Archive of Our Own

It wasn’t easy, settling back into life on the outside. He still had to visit his probation officer once a week, and a couple weeks in he was still wary of taking longer than completely necessary to do anything at all, refusing to slip back into old habits.

He got up each morning at seven sharp, packing away the comforter and pull-out couch. He put coffee on, he'd sit with Wayne a while if he was back from the night shift. Other than that, he mostly sat by himself, the TV on real low, sipping coffee from one of the mugs that actually got used as he relished how damn quiet everything was around here.

Eddie’s door would open around eight if Steve was staying over, which he was, more often than not. Al didn’t know how to feel about that.

It wasn’t like Steve didn’t give them space. He did. He went off to work, or to see his friends. Some nights he stayed home, leaving them to it, and on one occassion Eddie went over to his place. Wayne had asked once, where he was when he wasn’t at the trailer. Eddie had stiffened a little, before shrugging. “ I don’t know, ” he’d said, an attempt to be nonchalant, “ I’m not his keeper, man. ” Wayne hadn’t asked again.

It just felt like there was something Eddie wasn’t telling him. Whenever he slyly tried bringing it up to Wayne, the man would just brush it off. 

“They’re close,” he’d say, with a jerk of his shoulder, refusing to elaborate. Al didn’t know if he should try filling in the blanks.

That particular morning, he hadn’t expected to see Steve at all. The kid hadn’t been with them the evening before as Eddie and Al sat around the TV, talking about anything and everything. Every time they spoke Eddie seemed to open up a little more, and now Al knew about all his friends by name. Gareth, Jeff, Martin. Robin, Nancy, Jonathan. The bundle of kids he’d picked up along the way, especially Dustin who he’d actually met one day. He’d talked a lot, and so fast that it had been hard to keep up. Eddie seemed to understand every word, ruffling his curly hair just to laugh at the way he huffed at him. 

He was learning more and more about his son with every passing day. The man he’d grown into over the past few years, the kind of person he’d been teetering towards when he was a teenager. Eddie had played him some of the music he listened to, and Al appreciated the thrumming basslines and expressive lyrics. When the clock ticked around to midnight, Eddie had traipsed off to his room alone, a little glum but trying to seem upbeat.

So Al was surprised when, at eight-fifteen, Eddie’s door opened. Steve slouched out into the kitchenette, visible from the couch, and looked a little worse for wear. Wordlessly, he poured himself a cup of coffee that had to be lukewarm, and drank it all in one go like he was chasing something stronger.

His eyes were heavy, hair sticking up at odd ends. His sweatpants were loose, and the t-shirt Eddie had been wearing the day before was a little too small on him, tight across the shoulders. The sleeves were cut a little shorter, modified like almost all of Eddie’s clothes. It was incredibly unlike his usual wardrobe, which seemed to consist of an endless number of polo shirts, and, on one occasion when he and Eddie were heading out to the movie theatre, a button-down that looked like it was straight out of a Sears catalog. He’d watched them laugh together through the blinds as they got into the kid’s sedan, the immaculate paintwork gleaming in the waning sunlight as the doors closed and they rolled off into the distance.

He wasn’t sure if the kid hadn’t noticed him yet, but what he’d learned about Steve was that he was probably too polite not to say hello to him if he had. It was like he wasn’t sure how to interact with him, always lingering on the edge of formal if it was just the two of them. It was like he felt safer keeping his distance. Al couldn’t blame him. They weren’t sure what to make of each other just yet.

Before he could even think about signaling the fact that he was there the door was opening, and Wayne was shuffling his work boots off with all sorts of noise, work bag dropping to the floor. He looked up, hanging up his jacket.

“Steve?” he questioned, looking a little surprised. “Wasn’t expecting to see you this morning. How you doin’, son?”

Harrington emptied out the coffee maker, dumping the grounds into the trash like they’d personally offended him. His shoulders sagged, and he rubbed sleep from his eye. “Wasn’t expecting to be here either. Came in about one in the morning, scared the crap out of Eddie.” 

Wayne clapped him on the back. “Well, you know you’re welcome any time of day.”

Steve gave him a weak smile, but the dark circles under his eyes made his whole appearance look dejected. He put fresh grounds in the machine, filling it up and turning it on. “You want any coffee?” 

Wayne opened the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. “I’m good, but you go ahead.” Wayne looked behind him at where Al sat, happily unacknowledged thus far. “Al, will you take a cup?”

Steve jolted alert, setting eyes on him for the first time that morning. Al leant back into the couch cushions, and shook his head.

“Nah, I’m alright. Gonna head out in a few, Dave asked me to come at nine.”

Wayne took a sip from his water. “Well, alright then. I’m gonna head to bed anyways. Take my truck, I don’t need it today.” He picked up his work bag, heading towards his room, before pausing. “Hey, Steve?” He turned to the kid, who looked at him expectantly. “Do me a favor, make sure Eddie gets a little caffeine in him to wake him up. But not too much, or it's you who has to deal with it.”

Steve smiled again, a little more convincingly this time. “Sure thing.”

“Alright.” Wayne opened his door, disappearing off into his room. As it closed, Al was suddenly aware of the fact that he was once again alone with the kid, the tension growing ever so slightly.

He’d never had his brother’s knack for waving away uncertainty. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“So.” The word fell flat, and Steve glanced at him as if awaiting the rest of a sentence. “You boys doin’ anything today?”

Skittish was the word for the way Steve hovered in the kitchen, pouring two cups of coffee. “Uh.” He scooped sugar into one of the cups, the spoon clinking against the side of the mug as he stirred it in with much more focus than it really required. “Not really. We might watch a couple movies but that’s about it. Eddie’s still meant to, you know. Be taking it easy a little.”

Al raised his eyebrows. “Is he? Taking it easy, I mean?”

Steve shook his head, a small smile forming. “No, he is not. I mean, you ever tried telling Eddie what to do? Tell him to go one way, and- “

“He’ll run right in the opposite direction.” Al chuckled, nodding. “He’s been like that his whole damn life, I’ll tell you that for free.”

The tension had eased a little, and Steve took a sip of his coffee, leaning against the counter. He looked off into the distance a little, in thought. “Do you, um.” His brow furrowed, before he met Al’s eye, hesitantly. “Do you know the Byers family?”

The name was familiar. He definitely knew Lonnie Byers, but Lonnie had always been slippery, so he guessed Steve wouldn’t have been referring to him. If memory served, Lonnie had been married once upon a time to some little brunette woman.

“Joyce?” he guessed, and Steve nodded.

“Yeah, Joyce and her kids are having a small party this weekend. It's really last minute. I mean, if you’re around. I... haven’t mentioned it to Eddie but I figured you might wanna meet some of our friends? If you’re, y’know,” he shifted, “up for it, that is. No obligation whatsoever. 'Course, it might be a few too many people for you to meet all at once, so now that I’m thinking about it, it might not actually be such a good -”

“Steve,” Al interrupted him, not quite as gently as he’d hoped to. The kid seemed overwrought, like he was struggling not to put a toe out of line. Truthfully, Al felt a little moved that Steve had thought to invite him along. He smiled at him, in a way that he thought came across as comforting. “That sounds great. I’ll think about it.”

The kid settled, and nodded. He was likable in a baffling sort of way, considering he seemed like an anxious mess whenever he and Al actually exchanged words. It constantly felt like he was trying to come across as a better version of himself with Al, when Eddie seemed to like him just fine as he was. He’d have to ask Wayne about that.

Al checked the clock, and groaned. “Well. I better get going, I've got to run to the store before work.” He leant down, starting to pull on his boots.

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Steve picked up both cups, turning to the hallway. “See you later.”

“Sure, kid.”

He disappeared down the hallway, opening Eddie’s door with his elbow. Al heard him give a soft greeting, and considered interrupting to say goodbye to his kid when he heard Eddie speak, voice heavy with sleep.

“My knight in shining armor. What would I do without you?”

“Please. It’s just coffee.”

“Just coffee , he says. C’mere, set it down.”

Al stood at the end of the corridor, as the door to Eddie’s room shut with a click.

-

Standing in the bathroom, he fussed with his shirt in the mirror. It was some blue plaid button-up thing with short sleeves that he’d bought during his lunch hour at work in the week. The collar just wouldn’t sit right, no matter how much he messed with it. His skin looked a little, well. Sallow . He’d shaved, clean and right against his skin, and sprayed on some aftershave, doing everything he could to feel like he looked the part.

Al sighed, brushing back his hair, and wondered for the hundredth time that day if he should just bow out.

Wayne wouldn’t mind. God knew Eddie wouldn’t mind all that much, but it felt important. Still, he wasn’t sure if meeting most of the little family his son had created in one fell swoop was the best idea.

He wondered if they, like Steve, would feel unsettled around him. The kid seemed to bite his tongue when Al was there, never saying all that much. In fact, he tried to avoid him as much as possible. Still, inviting him along felt like an olive branch. Like he was trying his best, or at least trying to grit his teeth and ease himself in. Maybe there was more of Rich Harrington in him than Eddie and Wayne saw.

“You ready to go in a minute, Al?” Wayne called, through the door. He looked at himself in the mirror one more time, before finally walking out of the bathroom.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” he mumbled. Wayne took one withering look at him, and he waved him away.

“We don’t have to stay that long. Eddie made his own way there, he’s probably talking everyone’s ear off by now.”

Al breathed a laugh. “Prob’ly. Let's head out.”

The drive to the Byers’ place was quiet, the radio in Wayne’s truck playing softly. It wasn’t much like what Eddie listened to, and Al recognized it as an old song he'd heard on the radio as a kid. His brother really hadn’t changed at all.

When they pulled up outside, there were already a couple of cars parked up. Al gripped the edge of the door when he realized just how many people he’d be running into.

Wayne had given him a breakdown of who might be there the night before. There’d be Joyce Byers, of course, and her sons. He was glad to be informed that Lonnie wouldn’t be in the picture. Wayne had also mentioned Dustin, and his mom. Some of the other kids Eddie talked about, too. 

They made their way up the driveway, up to the house. It wasn't huge, but a decent size for a family, and not long built. Varnished wood siding covered the outside, so it didn't stick too far out from the surrounding trees.

“They moved in here recently,” Wayne told him as their feet trampled over the gravel. “Lived out in California for a short while, before that they were in a house out near the quarry.” He knocked on the door, balancing his crate of beers against his hip. “Now, they live with -”

He stopped short as the door opened, and Al’s blood ran cold as he laid eyes on a man he hadn’t seen in a very long time. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, feeling a little small.

“Jim,” Wayne nodded, politely.

Jim Hopper stood in the doorway, a good few inches taller than him. His hair was cropped short, and he was skinnier in a way that made his face look a little hollow. Al blinked at him, as they looked each other up and down. Wayne’s hand settled on his upper back, and any thought of getting the hell out of there turned to dust.

“Wayne,” Jim greeted him, and that steadying hand left its place to shake his outstretched hand.

“You remember my brother, Al?”

Jim’s expression was friendly as he offered his hand to him. Al reached out and shook it, wordlessly. 

“Eddie’s dad, right?”

Eddie’s dad. He’d rather be Eddie’s dad than anything else that might come to mind when a cop like Hopper looked at him. He nodded, and noticed any nerved in his stomach settling down.

“Right,” Al confirmed.

“Good to see you again. Come on in, everyone’s in the backyard.”

They stepped into the house, and Al glanced around covertly, taking in what was obviously a family home. Coats hung by the door, shoes paired up in odd piles along the wall by the entryway.

“Eddie didn’t tell me what the occasion was,” Wayne mentioned, making small talk as Hopper led them out to the backyard.

“Oh, no real occasion,” Jim told them. “If anything, it’s just a get-together before the kids go back to school. Making the most of the last of the summer, you know.”

A screen door was open in the kitchen, and the sound of music and chatter drifted in. One laugh, in particular, caught his attention, and he found himself smiling despite any anxiety. As they stepped into the sun, he looked out into the yard at the small sea of garden furniture. Small clusters of people sat around, groups of older teens and younger teens, and a group of adults stood crowded around a barbecue. Jim headed off in that direction, passing a woman with a soft, kind face and caramel-colored hair who made a beeline for them, a warm smile lighting up her face.

“Hello, Wayne!” she beamed. Wayne set down the crate of beers, returning the smile.

“Hi, Claudia,” he greeted her, a hand on his hip. “This here’s my brother, Al. Al, this is Claudia. Her boy, Dustin, was over at our place, just over a week ago.”

Al stood awkwardly, hands in his pockets again. “So he was. Eddie told me he plays that Dungeons and Dragons thing.” He felt like a dad at kindergarten pickup, nothing else in common with this crowd of people but their kids.

“Oh, all the time. He’s off with him at the moment, probably talking about it again.”

They looked over together, to where Dustin stood chatting, throwing his hands around dramatically. At his side, egging him on, was Eddie.

“Oh, they’re always winding each other up, those two,” she admonished, fondly. “Anyway, I’ll let you do your rounds. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of people to talk to, we can catch up later!” She waved, heading off inside.

Al glanced at his brother, a small smirk playing at his mouth. “She seems nice.”

Wayne fixed him with a look that had worked on him since he was little. One that mean shut up . Al nudged him with his shoulder, and he sighed wearily, but when he looked back out to the yard there was a flicker of humor in his eyes. 

“Go say hi to your son, Al.”

He let out a snort, but he knew when to do what he was told. Some of the time. He headed over to Eddie, a collection of young eyes following him the length of the yard, as if surveying the stranger in their midst. 

Finally, he stood behind his boy, who smiled up at him from his seat, squinting in the midday sun. 

“Hey, Dad, ” he grinned. “Wasn’t sure if you’d make it. Party started an hour ago.”

Al reached out, scruffing up Eddie’s hair. “It’s called being fashionably late, but you wouldn’t know a thing about fashion, now would you?”

Eddie ducked out of the way, cackling, and one of Al’s hands came to rest on his shoulder.

“Hi, Mr. Munson!” came the voice of Eddie’s little friend, and he nodded toward him.

“Dustin, isn’t it?” He looked from him, to the rest of the little group. Two girls sat on the floor, a few feet away. One of them, a girl with bobbed hair, had a collection of daisy chains laid across her lap, and she fiddled with them as she looked up at him a little apprehensively.

“Dad, this is Robin,” 

The girl waved up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun.

“Nancy,”

The other girl waved too, as if it was an attendance call. She offered a small, tight smile.

“Ah, the journalist?” he asked, and she seemed flattered that he’d heard of her. “Wayne told me about you. Nice to find a journalist who actually wants the truth, huh?”

Her smile became genuine, and she shrugged her shoulders. “You can say that again.”

“And,” Eddie continued, not impatiently, looking at the person beside him affectionately. “Well. You know Steve.” 

Al didn’t know how he hadn’t noticed him sitting next to Eddie, but there he was. Steve looked up at him, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. They acknowledged each other, and Eddie continued, pointing out other people in the yard and giving him their names. Some he recognized, some he didn’t.

“It’s nice to put names to faces,” Al admitted, squeezing Eddie’s shoulder. “I’m gonna go grab a beer.”

“Oh,” Steve chimed in, standing up from his seat, “I can grab you one.”

He was a little surprised, but of course, Steve had always been nothing but polite to him. “You sure?”

Steve straightened up, adjusting his shirt. A similar button-up to the one he’d worn the night he’d gone to the movies with Eddie. “It’s no problem. Take my seat, if you want.” Al wasn’t arguing with that. “Anyone else want anything?”

He took a few orders, before heading off towards the drinks table. Al settled into his seat amongst the kids, leaning back as the conversation continued.

-

The afternoon continued into the evening, and Al ended up in conversation with almost everyone. 

Joyce Byers introduced herself, talking up her two boys who slumped over, embarrassed. She was a nice woman, her scruffy clothes making him feel a hell of a lot better about the outfit he could cobble together in the short time he’d had. When he was younger he didn’t care about that kind of thing, showing up to gatherings in whatever the hell he would wear around the house. 

Here, though? He felt like he had something to prove.

It felt like he was fluttering around the yard like some kind of social butterfly, like he was making up for lost time. Not just for Eddie, but for himself. They all sat down to eat, some people on chairs, though the adults had claimed a picnic bench on the patio.

Eddie’s friend, Robin, spoke a mile a minute somewhere off behind him, and he heard Steve’s amused replies. Nancy joined them with her plate, and the three of them chattered away amicably. He couldn’t help but listen in occasionally, charmed by the way their conversation seemed to bounce back and forth easily. In the back of his mind, he remembered how Eddie had once mentioned that Nancy was Steve’s ex. Still, they seemed to get along fine, laughing and joking in slightly hushed tones.

He was swept up in a conversation with before he knew it, and while everyone was friendly it felt like people were pussy-footing around him a little. Dancing around the edges of uncomfortable subjects. He’d expected it, of course. And, in a way, he actually appreciated it.

At some point, Eddie pulled him away from the grown-up's table, which he was grateful for as he settled down into a more comfortable lawn chair. Eddie sat down on the grass next to Steve, hugging his knees up to his chest as Al found himself telling the kids who’d found places all around him about what Eddie had been like as a kid. Their life before Hawkins. How he and Annie had endured a toddler with all the stubbornness of a mule, who turned into a teenager with all the stubbornness of a bull. About how he got all of his good side from her.

If he’d have blinked, he would’ve missed Steve brushing his shoulder against Eddie’s.

The light was beginning to fade, and it felt like they’d covered every topic known to man by the time Joyce was turning on the outside lights.

“Dustin?” Claudia called from across the yard, “We’d better get going. Do you want to say your goodbyes, honey?” 

The kid groaned, off to Al’s left. “Come on , mom. Can’t we stay a little longer?”

“I’ve got to get home, sweetie. You know I don't like driving in the dark.”

Steve beamed up at her like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. “I can give him a ride home, Claudia.”

“Oh, are you sure you don’t mind, Steve?”

He sat back, leaning on his hands. “Of course not. It’s not a problem.”

“Well, then.” She raised her hands in surrender. “I suppose that’s alright. Be good for Steve, Dusty!” She made her way into the house, and Jim and Joyce followed after her.

Dustin wrinkled his nose, shooting a look at Steve. “I hate it when you call my mom by her first name.”

Steve rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his beer and shoving his leg with his sneaker fondly.

“Yeah, Steve ,” Eddie teased, knocking into him so hard he spluttered on his drink. “Aren’t you encroaching onto Wayne’s territory there?”

There was uproar as Steve almost did a spit-take laughing, and Dustin protested with a loud shout. Eddie shot a look up at Al, his eyes glittering mischievously. He took Steve’s beer from his hand, taking a long sip while Steve looked down at the beer spilled on his shirt.

“That is so not gonna happen,” Dustin lamented, and Al shook his head, grinning.

“Don’t let him get to you, kid,” he consoled him. “But keep in mind, he probably knows all your weak spots.”

“Every one of them,” Eddie affirmed, and as he leaned back, his shoulder brushed with Steve’s again.

“He’s the worst,” Dustin complained.

Al stood up, shaking off the stiffness from being sat down in his low chair. “Yeah, well. Unfortunately, I know where he gets that from. Gonna go grab a drink, shout if you want anything.”

He sidled over to the drinks table. There was plenty left, despite the darkness beginning to draw in, the sun low in the sky. He picked up a beer, uncapping it, before he became aware of a person coming over on his right.

He looked beside him, and his eyes met Hopper’s.

So. Maybe he’d avoided actually having a conversation with the guy the whole time he’d been there. And, maybe he was a little nervous about it, even if he’d had a warm welcome from everyone else at the party.

“Al,” Hop said, curtly. 

He forced a smile. “Hopper.”

Jim glanced away, before looking back at him. “It was great that you could come. Steve mentioned he invited you along.”

“Well, I hoped you wouldn’t mind. In truth I, uh…” he trailed off, looking around the yard. Everyone was engrossed in their conversations, but he noticed that Eddie and Steve had moved somewhere, out of sight. He righted himself. “I wasn’t exactly aware that you and Joyce were living together. Congratulations, man.”

“Thanks. Actually, we haven’t been together all that long, but, uh. Yeah.” He frowned, opening a beer. “I don’t know how much you know, but I was…gone a while, and Joyce took care of my kid.”

He gestured in the direction of one of the younger teens. Her short dark hair caught his attention as soon as he saw her, as well as the whole...intensity of her. El, Eddie had called her.

There had been rumors, of course. That Jim Hopper had died. Eddie had cleared that up for him, implying that he’d had to go away quickly but he was back now. Back for good.

“Anyway,” Hop continued. “You’ve got a good kid there, Al.”

All of this felt like it was building up to something, and he yielded. Now wasn't the time for what Wayne would call 'smart-assery'. “Look. Hop, I don’t know what you’re getting at. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to scratch at any old wounds.”

Hopper shifted, his face somber. 

“My kid’s here. And he turned out just fine without me, my brother saw to that. Seems we’ve both got people looking out for our kids when we can’t, and the last thing I want is trouble.” Old feelings were beginning to rise to the surface, but Al steadied himself, taking a sip of his drink. 

“I don’t want trouble, either,” Hopper said, finally. “Eddie’s part of the family, despite…old wounds.”

Al nodded, glad to settle it, no matter how much it tugged at his heart. Still, the overwhelming feeling he had was pride. Pride, that his kid had managed to make a place for himself. For Eddie’s entire life, they’d always been a tiny little family unit. He deserved to have a big family, even if it wasn’t by blood.

“No hard feelings, yeah?” 

Hop gave him a small smile. “No hard feelings.”

Al glanced across the yard to Wayne, who’d apparently been watching the whole interaction carefully. He swallowed. “I’m gonna go out the front for a smoke. I’ll catch you later, Hop.”

Making his way into the house, he shook himself off. It felt a little like he’d ticked something off his list, not that he was keeping score. It was better to let old dogs lie, and it would be a little easier now the air was cleared.

He walked toward the front door, back through the kitchen and living room, patting his pockets to find his pack of cigarettes. The house was dark, with everybody out in the backyard. Strangely, he felt no urge to make his way out the front door and just keep walking. 

There was a streak of light in the entryway, the door to the downstairs bathroom slightly ajar, leaking light across the floor. He stood a few paces away, considering reaching in to flick off the light, before he heard a low voice from inside.

“This is my favorite shirt, man,” it whined, and he took a little while to recognize it as Steve’s.

“It’s not gonna stain, you’ll be fine,” came another voice that his ears picked up immediately. “Try not to throw your beer around next time,” Eddie ribbed.

“That was your fault. You were the one winding Dustin up.” There was no venom in it, and Eddie conceded.

“Yeah, maybe. But he deserved it.”

Al went to take another step towards the door while they shared a laugh, but something was holding him in place. He listened in, carefully, aware that he shouldn’t be eavesdropping.

“You know, I’ve missed you.”

It was Eddie again. Voice, quiet and shy. Steve breathed a laugh.

“I’ve been right next to you all day, Eds.”

“Yeah, but. You know what I mean.” He hesitated. “You’ve been coming around less. I haven’t…seen you as often."

He tensed, surprised by the admission. 

"Yeah, well…" Steve began, and Al listened closely. "I know that…your dad doesn't know. About this whole thing. And I thought that maybe it was better if I kept my distance. Only so many times I can sleep in your bed and still have him think it's platonic."

Eddie tutted. "You share a bed with Robin."

"And," Steve continued for him, "I'm pretty sure Robin's mom is already planning our wedding, when the only thing we do when we share a bed is sleep."

“Yeah, well. Not sure my dad’s gonna be planning our wedding anytime soon.”

There was a knot in Al’s throat.

His son was…

His kid was…

Yeah, maybe there had been, well… signs . Things he’d ignored, not out of anger but out of confusion. He didn’t know what to say. Eddie had always been friends with girls, but he’d never gone out on a date in middle school. He’d brushed it off as him being a late bloomer, or going through stuff most of the other kids couldn’t even comprehend when he was so young.

Then. There had been Steve, hanging around all the time. Sleeping in Eddie’s bed, making coffee in the kitchen like he was part of the furniture. Close.

It felt like everything was beginning to add up. The way they brushed their shoulders together, as if reminding each other that they were right there. The way Eddie had shot a look to Wayne when he’d asked after Steve. The way Eddie has panicked for a split second when Al had asked him to introduce his friend. Steve dressing up to go to the movies. His careful demeanor around him, always a step away. Oh, god. It all made so much sense.

He wasn’t a chip off the Harrington block, he was so far removed from it that he was in a relationship with a goddamned Munson.

“You don’t have to tell him immediately.”

His mind zoned back in as Steve spoke, his voice reassuring. 

“No?”

“No. I mean, do whatever feels right. But I’d be a hypocrite if I told you that you should just, y’know. Out yourself to him.”

“I just…” Eddie took a shaky breath. “I don’t know how to bring it up. With Wayne, it was fine. It was easy, it was like he…he picked up on something being different, so he left openings for me to tell him. With dad I…I don’t know.”

Al swallowed.

“I think he’s…been so busy taking everything in. And I don’t wanna drop him in at the deep end like that. It’s like he’s already overwhelmed by how much has happened in my life already, what with me going into hospital, the fucking....townies with pitchforks kind of thing.”

There was a pause, before Steve continued carefully.

“Do you think you would tell him? If you thought he was giving you an opening, like Wayne?”

Eddie sighed. “I mean, maybe. I f he asked outright, I'd tell him."

"And...if he didn't?"

"Then...I'd probably tell him eventually. I can't hide forever, and I'm already dodging questions. I mean, what's he gonna do, kick me out of Wayne's place?"

"Wayne would never let that happen."

"Exactly. And, I...I want him to know. I want him to know all of me. I'd tell him tomorrow if I knew it wouldn't freak him out. I…wanna tell him about you. Want him to know how happy you make me.”

Steve sounded a little choked up as he chuckled. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, baby…”

He heard them kiss, gentle in the steady quiet of the hallway. The music outside was hushed, continuing rhythmically as Al backed away as silently as he could, before turning and heading back out into the backyard.

-

He couldn’t stop thinking about it on the ride home, staring out the passenger side window. The streetlamps flickered past until they dropped into near-darkness on the road up to the trailer park. If Wayne noticed that he was a little off, he didn’t say anything. 

As they parked up and got out of the truck, Steve’s car followed along, not too far behind them. As the party had wrapped up, Wayne had invited Steve back with them, and he’d accepted like it was second nature, Eddie opting to ride shotgun with him.

It was almost midnight, but Al didn’t feel remotely tired.

As Steve and Wayne headed for bed, he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured himself a glass of water. He’d only had a couple beers, and felt entirely sober as he caught Eddie’s arm.

“Hey. Can I talk to you alone for a sec, Ed?”

Eddie smiled, leaning against the counter. He seemed content. 

“Sure. Everything okay?”

Al sipped his water, feeling the coolness flood down his throat, and into the pit of his stomach. “Talked to a lot of people today.”

“You did. How’d it feel?”

Al shrugged, setting his cup down. “Good. A few faces I recognized, actually. Some I wasn't expecting.”

Eddie’s expression dropped, and he looked down at the counter. “Look. Dad, if this is about Hopper- “

“It’s not,” he asserted. “Though, it was nice to clear the air with him. He had good things to say about you.”

He looked back up, his eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Al exhaled, slowly. “Look, can we sit down?”

Eddie looked confused, and Al gestured toward the couch. 

“C’mon. Sit down with your old man for a minute.” 

Reluctantly, Eddie did as he was asked, and Al took a seat beside him. He leaned on the back of the couch.

“Look. Son.” He hesitated, deciding his words carefully. “You don’t have to keep me up in bubble wrap, okay? You’ve had a life since I went away, and I’m glad I got to meet some of the people who’ve…taken you in.”

“Dad-” Eddie interrupted, and Al shushed him.

“I’m not finished.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “While I’m…grateful that you’ve let me in on all of that, it feels like there’s something you’re not telling me. Something…you and Wayne both aren’t telling me. And I wanted you to know that whatever that is, I don't mind. You're my kid, and you can tell me anything, however big it is. Okay?”

Eddie’s eyes were wide. The overhead light cast shadows across his face, and he worried his bottom lip between his teeth. He swallowed audibly, blinking slowly like he was mulling something over, thinking it through carefully. Al looked back at him, at the scared little kid who was in there just below the surface. As he hesitated, Al patted his knee.

“Doesn't have to be now. It can be whenever you want, yeah? I just wanted you to know that...I’m ready to hear it. If you’re ever ready to -”

“Dad,” Eddie cut in again, and this time he didn’t stop him as the words snowballed out of him. “I’m gay.”

Al faltered, a little taken aback by the tremor in his voice. He swallowed hard, trying to look vaguely encouraging. He'd always struggled with emotions, and Eddie's had always been big. “Yeah?”

Eddie nodded wordlessly, tears welling up in his dark eyes.

He squeezed his knee, firmly. “And…I take it Steve isn’t just a friend?”

Eddie laughed, wetly. “No, uh. No. Steve’s…he’s more than a friend

“But, he's good to you?”

Eddie nodded again sincerely, sitting forward in his seat. “He’s great. He’s incredible, and he’s…sweet, and gentle. He’s kind, and snarky, and I want to spend every minute of every day with him, and...” He stopped short, inhaling. "I just really, really like him."

They breathed a sigh of relief together, as Al set both hands on his son’s shoulders, looking him in the eye. “Good. I’m happy that you’ve found someone like that.” Eddie looked back at him earnestly, and Al clasped the side of his face gently. “Let me know if that changes, because, uh. From what your little friend Dustin told me tonight, I could probably take him in a fight.”

Caught off-guard, Eddie let out a yelp of laughter. Al found himself dissolving into hysterics himself, pulling him in for a hug. Eddie's fingers gripped the sides of his shirt as it subsided, and Al held him close as he began to shake.

He rubbed his back, the worn fabric of the t-shirt soft against his palm. He kissed his son’s head, closing his eyes.