YOU'RE THE NEXT CONTESTANT

[sictransitgloriamundi]

WHO: the Captain + You
WHAT: contractually obligated price is right game
WHEN: 11/18, like nightish?
WHERE: Bellona Theater
WARNINGS: N/A, currently

[you've heard the announcement, the sound of Friday's cautious optimism as she spoke it. you've waited all day. now, it's time for the game.

the amount of effort that has gone into this production at Bellona can be safely defined as “minimal.” there are three podiums, with three slate boards and three pieces of chalk. there is another podium, currently empty, next to a plain folding table. there is a tablecloth draped over the table, covering a lumpy, inscrutable shape.

the most remarkable thing is the giant wheel set up on the other side of the empty podium. the slices of the giant circle are colorful, but also completely blank. the Captain actually spends 30 minutes prior to the start of the event simply sitting in front of it, back to the audience, and spinning it, listening to the loud clacking noise pick up and then die down again, before spinning it once more.

clackclackclack clack clack. clack. clackclackclackclackclack.

it's gonna be a long night.]

Comments

[inhairently]

You mean the you who looks after wayward freshmen like Henderson and Wheeler?

[ To an outsider this might sound like a dig but there's a fondness in Steve's voice. The days of him being jealous over Eddie and Dustin's friendship are long gone. ]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can handle it.

[thefreak]

[ If anything, the mention of Dustin and Mike just makes Eddie's smile even more genuine. ] Someone's gotta look after the little sheepies.

[ But he never could resist just leaning against Steve. That's what he gets for opting to sit next to Eddie, clearly. ] Yeah, I think you can handle me, pretty boy.

cw referenced homophobia/internalized homophobia (yes in the price is right party log)

[inhairently]

[ And this is the point where, in a crowd like this, Steve would have shifted away from Eddie, probably laughed off the nickname like it was a joke. But after all the shit they've gone through these past weeks, and after his talk with Ryan, Steve isn't so quick to move away.

People here are different, anyway. It's still something he's getting used to but so far as he's noticed, no one bats an eye at guys holding hands or openly dating or, hell, handing out wedding invitations. It's far from what he's used to but that's a good thing, and he's learning to be okay with each shaky, tottering step towards accepting himself.

So when Eddie leans against him he shifts a little so it's more comfortable, but he doesn't pull away. And now that he's sober when Eddie calls him "pretty boy," he's okay with acknowledging that it sends a little spark of butterflies flitting around in his gut. He likes it. He likes Eddie.

And that's okay. ]

Pretty boy, [ he echoes with a crooked smile and a shake of his head. ] I think you're the first person who's ever called me that and wasn't trying to be an asshole.

[thefreak]

[ The first thing Eddie notices is that Steve doesn't shy away from his incessant attempts to ignore personal boundaries. Which just leads to Eddie burrowing in just a little bit more, finding a comfortable position with his head leaning a little against Steve's shoulder. Just because he can.

Then Steve is repeating the nickname Eddie so boldly called him, in the midst of the auditorium, in front of everyone, and he thinks for a moment he's going to be called out, again.

But he's not. Which has Eddie smiling to himself, and maybe even pressing a little closer to Steve. ]

Yeah? Well, you are. A pretty boy, that is. More people should be calling you that and not being an asshole.

[inhairently]

[ Steve's eyes are on the game but he's not focused on it at all. His mind is entirely on Eddie's presence at his side and the little trill of nervous excitement he feels each time Eddie moves closer.

It would be so, so easy to revert back to laughing this off, playing it like some stupid, totally-flirty-but-not-really-flirting-ha-ha joke, but no. He decides to go for it. ]

You're prettier than me, [ he says. ] So what should I call you?

[thefreak]

[ Steve's reply takes Eddie by surprise, and he turns his head from the stage (not that he was paying much attention to the game at all by now) to focus on Steve.

Shit, his face is a lot closer than he anticipated it would be, causing Eddie's breath to hitch. Play it cool, man, play it cool. ]

You think so? [ Oh, when did his voice get all breathless? ] What do you want to call me?

[inhairently]

[ Steve catches the hitch in Eddie's breathing and he turns his head and oh god their faces are really close now. Suddenly nothing else in this room matters. It's just him and Eddie and whatever this is that's happening between them.

His eyes drop to Eddie's lips and linger for a second too long before flicking back up. ]

I don't know. [ His voice is low, meant only for Eddie. ] But I bet I could think of a few things.

[thefreak]

[ It had made sense, really, for them to sit next to each other in the audience. Why wouldn't he, when he and Steve just always seemed to gravitate to one another?

But all this time, Eddie had assumed it was more that he was seeking out Steve at every opportunity, that it was Eddie making up scenarios in his head that weren't really there. There's no mistaking, though, the way Steve's eyes gaze at his lips for far longer than might be considered normal.

And here's the thing. If he were back home in Hawkins, the idea of kissing Steve in public wouldn't have even crossed his mind. But this isn't Hawkins. Eddie had been able to wear a crop top without getting the shit kicked out of him. Hell, Rich flirted with him out in the open.

There's just no universe in which Eddie can stand by and watch Steve gaze longingly at his lips and not kiss him, so he takes the plunge, leaning forward before he can second guess himself and letting his lips press tentatively against Steve's, lingering there for a moment before pulling back. ] Maybe you can call me yours? [ Spoken in the quietest, most uncertain voice, because even with the evidence staring at him right in front of his face, he can't shake the feeling that he might have imagined things, and might have taken a step too far. ]

[inhairently]

[ Steve tenses when their lips meet, but once that flicker of panic subsides he relaxes and leans into the kiss. It’s brief, almost chaste, but still enough to stir up a complicated blend of emotions about Eddie, about this place, and about himself. He’s surprised to find that most of them are good things, though, and even more surprised that the bad isn’t enough to drown out the good. That he can feel so halting and unsteady on the legs of his own identity but so unequivocally certain of his feelings for Eddie is strange, but he welcomes it. He wants to understand himself, he wants that confidence that so many others here seem to come by naturally, but he wants this too, and that’s okay.

Most of all, Steve just wants to be wanted.

So he doesn’t answer Eddie right away. Instead, he brings his hand up to rest at the back of Eddie’s neck, threading his fingers through his hair, and leans in to press their lips together again. Like the first, this kiss is soft, a little bit nervous, and just as exciting. ]

Yeah, [ Steve murmurs as he pulls away. ] Yeah, I’d like that.

[thefreak]

[ For a moment, when Eddie feels Steve tense, he actually believes he's going to be let down easy. He definitely doesn't anticipate feeling Steve's hand at the back of his neck, fingers in his hair, steering him into another kiss.

The corners of his lips tug into a smile that he only resists so he can kiss back, just as gently, but with as many feelings as he can possibly pour into one simple kiss. The kiss only lasts for a moment, yet Eddie finds him just as breathless as he would have been if they had been making out, and only then does he let himself break into a grin, his eyes only brightening further with Steve's answer.

And then, the commotion of the game brings him back to reality. Shit, right, they're in the middle of the audience, and Eddie's name could be called at any second still.

D4C730AA78AD. Eddie Munson. Liz Malloy. Come on down.

Ah. Speak of the fucking devil. ]

Time to go make a damn fool out of myself. [ And what's one last parting kiss before he slips out to the aisle? ] For luck. [ With one final wink, he starts to maneuver his way to the stage to fumble his way through this game show. ]

[inhairently]

[ Talk about timing.

Steve wants to grab Eddie's hand and tell him to forget the stupid game so the two of them can ditch, maybe find somewhere more private. The odds of actually being allowed to walk out of an event with the fucking Captain present seem pretty low, though, so all he can really do is settle for looking a bit irritated at the interruption instead.

Even that doesn't last long, because Eddie kisses him again and he can't help the way his lips curve into a smile, then break into a grin. ]

Knock 'em dead.

[ He settles back in his seat to watch but his mind wanders for the rest of the game as he thinks about what this shift in their relationship means for the both of them, and where they might go from here. ]