It’s late. Rain’s hitting Steve’s living room windows. They’re on the couch and eddie’s legs are on Steve’s lap and he’s mid-ramble about Wayne about how “Wayne would get so pissed, because I’d drag every blanket in the trailer into the living room. Couch cushions, chairs, that shitty lamp we weren’t supposed to touch because we’d get shocked but to poor to replace and I’d be in there for days, man. Had snacks, comics Never wanted to get out. Safest I ever felt.”
Steve’s quiet for a second, watching him. Then says “Huh.”
Steve, shrugging, a little embarrassed “I never… actually made a fort. As a kid.”
Eddie sits up so fast dragging his feet away from Steves lap he almost knocks his beer over “I’m sorry, what?” Eddie stares at him like he just confessed to a crime. Then his whole face lights up, with a mischievous grin. “Oh, hell no. Nope. We’re fixing that.”
Steve blinks. “What, right now?”
Eddie’s already off the couch. “Yes right now, come on, I’ll show you. Childhood do-over, Harrington.” Eddie tearing through Steve’s house like he owns it. Going through closets and grabbing blankets from Steve’s bed and Couch cushions Steve’s just leaning in the doorway, arms crossed, absolutely gone for this man.
Steve laughs “Eddie, ome on You’re going to get everything dirty.” And eddie, dragging a dining chair in the living room “For a king,” he says, dropping everything in a pile with the goofiest, proudest smile. “Can’t have his majesty catching a draft in his first fort.”
Steve bursts out laughing, hand over his face. It’s so stupid. And It hits him all at once nobody’s ever done something like this to make him happy and god was he happy. And Steve, softly says “God, I love you.”
Eddie freezes. Blanket in hand. Then he grins, slow and dangerous, and drops the blanket. Two steps and he’s got Steve by the hips and backing him into the half -built pillow wall.
Eddie, nose to nose with him “it’s because of my good fort skills isn’t it?”
Steve can’t even answer. He’s laughing, but it’s wet, and he yanks Eddie down by his vest. “Shut up and finish the fort, Munson.”
They do eventually end up finishing it and It’s lopsided and one of the chairs keeps collapsing. String lights from Christmas are hanging inside because Eddie “always wanted those in a fort.”
Steve’s laying on Eddie’s chest, both of them under the questionable blanket roof. Eddie’s playing with Steve’s hair.
Steve says almost in a whisper “I get it now. Why you never wanted to get out.”
Eddie, kissing his temple “Yeah?”
Steve nods smiling at him “’S safe.”
