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[babysitters]

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[guitarpicks]

no? you're my first relationship???? [ it's not like he was a virgin before steve but he was the sort of guy you hook up with quick, for a thrill and then tell no one about it. ]

then what do i call it? and what do you think would impress me, babe?

[babysitters]

Are you serious? ( Steve feels a bit foolish that he had no idea. he's well aware Eddie hasn't had another boyfriend, all right? ... but still, not a girlfriend either? Steve has almost had more girlfriends than he can keep track of, and he feels like a bit of an asshole that he never thought to think Eddie had never been in a relationship before. especially when he spent months avoiding being in one. ) Why didn't you... Nevermind. I know why you didn't tell me.

You don't have to call it anything. It's just you and me, we do that all the time. ( he's not really the guy Eddie is talking about, anymore. the one that had a reputation, certain beats to hit when he took a girl out. practiced moves that got him into somebody's pants. ) Uh... music, probably. Like a concert. See a band. Or something.

[guitarpicks]

[ 'why would i not be serious?' is eddie's first instinct but then he bites his slip, stares at his phone for a little while. they're really shitty at this whole communication thing. apparently. eddie's pretty sure he's been open but then again they're not always speaking the same language.

eddie's learning steve-speak and steve's learning his but it's a process. it's them getting there. so sometimes he can't assume. like now. ] why do you think i didn't tell you?

okay. it's just us. a steve and eddie thing. [ which does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it. ] or something, he says. would you tell me what show?

[babysitters]

Because everybody knows I went out with half the girls in my graduating class.

( which is an answer, and it isn't. the point is that Steve has all sorts of experience, and everybody knows about it. if the shoe were on the other foot, Steve would be slightly shamed to admit he'd never been in a relationship when compared to someone constantly in one. though, maybe he shouldn't assume Eddie would react the way he would. )

An us thing. ( that sounds pretty good, too, to be fair. ) Depends. You like surprises?

[guitarpicks]

are you counting every girl you went out on a date with? [ because, technically, by a very loose definition of 'date' then eddie's numbers just went up a little. ] it is really embarrassing that mike wheeler managed to check that off the list years before i did.

[ or pretty sad, bordering pretty depressing. not that eddie's upset now but hopefully how self-deprecating the joke is doesn't come through text. ] guess i just had to get there at the right time.

yeah. as long as they don't involve sand.

[babysitters]

I was pretty bad, freshman year, but I wasn't just one date and done bad. ( ...mostly. though, he really didn't seem to date anyone longer than a month until he got down bad for Nancy Wheeler. )

We both got there at the right time, huh? It worked out.

What? What's so bad about sand? ( no beach related surprises??? that's so SAD, Steve loves the beach!!! )

if only "i don't like sand" was a meme in the 80s

[guitarpicks]

yeah, it worked out. i'm pretty fucking happy with how it turned out. [ not sarcastic!!! ]

it gets everywhere if you're not prepared for it! [ how is he supposed to pack enough sunscreen and an umbrella to avoid the sun if he's not aware they're going to the beach, steve??? ] i'm not saying no sand, i just want to know i'm going to be dealing with nature's glittery for hours after and digging it out of uncomfortable places.

ok anakin (said with ok boomer inflection)

[babysitters]

Yeah, yeah. Me too, Sapmiester.

( 🫣🥰❤️ maybe one day these warm-and-fuzzies will calm down when Eddie says stuff like that, but, today is not that day! )

So what? Dry off a little and it just rubs off. ( clearly Steve is not thinking about the big picture implications of sand, oops. ) It's not glittery, but fine. No sand surprises. Deral.

[guitarpicks]

this isn't even top level sappy! [ he's not even trying this time, actually. then again, he's normally not trying when he seems to fluster steve. he usually feels kind of lame otherwise and like he doesn't know what he's doing. ]

it is glittery! it's like nature's glitter. glitter is the herpes of arts and crafts and sand is just as annoying!

we can still go to the beach. i just want to know about it so i can pack right.

[babysitters]

Pretty sappy. ( or Steve's exposure to sappy is limited. look, it's just nice to have someone say shit like that, instead of wondering if he's feeling too much or being too much. ) I'm pretty fucking happy how it turned out, too.

Glitter's not so bad. I guess it does get everywhere. Played 7 Minutes in Heaven with Samantha Fitzpatrick once, spent the rest of the party somehow wearing as much glitter as she was.

( ... . . . . shit. should he have not said that? is it weird to talk about making out with a girl when he is now exclusively making out with one boy in particular? )

That's fair. No beach. That's still plenty of options.

[guitarpicks]

good. it'd be pretty awkward if we were still not on the same page, huh? [ as if he wasn't completely convinced they'd never be on the same page??? edward, really. ]

see!!! glitter gets everywhere even and sad is nature's glitter. i remember a costume party last year where samantha fitzpatrick was trying to do the full-body glitter version of jem and the holograms so if it was that one, i would be more impressed if you escaped scot free. [ is it weirder for him to comment? unclear??? what are the rules of boyfriends???? ]

WE CAN STILL GO TO THE BEACH!!!!

[babysitters]

I don't know. I guess it was awkward. ( constantly toeing around something instead of just owning up to it. but they'd sure managed for quite awhile!! ) It was okay. Or it felt okay then. Good enough, at least. But this is better.

Oh shit, yeah. I remember that. Tina got busted just from the amount of glitter her mom found in the carpet. Hilarious.
Looked cool, but no, she wasn't head-to-toe. Just eyes and hair. Boobs.
...Maybe the boobs was accidental.

No SURPRISE beach, I meant. ( if it's surprise date night, he'll pick something else!! ) Since when are you so into the beach? 2 seconds ago you were complaining about sand.

[guitarpicks]

i think we deserve a little better than good enough. i'm living the dream.

more proof that glitter and sand are similar. [ is it? ] or a part of the good old high school mating ritual?

GOOD. i'm not into the beach but you like the beach! and i just need to be prepared.

[babysitters]

( living the DREAM? what a complete dope. it does set off the dumb doki sensations, though, so, maybe Eddie isn't the only dope. look, it is just kinda nice to be with someone that likes being with him?? leave him alone )

The dream, huh? You really wanted to make it official with a guy that wears a silly vest to peddle video tapes for a living?

Kinda prefer fooling around without all the glitter. But lipgloss wasn't so bad. Tasted good.

If you're not into the beach you don't gotta go to the beach, Ed.

[guitarpicks]

more that i wanted to make it official with this great guy i like a lot, who i can't get enough of and got lucky with

do you miss it?

i'm trying to compromise here, stevie ( you're supposed to do that in relationships, right? )

[babysitters]

( well he was trying to poke holes in that to make it less doki, so much for that!! maybe... maybe he shouldn't poke holes in the doki, anyhow. )

Happy to help, even if I'm not sure where you're getting the lucky thing.

Do I miss ... lip gloss? When I'm making out? Is that the question?

Compromise is meeting in the middle, not just dealing with shit you don't like because I like it.

[guitarpicks]

[ apparently when he's not trying to be extra doki, eddie can throw all the dokis at steve. ] from the part where i have hot, great boyfriend who's a genuinely good person and isn't trying to punch me in public after making out with me in my van?

[ but now switching gears because as quickly as he turns one conversation into three, he can hyperfocus! ]

you warning me about the beach so i can prepare is meeting in the middle! and i want to do shit you like!!! you do shit i like all the time!!! [ time for hyperbole! ]

[babysitters]

( ... has Eddie had dudes punch him after fooling around? Steve Doesn't Like That, and would probably rather talk about that over the beach. )

I do things you like but I like them too. Listening to you play or Lord of the Rings or watching your nerd movies, I like all that stuff fine.

If I didn't like it, and did it anyway, it'd be different.

[guitarpicks]

[ happy to move on and not address that one!!! ]

and i want to do stuff you like too! so it's not one sided, babe.

i'm anti-surprise beach, not beach over all. [ maybe? he's kinda lost that thread for the sake of this argument. ]

[babysitters]

Ed, you just said you weren't into it.

( HE WAS THERE, OK!! he remembers!! still, the vehemence isn't lost on him. it's endearing, even. )

Okay, okay. One day we'll try it and you can decide if you're more into it if we go together. Just not as a surprise. Deal?

[guitarpicks]

[ can he plead the fifth? is that how that works? ]

yeah, deal.

but, hey, i mean it. i want to do more stuff you like doing. [ but he can't promise he won't whine about it a little. ]

[babysitters]

All right, all right! Jesus. You're such a dork. ( please note: this is dork (affectionate) )

I was kinda hoping for something we both like for our celebratory first date, though.

[guitarpicks]

yeah and you like it. [ also affectionate. clearly.

and now he's remembering that they got to an argument about sand from date ideas and him admitting steve's his first relationship. how even. ] i like the sound of that and i'm swooning.

[babysitters]

Yeah, I do. You're really goddamn cute. Drives me kinda nuts.

So... surprise second first date. I can handle that. Guess you just gotta tell me when, since you've got work to do now.

[guitarpicks]

good. my evil plan is working
and cute? me? no way

it's going to be a weird schedule with some nights
but tuesdays and fridays are looking open so i'll pencil you in for next tuesday if you're still only working in the morning? [ so he's got steve's schedule memorized? so what? that's what happens when you're living together in and dating. though he'd memorized that wayyyy before the dating thing was official. ]