Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"...You walk into the cave, and the witch holds out one gnarled hand to beckon you closer. She says she has a message. What do you do?"

Steve sits back in his chair and stifles a yawn. He's still not sure why Eddie wanted him to be in the DnD game for this session; so far, his character hasn't done much besides accidentally injure himself a few times. The party calls out their answers to Eddie, perched at the head of the table.

"I'm low on health, I'm gonna wait outside..."

"I walk right up to her."

"Can we steal from her? What else does she have?"

"Is no one else gonna draw their sword?"

Eddie patiently responds to each answer, then turns to Steve, who's now fiddling with a spare die. "How 'bout you, pretty boy? Whatcha gonna do?"

Steve blinks. "Oh, uh. I...I draw my sword and walk up to her. I don't trust her."

"Alright, that's intimidation and a perception check, roll your dice."

Steve rolls; the dice skitter rather underwhelmingly to a halt on Mike's notepad. Mike whistles lowly. "Nat 1."

"Is that bad?" Steve looks from Mike to Eddie. Eddie smirks, but not unkindly.

"Means you failed both of 'em, babes."

"Means you're not intimidating," Dustin chimes in.

"Alright, peanut gallery," Steve teases back. Dustin snorts.

"If I may --" Eddie clears his throat and slips back into a more authoritative DM voice. "The witch just laughs at Azur," he drawls. That's Steve's character; he perks up a little. Now Eddie puts on a creaky, warbling affect for the witch's voice -- "Put away the sword, child, there's no need for that here. I have a message I was bidden to give you." as he speaks, Eddie reaches behind him to the backpack where he keeps his props. "I have waited a long, long time to give you this, traveler," he intones, pulling a small box from the backpack. He sets it on the table; it's a little treasure chest, cobbled together from popsicle sticks with a plastic gem on the front of the lid. Steve smirks.

"That's cute. Did you make this?"

"With some help from the Party," says Eddie. "This message will change your life forever, traveler, in ways you can scarcely yet imagine."

Steve hesitates with his hand on the lid. Looks at Eddie. Looks at the Party. He squints. They look back, grinning.

"You're trolling me, aren't you," he says slowly. "You're all in on this."

"Yup," says Lucas cheerfully.

"Open it open it open it," chants Dustin.

"Alright, alright..." with a sidelong glance at Eddie, Steve cracks the lid and s l o w l y opens the box. Peeks inside -- and snaps it shut. "Shut up. Edward Munson, I swear to god --"

Eddie grins behind his hands. "Open it already, dumbass."

Steve opens the treasure chest again, slowly. There are no hinges, so he sets the lid down to one side. Inside the box is a plastic stick, pink at one end, resting atop a neatly rolled-up piece of paper. He takes out the plastic stick and turns it over. There's a tiny screen in the middle of the other side, with a hot-pink plus sign. Steve opens his mouth to speak, and Eddie interrupts.

"Read the note, too."

So Steve takes the little scroll out of the chest and unrolls it. In Eddie's neat, blocky hand it reads:

INTRODUCING

THE NEWEST MEMBER

OF THE

HELLFIRE CLUB

Steve reads it, his lips moving silently. Lets go of the scroll with one hand; it rolls itself back up with a soft thwup. He looks up at Eddie. "...You're pregnant?"

"I'm pregnant."

The table erupts with cheering. Eddie laughs, high and a little nervous. So does Steve. "You told them before you told me??"

"Well yeah, they helped me plan the surprise! It was mostly Dustin's idea, actually." Dustin grins at the recognition. The cheers die down and Steve is left holding the little note, turning it over and over in his hands.

"You're actually pregnant, though? Like...for real?"

"For real. Got a bun in the oven," Eddie says. His words are joking, but his tone is soft and almost affectionate. "Found out a few weeks ago."

"Jesus, Eddie..." Steve blows out a breath. Without thinking he stands and leans over the table toward his boyfriend, but the sudden chorus of heckling reminds him he's got an audience. He glances at the Party and hesitates, and Eddie takes the opportunity to close the distance and kiss the daylights out of him. This elicits a whole new round of cheers, with odd "ewwww" thrown in as well. Eddie laughs into the kiss. They're both riding too high on the moment to care.

Chairs squeak on the floor, there's a rustling of bags and papers; apparently that marked the end of the session. Eddie breaks away to address the room. "See you next week, dudes. And Henderson --" Dustin pauses on his way out the door; Eddie gives him a wink and a nod. "Thanks for your help."

The Party files out the room, congratulating Steve and Eddie as they go, until finally it's just the two of them left. Steve sits down on the table and looks at his boyfriend. He's a little stunned. Eddie looks up at him.

"You good?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm..." he runs a hand through his hair. "You're actually fucking pregnant?"

Eddie laughs lightly. "For like the third time, yeah, I am." Steve swears under his breath. It still doesn't seem real. Eddie cocks his head. "...what?"

"What?"

"You tell me."

"I dunno, just...worried. With all the weird shit that goes down around here, if this is a good idea."

Eddie gets up from his chair and crowds into Steve's space. Takes Steve's hands in his own and presses them to his stomach. Steve's expression softens.

"Look," says Eddie gently, "my ADHD ass graduated high school with a 3.0 gpa. If I can pull off a fucking miracle like that, we can make this work." Steve snorts. "I'm serious, we'll be fine. We're gonna have the most metal kid ever."

Steve rolls his eyes fondly and bumps their foreheads together. "Cheesy."

"You know it." Eddie closes the distance and draws him into a kiss, which Steve gladly returns. Eddie's a damn good kisser; before long, he's so swept away by it that he doesn't even hear the door open.

"Oh shit -- sorry, forgot my talent sheet -- I'm not looking, sorry, sorry --"

Steve looks over his shoulder to see Mike, one hand over his eyes, feeling around on the table. Steve grabs the paper just out of his reach and thrusts it into his hands, and he backs out of the room with one last apology. He sighs; Eddie's grinning.

"See, you're practically a dad already," he teases. This earns him a scowl.

"I'm divorcing you."

Eddie cackles.

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Chapter Text

"You got it okay?"

"Steve..."

"Sorry, sorry..."

Steve and Eddie stand at the door of a little cookie-cutter townhouse. It's late spring, and just warm enough for short sleeves; both men are decked out in their oldest and rattiest T-shirts, and Eddie's rides up over his bump as he adjusts the stack of folded boxes under his arm. He's 39 weeks and two days pregnant, and officially Over It. He twitches his shirt back down, then swears when he nearly drops the boxes.

"What time were they gonna be here?"

Steve takes out his phone. "Looks like she just turned onto the street. You good?"

"Ask me again and I'm walking home," Eddie warns. Steve mutters an apology and turns back toward the street. Eddie leans his stack of cardboard against the wall, then takes a minute to adjust his shirt properly and tie on a bandana. When he looks up again, Steve is descending the stairs and there's a U-Haul pulling into the driveway. He eyes the stairs and decides to stay put.

Steve reappears a minute later, with Robin and another young woman in tow. Eddie, leaning on the wall, waves with his fingers. Robin's eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline.

"Jesus, dude, look at you! You sure you're not smuggling a watermelon under there?" The woman -- presumably her girlfriend -- playfully smacks her arm.

"Be nice."

"I'm always nice."

"Good to see you too, Robin," Eddie laughs.

"Yeah no, you too." Robin moves aside so her girlfriend can unlock the door, and gestures to her. "This is Janine, by the way -- what are you doing here, though? You look like you're about to pop."

Janine gives a little smile and nod over her shoulder, which Eddie returns. "This one dragged me along to keep an eye on me," he says, jutting his chin toward Steve.

"Steve. You're putting your heavily pregnant boyfriend to work?" Robin eyes him suspiciously.

"You coulda said no," Steve says to Eddie, who shrugs. Fair point. Janine gets the door open (fifth time's the charm), and he rather awkwardly bends to pick up the cardboard.

"Let's go in, my hips are fucking killing me already."

👹👹👹

Chapter Text

Moving day is never particularly fun, whether you're the one moving or the one helping out. Spending time with friends is nice, and free pizza is always good, but it's still work -- and not the most interesting work, either.

Suffice to say, Eddie is bored. He's spent the past five or so hours unpacking and breaking down boxes while Steve, Robin, and Janine bustle around the house doing the actual moving-in. Not that he really minds staying in one spot; today's a crampy sort of day and the kid's in his pelvis at a weird angle, so it's good to sit for a while. But he's increasingly feeling like he and Steve aren't much use.

Janine plops down on the couch just as Eddie tosses a folded-up box aside. Takes a drink from her can of seltzer and watches from the corner of her eye as he shifts uncomfortably. He gives her a sidelong look in return.

"Don't worry, it's not contagious," he quips. She snorts.

"Thank goodness." a few awkward seconds pass. She takes another sip. The baby kicks, and Eddie taps a little rhythm in response. "So, uh...do y'all know what you're having?" Janine ventures.

"Yeah, a baby," Eddie says before he can stop himself. It gets a laugh, at least. "Yeah no, it...it's a girl."

This elicits the usual awww. Eddie smiles, a little bashful. But then the baby takes the opportunity to stretch her legs, making him wince and hiss through his teeth. Janine raises her eyebrows.

"You okay?"

Then Eddie has an idea. "Yeah, uh..." he winces again for dramatic effect. "Just really crampy today." it's broadly true, at least. Janine looks alarmed.

"Oh god, you're not in labor or something, are you?"

"Yeah, I -- I think I might be, actually. But I'm fine, don't worry about it," Eddie adds when he sees her eyes widen.

"Might be what?" Steve wanders in holding a lamp. "Janine, Robin said to ask you where this goes."

Well shit, this isn't quite what Eddie had in mind. He and Janine exchange a glance; Steve notices and sets the lamp down.

"What's up, you okay..?"

"I'm having contractions," Eddie blurts out. Up go the eyebrows.

"Since when? Do we need to call an ambulance, or -?"

"No, no, it -- not very long. I just wanna go home for now. Sorry," he adds to Janine, who waves a dismissive hand.

"You're having a baby, dude, don't worry about it. You guys get outta here, I'll explain the situation to Robin. Here --"

Janine stands up from the couch and helps Eddie to his feet while Steve finds his car keys, and the next while is full of activity as the pair of them make their slow way out of the house, down the stairs, and into Steve's ancient station wagon. Then while Eddie is still catching his breath from the journey, Steve climbs in and starts the car, and they rattle out of the driveway.

"Wish you'd told me you were having contractions, babe," he says, giving Eddie a glance, then back to the road.

"'m sorry," says Eddie. C'mon Munson, think fast. "I didn't...I didn't wanna worry you."

"You're having a baby, Eds, of course I'm gonna worry."

"Yeah, people keep telling me that. Like they think I'm gonna forget or something..."

"What?"

"That I'm having a baby. As if the fucking watermelon strapped to my front wasn't a big enough clue."

Steve makes a vague noise, and they drive in silence for a bit, only broken by road noise and creaking upholstery when Eddie shifts in his seat. When they come to a stoplight, Steve turns to look at him.

"How far apart are they?"

Eddie turns from looking out the window. "Huh?"

"How far apart are the contractions?"

Eddie hesitates. Maybe he didn't think this through. He cups his belly with both hands. "Um...they, uh, stopped, actually," he says sheepishly. A look of realization slowly crosses Steve's face, closely followed by one of annoyance.

"Babe, if you wanted to leave, you could have just said so. Kind of a dick move to pretend you're in labor."

Eddie fidgets with the hem of his shirt, a little embarrassed. "What, and it wouldn't have been a dick move to say 'hey, I know I agreed to help out with this but I changed my mind cuz I'm bored'?"

Steve makes a vague noise of acknowledgement. Touché.

"No, I'm sorry, you're right. Let's just go back."

"Nah, we've already left, it'd just be weird," Steve shrugs. "Let's just go home. Besides, I dunno if we were really helping that much."

Aha. So Eddie was right. "Alright, if you're sure."

"Yes, I'm sure." Steve gives him a sidelong look. "Seriously though, you're feeling okay? You said you were hurting this morning."

"Stevie, I swear to god, if you ask me that one more time I'm jumping out at the next light."

Steve holds up one hand, placating. "Okay, I'm sorry, I'm just checking. You can't blame me for worrying."

Eddie smooths his shirt over his belly. "'m fine, babe. I mean yeah, I'm crampy, but that's kinda just a fact of life right now." Steve looks unconvinced; he huffs. "Look, when I'm not fine, I will let you know, okay?"

"Deal."

Eddie glances over at Steve, who's now staring out the windshield. Reaches across the console and signs 'I love you' against his leg. Steve's expression softens, then he smiles a little.

"Love you too, Eds."

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Chapter Text

It's a pretty normal day after that. They stop for lunch on the way home (which Eddie just picks at; baby doesn't let him eat much), and Eddie takes a much-needed nap while Steve buzzes around.

When Eddie wakes up, the apartment is quiet. He heaves himself out of bed, throws on the nearest shirt, and wanders off to find his boyfriend.

Theirs is a loft apartment (generously paid for by Steve's parents); Eddie first peers over the railing overlooking the main room. Ah, there he is: Steve's on the couch, engrossed in some game or other. He doesn't look up. So Eddie makes his way down the stairs, pausing halfway when the baby wakes and stretches and triggers a cramp. Shuffles across the hardwood, pauses a moment to watch the game. Then he leans on the back of the couch.

"Whatcha playin'?"

Steve startles beautifully. He relaxes once he sees who it is, but Eddie still has to bite his cheek to keep from laughing.

"Menace," Steve growls halfheartedly.

"You know it," Eddie agrees, rounding the couch to sit down next to him. Steve looks him up and down, and Eddie holds up a finger to stop the obvious question.

"Yes, I'm still achy. Yes, I'm fine."

"'kay." Steve pauses the game. "She awake?"

"Mm-hmm." Eddie leans back some, and Steve leans over to plant a hand on his belly.

"Hey, little lady. Whatcha doin' in there, guppy?" his voice is soft and after a moment, there's an answering flutter. He smiles and leans down to plant a kiss on the spot. "You gonna come out and meet us soon, huh?"

"She better," Eddie grumbles. The moment's over. Steve plants one more kiss to the peak of his belly and sits back up to grab his controller.

"I was gonna play some Crimson Skies, wanna plug in the other controller?"

This gets a smile out of Eddie. "Hell yeah."

"Jesus, Munson, you call that flying?"

"Shut up, not like you're doing much better."

Airplane engines whir on the screen. Eddie, leaning on a stack of pillows, swears as Steve's plane buzzes him. They've been playing for a couple hours now and while Eddie's mostly been holding his own, he's starting to falter. Steve gives him a glance.

"You sure you don't wanna take a break?"

Eddie grins toothily. "Nah, your psyop won't work on me, nice try."

"No, babe, seriously --"

"Look out!"

Eddie swoops up and over Steve and disappears behind a tall building, confusing him just long enough to make him crash. The game announces Eddie's win, and he turns to Steve with a smug little smile. His face is flushed, Steve notices, and he's breathing hard. He opens his mouth to speak, but Eddie hits NEW GAME before he can comment.

"Best two out of three."

Another round passes. Eddie's not talking much now. Understandable, he's getting his ass handed to him, but maybe it's not just that?

You worry too much, Steve. Focus.

He lets himself get really into the next round after that. Neither of them says much besides the occasional curse. They're nearing the end of the course, with Steve's little Devastator just barely gaining on Eddie's bomber, when Eddie abruptly speaks up.

"...Steve."

"What."

"I think I'm having contractions."

Steve laughs to himself. "Oh, now who's doing the psyop?"

"Steve."

"That trick only works once, babe, knock it off." suddenly there's a hand on his shoulder. Eddie's bomber drifts straight into a wall and crashes. "Wh -- hey!" Steve drops his controller and turns to Eddie -- and finds him staring into the middle distance, controller hanging from his hand, breathing slowly and evenly and in a very deliberate way. Steve's heart jumps right into his throat. "Oh god, you're serious," he says weakly.

"No shit, Sherlock." Eddie grits the words out between clenched teeth, still holding onto Steve's shoulder. After a moment he lets out a great whooshing breath and relaxes some. "God, that fucking hurts..."

Steve sputters. "I'm -- how long has that been going on??"

"A while," says Eddie, a little sheepish. "Since Robin and Janine's, probably." Steve makes an incredulous noise, and he holds up a hand. "I didn't know, okay? I haven't exactly done this before. I thought it was just cramps 'cuz she's been really active, but then the last couple ones really stung and she's so low and --"

"Hey, hey --" Steve puts a hand on Eddie's knee, grounding him back to reality. "I'm not mad. It's been a weird day for everyone, let's just..." he rubs back and forth with his thumb while he thinks. "Do you know how far apart the contractions are, at least?"

"Yeah, I've been using the game matches to time 'em, they're like five minutes. Maybe four," says Eddie distractedly. Steve blinks.

"Jesus. Okay, um. Okay, why don't you call the doctor, I'll put the hospital bag in the car and get the phone chargers and water bottles and shit..." Steve gets up from the couch, controller completely forgotten. Eddie catches his hand, stopping him in his tracks, and reels him back in.

"Chill out," he says gently. "People have babies all the time, it'll be fine."

"Yeah, but none of them are you, Eds," says Steve. "And shouldn't I be the one reassuring you right now?" Eddie snorts.

"Let's just get to the hospital, then go from there. Okay?"

Steve bends down to kiss the top of Eddie's head before wandering away. "Okay."

Getting to the car is a process. The contractions hit every five minutes like clockwork, and each one takes Eddie's feet out from under him, as though his body's committed to it now that he's aware of them. Finally they bundle themselves in and get going, but the way Steve's ancient car rattles along and jostles over every bump definitely does not help.

"Ow, fucking -- Steve --"

Steve glances over to see Eddie white-knuckling the console with one hand and the door with the other, his chest heaving as he pants.

"You okay? We're almost there, I'm going as fast as I legally can, I promise."

"I know," Eddie grits out, "your fucking -- beater car is gonna shake the kid outta me before we even get there --"

Steve swallows hard and puts just a little more pressure on the accelerator.

--

Through an intersection and past a few more miles, Steve is just starting to think this is the longest drive of his life when Eddie swears breathlessly. There's an urgency to it that makes the hair stand up on the back of his neck.

"What's wrong, are you --" Steve risks a glance; Eddie's cupping his belly with one hand, knees wide apart. "Oh god, you're not pushing, are you?" Eddie hisses through his teeth and doesn't answer. "Eds, answer me, do I need to pull over?"

"No, I'm not fucking pushing," Eddie says all in a rush. "Think my water broke." Steve swears. "I know, 'm sorry, the car --"

"I don't care about the car," Steve snaps, "I'm worried about you, you sure I don't need to pull over?"

"Steve, if it was that urgent, you would know, trust me." Eddie's a little more with it now that the contraction's over, although he's still shifting his hips restlessly. "I'm okay for now, so quit freaking out and just drive." Steve nods, eyes fixed on the road. After a few moments' silence, Eddie wordlessly puts his hand on the center console, and Steve covers it with his own.

Eddie's hand is shaking.

Dustin pushes open his bedroom door, shrugs off his backpack, and hurriedly goes through the motions of changing out of his school clothes and into pajamas. He passes his fish tank as he's pulling on a shirt, and pauses.

"I'll be with you in a sec, guys. Got an important text to send real quick."

Dustin grabs his phone from his backpack and belly-flops onto the bed with it. He's been holding onto this news all day, and he thinks he might explode if he doesn't tell someone. He opens the Party's group chat.

D: GUESS WHAT

A few minutes pass. Dustin gets up and feeds the fish, and just as he's heading back to his bed, his phone lights up.

M: you're taller?

E: you got new teeth

Dustin rolls his eyes.

D: funny.

Eddie and Steve had their baby!!!

The chat explodes. Texts from everyone, even Max, demanding the hows and whens and wheres.

D: This morning, I think

L: u think?

D: Robin told me

He and Steve went to her place this morning to help her move some things, and Eddie went into labor while they were there

L: oh my god!!!

M: 10 bucks eddie names it something goofy

galadriel or eowyn or frodo

MM: he would

E: i wanna see baby pictures

Dustin watches as the chat continues and eventually heads off on a tangent. Closes it and thinks for a minute, absently watching the fish. Then he opens a new text, this time to Steve and Eddie.

CONGRATS ON THE TINY HUMAN

Steve's phone buzzes in his pocket. He ignores it. For the past two hours, almost three now, he's been walking with his boyfriend as he paces around the cramped hospital room. Eddie is clad in a 90's-print hospital gown and ugly hospital socks, his hair damp and stuck to his face with sweat. The gown is open in front and hangs loosely around his belly.

Eddie's been a perpetual motion machine since they got here, even now with contractions coming just a couple minutes apart. Every nurse who's come into the room has been surprised he's still upright. They'll get him on the bed long enough to check his progress, then as soon as they leave he's on his feet again.

He stumbles to a halt against an equipment cart; Steve hovers at a safe distance. The cart scoots into the wall and Eddie follows, leaning on it with his hands clenched so hard his forearms shake. Little pained noises work their way free.

"Good job, Eds," Steve murmurs, "you're doing good." he watches, hands jammed under his armpits, until he feels it's safe to get closer. Then he digs a hair tie out of his pocket and closes the distance. Eddie turns to face him as he approaches, slow and achy. He looks exhausted. "Want me to tie your hair back..?" asks Steve. He nods and turns back to lean on the cart. A minute of quiet follows while Steve finger-combs Eddie's hair back, gathers and ties it in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. But the reprieve doesn't last long; soon, Eddie's moving again, off on another lap of the room.

This time, though, he stops halfway. Leans on a chair, then drops into a low squat behind it. Then he's up again as soon as the contraction's over. Steve perches on the edge of the bed to watch. Eddie's movements have more purpose to them now, and he thinks he knows why...he's just eyeing the call button when his boyfriend speaks up.

"Steve, could you, uh...I think it's go time. Get a nurse? Or doctor, whatever --" he manages, then he's gone again, shuffling in a tight circle around the middle of the room. Steve yanks the cord on the call button, then crosses the room to Eddie's side.

"Alright, what can I do? What do you need?"

"Need you to stop talking, and gimme some space," Eddie pants, "need to concentrate." Steve dutifully takes a step back, just as Eddie sinks into a squat again. A nurse comes bustling into the room at almost the same moment and looks him up and down.

"I think he's pushing," Steve blurts out.

"Definitely am," Eddie gasps, "she's like -- feels like a fucking bowling ball on fire --" he goes quiet and still, pushing until he has to come up for air, then draws a gasping breath and climbs to his feet with the help of a nearby chair. The nurse is in the corner calmly washing her hands and putting on gloves, clearly not in much of a hurry. Eddie shuffles a few more paces before stopping again, but this time stays on his feet. The nurse, now setting out a little black bag of supplies, pauses to watch. Eddie repeats the same steps, then continues his trek. Steve huffs.

"Eds? Babe, could you, like -- sit down, or hold still, or --"

The nurse gently waves him into silence. "That's alright. If this is what works for him, let him do it."

Steve fidgets with the spare hair tie in his pocket and says nothing. He feels fiercely protective of Eddie suddenly, and part of him wants to be annoyed at the nurse just for being there. She takes Steve's place briefly, trailing Eddie around the room through a few contractions and asking questions when he comes up for air, then moves back out of his way.

Eddie drifts around the room, stopping to push wherever he happens to be -- holding onto a chair, leaning on a table or equipment cart, standing or crouched in the middle of the floor. Steve gives encouragement and praise whenever he wanders close enough, but otherwise feels...well, helpless.

Then Eddie goes down to the floor and doesn't come back up. He lets out a noise like he's been gut-punched, pressing at the lowest curve of his belly with one hand. His hand moves lower, between his legs, and he swears under his breath.

"Steve --"

Steve's there in an instant, kneeling next to him. Puts a hand on his shoulder to let him know he's there, and Eddie grabs his arm in a vice grip. The nurse comes too, but keeps her distance.

"You good?" Steve feels silly as soon as he asks. His boyfriend huffs out a wry laugh.

"Yeah. Peachy. Just fuckin' -- hah -- trying to push out a seven-pound kid," he pants. "You're still gonna catch her, yeah? When she gets here?" he turns to look at Steve. He's gotten his second wind; there's a look of fierce determination in his eyes.

"Yeah. Yeah, I can do that. Just like we planned." Steve gives his shoulder a gentle squeeze, but Eddie's already pushing again, one hand still between his legs.

"Burning -- burning, holy fucking shit --" he wheezes, leaning into Steve. Steve risks a glance down and can just see the shape of the baby's head press into his hand, then retreat. Eddie lets out a cry of frustration. "Nooo, come on..."

The nurse presses something into Steve's free hand -- a cool, wet washcloth. "Hold this between his legs," she says quietly, "it'll help." Steve does as he's told, muttering an apology when Eddie hisses through his teeth. But it does seem to help: with the next contraction, the baby's head crowns fully and stays there.

"There you go," says the nurse from the sidelines, "good job." Steve peppers the side of Eddie's head with kisses, murmuring praise into his hair. Christ, this is happening so fast. Eddie whines.

"Ow -- ow ow ow, holy fuck she's gonna tear me in half, OW --"

"No she's not, Eds, she's almost here. This is all you, babe, you're doing this." Steve gently shushes. The baby's head pushes forward again, then pops free with a startled cry from Eddie.

"Oh --" Eddie fumbles between his legs, crowding Steve's hand out of the way. Looks up at Steve, then at the nurse. "Can I -- can I see her? I wanna see her." she turns away with a nod and he presses himself into the crook of Steve's neck, panting hard. The nurse returns with a little hand mirror that she sets on the floor, angling it so he can see past his belly. He peers at it. "Oh, that's gnarly. Damn. Hey, kiddo..." he trails his fingers over the head, marveling at it in the mirror for a second. Then he looks to Steve; there's something in his eyes that makes him lightheaded. "You're up, babe," he says, a little unsteady. Steve looks from him to the nurse.

"You might want to untangle yourself first," she teases gently. Steve does as he's told, and Eddie grabs onto a table leg instead. The nurse makes quick work of shuffling Steve into position and by the time the next contraction starts, he's gently cupping the baby's head in his hands and willing himself not to pass out. God, he'd never live that down. It slowly turns; Eddie lets out a guttural groan.

"You're good, I gotcha," Steve tries not to sound as scared as he feels. "I got her, Eds, you're okay --"

It all sort of happens at once, after that. Eddie's bearing down, pressing himself back into the table, the nurse is saying something to one or both of them, and suddenly he's holding his daughter, who's tiny and wrinkled and slippery and very angry -- she throws out her arms, scrunches up her face, and lets out a cry that sounds too big for her tiny body. Steve laughs, a single, almost hysterical sound.

"There she is!" the nurse cheers. "Good job, papa." she gives Eddie a smile as she begins towelling the baby dry. He barely notices. The baby covers her face with her little arms; Steve takes one hand and just holds it.

"Christ, she's tiny...Eds, look, she's grabbing my finger-!"

Eddie still has a death grip on the table leg. He slowly and gingerly lowers himself to the floor, his eyes fixed on the baby the whole time. Steve looks up.

"Oh -- here, do you want -- here --"

He awkwardly bundles her into Eddie's arms and sits back. Eddie cuddles her to his chest and tucks the gown over her; she settles quickly, although she still looks furious at being disturbed.

"Hey peanut," he whispers, "hey sweet girl. Happy birthday. God, I really just did that, didn't I..."

"Yeah you did," says Steve quietly. "You did good, Eds."

Eddie trails his free hand over the baby's head, the shell of her ear, her nose. Takes the umbilical cord between his thumb and forefinger and eyes it with mild curiosity. Then he shifts uncomfortably.

"Can I move to the bed..? This is really uncomfortable."

Steve loses track of time after that. Helping Eddie to the bed requires both Steve and the nurse holding him up. After that the placenta is delivered, at which point Eddie decides a shower is in order. So, while the nurse weighs and measures the baby, gives her an Apgar test and a bath, Steve and Eddie go to the tiny en suite bathroom for what feels like the most satisfying shower either of them has ever had. It's also a long shower -- Eddie's still crampy and his legs are wobbly, so everything is done in slow motion. Mostly he just leans on Steve.

Steve pushes his hair out of his eyes and looks down at his boyfriend, who's washing the soap out of his own hair. Out in the room, the baby begins to cry, and Eddie's head snaps toward the sound.

"It's weird having her out there," he says quietly. "Spent nine months having her with me 24/7, and now she's...not."

"She's actually here, though," says Steve. Eddie smiles.

"Isn't that nuts? We made a human. A whole-ass person."

Steve snorts, and before Eddie can step away, gathers him into his arms. Eddie melts into him.

"So fucking proud of you, Eds. You did so good." Eddie makes a little disgruntled sound against his collarbone. "I'm serious. That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen."

"'m not doing that ever again," Eddie mutters.

"I don't blame you." Steve kisses the top of his head, then again for good measure. They lapse into silence for a minute or two, just standing under the water.

"...I'm thinking 'Lucy'," says Eddie abruptly.

"For her name?"

"Yeah."

"Mm. I like it."

"Lucy Undomiel Munson...got a nice ring to it."

"Undomiel?"

"Yeah, like Arwen Undomiel."

Steve pulls back to look at Eddie. "...That's a Lord of the Rings thing, isn't it."

"Yeah."

"You lunatic," Steve laughs lightly and pulls away.

"I don't hear you arguing, though."

"Nah, it's pretty."

"Lucy of course being short for 'Lucifer'," Eddie continues smugly. Now Steve really laughs.

"You are not naming our child Lucifer." he steps out of the shower and holds out his hands to help his boyfriend do the same. Eddie turns off the water and slowly, gingerly climbs out with Steve's help. Then he leans on him again with an exhausted sigh.

"I meant what I said, Eds," Steve murmurs, "you were incredible."

Eddie hums. "Love you too."

🎲🎲🎲