered.
Eddie looked up to see the wide ocean staring back at him. He was almost speechless. It had been years since he'd been to the beach, and it was just as beautiful as he had remembered. He looked up at Steve and tackled him in a hug.
"Ack- Eds- you're choking me." Steve wheezed. Eddie let go and giggled.
"Now come on," Steve added, "Last one there is a rotten egg!"
And with that, Eds and Steve raced off.

- 1054 words
this was literally all over the place so i'm v sorry but i hope it was ok 😭
thank you for all of the votes and requests! i really really appreciate it!