#uncle eddie

Eddie had been putting up posters all week around school, trying to advertise his band's show on Saturday, even if it wouldn't be a full house, it would still mean a lot if some people came. He could count on a few of the kids, Dustin, Mike, maybe a few others, but he wasn't so sure. Friday evening comes and his band does a practice run of the show, but for some reason, Eddie just can't get as into it as he usually does, and can tell it's affecting the show. Gareth turns to him “Dude, what's up? You're usually not this bad during practice”, he jokes.

The truth was Eddie had been thinking over some things… about you. Ever since Jeff made a joke about looking after Heather to ‘get with the possible hot mom’ he'd been thinking, was he attracted to her? Was that why he wanted to help out? Sure he saw Heather and genuinely wanted to look after her, especially seeing she had no male figure in her life, but was that all, did he just want to get into your pants? Yeah, he flirted with you but that was because you're reactions were just so cute, how blushy and bashful you got, how your cheeks tinted pink the moment he complimented you, how your eyes avoided looking into him to try and hide the embarrassment.

He snapped out of it before anyone else could make another comment. “Nah, i-im good just… thinking shit over”. “Like what?” Jeff asked. Eddie shakes his head “Nothing important, let's just take it from the top again” The rest of the band all look at each other, they know something is up but decide its best not to push it and continue their practice. Eddie manages to focus and get back in the swing of things for the rest of their practice.

Once practice is over everyone packs up making sure their stuff is ready to go for their venue tomorrow, before saying their goodbyes. Eddie gets back in his van and once alone again, falls back into his turmoil. ‘Yeah, I flirt with her but that doesn't mean I like her, like her, right? Plus not like she'd like me anyway… She's a mom, she has a daughter and seems to have life figured out, I can't even graduate high school’. All his insecurities slowly rush out in his mind, she wouldn't like someone like him, she deserved someone who could provide her stability, not flirt with her just to see her blush, y/n and Heather deserve better than… me…

He drives up to his uncle's trailer, looking over, he sees you, sitting outside again and sighs. You don't see his inner destruction, all the things he thinks about, how he doesn't feel like enough for you or your daughter… how he wished he could. You wave to him, smiling softly, your hair done up, a few pieces falling out, framing your face making you look adorable to him. He finally gets out of the van and walks over to you “Hey… I see Heather and you were busy today” He looks down noticing the paint on your shirt.

“Oh, yeah Heather really likes painting says she ‘accidentally’ missed the canvas and got me instead”. You smile pulling the shirt stretching it to show the tiny child sized hand print in red. He chuckles a little imagining you and Heather both covered in paint after a messy day, coming home to see you pair, how sweet of a moment it would have been. He snaps out of it “Well… I hope the little artist doesn't mind using her mother to show her masterpiece”. He jokes. You smile. He suddenly has an idea… shit, it might backfire but the worst you could say was no, right? “Hey uhh, so I have a band, and we're playing tomorrow night, eight o'clock… I was wondering if you and Heather wanted to come along?” God he was so awkward, this was stupid, why did he even- “Oh, sure” … wait what?

You actually said yes, holy shit. “Wait, for real?” You nod. “Yeah, plus Heather would hate to miss her favourite uncle's band playing”. You joke, he chuckles softly, nodding. “Yeah… also I'll uh get her some ear plugs or something for her ears, don't wanna deafen the poor girl or anything… pretty sure mama would kill me if I did anything like that” You smile. “Good thinking, I'm sure she'll love to see you on stage, I'm assuming you're a rock band, you know used to be a bit of a rocker myself back when I was a teen”. Eddie looks at her in disbelief. “You serious?” You nod. “Yeah, parents hated it, though. They were glad it was ‘just a phase’ but I still listen every now and then”. You smile, thinking back to those days before the smile falls. You haven't thought about your parents in so long, haven't spoken to them since they kicked you out when pregnant with Heather. Eddie senses something, “hey, you alright?”, you nod. “Yeah I'm good just, thinking about stuff… but yeah, me and Heather would love to come along”. Eddie nods, “good, I'll uhh, pick you both up tomorrow and bring you over then”. You nod, “cool, we'll see you tomorrow then”. He nods “Yeah, see you both tomorrow”. With that Eddie walks away heading back into his uncle's trailer, and right now, he was sky high, he couldn't believe you said yes to coming to his show, you were gonna see him perform, and he needed to make it great for both of you.

The next morning, you wake up on the sofa, deciding it was time to make breakfast for Heather. As you make her some cereal, the tired child comes out of her room, all sleepy “mornin Mommy…” you smile looking down at her, helping her up on the sofa at the table. “There you go sweetheart”. Heather's hair is a mess, definitely needing a brush later, still sleepy eyed, you give her the bowl of cereal putting on her cartoons to watch while she eats.

As she eats you sit beside her and start brushing out her hair. Being careful with her hair, “Heather dear?” “Hmm?” She turns to look at you, a bit of milk down her face. You chuckle softly, wiping the milk from her chin. “So, uncle Eddie has invited us to a show tonight so, did you fancy going?” Her brown eyes widened, nodding very enthusiastically “yes please!” You smile. “Alright, so Eddie is gonna pick us up and take us there before the show and get you some ear protection so you don't hurt your ears, okay, you keep them on during the show, alright?” She nods understandingly. “Yes mommy”. You could sense the excitement through Heather, excited to see Eddie, excited to see him on stage, her first ever concert and it was uncle Eddie.

As the day goes on Heather is running off the walls, too excited for the show. Once it's a couple hours before you get you both ready, giving Heather a bath and give her the wild crazy hair that Eddie has, as she wanted, finding some clothes that can keep her warm but not too hot, finding a black jacket that still just about fits, some leggings and a belt for her. You put on some make up on her, some light eye shadow and a bit of lipstick, she sees herself in the mirror “I love it Mommy!” She screams excitedly. Finally it's your turn to get ready, quickly washing and drying your hair, also making your hair a little wild, finding your old clothes, black trousers with an old band shirt that you had cut into a crop top years ago with a black leather jacket over. You do you make up, blue eye shadow to match Heather with some eyeliner you hadn't worn in ages with a red lip. You walk out to see Heather, “how does mama look baby?” Heather looks back at you and gasps “Like a rockstar!” You smile glad to see her so happy.

Soon there's a knock on the door before Eddie walks in “alright ladies time to he… woah” He looks over your clothing, seeing you look completely different to your usual clothes “is it… too much?” you ask suddenly unsure of your clothing options… Why did you care so much out of nowhere?... Eddie shakes his head, “No, no no no you look… incredible, liking the hair and definitely not complaining about the shirt”. There he goes again, flirting with her, making her blush. Heather soon appears in her little rock gear, “How do I look uncle Eddie?” She does a quick twirl showing off her outfit. Eddie looks down at her smiling “you little one are looking like a badass rocking princess” She smiles happily, you pick her up, Eddie watches you two a small loving smile seeing you pair so happy, that his show made you both dress up and hope you have a good time. “Right as I was saying before I got my surprise, it's time to head to the show ladies, so”, he holds the door open for the two to head out.

You carry Heather out of the trailer towards Eddie's van, she is riddled with excitement, wanting to be let down so she can run to the van as if it would make her get to the venue quicker. Eddie locks your door and heads over to the van as well, sees you both already there and unlocks the van, saying Heather would have to sit on your lap as the back was full of equipment for the show. With that, you three hop in his van and he drives off, metal rock playing quietly in the background as he drives, he keeps glancing back at you every few seconds, you notice it and finally ask what he's staring at you for. “Nothing, it's just… I'm not used to seeing you like this, usually it's either some work uniform or old clothes but… this…” his eyes rake over your figure very much appreciating the crop top, seeing your torso with the tight fitting high waisted trousers… god he needed to get a hold of himself, “you look amazing… both of you do”. Heather speaks up, “Doesn't Mommy look pretty?” she asks Eddie. He chuckles softly as you blush a little. “Yeah… yeah she is…”

The rest of the car is full of Heather singing along to the chorus of songs that she only slightly knows and Eddie glancing at you still. They soon arrive at the venue early, the rest of the band already there waiting to set up. They're about to rip on Eddie for being late til they see you and Heather, Jeff and Gareth recognise Heather from hellfire a few weeks ago “hey little one… uh, Heather right?” Gareth asks, Heather nods. “Hello, this is my mommy” she says pointing at you, you wave, “hi, im y/n”. Jeff sees you before looking right at Eddie, his face having a very ‘so THIS is Heather's mom, huh?’ Eddie glares back at him. Eddie quickly brings you and Heather into the venue so that they can set up for the show, and not have the boys ask you a bunch of questions to get to know the person Eddie may or may not like.

Once inside, you get both a drink and a snack, some lemonade for you and juice for Heather while they go get the last bit of set up done. You eat your snacks and have your drinks as a few more people show up, not a huge crowd but still more than the boys were expecting. Suddenly, in the crowd, you hear “Oh my god, Heather” You look and see two of the kids that Eddie hangs with back in the high school. A curly hair boy walks up seeing Heather all dressed up with a black haired kid following behind. Heather waves at them recognising them. The two boys notice you and reintroduce themselves “I'm Dustin, this is Mike, we met at Halloween?” You nod, realising where you'd seen them. This leads Heather to go into great detail about the hellfire club meeting… again. “I hope you lot didn't mind, if I'd knew Eddie had something on that night I would have asked someone else to look after her” you say to the two as they sit opposite you pair, Mike shakes his head, “no, it was no problem at all she was a great addition for the game, I'm sure Eddie is glad she enjoyed herself”. You smile, glad the group was happy to have Heather around. “Alright come on, you, let's go to the toilet before the show starts” You pick up Heather, heading to the bathroom as she waves to the boys over your shoulder. They wave back, once you're out of sight Dustin mutters “we are so giving Eddie shit for thinking y/n is hot right” “Oh yeah, definitely” Mike agrees as the pair realise there might be more to just ‘uncle eddie’.

You come back out of the bathroom after a few minutes with Eddie walking around finally seeing you “hey, we're about to go on stage and remember Heather here her ear protection”, he puts on a pair of red ear muffs over her head. “There, enough that the noise would hurt her little ears but she can still listen to us play, right I have to head on stage, see you both later” With that he disappears into the crowd, you call out a “good luck” to him before picking up Heather and heading into the crowd. You find Mike and Dustin again just as the show starts.

Heather cheers the loudest as the group appear on stage, Eddie starts off the show full of energy, the rest of the boys giving just as much, Heather sits on top of your shoulders dancing along as you dance with her. Part way through the song Eddie sees Heather on your shoulder having the time of her life, head rocking off beat to the song but having fun anyway, he sees Mike and Dustin also dancing along, before finally looking at you. He sees you dancing swaying with your daughter on your shoulders, your make up done beautifully for the show but prefers to see that natural beauty you have, your outfit, the black leather jacket over the very form fitting shirt… shit… He quickly focuses back on the performance and makes it through the first song.

He gives a quick introduction to each member of the band before looking back and doing a bit of crowd work. He looks over at you and Heather “and this next song goes out the the rocking princesses in the back”, he points at you two, smiling as Heather gasps at having a song dedicated to them, “Mummy, he's playing a song for us!” You laugh at Heather's excitement, putting her down so you and her can dance properly together, Eddie watches you both dance along and smiles before he gets back into his performance, giving it his all for the pair. As the show goes on more people start to dance even Dustin and Mike dance with you, Dustin has a dance with Heather, Mike and you dancing together, everyone having a good night.

At some point during the show, Dustin offers to take Heather to get a drink, giving you a small moment alone to watch the show. As you watch you notice how in his element Eddie is on stage, his energy, his passion for his music, his love for being on stage… It was mesmerising to watch. You start noticing all the little things, how he works the crowd, his voice through the microphone, you couldn't deny, something about it seemed attractive about it… what? W-where was this coming from… no you weren't falling for Eddie, you were just… appreciating his talent, his voice, his pretty brown eyes that sparkled on stage, the smile on his face when he performed, the way his hair swayed as he mov- “Y/n!”

You jump, your train of thought interrupted by Dustin. “Uh, yes, sorry?”You look at Heather with a small cup of juice. “I said, Heather wants to sit on your shoulders again to watch the show”, Dustin replies, you nod “Yeah sure, come here love”. You carefully pick her up on your shoulders and turn to watch. Dustin goes back over to Mike “she was staring at Eddie wasn't she?” “Mmhmm… as funny as it would be to meddle, I'd rather see how long it takes for the two to realise they like each other” Mike says, having a sip from his drink. Dustin nods, “though this might be more painful than watching Steve flirt” Mike scuffs. “Oh… definitely”.

As the show gets close to the end, the band makes one last big finale, throwing out everything for their crowd, Eddie doing it mostly for you two. The crowd cheers as they finish their song, each member bowing, Heather screaming as Eddie takes his bow, Heather screams “UNCLE EDDIE!” at the top of her little lungs. The boys all laugh at how adorable Heather is being in her support for Eddie, even he can't help the little laugh falling hearing Heather. He looks at you and gives you a little wink before they head off stage. The crowd soon spread out, some leave, others stay for a drink.

Soon the band showed up, walking over to grab some drinks. Eddie heads over to your little group, a smile on his face. “hey guys, you enjoy the show?” “Yeah! It was so good!” Heather says before anyone could respond. You smile “there you go from your new number one fan”, you say, smiling at her reaction. Eddie grabs his drink, having a sip as Heather starts talking about the show, the other band members smiled at her enthusiasm for their music. While the band listens to Heather talk about how much she enjoyed the show, Eddie is looking at you, seeing your hair is slightly a mess, some of your make up is smeared but you couldn't care less. Eddie's smile softens, his gaze following as he watches you interact with the group, watching your daughter talk about the show, the urge to wrap an arm around your shoulder hits him. He quickly looks away, going back to having his drink, not realising some of the group had noticed him staring.

Soon, the venue closes, corroded coffin packing up their stuff as everyone says their goodbyes, Mike and Dustin heading home together. Heather yawns now sleepy, her feet doing the little stomps she makes when tired, the band chuckle watching her get more sleepy. You pick her up, holding her on your hip, arm wrapped around her so she lies her head on your shoulder. Eddie stands watching this, seeing how gentle you hold Heather like she's the most precious thing in the world. His staring, interrupted by Gareth hitting his shoulder. “Come on, dude, stop staring” He mutters, going back to helping the rest pack up Eddie's van, “I'm not staring shut up”, he defends himself, following Gareth back to help. Once everything is packed everyone prepares to head home, You bring Heather into Eddie's van holding her close as she sleeps on you, Eddie is having one more chat with the group, Jeff once again making another joke on Eddie's blatant interest in you, and how you never noticed. He tells Jeff to shut up before climbing into his van with you pair already in. “You ready to go?” He asks, you nod, as Heather nuzzles into your neck.

Eddie starts driving you all back home. You rub Heather's back comforting her as she sleeps, you can't help but be reminded back on Halloween when you were in this very position. With Heather sleeping on you, Eddie driving you two home, it was nice. However this time you keep glancing at him, seeing the small shine of sweat from performing, the rings on his fingers as he drives, the tattoos on his arms, you know just little things you never noticed before now. “You like what you see?” Eddie jokes, noticing you staring, you quickly look away having been caught like you caught him staring before the show. He chuckles softly, “though not that I mind being a bit of post-show eye candy for you” He commented making the blush worse on your face, making him smile more. “You are so easy to make flustered you know that?... It's pretty cute actually”. You groan at his words, you hate that he had this effect on you, especially now that you might be gaining feelings for him.

But he wouldn't like you back, you didn't exactly have the time for a relationship, between jobs and Heather, it just wouldn't be possible putting time into a relationship, plus you didn't want to keep Eddie from living his life and not tie him down to something he probably didn't sign up for, sure he helped babysit from time to time when it was needed but that was different to actually being a parent. He deserved better than that, deserved to live how you couldn't because of your past. It wasn't that you didn't love Heather, you'd do anything for this girl, your daughter, but there was a tiny part of you that wondered what college could have been like… you wouldn't have met Eddie, that's for sure.

Eddie sees the look on your face, “hey, you okay over there?” He asks. “Hmm, oh yeah just, lost in my own thoughts I guess”, you mutter. Eddie nods, he could sense something was up but decided not to mention it, and continues driving you home. You all soon make it back to the trailer, “Thanks for the lift home again”. You say before climbing out. Eddie thinks for a moment before climbing out as well walking over to your side of the van. “Now I wouldn't be a gentleman if I let my favourite rockstars walk home alone, huh?” Sure the walk wasn't that long but he wanted to have some kind of excuse to talk to you more. You huff out a laugh “sure why not?”. You both walk back to your trailer, as you get to the trailer you unlock the door as Heather starts waking up.

“Hmm… where are…we?” She mutters as you walk inside. “We're back home baby, let's get you ready for bed, okay?” She nods before nuzzling into your neck again, a soft groan from her mouth, still sleepy. Eddie watches smiling at you pair. “She's so adorable when she's sleepy like this”, before he can stop himself, he slowly plays with Heather's hair before you sit her down. “Yeah she is. Do you mind sitting with her so I can take the makeup off?” You ask. He nods quickly, sitting behind her, keeping her sat up right as you grab some wipes. You gently start cleaning her face, the blue eye shadow now smeared all over, the lipstick smeared from her wiping her mouth after her juice, and soon her face is clear once again. “Right, I'm gonna go grab her some pj's and get her ready for bed”. He nods as you leave to go to her room.

Heather suddenly looks up at him all sleepy, “uncle Eddie… Do you like mommy?” The question makes him freeze, “I mean yeah your mom's cool plus she did a great job raising you, why do you ask?” He's never been more nervous to answer a question till now. “Well, I see the way you look at her… like other daddies look at my friends' mommies…” Shit. Was it obvious that he looked at her even her own child noticed? Like yeah, the guys gave him shit for staring but he never expected a three year old to notice his staring. His best hope was that she was so tired she wouldn't remember this conversation in the morning. Thankfully, she nuzzles back into his chest falling back asleep, ending the conversation.

You come back out, ready to pick her up and head back into her room to get her ready for bed. Eddie sits there quietly, thinking over Heather's question, was it that obvious? He did find you attractive but emotionally, was he ready for that… he knew it wouldn't be easy, especially with such a young child in your life, but… He definitely wouldn't mind spending more time here, with Heather, with you, living a domestic life, maybe having you two at his graduation this year, that would be nice. You suddenly come in, breaking his thoughts. Apparently Heather wants to say goodnight to him. He smiles softly before heading into Heather's room, kneeling down to her level on the bed, “hey princess, I see roary is still your favourite” He mentions, seeing the dragon plush he gave her, it feels like so long since he gave her that plush, the start of all this. Heather nods, cuddling the plush closer to her in her sleepy form. “Mmm goodnight uncle Eddie…” she says in a soft voice, “goodnight Heather, sweet dreams” He says, he feels an urge to lean down, press a soft kiss to her forehead but stops himself. He stands back up seeing Heather's eyes close again, finally asleep in her bed.

He turns to see you with your jacket off, wiping the makeup off your face. He watches you for a moment seeing your reflection in the mirror. You smile at him through the mirror before you stand up, turning towards him. “Thanks for tonight, we had so much fun, and it was nice seeing Mike and Dustin again”. Eddie nods, “I'm glad you had fun, so does this mean you'll be going to our next show or?” He asks, making you smile “Oh definitely if Heather has any say in the matter”, you chuckle. You two kinda stood awkwardly in your trailer until you couldn't hold it in and hugged him. Eddie stands there shocked at the sudden hug but slowly wraps his arms around you as well. “I just… thanks for helping out with Heather over the past few weeks, it genuinely means a lot for you to do this, especially as she's kind of attached to you”, you say, voice muffled slightly in his chest, he smiles. “Sure, no problem at all, Heather's a good kid, I know it definitely wasn't easy but, you've done an incredible job raising her by yourself, and if looking after her every now and then helps then I'm happy to do it”. He holds you, maybe a little longer than he should, but you clearly don't mind, til he finally pulls away from you.

He looks down at you. For a split second, his eyes glance down at your lips, now clear of the red lipstick that tempted him so much before. He pulls away, walking backwards. “I guess I'll see you two tomorrow then”. You nod, “y-yeah… see you tomorrow Eddie…” He says a quick goodnight and leaves before his feet make him run over to kiss you like he wanted to so many times tonight. He closes your trailer door and sighs. Why did this woman have such an effect on him? What was it about her that made him wanna behave in a way he never imagined, living a life he never considered? He finally turns away from your trailer, looking over his shoulder, seeing the glow of the TV through the window. He heads back inside, leaving the van filled with equipment he'd have to sort out tomorrow.

Beside her, the redhead snorted. Jaz nudged her hard with an elbow, gesturing for her to continue.

“...and I’m… Cam Sinclair?” she said, the statement ending like a question.

Jaz nodded authoritatively. “And we’re here today to start a very serious investigation!”

“I am NOT investigating anything!” Cam exclaimed, her eyes wide. Jaz just threw her head back with an excited laugh, lunging forward to grab the camera as the image tumbled into chaos before cutting out again.

The next recording is clearly from later. The natural light in the room has been replaced by the warm, colorful glow of fairy lights. The camera is now focused on the bed, where a slender girl with long blonde hair, wearing a rainbow-striped shirt and shorts, is completely absorbed in a Kindle.

“And rounding out our investigative team, we have Iris Byers…” Jaz’s voice narrated from behind the camera.

“It’s Maldonado,” the girl on the bed corrected, her eyes never leaving the screen.

“Right, Iris, sorry. Maldonado,” Jaz said, clearing her throat. The camera zoomed in clumsily on Iris’s face, which was partially hidden by her hair. “She’s super busy with her hockey romances at the moment,” Jaz continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, “but she is also a key player in what we’re about to do. Right, Iris?”

“Yeah, yeah” Iris replied distractedly.

A rhythmic knock—thump thump thump—sounded at the door. The camera whipped around to face it, a surface cluttered with hanging tote bags that almost completely obscured a poster of Zendaya in tennis gear.

“Yes?” Jaz called out.

A male voice answered from the hallway. “I'm tired of winning, can I hang out in there?”

From the floor just out of frame, Cam yelled, “So we’re the second choice now?!” at the same time Jaz said, “Sure!”

The door opened and a boy leaned in. He had the exact same shade of messy blonde hair and blue-grey eyes as the girl on the bed, just cut shorter and shaggier. He squinted towards the floor where Cam was. “Actually, you’re my third choice, but baby Lou is sleeping and Aunt Vickie won't let me go watch him right now.”

The camera panned down just in time to capture Cam’s hand flashing a deliberate middle finger in his direction. The boy’s gaze then found the camera. “What are you recording?”

Jaz’s voice came from behind the lens, sounding breezy and innocent. “Oh, nothing. Just testing something out.”

Jude narrowed his eyes, giving the lens a look of deep suspicion. “Should I be worried?”

“Of course not,” Jaz scoffed from behind the camera. “You worry about everything, Judy.”

Jude rolled his eyes at the nickname before launching himself onto the bed, landing dangerously close to his sister. Iris shrieked, shoving at his shoulder. “You BRUTE!” she yelled. Jude just laughed, ignoring her indignation as he adjusted himself to sit beside her, shrugging.

“Yeah, well,” Jude said, getting comfortable. “Because you always come up with some wild scheme.”

Jaz let out a heavy, exaggerated sigh that vibrated the microphone slightly. “This is the chillest idea I’ve had in years.”

From the floor, Cam’s voice drifted up, dripping with sarcasm. “Mmhmm, yeah, super chill! Nothing abnormal at all!”

The camera swiveled back to Cam, capturing her judging expression perfectly. “You didn't say it was abnormal when I told you earlier!” Jaz accused.

Cam threw her hands up, gesturing wildly. “Well, I thought you were just talking sleepover thoughts! Not that you were gonna swipe a camera from Uncle John for it!”

“Shhh!” Jaz hissed. “He thinks it's for a school project and we are going to keep it that way, okay?”

On the bed, Jude sat up straighter, looking between the lens and Cam. “Wait, wait. My dad’s camera is for what?”

The camera abruptly diverted to the floor, losing focus for a second before settling on a scatter of nail polish bottles. Cam’s hand came into view, each short nail drying in a different vibrant color. Jaz stayed silent, the camera still pointed downwards.

Cam leaned in, her voice dropping to a loud whisper. “Jaz thinks Uncle Eddie and Uncle Steve are together and she thinks it's a brilliant idea to record an investigative documentary about it and try to catch them on camera.”

“WHAT—” Jude shouted from the bed, just before the video cut to black.

The screen cuts to a grainy, low-light shot. The room is quiet and dark, illuminated only by the soft glow of a bedside lamp. Jasmine is centered in the frame, wearing pink pajamas and a purple satin bonnet on her hair. She’s leaning in close to the lens, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Look... whatever they say, I'm not insane on this one, okay?" She pauses, looking earnestly into the camera. "I have reasons to think my dad and Uncle Eddie are a thing. And for some reason, they don't want to tell anyone about it."

She shifts slightly, adjusting the bonnet. "But I'm going to find out and prove that I am right. Which explains the documentary." She gestures vaguely around the room with one hand. "It makes no sense for them to complain about privacy because, let's be real, we don't have privacy. We see each other every day since I was a fetus."

She rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "And since Dad and everyone in my family started talking to Uncle Eddie after centuries because they found his Instagram during the pandemic, he’s been with us all the time too. So this won't hurt anyone. Besides proving that I am right. As I said I would be!"

Jasmine leans in even closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial hush as she offers a quick, knowing wink to the lens. "And honestly, finally seeing my dad with a boyfriend will make me extra happy because, let's face it... he manages to be even more annoying without a person to love."

She pulls back, clapping her hands together softly. "But let's start from the beginning! So, stay with me-"

.

The video cuts to a bright morning scene. The footage is being filmed through a sliding glass door, the reflection of the room behind the camera faintly visible on the glass. Outside, in the sun-drenched backyard, a tall man is pushing a lawnmower. He pauses to wipe sweat from his forehead, his hair a mix of chestnut brown and distinguished grey, his angular nose—strikingly similar to the girl behind the camera—crinkling as he yawns widely behind a pair of dark sunglasses.

The camera zooms out slightly, revealing the edge of the living room curtains, before zooming back in on him aggressively.

“This is my dad, Steven Harrington,” Jasmine’s voice whispers, full of affection. “He is the funniest person I know. He taught me everything I know about basketball, swimming, golf, cooking, and fashion style.” The camera lingers on him as he stretches his back. “He also gave me about thirty percent of my beauty. The rest is all my mom.”

“He is one of the subjects of our investigation in this documentary,” she continues. “After he and my mom separated ages ago, I think I only saw Dad with a lady once. And after I saw them holding hands, he got all weirded out about it and I never saw her again. He’s super romantic, so I was sad for him because he’s never out with anyone.”

The camera pans jerkily to the side, scanning across the patio to find a pair of legs that are blindingly white in the sunlight. The zoom is maxed out now, making the image super grainy and pixelated.

“And that is my Uncle Eddie,” Jasmine whispers. “I don't think you can see him properly from here, but I swear he isn't a vampire.”

Through the grain, a figure is visible sitting on a plastic chair next to the outdoor sofa. He has long tattooed legs clad in grey shorts and is cradling an acoustic guitar, strumming lazily. His arms are also covered in tattoos, and his dark hair is tied back in a messy bun. He’s looking at Steve with an unreadable expression behind his own sunglasses.

“He’s a super cool songwriter for huge bands who takes that guitar everywhere,” Jasmine narrates. “He’s teaching me some songs, too. He also shows me these indie queer horror movies and is helping me pick a new hair color. He’s always here at the house, out of nowhere. Even more than Aunt Robin and Cam, and Cam is my literal neighbor!”

Jasmine lets out a small huff of laughter. “He’s also very funny and clearly down bad for my dad. Who isn't much different, honestly.”

On the screen, Eddie stops playing. He sets the guitar down and stands up, stretching his long limbs. He moves from the plastic chair toward the spot where Steve has stopped the mower. Jasmine zooms out just a fraction to frame them both.

“And these two are our characters,” she says, her voice gaining conviction. “And now that you know them I am going to prove that they are obviously in love and…”

She cuts herself off. On screen, Eddie reaches out and places a hand on Steve’s shoulder. It’s a casual gesture that turns into a brief hug. Steve leans into it, just for a second, before stepping back.

Behind the camera, Jasmine lets out a strangled squeak. The camera shakes violently as she suppresses a scream.

“You guys saw that too, right???” she hisses into the microphone, and the video abruptly cuts to black.

The footage returns, clearer this time, inside the house. The camera is pointed at Steve standing in the kitchen. He is holding a can of beans, holding it at arm's length and squinting aggressively at the label, his face scrunching up in concentration.

“When are you going to get new glasses?” Jasmine asks from behind the lens.

Steve murmurs, still fighting with the small print, “Uhh… I think next week. Why?”

“Because you need them,” she deadpans.

Steve finally gives up on the label and rolls his eyes, looking toward her. “Funny,” he says dryly. Then, his gaze drops to her hands, and he notices the lens pointed at him. He frowns. “What is that?”

“Oh, Uncle John lent me his camera,” Jasmine lies smoothly. “For a school project.”

Steve stares at the device, looking unimpressed. “That old thing?” he asks, echoing the exact sentiment Cam had earlier. “Wouldn't it be better to just use your iPhone?”

The camera dips as Jasmine groans a long sound of frustration.

“Daaaaddd!” she complains, the audio peaking slightly. “I need the aesthetic!”

check part II here

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