#platonic hellcheer

Eddie made a humming sound, which suggested he didn’t agree but was willing to humor her.

She cut it all the way to the logo, then put it on to start working on the neckline. “Come on, you’re telling me you wouldn’t be into this? Steve in your hellfire shirt? It’s your equivalent of a letterman, right?” she raised an eyebrow at him as more fabric hit the floor, enough that the top of her bra poked through

“I’d ask why he cut up the shirt,” Eddie muttered, and she spun around to whack him.

“Well if he’d ask me out, I wouldn’t have to.” She’d been after Jeff for weeks, and he was either the second most oblivious man on Earth (Eddie took first prize, obviously, with everything he put Steve through) or he was giving her the most polite rejection in history.

So, she was throwing a Hail Mary at the Corroded Coffin show tonight, and if that didn’t work, she’d give up.

“He doesn’t know he’s supposed to.”

“That’s why I’m making it *obvious*, Edward,” the full government name meant she wasn’t playing around, “now help me with my eyeliner, please.”

He grumbled again, thinking this whole plan was ridiculous, but complied anyway.

Eventually, he needed to leave for the show, so she fixed the “short but not too obviously short” leather skirt she’d picked out to go with the top and hopped in the van.

The boys were waiting by the door of the Hideout when they pulled up, arguing about something that definitely didn’t matter. “Hey,” she got out and bounced over to them while Eddie unloaded the amps.

Gareth waved, not asking about the outfit even though there was a curious look in his eye—she knew he didn’t like having her around, more than once he’d remarked that everyone in Hellfire was being “seduced by jocks”.

Yeah, she fucking *wished*, Gareth.

Jeff turned from where he was tuning his guitar to greet her, and she felt a bolt of pride when his jaw dropped, even as he quickly got control of himself. “Hey,” he finally eeked out, punctuated with an awkward wave.

Gareth and Doug seemed to decide that something was happening that they didn’t want to witness, and started to head inside.

“Here,” she slid into his space, fixing where his guitar strap had folded in on itself a bit, slowly looking up to test his reaction. They stood there for a minute, both frozen, air charged. If he was going to make a move, this was the time.

Just as he was about to move back, Eddie lobbed a pebble at his head from the stairs, startling them both into looking up.