Sick Steve (Request)

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/42439011.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: Gen
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Relationship: Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington & Dustin
Henderson, Steve Harrington & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Steve
Harrington & Eddie Munson
Character: Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Dustin
Henderson, Robin Buckley
Additional Tags: Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Friendship, Brotherly Steve
Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington & Maxine "Max"
Mayfield Have a Sibling Relationship, Sick Character, Platonic
Cuddling, Stomach Ache, Sickfic
Language: English
Series: Part 26 of Stranger Things One Shots
Stats: Published: 2022-10-17 Words: 2160

Sick Steve (Request)

by miss_little_kitten

Summary

Steve caught the stomach bug Dustin and Max brought home, but forgot to mention it to
anybody.

Notes

See the end of the work for notes

“Eddie we have a huge favor to ask.” Henderson was bothering him already, it was seven thirty in
the morning, what the hell.

“What?” It was too early for this shit.

“Steve won’t answer his walkie.” He looked at him oddly.

“What?”

“Steve, he won’t answer his walkie.” Max said behind him, arms crossed.

“He didn’t pick me or Max or Dustin up for school today.” Robin looked flustered.

“I had to ride the bus, he knows I hate the bus.” Max commented.
“He takes you three to school everyday?”

“Yes.” All three said at once.

“Okay… why are you telling me this?” Eddie closed his locker to look at the three of them.

“You need to take us over there.” Robin said to him in a firm voice.

“I’m sorry, you said I need to take you over there? You didn’t even ask there Buckley.” Eddie
laughed some.

“Well Dustin tried too, but you didn’t try to listen to him until we spoke up. So, I am telling you,
you need to take us over.” Robin stated again.

“So, you three want to skip school?” He could cackle.

“Not skip, we’re skipping for a good reason.” Dustin said.

“How long has it been since anyone heard from him?” Eddie asked.

“I saw him Saturday.” Robin said.

“He didn’t pick up yesterday.” Dustin said.

“Or come to dinner at Mikes yesterday.” Max added.

“You’re really freaked out, it’s been what? A day and a half? If that?”

“You don’t get it Eddie, he always responds.” Dustin had a lot of emphasis.

“Always.” Max agreed.

“You called his house? Maybe his walkie talkie is dead.”

“I called it, no answer.” Robin was fiddling with her fingers.

“This seems like a lot for a day and a half. Maybe he’s out of town?”

“He would have told us Eddie, come on you skip school all the time, why are you being a dick
today?” Robin was looking more stressed. In reality the trio looked to be in some serious distress
all things considered.

“Fine,” Eddie smiled at them, “I will skip school to go locate the all great and powerful
Harrington.” He reentered his combination to his locker and grabbed his bag.

“Thank god.” Max muttered under her breath.

“He’s going to be fine guys.” Robin seemed to be reassuring them then. They began their walk to
the parking lot.

“Will was missing like twelve hours Robin. It took twelve hours for someone to notice and look
what happened. We should have went yesterday, but I figured he was mad at me or something.”
Dustin stressed as they walked.

“Why would he be angry at you?” Robin asked.

“I don’t know, I had just spent two days there puking my guts out, I don’t know why I didn’t make
my mom drive me over last night.”

“No, we aren’t playing the blame game, Eddie is going to take us over and everything will be fine.
Nothing to blame.” Robin said to them, Eddie noticed how she wrung her hands over and over, she
made eye contact and looked at him with distress and a pleading look as if begging him to help her.

“She’s right, Harrington probably let the walkie die, Dustin you say it all the time, he can be an
idiot.”

“He’s smarter than that.” Max commented.

“Is he?” Eddie tried to make them laugh as they climbed into the van.

“About this? Yeah.” Max had her leg bouncing up and down some.

“I shouldn’t call him an idiot.” Dustin muttered.

“Hey, I call him Dingus, he is one. Eddie’s right, it’s fine.”

“I didn’t fight with Will, but I wasn’t as nice as I should have been. I should have learned then.”
Dustin was mumbling to himself. These kids went to the worst thing possible.

“No, no. We aren’t doing this.” Robin decided.

“Something has to be wrong though.” Dustin said.

“What is wrong though?” Max asked in a serious tone.

“Maybe he overslept?” Eddie tried.

“Through phone calls?” Robin shot at him.

“Buckley either you’re with me or against me.” Eddie mumbled to her.

“Sorry, my mouth like works faster than my brain you know?”

Yeah, but let’s not freak out the small sheep, yeah?” He tried to reassure her as they took the turn
into Loch Nora.

“Sorry guys.” Robin said, looking behind her.

“Don’t worry about it.” Max said, brushing her hair behind her hair. Looking in the rear view
mirror he could see the stress on their faces, the concern over not hearing from god damn Steve
Harrington for what? Thirty six hours maximum?

“His is up here.” Robin pointed.

“Do you guys have like a key or is there a key under a rock?”

“We all have a key.” Dustin stated.

“Harrington just cut you all keys?”

“Yeah, so we can always get in if we need to get home.” Max said.

“Red, you live next-door to me.” Eddie laughed.

“It isn’t home though.” Max had a dead stare and Eddie shut up about that. As soon as the car was
in park the back door was open and the kids ran out to his BMW.

“Car is in the front, good sign.” Eddie said to Robin.

“His walkie is in the car.” Max said.

“And it’s unlocked.” Dustin added as he ripped open the door.

“Get out of his car. You know he hates that.” Robin attempted to chastise.

“Dustin get out!” Max hisses almost at him.

“He always locks his car.” Robin says in a cold voice.

“Listen, people don’t answer their walkie or phone all the time.” Eddie says as they walk up to the
house.

“Steve isn’t like that.” Robin said, Max was already banging on the door.

“Steve!” She yells.

“Move,” Dustin moves her some before banging on the door even harder and yelling, “Steve!”

“Guys, he has a doorbell.” Robin mutters, ringing the doorbell. Eddie swears he can hear
movement coming to the door just as Robin is shoving the key into the deadbolt. Harrington opens
the door before she can turn it though, her scream echoing and her arm hitting him as she jumped
back.

“Hello?” Steve asks in a rough voice. He’s shielding his eyes from the morning light and he is
paler than a ghost.

“Steve!” Dustin has his arms around his middle.

“Hey, hey, watch it don’t. I feel like I’m going to puke already.” Steve mutters, rubbing Dustin’s
back some as the kid lets go.

“Steven Otis Harrington, how dare you not pick up the god damn phone.” Robin looks like she
could kill him after their initial relief, Max stays quiet, looking at him.

“Your middle name is Otis?” Dustin laughs a little.

“Guys, what’s wrong? Even if it’s code red, I think I’m down another day.”

“Move so we can come in.” Robin says in a serious tone. Steve listens without hesitation and
suddenly he’s in Harrington’s living room. It’s different than it usual is though.

“Are you watching an infomercial?” Dustin asks.

“You look like shit.” Robin is looking over him, placing her hand on his forehead, “You have a
fever.” She states then.

“Guys, I love you, but I really want to go back to bed.” Steve looked really rough, his boxers and
tee shirt look bad. His hair was flat last week? Eddie never thought he’d see him look like this.

“You smell like puke.” Robin comments, Max is still standing there holding herself.
“You didn’t answer your walkie.” Dustin stresses, Steve seems to realize that he isn’t getting out of
this situation and sits on the couch, covering up with a blanket that looks like it was tossed there a
while ago.

“Henderson, I was headed to dinner when I had the urge to puke my guts out. I left it in the car. I’m
sorry.”

“You didn’t answer the house phone.” Robin added, standing with her arms crossed.

“I’m not justifying that, because I don’t remember hearing the phone ring.”

“Steve, why didn’t you call last night?” Robin sits next to him, Eddie notices how Max stands,
Steve finally seems to pick up on it as well.

“Hey, Robin can you go grab me a new shirt? Or Henderson can you?” He asks in a nice voice.

“Yeah, I can.” Dustin is gone immediately, up the steps.

“What’s up Max?” Steve asks.

“I got you sick.” Her voice is small.

“Red,” Eddie starts, laughing some, “Henderson also spent some of the weekend sick here,
remember?”

“Yeah, but I had it first.”

“Let’s say I got it from both of you.”

“Let’s say you got it from the Russians.” Robin laughs some, making light of Max’s apparent guilt.

“What about the Russians?” Dustin throws a new tee shirt at him.

“They gave me the stomach bug.” Steve has a smile and Max is moving to sit with him, his arms
are open for her to lay against him which she does immediately.

“Shit you think it’s from the drugs?”

“Drugs?” Eddie asks confused. Robin is laughing now, so is Max and Eddie is pretty sure Steve is
trying too.

“No, Dustin. It’s a joke.” Robin says laughing, “I’m not sick am I?”

“Oh right. Oh Eddie sit down.” Dustin says as if it’s his own house.

“I’m not feeling like being a host right now.” Steve mutters. Eddie sits down in a recliner.

“When’s the last time you were sick?” Robin asks as Steve changes his shirt, he notices some scars
on Steve’s body and wonders how they got there.

“What time is it?” Steve asks.

“Eight twenty.” Robin says, she’s standing now with a hand on her hip, it’s almost comical.

“Like, four and a half hours ago probably. I suck at math.”

“What time did you puke?”

“Four.”

“Actually your math is pretty good. When’s the last time you drank anything?” Robin is walking
towards the kitchen.

“Midnight.”

“And you yelled at me!” Max exclaims.

“Hey do as I say, not as I do.”

“Ugh, my mom says that.” Dustin mutters.

“Has it been awful? Like mine was.”

“I actually can make it to the bathroom.” Steve laughs a little, he looks like he could fall asleep on
the spot.

“I’m sorry.” Max mutters.

“I puked on his shoes.” Dustin comments, Eddie laughs out loud at that.

“Man Harrington, you just were a sick nurse to kids who can’t make a garbage can weren’t you?”

“You have no idea.” He comments back to him as Robin brings him a glass of water.

“Drink.”

“Robin, love the gesture, but no.”

“Drink. It.” Robin says more stern.

“Robin, I am fine.”

“Steve.”

“Robin.” It’s like a damn standoff of the wills.

“I’ll throw it on you.” She threatens.

“Wouldn’t be the first time you have done that. Plus, I feel like actual garbage, like worse than
Russian garbage.”

“Stevie, come on.” She asks again, she looks so done with him.

“I’ll sip it, if I chug I’ll puke it.” He mumbles grabbing the glass from her.

“Thank you.” Robin rolls her eyes. Steve takes a sip before he looks around at each of them
individually. Eddie swears he can hear Harrington think.

“Wait a minute, aren’t you supposed to be in school?” He asks them. Eddie has to laugh.

“No shit Harrington, ever heard of a sick day?”

“Yeah Munson, those two had them last week, and I’m going to guess that one,” he points to
Robin, “will have one this week.”
 “I know I like Sharebear, but sharing is not caring right now Steve.” Robin says looking at him.

“Come on, it’s one day, and think you have us all at your finger tips you can boss them around all
day.” He smiles at him before adding, “I can be bossed around conditionally. They are free reign
though.”

“Yeah, it’s one day Steve.” Dustin is already looking for a movie on the shelf, and apparently
Steve smelling of vomit isn’t enough to make Max go away as she’s still in his side almost asleep.

“Where is Star Wars?” Dustin asks as Robin seems to mold into the love seat, her legs flung up
over the side and grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch.

“Left shelf, and what Robin? Don’t want to cuddle?” Steve taunted a bit, but looked excessively
tired.

“No, I’m good. Get your cooties away from me.”

“We shared a drink on Saturday.”

“Fuck.” Could be heard as a whisper.

“Found it!” Dustin said as the movie started, he also seemed more content to lay with Steve than
find his own place. Eddie wasn’t sure how the hell he ended up watching each teen fall asleep in
Steve “The Hair” Harrington’s house, but he found himself engulfed in the family feel of the house
and soon himself could barely keep his eyes open. This isn’t what typically happened when he
skipped school, but he decided it was a little bit better.

End Notes

This was cute to me, I'm convinced the group has to be over dramatic all of the time.
Working on requests. I do take requests, I do love comments (they support me to write
more honestly), and I love making you guys happy.

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