"Okay well I'm just a little bit nervous because I'm literally meeting your dad." Steve said, his frustration at their argument making him sweat.

"Dude I already told you theres no reason to be nervous. My dad is literally the guy adult version of me." Christine said, thinking she was making things better. Steve instructed her to turn down a street, the boy gripping the map in his hands as he scoffed.

"You literally are stressing me out! Like you're really making me— turn here!" Steve yelled, the girl whipping the car around a street corner. She  punched him in the arm as they both settled back, Steve gripping the handle on the top of the car door. "And now you're trying to kill me!"

"You're the one who didn't tell me about the turn sooner!"

"Don't blame me for your reckless driving!"

"I wouldn't be blaming you if you weren't being a dick Steve!"

"No you're being a dick!" Steve finished, the two of them settling into a heated silence. He used his hands to instruct her on turns for the rest of the 20 minutes they had left of the drive to her dads. When they pulled into the driveway of her dads house she parked the car, letting out a sigh and then laying her head against the steering wheel.

"Okay I'm sorry. Fuck you." Christine said, shaking her head at him as she looked at him. He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and giving her a dumbfounded look.

"So you're going to apologize and then say fuck you? Then you're not actually sorry."

"Yes I am. I just hate admitting when I'm in the wrong."

"Well I never thought I'd love to see the day that you admitted you're in the wrong. This is monumental. I wish I had a camera where I could take a picture so I could keep it and remember this moment forever." Steve lifted his hands, making it look like he was holding a camera, the girl scowling at him as he pretended to click the camera. He cringed, looking down at it and shaking his head. "Bad angle. Try again. Say cheese!" He said, relighting the fake camera and taking another picture. Christine couldn't help but smile a little as he lowered his hands, the boy nodding his head at the imaginary  picture. "Oh yeah...that one was better."

The anger between them melted away, Christine pushing his shoulder and then unbuckling her seatbelt. Steve suddenly realized they were there, his heartbeat accelerating and his nerves kicking in. He always got nervous when he met the parents, not that they were dating or anything, but he still felt scared to meet her dad. Not only was this Christines dad, this was Nancy's uncle.

Steve finally unbuckled his seatbelt, wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans and letting out a nervous breath. Christine almost laughed to herself at how genuinely scared he was to be here, her nose scrunching up a little bit as she tried her hardest to keep a laugh in. She led the way, the girl beaming with some kind of excitement as she knocked on the front door. She gave the sweaty Steve an excited look, both of them hearing footsteps from the other side of the door. The door opened, Christine letting out an excited yell as she jumped forwards, hugging her father as tightly as possible.

"Pumpkin I'm so excited to see you!" Phil Wheeler said, his eyes closing as he hugged his daughter. He held her head with his hand, the two sharing a sweet moment before Christine finally pulled back. She grabbed Steve by the arm, giving her dad a smile and then speaking.

"Dad this is Steve. He's a good friend of mine." Christine said, her eyes scanning over her dads face as her dad squinted his eyes at Steve. Steve looked pretty nervous, the sweat on his forehead almost making both the Wheelers laugh. Phil finally smiled, offering his hand for Steve to shake and giving him a nod.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Wheeler." Steve said, feeling her nerves ease a little as he shook the mans hand.

"Wow good shake son. And please, call me Phil. I'm too young for that Mr. Wheeler crap." Phil said, beckoning the two of them inside and give Steve a pat on the back as he did so. All of Steve's nerves fell away as he realized how nice her father was, his personality differing a lot from Ted Wheeler who was a bit of an asshole. "I made some dinner for you guys since you're getting in a little late and then I'll show you your beds. We can probably do some sightseeing tomorrow but Tuesday I gotta head back to work. Then you guys can explore whatever parts of Denver you want."

"Thanks dad. Whatever you made smells good." Christine said, following her dad into the dining room where the table was set for three.

"Lasagna. One of your favorites. Oh Steve I hope you  don't mind lasagna... I forgot to ask."

"No I like lasagna too. All good." Steve confirmed, giving the older man a tight smile and then sitting down at the table across from Christine.  Christine gave Steve a look, one that said 'see'. Steve shrugged, his smile coming back onto his face as  Phil brought out a pan of lasagna and some garlic bread. They all three started eating pretty soon after, Steve really enjoying the lasagna.

"So  how was the trip here?" Phil asked, Christine almost immediately starting to talk. Steve watched her as she explained everything, the girl having a clearly happier demeanor now that she was with her dad. Steve couldn't help but admire her happiness, and the way that she talked with her hands and spoke so quickly. Steve's attention turned to Phil, his eyes narrowing the slightest bit as he looked him over. He was fairly young looking, Steve noticing some smile writes between the two. They had similar smiles,  the same blue eyes, and they both had a similar demeanor. He could see remnants of the Wheeler family altogether in Phil, Steve even recognizing some facial structures that Mike had.

"And have you decided on school yet?" Phil spoke, pulling  Steve out  of his thoughts and back into the conversation. He had surprisingly never thought about  Christine going to college, the conversation about higher education only ever centering around Steve. He too was curious about what Christine was going to say. Her face dropped at the mention of school, both of the men noticing that. She reached for some more bread, her eyes dropping from the others and staying on her plate.

"Uh...I think I'm gonna take a gap year." She said, her dad furrowing his eyebrows at that.

"Are you kidding?" Phil Wheeler said, Steve attention turning to the man as he spoke. The tone in the room changed, Steve not feeling very lighthearted anymore. "Why would you do that?"

Christines eyes immediately lifted to Steve, Phil not missing this action as she turned to look at her dad. Phil was now looking at Steve curiously, his eyes flitting between the two teens.

"I want to boost my resume a little more before I go. The police chief in Hawkins said he would give me an inter-"

"I'm sorry...what about NYU Christine? Are you just gonna give that up? I've been working my ass off out here trying to make sure you can pay for it, and now you're going to take a gap year?" Steve's eyes widened at this, his mouth dropping open as he took in this new information.

"Jsut because I got accepted doesn't mean I'm going. I'm just...you're gonna have to let me live my life dad."

"The hell I am! Christine Alice you've been talking about NYU since you were in the 6th grade and now you want to just throw it away? For an internship with a police officer? You don't even want to be a police officer!" The tension at the table was insane, Steve was super confused about what was going on, and he had no idea that Christine had been accepted to NYU of all places. Phil was literallt steaming, his disbelief translating into frustration as Christine  pushed her chair back from the table.

"I'm 18 years old and I don't even live with you. If I don't want to go till next year then I'm not going and you can't make me. And don't call me that damn name!" She threw her napkin down on the table, this making Steve almost jump as he  looked at the scene unfold. She stalked off, the two men at the table watching her as she left and went straight out the front door. Steve's mouth was open, his eyes wide and confused as he wondered what in the hell had just happened.

"Steve." Phil said, pulling the wide-mouthed boys attention away from the dining rooms entrance and to the older man. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I just didn't expect to hear such news. Could you uh...do me a favor and go check on her? She won't want to see me right now."

Steve nodded, pushing his chair back from the table and wiping his hands off on his napkin. He headed out of the house after Christine, his mind reeling from everything that had just happened. He looked at the car in the driveway, his eyes catching onto a silhouette of her in the drivers seat. He let out a sigh, walking to the passenger side and opening the door, the boy sitting in the car and closing the door. He looked over at her, his eyes widening when he realized she was crying. In all honesty Steve had never seen Christine cry, so he wasn't exactly sure how to proceed.

"You okay?" Steve asked, debating on whether or not to put his hand on her back and try and comfort her. She lifted her face, his heart breaking as he saw the pained and broken expression on her features. Steve figured that he hated seeing her cry, that he never wanted to see it again and that he sure as hell never wanted to cause it. He threw every reservation he had out there window, Steve reaching across the middle console and pulling her head to his shoulder. She let out a sob into his neck, Steve feeling actual physical pain at the sight of her so upset.

After a few minutes of her calming down in his embrace and the two of them parting, Steve sat in his seat, his eyes straight ahead as they both just sat.

"So NYU?" He said, looking over at her with a raised eyebrow. Christine looked over at her, their eyes meeting and the girl letting out a breath laugh.

"Yeah I applied as a joke. I wasn't really expecting to get in but it turns out they must've liked me."

"That's amazing." Steve said, gripping her hand and giving it a squeeze. He dropped it, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he spoke again. "But why the gap year?"

Christine tried to find the words to explain why exactly she had looked into a gap year, her mind coming up empty. She knew the reason, it was sitting right beside her, but it was insane for her to tell him that she was staying an extra year just to be around him.

"Honest answer?" She said, hoping that her answer didn't go over badly.

"Hit me."

"I don't wanna leave you just yet."

"What? Do you like me or something?" Steve joked, both of them knowing damn well that she probably did.

"Shut up. I'm also wanting to stay because of the kids. Don't get a big head. Sorry... a bigger head." She laughed at her own joke, Steve not finding it as funny as she had. He mimicked her laugh, shaking his head and then settling on one last question.

"And the name you didn't want him to call you?" His curiosity was something else, she would admit that he always had questions. She shook her head, the humor in the car dying off and disappearing.

"Christine Alice. My middle name. Alice is...that's my moms name." Christine admitted, her hands gripping the steering wheel as she told him. Steve nodded at that, understanding why she was upset and then shrugging his shoulders. He figured he didn't need to ask anymore questions, she'd tell him all about it in due time.

"Alright then. You wanna go back in? I'm getting kinda tired."