"Mom," Steve said as he leaned into his father's study where his mom was working at the desk, "do you have a minute."

After the press conference there had been a lot of chatter on the walkies and phone calls and the usual chaos, only with parents involved this time. His mom had invited the Buckleys to stay another night if they would like, which, after Robin had rambled about going home if they wanted in a clear sign she didn't really want to, they had accepted. They'd finally returned to their house after breakfast, at which point Steve had spent some time with Eddie until he had plucked up the courage to go and talk to his mom.

She looked up and smiled.

"Of course, Darling," she said. "What is it?"

His dad had disappeared off half an hour earlier after mentioning something about talking to Hopper, so Steve knew he and his mom would not be disturbed. He still walked in and shut the door behind him, however. As he made his way over to the desk all his carefully prepared opening words dissolved as his heart decided to beat so hard he could feel it in his toes.

"Um," he said with all the eloquence of a baked potato.

His mom gave him a gentle, questioning look.

"Yesterday," he finally said having to take a quick breath after just that one word, "at breakfast."

Light dawned in his mom's eyes, and she put down the pen she was using. Standing slowly, she came round to his side of the desk.

"Yes, darling," she encouraged, standing close, but not in his personal space and not reaching out.

Not pressuring him.

He'd faced down Demogorgons and Vecna, but just looking into his mom's eyes at that moment was one of the hardest things he had ever done. His heartbeat was rabbit-fast and his palms felt clammy and sweaty. If felt like the whole world was staring in on him.

"When you said," he started, voice dying for a moment, "did you mean..."

Words were incredibly hard.

"Steve," his mom said when he failed to say anymore, "I meant everything I said at breakfast yesterday. If your father and I ever gave you the impression we believed anything different..."

"No," he interrupted, because honestly they hadn't, he had just never really considered it, "no, you didn't."

He mentally kicked himself as he opened his mouth to tell his mom the truth and couldn't say it.

"Darling," his mom said, finally reaching out and, ever so gently, taking his hand, "you can tell me anything, absolutely anything, but," she paused for a moment, making sure she was looking in his eyes, "you don't have to, not until you're ready. That's not why I said what I said."

He took a deep shuddering breath.

"I'm bisexual," he blurted out and for a second, he thought he might faint.

A rush of adrenaline coursed through him and made his whole body go cold.

"Oh, Darling," his mom said, bringing her other hand up to cup his cheek, "thank you so much for telling me. I love you and I will always love you and it makes me so happy you have trusted me with this."

The tiniest, somewhat hysterical laugh escaped him at that, as relief made his legs feel weak. It was ridiculous. After everything his mom had said, how she had acted, it had been obvious she wasn't going to hurt him because of this, and yet hearing her actually say it made his head feel full of air.

"I'm also in love with Eddie," he admitted, since he was on a roll.

"Well, he is quite loveable," his mom said with a small smile.

"You can't have him, you've got dad," he replied before he thought about it.

He was picking up bad habits from Eddie and Robin. His mom laughed and pulled him into a full-on hug. It never even occurred to him not to hug back.

"I'm so proud of you, Darling," his mom told him as she held him close, "so proud of everything about you."

Words were hard again, so he just held on. He finally understood something of what it must have been like for Robin when she came out to him on that bathroom floor at Starcourt, and however brave he had thought she was, he owed her an apology for underestimating it by a long way.

"Come on," his mom said eventually, "let's sit."

He let her lead him over to the small couch opposite his dad's desk.

"Do you mind me asking how long you've known?" his mom asked as they sat down. "I feel like I might have failed you more than I already did."

"Oh god no, you haven't," he replied, leaping to make sure she didn't think that. "It's all kind of new actually. About a week, maybe just over. I've lost track of time. At least that's how long since I realised, but according to Robin it started back at the end of March."

"Robin?" his mom asked.

"She says I get this look when I'm into someone," he replied with a nod, "and apparently I had that look when we were in the Upside Down when everything started this time."

"Ah yes, I know that look," his mom said with a smile. "When you were smitten with Nancy is was very obvious. You have a big heart, Darling, and when you give it away you don't add strings. I'm glad you've finally found someone else worthy of it."

"You don't think I'm letting my emotions get ahead of me?" he asked hesitantly.

He knew he fell hard and fast, but it was just the way he was made.

"No, Darling," his mom assured him, patting his hand. "I have to apologise, you get that from me, and it can be hard on your heart. I fell for your father that very first day in the rain, although I kept telling myself I wasn't allowed to for a long time. I would never have dreamed of stealing him from Marie, but I knew how I felt, even though it hurt. Your grandfather is exactly the same. Our family has a long history of over the top romantic gestures going back generations, although I think you may have us all beat with bringing someone back from the dead."

"He wasn't dead," Steve said, because that was his default response to that now.

His mom smiled and squeezed his hand. As the adrenaline wore off, he could feel himself trembling, but at least his heart had slowed down. He was pretty sure the conversation was nowhere near over, but it was so much easier from here.

~*~

Eddie was nowhere in sight when Steve finally left his mom to get back to her work, so he assumed Eddie was still talking to Wayne. All but bursting at the seams, he headed up to his room and picked up the phone.

"Buckley residence," came the answer after he dialled the familiar number.

"Robs," he said, "I told my mom."

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," came back from the other end. "You're okay? Everything went as expected?"

"Yeah," he replied, unable to keep the grin off his face. "So much better than I imagined."

"Tell me everything," Robin said, so he did because he was pretty sure if he didn't one of them would vibrate right through the phone line.

He had no idea how long he was on the phone, but they cycled through Robin wondering if she should test the waters with one of her parents, and her Vickie shaped problem as well as all of Steve's news before they finally hung up. He felt like he was floating like a weight had been taken off his mind. The only thing bothering him was that Eddie was still a no show.

Wondering if Eddie was just giving him some alone time, he went looking. When the only place left he hadn't checked was the basement, he had to conclude that his boyfriend was still with his uncle. A little bit worried, mostly because he kept wondering if the talk was going on so long because of him, since Wayne already knew about Eddie's queerness, he headed into the kitchen. Figuring out what they could have for lunch would keep him occupied.

He almost dropped the bowl of salad he had just put together when he turned and found Eddie standing in the doorway. What caught all of his attention was the way Eddie's eyes were red-rimmed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, dumping the salad bowl on the nearest surface and hurrying over. "What happened?"

"I'm good," Eddie tried to assure him, but the smile that came with the statement was a little watery. "More than good, actually," Eddie went on. "These are good tears, promise."

Steve discovered he could breathe again at that.

"You cannot leave me hanging like this," was what he chose to say, because he knew it would make Eddie smile and he really needed to see that.

"Came straight to see you, promise," Eddie replied, giving a tiny little laugh at the same time.

"You look like you need to sit down," Steve said as Eddie took a deep breath.

"Wayne wants to officially adopt me," Eddie blurted out, rather than responding to his suggestion.

For a second Steve did not process that because he completely wasn't expecting it, but when it went in, he felt the biggest smile burst onto his face.

"Oh Eds," he said, "that's amazing."

He couldn't help himself after that, he grabbed his boyfriend and dragged him in for a hug. Eddie laughed and let him, but when they pulled apart, Eddie had tears in his eyes again. Steve reached up and stroked away the couple that had escaped with his thumb.

"Said he'd been thinking about it for a long time, ever since I came out to him actually, because my dad is a homophobic piece of shit. But he didn't know what to do, thought we'd have plenty of time," Eddie explained. "Then, after everything, he asked your mom about it. She put him in touch with one of her college buddies who specialises in family law. Apparently, because my dad abandoned me and then got himself sent to prison, he forfeited parental rights, so it's just a matter of waiting for the paperwork and both of us signing it."

"I'm so happy for you," Steve told him.

"Wayne's been more of a father to me than my dad ever was," Eddie said, happy smile bringing out his dimples, "now it gets to be official."

"The hotwiring a car did come in handy once though," Steve said and made Eddie laugh again.

"Yeah, I'll give you that," Eddie replied, still smiling. "God, Stevie, I feel like I've been to hell and walked out straight into heaven. I've got you and I've got Wayne and I ... it's ..."

Steve gathered Eddie back into his arms as his boyfriend began to cry. It felt amazing to be doing it for good reasons for a change.

"I don't know why I'm crying," Eddie mumbled into his shoulder.

"Too many emotions," Steve replied, holding him close. "Keep it up and you'll set me off."

Eddie laughed through his tears, but still clung to him. In the end Steve managed to make it through without crying himself and he sat Eddie down, making them both a special hot chocolate.

"So," Eddie said, "now I've blubbed all over you, how did your talk go with your mom?"

"So good," he replied. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack at one point, but it went better than I ever could have imagined. She thinks you're, and I quote, 'quite loveable', so I told her she couldn't have you, she's got Dad."

"You didn't," Eddie said, eyes going big and round.

"I did," he replied. "I must be picking up bad habits from you and Robin."

"Fair," was Eddie's response to that.

"We talked for a long time," Steve went on, sobering somewhat. "One of the things she told me was that Dad was the one who brought it up between them. She had her suspicions, but he was the one who wanted to talk about it. She said the only thing he was worried about was how hard it might be on me, on us. I hope it's okay, I gave her permission to tell him he was right."

"Of course it's okay," Eddie replied without hesitation. "Should I prepare for a shovel talk about looking after their baby boy from both your parents?"

That startled a laugh out of Steve.

"God, I hope not," he replied. "Oh hell, you're not saying I'm going to get one from Wayne, are you? I mean he's awesome, but also a little terrifying."

"Nah, I think the whole raising me from the dead gets you a free pass on that one," Eddie replied in a far more nonchalant tone that was technically justified.

"You weren't dead," Steve said, because it was expected.

~*~

It was finally over, well mostly. There were still a few loose ends Steve had his eye on, like pinning Hopper down so he could finish fixing the stubborn man. Seeing his face on newspapers and on the TV was weird, but the fact it was right next to everyone else's made it bearable. He'd tried to go grocery shopping once, only to find people following him around the store, so he wasn't doing that again for a while.

Eddie still hadn't been out in public, but not having to worry if people saw him seemed to be making him a lot happier. Which in turn made Steve happier as well. Owens was making noises about making sure Eddie and Wayne had their own place again, but that was in discussions, so they were both still living at Steve's.

His dad had reluctantly returned to New York the previous day, after Steve had assured him that they would all be fine. They'd had several heart-to-hearts in the days since Steve had come out to his mom and given her permission to confirm to his dad what they had both suspected. They had a way to go to fix everything that had gone wrong with their relationship over the last few years, but they were getting there. That his dad had an explanation for some of his son's somewhat odd decisions seemed to have helped a lot.

His mom was staying in contact with his dad via phone and fax for the merger information, but she was staying in town, in her words 'to keep an eye on the government' for a while. She had insinuated herself in the efforts to rebuild Hawkins and everyone seemed very happy about that. It meant she was out of the house a lot, however, so Steve was getting used to only seeing her at breakfast and dinner. She'd always been something of a workaholic, so he was quietly keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn't spread herself too thin.

Family Video had not yet reopened, but it was getting closer. As was reopening the schools. The local rumour mill was talking about the following week. Things were settling down and Steve felt like he could breathe again. Nothing was ever going to be the same, but that's just what the Upside Down did every time it barrelled into their lives. This time felt final though. He'd never realised it before, but there had been something hanging over Hawkins that they'd all sensed, even if they hadn't known it. At last, it was gone.

It made him feel lighter than he had in years. He could finally look to the future. And part of that future was Eddie, but he still had one secret from his boyfriend, and he wanted to fix that.

"Come on," he said, taking Eddie's hand after they finished a leisurely breakfast, "I've got something to show you."

"Aren't we mysterious," Eddie replied, but didn't resist Steve's gentle pull.

"Well, you are only the second person I've shown this," he replied.

"Let me guess, the first was Robin?" Eddie asked.

"Damn, I'm getting predictable in my old age," he said.

"So not even Nancy saw this?" was Eddie's next question.

He shook his head.

"Probably says a lot now I come to think about it," he admitted as he reached up onto the hallway shelf with the hideous modern sculpture on it that he had always hated.

He came back with the key that was hidden there.

"Are you taking me into your secret sex dungeon?" Eddie asked as Steve led him to the basement door.

"First of all, I literally discovered my first kink when you sank your fangs into me, and second, ewww, why would I have shown Robin a secret sex dungeon?" he replied.

"For all I know you might have let Birdie borrow it for her kinky girl orgies," Eddie replied.

"I'm going to tell her you said that," he said with a laugh.

Eddie made a face.

"Please don't, sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain," Eddie requested.

"Yeah, I noticed," Steve replied, and leaned in to steal a kiss, just because he could. "Come on," he said as he broke away, flicking on the light switch inside the door.

"Still can't believe you have carpet on your basement stairs," Eddie asked, tone incredulous.

It wasn't as if it was the first time Eddie had been down there because he'd been down to Wayne's room on more than one occasion, but being shocked seemed to fill Eddie with glee, so Steve was happy to play along.

"It hasn't been used like a basement in years," he explained. "We use the second garage for storage. Mom had this converted when I was six."

Eddie mouthed second garage at him and made him laugh.

"Yeah, I know, rich people eh," he said with a laugh. "Welcome to my sanctuary," he said grandly and unlocked and opened the door at the bottom of the stairs with a flourish, reaching for the light switch as he did.

Eddie stepped through the door and just stopped.

"Stevie," Eddie said after a few moments, "why do you have half an orchestra and a baby grand in your basement? Shit, is that a Gibson?"

"Um, yeah," Steve replied as Eddie walked across the room as if drawn like a moth to a flame.

Reaching out, Eddie ran his fingers over the electric guitar on the wall reverently, before spinning on the spot and pinning Steve down with his gaze.

"You play?" Eddie asked.

Steve nodded.

"Which instruments?" came the next question.

"Um ... well ... a few of them, some are my mom's though," he admitted.

Eddie blinked before looking round the room again.

"You play the piano, the cello, the guitar, the flute, the oboe, the drums, the..."

"Not all of them, my mom's the one into woodwind," Steve replied, "but mostly just the piano, guitar, and cello. I tried out some of the others, but I'm not great at them."

"Oh my god, my boyfriend is a musical genius," Eddie said, walking back towards him. "And I thought you couldn't get sexier."

"Says the man who can play anything he sets his mind to on the guitar in one sitting," Steve countered.

He was not expecting to get grabbed and kissed as if his life depended on it. Not that he was complaining, given how fast he gave in.

"How does no one know this about you?" Eddie asked, eyes alight with curiosity when they finally broke apart.

"Robin knows," he offered weakly.

"And I bet she completely freaked out when she found out, didn't she," Eddie said.

"Yeah," Steve agreed.

"So, back to why does no one know," Eddie prompted.

"My dad always wanted me to be an athlete," he admitted, "and jocks and band do not mix. My mom has always encouraged me in music and, don't get me wrong, my dad never tried to stop me, well except when I wanted to major in music in college, but no one would have got it, so I kept it private. All rich kids get sent for piano lessons or something like that when they're young – it's a thing, and unlike my friends, I really enjoyed it."

"Jesus Christ," Eddie said, eyes open wide with wonder in his voice. "Did you really flunk out of college applications like the school rumours say?"

"Out of the ones my dad wanted me to apply for, yeah, I did," he said. "I have trouble with numbers, especially when they're written down. I get them mixed up when I read them. It's got a name, but I can never remember what it is. It's only mild, but it gets worse if I'm under stress, so I mess up in tests. I can get by, but my dad wanted me to do a business major and my grades weren't good enough. Got accepted for music though, but Dad blew his stack because he was worried I wouldn't be able to use it for anything. That's why he made me get the job as Scoops, thought it would help me understand what the real world was like. It wasn't like I could just leave anyway, not until I knew it was really safe for the kids, so I didn't fight him on it."

"So, what about now?" Eddie asked. "I have it on good authority that the apocalypse has been and gone."

"I don't know," he admitted. "So much has happened. Kind of having to re-evaluate a lot of things. Exploring the idea of toyboy to a rockstar boyfriend."

"Oh really?" Eddie replied with a laugh. "I am only one year older than you and you might be a few years ahead of the curve on the whole rockstar thing."

"Eh, details," Steve said and moved in for another kiss. "Did I mention Aunt Marie has some really high-profile fans who buy her art? Some of them in the music industry."

"You're joking," Eddie said.

Steve shook his head.

"I was telling Mom about your band, and she reminded me," he explained. "Mom did mention maybe all of us (and yes, that includes Robin because she will combust if she doesn't get to meet my lesbian aunts) taking a trip over the summer, once you've graduated."

Eddie's growing smile shrank a bit at the last part.

"How do you know I will?" he asked. "They might not even let me go back."

"Oh, they will. Even if they don't want to believe you're a hero and failed deliberately the second time, they have no choice," Steve said with complete certainty, he'd also been talking to his mom about that. "And you've got Nancy and Robin to help you keep up now. It might be a bit painful towards finals, I know, I've had Nancy on my case in the past, but it'll be worth it."

"I feel like maybe I should be afraid," Eddie said, narrowing his eyes.

"Nah, just be prepared for caffeine, lots of caffeine, or in your case caffeine and sugar," he replied with a grin.

"Do you think the government would let me be a famous musician?" Eddie asked, growing more serious again. "What with the fangs and shit."

"Can't think of a better cover, actually," he replied, pulling Eddie close again. "If you slipped up for any reason, you could just blame it on your stage persona. No one would ever believe you really are a sexy vampire."

"Hadn't thought of it like that," Eddie said, before leaning in and claiming his mouth in another kiss.

Music clearly really did it for Eddie, which wasn't that much of a shock. Steve decided there and then he would move heaven and earth to help Eddie reach for his dream even as he got lost in the kiss. He whined in loss when Eddie pulled back. His devil of a boyfriend just grinned at him.

"Okay, you have to play me something," Eddie bounced towards the instruments again. "Which is your favourite?"

"The cello," Steve told him without hesitation. "I love the way the sound reverberates through me. It helps me relax."

"When was the last time you played?" Eddie asked, touching the instrument reverently where it was on a stand.

"A couple of days before Vecna started his campaign," he admitted. "There hasn't been time since, or I wasn't in the right headspace."

"Saving the world and getting powers and then a house full of people?" Eddie said.

He nodded, walking over, and picking up his cello with a small smile.

"What shall I play?" he asked.

"You pick," Eddie replied and sat on the piano stool while Steve made himself comfortable on the chair next to the cello stand.

He checked his bow and the tunning on the cello as he considered what to choose, smiling as he thought of something. Picking up melodies by ear was something he was good at, one of the reasons he had been useful during the Starcourt debacle. He had come to realise Eddie was similarly gifted over their time together, given how quickly Eddie could figure out how to play something on his guitars. It was one thing they actually had in common. Closing his eyes, he brought up the tune he wanted to play in his head, lifted his bow and began.

At first, he was thinking about performing for his boyfriend, but he quickly became lost in the music. He'd only heard it a couple of times, so he wasn't sure he was getting it all correct, but the notes flowed through him. The vibrations of the cello were calming, even as the melody sped up, increasing in volume and speed to an almost obnoxious pace. It was freeing and thrilling, and he couldn't help the smile that bloomed onto his face.

He played with complete abandon in a way he hadn't in ages, all the weight of the Upside Down and everything that went with it disappearing in the melody. It wasn't until the final note reverberated through the air that he even remembered he had an audience.

Eddie was standing there, his soft brown eyes wide with his mouth in a little 'o'.

"I think I might die," Eddie whispered without moving.

"Was it okay?" Steve asked, suddenly worried.

He knew Eddie had very particular views on certain things. He hoped he hadn't just stamped all over them.

"Okay?" Eddie asked, voice rising. "Oh my god. Was it okay, he asks. Stevie, Jesus Christ, you just played Master of Puppets on a cello, and you killed it. I didn't even know you knew it."

"I heard you play it on your acoustic and you've had the full song on the tape deck a couple of times while you were here," he replied.

"And I didn't think there could possibly be more to love about you," Eddie said, bouncing towards him, eyes sparkling. "Have you ever considered joining a metal band?"

Steve laughed, because he was pretty sure cello did not go with a metal band's sound. But Eddie didn't laugh back. In fact, his boyfriend had his plotting face on, which Steve had mostly only seen when Eddie was planning DnD. He had a worrying feeling Eddie was being serious.