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“Daddy.”
“Daddy.”
“Daddy!”
The whisper was coming from under the covers, somewhere down by Eddie's waist. He rubbed his eyes where they burned, feeling groggy in the way he tended to only the morning after a show because he wasn't used to sleeping so much.
He peaked under the cover, and Steve squirmed his way onto Eddie's thighs, straddling him.
His eyes were big and wide and happy.
“Stevie!” He whispered back.
Steve giggled and Eddie felt light.
“Daddy,” he whispered again, and it was all more of a yell without the noise. He leaned forward and scrunched his nose. “Daddy you have girls in your bed.”
Eddie gasped. Dropped the blanket down and then immediately back up. He raised an eyebrow at Steve.
Steve giggled more.
“What are they doing here?” He whispered to Steve.
He held the blanket up higher and Steve inched forward to poke his head out. He peaked just a little and giggled again before retreating.
Eddie laughed. He rubbed at his eyes and reached down to run a hand through Steve's hair.
Steve crawled up Eddie’s chest and peaked out again.
Then he looked at Eddie, rolled his eyes and sighed.
“Daddy it's just Robbie and Andie.”
Eddie snorted. Right, like he'd been the one being a little dork about it.
“No way,” he said.
Steve threw the covers off both of them and sat up on Eddie's stomach.
Robin groaned, her hand flying out to smack around looking for the warmth. She buried her face more firmly into Andie's armpit and Andie raised an eyebrow at Eddie, already wide awake.
Steve clicked his tongue. “Andie, your Robbie is grumpy grumpy grumpy.”
Andie smiled at him. “She always is in the morning, huh?”
“Daddy says she needs coffee before she's a human.”
Robin grumbled.
“And what is she until then?” Andie asked.
Steve narrowed his eyes. Looked down at Eddie, over to Andie and back.
He gasped. Leaned forward so his face was right in Eddie’s. “A little birdie! Chirp chirp.”
Eddie laughed, rubbed at his eyes again and lulled his head over to Andie.
“How'd I get the early bird and you got the night owl?”
Steve reached out to grab Eddie's chin and turned his face to look back up at him. He giggled at Eddie’s unamused face. All exaggerated, playful brows. “You think I'm a bird too?”
“No, I think you're a Stevie.”
He nodded. “I am, I am.”
“Right,” he said, "and what do Stevie's do when they wake up in the morning?”
“Um,” he glanced at Andie. Shifted on Eddie's stomach. “They kiss Daddy’s cheek and then they go potty.”
“Exactly. That's so smart of you.”
Steve looked at Andie again. He poked at Eddie's cheek with his finger. “But um, Daddy?”
“Mhm?”
“Can I kiss Andie and Robbie's cheeks, too? And then go potty.”
“Yes.”
He laughed, all excitement. He leaned down, turned Eddie's face so he could reach his cheek, then scrambled off of him, all elbows and knees and bony clambering, and climbed over to Robin and Andie.
Robin groaned again, but Andie was all smiles as she inched forward to push her cheek out to Steve.
He kissed them both, laughed when Robin growled at him, turned bright red when Andie smiled, and then scurried off the bed to the bathroom.
“It's like could a little bit of that happiness rub off on me?” Andie said as she watched Steve go.
“I could rub off on you, should bring happiness or whatever.”
Robin snorted into Andie's side. “Perverted old man.”
Eddie laughed. Kicked himself out of bed. Stretched. His body ached. His side. His legs. His hand, gruesomely. He'd only played for one song last night, but his muscles were still weak, the three and a half minutes fine in the moment but close to brutal after.
He arched his back. Flexed his fingers.
“I put some ibuprofen on the nightstand for you,” Andie said.
He looked back at her and smiled. There were 4 pills and a water bottle laid out for him. “That offer of rubbing still stands.”
He knew the call was coming any second now. Steve liked company when he brushed his teeth. He took the pills. Flexed his fingers and wrist. Tried to stretch it all out but the ache wasn't going to dull until the meds kicked in.
He checked his phone. A stop on the way and maybe three coming back.
“You got, like, thirty, Bird. Wayne's got an afternoon date.”
“Damn Mrs. Henderson.”
Andie laughed.
Steve called for him.
“I got this one,” Andie said, poking Robin's shoulder.
Steve was squeezing toothpaste on his Star Wars tooth brush with his tongue out. He looked up when Eddie came in and smiled at him in the mirror.
“You have to sing Daddy.”
Ever since Steve learned that you had to brush your teeth for a whole song he had Eddie sing one to him every morning. At first, Eddie had stuck with the kid songs. Had sung Itsy Bitsy Spider or old Macdonald on a loop until time was up, but eventually he figured out Steve liked any song he'd sing, so he started picking up some of Robin's and Wayne's and Andie’s favorites. Sometimes just goofy things he remembers from growing up.
He hummed. Lifted himself to sit on the counter and waited for Steve to wipe the counter around the sink down like he'd learned.
“Good boy,” he said.
Steve smiled down at the counter.
“You ready?”
“All ready,” he said, and watched Eddie in the mirror.
Eddie took a deep breath. Steve smiled and held his brush up to his mouth.
“You tell me that you've got everything you want
And your bird can sing
But you don't get me”
Steve smiled around his toothbrush, giggling every time Eddie mentioned birds singing. Everything was foamy and messy, the counter assuredly would need to be wiped down again, but Eddie sang. Soft and playful. The song maybe wasn't the happiest, but Eddie was as Steve's eyes glittered up at him.
After, Steve dutifully sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star four times in a row as Eddie brushed his own teeth.
He cleaned the counter and the sink out while Eddie peed and then held the towel out for him when he was done washing his hands.
It was always after the bathroom that he was all chaos.
Eddie followed him at a sedated pace, muscles still thrumming with hurt, and by the time he got back to the room, Steve was jumping on the bed. Robin's arms were thrown up over her face and she was scrunched up in a fetal position, getting bounced all around.
Andie leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, and looked back at Eddie. “I warned her.”
He rolled his eyes, snuck in the room to Steve's desk and discreetly tucked the weed tray into the top drawer before Steve got nosy.
Steve was a laughing mess. He jumped and jumped, got as close to Robin as he could and jumped harder. She groaned and squealed and tried to scrunch up real small to minimize the effects.
Robin made a grab for him and Steve screamed and wiggled away.
Eddie snorted as she curled up to prepare for her next attack.
He grabbed a shirt and some sweats and fought his limbs into them while Steve cackled.
He came back to Andie, watching Steve and Robin from the doorway, throwing out tactical advice to whoever needed it most. He eased up to her in the doorway and she reached out to run a flat hand across his side.
“You good?” She asked.
“Rough morning.”
“You can bitch, “ she said. “You can whine, you can cry, you can fight. I'm all ears.”
He leaned in for a moment, rested his forehead to hers. “It'll calm down.”
“Offer still stands.”
“Ride with me tomorrow? While the brats work.”
“Do you promise to bitch?”
“I promise to bitch.”
“I love a Sunday drug disbursement,” she said with a grin.
He kissed her forehead.
“Distract him while I attempt the stairs?”
Andie hummed, turned back to look at the bed.
“You gotta tickle her, Stevie. On her tummy.”
Eddie laughed when Robin gasped, whining about betrayal.
He made his way down stairs slowly, had to stop mid way to breathe and press his hand into his side. Everything burned. It was pulsing from his side to his back. Shooting up his spine.
He debated sitting. Didn't want to have to get up. He breathed. Clutched the railing as he made it to the bottom.
Mornings were always the worst. Mornings after shows a million times more.
When he was in the kitchen he leaned against the counter. Caught his breath. Shuffled around in his drawer, found half a joint and took a couple hits.
His tension melted away and he felt himself relaxing a little. It helped.
He put the joint out. Shoved it back in the drawer.
Stretched and felt like it worked a little that time.
When he was finished readying the coffee supplies and had everything he needed pulled out he yelled back up to them.
“Stevie, Daddy needs help making coffee.”
There was silence at first. Then a thunk. Eddie laughed. He pushed himself up on the counter to sit. Heard a loud rumble down the stairs and a pair of thunks follow.
Steve skipped right up to Eddie. Didn't stop until he thumped into his knees. He was breathless. “I can help Daddy.”
“Are you sure? I need a really good kitchen helper.”
Steve gripped Eddie's knees and nodded. “Yes, I'm sure that's me.”
Steve looked over his shoulder at the girls as they followed him in the kitchen, worried they were going to steal his title.
“And what do we know about coffee?”
Steve turned back to him. Leaned in closer to Eddie. “It's so so hot so we can't touch it and we be careful.”
“And?”
He blinked at Eddie and a slow, devious smile grew across his face. “We only press the buttons once.”
Eddie refused to laugh. “How many times?”
“Once.”
“Huh?” He asked, leaning in. “I didn't catch that.”
Steve wrinkled his nose. Got right up in Eddie's face. “One time only Daddy.”
“Uhhuh, perfect. Go for it big boy.”
He laughed, spun himself around and slid over to the coffee maker.
“No way Stevie can make coffee for all of us by himself,” Robin said, making her way over to Eddie to hug him.
Steve had his tongue clamped between his teeth as he scooped sugar into mugs. He always got so excited watching it melt at the bottom as the coffee poured in.
Then what Robin said finally caught up to him. “I only know how to make two. Robbie has to make her own.” He looked up from his final spoonful and stuck his tongue out at Robin.
Andie laughed. “You tell her, kid.”
Steve looked down at the counter and his face turned red. Little Steve's crush on Andie was relentless. Eddie smiled at him when he peaked up at him. Caught his eye and winked. He got even redder.
“You're just gunna let him do that?” Robin asked, nudging Eddie with her nose.
“You started it,” he said.
He pressed his lips to the top of her head. Ran his chin back and forth against her. She looked up at him, eyes narrowed, like she was concerned and he smiled at her. Perceptive ass.
“I'm good,” he whispered, “getting there.”
She pressed her face into him. “I hope Wayne's making blueberry waffles.”
“You know he is.”
“Yeah but I like to hope anyway so I don't take anything for granted when I get there.”
“Robbie I'm actually really going to make you some,” Steve said. “I was just joking.”
She sighed, all dramatic. “He does love me.”
Steve smiled down at the machine. His finger was hovering over the start button and he was staring at it hard like he really wanted to press it again.
Eddie cleared his throat.
Steve looked at him. Froze. Tucked his finger away and made a fist.
He leaned forward to watch the coffee hit the bottom of the cup and started whispering something to himself and the coffee.
He was captivated until all the mugs were full.
Steve dutifully lined up the mugs and stirred them all. Drops of coffee dripped everywhere from the spoon. Heaps of it sloshed over the rim of the cups. He didn't even notice.
He handed everyone their coffee and giggled when Eddie handed him a cup with chocolate milk in it.
He took a sip. “Since Daddy is holding Robbie, Andie can hold me,” he said.
“I'd love to,” Andie said. “Come here honey.”
Steve's eyes got wide and he took a step back instead of towards her. His cheeks and neck lit up red. His eyes flashed to Eddie and then he blinked and Eddie saw the change happen.
Andie still held her arms out for him.
The corner of his mouth ticked up at Eddie. Eddie tilted his head at him. Steve was all light. Everything good. He slowly stepped up to Andie to nudge his way into her arms.
Eddie snorted. Steve turned his head to grin at him.
Steve slid his cup on the counter behind Andie and snaked his arms tight around her back. He buried his face in her neck and squeezed her to him.
She laughed, tried to pull back to look at him but he held her tighter. “Oh, you're a whore.”
He squeezed her tighter then dropped a kiss to the side of her neck and stepped back. “You see an opportunity, you gotta take it.”
He turned to the last mug Eddie set out and started in on his own coffee.
He pressed the button, let the Keurig brew and looked at Eddie. “You took something? You smoked.”
Eddie hummed. Nodded.
“You're okay?” Steve asked. His eyes tracked Eddie's face and then ran down his body like any pain would glow red just for him to see.
“I'm good, sweetheart.”
“Good,” he said. He looked back at Andie. “My crush on you is getting out of hand.”
“You're remembering more?” Eddie asked.
“Unfortunately.”
Andie laughed. “I think it's adorable.”
Robin giggled.
Steve sighed. “Of course you do.”