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The first time it happens, it's an accident. An impulse.
"Here, hold this," Steve hears himself say.
Eddie's eyes are wide and startled, his mouth still open, still wet under Steve's hand.
He watched Eddie's mouth move, heard the gentle clack of a kelly green 20 sided die against the inside of the other man's teeth. A light entered Eddie's eyes that Steve was well familiar with.
"Don't get any big ideas. I just want you to shut up long enough for me to finish my story."
He could feel Eddie's lips shift under his fingers, that grin was coming, the one that would make Steve give in like it always did.
He tightened his hand.
"Uhn-uh, nope. It's my turn to talk. You just listen, okay?"
Steve used his grip on Eddie's face to shift the other man's head into an awkward nod.
Eddie's posture relaxed. Steve could see the way his shoulders dropped down and his breath, puffing against Steve's knuckles, slowed and evened out. Even the fire in his eyes had softened, still present but banked, almost hungry.
"I think I like you like this," Steve said softly. "Agreeable."
The thing is... Steve hadn't meant to do it. He liked Eddie, liked hearing Eddie's voice, how passionate he got about music and stories and games and life. It was exhilarating.
And unending.
Mostly Steve didn't mind but there were times he actually wanted to say something, wanted to get even a few words in edgewise.
And today all he could hear was Eddie, carried away by some book he had been reading, and any pause the other man took for breath was filled with the noise of the green dice he was rattling across their formica tabletop.
It wasn't even that Steve was angry. Frustrated yes, and maybe a little disappointed he couldn't share his own news before his boyfriend got carried away again. But not angry, never angry
Still there was a pressure that built up inside of him made up of every word Eddie said and every word of Steve's own that he had bitten back.
The d20 skittering across the table and smacking into Steve's hand with nothing more than a, "Can you pass that back here, babe," was the final straw.
But now that he had Eddie quiet and still under his control Steve completely forgot what he wanted to say.
There was something about Eddie like this, all of the wild energy that usually buzzed off of him was leashed. But even then he could not be contained. His eyes were half-lidded but still clear and intent, focused on Steve.
"Do you like this?"
Steve didn't move his hand this time, in fact he loosened his grip on the other man's face. He wanted an honest answer, without influence.
Eddie nodded. The gesture so small and quiet that Steve might not have noticed it if he weren't so close.
"Really?"
Eddie hummed agreement against Steve's hand, the vibration on his skin making the hair at the back of his neck stand up.
"Is this something we need to discuss?"
Eddie hummed again, nodding. Steve could see his mouth work around the die.
He took his hand away but Eddie stayed silent, lowering his eyes until Steve could barely make out the chocolate brown glint from beneath dark lashes.
Steve felt something rising in him and it felt like potential. He leaned close to Eddie's ear.
"And this time I get to talk."