Steve was surprised when Charlie and Chrissy arrived early on Monday morning. At first he thought Eddie might have come to talk to him after all but no, it was just the two girls. His eyes widened in surprise when Chrissy handed him a large vase of sunflowers.

"From Eddie," she explained with a wry smile that made Steve's cheeks burn. "He wanted you to know he's not upset about the accident."

"Thanks." Still stunned, Steve put the flowers on his desk. "I take it Robin was involved?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Sunflowers are my favorite. Seems a good guess for someone I've never met."

Chrissy only shrugged, expression neutral.

But Charlie was beaming, waving a small card around. "Daddy wrote a note, too. He said I had to say thank you for the cass-uh-roll. Thank you."

Steve took the paper with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. I told you it didn't hurt." And she promptly scooted around him to hang up her coat and bag. Ignoring them, she began scribbling at her desk.

"She was okay, right?" Steve asked worriedly.

"Absolutely fine. Trust me, this isn't the first time she's run into things," Chris told him reassuringly, and he relaxed. "I've gotta run. Be good, Charlie!"

"Always!"

"She's an angel," Steve agreed, waving Chris off just as James came bounding through the door, looking just as cheerful as Charlie. He thankfully hadn't been injured in the collision, and his mother had brushed off Steve's apologies just as easily as Chris had.

Soon the whole class had arrived, many showing interest in the large and bright flowers on Steve's desk, which gave him an idea. He got out the colored paper and showed them how to make paper flowers. It was an instant hit, and he spent the next few hours helping them make colorful bouquets.

Charlie however, chose black. "It's daddy's favorite," she told Steve when he asked. "He deserves flowers, too."

Well, who was Steve to argue? He crouched down beside her to help, and soon she had a dark bouquet ready. Leaving her to finish, Steve moved on to help Millie with her bright pink flowers.

As fun as craft time was, it always made a giant mess to clean up afterward and today was no different. Haley was the last to leave, clutching her bunch of blue and pink flowers tight as she waved goodbye, leaving Steve in a hurricane of shredded paper and crushed flowers.

Getting to work, Steve had barely cleared the desks when he decided to stop for a break. He sat at his desk, examining the sunflowers, and tried to ignore the warm ache it caused in his chest.

And then he remembered his note.

'Thank you for the food, you're officially Charlie's favorite chef.

Don't worry about the accident, it was just a bump. Not your fault. Charlie is a handful on her best days. Don't let her guilt you with her puppy dog eyes, she's good at that.

A little birdie told me these flowers are your favorite, consider them an apology for making you worry so much.

Hope to see you soon,

Eddie x'

Eddie was far too understanding, and Steve was a sucker for sweet talk. He'd easily been disarmed by the gifts and notes without even meeting the man. If he was honest, he was worrying about the inevitable greeting because Eddie seemed so perfect. As Robin put it, definitely his type. Which only sucked more because of Charlie. Not that it was her fault. Steve thought she was sweet too and now knew she got it from her dad.

He touched one of the sunflowers, rubbing the soft petals between his thumb and finger. He wondered if Eddie would be so soft but realized it was a silly thought. Eddie was a man, not a flower. One he shouldn't get too close to in fear of thorns.

Letting go of the flower, Steve got up to continue on the mess that was his classroom. By the time it was clean, Steve was tired. Kids could be draining, especially when excited and the scissors had been involved, a guaranteed stimulant. Thankfully, all scissors were accounted for and shut away safely.

In the afternoon sun, the sunflowers seemed to glow, and Steve couldn't stop looking at them. He read the note again, Kas' words echoing in the writing, and got out his phone to text him.

Princess - [02:47 PM]

So you were right, I didn't get in trouble with the dad.

I didn't even have to cry.

Steve was surprised when he got an answer almost immediately and hurried back to his desk to read it.

Kas - [02:49 PM]

Still pretty?

Impulsively, he took a selfie and sent it to Kas.

Kas - [02:50 PM]

Yep. Still pretty.

Sweaters at work?

Steve was wearing a grey one today, and he looked down at it momentarily before texting back, biting his lip to try and hide a smile.

Princess - [02:51 PM]

Perks of the job.

What about you?

He tried to imagine Kas wearing a suit but couldn't. Sure enough, when he got a picture a moment later, he wasn't wearing one but ripped jeans and a band T-shirt he didn't recognize. It looked like rock or metal, though, considering the spiky font.

Princess - [02:53 PM]

Real professional.

Why am I not surprised you like metal?

Kas - [02:54 PM]

Do I give off that vibe?

Princess - [02:54 PM]

Yes.

Kas - [02:54 PM]

Good.

Wouldn't want to give you the wrong impression, sweetheart.

Steve could feel himself blushing at the words and sent one final text, resolutely shutting his phone in the drawer to ignore it.

Princess - [02:55 PM]

Don't worry, you haven't.

Gotta get back to work, call you after?

Still, he couldn't help looking at the reply when his phone buzzed.

Kas - [02:57 PM]

Looking forward to it.

So was Steve. He drifted through the next few hours, prepping for the following day, and it was getting dark by the time he locked up and left.

Robin was home when he opened the door, and so was Chrissy, the two wrapped up in a blanket on the couch, sleeping. Kill Bill was playing in the background, and Steve snuck around them to quietly lock himself in his room.

Robin found him later, surrounded by planning sheets, and snorted. "Do you ever stop working?"

"Sometimes," Steve replied distractedly, rearranging the timetable because they had done crafts early, so the whole week needed changing. "Didn't want to interrupt your date."

"It's not a date. We're just hanging out."

That was new. Steve stopped scribbling and looked up in surprise to find Robin blushing. A slow smirk spread across his face, and he sang, "Robin's in love."

"Shut up!" she snapped back, face even redder. "I only came in here to ask if you wanted Chinese. We're ordering takeout."

"Is that even a question?"

"Good. Now get your ass out and join us. You need to relax. And not a word to Chris." Robin jabbed him in the chest as he got up with such a fierce look he could only nod.

He felt a little awkward in such a relaxed setting with Chrissy, but Robin had ordered beers with their takeout and, after a couple of drinks, he began to relax. What Steve didn't realize was this was their plan from the beginning and it was after the buzz had hit that Robin pounced.

"Eddie was very insistent about knowing your favorite flowers. He seemed worried about you being upset with him."

"Yeah," Chrissy laughed. "He was ready to rip your head off and then had some sort of epiphany and bought you flowers instead!"

Steve blushed furiously and ducked his head to try and hide it, poking at the last bit of food on his plate. "Charlie's still okay, isn't she?"

"Full of energy when we got to the shop. Oh, by the way, Eddie loved the flowers." Both girls laughed when Steve's head shot up in confusion. "The black paper ones? Charlie said they were for Eddie from you."

It was news to Steve. He tried to act like that had been his plan all along and shrugged, keeping his face impassive. "Thought I'd return the favor."

"Uh-huh," Robin replied, clearly not convinced. "Sounds like you're being parent trapped."

"Charlie does like you."

Having enough, Steve stood to clean up, ignoring their laughter. As sweet as it was, he didn't want to give Eddie the wrong idea. Even it was an intriguing thought. Steve scrubbed the dish hard, trying not to think about it. And Charlie was amazing; if he ever had a daughter in the future, he'd want her to be like that.

A beautiful baby girl with big brown eyes and curls. Steve paused, surprised by how intense the ache in his chest was. What he wouldn't give to have a family.

Robin appeared with a glass he had missed, took one look at his face, and came over to hug him fiercely. Wrapped around his back, head hooked on his shoulder, she asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"If I weren't Charlie's teacher, I'd probably go for it."

She sighed, squeezing him tighter. "I know."

"Fuck. What kind of person does that make me?"

"A human." Robin forced him to turn around and smiled, fixing up his hair. "Nothing wrong with having a crush on the guy, Steve. You're not doing anything wrong."

"I haven't even met him."

"And I can tell you, for a fact, that Eddie feels the same."

It didn't make it better. Steve huffed in frustration, returning to the dishes. As alluring as the idea of Eddie was, Steve liked his job a whole lot more. Besides, he had Kas, who was much less of a risk, even if it was supposedly just sex. It didn't feel like that, though, not with the way Kas had kissed him goodbye last time. Just remembering it pulled a smile out of Steve.

"See?" Robin told him bracingly. "Not such a bad idea, is it?"

"I was thinking about Kas."

Her expression immediately soured, and she rolled her eyes. "Of course you are."

"He's not a bad guy."

"I know. But he's also not going to put a ring on your finger and have a family with you."

Ouch. Steve winced.

"Give Eddie a chance?"

"No." Steve resolutely finished scrubbing the dishes, ignoring Robin's scoff as she dried them.

Maybe Kas didn't want to marry him or have kids, but he wasn't a risk to Steve's job. He was sweet and kind and understood Steve in an important way. He'd never had such a satisfying sexual relationship before and wasn't about to give it up for someone he didn't know and couldn't have. Even if Eddie was also charming and sweet to him.

When they rejoined Chrissy, it was to find her examining the tomato stain on the wall. "What's this?"

"I'll let you explain," Steve whispered to a now-blushing Robin, and he slipped off to his room to find his phone.

Princess - [07:47 PM]

About that call?

It was surprising how fast his phone started buzzing. Smiling wide, he settled on the bed and answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Princess. How's that pretty face doing?"

"Very well, thank you."

"Good. I was totally serious, by the way, about protecting you."

Steve laughed, feeling so much better now he could hear Kas' voice. Something about it always managed to smooth over Steve's worries. So what if Kas didn't want to marry him? What they had was enough for now, fun and easy. Steve wanted to keep doing this for as long as possible.

"Thanks, but it's under control. I can still cry if needed."

"Save your tears."

Fuck. That went straight to his dick. Steve wished he could do something about it but, the threat of Robin bursting into his room unannounced - a very likely scenario - kept his hands away from his crotch. "Next time?"

"Next time," Kas promised.

Steve groaned and fell back against his pillows. "Do you wanna just meet up and make out or something? I'm horny."

"I wish. Unfortunately, I have obligations, and I can't leave home. Trust me, Princess, if I could, I would be there in an instant."

The funny thing was that Steve believed him. He hummed softly, finger skimming just under the edge of his shirt where it had ridden up. He could feel the ghost of Kas' hand from when he'd held him last time they'd met, the first time they hadn't done anything sexual. Those kisses had been amazing and, even now, he felt a swoop of something warm in his stomach.

"Kas, be honest with me?"

"Sure."

"You think I'm attractive, right?" His answering laugh made Steve roll his eyes. "I'm being serious."

"Oh, sorry. Of course, I do. You're the most gorgeous person I've ever met. You have no idea how lucky I feel to have you."

"Do you have me?"

"I hope so." Kas' sincerity was clear as Steve felt a lot better. "Because if not, I better up my game. Don't worry, Princess, next time we meet, I'll have something special planned."

"And now you expect me to wait nearly two weeks? You're cruel."

"That's what you like about me." Kas' laughter abruptly cut off, and Steve could hear a muffled conversation over the line before Kas' voice was back and clear. "Sorry to cut this short, but I've gotta go. I promise it'll be worth the wait."

"Looking forward to it. Bye, Kas."

Steve rejoined the girls in time for Kill Bill: Volume Two. He stole the popcorn from Robin's lap - not that she was complaining because Chrissy was holding her hands - and settled in to watch. Even though he was third-wheeling, he didn't really mind. He had Kas' promise to keep him going for now, and that was enough. Whatever surprise Kas had in mind, Steve knew it would be good.

The next day, Steve came home to a different type of surprise. After a suspiciously gleeful Robin told him to check the kitchen, Steve found more sunflowers and another note.

'Glad to hear the flowers were a hit. I'll make sure to keep that in mind next time you send us treats.

Looking forward to your next gift,

- Eddie x'