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Chapter Text

Early August 1986  

Steve Harrington laid back on the sleeping bag in the grass, his hands folded behind his head, his knees up, supporting Eddie Munson who was sitting on him, a Polaroid camera in his hands, snapping pictures of him. Eddie probably had a thousand pictures of him; he always had that damned Polaroid. He took pictures of everyone and everything. Steve usually pretended to be annoyed by Eddie’s incessant need to photograph the world around him, but deep inside, he actually loved that about Eddie. 

Eddie was different. He didn’t say a whole lot. He kept to himself mostly. He had Corroded Coffin and Hellfire Club, but outside of that small group, the only people Eddie ever spent any time with were his uncle Wayne, his boyfriend Steve, and his best friend Samantha Stone. Both Wayne and Steve loved to look through the pictures Eddie took and kept in shoe boxes stashed all over the trailer. Those photos were a glimpse into the mind of Eddie Munson. They said more about him than he ever said about himself. 

It was with a photograph that Eddie told Steve how he felt about him. They had been hanging out as friends for a while after Dustin introduced them. Then one day, sitting in the leaves up at Skull Rock smoking a joint, Eddie had taken a Polaroid of Steve. He’d taken a hundred of him before, but this was different. He’d traced a heart around Steve as the image was developing, causing the image to blur where he’d touched it. By the time he handed it to Steve, his cheeks burning bright red as he refused to look at him, there was a clear heart shape smeared into the image. Steve had leaned in, caught Eddie by his chin, and forced him to look him in the eyes. Eddie’s eyes had been so big, and innocent, and hopeful. So, Steve kissed him, and they’d been inseparable ever since. 

But now that was all coming to an end. Today was Steve’s last day in Hawkins. Tomorrow morning he’d load his things in his car, and he’d make the drive across the country to Tucson, Arizona to go to college. Eddie had never said a word to Steve about it, but Steve knew, from talking to Wayne, that Eddie was upset that Steve was going so far away. Eddie wanted Steve to go to school in Indianapolis. That way they could still be together. But Steve had chosen the University of Arizona because their men’s baseball team had won the College World Series earlier that summer and if he was going to college on a baseball scholarship, he wanted to go to a school with an amazing baseball team. It would be his ticket to the pros if he could play on a team as good as the Arizona Wildcats. 

So, this was their last date. Burgers and fries from Benny’s, a six pack of Miller High Life, and a couple of joints. It mimicked their first date from the previous summer to a tee. From the location, the food, the beer, everything, right down to them making love in a sleeping bag in the leaves. The exact same sleeping bag they were laying on now. Eddie had recreated that first date that he would never forget for as long as he lived in an effort to convince Steve to stay, to not break up with him and leave him alone in Hawkins. Because though he still had Wayne and Sam and his small flock of loyal followers, without Steve he would be all alone. There was no one else Eddie could sit with, in complete silence, and feel so comfortable and safe. There was never a need for small talk or mindless chit chat with Steve. With him, Eddie could just be. He never had to do. Just be. 

After they’d had sex, they got dressed and ate their burgers. Now they were finishing off the six pack while Eddie continued to take pictures of Steve. He’d been through several packs of film. He must have taken a hundred pictures since they’d gotten to Lover’s Lake. Including one that Steve had protested against, but Eddie had begged, and Steve could never say no to those big, innocent doe eyes of his. So, Eddie had one picture tucked in his pocket, one of Steve giving Eddie head, looking up at him with those amazingly beautiful eyes. He promised never to put that one in one of his many shoeboxes of Polaroids. That picture was for Eddie’s eyes only. 

“Aren’t you out of film yet,” Steve chuckled as Eddie snapped yet another photo. “I bet Melvald’s loves you with as much film as you buy.” Eddie just shrugged as he shook the last picture he’d taken gently, waiting for it to develop. “Have you ever considered a traditional camera? Imagine how much money you’d save buying real film instead of that Polaroid 600 stuff. It’s outrageous.” 

“If I had a traditional camera,” Eddie began quietly. “I’d have to wait a week for every roll of film to be developed.” He leaned down and kissed the tip of Steve’s nose then stood up and smiled down at him. If only Steve had known that Eddie stole more film than he bought. That was the one secret that Eddie kept from Steve. “Besides, then the photo shop that developed them would see this.” He took the picture of Steve giving him head out of his pocket and held it out to Steve. Steve reached for it, but Eddie jerked it back. “Uh-uh. Mine.” Eddie kissed the photo gently then slid it back into his pocket. 

“Point well taken.” Steve sat up and gazed out over the water at the pink and orange sky where the sun was setting on the horizon. “You won’t be able to take many more pictures before it’s too dark.” Eddie just shrugged before putting his camera down and absently wandering a few feet away. He folded his arms across his chest, seemed to shrink in on himself, becoming half his true size. He hung his head so his hair obscured his face and toed the ground almost nervously. “Eddie?” He didn’t look up or answer with words, he just made a soft sound, a sound Steve was all too familiar with; that small grunt of acknowledgement that Eddie made when he was upset. Steve frowned deeply. “Come sit down with me, babe.” 

“I’m fine where I am,” Eddie whispered. 

“I can’t kiss you and touch you way over there,” Steve told him with a mischievous smirk. “Come here.” Eddie didn’t move. “I’ll go down on you again.” 

“Fuck you.” Then he did look up, a fresh stream of tears running down his face. “You don’t get it, do you?” 

“Eddie, come on.” Steve stood up and went to Eddie, his arms outstretched. He wanted to hold his boyfriend, to comfort him. But Eddie shrugged him off, stepped out of his reach, anger burning in his eyes. “Babe, we’ve talked about this. For months. You knew this day was coming. And you promised me you wouldn’t cry or be upset. You promised me that you’d smile and be happy for me. Remember?” 

“I lied.” 

“What is it that I don’t get?” 

“Nothing,” Eddie sighed. “If you have to ask, then just forget it.” Eddie rubbed angrily at his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Just take me home, okay?” 

“I thought we were going to spend the night together.” 

“You also thought I’d be okay with a planned and scheduled break-up.” Eddie ducked around Steve, picked up his camera, jacket, and the stack of Polaroids that were strewn all over the sleeping bag. “I’ll just walk.” 

“Eddie, stop. I’ll drive you home if that’s what you want.” 

“No.” Eddie turned but didn’t stop. He walked backwards and threw his arms out to the side. “Goodbye, Steve Harrington.” He tried to fight it, but tears flowed from his eyes. “I always knew this wouldn’t last.” He turned as he continued to walk then called back over his shoulder to Steve. “Good luck.” Then he ducked into the bushes and disappeared into the dusk. 

Eddie walked through the woods for more than two hours. He didn’t have any destination in mind. He just walked and thought back over the last year of his life. It had been the best year of his life. He’d found Steve, he’d graduated high school. Finally! He had a small group of friends that accepted him for who and what he was and loved him for it in the process. But he’d always known that Steve would eventually leave him behind. If it wasn’t for school and baseball, it would have been for something else. There was no way in hell a relationship between them could have lasted. Steve was too good for Eddie, and everyone knew it. Steve’s parents barely tolerated Eddie, only because Steve liked him. They’d do anything in the world for their son, and if that meant that Eddie Munson, The Freak, was going to come over for Christmas dinner, then they’d grin and bear it. For Steve. 

Eddie felt much the same way. He would have done anything for Steve. He would have followed Steve to Arizona if he thought he could survive out there. But he didn’t have the resources and money that Steve did. It was one thing for the Harringtons to tolerate Eddie at family gatherings, it was a whole other thing to help support Eddie until he found a job in Arizona, and that’s what they would have been doing. Supporting Steve meant that if Eddie was with him, they’d be supporting him as well. So, Eddie did the only thing he could do. He got a job in Hawkins. 

Starting tomorrow afternoon, Eddie would be working at Benny’s. It was only part time and minimum wage, but it was better than working at the plant where Wayne worked. And of all the other jobs he had applied for, Benny was the only one who didn’t give him that look, like he was a drug dealing Satanist. Benny actually liked Eddie. They were a lot alike in that neither one liked to talk too much. So, he’d decided to give Eddie a chance. He’d start out as a busboy and, if he did well, Benny promised to move him up. Maybe he could be a waiter eventually. The pay was better. And then there were tips. Though Eddie wasn’t sure he’d make much in tips with the way the narrowminded people in Hawkins felt about him. But at least working at Benny’s meant he could still play at The Hideout with Corroded Coffin on Tuesday nights since that was the one night of the week Benny’s was closed. 

When Eddie stepped out of the woods, he wasn’t even surprised to see that he was in Samantha’s neighborhood. Deep inside, he knew this was probably where he’d end up tonight. He knew he could curl up next to Sammy and cry until there was nothing left in his broken heart to cry about. Sure, he could cry at home and Wayne would be sympathetic. But what Eddie needed and wanted was someone to hold him and comfort him and soothe him. The way Steve always did.  

Steve. He was right, they’d talked about this over and over. Eddie even had this date circled on Wayne’s nudie girl calendar that hung on the wall right next to the front door. But that didn’t make it any easier. In fact, it made it harder because, even as much as Eddie tried to fight it, he had felt himself falling in love with Steve. It hurt all the more because he couldn’t tell if Steve felt the same way. So, he never said it. He never told Steve that he loved him. He didn’t tell Steve that he wrote songs about him that Corroded Coffin would never play because they were much more suited to some top 40 radio band. He never told Steve that he loved him. And now he was gone. Steve would drive away in the morning and never look back and Eddie would still love him until the end of time. He shouldn’t be, but he was surprised by how much this hurt. 

It was completely dark now and Eddie could see the lights in Samantha’s house through the windows. The living room window glowed a soft blue color as her father watched television in the dark. But around back, Sammy’s bedroom window flickered a pale gold. She had candles burning. She was probably writing in her journal by candlelight. She did that a lot. She said it helped her focus. He understood how that would help. Everything around you in shadows, except the journal in front of you, illuminated by the soft candlelight. It would be hard to focus on anything else. 

Eddie tapped on Samantha’s window gently. She was used to him coming around back like this. He hated knocking on the front door and talking to her father. He was nice enough and had no problem with his daughter hanging out with him, but he was super chatty when he was drunk, which was most of the time, and wanted to spend half an hour talking to him about anything and everything under the sun, so Eddie usually avoided him whenever he could.  

After a moment, the curtains pulled back and Samantha’s smiling face peered out at him. Her smile disappeared quickly though. Because even in the dark, she could see that Eddie had been crying. She knew what today was. She knew that Eddie and Steve had broken up. So, she opened the window and stepped back as Eddie crawled inside. Samantha took him into her arms and held him as he cried. She led him to the bed, and they laid down and Eddie cried until there was nothing left in him. He cried until he passed out. And neither of them said a word. They didn’t need to. Besides, talking about it hurt even more. Eddie was perfectly content to just not say anything. What could he say anyway? Samantha already knew the whole story. And in a way, she had been expecting him. Maybe not tonight because he was supposed to spend the night with Steve. But here he was, and she would take care of him. 

Samantha eventually fell asleep next to Eddie. They slept until the sun started to come up and Samantha’s father knocked loudly on the door to let Samantha know he was leaving for his shift at the plant. They lay there in silence and listened to Mr. Stone as he moved around inside the small house, taking a shower, making coffee. When they heard the front door open and close, then Mr. Stone’s car start, pull out of the driveway, then fade into the distance, Eddie finally sat up. Samantha sat up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. 

“How’re you doing, sweetie?” 

“I’m numb,” Eddie whispered. 

“Did you tell him?” Eddie shook his head. He didn’t even have to ask her what she was talking about; he knew. “Why not?” 

“What would be the point? He’d still leave.” 

“Maybe if he knew that you were in love with him . . .” Eddie shrugged her off his shoulder and started to stand up, but she caught his arm. “Eddie, I’m sorry.” 

“I know.” Eddie took a deep breath, held it for a ten count, then let it out slowly. “It’s over. That’s all there is to it. King Steve is off to do the whole academic thing, and The Freak is all alone.”  

“Oh, Eddie, don’t talk like that.” She tugged at his hand, and he sat back down on the bed with her. “I love you and I’ll always be here for you.” 

“Better not let Billy hear you say that.” 

“Billy,” Samantha sighed as she rolled her eyes. “My friendship with you has nothing to do with Billy Hargrove.” 

“Billy hates me because when he moved here, no one would cop from him.”  

Samantha nodded. She had heard Billy’s rant about selling drugs. He’d had a good trade in California. But when his family moved to Hawkins, people didn’t know him. Yeah, maybe no one liked Eddie, but they knew they were safe scoring from him. They knew his product was good and his prices were fair. And they trusted that he wouldn’t get anyone in trouble with local law enforcement. They couldn’t say the same about Billy, so his dealing days came to a screeching, abrupt halt as people shunned him for Eddie. That had been a stinging blow to Billy’s pride, and he never let Eddie forget it. 

“He holds grudges,” Samantha laughed. “But he doesn’t hate you. And he knows I love you like a brother.”  

Eddie smiled at that. Being an only child, and an orphaned one at that, he had always wished for a sibling. And he couldn’t ask for a better sister than Samantha. Though, as they got older, he found it harder and harder to look at her like a sister. He may prefer guys, but he’d been with his fair share of girls over the years; including once with Samantha in the back of his van, weeks before he’d met Steve. And he wasn’t so blind that he hadn’t noticed Samantha as she got older and filled out. Her baggy Siouxsie and The Banshees shirts were no longer baggy. Now they clung to her womanly curves in such a way that no red-blooded male could possibly not notice how sexy she was. 

“Sammy?” She made a soft sound of acknowledgement. “Look at me, baby.” Samantha lifted her head then they turned to face each other on the bed. She opened her mouth to say something, but Eddie leaned in and covered her lips with his own. Samantha gasped into his mouth but didn’t pull away. So, Eddie wrapped his arms around her, pulled her closer, and again, until she was on his lap. Eddie trailed kisses from her lips to her jaw, her ear, down her neck. He bit her softly just where her shoulder met the column of her throat. “Sammy, baby.” 

“Eddie, no,” she sighed. “No, sweetie. You’re upset. You don’t really want to do this.” 

“I want to do this,” Eddie whispered into her ear. “Please, Sammy. Just once. I swear.” 

“Billy . . .” Eddie kissed her again. 

“He sleeps with other girls.” 

She couldn’t even argue with that. She and Billy weren’t exclusive; they were friends with benefits. Billy knew it, she knew it, and Eddie knew it. And even though Eddie knew this was probably a bad idea, he didn’t care. Right now, he wanted to feel something. He’d gone numb from crying, and he felt like he was just floating in a cloud of nothingness. He felt like he would never feel anything ever again. He felt like he needed someone that wasn’t Steve to show him some kind of affection so that maybe he could start feeling again. He hated the empty hollowness that was festering in the pit of his soul ever since he’d walked away from Steve the night before. 

“Okay,” Samantha whispered. “Okay, sweetie. Lay back and let me take care of you.” 

She gently laid Eddie back on the bed then slowly started undressing him. She trailed her lips over his soft, warm skin as she went, exploring every inch of him until he was naked underneath her. Then she was on her knees and taking her own clothes off. Eddie encircled himself with his fist and pumped firmly. By the time Samantha was naked and kneeling over him again, Eddie was fully erect, his eyes half lidded, his breathing heavy in anticipation.  

Samantha started to dip her head, to take Eddie into her mouth, but he stopped her, hooked a finger at her as he licked his lips. Samantha leaned in and kissed him softly then turned around; she knew exactly what Eddie wanted. She took Eddie into her mouth just as his lips and tongue found her, licking and probing, his hands around her thighs. Several minutes passed before Samantha threw her head back, letting Eddie fall from between her lips. She was close, ready to explode as Eddie used his tongue and fingers to coax her into her orgasm, leaving her a whimpering mess.  

Samantha took a moment to let her strength come back, then she turned and straddled Eddie. Their lips met, she tasted herself on him as she reached between her legs and gripped his erection, positioned it at her entrance, then lowered herself onto him. She took him inside, rode him slowly, rocking her hips as Eddie thrust firmly up into her. They moved fluidly together, Eddie’s hands explored her body, cupped her breasts, squeezed. He pulled her down so he could take her nipples into his mouth, alternating between them. Several breathless minutes later, Eddie gripped Samantha’s hips, held her and surged up into her. Then he went limp, and she slid off him, laid next to him, and he fell back asleep, spent and relaxed. Samantha kissed his forehead softly, then got up to take a shower. 

********** 

May 1987  

Eddie paced in the hospital waiting room while Billy sat slumped on a couch against the wall watching The Price Is Right on the television mounted high on a wall in the corner of the room, a cigarette dangling loosely from his lips. Eddie had no idea how Billy could be this calm when Samantha was down the hall having a baby. Hell, Billy had been calm through the whole thing; all nine months of it. He was calm when Samantha told him she was pregnant and that it was Eddie’s. Yes, she was sure. They’d slept together once, they hadn’t used protection, and she hadn’t been with anyone else for more than a month before and after Eddie. It was definitely Eddie’s baby. He’d been calm when Samantha announced she wanted an abortion. And he’d been calm when Samantha and Eddie viciously fought about it. 

Billy had been the voice of reason. Billy was the one who suggested Samantha have the baby then sign her parental rights over to Eddie. If Eddie was so determined that he wanted the kid, let him have it. Billy certainly didn’t want to help Samantha raise a baby, especially one that wasn’t his. So, after weeks of arguing and begging and pleading on Eddie’s part, Samantha had given in. She’d agreed not to have an abortion. She would give birth to Eddie’s child, and she would walk away. She and Billy would leave Hawkins after the baby was born and start a life for themselves somewhere far away. 

Eddie and Wayne did everything they could to help Samantha through her pregnancy. Eddie found a second part time job and gave that entire paycheck to Samantha to help with medical costs. Wayne saved every penny he could, and he bought a crib and clothes and toys and diapers and formula. He stocked the trailer with everything Eddie would need to raise his child. Eventually, Samantha stopped being bitter about the entire situation. She loved seeing Eddie so happy. Knowing he had a child on the way helped him to not think about Steve.  

He had more important things to focus on. He didn’t have the time or energy to pine over his lost love. He had a new love on the way. Maybe he was too young, maybe he had no experience with babies, but he was determined to be the best dad ever. And he knew exactly how to do that. He knew he needed to emulate Wayne and be an unconditionally loving father, exactly the opposite of his own dad. 

Eddie looked up anxiously as the swinging doors at the end of the hall opened. A doctor started down the hall towards them and Eddie threw a quick glance at Billy who sat up, dropped his cigarette into a half empty cup of cold coffee, then stood and came to stand next to Eddie. The doctor stopped in front of them, glanced at the clipboard he was holding, then smiled at both men. 

“Which of you is the father, Eddie Munson?” 

“That’s me,” Eddie said nervously. “How’s Samantha? And the baby?” 

“Mother and daughter are both doing just fine.” 

“Daughter?” The doctor nodded, smiling broadly. “I have a baby girl?” 

“Yes, you do,” he replied. “You have a beautiful, perfect, five-pound, nine ounce, seventeen-inch-long baby girl.” 

“Isn’t that small,” Billy asked, a twinge of concern in his voice. 

“Not necessarily,” the doctor said. “She’s perfect, has a strong set of lungs and heart.” 

“Can I see her?” Eddie’s hands were balled into fists at his side as he almost vibrated in anticipation. 

“In just a minute, yes.” He looked down at the clipboard in his hands. “I understand Miss Stone is waiving parental responsibility?” 

“Yes,” Eddie sighed. “Yeah. I’ll be her only parent.” 

“There’s some paperwork you’ll both need to sign.” He checked the clipboard again. “She doesn’t want to be listed as the child’s mother?” Eddie nodded. “And you’ll choose the name?” 

“Already got one.” Eddie grinned broadly. “Charlotte Elizabeth Munson. After my grandma and my mom.” 

“Charlotte Elizabeth,” the doctor said as he made note of the name on his clipboard. “Great. Are you ready to meet your little girl?” 

“Yeah, absolutely.” He glanced over at Billy. “Hey, you want to meet my baby girl?” 

“Yeah, sure,” he said with a soft laugh. “Let’s go.” 

Chapter Text

Wednesday, November 27, 2002  

Eddie looked up as the bell over the door jingled. The last customer of the night was leaving, and it was just him and Charlotte now. He watched her as she went to the door, flipped the open sign to closed, then locked the door, and pulled the blinds shut. From where he was cleaning the grill in the kitchen, he could see Charlotte as she started wiping down the tables and propping the chairs up on them so Eddie could mop before they left and went home. Tomorrow was Thanksgiving and was one of the few days that Eddie closed the diner during the year. 

Five years ago, when Benny Hammond decided to retire and move to Florida, Eddie had purchased his diner from him at a very friendly rate. Eddie had been working there since the summer of eighty-six, and he and Benny had become close friends. So, when he decided that he was done, he gave Eddie the first opportunity to take over. Eddie jumped at the chance. Benny could have made a lot more by selling to someone else, but instead he took what little Eddie had to offer and left Eddie with a diner that was a cash cow. Everyone ate at Benny’s. As long as Eddie didn’t do something stupid, he and Charlotte would be set. So far, things had been going perfectly. 

Charlotte worked at the diner part time, when she wasn’t at school or hanging out with friends. And when she was hanging out with friends, they usually hung out at the diner and Charlotte still jumped up to refill glasses and get more fries for her friends, even if she wasn’t working. In return for her help, Eddie paid her. It wasn’t much, but it gave her a little money so she could have fun with her friends without having to ask her dad for anything extra. 

Besides Charlotte, Eddie had a full staff working for him. He had a manager and a handful of wait staff, there were three busboys, who also doubled as dishwashers, and two cooks who alternated days working. Eddie himself served every roll at the diner. He waited tables, he bussed tables, he cooked, he washed dishes, he cleaned, he did it all. And he loved it. He got to meet so many interesting people. And he took photos of most of them. One entire wall in Benny’s was filled with Polaroids he took in and around the diner, of his staff and his customers. The story of Benny’s under Eddie’s ownership was spelled out on that wall for everyone to see. 

Charlotte hopped up on the counter and watched Eddie through the opening between the grill and the front counter. He was just finishing degreasing the grill and then they could go home. They didn’t have any plans for Thanksgiving. They didn’t really like to celebrate it, not since Wayne had died two summers ago. Thanksgiving had always been Wayne’s favorite holiday. They had huge feasts, just the three of them, with Wayne spending the entire week before Thanksgiving in preparation.  

But last year and this year, without Wayne, neither of them felt like celebrating. Charlotte made them a modest dinner last year and they offered thanksgiving for their lives, then said a humble prayer for Wayne. This year would be the same. Charlotte had suggested lasagna, garlic bread, and salad. Eddie agreed. Lasagna would always be his favorite food, and since Wayne had passed, he hadn’t had it once. Wayne was the cook in the family. Eddie was a whiz with burgers and greasy diner food, but for something homemade and hearty, that was Wayne’s game. Though Charlotte had done a good job of picking up a few tricks here and there from her grandfather. 

“I’ll be done in a minute,” Eddie said, smiling through the opening at his daughter. “You want to go start my car and get it warmed up?” 

“Can I back it out?” Eddie nodded. “Can I drive us home?” 

“Don’t push your luck, kid,” Eddie laughed as he took his keys out of his pocket and held them to her. “Get her started and back her out. You can drive up to the front door. But no further.” Charlotte slid off the counter and reached for the keys Eddie was holding out to her. He quickly pulled them back and grinned. “No donuts in the parking lot, got it?” 

“Got it, daddy.” He held the keys out again and Charlotte snatched them from his fingers before he could change his mind. “Thank you.” 

Charlotte dashed outside and he heard his car roar to life. He couldn’t believe that Charlotte was almost old enough to get her driver’s license. He’d taught her to drive when she was thirteen, and he let her back the car out of the garage all the time, but the thought of taking her to get her license next summer once she turned sixteen was terrifying. He knew she’d want a car of her own; she’d told him more times than he could count that she wanted a Mustang just like his, except red instead of Eddie’s signature flat black. And he was going to get her one if it was what she wanted. He always gave her whatever she wanted. Wayne had warned him against spoiling her, but Eddie was deaf and blind when it came to that. 

From the day she was born, Eddie had given Charlotte everything he could. She was his pride and joy, the light of his life, his reason for living. But luckily, his doting never spoiled Charlotte. She was a sweet, levelheaded girl who never took advantage of her father’s kind nature, or anyone else’s for that matter. She was always more than willing to work for anything she wanted, even though she knew her daddy would give her whatever he could. She was the perfect daughter, in Eddie’s eyes anyway, and he loved her more than life itself. 

At an early age, when Charlotte was just getting to the age that she started asking questions, one of the first questions she asked was why other kids had mothers, but she didn’t. Eddie explained their situation to her the best way he knew how. He told her that her mother was young and was not ready for a child. But Eddie had wanted a child. So, he took Charlotte to raise and let her mother go. Charlotte knew that the pregnancy was an accident, a result of a one-time thing. She knew her father was in love with someone else, and her mother had just been trying to comfort him. Eddie had been almost completely truthful about the whole situation. Charlotte had several photos of her mother that Eddie had taken over the years with his instant camera. She didn’t look at them very often, but she kept them tucked in the back of her favorite book. 

Charlotte told Eddie that, one day, she would like to meet her mother. But she didn’t know when that would be. She assured him that she didn’t want anything from her mother, she only wanted to meet her. She was perfectly happy with their family as it was. Her mother had her life and she and Eddie had theirs. That’s how she wanted it to stay. 

Charlotte, and Wayne before he passed, urged Eddie to date. They hated to see him alone. He was perfectly happy being a single dad, but he did try, for their sakes. He dated several women over the years, but none of those relationships had lasted more than a couple of months. It seemed all women his age wanted the same thing; a wedding ring and a baby. Neither of which Eddie was interested in. So, Eddie ended each relationship as amicably as he could when those subjects started being broached. Then he’d go home and tell Charlotte that it hadn’t worked out and Charlotte would feel bad for him. 

What he didn’t tell Charlotte though was that at times, three or four times over the years, he dated men. But maybe dated was the wrong word. He’d see them once or twice, they’d have sex, then it would be over. He didn’t think his daughter should be exposed to that kind of thing; the one-night stands and the fact that he was gay. He didn’t think she’d care, he just wanted her to be old enough to understand it fully before he finally told her. And Wayne did everything he could to help Eddie keep his secret. 

Eddie tossed his greasy rags into the bin that the laundry service would pick up on Monday just as his flat black Mustang pulled up outside the door and Charlotte revved the engine. It was loud and dirty, mean and aggressive, and Eddie loved it. So did Charlotte. He flipped off the lights as she got out of the car and went around to get back in on the passenger side. He would mop tomorrow night while he was getting ready to open back up on Friday. Right now, he just wanted to go home and have a beer and a joint. 

Charlotte knew he smoked, but he never smoked in the house, nor did he smoke in front of Charlotte. She stayed inside when she knew he was on the back porch smoking. And Eddie knew that Charlotte had tried it at least once with her friends. He could smell it on her when she’d come home one night. Eddie didn’t say anything; he didn’t want to be a hypocrite. Besides, he wanted to see how long it would take her to come to him about it. He’d always told her that he wanted her to be open and honest. He knew she’d eventually tell him. So, he just bit his tongue and waited. 

On the drive home, Eddie listened to Charlotte as she talked about her friends and school. There was a winter dance coming up in a few weeks and Charlotte spelled out the entire roster of who was going with who and what dresses each girl was going to wear. And Eddie did not fail to notice that Charlotte was leaving herself conspicuously out of the growing list of people who were going to the dance. He stole a glance over at her. She was talking too fast, her hands fidgeting nervously in her lap. There was something she wanted to say to Eddie, and she was only prattling on and on because she was working up the nerve. Eddie hid a smile, wondering if this was going to be the moment that she told him she’d smoked a joint with her friends. 

“Daddy?” She wouldn’t look at him. “Can I tell you something?” He had to force himself not to laugh at how much her voice wavered and shook as she spoke, each word sounding forced and terrified. “Something I did?” 

“Sure, peanut.” He could have let her just go on. But he loved her, and he hated seeing her so nervous and anxious. “Would it make it easier on you if I told you that I already know?” 

“You know?” Eddie nodded slowly. “How could you know?” 

“I smelled it on you when you came home from the football game last weekend.” It was dead silent in the car for a full minute before Charlotte finally burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. “What’s so funny, peanut?” 

“I knew you knew about that,” she told him. “I could tell by the way you looked at me. And the fact that you haven’t smoked pot since that night.” She gave him a big grin. “That was the first and only time. I didn’t really like it. I got all sleepy and hungry.” She shook her head quickly. “Nope. Not my thing.” 

“I’m not going to lie and say that I’m not glad to hear that,” Eddie chuckled. “You’ve got your whole life to do things like that. You don’t need to do them when you’re still just a baby.” 

“I am not a baby!” She hated it when Eddie referred to her as his baby. Eddie just flashed a grin at her. “No. There’s something else I did.” He didn’t like the tone of her voice. The anxiousness was back, the quiver. He couldn’t possibly imagine what she’d done to make her so hesitant to talk to him. Unless . . . 

“Baby girl, whatever it is, you know you can tell me.” She nodded as she stared at her hands fidgeting in her lap. “Does this have to do with a boy? Sex?” 

“No,” she whispered. “Well, maybe. Yes. I don’t know.” She threw her hands up in frustration. “Forget I said anything. I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Charlotte, sweetheart.” Eddie reached over and took one of her hands. It shook in his and he squeezed it to try and calm her. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. I promise. I love you. You can tell me anything.” 

“I had my first kiss today,” she whispered so quietly that Eddie wasn’t sure he heard her correctly. “And I got asked to the winter dance.” 

“That’s fantastic, sweetheart!” Eddie squeezed her hand again. “Who asked you? Where did he kiss you? At school? Oh my god, it’s Jimmy Perez, isn’t it? That boy you’re tutoring?” 

“Slow down, daddy,” Charlotte laughed. But the laugh was still nervous. There was more. “It’s not Jimmy. And yes, the kiss was at school. At my locker after lunch. It was so soft and sweet.” Her voice went soft and dreamy, and Eddie grinned. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think his little girl was in love. “I wanted it to last forever, but the bell rang, and we had to go to class.” 

“So, what’s his name?” Eddie turned his car into their driveway and shut it off. “Do I know him?” 

“Izzy,” she whispered. “And no, you don’t know her.” 

“Well, I want to meet . . .” Eddie froze. Her. He blinked once then smiled. “I want to meet her before you go to the dance with her.” 

“Really?” Charlotte’s nervousness seemed to melt away and a giddy sort of excitement started to build in her as they got out of the car and went inside. 

“Of course,” Eddie chuckled. “I meet anyone you want to go out with, or you don’t go out.” He unlocked the front door and they both went in and hung their jackets on the coatrack by the door. “You want hot chocolate before bed?” 

“Yes!” She followed her father into the kitchen and perched herself at the island bar while he pulled out his old favorite Garfield mug and her newer Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mug. “Do we have tiny marshmallows?” 

“Right here.” Eddie grabbed a bag from the cupboard and tossed it on the counter. “Do you want me to take you shopping for a dress for the dance? Or, I’m sure Aunt Robin would come out to take you if you wanted a woman to shop with. You could spend the weekend with her in Indianapolis and go shopping.” 

“Ugh, daddy, no!” Eddie laughed as Charlotte made a face and waved her hands in the air. “When was the last time I ever wore a dress?” 

“Not since you got old enough to dress yourself,” Eddie answered. Charlotte had always been a tomboy. She wore jeans and shorts and band t-shirts and boots and Converse All Stars. She wasn’t into dresses and makeup and jewelry. Those things were so girly. This new revelation from her should not have come as a surprise. “What are you going to wear?” 

“I was thinking about renting a tuxedo.” Eddie glanced up at her from the hot chocolate he was making. “Do you think that would be too much?”

“What’s . . . Izzy?” Charlotte nodded. “What’s Izzy going to wear?” 

“A peacock blue dress,” she said. “With sequins across . . .” She made a faint sweeping gesture to her chest. 

“Yeah, I think a tux would look great on you.” Eddie poured hot chocolate into their mugs and slid Charlotte’s across to her. “You could get the tie and cummerbund to match Izzy’s dress.” He came around to sit on the stool next to her. “What’s Izzy’s full name? Is that short for something?” 

“Isabella Aunjanue Murphy,” Charlotte answered dreamily. “Oh my god, daddy! She’s so pretty! And she’s got this adorable little dimple right here.” She touched his face just next to his mouth and Eddie turned his head to drop a kiss on the tip of her finger. “Thank you for being so cool about this.” 

“Baby girl, I should probably tell you something too.” Eddie sat his cup on the counter and took both of Charlotte’s hands in his own. “I’ve been scared to tell you this for years, but I think tonight is as good a time as any to come clean with you.” 

“I know, daddy.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I figured it out a long time ago. That’s why you never date a woman for very long.” Eddie’s eyes went wide with surprise. He had no clue that Charlotte knew he was gay. “When I asked grandpa about it, he said that you needed to be the one to answer that question. And I’m no dummy. That was as good as him just outright saying yes, you’re queer.” 

“Shit, baby,” Eddie laughed. It felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off his shoulders. “I guess you’re more like me than I thought.” 

“They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” They both laughed at that and picked up their cups again. After several small sips, Charlotte raised her eyes to meet Eddie’s and she smiled sadly. “When you were younger, and that person broke your heart, and you hooked up with my mother . . .” Eddie hated it when anyone brought that up. It had been fifteen years, but he still had a sore spot in his heart where his love for Steve had lived. “Was it a boy?” 

“Yeah, sweetheart,” Eddie answered after a long pause. “It was a boy.” Charlotte slid off her stool and pulled Eddie into a hug. “But that was a long time ago.” 

“I’m sorry he broke your heart, daddy,” Charlotte said softly. “But, in a way, I’m glad it happened. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.” 

“You’re right, baby girl.” Eddie kissed the top of her head. “I’d go through it all over and over again as long as it meant I got you out of the deal.” He sat her back from him. “I love you, Charlotte.” He glanced at the clock. “It’s getting late. You should get to bed.” 

“You’ve been up since four a.m. You need to get some sleep too.” 

“I will,” Eddie laughed. “I think I’ll have a beer first.” 

“And a joint?” There was a teasing glint in her eyes. 

“Maybe I will.” He dropped another kiss on top of her head, handed her her cup of hot chocolate, then nudged her towards the stairs. “Go to bed, baby girl. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Happy Thanksgiving, daddy.” 

“Happy Thanksgiving, peanut.” 

Chapter Text

Steve stepped out of the cab in front of his parents’ house and sighed as he waited for the driver to unload his luggage. He never thought he’d see Hawkins again in his life. In fifteen years, he had never been back once. Whenever he saw his parents, they flew out to Phoenix to see him. But he was here now, here to stay. The last place in the world he really wanted to be, if he was being completely honest. But he had no other choice. For now, he would live with his parents, just until he found a place for himself. And he would work, not that he needed to. He had plenty of money. After leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to the World Series the previous year, Steve was set for life. But just because he could no longer play professional baseball didn’t mean that he had to give the sport up all together. After the Christmas break that started in a few weeks, Steve would start the new year as the varsity baseball coach at Hawkins High School.  

After throwing a no-hitter at the 2001 World Series against the New York Yankees, he had signed a two hundred and fifty million dollar deal with the D-backs and was training to take them to the top again this year. But during Spring Training, Steve had thrown out his shoulder, the ligaments and tendons were destroyed. He would never pitch again. He had been given the option to stay with the team, as an outfielder, but Steve couldn’t stand the thought of spending the rest of his career looking at the backsides of his teammates.  

It had been his mother’s idea to coach baseball. It wasn’t an entirely unpalatable idea to Steve. He could still be a hands-on part of a sport that he loved, even if he couldn’t throw fastballs like he used to. He’d set the world record the year before with a fastball of one hundred and four point seven miles per hour (104.7 mph). And when he sent a letter of introduction and inquiry to Hawkins High School, they had jumped at the chance to hire him. He would be the highest paid coach in the state. He could mentor and teach Major League Baseball’s future record setters. He’d still be making his mark on the sport.  

Tomorrow was Thanksgiving and he hadn’t seen his parents since the previous Christmas. He glanced at his watch. It was almost midnight. He was sure his parents had gone to bed already. He hadn’t told them that he’d be coming. Not now anyway. They weren’t expecting him for another week. But there had been nothing left for him in Phoenix. When he hurt his shoulder and couldn’t play anymore, his boyfriend had left him to run off with another pitcher they both knew. Steve knew Thomas didn’t love him; but he had been surprised when he left simply because Steve couldn’t play professional baseball anymore. It had hurt a little and being in his house in Phoenix only reminded him of the good times they’d had. The same night that Thomas left, Steve had packed his things and flown to Indiana to go home.  

So, now here he was. Back in Hawkins. He lifted the hemp rope mat on the porch in front of the door, and just like always, there was a key to the house there. Steve went in and quietly stacked his luggage at the door, then took his overnight bag and crept upstairs to his old bedroom. When he opened the door, he frowned. It wasn’t a bedroom anymore. It was a shrine to him. There were mannequins with his old uniforms on them, trophies, posters, several old gloves, and a bookcase full of binders with all the sports page clippings his parents could find about him. Even his world series trophy was there, sat high atop a pedestal near the window. Steve shook his head and backed out of the room. He’d just sleep on the couch and start looking for an apartment on Monday when Thanksgiving was over.  

Steve took his overnight bag into the downstairs bathroom, washed his face, brushed his teeth, then changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt to sleep in. Then he went to look through his father’s liquor cabinet. Steve had never developed a taste for hard liquor, unless it was mixed with something fruity and sweet. His teammates and friends ribbed him about it good naturedly, but it was his guilty pleasure. While they were all doing shots of tequila and drinking bourbon, Steve was perfectly happy with his margaritas, and daquiris, and whatever other frou-frou concoction he happened to be drinking. And, just as his luck was always destined to be, all his father had in the liquor cabinet was scotch.  

Steve grabbed a bottle and a glass and a spare blanket and pillow from the linen closet, and he parked himself on the couch to have a drink before falling asleep. He lost track of how much he was drinking and didn’t even remember putting the glass down and laying back. But when he opened his eyes again, he was tucked securely under the blanket on the couch, the bright Thanksgiving morning sunlight streaming in through the open blinds. He could smell coffee and bacon and his stomach churned a little. As he sat up, Steve noticed that the bottle of scotch and his glass had been removed and a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin were on the table in front of him. He smiled.  

His mother must have found him passed out on the couch and left him something to make him feel better when he woke up. God bless her. Steve swallowed two of the aspirin and drank the entire glass of water before finally standing up. He was a little unsteady, but after a handful of seconds he was able to finally make his way to the kitchen.   

Steve’s mother was at the wall oven, the rack pulled out, basting a huge turkey. His father was sat at the kitchen table, peeling a bowl full of potatoes absently as he watched a football pre-game broadcast where all the pundits speculated on who would come out on top at the end of the day. He just stood and watched them for a few minutes. He loved them both so very much. And they had always been a hundred percent supportive of everything he wanted to do. But somehow, he still felt that coming home to them when his injury had caused his career to go south, telling them that yet another boyfriend had walked out on him, it made him pathetic.  

One thing Steve had never been able to do in his life, no matter how much money he made or how famous he got, every man he dated ended up leaving him. Well, all of them but two. He had been the one to leave Eddie Munson fifteen years ago. And then there was Chris. Steve had walked out on that relationship when he came home from an away game to find Chris passed out on their bathroom floor, a needle in his arm. Steve had always suspected that Chris was a drug user, but seeing it face to face was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Steve left and never looked back.  

In fifteen years, Steve had had at least that many boyfriends. But he was done with that now. If he hadn’t found someone to love him by now, he knew he never would. And the search was exhausting. He didn’t want to do it anymore. He just wanted to live his life. Maybe he’d get a dog to keep him company. Steve’s mother shut the oven and gasped in surprise when she saw Steve standing at the door.  

“Stevie!” She rushed to him and pulled him into a hug. “Do you want some breakfast, darling? I’ve got a plate of bacon and eggs in the warmer for you.”  

“No, mom,” Steve answered then turned to his dad. “Morning, dad.”  

“Good morning, son. Happy Thanksgiving.”  

“Happy Thanksgiving,” he replied before turning back to his mother. “My stomach’s a little bitchy this morning. Just some black coffee?” He started for the coffee maker on the counter, but she held onto his arm.  

“Sit down, Stevie,” she said. “I’ll get it.”  

“Thanks, mom.” Steve sat at the table with his dad and reached for the basket of biscuits his mother had made to go with breakfast. He took a bit of one and sighed contentedly when it didn’t cause his stomach to turn. “Sorry for just showing up in the middle of the night,” he said. “I just couldn’t stand to stay in Phoenix one more minute.”  

“It’s perfectly alright,” his father told him. “We’re just glad you’re home for Thanksgiving.”  

“Is that whole bird in the oven just for you two?”  

“Oh no,” his mom answered as she sat a cup of coffee in front of him. “That one is for the church. Our turkey, a smaller one, is in the other oven, under the stove.”  

“Still feeding the minister and the underprivileged?” She nodded and smiled sweetly. “Well, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if you didn’t cook enough food to feed the entire state.”  

Mrs. Harrington checked the smaller turkey then poured herself and her husband a fresh cup of coffee before joining the men at the kitchen table. For several minutes, Steve got lost in the sports pundits on television. He knew a couple of them casually; he wouldn’t consider them friends though. He wasn’t a fan of American football; baseball and basketball were the only sports he followed. But he’d grown up with football always on television because his dad loved it so much. And though she’d never admit it out loud, he was fairly sure his mom liked football as well.  

“Stevie, darling?” Steve turned his attention to his mother. “Your father and I were going to wait until you arrived next week to get a tree and put it up. But since you’re here now, maybe we can go pick one out tomorrow.”  

“The day after Thanksgiving, like we did when you were little,” his father added. “Bring back some of those old family traditions. What do you think?”  

“Yeah, I’d like that, dad.”  

“G=How wonderful!” Steve loved seeing his mother so happy. “Maybe after dinner later, you can help me bring the boxes of lights and ornaments down from the attic. Oh!” Steve’s mother practically bounced with excitement, her eyes lighting up. “Bert, I’ve been telling you for years that we need a new wreath. I’m sure I could find a beautiful wreath at the mall.”  

“The mall?” Steve took a sip of his coffee. He wasn’t sure exactly what his mother did to the coffee she made, it was plain old Folgers in a can from the grocery store, but it was the best coffee he’d ever had in his life. “Mom, do you know what the mall will be like tomorrow? It’ll be Black Friday. Everyone in Hawkins will probably be there shopping.”  

“I know, I know,” she giggled. “And your father hates it, bless his heart. But they’ve had an entire row of Christmas stores these last few years. Nothing but lights and ornaments and glitter and joy!” She clasped her hands together on the table in front of her. “You’ll go with me, won’t you?” She didn’t exactly pout, but she did her best motherly equivalent. It was the same look she’d been giving him all his life. And somehow, every time, he fell for it. After a moment, he nodded and patted her hand on the table. “This is going to be so much fun,” she squealed. “I want a huge twelve-foot tree this year.”  

“The ceilings are only ten feet, Linda,” his father chuckled. “A twelve-foot tree would have to sit in the yard.”  

“Oh, Bert, what a grand idea!” Mr. Harrington gave his wife a curious look. He hadn’t suggested anything. But that was his wife. She could pull an idea out of the simplest of comments. “We’ll get two trees. One for the living room and one for the front yard.”  

“We have trees in the yard naturally, Linda.”  

“When we go to the tree lot to pick them out, I’ll need to gather some clippings and trimmings, too,” she went on as if her husband hadn’t spoken. “I want to put some on the mantle with the Christmas candles. And wood! We haven’t used the fireplace in years, but with Stevie home, I want to have a fire on Christmas Eve. And I’ll make my homemade eggnog. Stevie, do you still like it with rum or would you prefer bourbon? Oh, well, I need bourbon anyway. For the pecan pie. That was always your favorite when you were growing up. I seem to remember that I need to patch up your Snoopy stocking. I think the moths got to it . . .”  

“Mom, stop,” Steve laughed.  

“But, Stevie, darling,” she sighed, holding back a small sniffle. “This is your first Christmas back home in fifteen years. I want to make everything perfect for you.”  

“Linda, let the boy be,” his father interjected. “We have our boy back and there will be plenty more Christmases to come. We don’t have to inundate him with Christmas joy on his first day home, do we?”  

“I honestly don’t mind, dad,” Steve told him. “Maybe this will be the best thing for me. It’s been a rough couple of months. I could stand to just relax and get lost in the Christmas season for a while.”  

To be perfectly honest, this was actually the complete opposite of what Steve had in mind. But there was no way in hell that he was going to rob his mother of putting on the best Christmas ever, now that she had her only child home again. He would indulge her, just as he knew his father would. There was no doubt in Steve’s mind that come tomorrow afternoon, there would be an eight-foot tree in the living room, and a twelve-foot tree in the yard, just between the two apple trees and the pecan tree. And Steve was more than willing to light and decorate them both if it meant that his mother would continue to be so happy and overjoyed at having him home for the first time in so many years. He could forget how lonely and miserable he was for her. He owed her that much.  

“Does it snow much in Phoenix,” Mr. Harrington asked.  

“I think it’s snowed twice since I’ve been there,” Steve laughed. “But it wasn’t at Christmas, and there wasn’t really enough snow to actually stick to anything for any length of time. I think it was 1998 the last time it snowed, and it was less than a quarter of an inch.” He took a long sip of coffee. “And that was only in the northern suburbs where they’ve started building residential neighborhoods in the higher foothill elevations.”  

“Are you looking forward to a white Christmas this year, Stevie?” He nodded eagerly in response to his mother’s question. “I can only imagine how nice it is to not have to go out in the snow and slush. But I just can’t imagine not having snow at Christmas.”  

“I’m sure he didn’t miss shoveling snow off the drive and walkways,” Mr. Harrington chuckled. As a teenager, that had always been Steve’s responsibility. “Just run off to the Southwest and leave your father to do all the hard work, huh, Stevie boy?”  

“Like you don’t have a state-of-the-art snow blower that I bought you in the garage,” Steve replied, laughing softly. “I bet it’s parked right next to the riding lawnmower I also bought you.”  

“Hey now,” he scoffed. “I love those. Believe me, they’ve been put to good use over the years. Right along with that fancy propane grill you sent me. Don’t think I don’t appreciate it, son.”  

“I’m expecting a poolside cook out on that grill, with steaks and all the trimmings, next summer.”   

Mr. Harrington smiled broadly at his son. He loved his child with all his heart, but that’s not to say that Steve didn’t dish out his own fair share of grief to his parents when he was growing up. Take Eddie for example. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Harrington had been a fan of that relationship. And it wasn’t even that Steve was gay. As far as they were concerned, that wasn’t even an issue. It was that he’d dated that freak for more than a year before he went to college.   

When Steve moved to Arizona, Bert and Linda both had breathed a sigh of relief that his association with Eddie Munson was over. They hated how heartbroken he was over Eddie. But they were glad they no longer had to worry about Eddie. They’d heard the rumors. They knew his reputation. And they hated that their son had been in a relationship with him. Their greatest fear had been that Eddie would either convince Steve to stay in Indiana, or that he’d end up going to Arizona with Steve. They’d prayed for neither of those. And, in the end, their prayers had been answered. Eddie had stayed in Hawkins and Steve had moved to Arizona.  

Linda Harrington made a pretense of wiping her lips gently with a napkin as she frowned. Eddie Munson. She hadn’t thought about him much over the last fifteen years. But she knew he was still in town. He didn’t live that far away with his teenage daughter. And she knew that he now owned Benny’s Diner. She and her husband had not been in there since he’d taken over. It was hard enough when he was bussing tables there, but now he owned it. That was something that she hoped and prayed Steve wouldn’t find out. She loved her son and didn’t want him to have his heart broken again by that loser. As she smiled sweetly and lovingly at her son, she said a silent prayer that Steve wouldn’t run into Eddie. After Thomas, the last thing he needed was someone who was going to break his heart.  

“Linda, where’d you go?” She shook her head, pushing away those troubling thoughts as her husband snapped his fingers in front of her. “I asked you a question.”  

“I’m so sorry, Bert,” she answered. “What did you say?”  

“I asked if you’ll need me tomorrow, or if Steve is enough?”  

“Oh, Steve will do just fine,” she laughed. “He can take me to the tree lot and the mall. You can stay here and haul all the boxes out of the attic and put up the exterior lights.”  

“Well now, hold on,” Bert laughed. “How did I get roped into the physical labor while he gets to play chauffeur all day?”  

“Believe me, dad,” Steve laughed. “I’d rather do the physical labor.” He saw a hurt look pass over his mother’s face, so he took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m kidding, mom. I can’t wait to go shopping tomorrow.”  

“Thank you, Stevie.”  

“Anything for you, mom.”  

Chapter Text

Eddie sat at the dining room table with a huge smile on his face. Charlotte was serving Thanksgiving dinner and it smelled delicious. When she had first suggested lasagna for Thanksgiving, Eddie assumed she’d pick out a frozen lasagna, pop it in the oven, and be done with it. That’s what Eddie would have done. But no. She had spent all day in the kitchen, making lasagna from scratch. Even the tomato sauce had been made by Charlotte’s very own hands. He couldn’t wait to dig in. Lasagna was Eddie’s favorite food. He’d eat it every day if Charlotte would allow it. 

So, he waited patiently as she put lasagna, garlic bread, and salad on his plate for him, then went to the refrigerator to bring him a beer. He promised to wait until everything was just so and she was seated with him before digging in. Charlotte came back to the table and sat down. She put a bottle of beer in front of Eddie and a can of soda in front of her own plate, then she smiled sweetly up at him as she reached over and took his hand. 

Eddie was not a religious person; he never had been, and he couldn’t see himself ever becoming one. But, before Wayne had passed away, Eddie had allowed him to take Charlotte to church with him sometimes. He wanted her to be free to make her own choices. If she wanted to be religious, or even just spiritual, that was up to her. He never ranted in front of her about his disdain for organized religion. That would have been an unfair influence on her choices. His little girl worshipped the ground he walked on and if she heard how much he disliked and distrusted the entire religious community, he was afraid she’d turn away from it for his sake. And he didn’t want that. He wanted her to make her own decision. 

He wasn’t sure that she had decided yet. She hadn’t been back to church since Wayne’s funeral. But she asked questions. Eddie answered what he could, and when it came to something he couldn’t answer, a phone call to Robin was usually the next step. Robin knew Eddie’s stance on God and religion. He wanted nothing to do with it. But, with her having been born and raised Roman Catholic, she was better equipped to answer Charlotte’s questions than he was. And she was always diplomatic and empathetic in her answers. 

Eddie squeezed Charlotte’s hand in his. He was very well aware of what was about to happen. Charlotte had done the same thing the previous Thanksgiving. In honor of Wayne, her grandpa, she wanted to say a prayer before they ate. They’d done it last year and Eddie hadn’t burst into a ball of heathen flames, so he was quite sure he wouldn’t explode this year either. And if it was what his little girl wanted to do, then he’d do it. Besides, it was for Wayne. Not for God, not for religion, but for the only other person in this world, besides Charlotte, that had ever loved him one hundred percent unconditionally. He could fumble his way through that, maybe not eloquently, but at least adequately. 

“Daddy, can I say it this year?” Eddie’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’ve been thinking about it for weeks, and I want to do it.” Eddie squeezed her hand softly. “If it’s okay with you, I mean.” 

“Of course,” Eddie said with a sad smile. “Go ahead, peanut. Your grandpa would be so proud.” 

“Can I say God?” 

“Sure,” he laughed. “I’ve got a Slayer shirt on under this.” He motioned to the black button-down shirt he was wearing. “It’ll shield me from any religious seepage that might occur.” 

“Daddy, has anyone ever told you that you’re a complete dork?” 

“More often than I’d like to admit,” Eddie chuckled. “Go ahead. I promise not to have a seizure and spit and hiss and foam at the mouth.” 

“Dear God, please forgive my father for being such a dork,” Charlotte began with a roll of her eyes. Eddie grinned, but then they both got serious and bowed their heads. “God, thank you for giving me the best family in the entire world. Thank you for my daddy, and thank you for my grandpa Wayne. I know he’s with you now and I hope he’s looking down on us as we celebrate Thanksgiving, his favorite holiday, with him in our hearts.” Eddie sniffled a little, religious or not, he still missed Wayne. “And please send a cute boy for my daddy to love so he won’t be lonely anymore. Amen.” 

“Amen,” Eddie whispered. Charlotte pulled her hand from Eddie’s and reached for her napkin. “And I’m not lonely.” 

“Maybe not now,” Charlotte told him as they began to eat. “But what about when I go to college. I hate to think about you all alone here.” 

“It’ll be a while before you go to college,” Eddie answered. “Years.” 

“Three years, daddy.” Eddie froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. “Well, two and a half years.” 

“No,” Eddie said adamantly. “Uh-uh. No way. Nope. Two and a half years? How can that be? You’re just a baby.” 

“I’m not a baby, daddy,” she laughed. 

“You’re my baby,” he said as he reached over and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “No matter how old you get or how far away from home you go, you’ll always be my baby.” Charlotte rolled her eyes and Eddie laughed. 

“But seriously, daddy,” she went on. “I’m starting to date and then there’ll be softball, if I make the cut, that is. And in no time at all, I’ll be moving out. I promise I won’t go any farther than Indianapolis. Not at first anyway. And then we’ll only see each other on weekends, or every other weekend. That all depends on my busy social schedule, really. And I’ll be closer to Aunt Robin, and you’ll be here in this house all by yourself. And I worry about you. I want you to have someone to take care of you.” 

“Stop.” Charlotte looked up at her father as she took a bite of food. “That whole thing was way too much to process in one statement. Let’s back up a little. Starting to date?” 

“The winter dance?” 

“Hmm,” Eddie mused softly then took a long sip of beer, watching Charlotte over the bottle. “Yeah, I did say you could go as long as I meet . . .”

“Izzy.” 

“As long as I meet Izzy first.” He chuckled softly under his breath. “I was maybe hoping you’d forget about that overnight.” 

“Not a chance, daddy.” 

“Okay, next,” Eddie continued. “Softball? Make the cut?” 

“Oh shit, I forgot!” 

“Charlotte Elizabeth!”  

“Oops!” Charlotte froze for a moment then covered her mouth with her fingers. “I’m sorry, daddy. That just slipped out.” Eddie nodded and motioned for her to go on. What kid her age didn’t let a profanity slip every now and again. He’d let it slide as long as it didn’t become a habit. “Uhm, Izzy is going to try out for the softball team when school starts again after the New Year. So, I thought I’d sign up for try outs as well. If you’re okay with that.” 

“Baby girl, I’m perfectly fine with that,” Eddie told her. “But I want you to make sure that this is something you really want to do and you’re not just doing it to impress Izzy.” Charlotte dropped her eyes to her plate and didn’t answer. “Playing a team sport could be a great experience for you.” Eddie wasn’t so sure about that. He wasn’t into sports of any kind. But that’s what he’d always read. So, he would be supportive of her choices. “But if you’re only doing it to impress a girl you like, you’re not going to get anything out of it.” 

“Well, to be perfectly honest, it was Izzy’s idea,” Charlotte answered. “But it really does look like fun. I’m not doing it entirely because of her.” 

“Then I’m behind you all the way, baby girl.” Charlotte’s face lit up in a bright smile. “Okay, moving on. You don’t have to go to Indianapolis. If you want to explore other schools, then I’m all for that. Sure, I’ll miss you. But you have to live your own life, peanut.” Eddie dipped a piece of garlic bread in his lasagna then popped it in his mouth. After a moment of thoughtful chewing, he went on. “And I won’t be lonely. I’m perfectly happy with my love life . . .” 

“Or lack thereof,” Charlotte giggled. 

“Watch it, kid,” Eddie laughed. “I don’t need a man in my life. I’ve got you, the diner, Robin. I’m happy, Charlotte. And I’m not lonely.” 

“Who’s going to take care of you when I’m gone?” Eddie didn’t answer. He knew he was forgetful and if it weren’t for Charlotte, he’d forget to eat and go to his yearly check up and do the laundry. “I love you, daddy. More than anything in the world. I just want you to be happy. And if you say you are, then I believe you.” Eddie gave her a sweet smile. “But I still think you need a boyfriend. I’m sure there are things you’d like that only a boyfriend could give you.” 

“Stop it.” Eddie’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink. “My sex life is not up for discussion.” 

“That’s because you don’t have one.” 

“I said stop,” Eddie laughed. “Holy shit, kid. Stop being so smart and eat your damn lasagna.” Charlotte smirked at him as she took another bite. “Back to you, peanut. So, softball, huh?” 

“We played in gym class all last semester,” she explained. “I really enjoyed it. And it might look good on a college application, right?” Eddie didn’t answer as an icy hand reached into his chest and gripped his heart in its frozen fingers. Steve had said the exact same thing to him. “Scholarships are also available if I play all through high school and do well.” The fork fell from Eddie’s hand and clattered against his plate. “Daddy?” Eddie turned his head, clenched his eyes shut and willed away the tears that stung his eyes. “Daddy, are you okay?” Charlotte was out of her chair in a flash. She took Eddie by the shoulders and turned him to face her, shook him gently. Eddie bit his lip to stifle the sob that threatened to escape. “Daddy, say something. Do I need to call 911? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” 

“No,” he choked out as he tried to catch his breath. It had been fifteen years and he hated that just the mention of Steve Harrington, however roundabout that mention was, still made him feel every bit of the pain and heartbreak he’d felt that evening at Skull Rock. He tried to relax and took several more deep breaths before he finally brought his eyes up to meet his daughter’s. “I’m okay, baby girl. I just need . . . I’m fine. Truly.” Eddie put an arm around her and hugged her tightly. “Just a bad memory, that’s all.” 

“Oh God, daddy,” she sobbed against his shoulder. “You scared me. I thought you were having a stroke or something.” She squeezed him tightly, then pulled back to look into his eyes. “Don’t scare me like that, daddy. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

“Hush, peanut,” Eddie soothed. Charlotte sat back down and smiled weakly at him. Eddie reached over and brushed a tear off her cheek. “I’m really okay. Just a bad memory, like I said.” 

“What could be so awful?” Eddie grimaced. He really didn’t want to talk about this. It was still hard for him. Steve was the only person he’d ever loved. Steve was the only person he ever would love. “No, don’t tell me. Not today. Grandpa wouldn’t want us remembering anything bad today. Let’s just enjoy our dinner and talk about him, okay?” 

“That’s a good idea, baby girl,” Eddie said, forcing the image of Steve out of his head and forcing a bright smile for his daughter. “Wayne would be so proud of you. This lasagna is delicious. Better than any he ever made. What’s your secret?” 

“I don’t know if I should tell you,” she said with a sly grin. “You get so picky sometimes.” 

“Oh, just tell me, damn it,” he laughed. “I promise, whatever it is, I won’t grumble, groan, or make fun of it.” He lifted his beer to take a sip. 

“Tofu.” Eddie gasped and choked, spitting beer all over himself. “Relax, daddy,” she laughed. “I’m just messing with you. There’s no tofu in it. What kind of nut do you think I am?” 

“You’re the kind of nut that was raised by a nut like me.” He mopped at the front of his shirt with a napkin. “So, that’s why I wouldn’t put anything past you.” 

“It’s turkey,” Charlotte finally told him. “I figured since it was Thanksgiving, and grandpa loved his turkey so much, I got turkey Italian sausage for the sauce.” Eddie looked skeptically down at his plate, then took another bite. It was probably the best lasagna he’d ever eaten. “It’s very Thanksgiving-y, and it’s healthier than pork sausage.” Eddie took another bite. “Besides, you love it, so it’s all good.” 

“So, what’s for dessert?” 

“Pumpkin pie, of course,” she told him. “And your favorite.” 

“You didn’t.” Eddie stared in shock at Charlotte. “You made . . .” 

“Cherry cheesecake, but I didn’t make it,” she laughed. “I bought it. Frozen. It’s thawing right now.” 

“I love you, peanut,” Eddie said with a smile. “Happy Thanksgiving.” 

“Can we go get a tree tomorrow?” She knew Eddie planned to open the diner tomorrow, but he could take a break for an hour or two to get them a Christmas tree. “It won’t take long, then you can go back to work, and I’ll decorate the tree.” 

“Sure, if that’s what you want,” Eddie answered. “We can go tomorrow morning then I can get to the diner for the lunch rush.” 

“Thank you, daddy.” 

“Of course, baby girl.” 

********** 

Black Friday was anything but. The sun was shining, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and it wasn’t too cold. When Eddie and Charlotte left home to go to the Christmas tree lot that morning it was in the mid-forties and expected to hit the mid-fifties later in the day. Eddie couldn’t help but smile when Charlotte met him at the car wearing one of his bandanas tied around her head, keeping her hair back out of her face, and his old, beat-up leather jacket; the one he’d worn non-stop in high school.  

In the car, Eddie let Charlotte find a station playing Christmas music and they sang along to all the songs with Eddie taking every opportunity to growl out the lyrics as if he was still in a heavy metal band after all these years. Sure, he still played guitar and he’d taught Charlotte the basics. But Corroded Coffin had split up almost ten years ago and Eddie hadn’t played in a band since. Sometimes he missed it more than he liked to admit. That was always the one thing in his life he was sure about, felt confident about. He loved to make music and see people’s reactions when he played it live. That was when he was always at his best. 

“Daddy, once, just once, I want to see you on a stage with your guitar,” she told him as they pulled into the tree lot. “You could call up your old band, tell them your little peanut is desperate to see you perform, then you can put on a show just for me.” 

“I’d love to,” Eddie replied. “But you’d have to promise to do one song with me.” 

“What song?” 

“Pick one.” Eddie parked and turned the car off. “Any song you want.” 

“Any song I want that you know, you mean,” she laughed. “Not that I’d ever ask you to play anything like N*Sync, or Britney Spears.” 

“You’re on the verge of being disowned. You know that, right?” Eddie opened his door. “Come on. Let’s find a tree.” Eddie started down a row of trees with Charlotte at his side. “What about Metallica?” 

“You can never go wrong with Metallica.” She went up on her tip toes, trying to see over the tops of the trees to the next row. “Don’t they have any that have that snow looking stuff on them?” She looked around, frustration in her eyes. “I’ll be back, daddy. I’m going to find someone who works here and ask them.” 

Eddie watched her scamper off in search of an employee with a broad smile on his face. He loved her so much and she meant the world to him. He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it. She had been so unexpected, but from the moment Samantha had told him that she was pregnant, nothing else mattered to him as much as that little girl did. Even Steve hadn’t meant as much to him as Charlotte did. As much as he loved Steve and would have gone to the ends of the earth for him, Charlotte had been right in saying that she was glad Steve had left. Eddie would give Steve up time and time again if it meant he could have his baby girl. 

Eddie hated how much he’d been thinking about Steve the last two days. Sometimes there would be years when he never saw his face and never felt the pain of that loss. He could forget that he loved him and that he’d been hurt so badly. But then sometimes, nothing he could do would make it go away. It was right there, staring him in the face, around every corner was someone or something that made him think of Steve. 

Eddie rounded the end of the row of trees and entered the next one, then stopped dead in his tracks as he collided headfirst with someone else. For just the briefest moment, a fraction of a second, Eddie could swear that the person he’d just bumped into was Steve Harrington. But that was ridiculous. He took a step back and looked up into his face, and the apology on his lips died with a single, gut-wrenching gasp. 

Eddie and Steve stared into each other’s eyes, both of them speechless, frozen where they stood as time and everyone and everything around them ceased to exist. It was just them, caught somewhere in time, where no one else mattered. It dragged on for what seemed like hours as they just stared, neither quite sure that they could believe what they were seeing. And then just as suddenly as it all had stopped, it all started again. Each of them took a step back as the hustle and bustle of other shoppers and the tinny sound of canned Christmas music came back into focus for them. They both took a deep breath and Steve opened his mouth to speak but stopped when . . .  

“Daddy! They’re over here!” Charlotte came bounding around the corner and skidded to a stop next to her father. Steve blinked and Eddie looked away, looked down at Charlotte, his face neutral. “The flocked trees are three rows over. Come on. Let’s . . .” She stammered to a stop as she got a good look at Steve and her eyes lit up, a grin spreading across her face. “Holy shit! You’re Steve Harrington!” 

“Charlotte,” Eddie scolded softly. “Your language.” 

“I’m sorry, daddy, but that’s Steve Harrington!” 

“Yeah, I know who he is, peanut.” Suddenly he jerked back and caught Charlotte by the wrist. “Wait, how do you know who he is?” 

“He’s Steve Harrington,” she giggled. “Everyone knows who Steve Harrington is.” Eddie shook his head. Of course, he did. But why would anyone else? Why would Charlotte know who he was? “Daddy, he’s the Guinness World Record holder for the fastest fastball pitch in Major League Baseball history.” Eddie stole a glance at Steve, and he was blushing wildly. “He’s the pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He won the World Series.” She looked back and forth between them as they continued to stare at each other while trying not to look like they were staring at each other. “Hey, do you know each other?” 

“Uhm, yeah,” Eddie said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “We know each other.” He looked down at her and saw the dubious look on her face. She knew there was more to this than just knowing each other. “Charlotte, why don’t you go pick which tree you like. I’ll be right there.” Charlotte didn’t move, just continued to give him that look. “Go on, peanut. Three rows over?” She nodded slowly. “I’ll be right there. I promise.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead and nudged her softly. Charlotte left, albeit reluctantly, and she kept throwing glances back over her shoulder at them until she rounded a corner and they were out of sight. Eddie took a deep breath and tried to steel himself against the throbbing ache in his chest as he looked up into Steve’s eyes again. “Guinness World Record holder and the World Series, huh?” 

Steve shrugged before answering. “Daddy, huh?” Eddie just shrugged as well. “So, you’re . . .” He paused as if he was searching for the right word. “Married?” 

“Never,” Eddie answered. Every fiber of his being was telling him to throw himself into Steve’s arms and profess his undying love to him, to kiss him and hold him and never let him go again. Then he felt that pain again, like a stick of dynamite exploded inside his heart and he took another step back. “God, I hate you, Steve fucking Harrington.” He tried to duck past him, to go after Charlotte so they could get their tree and leave. But Steve caught his wrist and held him. Eddie looked down at Steve’s hand, then back up into his eyes. “Let me go.” Then his voice cracked, and he hated how pathetic he knew he sounded. “Please let me go, Steve.” 

“Okay, Eddie.” 

Steve let go and for a long moment, Eddie just stood there, goosebumps rising on his skin where he had touched him. Then he dragged his eyes away. He couldn’t do this. He darted off in the direction Charlotte had gone. When he found her, she was standing in front of a thick, full, Scotch pine tree covered with imitation snow. He put his arm across her shoulders and smiled down at her. It was a forced smile, and she could tell, but she said nothing. She just smiled back. 

“Is this the one,” Eddie asked. 

“I love it, daddy,” she told him. “What do you think?” 

“I think it’s expensive,” Eddie laughed. “But if it’s what you want, we’ll get it.” 

“Thank you thank you thank you,” Charlotte chanted as she jumped into Eddie’s arms. “Oh, daddy! It’ll be perfect. I’ll have it all decorated by the time you get home tonight.” 

“I’m thinking about skipping out on the diner today,” Eddie said as he pulled the identification tag from the tree and started towards the front where he could pay for it while someone retrieved the tree and strapped it to the top of his car. “How would you feel about spending the whole day decorating the tree and the house with your old man?” 

“I’d love it!” 

Chapter Text

Eddie didn’t say much on the drive home, just listened to Charlotte talk about her plans for the Christmas tree, the winter dance with Izzy, and what she was considering for Christmas dinner. Eddie tried to pay attention, to engage in conversation with her, but he was so distracted that nothing she was saying was really registering with him. All he could think about was Steve. Steve was a professional baseball player? He was famous? His daughter knew who he was? Eddie couldn’t wrap his head around any of it. Sure, he knew that Steve went to college on a baseball scholarship and played college ball, but he had no idea what had happened after that. Steve had always talked about working with kids. He’d never mentioned a career in sports. 

And besides all of that, which was enough to distract him as it was, but then Steve had to go and look the way he did. His hair was just a little long and laying against his shoulders, his chest and arms were broad and well-muscled, there was a light scruff of hair on his face, like he hadn’t shaved in a few days. It was all very rugged, very manly, and so very Steve Harrington. It made Eddie’s tummy flutter like a million butterflies were flying around in there. He was still beautiful. No. That wasn’t completely accurate. Steve was even more beautiful than he’d been when he was eighteen. And Eddie wasn’t at all sure that he could handle this. 

Because he hadn’t been completely lying when he told Steve he hated him. Deep in his heart he didn’t, but he’d spent the last fifteen years trying to convince himself that he did, that there were times when he absolutely believed that he did. And when he saw Steve standing there and his knees had gone weak, his mouth had dried out, his heart had skipped a beat, he was absolutely sure that he hated him for still being able to make Eddie love him. Steve had always been good at that. 

“Daddy?” Eddie blinked and glanced over at Charlotte in the passenger seat. “What are you doing?” Eddie looked around. They were parked in their driveway, just sitting there. Eddie blushed a deep red. He hadn’t even noticed that they’d arrived home; he wondered how long he’d been sitting there lost in his own thoughts. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Talk about what, peanut?” Eddie turned off the car and got out. As he was untying the tree to carry it inside, Charlotte came around the car and watched him closely. After a moment, Eddie glanced back at her. “What?” 

“How do you know Steve Harrington and why didn’t you ever tell me you did?” 

“Better question, when did you get so into baseball?” This time Charlotte blushed. “Ah. Izzy. Right.” Eddie pulled the tree and the protective blanket between it and his car down from the car roof and started for the front door. Charlotte scampered along behind him. He propped the tree against a wall in the living room then turned, intent on going down to the basement and retrieving the tree stand. But he stopped short when he bumped into Charlotte who was right behind him. She crossed her arms over her chest in a perfect imitation of the posture he took on when he was scolding her for something she’d done wrong and glared up at him. “What?” 

“How do you know Steve Harrington?” Eddie grimaced as if her words had caused him physical discomfort. “Please, daddy?” 

“Baby girl,” Eddie said softly then dropped a kiss on top of her head. “We went to high school together.” 

Then Eddie turned and walked away. Charlotte stood there for a full minute before she finally went after him. In the basement, she found him wiping dust from the Christmas tree stand. He smiled weakly at her, and she went to him, threw her arms around him, hugged him as tight as she could, then went up on her toes to kiss his cheek. 

“I’m sorry, daddy.” 

“What are you apologizing for?” 

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have asked.” 

“Known what?” Eddie handed her the tree stand and reached for the box of Christmas lights on the top shelf. “Asked what?” 

“Steve Harrington was the boy who broke your heart, wasn’t he?”  

Eddie froze. He knew he wasn’t particularly good at hiding what he was thinking and feeling, but the fact that Charlotte had figured that out so quickly still surprised him a little. He gently pulled the box down from the shelf and sat it on the floor at his feet before reaching for another box, this one of ornaments, and sitting it on top of the lights. When he dared to peek up at Charlotte, she was watching him, fidgeting with the tree stand. And the look in her eyes told him that she expected an answer. 

The problem was that Eddie didn’t want to give her one. He didn’t want to talk about Steve. He didn’t want to talk about the past. It hurt too much. He had a physical ache in his chest right now. All he wanted was for the pain to subside so he could decorate for Christmas with the only person that mattered to him. Charlotte. He glanced over at her. She was absently picking at a stocking on top of the boxes Eddie had pulled down. He knew he owed her some kind of explanation. But he couldn’t make himself give it to her. 

“Peanut,” he sighed quietly. “I don’t want to talk about this.” 

“Oh.”  

There was so much dejection and defeat in that simple syllable that Eddie almost, almost, spilled out the truth about his past with Steve. But he bit his lip and held back. Charlotte was only fifteen. She didn’t need to know all the sordid details of his youth. So, instead, he wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. 

“Baby girl,” he began gently. “Let’s decorate the house and forget about Steve Harrington for the time being.” She shrugged in his arms. “After we haul all this stuff upstairs, why don’t I go buy some outdoor lights and we can decorate the yard too.” 

“Really?” Her face lit up and her demeaner got lighter. “Can we decorate the diner too?” Eddie started to protest, but Charlotte stopped him. “And I mean more than that ugly black aluminum tree you put at one end of the counter every year with Metallica ornaments all over it. I want lights, and red and green and gold glitter, and candy canes and mistletoe.” 

“Is that what would make you happy?” Charlotte nodded vigorously. “Okay, peanut. If that’s what you want, we’ll do it.” 

“Okay, here’s the plan.” She grinned broadly up at her father. “Let’s get all this stuff upstairs and set up the tree. I’ll start decorating it and you run to Melvald’s and Bradley’s Big Buy. I’ll make you a list of the things I want.” 

“Why do I get the feeling I’m going to end up regretting this,” Eddie asked rhetorically as he lifted the largest box of ornaments to carry upstairs.

“You won’t regret it, daddy,” she giggled as she followed him upstairs carrying the box of lights. “I just want to do some of the things that grandpa liked to do.” 

“Eggnog with copious amounts of bourbon and strings of popcorn and cranberries?” Eddie was joking but Charlotte nodded eagerly as they put the boxes next to the tree. “Okay, but instead of spiked eggnog, how about I just drink the bourbon and you can have the eggnog plain?” 

“So, that’s a no on trying bourbon for the first time?” 

“You’re damn fucking right about that, little girl,” Eddie laughed loudly. “When you turn eighteen, I’ll have a beer with you like Wayne did with me. But until then, hell no.” 

“Okay,” Charlotte answered as they headed back to the basement. “But Grandpa told me you were drinking regularly long before he gave you your ‘first’ beer.” Eddie threw a warning look back over his shoulder at her. “Don’t worry, daddy,” she told him. “I’ve never had alcohol, and I don’t really want to try it.” 

“That’s good to know.” Eddie handed the tree stand to Charlotte then grabbed the last box. “But yeah. I’ll get fresh cranberries. No popcorn though.” 

“Aw, why not, daddy?” 

“I just think white popcorn on a white flocked tree would get lost.” Charlotte dropped the tree stand by the tree, stepped back, cocked her head to one side, and considered the tree for a long moment. Finally, she nodded and looked up at Eddie. “Yeah. You’re right. No popcorn. Just cranberries.” 

********** 

Eddie found everything on Charlotte’s list at Bradley’s Big Buy, but he was having a little more trouble at Melvald’s. Charlotte had been specific. She wanted white lights, not colored, and she didn’t want blinking lights. She would prefer ones that twinkled instead, or if all else failed, just solid white. But the problem was Melvald’s didn’t seem to have any white lights at all. He was standing in the middle of the Christmas tree display, waiting for an employee to check and see if they had any white lights in the back, when suddenly someone was behind Eddie, so close he could feel them. 

His stomach flipped because he knew, even before he turned around, that it was Steve. He’d caught a faint whiff of his cologne earlier and he’d never forget that smell for as long as he lived. And now here it was again, just a faint whiff, as he stood among the artificial trees. For the briefest of moments, he considered just walking away without turning around. But his heart got in the way of his common sense, and he slowly turned to find Steve standing behind him, a smile curling up one side of his mouth. Eddie’s stomach flipped again. 

“Hi again,” Steve said softly. Eddie didn’t say anything, he was too transfixed by Steve’s eyes, the way the lights on the trees around them sparkled like rainbows in them. “Do you really hate me?” 

“No,” Eddie answered as he also nodded in the affirmative, willing himself not to fall apart. 

“Well, if that’s not a mixed signal,” Steve laughed. “I don’t know what is.” 

“You really want to know what I hate,” Eddie asked, and Steve nodded. “I hate that you’re back in Hawkins after all this time. I hate that my little girl knows who you are and had stars in her eyes when she met you. I, I ha… hate that I, I still . . .” Eddie stammered to a stop and looked up into Steve’s eyes pleadingly. 

“Okay, I get it.” Steve gave him a sympathetic smile. “But before I go . . .” Steve pointed straight up, and Eddie tilted his head back. Shit. He was standing directly beneath a sprig of mistletoe dangling from the ceiling. “May I?” 

Eddie didn’t say anything, he didn’t move. He dropped his eyes from the mistletoe to meet Steve’s. Steve took a step, leaned into Eddie. Eddie held his breath. Everything in him was at war with itself. He wanted Steve to kiss him. But at the same time, he wanted to hit him and push him away. Then his lips just barely grazed Eddie’s in the softest, most feathery light kiss imaginable. He didn’t pull away though. He stayed in Eddie’s space, their lips a mere fraction of an inch from each other. Steve lifted a hand and touched a finger to the bottom of Eddie’s jaw, tilted his head ever so slightly. Eddie’s body begged for Steve to take him and kiss him like he had when they were younger. Steve licked his lips, another slight tilt, then . . . 

“Stevie, sweetheart, I found the tinsel.” Steve stepped back and Eddie let out the breath he’d been holding. “Is this what you wanted?” Steve took a step to the side and turned to face his mother as she came through the tree display. “Oh! Eddie.” 

“Hey, Mrs. H.” Eddie took several steps away from them, out from under the mistletoe. “How’s it going?” 

“Stevie?” She ignored Eddie’s question and looked up at Steve questioningly. 

“Yeah, mom, this is exactly what I wanted.” He took the small box from her and hooked his arm through hers. “See you around, Munson.” 

As Steve led his mother away, she glanced back at Eddie, throwing him a warning look. Stay away, it said. Eddie mentally kicked himself for falling for it again. What was it about Steve Harrington that made him so weak? It’s not like he was good looking, or well built, or charming, or downright sexy. Except that he was all those things and more. And the more Eddie tried to tell himself that, the more he realized how hard it was going to be on him until Steve went back to wherever it was that he came from. He hoped and prayed that he’d leave soon, but deep in his heart he knew that Steve would probably stay with his parents through Christmas. So, Eddie had about a month he’d have to watch where he was going in order to avoid Steve. He could do it. He just had to be strong. 

“Eddie, hey, I found a couple of boxes of white lights.” Eddie turned to face the clerk as he stepped into the trees with several boxes of lights in his arms. “We have a couple of the twinkling kind, and a couple that don’t do anything.” 

“Thanks, Danny.” Eddie took the boxes from him and dropped them into his shopping cart. “I don’t suppose you have any heavy duty quilting thread, do you?” 

“Going to make a heavy metal Christmas quilt?” They both laughed at that. “We have some. It’s on aisle four.” 

“Is that the right stuff to string cranberries together with?” 

“It works,” Danny answered. “But a waxed craft thread would slide through easier.” Eddie nodded. “Also, on aisle four.” 

“Thanks, Danny,” Eddie said as he started to walk away. Then he called back over his shoulder. “Merry Christmas.” 

“You too, Eddie.” 

Eddie found everything else he needed then paid for his purchase and headed back home. When he walked into the house, the first thing he saw was the Christmas tree. Charlotte had put on the lights and decorated it beautifully. All of her handmade ornaments she’d made over the years were on the tree, the ones she’d made with Wayne several years ago, plus all the ones that Wayne loved so much; the little Harley, a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer ornament, even one that looked like a pack of Marlboro cigarettes. All the ornaments Eddie had grown up with and the ones Charlotte had grown up with, plus all the new ones they’d collected over the years, were on the tree and it looked beautiful.  

Charlotte had done an excellent job. The only things that were missing were the string of cranberries they’d make tonight, and the bright, sparkling star on top. But the star was on the coffee table, just waiting for Eddie to put it on. Charlotte could easily have stood on a chair and put it on, but it was their tradition that, before he passed away, Wayne was always the one to put the star on. And since his death, it had become Eddie’s job. Eddie smiled broadly. 

“Daddy!” Charlotte came rushing into the room and launched herself at her father, landing on his back, with her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Eddie caught her legs to support her and laughed as he spun in a circle, like he used to do when Charlotte was little. “Guess what!” 

“What is it, peanut?” Eddie deposited her on the floor and pointed to the bags he’d laid on the couch when he came in. “Everything you asked for.” Charlotte squealed softly, clapped her hands, and bounced up and down in front of him. “I even stopped at Family Video and rented Mickey’s Christmas Carol to watch while we’re stringing cranberries.” 

“Ugh, daddy!” Charlotte feigned a groan and exasperated look. “That movie’s for babies.” 

“And you’re my baby.” Eddie caught her with an arm around the neck and hauled her against him before dropping a kiss on top of her head. “I know you love it. But we can tell people it was my idea, so they don’t think you’re immature or something.” 

“Thanks, daddy,” she giggled. “But guess what!” 

“Oh, right, you said that already,” Eddie chuckled as he started sorting through the stuff he’d bought. He stacked the boxes of lights next to the star that he’d put on after they put up the cranberries. “What’s got you so excited?” 

“Promise you won’t get sad, okay?” Eddie glanced up at her as he continued emptying the bags. She looked deadly serious. 

“I promise, baby girl.” 

“Guess who’s going to be coaching the girls’ softball team when school starts back up after the holidays?” Eddie felt a clenching pain in his chest, but he tried not to show it. “I just got off the phone with Izzy and she said he’ll also be coaching the boys’ varsity baseball team.” Eddie turned his back to Charlotte, closed his eyes tightly, and offered up a silent prayer to anyone who would listen. Please don’t let her say Steve.  

“Who, peanut?” His voice sounded calm enough though inside everything seemed to be in chaos. 

“Steve Harrington,” Charlotte squealed. “Oh, my god, daddy! Do you know how awesome this is?” Eddie didn’t answer. He suddenly found himself way too interested in a spool of waxed craft thread. He picked at it as he nodded. “You promised you wouldn’t be sad.” 

“I’m not sad,” Eddie said. Then he cleared his throat, took a deep breath and held it for a handful of seconds before blowing it out slowly and turning to face his daughter with a bright smile on his face. “I promise, Charlotte. I’m not sad. I’m happy for you; happy that you’re so excited about playing softball. And I’m happy that you’re going to have such an amazing coach. Really, I am.” 

“Daddy, if you’d rather I didn’t join his team . . .” 

“Oh, stop,” Eddie chuckled. “It’s fine. I promise.” 

“You’re the best daddy I could ever ask for.” Charlotte jumped into his arms and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, Charlotte.” 

“I’ll go get some bowls and pour us some eggnog, okay?” Eddie nodded as Charlotte took some of the bags, the ones with food items in them, from the couch. “There are needles in my sewing kit in the upstairs closet. You go get those and I’ll put the cranberries in a bowl.” 

“You want me to put the movie in?” Charlotte nodded eagerly. “Make some popcorn.” Charlotte started to protest, but Eddie went on. “To eat,” he laughed. 

“Excellent idea, daddy. Meet you on the couch in fifteen minutes?” 

“I’ll be there, peanut.” 

Chapter Text

Late May 1985  

Eddie paced nervously back and forth in front of Skull Rock. He knew it was a stupid idea to ask Steve to meet him here. But there was something Eddie wanted to say. Honestly, more than just wanting to say it, he needed to say it. And Skull Rock was the one place they didn’t have to worry about anyone interrupting them. Because this was going to be hard enough for him as it was; he didn’t need an audience. 

Eddie and Steve had been friends for a while. But long before Dustin introduced them, Eddie had noticed Steve. Who wouldn’t? He was absolutely gorgeous. And that hair! Eddie had dreamed about touching his hair so many times. Mostly he dreamed about running his fingers through it. But once or twice he may have dreamed about clutching a handful of it in his fist while Steve was on his knees in front of him, giving him a blow job. Shit, that would be a beautiful thing to see; those soft pink lips of his wrapped around . . . 

Eddie jumped when he heard Steve’s car pull up. He shook his head, pushing away the images of Steve doing things Steve Harrington would never do. It was a nice fantasy, but it was one Eddie didn’t let himself indulge in very often. What would be the point of torturing himself with something he would never have. Hell, after the conversation they were about to have, it was most likely that he was about to end up with his ass kicked and minus one friend. He’d had his ass kicked before, though; and he always did prefer a small group of friends. 

Steve got out of his car and smiled as Eddie propped himself against a rock, crossed his arms over his chest, and adopted that ‘I’m so cool and I don’t care’ air about him that he used to make people think he was indifferent to the world around him. Though, in reality, he was far from indifferent. He felt things on a deeper level than most people. He felt everything that those whom he cared about felt. He was empathetic to a fault. But most people didn’t know that. They didn’t see that side of Eddie. They just saw the indifference he projected. That was all he wanted them to see. 

“This.” Steve held up a cassette and Eddie tried to hide a smirk. “Besides the fact that I hate it,” he began as he tossed the cassette he’d borrowed from Eddie to him. “My mom saw it and now she’s trying to make me go to church with her this weekend.” 

“Well, at least you returned it, and she didn’t burn it.” Eddie slipped the Slayer cassette into his pocket. “Hell Awaits is an excellent album. How could you hate it?” 

“It’s awful.” Steve sat down on the ground, his back resting against the rocks, then tilted his head back to look up at Eddie. Eddie raised his Polaroid and snapped a picture of Steve. “Let me see the other pictures you took while waiting for me?” Eddie reached into his pocket and took out a dozen or so photos that he handed to Steve. “Sorry I’m late, by the way.” Eddie just shrugged while Steve looked through the photos. A close-up shot of a deep crack in one side of Skull Rock, a picture of the sky, a picture of a crushed and faded Coke can in the leaves, a picture of a rabbit that had obviously been killed and picked clean by a larger animal. He held that one up. “Where’d you find this?” 

“There.” Eddie nodded towards the underbrush near the edge of the clearing. He had his arms crossed again, looking as disinterested as ever. “It would make an awesome album cover.” 

“That’s a little sick and twisted,” Steve laughed. “But whatever you say.” Steve reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Tucked neatly inside was a joint. “Let me borrow your lighter.” Eddie tossed it to him, and he lit the joint, took a long, deep hit, and held it out to Eddie. Eddie shook his head and Steve’s eyes went wide. “Something wrong, Munson? I’ve never seen you turn down a toke before.” 

“I’ve got something to say.” Steve sat up straighter. If Eddie had something to say, it was most definitely going to be something important. He didn’t just speak for the sake of hearing his own voice like Steve did sometimes. “I should probably be clear headed.” 

“What is it, Eddie?” 

Eddie opened his mouth but closed it again quickly. How was he supposed to tell this guy that he thought he was falling in love with him? He didn’t even mind the beating he’d take for it. But he couldn’t find the words, nor the breath to make those words come out of his mouth. He opened his mouth again, closed it, shifted on his feet as he cocked his hip one way, then the other. 

Steve just watched. He didn’t prompt Eddie to go on. He didn’t urge him or say anything else. He let Eddie have all the time he needed to work up the courage to say whatever it was he felt he needed to say. Steve couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was that was so important it had rendered Eddie speechless, but it was obviously worth waiting for. He knew Eddie would get to it eventually. So, he sat there and watched Eddie deal with his internal struggle, and he smoked his joint. 

“Hey,” Eddie whispered as Steve was tapping the spent joint out in the dirt next to him. Steve looked up and when he saw that Eddie was pointing his Polaroid at him, Steve smiled. Eddie snapped the picture then turned his back to Steve. As the photo started to develop, Eddie licked the tip of one finger and started tracing a shape around Steve’s head in the photo. He traced it over and over, until the photo was fully developed. He swallowed hard when he saw the distinct heart-shaped smear around Steve’s face. He turned back to Steve, sat down next to him, and held it out. “Here.” Steve just stared at it for a long moment. “Take it.” 

Steve took the picture and flipped it over so he could see it. It was him; not unlike dozens of other pictures Eddie had taken of him. But this one had a heart smudged around him. He wondered how Eddie had managed to do that. But more importantly, why had he done it? He glanced up at Eddie and his head was down, his hair hanging in his face so Steve couldn’t see him, and he was fidgeting nervously with his rings. 

“Eddie?” 

“Yeah?” It was a whisper so soft that it was almost inaudible. But Steve couldn’t help but hear the slightest hope in it, though it was also tinged with fear.  

“Look at me.” 

Eddie turned his head ever so slightly, just enough that his hair fell back, and he could take a sideways peek at Steve. But that wasn’t good enough. Steve needed Eddie to look him directly in the eye. He reached for Eddie and Eddie flinched just a bit. But he relaxed when Steve caught him by the chin and turned him to face him fully. Eddie looked into Steve’s eyes, his own wide. With fear? Hope? Steve couldn’t tell. Not at first. He smiled and Eddie smiled back. And that was when Steve knew. The picture, the way Eddie was looking at him now. Steve licked his lips and Eddie’s eyes dropped to watch for just a moment before bringing them back up to meet Steve’s. Steve leaned in a little closer and so did Eddie, just a bit.  

Then they were kissing. It was so sudden, but at the same time it was in slow motion. Eddie committed every single detail to memory as he opened his mouth and Steve’s tongue slid in. He tasted like weed. Eddie gave in then. Steve wasn’t kicking his ass; he was kissing him. Eddie arched into him, took a chance, and laid a hand on Steve’s thigh. Steve moaned softly into his mouth and Eddie took that as a good sign. He arched closer to Steve, his body begging for Steve’s touch. Then he did. Steve slipped an arm around Eddie’s waist and tugged him closer. Eddie went freely until he was practically on Steve’s lap, their chests brushing together. Eddie lifted his hand and ran his fingers through Steve’s hair. It was as soft as Eddie had always dreamed it would be. He cupped the back of Steve’s head and coaxed him closer, silently begged to be kissed deeper, longer. Eddie didn’t want it to end. 

But it did. Finally, with a soft nip to Eddie’s bottom lip, Steve pulled back. He tightened his arm around Eddie’s waist, squeezed him for a moment, then finally let go. Eddie’s hand reluctantly fell from the back of Steve’s neck, and when he looked up, his cheeks burning red, Steve smiled at him. 

“I was wondering when you were going to give me a sign.” Eddie’s cheeks got even redder, if that was even possible. “Can I keep the picture?” 

“Yeah,” Eddie sighed. “You wondered?” 

“I wondered when you’d let me know that you were ready to be kissed.” Eddie couldn’t help but smile at that. “So, how was it? I mean, I’ve never kissed a boy before. Have you?” Eddie shook his head. “It’s just like kissing a girl, I guess. Except kissing a girl never felt like sandpaper.” He reached up, cupped Eddie’s cheek in his hand, and ran his thumb along his jaw, enjoying the light stubble he was sporting. 

“I’m sorry.” Eddie pulled away but Steve scooted closer, leaned in, and kissed him so softly, with such feathery lightness, that if he couldn’t still taste Steve in his mouth right now, he would swear it was imagined. 

“Don’t be sorry,” Steve whispered. “I liked it.” 

“Me too.” 

“Will you go out with me?” Eddie’s eyes went wide, and Steve chuckled softly before leaning in and kissing him again; not so feather light this time, but not like the first time either. “Friday is the last day of school, right?” Eddie nodded slowly. “Meet me here Friday, after school. You bring weed. And beer. You’re better at getting alcohol than I am.” Eddie grinned at that. “I’ll get us dinner from Benny’s.” 

“Like a date?” 

“Yeah.” He wrapped his arms around Eddie and tugged him closer until Eddie was forced to sit on his lap. “A date. Will you date me? Go steady? Be my boyfriend.” 

“Yeah,” Eddie sighed happily as he leaned his forehead against Steve’s. Steve nodded eagerly and pulled Eddie into another heated kiss. 

********** 

December 2002  

Charlotte stared at the Christmas tree. It was beautiful, but something was missing. She couldn’t put her finger on it though. But something that should be there definitely was not. She paced, examining all sides of the tree, top to bottom, reciting each ornament she saw hanging there. This was going to drive her crazy if she couldn’t figure this out. She’d be miserable the whole holiday season if she couldn’t remember what was missing from the tree. 

Eddie entered the house, tired after a long day at the diner. He hung his jacket on the coatrack then went into the living room. Charlotte glanced over at him and gave him a halfhearted smile as she continued to pace and study the tree. Eddie had to hold back a laugh. She was so much like him. He was the same way when something was on his mind. Pace and think. After watching her for another minute, he went in, and she stopped next to him. 

“What’s on your mind, peanut?” 

“Something’s missing.” She looked up at him and he could see in her eyes how badly this was bothering her. “What’s missing, daddy? Can you see it?” 

Eddie cocked his head and examined the tree. He counted all the little ornaments that Charlotte had made over the years, he counted Wayne’s more unorthodox ornaments, he counted his Metallica ornaments. He didn’t bother to count the traditional shiny ball ornaments and candy canes; no one would ever notice if one of them was missing. Then he started counting the ornaments he’d bought every year since Charlotte was born; starting with the first one he’d bought her all the way until . . . He froze.  

They had one ornament with Charlotte’s name and a year engraved on it from when she was born all the way to this year. But ‘Charlotte’s first Christmas’ wasn’t there. He counted them again. The other fourteen were all on the tree, but the first one was not. He looked down at her and frowned. Charlotte raised her hands and covered her mouth, momentary panic flashing in her eyes. 

“Which one, daddy,” she asked piteously. “Which one is missing?” 

“Your first Christmas,” he told her. Charlotte examined the tree, mentally took inventory of all the ornaments, then she looked back up at Eddie. “We’ll find it.” 

“Shouldn’t it have been with the rest of them, daddy?” 

“It should have been.” His phone rang and he picked it up from where he’d tossed it on the table when he’d come in. “Peanut, I have to take this.” 

“Okay, daddy,” she said sadly. “I’m going to go see if we missed any boxes of ornaments in the basement.” Eddie just nodded as he punched a button on his phone and raised it to his ear. 

Charlotte went to the basement and stared at all the boxes on the shelves along the back wall in the basement. The majority of them were marked; Halloween, Charlotte’s Baby Clothes, Dungeons & Dragons, Old Vinyl Records. The Christmas boxes were all upside down to show they were empty. At the far end, just next to where the upside-down Christmas boxes were, there were dozens of shoe boxes lined up and stacked on the shelves. But one of them was askew. Was it supposed to be with the Christmas stuff on the left or the other neatly stacked shoe boxes on the right? Charlotte opened the stray box and smiled. There was the delicate porcelain ornament laying snuggled on top of a protective bed of cotton batting. She smiled broadly, ran her finger over the words on it, then closed the box and tucked it under her arm. She was relieved. This one had always been her favorite and she didn’t know what she’d do if something happened to it. 

As Charlotte was turning to leave, she noticed something on the other shoe boxes, something she had never noticed before. Each box had a month and year neatly printed on one corner in Eddie’s neat, block lettering. Charlotte had never paid much attention to the shoe boxes in the basement. They were her father’s and he never touched them, so she didn’t figure they were of any importance. But now that she could see that they were in order from oldest to newest, ending the month before she was born, she was suddenly curious. 

Charlotte laid the box with her ornament in it aside and grabbed one of the boxes, one from near the end. It was labeled August 1986. She peeked in and saw that it was filled with what looked like hundreds of Polaroid instant photos. She knew that Eddie had owned a Polaroid when he was younger. He’d told her it had been broken right before she was born. He’d never replaced it because that one was special to him. Losing it had been a real blow to him. So, when he went to buy a new camera, he’d bought a regular one, one that used standard 35mm film. 

Charlotte sat down and opened the shoe box. The first stack of pictures she took out were mostly of her grandpa. She knew that biologically Wayne wasn’t really her grandpa. He was more like a great uncle. But he’d been the only real father Eddie had ever really had, so in essence, Charlotte was his granddaughter. Neither Wayne nor Eddie had minded him filling that role. He loved Charlotte with all his heart, no matter what their true relationship was. 

Charlotte sat the photos on the floor next to her and took out another stack. They were pictures of random places and things, whatever her dad had felt like snapping a photo of. Then she saw a picture of her mother. She’d seen some pictures of her before. Eddie had offered her one, but she had refused. She felt no ill will against her mother. She was just indifferent towards her. She’d never met her, so why would she want a picture of her? She flipped through a few more pictures and was just about to put them back and put the shoe box back on the shelf when she saw something that caused her to gasp. 

Steve Harrington. Her dad had told her that they went to high school together. And though he wouldn’t talk about it, Charlotte was convinced that the boy who’d broken her daddy’s heart was Steve. She saw it in the way they looked at each other, their body language. Running into him at the tree lot had hurt her daddy. She could almost hear his heart breaking all over again. 

She flipped through the pictures, the rest of the box, it was all pictures of Steve. It was like Eddie had followed him, everywhere he went, and documented his life in instant Polaroids. Steve smiled so much. Every picture was of Steve with a big smile, his eyes bright and shining. And even at fifteen, looking at pictures of a man she didn’t know and had only met for all of ten seconds last week, she could see the absolute love in his eyes for the person taking his picture over and over. Steve Harrington had been in love with her daddy. And she now knew her daddy had been in love with him too. 

The next picture made her smile. It was her dad and Steve. From the awkward angle, she could tell that Eddie had been holding the camera out in front of them. He’d taken a crooked picture of the two of them kissing. She tucked that one back in the box and looked down at the last picture in her hand. Charlotte blushed and quickly flipped it over so she couldn’t see it. She’d only gotten a brief glimpse, but she’d seen enough to know what it was. It was Steve Harrington, and he was performing oral sex on someone. That someone was her daddy, she just knew it. She could see his hand, the rings on his fingers that were tangled in Steve’s hair. And Steve’s eyes, the way he was looking up at the camera, there was that same intense look of love and devotion in his eyes as there had been in all the other pictures. 

“Peanut, did you find it?” Charlotte scrambled to stuff the pictures back in the box as Eddie came into the room. “What are you doing, baby girl?”

“Nothing, daddy.” She fumbled with the picture, the indecent one, and it flipped between her fingers and landed on the floor, face up. Eddie took a step closer, looked down at it, and groaned painfully. “I’m sorry, daddy.” Charlotte picked it up as she stood, then quickly shoved it back into the shoe box and put the lid back on. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to see . . .” Eddie took the shoe box from her and returned it to its place on the shelf. 

“No, I’m sorry,” he said as he pulled her into a hug. “I should have thrown that away fifteen years ago.” Charlotte hung her head and blushed even more. “You’re right. Steve Harrington is the boy who broke my heart. I loved him so much. And he just . . . up and left me behind.” Eddie sighed heavily. “I guess he just never felt the same way about me.” 

“The other night, you said you didn’t want to talk about it.” Eddie nodded. “Tell me the story, daddy.” Eddie held her back and looked down into her eyes. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. “Please?” 

“Okay, peanut.” He dropped a kiss on top of her head. “Let’s go upstairs and I’ll tell you.” 

“Okay.” She picked up the box with her ornament in it and then followed Eddie upstairs to the living room. She hung the ornament near the top of the tree, then went to sit on the couch next to her dad. She pulled an overstuffed pillow onto her lap, wrapped her arms around it, and looked up at Eddie. “Go ahead.” 

“In high school, I always had a crush on Steve,” he began. “But I never had an in, a way to approach him. I knew he smoked weed, and I dealt . . .” 

“Daddy!” 

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “I haven’t always been the saint I am now.” Charlotte rolled her eyes and they both laughed. “I dealt, but Steve must have been buying from someone else, maybe Billy. I don’t know. Because he never copped from me.” He stopped and thought for a long moment. “Then I met your Uncle Dustin.” 

“Uncle Dustin knows Steve Harrington too?” 

“Yep, so does Aunt Robin.” Charlotte huffed out her frustration at that. “Dustin knew Steve and so I kind of manipulated him into introducing us. And it worked. Steve and I became friends, and we hung out together all the time. But as time went on, I realized I was falling in love with him.” 

“Is that when you realized you were queer?” 

“I think I always knew,” Eddie laughed. “When other boys my age started talking about girls, I joined in, but in the back of my head it was more like I didn’t really care. I just didn’t want to seem weird. You know?” 

“Believe me, daddy,” she answered. “I know.” 

“I was more interested in looking at them than looking at girls with them.” He shook his head sadly. “I never dated any boys though. It was the eighties, and Hawkins is a small town. I couldn’t just come out back then.” 

“Did grandpa know?” 

“I never told him,” Eddie said with a shake of his head. “Not until I fell in love with Steve. I came home one afternoon and sat down with Wayne, and I told him I was in love with Steve.” 

“Oh, my god,” Charlotte gasped. “What did he do?” 

“He lectured me,” Eddie laughed. “He lectured me about how people were small minded and bigoted. He lectured me about being careful, about telling people. He was terrified that I’d end up getting hurt. And I mean physically. Homophobia was rampant back then and I already had a reputation.” 

“Oh yeah,” Charlotte giggled. “The Freak. You played D&D, you listened to heavy metal, and you were a devil worshipping cult leader.” 

“Exactly.” He reached over and tousled her hair. “I got what he was saying. I mean, when I made the decision to tell Steve how I felt, I was prepared to have him beat the hell out of me. But I didn’t care. I had to tell him. It was eating me up inside keeping that secret. So, I told him in the only way I knew how. With a picture I took of him.” 

“Do you still have it?” 

“No, peanut,” he sighed. “I let Steve have that one.” 

“What did he do? Did he beat you up?” 

“No, thankfully.” Eddie smiled fondly at the memory. “He kissed me. Then he asked me on a date. Then he asked me to be his boyfriend.” 

“And you said yes?” Eddie nodded eagerly. “Daddy, that’s so romantic!” 

“It was,” Eddie answered softly. “We spent an amazing year together. Fourteen months. For fourteen months I was the happiest person in the entire universe.” 

“What happened, daddy,” Charlotte asked gently. “How did he break your heart?” 

“He went to college.” Eddie reached up with his free hand and wiped a tear from his cheek. Seeing that made Charlotte want to cry as well. She reached out and took her dad’s hand in hers and squeezed it. “I knew he was going to go to college. He had a full ride baseball scholarship. He was going to get out of Hawkins and make something of himself.” He frowned as he felt that crushing pain in his chest again. “I wanted him to go to the University of Indiana in Indianapolis. But he chose somewhere else, somewhere with a better baseball team. Somewhere more than fifteen hundred miles away.” He winced as the pain in his chest got a little worse. “So, we made plans to break up at the end of summer, just before he left for college. That picture you saw downstairs, that was the last time I saw him. That was the night I went to your mother because my heart was broken, and we made you.” 

Charlotte just sat there for a moment. She didn’t know what to say. The story was more tragic than she would have expected. Charlotte pushed the pillow she was clutching aside and scooted closer to her dad. She put her arms around him, hugged him tight, then planted a kiss on his cheek. Eddie smiled sadly. 

“Daddy, I’m not going to try out for softball.” 

“Charlotte, I thought you were excited about softball.” 

“I was, daddy,” she said. “But I don’t want to hurt you. So, if Steve Harrington is going to be the coach, I won’t play.” 

“Baby, come on,” Eddie said with a chuckle, trying hard to not look or sound like he was in pain. “If you want to play softball, then do it. Steve is a great guy. I promise. He’s always loved kids. Before he went into sports, he’d planned to work with kids someday. He was majoring in Child Psychology or something in college. Hell, he practically raised your Uncle Dustin and his friends when they were your age and younger.” 

“But daddy, he broke your heart.” 

“He did,” Eddie sighed. “But that was my own fault. He told me at the beginning of our relationship that he was going to college. And I knew six months before he left that he was going to Arizona. I knew and I thought I could handle it.” Eddie took a deep breath, held it, then blew it out slowly. “Steve never did anything to hurt me. He was the perfect boyfriend.” Charlotte squeezed his hand again. “That was a long time ago and I’m a grown man. I’m fine. If you really want to play softball, please don’t let my past stop you.” 

“Okay,” she said hesitantly. “As long as you’re sure, daddy. Don’t let me do this if it’s going to be hard on you. Don’t lie to me just because you think it’ll make me happy.” 

“I’m not, peanut.” Eddie lifted their hands, kissed her knuckles, then let go of her as he stood up. “I’m going to get dinner started.” 

“Daddy, you worked all day, let me do it.” Eddie thought for a moment then nodded. “Great. Sit down and relax. I’ll make fried rice. How does that sound?” 

“Perfect,” Eddie said, feigning enthusiasm. “Thank you, baby girl.” 

Eddie watched Charlotte leave the room. After a minute, he sighed. He sat down, rested his elbows on his knees, held his face in his hands, and he cried over Steve fucking Harrington for the first time in ten years. 

Chapter Text

Eddie pushed all thoughts of Steve out of his mind. He didn’t want to think about him. He didn’t want him in his life. It hurt too damned much. Eddie couldn’t figure it out. Why did it hurt as much as it did? It had been fifteen years. He’d done a damned good job of not thinking about him for many years. He’d even convinced himself that he didn’t have feelings for him anymore. But he did. He loved Steve Harrington with every fiber of his being. He always had and he always would. That was why he was still single. He couldn’t let himself love anyone else. His love for Steve was so all-consuming that there was no room in his heart to love someone else. Not romantically anyway. 

So, Eddie focused on Charlotte, and the diner, and Christmas. Those were the only things that mattered. Those were the things that were important. Eddie let Charlotte decorate the diner, though he insisted that he was putting up his black aluminum Metalli-tree. That wasn’t even up for discussion. Charlotte could do anything else she wanted to do; Eddie trusted her. 

And that was how Eddie ended up on a ladder on top of the diner, nailing rows of Christmas lights to the roof. He didn’t mind. Not really. If it made his little girl happy, then he was glad to do it. Besides, she was inside running things in his absence. When he’d walked out with the box of lights, she was acting as both hostess and waitress, and doing it with a smile. She never minded working for her dad; and he paid her well for it. 

Charlotte clipped an order to the order wheel and spun it around so Louie, the cook on duty today, could get it. He smiled sweetly at her, and she smiled back just as the bell over the front door jingled. She turned, still smiling, to greet the new customer but she froze in her tracks when Steve Harrington walked in. Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but then he saw her and smiled back. He approached the counter and took a seat on one of the stools as Charlotte approached with an order pad in one hand and a pen in the other. 

“Hi,” Steve said amicably.  

“Hi.” She was friendly and welcoming, but inside she was praying that Eddie would stay on the roof until Steve was done eating and was long gone. “What can I get you?” 

“Uhm, let me see.” He looked up at the menu over the chef’s window and squinted. “Sorry,” he chuckled. “I forgot my glasses. A burger and fries?” 

“Sure,” Charlotte answered. “Regular, turkey, or meatless?” Steve raised an eyebrow at her. “I convinced my dad he’d get more business if he offered healthier alternatives. We have regular burgers, turkey burgers, and black bean veggie burger.” 

“Your dad, huh?” She nodded. “He still works here?” 

“Oh, no,” Charlotte laughed. “Daddy owns this place. He bought it when Benny retired.” 

“He owns it.” It wasn’t a question, but Charlotte nodded anyway. “Let’s go with a black bean veggie burger,” Steve said after a long moment of thought. “No cheese, no pickles.” 

“Something to drink?” 

“Diet Coke?” 

“Coming right up.” Charlotte scribbled his order on her order pad, ripped the top sheet off, then stuck it to the order wheel and gave it a spin. When she turned back around, Steve was still smiling at her. She went back to the counter and absently picked at the Formica between them. “Hey, can I ask you something?” 

“Of course.” 

“When you came in, you didn’t know my daddy owned this diner, did you?” Steve shook his head. “If you had known, would you have still come in?” 

“I’m hungry, so maybe,” he laughed. “But in all honesty, I probably wouldn’t have.” 

“He’s up on the roof hanging Christmas lights,” she told him. “Wouldn’t you maybe rather take your food to go?” 

“Oh,” Steve sighed. “Uhm, yeah. That’s probably a good idea.” 

“Louie, make that last one to go,” she called back over her shoulder. There was an unintelligible grunt from the kitchen and Charlotte nodded before turning back to Steve. “I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn. It’s not really my business, but he’s seemed a little out of sorts the last couple of weeks. Ever since he saw you at the tree lot.” 

“Yeah.” Steve was secretly glad that she didn’t mention the meeting at Melvald’s. Maybe Eddie hadn’t told her about that. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to cause any trouble.” 

“It’s okay,” Charlotte told him with a smile. “He’s going to have to get used to you. You’re here to stay, aren’t you?” Steve nodded. “Yeah, when softball tryouts start next month, I plan to tryout.” 

“You play softball?” 

“Yeah,” she said eagerly. “I mean, no. But I want to. And my girlfriend is on the team.” 

“I hope you’re not expecting special treatment because your dad and I used to be friends.” Charlotte blanched. That hadn’t been her intention in telling him she wanted to play. “Hey, I’m kidding.” Steve grinned broadly at her. “No offense meant.” 

“None taken.” She glanced towards the door to make sure Eddie wasn’t coming in, then she looked into Steve’s eyes. “I know you were more than friends.” Steve looked shocked for a moment, but then he nodded. 

“I loved your dad.” 

“I could tell.” Steve looked confused. “All the pictures of you. You just looked like you were head over heels in love.” 

“I was.” He stared off into the distance for a long moment, a sad little smile on his face. “I probably should have told him that, huh?” 

“You never said it?” Steve shook his head. “I knew I was leaving. I thought it would be easier if I never told him how I really felt.” He sighed softly. “It really just made it harder.” 

“He loved you too,” Charlotte whispered. “And I think he still does.” 

“I find that hard to believe,” Steve laughed loudly. “It’s been more than a decade. He must have loved someone else if he’s got you.” 

“Nah,” she chuckled. “I’m a product of you breaking his heart.” Steve shook his head, confusion clouding his eyes. “That last night he was with you, he went to my mom because he was so upset. And they ended up sleeping together and nine months later . . . Tada!” She threw her arms out to the side and struck a pose. 

“Who’s your mom,” Steve asked. He couldn’t imagine anyone Eddie would have gone to except . . . 

“Samantha Stone,” Charlotte told him. “She was his . . .” 

“Best friend,” Steve finished. “Yeah. I knew her. She hung out with Eddie and Billy because they were the only real metalheads in school, and she was one too.” 

“She didn’t want kids,” Charlotte explained to him. “But my daddy did. So, after I was born, she moved away with Billy and my daddy and grandpa raised me.” 

“Your grandpa? Wayne?” Charlotte nodded. “He’s a great guy, always so accepting of me and Eddie together. How’s he doing?” 

“He passed away,” Charlotte answered quietly. 

“I’m so sorry.” 

“Order up, Charlotte,” Louie called from the kitchen as he put a plate and a paper bag in the window. Charlotte grabbed both and sat the bag in front of Steve. “Here you go.” 

“How much?” 

“Psh! Forget it,” she laughed, and Steve started to protest, but she waved it away. “Seriously. It’s on me. Now go, before he comes back inside. And I’ve got to take this to table four.” 

“Thank you,” Steve said as he took the bag and stood up. “Probably don’t tell him I was here?” 

“You’re welcome,” she answered. “And I won’t.” 

********** 

When Eddie was done hanging the lights, he left the diner in the hands of his assistant manager and waitstaff and he took Charlotte shopping. They both enjoyed the looks on the faces of the clerks at the men’s store when they walked in and told them it was Charlotte that needed a tuxedo, not Eddie. But when Eddie assured them that it was legit, that she had a date to a dance and needed to rent a tuxedo, they reluctantly helped her. Though as it went on and they fitted her on the dais in front of the mirrors, they became more friendly and helpful. In the end, Charlotte ended up with a fitting black tuxedo, a peacock blue bow tie and vest, rather than a cummerbund, and a pair of shiny wingtip shoes. 

“What do you think, daddy?” Charlotte turned in a circle so Eddie could see the whole thing. “Does it look okay?” 

“You look beautiful, peanut.” She jumped into his arms and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re going to knock Izzy’s socks off.” 

“You really think so?” She looked so hopeful, so needing of assurance and acceptance. “You think she’ll like it?” 

“Of course!” Eddie took her hand, raised it, and twirled her in a circle. “She’s got eyes, doesn’t she?” 

“Stop it,” Charlotte giggled. “Let me go take this off so they can make the alterations.” 

Eddie sat back down to wait. The clerks had promised they could make the alterations to the tuxedo before the following weekend when the winter dance was taking place. Charlotte had been worried. She had no idea that men didn’t just walk in a store and buy clothes off the rack like women did. Sure, regular clothes they did. But suits and tuxedos? She never knew they had to be fitted and altered. Eddie had laughed at that. How would she have known that? He had never worn a suit in his life. Nor had Wayne. 

But when she’d found out that they would alter it to fit her the way she wanted it to, she’d been ecstatic, but worried that they had waited too long to go shopping. There was nothing to worry about though. When she’d taken it off and changed back into her clothes, the clerk told her they’d have it done by Wednesday. So, Eddie put a deposit down on it and they left the store. 

Eddie drove Charlotte home then went back to the diner. He would close up tonight since his assistant manager had been there since opening. Eddie had been too, except for the trip to the men’s store. But he was used to working twelve to fourteen hour days sometimes. It was his diner after all. Though most times, Charlotte acted like she owned the place and Eddie was merely one of her employees. He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. 

It was a busy night with one of Eddie’s busboys calling out sick for the night. So, Eddie played busboy all night and when ten o’clock rolled around, he locked the door, flipped the sign to closed, and he set about straightening and cleaning so everything would be ready in the morning when he came back to open for breakfast. He’d sent everyone home when the diner closed because he sometimes liked to do the cleaning himself. He liked to put on some headphones, blast an old metal album at full volume, and clean. It was a good way to get lost and detach from the real world for a while; something Eddie needed from time to time. 

It was midnight before Eddie was finished. He tossed his apron and the rags he’d been cleaning with into the laundry hamper near the back door. He needed to remember to call the laundry service in the morning. He was due a load of clean linens right about now. And they could take the soiled ones back to be cleaned. Eddie sighed and left the diner, stopping just long enough to close the blinds and lock the door, then headed around the side towards his car. As he rounded the side of the building his step faltered for just a moment and his hand went into his pocket and gripped the switchblade he always carried.  

There was another car parked next to his and someone was standing between the cars. In the dark, he couldn’t make out anything about them, other than it was too large to be a woman. Eddie took the knife out of his pocket, rested his thumb against the spring release button, and prepared himself for a fight. He didn’t have any cash on him; he’d locked the day’s receipts in the safe in the back office. But the keys to the diner and his safe were in his pocket. He didn’t want any trouble, but he was damned if he was going to give anything up without a fight. 

As he got closer to the cars, the shadowy figure pushed off one of the cars and stood up straighter. Eddie took a few more steps so that he was under the flood light mounted on the side of the building, but the figure was in shadows, and he still couldn’t make anything out about him. He peered into the darkness and cleared his throat. 

“Can I help you with something?” 

“Yeah.” Eddie froze. He knew that voice. He blinked when Steve stepped out of the shadows and into the dim throw of the flood light. “Hi again.”

“What do you want?” 

“I wanted to talk to you.” 

“How’d you know where I was?” 

“I took a guess,” Steve answered. “I mean, I know you own this place, so I thought maybe you’d still be here.” He stole a glance up at the roof where just moments ago, he’d watched the Christmas lights go out when Eddie turned them off. “Nice job on the lights, by the way. They look good.” 

“You said you wanted to talk?” Steve nodded. “So talk. Or did you just want to tell me how good the Christmas lights looked?” 

“You said you weren’t married?” Eddie just shrugged. “Do you want to go get a cup of coffee sometime?” 

“You asking me out, Harrington?” 

“Maybe.” 

“Yeah, right,” Eddie laughed. “You really think I’m going to do this with you again, Steve?” 

“Sure,” he chuckled. “Why not?” 

“You still don’t get it.” Eddie side stepped then went around Steve to his car. “You never did.” 

“And you never would tell me what I didn’t get.” He turned and caught Eddie by the wrist. “I get it, Eddie. I really do. That’s why I thought we could try again. I mean, we live in the same small town. I’m going to coach your daughter’s softball team. We’re going to be a part of each other’s lives again, right? Why not make the most of it?” 

“How do you know Charlotte is trying out for the softball team?” 

“Shit,” Steve laughed. “I asked her not to tell you and then I go and slip up.” 

“You asked her not to tell me what?” He violently jerked his hand from Steve and tightened his other hand around the handle of the knife he was still holding. “When were you talking to my daughter?” 

“This afternoon, when you were on the roof.” He pointed up to the top of the building. “I came in to get some lunch and we talked for a couple of minutes. She suggested I get my food to go, so I did.” 

“What did you say to my daughter,” Eddie asked angrily. “You better not be filling her head full of shit about us.” 

“No, Eddie,” Steve said as he held his hands up defensively in front of him. “She just took my order, and we talked about softball.” He figured the rest of that conversation was better left unrepeated. “That’s it. I was surprised to see her here. I didn’t know you owned Benny’s until she told me.” 

“Why’d you come back,” Eddie asked, sounding dejected and hurt.  

“I told you,” Steve answered. “I wanted to talk.” 

“I meant to Hawkins, damn it! Why’d you come back here after all this time? Couldn’t you just stay wherever you were? Why’d you come back?” 

“I didn’t have anywhere else to go,” Steve said dismally. “My boyfriend left me because . . .” He stopped. He felt sorry enough for himself; he didn’t need Eddie pitying him too. Besides, what right did he have to unload his problems on Eddie? Eddie owed him nothing. 

“Your boyfriend left you, so you came home to mommy and daddy.” It wasn’t a question, just a statement, and it felt like a gut punch to Steve. “Well, guess what, asshole. I’m not a consolation prize. I’m not a rebound lay. If you thought you’d come here tonight and I’d feel sorry for you and maybe jump into bed with you, you’re sorely mistaken.” 

“Eddie, that’s not . . .” 

“Let me finish!” Steve nodded as he shrank back from Eddie. “I’ve got a good life. That’s something I never thought I’d have, you know? It’s not the kind of life you’re obviously used to, but it’s a good life and I’m happy. So, don’t think you can just waltz back into it. Because you can’t. You’re nothing to me anymore. You’re just a guy I dated in high school. That’s it.” 

“That’s it, huh?” Eddie nodded once. “Okay. But can I give you something before I go?” Eddie didn’t answer, but he finally slipped the switchblade back into his pocket. “It’s nothing. But I think you should have it.”  

Steve slowly reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He rifled through it for a moment then finally took something out. He held it out towards Eddie and Eddie hesitated for a long moment before he finally took it. He stared at it, knowing exactly what it was before he even unfolded it. There was no mistaking an old Polaroid photo. He unfolded it. It was brittle and there was a deep crease that had torn through on the ends going down the middle. The image was faded and grainy but there was no way he didn’t know that picture. It was Steve and he had a heart-shaped smudge around his head. Eddie clenched his eyes shut as tears started to sting them. He wouldn’t cry; not in front of Steve. He took several deep breaths, refolded the photo, then finally opened his eyes and looked up. 

Steve wasn’t there. Eddie turned just as Steve got into his car and closed the door. He didn’t even look back at Eddie as he started the engine, backed out, and drove away. Then Eddie did cry. He fell back against his car, slid down until he was on the ground, his knees up, and he wrapped his arms around his legs and sobbed while clutching the photo of Steve in his hand. 

********** 

“Daddy, wake up.” Charlotte shook Eddie’s shoulder gently. “Daddy, you’re going to be late.”  

Eddie groaned and batted her hand away. His head was killing him, and his stomach felt like it would turn at any moment. It had been a long time since Eddie had gotten drunk enough to have a hangover. It was usually just a few beers at a time, maybe a bourbon on special occasions. But last night, after he’d cried himself dry sitting in the gravel behind his diner, Eddie had gotten up, gone to The Hideout, and he’d stayed there drinking until closing; which was four in the morning for The Hideout. He didn’t remember the drive home, but apparently, he’d made it. And he’d obviously never made it up the stairs. He’d just passed out on the couch. 

“What time is it,” he croaked. His mouth felt and tasted like shit. Had he been smoking cigarettes last night? He’d quit that when Charlotte was born, but he remembered that taste of stale cigarettes on his breath after a night of partying. 

“Seven-thirty.” He felt the couch shift as Charlotte sat down next to him and he clutched his stomach as the movement made him queasy. “Daddy, are you okay?” 

“No, peanut,” he answered. “I’m not. Will you call Austin and see if he can open for me?” 

“Sure, daddy,” she answered angrily. She wasn’t stupid. She knew he was hungover. She’d never seen it before, but if the partial pack of cigarettes and the empty bourbon bottle on the table were any indication, then this was definitely a hangover. She went into the other room, made the call, then came back to stand over Eddie. “Daddy?” 

“Peanut, let me sleep.” 

“Daddy?” 

“Jesus fucking Christ, Charlotte! Please! Just leave me the fuck alone!” 

She backed away as Eddie turned onto his side, his back to her, and buried his head under one of the couch pillows. Charlotte’s lower lip trembled, and tears streamed down her face. He’d never yelled at her like that before, not with profanity. Sure, he cussed in front of her. But he’d never cussed at her, not like that. She grabbed her jacket and started out the door but stopped and turned back. Just because he was mad, and she was hurt didn’t mean she had to worry him. She scribbled a note on the magnetic notepad on the refrigerator door. ‘Went to the diner. I’m sorry for bothering you.’  

Chapter Text

Eddie opened his eyes and groaned. He felt like shit and briefly wondered how the hell he used to party so much when he was younger. He wasn’t that old now, barely thirty-five, but this hangover was kicking his ass like nothing ever had before. But then he’d never been as drunk as he’d been last night. He’d never cried for hours while drinking before. Not like he had last night. The power Steve had over him was amazing, and not in a good way. 

How dare Steve ask him out? What made him think he could come back fifteen years later, and Eddie would still be waiting for him? The nerve of that guy; the audacity. He must have a set of iron balls to think that Eddie would allow him back into his life. He had other priorities now like his diner and his daughter.  

Eddie froze, His daughter. Shit! He didn’t remember exactly what he’d said to her, but he knew he shouldn’t have said whatever he’d said. He hadn’t even gotten to the hangover phase when she tried to wake him up. Hell, he had only been asleep for an hour or so and he’d still been drunk. Shit. He needed to apologize to her. 

Eddie got off the couch, slowly since his head was spinning and he felt like whatever was in his stomach was going to come rushing back out any second now. He made his way up the stairs, clutching the banister with both hands and literally pulling himself up. But Charlotte wasn’t upstairs. Her bed was made, and Eddie’s old leather jacket that she’d inherited was gone from the hook on the back of the door. She wasn’t home. He glanced at the SpongeBob SquarePants clock on her desk. It was almost three in the afternoon; she was probably at the diner. 

Eddie trudged to his own bedroom and into the bathroom. He swallowed a couple of aspirin then climbed into the shower. The hot water felt good against his aching muscles. Now he remembered why he hated sleeping on the couch. When he was done showering, Eddie got dressed then went down to the kitchen. Charlotte had made him a pot of coffee, but it was cold now, and the smell of it made Eddie gag. So, he drank a glass of water then started to leave. 

As he was turning, the note on the refrigerator caught his attention. He read it twice before it really hit him what it said. Charlotte was sorry she bothered him. Eddie crumpled the note up and tossed it into the trash then raked his fingers through his hair and down his face. What had he said to her? It didn’t really matter what he’d said, and he knew it. Whatever it was, she deserved an apology. She was a good kid, and she didn’t deserve whatever Eddie had said. 

So, Eddie grabbed his own jacket and his car keys and left the house. On the drive to the diner, he had to force himself not to cry anymore. But now it wasn’t just because of Steve. He was terrified of what he’d said to Charlotte. And there was no telling what he’d said. He just hoped that she’d listen to his apology and forgive him. He would explain why he’d been in the condition that he was, though there really was no excuse for taking his own troubles out on his little girl. 

Eddie parked in his usual spot then took a deep breath and got out of the car. He could see Charlotte through the window. She was behind the counter chatting with a teenage girl who was eating a plate of fries. As he went inside and the bell over the door jingled, Charlotte looked up and the smile on her face disappeared. Eddie felt like someone plunged a knife into his chest. His baby wasn’t smiling. Even worse, she was frowning, actually frowning at him. Then her lower lip started to tremble. The girl she’d been talking to said something to her, but Charlotte just shook her head, turned, and rushed through the double swinging doors into the kitchen. Eddie went after her and Louie pointed towards the back door. Charlotte had gone outside. 

Eddie stepped out into the back lot and found Charlotte crouching next to the building, her face in her hands, sobbing piteously into them. Eddie went to her, dropped to his knees, then pulled Charlotte against his chest. She didn’t react; she didn’t look up at him. Eddie was glad of that. He didn’t think he could take the disappointment in her eyes, though he knew he deserved it. 

“I’m so sorry, peanut,” Eddie said softly as he tried to hold back his own tears. “Baby, whatever I said, I didn’t mean it.” 

“You don’t even remember?” Charlotte jerked out of his arms, stood up, and backed away. Eddie saw her clench her hands into fists at her sides as she glared at him. 

“I’m sorry, Charlotte.” He stood up but didn’t get any closer to her. “I was drunk. There’s no excuse for my behavior. Please, baby girl, please forgive me.” Charlotte’s hands relaxed but she didn’t make any attempt to move closer to her father. “I love you so much, Charlotte. Please believe that I didn’t mean it and I’m so fucking sorry.” Then he did take a step closer and when she didn’t move, he took a chance and took a few more steps. “Baby, please. I’m sorry.” 

Eddie reached for her, and she melted. Charlotte threw herself at Eddie and he caught her, hugged her to his chest, and stroked her hair soothingly. He held her and let her cry into his shirt as he whispered over and over how sorry he was and told her how much he loved her. It was almost five minutes later when she finally pulled away and looked up at him with red, swollen eyes. 

“If you ever get that drunk again . . .” She stopped and put a hand over her mouth. She wanted to tell him not to bother coming home, but she knew that was stupid. She’d rather have him at home than wandering the streets in that condition. Besides, even if she was mad and hurt, he was her father, and she had no right to issue him any type of ultimatum. “Why, daddy? What happened?” 

“Steve Harrington asked me out,” Eddie told her. “It hurt and I didn’t know what else to do. So, I started drinking.” 

“And smoking,” Charlotte said pointedly. “Cigarettes and marijuana.”  

“You’re right, baby. I shouldn’t . . .” 

“What if you’d been arrested? Or gotten into an accident? You could have been badly hurt or killed! I don’t care about Steve fucking Harrington! I love you and I don’t want you doing something stupid over a fucking boy!” 

“Charlotte . . .” 

“I know,” she huffed, much quieter now. “My language. I’m sorry. But you just make me so . . . Angry.” Eddie reached for her again, put an arm over her shoulders, and she laid her head against his chest. “I need you, daddy.” 

“I’m sorry, peanut.” After a moment, she nodded against his chest. “Do you want to go home, and I’ll tell you the whole story?” She nodded against his chest, but then suddenly pulled away from him, an almost panicked look in her eyes. 

“No, I don’t want to go home yet.” She started wiping her eyes with her hands. “Shit, how do I look?” 

“Like you’ve been crying. Come here.” Eddie pulled the bandana out of his back pocket and used it to wipe her cheeks for her. “I think Louie’s going to kick my ass when he finds out I made you cry.” 

“Not Louie,” Charlotte said before blowing her nose into the bandana she’d taken out of Eddie’s hands. “Izzy. She’s inside waiting for me. I hope. I hope she didn’t leave when I ran away.” 

“The girl at the counter?” Charlotte nodded as she ran her hands through her hair. “I can take off if you’d like.” 

“No, daddy.” Charlotte smiled up at him and he felt a little better. “You wanted to meet her before the dance. You can meet her now. If you want.” 

“I do, baby, as long as you’re okay with it.” 

“I am.” She went up on her toes and kissed Eddie’s cheek. “Do I look too terribly hideous?” 

“You look beautiful.” He took her face in his hands, swiped a thumb across each cheek to get rid of the last of the tears, then smiled at her. “I’m sorry that I disappointed you, Charlotte. Nobody else in this world matters to me the way you do. I should have thought about that before I went off and did something so stupid.” 

“It’s okay, daddy.” She slipped her hand in his and hugged his arm as they started back inside. “I mean, it’s not okay. But I understand. And I’m sorry for yelling at you and for the profanity.” 

“Not sure where you got that fucking mouth,” Eddie laughed. “But it sure as shit wasn’t from me.” 

“You’re awful, daddy.” 

As they passed through the kitchen, Eddie saw Louie watching them. He was right and he knew it. Louie adored Charlotte and he’d kick Eddie’s ass for being so stupid when it came to his daughter. But Charlotte was smiling now and holding onto her dad, so Louie just nodded once to them and didn’t say a word. When they got back to the counter, Izzy was still there, waiting patiently. She had eaten her fries and the plate sat empty in front of her. Eddie gave her a friendly smile as he took the plate. 

“Can I get you anything else,” Eddie asked after pushing the plate through to the kitchen. 

“No, thank you,” Izzy said without taking her eyes off Charlotte. Charlotte was staring back at her, and they both had dreamy, starry looks in their eyes. Eddie couldn’t help but smile. 

“Izzy, this is my dad, Eddie.” Izzy extended her hand and Eddie shook it. “Daddy, this is Izzy.” She dropped her eyes and her cheeks flamed red. “My girlfriend.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Izzy,” Eddie said then leaned closer to Charlotte. “You’re right. She is pretty. And the dimple is adorable.” 

“Daddy” She swatted at his arm and all three of them laughed. 

“What? You’re the one who said she was so pretty.” Charlotte groaned and playfully punched his arm. “Sorry. Am I embarrassing you?” 

“Stop!” 

“It’s okay,” Izzy interjected while reaching for Charlotte. Charlotte put her hand in Izzy’s and they both squeezed gently. “I think you’re pretty too.” 

“She is, isn’t she?” Eddie pinched Charlotte’s cheek and she blushed again. “Go on,” he told his daughter. “I’ve got things covered here. You go have fun with your girlfriend. I’ll see you at home later.” 

“I love you, daddy.” 

“Love you too, peanut.” 

“Peanut,” Izzy asked quietly as they started for the door. 

“He calls me that.” 

“I like it. It’s cute.” 

Eddie watched them get into a car and it suddenly hit him that he didn’t know how old Izzy was. If she was old enough to have a driver's license, then she would be at least sixteen. That wasn’t so bad, but he hoped she wasn’t any older. He’d have to remember to ask Charlotte about that tonight. When the car had pulled away and was out of sight, Eddie turned to the window into the kitchen. Louie had just pushed a plate through.

“Table nine, boss.” 

“Got it.” 

********** 

When Eddie got home from the diner that night, Charlotte was waiting for him. She handed him a beer then sat down across from him; Eddie on the couch, Charlotte on the floor with the coffee table between them. He smiled fondly when he saw that she was drinking hot chocolate from his old Garfield mug. It had been glued back together more times than he could count. But he still loved it, no matter how many times he broke it, and he loved that Charlotte loved it as much as he always had. 

Eddie told her what had happened the night before. She listened closely, trying to decide how she felt about Steve going back to the diner after she had politely asked him to leave. But he had gone back. That part she couldn’t figure out, and in a way, it made her angry. Look what it had done to her dad. She would hate Steve Harrington if she didn’t know that her dad was still in love with him. He hadn’t said it, but she could tell. Why else would he have reacted the way he did? 

Charlotte spent another twenty minutes lecturing Eddie about excessive drinking, driving while intoxicated, and drug use. Eddie said nothing. He just sat there with his head down, staring at his hands in his lap. He knew that everything she was saying was true. He’d given her the same lecture last year. She was getting older, more independent. She needed to know the dangers she was bound to start facing. 

When Charlotte finally ran out of things to say, she hugged her dad tightly, kissed his cheek, and told him she loved him. Eddie again apologized for reacting the way he did, for doing what he’d done, and most importantly, for yelling at his daughter. She assured him that it was forgotten, and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Charlotte may have forgiven him, but Eddie wouldn't forgive himself any time soon. 

“Let’s talk about something else now,” Charlotte said as she crawled up onto the couch and rested her head on Eddie’s shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her tight. “Something happier.” 

“Shouldn’t you be getting to bed? It’s late.” 

“I’m not tired though, daddy.” 

“Okay, let’s talk about Izzy.” Charlotte sighed dreamily at Eddie’s words. “How old is she?” 

“She turned sixteen in October,” she answered. “That’s okay, isn’t it?” Eddie nodded. “Good. Because it would suck if you made me break up with her over something that trivial.” She sat up suddenly and gave Eddie a serious look. “I almost forgot. I need to ask you something.” 

“Uh-oh,” Eddie sighed. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.” 

“Daddy, would you be too terribly upset if I went to the Christmas carnival with Izzy instead of with you like we always do?” Before Eddie could answer, she went on breathlessly. “I love you, daddy. And I love our tradition of going and watching the fireworks at the end. But Izzy asked me to go, and I told her yes before I realized what she even asked me. Then when I did realize, I was so scared that you’d be mad if I broke our tradition.” 

“Peanut, slow down,” Eddie laughed. “Relax, Charlotte. It’s okay. If you want to go with Izzy, then I’m all for it. She’s your girlfriend. It’s understandable you’d rather go out with her than hang out with your boring old man.” 

“You’re not boring and you’re not an old man,” Charlotte told him. “And it’s not that I’d rather go with Izzy, but . . . you know.” Eddie nodded; he understood completely. “Thank you, daddy.” 

“Just so you know, baby girl,” Eddie started with a sly grin on his face. “I’m still going to the carnival. And since you won’t be there to give me that look that you give me, I’m going to eat all kinds of bad for me carnival food. I’m getting a corndog and a funnel cake.” 

“Okay,” she laughed. “This one time. Then the next day you’re having a garden salad.” Eddie made a face at her. “Oh, stop. By the way, if you see me and Izzy at the carnival, don’t say or do anything embarrassing.” 

“I’m not making any promises, peanut.” 

“One more thing?” Eddie raised an eyebrow in question. “Curfew?” 

“Since school’s out for Christmas break, and since I’ll be at the carnival as well, let’s say midnight, okay?” Charlotte threw her arms around Eddie and kissed his cheek. “When school starts back up, nine on school nights, as long as your homework gets done. Fridays and Saturdays, eleven.” 

“Daddy, you’re the best!” 

“Hey, we’re in this together, baby girl. We have to look out for each other.” She kissed him again. “Alright, I think you should go to bed now.” 

“I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Good night.” 

Chapter Text

The rest of the week was a blur for both Charlotte and Eddie. With the Christmas carnival on Friday night, and the winter dance on Saturday, they were both busy getting ready. By the time Friday night rolled around, Charlotte was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. This would be the first time in her life that she’d be going to the carnival without Eddie. For fifteen years he’d been taking her to the carnival, even when she was too young to go on any rides or play any games. But now she’d be going with Izzy and that excited her beyond belief. Not that she didn’t love her dad and want to spend time with him, because she did feel a little sad at not being with him tonight. 

Eddie had a good time at the carnival, and not only did he eat a funnel cake, but he had two corn dogs. He had no doubt in his mind that come lunchtime tomorrow, Charlotte would absolutely put a garden salad in front of him. He didn’t mind though. He loved greasy, deep fried carnival food. And he didn’t dislike salad. He just liked to let Charlotte think she was taking care of him by making him eat one. 

He saw Charlotte and Izzy several times throughout the night. They were always hand in hand, and they both had that dreamy, puppy love looks in their eyes. It made Eddie a little jealous that Charlotte was getting to the point where she didn’t need him quite so much as she had when she was younger. But he was happy that she had found someone who could put that dreamy look into her eyes. She looked happy, and that was all that mattered to Eddie. 

When the carnival started winding down and it was time for the fireworks show, Eddie found himself a spot in the grass to sit and made himself comfortable. He could see Charlotte and Izzy several yards away, lost in their own little world of each other. They sat snuggled together, Izzy’s arm protectively around her, so much like the way Eddie always held her. Eddie considered getting up and moving; if Charlotte turned around, she would see him. But after a moment’s thought, he changed his mind. Charlotte was so focused on Izzy; he was positive she’d never turn around. 

The sky lit up with the first burst of fireworks and Eddie looked up at it. He had so many memories of this carnival. Not just bringing Charlotte every year, but even before that. Eddie always went with Wayne when he was growing up. Then as a teenager, he always went with his friends. Then later, with Steve when they were dating. He’d been coming to this carnival for as long as he could remember, and it brought back a lot of fond memories.  

Someone sat down next to Eddie, he glanced over, and the smile on his face disappeared. It was Steve. Eddie tensed and instinctively pulled away from him, but Steve smiled and held his hands up in surrender. Steve leaned closer and spoke, his voice a low whisper so others around them wouldn’t hear. 

“Please don’t leave. I just want to talk.” 

“I don’t think we have anything to say to each other,” Eddie answered. 

“See, that’s the thing,” Steve told him. “I think we do.” 

“You think too much.”  

Eddie smiled as he saw Izzy dip her head and kiss Charlotte. Steve followed his eyes and saw Charlotte and Izzy together. It was a sweet kiss, and they both looked away to give them at least a semblance of some privacy.  

“Future daughter-in-law?” Eddie gave a half shrug, half nod. “They’re cute together.” This time he just nodded. “She looks so much like you. Those big doe eyes, all that curly long hair.” Steve lifted a hand and brushed Eddie’s hair back off his shoulder. Eddie prayed to his metal Gods that Steve wouldn’t notice the goosebumps that touch had caused. “I’m sorry for asking you out. I mean, I’m not sorry. I meant it. But I realized that I was only thinking about myself. Not about how you would feel. And for that, I’m sorry.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Is she like you in other ways?” 

“Too many,” Eddie chuckled as he raised his eyes to where Charlotte and Izzy were. They were in each other’s arms, looking up at the fireworks display in the sky. “Not all bad.” 

“Mouth like a drunken sailor?” Eddie nodded. He hated it, but he knew he was an influence on her, good or bad. Mostly good though, so he could live with the bad. “Kind to a fault?” 

“She brings home every stray she comes across.” 

“Like you did,” Steve whispered as he scooted closer to Eddie, so they were shoulder to shoulder. Eddie’s first instinct was to push him away, but the gesture was so familiar, even after fifteen years. And he craved it, as much as he wished he didn’t and tried to tell himself he didn’t. He was a sucker for Steve Harrington, and he always would be. “With me.” 

“You were broken,” Eddie answered, laughing softly, though there was no humor behind it. “You needed to be fixed and I was a genius with Super Glue.” 

“I fell so hard for you,” Steve sighed dreamily. “I thought I was the one who’s heart would break. But in the end, I was the one who hurt you.” 

“No.” Eddie shrugged him off. “You don’t get to come back here and tell me things like that.” Eddie stood up and started to walk away. After a moment, he glanced back and made a frustrated grunt in the back of his throat when he saw that Steve was following. “What do you want from me,” Eddie hissed when Steve caught up to him. 

“I want you to take me home with you and put me back together; like you did all those years ago.” 

“I told you, I’m not a consolation lay, Steve.” 

“Eddie, stop.” Steve reached for Eddie’s hand and pulled them both to a stop. Eddie jerked his hand back, but he put no real effort into it. So, Steve just held him. “I’m not here because I need to get laid.” 

“You said your boyfriend broke up with you and you had nowhere else to go,” Eddie said angrily. 

“That’s not why I’m here,” Steve replied. He wanted to tell Eddie the truth about why he’d come back; that he was hurt and couldn’t play baseball anymore. But he didn’t. The last thing he wanted was Eddie’s pity. “I came back to work at the high school, coach baseball and softball.” 

“Very magnanimous of you,” Eddie told him. “Come on, let go of me.” But Steve didn’t let go. He tugged Eddie closer, raised his other hand and pushed Eddie’s hair back off his shoulder again before cupping his cheek in his hand. Eddie drew in a sharp breath as Steve licked his lips before pressing them to Eddie’s. “Steve,” he whispered against his lips. “No, please.” 

“Take me home with you,” Steve said into his mouth and when Eddie opened his mouth to reply, Steve slid his tongue into Eddie’s mouth. 

Steve backed Eddie gently into a tree and Eddie hesitantly raised his arms to put them around Steve. Then he stopped resisting. Eddie arched into Steve and returned his kiss with all the heat and passion he felt for Steve. It was intense and powerful, and Eddie was powerless to resist. He squeezed Steve tighter against him, turned his head as Steve kissed from his lips to his jaw, down then back up the long column of his throat, and finally stopped with a lusty sigh into Eddie’s ear as he nibbled the lobe. 

“We can’t go to my place,” Eddie told him. “Charlotte will be home soon.” 

“I’m staying with my parents,” Steve said against Eddie’s neck. “Motel?” 

“Fuck yeah,” Eddie panted as he reluctantly pulled away. “I need to go home and leave her a note.” 

“Just go tell her now.” 

“I can’t,” Eddie laughed as he lifted his head, his lips seeking Steve’s again for another kiss. “I can’t tell her where’ I’m going, and she’ll want to know.” 

“Go leave her a note,” Steve said between soft nips at Eddie’s lips. “Meet me at the motel on Route 9 in half an hour.” 

“I’ll be there.” 

********** 

Halloween 1984  

Eddie tossed his Michael Myers mask on his bed and flopped back next to it. He’d been at a Halloween party earlier and now he was back home, bored, and alone. He had been selling weed all night and made a surprisingly good chunk of cash. But then things had started to get weird. He’d been in the kitchen talking to Steve for a while, but then Nancy, Steve’s girlfriend, had come into the kitchen and spilled the spiked punch all over her sweater. Steve had gone with her to help her clean up, and Eddie had left. Steve was the only reason he’d been there. Well, Samantha too. But the last time he’d seen her, she and a bunch of other girls were cheering Billy Hargrove on as he did a keg stand. The showoff.  

If Steve was going to spend the rest of the night babysitting his drunk girlfriend, Eddie didn’t really want to hang around. He didn’t really like Nancy too much. She always gave him shit about talking to her brother, but they were both interested in Dungeons and Dragons, and when Mike was a little older, Eddie planned to ask him and his friends to join his Hellfire Club. And besides, Nancy hung out with Jonathan Byers and Eddie didn’t like him at all.  

People called Eddie The Freak, but there was something really odd about Jonathan. Eddie could never put his finger on it, but ever since his little brother had disappeared last year, he’d seemed off somehow. Sure, it was understandable, everyone had been freaked out by that. It was during the search for Will Byers that Dustin introduced Eddie to Steve.   

They weren’t close friends, but they spent a little time together. The problem was, Eddie had a crush on Steve and Steve was in love with Nancy Wheeler. It would be a lot easier on Eddie’s feelings if they weren’t dating and Steve just admired her from afar, the way Eddie did Steve. But no. He actually loved her. He wanted to have a whole gang of little Harrington nuggets with her. Hell, he’d already started naming them, or so he’d told Eddie a while back. He wanted five or six kids, at least.  

Eddie reached for his belt. If he was lying here thinking about Steve, he might as well have some fun with it. No, this wouldn’t be the first time he’d ever jerked off thinking about Steve. That was something he’d done more times than he liked to admit. Even the last time he’d been with a girl, Eddie had closed his eyes and pretended it was Steve sucking him off. He smiled as he remembered how hard he’d come that night. Eddie slid his hand into his jeans and boxers and squeezed his dick in his hand. Picturing Steve’s lips in his head was a sure-fire way to get his dick hard. He wrapped his fingers around it and gave it several good pumps. Yeah, he was almost fully erect already. But it would be a hell of a lot easier, and he wouldn’t have to do laundry, if he just pushed his jeans down and . . .  

There was a knock on the trailer door and Eddie sat up, pulling his hand out of his pants. It wouldn’t be Wayne. He’d told Eddie earlier in the day that he would be working the overnight shift at the plant. So, he wasn’t sure who it could be. Most everyone he knew was still at Tina’s party. He took a glance around in the pale yellow glow of the lamp on his bedside table to make sure he didn’t have any illegal substances out in the open, then went to answer the door.  

Eddie’s eyes went round in surprise when he saw Steve Harrington at his door. Sure, they hung out some, but he had never once been to the trailer before. In fact, Eddie was more shocked that Steve even knew where the trailer park was located, than he was that he was showing up close to midnight. Eddie stood there and waited for Steve to say something, because he wasn’t sure what to say to Steve.  

“Can I come in,” Steve finally asked. Eddie nodded and stepped back. It was dark, and Steve was in shadows, but there was something about his posture, his voice. Something wasn’t right. Steve came in and Eddie closed the door behind him. “Thanks.”  

“What’s up,” Eddie asked. “Want a beer or something?” Steve shook his head. “A joint?” This time he nodded. “Come on. Follow me.”  

In the bedroom, Eddie closed the door and smiled when Steve sat down on his bed. So many of his fantasies started out this way. He could just walk over to the bed and pull his dick out. His belt was still hanging open and so was the button on his jeans. Even his zipper was about halfway down. If he went over there and put his dick against Steve’s lips, he was sure they’d be warm and soft. That was all it took. He was fully erect now. That thought sent tingles through his whole body.  

“She said I’m bull shit,” Steve suddenly sobbed, and Eddie felt guilty for the thoughts he’d just been having. “I don’t understand. I don’t get what I did. But she broke up with me.”  

“Nancy broke up with you?” Steve nodded. “At the party?”  

“She left with Jonathan.” Then Steve was full on crying. He buried his face in his hands and just cried while Eddie stood there, helpless, unsure what to do or say. His first thought was ‘good riddance’, but he knew that was wrong of him. Steve loved Nancy.

“Dude, I’m sorry.” He reached for his cigarette pack, fished out a joint, and held it out to Steve. “Here. Smoke this.”  

“Huh?” Steve looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. When he saw the joint, he tried to smile, but he failed. So, he just took it and the lighter Eddie was offering him. “Thanks.”  

“No problem.” Steve took a long deep hit and offered the joint to Eddie. “Nah, man. You need it more than I do.”  

“Thanks.”  

“So, Jonathan, huh,” Eddie asked after several minutes of silence had passed. “Dude’s a total space case.” Steve didn’t answer. Eddie looked around. His Polaroid camera was on the corner of his desk. He picked it up and toyed with it for a moment. “Can I take a picture of you?”  

“You’re fucking joking, right?” Eddie shook his head. “Why do you want a picture of me drunk and crying?”  

“I don’t want a picture of you drunk and crying,” Eddie answered. “I want a picture of you broken so that when you get better, you can look back at it and see how far you’ve come.” Steve thought about that for a long moment while he smoked. “It’s what I do. I snap pictures of things that I like, that I hate, that scare me, that make me laugh.”  

“Can I see it after?” Eddie nodded. “Yeah, fuck it.” Steve reached over and dropped the spent joint into Eddie’s ashtray before running his fingers back through his hair and pushing it off his face. He lifted his head to Eddie but didn’t bother to smile. “I’m too fucked up to care anymore.”  

“Yeah,” Eddie laughed as he lifted the camera. “You’re only somewhat damaged.” He snapped the picture then laid the camera aside before sitting down next to Steve. He shook the Polaroid image until it came into focus, then he held it up so he and Steve could both look at it. “So, that’s what bull shit looks like?”  

“Apparently,” Steve chuckled softly. “You know, after tonight, you’re the only friend I have left anymore.”  

“What about your babysitter’s club kids?” Steve just shrugged. “Right. I guess going to one of their houses wouldn’t have gotten you a joint.”  

“And you mentioned beer?” Eddie grinned and nodded. “I’d kill for one. Or twelve.”  

“Well, it’s my uncle’s beer, so I don’t know that I can get away with liberating twelve of them,” Eddie told him. “But one or two I can manage. And I think there’s an old bottle of Jack on a top shelf over the fridge that he doesn’t even remember is there.”  

“The bottle of Jack will make you my best friend.”  

“One bottle of Jack that I may or may not have been swiping sips from for the last couple of months, coming right up.” He started out of the bedroom.  

“Eddie?” Eddie stopped and looked back. “Thanks. You really are a good friend.”  

“Hey, dude, anything for you, right?”  

Eddie brought the bottle of bourbon and he and Steve sat propped against the wall on his bed, passing the bottle back and forth. Eddie hadn’t been lying when he said he’d been sipping it. The bottle was almost half gone. But with the two beers Eddie gave him, everything he’d had to drink at the party, and the joint, it didn’t take Steve long to pass out with his head on Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie watched him snoring quietly for a long time before he finally pulled himself away and stood up. As much as he’d like to lay down next to Steve and fall asleep, he didn’t. But before he left the room to go sleep on the couch, Eddie snapped another picture of Steve. He’d stick that one in one of his shoe boxes and not ever tell Steve he’d taken it.  

Chapter Text

December 2002  

Eddie parked his car next to the one Steve was driving and took a deep breath. His note to Charlotte just said that he’d be out late, and he’d see her in the morning. He knew that what he was doing was stupid. The last thing in the world he wanted was to get involved with Steve Harrington. But he was right there. And Eddie was so lonely. He hadn’t been with anyone in almost a year; and it had been even longer since he’d been with another man. He just wanted someone to touch him, show him some kind of affection.  

Eddie had never stopped wanting Steve. Steve was willing. So why not? What harm could it do? It wouldn’t be the first one night stand he’d had. But, God, could he just have a one night stand with someone he had been in love with for so many years? Could he humiliate himself like that? Could he let himself be used? He was better than that. He should probably just turn around and go back home before he did something he regretted.   

Eddie stuck the key back into the ignition and was just about to start his car when the motel room door in front of him opened and Steve was standing there. The light was behind him so it was just a silhouette, but Eddie would know that body anywhere. Sure, he was a lot more muscled now than he’d been when he was eighteen. But fucking hell, he looked so fucking good. So, Eddie took the key out of the ignition and got out of the car.  

Steve stepped back to let Eddie in. As he stepped past him, Steve caught Eddie’s hand in his own and pulled him back until they were chest to chest, nose to nose, and Steve was closing the door behind them. Their lips met in a soft kiss, tentative and slow. But as Eddie shrugged out of his jacket and let it fall to the floor, it got more passionate. Steve backed Eddie towards the bed and their kiss finally ended when Eddie fell back. He raised his eyes to Steve’s. The look on his face as he towered over Eddie was pure lust. He knew it, and Eddie could see it. Eddie reached for his belt. Steve’s eyes moved over his body and came to rest at his hands as he popped the button on his jeans, lowered the zipper, then pushed his boxers down so that his dick sprang free. He wrapped his fist around it and stroked slowly as he eyed Steve.  

Steve only hesitated for a moment before he grabbed the hem of his own shirt and yanked it up and off, over his head. But then he cried out. Steve clutched his right shoulder as his face twisted in pain. He stumbled back, away from the bed, and bumped into the wall with his shoulder, causing him to groan even louder. Eddie sat up and pushed himself back into his pants as he stood and slowly approached Steve.  

“Steve?” He got no answer as Steve leaned back against the wall, slid down to the floor, and continued to clutch his shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”  

“This was a bad idea,” Steve almost sobbed. “Maybe you should go.”  

“Yeah, not until you tell me what’s going on.” Eddie knelt next to Steve and reached for his shoulder, but Steve jerked away. “I’m not going to hurt you, Steve. Just let me look at it.” Steve hesitated but then reluctantly moved his hand from his shoulder. Eddie held back a gasp when he saw the scars that crisscrossed Steve’s shoulder. “Shit, babe. What happened?”  

“It’s nothing.” He shrugged Eddie away and pushed himself off the floor, grunting and groaning in pain as he did. “Forget it,” he sighed as he stepped away from Eddie.  

“It’s not nothing,” Eddie said softly. He closed the distance between himself and Steve, then caught Steve with a hand at his waist, and gingerly ran his fingers over Steve’s injured shoulder. “Is this why you’re not playing baseball anymore?” Steve didn’t answer, just looked away. “Hey. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Still nothing from Steve. “What happened just now?”  

“I just moved too fast,” Steve whispered. “I know I can’t just yank my shirt off like that. It takes a minute. I shouldn’t have done that.”  

“I’m glad you did.” Steve jerked his head back to stare at Eddie. “I don’t mean I’m glad you hurt yourself,” Eddie chuckled. “I’m glad you took your shirt off though.” He took a step back and allowed himself a moment to admire Steve’s well muscled chest and arms, his narrow hips. He let his fingers slide through the soft, dark hair on his torso and down to the waist of Steve’s jeans before he finally pulled his hand away. “I’m sorry.”  

“I’m the one who should be apologizing to you,” Steve answered as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “I stood there and told you I wasn’t looking to get laid, then . . .” He threw his left hand up and motioned around the room. “I’m sorry.”  

“I’m sorry too,” Eddie whispered, sitting down next to him. “I admit, it was my intention to come here, have sex with you, then never see you again.”  

“Why would you do that?”  

“Because I . . .” Eddie stopped. What good would it do to tell Steve that he loved him now? It would only complicate things. “What’s wrong with your shoulder?”  

“Ladies and gentlemen, the most inelegant segue in the history of conversation.” Eddie laughed but Steve winced.  

“How bad is it?”  

“It’s bad,” Steve groaned. “I think I need a doctor.”  

“Shit, uhm, I can take you to the hospital if you . . .”  

“No,” Steve interrupted and tried to smile. “It can wait until Monday. There’s not anything they can do. And I’ve got pain meds at my parents’ house I can take until then.”  

“What’s wrong with it?”  

“Back in February, we’d just started spring training,” Steve began slowly. “I was fucking around, trying to impress some people, and decided to see if I could beat my record for a fast pitch.”  

“What’s your record?”  

“Uhm, a hundred and four point seven.”  

“Miles per hour?” Steve nodded. “Okay. I’m impressed.”  

“I was just showing off,” Steve continued. “Tried a little too hard and blew out my rotator cuff and tore my deltoid and several other muscles I can’t pronounce.”  

“Shit, dude.” Eddie let out a soft whistle. “That sounds painful.”  

“I’ve had nine surgeries on my shoulder since then.” Eddie reached up and traced the scars on his shoulder. “The last surgery was three weeks ago. I’m not supposed to overexert.” Eddie pressed his lips to Steve’s shoulder and kissed it softly. “That might work when Charlotte scrapes her knee, but it’s not really doing much for me.”  

“Can I get you anything? Some ice or something?”  

“Nah,” Steve answered. “I just need to not move it around.”  

“Sit back,” Eddie said as he stood up. “Relax and don’t move your arm.” He pulled the pillows out from under the bedspread, fluffed them up, propped them against the headboard, and motioned for Steve to recline against them. “Mind if I sit next to you?”  

“I’d like that, Eddie.” Eddie sat next to Steve, his shoulder gently against Steve’s injured one, and leaned back against the pillows. “Did you call me babe earlier?”  

“Did I?” Eddie knew he had slipped and called Steve that. But he wasn’t about to admit to it.  

“Maybe it was wishful thinking.” Steve leaned his head over onto Eddie’s. “Tell me about Charlotte?”  

“She’s my daughter,” Eddie laughed. “And yeah, that’s as fucking scary as it sounds. Remember what I was like as a teenager?” Steve nodded and laughed. “She’s a lot like that, minus the sex, drugs, and drinking.”  

“Smart, fierce, strong, independent?” Eddie nodded. Charlotte was all those things. “Music?”  

“She can appreciate the classics,” Eddie told him. “She loves Metallica and Dio and some of the older stuff like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin. But mostly she’s into this, uhm, I think they’re calling it nu-metal?”  

“Not sure I’m familiar with that.”  

“Korn, Mudvayne, Dope,” Eddie said. “Bands like that.”  

“Yeah, totally not familiar with that.”  

“It’s not bad,” Eddie chuckled. “Not my bag really. But I’m just thankful it’s not Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, and Pink.”  

“Okay, those I know.”  

“You would,” Eddie said with a roll of his eyes.  

“How long has she been into sports,” Steve asked softly. “I wouldn’t think any child of yours would be athletic.”  

“I don’t know if she is,” Eddie answered truthfully. “She’s only expressed an interest since her and Izzy started hanging out.” Eddie absently kissed the top of Steve’s head. “Izzy’s her girlfriend.” Steve nodded. “Izzy’s on the softball team and she’s got Charlotte interested. So, she wants to try out for the team in January. I hope she really likes it and takes to it. I think, and I know this will be the most un-Eddie Munson thing I’ve ever said, but I think it would be good for her.”  

“You’re right,” Steve laughed. “Very un-Eddie Munson of you.”  

“Oh shit,” Eddie suddenly laughed. “If you’re going to be my daughter’s coach, there’s something I should probably tell you.”  

“Do I really want to hear this?”  

“Uhm, remember all those shoe boxes full of pictures I had?” Steve nodded. “Well, I still have them. And they’re on a shelf in the basement and I haven’t touched them or looked at them in more years than I can count.” He kissed Steve’s head again as he slid an arm over his shoulders, careful not to aggravate the injured one. “But when Charlotte and I were putting up the Christmas decorations, she found one and was looking through it.”  

“You never told her you used to carry a camera everywhere you went?”  

“No, it never came up.” Eddie took a deep breath and swallowed hard. “There was one picture in that box, one in particular.” Eddie’s voice dropped to a whisper. “One from that last night we were together before you left.”  

“Shit.” Steve sat up and gave Eddie a solemn look. “She saw it?” Eddie nodded. “Shit.”  

“I’m sorry.”  

“That’s it,” Steve laughed. “I’m going to have to quit my job and move to India.” He reached over and brushed Eddie’s hair off his shoulder. “You’re still the prettiest boy I’ve ever known,” he whispered, and Eddie blushed. “Maybe we could recreate that picture.”  

“For old time’s sake?”  

“It would be a shame to waste the room.” Eddie nodded. “But first, I need to hit the head.”  

“Yeah, sure, sorry.”   

Eddie hopped off the bed so Steve could get up. When Steve was in the bathroom with the door closed, Eddie looked around the room. He could still remember the last time he’d come here; even if he couldn’t remember the guy’s name. It hadn’t been important, and he’d never seen the guy again. He picked up Steve’s shirt and held it. It was a dark yellow sweater and it looked amazing on Steve. Yellow had always gone so well with his skin tone and eye color. Eddie never could pull off yellow. He was too pale. It made him look sallow.  

Eddie caught a whiff of something from the sweater, so he lifted it and inhaled. Steve’s cologne. He couldn’t explain it, but it did something to him. He let one hand fall to the waist of his jeans. They were still open. He considered buttoning and zipping them, but then he squeezed Steve’s sweater in his hand and decided against it. He was here; he might as well go through with it.   

He glanced towards the bathroom door. When he’d told Steve that all he wanted was a one night stand, he didn’t seem offended by it. Maybe that was all Steve wanted too. He’d never say it, he’d always been too nice a guy. But it was very much like Steve to ask someone out on a date in order to sleep with them. Eddie wouldn’t put it past him. And really, what was the big deal? Just fuck him and go. It would be better than going home and jerking off, which is exactly what he’d do. Because right now, Eddie had a raging hard on and it was all Steve fucking Harrington’s fault.  

Eddie heard the toilet flush and then Steve came out and stopped at the sink to wash his hands. Eddie watched him, the way the muscles in his back moved, the way his perfectly round ass looked in those tight jeans. Steve cocked his hips to one side, causing his ass to flex and Eddie’s head spun with want and need. He drew his eyes up to Steve’s in the mirror’s reflection. Steve was watching him and there was a half smirk on his face.  

Steve Harrington. After fifteen years, here he was. Fifteen years without a fucking word. Nothing. Not so much as a Christmas or birthday card. He just took off and never looked back. He had the means to come back if he wanted, even if just for a visit. But he hadn’t. Not even a phone call. It was like Eddie hadn’t even mattered to him. Eddie had just been someone for Steve to pass the time with until he could get out of this ridiculous town and make a better life for himself. Eddie was just a means to an end. And he fucking hated Steve Harrington for that; hated him so much that he wouldn’t fuck him if someone paid him to.  

Steve turned from the mirror and gave Eddie his most charming, sexy smile. For a split second, Eddie felt his heart melting. But then he looked down at the sweater in his hands, at his pants hanging open like he was some kind of . . . What? What would he be to Steve if he gave into him right now? How long would it last this time? What would catch his eye next and make him forget all about Eddie again? His love obviously wasn’t enough for Steve. God, he was pathetic, and he hated himself for it. He hated Steve for making him feel that way.  

“Now, where were we?” Steve stopped in front of Eddie, his magnificent body on display. Eddie felt his breath catch as Steve reached for his sweater and let his fingers graze Eddie’s. “I don’t think I need this right now.” He took the sweater and dropped it to the floor before touching two fingers to the underside of Eddie’s chin and tilting his head back. “You kept kissing me over there.” He nodded towards the bed. “My shoulder, my head. Now kiss me for real.” Steve touched his lips to Eddie’s and gasped when Eddie used both hands to shove him backwards with all his might. Steve stumbled and almost fell but caught himself on the back of a chair. “Eddie?”  

“Don’t fucking touch me.”  

“Eddie, what’s wrong?”  

“I can’t do it again, Steve,” he said as he backed towards the door. “I can’t.”  

Before Steve could say anything else, Eddie was out the door and gone, leaving Steve to stare at his jacket that he’d left behind.  

**********  

Eddie stormed into the house and slammed the door harder than he meant to. He was angry. But only at himself. How stupid and pathetic was he? How could he let himself get that close again? He hated feeling so vulnerable. He’d tried so hard to shut that part of himself down. He’d done a decent job of never letting anyone else get close enough to hurt him, though he always knew there was a weakness in him reserved for Steve. But Steve wasn’t a part of his life, so though he felt the occasional twinges of the old heartbreak, he was mostly able to keep them in check.  

But now here he was again. Everything he’d tried to lock away was flooding out of him in this torrential rain of feelings he didn’t want to feel but couldn’t stop himself from feeling. And he’d have to live with the fear that every time he left his house, he could possibly run into Steve. Hawkins was a small town. There was no way they could both live here and coexist. At least Eddie knew that he couldn’t. He couldn’t stand that fear and pain every day for the rest of his life.  

He looked over at the desk in the living room. The bottom drawer; the locked one. With what was locked away down there, he could just make the pain go away. Permanently. It would only take one shot. He could kill himself and be free of Steve Harrington forever. There would be no more hurt or fear. Just nothing. Eddie started towards the desk, knelt in front of the bottom drawer, anger and heartache welling inside him.  

“Daddy?” Eddie froze. Charlotte. What the hell was he thinking? God, he really hated Steve for making him feel this way; making him feel so awful that he’d considered what he’d just considered. What would happen to his baby girl, his little peanut, if he was gone? He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t hurt her like that. She needed him. Isn’t that what she’d told him the other day? Eddie stood and turned to face her as he relaxed his fists. He tried to make his face neutral, but when he looked into Charlotte’s eyes, he knew he wasn’t hiding anything from her. “Daddy, what’s wrong?”  

“Nothing, peanut,” he choked out. Then he cleared his throat. “Everything’s going to be fine, baby.”  

“Where were you?” Charlotte’s eyes dropped to Eddie’s waist, his belt hanging loose, his jeans unbuttoned and unzipped. “Why’d you slam the door so hard when you came in,” she asked as she raised her eyes to his again. “Are you okay?”  

“I’m going to be okay,” Eddie said quietly, knowing Charlotte wouldn’t believe him, because he didn’t even believe himself.  

“Come sit down.” Charlotte approached him slowly, reached for him while never breaking eye contact. She took one of his hands and tugged gently, lead him to the couch, then sat down with him. “Give me your keys, daddy.”  

“I’m not drunk,” Eddie told her. “And I don’t plan to go anywhere anyway.”  

“Please, daddy,” she pleaded with him. “Give me the keys.” She stole a glance back at the desk and Eddie gasped. She wasn’t afraid he’d leave; she was afraid he’d unlock that bottom desk drawer. “Please, daddy.”  

“Okay, peanut,” he said with a catch in his throat. “Here.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to Charlotte. She put them into the pocket of her robe and then scooted closer to Eddie. He raised an arm and she curled herself into a ball against him under his arm, laid her head on his chest. Eddie wrapped his arm around er and squeezed. “I’m sorry.”  

“I don’t know where you were, daddy,” she said softly. “I don’t want to know. And I don’t want to know what you were about to do. But please don’t.” She shivered in his arms and Eddie’s heart broke again. “Please, daddy.”  

“I’m sorry, baby girl.” He looked down at her and he saw how scared she was. The only time he’d ever seen her look that scared was the night Wayne had gone to the hospital. She had known that she’d never see her grandpa again and she’d been terrified. And now she was looking at Eddie the same way. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered while pulling her closer, onto his lap, so he could hold her like he had when she was a little girl. “I’m not going anywhere, Charlotte. I promise you that. I wasn’t going to . . . I swear it to you. I’m right here. I always will be.”  

“I’ll stay with you, daddy,” she said. “I’ll always be here too. For you. I won’t go to the dance. I’ll stay with you and take care of you. Okay?”  

“You can’t do that, you have a date.”  

“You’re more important than some girl,” she said. “Or playing softball. I love you, daddy. I’ll take care of you. I promise.” She sat up and kissed Eddie’s cheek before he could protest any further. “You’re ice cold, daddy. Were you out without a jacket?” Shit. His jacket. He’d left it in the motel room with Steve. Oh well. He’d just have to get a new one. “Here. Put this around you.” She reached for the throw blanket across the back of the couch. “Do you want me to make you some hot chocolate?”  

“Slow down, baby girl,” Eddie chuckled sadly. “Stop and listen to me.”  

“No.” She stood up and put her hands on her hips. “You listen to me.” Eddie could hear the anger in her voice and see it in her eyes. So, he just pulled the blanket tighter around him and listened. “I love you but right now, I don’t understand you. You’ve always been the strongest person I’ve ever known. No matter what happened, you held our little family together. Now you can barely hold yourself together. Drinking, getting wasted.” She glanced back at the desk again. “That. Whatever that was.” She took a step back and Eddie could see her struggling not to cry. “Would you really do that with me in the house? Is he really worth that?”  

“I wasn’t going to . . .”  

“Do you want hot chocolate?”  

“No, peanut. I don’t.”  

“Then go to bed.” She waited for Eddie to stand up then she took his keys out, removed the one for the desk from the ring, then handed them to him as she slipped the desk key back into her pocket. “I’ll see you in the morning.”  

“Good night, baby.”   

Eddie leaned in to kiss her, but Charlotte pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest. She just stood there, listening, and when she heard Eddie’s bedroom door close, she flopped down on the couch, buried her face in one of the pillows, and she started crying. She screamed into that pillow as loud as she could. It muffled her screams, so she continued until she had no voice left anymore. She cried until there were no more tears. Then she got up, went to the desk, unlocked it, and took the gun. She held it carefully; the way Wayne had taught her. She could see that the safety was on, but she’d been taught never to take any chances.   

Charlotte took the gun upstairs and hid it in the back of her closet. She’d get rid of it in the morning after she called Izzy to cancel their date and her aunt Robin to invite her to come spend Christmas with them. She loved Eddie and she would do anything she could to protect him. But she knew she needed help. She was only fifteen. She needed Robin. Robin would knock some sense into Eddie. That was what he needed because sometimes, love just wasn’t enough.  

Chapter Text

Eddie didn’t sleep that night. All he could think about was Charlotte. She was all that mattered to him. His feelings for Steve didn’t matter. He didn’t even really hate Steve. How could he? He felt nothing for Steve. Steve wasn’t to blame for Eddie meeting him at the motel. That was all Eddie. He was a grown man with a daughter to take care of. Sure, he was stupid and pathetic for reacting the way he had to the whole situation, for everything he’d done since that first day he’d seen Steve at the Christmas tree lot.   

Everything that Eddie had done had been borne of his own stupidity. He knew better than to react the way he had. He knew better than to feel the things he’d felt. He knew better than to hurt and disappoint his little girl. He couldn’t blame Steve. He only blamed himself. And blaming himself went right along with him doing everything in his power to correct his mistakes and atone for his sins. He could do that. He was strong. He held his family together. He didn’t have to be stupid.  

When the sun came up, Eddie went downstairs and made some coffee then went and stood in front of the Christmas tree as he sipped it. There were a few gifts under the tree, but most of them were in his closet in his bedroom. He knew that Charlotte didn’t believe in Santa Claus; she hadn’t believed in that stuff since she was ten. But Eddie still tagged most of her presents as being from Santa, and he didn’t put them under the tree until she went to bed on Christmas Eve.  

Her big gift, the one he was most excited to give her, wouldn’t fit under the tree. That gift was locked in a storage unit on the edge of town until Christmas. It was only Saturday and Christmas wasn’t until Wednesday, but he’d made plans with Louie from the diner. He’d wait until midnight on Christmas Eve and then he’d bring Charlotte’s gift for Eddie to wrap. It was the red Mustang that she’d been dreaming of for so long. Even though her sixteenth birthday wasn’t until May, Eddie would go ahead and give her the car. The gigantic green bow he was going to put on the hood was in a box in the garage, and the keys were already under the tree.  

Keys. Eddie glanced towards the desk. He would spend the rest of his life making it up to Charlotte for even having that thought. The fact that she’d even recognized that in him scared the shit out of him. It had only been a fleeting thought. He wouldn’t have done it. He couldn’t have done it. He couldn’t leave Charlotte alone like that. He was all she had. That memory from last night made him feel sick to his stomach. He started to turn back towards the tree but stopped when something caught his eye. The bottom drawer wasn’t closed all the way.  

Eddie went to the desk and pulled the drawer open. It was empty. He glanced towards the stairs as he heard Charlotte starting to stir upstairs. She’d taken his keys. He’d thought at the time that she just wanted to get them away from him. He had no clue that she’d actually take the gun. Eddie sat his coffee on the table in front of the couch and made his way upstairs. When he got to Charlotte’s bedroom door, he could hear her talking, so he stopped to listen for a moment.  

He couldn’t understand all the words because she was talking quietly, but he did catch the word gun and that scared him. He tapped lightly on her door and her voice stopped for a long moment before she called for him to come in. As Eddie pushed the door open, Charlotte turned her back to him as she spoke on the phone.  

“I’ve got to go,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hung up and then turned to face her dad. “Good morning, daddy.”  

“Who’re you talking to this early, peanut?”  

“That was Aunt Robin,” she said. “I invited her to come spend Christmas with us. She’ll be here around lunch tomorrow.”  

“That’s nice.” Eddie and Charlotte stood there, eyes locked, neither of them moving. They were both waiting for the other to say something first, but Eddie could tell by the insolent look in her eyes that Charlotte was not going to back down and be the first. “Where is it?”  

“Where’s what?” She gave him that look, the one she rarely ever used, the one that said she knew exactly what he was asking her, but she refused to acknowledge it. “I need to call Izzy. Could I please have some privacy?”  

“Charlotte, where’s my gun?”  

“I hid it from you, daddy,” she answered as she crossed her arms over her chest and assumed a defiant look. “When Aunt Robin gets here, she’s going to take it away and get rid of it so you can’t do something stupid because of that asshole Steve Harrington.”  

“I wasn’t going . . .”  

“Don’t lie to me, daddy.” She reached into the pocket of her robe and handed him the key to the desk. “You can have this back now.” He took the key then Charlotte turned him and nudged him towards the door. “Go. I need to call Izzy.”  

“Baby, stop.” Eddie stopped letting Charlotte ease him towards the door, turned to face her, then took her hands in his and held them tightly. “Charlotte, don’t cancel your date. Everything is going to be okay. I’ll be okay. And if Robin is going to be here, you can rest assured that she’s going to tie me to a chair if that’s what it takes. Please, don’t let me ruin this for you.”  

“How am I supposed to go have fun at a dance when I know what kinds of things you’re thinking about?” She pulled her hands out of Eddie’s and crossed her arms again. “I don’t even want to celebrate Christmas anymore. Everything about Christmas is just pissing me off now. Even when I look at the Christmas tree, all I can think about is Steve Harrington. Because he’s ruined this whole fucking season for me. Not you, daddy. But him. I hate him and I wish he’d just . . . die.”   

“Peanut!”  

“I’m sorry, daddy. I didn’t mean that. But I do wish he’d go back to wherever he came from and leave my family alone.”  

“Sweetheart, he hasn’t done anything wrong.” She opened her mouth to contradict him, but he held up a hand to stop her. “It’s me, Charlotte. Everything that’s wrong is because of me.”  

“That’s not true,” Charlotte told him. “You’re perfect. You’re the one who always fixes things. You’re not the one who breaks things.”  

“Peanut, I’m not perfect,” Eddie laughed. “I’m so fucking far from perfect that I might be the complete opposite. But I’ll fix it. I promise you, baby. I’ll fix everything.”  

“You don’t need to fix anything,” she answered. “I’ll fix it this time. Okay? Let me take care of you.”  

“You’re just a little girl,” Eddie said as he reached for her, intent on pulling her into a hug. “You’re not supposed . . .”  

“I’m not a little girl,” she interrupted and jerked away from him. “And right now, no matter how old I am or how old you are, I don’t believe that you’re capable of taking care of yourself.” She rubbed her eyes with an angry huff. “God, I wish grandpa was here. He’d help me take care of you.”  

“He would kick my ass,” Eddie chuckled. “Wayne would have kicked my ass right there at the tree lot when he saw me talking to Steve. He never would have let me get this far.”  

“See?” She gave him a pleading look, her big, innocent eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears. “How can you expect me not to worry about you when even you admit grandpa would have kicked your ass?”  

“You, young lady, need to watch your mouth,” Eddie laughed as he reached for her again. This time, she let him take her into his arms. He dropped a kiss on top of her head. “Wayne had a lot of reasons to kick my ass. I told you, I’m not perfect. But yeah, you’re right. I wouldn’t have gone with Steve last night if Wayne was still alive.”  

“So, you were with him?” Eddie nodded slowly. “Did you . . . you know?”  

“I almost did, baby,” Eddie said, his cheeks turning red. “But I didn’t. Someday, you’ll understand.”  

“Stop doing that.” Charlotte pulled away from Eddie and went to sit on her bed. “Stop acting like I’m a baby and I can’t possibly understand what you’re going through.” She gave him that wide-eyed look again. “Daddy. I get it. I really do.” Eddie sat down next to her and took one of her hands in his. “Maybe I don’t have as much experience as some people.” She stopped and thought for a moment. “Okay, I don’t have any experience except with kissing. But I’m not stupid.”  

“I know, Charlotte,” Eddie sighed. “And I didn’t mean to imply that you were stupid. I’m sorry if that’s what you thought. But the thing is, you’re my baby, my little girl.” Charlotte started to protest, but Eddie squeezed her hand and kept going. “You’re not a baby or a little girl, but you’re MY baby and MY little girl. And do you know how weird it is to even think about talking to you about this kind of thing?”  

“We had the sex talk last year,” Charlotte told him.  

“The sex talk and my sex life are two entirely different subjects,” Eddie laughed.  

“I know.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “Grandpa knew Steve?”  

“Yeah, he did,” he answered. “Steve spent a lot of time at the trailer when we were dating.”  

“You dated?” Eddie nodded. “So, it was more than just you knew him in high school and somehow he broke your heart?”  

“Peanut,” Eddie sighed. “It was a lot more than that. I was in love with him. He was the love of my life. Hell, he still is.”  

“Maybe you should tell him that.” Eddie laughed loudly. “I’m serious, daddy.” She sat up and looked him in the eye. “I don’t know why you never told him you loved him, but I think you should have.”  

“I never told him,” Eddie said sadly, “because he wasn’t in love with me, and I didn’t think it was fair to unload that on someone who didn’t feel the same way.” Charlotte’s eyes went wide. “What?”  

“Daddy, he was in love with you too.”  

“Right,” Eddie laughed. “Then why didn’t he ever tell me?”  

“He thought it would be easier on you since he was leaving.” Eddie froze and stared at Charlotte like she’d sprouted horns. “He told me when he was at the diner. He said he loved you and wished that he’d told you back then.”  

“You two had a pretty long talk, didn’t you?”  

“Not really,” Charlotte answered. “It was short, but it was too the point.”  

“Do me a favor, peanut?” She nodded. “Don’t break your date. I swear to you that I will be okay for one night alone. I’ll stay home and won’t get myself into any trouble.”  

“Okay, daddy,” she said as she laid her head back on his shoulder. “I trust you.” She sighed heavily while Eddie wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “I can’t believe my daddy is in love with Steve Harrington. That’s so awesome. But it sucks too.”  

“I thought you wanted him dead,” Eddie laughed.  

“I honestly didn't mean that,” she replied. “I mean, I’m mad at him for breaking your heart and for coming around when it causes you so much pain. But I also kind of wish you two could be together. Because I just want you to be happy.”  

“I’d love not to feel so torn up inside about him,” Eddie admitted quietly.   

This really wasn’t something he wanted to talk to his daughter about, but she was right; she was not a little girl anymore. She was capable of understanding his feelings; and there was no harm in being open about his own feelings with her. Maybe if he had been before, she never would have found him kneeling by the desk, contemplating something as stupid as killing himself over a guy.  

“Have you told him how you feel?” Eddie shook his head. “Daddy, I don’t know if Steve Harrington is still in love with you, but I somehow feel like he is. And I know you’re still in love with him.” She sat up, took Eddie’s hands in hers, and looked him dead in the eye. “Don’t you think all of this bullshit could be avoided if you two just sat down and talked? And were honest and upfront with each other about how you feel?”  

“I want to,” Eddie sighed. “But I’m still so fucking mad at him.”  

“Why are you mad at him, daddy?”  

“Because . . .” Eddie stopped and thought for a moment. Finally, he pulled his hands from Charlotte’s, stood up, then crossed his arms over his chest. “Because he left me,” he huffed angrily. “Because for fifteen years, he made absolutely no fucking effort to contact me in any way. For fifteen years, he lived his life and didn’t give me a second thought. Then, when he has no other choice but to come back here, he wants to act like fifteen years didn’t pass; like I would still be here waiting for him.” Eddie felt the tears stinging his eyes and he turned his back to Charlotte. The last thing in the world he wanted was for her to see him cry. “Like I’d still be head over heels in love with him and I’d still be willing to do anything to be with him again.”  

Eddie couldn't hold it back any longer. He dropped his head and let his tears fall, albeit silently. He knew Charlotte would know he was crying, but he couldn’t just fall to pieces in front of her. And she knew; she could see his shoulders shaking, she could tell by the tone of his voice. And she knew her father well enough to let him cry. She sat there and said nothing, just waited. After a minute, Eddie took a deep breath and held it, wiped his eyes with the heels of his hands, then exhaled as he slowly turned back to face her. Charlotte just smiled up at him.  

“I’d be mad too, daddy,” she said softly. “But like I said before, wouldn’t it feel better to talk to him about how you feel? Tell him your pissed off and tell him why. Ask him flat out why he ignored you for fifteen years. Be honest with him, daddy. And maybe he’ll be honest with you.”  

“And if he’s not?”  

“Then fuck him.” Eddie suddenly laughed and the tension in the room eased considerably. “I mean, don’t fuck him. That’s just . . . Ugh! I don’t want to think about you having sex. But I just mean, if he can’t be honest with you, then you don’t need him. You’re better off without him.”  

“Two things, baby girl.” Eddie reached for her, so she stood up and went to him. “Watch your fucking language,” he laughed as he put an arm around her. “And when did you get so damned smart?”  

“I learned it all from you, daddy.” She hugged him then stepped away. “Honesty and profanity. What more could a daddy teach his little girl.”  

“Well, at least those are the only things you picked up from me,” Eddie answered while reaching out and tousling her hair. “Now, about my gun.” The smile disappeared from Charlotte’s face. “Peanut, I’m not going to do something stupid. I never was.” She gave him a skeptical look. “I swear to you, Charlotte.”  

“I believe you, daddy,” she said softly. “But it would make me feel better if we just waited until Aunt Robin gets here.” Eddie thought for a long moment then finally nodded. “Thank you, daddy.”  

“I’d do anything for you, peanut.”  

**********  

Eddie spent the rest of the day at the diner but promised Charlotte that he’d be home to see her off for her date. It was not absolutely necessary for him to be there, but since this was her first official date, Eddie wanted to be there, and Charlotte wanted him there. Not only because it was her first date, but maybe also because she was still worried about him. No matter how much he proclaimed to be perfectly fine, and no matter how much Charlotte believed that he was okay, she still worried. She had worried about him since Wayne passed away because there was no one else to worry about him on a daily basis.  

At the diner, Eddie lost himself in paperwork. It was not only coming up on the end of the month, but it was the end of the quarter and the end of the year as well. There was a lot of accounting that needed to be done. He had payroll and taxes to deal with; and he liked to give all his employees a bonus at the end of the year for all their hard work and loyalty. So, since everyone was on duty today, except Charlotte, Eddie was able to lock himself in the back office, crank up some music on his CD player, and get everything he needed to do taken care of.  

He welcomed the busy work as it kept his mind off everything else. For several hours he didn’t think about Steve too terribly much. This was the first time in weeks that Steve wasn’t first and foremost on his mind. Instead, he was concentrating on money and finances and the diner. He’d done well this year. He always did, but this year he’d turned even more of a profit than he had since he’d bought the diner. Charlotte had been right. Profits had almost doubled for the diner since Eddie had let Charlotte add some healthier alternatives to the menu.  

Eddie put his pencil down and smiled. He sometimes had a tough time believing that Charlotte was growing up so fast. It seemed almost like yesterday when she was a newborn baby in his arms. She had always looked at him with such wide, trusting, and innocent eyes; eyes that everyone said were so much like his that it was uncanny. She still looked at him that way, but now, as she got older, there was something else in her eyes. Worry. But not just worry. There was an intelligence in her eyes that belied her age. It was like she knew things about Eddie when she looked at him, things she couldn’t or shouldn’t know.  

He knew he needed to be more careful. He couldn’t hide everything from her to protect her like he’d done when she was a child. There was a whole world out there and she needed to be prepared for it, good or bad. And she needed to know that her father was part of that world. Here were things about him that he wished he could hide from her. Like his vulnerability. He hated that she saw that part of him when it came to Steve. But it was something he was incapable of hiding. He’d just have to be more careful. He couldn’t let Steve hurt him, not in front of his little girl. So, he made a vow to himself to be stronger, more careful. He could navigate this whole Steve situation a lot better than he had been. He could and he would.  

Eddie looked at the clock. It was almost six. He needed to get home to Charlotte. He gathered the end of year bonus checks he’d written, and he handed them out as he was leaving. There was an extra check tucked in his pocket for Charlotte. Eddie always paid her a little something for working at the diner, but he had never given her a bonus before. This year was different though. She helped him so much, a whole lot more than she ought to have to at her age, and he thought she deserved it. He’d give it to her before Izzy showed up to pick her up.  

When he got home, Charlotte was wearing her tuxedo, had her hair pulled up into a loose bun, and was wearing black eyeliner and mascara, which he’d never seen her wear before. Charlotte had never expressed an interest in make-up and Eddie didn’t even know that she owned any. But it looked good on her; she’d applied it tastefully and not gone overboard. Eddie smiled at her as she looked up at him, her eyes silently pleading for his approval.  

“You look beautiful, peanut,” he said, and Charlotte smiled broadly. “When is Izzy picking you up?”  

“About ten minutes,” Charlotte told him. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t get home in time.”  

“I promised you I’d be here, and here I am.” Eddie reached into his pocket and took out the red and green envelope with the bonus check in it. “And I wanted to give you this.”  

“What is it, daddy,” she asked as she took the envelope from him.  

“You know the bonus check I give all my employees every year?” Charlotte nodded. “Well, you’re pretty much an employee, whether I write you a weekly paycheck or not.” Charlotte opened the envelope and peeked inside, then looked up at Eddie with eyes widened in shock. “Yeah, same amount I give everyone. As a thank you for all your hard work.”  

“Daddy, this is too much,” she breathed out on a sigh. “What am I going to do with all this money?”  

“Well, I thought we might go to the bank on Monday and use it to start your own account.”   

“Oh, daddy!” Charlotte threw herself at Eddie and hugged him tightly. “Thank you! Now I can start saving for a car.”  

“Yeah,” Eddie chuckled. For a brief moment, he thought about telling her he’d already bought her one for Christmas but decided against it. Why ruin the surprise? He was really looking forward to the look on her face Christmas morning. “Here. I’ll put it on your desk for you. But I think I just heard a car pull up outside.”  

“Oh, shit!” Charlotte handed the envelope back to Eddie and went to peek out the front window. It was Izzy. “Sorry for cussing,” she giggled. “Okay, do I look okay,” she asked as she smoothed her hands over her outfit.  

“You look amazing,” Eddie told her. “I don’t suppose you’d let me get a few pictures of you and Izzy, would you? I mean, this is your first date.”  

“Yeah, okay, sure.” There was a knock on the door, and she swallowed hard. “You can take a couple of pictures. But answer the door first.”  

“Of course, peanut.” Eddie opened the door and let Izzy in. For a long moment she and Charlotte just stared at each other. Then Izzy’s eyes darted to Eddie and her cheeks went red. “Let me get my camera,” he said, knowing they wanted a moment of privacy.  

He went upstairs to get his camera and took his time about it so they could have a moment to say hello before he started taking pictures. When Eddie came back down, Izzy and Charlotte were just letting go of each other, stepping back. They'd been kissing and Eddie hid a smile. He led the girls to the Christmas tree and was able to get several pictures of them posing together before Charlotte rolled her eyes and Eddie knew that was enough. He walked them back to the front door and was surprised when Charlotte went up on her toes and kissed his cheek.  

“Midnight, right?” Eddie nodded. “Thank you, daddy. And good night.”  

“Good night, peanut,” Eddie answered. “You girls have a good time.” He smiled as Izzy took Charlotte’s hand and they left. Eddie closed the door behind him and sighed. “She’s not a baby anymore,” he told himself and went off to make himself some dinner.  

Chapter Text

When Eddie woke up the next morning, Charlotte was already up. She had a pot of coffee waiting and was in the process of frying bacon and scrambling eggs at the same time. Eddie stood in the kitchen door and watched. He’d never gotten the hang of cooking two things at once. He always ended up paying too much attention to one item while the second one ended up burning. Charlotte glanced back over her shoulder and smiled at Eddie, so he came into the room and went straight for the coffee maker, stopping just long enough to drop a kiss on Charlotte’s head as he passed her.  

With his coffee in hand, Eddie took a seat at the kitchen table and picked up the newspaper Charlotte had brought in for him. He sipped his coffee and skimmed the front page, no different than any other day. Not really. Not until an article near the bottom of the page caught his eye. More than just the article, but the picture. It was Steve. It was an old picture, from his high school yearbook. Eddie remembered the picture well. Fifteen years ago, Eddie had stolen a copy of the yearbook from the school library and torn that picture out. It had hung on the refrigerator in the trailer, stuck there with a Garfield magnet, until the day Steve left. Then Wayne had taken it down while Eddie was at Samantha’s place and laid it on Eddie’s bedside table. Eddie had burned it when he got home and found it.  

“Daddy?” Eddie looked up at Charlotte, a fake, plastic smile on his face, trying to pretend that he was perfectly okay when, in truth, he was considering jumping up, running out of the house, finding Steve, and throwing himself at him. So what if he hated Steve and wished he’d never come back to Hawkins? He could still let himself love him, if given the chance. It didn’t matter that it made him weak and pathetic. All that mattered was that it might dull the ache in his chest; for a few minutes anyway. “Is something wrong, daddy,” Charlotte asked as she slid a plate of food in front of him.  

“No, peanut,” Eddie answered. He took her hand and squeezed it in thanks. “Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”  

“What were you thinking about?” Charlotte sat down across from him with her own plate of food. “You looked so far away for a minute.”  

“I was thinking about the past.” Eddie folded the newspaper and laid it aside. He’d read the article about Steve later, when Charlotte wasn’t there.  

“What about the past?” She gave him a suspicious look and Eddie laughed. Leave it to Charlotte to know exactly what he was thinking about. But then again, he hadn’t actually been making his feelings about Steve unknown lately.  

“Nothing important,” Eddie told her between bites of food. “What are you doing later today?”  

“You’re lying,” she chuckled. “And I was going to ask you about later.” Eddie raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Izzy’s family does this thing, every Sunday, her grandma makes a huge dinner and the whole family comes over, even all the way from Indianapolis and Evansville, and they have a huge family dinner.”  

“That sounds like you, me, and Wayne,” Eddie answered. “But only just us and sometimes Robin and Dustin.”  

“Well, Izzy invited me over to meet her family,” Charlotte told him as she raised her fork to her mouth. “I’d like to go. And it would give you and Aunt Robin a chance to talk.”  

“I told you, I’m fine.” Eddie took a bite of his breakfast and washed it down with a sip of coffee.  

“I know, daddy,” she replied. “And I know you wouldn’t lie to me. So, I believe you. But if Robin is here anyway, why not talk to her?” She raised wide, pleading eyes to her father. “Please, daddy? For me?”  

“Okay, peanut,” Eddie sighed. “You’re right. I wouldn’t lie to you. And it can’t hurt to have a nice long heart to heart with the second smartest woman I know.”  

“Second?” Eddie nodded, trying to hide a grin. “Who’s the first?”  

“You, of course.”  

“Did you just call me a woman?” Eddie shrugged. He knew he had but he couldn’t let her know that he was starting to see her as a young woman more so than as a child anymore. She had enough power over him as it was without her thinking he was beginning to see her as an equal. “Uh-huh,” she giggled softly. “That’s what I thought.”  

“Tell me about last night,” Eddie said. “Did you have fun?”  

“It was . . . magical, daddy.” Eddie smiled as he saw the stars sparkling in his daughter’s eyes. “I can’t dance to save my life, but Izzy helped me, and we had so much fun.” She sighed dreamily and stared off into space. “And even though the music was complete garbage, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was Izzy.”  

“I’m so glad you had a good time,” Eddie said. “Sounds like things are going well. Like there’ll be many more dates to come?” Charlotte nodded excitedly. “I really wanted to wait up for you, but I figured you wouldn’t want me to.”  

“I wouldn’t have minded, daddy,” she said softly. “But yeah, I was glad to have the alone time. I had a lot to think about.” Eddie gave her a curious look. “We kissed a lot last night,” she said. “But when she dropped me off and walked me to the door, she kissed me good night.” Charlotte’s cheeks flamed bright red and Eddie had to hide a smile. “It wasn’t like all the other kisses. It was . . . more . . .” She dropped her eyes and took a bite of her breakfast.  

“I know,” Eddie said. “You don’t have to find a word for it. I understand.”  

“Daddy, she makes me feel things,” Charlotte sighed. Eddie’s heart skipped a beat. He was happy for her, but this sounded serious. He always knew this day would come; he’d just hoped it would wait until she was at least thirty. “Don’t worry, daddy. I’m not going to do something stupid. I’m not ready to, well, you know.”  

“I know, peanut.”  

“When I am, I’ll let you know.” Eddie nodded. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know when his little girl became sexually active. But he was glad that she was comfortable enough with confiding in him about it. “But hey, at least she can’t get me pregnant, right?”  

“What?” Eddie choked on his food, so he took a gulp of coffee to wash it down.  

“Relax, daddy,” Charlotte giggled. “I’m just teasing you.”  

“Not funny,” he chuckled. “Not funny at all.”  

**********  

Robin sat on the couch, her elbows on her knees, her face in her hands, and shook her head slowly as Eddie spilled his guts about everything that had happened since Steve had come back to town. Eddie left nothing out, and when he got to the part about his fleeting thoughts of suicide, Robin huffed loudly, stood up, and stalked out of the room. Eddie followed her and found her in the kitchen, a glass of water to her lips, gulping it down like she needed it to breathe.   

When she was done, Eddie finished his story then waited quietly for Robin to say something. She alternated between staring off into space and staring at Eddie like he’d just sprouted horns or something. Finally, after several minutes of silence, Robin went to Eddie. She reached for him, and he flinched, expecting her to slap him or something. Which he couldn’t completely blame her for. Maybe he did need someone to just knock some sense into him. But instead, Robin threw her arms around him and held him so tight that it was hard for Eddie to breathe. He was stunned for a moment, but he eventually lifted his arms and wrapped them around her.  

“Eddie, I get it,” she whispered. “I understand. But he’s not worth it. He’s not worth hurting Charlotte over. You have to see that, doofus.”  

“I know,” Eddie sighed as they finally let go of each other. “And like I told Charlotte. I wasn’t going to do it. I swear. Yeah, the thought passed through my head, but I could never leave my baby like that.”  

“When she called me,” Robin said as she sat down at the kitchen table. “She was almost hysterical, Eddie. She was so scared.”  

“God, I’m a fucking terrible father,” Eddie sighed as he flopped down at the table across from Robin. “What kind of dad acts like this in front of his baby girl?”  

“You’re not a terrible father,” Robin answered soothingly. “You are the best father I have ever known. You’re just going through a temporary lapse of sanity. Steve Harrington can do that to a girl, believe me.” Eddie raised surprised eyes to her. “No, not like that,” she laughed. “But believe me, he drove me totally bat shit bonkers when we worked at Scoops. Always hitting on me with his stupid, cheesy pick-up lines. It was pathetic. He was always trying so hard to get a date that I don’t think he realized how creepy he was.”  

“I used to hang out at the food court just so I could look at him in his Scoops uniform,” Eddie giggled shyly. “Man, did your manager not know what he was doing by putting such a pretty boy in that little sailor suit?” A slow smile spread across Eddie’s face. “I swear to god, he used to wear lipstick back then. There’s no way his lips were that pink and perfect naturally.”  

“You wouldn’t think he was so perfect if you had heard some of the things he used to say to the girls that came into Scoops.”  

“Yeah? Give me an example.”  

“Ahoy ladies! Would you like to set sail on this ocean of flavor with me? I’ll be your captain. I’m Steve Harrington.” Eddie burst into a fit of laughter and dropped his head to the table in front of him. “He was absolutely pathetic,” Robin giggled. “He was trying so hard to be straight that it turned him into a total loser.”  

“A total loser that I fell head over heels in love with.”  

“Everybody that knows Steve falls in love with him,” Robin said, suddenly serious again. Eddie raised his head from the table to meet her eyes. “You did. I did. Dustin did. Three different kinds of love, of course, but the guy was a charmer. And I bet he still is. The way you described him kissing you under the mistletoe at Melvald’s. That was Steve Harrington romance at its finest, I bet.”  

“It was,” Eddie sighed.  

“And if he hadn’t gone to the bathroom and given you a chance to think about what you were doing, you and Steve would be together now.” Eddie opened his mouth to protest, but Robin held up a hand to stop him. “You’re spontaneous, Eddie. But you also overthink. You always have. You rush into things and most times it’s worked out for you. But, if given the time to analyze yourself, you always talk yourself out of things. And I think that’s what happened in the motel with Steve. You talked yourself out of being with him because . . .” She looked at him expectantly. He knew how to finish that statement. But would he admit out loud what Robin already knew?  

“I’m scared,” Eddie whispered almost inaudibly.  

“Why are you scared?”  

‘I don’t want to get hurt,” he told her, still whispering and refusing to look her in the eye.  

“It’s more than that,” she replied. “You don’t want to get hurt again. But you’d take every ounce of pain in the world into your soul if it meant . . .” Eddie thought for a long moment then slowly dragged his eyes back to Robin’s face. “Charlotte?”  

“If I get hurt, it’ll hurt my baby,” Eddie said softly. “And no one is going to hurt my baby. Ever.”  

“Oh, she’ll get hurt,” Robin chuckled. “She’s a teenage girl. She’ll go through heartbreak a few times. And you’ll be there to help her through it. But yeah. That’s exactly it. You talked yourself out of being with Steve because you’re scared of how all of this is going to affect Charlotte.”  

“She seems torn on the idea,” Eddie told her. “One minute she seems like she would be okay with me dating Steve, the next she seems angry.”  

“Of course she does, doofus,” Robin laughed. “You’re tearing her apart with . . .” She waved her hands wildly. “Make a decision, Eddie. Be resolute. Do you want to be with Steve or not? And once you make that decision, take every step possible to make it happen and don’t look back. Don’t second guess yourself. Stop worrying about Charlotte. She will accept and back any decision you make, as long as you’re happy with it. That’s all she wants, Eddie. She wants you to be happy.”  

“Did she tell you that?” Robin nodded and smiled. “Why didn’t she tell me?”  

“Because you scared her.” Eddie’s face crumpled in pain. He could never take back what he’d done to Charlotte. So, he’d just have to try his hardest to make it up to her. “She’s okay, Eddie. Don’t worry about that. She’s strong. She gets that from you. But you need to make a decision. And the sooner the better. The longer you draw this out, the worse it’s going to be. Do you want to be with Steve?”  

“I do,” he said emphatically.  

“That was quick.”  

“I’ve had fifteen years to think about it,” he chuckled. “He’s all I’ve ever wanted. Charlotte and Steve. My dream come true.”  

“Then you know what you need to do, right?”  

“Tell Charlotte what I’ve decided,” he began slowly. “Then go for it.”  

“Exactly.” Robin stood up, took Eddie’s hand, and pulled him to his feet. “What time will Charlotte be home?”  

“She went to the mall with Izzy then they’re having Sunday dinner with her family,” he said. “Seven or so, I guess.”  

“Okay, when she gets home, have a talk with her.”  

“Help me?”  

“Of course, doofus.” She dropped a kiss on his cheek. “Then you need to talk to Steve. Maybe go see him tomorrow and work things out. Then, Tuesday is Christmas Eve. Maybe invite him over for dinner that night. The four of us. It’ll be fun.”  

“Okay, if Charlotte agrees.”  

“She will,” Robin laughed. “Now. I’m starving. Why don’t you take me to your diner for lunch.” She squeezed Eddie’s hand and let go of it as she started towards the front door. She threw a glance back over her shoulder at him. “Does that cute waitress still work for you? Penny, I think her name was.”  

“She does,” Eddie laughed as he slipped his jacket on then helped Robin into hers. “She’s working this afternoon, as a matter of fact.”  

“Oh, that’s nice.” Though she tried to sound uninterested, Eddie knew better, and he gave her a wink. “What? She’s cute.”  

“Cute,” Eddie laughed. “I may be queer, baby, but I still have eyes. She’s more than just cute.”  

“Okay,” Robin laughed. “She’s hot. But it’s not like I plan to ask her out or anything.”  

“Why not?”  

“Because we live a hundred miles away from each other,” Robin answered. Eddie opened the front door and Robin stepped out with him right behind her. “Long distance relationships never work.”  

“It’s only ninety miles from here to Indianapolis,” Eddie told her as he locked the front door then took her hand and led her to his car. “And you can see her on weekends until you woo her into moving to Indy to be closer to you.”  

“You, doofus,” Robin laughed, “are a complete idiot.”  

“I know,” Eddie laughed. “But you love me.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek before they got into the car and headed for the diner.  

Chapter Text

Eddie stood behind the counter at the diner and watched as Penny and Robin ate lunch together. It hadn’t technically been time for Penny’s break, but it wasn’t super busy on this particular Sunday, with Christmas being only three days away. So, he’d let her go ahead and take her break and he’d waited on them as they ordered their food. He liked Penny. She was probably his favorite of all the waitresses that had worked for him over the years, and she was the one who had worked there the longest. She was a really sweet woman. And, like he’d told Robin, she was smoking hot. Not his type, but still. He didn’t need to be sexually attracted to her to know that other people, men and women alike, found her attractive. 

When they were done eating, Robin said goodbye to Eddie and left. He’d offered her his car, but she said she’d just walk. She wanted to stop in and see some friends around town and wish them a merry Christmas. When he finally got home that evening, just after seven, he turned into the driveway and parked next to Izzy’s car. He made a point of not looking over in case they were kissing or something. But when he got out of his car, he waited for Charlotte to join him. They both waved to Izzy as she backed out and drove away before Eddie slung his arm over her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. 

“How was dinner?” 

“It was like a circus,” Charlotte laughed. “Izzy has two brothers, twins, that are nine years old. But she has so many aunts and uncles, and more cousins than I can count. There were at least thirty people there. Her parents and brother, both her grandmas and grandpas, and all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was dizzying, really.” 

“You really want to marry into a family that size,” Eddie asked as they headed for the door. 

“Whoa, daddy, slow down,” Charlotte laughed. “No one said anything about getting married. It’s a little soon for that, isn’t it?” 

“I’m only teasing, peanut.” He opened the front door and a delicious aroma in the air met them, along with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ latest album playing at an ear aching volume. 

“They were still going when we left so Izzy could bring me home,” Charlotte said loudly to be heard over the music. “They play games and do all kinds of fun stuff together.” Suddenly her eyes went dreamy, and she smiled. “It must be nice to have such a big family that’s so close.” She followed Eddie to the living room and over to the stereo. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love our little family. But I had a lot of fun.” Eddie switched off the music and their ears rang in the suddenly deafening silence. 

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Robin called out from the kitchen. 

“Every one of them greeted me and accepted me like they’d known me my whole life and I had always been a part of their family.” 

“That’s great, baby girl,” Eddie said. “I like our family as it is, but you’re right.” He nudged her towards the kitchen. “A big family like that could be a lot of fun. But can you imagine what they spend on Christmas presents?” 

“That’s the thing,” she answered as they entered the kitchen and Robin smiled over at them before reaching into the oven to remove whatever she was cooking. “They draw names. At Thanksgiving dinner, they each draw a name and keep it a secret and nobody knows who is getting who a present until Christmas morning.” 

“That sounds sensible to me.” Robin pulled the foil cover off the meatloaf she’d made for her and Eddie’s dinner. “I dated a woman a few years back that did that with her family. I participated one year. I got her dad, and her Uncle Roger got me. It was fun.” 

“Hey, Robbie!” Charlotte bounced over to Robin and hugged her tightly. “I’m glad you could come.” 

“I’ll always make time to be there for you guys.” She kissed Charlotte’s cheek then let go of her. “I assume you’re not hungry?” 

“Not at all,” Charlotte laughed. “Nona made spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli, gnocchi, and fettuccini. And there was a huge salad, and garlic bread, and like twenty different sauces. And after, there was cannoli, tiramisu, and a chocolate cake. I must have gained at least ten pounds.” 

“Well, you could still sit with us while we eat,” Robin told her. “Eddie, have a seat. I’ll make you a plate. You’ve got to be starving. You didn’t eat any lunch.” 

“He never does,” Charlotte laughed as she got a beer and soda from the refrigerator for her and her dad. “Robs, you want wine? Daddy, we have wine, right?” 

“Yeah, peanut,” he answered as he took the beer she offered him. “It’s left over from last time Robin was here, but I’m sure it’s still good.” 

“Wine doesn’t go bad,” Robin told him as she handed him a plate of meatloaf, green beans, and carrots. He frowned at the green beans but said nothing. He’d eat a few, just to appease Robin. “Yeah, I’ll have a glass. Sit down.” She motioned Charlotte towards the table. “I’ll get it.” 

When they were all seated around the table and Robin and Eddie started eating, Charlotte looked back and forth between them. Her father seemed to be in better spirits this evening. The smile on his face was warm and genuine; it wasn’t the fake smile he’d given her that morning. She’d seen the article about Steve in the paper when Eddie had gone upstairs after breakfast, and she knew that was why he’d seemed off. So, she’d thrown the newspaper out and hoped he’d forget about it. Eddie looked up and saw her watching him, so he gave her a bigger smile. 

“Like always,” he began. “Robin has swooped in and saved the day.” 

“Nothing needed saving,” Robin answered. “Your dad knew the answer. He just needed a push in the right direction.” 

“And what direction would that be,” Charlotte asked, trying, and failing when she tried to sound disinterested. Like none of it mattered. 

“Into the loving arms of Steve Harrington,” Robin giggled. 

“Oh, shut up,” Eddie laughed as he playfully swatted at her. “No, peanut. Seriously. If it’s okay with you, I want to try. To give it a shot with Steve.” 

“If it’s okay with me?” Eddie nodded. “What do I have to do with it, daddy?” Eddie and Robin took turns explaining what they’d talked about, about how Eddie didn’t want Charlotte to be hurt if he ever got hurt. “Know what, daddy?” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I love you and I’ll back you, no matter what you want to do. And, if it doesn’t work out, if Steve ends up hurting you . . .” She trailed off for a moment, a sly smirk on her face. 

“What,” Eddie asked. 

“Well, Izzy’s uncle Vito has three sons,” she said slowly. “They work in waste disposal. Sonny, Mikey, and Fredo.” 

“Shit,” Eddie laughed loudly. “My baby’s gone and gotten herself involved with the Mafia.” 

“They aren’t Mafia,” Charlotte laughed. “But still. They look like they could take care of Steve Harrington if they needed to.” 

“I don’t know about you, Eddie,” Robin said between bites. “But I’m keeping Sonny, Mikey, and Fredo in mind. Just in case.” 

“Okay, daddy,” Charlotte said, suddenly serious. “I love you. And if you want to try to be in a relationship with Steve, then I’m all for it. But I’m keeping an eye on you. If you even look like you might be unhappy, for even just a split second, I’m calling bull shit and you’re walking away, okay?” 

“Okay, peanut,” Eddie laughed. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” Charlotte grinned broadly at that. “Now, what do you think about me inviting Steve over for dinner on Christmas Eve?” 

“I think it’s a great idea,” Charlotte answered. “Robin and I can go to the movies or . . .” 

“No, no, no,” Eddie interrupted. “No, baby, I want both of you here. I want it to be like a family thing. And I want you to get to know him.” 

“Are you sure?” Eddie nodded so Charlotte glanced over at Robin. She nodded as well, smiling reassuringly at her. “Okay, yeah. Can I make dinner? I know Steve likes black bean burgers.” 

“I was thinking something a little more festive than burgers,” Eddie laughed. 

“I’ll take Charlotte shopping in the morning, and we’ll make up a festive Christmas menu fit for the Guinness World Record holder and World Series MVP,” Robin laughed. 

“I fucking hate sports,” Eddie laughed. “But my baby wants to play softball, and I’m in love with a famous baseball player. Oh, the irony is killing me.” He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. 

“Picture this, Robbie,” Charlotte said with a conspiratorial wink. “Eddie Munson, seated in the bleachers at Hawkins High School, wearing a Hawkins Tigers baseball cap as he cheers his husband and daughter to victory.” 

“Husband,” Eddie choked. 

“I think green and gold are definitely his colors,” Robin laughed. 

“What was it you said to me outside, peanut,” Eddie asked after clearing his throat. “Isn’t it a little early to be talking marriage?” Charlotte and Robin both shook their heads. “Let’s just take it one step at a time, all right? Let me ask him over for dinner first. See where it goes from there.” Suddenly he stopped, shook his head, and frowned. “Shit. What if he already has Christmas Eve plans? I seem to remember that when we were in high school, his family always opened their gifts on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day. Shit. What if he can’t come?” His face suddenly went white. “What if he won’t come?” 

“Calm down, daddy,” Charlotte said gently. 

“You’ll never know until you ask.” Robin laid her hand over his on the table and gave it a squeeze. Eddie raised his eyes to hers, they were wide, innocent, and scared. He reminded her of the way he’d been back in high school. “Call him after dinner.” Eddie’s eyes darted over to Charlotte. 

“Yeah, daddy,” she said. “After dinner. Call him and ask him. What’s the worst that could happen?” 

“He could say no,” Eddie whispered. 

“And if he does, we’ll move on. Won’t we, Robs?” 

“Of course, we will,” Robin answered. “But I don’t think he’ll say no.” 

********** 

Robin and Charlotte stayed in the kitchen and cleaned up after dinner. Robin was a great cook, but she always left the kitchen looking like a hurricane had blown through. So, while they did the dishes and set everything to rights, Eddie grabbed his phone and a joint and went out onto the back porch to call Steve. It was cold out, but he needed to smoke a little to get up the nerve to dial Steve’s parents’ number. He started three or four times but hung up again.  

He almost gave up and started back inside, but through the window he could see Charlotte and Robin laughing and dancing around as they cleaned, and he smiled. He could do this. Eddie dialed and waited. On the third ring, a soft, female voice answered. Steve’s mom. He took a deep breath, held it for a couple of seconds then exhaled slowly. 

“Hey, Mrs. H,” he said, his voice cracking. He hated how weak he sounded. He cleared his throat and went on. “It’s Eddie.” He heard her sigh heavily. 

“What do you want, Eddie?” 

“Is Steve there,” he asked. “Can I talk to him?” 

“Haven’t you done enough?”  

Eddie’s breath caught in his chest. What had Steve told his mother? Had he told her that they’d tried, and Eddie had run out on him? And then another thought struck him. How was this whole thing affecting Steve? Eddie hadn’t even given a second thought to Steve’s feelings. Steve, so big and strong and confident. Eddie had assumed he had all the answers, and nothing could hurt him the way that he had hurt. Suddenly he felt so small and weak. How could he be so selfish that he had never even considered how Steve felt in all of this? 

“I, I’m sor . . . I’m sorry,” he choked out. “Forget it. Never mind. I’m sorry for bothering you.” He started to hang up. 

“Eddie, wait.” He stopped. Raised the phone back to his ear. “I don’t pretend to understand what happened between you and Steve fifteen years ago,” she said softly. “I never could figure out why two people who were so very different could be so in love with each other, and at the same time be so stupid as not to tell the other how they felt.” She paused and Eddie’s head started swimming. She knew they loved each other. He’d always assumed Steve’s parents were completely indifferent to whatever the two of them felt for each other. “And I’m not blind. I can see Steve’s heart breaking, ever since he ran into you, he’s been different. And there is no mistaking the gleam in his eye when he says your name. Still. After all these years. He is still so in love with you that he doesn’t know what to do with himself.” 

“I love him too, Mrs. H,” Eddie whispered. “I always have.” 

“My gut is telling me to just hang up, never tell him you called,” she said. “But, could I live with myself if I robbed him of this chance?” Eddie didn’t answer. It was a hypothetical question, and he knew it. “Eddie Munson, you promise me one thing. Do you hear me?” 

“Anything, Mrs. H,” Eddie answered. 

“You love my son with all of your heart, okay?” Eddie nodded though he knew she couldn’t see it. “You do not break his heart. Do you understand me?” 

“I won’t,” he said as he wiped a tear from his cheek. “I promise you, Mrs. H.” 

“Okay, hold on.” 

Eddie heard the muffled sounds of her covering the phone and calling for Steve. They held a brief conversation that he couldn’t make out before there was a rustling and a long pause. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard a sigh through the phone, and he knew it was Steve.

“Steve?” 

“Yeah,” he answered wearily. “I’m here, Eddie.” 

“I’m sorry.” There was no answer. “I shouldn’t have run out on you the other night.” 

“It’s okay,” Steve answered. “I shouldn’t have even taken you to that motel.” 

“I went willingly.” They both sighed. “I’m sorry.” 

“I’m sorry too.” 

“Can we start over?” Steve didn’t answer. “I love you, Steve.” 

“Eddie . . .” 

“Let me finish.” Eddie took a deep breath and when Steve said nothing, he exhaled and went on. “I love you. I loved you fifteen years ago. And I still love you today. I want to start over. If you want to try. I don’t mean what we were going to do the other night. I just mean . . .” He trailed off, unsure of how to go on. 

“Eddie, would you like to go out sometime?” Eddie’s face split into a wide grin. “I get it. Start over. Take it slow. Don’t just jump into bed together. Nothing good will come of that.” 

“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say nothing,” Eddie laughed lightly. 

“You know what I mean, babe.” Eddie nodded slowly. “So, will you go out with me?” 

“Actually, that’s why I was calling.” Steve couldn’t help but smile at how nervous Eddie sounded. “What are you doing Tuesday evening?” 

“Christmas Eve?” 

“Yeah,” Eddie said breathlessly. “I mean, I know your family always celebrated on Christmas Eve, so if you’re busy, I would completely understand and maybe we could do something another time. After Christmas. Or New Year’s. You know, if you don’t already have plans or something, I mean . . .” 

“Eddie, stop,” Steve laughed. “We don’t do that anymore. The Christmas Eve thing.” Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. “Why? What did you have in mind?” 

“Would you like to come over for Christmas Eve dinner?” 

“Eddie, I . . .” 

“No, don’t worry,” Eddie rushed on. “I know that sounds like moving too fast. But Charlotte would be there. And Robin’s in town, and . . .” 

“Robin?” 

“Yeah, she’s spending Christmas with us.” 

“I’d love to, Eddie.” 

“Really?” 

“Do you want me to bring anything?” 

“No,” Eddie answered, trying to calm himself down. “Just you. And, uhm, I’ve got beer and I’m sure Robin will pick up some more wine. But if there’s anything you want to drink.” 

“Beer is fine,” Steve laughed. “What time?” 

“Six?” 

“I’ll see you at six on Tuesday.” Eddie grinned bigger, if that was even possible. “I love you, Eddie.” 

“I love you, Steve.” 

Eddie hung up the phone and slumped back against the wall. He felt completely drained, but at the same time, he was happier than he’d been in a really long time. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, but eventually Charlotte stuck her head out the back door and smiled at him. 

“You okay, daddy?” 

“Yeah, peanut,” he said as he pushed off the wall and went to her, slung his arm over her shoulder, and led her back inside to where Robin was waiting. “I’m fucking perfect.” 

“From that ‘cat that ate the canary’ grin, I’m taking it things went well?” Eddie just nodded and hugged Charlotte to his side. “Steve’s coming for Christmas Eve?” 

“Yeah, he is.” He dropped a kiss on Charlotte’s cheek, who was staring up at him expectantly. “I told him I love him.” Charlotte squealed in delight. “And he said he loves me too.” 

“This is going to be the best Christmas ever,” Charlotte giggled. “I’m so happy for you, daddy.” 

“And so am I, doofus.” 

“I’m happy too,” Eddie answered. “Why don’t we go watch a Christmas movie or something?” 

“Die Hard is not a Christmas movie,” Robin told him as she went to where he and Charlotte were. 

“Well, we’re sure as shit not watching some Hallmark rom-com Christmas crap either,” Eddie said as he put his other arm over her shoulder. “Let’s let Charlotte choose.” 

“Hmm,” she hummed as she looked up at both of them. “Die Hard or a rom-com?” They both gave her pleading looks. “How about Miracle on 34th Street?” Eddie frowned but Robin’s eyes lit up. “Please, daddy? For me?” She gave him her best wide eyed, pleading look. 

“Unfair,” Eddie laughed. “Using my own tactics against me.”  

“Miracle on 34th Street, it is,” Robin laughed as she spun out of his arms. 

Chapter Text

Eddie tried his best to make it through Monday without freaking out too much. He woke up early, made breakfast for Robin and Charlotte, then went to the diner to try and lose himself in not thinking about Steve too much. He failed, of course, and ended up spending most of the day with a smile on his face and his head in the clouds. That evening, he left the diner in the hands of his employees just long enough to run downtown to the barber. His hair hadn’t had a proper trim in more months than he could count, and his split ends were starting to get a little out of control. 

At closing time, Eddie had Louie fix him some dinner before he left, then Eddie locked the doors and went into his office to count out the register for the day and close everything up. More than anything, Eddie wanted to go home after an almost seventeen-hour day, but he knew if he did, he’d start obsessing over the fact that Steve was coming to dinner the next night, and he’d most likely talk himself out of it.  

Robin had been correct about that. Eddie had done that his whole life. He either jumped blindly into things without thinking about them, or he overthought and overanalyzed every decision until he could find a way out of it. Hell, he’d probably be able to talk himself out of breathing if he really tried. It was a bad habit and over the years he’d gotten better at measuring out the blindness and the analyzing, until he had a pretty good balance. But then there was Steve Harrington. 

Eddie had never been able to think straight when it came to Steve. After Steve had left for college, Eddie had gone into overthinking mode and he talked himself into believing that he never should have gone out with Steve, especially with knowing that it wouldn’t last. Why had he put himself through that? Why had he jumped blindly into a relationship that was going to hurt him so much? 

Love. That was why. Even before they’d officially met for the first time, Eddie had known he was in love with Steve. He wasn’t sure how you could love someone that you’d never so much as spoken to, but he knew he loved Steve. That fact was cemented when they finally met, and when they became friends, then started hanging out together, and then the day Steve returned his Slayer tape and Eddie had, in his own Eddie way, let Steve know that he was interested. That first kiss had sealed the deal for Eddie. He knew from that exact moment that no matter what happened in this world, his heart would always belong to Steve Harrington. 

So, Eddie kept himself busy. He didn’t want to talk himself out of trying again with Steve. He wanted to do this. He wanted to be with Steve. His entire body still ached from the pent-up frustration of walking out of that motel the other night when they’d been so close. Eddie needed Steve, just one touch, one kiss. That was all he needed. But he had to force himself not to think about it. So, when his phone rang as he was reconciling last month’s bank statement, Eddie was surprised to see that it was after midnight. 

“Hey, peanut,” he said into the phone as he lifted it to his ear. “I’m sorry. I lost track of time.” 

“Are you okay, daddy?” 

‘Yeah, baby,” Eddie chuckled. “I’m perfectly fine. Just got lost in the exciting world of accounting.” That made Charlotte laugh. She knew how much Eddie hated that part of the job. “Had to keep my mind occupied,” he said. “So, I don’t go crazy thinking about, well, you know.” 

“I know, daddy,” she answered with a yawn. “I just wanted to check on you. I haven’t seen you today, and I missed you.” 

“I missed you too, baby girl.” 

“Thanks for the breakfast you left us, by the way.” Eddie smiled. “Are you coming home soon?” 

“Yeah.” Eddie looked down at the account ledger in front of him, then reached up and rubbed his eyes. “Yeah. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.” He flipped the ledger closed. “Let me just lock everything in the safe and I’ll be on my way.” 

“Okay, daddy,” she said. “I’ll try to wait up, but if I fall asleep, I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Good night, peanut,” Eddie replied. “I love you.” 

“Love you too, daddy.” 

********** 

Eddie woke up on Christmas Eve morning to a myriad of wonderful smells wafting through the house. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost nine in the morning. He got up, showered, messed with his newly trimmed hair for fifteen minutes, trying to get it perfect, then got dressed before going downstairs. He found Charlotte and Robin in the kitchen, amidst a whirlwind of activity as they prepared breakfast, snacks for throughout the day, and dinner for that evening. Christmas music was playing softly on the stereo and when they saw him, both Charlotte and Robin rushed to him, threw their arms around him, and the three of them spun in a circle while singing along to Jingle Bell Rock.

“Daddy, did you know that you can buy a turkey breast without all the rest of the stupid bird?” Eddie chuckled at that. He and Charlotte both only liked the breast and times in the past when they’d had a whole turkey, it had been up to Wayne to eat everything else. “We bought a huge turkey breast and a ham.” 

“And we’re making glazed carrots, sweet potato soufflé, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes with gravy, parmesan crusted asparagus, and maple bacon brussel sprouts,” Robin added as she put French toast on a plate for Eddie. “Stop making faces about the green veggies. You’ll eat them and you’ll like them.” 

“Don’t forget the rolls,” Charlotte called from where she was checking something in the oven. “We got white dinner rolls, wheat rolls, and a pumpernickel rye swirled baguette. Just in case Steve doesn’t like one or the other.” 

“Sit and eat,” Robin prompted as she shoved the plate of food she’d made into Eddie’s hands. “We’re going to need your help to get everything ready by six.” 

“I don’t suppose I could get some of that bacon you mentioned,” Eddie asked with a laugh. “French toast isn’t French toast without a side of bacon.”  

“The bacon is for the brussel sprouts.” He narrowed his eyes as Robin dropped two sausage links onto his plate. “Try this. It’s turkey sausage. Much better for you than pork.” 

“Besides,” Charlotte laughed. “I happen to know you ate a double bacon cheeseburger last night at the diner for dinner.” Eddie opened his eyes wide and gave her his best innocent look as he took a bite of the sausage. Surprisingly, he liked it and couldn’t even tell it wasn’t pork. “Louie called this morning, and I asked him if he fed you last night.” 

“He called,” Eddie asked as he dipped his sausage in the syrup on his French toast. “What did he want this early?” 

“He said something about a delivery he’s supposed to make,” Charlotte answered. “But he was being all secretive about and said he’d call you later.” 

Eddie grinned as he ate. Charlotte’s car. Louis was going to bring it over in the early morning hours tomorrow, long before Charlotte would be awake. He was going to park it in the driveway, put the giant red bow Eddie had bought on top and then Eddie had the keys wrapped in a large box under the tree. It didn’t weigh much since the only thing in it was a car key, and that intrigued Charlotte. She wrapped her arms around that box at least once a day, lifted it, and shook it, trying to figure out what in the world could be that big and weigh so little. 

“Did you get your hair cut,” Robin asked from where she was chopping vegetables on the butcher block. “It looks neater, not so raggedy.” 

“Yeah,” Eddie answered. “I went during a lull at the diner yesterday.” He turned to Charlotte. “Does it look okay?” 

“You look very handsome, daddy.” She danced over to him to pour him some orange juice and dropped a kiss on his cheek. “Steve’s going to go apeshit at how good you look.” 

“Your language,” Eddie playfully scolded. 

When Eddie was done eating, he washed the breakfast dishes then meekly accepted a list of chores the women had made for him. While they cooked, Eddie was to dust and vacuum the living room and dining room. When he was done with that, Charlotte wanted him to get the good china out. It had belonged to Wayne’s wife forever ago. She’d died long before Charlotte was ever born, but Wayne had always talked about her fondly. So, Eddie went up to the attic and found the boxes of dishes, then carefully washed all of them, and stacked them neatly on the serving buffet in the dining room. 

They never ate there; mostly the room sat empty. And Eddie thought it would be cozier if they ate in the kitchen like they always did, but both Charlotte and Robin insisted on having dinner with Steve in the dining room. So, the next part of Eddie’s chores for the day was to gather evergreen branches, some extra ornaments, and lights from the basement, and decorate the dining room to match the rest of the house, since they hadn’t bothered when they’d done the other rooms. 

By the time Eddie was finished with everything on his list, it was after five o’clock. While Charlotte and Robin changed into something more festive, Eddie went to his room and got cleaned up as well. At first, he’d grabbed a pair of ripped and faded jeans and a Black Label Society shirt to wear. But when he came down the stairs and Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, he knew he’d have to change. So, back up the stairs he went to put on a nice pair of black jeans and a forest green button-down shirt that he carefully tucked in and left the first few buttons undone so that the tattoos on his chest would show. 

Downstairs, Eddie paced slowly in the living room. He was nervous and he fidgeted with the rings on his fingers. Charlotte watched him, worry on her face. She could almost hear the wheels turning in his head, analyzing the situation. She threw Robin a pleading look and Robin knew exactly what Charlotte was thinking. She went to the bar and poured a shot of tequila then handed it to Eddie. He looked startled at first, but when he realized what she’d put in his hand, he smiled. 

“Thank you,” he laughed then downed the shot in one gulp. 

“Stop thinking,” she whispered. “Just go with the flow. Right?” Eddie nodded just as the doorbell rang. “You’ve got this, Eddie.” Then she called back over her shoulder, “Charlotte, honey, get the door.” 

“Don’t let me say or do something stupid,” Eddie said, a desperate pleading in his eyes. “If things look like they’re going south, stop me so I don’t self-destruct.” 

“I won’t let you self-destruct,” she told him. “Neither will your daughter.” She squeezed his shoulders then took the shot glass from him. “It’s showtime.”  

Robin turned Eddie just as Charlotte led Steve into the room. Both men froze, smiles on their face, and they stared dreamily at each other for a solid minute before Robin finally cleared her throat. Both men slowly came out of their daze, and Steve looked surprised when he looked down at Charlotte next to him and Robin next to Eddie. It was as if Steve and Eddie had been the only two people in the entire universe for a minute. But they were both back now and Steve turned his eyes to Robin. 

“Buckley, it’s good to see you.” 

“It’s good to be seen, dingus.” She went to him and held out her hands. Steve took one and Robin pulled him into a hug. “Don’t break him,” she whispered so only he could hear. “He loves you more than you’ll ever know.” 

“I know.” They let go of each other and Steve’s eyes found Eddie’s again, and for another several long moments, they just stared at each other. 

“Daddy, look.” Charlotte held up a potted poinsettia. “Steve brought us a plant.” 

“Beautiful,” Eddie sighed. Then he dropped his eyes to the plant his daughter was holding. “Why don’t you put it in the dining room, peanut?” She nodded vigorously. 

“Come on,” Robin laughed. “I’ll help you.” 

Robin gave Steve a pointed look and he nodded. He understood. So, Robin led Charlotte out of the room to give the men a moment of privacy. When they were gone, Eddie finally moved. He took a tentative step closer to Steve, and Steve took a step closer to him. Then another, until they were toe to toe and Eddie looked up into Steve’s eyes. 

“You look amazing,” Steve said as he let his eyes move over Eddie from head to toe and back. “Green definitely looks good on you.” 

“You too,” Eddie sighed dreamily, also letting his eyes move over Steve. “I mean, red. Red looks good on you.” Steve was wearing charcoal gray slacks and a burgundy red polo shirt that accentuated his well muscled arms. “Yeah. You look good.” 

“Dinner smells amazing.” 

“That’s all Charlotte and Robin,” Eddie chuckled, a nervous tension running through him. “I mean, I can cook. But not like that. They went all out. They even made green vegetables that I’m actually excited to try. I may look good in green, but I usually avoid eating anything green.” 

“Eddie?” Eddie looked up at Steve again. “You don’t have to be so anxious. It’s just me. Just Steve. The same old guy you’ve had dinner with a hundred times before.” 

“Yeah, well, that was fifteen years ago,” Eddie laughed. “A lot has changed since then.” 

“And a lot is still the same.” He leaned closer to Eddie. “We’re still just two regular guys, right?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Eddie exhaled. Steve leaned closer, licked his lips slowly as he held Eddie’s gaze. There was no mistaking the love and desire in either of their eyes. Eddie went up on his tip toes, licked his own lips, and shivered when he felt Steve’s breath as he exhaled slowly. “Well, shit,” Eddie whispered. “What do I have to do to get you to kiss me? Hang mistletoe?” 

Steve didn’t answer. He closed the small gap between them, and their lips met. It was soft, timid, barely a kiss. Until Steve raised a hand and cupped the back of Eddie’s head, tangled his fingers in his hair and tugged him closer, the way he used to do fifteen years ago. Eddie went willingly, his lips parted, breathless, and he let Steve take his mouth. Their arms went around each other, their bodies crashed together, and Eddie moaned lustily into Steve’s mouth. Steve used Eddie’s hair to tilt him back, to lean over him and exert his dominance as he gently yet forcefully explored Eddie’s mouth with his tongue. Eddie melted into him and wordlessly gave him permission to take anything he wanted.  

Several moments later, Steve pulled back, albeit slowly. He took his time working his way out of Eddie’s mouth, away from him, but never let go of him. He showered his lips, cheeks, and chin with the tiniest kisses and the softest nips until the kiss was finally no more. Their hands reluctantly left each other’s bodies, but Steve didn’t let go completely. He dragged his fingers down Eddie’s arms until he had Eddies hands in his and they were no longer in each other’s space. 

“Did you say something about mistletoe,” Steve asked breathlessly. 

“Doesn’t look like we need it,” Eddie replied with a laugh. 

“No, I guess we don’t,” Steve chuckled. “One thing we never had an issue with was kissing.” 

“No, kissing always came easy.” Eddie pulled his hands from Steve’s. “We should go into the dining room. I mean, I know the both of them have their ears to the door to make sure we’re getting along.” 

“Yeah, we probably should join them,” Steve said as he reached for Eddie and took one of his hands. “The longer we’re alone, the harder it is to remember that we agreed to go slow.” 

“Yeah,” Eddie sighed. “Tell me about it.” 

********** 

Dinner was lively and festive, with all of them trying to talk at once. Steve seemed to be smitten with Charlotte as she gushed over him and his accomplishments in baseball. He could see so much of Eddie in her that at moments, it was hard to tell they were two different people. And Charlotte seemed just as taken with Steve as he and Robin regaled them with tales of Eddie’s misadventures as a teenager. But Eddie gave as good as he got. He had his own stories about Robin and Steve that had them both blushing at moments. 

During dessert, Eddie got up and made a pot of coffee for him and Steve and hot chocolate for Charlotte and Robin. And then Robin suggested playing a board game, the way she and Eddie had used to do with Wayne when Charlotte was just a baby. Charlotte chose Clue and they teamed up and played several games over the next few hours. 

It wasn’t until Charlotte and Robin both started yawning and talking about going to bed that Eddie and Steve realized how late it was. They spent a half hour saying goodnight to the girls, and once they were both upstairs and everything was quiet, Eddie asked Steve to join him on the back porch for a joint. Steve looked a little skeptical at first, and Eddie was about to say never mind, he wouldn’t smoke either if Steve didn’t want to, when Steve finally shrugged and nodded. 

“Fuck it,” he laughed. “I’m not a professional athlete anymore. And I already took my drug screening for the high school job. What harm could it do?” So, they both slipped into their jackets and went outside. Eddie sat down on the porch steps and Steve sat with him, one step up, so that Eddie could lean his head over on Steve’s thigh. “You remember the first time we smoked together?” 

“I was convinced you were only there to bust me and narc on me or something.” He tilted his head back and looked up at Steve as he passed the joint to him. “I never believed Dustin when he’d insist on the fact that you were a total badass. I just had to see it for myself.” 

“He once told me you were jealous of me?” Eddie nodded. “I was jealous of you too,” Steve sighed. “Still kind of am.” 

“Really?” Eddie sat up and turned on the step to face Steve as he took the joint from him, took a hit, then handed it back. “What are you jealous of? You’re a famous baseball player. I own a shitty little diner in a small town that you couldn’t wait to get out of.” 

“But I’m back now.” Eddie nodded slowly as he took the joint again. “I’ve spent the last fifteen years being Steve ‘The Cannon’ Harrington, and I have absolutely nothing to show for it. My career is over. I’m a washed up has been. But you . . .” He made a grand gesture with his arms to everything around him. “You have everything I’ve ever wanted. A home, a family, a real life.” 

“You can have those things too, Steve.” Eddie moved up on the step next to him as he took the last hit of the joint and tapped it out on the step. “You’re here now. I want you in my life. Charlotte seems to adore you. And I know Robin is over the moon that you’re back. And just think. Dustin will be back after the first of the year.” 

“Where is Henderson,” Steve laughed. “I tried to get ahold of him, but his mother wouldn’t tell me anything.” 

“He’s in D.C.,” Eddie answered. “He’s working for the DOE, over at Hawkins National Lab. They sent him to Washington for classification training. He’s supposed to be back and take over part of the lab in mid-January.” 

“What’s he doing at the lab,” Steve asked. 

“Who the fuck knows,” Eddie laughed. “He’s all secretive about it. He says it’s classified. Real hush hush stuff. Something about Russians.” Steve laughed too. “Anyway, I think what I’m trying to say is, you’ve got a ready-made family right here waiting for you. Maybe it’s not the traditional family dynamic. But it’s yours. If you’re willing to give it a chance.” They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment.  
“All you have to do is say the word, Steve.” 

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Yeah. I’d love that. To be part of your family.” Their lips met in a long and lingering kiss. 

“Welcome to the family, baby.” 

********** 

Christmas morning breakfast had never been a thing in Eddie’s family. Coffee? Yeah. But not breakfast. Get up, get some coffee, and open gifts. That was the way it had always been. And when Eddie and Steve came down the stairs, hand in hand, Charlotte and Robin had coffee ready. Though they were surprised to see Steve. They shared a quick glance and Charlotte had to hide a smile as she went to the cupboard and got another cup for Steve. When Everyone had coffee, and hot chocolate for Charlotte, they headed for the living room. But Eddie caught Charlotte’s hand and held her back for a moment. 

“Nothing happened.” 

“It’s okay, daddy,” she said happily. “You don’t have to explain.” 

“I do, peanut,” he said. “So, listen. He wants to be part of our family. And I want it too. We stayed up all night last night and just talked. Well, maybe we kissed a little.” His cheeks went deep red, and Charlotte giggled. “But nothing happened between us. We’re still going to take it slow. But, if you’re okay with it, we’d like to move forward. Eventually get back to where we used to be. And, at some point, maybe he could move in with us?” 

“And I’d have two dads?” Eddie nodded, unsure of the look in Charlotte’s eyes. But suddenly she grinned broadly, her whole face lighting up. “Fuck yeah!” She jumped into Eddie’s arms and threw hers around his neck. “Sorry. But yeah. Yes, daddy. Yes!” 

“Okay, sweetheart,” he laughed as he squeezed her then put her back on the floor. “Let’s go open presents . . . Shit! We don’t have anything for Steve.” 

“Well, yeah,” she laughed. “We kind of do. When Robs and I were shopping, we picked up a little something for him. It’s small. A braided leather bracelet with an onyx stone.” Eddie gave her an incredulous look. “We were hopeful things would work out.” 

“What would I do without you, peanut?” 

In the living room, they all sat down on the floor by the tree and opened gifts. Steve loved the bracelet they’d picked out for him, and he dropped a soft kiss on Eddie’s cheek as he put it on him. Eddie avoided the large box with Charlotte’s car key in it on purpose, knowing how anxious she was to find out what was in that big box. And when the only gift left was the car key and another, much smaller box that Eddie didn’t recognize, he looked around at all the gifts scattered around. He didn’t see anything missing. So, he picked up the tiny box wrapped in gold foil paper. The tag had his name on it. He looked around at the faces watching him. 

“It’s from me,” Steve said quietly. “It’s nothing, really.” 

“Whatever it is,” Eddie said as he carefully tore the paper open. “I’m sure I’ll love it.”  

Inside the foil was a small velvet box. Eddie’s mouth suddenly went dry, and his heart skipped a beat. He lifted the lid, and his eyes went wide. Inside was a large, chunky platinum ring with a ruby and obsidian A surrounded by diamonds in the center, and the words “World Champions 2001” and several more diamonds around it. Eddie took the ring from the box and held it as he looked up at Steve. 

“It’s my world series ring,” Steve explained. “I wanted you to have it.” 

“I . . It’s . . .” Eddie reached up and wiped a tear from his cheek. “I can’t take this, babe.” Charlotte grinned at the term of endearment. “This must be worth a fortune.” 

“It’s not worth as much as you mean to me,” Steve said. He took the ring and slipped it onto Eddie’s hand. But it slid back off. It was too big. “We can get it resized.” 

“No.” Eddie pushed the ring back onto his finger and made a fist so it wouldn’t fall off. “No. I’ve got a chain I can put it on. Wear it around my neck. That would be less ridiculous than me walking around wearing a World Series ring.” 

“That’s a perfect idea,” Robin chimed in. 

“Let me see.” Charlotte came over to her father and sat down next to him as she examined the ring. “That’s so cool! Wait until I tell Izzy.” 

“Thank you, Steve,” Eddie said, a genuinely happy smile on his face. “I love it.” They leaned in and kissed softly, only stopping when Charlotte cleared her throat. “Yes, peanut?” He knew she was anxious to open the big box. “Is there something I can do for you?” 

“Daddy!” Eddie laughed. “Can I open it?” 

“I’ll give you three guesses what it is,” Eddie told her while giving Robin a conspiratorial wink. She knew what Eddie had gotten his daughter. “If you can guess, you can open it.” 

“And if she doesn’t guess,” Steve asked with a laugh. 

“Then it goes back.” Charlotte’s eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open and she was struck speechless. “Fuck, baby girl, you know I’m only teasing you. Go ahead. Open it.” 

As Charlotte dove for the box, Steve scooted closer to Eddie and wrapped his arms around him, Eddie relaxed back into him and sighed happily. Charlotte tore through the paper only to find a huge box full of crumpled up, multicolored tissue paper. She shot Eddie a look and he motioned for her to keep going. So, she started digging. At the bottom of the box she found a much smaller box, no bigger than a match box. She picked it up and shook it, grinning broadly at the quiet rattle from within. Charlotte opened the box and saw the Mustang key inside. Her eyes went wide, and she looked up at Eddie disbelievingly. 

“My own key to your car?” 

“Not quite,” Eddie laughed then nodded towards the front door. “Take a look.” 

Charlotte was off the floor and flying towards the door in seconds. The rest of them got up and followed, only to find Charlotte on the front porch, her mouth hanging open, staring in awe at the shiny red Mustang with the giant bow sitting in the driveway. She turned slowly to her father. 

“You’re kidding, right?” Eddie shook his head. “It’s mine? For real?” 

“Merry Christmas, peanut.” 

“Daddy!” Charlotte threw herself at Eddie, and since Steve was right next to him, their arms around each other’s waists, she flew into Steve too. She wrapped an arm around each of their necks and kissed both their cheeks. “Oh my god, thank you! It’s exactly the one I wanted! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”  

She kissed them each one more time then went flying off the porch and over to her new car. Robin gave Eddie an approving smile and followed Charlotte. They both got into the car and Charlotte started the car. It roared to life, and she revved the engine. Steve squeezed Eddie’s waist in his hand. 

“You did good, daddy,” he chuckled. “I think she’s the happiest teenager on the planet right now.” 

“I think she is,” Eddie replied. “But watch it with the daddy thing. Maybe save that for the bedroom.” He gave Steve a wink. 

“Oh, you like that, huh?” Eddie turned as Steve wrapped both arms around him and looked up into his eyes. “I’m going to have to remember that.” They kissed slowly. “Thank you, Eddie.” 

“What’re you thanking me for?” 

“Giving me another chance,” Steve answered. “Letting me be a part of your life and your family.” 

“It wasn’t all my decision, you know.” 

“Yeah. I figured Charlotte had the last say.” Eddie just nodded. “So, Christmas dinner this afternoon at my parents’ house? All four of us?” 

“Do they know I’m coming,” Eddie asked with a laugh. 

“They know,” he replied. “And they’re excited to welcome all of you into our family as well.” Their lips met and they kissed again, refusing to stop until Charlotte honked her horn at them. “This is the best Christmas ever,” Steve laughed. 

“I love you, Steve Harrington.” 

“And I love you, Eddie Munson.” 

THE END