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[ Moving to the city was supposed to be the beginning of a new chapter of Eddie's life. He had spent the past ten years being ridiculed by the rest of his school, between his interest in Dungeons & Dragons, his fashion sense, and his familial history. So graduating (a couple years too late, but better late than never) from high school and packing all his things up to move out of the hick town and into the big city should have been a turning point, should have led to much happier experiences.

Instead he's crashing with a friend of the family before his lease on his new studio apartment and before he starts his new job at the record store in town. He tells himself it's just until he can get his demo listened to by some A&R schmuck that'll sign him a deal and get him some radio play, but he's got the funniest of feelings that this is where his dreams go to die, once again.

His decision to go out that night was made impulsively. He should have gone to sleep, really, but he needs to get out of the apartment and get some fresh air before he snaps. He doesn't even have a destination in mind, nor is he really paying much attention to his surroundings. Why should he? The small town he's from was safe, and he's only ever been jumped when he dared to go to the whopping one gay club.

It's easy to understand, then, how he managed to miss the fact that he is very much not alone. It's easy to understand how, if he didn't have seemingly divine intervention at the exact right moment, Eddie Munson might have just been another casualty, another name in the paper, another statistic for the mayor to use for his re-election campaign. ]

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[ eddie does not, in fact, catch any sort of unusual reaction from steve, probably due to how early it still is, and how out of it eddie feels from having to wake up ungodly early to get this move underway. he smiles sheepishly, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. ]

Sorry, I know it's early, I hoped it would be over quicker than that. [ he glances behind him, where there is a large stack of boxes, and a distinct lack of furniture besides the mattress, and shrugs. ]

I think I'm good, at least until I get furniture and shit so I can actually unpack all this crap somewhere. [ he smiles apologetically and gives steve a quick up and down. there is not even a single part of him that suspects he's met this guy before, nor does he look all that impressed with what he sees. the basketball t-shirt, if anything, loses steve points in eddie's eyes, because ugh, sports. he makes up for it in general attractiveness, though, but eddie figures there's no way in hell steve swings that way.

not that he's even considering that right now. ]

I'm Eddie by the way. Eddie Munson. You said you live across the hall? [ he sticks out a hand for a handshake.

( the utter lack of recognition on eddie's face allows steve to relax a little. steve is still running on fumes and reeling from the fact that eddie is apparently his new neighbor—and trying really hard not to show it—but the fear that eddie might clock him as spider-man recedes. he sees the way eddie looks him up and down, and maybe it's his imagination, but he notices the way eddie's reaction to steve differs from his reaction to spider-man. there's not the same sense of awe or admiration. and why would there be? steve didn't check a mirror before he stumbled out of his apartment, but he's sure he looks like shit. it doesn't bother him the way it would have, back in high school when he wouldn't have been caught dead without his hair perfectly styled. but he'd be lying if he said it doesn't sting at least a little bit, knowing he'll never be as impressive as his alter ego.

he folds his arms, wincing slightly as he brushes a fresh bruise, and then puts his hands on his hips instead. in response to eddie's question, steve nods and jerks his thumb over his shoulder. ) Yeah, right over there. ( then he reaches with the same hand and clasps eddie's outstretched one for a shake. ) I'm Steve—Harrington.

( he waits to see if the name rings a bell. it's completely possible that eddie never intended to call the number spider-man gave him. that the marker washed off without eddie thinking to write it down somewhere else. if steve glances down at eddie's hand after he releases it, it's not because he's trying to check eddie's palm for ink or anything.

steve reaches up and rubs a hand over the back of his head. ) Well, if you change your mind and you do want a hand, you know where to find me. Welcome to the building. ( and he starts turning to go. )

[ there's not even the slightest bit of recognition on eddie's face. not for a single second would eddie believe this guy capable of being the spider-man. he doesn't seem at all impressive from first glance, but it does occur to eddie that anyone in this city could be the man under the mask. even so, steve would be at the bottom of his list of possibilities, if he were to start compiling.

but then steve says name, and it's like the whole world tilts a little sideways. there's no fucking way. steve h. could it be? no, steve h. could be literally anyone, just because it happens to match doesn't mean shit. ]

Thanks, Steve. [ maybe it's the association with spider-man, but he's starting to feel an overwhelming urge to just see if it's one and the same. it's still a little early, so if he's wrong about this, he's going to piss some other poor sap off by waking them up.

or, he could just ask. ] Wait! [ he's probably going to regret this later as he surges forward to grab at steve's wrist. ] This is going to sound incredibly dumb, maybe even a little insane, but. [ he winces in anticipation of the reaction he's expecting to get, which is a laugh in his face. ] Do you...know Spider-Man?

( 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?

[ what are the fucking odds? that eddie would move into this building and become neighbors with the very person that spider-man had tried to set him up with, to help him get set up with furniture? eddie forgets for a moment that he was asked why and just...stares at steve. trying to figure out if this is a joke, if he's about to find out he's being punk'd.

but nobody pops up to say just kidding and eddie is left trying to figure out how this is possible, the odds must be insanely high and eddie's just never been that good at math, unless it comes to dungeons & dragons. ]

Had a run in with him the other night. [ this sounds incredibly lame and unbelievable, but if the guy really does know spider-man, then he must have a way to verify the validity of eddie's claims, right? ] This sounds ridiculous when I say this out loud, I know, but uh. Might have mentioned I was moving and he recommended I call you for help with furniture.

( once again, steve has to pretend that this is all brand new information. he has the sense to look mildly surprised, eyebrows slightly raised. ) Oh, he did, huh? No, that doesn't sound ridiculous at all. It, uh. Sounds exactly like something he'd do.

( steve would know. he clears his throat. ) But yeah. I mean, I've lived here long enough. I can give you some recommendations. You know, places that won't break the bank. That way you're not buying a mattress from some creep online.

( not that he's giving an inordinate amount of thought to eddie and mattresses, or anything. steve wets his lips, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. he wants to ask more about spider-man. mostly he wants to ask about what eddie thought about spider-man. but he also feels like maybe it's not the kind of conversation to be having in the middle of the hallway in the early morning. the neighbors can get a little testy. )

Hey, you wanna come over for breakfast, or something? After you're done moving boxes, I mean. ( that's not weird, right? god, he hopes it's not weird. ) I just—I know what it's like, when you're in a new place, and you haven't gotten to the grocery store yet.

[ no matter eddie's thoughts on steve or spider-man, he can't deny that it would be nice to have a friend nearby. he's not stupid enough to pretend he can get by without some kind of support system, and even though he would rather throw himself at spider-man than steve, a masked superhero probably can't really afford having too many friends. something about putting them in danger.

besides, it's not that steve isn't nice to look at in fact quite the obvious, he is nice to look at, he's just...

it's difficult to compare to someone who can shoot web at criminals and look fucking amazing in spandex to boot. ]

Breakfast would be nice. All I've had was coffee, so. [ he smiles, almost shyly, moving a hand to rub behind his neck, his shirt lifting a little in the process to reveal a sliver of skin, and the barest hint of ink. ]

Let me just, like, figure out where my essentials box wound up so I know I'm gonna be able to sleep on a mattress tonight and I'll swing by in a minute, yeah?

( it's tough when your alter ego is arguably cooler than you'll ever be. how do you compete with someone who has actual super powers? steve is halfway bracing himself for a rejection, so when eddie agrees, steve's posture changes. he stands slightly taller, squares his shoulders, and a smile pulls the corners of his mouth up. he takes a step back, clasping his hands in front of him and rubbing his palms together. )

Cool—yeah, sounds good. I'll just, uh. Go actually see what I've got.

( he feels a momentary flash of panic as he tries to remember what he has in his fridge and draws a blank. but he's pretty sure he has something. at the very least, he probably has more than eddie. and if he's wrong—well, they can always head down to the local greasy spoon, benny's. )

See you in a minute.

( with that, steve turns on his heel and crosses the small distance to his own door. he slips inside and makes a beeline for the kitchen, muttering to himself, ) Shit, shit, shit...

( for as much as eddie's interest has been monopolized by spider-man, he has to admit that it is at least a little endearing the way he perks right up when eddie agrees. it might even be -- dare he think it -- cute. but he has to focus, because the unpacking process is still very much a work in progress.

and if he has any hope of getting any sleep that night he's going to want to at least make sure he has the essentials squared away.

so once he waves steve off, he gets to work, finishing up the beginning of the process, with moving all the boxes into the apartment, and rearranging them so they are based in the room the contents are meant for. it's an arduous process, especially on his own, and he hasn't even gotten to the difficult part of actually putting things away, but it's nice to feel like he's actually claimed this space for himself.

and who knows, maybe after he wrangles up some furniture, he can con steve into helping him unpack. but first, breakfast. he locks up his apartment and then walks the short distance to steve's apartment, giving a gentle knock to the door. )

Hey-o, it's me. ( he cranes his head forward so that his ear is pointed towards the door and tries to see if he can hear if steve is still in the process of throwing together breakfast. )

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