Easter was fast approaching, and Steve was looking forward to celebrating something. The past month had been hard, one of the hardest he'd ever had to get through, and as usual, Robin had been there every step of the way.

God, he didn't know what he'd do without her. It was a scary thought, but one that might become a reality because her relationship with Chrissy was steadily becoming more serious. Not that he begrudged her that, if anything, he was happy for her. But a small, selfish part of himself wanted her to stay with him. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud. So when Robin told him she was planning to go away for a week with Chrissy just after Easter, he smiled and encouraged her to go despite the ever-growing hole in his chest.

There would be other people. Eddie was not the be-all, end-all of his heart. Or maybe he was, and Steve couldn't bear to admit that.

The necklace was still hidden around his neck, and in those quiet moments when his mind wouldn't stop, he found himself running the pick over his lips repeatedly. Like a cool kiss from the rockstar he'd lost. Rockstar. It made him laugh. All this time and he'd ignored the signs. Denial or stupidity? Steve didn't know.

What he did know was that the necklace was all he had left of the greatest love he'd ever felt—barely a comfort but so much better than nothing.

"You should come to the party," Robin told him the day after the school broke up.

Steve had stayed in bed half the morning with no reason to get up, so he hadn't bothered. What was he going to do anyway? Baking and teaching were the only things that helped. Bake all day for the next two weeks and bury himself in pastries. It sounded like a good way to die.

But Robin had dragged him out, forced coffee on him, and got him showered and changed before dropping the invite in his lap. "It'll be good for you. Get out of the house, talk to people."

"People? Eddie'll be there."

"So, talk to Eddie."

Steve threw a piece of toast at her. "I'm not going."

"Charlie thinks you are, so are you going to disappoint her?" She had him hook, line, and sinker. Steve gave her a withering look and got to his feet. As he walked away, she called after him, "It's next Sunday at eleven!"

That gave him a week to prepare, both mentally and physically. He couldn't turn up empty-handed, and he had the perfect idea. In an effort to keep himself distracted, Steve had taken up a new hobby, sculpting chocolate. It was messy, hard work that required all his concentration, so therefore, it was perfect. And he'd been getting pretty good at it, better with each passing day since he was on break. Between planning for the new term and learning his new skill, Steve successfully kept himself busy.

Even Robin was impressed when she saw the fruits of his labor the evening before the party. "Wow, is this quite something. If Eddie doesn't blow you for this, don't even bother giving him a second chance."

"Robin!"

She laughed at his burning cheeks, moving closer to inspect the model. "You can even see the gilding on the armor. Shit, how much time have you spent on this?"

"More than enough." Steve pulled her back in fear of something happening to the delicate figure.

"Okay, okay, I won't touch it."

Steve almost had a heart attack on the journey over to the Munson's. Robin was a menacing driver on a good day, but today, with the precious cargo, he'd hoped it would be different. No such luck, and he swore loudly when she braked sharply at a red light. He couldn't help smiling when she caught his eye, and they both laughed.

Thankfully, they made it in one piece. Steve was busy checking on the two packages when Chrissy joined them, greeting Robin with a warm kiss. They were so happy it was sickening in a good way. Rolling his eyes, he nodded at the door, hands full. "Can we?"

"He's moody because he's lonely," Robin told Chrissy in a loud whisper, but she still got the door for him.

"Thank you." Ignoring their laughter, he strode through the unfamiliar house and quickly found the kitchen to put down the gifts.

"Hey, you came."

Steve immediately stiffened at the sound of Eddie's voice, hating his heart for thumping madly. It didn't improve when he turned around to face him. In fact, he was surprised he wasn't having a heart attack. Eddie looked good in a plain black t-shirt and jeans, but his smile was a little off, not as big as normal, and his eyes were apprehensive. Steve smiled back, gripping the countertop to keep his hands busy. "Yeah. Couldn't let Charlie down. Robin's a little shit for telling her I was coming, but what can you do?"

"Mmm, we could've made excuses for you. She would've been upset, sure, but she'd get over it." Eddie got closer, looking over Steve's shoulder curiously. "Whatcha got there?"

"Oh! It's actually for you, and Charlie. Didn't want to turn up empty-handed."

"You made these?"

Steve shrugged like it was no big deal. "Yeah. I've been practicing chocolate sculpting. Picked it up to… keep myself busy. Still getting the hang of it, but I think it turned out okay."

"It's amazing." Eddie stared at them incredulously and then halted, hands half outstretched. "Can I?" When Steve nodded, he picked up the figurine meant for him and examined it closely. "Holy shit, is this Kas?"

"Yeah. I think. My friend who runs that DnD club I was telling you about sent me the illustrations. I did my best to copy it. His sword's not as big as it should be, but-"

"Shut up, Steve. Just shut the fuck up. It's absolutely perfect. How the hell do you expect me to eat this?" He put it down and then picked up Charlie's. This time, when he looked at Steve, he was smiling. "Chris helped with this, didn't she?"

"Yeah. Sent me the pictures of Charlie's character."

"She's going to flip out when she sees this. Don't be surprised if she bursts into tears." He set it down, making sure both were in the center of the table before pulling Steve away. "I feel like such an ass because I didn't get you anything, but there is something I can give you now."

"You don't have to-" At Eddie's warning look, he laughed. "Shutting up."

He was taken into a bedroom, presumably Eddie's, since it didn't look like it was for a little girl. There was an old electric guitar hanging on the wall, another picture of the band he'd shown Steve at the bar, and several pictures of Eddie with Charlie. A notebook was sat open on the bed, and Steve caught a glimpse of pages full of scribbled writing before Eddie flipped it shut.

On his desk was a bouquet of black paper flowers. Eddie picked one up and turned to Steve, beckoning him closer. Once he was close enough, Eddie pinned it to the front of his blue sweater and smiled. "Perfect."

Looking down at it, Steve was almost overcome with emotion. "Is this…?"

"The ones you made with Charlie? Yep. Paper flowers last forever as long as you take care of them. I never did thank you for them, so thank you." He kissed Steve's cheek, but when he moved to step away, Steve reacted instinctively, hands around Eddie's face to keep him there and kiss him properly. Eddie made a small noise of surprise but quickly caught up, kissing him back as his arms encircled Steve, pulling him closer.

A shout broke them apart, and Eddie smiled, straightening the flower for Steve. "Hell of a you're welcome."

"Turns out I'm just as bad as you at staying away."

"We should go join the others." Contrary to his words, Eddie stepped closer and backed Steve into the wall, eyes lowering to his lips as his voice dropped, sending a familiar swoop through Steve's stomach. His fingers hooked through Steve's belt loops to pull their hips together, and he leaned in to kiss Steve again, sucking on his bottom lip.

What Steve had said was true; he was a weak man for Eddie Munson, and now alone with him - in his bedroom - he couldn't say no. He yanked on Eddie's shirt, careless of wrinkles, to get his body as close as possible and swallowed his groan. Something hit the floor as he jumped on the desk, Eddie crowding between his legs, but neither of them stopped to look, too caught up in each other to care.

"We need to stop," Eddie mumbled against his lips, only to reattach them to Steve's collarbone and suck a mark into his skin. "God, I wanna mark you up all over."

So did Steve. But he pulled Eddie off with shaking hands and smiled, leaning in to press their foreheads together as their breathing slowed. "They're waiting for us. And you're a mess."

He straightened his sweater to hide the fresh bruise and helped smooth the wrinkles from Eddie's shirt but could not help himself when he thumbed his nipples, making the piercings stand out even more. Eddie swatted at him, his scowl hardly masking the flush on his cheeks. "Stop it."

"Make me." In a flash, Steve had his hands pinned to the desk, and smiling smugly, Eddie stole another kiss. "Okay, you win."

"Good. Now, keep your hands to yourself so I can go out there without a hard-on."

"So sensitive."

"Just missing your touch, sweetheart." He stole one last kiss before letting Steve go and headed for the door, holding it open for him with a low bow. "After you."

"And people say chivalry is dead." Steve jumped when his ass was smacked a moment later, turning to glare at Eddie. "They were right."

Eddie never got the chance to respond because his face went pale at the sound of Charlie shrieking. They hurried back to the kitchen, only to find her sobbing over the fairy ranger chocolate sculpture. Steve thought he might have to catch Eddie when he wilted in relief. "Jesus, babygirl, I thought you were hurt."

"I-It's… it's perfect!" She got out in stuttering breaths. She looked up at Steve with wide, wet eyes. "Did you make this?"

"Yeah. Just for you." He was surprised when Charlie hugged him, and swallowing the lump in his throat, he hugged her back, forcing himself to smile. "You should put it down before it melts, though."

"Okay."

As she set it on the table, Eddie smiled and squeezed Steve's hand, mouthing 'Thanks.'

Charlie was back, wrapping her arms around Eddie's middle, and she looked surprisingly upset. "Daddy, why didn't…" She hesitated, glancing at Steve, but Eddie gave her an encouraging smile, so she continued. "…why didn't he come?"

"Who?" Eddie asked blankly, but then his expression changed to one of indescribable sadness, and he knelt beside her. "Oh, babygirl, he wanted to, I promise. But something happened, and we decided the best thing to do was be apart for a little bit. Sometimes, life doesn't work the way you want it to."

"Is it my fault?"

There were tears in Charlie's eyes, and before Steve could stop himself, he was kneeling at her side, taking one of her small hands between his own. "No, it's not. Who wouldn't want to meet you? You're amazing and a very good baker. It's his loss if he doesn't want to try your cupcakes."

Charlie giggled wetly, throwing herself into Steve's arms, and he caught her reflexively. "Thank you, Mr Steve."

Looking at Eddie over her shoulder, he gave him a small smile and hugged her back for a moment before getting to his feet. "So, did you make cupcakes? Because I'd really like one, now I've mentioned them."

"Outside!" Charlie grabbed his hand and dragged him out to a table laden with food and stopped at the end decorated with colorful cupcakes, smiling proudly.

"You made all these?"

"Uh-huh. Auntie Chris helped."

Steve picked one up to taste, and, as he expected, they were delicious. He nodded his approval, frowning when Charlie laughed. Eddie was the one to point it out, coming over with a napkin to wipe Steve's cheek for him. "Oh, thanks," he said thickly through his mouthful.

"Animal," Robin called, but even she couldn't hide her smile.

Eddie finished cleaning Steve's face and smiled. "Good as new."

Charlie shoved a cupcake into his hand, too, before taking two for Robin and Chrissy. Seeing them cuddled up close, smiling and kissing because they thought no one was watching, it healed something in Steve. He could never deny Robin something so pure. He was happy for her and could only hope that one day, it would happen for him, too. They broke apart soon enough at Charlie's appearance to take the cupcakes.

"She's good," Steve told Eddie.

"Had a good teacher. All she wants is to be a baker now."

"Not a rockstar?"

Eddie scoffed. "Never a rockstar. I'm her dad. That's all she sees—trying to keep that part of my past under wraps. At least until she's old enough to understand that I was young and stupid. I mean, she knows I was sick, that I got better when I found out about her." He turned over his arm, and in the bright sunlight, Steve could see faint scars on the inside of his elbow. "Six years sober."

"Going on twenty," Steve murmured, touching one of the scars, only catching Eddie's sharp intake of breath. There were more than he'd thought, rough under the pad of his thumb, and Steve quickly lost count. "Shit."

"Not pretty, is it?"

Steve looked up, only to find Eddie watching him with a twisted sort of smile like he expected him to react badly to this. Instead, Steve covered Eddie's elbow with his hand and squeezed, his voice coming out rough with emotion. "You're beautiful, Eddie. Even if you can't see it. Doesn't matter who you used to be, this person, right here, he's amazing."

Eddie blinked, looked up, and chuckled softly. "Oh, you're a menace. How the fuck do you expect me to walk away from you?"

"Daddy, come see what Auntie Chris got me!"

"Easily," Steve said softly, letting him go. Eddie's smile was bittersweet as he walked away, and Steve's eyes lingered on him long after Charlie distracted him.

It took an impressive few hours, but eventually, Charlie crashed from a sugar overload. Eddie carried her back inside, and as the door closed behind them, Robin leaned in the whisper, "You two look close."

"Closer than you would've thought after a breakup," Chrissy added.

"I'm not listening to this."

"Aww, do you hear that Chris? He's trying to ignore us." Robin leaned over and pinched his cheek. "He's been trying for years. Unsuccessfully, I might add."

"She doesn't quit easily," Steve told Chrissy, still ignoring Robin despite her now poking at his cheek. "Good luck."

Chrissy smiled, sipping her drink demurely. When she snagged Robin's shirt, she pulled her down with surprising strength and kissed her flushed cheek sweetly. "I got this, don't worry."

Impressed and slightly fearful, Steve just nodded back.

Eddie returned and collapsed into a seat with a groan. "Charlie is resting, and I don't think it'll be long before I'm next."

"We should probably let the old man relax. We need to start packing for our holiday anyway," Chrissy whispered loudly, laughing when Eddie threw a paper cup at her. Dragging Robin to her feet, she winked, and they both waved goodbye, their giggles cut off abruptly as the door shut behind them.

"It's sickening. I'll be glad to be rid of them for a week," Eddie said wearily, but he was smiling.

Steve hummed in agreement, swirling what was left of his drink around and around in his cup. He could feel Eddie's eyes on him, and yet, he didn't want to acknowledge whatever painful conversation was about to happen. It was easier to pretend with more people around. Now, with just the two of them, the crushing weight of their decision was threatening to smother him again.

"Steve?" Eddie's hand closed around his wrist, forcing him to stop, and Steve took a long, shuddering breath before finally looking up to meet his intense gaze. "This doesn't have to be the end. Hear me out," he added quickly as Steve opened his mouth and pressed a finger to his lips, smiling. "When Charlie graduates, you're no longer her teacher. She moves to a different school, so it's not your responsibility. Four months, Steve, that's all this is."

A lump had formed in Steve's throat, blocking any attempt to speak. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before downing his drink to clear it, and he said weakly, "I can't ask you to wait four months."

"You don't have to. I'm doing it regardless. I know my feelings won't change between now and then, even if I don't get to see you again until Charlie graduates." Eddie smiled, hand sliding down to clasp Steve's tightly. "If… if you've met someone else by then, I'll let you go."

Steve couldn't imagine finding someone else he could love as strongly as he did Eddie. The idea seemed ludicrous. But four months was a long time. Eddie could make all the declarations he wanted to right now. It could all change so fast, especially if this was indeed the last time they would see each other until the end of the school year. Steve didn't want to experience that kind of heartbreak, to watch Eddie move on and share his life, his daughter, with someone else. A little bit of hope could crush him.

It took all his strength to remove his hand gently instead of ripping it free, and even then, his gaze dropped because he couldn't look Eddie in the eye as he said, "I can't."

In the silence that followed, Steve swore he could hear Eddie's heart breaking alongside his own. The seconds prolonged into what felt like an agonizing forever before Eddie cleared his throat and got to his feet. With every step Eddie took away from Steve, he wanted to get up and chase after him, but he stayed seated, digging bruises into his thighs in an effort to sit still. The back door opened, but it didn't close.

Another pause before Eddie called, "Think about it."

When Steve looked up, Eddie was gone.

He was alone.