Burn it after midnight.

Chapter 21: It won't suck itself.

Eddie had gone to practice with his band this evening so he was going to be out of the house for a few hours. It was a Friday, he had half mentioned something about a party afterwards, stating he had business. He had asked Steve if he had wanted to go but he had declined to begin with.

"Why don't you wanna go to the party with Eddie?" Theo asked, sitting across from him sharing pizza.

Steve shrugged.

"Did you have a bad time the last time you went to one?"

"Quite the opposite, that's kinda how... well how I came to properly know your brother, I got white girl wasted and he drove me home and took care of me, made me breakfast the next morning and everything"

"He's such a softy, you never would have guessed it just looking at him"

"No you would not" Steve chuckled "I guess... I dunno I like parties but also I guess I just have different responsibilities now... also don't know how I feel about leaving you in the house by yourself"

"I'll be fine, I'm used to being on my own"

"I know that but... Theo I'm not your Mom, neither is Eddie, we..." He chewed his food slowly trying to think of what to say without being condescending "Look I know you're very capable of looking after yourself and everything because you had to, but you have two adults now who aren't like the ones you lived with before and I think I can speak for Eddie when I say I would just rather let you be a kid... or teenager" He said "Like you don't need to worry about taking care of yourself in that respect, or money or where the next meals coming from or anything like that we just want you to enjoy hanging out with your friends and going to school and doing whatever else it is sixteen year old girls enjoy" He shrugged.

"I get it" She said picking at the pizza crust "I think it's just a very strange adjustment for me, like Mom started leaving me on my own when I was maybe seven or eight, sometimes she'd disappear for like a week at a time and no one really said or did anything"

"Not even the school?"

"No... guess I just got real good at hiding what was going on from a very young age"

Steve felt sad, he understood the being left on your own thing. His parents had started leaving him alone when he was twelve.

"You should go to the party with Eddie though... Maybe I can see if Max wants to have a sleepover? Maybe El too" She seemed to be thinking.

"Sure, I just... I dunno last time I went to a house party with your brother there were keg stands involved and I was so drunk I just... maybe I should be the DD tonight"

"Where is the fun in that? You should go!"

"You just want us out of the house don't you"

"No, I just think that you're both what, twenty three? You should still be able to enjoy this stuff and it's not like I'm gonna burn the house down or anything while you're gone. I might not even be here"

Steve chewed... it would be nice to spend the night with Eddie, just the two of them, even if they were at a party... Maybe he could go? It might be fun?"

"Hey you two" Eddie appeared in the kitchen, he was all smiles and looked a little sweaty. "What're we talking about?" He stole some pizza off of Steve's plate, dropped a kiss on top of his head and retrieved a beer from the fridge, twisting the cap off.

"Trying to convince Steve that you two should go be normal twenty three year olds on a Friday night and go to that party"

"You want to come?" Eddie's face lights up.