"Dustin, if you puke eggnog on my carpet, I'm gonna lose it!" Steve shouted as he carried another tray of cookies into the living room. They were store bought, but he threw some red and green sprinkles on top, so it counted as festive. No one was probably going to eat them anyway, since they were all stuffed from dinner.
It may have been cheating, but Steve had ordered a full holiday dinner spread from a local restaurant for his Christmas party. There was turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and more. Dustin's mom had even sent over a couple of pies, which made Steve almost burst into tears. This was his first holiday that he was celebrating with other people and even though it was the day after Christmas, it still meant everything. He'd technically spent the last Christmas with the Wheelers, but it hadn't really felt like he was a part of it all. Steve didn't feel alone at all right now.
All of the kids had been allowed to come over. It meant a lot that Hopper and Joyce were trusting him to take care of El and Will. He'd invited the parents along as well, but they insisted the kids have their fun. Steve still gave them each a little gift to show his appreciation. Joyce loved her sweater and Hopper appreciated his new jacket. Hopper's gift to Billy was the best though. Nothing could beat the news that Neil was going to be in jail for the next couple of years. Or the paperwork that would start Billy's emancipation process. Billy was going to have to get a part time job in the new year to help show that he could take care of himself, but it was a small price to pay for his freedom.
"I wouldn't be drinking anything if we were finally opening presents!" Dustin called back.
"In a minute! I don't know why you're being so impatient. I know your mom got you that nerdy radio thing you wanted yesterday," Steve huffed, fixing one of the lights on the tree. He'd gotten an artificial one at the last minute, since it was easiest. But he was already dreaming about getting a real one next year and going all out with lights and ornaments and tinsel. Billy scoffed at the idea, but he could be a grinch all he wanted. It was going to happen.
"How do you know what she got me?" Dustin questioned.
"Who do you think told her what you wanted?" Steve smirked.
"Since when are you friends with my mom?"
"Since always. So you better behave," Steve warned, before tossing one of the presents under the tree with his name on it at him. After that, it was chaos. All the kids scrambled to the tree, searching for their own gifts to open. Steve was about to get trampled, but Billy pulled him out of the line of fire at the last second.
"I thought you had these kids trained better," Billy huffed, raising his eyebrows at the mayhem.
"They are a work in progress," Steve grumbled, fixing his askew collar.
"This one is for Billy!" Lucas announced, whipping a small box at Billy's face. He caught it, but glowered at the younger boy.
"Sinclair," Billy growled.
"Just testing your reflexes. You've been looking a little slow on the court these days," Lucas teased.
"I'll show you slow," Billy grunted, looking at the gift suspiciously. "What is this?"
"To find out what it is, you have to take the paper off," Steve explained slowly.
"But we agreed we weren't getting each other anything," Billy grumbled.
"It's not from me," Steve insisted, holding his hand up in surrender. His gift was the weight room he was setting up that Billy didn't know about yet. But he had suggested to the kids that if they were planning on getting Steve any presents, they get things for Billy instead. What was previously the guest room was now Billy's room, and while he had pretty much everything from his old room that he wanted, it wasn't enough in Steve's opinion. Steve wanted Billy to be as comfortable as possible, but throwing money at him too much only made him bristle. So a few Christmas presents was a good way to get around that.
"It's from me," Max scoffed, rolling her eyes. Billy kept muttering under his breath but didn't really complain, since the gift had come from his sister. One thing Steve could give Susan credit for was that she kept her word about not keeping Max and Billy apart. Billy still gave her rides to and from school everyday and she usually did homework at their house, before going home for dinner and bed. It wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better than it could've been.
"Really?" Billy snorted as soon as he ripped off the paper and revealed what was inside. He was holding up a shirt with the words "World's luckiest big brother" printed on it. It was amazing and Steve couldn't stop himself from doubling over in laughter. The rest of the kids joined in, throwing lighthearted jabs around. It was a far cry from the night that started everything.
A knock on the door interrupted Steve's amusement and for a second, a tingle of fear ran down his spine. His first thought was that his parents had picked the absolute worst time to come back, before he remembered that they probably wouldn't be knocking to enter their own home. He reluctantly walked to the front door, wanting to deal with whatever was waiting for him on the other side before the unknown of it all soured the mood. With his luck, it would be another monster. And when he finally did open the door, he kind of wished it was.
"Susan?" Steve asked in surprise, staring at the woman standing in front of his house. She was holding something in her arms and looked as nervous and awkward as ever. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine," Susan said quietly, looking everywhere but at him. She probably hated him, after what he'd said to her the day she kicked Billy out. Steve couldn't say he regretted the anger he'd shown her. He hadn't said that stuff to hurt her, but because it was true. Steve knew what it was like to be confronted with hard facts about himself that he didn't want to admit to, but he'd taken those words and made himself better. It remained to be seen if Susan would do the same.
"Okay?"
"I was wondering if I could talk to Billy for a moment," Susan requested, finally looking up at him. Steve wanted to say he saw remorse in her eyes, but it might've been wishful thinking. Of course he wanted everyone to end up happy and get along, but that wasn't always realistic. His breakup with Nancy had sort of dimmed his natural optimism a bit.
"Um, let me see if he's available," Steve mumbled, not wanting to give her an outright yes. It was up to Billy if he wanted to talk to her. And if Billy gave him the word, Steve would happily be the bad guy and close the door in her face. It was petty, but earned. Steve turned to go look for him, but saw Billy standing not too far behind him. He was staring at Susan and she had noticed him too.
"What do you want?" Billy asked tightly, crossing his arms as he walked up to stand next to Steve.
"I was wondering if we could talk," Susan said again, flicking her eyes toward Steve. He wasn't sure if that meant he was supposed to leave, but he wasn't budging. Until Billy asked him to leave, he was staying.
"About what?"
"I found your jacket in the laundry. I thought you'd like it back," Susan said, holding out what she had in her arms. Billy took it with a raised eyebrow.
"You could've just given it to Max to pass along. Or thrown it out. We all know you know how to do that," Billy smirked. Steve coughed to try to cover up his surprised laugh. Billy sure was quick with the snark.
"I deserve that," Susan said quietly, staring down at her feet. Steve and Billy shared a suspicious glance. Susan had shown some remorse during their talk before, but it was mostly defensiveness. Maybe the time and space had given her a change of heart, but Steve wasn't going to let his guard down and he didn't think Billy would either.
"You do," Billy agreed.
"I want to apologize for what I did. And what I didn't do," Susan said seriously, finally looking Billy straight in the eye. "I've made a lot of bad choices."
"You have."
"I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't see myself forgiving Neil either-"
"Good," Billy interrupted, making sure she was really listening before he continued. "You can't ever take him back, no matter what he says or does. If you really want to make up for any past mistakes, that's how you do it. You be who Max needs you to be."
"If you ever do need something-"
"I have everything I need here," Billy said, nodding toward Steve. Susan gave them both a sad smile. That was probably all the absolution she was going to get in this situation. And Steve really wanted her to leave, since that last statement from Billy was making him feel some sort of way. He needed to excuse himself to the bathroom to get a handle on his emotions before he ruined Christmas.
"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to be who you needed," Susan said quietly, giving them one last look before turning and walking away. Steve waited until she got into her car and drove off before he closed the door. That could've gone worse.
"You okay?" Steve asked.
"Always," Billy snorted, rolling his eyes. "I don't care about Susan. As long as she takes care of Max, we don't have anything left to say to each other."
"We'll make sure she does," Steve agreed. "And if she doesn't, there's plenty of room here for Max too."
"Gonna take in all the needy residents of Hawkins?"
"Nah, just the ones I care about."
"You saying you care about me, Harrington?" Billy smirked, covering his heart dramatically.
"Barely," Steve scoffed, waving him off.
"Then I guess you don't want the gift I got you," Billy sighed.
"You said we weren't getting each other anything!" Steve said accusingly. He'd gone against their word too, but that was different.
"As if I don't know about the weight room."
"What room?" Steve asked innocently. He'd never been good at being sneaky.
"Right," Billy chuckled, digging his hand into his pocket. He pulled something out and tossed it to Steve, who barely caught it in his surprise.
"A key?" Steve asked, flipping the thing between his fingers. It was obviously a key, but he didn't know what it was for.
"This doesn't mean you get to drive it all the time, but occasionally is fine. Especially if I need you to be my designated driver."
"You're gonna let me drive your car?" Steve asked in wonder. He'd seen Billy threaten murder when someone's eyes lingered on the car for too long, but he was giving Steve a key to it? "Are you serious?"
"I trust you," Billy said simply. Steve stared down at the key as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. Billy didn't have much he could call his own right now, yet he still trusted Steve with it. That meant more to Steve than anything Billy could buy in a store. "You're not gonna start crying on me, are you?"
"No," Steve sniffled, quickly brushing a hand under his eyes.
"The kids are gonna kill me if they think I upset you."
"I'm fine," Steve mumbled, gently shoving Billy's shoulder. "Let's go see the mess they've made." They walked back into what used to be Steve's living room, but now looked like a war zone. There was paper everywhere and kids sprawled out as far as the eye could see. It was what Steve had always imagined it would look like if he had a big family. And now he did.
Billy finished opening up the gifts he got from everyone. There were posters, pillows, and other general things that made a bedroom feel like home. It might not have been exactly what Billy would've picked for himself, but Steve could see the appreciation in his eyes. It really was the thought that counted.
"What's this?" Steve asked, walking over to pat the last present that hadn't been touched yet. It was the biggest box, but he didn't see a tag on it. "Who is it for?"
"It's for you, Steve," Max said, sharing a conspiratorial glance with the other kids.
"Guys, I told you not to get me anything. You all coming over was enough," Steve sighed, although internally, he was a bit excited. His parents pretty much provided him with unlimited resources, but they never got him gifts. They didn't know him well enough. Even a random Christmas or birthday card signed by their actual hands would be somewhat of a miracle.
"Just open it," Max insisted, waving at him to hurry up. Steve carefully peeled off the tape, wanting to stretch this moment out forever. It was ridiculous, but if this was the last gift he ever got, he wanted to savor it. The next Christmas wasn't guaranteed, especially with how their lives went. So if this was it, he was going to cherish it.
There was a plain box underneath the paper and Steve started picking at the edge of the tape again. The kids groaned, flopping back dramatically as the wait continued. Steve was about to start going slower out of spite, when Billy pulled a knife out of his pocket and sliced open the top.
"Really?" Steve huffed, making sure Billy safely secured the blade again.
"Get on with it already."
"Fine," Steve grumbled, bending back the flaps of the box and pulling out what was inside. "Oh." It was a giant picture frame that looked handmade and gorgeous. But what really took his breath away was what it held inside. It was all of them, hanging around in Steve's living room. Steve, Billy, and Max sitting on the couch laughing. The boys playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons nearby as Mike pointed out something to El. It was what Steve imagined a perfect day would be like.
"Will drew it, while the rest of us pitched in for the frame," Dustin explained. Steve just nodded, feeling too choked up to speak. He'd taken family photos with his parents years ago, but it had felt so impersonal. They had only been something for his parents to have for their public image. And once Steve stopped being a cute little kid, they hadn't bothered. Even though this was a drawing, it was the most precious family photo he'd ever had.
"Thank you," Steve finally forced out, blinking rapidly at the wetness in his eyes. He was trying so hard to hold it together, but he knew it wouldn't take much to make him fall apart. And when Max walked over to give him a hug, that's what did him in. All the kids gathered around him as he quietly sobbed. This was everything he'd ever wanted and he didn't know how he'd gotten lucky enough to get it.
Billy set his hand on Steve's shoulder as he calmed back down, getting a handle on his emotions again. At least this time his tears had been brought on by happiness instead of sadness. To think that all of this had started with a plate to the head was kind of wild. But this group rarely did things in the typical way. And as Steve looked around at the group of people he cared so much about and who cared about him in return, he knew he wouldn't change a thing.