Eddie had been looking forward to parents' evening since Charlie had brought home the letter with the date—finally a chance to meet Mr Steve in person. Eddie would never admit it out loud, but he was curious about the other man, even a little nervous about meeting him. From all accounts, Steve was this sweet, gorgeous individual… who somehow reminded him of his Princess.
The last thing he wanted was for a pet name to slip out when he was talking to his daughter's teacher, though. He needed to keep a clear head, ha.
"You don't think this is too much?" He asked Chris as she helped him do up his tie. Wearing a dress shirt and slacks that Chris had unearthed from somewhere, Eddie felt stiff and rather like a stuffed animal.
"You look fine. Very suave."
"It's a parent's evening, not a date." Eddie grabbed her hands gently to stop her from strangling him.
"And you've never met him. Steve is kind-hearted. You're not turning up in leather with your tattoos showing. You'll give him a heart attack!" She smiled when Eddie laughed, breaking free to smack his shoulder playfully. "Charlie likes him, so behave."
"What do you think I'm going to do?"
"Something unhinged, knowing you."
"Cruel. I'm not unhinged anymore."
Chris smiled softly, stepping back to admire her makeover. "Nearly six years sober, right? Perfect. Oh, we should celebrate!"
"No parties."
She scoffed, pushing him back into the living room where Charlie was waiting for them. Eddie was a little surprised to see her wearing a dress, a floaty, pale yellow thing that brought out the golden hue in her eyes. She smiled wide when she saw him and twirled around. "Ready!"
"My pretty princess, all dolled up?"
"Uh-huh!" She giggled when Eddie picked her up, holding on tightly. "Auntie Chris helped me choose. She said yellow is a nice color."
"Auntie Chris was right." Eddie turned to wink at her.
Chris' smile turned to horror a moment later when Charlie gagged, and Eddie felt something warm seeping onto his shoulder. Grimacing, he looked down to see Charlie had been sick. "Oh, lovely." Not his first rodeo. He knew how to keep his cool around all kinds of bodily fluids since before having a child. Although, nothing could be as bad as a newborn's diaper. "Okay, babygirl, let's get you cleaned up, huh?"
Charlie smiled wobbly, eyes filling with tears. They made it to the sink in time for the next upset, and Eddie quickly tied her hair back. "I'm sorry, I messed up your shirt," Charlie got out in sniffles as he wiped her face.
"Don't worry about it. I didn't like it anyway." He kissed the top of her head. "Did you eat something funny?"
"No."
"There's a bug going around the class," Chris explained from the other side of the room. Eddie had to suppress a laugh at the sight of her pinched face. Chris didn't do well with this kind of thing. "Mr Steve was telling me lots of kids have been off sick at the moment. Charlie must have got it from one of her friends."
"Nuh-uh! I only share my drink with James, and he isn't sick!"
"How about we stop sharing our drinks, huh?" Eddie suggested softly, carefully setting Charlie down to help her out of the stained dress. "I'm sure he has his own bottle."
"Fine." Charlie pouted.
It had the desired effect as Eddie's heart melted. "Tell you what, go put on your jammies, and we'll watch a movie, okay? No running, or you'll be sick again!" He sighed as Charlie walked very fast to her room. Grimacing himself, he removed his shirt. "Guess I'll have to call up and say we can't make it."
"Don't worry, I'll go."
"You sure?"
"Of course. I'll let him know what happened."
"Thanks." Still, Eddie felt bad about ditching. He glanced around the kitchen helplessly, finally spotting some paper, and snatched it up to write an apology note. He got distracted halfway through by Charlie running back over and clinging to his leg, so he hastily finished the note, folded it, and handed it to Chris. "For Steve."
She winked, blew Charlie a kiss, and then left.
Ten minutes later, he had Charlie swathed in blankets and immersed in one of her favorite films, Labyrinth. She was enamored with David Bowie and his music, too. He had a bowl close by, just in case, but so far, there hadn't been any more mishaps. She was a little feverish, so he gave her some Tylenol to keep her quiet. Singing along quietly to the songs, Charlie seemed happy enough, and she soon began dozing off.
But, of course, as soon as he turned off the TV and picked her up, Charlie woke up. She blinked at him sleepily and smiled, winding her arms around his neck. "I'm tired, daddy."
"I know, babygirl. Time for bed."
She didn't protest, brushing her teeth slowly as Eddie detangled her curls and plaited them ready for bed. "Stay," she mumbled when he got her tucked in, and how could Eddie say no? So he climbed in beside her and got as comfortable as possible in the small bed, listening to his little girl fall asleep again in the darkness.
He must have fallen asleep, too, because he woke up to the sound of the front door closing. Gently disentangling himself, he went to investigate and was relieved to find it was Chris. Eddie raised an eyebrow, shushing her when she broke into giggles. "Chris! Charlie is sleeping!"
"Sorry, sorry." She covered her mouth to muffle her laughter. "Did you check that note for Steve before giving it to me?"
Eddie had a bad feeling about this. "No?"
"You called him sweetheart."
"…excuse me?"
"You said, and I quote, Can't make it tonight, Charlie is sick. Sorry, sweetheart, maybe next time."
Eddie laughed but quickly stopped when he realized Chris wasn't joking. "No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did."
"Fuck, Chris!" Eddie groaned, scrubbing his face in frustration. "Why am I such a fuck up!"
"Dunno. I think you just get nervous around cute boys."
"I've never even met him. How am I supposed to know if he's cute or not?"
Chris laughed and hopped onto the counter. "You, my dear, sweet, delusional cousin, are crushing hard on this man."
"No. Nope." Eddie refused to believe it. Sure, Steve was by all accounts perfect and apparently farted fairy dust or some shit, but that didn't mean Eddie liked him. He was just… sweet to his daughter, immediately putting him in Eddie's good books. But he was Charlie's teacher, so of course he was nice to her. "Stop putting ideas in my head. Besides, I'm already seeing someone."
Chris scoffed. "You're meeting some guy for sex. I wouldn't call that serious."
But Princess was so enticing and perfect for Eddie's tastes. The only thing was… why would he be interested in his daughter? Eddie wasn't stupid. He knew the moment Princess found out, he wouldn't want anything to do with him. Sex with a stranger was fine. Sex with a father would probably be a killjoy. Eddie wasn't about to risk it just yet.
He didn't want to bring people into Charlie's life unless he was sure they would stick around. It wasn't fair on her, and he would never hurt her like that.
"Sex is good. I don't want or need anything else."
"Ugh." Before she could berate him some more, there was a knock at the door. Chris looked at him curiously, but Eddie only shrugged. He wasn't expecting anyone.
When he answered, he was surprised to find it was Robin, Chris' latest girlfriend and, coincidentally, Mr Steve's friend, which was how the two had met. When he'd first met her, there was something familiar about her, and Eddie still couldn't figure out what. For some reason, she reminded him of his Princess, but why remained a mystery. Putting it down to his bad memory, Eddie figured he would remember eventually. She made Chris happy, and Charlie adored her, so that was all that mattered.
"Hey, you want to come in?"
"Thanks." Robin handed him the large container and winked. "Steve said don't worry about tonight, and he hopes Charlie feels better soon. He definitely wasn't blushing the entire time he was making this, or when he wrote that note."
Eddie managed to smile and took it with robotic motions. There was a piece of paper taped on top with his name scrawled across it in neat handwriting. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket, not wanting to read it in front of both women, who were now smirking at him. "Cool, thank you. Now go away to Chris' place, but keep the noise down. Charlie is sleeping, and I don't want her woken by you two going at it."
Chris shoved him, not enough to make him drop the soup, but he did stumble. She grabbed Robin's hand and towed her to the door. "Just for that, I'm going to be extra loud. Goodnight, Eddie."
Robin waved over Chris' shoulder as she was dragged out, and Eddie sighed in exasperation. Sometimes, he really hated Chris. Maybe he would invite Princess back one night to annoy her if he could get Wayne to take Charlie for a weekend. Idle daydream, though. There was no way Princess wouldn't notice a kid living in his apartment. Still, the idea made him feel better as he put the soup away for the morning. If Steve's baking were anything to go by, it would taste amazing.
Charlie was still fast asleep when he checked on her before retiring to his room for the night. Sitting on the bed, he remembered the note and pulled the crumpled paper from his pocket to read.
'I made some soup for Charlie. Hope she feels better soon.
Don't worry about the meeting. She's doing perfectly fine. Best reader I've ever had.
Hope to see you next time,
Steve x'
Eddie stared at the kiss, gently touching the the dry ink. Without thinking, he brought his thumb up to press against his lips. Then he scoffed to himself and put it away in a drawer. Kissing his daughter's teacher was not something he should fantasize about. Princess was a much safer option and far more real to Eddie since he knew exactly how those lips felt.
Soft, full, and electric. Just the thought sent a shiver down Eddie's spine, so he quickly tried to think of anything else. Which meant Princess was the only thing in his head. Fuck, what he wouldn't give to have him here now. Groaning, he fell back on the bed and covered his face.
He had such a perfect body, a willing mind, so quick to submit. Eddie's cock throbbed at the thought, and he sighed heavily, reaching down to idly palm himself. Charlie was asleep. He had time for a bit of self-pleasure.
And he had the perfect material. Princess had been surprisingly revealing during their first text conversation. Those pictures were still praying on his mind, thick thighs and hairy chest. But when he opened their history, he saw their last conversation. Princess' doubt. He meant what he'd said. He wanted to see Princess again and sooner than a month.
Eddie wanted to worship his Princess, show him how gorgeous he truly was, and erase his doubts. It had been a few days. He could check in.
Kas - [09:22 PM]
How are you feeling?
Casual. Easy. Eddie could do that.
It was surprising how quickly he got a reply.
Princess - [09:25 PM]
Pretty good, considering I got stood up.
Is this a booty call?
Kas - [09:26 PM]
What an idiot.
Does that mean you're replacing me?
Fuck he hoped he wasn't. He was barely back in the game. Getting dumped felt a little disheartening.
Princess - [09:26 PM]
Not yet.
Answer the question, Kas.
Are you hard right now?
In for a penny…
Eddie fumbled with his jeans, shoving them down to free his aching cock. He owed Princess a photo anyway.
Kas - [09:26 PM]
-Picture Sent-
A pretty little princess got stuck in my head.
Princess - [09:27 PM]
Little?
-Picture Received-
Eddie groaned at the sight of his Princess' pretty dick, just as hard as his own. There was nothing little about him, of course. He was perfect. Eddie wished he could get in the car and go to him right now. It was the first incredibly selfish urge he'd had since he'd held Charlie—something for himself.
He looked down as his phone buzzed again with another photo. Princess had turned over, showing off his gorgeous ass.
Kas - [09:29 PM]
You're a fucking tease.
Princess - [09:29 PM]
You text me first.
Come on, Kas, tell me what you're thinking about.
Eddie could almost see almost see his teasing smile.
Kas - [09:30 PM]
Thinking about fucking you deep and hard.
Leave your body aching for more.
Want to hear you cry and beg.
Eddie closed his eyes, trying to remember how pretty his Princess had sounded when they'd fucked. Hand wrapped around his cock, stroking slowly to enjoy the moment. It wasn't often he had time to do this anymore. His phone buzzed again against his chest, and Eddie's heart jolted when he saw it was a video.
Princess was kneeling, moaning softly as he rode a dildo, erection bobbing and leaking on the bedsheets. Eddie had to squeeze his cock to stop himself cumming at the sight. The video was thirty seconds long, Princess' sweet voice growing louder as he thrust the dildo harder into himself. When it ended, Eddie's mouth was dry.
Kas - [09:34 PM]
You're gorgeous.
Can't wait to have you again. Such a pretty voice, sweetheart.
You thinking about me and fucking yourself on that dildo?
Princess - [09:35 PM]
Always you, Kas.
Roommate is out. I can be as loud as I want.
Want you to wreck me next time, make me scream so hard I lose my voice.
Eddie bit his knuckles, muffling his groan. He was so fucking close, and it was another picture from Princess that had him spilling into his fist. Princess' hairy chest was covered in cum. Breathless and trembling, Eddie stared at the mess on his own stomach in consideration before taking a photo.
Kas - [09:37 PM]
-Picture Sent-
Next time you're cleaning this up.
Princess - [09:37 PM]
It would be my pleasure.
Gonna shower. Talk later?
Kas - [09:38 PM]
Sure thing, Princess.
For the record, you're amazing.
Princess - [09:39 PM]
Goodnight, Kas.
I'll see you next week.
Kas - [09:39 PM]
Already counting down the days.
Eddie had already booked the hotel, along with the room service. Knowing it was only a week until he could see Princess in person again had him feeling giddy with excitement. It had been a long time since he'd had something to look forward to.
Chris was right, not that he'd ever tell her; he had needed something for himself, and with Charlie at school, his days had started to become dull, being at the store on his own all day. Even if he couldn't take Princess with him to work. Eddie amused himself, trying to picture the two of them in the store. They definitely wouldn't be working if his Princess was around.
His phone buzzed again. It was another photo. Princess was in bed, half his face hidden by the covers, but Eddie could tell he was smiling from the crinkles around his eyes. He truly was gorgeous, and fleetingly, Eddie wished he was there in his bed. Wishful thinking.
Kas - [09:57 PM]
Goodnight, beautiful.
Sweet dreams.
The following day, Charlie insisted on having the soup for breakfast. Her sleep-addled voice and wide brown eyes were impossible to say no to. Not that Eddie minded. It was the best soup he'd ever tasted. Now, he needed to get another thank-you gift for Steve. The back and forth was becoming something of a routine now.
Eddie was starting to realize he didn't mind that at all.