Everyday I wonder how much Eddie would’ve love “The Osbournes” show.
He probably didn’t say it out loud, he probably mumbled that it was corny that Ozzy had agreed to a show like that. He might’ve joked about a legend lost for the media.
But every Tuesday he would cuddle with Steve in their living room discussing every little detail, going from the name of every dog they owned, the huge size of Ozzy's milkshakes or about how much Ozzy loved Kelly.
"Eddie's crying about pigeons again," Robin sighed as she left the frigid wind outside the studio.
Steve rolled his eyes. "Where is he?"
"He won't get out of the van."
"I'll go talk to him. He was crying about them this morning too but it turned out he was just hungry.”
Robin smirked. "This morning?"
Which like. Fuck. That slip was going to be…tricky.
"I—there's—" he tried. He sighed. It was pointless. He was caught. So. He chose boldness and his arms defiantly. "Yeah. This morning."
"Well," she smirked, gesturing to the parking lot. "Get out there, white knight. But for the record? Good job."
He rolled his eyes again, secretly pleased.
In the van, Eddie had his head in his hands, clearly trying to master himself. He looked up when the door opened.
"Oh god," he groaned. "She sent you out here?"
"Well. I mean. Again, Eddie?"
"I was just educating her about how we fucking abandoned them!"
"I know,” Steve said soothingly.
"Forgotten fucking heros. We sent them to war, and now? We call them sky rats. They don't know how to even care for themselves! They come to us for help, Steve!"
"I know Eds. Pizza or burrito?" he asked, ignoring Eddie's scowl and opening his bag. "I have leftovers of both.”
Eddie took the pizza he was offered and shoved way too much into his mouth.
“Unrelated,” Steve said, breathless, “I think I might have accidentally told Robin we’re together.”
Eddie froze.
“She already knew,” Steve rushed. “I think, anyway. It's Robin. And. We’re not subtle.”
Eddie rubbed his face with both hands as he finished chewing, but he was smirking now and the pigeon panic seemed to have subsided.
"I didn't mean to," Steve continued, unable to wait Eddie out. "It just came out. I mentioned this morning and then she looked at me, and I panicked. I could see it in her face. She knew we're a thing. Which—wait...shit. Are we a thing? I mean, I think we are, but."
"Stevie," Eddie said gently. "Baby. Breathe."
Steve stopped, jaw slack, and watched Eddie pick at the pizza again, silent. But he smiled wide as he tilted his head toward Steve.
"You're not upset?" Steve asked, baffled. "Because we should have talked about it, and if this is too fast, and if I just completely screwed this up, I can—"
"Okay," Eddie interrupted. "First of all, I'm flattered you panic-announced me. Very romantic. Very you."
Steve huffed a laugh that died halfway through.
"Second," Eddie went on, "sorry I'm not reacting to this news with the appropriate excitement. I'm really hungry."
Steve stared at him. "You're not freaking out at all?"
"Oh, I'm freaking out internally," Eddie teased. "But my stomach has control of the emotions right now."
He took a second bite of cold pizza, chewed, then softened when he saw Steve still frozen, one hand on the door handle like he might bolt.
"Hey," Eddie said around the mouthful, quieter now. "I like you. I like that you told someone. It's all good."
Steve exhaled, long and shaky, like he'd been holding his breath since the word ‘together’ had left his mouth.
"Okay," he said. "Okay. That's...yeah. Okay."
Eddie smiled. "Steve. We're good. But, you have to listen to me talk about pigeons for five more minutes in exchange for outing me."
He didn't even protest, just laughed and stole Eddie's crust.
"They delivered love letters in wars, Steven. They saved lives. And now people kick them. I just...god..."
"I really should not have let you go to the science center with Dustin."
"They remember faces and they mate for life. And we just...stole their jobs and threw them away."
"Alright, let's get you inside. I don't think this is gonna be a cold pizza in the van sort of problem."
Eddie reached out and grabbed Steve by the back of the neck, resting their foreheads together.
"Thanks for never treating anyone like they're disposable. Even when you were an asshole. Never that."
And Steve's heart stopped beating for a moment, finally understanding the place this particular Munson softness originated. It was always sudden, and Steve was never ready, these moments of clarity. He wanted to wrap Eddie into a small ball that he could tuck inside his chest, just to keep him safe there. Forever.
Steve breathed out, let the words tumble even though they felt too real, too vulnerable. “You are precious and kind, and I will never let anyone take your job and throw you away. Even if you steal French fries."
Eddie pushed away and laughed, kissing Steve sure and quick as he leapt from the van. Steve was pretty sure he's never going to be able to recover from the journey that is loving this man.
I can tell my evil advisor has been feeling down lately so I've been pretending to take big sips from his cursed chalice and then roaming the palace grounds groaning and clutching my abdomen. Lowkey I know it's deceptive but I can tell it's really cheering him up. I heard him evilly cackle for the first time in weeks. WIBTA if I keep doing this
Eddie's not even sure how it started. The argument. The fight. They're fighting and he has no idea how they got here.
It's not like they've never done it before, but normally he can trace back the steps, see the exact moment Eddie snapped something a little too harshly or Steve pushed something a little too far.
Today, it was like one second they were fine and the next Steve is accusing him of not caring and Eddie's defensive streak is throwing that right back at him.
"Sometimes it doesn't feel like you want a relationship; just an audience."
"Yeah, well, sometimes it feels like all you want is a relationship and that it doesn't even matter if it's with me!"
There's a heavy pause as they stare at each other; Steve's posture defeated and Eddie's defensive.
"So why are we even—"
"That's not true." Steve's tone is soft but Eddie allows himself to be cut off.
He's pretty sure he was about to proffer a breakup, or at least turn the conversation - argument - in that direction, so he lets himself be interrupted.
It's not what he wants. He knows it's not what he wants. But sometimes his default is give-up-before-they-do. The Munson Special. But just because it's his instinct doesn't mean it's what he actually wants.
Sometimes he feels like a stray dog Steve found on the side of the road; desperate for affection and clinging overwhelmingly to its new owner. Like if he holds on tight enough he'll never have to beg for scraps again. Other times he's that same dog turned antisocial. Cruel. Lashing out at the person showing it kindness because it doesn't recognise it. Doesn't think it deserves it.
"That's not true." Steve shakes his head, eyes puppy-dog sad. It's like a blade to Eddie's gut. "I care so much that it's you. About you. I went on, like, hundreds of dates with hundreds of girls," Eddie rolls his eyes a little dramatically at this. Sure, his boyfriend's a catch but he doesn't need to show off about it. Steve continues as if Eddie hadn't reacted at all. "And a few with some guys, too, after, y'know, figuring some stuff out…"
They both know Eddie is the 'some stuff'. Being the reason Steve realised he liked dudes was a pretty good ego-boost usually, but right now he doesn't feel like gloating the way he normally would.
"I had so many chances to start a relationship just 'cause I felt like it, and I didn't! I didn't, but the second I realised you liked me back I was all in. Not because I wanted a relationship. Because I wanted you, Eds."
Steve's always been better at the sappy shit than he is - so infuriatingly earnest sometimes that Eddie feels himself dance away from the feeling it bubbles up inside of him. Street dog verses genuine emotion, he supposes.
Steve's hand twitches forward, like he wants to hold Eddie's but isn't sure if he's allowed. Eddie hates whenever he brings that out in him. The insecurity set in place by absentee parents and rooted in deeper by a cheating girlfriend (look, Eddie loves Nance, he does, but he also kind of hates her too).
Eddie needs to man up. He knows that (though he thinks the phrase itself is gross and Robin would probably smack him for using it).
"I'm sorry." It's a strong start, he's pretty sure. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I don't even believe it, baby, I promise. You're so good at loving me, sometimes I don't know what to do with it."
Steve blinks, looking at first caught off-guard, probably by Eddie's rare show of sincerity, and then sweetly confused.
"You don't… Have to do anything with it, just… I don't know, loving me back would be nice."
Eddie's heart thuds in his chest.
"I do, sweetheart, I love you so much."
"I know. I love you too. I'm sorry for what I said too, that was such a dick—"
"No, no, honestly, I… I know sometimes I can focus too much on my own shit and ignore the things you like. And I sort of… Make you do the same." Steve makes to interrupt and Eddie just knows he's going to deny it. "No, no, I do, I'm always having us watch horror movies, or listen to my music, or I'm talking about what books I like, and my DnD plans, and—"
"I like hearing about stuff you like, I do," Steve insists, so earnest it breaks Eddie's heart a little more.
"I know, baby, I know. But I also know it doesn't leave much space for you to talk sportsball and cars and whatever weird foreign film Rob has you watching any given week. And, like, even when you try sometimes I get all on my soapbox about it - especially your basketball stuff, which is so shit of me because I know how much you love it, and I love how much you love it, it just… I don't know, it's like it's instinct at this point."
There's a moment of silence. It looks like Steve is building up to something, so Eddie waits it out. He's pretty sure he'd wait anything out for Steve.
"It does, um…" Steve pauses, eyes darting from Eddie's shoulder, to the floor to the wall. He twists his hands in front of him, and Eddie knows what it looks like when Steve cracks his chest open to let his vulnerable parts show. "Sometimes, when you cut me off and start talking shit about it all, it just… I don't know. It's dumb and silly but it makes me feel dumb and silly for liking stuff you hate so much. I started bringing stuff up less and I guess instead of helping all that did was bottle it up 'til I took it out on you tonight, so I'm sorry for that."
"Oh, baby," Eddie murmurs, heartbroken that he's done such a thing to someone he loves so much. He reaches his hand out instinctively, bringing it up to press against the back of Steve's neck. He doesn't push him, just lets the gentle pressure be an invitation.
It's accepted.
Steve melts forward into Eddie, head pressing into his shoulder and arms wrapping around his waist. Eddie shifts to envelope Steve in his own arms, bringing one hand up to hold the back of Steve's head.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry I've made you feel that way, sweetheart. You are not dumb or silly or any of those things. I'm just a little bit of an asshole, I think."
Steve lets out a wet little laugh and Eddie grins. The tears aren't great, obviously, but Eddie will always take a laugh as a win.
"I'll do better. I'll try. I don't want you to bottle stuff up around me; especially not the good stuff - the stuff that makes you happy." Steve hums a little into Eddie's collarbone, acknowledging, if not quite agreeing. "Maybe we'll find some great love for basketball deep within me, who knows?"
There's another laugh, less choked this time, and Steve lifts his head. He's so, so beautiful, red-rimmed eyes and all, and Eddie feels just how lucky he is like a flood.
"I love you," he says, the words not feeling big enough.
"I love you too," Steve replies, tension dropping from his shoulders. Eddie's never seen anything so gorgeous in his life, he thinks.
It's probably not the last time Eddie's going to fuck up catastrophically, but he's sure as shit going to try to avoid this particular type of fuck-up in future.
germansingergirl
dailybridgerton
jbbartram-illu
titsay
baratheonpilled
vaporwave
