A/N: I had to write this. I needed Nancy and Steve being parental as well as Steve being bitchy. Everyone's relationship is up in the air except for Robin and Joyce's. Joyce is clearly with Hopper. Robin is always with Vickie because people hate on Vickie for no reason. Anyways, love to all, no matter what you like. Unless you like Billy, then I'm judging you harshly.
Steve was already annoyed because his date backed out at the last minute, but now he was even more annoyed when he found out from Robin that they wouldn't be at Lucas's game. Just for one night, Lucas wasn't asking them to abandon the game completely but to take one night off. Don't they understand that this is what Lucas was afraid of? Not being able to be a jock and to be able to still be a nerd? Of losing his friends? One night wasn't an unreasonable thing to ask for. Sometimes, being a good friend means supporting them when they need it even if you don't like it or understand it, not all the time but sometimes. How do they expect Lucas to compromise for them when they need it if they never do it for him?
Steve was too in his own head to notice that someone else was striding towards the drama room. He arrived at the doors at the same time as Nancy. Their hands reached for the door handle. They stared at each other, and for a moment, Steve had forgotten what he was doing. Nancy looked so beautiful when she wasn't angry at him. Oh, she was angry. Was she angry at the same thing he was? Oh, right, Mike, Dustin, and Erica.
"You mad at the kids for abandoning and replacing Lucas, too?" Steve asked.
"Yes!" Nancy exclaimed.
"Well, let's do this together then, shall we?" Steve asked.
They opened the doors, causing them to bang loudly against the walls. Nancy and Steve stormed in, their hands on their hips.
"Hey, assholes!" Steve and Nancy exclaimed in unison.
They paused and looked at each other in surprise for a moment before turning back to them.
"Oh my God! They're together and they're both pissed!" Dustin shrieked.
"You're damn right we're pissed!" Steve yelled.
"Lucas asked for one night for you guys to be there to support him, and you couldn't give him that?" Nancy asked.
"It's not our fault Lucas went to the dark side!" Mike exclaimed.
"The dark side? So, all people who play basketball are Darth Vader?" Steve asked.
"You know Darth Vader?" Dustin asked.
"Of course, I do! I can be a little nerdy sometimes!" Steve exclaimed.
"He reads comic books, too!" Nancy yelled.
"What? Why didn't you say?!" Dustin asked.
"Whenever I try to join in on your conversations, you brush me off and scoff!" Steve yelled, and then his eyes went soft, as well as his voice. "Do you guys just think of me as a dumb jock who gives you free rides?"
"Nice mom guilt," Nancy whispered to him.
"Thanks," Steve whispered back.
"I mean, really, everything that Steve’s done for you. . .for Lucas, especially in Starcourt. He saved Dustin and Erica's life!" Nancy exclaimed. "And do you just think that all people who enjoy basketball are assholes?!"
"Nice dad guilt," Steve whispered.
"Thanks," Nancy whispered back.
"Hey, Mike, didn't you promise Will that you wouldn't join another party?" Steve asked, snapping his fingers at him.
"That's right, I mean, if D&D means so much to you, then why are you sitting here in another party?" Nancy asked.
Mike opened his mouth and closed it again, unable to find the answer. Dustin looked incredibly guilty. Good, Steve thought. Eddie scowled and stood up.
"Who gives a fuck about some stupid laundry basket game?" Eddie asked. "This is when we play. It's not our fault that Sinclair chose the wrong game."
"Lucas gives a fuck about that laundry basket game!" Steve snapped. "He wasn't asking for you to give up the game completely, he was asking for one fucking night so he that he wouldn't feel like a freak for enjoying both games! He wanted his friends to accept him for that and for someone who stood up on a fucking table to preach against forced conformity - yeah, Robin told me about that - here you are trying to force Lucas and his friends to only comform to D&D!"
Steve was pleased to see that Eddie looked like he had been slapped in the face.
"That's not - I mean - ," Eddie stuttered.
"Yeah, Robin was pretty much agreeing with you until you went after science and band," Steve said. "I mean, are you telling me that all of you have the same exact interests? Do you all like the same food? Do you all like the same music?"
"The problem isn't basketball. The problem is that every group has their assholes but they also have their good people, too," Nancy said, looking at Steve.
"And sometimes people can crossover into other groups," Steve said. "It happens."
"We didn't think Lucas actually enjoyed basketball," Dustin said.
"Yeah, he told us he wanted to stop being bullied," Mike said.
"Hm, and which group was he talking about?" Steve asked.
"What happens when one of your players gets sick?" Nancy asked.
"Well, yeah, we postpone then because it's a good excuse," Gareth said.
"A championship is a good excuse," Nancy replied. "But it's nice to know that you guys aren't completely heartless."
"Heartless?! We're not the ones beating the shit out of people because of what they like!" Eddie snapped.
"No, you're just letting them know that they're replaceable if they decide they need to explore other options," Steve said, and then he scoffed. "Can't believe I ever had a crush on you."
Eddie's eyes widened as the whole table gasped dramatically.
"You're fucking with me," Eddie said.
"No, I'm not," Steve said. "I like men and women. I know that liking more than one thing is a hard concept for you to grasp."
"That's not, I mean, you can like whatever you want, but liking basketball and D&D is different than that," Eddie frowned.
"I don't see how," Nancy said, shaking her head. "Do you guys play every day of the week?"
"Well, no," Eddie said.
"Well, if you don't play every day of the week, then it's not going to be the end of the world if you wait just one more day?!" Nancy asked.
"Okay, enough of this. I don't care if you guys come or not, but Dustin, Erica, and Mike, you guys are coming to the game to support your friend," Steve said clapping his hands.
"But - " Mike started to say.
"You heard your mother! I mean, your Steve! You heard Steve!" Nancy exclaimed, shaking her head again.
Mike and Dustin ducked their heads as they gathered their things. Erica held her head up high as she did the same thing.
"I didn't do anything wrong, they tricked me!" Erica exclaimed.
"Erica!" Nancy scolded.
As they were leaving with the kids, Steve overheard one of them - Frankie? - speak up.
"I wasn't ever going to say anything, but I, uh, kind of like watching basketball," Frankie said.
"Fine, fine! We'll go to the goddamn game," Eddie said.
It didn't take long for them to catch up with the group.
"Decided to join us assholes, huh?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, look, you were right, and Nancy was right. . .it's not going to be the end of the world if we wait one more day," Eddie said. "And of course, I know that Sinclair isn't going to turn out like those assholes especially if he has the support of his friends."
"Yeah, well, I'm not the one you need to apologize to," Steve said.
"Yeah, that's true. . . So, you have a crush on me?" Eddie asked.
"Had. As in past tense," Steve replied.
"Yeah, I suppose I deserve that," Eddie said. "I am curious to know if you are seeing anyone, though."
"I just tore you a new one," Steve said, looking at him in confusion.
"I know," Eddie grinned.
"Well, I'm kind of seeing someone," Steve said.
"Kind of?"
"It's on and off."
"Is he being intentionally vague?" Eddie asked Nancy.
"I can't say," she grinned.
"By the way, was I little too bitchy in there?" Steve asked Nancy.
"No, you were perfect. I know someone else who would have loved it like a certain someone did," Nancy said.
"Okay, you two aren't bad assholes, just annoyingly vague assholes," Eddie said, and they both giggled. "This is going to be a long game."
The game wasn't so bad as Eddie had thought it was going to be, especially when Chrissy jumped up and waved excitedly at the sight of him. He eventually got caught up with it when Lucas was sent in to play. He was glad he did come when he saw the pure joy on the young man's face when he saw almost everyone he cared about was there to cheer him on. When Lucas scored the winning shot, Eddie hugged Nancy and Steve both tightly. He needed to be reminded every once in a while that it's not just about him and what he likes. He started Hellfire to give lost sheep like Lucas a place to belong, and he almost ruined that because of a few bad eggs who happened to like basketball. Besides, people needed to know that just because you have different interests doesn't mean you have to be enemies.
"Thank you for making me come," Eddie told them. "I would have regretted it."
A week or so later. . .
"So, Nance, what were you saying about it not being the end of the world if I postponed the game for a day?" Eddie asked with a cheeky grin as he laid in his hospital bed.
"We stopped it before it could happen," Nancy rolled her eyes. "Do you regret going to Lucas's basketball game?"
Eddie grinned as he thought about the pure joy on Lucas's face.
"Nah!"
"Well, no one stayed dead, so there's that!" Chrissy grinned.
"Well, Hopper's still dead," Steve said.
"Oh, yeah," Chrissy frowned.
Suddenly, there came a knocking at Eddie's hospital room door. Robin got up to answer it.
"Steve, you were wrong. Hopper is very much alive!" Robin exclaimed. "Holy shit!"
Robin let Hopper and Joyce into the room. Moments later, Vickie skidded in behind them.
"Hey, guys, did you hear? Someone said they saw Chief Hopper wandering the hospital!" Vickie said and glanced at Hopper for a moment. "Hiya, Chief! Isn't that crazy, Robin? He's supposed to be dead, right?!"
"It takes her a moment," Robin said. "She gets there eventually."
"Oh my God! . . . Eddie, is that your mom?"
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