The days trickled by, and before they knew it, it was time to go home. Their bags were packed by the front door, and the house was scoured for every misplaced sock and teddy. The only thing left to do was say goodbye. They were planning to spend the morning at Gareth's again. With the swing set finally finished, Eddie had promised Charlie could test it out before they left. So there she sat, flying high and scaring the shit out of Eddie. It was amusing to watch, but Steve didn't tease Eddie, knowing he could be overprotective of his little girl, but didn't begrudge him for it either.

Leaving him to worry at his bottom lip some more, Steve meandered inside and found Wendy in the kitchen, juicing lemons. He instantly joined her to help, noting the flush to her cheeks from overexertion. "Here, let me."

"Oh, thanks," She blew out a breath and pushed back her hair. "Used to be able to do this no problem. But so much tires me these days. Can't even make lemonade."

Smiling when she laughed, Steve helped her get through the pile and mix the drinks. Gareth appeared as the first set was ready to go, and he took the tray with a big smile. "Oh, is this your specialty, Wendy?"

"You know it is. Now, go serve our guests. I'm sure they're thirsty. LA is pulling out all the stops today." It was indeed a sweltering day, the sun shining hard.

Steve liked to think it was a farewell gift, one last day of sunshine before going home. It got hot in Chicago, but the added bonus of palm trees and beaches made LA feel more like a vacation than another sweaty day in the city.

Wendy cleaned up as Steve finished the drinks, and her tone was light despite the topic when she spoke. "So Eddie seems better. I heard from Gareth that they had a rough time a couple of weeks ago. Everything okay now?"

"Uh, yeah, it's all good now. Just a spat."

"A spat," She repeated in amusement. "Well, whatever you did clearly helped."

Ignoring that, Steve focused on wiping down the table and was mercifully thankful she didn't point out his burning cheeks. They joined the others outside, stepping into the oppressive heat that instantly had Steve sweating before he'd even set the tray down on the table. Eddie was still watching Charlie but looked more relaxed with a drink in hand and smiled at Steve, kicking out the seat beside him.

So Steve sat, blush returning with a vengeance when Eddie's hand came to rest high on his thigh with a squeeze. "Okay?"

"Uh-huh." He quickly grabbed a drink, hoping the coolness would help. It didn't, but the lemonade was delicious. Thankfully, Wendy was happy to share the recipe, and Steve would love to show his next class how to make lemonade.

It was a tight fit around the table with six adults sitting around it, still waiting for a seventh and one heavily pregnant. Still, it made the atmosphere more cheerful with the overlapping conversations and laughter. It helped dampen the bittersweetness of saying goodbye even though Steve was looking forward to going home.

Ronnie arrived before her drink got warm, and she looked flustered. Easy to see why when Paige followed her through the back doors and smiled at them all. "Eddie, can I speak to you?"

"Sure." Eddie squeezed Steve again before getting up to follow her inside.

As soon as his chair was vacated, Ronnie fell into it with a groan. "She is on one today."

The band groaned, but Steve caught Wendy's puzzled expression and shrugged before asking, "Why?"

"Eddie didn't produce enough, apparently. I mean, we have a couple of songs and the starts for others. It's not like he can't work from home either." Ronnie getting worked up on Eddie's behalf made Steve smile, and she grinned back. "She can be a tyrant, especially on a deadline. I hope she takes it easy on him, though."

Steve hoped so, too, but didn't voice it aloud. The last thing Eddie needed was a knockdown since he was only just back on his feet. Shaky feet, Steve reminded himself gloomily, staring into his half-empty glass. Saved from the morose thoughts by Charlie, he was more than happy to have her climb onto his lap and finish the lemonade. Her hair was turning frizzy in the heat, barely contained in its bunches, so he carefully let it down to plait.

Halfway through the second plait, Eddie and Paige came back, and Steve was relieved to see him looking fine, happy even. It soon turned to a scowl when he found his seat taken, but it smoothed when Charlie laughed, and he crouched down beside them as Steve finished, tying her hair securely. "Hey, babygirl, want to trade?"

"Sure." She slid off Steve's lap, giggling when he took her place, and Steve let out a comical oof. "Are you heavy daddy?"

"No."

"Very." Steve winced when he got an elbow to his ribs but wrapped his arms around Eddie's middle to keep him there. "It's not so bad, babygirl. I can manage."

Charlie beamed at him before running back to the swings.

"Babygirl," Eddie whispered as he leaned back, a grin so wide his eyes were squinted. "That's a first." For a moment, Steve was confused. Then he realized what he had said and opened his mouth to apologize. Before he could, Eddie kissed him. "It's nice."

"Could you two stop," Ronnie groaned. "I don't want to spend my last hours with you sucking face. It's bad enough being around Gareth and Wendy without you two as well."

Eddie ignored her in favor of kissing Steve again. "Shut up," he said fondly, eyes still on Steve, and the naked adoration in his expression had Steve's blush flaring up for the third time in half an hour. And now he had no lemonade to cool it down.

Suffering through everyone's laughter, Steve managed a grimace.

Thankfully, the talk turned to the possibility of setting up an online Hellfire meeting, and he was mercifully allowed to sit and listen. It was more fun to poke at Eddie's ribs and make him squirm than having everyone look at them. Just as Gareth agreed that something might be done to get the session running, an alarm went off to make them all jump. It was Steve's phone, and he quickly pulled it out, catching Eddie's eye with a sad smile. It was time to go.

Saying goodbye was harder than Steve would have thought possible. Although the trip had been for Eddie to reconnect with the band, he felt confident in saying he had been accepted into the group. Especially when Ronnie hugged him tight and whispered, "Take care of him, okay? I think you just might stick."

"I will," Steve promised, pleased with his blessing of sorts.

Charlie started to cry as she climbed into the car, surrounded by parting gifts of stuffed animals, her very own dice set in sparkling rainbow colors, and a new folder for her character sheets. Everybody had fallen in love with her, even Paige, who had left after her conversation with Eddie but gave him a charm bracelet gift for Charlie. It sparkled on her wrist, and she twisted the small heart around and around. It also turned out Paige only wanted to say goodbye to Eddie and offer him a permanent position with the band if he was willing to keep writing. Lucky for all of them, he was.

As Eddie said one last goodbye, Steve leaned in to check Charlie's seatbelt and whispered, "Don't worry. They're going to miss you too. I think Gareth's already crying."

They both looked over to see that, yes, Gareth was rubbing at his face furiously. It made Charlie giggle, and she managed to smile. "I miss Auntie Chris. And Robin."

"Good. Because they miss you too, I think they might kidnap you for a while when we get back."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You're an exceptional little girl. Everybody loves you." Steve kissed the top of her head and stood up again. "Including me."

"I love you too, Steve."

He smiled back, feeling a little teary-eyed himself. Swallowing it back, he tapped the top of the car and sighed, glancing at the tight-knit group that was the band. Wendy waved at them from the porch, so he waved back. "I think I might need to kidnap your dad at this rate. We'll miss our flight."

Charlie leaned out and yelled, "Hurry up, Daddy!" And beamed at Steve when Eddie disengaged to join them. "Done."

"Smart." Nodding his approval, Steve shut her door and walked around to the driver's side, waving one last time before getting in. Eddie joined them a moment later, blowing out a breath as he buckled himself in and checked Charlie was secure. "Ready?"

Eddie nodded, smiling. "Let's go home."

Home came after a long flight. Charlie blessedly slept through it, but Eddie was lit up with nervous energy, leg bouncing and scribbling away in his notebook. Steve had to press a hand into his thigh to keep him from knocking over their trays several times. Getting a sheepish smile and a kiss made each time worthwhile.

But finally, they were back in Chicago, and waiting at the gate for them were Robin and Chrissy. Steve almost dropped his bag when Robin jumped into his arms, barely keeping hold of her as they stumbled out of the way of the flowing traffic of people. Laughing, he let Eddie take his bag to hug her properly and spun her around. "Hey, Rob."

"Don't you ever leave me alone this long again," She told him sternly, voice somewhat muffled from where her face was pressed into his neck. "I missed you too much, dingus."

"That makes two of us." Steve didn't want to let her go. It was like coming home, being with Robin again. It wasn't that surprising since she had been his home for several years now. Their family was a little bigger, but Steve knew he would never stop loving Robin so fiercely—his platonic soulmate.

"Let me hug Robin!" Charlie complained, tugging on Steve's shirt to make them break apart. She was pouting, and it was most effective. Robin fell to her knees to kiss the top of Charlie's head and swept her into a hug. "Hi!" Charlie laughed, her arms linked around Robin's neck, so when she stood, Charlie went with her, legs wrapped around her middle. Chris joined their embrace, and Steve thought his prediction might come true. Maybe they would kidnap Charlie for a little while.

Eddie's hand slid into Steve's, squeezing tightly. When he turned to look at him, there were tears in Eddie's eyes. "Welcome home," he whispered.

"Home," Steve agreed, kissing him warmly.

Home, though, felt strange. Steve spent the first night with Eddie and Charlie, but when he went home with Robin the following night and stood in his room, it felt hollow. He hadn't realized how accustomed he'd become to being with the two of them, and now facing his cold and empty bed, Steve didn't want to sleep there.

When he called Eddie, he didn't even need to ask because, as it connected, Eddie only said, "Come home."

So Steve did. He moved in with them, much to Charlie's delight as his own.

Despite the bad timing of moving coinciding with a new school year, it went well. All his prep work had been done, and he had no worries about moving in with Charlie and Eddie. It was inevitable, so why wait?

Eddie was writing, Steve was teaching, and Charlie flourished at school. Robin and Chrissy, no doubt spurred on by the move downstairs, had moved in together, too. Steve hadn't even lost his best friend. She was right above him.

The pieces had fallen into place, and life felt almost perfect. For the first time in his life, he was truly happy, and he knew nobody could take this away from him. He had a family.

Life was good.

…

When Award Day came, it was no surprise that Corroded Coffin's fifth album stole the show. Eddie's triumphant return to the band had been the spark that had seen it become the band's best and most awarded album. But Eddie wasn't on the stage with the rest of the band. He was at home in Chicago, watching history being made through the TV.

Eddie had been invited to the show, and Steve was as surprised as everyone else when he declined. "Why would I go to all that effort when I can see the results at home with you?" Eddie had said simply, and then laughed when Steve got on his knees a minute later.

Sue him, having someone so clearly devoted to him made him a little horny. Or a lot, really.

And sat on the couch, wrapped up in each other's arms. Steve felt very, very loved. "Do you regret it?" He asked softly, pressing a kiss to Eddie's cheek. "Giving it up?"

Eddie didn't even consider it. He just laughed and squeezed Steve closer. "I'm a pretty shit rockstar, Steve. But I'd like to think I'm a decent dad and boyfriend."

"The best."

"Best, huh?"

"Don't let it go to your head."

"Too late."

Steve kissed him first, just because he could. The Eddie Munson might be a famous rockstar to the outside world, but in here, in their home, he was simply Eddie. Steve wouldn't change him for the world, and he knew Eddie felt the same.

He was loved.