Michael

Eddie is of course a big fan, has followed for A While and sends way too many asks (all his besties think he has A Problem), is indulging in his guilty pleasure because this guy gives such jock vibes, especially given Eddie initially found him hunting for pictures of guys in jock straps (for personal reasons), only to find this faceless beauty had everything from jocks, oddly flattering boxers, to lingerie on his blog (he also has a photos of him in just skimpy undies and sports jerseys, because people actually pay for him to look sexy in their team colours. Wild. Eddie almost begs him to add some metal tees to his wishlist so he can buy them for him to take pics in, almost).

Steve doesn't know his anon is Eddie specifically, if they've met in the past it was fleeting and in passing, if they went to the same school, Eddie graduated first try and missed the rise (and fall) of King Steve (but probably had a fantasy or two about the slightly younger swimmer, he has eyes).

Steve does know his regulars though, Eddie is the only anon who calls him Sweetheart, who he calls Sweetheart back after a while, there's this weird sense to the phrase that has other anons avoiding it, finding their own petnames if they're regular enough to warrant them.

Eventually Eddie grows bold, makes a side/separate blog with a close up photo of his electric guitar, has Sweetheart in the name, starts asking without switching anon on, is fucking stunned when Steve follows him back, it's confusing because genuinely the only things he's posted are some photos of his guitars in similar leans and lighting to the sort of thing Steve might put out (he'd thought it was funny when he was doing it but honestly the pictures turned out really well).

He had been considering trying to DM Steve, he already knows the guy has Mutuals Only enabled, he's seen people beg for him to DM them, but he has chickened out every time, copying his flirting over to an ask instead and editing it to work better. So he's Shocked when he logs on to find a DM waiting for him, it's nothing crazy, just a simple little 'Hi Sweetheart' that makes his heart hammer in his ears and his stomach flip.

He thinks maybe Steve is seeking out someone to talk dirty to in depth, they've flirted around it in asks but Eddie's never suggested anything beyond almost-foreplay, he's always been obssessed with describing how he'd kiss every mole, how he'd dig his fingers into the swell of Steve's ass, never gone further than saying he wants to pull Steve's underwear down with his teeth.

The first night they flirt, sweet nothings that don't really go anywhere until Eddie admits he has work in the morning, so Steve asks what he does, when he has to get up. Eddie is a tattoo artist, which Piques Steve's Interest, and whilst he doesn't start til 9 he has some errands to run and is up way too early (7:30, gross)

"I have SO many questions but I'll let you sleep! Goodnight Sweetheart x"

Eddie is smiling stupidly to himself as he types Goodnight Sweetheart right back, tossing his phone aside and burying his face giddily in his pillows like he's a teenager again. And he thinks maybe that's all it is, that it'll turn into fucking around again as soon as they're both free.

But Steve surprises him again, because when Eddie is dragging himself around his apartment getting ready the next day, his phone chimes and the app says his blog has a DM, he opens it and smiles,

"Hope this doesn't wake you, good morning sweetheart!" sits waiting for him, soon followed by a photo completely different to anything he's ever seen on this guy's blog.

The photo has been taken at the top of a cliff, overlooking a lake, the sun is rising over a forest, and Steve's bare legs are centered beneath the gorgeous view, the hems of some incredibly short shorts visible above hairy thighs, a slip of sneaker visible in the gap. He realises, seeing the sunrise, he never actually asked what timezone this guy is in, if they're in the same one, this photo was taken over an hour ago, Jesus Christ.

Amusingly, there's also the very concerned face of a light brown tabby cat, its got its paws on Steve's thigh as it peers at the camera and has a black harness on.

"Who's your friend? x" there's never been any sign of a cat on Steve's blog, and Eddie's never actually met someone who takes their cats outdoors on little leads, it's cute.

"That's Ozzy, my little guy! my handsome man!"

"I'm jealous! I thought I was your handsome man :c but also Ozzy???? Like Sabbath?" The prospect of Steve listening to good music is immediately crushed by the typed back ??? "The band? Black Sabbath? Singer is Ozzy Osbourne, literal legend."

"He was named by the shelter I adopted him from, but the band name sounds familiar I guess? I'll give them a listen x"

He decides he can make time for a list of recommendations before he goes to pick a few things up for his uncle, then work. Steve likes some, hates others, but that's fine, Eddie can just condition him into enjoying good music, it's not a deal breaker (as if there is even a deal being made).

Steve asks about his work, more about his favourite music, if he's in a band (he was, once, they meet up a few times a year to hang out and see if they can remember the songs), how his days are, he starts pulling out little details that Some Guy Who Wants To Fuck In DMs probably wouldn't. He sends a ton of cat photos, shows Eddie what he's making for dinner, what his disgusting coffee order of the day is (Steve's words, Eddie makes a note to try some for himself because it's sweeter than carnival air and that's his vibe), kind of cute little things like that.

Steve doesn't talk about his own work, just says he's on his way there or back, it's not hard for Eddie to extrapolate education from that, the times are too obvious, and the reason for keeping quiet are Blatant given his blog.

It takes a week for two things to happen, first, Eddie finally introduces himself and gets "oh! shit right yeah! I'm Steve!", and second, Eddie has seen many photos of Steve (never his face, never anything that can identify him as A Specific Steve) but has never sent one back. He's sent pictures of records, random cats he's spotted on his walk to work, tattoo designs he's working on for his flash sheets, but never one of him, the closest he got was his hand buried in the fur of an absolute Behemoth of a cat he found outside his uncle's trailer, and his warped reflection in a railing when he found the tiniest Ozzfest t-shirt (it was for a baby, Steve said it'd probably fit Ozzy, Eddie regrets not buying it despite having no way to send it to Steve).

He's not selfconscious exactly, but Steve's a catch, a god amongst men, he's in shape and hairy and just the right side of tanned (with those sweet tan lines made by the shorts only Eddie's seen, at least of Steve's followers), he's-

"Just a guy, sweetheart, I'm just a guy."

"PSHHHHHH!!!" just a guy, disgusting lies.

"But I don't really care how you look, you don't even have to be a guy."

"Your blog says gay, masc only?" He doesn't know why he's questioning it, Eddie is very much a guy,

"Just wanted to know how it felt to be looked at by men ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"

Fair enough. Eddie respects it, finds it interesting when Steve eventually explains how it just makes him nervous, living in a kind of rural, podunk area and "branching out from the comphet lifestyle" ("Am I even using that right? Straight passing I guess.")

Things are good, they keep talking, keep swapping photos of their day-to-day life, Eddie keeps apologising for never sending a "hot bod shot back" when Steve sends him "Exclusives", Steve keeps brushing it off because it doesn't matter, besides he's seen Eddie's arms now (Eddie has shown off his tattoo sleeves, he just got the shading finished on one arm) so he can extrapolate body type at the least ("Unless you're a very peculiar shape but I suppose that just makes you special.") not that it matters to Steve.

Eddie is falling ass over tit in love with a guy on the internet and he's pretty sure not even he, Eddie Munson, King of Fuck ups, can fuck this up.

~

"I'm thinking about deleting this blog."

It comes out of left field and Eddie feels his stomach drop, they've been talking for a few months and Eddie felt something, the thought of losing this guy, his sweetheart, was devastating.

"Oh, I mean... if you want?" he wants to respect it, to sound okay with it, he's glad Steve can't hear him. He has a million questions, what about me? Did I do something wrong? How did I fuck this up? What he types is "Mind if I ask why?"

"I've met this guy"

Oh Jesus no.

"I really like him, and I think I've felt it, you know? The Spark?" Eddie is dying inside. "We've been talking for a while now. He's really sweet, funny, I love hearing about his day, and that he thinks of me when he hears certain songs, or sees little tchotchkes I might like, he asks me how my cat is, he's a real sweetheart. I just need to get the courage to find out if he likes me too, and not ruining things if he doesn't."

"If he doesn't he's an idiot. but he sounds fine, happy for you man." his eyes don't sting and he's not petty enough to consider blocking and hiding, he's not.

"I don't think he's an idiot, little slow on the uptake maybe."

"Okay?"

"Maybe subtlety wasn't it, maybe Robs was right and I should've written my number on my tits and sent him a photo."

"Okay."

What the fuck is his problem? Eddie slouches in his chair, he's at work waiting for his next client to show up and he's starting to fume. Jeff's client is looking nervously between her tattoo, Jeff, and the angry puddle Eddie is becoming as his gangly form practically drips over the edges of the seat.

"I'm blocking him." He doesn't, he folds his arms across his chest and seethes like a 6 year old,

"Who?" Jeff visibly regrets asking when Eddie kicks and flops around in his chair, throwing a micro tantrum.

"Steve. Comin' in my damned DMs telling me he's met someone, fucking asshole." If he throws his voice around like he's mocking someone stupid, well, who cares? It's just him, Jeff, and a lady who is now trying really hard not to laugh.

"I mean... he is just some guy on the internet, Ed..." Jeff offers helpfully,

"Just some guy," Eddie huffs, "Just some guy? I opened my heart dude, I cracked open my fragile ribs and bore everything to him," he very much did not, but he wanted to, "I tucked him deep inside with the hopes he might stay there forever," he did do that, "I-"

"Never told him any of this, by the way." Jeff informs his client, who bites her lip and nods before returning her attention to the buzzing needle near her arm, hoping to focus on it and not Eddie's hilarious expression of misery.

"So?! We had chemistry! We had vibes! We had something! We had-" he gestures with his phone, pausing as he looks at the screen for the first time since his declaration. "really nice tits..."

"What?" Jeff stops tattooing again, frowning over at Eddie, who is gawking uselessly at his phone.

"He sent me his tits," he pulls the phone close, squints at the blocky, shaky numbers printed around the edges of the goddamn rug of hair covering Steve's chest. He flicks his finger across the screen, slack jawed and stupid as he sees Steve's face in full for the first time, a whisper escaping him unbidden,

"I'm the idiot."

~

PS I looked at a random shelter to find a cat for Steve because I thought it'd be fun and saw Ozzie and was like omg he (with a spelling tweak), they seem to be active on FB but IDK how up to date their website is... so I hope Ozzie finds/found a home he's so cute

Steve almost exclusively sends His Best Side to Eddie, always dressed nice (or undressed nice), so he's kind of embarrassed when he realises how he's dressed when meeting his maybe-boyfriend for the first time, he rushed out because he didn't want Robin to pass out during her tattoo.

Eddie is buried in layers the way he always is, eternally formless but he also loves those hoodies that are loose and cropped with the t-shirt sleeves (maybe a compression top/vest or vest-like binder beneath, something snug and black tucked into his jeans) so his tattoos were definitely on display but Steve was in full Robin-Care-Mode and missed them, and Eddie was distracted cleaning his space up for the fiftieth time as he waited for his next session.

They have their spider-man pointing meme moment, Steve with his light bickering with Robin, Eddie swearing he's gonna curse Chrissy for this.

Then they're so fucking awkward and cute as they try to figure out how they're supposed to behave together after so long Falling before Meeting.

Jeff is light headed from laughing, he's fully given up finishing this tattoo in one uninterrupted session (Robin was sitting like a trooper tbh, she'd have dozed off if she didn't know This was happening) "we'll take a break, watch the show, have some snacks." (Robin shares her bonus snacks)

Then once things settle down and the awkwardness fades, Eddie creeps into Steve's space like "wasn't very long ago you sent me that photo, was it, big boy?" biting his lip,

Steve, very embarrassed, is rubbing the back of his head in that sweet way, "Yeah, guess not..."

"Need help getting that pen off?" Eddie is grinning like an imp, even though his stomach is flipping like crazy and he's so nervous, but then Steve looks him over like he's so fucking hot, his insides turn to goo, and he has to remind himself they have an audience.

Eddie's client is still late, too late, with no contact, so he has no qualms telling Jeff to turn them away if they show up, not breaking eye contact with Steve as he says "I'm gonna take Stevie in the back to help him clean up..."

Jeff and Robin watch as Steve blushes furiously and Eddie drags him by the wrist, they look at each other with reluctant understanding as the door swings shut behind the boys,

"So you guys absolutely have stuff that can clean ink off of skin in this room, right?"

"Yep..." Jeff is quietly hoping they pick the piercing room, that's easy to clean.

"So they're definitely-" god he hopes they don't use the break room...

"Yep..." he looks at Robin, she's grinning ear to ear and doing nothing to hide the fact that she is texting in all caps to Chrissy.