I was finally able to finish this yaaaay enjoy this absolute schmoopfest
“When did you know?”
“Know what?” Steve asks, voice muffled.
“That you liked me.”
Steve lifts his head slightly from the pillow so he can look at Eddie properly, eyebrow raised and mouth quirked in a sleepy, teasing grin. “That I liked you or liked liked you?”
Eddie rolls his eyes, presses his face into his chest. “Answer the question, Harrington.”
Steve wraps his arms around him, pulls him so Eddie’s fully sprawled over his stomach. “You actually don’t know? I thought it was obvious.”
“Stevie, need I remind you it took me three tries to graduate. I’m not exactly the sharpest tool-”
Steve presses a sleep laden finger to Eddie’s lips, “none of that.” He mumbles. “You’re like, the smartest.”
Cheesy bastard.
Eddie smiles, “you’re such a sap.”
Steve hums and Eddie can feel his chest vibrate with it. “Says the guy who just asked me when I knew I liked him.”
“You’re rubbing off on me,” Eddie grumbles, and Steve snorts.
“Whatever you have to tell yourself, sunshine.” Steve’s hand travels from his face into his hair, and the slow drag of his fingertips against Eddie’s scalp sending tingles down his spine. “You really don’t know?” Steve asks in a whisper.
“You’re acting like this is common knowledge.” Eddie’s starting to drool a bit, his mouth hanging open at the sensation of Steve’s fingers.
“I thought it was. Eddie, the moment you brought that bottle to my neck, l was a goner.”
That’s enough to break Eddie out of his stupor. His mouth clicks shut and he lifts his head to look at Steve properly. “What?” He asks, because that cannot be right. “Stevie, I almost sliced open your aorta.”
Steve shrugs, and diverts his eyes- and- is he blushing?
“Oh my god,” Eddie says, and he honest to god giggles, because he’s going to have so much fun with this. “My little masochist!” He squeals, and Steve removes his hands from Eddie’s hair to cover his face, now a flaming red. “Stevie, baby, if you wanted more of that in our love life all you had to do was ask,” he lifts himself up and attempts to pull Steve’s hands from his face, but he holds firm, calloused palms covering those gorgeous cheekbones. “Stevie,” Eddie repeats, voice softer, now, and tugs futilely on his wrists.
“We’re never making eye contact again,” Steve grumbles, “I thought you were playing dumb- I thought you knew.”
Eddie lets go of his wrists. “What? You thought I knew you were into all that and then just ignored it?”
Steve doesn’t move.
“Baby,” Eddie says, and he really wishes Steve would look at him.
He lays back down so he’s no longer on top of his boyfriend. He curls his fingers around Steve’s bicep. “I love you,” he murmurs, a reminder. “I love you, and you can talk to me about anything.”
Finally, Steve removes his hands from his face. He glances towards Eddie. “It’s so embarrassing though,” he mumbles, and it looks like the words themselves are causing him pain.
Eddie takes one of Steve’s hands between his own. “Wanna know when I knew?” He asks, and Steve’s face twitches, an almost-smile.
“Please.”
“You can’t say anything until I’m done, okay?”
“Promise,” Steve says.
Eddie begins rubbing Steve’s hand. Massaging the knuckles. “I’d just gotten out of the hospital. You were over ‘cause Wayne had to work that night. And I was still all groggy and on pain meds, could barely stay awake for longer than a couple of hours. I fell asleep on the couch. Which, you know, wasn’t exactly uncommon.” He smiles, and Steve, with a confused little frown on his face, smiles back. “I woke up I don’t even know how much longer later. You had on a basketball game. On mute. And I remember something happened that you liked- like someone made a goal-”
Steve makes a strangled noise that Eddie plows over.
“Or blocked a goal or some such shit. But the important part is you jumped up from the couch and started dancing. Like, wagging your hips and spinning around in a circle and I could tell you were trying to be quiet, and I just thought, in that moment, he’s such a dork.”
Eddie smiles. Threads his fingers between Steve’s. “That’s when I knew.”
Steve pushes himself further into the pillows. “Can we make it a different moment?” He asks. “Like when I carried you out of hell? Or a time when I was a total badass?”
Eddie hums. Pretends to think this over. “Hot, but not when I knew. Sorry, Stevie. That’s the one.”
Steve looks back to him. Turns so they’re facing each other again. “I thought that was supposed to make me feel better.” He says, failing to keep down the curve of his lips. “You just like me because I’m embarrassing.” He whispers, soft and fond.
Eddie grins. “Caught red handed.”
Steve squeezes his hands. Then his smile turns crooked. “Just as long as you like me.” He whispers.
Eddie’s chest clenches. He breathes. Tries not to explode. “I a lot more than like you, Stevie.”
Eddie lifts one of his hands. Cards it through his boyfriend’s hair. “Love you. All the time, I love you.”
Steve exhales. Dips forward so he’s the one in Eddie’s chest. “Love you all the time too.” He whispers.
Eddie kisses the top of Steve’s head. Wraps his arms around him.
Steve’s breaths get deeper, and even out.
Eddie thinks about the boy he pressed the broken bottle against, the boy who danced, the boy currently in his arms, and thinks there are very few moments he didn’t know.
*****
✨Tagging @hotluncheddie per request✨
