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timetogosteddie · 1 year

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In the blink of an eye

Steve doesn’t want to admit out loud how much he’s been dreading this specific day. How much he’s been dreading it since Harry’s fifth birthday. That would be an insane thing to say or even think, right? Of course, he wants Harry to be happy. Of course, he wants his son to make friends and to learn new things. Of course!

But, he’s also still just his little boy. Apart from a few sleepovers at aunt Robin’s, which they’d slowly started doing these past few months whenever Robin and Vickie volunteered to babysit to “give them the night off” or to “give us a chance to practice before our own little one’s here”, Steve himself had not been away from Harry for a whole day before. The two times Dustin and Suzie had taken Eli and Harry to the zoo he’d tagged along the first time, as he’d been asked to join, and been too occupied with one month old Dusty the second time to even realize the house was, apart from a snoring baby, strangely quiet. Not today though. Vickie was only 4 months along, meaning it would still be a few more months before more crying and babbling babies filled the house.

God, he can still remember the time when Harry was their only baby. It seems like yesterday that those small fingers kept gripping onto Eddie’s curls, the metal head simply smiling and kissing the tiny hands whenever it happened. Harry was just a baby yesterday, and now they’re supposed to just send him out into the big world, off to school? Maybe it’s too soon.

“Hey, you okay?’, a sleepy, slightly hoarse sounding voice asks from beside him. He looks down to find Eddie’s eyes already on watching him. He’d been so deep in thought that he hadn’t noticed the man rolling over, turning to where he was sitting up against the headboard, just staring off into…well, nothing, really. It’s not like his eyes had focused on the closet nor the door he’d sort of been staring at. All he could think about was Harry. Harry, being scared. Harry, not liking his classmates. Harry, missing his brothers. Harry, Harry, Harry. “Baby?”

He’s still staring at Eddie and judging from the concerned look the other is giving him, his face must not be looking too cheerful right now. “Do you think it’s too soon? He’s still so small. What if he’s not ready yet? We could just enroll him for next year, right? Maybe we should.” The words tumble from his lips in a rush. Eddie listens, giving him a soft smile. Though Steve isn’t fooled. There’s a sadness to the corners of Eddie’s mouth.

Sighing softly, he pushes up until he’s leaning against Steve, head cushioned on his husband’s shoulder, as he slowly takes Steve’s hand in his. “I don’t think it’s Harry who’s not ready yet.”

He pulls their interlocked hands closer and kisses the back of Steve’s, at the same time as Steve’s head sinks down to lie on top of his. Just for a moment, just because they both need this.

“I’m scared too.” It’s soft, so soft Steve almost doesn’t hear it but when he lifts his head up and Eddie turns to face him, he knows he heard correctly. There are tears welling up in the other’s eyes and there’s a quiver to his bottom lip that Steve hasn’t seen since…okay, maybe not that long ago, but he looks sad. The last time Eddie had cried like this was when Vickie had announced that she was pregnant and that she was blessing them with not one but two little girls. Twins! As if they didn’t have a house full of rugrats already. Just a few more months. They’d both cried with joy that day, and maybe the morning after, staring at each other for a while after waking up facing each other, both so insanely happy that this w as somehow their life. How had they gotten to be so lucky?

Feeling his own emotions bubbling to the surface, Steve puts a hand on Eddie’s jaw, slowly pulling him in to place a soft kiss on his dry lips. He’s about to say something when there’s a soft stumbling down the hallway, before a familiar looking dark haired boy is peeping into their room.

“Daddy! Daddy!”, Harry says excitedly, in a voice that sounds far too awake.

Harry was like Steve, an early bird. Though today, he was even more energetic than usual. They’d tried to explain what was going to happen today as well as they could and though his heart had sunk further and further whenever they talked about it, Harry’s enthusiasm had only seemed to grow. ‘At least one of us is looking forward to this’, Steve thought, as he smiled at his son.

Next to him, Eddie was already petting the bed and a moment later, Harry’s crawling up. He sits down opposite them, facing them with a toothy grin. He looks happy and blissfully unaware of the fact that both his dads were on the verge of bursting into tears.

“I’m going to school today!”, he says next, his head doing an excited little wiggle.

Taking a deep breath, Steve slaps on a half convincing smile as he leans forward to kiss the top of Harry’s head. “You sure are, buddy. Ready to get dressed?” His voice cracked just slightly on the word ready.

Nodding wildly, Harry starts crawling back off the bed. Steve follows him out of the room, pulling Harry back just in time so he doesn’t run headfirst into a very sleepy looking Eli. With a loud yawn and a few fingers rubbing at his eyes, he slowly shuffles into Steve and Eddie’s bedroom. Steve can’t help but smile fondly at his boy.

The poor thing had probably been woken by Harry’s too enthusiastic and slightly too loud talking. Thank god for the fact that Dusty was more like Eddie and able to sleep through a thunderstorm. He would be out for at least another hour or two. “Come here.”, he hears Eddie say to Eli, as he continues following Harry to his room.

He helps him get dressed, puts the backpack on his back with a soft smile and goes into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Putting the cornflakes in front of Harry, he tells the boy he’ll be back in five minutes. It earns him a nod and another toothy grin. Smiling, he pats Harry’s head softly as he walks back towards the bedroom.

The fact that Harry’s still wearing his small backpack, which Steve had only put on the boy so he could carry it to the kitchen, did things to his heart. God, he loved this kid.

Walking into their bedroom, to quickly get dressed, he finds exactly what he’d been expecting. Eli, curled up into Eddie’s side, with Eddie’s arm securely around the boy as Eddie just lovingly stares at him. He looks up at Steve for a moment, that somewhat sad smile still on his face as their eyes meet, before he’s staring down at little Eli again.

Taking a deep breath, Steve quickly picks out his clothes and heads for the bathroom. He gets dressed, brushes his teeth, combs his hair and asks his counterpart in the mirror to please keep it together today. The man in the mirror just gives him an unconvincing nod in return. Keep it together, Steve.

He returns to the kitchen only a few minutes later, but apparently just in time to catch the now almost empty bowl of cornflakes from falling from the table. Harry had clearly decided the backpack needed to be on the table. Which wouldn’t have been a problem, had it not been for the fact that he’d decided that the backpack needed to be right in front of him. Right where the bowl of cornflakes had been. “Careful!” Steve rushes forward, already reaching for the bowl and quickly placing it on the counter. It was clear Harry had had enough breakfast for now, his stomach no doubt too filled with excitement to actually eat too much.

“Dad! I need lunch! Can I pack lunch?” Harry asks as soon as Steve turns back towards him and next thing he knows, the kid is already at the fridge. Right, lunch. Nodding, Steve helps him open the heavy door and points at a few items. Grinning widely, Harry starts to take them out one by one, placing them on the counter next to Steve.

Steve already had a plate and knife ready to make the boy a sandwich, though he also had some ‘healthy’ snacks and a small packet of animal crackers to drop into the boy’s lunchbox when he wasn’t looking. As if he would ever let his new Smurfs lunchbox out of his sight, Steve thinks as he looks down at the boy. The boy whose eyes were practically glued to the bright blue box. “What do you want on your sandwich?”

Harry pretended to think for a little bit, before grabbing at the fruit bowl. “Peanut butter and banana!” Why did Steve even ask? That or peanut butter and jelly were the kid’s go to choices. He really was like Eddie sometimes. If he hadn’t been the spitting image of 1 to 5-year old Steve, you’d think he was a pureblood Munson.

Steve can’t help but smile at the thought, as he grabs the jar of peanut butter. He has too many memories of coming home after work to find Eddie on the couch, watching tv while eating spoonful after spoonful of creamy peanut butter. No bread, not even a cookie or something else to dip. Just a spoon and a wide smile. Though he’d given Eddie a look every single time it had happened, he couldn’t help but love the fact that their firstborn was just like his dad in that way. He’s pretty sure these two could live off of peanut butter and chocolate bars only.

He's too busy fixing the sandwich to hear footsteps, causing him to jump just slightly when there’s a louder than expected “Ready for your first day, kiddo?” right behind him. Turning to look at them, he sees Eddie already reaching down to lift Harry up in his arms, smiling at the boy as Harry just cheers. Eli’s nowhere to be seen though. Just as he wants to ask Eddie, the other meets his eye. “Eli’s still asleep.”, he says, before winking at Steve.

It’s not suggestive, not like the winks he’d received their first couple of years together had been. Winks he still sometimes receives long after the kids have gone to bed. Though he will always love those kinds of winks, he can’t say he minds these either. They’re the domestic little brother of the other winks, winks to confirm something, winks to let him know they’re in this together. They’re a team. They’re parents. God, Harry’s five already! Or, if someone were to ask the boy himself, Harry was “five and a half!” already.

Eddie’s saying something else to a giggling Harry, but he misses it as he turns back to the task at hand. With Harry distracted, he manages to fill and close the lunchbox. He walks over to the table, showing the box to the boy. “Want to put it in your bag yourself?”

There’s a loud “Yes!”, before he’s squirming to get out of Eddie’s arms and running over to Steve, making grabby hands at the lunchbox. “Careful!” Steve says once again as the boy starts pulling at the zippers on the bag like his life depends on it.

Suddenly realizing he’s forgotten part of the ‘lunch schedule’, he goes back to the fridge to take out another bright blue item. A matching bottle, with a big drawing of Smurfette on it. “Here, can’t have you going thirsty on your first day, now can we?”

“I could use a bottle myself.”, he hears Eddie mutter as their kid cheerfully starts closing the now full bag. He can’t help but huff, looking up to find Eddie already looking at him. They share another sad smile, though this one feels different. With every passing minute, it’s becoming more real. They’re in this together. Breathe, Steve, breathe.

There’s a knock at the door and Eddie nods, putting a hand up. “That’ll be your fake wife!”, he smiles, already making his way towards the sound. A moment later, Steve hears the familiar voice of his best friend floating down the hallway.

They don’t come in though. Hmm, strange. He waits for a second or two longer, but the voices seem to only get softer. Curious and slightly worried, he walks towards the hallway, only to find them hugging. Robin’s whispering something in his ear that makes Eddie laugh. The sound is wet and fuck, no. Keep it together, Steve.

He’s about to turn around when Robin spots him, lifting a hand off of Eddie’s back to wave at him. A second later, Eddie’s wet eyes look up at him.

“Oh, sweetheart.” He’s already walking towards them and as he reaches the duo, Robin steps back to let him take her place.

“I’m going to go look for my favorite nephew!”, she says, just loud enough for Harry to hear. Judging from the delighted giggle, he’s definitely heard it. There’s the soft pattering of small feet before Robin is laughing. “That’s a good hug, kid. What did I do to earn this, huh?” Her voice is fond, though the volume gets lower the further she walks into the kitchen. They hear Harry giggling and muttering, but can’t make out what he’s saying.

They turn back to face each other at the same moment. Steve’s hands are now firmly on Eddie’s waist, so he gives him a soft squeeze, tilting his head down just slightly. They never break eye contact. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. Harry’s going to have the best day, I’m sure of it!” He’s not sure if he’s trying to convince Eddie or himself.

Still, it seems to work, as Eddie nods at him. “Yeah. I think he’s going to have a better day than us, huh.” He’s grinning at Steve with his still red looking but now dry eyes. Steve can’t help but grin back, placing a soft kiss on his lips. “You sure it’s okay for me and Robin to take him? If you want to go with, I’m sure Robs would stay here with Eli and Dusty until we’re back.”

“I do. Fuck, of course, I do. But no, this is better. Don’t want to scare the whole PTA off on day one, now do we. Plus, you actually look like his dad and with “mom” there, I won’t have to worry about single moms thirsting after what’s mine.” It’s something they’ve discussed before. Not the flirty moms, that's just something Eddie keeps mentioning, though Steve very much doubts that’ll be the case.

No, they’ve discussed the fact that Steve is the main parent for now, as far as the other parents know. They’ll try to keep their home situation on the down low until Harry’s well and truly settled. And even then, they’ll only make it that clear if absolutely necessary. The headmaster of the school knows and is very much okay with it, but they don’t want to unnecessarily provoke anyone.

He gets it, he really does, but he can’t say it doesn’t suck. He loves Robin and is grateful she offered her help with this monumental first trip to school so easily, but he would’ve loved to share this moment with Eddie. Not just this moment in their own hallway, but everything. The drive there, taking Harry in, waving at him through the window as they walk back to their cars with all the other parents, the quiet drive back home. God, he feels himself well up again just at the thought of it.

“I love you.”, he ends up saying, instead of all the other thoughts flying around in his head. Eddie kisses him, leaning back just enough to bring their foreheads together. “I love you too. Now come on, our kid needs a ride to school.”

It feels more real by the minute.

In the kitchen, Harry is chattering away, telling Robin all about the playground at the school. She’s ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’-ing at all the right parts. As they step into the kitchen, she looks up, giving them both her most supportive smile as they both nod at her.

With one last kiss to his cheek, Eddie steps away from Steve, scooping Harry up mid-sentence. “Sorry to bother you, kind sir, but a little birdy told me it’s time to get to school!” He places a wet kiss on Harry’s cheek, which has the boy spluttering, though he’s also clearly still giggling.

“Dad, no!”, he says, when Eddie leans back in, but instead of physically stopping him, he just lifts his hands as he giggles once again when Eddie places another wet kiss on his cheek. Finally, he relents, letting the boy lean back in his arms, away from him. “You ready for the big day, honey?”

He’s nodding and smiling brightly at Eddie, his sparkling eyes making Steve tear up again, just a little bit. Two of his favorite people in the world. Three if you count Robin, though she’s stepped back and knowing her, is pretending she doesn’t exist so as to not intrude on this moment. Yep, definitely three people he loves very much, he decides as he steps closer to his husband. Flashing Harry another smile of his own, he points at the backpack. “Let’s go.”

Harry gives Eddie a tight hug, before the other puts him down. Eddie then looks at Steve for a moment, a silent question in his eyes and Steve just nods, watching as Eddie puts the backpack on Harry’s back. He ruffles a hand through the kid’s hair one last time. “Have a great day at school, kiddo.”

“Bye dad!” Harry says enthusiastically, already walking over to grab Robin’s hand and pull her towards the car.

“See you soon.” He places a soft kiss on Eddie’s lips, before following the others out.

The drive to school is…loud. That’s the only way to describe it. Though it’s only a ten minute car ride, Steve’s pretty sure Robin and Harry have been singing, very badly, for at least 3 hours now. Still, he can’t complain, not when he’s got a smiling best friend next to him and a smiling kid in the rear-view mirror. Nope, no complaints here…

It’s only bad enough to complain about when half an hour and some badly hidden tears later, they’re driving away from the school. Robin isn’t smiling or singing along anymore and when he looks in the rear-view mirror, the backseat is far too empty.

The next 6.5 hours are going to be the longest of his life.

He knows he promised the other two boys a trip to the park, but he thinks he’s just going to pull Eddie, Eli and Dusty onto the couch, wrap them all up in a big blanket and never let go. …Until, you know, a little before three, so he can go pick Harry up again. Throwing one last look at the backseat, he focuses back on the road. He really hopes his son is going to have a great first day.

In the blink of an eye. - LittleMissKnowItAll - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

#Steddie dads #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #eddie x steve #stranger things #steddie fanfiction #I just had some Steddie being dads feels #so here you go I guess

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