Beyond the Battle: Action & Consequence (Steddie, Stranger Things)

Chapter 42: Very Distracting

As far as Steve could tell, most people were now milling around gossiping rather than having the heavy conversations. After the ice cream break, the kids had been noticeably more relaxed, which seemed to have helped the adults do the same. Owens was having his ear bent off by Ted Wheeler, but looked like he was handling it better than Ted deserved.

Steve had checked in with his mom and dad with a few looks across the room, but he didn't want to interrupt them unless they needed him to. Robin was chatting to Nancy and Jonathan and she'd given him a quick shake of the head when he had almost gone over, so he was keeping his distance. Nancy hadn't quite been herself since the whole shooting incident. She was doing her best, but it had clearly shaken her, and he didn't want to make that worse. If there was anything he needed to know, Robin would fill him in later.

Hence, he found himself in a group with Eddie and his bandmates. The conversation seemed to have progressed to something about comparing the actual Upside Down creatures with their DnD namesakes. He was following about half of it because he had no idea about stats or anything like that and his knowledge of DnD was limited. Eddie kept bringing him in to the conversation for his first-hand experience with the real monsters, but that was about it.

It didn't help that he was continually being distracted by Gareth waving his hands around while talking and reminding him of the injury to the younger guy's hand. Then there was Jeff, perched on the arm of one of the couches because his foot was giving him trouble.

It was driving him crazy. The stress of the last few days had made him hyperaware. Gareth, Jeff and Frank were firmly in the ours camp now, even if Steve didn't know them well personally. The way Eddie interacted with his friends made him feel warm inside and it brought the three boys under Steve's umbrella of 'must protect'.

"Stevie, are you okay?"

The words parsed in his head mostly because Eddie also placed a hand on his arm.

"What, yeah, sorry," he said, shaking his head to clear it.

"We boring you, Harrington?" Gareth asked, although there was no malice behind the words.

"Well I have no idea what you guys are talking about half the time, but no," he replied with a grin. "You're distracting me."

"Me? Why am I distracting?" Gareth asked.

Steve just waved in the general direction of the younger boy's hand.

"It's those non-existent Italian ancestors of yours," Frank said with a laugh, "and the bandage just makes it worse."

"I told you, I can't help it if my favourite babysitter during my formative years was Italian and I picked up her tendency to talk with her hands when I am passionate about something," Gareth protested.

"More like passionate about her," Jeff teased.

"I was at a very impressionable age," Gareth said, "and it's not like I can do anything about the splint. I'm not allowed to take it off for another week. Can't risk these talented hands."

Taking a deep breath, Steve knew this was probably his only opening.

"What if you could?" he asked.

The others all looked at him.

"Stevie, are you offering what I think you're offering?" Eddie asked, leaning in so no one around them would be able to hear.

He nodded.

"It's driving me crazy, okay," he confessed.

Eddie's eyes quickly danced around the room.

"How about we head outside so we can talk in private?" Eddie suggested.