Steve had a plan, damn it.
As soon as Robin opened her fat mouth and said confidently, "I bet you can't make Munson swoon," he knew he had to do it.
"It's a deal. He'll be a puddle at my feet by the end of the week."
That was the plan. Go to The Hideout after Corroded Coffin's show, get the drinks flowing, and turn on the charm. Except things never went the way he expected anymore.
It had, at first, Eddie's eyes lighting up when Steve walked in, and he jumped down from the stage to greet him. The place was mostly empty. Only a couple of drunks slumped over the bar, and the rest of the band backstage packing up. "Steve, you're late!"
"Had together my outfit ready." Steve held up his hands to show off the Corroded Coffin shirt he was wearing. "How does it look?"
"Looks like it was stolen from my room," Eddie replied shrewdly, laughing when Steve only shrugged. "Fine, but you owe me a drink."
"Deal," Steve ordered a round of shots, throwing back the drink with a wince.
Eddie, however, handed his over too.
"Something wrong?"
"Nah, I wanna show you something before I get too shitfaced to play." Eddie led him back to the stage and sat on the edge, picking up his guitar. He offered Steve a nervous smile and began plucking at the strings. "Sit."
Steve did so beside him, listing with interest as the mindless chords took on a tune. Eddie hummed softly, head bobbing to the tune, and in the dim, slightly smoky air, Steve was struck by how beautiful he was. He watched in awe as the tune transformed into a melody, and Eddie began to sing, low and rough.
"It's as easy as breathing,
The beating of my heart.
Tell me, what is this feeling?
You have that missing part.
That spark, the yearning,
It feels like we're burning."
Eddie caught Steve's eye and stopped abruptly, hand falling from the guitar as he smiled nervously. "There's more, but, uh, I'm still working on it?"
Steve was so overcome he just stared at Eddie. Which, unfortunately, made him more nervous.
"Cool, cool, bad idea then." Eddie put the guitar down and made to stand up, but Steve grabbed him, wordlessly leaning in to kiss him. When they broke apart, he couldn't help smiling against Eddie's lips as he grinned, too. "Never mind."
"You know, I came here intending to woo you. It wasn't supposed to be the other way around."
"The night's still young, Steve. Give it your best shot." Eddie kissed him again before jumping to his feet. "I'll have that drink now."
Robin was going to laugh her ass off when she found out that he was the one who ended up swooning, but, really, Steve didn't care. Not when he spent the rest of the night holding Eddie's hand and kissing him.
