Chris had abandoned him.

Well, abandoned was a strong word, but she had run off with Robin for a week alone somewhere on a beach. Which left Eddie to do the school runs. Usually, he wouldn't complain, but right now, he couldn't face up to seeing Steve.

They hadn't spoken a word to each other since the easter party. It hadn't stopped Eddie from writing dozens of texts and staring at them for ages until he chickened out and deleted them. It hadn't stopped Steve being the first and last thing he thought about every day and night. And it certainly hadn't lessened Eddie's feelings or the constant ache he now carried around in his chest.

So he only dropped Charlie off outside the classroom, making sure she got inside safely before going to work. He would wait outside for her in the afternoons, too, noting each day she came bounding down the steps, her smile was fading and her frown deepening.

"Did you and Mr Steve argue?" She finally asked him as they walked back to the store on the Thursday. Her grip on Eddie's hand tightened, betraying her anxiety. "I thought you guys were friends."

"We are."

Charlie didn't look convinced, and Eddie couldn't blame her. Could he call Steve his friend? Probably not. But he also knew he could count on Steve if he needed him, and wasn't that what a friend was, someone you could rely on?

"Why don't you say hi?"

"Mr Steve is working. It's not very professional to interrupt someone at work."

"The other parents do."

"Charlie, I-" Eddie sighed, pinching his nose. When he looked down at her, she seemed upset. Stopping, Eddie crouched beside her and smiled reassuringly. "Sorry, babygirl, I didn't mean to snap. But sometimes… sometimes friends need some time apart to think about things. It doesn't mean we don't like each other. It just means we need some space."

"For how long?" Eddie shrugged. She seemed to understand, though, because she hugged him tightly. "I still love you, daddy."

"I love you too. Now let's get to the shop. I'm freezing, and I think we still have some leftover cupcakes."

The best way to distract Charlie - and himself - was by keeping busy. They had never made so many cupcakes before. At least he was getting his money's worth for the oven.

Chris returned from her 'Beach Week' with a tan, a brilliant smile, and a bag full of shells for Charlie to make necklaces from, just like she'd promised. They had the cord ready to go, and Eddie had promised to help, not wanting Charlie to be near a drill without him in the room, even if Chris would be wielding it. As Charlie ran off with the bag, Chris straightened up, smiled, and tossed him another bag.

Inside was- "You've got to be kidding me," Eddie said in disbelief, holding out the puka necklace in disgust.

"Thought it would match your eyes."

"Fuck off." He tossed it back, and as Chris caught it, Eddie's eyes alighted on the flash of silver on her finger. "Holy shit. Is that what I think it is?"

"Maybe." She held out her hand so Eddie could get a proper look at the ring. The fucking engagement ring. "We both proposed at the same time. Couldn't even get the words out we were laughing so much."

Eddie smiled, too, pulling her into a hug.

"Daddy, can we make the bracelets first?" Charlie was back, and she grinned, running over to join their hug. "I missed you too, Auntie Chris. Can we watch more Vampire Diaries with Robin tonight? I waited all week, like I promised."

"We can, sweetpea, but Robin went home for tonight. She wanted to see Steve because they don't normally spend so much time apart. Maybe tomorrow night?"

"Maybe we can plan the party in the meantime." Eddie smiled when Charlie looked up at him curiously and whispered loudly, "Because Auntie Chris and Robin are going to get married, and I think we should celebrate that. What about you?"

Charlie looked from Eddie to Chris, the ring on her finger, and back to Eddie. When she smiled, it was so happy that she started to cry. Bright, bubbling laughter followed, and both adults relaxed. "A party!"

"A party," Eddie and Chris agreed.

Under Charlie's direction, it got a little bigger than Eddie would have thought. They had to rent a hall in the end just to fit everyone. Between Chris and Robin's work friends and the band turning up, it was a full house. Hell, even Wayne was supposed to make an appearance later on in the evening.

Eddie hadn't been around this many people in years, and it uncomfortably reminded him of parties that grew out of control, of alcohol and drugs and debauchery. But there was Charlie, in her yellow dress, laughing and dancing with Gareth, giving Eddie hope.

She had taken to the band like they were all close friends, even though she'd only seen them a handful of times since she'd been born and never all of them together. He supposed his glowing reviews of his old friends helped. Charlie had always been trusting and friendly, even to strangers, which was sometimes alarming but mostly cute. The Munson charm may have skipped him, but it seemed she had got a double helping. People loved her.

Robin and Chrissy were glowing, never letting go of each other as the evening wore on. But the main event for Eddie was when Steve arrived, carrying several boxes of goodies, and he staggered to the already overflowing table to put them down.

Steve looked gorgeous in a white dress shirt and black pants. Someone - probably Robin - had undone the first few buttons to show off a tantalizing sliver of his chest hair. Eddie had to exercise all his control to not walk across the room and drag Steve into the nearest empty room. Steve looked up suddenly, staring straight at him, and Eddie was sure it was written all over his face.

To his surprise, Steve blushed, ducking his head to drink, but it didn't hide the shy smile pulling at his lips.

Feeling brave, Eddie set down his glass and strode across the room, only stopping when he was right in front of Steve, whose eyes widened in surprise. "Hey."

"Hi."

Eddie stuck out his hand, wincing when he struck Steve in the chest. Ignoring his chuckle, Eddie closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Do you want to dance?"

"What?"

"I said, do you want to-"

"No, I heard you." Steve was looking at him curiously, still ignoring Eddie's outstretched hand. "But… why? I've turned you down and pushed you away. Why do you keep coming back?"

"Because I love you." Steve reacted as if Eddie had slapped him, recoiling. So Eddie reacted instinctively, too, stepping closer and wrapping his arm around Steve. "I love you. You can push me all you want, but that's not going to change. I told you I'm going to wait."

Nodding, Steve held him back. A song was playing in the background, and he followed Steve's lead, swaying softly on the spot. It sounded vaguely familiar, and it reminded him of dancing with Steve. "Robin's watching," Steve whispered, lips pressed close to Eddie's ear. "Put this song on for us."

"What is it?"

"Tears for Fears."

And suddenly, Eddie remembered. Dancing at the diner, how close they had been. Not just physically but emotionally too, a vast chasm that now lay between them. "Still not my kind of music."

"You're a good dancer, though."

"Chris needed a partner. I owed her a favor or several."

Steve chuckled, hiding his face against Eddie's neck to muffle his laughter, and every nerve felt alight at the touch. Eddie's fingers twitched against Steve's sides, aching to dig into his soft skin, leaving marks so deep it would take weeks to heal. He shouldn't, he shouldn't, he shouldn't. Steve's body went rigid, a soft gasp puffing against Eddie's neck as his grip tightened.

"I'm sorry. Shit, I'm so sorry." He tried to let go, but Steve grabbed his hands, keeping them against his hips. "I gotta get away from you before I pop a boner or something." He was only half joking.

Steve looked around, smiling after a moment. He leaned in so close their lips were almost touching and whispered, "Five minutes in heaven?"

Swallowing thickly, Eddie nodded and let Steve drag him away from the main room. He checked several rooms, but all seemed occupied until finally, they stumbled into a bathroom. Eddie almost knocked into the door as he set a timer on his phone.

"Okay, five minutes is set." Tossing the phone aside, he shoved Steve into the sink with a little more force than necessary, kissing him like he'd die without it. It felt like, at the moment, he needed Steve's lips, or he might go crazy. Steve kissed back just as desperately, yanking Eddie's shirt up to run his warm hands over his back.

"Off, off," Steve panted, undoing his shirt shakily as Eddie pulled at his.

"Oh my god, I've missed your chest," Eddie groaned, immediately burying his face in Steve's hairy chest, inhaling the smell of soap of something just so uniquely Steve, it made his mouth water. "So fucking beautiful, " he mumbled, ignoring Steve's laughter.

"Clocks ticking," Steve reminded him breathlessly, working on his belt. Eddie took over, shoving Steve's slacks and underwear down to free his cock. Sinking to his knees, Eddie wasted no time in taking Steve into his mouth, relishing in the throaty groan that was his reward.

Fuck, Steve tasted so good, taking Eddie back to those nights spent together. It was easy to relax into, taking Steve deeper until he hit his pelvis. Steve was making the most gorgeous little sounds, hand pressed over his mouth to muffle them as his other hand threaded through Eddie's hair to keep him there, hips rocking slowly.

They both jumped at the sound of the alarm ringing, and Steve cursed, fumbling with the phone before tossing it aside again. "Nine minutes," He sighed.

Eddie hummed back, causing Steve's hips to jolt, and he cursed quietly. He could feel Steve's legs trembling under his hands and squeezed, relaxing in his hold to let him do what he wanted. But Steve didn't do anything; he just sat heavy in Eddie's mouth, throbbing with every beat of his heart. His thumb was stroking tenderly across Eddie's full mouth, tracing his bottom lip slick with spit and precome.

"Fuck, your mouth, Eddie. So good." Steve caught his eye and smiled. "You look so pretty on your knees."

Eddie moaned, something inside him lighting up at the words, causing Steve to curse again, his grip tightening.

"I'm gonna cum. Oh, shit, I'm gonna cum, Eddie. Pull off."

He didn't. Swallowing around Steve sent him over the edge, spilling down Eddie's throat with a guttural groan. Eddie swallowed it all, refusing to pull off even when Steve gasped at the oversensitivity and had to pull on his hair to stop him.

Laughing breathlessly, Steve ran a hand through his tousled hair and smiled at Eddie. "Your mouth is heaven."

"Not the first to tell me that." Eddie's voice came out raspy, and he accepted Steve's helping hand to get back to his feet.

"Shut up about your conquests. I don't want to know." Still, Steve was smiling, and he kissed Eddie chastely. His cheeks were flushed from his orgasm, eyes bright and dancing in the bathroom's halogen lighting. "God, your mouth. Your lips are swollen."

"Like I've been sucking dick?" Steve's laughter was like music to his ears, and he couldn't help smiling. He'd do anything to make Steve laugh again and again, never wanting to forget the beautiful sound. "You gotta let me take you to a studio and record you."

"That's your inspiration, my laugh?"

"Not just your laugh." Eddie helped get his pants sorted before tugging him closer for another kiss. "Every fucking sound. Could listen to you on repeat forever."

Steve's expression softened, but he said nothing, only leaning in to keep kissing him. They only stopped when his goddamn phone rang, and Eddie was quick to shut off the alarm. It had done its job, though, and they both knew it was time to go back to the party, to reality.

"You didn't have to do that."

"What?"

Steve pulled him to a stop just outside the main room, the sound of laughter and chattering people loud enough to cover their quiet conversation. "Any of it. Doesn't seem fair, all things considered."

"Well, Princess, what can I say? I'm a little crazy about you, and I do stupid things in your company." He kissed Steve's hand, holding it for a few seconds longer before letting him go. "You should get back to Robin before she notices you're missing."

"Yeah, I should. But maybe I'm a little crazy about you, too." Steve kissed him sweetly and then was gone, slipping back inside like he'd never disappeared, Eddie following a minute later.

Wayne had arrived while they were distracted in the bathroom. He was dancing with Charlie, attempting to teach her to tango, apparently with her feet on top of his. At least, Eddie thought it was the tango. Whatever it was, Charlie was laughing and enjoying herself, so that's all that mattered.

When the song ended, Charlie ran off to have a dance with Jeff, making her way around the room apparently, and Wayne sank into a chair beside Eddie with a groan. "That girl is just full of energy. Reminds me of you at that age."

"I didn't want to dance with you."

"No. You wanted to play rockstar and country singer. Used to stand on the coffee table like it was a stage and sing your heart out into a comb." He chuckled as Eddie groaned in embarrassment. "I'm sure I got a tape or two somewhere. Original Eddie Munson performances."

"Burn them."

Wayne was rescued from Eddie's steely glare by Chris, who dragged him away for a dance. So instead, he watched Robin dancing with Steve, the two laughing loudly and carefree. Seeing him happy was strange because Eddie had seen Steve cry more often than not in the past month. Were relationships supposed to be so painful? Maybe that's why Wayne hadn't bothered and had got dogs instead.

But Steve? He was worth all the hardships, even if it was only for these feeling moments they had been stealing recently.

To his surprise and secret unease, Wayne sat with Steve across the room. No doubt Chris' doing because she winked at Eddie after leaving Wayne beside Steve. Eddie wanted to get up and stop it, but what could he say? Instead, he was distracted as his old band surrounded him.

"What?" Eddie asked, trepidation growing as they gave him identical smirks.

"So we've been thinking," Gareth started, and he slapped a CD case on the table. It was Corroded Coffin's fourth album. "That despite generous reviews, this isn't our best work. What we need-"

"-no," Eddie cut across him firmly, ignoring their eye rolls.

"Come on, Eddie. Spend a couple of months in LA with us. A little birdy told us you've been writing again. Come down and see if anything happens."

Eddie was going to kill Chris, even if it sounded reasonable coming from Jeff. "I won't leave Charlie."

"Bring her with you. We've still got a couple of months left of the tour anyway. It's the perfect time since she'll be off school as well. Think of it as a paid holiday. You don't have to write, but come spend some time in the studio with us."

"If I say I'll think about it, will you let it drop?"

"Maybe," Michael laughed and held out his fist. After a moment's hesitation, Eddie fist-bumped him. "Pact made. It's a shame Ronnie couldn't make it. She'd have you on a plane the day Charlie finishes school."

"I don't doubt it. Which is exactly why she's not here asking." A fierce ache appeared in his chest at the thought of Ronnie. Their last meeting had been… confrontational, which was putting it lightly. She was the reason he'd seen sense and decided to be a real father to Charlie instead of letting her end up in the system. Ronnie deserved so much better than the shit she put up with from him. "I still need to apologize properly to her."

"Don't forget the truffles. She loves those." Gareth winked. "Besides, Ronnie's over it. She adores the pictures of Charlie you send over."

Charlie had done it again. People falling in love with her without even meeting her. Eddie sought out his daughter, smiling when he spotted her running over, and he scooted the chair back so she could climb onto his lap and beam at the guys. "Hello. I'm stealing Daddy. Do you mind?"

They all shook their heads. As Eddie got up, he said, "I'll think about it."

With Charlie resting on his hip, he took her hand in his to dance slowly. Charlie laughed, kicking her feet and accidentally caught Eddie's ribs, laughter turning wild at his wince. He spun her fast, which only made her shriek, and then he was laughing too. "Okay, that's it, I'm feeling dizzy."

"Again! Again!"

"Nope. I'll be sick." Eddie adopted a slow swaying instead, fixing Charlie's hair back behind her headband. It wasn't long before she fell asleep, snoring softly into his shoulder. Eddie didn't want to stop for fear of waking her, but his legs were starting to ache, so he slowly sat down, sighing in relief when Charlie continued to sleep.

When he looked up, he caught Steve watching them and smiled. He took it as an invitation, apparently, and joined them. Eddie was more than a little surprised, especially when Steve squeezed his free hand. It looked like he was mentally preparing for something, but then, his expression relaxed, and he smiled. "Okay."

"Okay?"

Steve nodded, eyes flickering to Charlie, and he gently brushed back a wayward strand of her hair, fingers lingering on her cheek. He took a shuddering breath, eyes fixed on Charlie as he said, "Four months. Doesn't seem so long."

It felt like someone had inflated his heart, the way it seemed to swell in his chest. Eddie couldn't speak, so he only smiled.

"But if you find someone else-"

"I won't."

Steve was smiling now. "That a promise?"

"Yes. I promise." Their eyes finally met and held for a long moment. Eddie felt like he was offering up everything he was to Steve like he could crush him with just a few words if he chose to. And he wasn't the only one in the firing line, looking down at his sleeping daughter. "She's just a kid. I need you to know that if you're in this, you're all in. You can't back out and hurt her."

"I won't. I love her. I love you."

Eddie smiled, relieved and so fucking in love with this man. "I love you too."

It was going to work out just fine. Eddie could feel it in his bones as he sat there with his two favorite people. Four months going on three. No time at all if he thought about it. And once Charlie graduated, they could be a family.