Not Babysitting

The last thing that Dustin expected was for the doorbell to ring. His mother had left about an hour ago because she had to go to a funeral a few towns over early the next morning. She had been worried whether he would be okay without her, but he did his best to assure her that he would be okay on his own for one night. Though he had to admit, he had been a little afraid. Who could blame him, after everything he's seen? He stood up, leaving Tews on the couch. He grabbed the nearest thing that could be used as a weapon, which happened to be a fireplace rod, and made his way to the door. He leaned over to look out the window and saw Steve on his doorstep. Dustin immediately flew open the door, "What's wrong?"

Steve was shocked at the question and blinked a few times before answering, "Nothing."

"Then why the hell are you here?" he asked, partly exasperated, partly relieved. "I wanted to uh, check up on you," he answered, walking inside. Dustin closed the door before turning to him, "Oh no, did my mom put you up to this?"

"Wait you mean she isn't here?" Steve asked, a shocked expression on his face. Dustin was unamused, "You're a terrible actor Steve."

"Wha- I'm not- I'm a great actor!"

"Think again dipshit," he said, scooping up the kitten into his arms. Steve followed him, "Hey, respect your elders." Dustin rolled his eyes, "You're only older than me by a few years," he mumbled. "But still older," Steve retorted, pointing at him. "And after everything that's happened, I'd feel better knowing you have someone here." Dustin noticed how he said "I" instead of "your mother," but he chose not to comment on it.

"I don't need a babysitter," he said, annoyance clear in his voice. Steve was quick to answer, "Then don't think of it as babysitting! Think of it as... hanging out."

"No, hanging out is what you do with your friends that are the same age as you! I hang out with my friends, and you hang out with yours!"

"Will you shut the hell up and just sit on the couch so we can watch a movie?" Dustin complied but grumbled something under his breath. "Have you had something to eat?" Steve asked, wanting to make sure he was taken care of. "I had a Ding Dong earlier, but I'm not too hungry" he answered, and Steve shook his head, "That won't do. I'll make you something, what would you like to eat?"

"You don't have to-" he started but was cut off.

"It's no problem, I'm hungry too. You okay with grilled cheese?"

"Yeah, grilled cheese is fine," he answered, scratching behind Tews' ears. Steve made his way into the kitchen, Dustin in his tracks. Steve melted a dab of butter in the skillet, looking over his shoulder as he dipped a slice of bread in the butter, "What've you been doing today?"

He shrugged, "Nothing much, I spent the day over at Mike's house playing D&D. The campaign only lasted 8 hours, and after that I came home to say bye to my mom. I've not really been doing anything since. " Steve nodded and listened to what he said, a silence falling between them. Steve took a breath, finally shattering the quiet, "You know, if you ever need someone to talk to about anything, I'm here for you. I know that everything you've been through isn't exactly normal, and it must be worse for you because it affects you more directly. And I'm not saying that because I think I can help you because I'm older so I must have it all figured out. I have my own stuff that makes me less than perfect. I know that must be hard to believe because I'm so handsome," he tried joking, and Dustin smiled a little, making Steve smile himself. "So if there's anything you want or need to say, you can tell me."

Dustin pulled out a chair and sat down while Steve laid a slice of cheese on the bread. "It's like my life has literally turned into a campaign, like it's not real anymore."