Modern Steddie AU where Steve is unnaturally good at specific video games, but is entirely uninterested in playing anything other than Madden NFL.
He can however, be sweet talked into helping the Party defeat whatever they're stuck on, and remains to be their go to person well into their college years.
Theyre slowly growing a streaming audience for their games and shenanigans, and have established Steve as something of a fan favorite side character by the time they accidentally go viral.
See: insanely popular streamer and metal band singer Eddie Munson has proposed an insanely difficult challenge to his audience.
Winner gets front row seats fo his concert, plus a few tantalizing other things, with the prize pile growing the longer there isnt a winner.
One week in, no one's been able to complete The Freak Show.
The whole challenge has caught an crazy amount of real world attention, but things go out of control when Steve leads the Party through it like its nothing, making fun of Eddie the entire time because he doesnt know hes a real person and not just part of the game.
("No dorks, not that way, thats a trap." Steve says, because he still talks like its the 80s even in 2025.
"How. How is that a trap, Steve?" Dustin is arguing, wasting precious time to do do.
"Because the guy who gave you that is named Cypher, and Cypher was that traiter guy in The Matrix. Which lines up with all the other nerdy references this game has."
Quiter, but still loud enough to be picked up by his mic, he adds: "At least its not another Lord of the Hobbits one, I swear this Freak guy has a crush on Aragorn."
"Lord of the Rings Steve! God we can't take you anywhere--"
"When did you watch The Matrix?" Max interrupts. "That's not your vibe."
"Oh I watched a ton of shit, back when Robs and I worked in that movie store."
"Was that back when the dinosaurs existed?"
"No it was back when I was sucking face with your sister, Wheeler.")
Unfortunately for Eddie, Steve has some insanely clippable zingers, as well as some truly impressive game play, but its not until Steve breezes through the end, staring at a picture of Eddies game character, loudly announcing--
"Oh I see why hes so popular despite all the yapping. He's hot."
--That Eddie decides he absolutely has to meet the jock who keeps forgetting to turn his shitty microphone on while playing and silently yelling into his webcam.
(He expects Steve to loudly announce "Oh God you're real." when he manages to set that interview up, and hams up his reaction.
He does not expect to immediately get bowled over by the second thing out of Steve's mouth, which is: "Dude you're giga hot, but I need to do something about your hair the ends are FRIED." in the most horrified dude-bro jockccent hes ever heard.
It's the start of a beautiful friendship that absolutely leads to something more.)