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Langley, Virginia
“Are you sure you packed it?” Nancy asks for a third time, rooting through their joint suitcase.
Robin huffs, also for a third time, as she digs through her carry on. “Yeah babe, I know it’s in here somewhere. I packed it as soon as you handed it to me.”
“I would just feel better if it was actually with me, ya know?”
“I know, I know. I… ah HA! I got it! Here, your precious pager. You know, I’m pretty sure you’d marry that thing before me if you had the chance.” Robin pouts, intentionally petulant, as she hands over the pager.
Nancy presses a quick kiss on Robin’s pout. “I’d marry you in a heartbeat, chicken.”
Robin blushes at the use of her full nickname, one that Nancy bestowed on her shortly after they’d gotten together in college. They had taken to sleeping over in one another’s dorms, not willing to be apart at night when they didn’t have to be, and one sleepy morning Nancy teased Robin that she looked more like a chicken than a robin with her hair all wild and sticking up from sleep. The nickname has evolved over the years and most of the time Nancy just calls her chickie which, although not much better than chicken, doesn’t make Robin cringe quite as hard in public.
“Come on, we’ll be late.” Nancy prompts after Robin distracts her with a few more kisses.
Robin groans as Nancy pulls away. “It’s just a recommendation that you arrive two hours early. Really, the plane won’t leave without us if we get there a little later than that.”
“But if we go now we can grab lunch after we get through security.” Nancy reminds her.
Robin knows they’ll have time regardless, there are several quick-serve options at the airport, but Nancy hates to eat standing up, swearing it’s uncivilized, and Robin doesn’t think she’ll have enough patience to deal with both a transcontinental flight and an irritated girlfriend if Nancy isn’t able to eat lunch somewhere with a table and chairs. “Okay,” Robin concedes, “Let’s go.”
They take a cab to DCA, deciding against paying the ridiculous parking fees for the week they’ll be away. It’s not a terribly long drive, less than Nancy drives every day up to Capitol Hill for her job as a news correspondent, but airport traffic still has Nancy fretting about delays. Robin has long since learned to just let Nancy talk herself in circles when she gets worked up about something. The best thing she can do is just hold Nancy’s hand and wait until she asks for Robin’s opinion. It seems fair, Robin thinks, considering how often Nancy patiently puts up with her excited ramblings.
Their move to Virginia had come as a surprise to most of their friends and family when they announced it six years ago, but was a necessary move for both Robin and Nancy; Robin being snatched up for a translator job at the CIA right after college and Nancy wanting to follow her dream of being a reporter in Washington DC. So within a few weeks of receiving their bachelor’s degrees, the women moved all their worldly possessions to the east coast and into a little starter apartment in Yorktown. They spent the first few years there saving up and working their asses off, sometimes wondering if it was all worthwhile as they went days at time between seeing each other for more than a sleepy ‘hello / goodbye’. It was for the best though and those first few crazy years enabled them to buy their first home in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Langley after Nancy landed her official correspondent position.
They make it to the airport with two hours and six minutes to spare but Nancy doesn’t take a sigh of relief until they’re through security and seated at one of the glossy wood tables at Legal Seafood to enjoy their lunch.
“I can’t wait to see everyone again.” Nancy comments as she sips at her iced tea after their meal.
Robin nods as she pushes the last of her food around her plate idly. “Yeah, same. I wanna know what the hell dingus 1 and dingus 2 have been hiding from us.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing bad. They wouldn’t have waited if it was. Not like… well, you know.”
Robin grimaces. She does know, all too well. Joyce’s breast cancer battle had been a tough time for everyone in their group as they worried over the woman who had become a second mother to all of them. She pulled through though, and she and Hopper are still as close and in love as ever in their Lenora Hills home. “I still hate keeping secrets.” Robin grumbles.
“We’ll be there tonight and you can pry it out of Steve then.”
“Hell yeah, I will. Dingus doesn’t stand a chance.”
The announcement for their flight finally comes through on the loudspeakers and they double check one last time that they have everything.
“You ready for this?” Robin asks, a wide smile on her face now that it’s actually time to go.
Nancy returns her smile and joins their free hands together. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Chicago, Illinois
“Come on, Eds.” Steve whines from the doorway. “I promise you, she’s not even gonna care that we’re gone. Lena promised to come over every day to feed her and give her cuddles. She’ll be fine.”
Eddie looks up from where he’s sitting on the floor cuddling with their hairless Sphynx cat, Bast, and giving her some last minute attention. “But what if she runs out of clean sweaters or if her skin gets dry again. It’s March, Steve, she’s always delicate until the weather breaks.”
“Then Lena will have to do some laundry. And we already showed her where the lotion and stuff is. Bast will be fine, I promise.”
Eddie looks forlornly down at the bundle of wrinkly skin in his arms, the cat’s wide eyes looking up at him expectantly. He presses a few more kisses around her little face and then moves her over to her favorite blanket on the sofa. “Gonna miss you, sweet girl.” Eddie tells her as he grabs his duffle bag.
“You’re a mess.” Steve chides him fondly, pressing a kiss to Eddie’s cheek as he passes him in the doorway. Steve locks up and follows Eddie down to the street from their brownstone. Eddie is already chomping on a lollipop, his distraction as he tries to quit smoking. It’s not his first time, but he swears it’s his last. The metalhead has good incentive this time too, so Steve believes that this will be the time Eddie kicks the habit for good.
They walk quickly to the subway station, the freezing March air biting at their noses, ears, and fingertips. It’s bitterly cold in Chicago this time of year, but by the evening they’ll be in sunny California and more worried about sunscreen than frostbite. They just need to get there.
The subway car is full, as usual, and the pair squeeze into a corner where they can lean together for warmth. Eddie takes full advantage of their proximity and steals a few sneaky kisses when no one’s looking. It’s barely half an hour from Wicker Park to O’Hare but they’re both eager to get out of the tightly packed space by the time they arrive at their stop.
Steve takes off as soon as they’re inside, ready to get moving through the pre-boarding process, but he realizes quickly that he’s lost Eddie. He finds the brunette spinning around slowly, head tilted up as he gazes at the vaulted glass ceiling. Eddie always loves the architecture at O’Hare and Steve has to wait for him patiently until he’s gotten the fascination out of his system before they can move on. Steve watches with a soft smile on his face, happy beyond words that even after all these years Eddie has stayed so uniquely himself. Steve never had the chance to hold onto his sense of wonder as a child, and he envies Eddie for his. On Eddie’s third spin he lowers his head, finding Steve in the crowd and shooting him a grateful smile.
They make it through security and baggage drop off in record time, though they never seem to hit delays when they fly. Steve blames it on Eddie’s charm and bubbly personality. He’s always extra nice to service employees too, since their jobs are hard enough. As a result, Steve has, on more than one occasion, noticed that they get fast tracked through things whereas other, less kind, customers find themselves with delays. Eddie’s just like that though, nice to a fault to absolutely everyone from the harried baristas at the coffee shop to the poor bloodied up newbies he helps out of the pit at shows. Steve loves him for it, and on the rare occasion someone gives Eddie a reason to not be nice to them, well, that’s when Steve gets to back his man up.
They have enough time to kill to grab paper cups filled with too strong coffee and a danish from the boulangerie stand that Steve adores. It’s Steve’s favorite but Eddie almost always ends up finishing off the treat as Steve still hasn’t learned to tell Eddie no, even after all these years. They sit nestled together in the waiting area of their terminal, reading the newest edition of Will’s comic, Zombie Boy, that just came out last week. They both kept meaning to read it since it arrived, but things have picked up at Eddie’s record shop and between new merchandise shipments and booking shows for the summer line up, there just hasn’t been any time. And Steve never has time anymore thanks to his promotion to director at the foster care center he’s worked at since his graduation from Loyola with a degree in social work. He knows things will slow down once the transition period from the previous director is over, and Steve’s looking forward to having a more consistent schedule now that he’s in a more senior role. The consistency will also help with all the changes they have planned for this year too.
They call the first round of boarding for their flight and Eddie packs the comic carefully away in his carry on. “You ready for this?” He asks Steve, a hopeful smile on his face.
“Yeah,” Steve nods quickly, “I think I am.”
“Who do you think is gonna freak out the most?”
“Robin, obviously. She’s known something is up for months now, and once she’s done trying to kill me, she’ll be ecstatic.”
Eddie chuckles, “We’ll see. My money is on Argyle. He might be quiet but emotions run deep in that guy.”
“Only way to find out is by going.” Steve shrugs.
Eddie wraps his free arm around Steve’s waist. “Then I guess we better get going, sweetheart.”
Venice Beach, California
“We should get going soon.” Jonathan says, still not moving to get up. It’s the second time he’s said it, but they still have a little time left. They already put the back row of seats up in Argyle’s van so there’s really nothing left to do but leave for the airport. Both groups of their friends are arriving around eight o’clock and despite how close they are to LAX, the drive is horrendous every single time. Both men refuse to let their friends pay the outrageous taxi fare though and are willing to trudge down the 405 to pick them up.
Argyle looks over from his hammock, the brightly striped fabric swaying gently as he lounges on their front deck. “Lemme take Dutchie out one more time before we go.” Argyle decides, rolling out of his hammock and almost falling on the poor dog. Dutchie moves in time though and gives Argyle’s face a few long licks before the man pulls himself to his feet. The giant Newfoundland is sluggish to go for his potty walk around the small yard, but with Argyle’s gentle coaxing he gets moving eventually.
Jonathan begrudgingly gets up at last and straightens up the living room a little while he waits on his partner and dog. “You double checked there are clean linens in both rental units, right?” Jonathan asks as they come back through the door.
“Yes, mi amor.” Argyle assures him, “I went over earlier while you were still at the gallery.”
“Okay.” Jonathan looks around one last time, “I think we’re ready then. You good to drive?”
Argyle nods easily. “Yeah, I’m good. Let’s get this show on the road. Bye-bye Dutchie, be a good boy for papi okay?” He ruffles the large dog’s ears, showering him with kisses before finally grabbing his keys from the driftwood bowl by the front door.
“You spoil him.” Jonathan complains, but it’s without heat. They both dote on their fur-baby; Argyle is just the more outwardly emotive of the two.
“Are you jealous? Cuz you know you’ll always be my number one.” Argyle tells him sincerely.
“I know, baby.” Jonathan leans across the van console to steal a kiss as they come to the stop sign at the end of their block. The street is quiet, this time of night being an odd twilight period after the main shops close and before the nightlife starts up in earnest.
Jonathan loves their little home on the beach; it came to them out of tragedy with Argyle’s abuela’s passing, but it has enabled them to pursue their dreams. Maria, Argyle’s abuela, owned a set of three beach front bungalows in Venice Beach since the 1950s, well before the town became the thriving art scene that it still is today. She lived in one house and rented the two as her main source of income after her husband died suddenly and left her with four small children to raise on her own. After her passing, she left the three bungalows to Argyle in her will. He’d loved spending time there as a child and it was her dying wish that he take over the family tradition of maintaining the properties. Argyle had still been figuring out what to do with his life when she passed eight years ago and had fallen into the family business easily. Jonathan had been there to help from the very start, not wanting to leave his friend to fend for himself, and somewhere in the first year they went from being friends to roommates to lovers and they haven’t looked back since. The passive income from the rental units has allowed both men to follow their passions, Argyle’s with his abstract paintings and Jonathan with his photography. Both have been featured in galleries in their hometown, though Jonathan’s photography has really taken off over the past few years and there’s rumblings about putting out a whole photography book of his work sometime in the next year. Argyle couldn’t be more proud of his man and is already planning a trip up north to Portland to celebrate once it’s completed.
Traffic moves as slowly as ever on the 405, but they make it to LAX not long after Robin and Nancy’s flight arrives so they consider it a win. Robin flings herself at Argyle, hugging the taller man tightly while Nancy and Jonathan share a significantly more subdued, though just as genuine, embrace. The four friends head over to the gate where Eddie and Steve will be arriving, chatting easily about the women’s flight. Thankfully, the guy’s flight is running on time and they don’t have a long wait until Eddie’s voice is booming through the concourse.
“Hellloooo LA!” Eddie shouts with a wide smile, his arms thrown out dramatically. Several people look in his direction, a few clearly trying to sort out if he’s some type of celebrity but failing to place him.
He looks every inch a rockstar too, Steve thinks, even as the years begin to crop up on them. Steve rolls his eyes fondly at Eddie’s theatrics and he’s about to scold him when he catches a blur out of his periphery and just barely opens his arms in time to catch his best friend.
Robin leaps fearlessly, knowing Steve will catch her; and he does. She wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, clinging to him with the ferocity of a feral koala. “Dingus!!!!” She yells despite their close proximity.
“Hey Robbie.” Steve hugs his best friend tightly. God, he missed her so damned much it makes his bones ache. He thinks maybe they’ll need to plan one last trip out to visit her and Nancy in Virginia before things change and they’re unable to travel for a bit.
“I fucking missed you!”
“Yeah, me too. We gotta find time this summer to come visit or something. Once a year just isn’t enough.”
Robin wiggles her way out of Steve’s arms and he lets her go, looking for Eddie in the crowd. He finds him trading hugs with Jonathan and Argyle, Nancy standing off to the side politely waiting her turn. Robin loops her arm through Steve’s and they walk over to their friends so Steve can greet the rest of the group. It’s good to be back among friends, and Steve hopes they continue this tradition even when they’re old and gray.
After swinging through baggage claim, the six friends pile into Argyle’s van and make the slow drive back to Venice Beach. The visitors are given keys to their usual bungalows, the Venice Beach homes always being the location for their annual trauma-bonded-family reunion since Argyle inherited them. At first they’d all met up back in Hawkins as it was still acting as a homebase of sorts for The Party. The first year they’d used Steve’s parents house as it hadn’t sold yet, and the second year they’d crashed in Hopper’s old cabin which quickly turned out to be a mistake. Regardless of how close of friends they all were, a one bedroom cabin just wasn’t enough space for six people. When Argyle had inherited the beach homes later that year, they had all agreed Venice Beach would be the meeting place going forward.
Jonathan and Argyle let their friends unpack and relax for a little while once they arrive, offering to start up a bonfire on the beach for whenever they’re ready to rejoin them. They’re fortunate to be able to walk right out their front door onto the sand and spend a lot of nights sitting around a fire and enjoying the sounds of the ocean. Jonathan lets Argyle build his driftwood tower within the ring of stones, waiting patiently as he knows how seriously Argyle takes his fire building. Once the logs are stacked the “right” way, Jonathan tosses in some crumpled paper and with a quick flick of his lighter the tower ignites.
Nancy and Robin are the first ones out of their room, to the shock of absolutely no one. Nancy tackles everything with a focused determination that makes even something as simple as unpacking for the week a military-precise task.
“Did she refold the towels again this year?” Jonathan asks Robin with a smirk.
Nancy scowls, flipping him off as she claims a spot on one of the two free beach blankets. “I’m never living that down, am I?”
“Uh no, I don’t think you are.”
Robin laughs at their antics. She used to be a little uncomfortable around Jonathan, knowing he was Nancy’s ex and having seen first hand how good the two were together as a couple. But time softens even the sharpest edges, and Robin watched as their love changed into something akin to siblings, a lot like what Nancy and Steve share as well. “She left the towels alone.” Robin chimes in. “But our clothes are all refolded and put away for the week and the bathroom is fully stocked too. It’s like she moved our apartment into yours, even the shampoo is in the same place.”
Nancy sighs heavily, “I just like things a certain way.” She protests.
“I know you do, babe.” Robin gives her a gentle kiss to the cheek, softening the teasing.
Steve and Eddie appear a little while later and no one even bothers teasing them about the delay. The two have never been discrete in their love for one another and the bright flush on Steve’s cheeks tells them everything they need to know. The pair keep close, even as they take their seats on the open beach blanket by the fire, Steve nestling himself in between Eddie’s legs and leaning back on the other man’s chest.
Jonathan runs inside for a moment and returns with some premade popcorn and two bottles of red wine that they pass around, not even bothering with glasses. Dutchie follows him out this time too, ready to explore the beach and greet their visitors. The large dog does his rounds, giving everyone a sniff and a lick before bounding off to explore the beach on his own.
“It’s just like the old times, huh?” Jonathan says as he passes the opened bottle to Nancy.
Nancy smiles as the memories wash over her. “Yeah, it always is.” She takes a long swallow from the bottle, eager to let go of the tension she carries around like armor. “No matter how much time passes we’re all still us, ya know?”
“Totally.” Argyle agrees, passing his bottle over to Steve. “Namaste, brochacho. The divine in me honors the divine in you.”
“Argyle teaches a yoga class on the beach once a week now.” Jonathan explains to the group.
“Maybe you should try that.” Steve says with suspicious lightness to Eddie. “Might help a bit with that issue you were having last month.”
Robin grumbles loudly. “If it’s a sex thing, I don’t even want to know. I love you two, but Jesus Christ, can you stop fucking like teenagers already? We’re almost thirty, damnit.”
“This one is thirty.” Steve points out, motioning to Eddie. “And he’s starting to feel his age too.”
Eddie swats Steve in the side as the younger man giggles. “Yeah, okay, laugh it up. And for the record, Buckley, it wasn’t a sex thing.”
“Nope,” Steve grins, “It was an Eddie-is-getting-too-old-to-stage-dive thing.”
“I still maintain that if I had been put down gently I would have been fine.”
“Oh, Eds.” Steve laments, “Who has ever been put down gently after crown surfing?”
Eddie pokes at Steve’s sides until he’s squirming and trying to get away, but Eddie has a tight lock around Steve with his legs.
“So what actually happened then?” Jonathan asks, distracting the pair from their tussling.
Steve seems to remember they have an audience quicker than Eddie does and rights himself, running a hand through his hair that does absolutely nothing to fix it. “He threw his back out and was hobbling around like a little old man for over a week.”
Robin bursts into giggles at the mental image. “Oh my god, you really are the old man of the group!”
Nancy shoots her partner a look before sympathizing with Eddie. “I tweaked my back a couple years ago at the gym, it’s awful. Are you back to a full range of motion now?” She asks.
Eddie shrugs, “I guess so. Doesn’t hurt anymore and I’m able to help with shipments and equipment again, so it’s all good as far as I’m concerned.”
“Keeping active and protecting your range of motion is important as we get older.”
Jonathan laughs at that, “We’re nearing thirty, not seventy, Nance. Jeez.”
But Argyle comes to Nancy’s rescue quickly. “Nah, mi amor. Keeping your body loose and limber is important even at our age. Like my beach yoga.”
Nancy shoots a victorious smile at Jonathan. “Thank you, Argyle.”
Argyle gives her a lazy salute. “Anytime, boss-lady.”
The night wears on, the moon following its path across the night sky until it's reached its zenith. The friends finally disperse, wine long gone and everyone feeling the weight of the long day on their shoulders. They’re all reluctant to part, but they still have a full week together and four out of the six will be jet lagged if they don’t get to bed soon. So they part with tight hugs and promises to grab brunch the next morning once everyone is up and moving. Overall, it was a perfect start to their annual friend vacation.
The week flies by faster than any of them want it to. They spend a lot of time on the beach, so much that Robin and Eddie are freckled from the sun and Nancy and Steve are sporting pretty decent tans for early spring. They visit the art gallery where Jonathan has some of his photographs on exhibit and the café that lets Argyle display his art for sale on their walls. They spend an afternoon in the skatepark where Argyle shows off his skills and Robin and Eddie try like hell to keep up with him while Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve cheer them on from the sidelines. One warm and sunny day they pack up picnic baskets and do a day sail to Catalina Island, something they’ve always wanted to do but never seemed to find the time for in past trips. While a full week seemed long when they were planning it, it ends up being the perfect amount of time for a true reunion. It’s going to be hard next year when they go back to their three day / long weekend reunion schedule.
The last night of their trip, they decide to end things with a bang; everyone getting dressed to the nines and grabbing dinner at a high end waterfront restaurant. They’re all in suits, even Nancy and Robin who look stunning in a cream crepe suit and a deep burgundy velvet suit respectively. Their table is right by the large windows overseeing the water and food is the best any of them have had in a long time. Eddie offers to splurge and buy bottles of champagne for the table, allowing them to linger a little longer over their desserts.
“I think this has been my favorite trip so far.” Nancy says wistfully over her glass of bubbly.
“It was good, huh babe?” Robin pulls her close, knowing Nancy tends to get a little sentimental after a few glasses of wine. She drops a few sweet kisses onto the top of Nancy’s head as the smaller woman snuggles in, shooting a half smile at Steve who is looking at them with soft eyes.
“I’m glad you were all able to come for a longer trip this time.” Jonathan says, “We love having you guys here and it’s gonna be really quiet once you leave tomorrow.”
Argyle nods along, “Dutchie is gonna miss all the love he’s been getting this week too.”
Robin chuckles, “I seriously might steal your dog, dude.”
“Good luck, my feisty little friend. He’s a lazy bones dog, I can barely get him to walk the boardwalk with me.” Argyle teases.
Nancy looks up at Robin with something guarded in her expression. “When things slow down, I promise.”
“I know, babe. I know.” Robin assures her before addressing the group, “We have the pet talk a few times a year but we’re just not quite ready for one. I really want a puppy, but they need so much attention and we’re both still really busy at work. Things are slowing down for me a little, but Nance not so much. One day though, it’ll happen.”
“I’m sure it will.” Steve chimes in, giving Robin his full support.
Eddie nods in agreement. “Getting a pet is amazing once you’re ready for one. Getting Bast is one of the best things we’ve ever done. I love that wrinkly little demon so much. I actually called home twice this week just so our cat-sitter could put her close enough to the phone so I could hear her meows.”
Robin stifles a snort-laugh but everyone else looks suitably touched.
“He really did call.” Steve adds, “I thought I was bad, but he’s a million times worse.”
“You two are ridiculous.” Robin shakes her head fondly. “What are you two gonna do if you ever become parents to an actual kid?”
Steve blanches, his hand clenching Eddie’s tightly. He shoots his partner a worried glance. They meant to have this conversation sooner in the trip, but there just never seemed to be a right time.
Eddie squeezes Steve’s hand back and leans in close, whispering something only Steve can hear. Steve visibly relaxes, but there’s a firm set in his shoulders that reminds Robin of readying for battle. It sets her on edge as Eddie stands to top off everyone’s champagne glasses.
“Are we celebrating something we don’t know about yet?” Nancy asks, her investigator face on in full force.
“We are indeed, my dear Ms. Wheeler.” Eddie tells her with a jaunty bow. “So, you all remember that Steve and I have been renovating the old brownstone attached to the record shop for the past five years or so?” There’s a round of nods, so Eddie continues. “Well, a few months ago we finished the very last room. Our dream home is finally complete.”
There’s a chorus of congratulations and good for you guys from their friends, but Eddie isn’t quite done yet. “That last room was a nursery.”
Four sets of wide, shocked, eyes stare at Eddie and Steve who are both vibrating with excitement at this point. “The house was the last thing on our list.” Steve tells them. “We kept saying ‘once the record shop starts turning a profit’ and ‘once I have a set schedule at work’ and ‘once the house is done’.”
“Once we can keep a plant alive for more than a year. Then a cat.” Eddie adds.
“And so eventually, we did it all.” Steve says with a gentle shrug, “We finished our list of things that we felt were important to ensure we’re ready for kids. Well, for a kid. Just one to start, we think. But we’re not getting any younger, and I’ve wanted to be dad since like forever so… yeah. It’s time. We’re officially on the list with a great queer-friendly adoption agency in Chicago and it’s just a matter of time now.”
“Holy shit Steven!!!” Robin yells, causing several patrons to look over in their direction. She doesn’t give a single shit however, and runs around the table to plop herself in Steve’s lap, laughing and hugging both men fiercely.
Eddie and Steve are laughing too as they hug Robin back, listening to her ramble about how seriously she’s going to take her auntie duties even from seven hundred miles away. But they’re all interrupted by a loud wrenching sob from the other side of the table.
All eyes turn to the source of the noise and find Argyle, eyes streaming with tears. “My brothers!” He exclaims between loud sobs. “I’m so proud of you!” He waives off Jonathan’s attempts to soothe him. “Love is such a beautiful thing, and to share that love with a new little brochacho… I can’t…” His voice warbles as he cries even harder.
Their waiter, having heard the commotion, comes over to awkwardly check on the table. Nancy, ever the sensible one, gives the waiter a sympathetic smile. “You’ll have to forgive us, we just got some exciting news. Our friends are adopting a baby.” She explains quietly as Jonathan tries to soothe Argyle and Robin starts interrogating Steve about why the hell he waited so long to tell her.
The waiter, a truly kind man, brings out another bottle of champagne, on the house this time, and doesn’t even bat an eye as the group fails to regain their composure for the better part of half an hour.
After they’ve finished the last of their champagne and desserts, the group walks back to the bungalows by way of the beach, everyone pleasantly tipsy and still riding high on the good news Steve and Eddie shared. Shoes are carried and lovers are kept close as they make their way the half dozen blocks back.
“I fucking told you.” Eddie whispers, or tries to whisper, to Steve as they stumble along the sand.
Steve has to think for a moment, his head still buzzy from the alcohol. “Oh!” He exclaims, remembering Eddie’s bet that Argyle would take the news the hardest. “You did call it! You mother fucker!”
“That’s gonna be a lot less funny when Steve actually is a mom!” Robin shouts before dissolving into giggles.
“I’m not gonna be a mom! God damnit, Robs!” Steve yells back.
“Nope, you’re gonna be a daddy.” Eddie announces, the word ‘daddy’ coming out positively filthy.
“Nope! No way!” Jonathan cries, “I don’t wanna hear this!”
“Actually,” Eddie goes on to clarify, “It’s normally Steve who calls me da-” Eddie’s words are cut off by Steve slapping his palm over Eddie’s mouth and tackling him into the sand. They scuffle playfully for a few moments, leaving time for the rest of the group to admire the last of the waning twilight. Eventually Eddie pins Steve well and good, the younger man relenting and allowing Eddie to shower him with kisses before helping him up. Their suits are sandy and they have to endure the ribbing of their closest friends about what kind of example they’ll be setting for their child, but Steve and Eddie are both filled with a joyous lightness as they finish the walk back to the bungalows.
The rest of the evening goes as it always does on the last night of their reunion; staying up late and reminiscing until they’re all a little teary and falling asleep in their seats. They’ll all regret it when they have to be up in a few hours for their morning flights, but the time spent together is too precious to waste.
“It’s going to be really different next year, isn’t it?” Nancy muses from her spot in Robin’s lap. They’ve squished themselves onto the sofa next to Steve and Eddie while Jonathan and Argyle insisted on taking spots on the floor.
Jonathan hums thoughtfully. “Yeah, it is. But I don’t think different needs to be a bad thing.”
“Adoption can take a really long time.” Steve points out. “As anxious as we are to get going with our family, we might not even have a kid this time next year.”
“You will.” Robin argues. “I can feel it, it’s gonna happen for you guys sooner rather than later.”
“I love the vote of confidence, Robs. But we have to just be patient and see what happens.”
Robin rolls her eyes but leaves it alone.
“We could come to you guys next year, maybe?” Jonathan suggests. “If you have a little one by then it would be easier for all of us non-parents to pack up and come to you. The brownstone is pretty big, right?”
Eddie nods, “Five bedrooms, yeah. We’d love to have you guys, too.”
“I’ll miss getting my beach time, but getting baby time instead would be worth it.” Nancy tells them.
“We’ll just have to see how it goes.” Steve reminds them.
“To next year.” Argyle holds up his bottle of water in a toast.
“To beaches or babies, whatever may come.” Robin chimes in.
“But most importantly.” Eddie adds, “To friends, always and forever.”
“Always and forever.” Everyone echoes, lazily motioning their drinks in a toasting motion while not moving from their spots.
They can’t predict what will happen in the next twelve months or where they’ll end up meeting for their next reunion, but they know that they will see each other again. Regardless of time or space, the six of them always find their ways back together and it feels pretty certain that they always will.