Christmas Things

From the window, Hawkins always had a calm feel to it, but in winter it seemed almost like a foreign place. Steve leaned his arm against the cold frame as if he had been standing there for hours, letting his gaze slowly drift across the street. The snow lay soft and heavy on the front yards. String lights drew thin, vibrating lines into the early darkness, each porch a small island of warm and colorful lights. The neighbors had decorated their windows with red bows and green wreaths; behind the glass, Steve saw movement, shadows shifting through kitchens or living rooms, accompanied by muffled laughter that reached his ears only as a hint. His breath fogged the glass as he leaned forward briefly, and the light veil made the world outside seem even softer. It all seemed so peaceful... so gentle... so contemplative.

He didn’t know how long he had been standing at this window, letting himself be carried away by what he saw. He felt so light... so relaxed and at ease as never before. No work... no obligations and drama, destruction... death ..  all that existed only in the fantasy stories of the game the boys he had taken to his heart played and talked about over and over again. Steve honestly didn’t know why he hung out with them..  there was no reason for it... but he didn’t question it either. All he thought and felt was at peace with himself, and he was even looking forward to Christmas, even though he would be spending it alone, as he did every year.

He took a long hot shower, put on some Christmas shorts, reindeer that looked pretty strange, but he didn’t care. Just as he was about to get a cold beer from the fridge to watch some TV series, the doorbell suddenly rang, and he assumed it was just the mailman wanting to quickly deliver a package from his parents. Humming, he went to the door, opened it, and looked into the shining eyes of Dustin Henderson, who now had longer hair, had developed his own style of clothing, and was almost a young adult.

“Henderson...?”

Dustin grinned even wider.

“You forgot, didn’t you?”

Steve blinked in confusion and frowned.

“What did I forget?”

Dustin pushed past him with a grin, stepped inside the house, and put down his bulging backpack.

“You’re not even dressed... I didn’t know you were into that kind of cheesy stuff, Stevie.”

Dustin teased the homeowner and acted as if he were at home in this house himself.

“Our Christmas party... you said we could play DnD in your basement while you old killjoys drink way too much alcohol.”

Steve stared at the younger man in disbelief and shook his perfectly styled hair.

“I’m not into Christmas parties... and I definitely didn’t invite you guys, Henderson!”

Dustin chuckled softly.

“Sure, Steve... sure, so... eh, since you haven’t prepared anything yet...”

Whistling, Dustin handed out packs of chips, cookies, and chocolate until he finally disappeared into the basement. Of course, Steve knew nothing about the party, because it had been Dustin’s idea. There was no better place to celebrate and, above all, to play in peace. Well... Steve would just have to live with that. Shaking his head, Steve felt the ice-cold air flowing in from outside slowly bite into his skin. Just as he was about to slam the door behind him... he saw the silhouettes of other potential guests approaching his house in the distance.

“Seriously?”

Gritting his teeth, he looked down at himself and rolled his eyes.

“I’ll get you back for this someday, Henderson.”

He muttered to himself and finally put on a smile to greet the others.

closed RPG with @Robin Buckley, and @Billy Hargrove. 

Tumblr links for dividers provided by Grummelwau, Credits to reevesoc&mouseygraphics /Tumblr