🔞A Very Steddie Christmas

December 21st, 1986

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.