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"C'mon just one more shot and then we'll go!" Robin giggled out as she slid you a glass that matched hers.
"Fine, one more and then we're definitely leaving," you laughed back.
The two of you had been invited to Jason Carver's house party. Well, all of campus really had. While it was a small school, you still knew that there would be a ridiculous amount of people there. Going out wasn't exactly your scene often and neither was Robin's, but you had been in desperate need of something to shake your funk. That, and Jason had practically begged you to go when he saw you in your shared stats lecture.
Robin had agreed under the same presence that you had, your glooming demeanor. You had been in this impending crash-out state for the past two weeks since you had officially called it off with your almost-boyfriend-but-not-quite Steve Harrington. He was a year above you and somehow had managed to weasel his way into every facet of your life since you were a freshman. He was friends with all your friends, practically besties with Robin, but she still tried her best to keep her support for you separate from that of his. You hadn't even mentioned his name between any of your friends, and especially not Robin. Unspoken understanding was where the two of you landed, and it worked perfectly for the two of you. Which is exactly why you had winded up in your shared apartment kitchen, throwing shots back while you waited for your Uber to show up to take you over to Jason's house.
By the time you had made it to his house, the party was already leaking onto the front porch. People strewn across the grass and the front porch, solo cups littering the lawn, lights flashing from inside. Robin flashed a smile at you while taking you hand in hand on your way in, the buzz of the alcohol hitting the two of you. The two of you made your way in, and somehow through all of the typical party chaos, Jason found you fairly quickly. He gave his regards, or attempted to through his drunken state, and pointed you and Robin towards the kitchen. Half filled bottles and mixers were strewn across the counter. So, you and Robin pushed your way into the kitchen to make yourself something that could be considered a substitute to lighter fluid.
"Hope it doesn't taste as lethal as it smells," Robin quipped before throwing back the drink, joining her.
After a few gags and giggles in response to the drink hitting your throat, you began mixing another.
"How hard were you planning on going tonight?" Robin asked.
"As long as I can make it to the Uber home," you responded.
"Could I join in on the shots, sweetheart?" a voice from behind you asked.
When you whipped around to face the voice, you found that it was none other than Eddie Munson. Two years above you and Robin, but also a painstakingly lovable goofball and another one of your closest friends. Unfortunately for you, he was also roommates with your sort-of ex, but Eddie had been attempting to do a good job at keeping the two of you separate to the best of his abilities.
You threw your arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a tipsy fueled hug before shoving your cup his way. "I'd be offended if you didn't!"
"What brings you out of your dungeon tonight?" Robin asked after finishing off the contents of her solo cup.
"Well..." Eddie started, looking around in an attempt to find some sort of response to hide why he really was here, "I just thought I'd finally listen to you and start getting out more."
"Bullshit!" you laughed, "You practically loath Jason. There's no way you're not here against your will."
"I mean, sort of-" He nervously laughed out, "I did kind of get dragged here."
Before you could ask him who and why exactly he was dragged to a party he'd rather die than be seen at, you saw it out of the corner of your eye. Or rather you saw him, filtering through the crowd in the living room behind your group. One hand gripped a solo cup, and the other slotted around some girl's shoulders. Deep in conversation with some random boys on the basketball team and some straggling drunk girls. Hair messy and shirt already slightly stained from some random punch from the cooler outside.
Eddie and Robin noticed you noticed him, and the conversation went silent for a beat longer than it should have.
"I'm sorry, I should've just told you he was going to be here-" Eddie started, but you cut him off.
Your expression went from a blank dazed state back into a smile, trying your best to completely hide any reaction that seeing him gave you. "You don't need to apologize Eddie, I don't care that he's here. It's an open party anyways. I kind of had an idea he'd probably be here."
"Are you sure you don't care? It is okay to care," Robin added in, concern etched across her face.
"Yeah, I'm fine," you quipped, "Just peachy," you added before taking a long sip of your drink.
"No, it's really okay if you're upset. Honestly you should be upset," Eddie remarked, "You've been way too nice about this whole thing recently."
"Yeah honestly, you have every right to lose it on him. I wouldn't even be mad if you lost it on me right now," Robin laughed out.
You honestly couldn't disagree with them. Since you called it off, you had been nothing but respectful and kind about the whole thing. Not mentioning why you felt like you had to end it, not bringing up his name around your shared friends, even not going to events with your friends so that he could spend time with them and it not be awkward. You still even followed him on social media, hell you were acting like a saint when he had done you so wrong.
You didn't really know if it was due to the alcohol or the weeks of festering anger, but at some point in this conversation with Eddie and Robin, it finally clicked for you.
"Y'know what, you guys are right," you retorted back, smiling at your two friends, "I'm done being careful about this whole thing, it's exhausting."
"Finally!" Robin laughed out, "As much as I'm still his friend, I've been waiting two weeks for this and I could not be more excited."
"Well then," Eddie started before grabbing the nearest liquor bottle and topping off your solo cups, raising his for a toast, "To fuck all!"
You and Robin joined your cups to his before the three of you threw back the drinks, the burn itching just right in your mouth.
"So..." Robin started, gesturing to the packed living room, "What's the plan of action?"
"The plan is to not have a plan," you grinned, setting your solo cup down and grabbing ahold of the liquor bottle Eddie had set down, taking a swig straight from it.
You grabbed Robin and Eddie by the hands, dragging them into the living room to join in on the drunken dancing taking place. You threw yourself into the crowd, the three of you fitting in perfectly with the chaos ensuing. The three of you molded into the mess of bodies and spilt drinks and thumping bass that filled the room. The tipsy haze that became thicker and thicker in your mind both distracted and fueled your full-blown spiral. The entire scene was completely out of character for not just you, but all three of you, and that only fueled you more. Robin giggled as you spun her around, Eddie following along with your energy as a playful grin shone across his face.
He leaned in close to you, having to whisper-yell to break through the noise of the party. "Don't look now, but I think your plan's working!"
A shit-eating grin bloomed across your face. Ignoring Eddie's warning, you glanced over to where Steve had previously been, only to find his gaze firmly planted on you. His arm was no longer around the random girl, but some new girl had a hand clutched tightly around his bicep, clearly using it to support herself up. He still was surrounded by the group he was talking to earlier, but this time you noticed that Jason had joined in on the conversation. It wasn't news to you that they were friends. They were teammates on the basketball team, and Jason was nothing short of a people-person. You'd honestly be shocked if Jason didn't talk to Steve at all. What did shock you though, was that at the same time Steve had noticed you looking in his direction, so had Jason.
Your eyes now shifted focus from Steve to Jason, who was now beginning to walk in the direction of your trio. A smile glinted across his face as he came over, and the closer he got, the drunker you could tell he was.
By the time he had approached you, the three of you had resumed your tirade of drunken dancing, but Jason's hand on your shoulder broke you out of the spell. "Hey, I couldn't help but notice you're actually having fun."
You turned towards him and laughed a bit. "Yeah, I actually am. Sorry for seeming like such a buzzkill when you invited me."
He rolled his eyes a bit and jokingly scoffed. "It was no big deal, just glad you showed up," His smile only grew wider, and you could feel the forced charisma thick in the air.
"Well, thanks for throwing a killer party," you smiled back at him before motioning back to Robin and Eddie, "I'm gonna go back to my friends, okay?"
His smile faltered a bit at your added statement, but as quick as it flashed away, it was back. "Yeah, sure."
As you began to turn away he grabbed your wrist, forcing you to turn back towards him, but much closer than you had wanted to be to him. "If you get bored or anything, need a change of scenery, just come find me," he retorted with a wink before letting go of your arm.
He walked back to his group, and as you watched his return you couldn't help but notice Steve's eyes still on you. Had he been watching your entire conversation with Jason?
Your drunken state didn't let you focus too much on whether or not Steve had been. You lost the thought as soon as it came, and returned to your friends who had been lost in their drunken dance tirade yet again.
"What was that about?" Eddie asked.
"Oh nothing, he just wanted to tell me thank you for coming," you quipped back. The little interaction with Jason had left you feeling gross and completely thrown off the adrenaline rush you had earlier.
"It looked like he wanted to thank you in another way," Robin teased.
"Didn't know you were that popular among party boys," Eddie joined in, adding fuel to Robin's fire.
You scoffed and laughed a bit, letting their jokes distract you before you grabbed another drink off a random windowsill.
"Just forget it," you brushed off their joking before throwing back the contents of whatever the hell was in that cup, "Where were we?" your energy from earlier had returned, and your friends easily matched you.
It felt as though days and seconds passed simultaneously while the three of you were entertained on the dance floor. You had been forcing yourself to keep your gaze away from Steve's direction, and luckily at some point he had moved from his spot from earlier. The room spun as the drinks began to catch up to you, the thumping of the bass and dark lightning only worsening it.
"I think I'm gonna take a sec, don't wait on me!" you yelled to Robin and Eddie at your sides, pushing through the crowd in the living room before either of them could argue. You didn't want to ruin their fun by needing a breather. Clearly they were too far gone to chase you, as you began to exit the living room and walk down the packed hallway without either of them following.
Jason's house was so mid-century it was almost nauseating. One overhead light filled the hall, and it was still fairly dark, just not as pitch as the living room. The hall was full of people; those waiting in line for the only bathroom, people making out in the hall, drunken arguments here and there. You didn't exactly need a breather, you just needed a second alone. So, you continued down the hall, following it as it had a sharp right turn. From the start, the amount of people slimmed down heavily, only a few people here and there talking in quiet conversations close to one another. It was perfect, so you planted yourself leaning against a wall in the corner, taking periodic sips of what was left of your mystery concoction.
"You seemed busy out there," a voice filtered out from the dark hallway, the body disbursing it out only coming out of the darkness a beat after the words had come.
Steve stood in front of you, finding a spot on the wall across from you to mirror your lean and grip on his own cup. He brought it up to his lips, taking in a long sip before staring you down. You gave him a look over, your heart thumping rapidly in our chest. He was wearing a shirt you had bought him, a vintage polo in a deep navy blue that brought out his eyes. He looked good- whether you actually thought that or the alcohol made you, you didn't particularly care at the moment.
"You know me, always finding a way to occupy myself," you said flatly, more sarcasm coming out than you had meant. The alcohol must have really been finally hitting you.
"Is that so?" Steve took another sip after giving you a quizzical look, "Is that why you've been on some sort of 'influencer health goals' dream recently?"
You were not expecting him to take a dig at you like that. Sure, had you been going into this "new era of you", as Robin liked to call it, over the past two weeks since the not-exactly-a-breakup? Yes you had, and it was honestly the only thing keeping you from having a full blown crash-out. It keeps you distracted, trying new things from journaling to green juice to even going as far as to attending Pilates four out of five weekdays. And honestly, you were getting kind of good at Pilates. Were you also posting about it on your social media? Yeah, of course you were, but god forbid you do apparently.
"So I'm not allowed to try new things and post about it?" you jutted back, giving him a look of slight disbelief.
"Never said that." he quipped back.
"So what exactly are you saying?" you questioned.
He moved closer to you, lifting himself off the wall to close the space between the two of you, leaving you inches apart. You could feel the heat of him radiating towards you, the smell of his cologne and a cocktail of mixed liquors filling the space.
"I'm saying...I think you're wanting me to see it." He spoke out in a low tone.
You waited a second before responding, letting the silence fill the space as you kept your eyes locked on his. "Who said I wasn't?"
The comment you made was completely against your better judgement. It was something you'd never say, this scenario something you would never do. It was stupid and reckless and completely messy. But, true to your word earlier, you didn't exactly have a plan, and you were sticking to the not-plan.
Silence passed between the two of you. It felt like you were daring one another to do something regardless of what it was.
"You look like you're doing good," he said. It seemed almost genuine.
"I am," you lied through your teeth, hoping the alcohol didn't give away your truth, "Are you?"
A confused look passed over him for a second, almost as if he couldn't decide whether he wanted to answer your question or not. "I've been fine- just fine."
It felt like a game of cat and mouse at this point. The banter was one of you egging the other on, hoping for a slip in the facade that either of you could retaliate to. But that didn't happen, instead the two of you stood there in silence for a beat, not breaking eye contact.
Steve gave you a look over for about the tenth time that night, and very un-casually landed his gaze at your lips. The alcohol had clearly not just been affecting you. His gaze upon you was barely readable, it was as if he was having some sort of conflicting inner monologue with himself. It wasn't completely unpredictable though, you had seen that look before. Numerous times at parties the two of you had attended together, at get-togethers with friends when you both would sneak off for a few minutes, he was deciding if he wanted to kiss you or not at that moment.
Clearly, his emotions won the battle, and he moved even closer to you. You allowed him, and where he gave you just enough space to shove him away from you, you never did. His breath mingled with yours, the slit of space between you and him filling with the warmth escaping the two of you. His free hand had found its way to your hip, beginning to grip onto the flimsy fabric of your mini-skirt. The alcohol daze swirling in your head mingled sickly with an arousal fog that had begun to form.
As quickly as the moment had felt, it was over. Before it even started, actually. Like a sign from God, the lights of the house flicked up, the hall the two of you stood in becoming hit with blaring yellow light. In fact, all of the house became lit to oblivion, automatically killing whatever spell had been on the two of you, along with the rest of the party. The music that had been reverberating the entire house cut out, people boo'ed various parts of the house. It was clear that moment was over, and the party was too.
You pushed Steve away lightly, slightly avoiding his eyes. "I should be getting back to Robin and Eddie."
"Yeah-uh yeah," he spoke out flatly, joining you in the avoidance daze that had taken over the two of you.
With that, you walked out of the hall, leaving Steve. You found your way filtering between people, trying to locate your friends amongst the people trying to find their way out of the house. You eventually met back up with them in the middle of the living room.
"Look's like our rare night out is ending early," Robin laughed out a little.
"Who says the night has to end?" Eddie lit up, a smile etched across his face.
Eddie pulled his phone out at rapid speed as the three of you began to find your way out of the house. By the time the three of you made it outside, he had shoved his phone back into the pocket of his leather jacket, the grin even wider than before.
"What are you up to, Munson?" you asked, giggling a bit through your drunk daze.
"I have secured us a party," he skipped a few paces ahead of the two of you as you began to walk towards the apartment complex the three of you shared, "And I may be throwing it!"
"How exactly are you throwing a party right now dingus?" Robin jutted out, "It's not like you had time to get drinks or to ask Steve if you could. Who are you even inviting?"
"First of all, Stevie-boy already said it was good," Eddie kept walking backwards and talking to the two of you, tripping slightly every few steps, "Secondly, I always have enough alcohol to support a party. And thirdly, it's just a few friends, nothing crazy. Just enough to keep our not-planned-out party night going!"
"Steve's gonna be there?" you asked, clearly a little worried. The energy shifted a bit from joking to concern, and Eddie realized the issue.
"He said he probably won't show, and if he does he'll just go to his room." Eddie retorted back quickly in an attempt to ease your mind.
Silence fell across the three of you for a beat. "I promise, okay?"
The mention of Steve brought you directly back to the scene you had been stuck in earlier. Where you almost made a stupid, reckless mistake. One Robin probably would have grounded you to never leaving your shared apartment again until you graduate. You could practically still feel his hand on your hip, still smell his dingy cologne and hot breath on you. It transported you even farther back, images of him half asleep on your couch next to you and you laying in his bed filtering back into your mind.
You could tell your silence worried Eddie and Robin. So, you broke yourself out of the trance you were under and nodded in response, flashing a fat grin to Eddie in an attempt to ease his worry. And it worked, or at least Eddie played along to make it seem as though it did.
By the time the three of you had made it to the apartment complex, the daze of alcohol and adrenaline had slightly worn off amongst all of you. Yet, the three of you didn't let it dampen your spirits, laughing as you attempted to run up the stairs, passing your own floor and booking it for the third where Eddie and Steve's apartment resided. You eventually made it into his apartment, the high beams slightly illuminated by the white kitchen light that had been left on. Eddie snapped the light off, only to turn on a set of LEDs and mood lamps that traced along the kitchen and living room. It looked like a shitty Euphoria set attempt, but it would absolutely make do.
"Eddie, do not play your weird hair rock crap right now or so help me," Robin laughed out before finding her way to the sofa and flopping onto it.
"Hey, don't disrespect my fantastic taste like that!" He joked back before slipping into his room briefly, only to bring back a large speaker, "I know when is and isn't appropriate to educate people on the greatest musicians of all time, and now clearly isn't."
You laughed at their conversation as you opened the mini fridge that sat upon the counter in the kitchen. You were making yourself useful, unlike Robin who was currently trying to drunkenly take off her shoes at the sofa, and continued by bringing the various liquors out of their spot in Eddie's mini fridge.
By the time you were done with the task, Eddie had successfully set up the speaker, blaring some form of a frat-inspired party playlist that he probably got straight from Steve. Robin had joined you in the kitchen, beginning to mix things together into mismatched cups that Steve and Eddie had collected over the years. People began arriving, the knocks on the door fading out as Eddie decided that leaving the door unlocked was just easier, and it finally began to feel like an actual party. One that was manageable, there wasn't anyone there that one of you didn't know at least a bit, but it still felt lively. It was distracting enough, good enough to keep your mind on your goal for the night and keep it off of him.
The controlled chaos of the impromptu party was almost too perfect. You attempted to catch up with people through your drunken state, eventually finding your way back to dancing with Robin just as you had at Jason's house. At some point Eddie brought out a folding table, setting up beer pong that took over half the room. Or it did, until the extra pong balls got thrown around and lost. Luckily, you realized you had some at your apartment, and hunted down Eddie to let him know that you would be back with the extras, receiving a sloppy drunken hug in response.
So you found yourself exiting Eddie and Steve's apartment, the overhead light from the hallway slightly blinding you as you walked out into the open air. You began your walk towards the staircase, and then your descent, struggling a bit with keeping yourself in a completely straight line. By the time you made it down the flight, the cool air had aided a bit in sobering you up, just a bit too much, letting your mind swirl about the events of the night. You were lost in thought, walking from the staircase to your apartment door and fiddling with the keys in your hand on autopilot. So much so that you didn't notice another presence until you could feel their gaze upon you.
You could make out Steve's form from your spot planted in front of your front door. His intoxicated demeanor must have matched yours, as he didn't seem overly concerned about how you leaned on your apartment door to support yourself. He didn't say anything, he just stood at the staircase as if he was battling himself on what he should do next.
"Are you just gonna stand there all night?" you spoke out flatly, crossing your arms over your chest, "Party's upstairs."
"I know," he spoke back in a low, gravelly tone.
Silence passed between the two of you again. As much as you hated to admit it, but you liked it a bit. You loved when you could be in comfortable silence with Steve. And now, this uncomfortable, stinging version of the silence you once adored with him was just reminiscent enough for you to like it.
"I'm surprised you're not still up there," he stated questioningly. It felt like he was just trying to make conversation just to be talking to you.
"I was just grabbing some things for Eddie," you responded.
"Oh. That's nice of you." he quipped.
"I try," a little laugh accompanied your response, and a small sly smile grew on you. It infected Steve, who shot you back a shy little smile from across the hall where he stood.
A beat of silence passed across you again before Steve broke it again. "I missed seeing you."
For a second it felt like all the air had left your lungs, like you were short circuiting in front of him. It felt like he was almost baiting you, even though you knew he wasn't. He was drunk, he didn't realize what he was saying and you didn't realize how long you had left yourself entertained talking to him. But yet, you still did, you couldn't help it. It still angered you, festered like an itch you could never scratch. Waves of emotions crashed over you in a single swipe, morphing from sadness to frustration. Normally, you'd direct yourself back to the sadness feeling, let yourself wallow in silence. It was less risk to him, kept whatever reputation and view he wanted for himself intact, and less rick to you, keeping you from really feeling your emotions about how he had royally fucked you over. But here, under the influence of one too many shots and way too much adrenaline, you felt like giving him a nasty response. You felt like finally flipping the script, giving yourself the opportunity to be the mean one, the toxic one at this moment.
"You don't get to miss me anymore Steve," you retorted out, your words filling the hall, "You lost that privilege more than two weeks ago."
"You don't mean that," he responded, taking a step away from the staircase, "You know exactly why that had to happen."
"Do I Steve, do I?" you snarled back, "Because it seems to me like you couldn't commit to someone who wanted nothing but the best for you, and then you rub it in my face for weeks!"
"How was I rubbing it in your face?" he raised his voice in response, continuing towards your apartment until he was a few steps in front of you. Not as close as you were at the party, but close enough that he didn't have to scream at you from the staircase.
You let a sarcastic laugh echo in the hall. "Don't act like I haven't seen two different girls on you tonight alone, and that doesn't include what I didn't see."
"Don't act like I didn't see your little moment with the party host!" he snapped back.
"Oh fuck off!" you threw your hands to your side, fists balled up.
"It's not my fault you went to that party and were acting like you were begging me to notice you," he huffed out, crossing his arms.
"I wasn't begging you to notice me, idiot," you snarled out, stepping away from your front door and taking a step towards him, "I'm allowed to go to a party and do whatever the hell I want without you bothering me or even having an opinion on it."
A beat passed again, and both of you became painfully aware of the lack of space between you. Whether or not it was intended, neither of you moved. The air stalled, thickening with each passing second before you cut through it again.
"You don't get to miss me because you have to earn it, Steve. I'm sorry I couldn't be whatever dream girl you imagined. I'm sorry I wasn't your perfect image of whatever you wanted, even though I tried so hard to be. And I'm sorry I've been nothing short of a saint in this, because we didn't even officially date and you still tore me to fucking shreds. So no, you don't get to fucking miss me, okay?"
You kept your gaze in his. It felt like a trap, like a line waiting to be crossed but never should. Your words rang through the hall, through your mind, through your soul. It was harsh, but it was true. And finally, you had let yourself fully verbalize it to the person who truly needed to hear it.
You spoke again, this time in an almost whisper, like you saying it would cause him to shatter. "Sue me for actually wanting you to want me. To really be wanted by you."
The silence was almost more nauseating than the way the drinks were catching up to you. You avoided his eyes for the second time tonight, but he wouldn't break away from yours. It felt like daggers, stabbing into your soul.
He let out a breathless statement, and you almost didn't catch it. "I've always wanted you."
You met his gaze again. You felt waves of sadness, nostalgia almost, washing over you. It was bittersweet, biting at your heart in hundreds of places. His presence beckoned at you like a dare you just couldn't refuse.
So you didn't. You leaned in closer to him, closing the space between the two of you, finding yourself pressed against his lips. It wasn't like any other drunk kiss you had with him in the past, no, it was tender and shy. Sobering almost, but also sending a new sort of haze over you. One where you missed him even more than ever, where you longed for nothing more than to be in his embrace. It was like your soul longed for him, like you could climb into his bones and he would gladly let you, or at least you wanted him to. He tasted like cheap rum and spearmint, and by the time you had pulled away you could tell your strawberry lipgloss had transferred over to him completely.
You pulled away breathless before you found your logic again. "No you don't, you want to want me."
"Can't you just let me admit I was wrong? That I was scared of committing to something I felt like I didn't deserve because honestly at the time I didn't?" he rambled out, "Just let me earn it. Let me want you, please."
He was begging you for a second chance, for a moment to make it right. He wanted to make it up to you, to not only fix what he had ruined but to admit that he did it in the first place. Two weeks ago you would have never thought he would even contemplate the idea of that. But here he stood, in a drunk and solemn haze, begging you to let him have any scraps you would throw him.
God, did you want to be mean? To ruin him like he had ruined you. But something in you, something deep down, knew that he was being nothing but genuine. This was the real Steve standing in front of you, the one that learned where he was wrong and was going to do anything in his power to fix it. And honestly, you couldn't deny him that. Hell, you didn't want to at all. So, you didn't.
"Okay," you muttered out.
"Okay...?" he questioned, looking at you nervously, like if he said the wrong thing you would run for the hills.
"Okay. I'll let you want me," you started, "I'm not going to forget everything, but I'll let you actually try this time. Like fully try. But you're not going to walk all over me this time Steve. Once it's done, it's done, got it?"
He kept his gaze on you before giving a small smile. "Got it."
You matched his little half-smile. It felt like a line had snapped, the tension broken completely. The air suddenly felt comfortable again, like it should have been that way the whole time and the two of you were just too stupid to fix it in the first place. But you were thankful for it to be right for now, at least.
"So..." Steve started, "Do you still need to get the stuff for Eddie, or...?"
"Oh yeah," you broke out of your daze and turned towards the door, fumbling with your keys before finally getting the door open. "Wanna come in?"
Steve smiled before following you inside. The two of you entered into Robin and your apartment, the kitchen light flicking on as the door shut. You found yourself opening drawers in the kitchen, looking for the ping pong balls you had bought months ago. You didn't even realize how close Steve had gotten until you turned from your spot over one of the counters, finding him right behind you. It caused you to jump, and he put his hands around you as you playfully slapped his chest. The two of you broke out into laughter, and it felt nostalgic of how the two of you were before the not-so breakup. It felt even more natural when the two of you calmed before looking at each other's gaze once again that night. It felt like normalcy had completely returned to the two of you when he crashed his lips into yours. It started the same as it had been outside, like an ask, a longing that was sweet and simple.
The newfound courage in you that had been a present force in your unplanned night climbed up your bones as the two of you kissed in the kitchen. It set off something in you, some sort of longing that was clawing at you, and in your drunken state you let it drive you completely. You kissed him with more ferocity, more need and hunger. He followed, slowly working up to match you until he helped you to find a seat on the counter behind you.
The scene was a daze of drunken kisses and bites, hands filtering across the two of you. Bruises were already marked across your neck from him. His once managed head was now a heap of messy locks, his hairspray doing nothing to aid from your hands wandering through his hair. It felt raw and rigid, something the two of you had experienced together to an even larger max, but this time it felt new. It felt sincere, felt like a longing that was so natural it just had to be fulfilled.
Or it did, until the spell that the two of you were under was broken by a gasp that broke through the room. It was dramatic and loud, and could have been glass-shattering if you hadn't known any better. How the two of you didn't hear someone coming into the apartment, you didn't really know. What you did know however, was that Robin and Eddie stood in the doorway of your apartment across from you and Steve in the kitchen. Robin's expression was drawn into a drunken furrow, arms crossed like a disappointed father. Eddie on the other hand, had both his hands over his mouth and stood like he had just seen a ghost. It was the most horrible outcome you could have had, them both coming into your apartment to find you making out with your sort-of-but-no-longer-is-but-wasn't-ever-really ex who you had literally just said you wanted to completely forget, but hey, at least you didn't have to tell them you were seeing him again.