#billy's asks.

A brow arched in question just as Eddie’s words hit him. At first, he wanted to ask which he’d prefer, but that would’ve given too much away. Normally, he’d have shoved him aside with a low, biting threat for everyone to hear: Don’t ever talk to me like that again.

Except no one was around this time. And that silence left him with too much room to think... to feel. He was still trying to process what it was he actually wanted. Billy Hargrove would never admit it, not even if the world ended and left him alone with Munson himself, that he was painfully attracted to him or to men at all. But of all the things that could’ve left Eddie's lips, that line did. Maybe because he was just as curious?

“You’ve got a filthy mouth, Munson. Bet I could find better ways to keep it busy.”

The words came out almost daring, maybe even inviting. The small grin tugging at his mouth made it clear he wasn’t bluffing. He reached for the whistle around his neck, dragging it slowly to his lips. Pink lips wrapped around the cool metal, a silent tease, a mock demonstration before he finally blew.

“Ten minutes, or I’m starting without you.”

Reaction Prompts - always accepting.

The sound of the locker room door slamming shut echoed behind them, followed by the wet slap of bare feet against tile. Eddie barely had time to laugh on something about Billy’s “terrifying coach voice” before Billy’s hand caught his collar and shoved him back into the wall.

The motion was fast and thoughtless. One second, Eddie was smirking; the next, his shoulders had hit the wall. Billy’s grip stayed firm, fingers curling in the damp fabric of Eddie’s shirt. The air between them went still.

Water dripped from Billy’s hair, sliding down the side of his neck, while the scent of chlorine as well as perhaps sweat that oozed the locker room mixed together. Billy’s chest rose and fell, as if the act of getting this close had startled him too.

“What the hell’re you playin’ at, Munson?” It came out low, too low, like the words were meant to growl but came out more like a confession.

Eddie tried to joke, because that’s what he did when the air got too heavy, right?

“Didn’t know swimming lessons came with—”

“Shut up.” Billy’s voice cracked just enough to betray him. He wasn’t angry. Not really. His hand trembled where it pinned Eddie, but he didn’t pull away. His gaze flicked from Eddie’s mouth to his eyes and back again, something sharp and hungry flickering there.

The silence only seemed to stretch and Billy wasn't sure what the hell was happening to him. He could feel the heat radiating off him, and the feeling of his pulse hammering against Billy's arm was very obvious. He knew he should move or say something, anything....but all he could think about was how close Eddie's lips were. How the tension between them didn’t feel like danger anymore. It felt like the moment before something irreversible.

Billy swallowed hard, the sound thick in the air. He moved his hand from his chest, his fingers suddenly tracing along his jaw as if seeing what it would feel like to touch Eddie Munson - who wasn't a woman. He stopped when he realized that he'd gotten too close. He stepped back a half-inch, just enough to let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in.

“Don’t… don’t make me regret teachin’ you, Munson.”