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farfromharry · 2 years ago

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Beth [ 4 ] | Dad!Eddie Munson series

Four, The birthday girl

Word count - 6772

Warnings - nothing i dont think

a/n - after this part theres lots of timeskips that just show important moments, but after the series is over im planning on doing a blurb night thing for any small moments anyone wants to see :)

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April 1990

Even after all the struggle he went through, balancing a baby right as he finished school, his life plans having changed and the difficulty that came with raising a child, he wouldn’t change a thing. Four years later and his baby girl was the most important person in his life. He would do anything for Beth, any single thing she asked. His plans might have had to be altered, but they certainly weren’t going to change altogether. As soon as Eddie had made enough money from his diner job, he’d planned to be out of that place and living his dream with Beth by his side. But for now, he was enjoying the time he spent with her in Hawkins surrounded by his friends.

The morning of her fourth birthday was one of much excitement. Eddie had been woken up with the girl bouncing on his bed, rousing him from his sleep. He groaned quietly, trying to see the clock on his wall to see what time it was. Beth had pretty much no concept of time, so it could be four am or it could be ten. He prayed for the latter, but knowing her it probably wasn’t.

When he cracked open an eye he noticed she wasn’t looking, so slowly he reached for her waist, startling her when he pulled her down onto the bed. She broke out into a fit of giggles, growing louder when Eddie began to tickle her too. “Daddy, stop!” she laughed, the sound truly music to his ears.

He let her catch her breath as he sneaked a glance at the time, noticing it was only nine. He had to give it to her, she’d actually let him sleep for once. “Happy birthday, sweet girl.” Her smile was wide like it always was as she cuddled into her dad’s chest. He found it so hard to believe that she had already been in his life for four years already, she was growing so much so quickly. He wished time would slow down.

Her head was tucked under his chin, his hand rubbing her back. He was surprised she didn’t fall asleep again in his arms, but he knew his next words would shake any remaining sleep from her body. “I got you something,” he told her, poking her stomach as he got up from the bed. She tried to contain her excitement, but she was practically exploding with joy as she waited for him to grab whatever it was. He’d kept it wrapped under his bed, somewhere he knew she wouldn’t bother looking.

He placed the large box in her lap, watching as she ripped open the paper after she got the okay from her dad. His wrapping wasn’t the best, but he tried his best and he thought he deserved a pat on the back for it. It did the job.

“A guitar!” she gasped, looking at her dad with wide eyes. Every time Eddie had pulled out his guitar in the last year, his little Beth had made a comment about how she wanted a guitar of her own, so he’d saved up and bought her a miniature version of his own for her birthday. “It looks like yours,” she noticed. That piece of information only made her love the gift more. She was a carbon copy of her dad in almost every way and she certainly loved music in the same way he did, knowing she’d be able to play a guitar that was the same as his was thrilling.

“It does,” he said, flickering his attention to his own guitar that hung on his bedroom wall proudly. “Now we match.”

She peered up at him with those doe eyes that made his heart weak. For those eyes he would do literally anything. “Will you teach me how to play?” she asked. There was no way he would ever be able to turn her down on that offer, even if he was sure she would find it a struggle to succeed with some of the songs he knew how to play. Luckily, the song she was named after was easy enough. “Course I will, but not today. We gotta get up and ready for the zoo, birthday girl.”

She nodded, allowing him to stand up before practically throwing herself into his arms. From there he would carry her to the kitchen so the pair could have breakfast. She’d taken him a little off guard when she jumped at him, so naturally he thought to pay for that he had to toss her over his shoulder. Her laughter was loud as she kicked her legs, playfully begging to be let down. But the two of them both knew she loved it.

In the beginning, Eddie had been scared of nearly every move he made as a dad, he now found it all came natural to him. He didn’t need to overthink every single decision, and he didn’t have to worry about if he wasn’t being careful enough. In fact if you looked at him with Beth now compared to how he was four years ago, you’d think Eddie was two completely separate people. Four years ago he never would have been caught dead tossing his child over his shoulder, it would have made him fear for his life. And now, well…

“Okay, you go sit down,” he said, letting her back down to her feet. She stumbled for a second from the sudden dizziness as she tried to regain her balance, earning a laugh from her dad. Once she was stable she basically sprinted to the couch while Eddie rummaged through the almost empty cupboards. “What does the birthday girl want for breakfast? We’ve got frosted flakes or cinnamon toast crunch.”

She hummed loudly as she tried to decide, thinking over her options in her head before she finally came to a conclusion. “Frosted flakes, please.” Usually he wouldn’t even give her the option between the two considering they were two of the most sugary cereals he bought and his little Beth on a sugar rush meant hell, but her birthday was a special occasion, so he supposed it was okay just for today. He poured her a bowl of her choice and decided he would join her in it too, bringing the two bowls over to the couch where he dropped beside her. He made sure she had a good grip so he didn’t end up with milk all over the couch again (it had happened on more than one occasion and Wayne hadn’t been incredibly happy).

The two watched whatever cartoons were on as they ate, not making much conversation. They were both as invested in the colorful show playing as the other, despite the fact that one was a toddler and the other was a twenty-four year old man. But it was only another thing they could bond over so none of them were going to complain.

After breakfast it was time for them to get ready, the dad letting his girl pick out what she wanted to wear for the day. He usually let her do that, Eddie couldn’t put together an outfit to save his life, not for a little girl anyway. She always made herself look much cuter than he could. If he was given more than just an old band tee and some jeans (his go to) then he was helpless. For herself she picked out a pair of denim overalls and a light coloured jumper, he’d force her into another jacket over top so she didn’t get sick also.

Eddie was dressed mostly as normal, though he’d tried to make a bit more of an effort for her. He’d swapped out the band tee for a polo shirt Steve had convinced him to buy a long time ago, however had still paired it with his signature black jeans, chains and leather jacket (plus his jewelry).

Obviously he thought she looked much cuter than he did, hence why he had to take the annual birthday picture of her. There would probably be a lot of pictures throughout the day and he didn’t care that it made him look like an overbearing mom. He didn’t have many pictures as a young child for him to look back on, though that changed with Wayne, but he wanted Beth to have those.

When the picture was out of the way he only had one other thing left to do, the bird's nest she called hair.

“Let’s tame that hair, huh?” he muttered, brushing his hand over the top of it. This was one of her least favorite parts of getting ready. She always whined that Eddie was brushing her hair too recklessly and that it hurt, even though he was trying to be as gentle as possible. But her curls, an exact match to his, just made it impossible. However, he always gave her an incentive. If she let him fix her hair with minimal complaints and restrictions, she could choose how he styled his hair for the day. “What style do we want?”

“Pig tails!” she squealed, already prepared with her answer straight after he asked the question. He smiled, grabbing two hair ties from his dresser. He wasn’t the greatest at hair by far, but over the years he’d gotten much better, he just couldn’t braid at this point, she’d surely surpass him in her own talents soon anyway. “Want you to have the same,” she said.

He didn’t necessarily mind. He would do anything for his Beth, even if he was probably going to get laughed at by his friends for showing up with his hair in two low pigtails. “Whatever you want, your highness.” Through the mirror he could see that she was beaming, happy she had gotten the answer she wanted. There wasn’t a large part of her that expected him to reject her suggestion, but it was still pleasant to know that he wanted to match with her as much as she wanted to match with him.

Once her hair was done he moved to do his own, following a similar method until the pair looked like twins. She found it very amusing, giggling loudly as the two kept their heads next to each other in the mirror. “Y’look so pretty, daddy.”

He grinned, turning his head to press a smooch to her cheek. “So do you, my sweet girl.” There was a couple minutes where she couldn’t help messing with his hair, tugging on the pig tails until he shooed her hands away, poking at her stomach instead. “Come on, Steve and Dustin should be here soon.”

He gathered their stuff, making sure her jacket and backpack were on firmly before leading her out of the trailer. She held tightly onto his hand as they reached the steps, the same ones she insisted on jumping down all the time just to prove that she could. He always cheered for her when she landed on her feet at the bottom, telling her she did a great job. However, what he wouldn’t tell her was that without the death grip she had on his hand then she probably wouldn’t land it. He was the only thing preventing her from hurting herself.

The two waited for the familiar BMW to show, not having to go too long until it was pulling up in front of them. Dustin climbed out of the passenger seat, already anticipating the love he was about to receive from the mini Eddie.

“Dusty,” Beth called, rushing into his arms where he welcomed her into a hug. “Baby muns, I’ve missed you.”

Eddie watched from the bottom of the trailer steps with a warm smile as the pair reunited. With Dustin busy with his senior year he hadn’t seen his favorite baby Munson in a couple weeks. She had certainly missed him and he had missed her, so he was happy to have a break where he could spend her birthday with her. The same went for Max who was heading over from her neighboring trailer. Although, sometimes when Eddie had to quickly run out, he’d leave Beth under the watchful eye of a studying Max for just a few minutes.

Once the little girl realized her favorite redhead was also in her presence she was even more excited, rushing more than her little body could handle to give her a hug. “Let’s wrap it up kiddos, we need to get moving,” Steve called from the front seat, trying to usher them all into the car. The male teen moved to climb back into his seat once their reunion was over, only for Eddie to scold him and tug him back by the shirt collar. “Where d’you think you’re going?” he asked.

He didn’t like that he’d tugged him, so he got his own back, yanking on one of the pig tails in Eddie’s hair. “Uh, back to my seat?” It wasn’t appreciated by the older man, a scowl finding its way to his face as he pushed Dustin’s shoulder as payback and then fixed his hair.

Beth was watching them both with curiosity. “Nuh-uh, the adult is here now. Get in the back.”

If it was anyone else Dustin would have probably tried to argue. But he knew he wouldn’t get anywhere with how irritably stubborn Eddie Munson is. It was so much easier to just accept things than make it a fight that dragged out for hours. At least if he sat in the back he’d be able to talk to Beth a little more. Max could be heard snickering from behind as she took the seat on the other side of the little girl.

In the car the three kids were lost in their own world of conversation, which worked out well

for Steve and Eddie because they found themselves in a very fond one discussing you. Steve had brought you up, asking if his friend had grown the balls to make a move yet, but the other just pretended like he had no idea what he was talking about. The topic was quickly dropped, but the redness that had gravitated to Eddie’s face was still there for a while. It was an awkward silence hanging around the car for a little bit until Beth asked if they could put some music on, and of course all four of them would do anything for her.

The rest of the ride was filled with the soft sounds of angel eyes by ABBA playing through the car's speakers, as well as the quiet conversation that was made between Dustin and Beth every so often. She could be speaking complete nonsense to him, but he was happy to entertain whatever it was she was talking about.

Upon arrival at the zoo, Beth naturally drifted towards Robin, the two having had an odd connection that began the day they met for the first time. There was something about the older girl that just provoked a sense of calm in the toddler. The pair walked hand in hand for the first ten or so minutes around the zoo, equally giddy about all the animals they were seeing, specifically the snakes. They liked making fun of the fact that Eddie was certainly not a fan of them, keeping his distance from the glass. Around the same time the girl had complained that her bag was heavy, Eddie taking it from her with a smile and carrying it on his own shoulder instead. It earned a few laughs from Dustin and Steve who really thought the pink, sparkly backpack completed the look he’d started with his pig tails.

Beth looked in awe of every animal she saw, but she spent the most time gazing up at the penguins with a childish wonder that was just precious. At each exhibit after the snakes Eddie would be crouched behind her, holding her tiny body and reading off the facts on the information cards on the glass. He didn’t even know it was possible for her to be more amazed, but upon finding out the black and white creatures could become makeshift sleds by sliding on their bellies on the ice, her eyes grew wider than he’d ever seen, a large toothy grin on her face.

“Daddy, can we try that?” she asked, cheerfully. Eddie turned fearfully towards his group of friends, silently asking them how he was supposed to respond to that kind of question. He didn't want to go full dad mode and say no, but it was April and near freezing, she would a hundred percent catch a cold if she tried. But he also wanted to let her have fun. “Tell you what, B, in summer I’ll get you the fastest water slide we can find, huh?”

Thanks to her skewy conception of time, she didn’t know that was still months away, and hopefully for Eddie’s sake she will have forgotten by then, but it was good enough to tide her over for now. “Good save,” Robin muttered.

He rose to his feet, smiling proudly to himself as he thanked her despite the obvious sarcasm her tone was drenched in. Beth ran to another one of the group members while the dad was distracted, finding herself tugging on the end of Steve’s shirt to ask silently if he would pick her up. One thing the toddler loved was being held, whether it was for cuddles or being carried around, she just adored it; she was almost never out of someone’s arms, mainly Eddie and Steves.

The Harrington boy carried the girl anywhere she wanted to go, and her next stop had to be the monkeys. Even the man was amazed as he gazed at them, him and Beth sharing the same expression of wonder. Eddie was so enamored with the smile on his baby girl’s face that he knew he had to take a picture. He ushered them into a stance where he could see both them and the animals behind them.

“Show me that pretty smile,” he said. His eyes rolled so far into the back of his head as Steve grinned brighter rather than his daughter. He almost physically facepalmed. “No, not you Steve, I meant Beth.”

The second best part of her day apart from seeing the penguins, had to be the gift shop. Of course it was, how could it not be when she managed to swindle Steve out of money and take him for the sucker he was. Eddie was such a proud dad at that moment even if Harrington was basically steaming with rage. At least it made for an amusing memory for everyone else.

It started when he stole her away from the group after he spotted a pretty girl with some friends in the shop. It was coming towards the end of the zoo trip so Beth’s sugar crash that had been building since this morning was making her tired and compliant. She wouldn’t wake up again until she got the ice cream she’d been promised on their way out. At first the group thought he was just offering to carry her because she was tired, but they understood there was an ulterior motive when he sped off and struck up a conversation with some woman. Eddie had sighed, but it wasn’t the first time he’d had Steve pretend she was his daughter to try and pick up women. She was used to it, as was he. Even though he’d told him a hundred times to knock it off, it continued happening.

Not everyone had seen it before though. Dustin was watching with deep curiosity, trying to decipher what was going on. “What do you think he’s saying?” the kid asked Eddie, eyeing Steve as he cradled Beth and spoke to the woman in front of him. She seemed as though she liked the sight of the man with the child.

“I’m King Steve, I’m pretending this adorable baby’s my daughter, please go out with me because I’m a fake single dad,” he mocked. The curly haired boy looked at him with a furrowed brow and a slightly opened mouth, shocked to hear such a condescending tone coming from Eddie. He grew defensive upon earning that look, muttering a quiet, “What?”

After Steve, actually successfully for once, got the lady’s number, he let Beth back down to her feet, bending down to her height. The sleepy toddler was beginning to wake up a little and was slowly gravitating towards Erica who had joined them. Those two, despite their prevalent age gap, got on like two peas in a pod.

“Look, if you don’t tell your dad about this, I’ll buy you any plushie in here you want,” he told her. He thought the odds were good considering she was only four, but she had been spending way too much time with Erica and Dustin to settle at that– mainly Erica. Beth hesitated, looking over her shoulder to where Sinclair was watching. The older of the two shook her head, essentially telling her Steve’s offerings were shitty and he needed to do better.

He watched the exchange, but was curious as to what she’d come up with. “Two plushies,” she said, glancing at Erica to check that was okay. The teen only raised her eyebrows, encouraging her to continue. “And five dollars.” With a final look casted back she had earned the approval of the youngest Sinclair, a grin creeping its way onto her face now that she knew she did good.

Steve’s jaw gaped, scoffing in disbelief that he was actually standing here bargaining with a four year old. This wasn’t the first time he’d been swindled by the specific Sinclair either. “Y’know what Munson, fine. You got a deal.” He shook her tiny hand, pulling a five dollar bill from his wallet to hand to her. Then it was time for her to pick out two animal plushies she liked. Her selections ended up being a penguin and a lion. “But I seriously miss when you couldn’t talk.”

She was beaming as he handed them to her, and she didn’t stick around long as she rushed off to find her father. Eddie was more than happy to scoop her up in his arms when she reached him, letting her rest on his hip. “What are these?” Eddie asked, feigning shock as if he hadn’t just witnessed Steve buy them for his daughter. She delved into the story about what the Harrington man had been doing, as in using her as a way to pick up women; even if he failed. Although he’d made her promise not to tell her dad, she couldn’t help herself, she told him everything.

She held up the penguin plushie first. “This one’s mine. It’s a penguin.” Then with her other hand she held up the lion, her father’s soon to be favorite zoo animal. “This one’s yours. A lion ‘cause you have the same hair,” she laughed. As a kid he’d never really had the chance to pick one he liked that much, but now that Beth had made that comparison, it was pretty solidified which one he loved now. “I got them from Stevie in the deal we made.”

Steve just watched on with a feeling of betrayal in his chest, cursing the entire Munson name. “Oh, and he gave me five dollars. Can we use it to get ice cream?” Eddie had never been so proud of the girl. He didn’t approve of Steve using her as a pickup line, and the guy knew that but did it anyway, so he was at least happy in the knowledge that if he was going to continue to do it against the dad’s wishes, then his baby was working hard and getting something out of it too. He’d have to remember to thank Erica later for helping her out.

“Of course we can.” He waited until Steve was in ear shot to make another comment. “Isn’t Steve so generous, buying us all ice cream.” He earned himself a middle finger, one that made him gasp dramatically and reach to cover Beth’s eyes.

Robin tutted mockingly at Steve. “Not in front of the baby, Harrington. No ice cream for you.”

He rolled his eyes, trailing behind the group the entire way as they approached the ice cream cart just outside of the zoo. He had a scowl on his face as Robin kept to his word and refused to buy him an ice cream despite the fact they were using his money. At the least though he could acknowledge that the happiness all over Beth’s face was adorable, especially when she had the sugary treat smushed all around her mouth.

The joy he’d felt throughout the day was quickly returned with the little girl’s laughter, the group of seven absorbing the final bits of excitement that came along with their day out before they made their way home. She was certainly going to be exhausted tonight. Eddie was expecting her out like a light by eight at the latest.

When the pair returned home they had plans to watch a movie with Wayne, the man having taken a day shift for once so he could spend time with his granddaughter for her birthday. Eddie told him he didn’t have to, but he did greatly appreciate it after seeing the smile on her face when she got home. She was straight into the older man’s arms, telling him all about all the animals she’d seen and showing off the plushies she’d got.

He entertained her ramblings while Eddie slipped the video into the vhs player, gathering some snacks and stuff for them from the kitchen.

As expected the girl was falling asleep halfway through the movie, and to be honest so was Eddie. She was laid across his lap, her head resting on the arm of the couch where her eyes were fighting invisible weights trying to stay open. He smiled down at the sight of her, brushing his thumb over her cheek as his own eyes drooped. “Y’tired, sweet girl?”

She nodded. “Let’s get you to bed.” Since she had outgrown her crib the girl had been sleeping in Eddie’s bed while he took the couch. It wasn’t the most comfortable place for him, but he put her comfort over his own anyday. He’d surely find a better solution at some point, but for now it worked and that was all that mattered.

It was difficult getting a sleepy toddler into pajamas, but he managed it in record time, helping her under the covers one she was ready for bed. “Y’got your penguin?” he asked.

She showed it to him, nice and cuddled in her arms. “Did you have a good birthday?” he asked, stroking her hair as she clutched the stuffie Steve had got her. She was too tired for words right now, so she just nodded in response to his question. He was glad, all he’d wanted was for his baby to have the best birthday he could give her. “Well, get some rest, y’look like you need it, baby.”

She smiled, nodding her head again. “G’night daddy. I love you.”

He leaned forward and placed a kiss onto her forehead, pulling the blanket all the way up to her chin. “I love you too.”

The day after her birthday he was due back at work, promising the little girl he’d see her that night around closing time. She never liked it when he left her for that long, they were basically attached at the hip at this stage in her life. He left at midday and wouldn’t see her again until almost midnight. He was always amazed she even managed to stay awake that long, but a quick nap in the afternoon would have her energetic enough to greet her dad after a long day, only to crash on the way home.

He was itching to see her again even the second after he left her, but of course he had to deal with customers all day long first, and of course he had the worst possible luck.

The first table of the day he had of course housed Jason Carver and his old friends. They noticed him right away, familiar evil smirks growing on their faces, it seemed as though they hadn’t changed in the four years they hadn’t seen each other. “Ah, freak, see you’re still in this shithole.” He thought he had escaped the basketball team at graduation. They had all taken off to different colleges around the country on various scholarships and such, giving Eddie a little bit of much needed peace from them.

He ignored Jason’s taunting, pulling out his pen to take their orders like he would do with anyone else. “What d’you want assholes?” he asked, trying to hold back the eye roll. He knew he was supposed to treat the customers kindly so his attitude didn’t reflect badly on the diner, but he would never have that kind of patience with this group of people. Plus if he called you over he knew you would be on his side anyway.

Jason scoffed, feigning disgust. “Is that anyway to speak to a customer?”

You were watching from behind the counter as the four guys tormented poor Eddie. Unlike him, you didn’t know them, hadn’t met them within the halls of Hawkins high or had the pleasure of disagreeing with them like he had. You didn’t really know what they were capable of or what to expect, so you planned to keep an eye on them and how they treated the man.

After he took their order with their minimal awful things said about them in his head, he headed back over to the counter where you were wiping it down. You heard him let out a deep sigh as he tore off the page in his notepad to pass back to the kitchen. Then he was heading towards you to complain, as both of you did whenever there was a particularly rude customer.

“God, I hate them,” he said, leaning his forehead against your shoulder. He heard you laugh, which was accompanied by you abandoning your task so he could feel your hand tangling in his hair. “I can kick ‘em out if you want. I am the manager after all.” Although it sounded like a very promising idea, he knew he wouldn’t live it down as long as they were still in town. They’d probably go around and tell anyone that would listen that Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson had let someone else fight his own battles by kicking them out of the diner.

“Can’t I just spit in their food or something?” He was probably joking, keyword probably, but you did believe if you gave him the okay then he would go and do it. That was why you had to outwardly deny that he could just in case. “No, but we’ll get ‘em back somehow, Ed, don’t you worry.”

He trusted you, continuing to do his job serving them their food no matter how much he wanted to hit at least one of them in the face. It seemed as though they just became more and more unbearable as seconds passed. He was honestly amazed at how they were managing it. In the span of the less than an hour they’d been there, from start to end he’d argue they were a thousand times less tolerable.

He was still grumbling to himself when he came back saying they wanted their check. They’d clearly rattled him considering he’d been pretty happy when he started his shift earlier, so like a good friend would, you offered to take it and sort it out. What you didn’t tell him at first was that you planned to leave a pretty generous tip for him paid for by Jason. You felt it was the least he could do after the way he’d treated your friend. It didn’t take much, just a bit extra added on to their meals and such and they’d never know.

Eddie was confused when you sent them out with a wave and a smile on their way out, but the evil grin on your face told him you were scheming.

“What did you do?” he inquired, eyeing you and your suspicious demeanor.

You handed him some of the dollars you’d been given by his rival, laughing at the crease that appeared between his brows. “It’s for you. Jason left a very kind tip for his old friend.”

His jaw gaped. “Y/N, isn’t that like, illegal?” he asked, glancing down at the money in his hand to the cash you were putting in the register. He watched you shrug, letting out a loud laugh. “It’s not like he’ll notice. It’s probably daddy’s money anyway.”

He sighed, letting his lips finally curl into a grin at the knowledge you’d risk committing an illegal act just to get back at someone for him. You were a little shocked when he placed both his hands on the sides of your cheeks, leaning in to place a loud kiss to your cheek as a thank you. “You are a badass.”

The rest of your shift panned out as normal, the two of you even sharing a milkshake at one point after neither of you could be bothered to make a second one. All you were waiting for was when closing would hit and you got to see the precious smile of that little girl you adored so much.

Beth usually came in after or around closing time. Wayne brought her over, her hand firmly clutched in her grandpas as they entered the diner. She didn’t see her dad at first considering he was in the kitchen, but she let out a squeal when she saw you, rushing in your direction. You briefly greeted the older man before turning your attention to the small child.

“Hey kiddo, missed seeing you yesterday.” You leaned over the counter so you could ruffle her hair. She scrunched up her nose as you did so, giggling quietly as she shooed your hand away and smoothed her hair back down. Wayne helped her up onto one of the barstools, meaning she was now much closer to your height and she could see you better.

“We went to the zoo!” she cheered. You gasped, “You did? Did you have fun?” You were moving around behind the counter like a second nature, sliding a plate in front of Wayne with his regular late night snack that would keep him going for the first few hours he worked. He thanked you quietly, not wanting to interrupt the story his granddaughter was telling. When she was excited like this it was never wise to cut her off for anything. She was like Eddie when it came to all the sass she had.

The father came out to the front of the diner near the end of her story, grinning at the sight of his daughter. He didn’t cut her story off, just placed a kiss on the top of her head and let her continue. Subconsciously, she leaned back on her chair so she was resting against his chest, letting him know in her own way that she knew he was there.

“So, I heard, it was a special little girl’s birthday yesterday,” you began, trying to bite back your smile. You didn’t yet want to give away the surprise you had for her, the one that even Eddie didn’t know about. He watched the two of you interact with a warm heart. Over the years you had formed a bond with the little girl that he adored to see and in turn his feelings towards you had grown tremendously from when he first met you. “And I got her something.”

He wouldn’t say it in front of Beth but he’d definitely tell you later that you didn’t have to do that. For you it wasn’t that you felt like you had to, but you’d wanted to. She’d been the light of your day for pretty much three years and you wanted to do something nice for her birthday. You disappeared into the kitchen for only seconds, coming back with a decorated cake that had a ‘4’ candle lit on top.

She gasped as you set it down in front of her, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the pretty decorations. You’d learned from Eddie that she had a bit of a thing about tulips since she was a baby, so you worked hard with some icing to make some pretty good looking different coloured tulips. “Make a wish, sweetheart.”

As she blew out the candle the three of you clapped, cheering quietly for her. She bathed in the attention happily. That was all quickly followed shortly by Wayne’s departure, work calling. You offered your goodbyes before moving to cut a slice of the cake for the eager little girl, you and Eddie deciding to share one after the food you’d already sneaked today from the kitchen.

Now that Beth was distracted you turned to talk to the man. Business had picked up towards the end of the night and you had barely had any chance to communicate for hours. You loved talking to him while you were working, he often made shifts more tolerable and vice versa. At first he was too busy complementing your baking skills to even realize you had been planning on saying something, but he grew bashful when he noticed your amused stare. “Sorry, go on.”

“Did you have fun at the zoo?” you asked while she dug into her slice of cake. He grinned, leaning on the counter opposite you. “I did, we had a little daddy-daughter day, plus some friends. Thank you for the day off.”

He saw the way your face contorted, your features scrunching in a look of confusion. As he thought over what he said he didn’t know which part could have caused a misunderstanding, but he was sure he was about to find out. “Wait, wait. She’s your daughter?”

“Is this a joke? Are you playing with me?” he asked.

You shook your head, your entire face looking like you had just had the biggest revelation the world had ever seen. It should have been obvious– it was obvious now that you thought about it, but for some reason you had just never put two and two together and now you felt a little bit dumb. Heat was rising to your face as you hid behind your hands, listening to the sounds of Eddie’s amused laughter as he realized you were being serious. “I thought she was your sister or Wayne’s kid or something,” you weakly muttered. His smile only kept growing, despite the lingering fear in his chest that now you knew he was a dad things would change between you two. He didn’t know if he could handle your friendship becoming awkward, especially not when he was already struggling with his blossoming feelings.

The feelings between the two of you went unspoken for the sake of your jobs, plus a little bit of fear. “That’s not– It’s not a bad thing, right?” You could tell from his tone that he felt like he was trying to tread lightly when he asked.

You jumped in quickly to reassure him. “No, no of course not. It explains a lot actually. You both have the same puppy dog eyes.” The tips of his ears tinted pink at that. It wasn’t the ‘compliment’ itself that made him blush, but it was the fact you had taken enough time to look at him to notice the kind of eyes he had. He liked the thought of you looking at him.

Now that the fear was pushed aside, he could focus on the fact that you were still clearly embarrassed over your mistake. He pulled you into a hug, still chuckling as he rested his chin on the top of your head. Your face was firmly hidden in his chest, not wanting to be seen by anyone at all for the next five years. “You’re adorable,” he said. The cake was long since abandoned on the counter, and Beth was watching the two of you but didn’t really care to question the sudden burst of affection.

You supposed you learned something new everyday, and with this new found knowledge it actually only made their relationship ten times cuter. It made him a little bit cuter too..

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#eddie munson #eddie munson x you #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson imagines #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #dad!eddie #dad!eddie munson

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