Love Is A Battlefield (A Stranger Things/Steve Harrington Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-Four: Stupid

When I woke up the next morning, much to my surprise, Dad was up and making French Toast. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"You're cooking? Before 8 AM?" I asked.

"Shocking, I know." He said, pushing it around the pan. "How was dinner?"

"Awkward...until I walked out half way though." He shot me a pointed look. "They hired Murray Bauman to look for Barb."

"You're kidding." I shook my head.

"Nope. Mr. Holland had the audacity to call you a lazy good-for-nothing and call him a real detective."

"And that's why you walked out?" I hesitated, sitting down at the table and looking at my hands in my lap.

"No...he said other things, but I don't really want to repeat them." He furrowed his eyebrows.

"What did he say?" I bit my lip, refusing to look at him. "Riley. What. Did. He. Say?" I sighed, propping my chin in my hand.

"He said that you couldn't even find your own daughter, so he didn't know why they expected you to find theirs." He shook his head.

"Riles-"

"I know! You told me not to get all worked up on your behalf, and I know that they're angry and scared for Barb, but what right does he have to bring that up?" I asked. "And besides that, enduring trauma does not give you an excuse to be an douche-bag." He sighed, turning around to put the toast on a plate, jumping in surprise as he faced Eleven, who had a sheet over her head. My eyes widened, having not even noticed she was there.

"Oh, Geez." Dad said.

"Ghost." She pointed out.

"Yeah, I see that."

"Halloween."

"Sure is," He said, putting the toast on a plate, "But right now, its breakfast, ok? Come on, let's eat."

"Dad..." I said. He looked up at me and I raised my eyebrows, telling him he clearly didn't get what she was implying.

"What?"

"They wouldn't see me." She told him. He picked up two of the plates, walking over and putting them on the table in front of me before grabbing his own.

"Who wouldn't see you?"

"The bad men."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, sitting down across from me.

"I think she means, if she were to go trick or treating tonight, the 'bad men' wouldn't know that it was her." I explained.

"You wanna go trick-or-treating?" He asked, looking between us. She nodded.

"I mean...it might be ok." I said shrugging. "I could take her! I was supposed to go to this stupid Halloween party that Steve invited me to, but this would be way more fun."

"Why are you encouraging her?" He asked. "You know the rules, both of you."

"Dad, come on."

"Yes, but-" She started.

"Yeah, so you know the answer." He stood up, gently pushing her towards her seat.

"No, but they wouldn't see me."

"No. Hey. I don't care-"

"But they wouldn't see me."

"I don't care, alright?!" He exclaimed. "You go out there, ghost or not, its a risk, especially if they see Riley walking around with a hidden kid trick-or-treating. We don't take risks, alright? They're stupid, and..."