Despite what he told Steve, Eddie was nervous as fuck about the barbeque.

So the news that his two favorite people had baked a cake helped ease his trepidation. It mainly stemmed from Gareth's promise that they would make an official statement about Eddie's return to the band and address the rumors from the post concerning Steve. Eddie wasn't ashamed to be dating Steve, not at all, but he knew that a life in the public eye wasn't something either of them wanted.

Thankfully, they were planning on going home after this, not embarking on some world tour with the band. Eddie had meant it when he'd told Steve that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted Charlie to have a normal upbringing, to know love, and not have absent parents, which meant no touring. Not that he minded, learning from previous experiences that it wasn't good for him.

What was good for him was currently whispering in the kitchen, which Eddie was banned from entering. "Are you two done yet?" He called from the front door. He'd been ready to go for the last ten minutes.

There was a lot of shushing before Charlie's head peered around the kitchen door, and she beamed at him. "We're almost ready, daddy."

"Uh-huh. You tell Steve to finish his makeup already, or we'll be late."

"I will!"

Two minutes later, a scowling Steve appeared carrying a white cake box. Eddie mollified him with a kiss and murmured, "You look good." He did, too, in the tight-fitting maroon sweater and jeans combo. He smelled wonderful, sweet like the icing sugar that Eddie could see dusted on his neck and his familiar cologne.

Steve made a soft noise in the back of his throat when Eddie licked the icing sugar off, and his voice was barely restrained as he said, "We're about to leave the house."

"Mhm, payback for yesterday." He kissed Steve's cheek, taking the chance to bite his ear, and laughed when he was shoved away. As fun as it was to tease him, Eddie didn't want to push his luck, especially with Charlie bounding to the door, ready to go. He held out his hand, and she took it as they let Steve go first before following him to the car. "You're up front with me, babygirl. Steve wants to protect the cake."

"Okay."

In the car, Eddie raised his eyebrows at Steve in the mirror. "All good?"

"Yep." And he patted the box beside him. "Just take it slow and don't slam on the breaks?"

"I promise I'll be gentle."

He drove carefully, not wanting to upset Steve or Charlie by ruining their hard work, and they made it to Gareth's in one piece. After helping Charlie out, he hurried around to help Steve, who rolled his eyes but accepted the offered hand. Eddie couldn't resist slapping his ass when he bent back into the car to grab the box after making sure Charlie wasn't watching.

"Hey!"

Eddie chuckled, but then it was his turn to jump when he turned and found Ronnie so close. She grinned and punched his arm. "You're insatiable."

"Tell me about it," Steve muttered, yet he smiled when he stood straight so Eddie wasn't worried that he was annoyed. "Where can I put this?"

Ronnie eyed the box with obvious interest. "Head to the left when you go inside. Michael's in the kitchen, so he'll let you know."

"Thanks. Coming, Charlie?"

"Yep." She gave Ronnie a quick hug before following Steve and opening the door for him.

Eddie ducked the next punch, rubbing his arm ruefully. "I've got enough bruises, thanks."

"Yeah, I can see." Her eyes lingered on Eddie's neck, and he self-consciously pulled on his collar. Steve had left a particularly dark bruise there from the night before. It was hard to hide. "I'll never understand why people find you so attractive."

"My overwhelming sense of humility."

"I'm sure," She snorted. "It's Charlie, isn't it?"

"Yep." And Eddie followed her inside, not surprised to find Charlie already holding court in the garden. She had always drawn attention, even as a baby. With her big brown eyes and curly hair, people doted on her. Steve was an anomaly because he noticed Eddie and Charlie separately but simultaneously and fell in love with them both.

It felt underwhelming to say he loved Steve back. Even now, watching him present the beautiful cake that was decorated to look like their first album and accepting the compliments from the band with a gracious smile, Eddie could feel his heart aching with fondness, even more so when Steve directed the praise to Charlie, who beamed and bowed accordingly.

Gareth's backyard was smaller than Jeff's, but he had kept it grassy instead of paving over it. And surprisingly, there was a half-finished swinger in one corner.

By the time Eddie and Ronnie had taken their seats, the cake had been moved to the place of honor at the head of the table. Gareth scooted closer to Eddie, expression serious. "We need to talk about that post."

"It's a barbecue, Gareth," Ronnie said in exasperation. "Give us a break."

"No."

Eddie hastily got up to join Jeff at the grill, who grinned knowingly. "Gareth already started?"

"Yep."

"He means well." Jeff poked at the burgers, letting out an impressive sigh. "He's the only reason we're still relevant, so we let him go on about the online stuff. Just say yes to whatever he proposes."

"Even if it's bad?"

"Especially if it's bad." Jeff grinned. "It's hilarious when it blows up in his face, and he gets mad."

Eddie could see the appeal. He used to love getting Gareth all riled up during their Hellfire sessions in high school. Sometimes, if he were really angry, Gareth's voice would crack, making everyone cry with laughter. Smiling slightly, Eddie patted Jeff's shoulder. "Okay. You know, we should have a DnD session, just like old times. Charlie would love it."

"Anything for Charlie," Jeff agreed easily.

Michael appeared with a crate of cooled beer to a round of appreciative hoots. Jeff left Eddie in charge of the meat to grab a drink, and he managed not to burn anything. Charlie came over to help after a few minutes, dragging a chair with her to stand on to see properly. She was in charge of the sausages, which only got lightly toasted, perfect for a barbecue.

Steve joined them, too, setting down two cans of cold pop by Eddie's elbow. He wrapped an arm around Eddie's waist and whispered, 'Don't turn round. Gareth's taking a photo."

"Of course he is," Eddie grumbled, stabbing a burger.

"Play nice. He's only trying to help," Steve told him in a soothing voice, kissing the bruise on his neck, which instantly had Eddie melting.

"Daddy, the burgers are burning."

"Shit!" Eddie quickly flipped them, pointing the spatula at Charlie threateningly. "Don't repeat that."

She nodded, giggling.

The food went down well, and Gareth's wife joined them just as they sat down to eat. The reason for the swing set became apparent because she was heavily pregnant. Charlie was immediately drawn to her and thankfully asked before putting her hands on the woman's swollen stomach.

"There's a baby in there?" Charlie asked curiously. "How do they fit?"

"Because babies are tiny. Remember those photos of you when you were just born?" It took him a few minutes to find a photo on his phone to show everyone. "Cutest baby ever."

"Humility," Ronnie scoffed, but she smiled at the photo. "The first Corroded Coffin baby."

"Oh, that would make a great post!" Gareth hastily lowered his phone when Eddie glared at him. "Or not."

"No posts about Charlie."

"Fine. But she's not the last," Gareth said proudly, resting a hand on his on his wife's - Wendy's - stomach. She rolled her eyes but was smiling.

Eddie hadn't been around a pregnant woman in a long time, probably since Charlie, and he was reminded vividly of how active she was—always kicking Mary's ribs and responding to Eddie's music. He tapped Steve's melody out on Charlie's head, smiling when she looked up to grin at him. She still loved music.

And to his surprise, Steve scooted closer and started a whole conversation about sensory toys. Maybe he shouldn't be so surprised. Steve's face lit up when he touched Wendy's belly, and his smile made something warm unfurl in Eddie's chest.

Before he could think too much about it, though, Gareth was pushing his empty plate away and clearing his throat. "So people know Eddie's back now. I think we should make an official statement, make the most of the publicity." He pulled out his phone and showed them posts with a lot of likes. Well, Eddie assumed it was a lot. "These trends are the best way to get more attention."

"You want to do thirst traps?" Eddie asked in disgust. "Might as well take a picture of our asses or something."

"Eddie, you have the flattest ass I've ever had the misfortune of seeing," Ronnie told him, grinning when Michael choked on his drink and Jeff howled with laughter.

"Hey! I thought we agreed not to make fun of my bad genetics."

"Whatever. The point is, that wouldn't work with you."

Gareth rolled his eyes and poked a finger at Eddie's arm, touching one of the bats there. "I was thinking more of a tattoo tour kinda thing."

Eddie's face screwed up, and he was about to protest, but Steve leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Honestly, that would be hot. You should let me record it."

Now, that sounded appealing. "Fine," he agreed grudgingly, not looking at Steve or Gareth.

When the talk turned to the cake, Steve brought it to the center of the table for Charlie to unveil again for another round of applause. It was decorated to look like Corroded Coffin's first album, and even their names had been iced at the bottom by Charlie's hand. She looked at him for approval, and Eddie smiled, kissing the top of her head. "It's perfect, babygirl. Soon enough, you won't need Steve's help."

"But I like baking with Steve."

Behind her, Steve's eyes shone with unshed tears, and he hurried to rub his face.

Eddie smeared cake on Ronnie's face to distract everyone. It worked, but at the cost of icing matting his hair from her retaliation. Charlie, meanwhile, managed to hit everyone with cake and somehow herself, too. They would all need showers before bed tonight. Not that Eddie minded. It gave him the perfect excuse to get Steve naked and wet in an enclosed space.

The food fight took all of Charlie's energy, and she quietened down in the aftermath, cuddling into Eddie's side as they talked about the latest song they were working on. He noticed Steve slip off with Wendy, but before he could wonder where they were going, Michael and Jeff had started an argument about a riff choice and needed his deciding opinion.

All in all, it had been a productive and fun evening.

The food fight distraction was rewarded with a soft smile from Steve when he came back and tried to clean up the mess that was now in Eddie's hair. He gave up after a few minutes, settling for kissing Eddie instead, which was a much better reward.

"Do I need to take another photo?" Gareth asked loudly, effectively breaking them apart, much to the amusement of everyone else.

Within a few hours, Gareth had Eddie's statement ready for the morning, in which he confirmed his relationship with Steve and explained why he left the band. Although there was no picture or mention of Charlie's name, he was still worried about going public about her. Steve helped, holding Eddie's hand reassuringly, and his presence kept him grounded, well, kept him from snapping at Gareth for the personal questions.

It had always been hard to open up, even as a kid. After his mother's death, his father had shunned any form of intimacy, and Eddie's tears had been something to scorn at, not comfort. Eddie had learned to keep his emotions inside after that.

Fame had only strengthened this belief. People always wanted more, no matter how much Eddie had given, and by the end, he'd felt like a dried husk. It had taken a lot of effort to become who he was now, Charlie the main reason and, more recently, Steve. Without them, he doubted he would have returned to the band or LA.

Catching Ronnie's eye behind Gareth's back, she gave him a sympathetic grimace.

Trying not to laugh, Eddie shook his head at Gareth when he frowned. "Nothing. Are we done then?"

"I suppose," he grumbled. "Not that you've given me much to work with, mind you."

"Yeah, Eddie, he wants to write your biography after all," Michael teased, grabbing Gareth in a headlock, effectively distracting him, and Eddie was released from his interrogation.

Relieved, he picked up the now slumbering Charlie and turned to Steve, eyebrows raised. "Ready to go?"

He nodded, getting up, too. It still took them another half hour to say goodbye and get into the car, and by the time they were back at the house, Eddie wanted nothing more than to sleep.

Not that Steve would let him, insisting they shower to get rid of the cake still in their hair.

"The cake was amazing," Eddie told Steve sincerely as he climbed into bed twenty minutes later. Having Steve there was wonderful because he was like a portable heater, and Eddie's eyes immediately felt heavy with sleep as he slung an arm over Steve's waist and pressed against his back. His following words slipped out without thought, "you're amazing."

Steve shook with quiet laughter. "Go to sleep."

Eddie only hummed back, kissing his shoulder.

He had almost dozed off when Steve spoke again, all traces of amusement gone. "Do you want more kids?"

The heaviness of sleep lifted instantly, but Eddie wasn't that surprised by the question, not after seeing Steve's expression earlier around Wendy. He loosened his hold on Steve when he shifted, and he rolled over so they were face to face. Steve was looking at him with a familiar hesitancy, which Eddie couldn't blame him for. Whenever he asked personal questions, Eddie had a tendency to push back, often harshly.

This time, though, he took a moment to collect his thoughts before responding. "Never thought about it. Charlie was the only thing that mattered." Eddie smiled, brushing Steve's hair back to smooth away his frown. "Until you. Robin told me - in confidence, so don't mention this - about your six nuggets dream."

Even in the darkness, Steve's blush was unmistakable. He muttered something insulting, probably towards Robin.

Ignoring this, Eddie kissed him, feeling the warmth of Steve's face against his cheek. "I'm not saying no, because I think you'd be an amazing dad, and I'd love to raise more kids with you. But maybe later on? We've got a lot on our plate right now."

"Yeah. That sounds pretty good to me."

"Okay. So, can we sleep now?"

Steve laughed, wrapping his arms around Eddie, so he happily burrowed into his chest. He smelled like body wash and Steve, which was comforting enough to make him sleepy again.

"I love you," Steve whispered.

And what could Eddie do but smile and kiss Steve's chest as his heart swelled? "I love you too, Princess."