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There’s a lot of wisdom parents impart on the new member of the club. All the late nights and endless diaper changes, brace yourself for when they learn to talk back, or home remedies for things that aren’t even problems. They’re fountains of knowledge and experience. Even if it comes with this gross entitlement that they learned it first.
Eddie wasn’t in a race to be a dad but he found himself one and the only thing he was worried about was being better than his father. Never once did think about how awesome it was that he could tell Gareth and Jeff the “hell” they were in for.
Because, at the end of the day, everyone knows babies cry all the time and puke at weird times, that potty training means there’s going to be mistakes too, and that for a while the kid is going to hate their parents. It was hardly groundbreaking research but Eddie was thankful for a few things he’d been told.
None of that information outweighed the thing everyone neglected to tell him; that his child would betray him in unfathomable, painful ways.
Eddie did everything right. He sang her Sabbath instead of lullabies, he played her the Labyrinth on repeat, and bedtime stories were Lord of the Rings! It was everything needed to make a nerd grow, someone who would eventually challenge Eddie for the Hellfire Club throne. A worthy predecessor.
What he got was a three and a half year old who had nightmares about David Bowie and a subscription to Tiger Beat magazine. That was harder to deal with because the whole Labyrinth thing might have been too advanced. Eddie should have waited a few more years but he couldn’t suffer through Bambi anymore.
He had nothing to do with her preppy, pop tendencies though. Eddie wasn’t sure who to blame. He falsely pinned it on Gareth because someone had to take fault and it wasn’t going to be Eddie. The most likely culprit was Wayne but Eddie wasn’t ready to accept betrayal by his own flesh and blood.
The worst part of her trendy tastes was this pop darling, Steve Harrington. He got his start acting and, like, young. Precocious and cute, one of those lovable little scamps that shows bring in to boost ratings. From there he released some god awful bubble gum remakes and roller rink top tens. It was everything Eddie hated.
Recently, he’d tried to shed the goody-goody look. Probably to be taken seriously as the grown up he was and it was a tough road to walk. Littered with the bodies of those who came before him. Those who had crashed and burned in some of the worst ways.
To his credit, Steve seemed to manage it. It was still horrible music but his pants got tighter and Eddie had no complaints there. They were a similar age so he was supposed to be looking, even if most only saw him as a little kid. What was weird is that guy got famous for a silly catch phrase and remaking a surf rock song from the 50s but Eddie with his face melting original music was still playing the Hideout.
So when Steve became Eddie’s daughter’s first real obsession, it was like a knife to the heart. She was three, forty-two months on earth, and she spat in Eddie’s face like this. He could endure the TV show, even the constant tying of one his bandanas around her neck like Steve wore in the aforementioned TV show, but the music. That was the killer.
For all his protests, Eddie couldn’t get it to stop either. Gareth even brought in other, more palatable pop music to no avail. Of course, Grandpa Wayne was doing things like recording Steve singing on Carson so the betrayal ran deep here.
Wayne helped the situation a bit by explaining she was too little to develop her tastes forever, this was a phase just the same as the month where it seemed like she only ate yams or the mangled stuffed bear she still dragged everywhere.
He was, tragically, supportive though. Not only did he play the tapes Wayne kept giving her, he bought Wayne a couple of packs of blank tapes so he could continue to torture Eddie. They shopped in the boys section so she could get clothes she’d deemed suitable replicas to Steve’s. He even let her “rename” the neighbors cat after Steve’s character. Not that the neighbors agreed to that but who’s stopping a three-year-old?
It did work to Eddie’s benefit too, though. She wouldn’t get in the car to go to daycare? No Steve tonight then, bummer, man. Or she was pitching some grand tantrum because she’s three and everything is the end of her little world? All Eddie had to do was slip a tape in the VCR and now her screams rivaled those watching the Beatles. Dastardly? Probably. Bad parenting? The jury was out there and Eddie didn’t care. Sometimes it was just about survival.
Thanks to the teeny-bopper shit Steve made before this new, more serious rebrand, it was a lot of cover songs and that meant the band knew some and could learn others. So they’d play them at band practice while Lilith rocked around and mimicked the choreograph she’d watched a million and a half times. As far as betrayal went, it was kind of cute.
It was, however, still betrayal. Lilith had begun roping in Eddie's friends. Not just to play her favorite song at her every whim but Chrissy was doing independent research. She had the nerve to bring Eddie a flyer for Steve's tour that was going to be stopping not just in the usual places but actually in Hawkins.
Apparently Steve was from here but his family had moved to Hollywood for his career when he was about three. It was some sort of big deal homecoming thing. Chrissy said they had to be there but Eddie thought anywhere else sounded preferrable.
However, he wasn't heartless. Without Chrissy's (or Lilith's for that matter) knowledge, Eddie did some calling around and investigated a few things. It looked like there was a show in Kalamazoo and, yeah, that was a bit far to drive but at least no one Eddie knew would be there.
He turned it into a whole weekend event. Or tried to. Wayne had strong feelings about leaving Hawkins or Indiana…or both. Jeff was busy. The Freak wouldn’t be “caught dead at that shit” and Dustin wasn’t invited, he’d be insufferable. So Gareth, Chrissy, and Lilith made the trip.
It was always nice to have other adults around because taking a small child on vacation was something that required a team. They decided not to tell the kid and let the vacation alone be what she got excited about it. Given he heard about nothing else for two straight weeks, it was the right choice.
Much to Eddie’s chagrin, when the time came, everyone was still excited. Chrissy bought her and Lilith matching shirts, though not one for him and Gareth, it was becoming a whole thing. The subject that brought this all together was annoying but Eddie couldn’t say he wasn’t enjoying it all a little bit.
Pulling off this big surprise for Lilith was going to be fantastic. She was definitely going to leave with a love for music. After seeing your favorite singer live, there was no way she couldn’t. However, the whole going with family and friends part was great too. They were supportive and into it because that’s what one did for a kid. It really reminded Eddie how great his tribe was. Especially in the face of something like attending the poppiest of pop music concerts.
Something that wasn’t going away. The excitement of the adults paired nicely with a kid who thought going to Grandpa Wayne’s was a grand adventure and they loaded up Eddie’s tired old car to hit the road. Gareth fussed more than Lilith and Chrissy had them stopping every forty minutes, it seemed, but it was all part of the fun.
A few hours later they were checking into their hotel to the sounds of an overly-excited child who absolutely needed to know if there was a pool in this place and when did she get to see it. Little did she know something way cooler was coming but for now they could go change into swim clothes.
It was all afternoons at the pool and dinners from McDonalds, the greatest time a kid could ask for. She got to chase Gareth through the halls, stay up past her bedtime, and eat pizza for breakfast. They let her pick all the movies and jump on the beds. There wasn’t a lot of no being said but vacations weren’t really about saying “no”.
Eddie couldn’t really afford big lavish theme park based vacations (and she was starting to be old enough to care) so he did what he could. It wasn’t a magical, talking mouse but it was an ugly Kalamazoo branded shirt and two chocolate bars instead of one.
Wayne may have been keen to talk about the sacrifices of raising (someone else’s) kids but this was where it was at. The smallest things meant the world to her. Pizza was probably a better breakfast than Capt’n Crunch but it was like he let her loose in an ice cream and puppies store. However she ended up feeling about the concert itself, at least he knew she had a good time.
When the day came, the hotel shine still hadn’t worn off for Lilith but Eddie was certain it was going to look like a cardboard box after what she was about to experience. He hated to admit it but he found himself a little excited to make this happen. She was either going to freak out or be so unfazed. Eddie was tired of keeping the secret though and ready to find out the reaction it all earned.
It was god awful pop music sung by a guy who probably got his multi-record deal just on looks but now that they were hours from the show, the thrill of doing something that would make his daughter happy was better than anything a theme park could offer. Plus there was less exhaustion.
To eat up some of the wait time, Chrissy became a stylist of sorts. The only one Eddie would listen to if he were being honest. She did her make up, gave Lilith a kid friendly subtle look, and Eddie got a bit of eyeliner. Everyone got their hair styled. Lilith got to pick out her own outfit (though they hid the tourist shirt for that quest) but Eddie didn’t.
Everyone was looking their best and it had them all feeling better. The excitement was starting to be something Eddie could feel in the room. Lilith definitely could as she ran around like she’d be raised in the jungles. After a bit of a snack, it was time to go.
Gareth stayed at the hotel. It’d been the plan the whole time that he stayed and had a few quiet hours to himself. Of course another set of eyes would have been appreciated but the village helping to raise this sweet little girl needed time to recharge. Eddie could respect it.
It was also easy to act like it was unnecessary. None of them were under the impression that Kalamazoo was the “it spot” to play. There wouldn’t be people trampling to get to the stage. Worries weren’t zero but they weren’t that high either.
While Eddie had expected…a crowd of some sort, they arrived to find how wrong he was. How little extra precautions they really needed. There weren’t even a hundred people here. A piece of Eddie took great joy in the whole company just bleeding money on this. It’s what they got for investing in someone with amazing hair instead of someone with a stage presence.
They found seats easy. Dead center and in the first row above what Eddie assumed was an orchestra pit. It’d become a dance floor in a bit but could have been a mosh pit. This seemed the best of all choices, seats in case she couldn’t hack it, close enough that she could see, space to dance, it had it all.
Eddie wasn’t one for sitting at a concert and it felt a bit like selling out to settle into one. Chrissy insisted it wasn’t that big of a deal and he tried to claim she didn’t get it like he hadn’t seen her face the wall of death in a pit. Gentle bickering to pass the time was all it was.
Once they moved on from their fake fight, Chrissy and Eddie explained to Lilith exactly what was about to happen. That the real life Steve was going to come out here and sing her favorite songs. Not a video, not the TV, but he’d be here, singing for her.
The concept wasn’t really understood, sadly. Excitement wasn’t what they wanted but Eddie hoped when the action kicked off, it’d all click and make sense for her. The attention poured on her by nearly every person who walked through the door seemed to be entertainment enough until then.
Lilith told every stranger about the trip up and eating cheeseburgers and her favorite songs, the general public ate it up. Eddie hated to brag here but she was a bigger draw than Steve at this point. One older lady even brought over a soda for her that neither Chrissy nor Eddie let her have but the thought was sweet.
By the time the house lights dimmed, the crowd had maybe doubled. Eddie wanted to laugh and mock the guy but he'd have killed to get a crowd of fifty so it was a little tough to be jealous and poke fun at the same time. The place still looked empty.
Unexpectedly, there was no opening act. Everything launched right into the action. Normally, that'd be another thing to add to the ever growing list of negatives here but it meant it'd be over faster. More importantly, it was less wait time for the main attraction. Munsons weren't really patient people and that extended to the youngest and newest of the clan. Lilith was also so young that an hour felt like days so it felt a bit like the coolest thing Steve and his people could have done.
With no one in the audience there was no one to complain about Eddie letting Lilith stand in his lap. Though with the way this crowd treated her, it wasn’t likely anyone would mind. With her ear plugs in and trust teddy bear sidekick in Chrissy’s bag, she watched Steve greet the crowd in such disbelief that Eddie wished he was taping things.
It took an entire song of Lilith just gawking, stick-still and trying to figure out how the man from the TV was here…not on TV. She knew who it was, everyone in the venue learned that because the blood curdling screech of “It’s STEVE!” was hard to miss. Thankfully, Steve didn’t react to it.
From there she danced with Chrissy, screamed at Eddie, and found her groove in how to behave in the space. To his credit, Steve performed like there were five thousand people here screaming his name, not a lone four year old and a small group of fifteen year olds. He had a stage presence that spoke of something so much greater than this.
Right out the gate, he steamrolled through the hits. Eddie had never been to a show where they front loaded it with what people wanted to hear. Usually that was reserved for the last songs of the night. Hold the people hostage and make them listen to the experimental and slow stuff.
Without talking to Steve, Eddie couldn’t confirm it, but by the fifth song he had a sneaking suspicion this was intentional. Steve didn’t want the people to stick around. And they didn’t. People actually left after they heard a few of the hits, it was bold and confusing. Steve was clearing the room and they’d all paid to be here.
Steve got the stuff he was obligated to do out of the way so he could do what he wanted to.
After those were out of the way, the tone slowly shifted. So flawless from one of the poppier hits to something he’d done recently that Eddie didn’t catch it. Others did and a few more people decided to call it a night but with them they took the air of entitlement. The whole place shifted as Steve started to do what he’d actually come here to do.
He slowed down a song Eddie recognized thanks to Lilith and with it, he put more soul into it. Not so much polished notes and easy to digest key changes but something Steve felt. There was a new power to the words and Eddie lost a few minutes as he focused on the stage and nothing else.
It wasn’t just presence. Loads of singers have presence and talent oozing out their ears. Steve had all those pieces but here it was so clear he was doing it for the love of it. That meant more than a killer range or playing a guitar solo that made their fingers bleed.
Tragically, Eddie had brought a child and was expecting a pop party. Lilith needed a breather anyway and was happily sipping on the water they’d brought her and staring at the stage. All three of them had to have hearts for eyes. All that heartthrob stuff was starting to make sense now.
It was a cliche, really. The whole disheveled look of someone who’d been so polished and perfectly calculated for ratings. If Eddie didn’t know any better, he’d think this was just as orchestrated.
Steve’s still tight jeans were ripped at one knee and permanently worn where his wallet sat. The form fitting shirt was now a tired old tee and flannel. All of it showed off less of his figure but more of his personality. Or maybe Eddie was just hoping that part. Though the glistening, tan skin was the same it added value to the whole package.
As far as nights out went, having something to stare at improved this one greatly. Eddie had seen all of this as a loss. The sort of thing he had to endure because he reproduced but there were some bright spots to this one. Watching Steve sway his hips and belt out soulful notes was one of them.
The pseudo-ballad signaled a change in things and bit by bit the song's tone changed. Whoever laid this set list out was kind of a genius. A whole musical journey had been put together and Eddie was eating it up. Especially because they’d said goodbye to trite pop bullshit.
When it was clear things weren’t getting any slower, they took Lilith down to the open seating part of the venue and let her do her thing. It wasn't at all so either of them could get a closer look either. No way Eddie would say it was for anything other than letting his kid enjoy herself to the fullest. Sitting in one place too long was tough and she’d earned this or whatever.
By the time the guy on the acoustic guitar left the stage and the band that was left played some familiar dissonant chords, Eddie was sure this was going to become a problem in his life. Tempos sped up again, the amps seemed louder, and it wasn’t going to melt any faces but middle America wasn’t ready for the good boy gone bad here.
With the climax of musical growth here landing at something almost hard rocking, Eddie grabbed Chrissy to shout that parental duties were all on her now. He couldn’t be trusted. For laughs he told her not to let him throw his underwear on stage. She nearly pushed him to the ground so the joke was worth it.
Chrissy more than understood, she even joked if she were into men, Lilith would be on her own. Not that either of them would truly do that. Eddie just so happened to be the one into men here and he’d called dibs on day dreaming for a bit. That all worked out, Eddie still spent his time squatting to act as the sun in Lilith’s orbit as she enjoyed the songs she’d yet to learn.
Steve stood at the mic, his eyes closed as he let out whatever demons were in him. Eddie recognized the look, he knew the feeling. This may have been a wildly under-attended show but that didn’t matter to Steve. He was going to do his thing regardless. Which earned respect from Eddie and his giant crowds of twelve drunks.
He watched the guy jump up and down, goof around with the band, and more than once pull a note from the depths of his soul. Steve had put so much into those words they were pulling trauma from past lives. It raised a ton of questions but the only thing Eddie had known about the guy before this was his name.
A song shifted into one Eddie was enjoying. He’d forgotten all about the bitter hatred and daily torture. Taking a moment to stand against Chrissy and let himself get fully lost, Eddie felt like the room was just him and Steve. He’d felt a bit of attention all night but this was like something more cosmic. Something that blacked out the rest of the room and spoke without words. Good music should but Eddie wasn’t prepared for it.
Eddie came back to Earth in time enough to catch Lilith proving she was actually his, headbanging in the middle of the place even though the song didn't call for it. They’d been given the run of the space. Most others had moved to seats or stood against a railing of some kind. While she might not remember the finer points of this, Eddie hoped she remembered the experience. If not, Chrissy had multiple roles of film to develop already in her purse.
While Lilith was a fan of the poppy stuff, it was great for kids, one of her favorites was Steve's newest single. He'd yet to play it but the progression of the night said it was coming. If he didn't close with it, it'd be the encore. It’d all come full circle in a nice way.
Steve had ditched the flannel and the sleeves on his t-shirt were criminally short, the seams stretched like some David Banner shit. Eddie almost had to leave to get water. It was suddenly far too warm in the venue. It was not the time or place to be thinking about what Steve looked like without that shirt on and it was a brutal fight to get Eddie’s brain to not give in there.
And that’s when Steve set into motion the knockout punch. Eddie was having some sort of crisis here trying to figure out how to come to terms to enjoying some teenybopper bullshit. He couldn’t take anymore but Steve was just getting started. Even as Eddie rolled his eyes, unaware of the danger he was in. Steve started his crowd work.
Not the usual “Kalamazoo is my favorite city” sort of stuff, Steve was above pandering for applause. No he jumped off the stage as he talked about working on this new album. He explained that he’d done a lot more of the songwriting as he dismissed the lone security guard who tried to make his way over.
This was a project of love, so many people before him had said the exact same things. There must be a stock press release. However, the crowd ate it up. Cheering and politely clapping for him as he stood five feet from the stage and trying to pull more slack on his microphone cord.
Eddie had called Lilith back, she stood between his legs and he kept a hand on her stomach to stop her from running out and tripping Steve. Or tackling him. He wasn’t really sure what she’d do but knew it would be some flavor of getting in the way.
In truth, she might have needed Eddie’s support. She stood there wiggling and telling Eddie everything Steve was doing like he couldn’t see with his own eyes. He was going to be in so much trouble when she got older. If this was the level of obsessed she was now, what happened when she hit those teenage years which are built around obsession. All he could do was be supportive though. It was another trait she didn’t come by any place strange.
Occasionally she’d turn to tell Chrissy things too but in the moment it was definitely dad who needed to know. Chrissy would get the recap in the car or back at the hotel. She did better at it then Eddie and would act like she didn’t just witness it all. Three times now Eddie had pointed from his eyes to Steve as he said “I can see that.”
Steve launched into the “I’m so thankful for all you” part of his speech and Eddie felt some of the newly earned respect fade. This wasn’t the grammys. It wasn’t a place filled with record execs and fancy friends. This was fucking Michagan.
However, as he filled the air, he walked purposefully toward Eddie. Something that shouldn’t have made Eddie’s heart race. He looked up at Chrissy, who’d been standing guard behind him, ready to spring into action in case their little terror went out on her own. She shook her head and mouthed, “No clue?”
It seemed a touch too bold for everything that had happened but if Steve was coming down here to woo Chrissy, Eddie was going to be expected to step in and he really didn’t want to do that. It’d be embarrassing for everyone, really. He didn’t want to have to do it but felt that fight or flight start to activate.
Stopping a couple of feet away, Steve’s speech switched from a script he’d clearly learned to something with a few more filler words and nervous charm. Eddie could have believed it was a pre-scripted part of the show but Steve was talking to Lilith and they did not agree to anything here.
“You’ve been out here having the time of your life here sweetheart,” Steve said into the mic but it was just for Lilith.
She was a little too starstruck to answer, Eddie nodded for her and Steve gracefully continued on. He let her process whatever was happening from his respectful distance and Eddie hated to admit he was impressed. He could point a finger at a dozen different people in the room who’d pushed into interactions with the cute little kid in the room. Lilith just handled those better because she hadn’t spent the last seven months of her life obsessed with them.
“There’s been some seriously sweet dance moves and I think you might be the only person who’s ever headbanged to my songs,” Steve laughed as he squatted down. Almost mirroring Eddie.
It was kind of hot how careful he was.
Lilith nodded this time. She pushed against Eddie’s arm but didn’t try to “break free”, something she could have easily done. He wasn’t putting any effort in stopping her now, the arm became comfort not control.
To further that comfort, Eddie put up the rock horns for Lilith to see knowing full well Steve would too. He hoped they’d join but neither took the bait.
“Mom and dad?” Steve asked, like there was more coming but he waited for an answer.
“Yes,” Chrissy said quickly, barely taking a breath before adding, “It’s not like that though.”
Eddie turned and looked at her, shocked and confused, he silently asked her why she had to say it like that? Or that fast?
“Oh?” Steve asked.
Lilith wandered out from the safety of Eddie’s “hold” but not up to Steve yet.
“We just…we weren’t compatible,” Chrissy answered. A very diplomatic way to say they were both way too gay to stay together. That wasn’t someone one just said in public though so Eddie appreciated it.
Steve processed that answer in waves before giving another “Oh” and leaving Eddie to wonder if this guy picked up on the subtext of that. Was he somehow even cooler? This was turning into a nightmare.
“Well, if it’s alright with you guys, I thought I’d ask your kid to dance with me for this next one?”
Of course it was okay, not a doubt in either of their minds on that one. They looked at each other and had a silent conversation about the amount of film Chrissy had left instead. Once she confirmed there was plenty, they turned back to Steve and nodded their heads.
Lilith was now standing next to Steve, her hand on his shoulder and keeping an arm’s length away as she inspected him and his microphone. Steve asked her name and Lilith answered…correctly even but the phase of saying her name was Sparkle had passed a few months ago.
“Alright, well Lilith, I came down here to see if you’d dance with me. I only have one more song left so I thought I’d get you and we could have some fun.”
Eddie looked at his watch. No encore. That made sense, Steve was small time enough to not have to go through all that pomp and circumstance, plus he hadn’t once been trying to hold people here longer than they wanted to be. Oddly considerate but confusing to a guy who’d been to as many concerts as Eddie had.
This also meant he was most likely about to sing Lilith’s favorite song. It was the only hit he hadn’t played, the song they were waiting for. Not that she didn’t want to hear everything in between but this was going to be crazy.
Standing up, Eddie whispered the explanation into Chrissy’s ear as Steve repeated the question in effort to help Lilith understand.
The rest of the room was growing a bit restless waiting to hear the same song, presumably. Or jealous they weren’t getting this attention. Steve got it figured out though and had Lilith jumping up and down beside him. Of course she wanted to dance with him.
A stagehand lit the path for Steve to get back on stage, he held Lilith’s hand the whole way and led her to center stage.
More than the emotion of his singing, the tan, the cool hair, and everything else Eddie had learned about Steve tonight, this had him absolutely in love. Lilith wasn’t going to be the only one obsessed with him by the time they made it back to Hawkins. Shit, by the time they got back to the hotel.
Chrissy and Gareth were going to need ear plugs or apology gifts, Eddie could feel it all simmering now and it was going to boil over soon. This was the only thing he’d talk about the whole way home. He’d have a captive, literally, audience for more than three hours and they were going to learn exactly how hard Eddie fell in love with Steve Harrington tonight.
Watching that man be so good, so careful with his daughter would have made anyone weak in the knees. Hell, it probably made other people in the room react similarly and it wasn’t even their kid up there. What the rest of the room didn’t get was how comfortable Lilith was with Steve. She took a minute to get there but now they were old friends.
Steve talked to her the whole way, not in the microphone but Lilith answered animatedly and Eddie wished he could hear them. Not to interject but just to experience it. No way Lilith was going to remember a word of it.
The band played them a little jingle, a bit of walking music, that started to turn into a song. Eddie wondered how long it would take Lilith to figure out what she was going to be dancing to. He watched her every move, the way she was talking Steve's ear off about something and so happy to do so. The hammer was going to fall in a big way and it was going to be more than Steve asked for. Notes were getting more purposeful by the minute and Eddie grabbed Chrissy’s hand as they waited for the explosion.
It was hard to remember to pay attention to anything else but Eddie stole a few glances Steve's way. he listened like she was telling him the secrets of life. Not an ounce of urgency in him despite the whole place waiting on his performance.
After a minute, Steve knelt down and pointed out to the whole crowd. The music started to really get into the song and Steve told Lilith to scream “are you ready?” and finally all of Eddie's training kicked in. He put the microphone in front of her, she grabbed it with two hands, and screamed “ARE. YOU. READY?!” way cooler than she’d been told to. The only thing in Eddie’s body now was pride. He didn’t have room for organs or veins, just one proud dad.
The guitar struck a cord and the crowd went wild. For once, Eddie wasn’t paying attention to the music. Sure it was there, he could hear it and was aware of it, but he was watching his kid live a dream. If Eddie cried a few tears, that was no one's business but his.
It was then Lilith figured out what the song was. She started jumping up and down, moving all over the space just as she did in their living room. Steve looked Eddie's way and he shrugged his shoulders. This was normal and all her.
For three and a half minutes her and Steve bounced around the stage singing their hearts out like it was their living room and no one else could see. For a lot of the song, Steve mimicked what Lilith did. Maybe it was bold to say but it looked like the guy let go a bit and had pure fun. The sort of fun four years have, not adults.
Not a lot made Eddie feel like the sappy person in the room but seeing that level of unbridled joy got to him. Whatever happened after this, they were all fans of Steve Harrington for life. Even if he put out a country album.
The way Chrissy clung to Eddie's arm said she was probably feeling much of the same. Despite making sure they had the film for it, she didn't take many pictures. The two of them stood there and watched their daughter having the best time anyone could be having in all of the midwest, perhaps the country.
He watched the kindness of strangers play out in real time. Lastly, he watched a whole room come together with a common goal. Everyone would probably forget about this in a week but Eddie was going to carry this with him forever.
For the last lines of the song, Steve picked up Lilith and rested her on his hip like he'd been carrying children around for decades. It was too natural. He focused less on the microphone that he’d put back in the stand, and sang with Lilith instead. As the last notes played, just before Steve launched into his thanks and goodbyes, he gave Lilith a kiss on the cheek. She instantly returned the favor. The whole venue cooed.
Eddie wasn’t too sure about that but Chrissy squealed “I got her first kiss on camera!” while jumping up and down beside him.
Rather than let her loose, Steve kept hold of Lilith and walked her back to Eddie and Chrissy as he thanked everyone for coming out and all those things all performers have to do. The band played a more rocking version of one of the covers that made Steve famous.
With impeccable timing, he made it back to center stage to start singing. The song was way better and he should have ditched the first version. Happy to be reunited, Eddie held Lilith as they danced around with Chrissy. Trying to steal a bit of what they’d just witnessed for themselves.
Steve gave them another wave and blew a kiss to Lilith before disappearing backstage. The house lights flipped on and people started to file out. Those that hadn’t done so during the goodbyes, at least.
A few people made a point to come up to Eddie and fuss over Lilith like she was a little celebrity. One who got incredibly shy, suddenly. While kids did that, Eddie would guess this was probably some sort of overload. Too much attention all at once and too much to process. If Eddie was feeling all over excited and mixed up, Lilith had to be.
They did their best to move people along but eventually started telling everyone it was past Lilith’s bedtime and they had to leave. Chrissy ducked into the bathroom with her to hide out a bit (and use those particular facilities). Eddie stood in the hall and tried not to think about how badly he wanted a cigarette. Regretting the decision to not smoke in front of Lilith and debating how fast he could get through one.
Thankfully there weren’t a ton of people in the place so it didn’t take long for the crowd to thin. Eddie hollered in that the coast was clear and then went off to buy a few Steve branded things before it truly was time to get Lilith into bed.
At the merch booth, the couple in front of them made polite chit chat about the show before launching into how lucky Lilith was. The wife said she’d have done anything to be in Lilith’s shoes and it was a little weird. They were probably in their fifties but the husband was supportive so Eddie politely smiled. Well, after Chrissy pinched the back of his arm to remind him to behave he politely smiled.
Lilith was as uninterested in the conversation as Eddie was and started to drift toward sleep in Eddie’s arms. She’d sleep like the dead tonight and it made Eddie wish this was possible more often.
Still projecting, the woman in front of them asked Lilith “Are you going to grow up and marry Steve now?”
“Yuck,” Lilith said, her whole body reacting in disgust.
It was a whole thing with her lately. All talk of marriage or dating was disgusting but also “dad how come you’re not married to anyone? You should get married.” Kids were complicated and very, very annoying about subjects they knew nothing about.
After Chrissy and Eddie shared a laugh at the expected reaction, Eddie said, “Good, can I marry him then?”
It earned the expected laugh out of Chrissy and furthered disgust out of Lilith. She followed it with words of protest but couldn’t land on a good reason so she gave up. The woman in front of them didn’t find the implication of a man marrying another man funny and turned her attention forward. A win all around.
When the couple bought their shirts and left without sparing them another glace, Eddie stepped up to the table. Chrissy had been off to the side looking things over so the choices could happen as quickly as possible but she took a big step sideways and joined them.
As Eddie was asking Lilith which one they should get, the woman selling the merch interrupted with a very excited, “It’s you! I thought you weren't going to stop by and I really, really didn’t want to be the one to break that news to Steve. He gave me this to give to you guys, I guess a thank you or something.”
Eddie took the envelope and wondered if the guy was keeping pre-signed headshots sealed up or something. How’d he prepare this? After a quick thank you for the delivery, they picked out the matching family shirt, even if Lilith’s was going to be way too big, and left.
In the car, after Lilith, already dressed in her new shirt, was buckled in, Eddie opened the letter with Chrissy watching over his shoulder.
Here’s hoping I understood what you were trying to say before and this won’t be as big of a risk as it feels.
To the dad of the kid I was lucky enough to dance with tonight: I don’t have a show tomorrow so if you’d like to have lunch, here’s where I’ll be. Meet at say 11?
If I got it wrong, you and your family will be on the guest list for the rest of the tour. Just tell Joni at the merch booth your name.
Xoxo
Steve.
Under the plain white paper that he’d written the note on was an ad from the newspaper, ripped out and included to tell Eddie where to go for lunch. For a date.
“No fucking way!” Chrissy squealed.
“I know, right, who eats lunch at eleven?”