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Every year Steve and Eddie held a little competition, something just for the two of them. They’d started it in 86, still just friends who were already harboring feelings for each other. The first gifts they’d gotten each other for Christmas, somehow sparking a tradition that always brought a smile to their faces.
Every year, they gifted each other the ugliest Christmas sweaters they could find. Neither had ever repeated a sweater, never bought each other the same sweaters. Every year the sweaters got dumber, more ridiculous. Sometimes they had lights, one year Eddie had managed to find one that played music. (He’d won that year and Steve had laughed himself to tears at first before getting annoyed by the constant poking from the others to make the sweater sing.)
Voting was done by the other members of the party at the annual holiday party that was held at the Hopper-Byers. Obviously they wore the sweaters to the party and the Winner got bragging rights for the year. Though they had started off accidentally, they were both determined to win. Steve being competitive was expected, but Eddie hadn’t expected to be just as competitive as his boyfriend. It had been nine years of this, but each year felt just as important as the last.
This year marked the ten year anniversary of their game, nine years after they’d gotten together.
Eddie was determined to make the year special, to really blow it out of the water. He’d searched everywhere for the perfect sweater, starting immediately after the Christmas before. (Steve had won that year and he definitely wasn’t sulking about it.) Eddie often found his best sweaters during the after Christmas sales, marked down with stores desperate to get rid of their stock. He couldn’t find one that really fit though. Had searched through most of the stores around the city after work or on his days off. Everything just seemed too simple, not ugly enough.
He was bitching about it to Josie, the owner of the garage he worked at, in February when she solved his dilemma.
“Just make a damn sweater for him. God knows it’ll look abysmal since you don’t actually know what you’re doing.” She’d rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair with a smirk. She had witnessed the monstrosities Eddie had found for the last five years. “Betty can teach you the basics of knitting. She’s made me enough sweaters as presents over the years that she should be helpful. Don’t show her the end result though, she might cry.”
Eddie threw his head back, laughing. “She would probably cry from laughter. Her sense of humor is even better than yours. You think she’d help me though?”
“Course she would! She’s been trying to get you or Steve into knitting for awhile anyway. Talks about it after every dinner we have with you.” Rosie shrugged. “Maybe you can even join her knitting circle. Meets on Thursdays, though I think they gossip more than knit.”
“Sounds like my type of knitting circle then. No mentioning this to Steve though. It has to be a surprise!”
“I know, I know. He’d probably be able to guess why you picked up knitting. You better get a picture of his reaction for me. I bet he cries.”
“I’m not taking that bet because I know he’ll cry.”
***
Betty was an endless well of patience as he learned the basics of knitting. It was a lot harder than he’d expected. He had to remember to count his stitches, go over every step as he went. He dropped stitches constantly still, but it was nice to have something to do with his hands while also talking. He was always fidgeted, needed to be doing something with his hands as he’s doing something else. Too much energy and no outlets to get it out. It’s one of the reasons he loved music so much, playing the guitar was calming and it actually helped him listen.
Knitting at first was hard, but as he got better, he could join in on the gossip during the Thursday knitting circle. It was three older women, two friends of Betty’s and the woman herself. They’d accepted him immediately. Asked about his life, not put off by his hair or clothes. It was nice actually, like having a bunch of grandmas who wanted to take care of him. They all knew about Rosie and Betty so he was comfortable enough to explain his plan for the sweater and Steve. All of them giggling with him. They also encouraged him, always dropping little hints and to make things easier for him as he continued to get better.
He started off just making scarves with no fancy designs. Getting the movements down until he could do them in his sleep and come out with a pretty decent scarf. It took him about a month, but he managed. He then moved on to other things like socks and hats. They were much harder than he’d expected and started to worry that he wouldn’t be able to make a sweater in time for Christmas. It didn’t have to be good, but it did need to stay together. The ladies all assured him it would be okay, he would have the time needed.
Steve didn’t know about the knitting, for obvious reasons. He may pretend to be the pretty, dumb boy, but Eddie knew he was anything but dumb. Steve caught the little details, mulling them over in his head until he came to a conclusion, often the right conclusion. So Eddie hid the knitting. He had his yarn at work, knitting on his breaks. On Thursdays, Steve thought he was meeting with a DnD group he’d found. (Eddie definitely thought the ladies may actually enjoy Dungeons and Dragons, he was going to get them to play a one shot eventually.)
Eddie worked on his skills on his days off while Steve was working, stuck on a fixed schedule of Monday through Friday as a counselor at a middle school versus Eddie’s more varied one. It was harder to hide the knitting in the summer, where Steve had a lot more days off, but Eddie managed. He didn’t seem to pick up on anything being off, but maybe he just trusted that Eddie would tell him if there was a problem. You don’t go nine years and a lot of trauma bonding in a relationship without trusting your partner after all.
***
By October, he felt ready to start on the sweater, wanting to give himself ample amount of time to work on it in secret and add little details if needed. He’d sketched out a rough design, getting opinions from the ladies on what colors he should use as well as what things he should add. They helped him find the softest yarn that was still within his budget and laughed when he presented his idea. They had also helped him find the things to add to the sweater that could be sewed on since he still didn’t have the skills to use the yarn to make things like reindeer or santas.
“We could always help you with those, Eddie Dear.” Gertrude had offered and he’d really appreciated it. The ladies had been so encouraging through the entire process and he couldn’t wait to introduce Steve to them after the New Year.
“Gertie, you truly are a benevolent queen, but I feel like this needs to be all me.” He responded, kissing the back of her hand and making her giggle.
“You’re so sweet. He’s going to love this, even if it’s the ugliest thing anyone in this group has ever made.” Rosemary teased, not looking up from the glove she was making but she was smiling.
“That’s the point! I’m gonna win this competition!” He sat back in his chair and grabbed the yarn, taking a deep breath and starting.
Betty patted him on the shoulder. “Then you better bring him by. We could always use another member of our little group!”
***
There were a few rules for their little family that could never be broken. Friends don’t lie, the Party is a democracy, and everyone has to go to the annual Byers-Hopper holiday party unless the world is ending. (The only acceptable excuses were if you were dying, no exceptions.)
Every year after the world almost ended for the fourth time, Joyce and Hopper hosted a holiday party to gather everyone together. In the last decade, it was sometimes the only time Eddie got to see some of them all year. They’d all gone their own ways, headed to different cities for school and jobs. But every year, without fail, they managed to get together for a couple of days in December. It was his favorite time of year.
They all spent months trying to find a day that worked for everyone so the day changed every year. Joyce made multiple calls, getting everyone’s schedules and somehow finding the one day they all could get back to Hawkins. Everyone then blocked that day in their calendars, making sure nothing was scheduled besides the party on pain of death. Steve and Eddie always opened their sweaters right before they headed to the party, ready for judging.
“Okay you have to let me open yours first.” Eddie told Steve, handing him his present. “I need zero distractions when you see what I got you.”
“Babe, we always open them at the same time.” There was just a hint of a whine in Steve’s voice and it made Eddie laugh.
“Stevie, please, just this once I need you to wait.”
Steve rolled his eyes but nodded. “Fine, whatever. Open yours then. I really think I’m winning this time. I almost threw up when I saw it.”
Eddie grinned at him and ripped the paper off of the sweater. He started laughing hard as he unfolded it, taking in just how ugly the thing was. A hideous shade of yellow and green yarn, a large donkey with a Christmas hat taking up most of the chest. There were small lines of trees that made stripes across the entire thing. The donkey also had a present near its front hoof that actually stuck out from the sweater.
“How are these colors even Christmasy? Yellow isn’t even a Christmas color!” Eddie kept staring at it as Steve covered his mouth and giggled.
“Honestly, I’m not really sure. I think the donkey is supposed to be that one from that song about the Italian donkey.” Steve huffed out, losing to a fit of giggles again.
“This is truly awful, Sweetheart. Nice job. Where’d you find it, I didn’t even see this one.” He took his shirt off, pulling the sweater on and wiggling a bit. At least the thing was soft, instead of some scratchy material. They always made sure to buy soft ugly sweaters for each other so they wouldn’t get overwhelmed from wearing them. Both had forgone picking some over the years because the material was awful.
“Remember that small general store we went to when we visited Dustin in May? It was way in the back under some other shit. I had to have Dustin distract you so you wouldn’t see it.” Steve said, a soft smile on his face that he always got when talking about visits with the kids.
“Barely. I do remember the hotel bed though. Very comfortable.” Eddie shot him a wink, which made him roll his eyes.
“Of course you do. Can I open mine now?” He held the package up, shaking it gently.
“Yeah sure just let me grab the camera real quick. I told the ladies I’d get a picture of you opening it.” He grabbed the camera from the table and held it up, finger on the button.
“Is it really that good that they’ll need a picture? Pretty sure Nancy and Robin have seen every facial expression I can make at this point.” Steve rolled his eyes and started to open the package in his lap. He was always slower than Eddie who just tore the paper off. No, Steve had to carefully pull the tape away like he was going to save the paper.
He frowned as the sweater was revealed and Eddie tensed just a bit. He’d been pretty proud of the sweater and could admit he was nervous about Steve seeing it. Of course it was supposed to be ugly, but he still wanted Steve to like it. That was the fun of the sweaters, they were so bad they circled back to being something they loved.
Steve held the sweater up, staring. It was red and green, Eddie wanting the classic colors, with eight reindeer patches sewed onto it. Each of the reindeers were a little bulky and fuzzy. The collar was a bit too big, Eddie had over measured by accident but he thought it gave it some character. One sleeve was also longer than the other, but that had been intentional because he thought it would be funny. In blocky letters down the shorter arm was ‘Steve’ and down the other was ‘Munson.’ The letters were blocky and white, but he was still a bit impressed with himself for being able to knit them in there.
Eddie managed to get a picture before Steve looked away.
“Where did you get this?” he asked, brow furrowed.
“I uh… I made it actually.” Eddie admitted, biting his bottom lip. “Couldn’t find one I wanted to get you and I was talking to Rosie and she said Betty would teach me how to knit-” he was cut off by Steve throwing his arms around him and burying his face in his neck. Eddie’s arms went around him immediately, camera forgotten. He could feel the collar of his own sweater getting wet. “You okay, Baby?”
“Eddie.” Steve said his name like he was dying. “You made that?”
“Yeah. I figured anything I made would be ugly enough. Ya know since I’m still learning.” He wanted to shrug but didn’t want to dislodge Steve.
Steve pulled away slightly to look at him. “I love it. It’s the best sweater I’ve ever gotten.”
“But is it the ugliest ?” Eddie joked, trying to deflect from Steve’s serious tone.
“Eddie, Baby, it’s so ugly but I love it so fucking much. You made that. What the fuck? You learned to knit just for me?” Steve had tears in his eyes again.
‘Yes. Of course I did.’ Eddie wanted to say, but even after nine years he still sometimes had trouble allowing himself to be so vulnerable. “I mean I technically learned how to knit so I could win…. And… Maybe ‘cause I wanted to make you something.”
Steve’s face softened and he kissed him. “Just when I think I can’t love you anymore, you prove me wrong you asshole.”
“Gotta keep you on your toes, Stevie.” Eddie returned the kiss. “Put it on, I wanna see how it fits. I couldn’t exactly take your measurements. Gertie wanted to kill me when I told her I was gonna eyeball it.”
Steve pulled away, quickly changing into the sweater. “Who the fuck is Gertie?” he asked when his head popped through the neckhole which really was too big. He pulled his arms through and Eddie’s eyes raked over his form. The sweater actually fit pretty well. Maybe a little small, but he wasn’t going to complain about that. He loved seeing Steve in tight clothes. “Gertie’s one of the ladies. I uh… joined a knitting circle with Betty. It’s her, Gertie, and Rosemary. They’re great and they wanna meet you by the way. I kinda lied about the DnD group, sorry. I just didn’t want you to know I was knitting.”
Steve frowned at him. “Why not? Did you think I’d tease you about it? I think it’s great, Eds! You’re obviously pretty good at it.”
“Nah, I knew you wouldn’t tease me. I just knew that if you knew, it wouldn’t take you long to figure out that I was gonna make a sweater. I wanted it to be a surprise.” He leaned closer, finger trailing around one of the deer on Steve’s stomach. “You look good.”
“Well it’s definitely a surprise. I want to see what else you’ve made. No more hiding it. I demand at least six scarves and some mittens.” Steve smiled softly at him before pulling him into another kiss. “Seriously though, I love it. I love you.”
“Love you too. Now come on, we gotta go now or the gremlins are gonna yell at us for being late.” He kissed him again before standing and helping Steve up. “Think I’ll get a couple extra points for making the sweater?”
“Baby you’re getting all the votes if they know what’s good for them. I’m telling them to vote for you.”