He reaches out and gives Steve a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. A small reassurance that everything is okay. "Jonathan is an old friend. I moved here at 10 and everyone made fun of me because of my accent and the bad shave job on my head. He was the only person who was nice to me. You don't have to be threatened he's just an old friend. It is kinda hot that you're jealous though."

So Eddie knew love. He knew devotion and care. Still hearing those words makes his stomach churn. No one outside of his family had ever cared that much. Some part of him wanted to deny it. To brush that all off as jokes from Steve. As he stared at Steve though he realized how much he meant it. How he really thought Eddie was someone worthy of protecting. That made his throat scratchy and his eyes watery. "You don't... you don't have to say all that." He says quietly though he smiles as he does.

Eddie reaches an arm out to wrap around Jonathan. "Easy there big guy. Those bat things tore me up pretty good." He squeezes Jonathan the best he can, smiling as he does. "Shit it's so good to see a familiar face. All I've seen is Henderson and Harrington lately. They're decent company but it's been getting pretty stale conversation wise."

Oh if baby Eddie could see them now. He'd had a crush on Jonathan back then but had never said a word too scared to lose his only friend. He smiles, "You know I'm not uhh normal right? I mean not just the weirdo loser thing. I'm far from normal you'd be..." He'd be settling. He'd be made fun of. He'd be a lot of things actually. Too many things for Eddie to list. "I just think you should know that before you say things you can't take back. I mean you're great and I've liked you for a while but I know I'm a lot."

"I don't know if we would've been friends even if you hadn't been..." A jerk? A popular guy? The hair? All of it actually because he had been all those things and more. He had changed though he was not a great guy the best friend a girl could ask for. She smiles and nudges his foot against hers. "I was in the marching band and worked at the movie theater. I was a Grade A loser shut in type. It would've taken a miracle for us to be friends. Say... Russians in a mall?"

No amount of listening to the radio or books he would have smuggled in killed the boredom. He'd written 59 different D&D campaigns, multiple short stories, and just daydreamed about what life would be once it was all over. He sees the surprise on Steve's face and smiles. "What? I don't get to have a life outside this place. It means I've got lots to daydream about whatever happens next."