voyager // max mayfield

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

"I really can't stay," Eve sings badly and exaggeratedly from where she was sat.

"But baby it's cold outside!" Dustin sings back to her loudly with a deeper voice than his normal one, making her laugh.

"Shut the fuck up!" Mike sings to the tune as he focused on finishing off the tree in the basement.

"Language!" They hear Ted Wheeler shout from upstairs, they all laugh as Mike finishes up the tree.

"I think it's secret Santa time," Max says to them and they all start to sit in a circle, Mike and Max helping eve onto the floor.

"Hopefully next year El with be with us for this," Eve says to them and they all agree, minus Max who decides to move the conversation along.

"Who's going first?"

-

Everyone had given each other gifts, and finally it was Eve's turn to give Max her secret Santa gift. Max sat confused as Mike and Eve got up, Eve hobbling over to Max and Max standing up to help her steady.

"Merry Christmas," Eve says to Max as Max stares at her confused, "I was your secret Santa, but I had no time to get anything worth while, so... Mike."

She gestured to Mike who now stood on a chair next to Eve and held Mistletoe over her. Max giggled.

"You paid Mike to hang mistletoe above us." She said, rather amused.

"That I did," Eve nods before grabbing Max's shoulders and bringing her in for a small heart-felt kiss. Lucas and Dustin cheered and clapped jokingly, causing Max to stick her finger up on them.

"My arm hurts," Mike spoke stepping down, Eve glared jokingly before pushing the boy softly. He flew back in a joking manner but accidentally tripped over Dustin's foot, causing him to actually fall onto the Christmas tree.

"I broke my balls!" He says as he saw a few ornaments smashed on the floor.

"Oh please, Jingle your bells somewhere else." Dustin spoke making all of them burst out laughing. Mike laughed too, not making an effort to get up.

•

Christmas Day had come once again, and this time Steve and Eve weren't spending it alone. Dustin and his mom had invited them round for Christmas lunch, which was mainly his moms idea.

They all sat around the Henderson family table, food piled on their plates as they ate. Dustin had become like a brother to the two Harrington siblings, so eating Christmas lunch with him seemed completely normal.

The two had opted out on going to the family Christmas dinner for several reasons; their parents had gone though, after light persuasion.

The two adults had been very confused when they came back to Hawkins only to see their daughter in a hospital bed, fighting for her life every day - but it had ultimately drawn them apart. Eve refused to tell them what happened, causing a chain of events made on secrets and lies.

Steve and Eve didn't trust their parents, knowing they lied to them all the time about where they were and what they were doing, and their parents didn't trust them. It wasn't a healthy household, but Steve and Eve didn't care at all.

"So, Eve! Did you try those tampons I gave you?" Miss Henderson asked, causing Eve to choke on the water she was drinking. Steve froze and Dustin held back a gag.

"Uh, Yeah," Eve nods, taking a sip of her water as her face flushed red. Her period had started for the first time last week, it was nothing to be embarrassed of, but she was embarrassed.

"Did it go up okay?" Miss Henderson asked, causing Steve to hold back a laugh with a cough and for Dustin to put his fork down, "it didn't get stuck did it? That happened to my friend Karen-"

"Can we not talk about this, mom?" Dustin asks with a groan as Eve's face turns even more red, "it's disgusting."

"It's called being a woman, Dusty!" Miss Henderson said to her son with a wide smile, "when you get a girlfriend one day, you'll have to buy her tampons, you too steve!"

"Yeah, Yeah," steve said with a little chuckle as he ate his greens before noticing that Dustin hadn't, "eat your greens, kid."

"Yes, mom," Dustin said with an eye roll, Miss Henderson chuckled as Steve bit back a smile. Eve smiling herself as she ate a carrot.

-

Later on that day and Steve was helping Eve walk out of the Henderson residence and into his car - the girl could still barely walk; but she was getting better day by day, step by step.

When they got into the car, Steve began to drive over to their home.

As they sat in the car, they sat in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable at all, the siblings just had nothing they needed to talk about, nothing they had to desperately get off their chests.

"Merry Christmas, little sis," Steve says to her as they turn onto loch nora. Eve smiles over at her big brother.

"Merry Christmas to you too, bub," she says as he comes to a stop in front of their home.

"I'm thinking cookies and milk while we watch a movie," She says to him as he stops the car, he looks over at her with a smile.

"Cookies and milk isn't a good Christmas dinner," Steve says to her before getting out the car. She waits for him to come round and help her out the car before heading into their home, ready to finish Christmas off happily with her brother.

"I don't see you cooking," She says to him, "and I know you can't cook for shit."

"Cookies and milk it is then," Steve sighs with a small laugh and smile, "what movie?"

"A Christmas story, duh." Eve says as if it's obvious, "the reader should watch that one."

"What?" Steve asks confused.

"The readers, the people who have read this entire thing. The person reading this right now. Duh..."

"I'm still confused." Steve says to her confused.

"Just wish them a merry Christmas, Stevo"

"Merry Christmas?"

"And a happy new yearrr!"