( the hand on his wrist, even prefaced by the wait, sends a tiny jolt through steve's system. a fleeting urge to twist his arm out of eddie's grasp as soon as his fingers wrap around it. it's not that steve thinks eddie's a threat—his spider-sense would've told him if he were—it's just that steve is still a little wired from last night. his fight or flight response is held back by a hair trigger. but he keeps his composure, stopping in his tracks and turning to look back at eddie as eddie fumbles out his question.

for a second, steve almost smiles. the corner of his mouth tightens, and he quickly schools his expression into one of mild surprise. eyebrows slightly raised. he does free his wrist, then, pulling it gently from eddie's grasp and tucking his hand against his side as he crosses his arms. ) I mean, yeah. Everyone in this city knows Spider-Man.

( he lets that hang in the air for a couple seconds, then takes a step closer and lowers his voice slightly as he says, ) But if you're asking if I know him know him, then...also yeah.

( steve allows himself a small smile then. slightly teasing. it's probably stupid, flaunting his connection to spider-man. he barely knows eddie. for all steve knows, eddie could be secretly working with any one of spider-man's enemies. but...steve's spider-sense is quiet, and it's hard to imagine eddie, with his doe eyes and his dopey smile, being in any way nefarious. so, for the same reason that steve wrote his name and number on eddie's palm, he throws caution to the wind now. )

Why?