for @steddieholidaydrabbles pop up prompt 'plan'
rated t | 784 words | no cw | tags: established relationship, post-vecna, future fic, adoption
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“I know I’ve been gone for a couple months, but I’m pretty sure it’s not possible I left you pregnant and now there’s a baby,” Eddie jokes when he walks into the house. “Unless there’s something I missed in sex ed.”
Steve rolls his eyes but leans in to kiss Eddie on the lips. Eddie is careful as he kisses back, not wanting to disrupt the sleeping baby in Steve’s arms.
“I’m doing Hop a favor. Newborn got dropped off at the station a couple weeks ago and the last placement didn’t work out,” Steve explains. “They think they have a family willing to take her soon.”
“Oh,” Eddie feels breathless suddenly. He’s taking in Steve holding a baby and suddenly he gets it. “You didn’t mention it on the phone.”
“Yeah, at first she was supposed to be gone before you got back.” Steve looks down at her, face going soft. Eddie melts. “But I figured it would be easier to update you in person.”
“What’s her name?” Eddie looks down and gently brushes the back of his finger against her cheek. Her nose scrunches and he quickly pulls away, not wanting to wake her up.
“Technically, she doesn’t have one. But I’ve been calling her Melanie. Mel for short.”
Steve’s attached. Eddie watches as he runs his hand over the top of her head. She doesn’t have much hair, but the light brown wisps are nearly identical to Steve’s own hair. She could probably be his if someone looked quick.
They didn’t plan on having kids for themselves. Steve decided when all was said and done with the Upside Down that he wasn’t sure he could ever bring kids into this world, and he knew Eddie wanted to travel with the band a lot. Adoption was out for them as long as places looked down on two guys living together and raising a kid. The plan was to be the cool uncles as all of the nuggets grew up and had some of their own, and that was fine with both of them.
But now, Eddie thinks they’ve both forgotten how good Steve is at this. How natural it comes to him to be a caretaker and protector, how much he loves being responsible for someone, how much he needs to be needed. Sure, there’s plenty of people who need him, especially Eddie, but this is different. This is a role that can only be filled like this.
“This family they found…” Eddie swallows. “They’re good people? They have what she needs?”
Steve looks up at him, tilting his head slightly to the side. “They seem nice. They have a son. He’s always wanted a sibling.”
Steve leans in to kiss the corner of his mouth. “She’ll be loved and happy there. Hop and I wouldn’t let her go if not.”
“Yeah,” Eddie nods. “That’s good.”
Steve smiles at him and Eddie knows he can read every thought on his face.
“We can talk about it if you changed your mind,” he says quietly. “I’d like to talk about it again.”
“Okay. Yeah. We should,” Eddie feels like he’s going insane. “I know that’s not what our plan was-“
“When have we ever stuck to a plan before?”
Eddie laughs. Yeah. They haven’t done a lot of sticking to plans. Not since before they met, not when they were saving the world, and not since then, either.
“You look good like this, Harrington.”
Steve’s smile brightens. He looks down at the baby and then back up at Eddie.
“You think so?” Eddie feels nerves settle in his stomach. He’s not sure he’s got the good parent gene in him. He’d never be like his own parents, but he isn’t sure if he could be good.
“Yeah. I think we’d be pretty good together. When we do it.”
Steve smirks. “When we do it.”
It takes almost two years of trying to figure out different options and finally getting approved to adopt.
They wait another six months before a little girl comes to them.
Her name is Melody. They call her Mel.
She’s a very bubbly five year old, full of fire and a spirit that probably would be too much for any other set of parents in the world.
She loves to sit on Steve’s shoulders, even though she’s getting too big for it. She loves to sit on Eddie’s lap while he plays guitar, even though he struggles to play around her squirmy body.
They love her more than anything.
A small part of Eddie is pretty sure she was always part of the plan, even though they didn’t always know it.
