From the moment she was born, Eddie was afraid. Scared shitless.
He sat in the darkened hospital room, holding the tiny baby, his daughter, in his arms. He traced the curve of her cheek with one slightly trembling finger. She turned towards the touch, eyes still scrunched in sleep.
“She’s so small,” Eddie whispered.
You slowly opened your eyes, turning your head on the slightly lumpy hospital pillow. You watched as the loud, chaotic, larger-than-life man that you loved stared down at the tiny babe with such reverence that you would think she was a holy relic.
You had no doubt that Eddie would stop at nothing, would move heaven and Earth, to make sure his daughter, your daughter, never wanted for anything. His passion, his odd brand of caring, would make Eddie the best father.
“You know our friends are never going to let us live it down that she was born on Halloween,” you said quietly. “They’re going to think you somehow planned this.”
The corner of Eddie’s mouth quirked up, his eyes lifting to find yours. “Nah,” he said. “She’s just a Munson– she’s ingrained with dramatic flair, a heavy sense of irony, and a knack for ruffling societal feathers.”
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For Jade’s first Christmas, Eddie somehow convinced his uncle to don an ill-fitting red suit and a scratchy white polyester beard. The three of you were seated on the couch when the front door swung open, the sound of heavy boots stomping snow off on the mat.
“Merry Christmas,” Wayne’s voice called from the entryway.
Eddie gave a small, theatrical gasp. “Who’s that?” he quietly asked his daughter, who was snuggled in his arms.
Wayne stepped in, hat slightly askew on his head. The beard was a tangled travesty, hanging limply under his chin. He’d even taken the charade a step further and had found a burlap sack to stuff gifts in. He crossed into the room, his eyes taking on a faint sparkle as he saw his nephew holding the tiny two-month-old. Wayne set the sack by the tree before stepping over to the couch.
“Is that grandpa?” Eddie asked quietly, watching his daughter’s eyes take in the tall red-suited figure.
Wayne bent down, taking the child into his arms. “Hey, baby girl,” he said. Jade peered up at him, not concerned necessarily, but maybe confused– the rumble of the voice might be familiar, but the face above her was not. “Yeah, yeah, I know,” Wayne said. “The getup is ridiculous. But your dad insisted.”
“I don’t know, Wayne,” Eddie said, a boyish grin on his face. With the baby out of his arms, he was able to stretch out, one arm looping around your shoulders. “I think it’s a good look for you. Very… wise wizard. Or, you know, crazy homeless man. It’s a fine line.”
Wayne shook his head, the fake beard swaying slightly. “Don’t get used to it,” he grumbled, but there was a small smile on his face. Both you and Eddie knew that Wayne was already wrapped around Jade’s tiny finger and would do whatever made her laugh or smile, even if that meant dressing up in a ridiculous holiday costume.
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The Hawkins heat was getting unbearable as July reached its peak. Eddie had been secretive all morning, telling you to stay out of the backyard until the surprise was complete. You’d heard the rumble of his newer (but still slightly battered) van leave and return an hour later. You heard his footsteps walk around the side of the house, accompanied by the faint sound of something being dragged. But you kept your promise and left him to his mysterious work.
You were in the living room, watching Jade work on pulling herself up, her tiny hands gripping the couch cushion, one of your hands hovering behind her back. The sound of the back door opening and closing filtered through the silence, followed by Eddie’s footsteps making their way through the kitchen. He appeared in the doorway, stepping over to the couch, leaning against the back.
“Look at you, Princess!” He said with a grin. “Soon, you’re gonna be running your mom and I ragged, aren’t you?” Jade gave him a smile, her two teeth visible.
“And getting into everything,” you said with a small sigh. You looked around the living room. “We should probably clean out the bottom of the bookshelf soon, just in case.”
Eddie nodded. “Probably. But right now, that can wait because the surprise is complete.” He moved around the couch and handed you a plastic shopping bag before scooping Jade up in his arms.
You peered into the bag. A small, vibrantly pink swimsuit was inside, covered with bright yellow flowers. “What’s this?”
Eddie cocked his head toward the kitchen. You followed him into the other room, peering out around his shoulder as he opened the back door.
A round, plastic pool sat in the middle of the yard. The hose was snaked through the grass, the nozzle plunged into the plastic ring. Sunlight glinted off the water.
“Eddie,” you said with a laugh. “If you wanted to take her swimming, we could just go to the Hawkins Community Pool. They’ve got a toddler pool. There’s no need to–”
“And run the risk of Jade getting splashed by some rambunctious hooligan whose parents aren’t watching them? I don’t think so– you must be insane.”
Your heart fluttered at the surge of protectiveness that Eddie demonstrated when it came to his daughter.
Jade turned in Eddie’s arms, laughing as she looked up at her father. He turned his gaze down, a smile splitting his face again. “Yeah,” he said, voice slightly higher-pitched. “Your mama’s insane. What are we gonna do with her, Princess?”
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The day was approaching– Halloween. And Jade’s first birthday. You and Eddie discussed what would be the best course of action– having a party, or taking your daughter trick-or-treating. Since Halloween was on a Thursday, you decided to take her out on her actual birthday, and then invite all your friends over the following Saturday for a small party.
The three of you wandered the aisles at the store, looking at the brightly colored costumes. “What do you think, Princess?” Eddie asked. “What do you want to be?”
“You going to be okay if she chooses something… normal?” you asked with a small laugh. “Maybe an actual princess?”
Eddie gave a long-suffering sigh. “I suppose,” he groaned, but there was a grin tugging at his lips. While he certainly had an aesthetic and was trying to raise Jade to have the same (her nursery was a pale pumpkin color, and the mobile over her crib was tiny bats and crescent moons, something Eddie had been ecstatic about finding), he really only cared that she was happy. So, if she chose an obnoxious pink, frilly dress for her first Halloween costume, so be it.
But (thankfully), Jade’s eyes swept over the dresses and landed on a fuzzy yellow and black bodysuit. She babbled as she reached for the tiny bumblebee costume. You pulled it from the rack and handed it to her, watching her eyes light up with glee. There were small iridescent wings sewn on the back of the costume, and a small headband with two antennae was attached in a small plastic bag.
“Good choice,” Eddie said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the crown of Jade’s head.
A few nights later, you and Eddie took your tiny bee out, the air buzzing with the excitement of the holiday. The two of you had agreed that for her first Halloween, you were only going to take Jade to your friends’ places, so as not to overwhelm or over tire her. Your friends all cooed appreciatively over her costume and filled her plastic pumpkin to the brim with candy.
Jade was conked out by the time you pulled your car back into the driveway, not even stirring as you lifted her from the car seat. You carried her inside and carefully stripped her from the costume, slipping on a pair of orange footie pajamas covered with tiny black cats.
Once your daughter was down, you and Eddie curled together on the couch. Eddie found a channel playing Halloween, and the two of you sat in the dark living room, eating your way through Jade’s candy stash.
During a commercial break, Eddie turned his head, pressing a kiss to your temple. “We have a one-year-old,” he murmured, voice laden with both awe and disbelief.
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Eddie was seated on the floor of the living room, strumming something mindlessly on his guitar. His fingers were moving of their own accord while his eyes were trained on Jade, who was seated a few feet away, stacking blocks. The sounds of you making dinner filtered in from the kitchen.
‘This,’ Eddie thought to himself. ‘Is what people call ‘domestic bliss’. Something Eddie had never imagined experiencing.
Jade’s attention began to drift, growing bored of the blocks. She turned, watching Eddie with large, brown eyes. Slowly, she abandoned her half-built structure and crawled over to him. He smiled at her as she approached, her eyes watching his fingers pluck the strings. He started playing with more purpose, fingers finding familiar chords, the familiar melody of Wanted Dead or Alive weaving together.
“You like that, Princess?” His fingers stilled as he watched his daughter’s hand reach out, hovering just above the strings. He carefully maneuvered the instrument closer to her, silently encouraging her.
Her small hand moved, fingers clumsily brushing the strings. Her eyes widened when they made noise. Jade looked up at Eddie, glee on her small face, before turning her attention back to the strings, brushing them again, slightly harder, the noise louder, more solid.
You stepped from the kitchen, standing behind the couch, watching father and daughter bond over music. “Sounds like we’ve got a prodigy on our hands,” you said. You moved towards your family, sitting beside Eddie. “You wanna be like daddy, baby girl?”
You and Eddie laughed at the decisive statement. “Rock on, Princess,” Eddie said, watching his daughter strum the strings again. “You’ll be on stage in no time.”
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“Okay, Princess,” Eddie said, holding out two boxes of cereal. “Lucky Charms or Trix?”
Jade looked between the two boxes before reaching out for the one with the cartoon rabbit.
“Good choice,” Eddie said, returning the other one to the shelf. “That leprechaun has never sat right with me.”
Eddie turned, finding Steve a few feet away. “Hey. Long time, no see.”
“Yeah, I know. This school year was… nuts. I swear, the kids get weirder each year.” Steve’s eyes dropped to Jade. “Speaking of kids… man, she looks more and more like you every time I see her.”
Eddie chuckled. “Yeah, I couldn’t deny her if I tried.” He placed a hand on his daughter’s head, tucking some of her wild, dark curls back. “Not that I would ever want to.”
Steve smiled. “You and Y/N free next weekend? I was thinking of having a small barbecue at my place. Henderson’s supposed to get back from college tomorrow; I think Wheeler’s already back. Even heard a rumor that Jonathan and Will are coming back to visit Joyce. I know they’d love to see you guys and the little cutie.”
“What do you think, Princess?” Eddie asked. “You want to see your weird uncles? You’re probably the only girl most of them have in their lives.”
Jade looked from her father down to the box of cereal in her grasp, shaking it slightly. The cereal rattled in the cardboard.
Eddie turned to Steve. “She says only if you serve the finest of rabbit-mascotted cereals.”
Steve laughed. “You drive a hard bargain, Jade, but I think I can manage that.”
Jade looked up at the sound of her name, her dark eyes crinkling as she gave him a beaming smile.
