location: harrington home ( 4th of july event ) for: @chosenbyechoes
the harringtons were hosting a neighborhood barbecue, and steve only agreed to hang out if he could invite whoever he wanted. of course, that included kids, including eleven. it had taken a lot of convincing from hopper, but he had come up with a surprisingly simple, but genius idea in his opinion. since the 'upper' class of hawkins was all about gimmicks, meaning a lot of people would be wearing obnoxious face paints and accessories for the holiday, he suggested that eleven wear a mask. specifically, it was a masquerade mask, decorated with the american flag and gemstones, including feathers that would cover most of her face. he even asked his new sister to help style her hair, so she looked like she could be any number of hawkin's teen girls. it was a bit much, but it was the best way to keep eleven safe while also letting her join in on the fun.
"okay, hamburger or hot dog?" he asked, approaching the young girl with a choice of two plates. the grill was crowded, so he had volunteered to procure food while she hang back. since the whole thing had been his idea, he was making an effort to make sure she had a good time as they waited for fireworks.