Steve was screwed. He was completely and utterly screwed.
"Rob, what am I going to do?" he was pacing again.
"Steve calm down. You're giving me a headache."
He stopped pacing and groaned, "I'm so fucking screwed. Why did I agree to this?"
Robin rolled her eyes, "you're so dramatic. You're acting like the world is about to end."
"That's because it is!" he exclaimed. "What if I say something stupid? What if he never wants to speak to me again?"
"Steve. Eddie likes you. He's not going to hate you for being a dumbass, he knows you're a dumbass and he still likes you. That's got to count for something. So pull yourself together and go get ready for your 'not date' date night."
He scoffed, "it's not a date."
She smirked, "sure. Whatever you say."
He ran a hand through his hair, "what if he doesn't want to see me? After what happened before we left last night. What if he thinks our plans are cancelled? Can he cancel plans without telling me they're cancelled? Of course he can. It's a free world and he can do what he wants. Shit. He probably cancelled without letting me know. I should just stay home."
Robin let out a loud sigh, laying her head in the counter. "Steve I'm begging you to just shut the fuck up. You're overthinking and that makes me overthink. Eddie doesn't hate you and he didn't cancel your plans. He might just be mopping around because he thinks you're straight and you don't want him."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I've been there before."
He sat down on the counter and reached for a bag of reese's pieces and began snacking on it. "I still don't get how he doesn't know that I like him. He is a great guy and he's hot as hell. Why wouldn't I like him?"
Robin stole some of the candy from Steve and shrugged. "He's very different from your normal type. You dated goody-two-shoes Nancy Wheeler and now you've got a thing for a metal head. Those two people are on completely different ends of the spectrum so of course he doesn't expect you to like him."
"Nancy isn't as goody-two-shoes as everybody makes her out to be."
"I know. Kinda figured that out when she went all badass, gunslinging, super hero on us. Turns out there's a lot more to Wheeler than what meets the eye."
Steve nodded in agreement, "I thought you had a crush on her... When all the upside down shit was going on. There was a spark."
Robin scoffed, "I did have a crush on her, but she's clearly got some internalized shit going on and it wasn't my job to pry. Plus she pretty much forgot about all our flirting when Jonathan came back into the picture. So I got the message and moved on."
"Yeah I was surprised by her and Jonathan getting back together..." he paused, trying to piece together the timeline of Nancy and Jonathan's relationship. "Well they never broke up, but you know what I mean. I was convinced what they had was over. Because she was flirting with you and I was being a total dumbass -which I am extremely embarrassed about by the way- but she just fell back on track with that relationship as if they never had any issues."
She laughed at his confession, "I wanted to punch you so bad when you were speaking to her. It was bad. Like really bad. Even Eddie looked disgusted by it."
Steve laughed as well, "it was in the heat of the moment. I thought I was going to die and so I just said whatever shit came to mind. Although at the time I think a part of me meant it. I wanted that life with her when we first dated and I think I held onto that dream as a safety net. Now though, I don't see Nancy in my future anymore, at least not romantically. We'll always be friends and we'll always share an amazing bond but I think that ship has sailed. There is no hope for a relationship for us."
.
Steve sat in his car, outside Eddie's new trailer for what felt like hours. He was desperately trying to work up the nerve to go inside.
Their awkward goodbye at the fair played in his head repeatedly. He hated how things ended the night before and he was not sure if he was ready to face it yet. So he waited in his car. Staring at the closed door like a fucking stalker because he was too much of a coward to get up and go in.
The sound of the trailer door opening made his breath hitch. Was it too late to start up the car and drive off?
Eddie stood there, muscular arm holding the door open. He was wearing a crop top, the logo of some band Steve's never heard of on the front of it. It was loose on him, ending just above his belly button. He also wore a pair of gray sweats that hung low on his hips. Steve could see the scars left by the demobat bites on his torso and his happy trail. Suddenly his throat felt oddly dry, he had to blink a few times and swallow a few more before he could get out of the car and speak up.
"You coming in Harrington?" Eddie hollered from where he was leaning against the door frame.
Steve took a deep breath, releasing it slowly in an attempt to get rid of some of the pent up tension in his body. He got out of the car and made his way to the door on shaky legs.
It was terrifying. The possibility of Eddie not wanting to speak to him again scared him more than he cared to admit. A sensation of ice cold dread driped down his spine with each step he took. The short walk to the door felt like it dragged on for hours, like he had been walking for miles.
"I don't bite Steve" he smirked, "unless you want me to."
Steve was even more nervous to be alone with him now. Why the fuck did Eddie look so good in a fucking crop top and sweatpants? The man did have a tendency to make Steve feel a little jittery and hot under the collar, but this was ridiculous. It must have been the nerves from what happened the night before. That was all, nothing more, nothing less.
He was led into the living room, Eddie plopped down onto the couch and patted the spot next to a him. There was an empty beer bottle on the small coffee table and a few sheets of paper with some scribbled words. From the looks of it, he'd been working on a another DD campaign for Hellfire. His handwriting was practically illegible and the living room was a bit of a mess, but Steve didn't mind.
Steve sat down next to him. He smelt so good. As if he just came out of a shower a few minutes ago. Steve's hands began to fidget with whatever they could find, picking at his cuticles. When he turned his head, he saw the smile on Eddie's face, and decided speaking up was the only way to make the awkward tension between them go away.
"I'm sorry about last night."
A soft sigh came from Eddie, who was quick to move past that. He smiled, which comforted Steve. " 'S okay Stevie. No hard feelings."
That made him grit his teeth, followed by a shake of his head. "No it's not okay," He leaned back on Eddie's couch, elbows on his knees while he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I was nervous as shit and I didn't want to say anything stupid. Normally I'm the one doing all the flirting and the compliments... so when you did it, it overwhelmed me. I like it. Like hearing you call me pet names and teasing me. It just felt different last night," Steve admitted, eyes darting around the room to avoid eye contact. He wasn't ready to face his feelings but god knows he'd hate himself if he left without fixing things.
Eddie nodded, and even though he wasn't looking he could tell Eddie's face was all sweet and soft. He reached for Steve's hand and held it in his own, his thumb rubbing soft circles over back of Steve's hand in a soothing motion.
"You don't have to feel nervous around me Stevie. You don't have to be scared to say dumb shit. You say dumb shit around me all the time and it's never bothered me. I like you regardless of whatever flaws you think you have. Nothing is going to change that." He spoke in the softest tone Steve had ever heard.
Steve frowned, eyes focused on their hands. It looked good. Eddie's bigger hand holding his, molding into the gaps between each of his fingers to lock their hands together. The skin of his palm was warm. The rings on his fingers were cold against him. Calloused fingers from years of playing guitar, running over his softer skin.
He looked up after a while, finally making eye contact. "Why'd you run away last night?"
Eddie shrugged, "I was scared. You know I have a habit of running when I spot danger."
"I'm not dangerous."
Eddie let out a laugh at that. He shook his head. His big brown eyes staring straight into Steve's soul. "You are more dangerous than any of the monsters we've faced. The way you make me feel is dangerous Stevie."
Steve frowned, "I don't understand."
"I like you Stevie. I really fucking like you and it's so hard to keep myself in check around you. It's so hard not to reach out and just grab your hand. You drive me crazy and you don't even know it. Fuck, Stevie, you're so pretty."
Steve stayed quiet for a bit, taking in and mulling over every word Eddie spoke. Eddie leaned back a bit. Removing his hand from Steve's and moving so that his arm was sprawled across the back of the couch.
His hand brushed against Steve's neck from where he was sat. The back of his ringed hand, barely making contact with his neck. Eddie's big, strong hands, close to his throat.
He knew they were much bigger than the hands of the girls he dated, the girls he hooked up with. Much bigger than his own hands too.
He wondered if his hands would feel the same tugging on his hair, or if they'd feel different. If they'd feel more rough. The thought of Eddie scratching lines down his back as Steve rode him, made him shiver. Or maybe, Steve would be the one scratching lines across his back. Maybe Eddie hands would hold him down, as he grinded down on top of him. Or he'd hold Steve in place while Steve was on top of him, his rings ice cold and digging into his waist where Eddie held him, as he grinded down on Eddie.
Yeah, he liked it better that way. He imagined Eddie's rings digging into his throat. He knew Eddie's touches would set him afflame, and he could feel his body burning up. Even worse, he could feel himself getting wet. This was pathetic, just the thought of Eddie made him lose all rationality. He was supposed to be focusing on their current conversion, not on how much he wanted to ride Eddie's dick.
"You're going all quiet on me again and it's not reassuring at all Stevie." Eddie whispered, his voice shaking with nerves.
Steve gulped, his hands going to his lap. "I like you too," He blurted out with a nervous laugh. "I like you so much Eddie and it scares the shit out of me. It fucking shakes me to my core and makes me act like a total fucking idiot."
Eddie laughed at that, the sound bubbling from his stomach. It was light and airy. By god it was the most beautiful sound Steve had ever heard. "Guess the feeling is mutual then."
"So what now?" Steve asked, fearing the answer he might get in response.
Eddie shrugged, "whatever you want big boy. We don't have to decide anything right now."
He shook his head, fighting to find his voice again. He cleared his throat and smiled up at Eddie. "I want you..."
"I'm right here Stevie, however you want me." his words were soft but pointed, letting Steve know that he meant it.
Steve swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down at his hands. He was a fucking mess right now. Eddie offering himself to him was not what he was expecting when he drove over. He was expecting to be thrown out and told to fuck off.
"I've never done anything with a boy before." he admitted, his cheeks flushed deep red.
Eddie smiled, scooting closer to him. "That's okay. We can move at your pace. However fast or slow you want to go, and if at any point you want to stop then we can do that too. There's no pressure here Stevie, just the two of us navigating our way through whatever this is. Hell we don't even need to label it."
"What if I want to label it?" he asked. He was sweating bullets at this point. He was so fucking nervous. "I wanna be yours Eddie."
He reached over and cupped Steve's face, giving him a sincere smile, "will you be my boyfriend pretty boy?"
Steve nodded frantically. A deep blush covered his face, his smile big and bright. "That easy?"
Eddie nodded, his own cheeks flushed. "That easy."
This is my favorite chapter so far. It took me a while to write it because I was really busy last week.
Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to leave a review and let me know what your thoughts on this one is.
