Title: Roadside Assistants
Author: sholio
Fandom: Stranger Things
Rating: G
Length: 500 wds
Content notes: n/a
Author notes: n/a
Summary: "Sure, Mrs. Wheeler, I'll drive them to the museum in Indianapolis, I said. It'll be fun, I said."



"Dude, no, try pulling on that wire there, the one that's attached to the -- thing."

"Shut up about the wires. It's obviously the carburetor."

"Do you even know what a carburetor is, Lucas?"

"I helped my uncle rebuild his old Mustang last year. I know more about cars than the rest of you morons put together --"

"I bet you don't know more than me." Max sounded annoyed.

Dustin's curly head suddenly interposed itself into Steve's view of the mostly incomprehensible and completely non-working engine. "Jiggle that wire," said the ball of curly hair. "It's probably a loose wire. That's what it always is with the radio equipment at the AV club."

"Do you actually know anything about cars," Steve wanted to know, "because otherwise, get out of my face."

"Like you know anything about cars," said Lucas loudly from behind him. "Move and let me look."

Steve groaned and stepped out of the way. Instantly a flock of eighth-graders swarmed into the space under the open hood of the station wagon. Steve let them have fun -- hell, maybe they would fix it -- and looked up and down the narrow rural highway. Not a car in sight, nothing but farm fields, greening up with spring but still looking severe and chilly.

"Sure, Mrs. Wheeler, I'll drive them to the museum in Indianapolis, I said," he muttered under his breath. "It'll be fun, I said."

He leaned a hip against the car, ready to put his thumb out if a truck driver came along, and trying not to wonder how they were going to stuff five kids plus one dumbass sucker of a high school senior into whatever vehicle was unwise enough to stop and pick them up. Maybe it would help if he hid the kids in the car ...

After a moment he looked down from gazing stoically into the middle distance, and discovered he wasn't alone.

"Hey," Will said quietly.

"Hey, kiddo." From the engine end of Mrs. Wheeler's station wagon, a vehement argument had broken out under the hood. "Not getting in on the fun?"

Will shook his head. "I don't know much about cars." He shrugged and looked down.

"Just between you, me, and that tree there," Steve said, "me neither. But don't tell anyone."

"We already know!" came a shout from under the hood. Steve contemplated walking off and leaving them there.

But Will glanced up and flashed him a shy grin. "Thanks for taking us to Indianapolis," he said softly. "I'm sorry it turned out to be such a pain."

"Awww ... damn ... it's not like it's your fault or anything." Steve awkwardly put an arm around him and found himself being hugged back. He had forgotten how huggy kids this age were, right on the edge of turning into teenagers and deciding they were too cool for it. "It's nice to get out of Hawkins for a day."

"Even broke down on the side of the road," Will said into Steve's jacket.

"Sure. Even that. It'll be an adventure. We'll look back on this and laugh someday."

Someone up there was certainly laughing, because it started raining five minutes later.