Chapter Text
Eddie walks into the church with more than a little trepidation. After cumming so hard his life flashed before his eyes, he lingered in the small room with Father Steve until the man could stand and walk under his own power. Eddie made a quick exit before his best friend arrived to help keep an eye on him. Eddie hasn’t officially met Robin, but he’s heard the gossip in the church that she’s a lesbian and how scandalous it is that their organ player is a lesbian. Fucking bullshit is what it is, but Eddie has learned to avoid the ignorant tight-ass club.
Eddie really wants Father Steve to enjoy himself, especially with all the sexual stuff they’ve been doing, but he also knows that his presence could be a bit much, since they still haven’t spoken on what they want to do about this burgeoning… whatever-it-is between them.
Eddie hasn’t seen or spoken to Father Steve since.
It’s Saturday, so Eddie isn’t expecting much of anyone around. Most of the time when he comes in for confession – also known as Bothering Father Steve Because Eddie Is A Colossal Shithead – there’s nobody else around. There’s maybe one or two other people either entering or leaving, but for the most part, the church is empty. Father Steve said that most of the regulars at confession go first thing in the morning, and Eddie likes to sleep in, which is probably why he misses the crowds.
Today is no different in that there’s no one else in the church.
Today is different because Father Steve is sitting in one of the pews, hands folded neatly in his lap.
Eddie hesitates for a long moment. He doesn’t have a clue what the man is thinking, and he’s confused as to why the man isn’t in the confessional right now. Quietly, Eddie makes his way up the aisle towards Father Steve. He stands beside the pew, following the man’s eyes to the massive crucifix behind the altar.
“I never wanted to be a priest.”
The words startle Eddie, despite how quietly they’re spoken. He looks down at Father Steve. The man is wearing black pants and a black shirt, but his fancy white collar is gone, the top button of his shirt undone.
“Why not?” Eddie asks, sinking into the pew. There’s still a couple feet of distance between them, but it feels like there’s no space at all, that they’re not surrounded by the vast space of the church. Eddie looks at the man and wants to wrap him up in his arms, wants to kiss him again and again and again, and neither of those wants have anything to do with his cock this time. No, Eddie just sees the calm resignation on Father Steve’s face and wants to make him feel better. However he possibly can.
Still, it’s not his place. Right now, he’s just the guy being a menace to the priest’s sanity.
“I am not a good Catholic,” he admits, not looking Eddie’s way. “I’ve always had doubts, always had questions, always felt that… the Word gets convoluted for no reason.”
Eddie watches Father Steve’s face as he speaks, entranced far beyond simple attraction. There’s something so beautiful about him that Eddie’s not sure he can put into words.
The man sighs. “I only went to seminary at the insistence of my parents.” He turns a rueful smile on Eddie, the expression somehow bittersweet. “And I’ve only been a priest for a handful of years.”
He turns back to the crucifix, considering it for a long time. Eddie bites his tongue, waiting impatiently for Father Steve to get to the point. He knows the man will get there eventually, but he’s not sure where this conversation is going.
Father Steve bows his head, looking down at his clasped fingers. His voice comes out soft, a quiet confession that Eddie isn’t sure he’s supposed to hear. “So, that’s a dozen years of my life down the drain.”
Eddie’s heart stops in his chest. He knows his eyes are wide, his mouth open in shock, but the priest does not seem to care when he looks back at Eddie. He’s got a fond smile on his lips, the expression so full of affection that it hurts.
“Worth it.”
Eddie feels that tug to lean forward and kiss Steve. He’s felt it time and time again, basically every time he’s looked at the man, but now, with those two quiet words, the two words that mean everything to him, the urge is overwhelming in the best way. Eddie smiles at Steve, admiring the way Steve’s whole essence just lights up in a way Eddie has never seen before. There’s a freedom in Steve right now, something set free that he had been keeping caged. And now, he’s even more gorgeous than he ever was as a priest.
“I’m glad you decided to throw it all away for a guy who failed high school three times,” Eddie says, because how else is he supposed to respond to the knowledge that Steve has given up his entire life just for Eddie.
Steve chuckles, his smile cracking into something bigger, something full of more joy than Eddie’s ever seen on him. “Trust me when I tell you that I don’t regret my decision to leave the Church. Even if you want nothing to do with me, I would still be leaving.”
“You would?”
“As my best friend pointed out, I should’ve never done any of it. It’s my life, and I was living it for my parents. Seminary was a mistake.”
“If you didn’t go to seminary, I don’t think I’d ever have met you,” Eddie admits.
“That would’ve been tragic,” Steve agrees. He tilts his head. “All right, I’ll allow that seminary wasn’t a mistake.”
God, Steve is so much more relaxed now. Eddie fucking loves to see it.
“Can I ask what this means for this?” Eddie gestures between them, heart in his throat. Yes, Steve made very clear insinuations about Eddie being the cause of him leaving the Church, but that doesn’t mean Steve wants beyond that.
Steve chuckles, the sound lighter than Eddie’s ever heard. “I’d hoped that you would be amenable to… seeing where things take us.”
Eddie grins, face hurting in his joy. “So, you are giving up your job, your education, and your entire life to date a guy who looks like me?” Eddie laughs. “You’re a little late for a rebellious streak, daddy.”
Steve blushes, a little embarrassed. “Well, I never had one before.”
“At least you’re having one at all,” Eddie points out. “Some people never do.”
“What a boring way to live,” Steve replies dryly.
Eddie decides the distance is too much, and slides closer on the pew, halting a few inches away. He doesn’t want to make Steve uncomfortable or anything. Steve looks pointedly at the gap between them and then sighs heavily, scooching so that their sides are pressed together. It’s fucking heaven on earth.
“God, you’re cute,” Eddie murmurs.
Steve grins. “Says the man who keeps giving me opportunities to change my mind.”
Eddie winces, because he didn’t think Steve picked up on that. “I just… don’t want to…”
Steve puts his hand on Eddie’s knee. “You’ve been tempting me since I saw you the first time, devil. You convinced me into sacrilege not once but twice. It’s a little late to get bashful.”
Eddie grimaces. “Yeah, not my finest idea, flirting with a priest.”
“I don’t know. It seemed to work out.”
Eddie slides his hand under Steve’s, intertwining their fingers together. He squeezes lightly, and sees the way Steve melts, just a little bit. Good god, this man is a romantic. He’s so fucking cute, it’s painful.
Eddie tilts his head back, smirking at the shy way Steve smiles at the pew in front of them, like he’s afraid to look at the way they’re holding hands. Fuck, Eddie loves him.
“It totally worked out, daddy.” Eddie lifts Steve’s hand to press a kiss to his fingers, watching the way Steve melts a little bit more.
Steve shakes his head. “You can’t call me ‘daddy’ anymore.”
Eddie feels offended. “What? Why not?!”
Steve laughs at the sheer affront in Eddie’s face and voice. “Because the archdiocese got here this morning. They’re going to laicize me, so I won’t be ‘father’ for anyone.”
Eddie looks Steve up and down, considering all the different endearments he could possibly give to this sweet and gorgeous man. “How about ‘princess’?”
Steve’s charming blush combined with the smile and fond eye roll is enough to cement the pet name fully in Eddie’s mind. “You’re insane, devil.”
Eddie grins. “I am. Now, before we get distracted, what’s the archdiocese gonna do to you?”
“Laicize.” Steve waves his other hand dismissively. “It means they’re going to defrock me. Make me not a priest anymore.”
“Wait, so your Holy Orders don’t count anymore?”
Steve shakes his head. “No, I’ll always be a priest in power, just not in authority or practice.”
Eddie blinks at him.
Steve laughs. “It’s a thing. Once you’ve received a sacrament, it cannot be taken away from you. I received Holy Orders, so I will always have the powers of a priest, blessing eucharist for example, but I will be banned from wearing any vestments or performing any sacraments or interacting with the community as a priest.”
“Wait, so why say ‘laicize’ and not ‘defrock’?” Eddie asks.
“Semantics.” Steve shrugs.
Eddie shakes his head. This is one reason why he’s glad he never actually went to church beyond his early years. “This what you meant by complicating the Word for no reason.”
Steve laughs.
A thought occurs to Eddie. “Wait. If the archdiocese is gonna defrock you – sorry, princess, it’s just easier to say – where are you going to go?”
Steve shrugs. “Well, I’ve been living in the rectory, but that’s for the priest of this church. So, I’ll have to find somewhere else to live. Robin’s offered her place, but I’m not keen to sleep on a couch, especially with her and Nancy right in the next room. I’ll have to get a job, but pickings for defrocked priests are slim, so that’ll be its own complication. One thing at a time, though.” Steve smiles at Eddie and nudges him with his shoulder. “Don’t worry, devil. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
“No, you’re not. You’ll stay with me.”
Steve blinks at him, startled into silence.
Eddie nods, knowing deep in his bones that this is the right decision. “You’ll come stay with me until you get a job. I have my own place, and it’s just me, so you wouldn’t have to listen to two lesbians all night every night.” Eddie is just guessing that Nancy is Robin’s girlfriend, based on context, and the way Steve snorts out his amusement tells him that he’s correct. “And when you get a job and get settled, then you can move out. If you want. Or you could live with me full-time for the rest of forever.”
Eddie falls silent when Steve kisses him. It’s the best kiss in the history of the universe.
“You’re so fucking cute,” Steve tells him.
Eddie melts in the pew. “God, princess, say ‘fuck’ again.”
“Focus. You want me to move in with you?” Steve asks.
Eddie sits up and steals his hand back from Steve. Steve pouts just the tiniest bit, but stops when Eddie wraps his hands around Steve’s jaw. Eddie looks deep into those eyes he’s so fond of. “I’m completely and irrevocably in love with you, Steve Harrington. If I had my way, I would marry you here and now.”
Steve’s lips quirk up in a smile. “Is that so?”
Eddie nods, solemnly. “Yeah, I’m a horny shithead who swears like a sailor and will gladly have sex any day of the week, but I fucking adore you. I don’t even care about the sex when I’m around you. This…” Eddie presses their forehead together for a long moment, willing his brain to come up with the correct words that will make this make sense for Steve. “This is what I want. For the rest of my life. That is, if you want that, too.”
Steve chuckles and shakes his head. “You moron. I gave up the priesthood for you.” Steve leans forward to kiss Eddie, until Eddie’s brain finally shuts the fuck up. “I love you, too, Eddie Munson.”
Eddie feels like he could fucking fly right now.
“So… that’s a ‘yes’ on moving in?”
Steve bursts out laughing.
Steve looks over his meager belongings, placed in neat piles on his bed. It took a ridiculously short amount of time for him to pack what is his. Well, that’s what he gets for being a priest. Granted, he wasn’t a very good priest, considering he didn’t even last 5 years out of seminary, but that’s what he gets for doing something he personally didn’t really want to do.
Steve stacks the piles in his suitcase and zips it up. Eddie walks in just as he finishes, having gone through the rest of the rectory to check for anything he might have missed. “That’s it, princess. Are you ready?”
Steve looks around at the bare bedroom he’s had for the past few years. He then turns back to the man who has turned his entire life upside down. Eddie has a brilliant smile on his face, unreasonably happy about the fact that Steve is giving up the cloth.
This isn’t where he thought he would be even a few months ago, but he cannot deny that he actually feels… happy. It’s been so long that he had convinced himself he was happy.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Eddie steals Steve’s suitcase off the bed and then offers Steve his hand. The man keeps giving Steve chance after chance after chance to back out, to go with another option. Silly man doesn’t know that Steve will always choose him. Eddie is the person who helped remind Steve who he used to be, the man who has shown Steve what he could be in the future.
In Steve’s opinion, there’s no choice to be made at all.
Steve tangles their fingers together and walks out of his old life, hand-in-hand with his new one.
Eddie chats happily about his place as they walk off the church grounds. He doesn’t live that far, and typically walks to mass on Sundays. He’s got a grungy van that he offers for Steve to borrow whenever he wants. Steve listens to Eddie ramble on and on, face hurting from all the smiling, because Eddie really is disgustingly sweet. Steve wants to kiss him.
It occurs to Steve that he can now. He doesn’t have to keep burying these wants and feelings. He can just do it.
Steve stops walking, and Eddie turns, brows furrowed in confusion. Steve gets his free hand around the back of Eddie’s neck and drags him into a kiss. Eddie immediately steps closer, sighing happily into the contact. Steve pulls back just enough to smile at his Eddie.
“Hey,” Eddie giggles helplessly, the sound so fucking cute that it hurts.
“Hey.”
Eddie clears his throat, trying to stop his giggles. “What’s that for?”
“You’re cute.” Steve presses a kiss to the tip of Eddie’s nose. “So, where is your place?”
Eddie lets out another hysterical giggle, like he just cannot believe his luck, and starts tugging Steve down the sidewalk. It takes a couple minutes, but then Eddie’s leading Steve up to a row of familiar duplexes. One of the houses in the row has a perfectly manicured lawn, with flowers in the window boxes. Another one has a literal toilet as the base of the mailbox. The whole stretch is chaotic and insane and Steve fucking loves it. It’s so completely different from the overwhelming sameness of seminary and the rectory. Steve’s been here a few times in his capacity as priest, but he had no idea Eddie lived here.
Eddie lives on one side of a duplex with peeling paint. He stops by the van in the tiny drive and pats it lovingly. “This baby has been my ride since high school. She’s still going strong.”
“Eddie! How are you doing?” An older woman waves Eddie down from her porch. Steve recognizes her as one of his early morning regulars. Mrs. Sinclair, Lucas’ grandmother.
“Madame Ruth, I am doing better now that I have laid eyes upon your beauty!” Eddie declares. He drops both Steve’s suitcase and hand to hop over the tiny row of tulips between their houses. Steve laughs as Eddie gives her an elaborate bow and then presses a kiss to the back of her hand.
“This one’s a charmer,” Mrs. Sinclair warns Steve. “You be careful, you hear?”
“I will, Mrs. Sinclair,” Steve promises.
“Father Harrington, is that you?” Mrs. Sinclair picks up one of the three sets of glasses from around her neck to peer at him. Steve steps over the tulips to make it easier for her to see. “What are you doin’ over here? Are you helping Eddie out with his sink?”
Eddie blinks, utterly shocked by the words coming out of her mouth.
“Eddie invited me to his home.” Steve hasn’t decided how to handle his congregation yet. He’s going to have to tell them at some point. And, technically, since the archdiocese has not officially laicized him yet, he is still the acting priest for St. Nicholas’. So, he’s not lying, per se, but it does feel a little scummy to obfuscate the truth from this woman. She’s always brought him soup at the holidays, and been a constant volunteer in the community.
“How are your lights? Still flickering?” Steve asks her. He kneels down to her height and offers her his hands to hold. He can feel the incredulous look on Eddie’s face.
“Not since you came by,” she promises him. “Though, I think Marty’s fusebox is going. Smells like burnt toast every time he tries to run his dryer.”
“I’ll take a look when I’m done with Eddie’s sink.”
Mrs. Sinclair pats Steve’s hand with a warm smile. “You’re a good man, Father.”
Steve shakes his head. “I’m just helping my neighbors.”
“Well, Eddie’s sink’s been running for months now. Won’t accept any help at all.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Steve winks at the woman and she laughs.
“You’re a charmer, too! Gaun then. Both of you!”
Steve laughs at the flabbergasted expression on Eddie’s face as they both step over the tulips to get back to Eddie’s side. Mrs. Sinclair returns to her knitting, smiling in the sunlight. Eddie unlocks his front door and then kicks the doorjamb before jiggling the handle and shoving his shoulder into the door.
Steve frowns as the door swings open with a horrendous creaking noise. “Do you have to do that every time?”
Eddie winces. “Yeah. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to getting it open. It’s like a little ritual, and you say a short prayer to the door gods that it will open on the first try.”
Steve touches the doorframe, looking at it critically. “Or you could replace the frame. The wood has swollen and then the house settled. I can fix it in a couple hours.”
“It’s fine, I think of it as another security measure— wait, what?” Eddie stares at Steve, jaw open.
“It’ll only take a couple hours,” Steve repeats. “And a trip to the hardware store, but that goes without saying. Mrs. Sinclair said something about your sink?”
“Never mind my sink, you can fix things how?”
Steve shrugs. “I did a lot of volunteer work. Building houses and wells and such for the poor and needy in various other countries. And then in seminary, our building was really old and it was easier to handle the stuff myself than wait for the Church-approved contractors to come in to fix it.”
“Oh my god, is there anything you can’t fix?”
Steve shrugs again. “I’m not very familiar with cars, but I could probably figure it out?”
“If I don’t marry you, I will be doing the world a disservice,” Eddie declares. “Someone has to keep you off the market so that everyone else has a chance.”
Steve laughs and shakes his head. “It’s nothing special. I’m probably doing all the fixes wrong anyway. It’s not like I learned the proper way, I just did what worked.”
Eddie points at Steve. “Shut up, right now.”
Steve clamps his lips shut.
“Shut the damn door.”
Steve shoves the front door shut. When he turns back, Eddie has moved back across the room, right into Steve’s personal space. Steve almost jumps out of his skin.
“I will give you the grand tour later. Now, I must ravish you.”
Heat bolts through Steve even as he tries to figure out what the hell he did to make Eddie so horny so quickly. “What?”
Eddie cups Steve’s face in his hands. “You are so fucking kind that it’s unfair. You make Miss Ruth smile. I would kill for that woman. She’s practically my own grandmother. And you made her smile and you’ve helped fix her house. And apparently half my neighbors' houses.”
“And?” Steve doesn’t see how any of that adds up to being sexy.
“And,” —Eddie sighs impatiently— “if I don’t drag you to a bed and ruin you, I will be convinced that you’re too perfect to exist.”
Steve laughs at the absolute absurdity of this gorgeous man. Eddie steals a kiss so blistering it makes Steve’s knees go weak.
“Steve, do you want to have sex with me?” Eddie asks.
“Yes.” Steve cannot imagine not wanting to have sex with the man.
“Right now?” Eddie clarifies.
“Yes.”
Eddie grins. “Good.”
Eddie hauls Steve over his shoulder and drags him around the corner to Eddie’s bedroom. Eddie was heartbroken seeing where Steve was living for the past few years, all barren of any personality or individuality. He drops Steve onto his bed, adoring the giggles pouring from Steve’s lips. Steve looks around at the posters Eddie’s thrown up on the walls, the knick-knacks settled on any flat surface. Later, when Eddie is done gorging himself on Steve, he’ll show off his record collection, the absurdly comfortable couch Eddie got at an estate sale, but most importantly, the tiny vegetable garden Eddie has in the back that he cultivates for his neighbors.
All right, most importantly is taking Steve next door to introduce him to Uncle Wayne, but that’s for later.
Right now, Eddie has the overwhelming urge to touch and taste every inch of Steve until they’re both sticky and sated.
Based on the way Steve’s eyes dilate when he focuses on Eddie, the man is in perfect agreement on that front.
“What do you want, princess?” Eddie asks.
“Kiss me?”
Fucking hell, this man is too sweet to exist.
Eddie immediately clambers onto the bed to stretch out beside Steve, kissing the man with all the finesse he’s capable of. Steve lets out a soft moan, sliding his hands into Eddie’s hair to hold him close – as if Eddie would even think of moving away. Eddie gets lost in the sensation of Steve melting into the mattress beside him, the way Steve surrenders completely to Eddie’s lips, the gentle tugging on his hair when Steve forgets himself, the sweet moans that taste like happiness and arousal and need all at once.
Eddie pulls back, breathing hard because this was supposed to be him ruining Steve, but Steve is just ruining him right back. Steve’s eyes flutter open and he looks so fucking cute that Eddie almost kisses him again. No. No, they have to talk first.
“You want to have sex,” Eddie confirms. Steve nods. “Have you ever had sex before?”
Steve flushes a bit, the Catholic guilt still deeply ingrained, and he looks away. “Yeah. When I was in high school, I had a few girlfriends.”
“But never with a guy?” Eddie asks.
Steve shakes his head. “Not that I didn’t want to,” he blurts out, face on fire, “but I just never had the opportunity, and I was so caught up in doing all the church things my parents wanted and I—”
Eddie kisses the man before he can keep going. “Breathe, princess. I’m not judging you, I’m just trying to gauge what your understanding of this is.”
“I know what gay sex is.”
Jesus fucking Christ, Steve is going to kill Eddie.
Eddie groans and drops his forehead onto Steve’s shoulder. “Somehow, you say the most arousing things all the time.”
“Like ‘fuck’?”
Eddie jerks back, both because his cock is absolutely getting hard already, and also because that was backsass! Eddie didn’t think Steve was capable of backsass. And now Eddie is even more in love with the man.
“What did you just say to me?” Eddie asks, baffled and aroused and also wanting to know what his precious princess is capable of.
Steve, this gorgeous and kind-hearted man who has literally been a priest for over a decade, smirks at him.
Good god, he is so much sexier now that he’s not in the Church.
“You like it when I swear,” Steve reminds him, patiently, “and you’ve already confirmed that we both want to have sex. So, I’m just trying to get you in the mood. Are you going to fuck me, Eds?”
Despite his bravado, Steve is still blushing, the word still tripping over his tongue in that slightly unfamiliar way. It’s so damn adorable that Eddie has to kiss him.
Steve arches into the touch, trying to get more of Eddie. Eddie obliges him, rolling closer to slide his thigh between Steve’s legs, his hand trailing along Steve’s torso, able to finally touch and feel the muscles beneath the black shirt. God, this man has been hiding his physique and Eddie is never going to forgive him for it. Then again, if Eddie knew how sexy the man was beneath his robes, Eddie’s would’ve gotten on his knees much faster.
Steve’s hands release Eddie’s hair, which is fucking awful, but then Eddie feels Steve fumbling for the buttons of his shirt, and shit, now he’s really hard, his cock trapped uncomfortably in his jeans and pressed into Steve’s hip. He can feel Steve’s cock against his thigh, also hard. Eddie wants to get his mouth around Steve again, but that won’t get him inside Steve anytime soon.
Eddie pulls back to help Steve with his shirt, because his fingers are shaking too much to be effective. Steve slaps his hand away. He tugs the hem of Eddie’s shirt once. “Off.”
Eddie about creams his damn pants at Steve being demanding. It’s so damn gorgeous having the man knowing what he wants and doing everything in his power to get it. Eddie strips his t-shirt off and makes himself roll off Steve to drag his jeans off his hips. By the time he gets back to Steve, the man has only successfully gotten his shirt unbuttoned, too distracted by staring at all of Eddie’s pale skin to keep going.
Eddie groans, melting onto Steve’s side when he sees the fucking chest hair. Eddie has no idea how he got so lucky to have a man so damn gorgeous willing to be with him, but he must have been a saint in a past life because this gorgeous man pushes every single button he has. He feels Steve’s fingers on his bare skin and moans at the contact.
Eddie lifts his head to steal all the air from Steve’s lungs, trying to convey without words how fucking gorgeous Steve is. Steve has a smirk on his lips when Eddie pulls back, but his eyes are distracted. His fingers trail over the lines of Eddie’s tattoos in quiet fascination. Eddie is all but wrapped around Steve, so he can feel the way Steve’s cock twitches in his pants. Steve likes what he sees, apparently.
Eddie is going to make an appointment to get more as soon as he finishes deflowering his precious Stevie.
One thing at a time.
“You are so unfairly beautiful,” Eddie tells Steve.
Steve blinks. “Me? Look at you!”
“I am a regular guy and you are walking, talking sex.”
Steve laughs, shaking his head. “You’re insane.”
“And you’re not naked.” Eddie rolls up onto his hands and knees, leering at Steve, which just makes the man laugh harder. “Let me help you, princess.”
Steve’s laughter turns into a moan as Eddie runs his hands up Steve’s chest, gently pushing the shirt off his shoulders. Steve wriggles out of the shirt, but Eddie has already affixed himself to Steve’s chest, nuzzling into that goddamn chest hair, because it’s a fucking crime. Steve’s fingers dig back into Eddie’s hair, exactly where they should be, and Eddie starts working his way down Steve’s body.
Steve’s body jerks, a noise of half-shock, half-confusion, and all-arousal tugs out of his chest when Eddie rubs the pad of his thumb against Steve’s nipple. Well, guess the man never fully explored his body. Just to confirm what he already knows, Eddie flicks Steve’s nipple. Steve arches off the bed, gasping for air, fingers clenching hard in Eddie’s hair.
“Mmm, that’s good to know…” Eddie murmurs, teasingly.
Steve stares at him with wide eyes, startled by the strength of his reaction. “W-what?”
Eddie grins, all teeth, and presses a kiss to the center of Steve’s chest. “If you liked that, let me try something else.”
Eddie drags his tongue along Steve’s other nipple, pulling a cry of pure pleasure out of Steve. Steve’s body shakes beneath him, his breath coming out in sharp pants, as he learns something new about himself. Eddie sucks on Steve’s nipple. Steve chokes, arching off the bed so hard he almost throws Eddie off him.
“Breathe, princess,” Eddie tells him, grinning like a complete moron.
Steve looks down at him, his eyes wild with pleasure. “Fuck.”
Eddie shudders, the curse rolling over him like an aphrodisiac. “Gonna kill me,” he mutters.
Steve swears again, flopping back onto the bed. His fingers tug on Eddie’s hair, silently demanding Eddie continue his delicious torture of Steve’s chest. Who is Eddie to deny Steve? Eddie sucks on Steve’s nipple again, making the main wail his pleasure. He clings to Eddie’s head, holding Eddie fast against his chest. Well, Eddie’s not moving anytime soon. Eddie doesn’t mind – Steve’s moans and breathless curses dig under his skin until he’s feral from it. Eddie shifts to Steve’s other nipple, adding a touch of teeth to see what that brings out of his princess.
“Eddie…” Steve whines, voice hoarse.
“What do you need?” Eddie asks. He leans up, hovering over Steve to make sure the man is all right.
Steve seems too overcome with his arousal, face flushed and lips red from biting. God, he’s so fucking gorgeous like this. Eddie is addicted to the look already. He’s going to have to get Steve like this over and over and over again, just to make up for the last twelve years of his life without true pleasure.
“Fuck me,” Steve begs.
A shiver runs through Eddie’s body, the sweet pleas from Steve’s lips enough to undo him entirely if he isn’t careful.
“I promise, princess.” Eddie presses his lips to Steve’s, trying to soothe the slight hysteria. “Get your pants off. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?” Steve complains, obediently fumbling with his slacks.
“To get supplies.” Eddie only moves a couple feet away, to dig into his bedside table, but Steve is displeased anyway. Fortunately, Steve gets distracted because he forgot to take his shoes off first, giving Eddie a little more time to get the lube and condoms out, as well as shuck off his underwear.
Eddie turns back to Steve and chokes. He hasn’t moved from his position in the middle of the bed, but he’s completely naked now, cock red and throbbing against his belly. He’s already leaking, and it takes all of Eddie’s self-control to keep his mouth to himself.
“Now what?” Steve asks, voice full of false bravado. Eddie fucking loves him. He’s going to teach this beautiful, wonderful man all about his own body and Eddie can just tell that Steve is going to be as horny as Eddie is.
“I’m going to stretch you open,” Eddie explains, squirting lube on his fingers to warm it up as best he can. “Because I don’t want to hurt you.”
Steve nods, brow furrowed in an expression of concentration so fucking adorable Eddie almost melts onto the mattress beside him. Steve then spreads his legs open encouraging Eddie to settle between his thighs. Good god, this man is too sexy to exist. Eddie rubs his fingertip against Steve’s hole, drawing a confused moan out of Steve’s chest.
“Breathe,” Eddie orders. On Steve’s exhale, Eddie presses his finger inside Steve. Steve’s face twists, trying to figure out if he likes the intrusion. Eddie keeps his movements smooth and gentle, sliding as far into Steve as he can before retreating carefully. Steve wriggles in place, chewing on his lower lip. He’s trying so hard to enjoy this part, and it’s so fucking cute, especially since he obviously doesn’t find this pleasurable.
Eddie thrusts his finger forward, deep inside Steve, and then curls his finger. Steve chokes, eyes widening while his body jerks in surprise at the abrupt ecstasy crashing through him. Eddie smirks at the look of utter shock on Steve’s face.
“The fuck was that?” Steve asks.
Eddie laughs and leans over Steve to kiss the astonishment off his face. “That, my princess, is your prostate.”
Steve swears again.
“You said you know how gay sex works,” Eddie teases, thrusting his finger in and out of Steve without touching his prostate again.
“I knew that the guys seemed to enjoy it,” Steve argues, “but I didn’t know they – fuck!”
All right, so maybe Eddie should’ve warned Steve that time, but he’s just too gorgeous and Eddie couldn’t help but press against his prostate again.
“Just breathe and let me take care of you, princess,” Eddie tells him. “And tell me if anything hurts.”
Steve nods, licking his lips. His fingers dig into the blanket underneath him, his cock leaking a puddle of cum on his belly, but he’s not touching himself. Good boy.
Eddie takes his time making sure Steve is well-stretched, working one finger for so long that Steve swears at him to hurry up, and then sliding two fingers in and out until Steve threatens to shove Eddie over and ride him. That threat is enough to have Eddie almost cumming all over Steve’s gorgeous body. Eddie grits his teeth, shuddering through the pleasure.
Yeah, he was right. Steve is gonna be as bad as he is.
Eddie refuses to move on until he thoroughly stretches Steve with at least three fingers which, based on the way Steve swears at him, the other man is less than pleased about.
“For a man previously of the cloth, you have gotten really good at swearing really fast,” Eddie notes idly.
“If you don’t fuck me right fucking now, I swear to fucking God, I will never suck your fucking cock again,” Steve threatens with a gorgeous snarl on his face.
Eddie immediately goes for the condoms, because he’s not a moron. He’s apparently pushed beyond even the ex-priest’s considerable patience. Good to know that there’s a backbone of steel in the man, a strength that prevents him from being a perfectly obedient sub. God, if this man is a brat, Eddie’s going to lose his damn mind.
“Breathe,” Eddie tells him.
“Is that all you’re going to say to me?” Steve snaps, irritable and bitchy thanks to his arousal. Yeah, he’s a brat.
Eddie fucking loves him like this.
“This is going be uncomfortable and possibly painful at first,” Eddie tells him. “It’s easier if you relax your body. Your body naturally relaxes when you exhale. So, breathe for me, or I won’t fuck you.”
Steve bitches under his breath, but obediently takes a deep breath. As promised, Eddie slowly sinks into Steve’s ass as he breathes out. Steve’s eyes roll back in his head, cock twitching between their bellies, a moan of pure arousal pouring from his lips.
Eddie grits his teeth, panting hard as Steve’s indomitable heat squeezes every inch of his cock. He’s going to die like this – buried in his bratty princess’ ass – and he’s going to thank God for the pleasure. Eddie leans down to kiss Steve, because the man looks so damn beautiful like this. Steve wraps his arms around Eddie’s shoulders, desperate to cling. Eddie slowly rocks his hips in and out of Steve, gingerly testing what Steve can handle.
Steve moans again, fingernails digging into Eddie’s shoulders as pleasure previously unknown to him assaults his every sense. Eddie watches, enthralled, while Steve’s face twists into the most gorgeous expressions of pleasure and desperation. He keeps his pace languid and smooth, wanting to ride Steve through this in the calmest way possible. It’s his first time with a man, and his first time with a cock in his ass, and Eddie doesn’t want to push too far.
Steve’s voice comes out, breathless and pleading, “pleasepleasepleaseplease”, driving Eddie insane. Eddie’s hips jerk out of his control, thrusting into Steve much harder than he wanted to. Steve screams, scratching hard at Eddie’s back as Eddie’s cock slams into his prostate. The pain digs into Eddie’s hindbrain, his whole body shaking at the building pleasure ricocheting through him.
“God, you’re so fucking gorgeous, princess,” Eddie murmurs, unable to stop the waterfall of words from spilling out while his hips jerk forward. His pace is still slow, but he’s lost the gentleness, spurred on by the approving moans pouring from Steve’s throat. “You’re so pretty like this, stretched out on my cock. Should keep you like this all the time. You’re such a cockslut, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh, God…” Steve’s eyes roll back in his head, whole body shivering beneath Eddie. “Yes.”
“That what you want, princess?” Eddie asks, grinding his cock firmly into Steve’s prostate.
Steve clings harder, wrapping his legs around Eddie’s hips to hold him in place. His eyes open, pupils dilated wildly, a feral smirk playing at his lips. “Yes, devil. I want your cock. Want you to keep me trapped here, tied up, stuffed full of your cock.”
Eddie almost fucking cums, choking on air. His cock throbs inside Steve, his whole body tightening at once. He fights back his orgasm by the skin of his teeth, panting hard. Steve is going to kill him.
“Oh, my brat wants to get tied up?” Eddie asks, desperately holding back the tide of his arousal. He pulls his hips back and then slams forward, grinding hard into Steve. Steve’s nails scratch, the pain threatening Eddie’s sanity entirely.
Eddie steals Steve’s hands, pinning them to the bed over his head. Steve wriggles in place, tugging a bit on Eddie’s grip, but he can’t escape. Steve’s eyes widen just a bit, apparently realizing that he has teased Eddie beyond the point of no return. And then he moans, melting into a puddle of a human being beneath Eddie. Yeah, Eddie needs to tie this brat up some day. For now, pinning him in place will have to do.
“This what you want, princess?” Eddie asks, voice deepening into his dom tone. Steve sucks in a sharp breath, eyes wide. “You trapped in place, only able to take what I deign to give you? Moaning like a whore on my cock?”
Steve seems to have lost the ability to speak, just nodding desperately. His eyes have lost their clarity, his expression slackening as he slips farther and farther into his own arousal.
“Use your words,” Eddie orders, voice harsh. “You want me to fuck you hard? Make it so you feel me for days?”
Steve nods again, gasping for air. Eddie shifts his knees under Steve’s hips, lifting him off the bed. He wraps his arm under Steve’s back to hold him in place, perfectly nestled on Eddie’s cock.
“Say it,” Eddie demands. “Say it or I won’t do it.”
“Fuck me hard,” Steve begs, voice cracking in his pleasure. His voice comes out slurred and slightly hysterical, his mind already deep in subspace. “I need it, devil, need you filling me up, need your cum. Wanna cum all over your cock. Please, fuck me, Eddie.”
Eddie couldn’t deny Steve even if he wanted to. He slams his hips forward, dragging a scream of pleasure out of Steve’s chest. Eddie fucks into Steve hard, keeping his pace slow to make sure Steve feels every inch dragging him through pleasure whether he wants it or not. Steve keeps begging, breathless pleading of “please, don’t stop, don’t stop, please” pouring from his lips with every thrust.
Steve cums with a wail. His whole body tenses for a long moment, his cock shooting with enough force that his cum hits Eddie in the chin, and then Steve collapses on the mattress in a boneless heap. Eddie chokes on air, Steve’s ass tightening around his cock in an almost painful grip. He stops moving, breathing hard and trying to let Steve work his way through his orgasm.
Steve blinks his eyes open, expression slack with ecstasy, “amen.”
Eddie cums. It’s like a slap to the face, Steve’s benediction crashing into him and driving him straight off the cliff into pure bliss. Eddie’s whole body jerks, cock throbbing and twitching within Steve, as he curses under his breath. Ecstasy assaults his every sense and nerve. Eddie collapses on top of Steve, trapping the man firmly beneath him.
Steve moans happily, nuzzling into Eddie’s hair. Eddie blinks a few times, trying to figure out how to see after an orgasm that hit him so fast and so hard that his entire body aches with the release. He idly releases Steve’s wrists to comb his fingers through Steve’s hair. His other hand worms its way out from under Steve, trailing along all the skin he can reach.
“God, you’re so fucking perfect,” Eddie murmurs. He leans up to search Steve’s face. He didn’t slip as far into subspace this time, because he’s already coming out of it, that blissful smile still stretched across his gorgeous lips. Eddie has to kiss him, has to find out what pure joy tastes like.
It’s heaven.
Eddie talks to Steve gently, praising every little thing he can possibly think of, until Steve blushes, telling Eddie that the man is fully back in his own mind. Once Steve is present, shoving plaintively at Eddie’s chest to keep from being crushed any longer, Eddie forces himself to sit back on his heels.
Steve moans, body shuddering in place as Eddie pulls out of him. Eddie takes a few long breaths, his whole body still trembling in the aftershocks of that orgasm.
“Stay right here, princess,” Eddie murmurs, putting his hand on Steve’s chest. “I’ll clean up.”
Steve hums his agreement, face contorting a bit as he shifts in place. “I’m gonna feel that in the morning.”
“You’ll probably feel it for a couple days,” Eddie tells him apologetically, shifting off the bed. “We’ll wait until you don’t ache anymore before we do that again.”
“Why?” Steve asks, voice only a little whiny. Eddie laughs and leans down to steal a kiss. He straightens, looking down at Steve, affection warming him up from the inside out.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Eddie reminds him. “And considering you’ve never had anything in your ass before today, we should keep things slow.”
Steve purses his lips in the world’s most adorable pout. “Fine.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll suck your cock as often as you let me,” Eddie tells him, making Steve chuckle. Eddie turns to go to the bathroom to get a washcloth for clean-up.
“Jesus!” Steve chokes, and then he groans in pain.
Eddie turns, concerned.
Steve obviously tried to sit up and felt the ache in his ass, aborting the motion midway. He leans up on his elbows, pointing at Eddie with a look of pure guilt on his face. “Your back!”
Eddie blinks. He looks over his shoulder and realizes that Steve is referring to the bright red scratches torn into his skin. Yeah, they sting a little, but honestly, Eddie’s always gotten off on pain, so he doesn’t mind.
“Yeah,” Eddie agrees, with a grin that’s probably too smug, “hot, right?”
Steve gapes at him. “Eddie, I hurt you!”
Eddie huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. “Princess, you lost control and scratched me. I almost came when you did, so it’s totally worth it.”
Steve’s brow furrows in pure confusion. “You like that?”
“You losing control is the best part,” Eddie promises. “Besides, I might get them tattooed on.”
Steve chokes. “What?”
“It’s the first time I got to fuck my Stevie,” Eddie says, utterly unapologetically. “I should memorialize the occasion.”
Steve turns bright red and flops back on the bed, shoving his palms into his eyes. “You’re impossible!”
Eddie can’t disagree with him there. “I’ve been told so. Many times.”
Steve shoots him a look that’s half-irritated and half-fond. It’s so damn cute. Eddie knows he’s a lot, so he’s going to get that expression a lot, probably.
Eddie gets a washcloth and cleans up both him and Steve, gently teasing Steve for his cum being everywhere, and then snuggles the man underneath the blankets, limbs tangling effortlessly together.
“I love you,” Steve murmurs, into Eddie’s chest.
Eddie hugs him tighter and presses a kiss to that perfect hair. “Love you, too.”
Steve’s still figuring out how to announce he’s leaving the church. Especially knowing his parents will be there at mass, bright and early as always. Eddie squeezes his fingers gently. They’re standing on the steps to the church while Steve works up the courage to step through the doors. The congregation is already inside, probably murmuring and gossiping and waiting for Steve. Or maybe they’re confused by the other two priests processing in behind Will.
“Don’t worry, princess. The people who matter won’t care.”
It’s the mantra Eddie has been saying all morning, trying to keep Steve from freaking out. Honestly, it’s not that he has to announce his retirement to his whole congregation, and it’s not even the archdiocese who summoned him first thing this morning to officially laicize him. It’s the fact that he knows his parents are going to lose their collective shit.
“I’ll be okay,” Steve says, not for the first time. Eddie searches his face for a long moment. He smiles and nods.
“You will. And when we get home, we can listen to some music and I’ll give you a massage.”
Steve bites back a smile. “Will I get burnt eggs, too?”
Eddie rolls his eyes. “That’s the last time I get up early to make breakfast.”
Steve steals a quick kiss. “Are you staying outside?”
“And miss your big moment?” Eddie scoffs. “I’m here all the way, princess.”
“Love you,” Steve murmurs.
Eddie squeezes Steve’s fingers tightly. “Love you, too.”
Steve takes a deep breath, drops Eddie’s hand, and walks into the church, head held high.
Mass has already begun. They’re already on the Liturgy of the Word, but just in the middle of the first reading. Steve lingers in the back of the church, waiting for one of the priests to see him. He stays back, in the shadows, until the homily. The visiting priest gives a very bland and technically correct homily, and then he waves Steve forward. Steve starts down the aisle.
“You may be wondering why I am performing this mass today. Your priest, Father Harrington—” the man chokes when he sees what Steve is wearing. The congregation all turns to look at Steve, gasping with huge eyes. The whispers start immediately.
Steve had a limited number of clothes at all, and given his fall from grace, he decided to make the statement as clear and unmistakable as possible. He’s wearing Eddie’s clothes – one of his nicer pairs of jeans that doesn’t have any rips or stains, a red flannel shirt settled on his shoulders, and that stupid Judas Priest tank top that Eddie wore when Steve saw him for the first time. It felt appropriate for the situation at hand.
Steve gets to the front of the church, in front of the altar, and glances up at the organ loft. Robin grins at him and shoots him a thumbs up. Lurking in the back, leaning against a column, is Eddie, with the smuggest grin Steve’s ever seen in his life.
“I’ve been defrocked,” Steve announces, “because I have a boyfriend. You’ll be in good hands while the archdiocese finds a permanent priest to come here. In the meantime, I’ll be in the area, but will not be performing mass any longer. The Lord be with you.”
“And with your spirit,” a few voices intone, too well-trained to miss the opportunity.
Steve walks back down the aisle, straight to Eddie. Eddie offers Steve his hand, which Steve takes gratefully, his nerves finally hitting him and making his hands shake. Eddie leads Steve out of the church while the room erupts behind them. It’s only when they’re halfway back to Eddie’s place that Steve realizes he didn’t even look for his parents to see their reaction. He didn’t even think about them in that moment.
Some weight lifts from his shoulders, a freedom he didn’t even know he needed. He doesn’t care about his parents’ opinion of him anymore, and it feels so good that Steve starts laughing helplessly.
Eddie was right – the people who matter don’t care – and Steve is finally fucking free.
Eddie drags Steve to the bed, intent on showing his appreciation for Steve’s bravery, which just makes Steve laugh harder. Maybe he lost the Church, but he got love in return, and he already knows he got the better end of that deal.
“Madame Ruth!” Eddie leans out the front door to look at their neighbor, knitting on her front porch as always.
“Eddie! What do you need, darlin’?”
“Have you told my boyfriend about another broken garbage disposal in the neighborhood?” Eddie asks, voice only mildly annoyed.
Miss Ruth shows exactly no remorse. “He said it would only take a minute.”
“He always says it’ll only take a minute,” Eddie complains, “and then he’s picked up a dozen more jobs in the time it takes him to walk down the block.”
“Oh, hush. He likes being helpful.”
Eddie sighs, “you’re not the one trying to get ready for a party.”
“I’m here, devil.” Steve sits up and leans over Miss Ruth’s railing.
Eddie lights up when he sees Steve, the way he always does. Steve loves to see how happy his mere presence makes his boyfriend. And then Eddie realizes he’s been had, and shoots a glare at Miss Ruth. The woman starts cackling, throwing her head back with her laughter.
“I’m fixing one of the boards on her porch,” Steve tells Eddie, smiling at Miss Ruth’s good humor. “It’s rotted.”
“You two are horrible people,” Eddie declares, “I don’t know why I love either one of you.”
Steve hops over the railing and then the tulip line, and stops in front of Eddie. “Liar.”
Eddie grins as Steve steals a kiss – one of a million that Steve’s stolen in the year they’ve been living together.
“The kids have been over a million times, devil,” Steve reminds him. “Relax. Everything is going to go fine.”
Eddie huffs out a breath, pouting a bit.
“Your dragons will still be in the dungeons when they get here.”
Eddie’s eyes blaze with a ferocity that Steve is all too familiar with. “What did you say?”
“The kids will make it through all the puzzles and goblins and whatever no problem,” Steve continues, knowing exactly what he’s doing to his boyfriend.
“Please pardon us, Madame Ruth,” Eddie says, not looking away from Steve. “I have a princess to educate.”
Miss Ruth keeps laughing as Eddie hauls Steve over his shoulder to carry him back inside. Steve gives the woman a little wave before Eddie kicks the door shut.
All the air whooshes out of Steve’s chest as he is summarily tossed onto their bed. He can barely breathe through his laughter as Eddie crawls on top of him. Eddie steals his hands and pins them to the bed beside his head, making a valiant attempt to glare at Steve, but Steve’s laughter has infected him, so he’s grinning anyway.
“God, I love you so much,” Eddie murmurs, eyes trailing over Steve's face with so much affection that Steve feels like he could drown in it.
“I love you, too,” Steve swears – a quiet vow that means more to him than any of the vows he gave to the Church.
Eddie’s smile softens to something warm and pure, and he kisses Steve. Steve melts into the contact, feeling every ounce of adoration from his boyfriend.
“One day, I will have my revenge,” Eddie promises.
“I doubt you can come up with anything that I won’t enjoy just as much,” Steve replies.
Eddie narrows his gaze at Steve, correctly reading that Steve is blatantly aiming for more. They don’t have time, not with the kiddos coming over soon, but Steve doesn’t mind waiting. Delayed gratification and all. He’s an ex-Catholic priest – he’s used to suffering.
Eddie leans down, barely brushing his lips against Steve’s. Steve leans up as best he can, trying to deepen the contact, but Eddie pulls back, putting horrific distance between them.
“You owe me penance, princess,” Eddie declares.
Heat bolts through Steve, exactly the way he was hoping for.
“I will only kiss you if you drink a glass of water.”
Steve’s entire plan goes out the window. “What?”
Eddie smirks at him, knowing exactly what he’s doing. “You’re dehydrated, princess, and we both know it. If you drink a glass of water, I will kiss you. One kiss for each glass.”
“One kiss for each sip,” Steve bargains.
Eddie shakes his head. “No. You started this. You have to deal with the consequences of your actions. And then later, maybe I will adjust things so it’s one kiss per sip. You’ll have to show real contrition though.”
“Wait, but—”
“I’ve got to go get the game ready. The kidlets will be here any minute.”
Eddie climbs off Steve.
“Wait!” Steve sits up, realizing his entire plan has gone horribly, horribly wrong.
Eddie walks out of the room with that smug fucking smirk on his lips.
Shit.
“Eds, devil, wait!” Steve fumbles to get out of the bed. “Let’s talk about this!”
Eddie laughs as Steve corners him in the kitchen, right beside that leaky sink that Steve fixed the very first night he was here. Eddie puts a glass of water on the counter beside them. Then, he wraps his arms around Steve, making him feel warm and safe and so damn comfortable.
“You’re really not going to kiss me?” Steve is maybe pouting, but he’s hoping the puppy dog eyes get Eddie to relent.
Eddie smiles at him, tracing his fingers along Steve’s jaw. “Nope.”
God damn it.
Eddie presses a kiss to Steve’s nose. “Not your lips anyway. Drink some water, princess.”
Steve knows that look – the smug and self-satisfied expression that makes him want to do something to ruin Eddie’s poise. He’s not getting out of this punishment the easy way.
“Fuck your water,” Steve mutters, grabbing the glass of water and chugging it.
Eddie chuckles when Steve puts the glass back on the counter, now empty. “Good boy.”
Eddie cups his hands around Steve’s face and kisses him, long and slow until Steve melts into his chest.
“I love you,” Steve murmurs.
“Love you, too.” Eddie presses another kiss to Steve’s temple. “Even though you are an absolute brat.”
Steve glares at his boyfriend.
“I really should have guessed you would be. Repressed Catholic boy that you are. You were so perfectly obedient at first and now look at you – a rebel.”
Steve presses forward, but Eddie steps to the side, out of reach. “You suck,” Steve grouses.
“I will later. If you’re a good boy for me.”
There’s frantic knocking on the door, accompanied by the loud voices of Dustin and Mike. It doesn’t sound like Will or Lucas are here yet. Steve leans on the counter, crossing his arms as Eddie walks away to let the shitheads in. Steve girds himself for a long fucking night.
Steve watches Eddie laugh and carouse with the two newcomers for a long moment, smiling despite himself. He didn’t realize what sort of family he was going to get when he left the Church. Every single day, he thanks God that he had the strength to leave. He has found more joy and done more for his neighbors and felt more love in the year he’s been out than in the dozen years he was in.
Eddie glances over at him, that soft, fond smile melting Steve from the inside out, the way it always does.
I love you, Steve thinks. He thought it would get routine, looking at Eddie and loving him, but it’s not. Every time Steve looks at his wonderful boyfriend, he falls a little bit more.
Even though Eddie is a colossal shithead. That’s okay. As it turns out, secular Steve is a pretty big shithead as well.