Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Great job today, guys! And thank you so much! I know this has been hard, but you’ve all done so well with these big changes, and I’m really proud of you. Now enjoy your summer, be safe, wash your hands , and hopefully we’ll all be together again in the fall!”

Eddie’s laptop speakers are assaulted with a chorus of “Bye Mr. Munson!” and his screen is filled with little rectangles of 7 and 8 year olds waving furiously at their webcams. He waves back just as aggressively until all the squares go dark, and he closes out of Zoom and Google Classroom for the last time this year. Hopefully, for the last time ever. 

The pandemic has taken a toll on everyone, but he feels like it’s been a special level of hell for teachers. Not to discredit anyone in the medical field or all the other essential workers that are finally getting credit for the work they do. But having to navigate the education system and get thirty rowdy grade schoolers in line via Chromebooks is something he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy.

Now that the school year is officially over, bidding farewell to his chaotic bunch of second graders, he feels like he can finally breathe a sigh of relief. He’s officially off for the summer, and normally this would be his chance to hop back into bartending for the extra cash flow, but Covid shut that down as well as every other normal part of life. 

Thankfully Chrissy introduced him to TikTok and the videos of his virtual music classes have gone somewhat viral. He’s shockingly been followed by over fifty thousand people, and that landed him in the creator fund. So the videos that do well are helping to pay the bills. A lot of the comments he gets are from parents expressing their gratitude for all the shit teachers have to deal with. A lot of the other ones are from teenagers on the app wishing they had a music teacher who was as cool as him. And some of them are downright thirsty, which is weird, but he happily accepts the compliments.

Once his laptop is closed, Chrissy is ready and waiting with a fresh margarita. His best friend, his roommate, his soulmate . He’s so glad he’s had her by his side during this literal waking nightmare of the Covid Pandemic.

“Congratulations, Teach! You did it! And with your sanity intact!”

Eddie accepts the blended beverage and clinks his glass with hers. “Just barely, babe! I’ve been holding on by a fucking thread!”

He takes a long pull of the tequila and lime juice concoction and hums happily. He’s always been the drinkmaster of their apartment, but since her salon has been shut down, Chrissy has proven herself as quite the exceptional home bartender. The woman really needs something to keep her hands busy, so mixing drinks is mutually beneficial. So are the free trimmings she gives him. 

She opened her salon, Scissor, a few years ago and it was instantly popular with the queer community. Not exactly hard when it’s in the gayest neighborhood of Chicago, and the owner is a gorgeous little ray of lesbian sunshine. But not being able to use her talents has been driving her crazy, so she’s been stirring drinks, kicking Eddie’s ass in Mario Kart, and making TikToks of her own showing how to style hair. Eddie’s often her guest model, and they’ve made a ritual out of squealing over the comments while sipping cocktails, thoroughly amused by how many people think they’re a couple.

“Nice job on the margs. Almost as good as mine,” he tells her with a bitchy wink.

She just rolls her eyes and tosses him the black Wii remote. “Shut up and pick your driver, asshole.”

Princess Peach beats the living crap out of Wario. Eddie knows he can do better with some of the other characters, but he just can’t resist picking this cunty little queen every time they play. And he keeps making the same mistake day after repetitive day. The first week of summer break ends up being another special type of hell he didn’t expect. He’s going fucking stir crazy.

They only leave the apartment once every couple weeks to go grocery shopping, trying to stick with quarantining and making sure neither of them show any symptoms before they go out again. Without the distraction of lesson planning and virtual classes and fielding emails from parents who are pulling their hair out, his days are…well, they’re fucking boring. There’s only so many rounds of Mario Kart, and Netflix documentaries, and board games meant for two that he can take. 

He needs out of this fucking apartment.

After a day of him practically climbing the walls, Chrissy has had enough. She grabs his acoustic, shoves it into his chest, and pushes him out onto their balcony. “Get some fresh air and pluck your damn strings before I pluck all your fucking hair out!”

“Can you at least make me a fuckin’ drink if you’re going to banish me to the balcony?!” He’s shouting at the closed glass doors but he’s pretty sure Chrissy hears him since she makes her way to the cabinet with their bar supplies.

Eddie plops down in one of their little bistro chairs with a huff. This fucking sucks. He misses being able to go anywhere he wants. He misses not having to worry all the time about getting sick, and spreading it to his best friend. He misses working behind the bar and flirting with pretty men. 

He misses getting laid. 

Eddie sighs and situates the guitar in his lap. He just fucks around for a while, tuning it and strumming some old Willie Nelson songs his uncle likes. He should call Wayne later, see how he’s doing. He grins and starts to sing.

Hello walls

How’d things go for you today?

Don’t you miss her since she up and walked away?

And I’ll bet you dread to spend another lonely night with me

But lonely walls, I’ll keep you company

Hello window

Well, I see that you’re still here

Aren’t you lonely since our darling disappeared?

Well look here, is that a teardrop in the corner of your pane?

Now don’t you try to tell me that’s rain

She went away and left us all alone, the way she planned

Guess we’ll have to learn to get along without her if we can

Hello ceiling

I’m going to stare at you a while

You know I can’t sleep, so won't you bear with me a while?

We gotta all stick together or else I’ll lose my mind

I got a feeling she’ll be gone a long, long time

As he finishes strumming, he hears a single lonely clap coming from a balcony nearby. Eddie leans over the railing and smiles down at his neighbor below him. “Thank you, thank you! I’ll be here all night!”

Benny laughs and waves up at him. “By all means, keep playing! This is the closest thing I’ve had to a concert since spring!”

Eddie chuckles and sits back down in his chair. He’s known that bear for a couple years now, runs a diner in Boystown that has amazing fucking burgers. God damn, he’d give his left nut for one of those things right now.

He starts fiddling with the strings again and Chrissy joins him, setting down what looks like a Paloma. He stops for a moment to take a sip, and yeah…it’s pretty fucking good. He gives her a grateful nod as she settles in the chair across from him and he goes back to playing. With every song, more and more claps join along with Benny’s. Before he knows it, he’s got a cute little audience out here, everyone seeming to need a little break from the walls they’ve likely been staring at as well.

Eddie’s halfway through a Stealers Wheel song when he notices that Chrissy is taking a video of him. He gives her wink and a grin and hams it up a bit.

Tryin’ to make some sense of it all

But I can see that it makes no sense at all

Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor?

‘Cause I don’t think that I can take anymore

Clowns to the left of me

Jokers to the right

Here I am stuck in the middle with you

His impromptu concert ends after a couple hours and he’s a little buzzed on these Palomas when he finally takes a bow to the applause of the neighbors in his building and some from across the street before they head back inside to throw together some tacos for dinner. They overcook the ground beef and undercook the rice, but fuck it. They’re giggling, and a bit drunk, and it’s the best evening they’ve had in a while. 

Tangled together on the couch with Mean Girls playing in the background, Chrissy convinces him to post the video she took on TikTok. It’s actually pretty good. The song sounds great, he thinks he looks pretty hot in it, and she panned around their neighborhood a couple times taking in the people on their balconies watching the show.

Fuck it.

He uploads the video and tosses his phone aside while they sip more drinks and quote the movie practically line for line. He’s officially drunk when he finally stumbles to bed and sees a bunch of notifications swimming around his phone screen. He opens TikTok and barks out a laugh when he sees how many views and comments his video has already gotten. More than any of his viral ones he’s had so far.

He scrolls through some of the comments for a while snickering to himself before he starts swiping through his FYP. Cat videos, kids doing covers of old metal songs, more cat videos, cocktail recipes, and hooo boy what do we have here. His eyes are glued to the screen, one particular part of the screen actually, as he watches some beefcake do a workout routine in his living room. He’s wearing a purple t-shirt and very tiny blue shorts and a pink KN95 face mask. He’s barely paying attention to what the guy is saying, something about how if he can wear a mask while he works out, you can wear a mask when you go to Target. 

Eddie doesn’t really care.

He can’t stop staring at the guy’s dick.

Those teeny tiny shorts are leaving fuckall to the imagination. He’s doing some exercise with a jump rope. And it’s just…flopping around with every bounce. He’s gotta know, right? Of course he knows. Eddie’s dick is little above average and he’s certain he would notice if it was helicoptering like that under his shorts. This guy’s got a third fucking leg whipping around in there. Jesus Christ.

He likes and saves the video, lets it play about a dozen times, dips into the comments, and yup. Everyone is commenting on it. He joins in, adding Why is this video as long as his………….jump rope?

Eddie giggles like an idiot and watches it repeat about 600 more times before locking his phone and passing out.

Little did he know, his interaction with Tripod’s video would with fuck with his algorithm and over the next week he gets more and more workout videos on his FYP. Boring. Except from time to time, the hot guy pops back up again and Eddie is glued to his screen for every single goddamn one. He’s always dressed like a little gym slut in the tiniest clothes and doing something obscene like jumping jacks or lunges fucking hell. He usually refrains from making any more thirsty comments, unless Chrissy has already been getting into the bar supplies.

He just finished another little balcony concert and posted a video Chrissy took, this time of him doing an acoustic cover of Nothing Else Matters. A lot more people on their block have been coming out to see the show and it’s been the highlight of his fucking days. He flops down on the couch with Chrissy and they put on another goddamn movie. He’s pretty sure they’ve watched literally every DVD on their shelves and at this point, it’s all just background noise while they scroll on their phones and send each other TikToks from opposite ends of the couch.

Eddie just sent her one of a husky whining like a bitch when he swipes up and there he is. His dream man. The guy with a mask over his fucking face in every single video but still the hottest piece of ass he’s ever had the pleasure of drooling over. He’s become Eddie’s prime spank bank material and he has absolutely no shame about it. Today he’s wearing a fucking crop top and Eddie already has it saved before he even registers what’s going on. 

The guy gets down on all fours. All fours. He’s saying something about stretching, something about lower back, Eddie doesn’t fucking know. He audibly groans when he watches this guy start to…undulate?! He’s bowing and arching his back, like he’s fucking… thrusting. He’s got these tiny little shorts on again and what the fuck are they made of, spandex or something? His dick is like… right there.  

This is the thirstiest trap Eddie’s ever fucking seen.

“Why are you staring at your screen like that?!”

He snaps out of it and looks up at Chrissy with his mouth hanging open. “It’s…cock.”

She bursts out laughing and launches herself across the couch, grabbing his phone and taking in the spectacular view. “Holy shit, this is practically porn! Is this the guy you’ve been jerking it to all week?”

“Fuck off!” he shouts, snatching his phone back. “Can you blame me?! He’s out here making this shit for free?! Good lord…Chrissy…I might be in love.”

“You’re not in love, you’re horny and haven’t had sex since lockdown started.”

Fucking hell, it’s been months. “Ok, you’re not wrong, but I’d really like to not have to think about that sad but true fact right now. Let me watch my slutty little gym bro in peace.”

She lets it go and grabs their empty glasses, gets up, and makes another round of Salty Dogs. While she’s busy, he downloads the video so he’s got it on his phone for later. For…reasons. Eddie pops into the comments again, giggling as he types.

I’m really into fitness. Fitness 🍆 in my 🍑

Chapter Text

Eddie’s out on the balcony again with his acoustic, Chrissy sitting in the chair opposite him recording another video, when it happens. He’s strumming and singing Penny Lane, the skies are clear and there’s a nice breeze blowing through. It’s a beautiful fucking day. 

On the corner is a banker with a motorcar

The little children laugh at him behind his back

And the banker never wears a mac

In the pouring rain

Very strange

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes

Eddie falters and almost loses his place when he hears a fucking trumpet join in.

There beneath the blue suburban skies I sit, and meanwhile, back

He stands from his chair and looks out over the neighborhood, scanning the balcony occupants until he sees her.

Penny Lane, there is a fireman with an hourglass

And in his pocket is a portrait of the queen

He likes to keep his fire engine clean

It’s a clean machine

A big grin is plastered on his face as he continues strumming and the woman across the street, about a floor down he thinks, joins in again. Her trumpet gleams in the sun as she plays the little solo. They play out the rest of the song together, even hearing some of their audience joining in with the lyrics, and when it ends, he lets go of his guitar, safely hanging from the strap around his neck, and claps loudly at the woman across the street.

She does a cute little curtsey and tucks her trumpet under her arm returning the applause to him. Eddie places his hand on his chest and bows in her direction. 

The neighborhood is going nuts.

This might be the best day of lockdown he’s had so far.

She puts the trumpet back to her lips and starts playing a beautifully familiar tune. Eddie repositions his guitar and plays along, both him and Chrissy belting out the lyrics with their neighbors to All You Need is Love. 

They play one song after another, and their audience is eating it up. This is fucking fun . He’s even picking songs that he knows for sure don’t have any horns in them, but this girl is just jumping right in with every single one, the sound from the brass instrument bouncing off the buildings and complimenting his old guitar. Eddie doesn’t want to stop, but they’ve been at this for a while now and he’s getting hungry. They finish their last song and he shouts to the neighborhood, “Thank you all so much! We’ll see you soon!” He points to the woman across the street and waggles his thumb up and down like he’s asking you in?

She beams at him and gives him an enthusiastic thumbs up and wave before they all head back inside.

“Oh my god Eddie, she’s so fucking cute!”

“Who? Trumpet girl?”

“Yes Trumpet Girl!” Chrissy smacks him across the shoulder and he pokes her in the ribs.

“Ooooh, someone’s got a little crush, huh?”

Chrissy rolls her eyes and heads to the kitchen, grabbing a pound of ground beef out of the fridge. “This coming from the guy who’s been drooling over some faceless tramp on his phone for literal weeks.”

“Can you blame me?! That guy is a fucking snack.”  

“You don’t even know what he looks like! He’s wearing a mask in every video!”

Eddie rolls his eyes and gets out the rest of the chili ingredients. “Doesn’t matter. He can keep it on while he pounds me into next week and I wouldn’t care.” When he was younger and figuring out his place in the gay hookup scene, Eddie was adamant that he was exclusively a top. Had the fuckin’ bandana in the left pocket and everything. But as the years passed and he opened himself up to more experiences, he learned that he really just loves sex. Any way he can have it. Life is too fucking short to limit yourself to one way of doing things. And after watching his little gym bro swinging that monster cock around so many times, he’d love nothing more than to choke on it and have it split him open.

While the chili cooks and they lament over their new crushes, Eddie uploads the videos of the Beatles songs he played on the balcony with Trumpet Girl. And by the time they finish eating their dinner, they’ve already blown up. The comments are downright heartwarming. With everyone being so isolated, something as simple as playing a couple songs out there has had a way of making people feel a little more connected. 

The next day, they’re back at it again, but this time Trumpet Girl isn’t alone.

She comes outside with her instrument and gives Eddie another enthusiastic wave when they see each other. And then a shy little wave to Chrissy when she came out with a couple cocktails. Interesting.

They get into it right away, apparently testing each other’s musical knowledge. Trumpet Girl plays six notes in quick succession and Eddie recognizes it immediately.

Who can it be knocking at my door?

Go away, don’t come round here no more

Can’t you see that it’s late at night?

I’ve very tired and I’m not feeling right

All I wish is to be alone

Stay away, don’t you invade my home

Best off if you hang outside

Don’t come in, I’ll only run and hide

Who can it be now?

Men and Work is great fucking band, this is amazing. They play out the entire song and when the applause dies down, Eddie shouts across to her, “Overkill?!”

She gives him a thumbs up and jumps right into it.

They’re about halfway through the song, Eddie belting out the lyrics and his voice echoing off the buildings, when her balcony door slides open and a man steps out. He almost loses his place when he catches sight of this guy. He’s…well he’s fucking beautiful. Tight t-shirt, muscular as far as he can tell from this distance, freshly washed hair flopping in his perfect face. Where the hell has he been this whole time? 

Eddie watches as the guy sets two drinks down on their little table and looks at the woman fondly. He leans back on the railing and watches her play, and it’s not until the song is over that he scans the balconies of Eddie’s building. When Mr. Gorgeous sees Eddie and Chrissy looking back at them, he grins and gives them a little finger wave. Eddie nods back at him and turns around, hissing at his roommate, “ Please fucking tell me that guy is not her boyfriend!”

“I…honestly can’t tell. I fucking hope not, that would really ruin the fantasy I’ve built up in my mind.”

“No shit. Fuck, that guy is hot. What are they doing?” Eddie keeps his back turned, pretending to tune his guitar.

“Nothing, really. Just talking. Oh shit, wait…he’s hugging her and just gave her a kiss on the cheek, goddamnit!”

Eddie groans. Of all the balconies in Boystown, they both end up drooling over a straight couple across the street. Figures. 

He deflates and turns back around, playing song after song with Trumpet Girl and letting his eyes occasionally drift over to Mr. Gorgeous as often as possible without making it obvious that he’s checking him out. Fuck, what a waste. He’s just too damn pretty, and oozes this calm cool as he lounges back watching his girlfriend play, occasionally going inside to freshen their drinks. Once again, they call a stop to their performance after a couple hours, and everyone heads back inside. 

As soon as their sliding glass door closes behind them, Eddie groans dramatically and drops to the floor, sprawling out facedown on the carpet with a huff. “Whyyyyyy?”

“Get up, you big baby.” Chrissy not so gently kicks him in the ribs.

“Ow?! Can’t you let me have Floor Time in peace, woman?!”

“No! You’re helping me make lasagna!”

Evil harpy. Literally the only thing that could peel him off the floor right now is the promise of cheese and carbs. He begrudgingly gets up off the carpet and ambles into the kitchen where his best friend and nemesis is heating a pot of water on the stove. He pulls a box of lasagna noodles out of the cabinet and a couple jars of sauce. “You’re lucky I’m a whore for Italian food.”

“You are so fucking dramatic.”

“You love me for it.”

“I’ll love you even more if you fry up the ground sausage.”

Eddie sighs. “Why did you have to say sausage?”

Chrissy cackles and bumps her hip into his side. “Still lusting over your gym slut?”

“Well obviously, but not what I’m currently thinking about. That fucking guy, Chris. He was beautiful. Goddamn shame he’s straight, I bet his sausage is just as gorgeous as his face.”

His best friend hums thoughtfully and she grates some mozzarella. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t know what?”

“Trumpet Girl…I swear she’s gay.”

Eddie rolls his eyes and drops the meat into the pan. “Babe, did you see the way he was looking at her? All soft and sweet? And didn’t you say he kissed her?”

“Her cheek asshole. You do the same thing to me.”

“So what…you think he’s like…in love with his lesbian roommate or something?”

Chrissy drops the pasta into the boiling water with a splash, almost getting Eddie’s hand in the process. “Shit! Sorry! I don’t know, babe…it’s just a vibe. If he comes out again when you guys are playing, we’ll have to watch closer. Take notes.”

“Ah yes. We can study them like Jane Goodall and her chimps.”

Their lasagna turns out pretty fucking good, and they devour it on the couch while watching nature shows and scrolling TikTok. His hot gym guy makes an appearance again, wearing his slutty shorts, a tank top, and again a fucking mask covering half his face. He’s doing stretches today. But all Eddie can look at is the guy’s dick. Always present. Always visible. Always hanging to the guy’s right. Fucking hell. He loses his battle of trying to not say anything and goes right to the comments.

It’s looking at me again.

The next day, after having lunch of leftover lasagna cold and straight out of the pan, they head back out to the balcony. Eddie plays his guitar, Trumpet Girl accompanies him, Mr. Gorgeous lounges in the sun in another tight t-shirt with his wet hair slicked back, and Chrissy watches them like a hawk.

After about an hour of Eddie gagging over the adoring looks this guy is giving her, something…shifts. Trumpet Girl has been looking up at them pretty much the whole time they’ve been playing, and Eddie can’t confirm from this distance who exactly she’s looking at. Mr. Gorgeous says something to her, and she turns to him and looks irritated as hell. It looks like they bicker back and forth and Eddie thinks he may be witness to some sort of lover’s quarrel. 

Then she slaps him. 

There doesn’t seem to be any heat behind it, it’s just a smack to the shoulder like Chrissy has given him countless times when he’s being a jackass. Mr. Gorgeous, to Eddie’s bewilderment, returns it. And then a pissy little slap fight ensues. Eddie looks over at his roommate, who tears her eyes away from the show, and asks, “What the fuck are we watching right now?”

“They look like fucking siblings.”

They return their gazes to the balcony across the street and she’s got him in a headlock and is ruffling his hair. Eddie can hear the guy yelp and shout, “Truce! Truce!”

Their bizarre interaction stops and he straightens his hair while she looks victorious.

“I can’t take it anymore,” Chrissy says. “I need to know what the fuck we’re looking at.”

She dashes inside and comes back out with the dry erase board from their fridge, swiping off their list of random shit they need to get on their next grocery run and scribbles something on it. Looking back up at Eddie, she says “Ok. Get their attention.”

Eddie strums the call and response tune of Shave and a Haircut as loud as he can and Trumpet Girl returns it with the two bits part before she grins back at him. 

Beside him, Chrissy holds up the board and he leans around to see that she wrote in big block letters BOYFRIEND?

Trumpet Girl starts dramatically gagging and Mr. Gorgeous throws his head back and laughs before bolting inside himself. Eddie and Chrissy wait with bated breath and he comes back and starts scribbling on a board of their own. He grabs Trumpet Girl’s hand, pulls her next to him, and holds the board up over their heads. There are arrows pointing to each of them and Eddie has to squint to make out what it says. 

Disaster Lesbian and Bi and interested

Well this is a pleasant turn of events.

Eddie yelps when there’s a finger jabbing his ribs.

“I fucking told you, Eddie! I knew she was gay!”

Good news all around, Jesus. “Ok, ok! You were right! Stop fucking poking me!”

Chrissy retracts her finger and they look back at their balcony crushes, and the board Mr. Gorgeous is holding up now just has a giant question mark on it. His soulmate is on top of it, erasing her previous message and just writing GAY as big as the board allows. She holds it up and smirks as the pair across the street high five each other.

Yeah they absolutely have sibling energy.

“Hey! Are you gonna play any more songs, or just flirt all fucking day?”

Eddie leans over the balcony and scowls down at Benny. “Give me a break, man! Times are tough!”

“Amen to that.”

He gets back to entertaining his adoring fans and bouncing songs back and forth with Trumpet Girl, while her hot friend leans over the railing and watches with a sly grin on his face. By the time they’re wrapping up for the evening, pretty much everyone in the neighborhood is out there applauding. All of the attention is great, but it’s nothing compared to the gorgeous man who hasn’t stopped staring at him since their white board conversation. He ends the performance with a bow and a little wave to the beautiful man, who returns it with what Eddie thinks might have been a wink. It was probably his imagination, but he’s gonna go with it anyway.

That night when he’s tucked into bed, Eddie posts a couple more of their balcony concert videos and starts to scroll. Gym Bro is back again. With another fucking crop top. And seriously, how have these fucking shorts not been flagged for community guideline violations? These videos aren’t just thirst traps, they’re straight up pornographic. Eddie watches, mesmerized as the python he’s got stuffed in there flops around, while he swings a hula hoop around his hips. Fucking hell. Once again, Eddie can’t stop himself from dropping a comment.

Is that a hula hoop or a 🍆💍 ?

He continues scrolling for a while and then goes to his inbox to check out the notifications that have been rolling in from his latest videos and his heart fucking seizes in his chest. There are several from a very familiar name. 

MaskedTrainer liked your video

MaskedTrainer followed you back

MastedTrainer commented on your video: My fyp is getting way too local

Eddie’s hand starts to shake as he receives another notification. Gym Bro sent him a message.

MaskedTrainer: Hey neighbor! That’s my roommate Robin on the trumpet! Small world!

There’s no way. There’s no fucking way. The guy Eddie has been jerking it to for weeks is the gorgeous man across the fucking street?! He can’t believe his goddamn luck. A big grin spreads on his face, but falls even faster when he’s struck with the memory of all the suggestive comments he’s left on this guy’s videos. Sweet Jesus, he can only fucking hope that Gym Bro’s notifications have been so flooded with all the other thirsty shit people are leaving that Eddie’s have gotten lost in the shuffle. He’s about to type a response when another message pops up.

MaskedTrainer: Btw, do you always leave such filthy comments on people’s videos?

Eddie’s heart is fucking racing. Oh dear god, this is not good. He scrambles out of bed so fast he tangles his legs in the sheets and goes crashing to the floor. He quickly gets to his feet, catapults himself out of his room, and starts banging on his best friend’s door.

“Chrissy! Chrissy, wake up!”

Chapter Text

“Babe, you have got to calm down!”

Eddie scoffs. How the fuck can he calm down when the guy he’s been fantasizing about with his hand down his pants is the same guy who he’s been mooning at across the street, and the same guy who called him out for his brazen thirsty comments that he’s left on way too many of his videos? “Chris, that’s not fucking possible! What the fuck do I do?! Should I block him? I should block him. And like…never set foot on the balcony again.”

It’s a solid plan.

“Don’t block him, idiot. Just talk to him.”

“And say what?! ‘Oh, sorry for talking about your huge dick all the time, I couldn’t help it because it’s so big it needs its own zip code.’ God, I’m such a fucking asshole!”

Chrissy snickers and nudges him with a socked foot where he’s perched at the end of her bed. “That’s actually really funny, you should do that.”

He gives her an unamused look and gestures back to his phone that’s illuminated with the still unanswered messages from Gym Bro. “I should just apologize. Right before I die of embarrassment."

“Or,” Chrissy says as she leans in and looks down at his screen. “Don’t apologize at all. He didn’t say anything indicating he was pissed. You could lean into it, see what happens.”

“See what happens?! Babe, this could go so very wrong so very fast. ”

His best friend just shrugs. “What have you got to lose? It’s not like you actually know the guy. Which is whyyy you should calm the fuck down and just reply to him!”

She might have a point, but Eddie doesn’t want to admit it. With a huff, he picks up his phone and hesitates for a moment before he types a reply and gets Chrissy’s nod of approval. 

Lean it. Just go with it.

MaskedTrainer: Btw, do you always leave such filthy comments on people’s videos?

TeacherOfTheEar: Only the pretty ones, sweetheart

Eddie makes a face at his own shameless message, tosses his phone back on the bed, and buries his face in his hands. “This was a bad idea. I should have just blocked him.”

“Fuck right off, I would never let you do that.”

He drags his hands down his stubbled skin, and stares at the ceiling. “Why are you so mean?”

“Because I need to find out more about this Robin girl and you’re my way in. So suck it up and talk to the beautiful man you’re obsessed with. Or is that too much of a hardship for you?”

Before he can respond, his phone buzzes and hears a pop in his neck as he whips his head back down to look at the screen.

MaskedTrainer: Well, I’m honored

MaskedTrainer: Your little concerts have been really cool, Robin’s having a great time playing with you

Eddie breathes a sign of relief. The guy just seemed to brush it off like it was nothing, and Eddie’s hoping that’ll be the last of it. And he sure as fuck is going to stop commenting on any more videos, that’s for goddamn sure.

With Chrissy’s insistence, he scoots up her bed and they settle into the pillows side by side so she can coach him through this conversion and hopefully pry more information out of the guy about Robin.

TeacherOfTheEar: Yeah I’ve really liked playing with her too! Her musical knowledge it top notch

MaskedTrainer: Hey don’t sell yourself short! It’s crazy how many songs you can just start playing out of nowhere

MaskedTrainer: I checked out your page, you’re a music teacher?
TeacherOfTheEar: I am, yeah. I teach kindergarten through 8th grade

TeacherOfTheEar: Just barely survived the virtual learning nightmare

MaskedTrainer: I can kind of relate…I’m a personal trainer and since the gym closed, I started doing Zoom sessions with clients and it’s a pain in the ass

TeacherOfTheEar: I have the urge to make a comment about your ass, but I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough

MaskedTrainer: No no, keep the comments coming! They’re fucking hilarious, even Robin thought so

TeacherOfTheEar: Speaking of Robin…is she single?

“Ow! Elbows!”

“Eddie, do you have to be so fucking obvious?!”

He plants a kiss on the top of Chrissy’s head and tells her, “Yes. You want an in, I’m getting it for you.”

MaskedTrainer: She is, but I don’t think you’re her type

TeacherOfTheEar: Nope, but I’ve got an adorable little pixie of a roommate here who might be

MaskedTrainer: OMG she was convinced that was your girlfriend! Thank god for dry erase boards

TeacherOfTheEar: Mr Masked Trainer, do our roommates have crushes on each other?!

MaskedTrainer: I believe they do!

MaskedTrainer: And for the love of god don’t call me that! My name is Steve

TeacherOfTheEar: Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you Steve. I’m Eddie

MaskedTrainer: Nice to meet you too, Eddie. And the pixie roommate is……..

TeacherOfTheEar: That would be the lovely Chrissy - 5’3”, strawberry blonde (though that usually changes), blue eyes, bubbly ray of sunshine, and very much single

MaskedTrainer: Oh, are we sharing stats? 

MaskedTrainer: Robin, my platonic soulmate - 5’8”, dirty blonde (she hates when I say that), also blue eyes, neurotic loudmouth with a heart of gold, and VERY interested in your roommate

TeacherOfTheEar: Is she on this app? We should get these two connected. They’ll be buying a house and a Subaru together by next week.

MaskedTrainer: Unfortunately not, she says the constant scrolling and neverending content is too much for her 

MaskedTrainer: Would it…be weird if we exchanged their numbers for them? This feels creepy, is it creepy?

TeacherOfTheEar: According to the screeching in my ear from the banshee next to me, apparently not

MaskedTrainer: Oh thank god, Robin is an absolute menace right now

“Have I told you you’re my favorite person in the world?”

Eddie laughs as he watches Chrissy scramble for her phone so she can put the number in and crawls out of her bed. “You’re welcome, babe. Have fun sexting with your new girlfriend, I’m going to bed.”

“Goodnight I love yoouuuuuu!”

“Love you too, slut.”

Eddie retreats back to his room feeling much more composed and gets his rumpled blankets off the floor before resituating them, and tucks himself back in bed. He unlocks his phone and finds a new message waiting for him.

MaskedTrainer: So…would it be too forward to ask for your number too?

TeacherOfTheEar: Not at all, handsome

Within moments of exchanging numbers, his phone vibrates with a new text message.

🍆Steve 🍆 : Goodnight Eddie!

🥵Eddie 🥵 : Goodnight Steve! 😉

The next morning Eddie has a definite pep in his step as he leaves his room and bounds into the kitchen to get a pot of coffee brewing. Chrissy doesn’t emerge from hers until he’s already had his first cup and a stack of pancakes are waiting on the counter.

“Long night?” he asks over the rim of his mug.

Chrissy’s hair is a mess and she’s rubbing her eyes and yawning as she fumbles with the flavored creamer. “Ohmygod so long. I was texting with Robbie till like, three in the morning.”

“ Robbie, huh? Cute.”

Chrissy plops down on her chair at their little kitchen table and sighs. “Eddie, she’s so cute. She’s like…awkward and funny and smart and I just wanna kiss her face!”

“Among other places,” he mumbles into his coffee.

“Oh, like you don’t want to do the same with Steeeeeve .”

Eddie rolls his eyes but can’t dim the smile on his face. “Maybe.”

“So how late were you two up last night?”

“Oh uh…not late at all, actually. We just exchanged numbers and said goodnight.”

Chrissy levels him with a look that still manages to be scathing with her cheeks puffed out with pancakes. “Why are you so stupid?”

“Rude!”

She chews and swallows, then points at him with her fork. “You, my darling friend, are not going to squander this opportunity! He gave you his number, Eddie! And I happen to know that he thinks you’re hot.”

“He does not,” Eddie says with a smirk.

“Oh, he does. Robin said he was scrolling through your videos with this dumb look on his face and said you were, and I quote, like stupid fucking hot, Robbie! He’s got dimples!”

Her universal impression of a man’s voice, pitched all low and monotone, should make him roll his eyes. But instead he finds himself smiling like a dipshit and itching to grab his phone. “So you’re saying I should text him?”

“I literally should not have to tell you to text a gorgeous guy who is into you and apparently has a big dick. This is no brainer, Ed.”

Eddie really should know better, what the fuck. He grabs his coffee and phone, kisses Chrissy on the head while she finishes her breakfast, and settles in on the couch.

🥵Eddie 🥵 : Good morning, gorgeous

🍆Steve 🍆 : Do you just wake up ready to flirt, or there is a series of warm ups you need to do?

🍆Steve 🍆 : Good morning! 

🥵Eddie 🥵 : Nah, it’s kind of my default setting

🍆Steve 🍆 :You will hear no complaints from me

🥵Eddie 🥵 : Thank god for that

🥵Eddie 🥵 : So sounds like the girls had a good night

🍆Steve🍆: No kidding! 

🍆Steve🍆: Robin is yammering nonstop about Chrissy

🍆Steve🍆: She sounds really sweet

🥵Eddie 🥵 : Yeah she is, when she’s not telling me I’m an idiot and gloating over her Mario Kart victories

🍆Steve🍆: 😂

🍆Steve🍆: So…are we just going to talk about our lesbian counterparts, or do I actually get to know this Eddie person

🥵Eddie 🥵 : I’m an open book, sweetheart

🥵Eddie 🥵 : What do you want to know?

🍆Steve🍆: Well for starters…I want to know if I can call you? I have a training session coming up soon and I have to stretch and get my space set up.

🍆Steve🍆: Wanna talk while I’m getting ready?

Eddie doesn’t respond. He just stares at his phone for a moment, takes a deep breath, and calls Steve. He taps the speaker button and within seconds, a smooth voice comes through.

“So I take that as a yes?”

“That would be a yes, Stevie. How’s your morning been?”

“It’s alright. A lot better now.”

“Oh really? And why’s that?”

There’s some shuffling on the other end and a soft chuckle. “Uh, well…I get to talk to a cute music teacher who lives across the street from me.”

Eddie’s smile hasn’t left his face since he first started texting Steve and his cheeks are starting to hurt. “Hmm…I believe a little birdie said he was actually stupid fucking hot .”

“God, there aren’t going to be any secrets anymore, are there?”

“I fear not. Wait…shit, did Chrissy say anything to Robin? Like…anything that would be absolutely mortifying and I should just hang up right now and throw myself off the balcony?”

Steve laughs and it makes Eddie’s heart leap. “Well, that depends on what you would consider mortifying.”

“Fuck, she did say something, didn’t she? Evil wench.”

“Eh…maybe just…how you’ve been uh…admiring my clothing choices.”

Ok, that’s got to be just a very nice way of saying that Eddie’s been drooling over Steve’s trouser snake every day. “Uuhhhh….”

“It’s ok, Eddie,” Steve giggles. “Those shorts are the whole reason why I have so many followers.”

“Ah. So uh…you are aware that um…”

“Obviously I’m aware. And if I wasn’t, your comments alone would be enough to make me aware.”

“Yeah, I’m just gonna go check out the balcony real quick.”

“Oh my god,” Steve laughs. “Don’t you dare, you’re too pretty to end up splattered on the sidewalk.”

“You think I’m pretty?” Eddie’s grin is megawatt and he can feel his cheeks heating up.

“I think you’re stupid fucking hot! I don’t ask just any stranger on the internet for their phone number.”

“Just the hot ones, huh?”

“Exactly. And I dunno…I watched a bunch of your videos and you seemed really sweet. You’re the coolest teacher at that school, aren’t you?”

“Well, I hate to brag…no actually I love to brag, yes I’m the coolest!” Eddie fucking delights in the laugh that earns him. “It’s a lot of fun and even though I have to work with the curriculum the district sets, I find my ways to make it entertaining and work in a lot of different music that gets the kids excited. I fucking hated school when I was younger and remember vividly how goddamn boring some of my teachers were. If you want kids to learn, and really give a shit about what they’re learning, it helps to make it fun and relatable.”

“I couldn’t agree more. And you play a lot of stuff right? Like different instruments?”

“I do, yeah. Guitar is my favorite, but I also work with pianos, drums, bass, stuff like that. And I can play a mean cowbell.”

“Oh I bet!”

“So what about you, Stevie? You’re a personal trainer, super athletic, so I’m gonna guess you were…a jock in high school? One of the cool kids?”

“Well clearly not as cool as you, but yeah pretty much. I was into basketball and swimming, and I liked to help the other guys with training and stuff. Kinda had a knack for it I guess.”

“Hmm…was it that or did you maybe just like working up close and personal with other hot basketball players?”

Steve barks out a laugh that has Eddie grinning from ear to ear. “Ok, well first off, you didn’t need to call me out like that, but if we’re being real here…yeah that might have been part of it. Honestly though, once I was done with high school, I didn't really have any desire to go to college and just got a part time job at a gym for the summer while I figured shit out. And sure, working in a place like that where there are guys lifting weights and women bouncing around in sports bras was fun, but I actually ended up really loving working with all the other people there.”

“So what kind of stuff do you do? I guess I always kinda pictured that as taking a hot person and just making them hotter.”

“Oh my god, you’re fucking ridiculous. No, it’s not like that at all. I work with all kinds of people. There’s been a lot of moms who come in with like zero self confidence after having kids. They want to get back in shape and get their ‘previous body’ back, but I always remind them that the body they have now is so much fucking stronger. They pushed a whole ass person out of it for fuck’s sake! So yeah, I help get them moving again but it’s more about building their confidence and making them feel as strong as they are.”

“Jesus Christ, that sounds like therapy on a treadmill. In a good way! Sorry, that made me sound like a dick.”

“No, you’re good. It kind of is, I guess.”

“Tell me more. I’m invested now! What other kinds of clients do you have?”

“Oh man, it’s kind of all over the place. Seniors who want to stay active but never really worked out before. People recovering from injuries. Athletes who need extra endurance training. People who want to lose weight and feel healthier. All kinds of stuff.”

“The moms are your favorite though, aren’t they?”

“Well…don’t tell my other clients, but yeah, they are.”

“I’m sure they fucking adore you, ya little smokeshow.”

The call goes quiet for a moment and Eddie checks his phone to make sure it didn’t disconnect. 

“It’s not like that,” Steve says quietly.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I was just teasing, Steve. Obviously you take your job seriously, I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

“No, no…it’s ok. I just…god this is gonna get personal real quick. They just remind me a lot of my mom. I guess after she had me, my dad was on her about ‘losing the baby weight’ and super critical of how she looked. It really fucked up her self image. To the point where she refused to have any other kids. So I grew up with my dad always making shitty comments and my mom always counting calories and being so hard on herself. I guess it just feels good to be able to keep other moms from feeling the same way.”

Fucking hell, this man. Sure he’s easy on the eyes and kinda snarky and flirty, and that’s fun as hell. But yeah, wouldn’t you know, there’s a real person in there who’s been through some shit, has empathy oozing out his pores, and presumably a heart of gold. “Fuck, that’s awful. So I guess it’s not just therapy for your clients then, huh?”

“Yeah,” Steve chuckles. “A bit of self-healing too I suppose.”

“Well, if we’re at the family trauma dumping stage of the getting-to-know-you conversation, I guess it’s my turn.”

“Oh, you don’t have to!”

“Hey, fair’s fair sweetheart! So like you, I’m an only child as well. My folks weren’t married. Dad knocked up my mom right out of high school and they managed to stay together against all odds for a few years. My mom got sick when I was little. She died by the time I was in first grade. Left me with an absentee father who would just drop me off at my uncle’s place whenever he got tired of being a parent. When I was in middle school he got arrested for stealing cars, fucking idiot, and my uncle got custody of me.”

“Jesus, that’s fucking rough. I’m so sorry, Eddie.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t easy. But I got Uncle Wayne out of it and he’s been the fucking best. He’s actually the one who taught me how to play guitar.”

“Well kudos to Uncle Wayne.”

“Kudos indeed.”

“Hey I really hate to have to end the conversation here, but I’ve gotta get on this Zoom call in a few minutes. Would you want to talk later? After the balcony concert maybe?”

“Yeah, I’d like that. Got a little heavy at the end there, but I really liked talking to you.”

“Lighter talks later, I promise!”

“Hey, before you go, any requests? Any songs you’d like to hear?”

After a beat of silence he says, “I’ve been really into Tom Petty lately.”

“You got it, sweetheart. I’ll see you out there.”

After they hang up, Eddie smiles to himself. Not only because of the great conversation they just had, but because he knows exactly what song he’s going to play. It’s the first one Wayne taught him. He felt like it took forever for him to get the hang of it, but he was determined to get it right. Now he could play it in his sleep.

Later that day they’re on the balcony, Eddie with his guitar and Chrissy recording him, and right on schedule Robin comes out with her trumpet to join them. She blows Chrissy a kiss from her spot across the street and it’s fucking nauseatingly cute to watch his roommate catch it and smack her hand to her mouth, blowing one right back.

Get a fucking room.

They’re about six songs in when the glass door behind Robin slides open and Eddie just full on blue screens.

He doesn’t even know what song he was in the middle of. His hands freeze and he’s pretty sure his eyes are doing the cartoon bit where they’re popping out of their sockets. 

Out steps Steve, freshly out of the shower, hair slicked back, and wearing nothing but some tiny little shorts Eddie recognizes from his videos. His eyes lock on to Steve’s chest and the urge to bury his face in all that hair is so great that he would propel himself across the street if he could. He’s sure it would be a soft landing.

Robin’s trumpet comes to an abrupt halt as soon as she realizes Eddie has stopped playing and she looks up at him and shrugs like what the fuck?  

He’s shaken out of his stupor by Chrissy smacking him upside the head and Benny’s booming laughter coming from the balcony below.

“You alright up there, Ed?”

“He’s having a moment, Benny,” Chrissy shouts down to him.

“Anything to do with the otter across the way?”

Eddie scowls. “Ok fuck you both! And Benny, you should be on my side here! Fucking look at him!”

He looks back towards Steve, who’s now leaning against the railing on his forearms and looking up at Eddie all smug and sexy. Steve lifts a hand and gives him a little finger wave and a grin.

Eddie grabs the white board from the table and scrawls real big HOW DARE YOU!

Steve throws his head back and laughs, and Robin interrupts the moment with a very loud blast from her trumpet. Right. They’re supposed to be playing songs.

They do their thing of going back and forth and get into a good groove, and all the while Steve is watching him and smiling. God, he’s so fucking pretty Eddie wants to scream. They finish up playing a very spirited and weirdly acoustic version of The Bosstones “The Impression that I Get” when Eddie holds up a finger to Robin signaling hold on a second.

“Chris, can you text Robin? Let her know I wanna do this one solo?”

“Why solo?”

“It’s um…Steve requested something.”

Chrissy rolls her eyes and huffs, “Oh my god get a room.” Like she’s one to talk. She sends the text and wiggles her phone in the air. Robin nods and scrambles for her phone, reads the text, and gives them a thumbs up.

Eddie returns his gaze to Steve, who looks adorably confused, and starts strumming.

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

Sail away, kill off the hours

You belong somewhere you feel free

Robin settles in next to Steve and Eddie can see her nudging him. He bats her away and props his arm up on his elbow and rests his chin in his hand. Even from here Eddie can see his smile lighting up his whole face.

Run away, find you a lover

Go away somewhere all bright and new

I have seen no other

Who compares with you

That line right there. It hits Eddie right in the chest. He’s pretty sure he’s never seen someone so fucking beautiful as he watches Steve watch him, the late afternoon sun lighting up his face and the soft smile he wishes he could see closer. He feels like he’s already fucked. 

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

You belong with your love on your arm

You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, go find a lover

Run away, let your heart be your guide

You deserve the deepest of cover

You belong in that home by and by

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong somewhere close to me

Far away from your trouble and worry

You belong somewhere you feel free

You belong somewhere you feel free

Chapter Text

“Oh my god, we’re graduating from phone calls to FaceTime already?! Stevie, slow down, I can’t take how fast this is moving!”

Steve’s smile and the sound of his laughter is everything Eddie could ask for. They were going to talk right after the balcony concert like they agreed, but then their better halves needed time to gush about each other, and honestly, Eddie needed several moments to freak out about Steve, and then dinner had to happen, and eventually they ended up waiting until the evening so they could all retreat to their bedrooms to have their respective conversations with their crushes. 

It’s all very exciting and adorable.

“Sorry, should I just hang up?”

“Fuck right off! I could stare at that face of yours all night!”

Oh, that blush. It’ll be the death of him. “You’re such a flirt, oh my god.”

“You should have known this about me already, darling.”

“Of course. My mistake. Hey, thanks for playing Wildflowers today, that was amazing! You sounded incredible.”

Well, now it’s Eddie’s turn to blush. “I’m glad you liked it. That’s actually the first song I learned how to play.”

“No shit, really?!”

“Yeah, my uncle taught me. Took for fucking ever, but got there eventually.”

“Well you nailed it. How’s the rest of your day been?”

“Good! Lot better now that I get to see you.”

“Yeah, same…and sorry for making things so heavy earlier.”

“No, don’t apologize, it’s totally fine. And you promised lighter talks tonight, so what do you have in mind?”

“Hmm…wanna do twenty questions?”

“Love that, yes.” Eddie shuffles around, propping his phone up on his night stand and sitting cross cross applesauce on his bed and watches Steve do the same. “Ok, I’m ready. You start.”

“What’s your favorite kind of music to play?”

“Easy. Metal. I like all kinds of shit, but nothing hits like metal does.”

“Ok, yeah, I can see that for you. You got the whole rock star look going on. Your turn.”

“What’s your favorite type of music?”

“I like a lot of pop, and shit like Adele. Lot of 70’s rock too. And I’m kind of a sucker for like…50’s love songs. Sinatra and shit. What’s your favorite kind of food?”

“Carbs. Specifically Italian food, I will fuck up a noodle.” Eddie grins at the laugh that comes out of Steve. “What’s your favorite snack?”

“Oh my god, it’s so shitty. Those honey bbq Frito Twists. They only come in small bags and I’m so fucking thankful, otherwise I would eat an entire bucket of them if I had the option.”

“Oh fuck, I forgot about those! Yeah, that’s one where you open the bag and the entire thing is gone in like five minutes.”

“See, you get it! What about you? What’s your favorite snack?”

“Popcorn, hands down. It’s one of those things where no matter how full you are from dinner or whatever, there’s always room for popcorn. Now, as a part time bartender, this next question is very important…what’s your go-to drink order?”

“Uh oh, is my answer gonna make or break my chances with you?”

Eddie blushes furiously and he can’t fucking believe this guy actually wants a chance with him. He laughs incredulously and says, “Sweetheart, I don’t anything you tell me could hurt your chances.”

Steve gives him a lopsided grin and ducks his head. “Cool…good to know. Ok, uh…my go-to drink order would have to be a Paloma.”

“Oh, excellent choice!”

“Glad I have your approval,” Steve laughs. “Ok, my turn…what’s your favorite holiday?”

“Halloween. What’s yours?”

“Thanksgiving. But only because it’s my favorite meal of the year! I’m not into celebrating colonizers or whatever.”

“Do you spend it with your parents? Not to get heavy again or anything, I’m just curious how that works. Sounded like a kinda…tense family dynamic.”

“Excuse me sir, it was my turn for a question.”

“Fuck, sorry!”

Steve kind of giggles and Eddie wants to bottle that sound and keep it. “No it’s fine, but then I get to ask two in a row.”

“Deal.”

“Ok, so no…I don’t spend it with them. My parents divorced after I left home, I don’t ever really hear from my dad, but my mom and I talk all the time. She travels a lot so she’s not always home during the holidays. I’ve got this uh…group of kids I guess? They’re not really kids though, they’re all in college. My ex girlfriend’s little brother and his friends. I used to babysit them, and they kind of adopted me as their big brother. So when Thanksgiving rolls around, we all meet back up in our hometown and one of their moms has everyone over for dinner.”

“That…is so fucking sweet. I have like a hundred follow-up questions but I’ll table them for now. Your turn!”

“Alright so…speaking of ex’s…when was your last relationship?”

“Couple years ago. This guy Henry. He was British and beautiful, and I was stupid and blind. Couldn’t see that he was actually an asshole and fucking around behind my back.”

“Oh shit, that sucks. I’ve been there too, it’s the fucking worst. So um…second question…do you have any issues with dating guys who are bi?”

“What?! No, why would I? And that doesn’t count as my next question!”

“Well…the few guys I tried to date who were gay…they were fine with hooking up, but didn’t want to be in a relationship with someone who was also attracted to women. I don’t really get it. Like is it a trust thing? Or do they think that women are the default setting and I’m just playing at being gay? I don’t fucking understand.”

“Honestly, I don’t either. I’m not like that at all! Frankly, if I had a chance with you, I wouldn’t let something like that ruin it. Your sexuality is valid and if anyone has a problem with that, they don’t deserve you.”

Steve bites his lip and Eddie can just make out a little wobble of his chin. “Thank you for saying that. And if I haven’t made it obvious, you totally have a chance.”

Eddie tries to hide his big stupid smile behind a clump of hair and fails miserably. “Ok, it’s my turn now. Where is this hometown you speak of?”

“Hawkins, Indiana.”

“Shut the fuck up. That’s in Roane County, right?”

“How do you know that?!”

“I grew up one county over! In Kerley!”

“No fucking way! You can’t be serious!”

“I swear to god, my uncle Wayne still lives there!”

“This is crazy. I can’t fucking wait to tell Robin.”

“Same, Chrissy’s gonna freak.”

“Wow. Ok. So my turn again. How did you and Chrissy become friends? I’m guessing you lived in the same town?”

“That was two questions Stevie, but I’ll let it slide! Yeah we went to the same high school. I uh…flunked out of Senior year and had to repeat it. My grades were shit and when it was looking like I’d fail again , they set me up with a tutor. Chrissy was like, on a totally different rung of the social ladder, so our paths never would have crossed otherwise. So thanks to some well meaning guidance counselor, I got a diploma and a best friend.”

“Oh I love that.”

“What about you and Robin?”

“I met her at the gym, actually. When I worked there after high school. I wasn’t joking about her being a disaster lesbian! She’s so fucking accident prone. We actually went to the same school but she was a year below me, and I didn’t really know her. She played in the marching band and during a football game she tripped over her own fucking foot and broke her ankle. Her parents couldn’t afford physical therapy, so they brought her to the gym after her cast was off and I worked with her on getting her strength back. I wasn’t certified or anything at the time, but I really liked helping her and she encouraged me to make a career out of it.”

“Oh my god, that’s amazing.”

“Alright, my turn!” Steve shifts so he’s laying on his side with his head propped up on his hand. He looks so soft and cute, Eddie is dying inside. “Boxers or briefs?”

Eddie barks out a laugh and buries his face in his hands. “What the fuck! That’s so out of left field.”

“Hey, I promised lighter topics, didn’t I?”

“You did, yes. Uh…boxer briefs, actually.”

“Same.”

“Great, you saved me a question. Uuum…exactly how many of those little shorts do you own?”

“Eight I think? Which ones are your favorite?” 

Oh, he’s getting a little flirty now. Eddie can work with that. “That’s like asking me what my favorite metal song is. They’re all perfect, gorgeous.”

“No no no, you can’t get out of it that easily! Answer the question!”

“Ugh, fine! Those spandexy ones you were wearing when you were like…thrusting or whatever.”

Steve’s face falls into the mattress and his shoulders shake as he laughs. “Thrusting or whatever?!”

“I don’t know! Some kind of stretch that made it look like you were fucking a ghost!”

Steve full on cackles as he rolls over on the bed and grips his stomach. Eddie can’t help but join him, his laughter is infectious. “I’m never going to be able to do that move again without thinking of that! What the fuck!”

“You’re welcome. My turn.” Eddie grabs a hair tie off his night stand and pulls his hair back into a messy bun.

“Fuck you look good like that.”

Eddie’s eyebrows raise and he shifts so he’s laying on his stomach facing the phone. “What? With my hair up?”

“Yeah. God, you’re like…unfairly hot.”

“Me?! You’re the one over there with all the muscles and pretty face and…extra appendages.”

“Extra appendages?!”

“Yeah, that third leg you try hiding in those tiny shorts.”

“Jesus Christ, were you gonna ask me a question?”

“How big is it?” The question just falls out of Eddie’s mouth and he immediately gets the urge to jump out the window.

Thankfully Steve just smirks and says, “Big enough. My turn. Top or bottom?”

“Fuck, just getting right to it, huh? Honestly, I’m good with either.”

“Good to know.”

“And what exactly are you planning to do with this information, Stevie?”

“Keeping it squirreled away for when this pandemic ends. My turn again. What would you do if I was with you right now?”

Eddie’s brain momentarily comes to a halt. Is this turning into phone sex?! They just started talking last night. There should be rules around how quickly shit like this unfolds, right? “Um…” Eddie clears his throat and scrambles for an answer. “What exactly are you asking?”

“I think you know, Eddie. If I was with you right now, in your bed, laying next to you. What would you do?”

Eddie licks his lips and takes a deep breath. “I know I wouldn’t be able to resist getting my hands on you. Seeing what your body looks like. Knowing how you taste. The feel of your skin. You’re so fucking beautiful, Steve.”

“I’d let you. If I could be there.”

“And what would you do, sweetheart? If I was in your bed?” Laying on his front, Eddie can feel his dick firming up against the mattress. It takes everything in him not to grind down for some friction.

“Strip you down. See what other tattoos you have hiding under those t-shirts. I’d want to get my mouth on you. Fuck you all night.”

Eddie loses his battle as his hips move without his permission. His head drops down and he pinches his eyes shut, swearing under his breath. “You can’t just say shit like that, Stevie.”

“Why not?” When Eddie looks back up at his phone, Steve looks so smug and sexy it’s infuriating.

“Because it’s not fair! I haven’t had sex in months and you’re driving me crazy and I can’t do anything about it!”

“You’re driving me crazy too! At first it was just ‘oh, look at that hot musician guy, he’s so fucking sexy’ and now that I got to talk to you, you’re all sweet and funny and I just wanna fucking jump you!”

“Yeah. Same boat, babe. God this is fucking torture.”

“Doesn’t have to be.”

“What do you mean?”

Steve shrugs a shoulder and bites his lip. “You ever have phone sex?”

Eddie loses the ability to speak and just dumbly shakes his head.

“Look, we don’t have to. It was just a suggestion.”

“I’m uh…not opposed to it. But maybe not till we get to know each other a little better? I don’t even know your last name.”

“It’s Harrington. Steve Harrington. What’s yours?”

“Munson. How old are you?”

“27. How old are you?”

“28. What’s your favorite color?”

“Yellow. What’s yours?”

“Dark red. Cats or dogs?”

“Dogs. Do we know each other better now?”

“Maybe enough for like…a dick pic or something.”

Steve laughs and shakes his head. “Ok, I guess that’s good enough for now. Shit, it’s getting late. I have an early session in the morning, so I should probably turn in soon. Would you want to do this again?”

“Absolutely. Will I see you on the balcony tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there. This was really great, Eddie.”

“It was. Sleep well, sweetheart.”

“You too. G’night Eds.”

The call ends and Eddie rolls over onto his back, starfishing on the bed. That was fucking crazy. He almost had phone sex with Steve. He wasn’t lying, he’s not against it at all , that was just…moving a little faster than he expected. Still. The thought of hearing his voice get a little deeper, a little more sultry, as he told Eddie what he wanted to do to him has his flagging cock filling out again. He palms himself through his sweatpants and groans at the touch. Fuck it.

Eddie sits up and pulls off his t-shirt, and shuffles out of his pants. He snags the lube out of his nightstand and settles into his pillows, warming up a glob of cool liquid in his hand. He closes his eyes and gets a hold of his aching dick, giving himself a slow stroke from root to tip. Eddie drags his hand back down and sighs at the smooth glide. All he can picture is Steve. Not the Steve from the multiple videos he has downloaded to his phone, but the Steve he’s gotten to actually talk to. His smile. His laugh. His voice. And fuck, the things he said. 

He can see it…Steve slowly pulling his clothes off, kissing all over his body, getting those lips on all the ink spread across his skin. Eddie lets out a breathy sigh as he begins to stroke himself in earnest. He imagines Steve licking his way up Eddie’s cock, flicking his tongue over the crown, and swallowing him down. Bobbing up and down while those gorgeous eyes are locked on his. Moaning as Eddie thrusts into his mouth.

The fantasy changes and Eddie jerks himself faster. Steve lifting him up and fucking him against the wall. Steve folding him in half and pounding him into the mattress. Steve bending him over and splitting him in half with that big cock. God, Eddie’s so fucking close.

His phone pings and he whips his head to the side to glare at it. But his eyebrows raise when he sees it’s a text from Steve. Barely slowing down this perfect rhythm, Eddie quickly grabs his phone with his left hand, unlocks it, and opens the text.

🍆Steve🍆: Look what you fucking do to me

It’s a picture of Steve’s tiny spandex shorts, the ones Eddie is admittedly obsessed with, and the very obvious hard line of his dick trapped underneath. But that’s not even the best part. Peeking out of the waistband, at the man’s fucking hip , is the shining head of his cock. 

It’s all Eddie needs to tip him over the edge. He bites down a scream as he cums, spilling all over his stomach and hand. As his dick finishes pulsing, he takes a gasping breath and closes his eyes. Spent cock in one hand, phone in the other. Fucking Christ, this man is going to kill him.

When he’s feeling like he’s back on Earth again, Eddie lifts his head and looks down at the mess he made. And smirks. He opens the camera and gets just the right angle, taking a picture of his fist wrapped around the flushed head of his cock right as he squeezes out one last drop. He captured the pools of cum on his stomach, and just a peek of the tattoos on his hips. 

🥵Eddie 🥵 : Look what you DID to me, goddamn

He tosses his phone aside and gets himself cleaned up. His whole fucking body is buzzing after that. He heads to the bathroom to get himself ready for bed, pointedly ignoring the sounds coming from Chrissy’s room. Good for her. He pees, brushes his teeth, washes his face and moisturizes. When he gets back in bed, he shuts off the lamp and checks his phone.

🍆Steve🍆: Oh my god, I wish I would have seen this before I busted, I would have shared mine too

🍆Steve🍆: That’s so fucking hot

🥵Eddie 🥵 : Would have loved to see the mess you made for me

🥵Eddie 🥵 : And more of that frankly obscene cock

🍆Steve🍆: I’d like to see more of yours too!

🍆Steve🍆: Tease

🥵Eddie 🥵 : Next time, honey

🥵Eddie 🥵 : Get some sleep

🍆Steve🍆: You and these petnames

🥵Eddie 🥵 : Want me to stop?

🍆Steve🍆: Never

Good. Eddie fucking loves all these little terms of endearment and he has no plans on stopping. They say their final goodnights, and Eddie falls into a blissful sleep. 

The next day over coffee, Chrissy is absolutely over the fucking moon about Robin and their phone date.  

“Phone sex is more like it.”

“Ew, oh my god, were you listening to us?!”

Eddie cringes. “No! Not intentionally! Kinda hard to miss the sounds of your vibrator when I’m walking past your door. Is that thing gas powered?!”

“Diesel, actually. Asshole. But seriously, Eddie…she’s incredible. Did you know she speaks like 4 languages? She’s a translator for this legal outreach program, it’s crazy. Personally, I think she needs to up it to 5.”

“What do you mean?”

Chrissy smirks like the fucking devil. “Girl’s got a filthy mouth. Her dirty talk should be a language of its own.”

“Boo you whore!”

She laughs and tops off his mug. “So what about you and Steve? How did your night go?”

“Good! Really good, actually. We fired off a bunch of questions back and forth, got to know each other a bit. Did you know they grew up like 30 minutes away from us?”

“Fuck off, they did not.”

“Swear to god,” Eddie nods. “Steve said they’re from Hawkins.”

Chrissy gapes. “Small fucking world, what the hell. So what else did you two get up to last night?”

“I have no idea to what you could be referring,” Eddie says primly over his mug.

“Oh come on, tell me! Did you guys play with your wieners together?”

Eddie chokes on his coffee and Chrissy slaps his back. “Our wieners?! Jesus Christ! That’s the least sexy term you could possibly use.”

“So you did?”

“Ugh…kinda. Just not…together.”

“What does that mean?”

Eddie takes another sip of coffee and sets his mug down. “Our conversation got kinda hot, but I felt weird about doing anything so soon. But after we hung up, he uh…kinda sent me a dick pic while I was jerking off.”

Chrissy looked fucking elated when she asks, “Did you send him anything back?”

“Yup. I sent him the aftermath.”

“Gross. I love that for you. Look at us gettin’ nasty with our crushes!”

Eddie’s about to take another sip when he pauses. Crushes. He gets an idea and sets the mug back down and grabs his phone. It’s sappy. It’s stupid. But it’s too fucking cute and he has to do it. He gets Robin’s number off his TikTok DM’s with Steve and sends her a text.

Eddie: Hey Robin, it’s Eddie!

Eddie: I realize this makes me look like a fucking dork, but I was wondering if you knew how to play this song? Was hoping to do it today if you’re down.

He shoots her a link and waits impatiently for a response while he tells Chrissy his plan.

🎺Robin 🎺 : OMG you two are so stupid

🎺Robin 🎺 : You know you don’t have to woo him, right? He’s totally gone already

🤪Dingus’s Goober 🤪 : Well that’s good to know

🤪Dingus’s Goober 🤪 : Still. Can you help?

🎺Robin 🎺 : Fine

🎺Robin 🎺 : Nerd

🎺Robin 🎺 : You better be good to him! We’ve got a cop in the family and won’t be afraid to shoot you if we have to.

Ok, Eddie is gonna have to put a pin in that one for later.

🤪Dingus’s Goober 🤪 : No nefarious intentions here, promise

🎺Robin 🎺 : Good. I’ll see you out there. Have Chrissy text me when you’re ready!

🤪Dingus’s Goober 🤪 : Wait, shouldn’t I be giving you a shovel talk too?

🎺Robin 🎺 : No need, dummy! I’d sooner rip my own eyes out than do anything to harm that ethereal goddess!

🤪Dingus’s Goober 🤪 : Get a room

🎺Robin 🎺 : Would if I could

Eddie likes her already.

That afternoon when Steve joins them outside, Chrissy sends the text and Robin gives him a thumbs up that she’s ready to go. She says something to Steve, who makes a confused face and turns his full attention to Eddie. Robin introduces the song with her trumpet and Eddie takes a deep breath. He feels nervous for the first time in a long time. It’s so fucking lame. But he channels all the bravado of Old Blue Eyes and starts to sing.

How glad the many millions of Annabelles and Lillians

Would be to capture me

But you had such persistence, you wore down my resistance 

I fell and it was swell

From across the street, Eddie can see Steve’s face going all soft. He leans onto the railing and gives Eddie the brightest smile.

I’m your big and brave and handsome Romeo

How I won you, I shall never, never know

It’s not that your attractive, but oh my heart grew active

When you came into view

Robin comes back in to assist him during the next part and Steve’s face lights up even more.

I’ve got a crush on you, sweetie pie

All the day and nighttime, hear me sigh

I never had the least notion

That I could fall with so much emotion

Could you coo, could you care

For a cunning cottage we could share

The world will pardon my mush

Cause I have got a crush, my baby on you

Chapter Text

“I really wish I could take you on a date.”

Eddie is practically giggling and kicking his feet. He’s been talking to Steve for over a week now, every fucking day, and getting more and more enamored with the guy. He’s so sweet. And funny. And a little bitchy. And goddamnit, is he a fucking tease. They’ve been sending each other thirsty pictures to jerk off to, but nothing too revealing. They brought up the topic of phone sex again, and agreed that while it would be fun, they liked the idea of still having some mystery there. As much as Eddie wants to see what Steve’s hiding under those tiny shorts, he’d much rather wait to see it in person. 

If that can ever happen.

“Yeah, me too. Where would you take me? If we could go somewhere?”

“Hmm…maybe the aquarium? I’d hold your hand the whole time let you talk my ear off about all the creatures you’ve learned about from those documentaries you guys watch all the time. Then after…take you to an Italian restaurant so we can fuck up some noodles. Go to a cute bar or something for a cocktail. Then I’d take you home with me.”

Eddie has to hide his face, he knows his cheeks are flushed and he’s got that big stupid grin that Chrissy always makes fun of him for now. He loves that Steve doesn’t just listen to him when he tells him things about himself. He retains it. Stores it away so he can pull it out later and go oh hey, I know you like this, I remembered. It means everything.

“You really know how to charm a guy, don’t you?”

“Well, you’re the only guy I want to charm. Fuck, I hate that we can’t actually see each other. This blows.”

“What if we did?”

“Did what?”

“Saw each other. Went on a date. I’ve been thinking about it…if we all quarantined for a couple weeks, made sure we’re all good…we could probably do that, right?”

Steve is quiet for a moment as he thinks. “Maybe? Hold on, let me ask Robin. She’s the brains of the operation.”

While Steve grabs his phone and gets up to find his roommate, Eddie goes in search of his. To no one’s surprise, they both find their better halves on their phones with each other. Chrissy is sprawled out on the couch and giggling. 

“Hey Chris. Steve was gonna ask Robin about something. C’mon, we’re having a quick 4 way.”

“Ew, you’re so fucking gross!” Robin shrieks.

“4 way FaceTime, Robbie,” Steve tells her. “Eddie had an idea and you have most of the brain we share, so we need your input.”

“What’s the idea?” she asks.

Eddie leans over Chrissy so he can get his face in the frame on her phone. “If we all were to totally quarantine for two solid weeks, make sure none of us are sick or anything…what would you think about doing a date night? Actually meeting in person?”

Chrissy gasps beside him and he grins at her. 

“Huh,” Robin says. “That…could actually work. Steve and I have been fine so far, we really only leave to go grocery shopping.”

“Same.”

“So yeah. I think we should do it! But what are we going to do, exactly? It’s not like the usual date spots are open.”

“I’m way ahead of you Birdie,” Eddie tells her. “Does your apartment have roof access?”

“Yeah…”

“So does ours. It won’t be much, but we could do a rooftop date. Chrissy could come by you, and Stevie, you can come here. What do you think?”

“Yes!” He doesn’t even hesitate to reply and Eddie’s heart flutters.

“That settles it. When was the last time you guys left the apartment?”

“We just did a grocery run three days ago,” Steve tells them.

“Ok, cool. Ours was before that, and we should be set for a while. So…eleven days? If everyone is in the clear, we’ll have a date night.”

Chrissy squeals next to him and grips her phone with both hands. “Babe, oh my god, I’ll finally get to see you! I’m gonna kiss your face so fucking hard!”

“UGH me too! I can’t wait to get my hands on you!”

“Hey, no fucking on the roof,” Eddie scolds.

“You’re not the boss of me,” Robin grumbles.

So, the countdown begins. And in that time, Eddie prepares. He took a page out of Chrissy’s book and started writing down all of his Steve Nuggets. The notes app on his phone is full of all his likes and dislikes, and Eddie’s going to use them to craft the perfect date for them. He’s pretty sure he went overboard, but he feels like this date is a really big deal. Not only because it’s the first one he’s had in months, but because it’s Steve.

Eddie is a little obsessed. 

After eleven days of balcony concerts, late night FaceTiming, Netflix watch parties, cooking together via Zoom, and a very spirited group chat, the day finally arrives. Chrissy helps him gather his supplies and set them up on the roof. They make a pan of enchiladas that they decide in half, along with a fresh batch of guac that they split up. Eddie whips up two pitchers of drinks, and sends Chrissy off with her half of their date dinner and a kiss on the cheek for luck.

They brought their table and chairs from the balcony up onto the roof that's been decorated with strings of lights and candles. He’s got his hair tied up the way Steve likes, and he’s wearing black skinny jeans (which feel weird as hell after living in sweatpants for months), and a dark gray button up that’s just sheer enough to see a hint of his tattoos. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, showing off what Steve refers to as his “slutty forearms.”

Eddie is putting the finishing touches on the table, set with two plates, silverware, glasses, napkins, candles, chips and guac, and a small vase with bright yellow flowers when he hears footsteps. He had texted Steve the code to get into their building and instructed him to take the stairs to the top floor where the door to the roof would be propped open. His breath catches in his throat when he hears a shuffle of feet and a soft, “Oh my god.”

Eddie’s face breaks out into a smile and he turns on his heel and finally lays eyes on Steve. In the flesh. Not through his phone screen or laptop. He’s a fucking vision in dark wash jeans and a tight, dark red t-shirt, and Eddie has to actually fight tears from welling up in his eyes.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

Steve’s smile is like the fucking sun. Bright and warm and giving life to all the feelings that have been growing in Eddie’s chest. It’s taking everything in him to keep himself rooted to the spot and not close the distance between them and kiss the man senseless.

“Eddie, this is…you did all of this for me?” Steve sounds disbelieving, like he couldn’t fathom anyone making an effort like this. And that just won’t do.

“Of course I did,” Eddie tells him. “Been planning it for the longest eleven days of my life, Stevie. I wanted everything to be perfect for you.”

Steve drops the tote bag he was carrying, and in a few quick strides, he’s right in Eddie’s space. He can smell the mint on Steve’s breath, and the intoxicating fragrance of his cologne. Something sweet and woodsy. Eddie doesn’t even get a moment to try to decipher the different notes of it before Steve is cradling his face and leaning in.

Eddie’s eyes slip closed the moment their lips meet. He was hoping the night would end with this, so he’s beyond excited to have it start this way. Steve’s lips are so soft against his and Eddie melts into it, tilting his head and getting his hands on Steve’s hips. His entire body feels like a live wire as Steve sucks Eddie’s bottom lip into his mouth.

It all ends too soon when Steve pulls back and rests his forehead against Eddie’s.

“God, I’ve been dying to do that,” Steve whispers. “Thank you. For all of this.”

Eddie gives his hips a squeeze, and steals one more quick kiss. Fuck, he just might try to do that all night. “You deserve it, angel. Come on, take a seat. Dinner’s all ready for you.”

Steve smiles and settles on one of the chairs, immediately dipping a chip into the guac. He takes a bite and moans, and Eddie is struggling.

“Oh my god, that’s so good.”

Scratch that, Eddie is dying inside. “I’m glad you like it, Stevie. Hopefully….you’ll like this even more.”

Eddie turns to the little table he set up to the side and lifts the foil off of the baking dish revealing half a steaming pan of enchiladas.

“Shut the fuck up! Those are my favorite!” 

Eddie just winks at him. He knows. There’s not a thing Steve likes that Eddie has forgotten. He dishes up their dinner, making sure to fill Steve’s plate first, and pours them each a glass of the Palomas he made earlier, smiling softly at Steve when he says, “You remembered my drink order.”

“Of course I did, sweetheart. What kind of part time bartender would I be if I forgot?”

Steve has the softest blush on his cheeks when he smiles. Eddie wants to eat him. “This is amazing, Eds. Thank you so much for doing all of this.”

“Don’t thank me, Stevie. Just enjoy.” Eddie picks up his drink and holds it out. Steve grabs his and they clink glasses before taking a sip. Dinner goes well, conversation flows like they’ve known each other for a lifetime, and Steve won’t stop raving about the enchiladas. It all feels so natural. They’ve really only known each other for a few weeks, but it doesn’t seem to matter. They click.

After dinner, Eddie gets up out of his seat and holds out his hand. “Now, my darling. On to the next part of our date.”

Steve looks at him skeptically, but takes his hand and stands. “Got some tricks up your sleeve, Munson?”

“A few,” Eddie says with a wink.

He leads Steve over to another part of the roof, out of view of the open doorway, to the side of the building where the sun is setting. The sky is darkening, and on the horizon are fading shades of orange, pink, and purple. His timing could not have been more perfect.

“Eddie, what did you do?!”

“Well, I promised you a date, Stevie. I had to go with the classic. Dinner and a movie.” He gestures broadly over the scene in front of them. Comforters layered on the ground, a pile of pillows, a projector, and a movie screen. 

Steve’s eyebrows are in his hair as he takes it all in. “This is…more than anyone has ever done for me.”

Eddie pulls him close by the hand and he realizes with a weird thrill that he’s just a little bit taller. “Like I said, Stevie. You deserve it.” Who can blame him for stealing another kiss? “I even have your favorite snack.”

“You didn’t,” Steve says with a grin.

Eddie leads him over to the makeshift bed he has set up and from behind one of the pillows, he pulls out a bag of Frito Twists. “Oh, I did.”

Steve barks out a laugh and squeezes Eddie’s hand. “Oh my god, I totally forgot! I have something for you, too! Wait here!”

He scampers off to get what Eddie presumes is the tote bag he dropped when he arrived, and Eddie gets the projector up and running. There’s already a DVD inside and the screen lights up with the disc menu. He looks up at the sound of Steve’s footsteps and can’t help but smile at just the sight of this man. 

“Ok, so I had no idea you would be setting up a movie night, so it’s just kind of dumb luck that I brought this.” Steve pulls out a huge bag of popcorn and sets it down on the blankets as he takes a seat and continues to ramble while removing containers from the bag. “And then I thought since you guys were cooking dinner, Robbie and I could make dessert, and she wanted to do like a pie or something? But neither of us are good at making crusts, and then I remembered that your favorite cookie is chocolate chip, so I dug up my grandma’s old recipe, and - oh my god is that Dirty Dancing?!”

Eddie can’t help but be endeared. Clearly some of Robin’s nervous chatter has rubbed off on Steve over the years and it’s cute as hell. 

“Yeah, I thought it might be fun to watch one of your favorite movies. And uh…any reason why you’re talking a mile a minute right now?”

Steve sighs and rubs his face as Eddie takes a seat next to him. “Sorry. It’s just that you made this amazing dinner, and set up this perfect date, and it’s so fucking romantic and I did what? Brought you popcorn and cookies?”

“I love popcorn and cookies. And I love that you remembered the things I like. You’re so fucking sweet it’s giving me a goddamn toothache.”

Steve rolls his eyes but can’t fight the smile on his face. “You’re such a dork. We gonna start this movie, or what?”

Eddie grabs the remote and hits play, and they settle back into the pillows with his arm around Steve’s shoulder. They get the snacks opened up and Eddie tosses popcorn into his mouth while Steve crunches away on his addictive little twists. They’re only about fifteen minutes into the movie when Eddie’s restraint goes out the window and he grabs a container of cookies that are resting next to Steve’s legs, taunting him.

“I can’t believe you lasted this long,” Steve laughs.

“Hey, I’ll have you know that I have incredible self control!”

Steve just smirks at him before turning his gaze back to the screen. “We’ll see about that.”

Eddie tries to scowl as he takes a bite of the soft cookie and ends up moaning instead. “Oh fuck, these are good. Thank you Steve’s grandma!”

“I think you mean, thank you Steve. I was the one who baked them!”

Eddie finishes the rest of his cookie in one bite and kisses Steve’s cheek, leaving a few crumbs behind. “Thank you Steve,” he mumbles through a mouthful of sugar and chocolate.

Steve wipes his cheek and shakes his head. “You’re an animal, I swear.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I would, actually,” Steve says with a grin.

Eddie sighs and grabs another cookie. “Behave, Stevie. No fucking on the roof.”

Steve grabs a cookie of his own and Eddie swears he hears him whisper, “You’re not the boss of me.” God, he’s like Robin’s twin. It’s ridiculous. Eddie loves it.

They settle back into the pillows with their snacks and continue the movie. Eddie hasn’t seen this in years. It weirdly didn’t end up in the rotation of movies he’s been watching with Chrissy since lockdown started. Fuck, was the soundtrack always this fucking good? He doesn’t even realize he’s been singing along until Steve joins him .

You’re mine tonight

Now I’ve got you in my sights 

With these hungry eyes

One look at you and I can’t disguise

I’ve got hungry eyes

I feel the magic between you and I

He stops the second he feels Steve’s hand on his thigh. It’s big and warm and heavy, and Eddie ideally would like to feel it everywhere. He mentally repeats the mantra, no fucking on the roof.

Placing a kiss to the head resting on his shoulder, Eddie murmurs a quiet, “Behave.”

Steve’s shoulders shake as he giggles and squeezes Eddie’s leg. “I’d apologize, but I’m not sorry.”

“You’re a menace.”

As the movie continues, Steve aimlessly trails his fingers around Eddie’s thigh. Even with the denim between his fingertips and Eddie’s skin, the touch is electric and so, so distracting. But not as distracting as the feeling of Steve’s lips on the left side of his neck. Eddie closes his eyes and tries to control himself. No fucking on the roof. No fucking on the roof. No fucking on the roof.

They could make out though, right?

Eddie shifts his body to turn towards Steve and cups his face in his hand. The light from the screen is sparkling in his eyes and his lips looks so fucking inviting. He nuzzles Steve’s nose with his own before closing the distance and gently kissing him. Yeah, they can absolutely do this.

Steve melts into it and turns to lay on his side, slipping his other hand around Eddie’s waist. He lets out the sweetest little sound as Eddie sucks on his bottom lip and teases it with his teeth. His mouth opens with a sigh and Eddie takes it as an invitation, flicking his tongue out and getting a taste of Steve’s own. Salt and chocolate and a hint of the sweetness from their cocktails. He’s fucking delicious.

Eddie laps into his mouth and slides his hand up into Steve’s hair. He’s dreamt about pulling on these gorgeous locks and his head feels lighter than air as he finally gets to do it. The moan Steve lets out goes right to his dick. 

The movie plays on unwatched as they lick into each other’s mouths, suck on each other’s tongues, bite each other’s lips, and hands start to roam. Eddie rolls them so he’s half on top of Steve, their legs slotted together, kissing him deep and dirty while he grasps at the man’s chest and biceps and waist and hips. Steve’s hands are just as curious, tugging Eddie’s hair that’s starting to slip out of the bun tied at the back of his head, running up and down his back, kneading the muscles in his ass.

God, it’s so fucking good. And the sounds Steve is making…Eddie might cum in his pants if he’s not careful.

Steve’s hands glide up his sides, onto his chest, and Eddie can feel him fiddling with the top button of his shirt. Breaking the kiss and trailing his lips down Steve’s neck, Eddie can’t help but nibble at the moles he finds there. “Stevie…god, you’re so fucking sexy. Wanna eat you alive.”

“Eddie…baby, that feels so good. Can I…Can I take this off?”

His composure is hanging on by a thread. He lifts his head and the look of pure want on Steve’s face has that thread thinning more and more by the second. “I want you so bad, honey. So bad. As much as I’d love to throw the no fucking on the roof rule out the window, I’d really prefer to do that in a proper bed.”

“Me too, fuck . We don’t uh…we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I just really want to feel you. See more of you.”

Eddie Munson is a weak, weak man. He groans and nods his head, getting his lips back on Steve’s. The cooling air of the summer evening makes his nipples harden as Steve works one button open at a time, exposing more and more of his skin. When the final button is undone, Steve’s hands are hot on his bare stomach. They trail up his ribs and chest and shoulders, where he pushes the thin material off. Eddie shucks it the rest of the way and tosses the shirt aside.

Steve breaks the kiss and his eyes dart down to the ink on Eddie’s skin. Mythical creatures, vines, Tolkien passages. They’re kind of a mess and aren’t arranged in any sort of artistic order, but he loves them. Steve seems to be pretty fond of them as well.

“Fuck, look at you. I knew you had a lot more hiding under those old band shirts.”

Eddie smirks and teases his fingers under the hem of Steve’s tee. “And what’s hiding under yours, sweetheart?”

Without a word, Steve reaches down and pulls the dark red shirt up and over his head. Eddie’s brain just kind of shuts down for a moment. When it reboots, his hand is skimming up the hair on Steve’s toned stomach, following it up to the patch that covers most of his chest. It’s softer than it looks. And Steve’s muscles are even better up close. Eddie wants to use him like a chew toy.

“God damn, Stevie. You’re fucking gorgeous.”

Steve gets a hand back in Eddie’s hair and pulls him down, plunging his tongue into Eddie’s mouth with a groan. Their bodies are pressed together and Eddie can’t fucking believe that he finally gets to feel Steve’s skin against his own. He’s warm and firm, and his skin is so soft. 

Eddie can’t help rolling his hips as the kiss gets more urgent. Steve moans right into his mouth, and there’s no mistaking the hard line of the man’s cock against his own. The cock he’s fantasized about, drooled over, jerked himself off to. It’s so close.

Steve grabs his ass with both hands and grinds them together and Eddie seriously might cum in his pants, this is too fucking hot. He kisses back down Steve’s neck, sucks a mark onto his collarbone, and flicks his tongue over a hard nipple. Steve gasps at the feeling and arches his back.

Eddie can’t fucking take it. They can just…fool around a little bit, right?

“Stevie…baby,” he mutters into that gorgeous pelt on his chest. “Wanna get my mouth on you. Can I suck your cock, honey?”

Steve makes a sound that’s somewhere between a moan and fully on sobbing. “Please! Oh my god, Eddie. Please touch me.”

Eddie scoots down, kissing his way over the taught muscles of Steve’s stomach and pops the button on his jeans. In the dim lighting of the movie screen, he can see the outline of his cock and Eddie salivates at the sight. As he slowly drags the zipper down, he kisses along the bulge trapped in Steve’s pants, smiling to himself when he feels it twitch. He tucks his fingers under the waistband of Steve’s boxer briefs and works them down over his hips along with his jeans. 

All the breath he has leaves his lungs at the first glimpse of Steve’s cock. He’s fucking huge. Eddie knew he would be big, but Jesus. Up close and personal like this…it’s like nothing he’s ever seen before. 

Eddie leans in and gives an open mouthed kiss to the base. His mind flashes back to a conversation they had last week about how Steve read that plain avocado tastes like clean dick, and he has to stop himself from giggling as he realizes it’s absolutely true. He snaps back into the moment when he hears Steve let out a content sigh, like he’s been waiting all day for this. 

He’s a little rusty since he hasn’t been with anyone in months, but muscle memory takes over as Eddie’s tongue drags up the thick shaft and flicks over Steve’s frenulum. He’s sucked a lot of dick over the years, really loves doing it, but this is by far the biggest one he’s had the pleasure of taking into his mouth. And Eddie’s never been one to walk away from a challenge.

He takes Steve’s impossible length in hand, lifting it off of his hip. He wraps his lips around the head of Steve’s cock and swirls his tongue around the smooth skin. The salty taste of precum explodes in his mouth and he groans, sinking down and committing the feel of him to memory. He bobs up and down a few times, going dizzy with the taste of this gorgeous man. 

“Eddie…oh my god. So good, baby.”

Good? Eddie can do better than good. He pulls off and looks Steve in the eyes as he spits on the head of his cock, earning a shocked moan and breathy fuck yeah. He spits again and glides his hand up, gathering the warm saliva and precum and stroking back down. He gets back to work, practically unhinging his jaw to take Steve as far back as his throat will allow. He works his hand in tandem with his mouth, stroking the last several inches his throat can’t accommodate. 

Steve is laid out on the blankets, squirming and gasping and digging his fingers into Eddie’s hair. “Shit! Oh my god! Eddie, your mouth! Oh, fuck!”

That’s better. Eddie hums his approval and speeds up, practically choking himself and twisting his fist with every stroke. His other hand comes up to cup Steve’s balls, already drawing up tight. He’s fucking close. 

“Baby! I’m close! Where do you…where should I…”

Eddie hasn’t admitted this to Steve yet, but he’s kind of a cumslut. It’s not for everyone. He knows that. But there's something about taking a load in his mouth that’s just so fucking satisfying. So goddamn hot. He hollows his cheeks and sucks hard, gently squeezing Steve’s balls and wordlessly telling him do it. Cum in my mouth.

“Fuck! Oh fuck! Eddie!”

The hold on his hair tightens and Steve cries out as his orgasm makes his whole body quake. Eddie stills his movements, taking Steve as deep as he can and working his tongue up and down the shaft of his cock as it kicks in his mouth. The heady taste of him fills Eddie’s senses and he nearly cums in his pants as he swallows it down.

Steve’s body goes limp when the last pulse of his cock comes to an end and his hands leave Eddie’s hair, flopping down on the blankets below them. Eddie slowly lifts his head, licking every last trace of Steve’s release off of his softening dick. He kisses his way back up Steve’s body and burrows into his neck with a sigh.

“That was so hot, Stevie. You’re so fucking sexy I can’t stand it.”

“Me? You’re the sexy one,” Steve slurs. Jesus, he sounds drunk. 

“Can I kiss you?” Eddie asks. A surprising amount of guys don’t really want to make out with him after swallowing their cum. Fucking stupid.

Steve doesn’t answer. He just scoots and rolls to his side, smoothing back the hairs that came loose from Eddie’s bun and kissing him softly. To Eddie’s surprise, Steve opens his mouth and dives right in, licking the taste of himself off of Eddie’s tongue. 

Before he knows it, Eddie’s being pushed onto his back and Steve latching his mouth to his neck. Eddie shivers and hopes to hell that Steve is leaving a mess of marks on his skin. He works his way down, licking and kissing all the tattoos he finds. Despite just sucking Steve’s dick not that long ago, Eddie can’t believe this is happening. He’s got the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen worshipping his body like he’s worth it.

What a fucking thought.

“You’re so hard, baby. Must be aching in these tight fucking jeans, huh?” Steve sounds a little condescending and it is absolutely doing things for him. He drags his hand down Eddie’s stomach and palms his dick through his pants. Eddie hisses at the contact and fists the blankets below him.

“Almost came in my pants when you blew your load. So fucking hot, Stevie.”

“Let me return the favor?”

Eddie nods and moves to unfasten the handcuff belt buckle he stupidly decided to put on. Once it’s freed, Steve brushes his hands away and hurries to open his jeans. He starts to pull Eddie’s pants and boxer briefs down and freezes when his eyes land on more ink. Steve can’t see it now, but there’s a bat tattooed on his lower back and the wings wrap around and end at the V on Eddie’s hips. Fuck me muscles, some guy called it before. 

“Holy shit. Fucking told you you’re the sexy one here.”

Steve kisses along one of the tattoos, moving across his lower stomach and the trail of hair leading down, to the other side. He bites Eddie’s hip and finally works his pants and underwear down enough to free his leaking cock. 

He wastes no time. Steve wraps his big hand around Eddie’s dick and gives it a couple strokes before he opens his mouth and laps at the head. Fuck, it’s so warm and wet. Eddie hasn’t had anyone touch him for a while, and after getting so turned on giving Steve a blow job, he knows this is going to be over a lot sooner than he’d like. 

The inside of Steve’s mouth is heaven. Eddie lays his head back in the pillows, letting out a long, low groan as he feels Steve slowly sink down. His hands join in, stroking in time with his mouth, and playing with Eddie’s heavy balls. Christ, he could die happy right now.

“Stevie…feels fucking amazing, sweetheart. So good for me, honey.”

Steve hums and the vibrations go right to the root of his dick. He picks up his pace and Eddie can feel himself getting closer and closer to the edge. He looks down at this beautiful man with a mouthful of cock and brushes his hair off his sweaty forehead. How the fuck did Eddie get this lucky?

“Getting close, Stevie. You don’t have to…you can just jerk me off if you want.”

He pops off and continues to stroke Eddie as he takes gasping breaths. “Want you to cum in my mouth. I wanna taste you, baby.”

Eddie nearly cums at just that. He lets out a truly pathetic noise and Steve grins, dropping down to suck Eddie’s cock back into his mouth. The feel of his tongue, the grip of his hand, the sight of him taking it to the back of this throat on the downstroke…it’s too much.

“Fuck, Stevie, just like that. Just like that!”

Steve adjusts his hold on Eddie’s balls and presses a thumb into his taint. Eddie cups the back of Steve’s head with both hands and curls in on himself as the tension snaps and he cums with a shout. Steve’s eyes flutter closed and Eddie trembles as he feels that glorious tongue working up and down his shaft as he unloads into Steve’s mouth. Jesus, it’s better than his wettest dreams. 

Finally spent and feeling absolutely wrung out, Eddie collapses back into the pillows and starfishes out on the blankets below him. Above, what stars can be seen through the city’s light pollution wink down at him. He feels like he’s floating. 

Steve licks him clean with a pleased hum and crawls back up Eddie’s limp body. He settles down half on the blankets and half on Eddie’s flushed chest, kissing his neck and letting out a content sigh.

“Was that ok?”

Eddie scoffs. “Ok? Baby, that was incredible.”

They cuddle up and kiss each other lazily in the afterglow. Shirtless, pants still shoved down under their asses, hands roaming without intent, just looking to touch. Even the feel of their soft dicks squished together feels nice. Eddie feels so comfortable. Content. Like this is always how it should be.

Steve kisses over his cheek and burrows into the crook of Eddie’s neck. With a heavy sigh he whispers, “I wish I could stay here all night.”

“Me too. I’m not gonna want to let you go anytime soon.”

“So don’t,” Steve tells him. “Let’s just stay here. As long as we can.”

They hold each other and kiss and cuddle and talk and laugh until Eddie can start to see the other side of the sky turn a shade lighter. With dawn approaching, they figure it’s probably time to end their date. Steve buttons Eddie’s shirt for him and helps him fold up the blankets. They stack their dirty dishes that they completely forgot about and Eddie walks him down the stairs to the elevator. He’ll go back and clean everything up properly later, after he gets a few hours of sleep.

The elevator dings and the doors slide open. Steve looks at them with disdain and Eddie can’t help but chuckle, pulling him in for one last kiss. 

“Goodnight, Stevie.”

“Goodnight, Eds. This was the best date. Thank you.” He kisses Eddie’s cheek and steps inside, pressing the button for the first floor. “Call me later?”

“Of course,” Eddie nods. “We have another date we need to plan.”

The smile on Steve’s face is the last thing he sees before the doors close. This really was the best fucking date. He can’t wait for more.

Chapter Text

“Is your person a werewolf?”

“Nope!” Robin declares from her side of the laptop screen.

“Damnit.” Eddie flips down Tyler and Mason Lockwood, and Hayley Marshall on his customized Guess Who board. He ordered a new set and printed out photos of pretty much the entire cast of The Vampire Diaries when he and Chrissy learned about Robin and Steve’s shared love of the show. They started binging it together from season one. Eddie got the idea to swap out the original pictures on the boards with all their favorite characters, and dropped the blue one off outside their apartment. 

“Does your person have a doppelganger?”

“They do not.”

Robin curses and flips down presumably Stefen and Elena.

Eddie looks over his board and taps his chin with his finger. “Is your person…an original vampire?”

“Oh fuck you, Munson!”

Eddie cackles as he flips down everyone but the Mikaelson family. 

“Ok, ok…” Robin shakes out her hands as she looks over her characters. “Does your person…have witchy powers?”

Son of a bitch. “Yes.”

Robin whoops and flips down all but Bonnie, Jo, and Kai.

“Alright smartass. Is your person…a hybrid?”

“Fuck!”

Eddie pumps his fist and howls “Klaus Mikaelson, motherfucker!”

“You rigged this game, I swear!”

“How could I rig Guess Who?!”

“I did it when I was a kid!”

“How the fuck did you that?”

“I rearranged the characters on the board so they were a mirror image to the other board. That way when my opponent flipped down their own character at the start of the game, I already knew exactly who it was.”

Eddie just blinks at her in disbelief. “That is diabolical.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, clearly I wasn’t smart enough to do the same, so your losses are your fault and yours alone. Wanna go again?”

“Nah, Dingus wants to steal you back soon I’m sure. He’s been in the bathroom talking to Chrissy for like an hour about hair care products, I’m sure he’s gonna be done any minute.”

“I fucking love that they bonded over that shit.”

“So gay.”

“SO gay. Speaking of which, what do you have planned for your next date with my soulmate?”

“That’s for me to know and you to dot dot dot.”

“Ok Damon,” Eddie chuckles. “Just stay out of my room, I don’t want your cooties in there.”

Their first dates went so well that they immediately planned another two week quarantine so they could do it again. This time they’re saying fuck the roof and planning dates for in their apartments. Tomorrow Robin is coming over and Eddie is going to their place. He’s so fucking excited.

“I should say the same to you! You give off snooping vibes, stay out of my shit!”

She’s not wrong. “I make no promises.”

Robin is about to snap back at him when the screen jostles and Steve’s face appears. “Hey baby!”

“Stevie! I kicked Robin’s ass in Guess Who!”

“Nice! Ow, damnit Rob!”

“You’re supposed to be on my side, dingus!” Robin shouts as Steve walks away.

“How was your little chat with Chris?”

“Good! She really knows her shit, my Amazon cart is fucking full of new products to try.”

“Is that seriously all you talked about?”

Steve gives him this little smile that just oozes trouble. “Nooo…we might have polished our plans for tomorrow night.”

“You’re not telling me anything, are you?”

“Nope. Just be here by 6, comfy clothes only. We’re taking care of the rest.”

“You two are up to something.”

Steve just winks at him.

The next day Eddie is on pins and needles. He takes the longest shower ever, manscaping and making sure he’s clean as a fucking whistle. They haven’t stated it explicitly, but the implication is there that since they’re going to be in Steve’s apartment, where Steve’s bed lives, that they’re probably going to end up fucking tonight.

He shaves and moisturizes, trims and files his nails, does his haircare routine Chrissy taught him, and slips into his vintage Sabbath shirt and gray sweatpants. Just before 6:00, he’s stepping into his worn out Reeboks when Chrissy corners him and thrusts a backpack into his hands. 

“What’s this for?” he asks.

“Your date night, dummy. Don’t peek! Just get out of here and thank me later.”

He gives Chrissy a shifty look and plants a kiss on her cheek before slipping a mask on and heading out the door. Eddie makes his way to the first floor and steps outside, smiling to himself when he sees a masked-up Robin coming out of her building. When their paths cross as they make their way to their destinations, they just wordlessly high five each other. Eddie can’t help but notice she’s got a backpack as well. 

He gets into the building and up to Steve’s floor, and the man himself is hanging out of his apartment door with the biggest grin on his face. Eddie hustles down the hallway, pulls his mask off, and immediately gets his lips on Steve’s. He pushes Steve through the doorway without breaking the kiss and kicks it closed, dropping his bag and wrapping his arms around the man. It’s only been two weeks since he’s seen him, but Eddie feels like it’s simultaneously been a day, and ten years.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he whispers into Steve’s lips.

“Missed you too.” Steve kisses him again and pulls back. “Come on. Let me give you the grand tour.”

Their apartment layout isn’t all that different from Eddie and Chrissy’s. It’s like another world though with how there are touches of Steve and Robin all over the place. Their furniture is eclectic and colorful and weird, something he thinks Robin definitely picked out from thrift stores. There’s a big flatscreen on the wall that he just knows Steve insisted on to watch his sportsball games. The kitchen has mismatched dishes drying in the rack on the counter (Robin) and everything is beautifully organized (Steve). He only gets a peek of Robin’s room as Steve leads him down the hall and into his room. 

The walls are the standard apartment rental white, but he’s got dark blue blackout curtains on the windows that Eddie thinks probably help a lot with the migraines Steve sometimes gets. The bed is a queen with matching dark blue sheets and pillows, a fluffy burgundy comforter, and what looks like a hand knit yellow blanket folded up at the bottom. There’s some artwork on the walls that Steve told him one of his kids made, Will he thinks. And a bulletin board pinned with tons of pictures of him and Robin and his whole adopted family from Hawkins.

The room smells like him too. Eddie never wants to leave.

Steve pulls the backpack off of Eddie’s shoulder and tosses it on his bed, then turns to him and starts pushing him out the door.

“You gonna clue me in on what’s in there, sweetheart?”

“Later,” Steve tells him. “I’ve got plans for you first.”

They head back out into the living room and Steve guides him to sit on the very fucking comfortable couch that’s loaded with random pillows and another knit blanket draped on the back. There are already two cold bottles of beer waiting for them on the coffee table next to a couple of Wii controllers and-

“Holy shit, Stevie! LEGO Lord of the Rings?!”

Steve laughs and flops down on the couch next to him. “Yeah, I had a feeling you might like it. Dustin and Mike suggested it, actually.”

“You…told your kids about me?” Eddie’s heart is doing some fucking gymnastics right now.

“Yeah,” he chuckles. “They were pretty excited to hear that I was dating a nerd.”

The way he says that. Dating. It doesn’t sound fucking casual at all. There’s really nothing casual about telling your family about someone you’re just hoping to sleep with. Eddie has had no intention of making this a one-and-done hookup situation, obviously, but there’s something about having the confirmation that Steve is in this just as much that makes him fucking melt.

Eddie doesn’t even get a chance to reply when there's a loud knock. 

“That would be our dinner,” Steve tells him as he gets up off the couch and slips a mask on. He opens the door and exchanges a quick and quiet greeting to whoever is in the hallway, and when the door closes again, he’s holding a large brown paper bag.

“Uber Eats?” Eddie asks.

“Better.” Steve takes the mask off and sets the bag down on the coffee table with a grin. He starts pulling out containers of food and it smells fucking incredible. Taking a seat, he opens them one by one revealing two orders of fries, two orders of onion rings, and two burgers. 

“Wait. I know those burgers.” 

Eddie grabs one and takes a bite. He fucking transcends. It’s so goddamn good. He quickly chews and swallows and then turns to Steve with tears in his eyes. “How the fuck did you get Benny’s burgers?”

“Chrissy worked some magic. He said it was the least he could do to repay you and Robin for all the concerts.”

Eddie sets the burger back down in the box, wipes his hands on a napkin, and grabs Steve’s face “You beautiful, perfect, tricky son of a bitch.”

Kissing Steve is even more delicious than their dinner. 

When their bellies are filled and every last bite is eaten, they lounge back into the couch and start their LEGO adventure. Steve is admittedly terrible at it, but he tries and laughs at himself the entire time, insisting that he’s much better at Sports Resort. Shocker.

They’ve been playing for about an hour when Steve asks if he’s ready for dessert, and runs to the kitchen. He comes back with two pints of ice cream and two spoons, lights a few candles, and clicks off the lamps. Settling back on the couch, he hands Eddie and pint and a spoon.

“Ooh, Stevie…you spoil me.” Cookie Dough. His favorite.

“Well, you deserve it. Especially after the date you planned last time, it was perfect.”

“So is this, sweetheart.” Eddie hums as he takes his first bite and gestures at the tv with his spoon. “You wanna watch a movie or something?”

Steve nods around his spoonful of Rocky Road. “Yeah, I got one ready to go for us.” He picks up a couple remotes, switches inputs, and Eddie gasps when he sees the DVD menu.

“Stevie, you have outdone yourself!” Eddie snuggles further into the couch as Steve starts the movie and mutters the chant to himself as the opening credits play. “Now is the time, this is the hour, ours is the magic, ours is the power.”

Steve giggles next to him and shakes his head. “Exactly how many times have you watched The Craft?”

“Mind your business.”

They cuddle close and share bites of ice cream, kissing the taste out of each other's mouths, as teenage witches wreak havoc on the school and each other. They actually manage to watch most of the movie before the kisses get deeper and hands roam. 

Eddie is on his back, with Steve lying on top of him between his spread legs, and hands tangled in his silky hair. Fuck, his tongue is so soft and he tastes like a combination of the ice cream they shared, and something distinctly Steve. Eddie moans into his mouth as Steve’s big hand grips his thigh and he rocks their hips together. They’re both hard as nails and Eddie can feel the damp spot on his sweatpants where his dick is leaking.

“Stevie,” he gasps. “Feels so good, baby.”

“Yeah?” Steve kisses his way across Eddie’s jaw as he continues to slide their clothed dicks together. “You wanna move this to the bedroom?”

Eddie groans and tips his head back. “Fuck yeah.”

Steve gives him one more kiss before lifting himself up and pulling Eddie off the couch. They make it to the bedroom with their tongues in each other’s mouths, only knocking over the coatrack and tripping over some shoes along the way. As soon as they’re inside, Steve wraps one arm around Eddie’s waist, grabs the back of his thigh with the other, and fully fucking lifts him off the ground.

Eddie lets out this surprised squeak, wrapping his legs around Steve and holding on tight around his broad shoulders. God, he’s never been picked up like this before. He has a fleeting thought that maybe he should have been hooking up with gym bros more often, and quickly throws it out the window. He’s glad Steve is the first, and hopefully only, guy to ever carry him around like this.

Steve walks them to the side of the bed, and gently lays Eddie down like he’s something precious, continuing to lick into his mouth while running those big hands up and down Eddie’s thighs. Grabbing a handful of Steve’s hair, he gently tugs to break the kiss.

“Clothes off. Now.”

“Fuck.”  

Steve sits up and pulls his shirt off, tossing it aside and then reaching for Eddie’s. Chests bared, they both scramble to shed their sweatpants, and within seconds, Steve is settling again between Eddie’s legs. The feel of Steve’s warm chest against his, their stomachs pressed together, their hard cocks touching…Eddie goes fucking dizzy with anticipation.

“Baby,” Steve’s breath ghosts across his lips as he pants over him. “What do you want? Tell me what you want.”

“You. Want you to open me up. Want you inside me.”

Steve makes a pained sound and drops his head to Eddie’s shoulder before sitting back up and twisting to dig in his nightstand. He turns back with a bottle of lube in hand and quickly opens it, pouring some onto his fingers. Eddie spreads his legs wider, inviting Steve in.

As the first finger slowly sinks inside, Steve leans down and braces himself on his forearm, sealing their mouths back together in a bruising kiss. Eddie gets his hands back in that hair, holding Steve tight as his finger slowly works in and out. He whines into Steve’s mouth when a second one eases in and stretches him further. 

Eddie’s whole body is flushing hot as Steve works him open, pumping and scissoring his fingers, barely grazing his prostate and driving him fucking insane with need. He starts to rock his hips, meeting the thrust of Steve’s fingers and making an impatient sound as he sucks on the man’s bottom lip.

“Ready for another?”

“Please,” Eddie whispers.

Steve slows his pace and carefully slips in a third finger. The stretch is so much more than two and Eddie sighs in relief, relishing in the burn and how full he already feels. His head tips back and he moans as Steve sucks a mark onto his neck and works those thick fingers in and out. Eddie feels like he’s losing his mind, he needs Steve’s cock in him like yesterday. 

“Stevie, fuck. Need you now, baby.”

Kissing his way up Eddie’s neck, he gives his earlobe a tug with his teeth and asks, “How do you want me?”

Eddie would be perfectly happy doing this face to face. Watching Steve as he falls apart on top of him. But if he’s honest with himself, he’s jerked off to a specific visual for weeks now.

“Wanna be on my knees for you. Fuck me from behind. Don’t hold back.”

“Jesus.” Steve pinches his eyes shut and takes a deep breath. “And you’re still good with uh…not using anything?”

They talked about this before, when they were sexting each other. They’re both clean. Obviously not seeing anyone else. It’s been one of the fantasy things that’s really gotten them off together. Eddie’s dick twitches just thinking about it.

“Fuck yeah. Been dreaming about you filling me up.”

“Christ, Eddie, you can’t just fucking say that.”

Eddie chuckles and gives Steve a quick kiss before pushing on his chest. Steve’s fingers slide out and he sits back on his heels as Eddie starts to turn over. He settles on his knees, spreading them wide and is about to get on all fours when Steve snakes his arm around Eddie’s chest, holding him close. He feels a hand brushing the hair off his shoulder and lips on the back of his neck. It sends a shiver down his spine.

“I’m gonna start slow, ok? I don’t want to hurt you. Tell me when you’re ready for more.”

Eddie’s chest heaves and his cock drips onto the comforter. “Of course, baby.”

Steve kisses his neck one more time before letting go and Eddie bends down, pressing his chest to the mattress and arching his back. God, he’s so fucking ready for this.

Warm hands span over the globes of his ass, spreading his cheeks apart, and make their way up to the bat tattoo. Fingers trace the ink reverently and he hears just a whisper of so fucking sexy.

The next thing Eddie feels is Steve’s body against his ass and a warm, solid line on his lower back. Steve presses his thumb to a notch on Eddie’s spine and says, “Feel that? Right there? That’s how deep I’m gonna be.”

Jesus Christ, that’s his fucking cock Eddie’s feeling draped heavy on his skin. And it’s going way past the bat tattoo. Eddie lets out the most pathetic fucking noise he’s ever made. “Oh fuck! ”

The bastard just chuckles and pulls back, keeping a hand on Eddie’s hip and he slicks himself up. The next thing Eddie feels is the spongy head of Steve’s cock circling his rim. Finally. He takes a deep breath, concentrates on relaxing his body, and Steve slowly, carefully, starts to push forward. He feels the give of the tight muscle and whimpers at the stretch of that fat head popping through. At an agonizingly slow pace, Steve begins to sink in. It feels like it takes an hour before Steve’s hips are pressed to his ass. 

Eddie can barely breathe.

He’s never been stuffed so full in his life. His fists ball in the comforter and his eyes are damp as he slow blinks and tries to catch his breath. Behind him, Steve is panting and gripping his waist.

“Eddie…Jesus…you took it all, baby. So fucking deep.”

All he can do is grunt and nod his head. Steve stays put for a couple minutes, making good on his promise to go slow. But Eddie’s done waiting. He clenches down, drawing a sharp hiss out of the gorgeous man buried inside him, and rocks back on his knees.

“Stevie…fuck me.”

There’s a squeeze to his waist and then Steve is drawing back, the wet slide of his bare cock lighting up all of Eddie’s nerves. He rocks back in with a groan and already Eddie is seeing stars. 

“Fuck, Eddie…you’re so tight, baby. You feel fucking incredible.”

Eddie moans into the mattress as Steve slowly pulls out and sinks back in. “Harder. Please. Told ya not to hold back, honey.”

Steve picks up his pace little by little until he’s thrusting hard and fast into Eddie’s body. The movement has the entire bed shaking and Eddie turns his head when he hears a loud thud. The backpack they had thrown onto the foot of the bed fell off. Steve isn’t distracted in the slightest, placing a hand on Eddie’s back and deepening the arch of his spine. 

Low grunts are being punched out of him as Steve pounds away, filling Eddie so fucking deep he swears he feels it in his lungs. His prostate is being thoroughly worked over with every glide of that huge cock and it’s pushing Eddie closer and closer to the edge.

“Stevie,” he groans. “Close.”

The bed shifts and Steve doesn’t lose his rhythm as he curls over Eddie’s body and braces himself on the mattress. A hand snakes around Eddie’s waist and dips down, getting a hold of his swinging dick and gripping tight. Steve strokes him in time with his thrusts and Eddie is right fucking there.

“Come on, baby. Cum for me. Wanna feel you choke my dick. Wanna fuck my load so deep you taste it.”

Eddie wails as his orgasm rips through him. He white knuckles the comforter and his whole body goes rigid. He’s still cumming when Steve grinds in deep and makes the most delicious fucking sound he’s ever heard. Eddie can feel it. He can feel everything. The throbbing of Steve’s cock inside him. How much wetter it is. Steve’s heaving breaths on the back of his neck.

They collapse to the mattress in a sweaty heap. Neither of them move for a long while as they catch their breaths. Steve is plastered to his back and his dick is going soft inside Eddie’s body. He loves it. How it makes him feel used and kind of filthy. The intimacy of having another man just…staying. Not wanting to leave. He hums contentedly and involuntarily clenches around the man inside him.

“ Ah! Fuck, Eddie…that was…”

“Yeah. It was.” He feels Steve start to shift and Eddie makes a needy little sound that he will deny ever happened. “Stay. Just a little while.”

Steve settles back down and Eddie sighs. It’s like a living weighted blanket. A smile slowly creeps on his face as Steve lavishes his back and shoulders and neck with kisses. His hand lightly trails up and down Eddie’s side and hip and thigh. It feels so fucking good. He’s so sweet.

There’s a nuzzle to his neck and a soft whisper. “Mine.”

Eddie’s heart stutters in his chest. Steve’s other hand slides up his forearm and he laces their fingers together. Tears prick Eddie’s eyes. “Yours.”

He’s not sure how long they lay there, but it’s long enough for Steve’s cock to harden up again. He never pulled out. It’s slower this time. Gentler. Steve keeps their fingers entwined as he just kind of grinds his hips into Eddie’s ass. The mess he made on the comforter is cool underneath him, but something about his dick gliding through it over and over again is driving him wild. 

He cums a second time to Steve gripping his hand tight, kissing his shoulderblade, and repeating, “Mine…you’re mine, Eddie.”

Steve fills him again with a shudder and they both pass out in the mess they made.

When Eddie stirs and blinks himself awake, Steve has already slid out of him and is lying on his side, tracing the bat inked into his skin. Eddie turns to face him with a groan, wincing at the feeling of two loads smeared underneath him and more leaking out between his thighs.

“How long was I out?”

Steve kisses his nose and brushes his hair back. “A while. I snoozed for a little bit, but I didn’t want to wake you.”

Eddie heaves a deep sigh and figures he’s probably been here long enough. He’s sure Robin will be back soon. As much as he would love to stay, he knows he needs to get back home.

“Hey. What’s that look?” Steve asks.

“That’s me being sad that I have to leave.”

Steve smirks at him. That look he had yesterday. “No you don’t.”

“...What?”

He rolls over and does a little army crawl to the end of the bed, and Eddie is treated to a glorious view of his ass. With a grunt, he picks up the backpack that fell off the bed and lobs it towards Eddie. 

With a quirked brow, Eddie unzips it and pulls it open. Inside are his favorite plaid pajama pants, a change of clothes, his toothbrush, toothpaste, and travel bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.

“That fucking minx.”

Steve tips his head back and laughs and scoots closer, cupping Eddie’s face. “Surprise. We get to have a sleepover.”

Eddie closes the gap and plants a long overdue kiss on those pretty pink lips. “Does this mean I can take a shower? I’m kind of doused in four loads of cum right now.”

Their shower is just big enough to fit the both of them, and they take turns washing each other’s hair and bodies. Sudsy kisses, playful ass slaps, scalp massages…the works. By the time they get out, Eddie is hitting a wall. They dry off and brush their teeth together naked. And all of it makes Eddie’s heart expand in his chest.

They head back to the bedroom and stop dead at the end of the bed. It’s a disaster. Steve wordlessly pulls the knit blanket off the bottom and hands it to Eddie, yanks the soiled comforter off, and gets them settled on the bed. He shuts off the lamp and covers them in the soft yellow material, pulling Eddie in close to lay on his chest. 

“Mmm…I love this blanket,” Eddie murmurs into Steve’s collarbone.

“Me too. Ma made it.”

“Your mom knits?”

Steve chuckles and kisses his head. “No, not her. That's what I call Dustin’s mom. When the kids all adopted me as their brother, she kinda claimed me as her bonus son. She made the one on the couch, too.”

“That might be the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Shut up.”

“Never.” Eddie snickers and kisses the warm skin underneath him. “Steve?”

“Yeah?” he asks with a yawn.

“Thank you. Tonight was amazing.”

Steve holds him tighter and tangles their legs together. “Don’t have to thank me. Just sleep.”

Eddie does. 

And when he wakes, he’s alone, but he can hear the sound of Steve clanking around in the kitchen. He gets up, pulls on his pajama pants, pees and brushes his teeth, ties his up his absolute mess of hair, and heads out of the bedroom. The sight of Steve humming along to a song playing on the bluetooth speaker as he cracks eggs into a pan while wearing nothing but gym shorts might be one of the most beautiful things he’s ever seen. 

Eddie creeps into the kitchen and comes up behind him, wraps his arms around Steve’s middle, and kisses his shoulder. “Good morning.”

Steve turns to him with a smile and gives him a lingering kiss. “G’morning, baby. Sleep ok?”

“Mmhm. Smells great in here.”

“Coffee’s ready to go. Eggs will be done in like, 30 seconds. I got toast, bacon, and hashbrown patties.”

Eddie groans and squeezes him tight before letting go and snatching a mug off the counter. “You’re a wet fucking dream, Stevie.”

They eat their breakfast at the kitchen table and then take their coffees onto the balcony. It’s another gorgeous day. Eddie looks up and takes in the totally weird vantage point of his own balcony across the street. It’s crazy to think that it wasn’t too long ago when he was playing up there and saw Steve step out right fucking here. His whole world shifted that day and he didn’t even realize it.

He’s about to say something to Steve about it when he sees his glass door slide open and Chrissy steps out wearing a t-shirt that he doesn’t recognize. Probably one of Robin’s. Cute. She immediately looks over to them and waves. Eddie waves back and barks out a laugh when Robin steps through the door with his acoustic in her hands.

His first thought is the audacity, but he can’t hide his amusement as she experimentally fumbles with the strings. There’s a melody he’s sure she’s trying to play. It…kind of sounds familiar? Then Chrissy starts singing off key and loud as hell.

I don’t mind you comin’ here

And wastin’ all my time

Cause when you’re standing oh so near

I kind of lose my mind

It’s not the perfume that you wear

It’s not the ribbons in your hair

I don’t mind you comin’ here

And wasin’ all my time

Eddie jumps into action, setting his coffee down and bolting back inside the apartment, snatching Robin’s trumpet from its spot near the door. He gets back out and Robin is singing along now, too.

I don’t mind you hanging out

And talkin’ in your sleep

It doesn’t matter where you’ve been

As long as it was deep, yeah

You always knew to wear it well and

You look so fancy I can tell

And I don’t mind you hangin’ out

And talkin’ in your sleep

Robin is really struggling with the clearly unfamiliar instrument and Eddie cringes. It sounds like his guitar is dying. But the smiles on their faces are worth it.

I guess you’re just what I needed

I needed someone to feed

I guess you’re just what I needed

I needed someone to bleed

Eddie lifts the trumpet to his mouth, brushing aside the fact this is absolutely not sanitary, and blindly starts blowing into the damn thing and pressing buttons.

It sounds awful. Steve is doubled over laughing, clutching his stomach and shaking his head. Whatever, he’s killing this solo. The girls continue to sing through their own fits of laughter, and by the time they’re done, the neighbors who have come out to see the show are booing and laughing along with them. 

And Eddie has never been happier.

Chapter Text

“I can’t thank you guys enough for how awesome you’ve been! This year was rough, but you did it! Give yourselves a round of applause!”

Eddie claps loudly at his laptop as his class of 6th graders join in, making all kinds of fucking noise as they celebrate the last day of a full fucking year of virtual learning. These kids are troopers.

“Alright alright, quiet down!” He waits a moment as everyone settles and laughs as one of his ADHD kids just spins in their chair. “I’m really proud of you guys, you’ve done some great work this year despite us all being apart, and I can’t wait to see you all back in the building again in the fall. Now get out of here! Enjoy the summer!”

Some kids don’t wait a single second before their little box on his screen goes dark while others shout and wave and practically blow out his speakers. When the last kid logs off, Eddie breathes the biggest sigh of relief and shuts his shit down as well. This has been the longest fucking year of teaching he’s ever had. The pandemic has raged on, but the world is opening back up, and hopefully by the time summer break is over, it’ll be a little safer and he won’t ever have to do this again.

He’s just shutting his laptop when strong arms snake around his shoulders and a kiss lands on his cheek.

“You did it, baby. I’m so fucking proud of you.”

Eddie smiles and turns his head, getting a soft kiss from his boyfriend. “Thank you, Stevie.”

Steve turns him around in his swiveling chair and climbs onto his lap, putting a lot more trust in the stability of this thing than Eddie ever would. Wrapping his arms around Eddie’s neck, he seals their lips back together. It heats up fast as Steve licks into his mouth and Eddie gets his hands on that gloriously fat ass. Steve rolls his hips and Eddie breaks the kiss when the chair makes a terrifying creaking sound.

“Not that I don’t love this, but did you have to jump me on the shittiest office chair in existence?”

“What can I say,” Steve says as he starts to attack Eddie’s neck. “I’m hot for teacher.”

Eddie barks out a laugh and swats at Steve’s ass. “Oh my god, that was the worst, get off me!”

“I’d rather get you off .”

“Ok, that was better. How much time do we have?”

Steve looks over at the alarm clock and says, “More than enough. The girls won’t be home for a couple hours.”

“Yessss,” Eddie hisses before reclaiming Steve’s lips with his own. They manage to get off the chair without breaking it or injuring themselves and stumble over to their bed while stripping each other down. Eddie still kind of can’t believe it. Their bed.

They spent months going back and forth with their little isolated dates, sometimes spending whole weekends together, until they all felt safe enough to just kind of form a little pod. Him, Chrissy, Steve, and Robin started hanging out together as a group more and more often, going back and forth between each other’s apartments. One night when they were all drunk on Chrissy’s margaritas, Robin flung her arm around Eddie’s shoulders and slurred, “You guys should just live here.”

It started as a joke. Then became very much not a joke.

By May, Eddie and Chrissy had merged their belongings with Steve and Robin’s. They moved all their clothes over, some of their furniture, added their own shit to the walls, and sold whatever they didn’t need on Facebook Marketplace. That was a nightmare, but they’re using the money they made for something special that’s currently hiding in the girls’ room.

They’ve been fully moved in for a couple weeks now, and Eddie has been loving every second of it. Getting to spend all his time with his three favorite people, getting to kiss and touch Steve whenever he wants, fucking each other every night, falling asleep in his arms, and waking up to his smiling face every morning…it’s been incredible.

And now he’s got Steve spread out underneath him, stretched and begging and ready. Eddie slicks himself up and plunges his tongue into Steve’s mouth as he guides his cock into the tight clutch of his boyfriend’s body. It’s fucking heaven. 

Steve moans into his mouth and tightens his legs around Eddie’s waist, pulling him in further. They both let out a satisfied sigh when Eddie bottoms out. 

“Eds…Jesus…fuckin’ perfect every time.”

Eddie grinds his hips into Steve’s ass and hums in agreement. “God you’re so tight, honey. Love your body. Love you.”

“Love you too, baby. Love how you fuck me.”

“Yeah? How do you want it, sweetheart?” When Steve tops, Eddie fucking loves getting absolutely plowed. When it’s his turn though? Steve likes a good enthusiastic fuck, but more often than not, he prefers it slow. It’s not even so much about lovemaking…he just really likes to luxuriate in it. To have Eddie take his time. To really feel it all, and let himself drown in all the delicious sensations. The deep thrusts that slowly fill him, the drag of Eddie’s cock when he draws back, the feeling of skin on skin, Eddie’s lips and tongue worshipping his body. It’s like a whole sensory thing for Steve and Eddie is always willing to give his man what he wants.

“Mmm…slow, please. Wanna feel you, baby.”

Eddie kisses his boyfriend, soft and sweet, and rolls his hips. “Anything for you, angel.”

Steve closes his eyes and tips his head back into the pillows as Eddie trails his lips down the man’s jaw. He cradles the back of Steve’s neck and leaves wet, open mouthed kisses up and down the column of his throat as he slowly pulls out and glides back in. He can feel the moan Steve lets out under his lips. His other hand grazes over the ridges of his boyfriend’s ribs, down his side and hip, and cups the ample swell of his ass. His thrusts are slow and steady and Steve’s whole body goes lax underneath him. Eddie fucking loves when he goes boneless like this. It’s how he knows that Steve is fully sinking into the pleasure and losing himself in all the attention Eddie pays to his beautiful body.

He works his lips and tongue back up, licking at Steve’s earlobe, grazing his teeth over the stubble on his jaw, and kissing all the moles in his path. He slows to a glacial pace as he grips onto the thigh slung over his waist, and tilts his hips just right and presses back in. The leisurely drag of is cock over Steve’s prostate earns him a long, deep groan as his boyfriend digs his hands into Eddie’s hair and grips tight.

“That’s it, baby. You sing so pretty for me.”

In a total contrast to the low sound that just came out of him, Steve whimpers at Eddie’s words. He keeps up that excruciatingly slow movement, not even pulling out or thrusting in all the way, just rocking his hips back and forth over that perfect spot, driving his boyfriend fucking wild with need. He can feel the muscles in Steve’s legs start to quiver and Eddie grins.

“You’re close, aren’t you baby boy? Can always tell when you’re about to fall apart. God, you’ve got the most perfect little ass. Could fuck you like this for hours.”

Steve’s letting out these whiney little sounds with every short grind of Eddie’s dick and the pitch is getting higher and higher. He fucking loves this. Slowly bringing his boyfriend to the precipice and then watching him absolutely shatter.

“You’re right there, sweetheart. Let go. I’ve got you, baby.”

The hands in his hair tighten even more, and Steve’s mouth drops open in a silent scream. His whole body stiffens, and Eddie takes it all in as he feels Steve tighten around him. Warmth blooms between them as Steve cums untouched, painting a beautiful mess all over their stomachs. When the last of it shoots out, Steve lets out the breath that was locked in his lungs and gasps for air.

Watching Steve’s release sends a thrill through his body and Eddie only has to grind in a few more times before his own orgasm hits him. He buries his face in the crook of Steve’s neck, thrusting in one final time with a grunt.

Steve cards his shaking hand through Eddie’s hair with soft whispers of yes, want it all, love you. 

They lay together like that long after Eddie goes soft. Kissing, touching, breathing each other in. When Eddie finally pulls out, he dips his fingers between Steve’s legs and just rubs the slick mess around Steve’s hole, pushing some of it back in. 

“ Ah, fuck…that was so good, baby.”

“Love making you feel good, Stevie.” Eddie reaches for a discarded shirt and gently wipes them both down, kisses his boyfriend one more time, and drags him off the bed for a quick shower. Quick being a loose term, they always end up making out in there, or more, until the water runs cold.

Freshly showered and dressed in clean t-shirts and sweatpants, they head to the kitchen and get a pitcher of Sangria ready. Steve took the day off so he could be home for Eddie’s last day of teaching, and prepped a bunch of fruit earlier in the day, slicing it all up and soaking it in brandy. The gym reopened in the spring, so he’s been back to his regular training again. He still makes videos for TikTok, and Eddie has made it his job to comment the filthiest shit he can think of on every single one without getting banned from the app.

Robin’s no longer working remotely either, and Chrissy’s salon reopened as well. It’s been weird doing his virtual lessons in a quiet apartment, but being there to welcome everyone home has been the highlight of his days. Robin is picking Chrissy up when she’s done with her last client and grabbing some takeout from Benny’s on their way back. Having some chilled beverages waiting for them is the least he can do for getting those burgers in his face.

Steve grabs the glasses and ice bucket, Eddie grabs the pitcher, and they head out to the balcony. It’s a little cramped with four seats out there instead of two, but they all make it work. They’re barely through their first glass when Eddie’s phone buzzes and a picture of Wayne asleep in his recliner with his mouth hanging open comes up. Eddie quickly answers and turns so both him and Steve are in the frame when the FaceTime call connects.

“Hey Wayne!”

“Hey boys! Just wanted to call and congratulate ya on your last day. How’d it go?”

“Good,” Eddie replies, taking a sip of his drink. “Glad for it to be over. We should be back in the school in September, thank Christ.”

“Glad to hear it. Lookin’ like things are startin’ to get back to normal again. How’s work, Steve?”

His boyfriend lights up every time he talks to Wayne, it’s so fucking cute. They haven’t met in person yet, only talked through FaceTime, but they clicked immediately. Eddie wanted to go back to Indiana last year for the holidays, but Wayne has COPD from years of smoking, and he didn’t want to risk getting him sick. Now that everyone is getting vaccinated, Wayne already has plans to take Steve fishing. It’s all very adorable.

Both Munson men are already invited to Steve’s family Thanksgiving. Eddie met all the kids via Zoom one night when they insisted on grilling him to make sure he was worthy of being with Steve, and then proceeded to absolutely roast the poor guy. Eddie kissed it better. They have biweekly online D&D campaigns now, and Steve likes to complain that Eddie’s stealing his children away from him. It’s only partly true.

“It’s good, thanks for asking,” Steve grins. “What’s new with you, Wayne?”

They make their usual small talk about sports and whatnot, catching up on all the little things that mean nothing and everything, until the glass doors slide open and the girls join them. Robin snatches the phone right out of Eddie’s hand.

“Wayne! How’s my favorite uncle?”

Robin clicked with Wayne almost more than Steve did, oddly enough. After their first conversation, she claimed him as her uncle too, and makes a point to text him stupid memes all the time.

“Birdie! Good to see ya, doll! You too Chris! I’m hangin’ in there, how’ve you gals been?”

“Good! We just picked up some burgers to celebrate Ed’s last day.”

“Aw well that’s mighty nice of ya. I’ll let ya’ll go, eat ‘em up before they get cold. I’ll talk to you kids later.”

“Ok, love you Waynie!”

“Love ya too, all you kids! We’ll talk soon!”

The call disconnects and Eddie would be offended that he didn’t even get to directly say goodbye to his own uncle, but he’s gotten used to this. They all kind of share the old man now. They all feel like family. Robin has become his best friend, after Chrissy, and she’s like the sister he never knew he needed. 

Chrissy squeezes past her fiancé and hugs Eddie around the neck. “Congrats on your last day, babe!” Those two didn’t have a formal proposal, just basically agreed as Chrissy was moving in that they were absolutely getting married. 

“Thank you, babe! Pull up a seat, we have sangria.”

She squeals and Robin lets out a moan of fuck yes before sitting down and passing out containers of food. It’s a gorgeous June evening, a lot like lockdown last year. The vantage point is different being on the other side of the street now, but the company can’t be beat. After their food is eaten, and the pitcher is almost empty, the girls take the discarded containers inside and come back out with Eddie’s acoustic.

Chrissy hands it to him with a wink. “For old time’s sake?”

Eddie takes it with a knowing smile and situates it in his lap. He takes a minute to get the old gal tuned up and looks to his boyfriend. “How about a little Sam Cooke , sweetheart?”

Steve nods his approval and props his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand. 

Darling, you send me

I know you send me

Darling, you send me

Honest, you do

Honest, you do

Honest, you do, whoa

You thrill me

I know you, you, you thrill me

Darling, you, you, you, you thrill me

Honest, you do

Steve has this lovesick smile that’s taking up his whole face and Eddie can’t look away.

At first I thought it was infatuation

But, ooh, it’s lasted so long

Now I find myself wanting

To marry you and take you home, whoa

You, you, you, you send me

I know you send me

I know you send me

Honest, you do

That smile gets even wider as Eddie sings and his boyfriend’s cheeks get pinker and pinker as the song goes on.

Whoa, whenever I’m with you

I know, I know, I know when I’m near you

Honest, you do

Honest, you do, whoa, I know

I know, I know, I know when you hold me

Whoa, whenever you kiss me

Honest, you do

At first I thought it was infatuation

But, ooh, it’s lasted so long

Now I find myself wanting

To marry you and take you home, I know, I know, I know

You, you, you, you send me

I know you send me

Whoa, you, you, you, you send me

Honest, you do

Steve has tears in his eyes that he tries to brush away with a laugh. A laugh that stops abruptly when he sees Robin slide a little black box across the table. Chrissy takes the guitar out of Eddie’s hands, he picks up the box, gets out of his chair, and kneels in front of the man he loves.

The man who changed his life.

“Eds…what-”

“Shh. I have something I want to ask you.”

Steve lets out a wet laugh and wipes a tear off of his cheek. “Yeah? And what would that be?”

“I want to know if you’d like to spend the rest of your life with me. I love you so much, Steve. You’re my reason for waking up in the morning. You’re the melody that plays in my head all day. You’re the only person I want to fall asleep with every night.” He opens the box, revealing the simple silver band that’s been hidden away in the girl’s closet for the last month. “Will you marry me, sweetheart?”

The most beautiful man he’s ever laid eyes on sucks in a ragged breath and nods his head, letting more tears loose out of his sparkling eyes. “Yes,” he gasps. “Of course I will, baby.”

Eddie leaps to his feet and kisses his fiancé breathless to the cheers of their best friends and neighbors who were outside to witness this moment. It all started out here. When Steve walked through those doors and flipped Eddie’s world on its axis. The last year has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, but the best things to come out of this pandemic by far, is his new best friend, the new family he’s been folded into, and the love of the man in his arms.