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Steve's very closed off when it comes to his family. His father is an abuser with power. His mother is a victim and greedy. She turned her head to the other direction every time Steve's dad hit him after any minor thing. They left him the house, something about 'the other's aren't as disappointing as you are to the family name' and hightailed it to Florida or Maryland. Steve doesn't know.
Recently they learned, Robin and Eddie, that Steve has an older sister that lives in Chicago and works for the Harrington buffet over there. Steve doesn't hate her, but they're not close, a ten year age gap between them. When Steve was a sixteen, his sister was already graduating from her masters in Chicago, working for their father. They talk through letters. He learned he has a niece, Daisy and is three years old.
She calls him on his birthday. He calls on hers, and now will call for Daisy's birthday. He used to wonder if he will ever meet her. They never talked about Nora coming to Hawkins or Steve going to Chicago, the difference of family treatment every present on both their minds. Nora is the golden child, she does no wrong on their father's eyes, but Steve? He finds any minor detail to berate him, and remind him he's a disgrace to the family.
They sent each other letters, to avoid any awkward silence or small talk on the line, updating and talking about their lives.
So, imagine Steve's surprise when after "the earthquake" and the quarantine finally ended, he heard the doorbell and opened the door confused only to be met with a female version of himself looking at him.
"Steve."
Was the only thing Nora said before launching herself to his brother's arms.
It was a heartfelt reunion. He was on the house he shares with Robin and Eddie at the outskirt of town. Since the prices dropped significantly, they were able to buy it with their savings plus the money Steve got for selling the mansion he used to live in.
Luckily he was alone, since explaining to his best friend and boyfriend that he had a sister was not on the table with all the sobbing that was happening.
"I thought something happened to you." she holds his arms and looks at him, eyes darting to every part of him, making sure he was whole. "Asshole." she decides to hit him on his chest and arms, once she confirmed everything was in place.
Steve exclaims in pain.
"What was that for?!" Steve says, surprised.
"I sent you multiple letters and you never answered. I called. Every day. And you never answered. I heard about the earthquake and how bad the town was. I couldn't come to you. Once I heard the quarantine was lifted, I packed a bag with Greg so we could come and see you."
Steve was crying. He can feel the fear on his sister voice, thinking the worst happened to him. Almost did. But he survived. Again.
"I thought we lost you and the only thing running on my head was that Daisy never got to meet her uncle."
Steve crumbled and surrounded Nora with his arms, she was shorter than him, felt like hugging Max.
"I'm okay. I am sorry." he sniffs. "When everything happened I was between the hospital and the shelter, your letters must have been lost in the mess of the house. Then I decided to sell the house and I'm still unpacking, haven't found your letters yet and can't remember your address with all the concussions I've had. I'm sorry, Nora."
She smiles, holds both his hands and it feels so maternal, his heartache.
"I'm glad you're okay Steve. I'm happy you made it out of that awful house."
"I'm glad too." he smiles, and looks behind her to see a car with a man and a little girl looking at them. "Can I meet her?"
"She wants to meet her uncle Steeb" she nods, pulling him by the arm closer to the car.
He sees Daisy jumping on, what he assumes, is Greg's lap, most probably stabbing his thighs with her feet. Her face lighting up with excitement.
Nora opens the door and Daisy jumps from the car to her mother's arms, looking at Steve.
"Hi, Daisy." he says, waving at her.
"Uncle Steeb!" she throws herself to his arms. "Daisy." she points at herself and then throw her little arms around his shoulders. He places a hand on her neck and tucks her closer to him.
He does his best to not cry, but fails miserably.
"I read to her every letter you sent. Showed her photos of you when she started getting older and would always ask when will we see you."
"She's beautiful. She's all Greg, though, you just carried her." he says and Nora scoffs but holding off a smile, while Greg laughed.
"Do you want to come in? There's a bit of a mess, but I was going to order some pizza, do you want to join us?"
"Pizza!" Daisy said, making the decision for everyone around her.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
It wasn't weird to hear voices when either of them came home from work, with everyone coming and going, their house being headquarters for The Party and Co. What was weird though, was hearing a loud giggle that could only be from a toddler. Robin stops on her tracks, and turns to look at Eddie, as if he had the answer as to why there was a random car in front of their house and a toddler giggling.
The funny thing is that everyone joked about one day coming in just to see Steve with a random baby because the kids soon will go to college and he will have the empty nest syndrome.
Apparently, both Eddie and Robin had the same thought because they rushed to the living room only to see Steve holding a kid.
"And I was so mad, because I hated the guy I was turning into. I was two steps closer to being Dad." Steve talks to someone that's not visible to them from where they're standing. "So I told both of them they're a—"
"Uncle Steeeeeeeb.I'm hungry" Daisy interrupts him, playing with his hair.
"Oh! The princess is hungry." Steve pouts, talking with a baby voice. "Pizza will be here soon, sweetheart."
"You gon' eat with me?" Daisy asks.
"Of course, silly." he tickles her, obsessed with her giggling.
Nora and Greg are looking at them full of fondness, neither noticing the company.
Robin clears her throat and Steve turns around fast, clutching Daisy closer to him.
"Jesus Christ, Robin! You scared the sh— you scared me."
"There's a kid in our living room." Robin says, as if explaining the reason she cleared her throat.
"I'm Daisy." she points at herself. "Mommy. Daddy. Uncle Steeb" she points at everyone in the room.
"Eddie. Robin."
"Teddy. Robbie." Daisy repeats, giving them a new nickname.
"Robbie is my best friend. Teddy is my—" he purses his lips, and licks his teeth. "My best friend, too."
"Is Teddy pretty hair? Mommy read story about Uncle Steeb talking about curly hair." Daisy turns to look at her mother, Steve's face red with embarrassment and Nora laughing.
"Yes, honey. Do you know how mommy and daddy are together? The same way Aunt Gemma and Aunt Stacy are together?"
"Is Teddy Uncle Steeb?" she asks then.
"Yeah honey, I think so. But why don't you ask them?" Nora encourages her daughter.
"Do you love Uncle Steeb like mommy loves daddy?" she asks Eddie, and really. Steve wants to melt on the spot, wishes for one of the portals to open right now and swallow him.
"Yes, little princess. I love your Uncle Steve." Eddie answers without hesitation, looking directly at Steve, softness written all over his face.
"Uncle Teddy? Your hair is pretty." she squirms in Steve's arms and he let her down. She walks to Eddie and the man just crouched down to be closer to Daisy.
Steve tenses, turns around a little to look at Eddie, just to see the guy with shiny eyes and face full of awe.
"Hi, Daisy. You have a pretty hair too. You know, your uncle braids my hair." she shrieks and whisks Eddie away from everyone so he can braid her hair.
"I am so sorry Steve for putting you guys on the spot like that. I shouldn't have, but I just want her to see that love is natural and so is loving someone from the same gender. I gathered you guys are together because you started talking about Eddie sleeping with you. "
"I did that, yeah. I was kind of obvious about it huh?" Steve scratches the back of his neck. bashful. "I'm bisexual. Eddie's my boyfriend."
"I'm your sister and I still love you." she smiles wide and hugs him.
"Sister?! I didn't know you had a sister Steven Williams Harrington!"
"Robin I told you. After I woke up, at the hospital, I told you that you need to call Nora. Nora, my sister."
"Oh." She averts her eyes away from Steve and Nora, looking guilty. "I thought you were making names up and I was 'Nora? Lake Nora? We know you live there, Steve' and the nurses made me leave the room because he wouldn't stop rambling like now" Robin finishes off her rambling.
Steve ruffles her hair, fully knowing she hates it, but he can see a tug on her lips while she mutters something, most probably insults to him.
"I'm just glad everyone is okay. How is Joyce and her kids?"
The conversation turns to talking about everyone. Steve talking about them like a proud parent. Dustin's first place in the science fair, Lucas making more than six points last game. Will staying in Hawkins and having The Party together finally. Max's making the spare room her room after finally being able to ask for help and letting Steve in.
"I want you to know, he talks like they're twelve but they're really fifteen and sixteen" Eddie says. "He makes them lunch and is overprotective over them."
Steve's cheeks gain a red tint of embarrassment.
The door opens and multiple footsteps echo on the entry hall before Dustin in revealed in the kitchen entrance.
His eyes widen, looking between Steve and Daisy, the latter sitting on the counter because she wanted her uncle to help her eat.
Dustin takes off his backpack with hurry, not acknowledging the rest of the people in the kitchen. He takes his walkies talkie out of his bag and presses the button on the side.
"Guys we have a code…yellow? Over."
"Will here. What do you mean? Where are you? Over."
"I'm at Steve's and he has a baby with him. Guys it happened. Code 'Steve acquired a baby out of the blue'. Get here now. Over and out."
Chaos ensues and that's how The Party met Daisy and fell in love with her and talked about Steve's empty nest syndrome to Nora and Greg.