The next morning everyone awoke in the same positions they'd settled in, tangled limbs and muffled snores. The kids remained in a heap on the floor while the three adults settled into the kitchen to make breakfast over a pot of coffee. Well, the guys made breakfast, Robin sat at the breakfast bar with a bad case of bed head and a black cup of coffee in hand.
With the radio playing quietly in the background, the two men moved in perfect sync like this was their daily routine. Which truthfully, it wasn't far from it. The group spent more nights at Steve's since defeating Vecna than they did at home; movie nights, group sleepovers and large breakfasts were their new normal. Almost everyone had a toothbrush, change of clothes and a blanket of their own stored at the Harrington house.
Everyone felt safer together.
Pancake batter covered hands ghosted over hips and waists as Steve and Eddie silently moved the other out of the way in favour of continuing their task. Steve making pancakes specific to each child, chocolate chips for Dustin and Max, blueberries for the others and two lone Eggo Waffles for El. Leaving Eddie in charge of the Bacon, which of course he couldn't do normally.
Once grease was splattering from the pan, the metalhead pulled his long sleeves to his wrists, the neck of his shirt to his nose and insisted on wearing oven mitts, trying to hide from the scolding pork fat that was seemingly persistent on burning him. Steve and Robin couldn't help but chuckle but Steve also couldn't help but find it painfully adorable.
Eventually the kids awoke one by one, most of them grumbling about how sore they were from the puppy pile they'd slept in on the floor and couch.
Missing socks, wrinkled clothes and messy hair, everyone settled around the Dining Room table impatiently waiting for breakfast. The morning people -mostly just Dustin- annoying everyone with his unbearable volume and energy, received a deathly glare from Max. Robin took it upon herself to join the kids while they waited, allowing them time to hash out a plan for the day before the guys came in toting a platter of Pancakes, Eggos and Bacon.
Finally sat around the table, mouths full of food Max pipes up, puppy eyes already set to guilt, "Eddie?"
"Hm?" The young man hums around a mouth full of Pancakes and Bacon, brown eyes looking up from his plate to meet hers
"I have no one to take me Christmas shopping since mom's working, do you think you could find the time to take me?"
Robin snorts, trying to muffle a laugh brought on by Max's obvious guilt trip
"I'm sure I can find the time, Red." Eddie smiles cramming half a Pancake into his mouth
"Oh, Steve-" Robin waves her hand in front of the man across the table, "-would you take me too, I kinda forgot to get anything when mom and I went."
The boys turn their heads to one another, puzzled looks on their faces while moving hardly an inch, because of course they're sat side by side. "Why don't we just go toget-" both men start.
"No!" The two girls shout in unison
After swallowing the piece of Bacon she nearly choked on, Robin adds, "I mean we can't, Max wants to go to the mall and...and I want to go downtown."
-
After wrangling the children and dumping them off at home, the boys went their separate ways. Robin with Steve and Max with Eddie.
Neither of them were too upset with the arrangement, they hadn't had time with their favourite girls in a long while. Well alone time that is, everyone had been spending ample time together in the last several months.
-
In the van, Santa hat pulled over his wiry curls, Eddie watched Max in the passenger seat with curious eyes. She looked like she had something to say, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, occasionally glancing at him from the side. She wasn't normally this quiet when the two of them were together. Usually she shook out of her shell a bit, head banging along with him no matter the music they played, but today she seemed off.
It wasn't out of the ordinary for Eddie to be concerned about Max, she was his sidekick, partner in crime, adopted little sister even. Though she'd never admit it. Prior to everything that went down with Billy and the Upside Down they were already close in a sibling sense of ways.
It all started one random Wednesday evening when Max came knocking on his door looking for a first aid kit. He was no older than fourteen and hadn't been living with Wayne for long, but when a nine year old comes to your door with tears in her eyes, you help, no matter the facts. Wayne had at least taught him enough to know how to be a half decent person by then.
So, with a first aid kit in hand, Eddie had followed his newest acquaintance back to her trailer. Upon opening the rickety metal door he was met with a rather drunk Susan Mayfeild on the couch, a bloodied hand held above her head, wrapped in something that appeared to be a kitchen cloth.
For a moment it made him sick, reminded him of his parents before his mother managed to get sober, before she left. But for the sake of the watery eyed, little redhead next to him, he put on a strong face and got to work. Sitting on the coffee table he held Susan's hand in his, cleaning it with alcohol and the damp cloth he had Max retrieve from the kitchen. The young girl sat next to her mother on the couch, holding her non mangled hand in tiny freckled fingers, calmly talking, speaking hushed words of care and endearment while Eddie silently worked. It wasn't as bad as it looked once all of the blood was washed away, just a shallow cut across her palm, something from a chipped glass or bottle cap, it'd heal fine with time.
He'd left the first aid kit with Max for future gory occasions but soon found the little redhead knocking on his front door often. They quickly bonded over their family related trauma and before he knew it, she was a staple in the Munson household. Showing up on the days she'd normally be left home alone.
Just like he had with Eddie, Wayne had become the protective Uncle. Making sure Max was eating plenty, had clean clothes for school, a roof over her head and a place to call home when her trailer didn't quite feel like one.
They'd celebrated birthdays and holidays together, comforted one another through difficult times and antagonised each other like siblings. She was his person and he was hers. Best Friends. Brother and Sister.
So, he'd be damned if anything was upsetting her and she felt like she couldn't talk about it. They'd been through too much together to not be able to talk about things.
He reaches over and with a gentle tug of a braid he gets her attention, "Okay Gingerbread, what's up?"
From the passenger seat Max scowls with her eyes, lips betraying her as they hint towards a grin, "First of all, don't call me that-"
"It's on brand for the season," Eddie happily interrupts, flicking his signal light on, turning into the mall parking lot
She rolls her eyes fondly and continues, "-it's nothing you have to worry about, okay?"
He didn't believe her and his waiting concerned stare probably indicated as much.
She sighed, turning in her seat to face him, "I just have some thinking to do, some planning,-" she smiled, something mischievous, "-some scheming."
With a raised brow he couldn't help but turn to her and smile, "I like scheming."
Crossing her arms, sticking out her tongue, Max happily quipped back, "Yeah, well, not this time you don't."
He sighed, "You sure you're fine though?"
"Yep, now let's go shopping.-" She pauses for a moment looking between Eddie and the snow covered mall parking lot, "-You gotten Steve anything yet?"
"What?"
-
Across town, Robin and Steve were taking a quick break from window shopping to grab hot chocolate and a cookie at a local coffee shop. Red noses and chilled fingers, they settle in silently, blowing on the mugs of hot liquid in their hands, hoping it'd soon be warming them from the inside out.
Eventually Steve pipes up, crimson brushing his cheeks as he speaks, "So uh, yesterday was nice, hey?"
Robin smiles, breaking off a piece of her cookie to point at Steve with, "You mean the quality family time or you causing Eddie to have a mini panic attack, then cuddling him all night?"
Steve's brows furrowed, concern quickly creeping across his features, "What'd he have a panic attack about?"
"Oh, you won't believe me,-" Robin sighs with a smirk, slouching back further in her chair, looking around to see if anyone is listening before she speaks quietly "- Steve, Eddie didn't know you were Bi-Sexual."
He chokes on his hot chocolate, some of it breaking past the barrier of his lips dripping onto his shirt which grants a muffled, "shit." Dabbing himself with a napkin, Steve finally begins to speak on the topic, "What do you mean he didn't know?"
"Steve, he had no fucking clue-" Robin shakes her head, still dumbfounded by Eddie's blindness towards Steve's flirting. Sipping on her hot chocolate, she continues "-not until Dustin asked you about Jake anyways."
"Well shit. How'd he not- " Steve pauses for a moment, sighs, scratching at the stain on his shirt, "-no wonder he never caught onto any of the blatantly obvious flirting."
"Right?" She mumbles around a mouth full of cookie
"Is that why he actually let me cuddle him last night?"
"Probably.-" Robin garbles around crumbs, swallowing before continuing and speaking clearly, "-You're fair game now that he knows."
"Fuck man,-" he huffs with a smile, downing the remainder of his hot chocolate, "-bring it on. You have any idea how hard I'd been trying to get his attention before I finally gave up?"
She rolls her eyes, "You didn't give up."
"No, I did not." He admits without reservation
-
The pair eventually make it back out into the cold where they walk with matched strides and Robin's arm laced in Steve's. They window shopped for another ten minutes before Robin nudged Steve in front of the record store, "You gonna get him something?"
He peeks through the window, breath fogging the glass around him, "You think I should?"
"You wanna start the New Year with a boyfriend?"
"Best case scenario? Absolutely." Steve smiles, turning back to meet her eyes
"Then let's go get your man a gift."