Sorry for the late update but I've been really busy with coursework. I hope you like the Xmas themed chapter
Chapter 5:
Steve hadn't made any Christmas plans. After dropping Dustin off at the snowball, he'd spent most of time around Hopper's. He knew his parents wouldn't be back. He debated if he was bothered to even make a Christmas dinner like he used to, just on the off chance they did show up. He was lazing on his couch two days before Christmas, no preparation whatsoever when his doorbell rang. He opened it to see Dustin and the other shitheads, accompanied by Jane, Max, Hopper, Mrs. Byers and a very confused Jonathan and Nancy.
"Hey Steve!" Dustin exclaimed with a bright smile.
"Hey dipshit." Steve said, a half grin and confused look on his face. He leant again the door frame. "So, what brings you all the way out here?"
"We were thinking about having a Christmas party." Dustin said. Apparently, he'd been nominated speaker. "And you have the biggest place."
"A Christmas party." Steve repeated. "I don't have anything for a Christmas party."
"That's cool, we're having it tomorrow, but since we're invading your place we figured we should help set up." Dustin said eagerly. Steve just stood in his door, contemplating.
"We told them to call first." Joyce said with exasperation. "To check if that's alright with you and your parents."
"My parents aren't here." Steve said stiffly. Joyce frowned slightly and looked ready to ask something but Steve cut her off. "Alright a party, you know I'm always down for those. Let's see what you have." The kids grinned before storming into his house and checking out his kitchen and living room.
"No tree, I'm disappointed Steve." Max said teasingly. Steve gave a half smile.
"What can I say, I try my best to disappoint." He said with a mock bow. Max chuckled.
"Okay guys let's make a list." Mike said, being the leader of the ragtag team. They started writing down all the things they needed and Steve just let them. Joyce and Hopper tapered down the really outrageous suggestions (a chocolate fountain, really guys) and Jonathan and Nancy had offered good alternatives.
"What about cooking though?" Lucas asked. "I mean we can't just eat raw stuff."
"Steve has to cook." Mike said. "He's really good."
"Yes. Steve good." Jane added. Everyone turned to Steve who smiled meekly.
"What can I say, I'm a madman with a frying pan." Steve joked weakly.
"You can cook?" Jonathan asked, the first to recover. "I always figured…"
"That my parents did? That I live off microwaveable crap like the Chief? Or that someone did it for me?" Steve fired off. He'd heard the stories about his family. Knew what people expected when they saw him. Jonathan flushed slightly.
"Are you suggesting that Steve is the best cook?" Joyce asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.
"He has my vote." Hopper said, leaning back on the couch. Steve grinned.
"What kind of food did you little dorks have in mind anyway?" He asked.
Steve must have been mental, absolutely mental. But there he was, two days before Christmas buying a tree, buying food and other assorted goods. The checkout lady gave him odd looks but he ignored it in favour of getting back to his home and setting up. He knew the shitheads would love it and that made him feel warm inside. No, he wasn't going soft. He couldn't wait to see their faces. He knew he'd have to get up early the next day so decided to hit the hay early. Getting up to cook for other people was a novelty Steve was starting to enjoy. When the doorbell rang at midday, he gave a shout to say it was open while removing a healthy slab of meat from the oven.
"Oh, Steve it smells lovely." Joyce sighed. "Here let me help."
"Nah Mrs Byers. I can manage." Steve said with a grin.
"Steve likes cooking alone." Jane said. "He got bitchy when Hopper tried to help."
"Language." Hopper said fondly.
"I did not get bitchy." Steve retorted. Hopper gave him a look and Steve turned back to his cooking. "You can always get out some plates and stuff if you really want to help Mrs. Byers." Joyce immediately starting searching for the appropriate tableware.
"You can call me Joyce." She said, pulling out a stack of plates.
"Of course, Mrs Byers." Steve said with a smile. Joyce let out a light chuckle and began ushering the kids away from the food.
"Anything we can do?" Nancy asked, Jonathan at her side.
"You can keep those little nerds out of my kitchen." Steve said. Nancy and Jonathan managed to wrangle the smaller kids into the living room, letting them mess around with the board games they'd brought. Steve was pulling out trays of food and effectively setting up a buffet in the kitchen. Joyce was happy to help him arrange everything while Hopper pulled out drinks and wordlessly handed Steve some Eggos.
"Looks great kid." Hopper said gruffly.
"No wonder you've been looking healthier." Joyce teased. "Honestly, a woman could get used to this."
"Yeah, kid'll make a great house wife someday." Hopper joked. Steve rolled his eyes, focusing on melting cheese over some nachos. When he finished plating the last of the food, the phone rang.
"I got it, Joyce can you get those shi- uh kids in here?" Steve asked, catching himself before he called Joyce's son a shithead. Joyce nodded, supressing a laugh. Steve picked up the phone.
"Harrington residence, Steve speaking." He said politely.
"Steven." His father responded crisply.
"Oh, hey Dad." Steve said unenthusiastically.
"Your mother and I are still out in Orlando, we're not going to be back until after New Year's." His father said.
"Right." Steve said, not particularly caring, at least they'd called this time.
"I need you to pick something up for me in the meantime." His father continued. "The order should be coming into my local office, I need you there on the 28th." Of course, it wasn't that they actually cared, no Steve was just a pack mule for them.
"Yeah, sure Dad." Steve sighed. "What time?"
"Between nine and three." His father replied. Steve figured into couldn't have been vaguer. "Also, when we come back the house had better not be a mess like last time." Steve wanted to scream down the receiver. It had barely been a mess last time and he'd still gotten shit for the glasses he'd forgotten to wash.
"It will be." He said. "Have a merry-." He'd hung up. Steve slammed the phone on the receiver, leant against the wall and sighed. "Party face Harrington, come on." He plastered on a smile and headed back in the kitchen to find it in absolute chaos. Dustin was threatening Lucas with a whisk, while Lucas ignored him and vied for Max's attention. Max however, was throwing things for Jane to catch and move around. Mike was trying to get Jane's attention while Will seemed to just be enjoying the show, eating little pieces of the buffet. The 'adults' weren't being much help either. Hopper was lounging on a chair next to Joyce, sipping beer and chatting about nothing in particular. Nancy was feeding Jonathan while he tried to snap pictures. Steve supposed it was alright until Dustin effectively started a food war, causing food and napkins to go everywhere. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU LITTLE SHITHEADS DOING?" Everyone turned to look at him. Steve took a deep breath. "Dustin, get off that stool or so help me I will drive your sorry ass back home. Lucas, stop provoking Dustin, it's not helping. Max, don't laugh, and don't use a plate as a shield. Mike, don't shake that stool any more, I know Dustin is a pain but we don't want him to actually die. Do it later when the police chief isn't around and I have plausible deniability. Jane, please don't levitate food, its for eating, not throwing. Will-." Steve cut himself off. The younger Byers looked a little shell-shocked. "Will, you're an absolute angel, I'm so happy someone doesn't feel the need to trash other people's homes." Steve sent a pointed glare at Dustin, who promptly hopped off the stool.
"Steve, you're being such a mom." He said with a laugh. Steve huffed. "You're even doing your mom pose."
"What?" Steve asked, confused. "I don't have a mom pose."
"Yeah you do." Lucas said. He snickered. "You look like my mom when she's annoyed. Hands on hips and a frown." Steve frowned.
"Well Shitheads, if you're nominating me mother than I suppose you won't mind me telling you to clean up the mess you made." He shot back.
"What?!" They chorused. "But Steve-."
"I don't want to hear it, I want my kitchen returned to some semblance of normal." Steve said. The kids pouted and complained. "If you clean it all, then you can keep eating and I'll whip up a special Christmas cake." The kids looked tempted. "With Eggos and ice cream." That sorted it, the kids immediately jumped into action. Nancy and Jonathan helped out, mainly so the shitheads didn't kill themselves. Steve slumped into a chair by Hopper and Joyce. "I need a drink." Hopper wordlessly handed him a cup of apple juice. Steve snorted but drank it anyway.
"I'm impressed Steve." Joyce said with a warm smile. "They listened to you."
"I have my moments." Steve said, chugging the juice. Hopper snorted. He glanced at Steve, who looked pretty done at that moment. Keeping order in a house full of middle-schoolers did that to a man.
"So, kid, parents aren't around for Christmas?" He asked. Steve's face immediately darkened.
"No." He said stiffly. "They're back after New Years'." Hopper nodded.
"How about you spend it with me and Jane?" He asked gruffly. Steve made an incoherent noise.
"You just want me to cook for you, don't you?" Steve teased. Hopper let out a short chuckle.
"Well that's one reason. Jane would like it too." He replied in an equally teasing tone.
"Sure, got nothing better to do." Steve agreed, letting them fall into comfortable silence.