Pentapoctopus

And then everything stopped. 

The wind and laughter ceased making noise, leaving a gaping silence that set off Eddie’s nerves. He turned to look behind him and saw a man standing in front of Billy, a strange expression on his face. He was wholly unfamiliar to Eddie, his blond hair and blue eyes unrecognizable, and yet there was something about him that set Eddie’s teeth on edge. 

Eddie watched in horror as the man grabbed ahold of Billy’s anchor and yanked on it, tugging mercilessly until is pulled free from its place in Billy’s chest. Without the anchor to keep him grounded, Billy began to float, slowly passing through the ceiling until he was out of sight. 

The strange man then turned to Eddie, who immediately backed away. The man offered a smile, but it gave Eddie no comfort. 

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Edmund turned back towards Prince Stefan after a nudge from Gareth the pony.

“Please sire, come back once the rooster has crowed it’s final crow, and the moon has risen upon the nightly splendors of the fae. Then you may have your way with me without any equine witnesses to our couplings.”

“How wonderful!” The Prince exclaimed. “I shall be here at nine o’clock promptly.”

Later that night, Edmund sighed and checked his pocket watch. The ravens had already begun their nightly watch over the hallowed halls of evening, surely the prince couldn’t be fifteen minutes late!

No sooner than the thought crossed his mind than did the prince arrive astride his trusty mare, Robin the horse.

Steve winced. Maybe he wouldn’t tell Robin about this one. He definitely wasn’t going to tell Gareth either way, not unless he wanted to watch out for booby traps in their apartment for the rest of his life.

Heh heh, boobies.

Steve skimmed the couple paragraphs going on and on about how loyal and steadfast the prince’s mare was, only slowing down once the porn started getting good again:

As his one-eyed proportionally-sized weasel grew underneath his trousers in response to those heated touches, so too did Edmund’s nerves.

“Sire, please be gentle,” he requested. “I have lain with another before, but not like this!”

No pressure tags for folks to join in and work on your own wips!

@cxwzkeys @pearynice @little-annie @dame-zoom-a-latte @machtaholic

@apomaro-mellow @eriquin @pentapoctopus @onirislanding @griefabyss69

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[The camera opens with Robin chasing Steve with a pink Dildo suction cupped to her head, another in her hands. Eddie and Jeff are sword fighting with blue ones cupped to their heads, and Gareth is recording. Donny is trying his best to get his to stick.]

[“Come here and be a dickhead with me, Steve!” Robin yells as she tackles him and smacks the suction cup onto his forehead. Steve yelps and turns around, smacking her in the face with his. The camera gets set down and suddenly Gareth has one suctioned to his forehead as well. Gareth yells, “Dick fight!”]

WIP SNIP: "A Taste Of You"

Their sweet smell lingered long after the noises receded.

That had been the entire reason he’d bothered to pry his way from his daze — from the literal ground: to seek that delicious scent that had ignited the hunger deep in his belly… how he found himself single minded in his quest to find it.

It was easy to ignore how his body ached; how his fingers were caked with dirt and splinters of wood from digging himself out of what he’s realized had been his own coffin and grave, how his limbs burned with effort after some unknown time of disuse. Nothing else mattered except seeking and tracking that smell across town in the cover of shadows and the new moon. Passing so many other lovely smells; enough to further build the flame of his hunger, but none so tempting at the one he was searching for.

The surprise finally hit him when he found himself in front of a familiar doorway - staring at the double doors as if they’d bit him… wondering how he got there; unsure where here was, despite it’s familiarity. Mind finally catching up with him that he was moving… dead things don’t move. He reached forward, attempting to wiggle the knob open, only the reel back with a hiss as he hit some soft of… barrier?

What the hell?

No Pressure Tags: @felixir-of-moths @vthx @machtaholic @pentapoctopus @helpimstuckposting @salamandergoo @stellarspecter @cloudsurfing42 @tinytalkingtina @yesdangerpls @mission2mordor @hbyrde36 @sourw0lfs and anyone else who wants to join in on the fun and get some words in! So many new members of the guild this week, so I hope though I don't know who to tag, that you'll join in too!

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"What's new with you?" Eddie asks, taking Steve's feet into his lap. Some nights, he can't feel Eddie at all. Tonight, he feels real as flesh and bone.

"Rob and I are working at a diner now. She's going to college and she's got a new girlfriend. The kids are good. I spoke to your uncle on the phone last month. He's working the day shift now."

"Fascinating, but none of those things involve you, Stevie," Eddie supplied. There's dirt under his fingernails.

'I'm still seeing the ghost of a boy I never got to know,' Steve thinks, but doesn't say.

'I'm going crazy," Steve thinks but doesn't say.

'I think that time is a river that you and I are standing in while everyone else is drifting by,' Steve almost says.

"I'm thinking of throwing a party for Halloween," Steve admits.

There are very few things Steve is genuinely good at. Throwing parties is one of them. Another is being haunted, but that's neither here nor there.

"Halloween already?" Time for Eddie passes oddly, Steve knew.

The man's ringed fingers slide beneath Robin's jacket and settle on his shins. The hairs on his legs stand to attention.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you," Steve whispers, because he needs to. He tells Eddie every chance he can. On some nights, when he's feeling brave, he'll add, 'because I think I could have loved you,' if they'd had time.

Eddie looks perplexed, his brows drawing together, his jaw working away at nothing. There is blood on his lips and in his teeth. He doesn't seem to notice. Steve still wants to kiss him. Blood pounds in his ears, reminding Steve that he's alive, despite everything.

"I'm sorry I can't leave you alone. I would if I could. I try, but I keep coming back to you."

Steve didn't want Eddie to stop. He had the boy sometimes, and it would have to be enough. Maybe one of these days, he could work out how to save him. Bringing someone back from the dead sounded impossible but, in Steve's life, stranger things had happened.

Until that day, Steve was okay with being an anchor tying Eddie down in time.

"I don't want you to go. It's nice when you're here. It's cosy." Steve was cuddled up with the ghost of a rotting corpse and calling it cosy. He was officially all the way crazy.

"You want to know a nerdy fact?" Eddie questions, twisting his hair between his thumb and forefinger.

"Careful, I've been told I have a thing for nerds," Steve warns as he sits up, shifting closer to the boy. He worries he'll hurt Eddie by getting too close, but he remains still and steadfast as a stone.

"Haunt and home come from the same word. Maybe that's why I keep following you," Eddie offers.

"You're... my place, you know?"

Steve did. He just wished they'd worked it out sooner.

"Or maybe, something happened when you tried to drag my body out of the Upside Down," Eddie continues.

"I took tenth-grade science twice, so I remember them talking about how everything is just... like made of waves. Maybe when you tried to pull me out, your waves and my waves crashed together, and now we're just like... surfing," Eddie proposes as Steve presses himself firmly into Eddie's bleeding side. Soon, Eddie will disappear. He never stays long.

"Maybe," Steve agrees, unsure what either theory really means for them, other than the fact that they are stuck with each other.

Steve rests his head on Eddie's shoulder and closes his eyes, sleep threatening to pull the two apart sooner than Steve intended.

"Stay 'till morning," Steve proposes.

"I'll try," Eddie assures.

Steve feels the rise and fall of Eddie's chest, a shallow and rattling facsimile of a breath. In that moment, Eddie feels both so alive and so close to death.

Steve feels time slip away as sleep takes him over, crashing like a dark wave overhead.

When he wakes up, it's morning. When he wakes up, he's alone and, to his surprise, caked in Eddie's blood. That's new.

Robin enters their living room, wiping the sleep from her eyes and turning a deathly shade of pale as she sees Steve.

"Jesus Christ," Robin breaths.

“There’s no deal with Mr. Munson, he just comes to the café some Saturdays because Aira loves discussing books with him and he has the day off. There’s nothing going on.”

“And since when do you let grown-ass men befriend your nine-year-old daughter like that? That’s not like you at all.”

“For fuck’s sake, Dustin, you’re making it sound weird,” Steve says, defensive. He peeks at the living room, to make sure Aira is still watching her cartoons, then goes back to the kitchen and leans against the counter. “Eddie is basically her teacher, he’s not a stranger, and I’m there with them the whole time. It’s not at all like you’re insinuating.”

Dustin hums. “Oh, so Mr. Munson has a name. Interesting.”

“Stop being a dick, I’m telling you there’s nothing going on.”

“Actually, what you’re telling me is that the guy who runs the book clubs Aira joined this year is using his free time to pay you guys a visit every week so you can have some quality time together.”

“I didn’t say he comes to the shop every week.” Even though it’s true, but Dustin doesn’t need to know that.

“No, you didn’t. But Aira did. She also said that you never let Mr. Munson pay for his drinks, which I find very odd since that’s basically the whole purpose of running a coffee shop, isn’t it? You provide drinks and people pay you for your service. Why are you giving Mr. Munson free drinks, Steve?”

He really needs to have a serious talk with Aira about how she doesn’t have to tell her Uncle Dustin every little detail of their lives. The kid has no filter whatsoever.

“Is he hot?” Dustin teases, and Steve’s face burns immediately.

“I’m not discussing this with you!”

“Oooh, man, he totally is.” Dustin snorts, then starts singing in the most obnoxious of voices. “Steve has a cru-ush, Steve has a cru-ush.”

“Shut the fuck up, Dustin, or I’m telling Suzie you gave Aira a Nintendo Switch last Christmas, instead of the Lego set you told her you’d buy.”

Works like magic; the other man goes silent in a second, and Steve can’t help the satisfied grin that curls up his lips.

“That’s what I thought,” he gloats, and when Dustin speaks again Steve can hear that old petulant tone he used to have in his voice all the time when he was a kid. Especially when things didn’t go his way.

“You can’t keep using the Suzie card forever, it’s not fair.”

Steve chuckles. “Watch me, butthead.”

As expected, Dustin drops the subject for good, and there’s no more mentions of Mr. Munson for the rest of their call. God bless Suzie and her amazing, amazing self, the only person in this world capable of taming Dustin and putting him in his place when everybody else have failed.

Steve’s totally going to send her a gift sometime, just to show his appreciation for having her in their lives. He’ll even let Aira choose her aunt’s present.

-

-

But the thing is, Dustin wasn’t that far off when he was spewing shit and teasing Steve about Eddie.

Steve is aware that there’s something going on between Eddie and him, he’s not stupid. He knows Eddie genuinely cares about Aira, that the man is more than happy to spend some of his free time discussing books and games with Steve’s kid, but Steve is not naïve enough to believe that’s all there is to Eddie’s weekly visits. Not when Steve can see the way Eddie looks at him when he thinks Steve’s busy.

It’s driving Steve a little insane, if he’s being honest.

Because it’s been years since the last time someone picked his interest like this and Steve feels like a freaking teenager trying to deal with his first crush. He has no idea what he should do, and Dustin’s teasing only makes things worse; forces Steve into admitting what’s happening, into facing his own feelings.

If he wasn’t a father, Steve wouldn’t be hesitating. Eddie is exactly the type of guy Steve’s always been weak for: rebellious but with a heart of gold, funny, caring and attentive, a little crazy but well intended, great with kids. Eddie checks all the boxes in Steve’s list of requirements for the perfect guy, aces it with flying colors and still has the bonus requirement of being hot as hell.

But Steve has Aira to think about first.

Since his kid was born, it’s been the two of them against the world. Robin, Dustin and Suzie have always been a blessing in their lives and have been present for their best and for their worst moments as much as their own lives allowed them to, but on a daily basis it’s always been just Steve and Aira.

Steve never dated anyone for long enough to introduce them to his kid, and Aira never had to share her father’s attention with anybody, so Steve’s awfully out of his depth here. Should he do something? Should he ignore it? Whatever it is that it’s happening between Eddie and him doesn’t feel like a silly little crush that will probably pass after a couple of dates, and that’s what scares Steve the most.

He doesn’t know if he has the space in his life to accommodate a relationship right now, he doesn’t know how Aira is going to deal with the prospect of not having her father all to herself anymore.

There are so many things Steve just doesn’t know that he keeps pushing the matter aside and ignoring the butterflies in his stomach every time he sees Eddie and Aira laughing together at the café, and the longing he feels whenever he thinks about what it would be like, to have someone, to have Eddie by his side, helping him with the madness that comes with having a kid.

Maybe he’s being a coward, or perhaps he’s just overthinking it. Maybe Steve’s just making excuses to avoid disturbing the comfortable life he’s created for Aira and him.

There are so many maybes in that situation that Steve prefers to push it out of his mind once again and focus on more urgent matters, like convincing his clearly exhausted, but extremely stubborn kid that it’s time for bed, and that she can watch her cartoon tomorrow morning before they leave for the café.

-

-

Despite Steve’s internal struggles, having Eddie around is always a joy.

It’s so fucking cute how Aira’s whole face lights up the moment Eddie sets foot in the shop, and also kind of impressive how fast that kid can reach the door without crashing against any of the customers.

“Mr. Munson!” she exclaims, all happy and bubbly, as she dashes towards Eddie and almost knocks him down when she eventually collides against his front, thin arms wrapping around his middle in a surprisingly strong welcome hug.

From behind the counter, Steve lets out a small hiss of sympathy for the probable bruise Eddie’s going to find on his ribs later.

“Hello to you too, Aira,” Eddie says, ruffling the girl’s hair as she looks up at him with a toothy smile. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m great!”

Steve wonders if it would be too weird if he took a picture right now but gives up on the idea as soon as he remembers his conversation with Dustin earlier that week. That jerk wouldn’t let Steve live this down if he found out.

“Aira, let Mr. Munson go and come back to your table,” Steve calls instead, using his best dad voice. “Your waffles are getting cold.”

“Okay, okay,” the girl says with a dramatic eyeroll very similar to her Autie Robin’s, and Steve can’t help but snicker at the girl’s theatrics.

She grabs Eddie by the hand, though, and leads him towards the small table by the window she usually occupies whenever she joins her dad on the weekends. Eddie gives Steve a little wave when he walks by the counter, smile apologetic as he turns his attention to Aira’s incessant babbling.

Steve doesn’t join them right away. It’s mid-morning, so the shop is packed with customers. Steve is handling the drinks, while Andy takes orders and waits tables; Sarah and Pete are cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

But that’s fine; it’s been almost three months since Eddie started visiting the café, Steve already has his order memorized by now. When Andy comes over to the counter to pick up the order for table six, Steve also hands him Eddie’s peppermint tea. Andy gives his boss a knowing look Steve dutifully ignores.

An hour later, the morning rush dies down. All the customers already have their orders and are doing their own thing; chatting with friends and family, eating by themselves and enjoying a quiet morning.

Eddie and Aira are done with their breakfast, their plates and mugs stacked and pushed aside on their table to make room for the small pile of comic books Aira has been binge reading lately. That’s Eddie’s influence right there; Aira’s never cared much about comic books, despite Dustin’s efforts to convince his niece how cool they were. But, apparently, Japanese comic books are way cooler than the ones her uncle Dustin owns because Aira’s been reading them like crazy since Eddie lent her one from his personal collection.

Oh, yes, that’s something that’s been happening lately too; not only is Eddie coming over to spend time with them, he’s also lending Aira his own books and comics to spare Steve the extra expenses. Considering how fast his daughter is going through Eddie’s comic collection, Steve can’t say he’s opposed to this new development.

Watching them from the counter, Steve does quick work cleaning his utensils and scrubbing and wiping everything until it’s spotless. Andy comes back and joins him just as Steve’s done, that knowing look still very much there, now with a little smirk on his lips as well as he takes charge of the register without Steve even asking him to.

Well, it has been almost three months, Steve’s not the only one who’s got their little routine memorized by now.

Still ignoring his smug jerk of an employee, Steve takes off his brown apron, folding it neatly and leaving it under the counter, and finally takes his morning break. He picks up the plain latte he made for himself and crosses the café to sit down with his daughter for a few minutes.

Both Aira and Eddie are so focused on their comic books that they don’t even look up when Steve takes the empty seat next to them.

“Well, good to know my presence is appreciated,” he says after a minute of silence, as he takes a sip of his drink.

The twin looks of surprise he gets from Eddie and Aira are so freaking endearing.

“Daddy! Sakura got all the Clow cards!” his little girl says excitedly, closing her comic for a moment. “But now something is wrong, and she has to turn all Clow cards into Sakura cards.”

Steve has no idea what she’s talking about, but he plays along anyways. “No way! All of them?”

“Yes! It’s so cool.”

“Oh, I bet.”

When Steve looks up, Eddie is watching the two of them with this fond expression on his face that makes Steve’s heart beat a little faster. It’s so unfair how effortlessly handsome this man is.

“Hi. How was breakfast?”

“Hi,” Eddie says with a small smile. “Great as usual. Are you gonna let me pay this time?”

“Not a chance. Consider it payment for all the comic books you’ve been lending us lately.”

“It’s manga, daddy, not comic books,” Aira chides at him. “We already told you that a hundred times.”

Eddie smile grows big enough to show his teeth. He’s so proud he can’t even hide it. Nerd. “She’s got a point there.”

“It’s the same thing,” Steve insists just to be difficult, making an effort to keep his expression nonchalant.

It’s hard, though, because Aira is so offended she’s actually pouting.

“It’s not! It’s completely different,” she says.

“Looks the same to me.”

They spend a great chunk of Steve’s break arguing if manga and comic books are the same thing or not, then move on and start arguing if cartoons and anime are also the same thing.

Aira stubbornly defends that they aren’t, in fact, the same. Neither of them. Eddie backs her up because he’s a nerd and is more than happy to encourage this side of Aira too. Steve argues just because he thinks it’s cute how passionate they are about the matter, even though he couldn’t care less if he’s right or not.

All in all, it’s a very normal Saturday morning for them.

-

-

Steve should have known better than to believe Dustin would let the matter go so easily. He never does, not when it comes to things he definitely shouldn’t be sticking his nose in, so there was no way Dustin would just agree and never mention Eddie ever again.

So when Dustin shows up at the café, completely unannounced, two weeks after that fateful phone call, Steve can’t even bring himself to be surprised. He’s just really pissed at himself for not realizing sooner that that gremlin would pull that kind of shit on him.

He just gives Steve one of those cocky little grins, mischief shining in his eyes, as he passes by the counter in his way to his niece’s table. Steve uses all his self-control not to hit Dustin with the bag of tea leaves he’s holding.

Aira, though, is ecstatic about having her Uncle Dustin and Mr. Munson with her at the same time. She’s basically bouncing on her seat, as she shows Dustin the new manga series Eddie’s lending her; this one about a cute cat, Chi something.

Dustin indulges the girl, animatedly chatting with her and nodding as Aira probably tells him the whole story. Eddie chirps in here and there, adding to their conversation easily.

Steve watches the three of them interact as he works. At some point, Aira tires of talking and goes back to reading her manga quietly. Eddie and Dustin, however, seem to be getting along pretty well because their conversation never dies down. Eddie waves his hands theatrically as he tells Dustin something that makes the younger man laugh hard, and Steve feels curiosity burn in his chest.

When his morning break finally comes, Steve doesn’t join them, though. He does stop by their table for long enough to drop a kiss on Aira’s head and to greet Eddie properly, but instead of sitting with them, Steve pulls Dustin up from his seat and drags him all the way to the small breakroom at the back of the shop.

“The hell are you doing here?” Steve asks once the door is closed.

“Well, hello to you too, Steve,” Dustin sneers. “I’m doing great, thanks for asking. Suzie couldn’t come, but she promised she’ll come with me for Thanksgiving.”

“Dustin, drop it, okay?” he says. “I’m serious. What are you doing here? You didn’t mention you’d be coming.”

“What? Can’t I visit my own niece?”

Steve really isn’t in the mood for Dustin’s games right now; he doesn’t even bother with an answer.

“Okay, fine. I got curious, alright? Is this what you want me to say? I got curious about this Mr. Munson guy and wanted to meet the man who’s stealing my niece’s affections. I didn't know that was a crime now.”

“Wha—Eddie’s not stealing Aira’s affections, what are you even talking about?”

It takes Steve a full minute, but then he finally sees it; Dustin is jealous. He’ didn’t come here because he wants to meddle with Steve’s life, at least that’s not the only reason that brought him here. Dustin is here because Aira is always mentioning Eddie in every single conversation she has with her uncle, and the idiot is afraid he’s losing his place in the little girl’s life, even though the idea is so absurd Steve can’t believe someone as smart as Dustin would even consider it a possibility.

“You’re ridiculous,” Steve cackles despite his disbelief. “You flew all the way from Boston because you were jealous of your nine-year-old niece. How old are you, five?”

Dustin scowls. “Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. But at least I’m not the one with a huge fucking crush on my daughter’s teacher.” That’s enough to make Steve almost choke on his own spit, and Dustin pats his back in mocking sympathy. “But, hey, at least this time you chose a cool guy, not one of the usual boring assholes Robin sets you up with.”

“Shut up!”

It’s Dustin’s turn to cackle.

-

-

Turns out Dustin is only staying with them for a couple of days.

He spends Saturday morning in the café with Aira, hanging out with her and Eddie. Then, he talks Steve into letting him take Aira to the arcade in the afternoon and also manages to convince Eddie to tag along with them.

Steve’s afternoon shift never took so long to end.

At night, they have dinner together, just the three of them. It feels so much like old times; Aira and Dustin talking loudly and so, so fast it’s hard to keep up with everything they’re saying, while Steve just watches his two favorite people in the world bond over the most random things. He feels a pang of longing, and his heart aches a little as Steve realizes these moments are only going to become rarer and rarer as Aira gets older and Dustin gets busier with his new teaching job at the university.

But they are here right now, so Steve choses to focus on that instead.

They leave the dirty dishes in the sink and decide to have a movie night for old times’ sake, Aira happily cuddled between her dad and her uncle on the couch as they watch Tangled for the hundredth time. She’s asleep halfway through the movie, and Dustin offers to tuck her in as soon as the movie ends.

When he comes downstairs again, Steve’s doing the dishes. The younger man leans against the counter beside him, silently watching as Steve works for a while.

“Sooo, about Eddie,” he starts.

Of course he does. When in hell did Dustin let anything go?

“Oh my God, Dustin—”

“No, no, I’m serious, Steve. I’m serious. I’m not trying to be a smartass, I promise.”

It’s the way Dustin says this that convinces Steve he’s being honest. There’s no smirk on his face, no teasing tone in his voice, nothing. With an exasperated huff, Steve dries his hands on a dish towel before reluctantly facing Dustin properly.

“What? What about Eddie?”

“He’s cool, you know. Like, really cool. I get why Aira likes him so much, he’s pretty awesome and he also knows a lot about books.” Steve doesn’t say anything, just crosses his arms in front of his chest and waits for Dustin to continue whatever it is that he’s trying to say. “Are you going to ask him out?”

And there it is; exactly what Steve thought he’d say.

“I don’t know, Dustin,” Steve admits. “I don’t know if I have time for this right now. I don’t even know if this is something Eddie would even want.”

Dustin snorts. “That’s bullshit. The guy is head over heels for you. He’d probably cry if you asked him out.”

“Dustin.”

“But I’m not even lying! The guy talks about you all the time, and he has this stupid little smile on his face every time you’re around. If I can see it, then everyone else can see it too. And don’t give me the stink eye, you know I’m right.”

Oh, Steve knows. He’s seen the expression Dustin’s mentioning, he knows he must have a very similar one whenever Eddie is around too, but he’s still hesitating.

“You know I can’t just rush into things like these,” he says. “I have to think about Aira first. I can’t disrupt her life and bring someone into our home just because I have a stupid crush. What if Aira hates the idea of us dating?”

“As if. The kid loves Eddie to bits; she’d be thrilled if you two started dating.”

“She loves him, yes, but it’s one thing having Eddie around as a family friend who we see a couple of times a week so we can talk about shared interests. We don’t know if this would still be true if Eddie and I were in a relationship. Everything would change, there’s no guarantee Aira would be happy with this.”

“Uhm, but there is, you know,” Dustin counters with an amused smile. “Guarantee that Aira would be happy with this, I mean. She told me this today, on our way home.”

Steve’s face must be doing something quite funny, because Dustin is fighting off a grin with some impressive effort.

“She… told you?” the older man asks dumbly. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means exactly what I’m saying. Aira told me she would love it if you and Eddie started dating. But if you want her exact words, she said something like, ‘I wish daddy and Mr. Munson dated, because then he’d come over to our movie nights all the time and he would also read me stories before bed. He does awesome voices, way better than daddy’s.’”

Oh my fucking God. This is not happening, Steve’s not hearing this. Dustin has to be lying.

“I told you, man, if I can see it, then everyone else can too. And this includes Aira. She’s too smart not to notice there’s something going on.”

Steve wants to die.

Oh my God, what is he thinking? He can’t die, Aira would suffer if he died. But maybe Steve can hide at home for a while? At least until his heart is not hammering inside his chest by the mere thought of his daughter clocking his damn crush on her freaking teacher.

Dustin hand on his shoulder breaks Steve out of his slight panic.

“Hey, Steve, come on, chill. Why are you even panicking? This is a good thing, right? You’ve got your kid’s approval, that’s a great thing.”

It is. It is a very good thing, because it means his daughter is okay with the idea of sharing him with someone else, which is definitely something. But at the same time it isn’t. Steve’s been using Aira as an excuse not to face his own feelings for too long, and now he doesn’t have this excuse anymore. Steve is lost.

Realization dawns on Dustin’s face.

“You really like him, don’t you?” he asks unusually soft, squeezing Steve’s shoulder. “It’s not just a crush, you like Eddie for real. And you’re scared of it.”

“I just—I can’t fuck this up, Dustin,” Steve says, covering his eyes with his hands for a moment so he can think. “I can’t. And there are so many ways I can fuck this up. I just don’t know what to do, or even if I should do anything.”

“Look, I’m not gonna pretend I know what you’re going through here, alright? But can I be honest with you?”

Steve shrugs, shoulders slumped. That seems to be enough permission for Dustin.

“You’re being a coward,” he says, and ignores Steve’s indignant protest. “I mean, sure, maybe you and Eddie don’t work out, that’s a possibility, but what if you guys do work out? What if you guys work out so well that you decide you’re it for each other? This is also a possibility, and a way probable one considering how besotted you are for each other. I think you’re only focusing on the bad side of things because you don’t want to make a decision, and this is just cowardice. And don’t say this is about Aira, and how this can affect her life, because we both know it’s not true. At least not entirely.”

“Yeah, but this can affect her life,” Steve still tries to argue, but Dustin is not having any of it.

“It can also be exactly the change you and Aira need in your lives. It can be great for both of you, but you’ll never know if you keep running away. Weren’t you the one who always told me I should follow my instincts and do what I thought was right? So I’m asking you, Steve, what is your instinct telling you about this?”

That Eddie is perfect for him. That he’s exactly what Steve’s always looked for in a partner and that he just fits in with their family. That he loves their dynamic and how effortless it is for them to get along and understand each other. How scarily easy it is to understand each other.

But Steve can’t say all that to Dustin. He’s barely ready to admit that to himself, and it doesn’t seem fair, telling someone else how he truly feels when Eddie still doesn’t know.

“When did you become such an emotionally intelligent person?” Steve asks instead.

If he notices how tight Steve’s voice sounds, Dustin doesn’t mention it. “Oh, I didn’t. Suzie just spent the last two weeks dissecting this matter with me, so I could come here and talk some sense into you. I’m just the messenger.”

Yeah, that’s much more like it.

“Alright. I promise I’ll think about it, and I’ll make a decision. Just not right now, I still need to give this thing some honest thought.”

“Seems fair,” Dustin nods.

Their conversation moves on to safer topics after that. Dustin helps Steve with the dishes, then they move to the living room to watch something that’s not meant for nine-year-olds and under. They end up watching some gory horror movie because it’s been months since Steve last had a chance to watch one.

“Hey,” Dustin calls, half an hour into the movie, and Steve shoots him a questioning glance. “Just so you know, if you and Eddie don’t work out in the end, I’m really sorry, but I think I’ll have to take his side. The guy actually knows what a Valar is! Sorry, but you can’t beat that, dude.”

Steve’s not even sorry when Dustin ends up sprawled on the floor after Steve kicks him hard.

WIP SNIP: "There's More To Me Than You"

“Steve! Hey! Sorry I got stuck a like… train worth of school buses. Of course, easy to see why now.” Eddie’s voice broke him from the spiral of his thoughts, the man approaching with a wave and a wide grin - dimples fully on display. He couldn’t help but smile back, looking over him in a way he really hadn’t been able to between the party (too drunk) or the last time they’d seen one another (working).

They were right around the same height and build, maybe an inch of difference between the two of them barefoot, but where Steve’s waist was thick, Eddie’s was tapered in ever so slightly, giving way to a gloriously tempting swell of his hips - made even more obvious by the skin tight red Henley he’d put on. His hair was fully pulled up into a loose and messy bun, strands framing his face that were purposely made to look unintentional, but if Steve knew anything, it was hair, and there was little to no way those exact coils of curls had fallen like on their own.

Just like he had the last two times, he sparkled with silver jewelery - rings and a stack of necklaces and so many earrings - the only difference being his nose ring. The little black star replaced with a silver hoop.

“Hey.” Steve exhaled; hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath until the strain in his lungs forced his attention away from Eddie, face going just slightly pink, “Yeah, I know, I didn’t call and check, if you want we can totally do something else—”

“No way! Field trips get the best tour guides, plus… I didn’t get to do this kind of thing as a kid. It’ll be fun.” The other man’s smile was beaming as he looked over the crowd, “Besides… kids are great. Adults lose that sparkle of fun and creativity after a while; too much gets in the way when you grow up. Kids get to just… be, you know?”

If Steve’s heart clenched a little at that, it was no ones business but his own, “You’re right. Now… if you don’t mind, I think I promised you some animals.” He held out his hand without thinking, but before he could pull back, Eddie slipped his palm against his and tangled their fingers together, squeezing softly - face just as pink as his own.

“Take me away, big boy.”

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