Soft Touch Baby
Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 | Pt 5 | Pt 6 | Pt 7 | Pt 8 | Pt 9 | Pt 10 | Pt 11 | Pt 12 | Pt 13 | Pt 14 | Pt 15 | Pt 16 | Eddie’s POV | Song | ao3
Eddie is a sight to behold when he’s in the zone. Truly.
He picks up his guitar just to put it back down again. He walks around the room, notebook in one hand and pencil in the other. He sketches random figures in the air, looking off to the distance, mouthing whatever he’s thinking. When he gets an idea, he yelps and scrambles for the nearest hard surface to write on, sometimes just collapsing to the floor because it’s fastest.
Steve is ridiculously enamored by him. “Hey, uh, Eds?” He gets a distracted hum. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom real quick.”
“Yeah. Yeah, help yourself.” He waves a distracted hand behind him, in the general direction of the door.
Steve smiles and slips out to the kitchen. He freezes in his tracks when he sees Wayne sitting at the table. “Oh. Hello.”
“Hello,” Wayne responds. “You’re the, uh, Harrington boy?”
“Steve,” he nods, moving forward to offer a handshake. “And you’re Wayne?”
Wayne hums, accepts his hand. Studies him. “You anything like your father, boy?”
Steve winces, looks away. “I try not to be,” he says honestly.
“Good,” Wayne answers, leaning back in his seat. “And you and my boy?”
“We’re friends, sir.”
“Because of everything he can’t tell me?”
Steve offers a half smile. “Yeah. He, uh. He’s a really good guy. I’m proud to be his friend.”
Wayne raises a brow, amused. “You aiming for brownie points or some shit, son?”
Steve smiles. “Just saying what I know. He’s writing a song right now, so I figured I’d try to find us breakfast.” He points over his shoulder to the kitchen. “If that’s alright?”
Wayne waves a hand. “Have at it.” He flips his paper back up, clearly signaling the end of the conversation.
Steve smiles as he turns around and heads to the fridge.
He decides on eggs and toast, rooting around in the cabinets to look for a pan before getting the eggs and bread out.
About half of the eggs he makes, he breaks the yolks on. He takes those for himself, leaving Eddie with the better-looking, better-cooked eggs. He butters the toast and loads everything up onto two plates, bringing them back to Eddie’s room.
He watches as Eddie smells the food and whips around, eyes widening comically. “You’re an angel,” he says reverently. Steve very carefully ignores the way his heart flips in his chest.
“It’s eggs and toast,” he says, choking down whatever else wants to come out. “Coffee?”
Eddie waves a hand. “After. Thank you, seriously.”
Steve smiles. “You were busy. It really isn’t a big deal.”
Suddenly Eddie begins to laugh. “So I guess I cook at yours, you cook at mine?”
Steve chuckles. “Guess so.”
They sit on the bed, eating in silence, stealing glances here and there. Looking away whenever their eyes meet. Eddie shifts, stretches out his legs, pressing his shin into Steve’s.
Steve presses back. Looks at their legs. Doesn’t dare look up at Eddie’s face.
Eddie breaks the silence. Steve smiles to himself, because of course he would. “Sorry for…” he waves a hand, indicating the guitar back in the corner, the notebook and pencil tossed haphazardly onto the desk. “Y’know. Spacing.”
Steve doesn’t answer yet. Takes another bite of eggs. Thinks. “I don’t know how to show you that I think you’re a genius.”
Eddie blinks. “A genius?”
Steve shrugs a shoulder. “You’re a great storyteller, Eds. As someone who isn’t? Yeah. Your songs tell stories. And I’ve sat in on a few sessions now, right?”
Eddie snorts. “Only cause it’s in your house.”
Steve waves him off. “Point is. When you’re telling the kids what happens next? You’re… you’re fucking captivating, man.”
Eddie’s breath catches as he grabs for a section of hair to pull across his face.
Steve reaches over, fingertips on his forearm. "Don't hide?"
Eddie drops his hand. Catches Steve's wrist. Looks intently at it as his fingers brush over a beauty mark, just on the inside of his wrist.
Steve watches. Lightly grasps Eddie's wrist in return. Eddie's hand stills, squeezing once, before they sit in silence, both their gazes trained on their hands before drifting up, locking eyes.
They jump apart, both flushing, when Wayne knocks on the door. "Boys? I'm heading out to work, one of you lock the door behind me sometime today."
Eddie laughs. It only sounds slightly forced. "What do we have that someone would steal, old man?" He calls back.
"My dignity," Wayne immediately responds. "Just lock the damn door, boy."
Eddie grins. "Will do, Wayne."
Pt 14
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