Day Twenty: Windows

Oof, sorry for the late post. Went on a social distance walk with a friend today and so I didn't start this until a little later and then I got distracted on TikTok lol. But anyway, here's this.

Tomorrow's prompt at the bottom!

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the neighborhood and jolted Eli out of his sleep in a startled frenzy, hand already fumbling around for the ninja stars he left on his bedside table in case of Creeper attacks. It took three seconds to find one (pricking his fingers in the process), two more seconds to put on his glasses, and another five seconds to realize that it was his window that had shattered.

Panic welled up in Eli's stomach as he carefully got out of his bed, shoving his feet into his slippers to avoid the broken glass. He kept his eyes out for any Creepers as he edged to the window and peered over the sill with a squint, throwing star at the ready.

He did not expect to see Steve Palchuk standing there, hands covering his mouth in horror.

For a second, Eli thought Steve was being attacked, or was watching some horrific monster climb up Eli's house to his room. Before he could question what the hell he was doing there, Steve squeaked. "I am so sorry, Pepperbuddy."

Eli relaxed, lowering his star. "What?"

"Your window, I didn't think – shit."

Eli turned, confused, and searched the wreckage of his window. His eyes landed on a rock in the middle of the pieces, roughly the size of his closed fist. He picked his way over to it and grabbed it, turning it over in his hands until it dawned on him.

"You threw a ROCK at my WINDOW?" he hissed out at Steve, holding said offending mineral in disbelief. "WHY?"

Steve gestured to the ground around him helplessly. "Well the small ones weren't waking you up, so I thought maybe a bigger rock would work, but it was TOO big, and I threw too hard-"

His voice was starting to do that panicked thing it did, raising in volume and squeakiness, and Eli shushed him before he could wake up the whole neighborhood. A quick glance at his desk clock told him it was almost midnight. "Why didn't you just call?" he asked in exasperation.

Steve's face grew almost sheepish in the streetlight. "Um. I thought pebbles might be more…romantic?" and he was squeaking again.

Eli could do little more than stare, something in his stomach flipping.

He'd known Steve was bisexual – he'd come out to him a while after they'd started hanging out, after Eli had quietly come out as trans and gay. He also knew that there'd been this weird...thing between them for the last few months. Where they'd get a little too close to one another and then jump back, making excuses, stammering. Eli had thought maybe Steve had figured out about his crush on him, and was trying to figure out a way to let Eli down politely.

He hadn't expected this.

Steve was twisting his hands together. "I'll pay for it, don't even worry. Um, also we can forget about this, because clearly it was a bad call on my part, and I guess I was probably misreading signals, and I-"

"Steve," Eli said without thinking. "You're squeaking again. Hold on."

Steve clamped his mouth shut and Eli turned, picking his way across his floor and darting through his house the second he was out of the danger zone. For once, he was grateful his mother slept like the dead – it meant she hadn't woken up during all this shit.

He wrapped a jacket around his pajamas and crept out of the house, only realizing when he went to close the door that he was still holding the rock in his hand. He hesitated and then pocketed it, pattering down the porch steps and walking around the house to find Steve sitting against the wall under his window.

Eli swallowed, slowing as he approached, and stopping just next to Steve, who didn't look up at him. Eli could tell, even despite the dark, that his cheeks were bright red, and he felt a little curl of guilt in his stomach for making Steve freak out.

To be fair, though, he'd thought he was being burgled less than five minutes ago, so maybe he deserved it.

Eli wasn't a smooth talker. He knew that. He also knew that Steve wasn't as smooth as he pretended to be, if his thing with Aja a couple years back had been any proof. Still, he worked up the nerve and nudged Steve in the foot with his toe, trying to hold back his grin as the teen looked up between his fingers. "More romantic, huh?"

"Shut up, Pepperjack," Steve groaned into his palms.

Eli snorted and sat down next to Steve, letting their shoulders brush and knees touch. Steve stiffened but didn't move. "I'm not mad," he said, and then, at Steve's side eye, he held up a hand. "Okay, I'm a little mad about the window. Mom's gonna be so upset."

Steve groaned again, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his face into the hollow spot they left. Eli chuckled. "But I'm not mad about…the romantic part of it."

Steve didn't come out of his cocoon. "You're not?"

"Nah. You weren't reading anything wrong. I thought I was." Eli fidgeted with the zipper on his coat, frowning down at a crooked tooth that prevented it from zipping all the way shut. "I thought you were trying to let me down politely."

"Shit," Steve muttered. He lifted his head, letting Eli see just how much he actually was blushing. It drifted across his cheeks, back to his ears, down his neck. "I thought you weren't…interested."

Eli tilted his head, confused. "Then why did you break my window?"

"Unintentional," Steve snapped, though there was no real heat behind it. He softened a little, rubbing a hand across his jaw. He looked at Eli with a weak smile. "I thought I might as well…try? And if it failed, I'd just crawl into a hole for about a week. And I guess it kind of failed, because I totally broke your window, dude, and I swear I didn't mean to, and-"

"You're getting squeaky again."

Steve shut his mouth, swallowing, and Eli bumped him with his elbow. "For the record…I'm okay with the romantic aspect. More than okay."

He stood up, ignoring Steve's squawk, and gave him a soft smile. "Next time just call though? I have to go clean up all the glass now."

Steve scrambled to his feet. "I can help," he assured Eli. "If you want. Since it was my fault, and my rock, and – well I mean I guess it was your mom's rock, since I took it from her garden, so it's her fault for leaving the rock right there where I could throw it-"

Eli took Steve's hand gently and he shut up, cheeks pinking further. Eli stepped closer. Over the last few years he'd finally hit puberty, and he was now barely six inches shorter than Steve. "Get ahold of yourself, Palchuk," Eli chuckled. "I've got the glass. You go home. Avoid rocks. Don't need any more romantic gestures from you."

Steve studied him for a moment, relaxing for the first time all night, and he gave Eli a classic side grin. "You sure?"

Eli swallowed the sudden butterflies in his stomach. He'd been doing so good until now, probably because Steve had been so embarrassed about the window. Now, with Steve looking at him like he was about to pounce, his heart sped up. Before he could lose his nerve, he pressed a kiss to Steve's cheek. "Pretty sure. Night, Steve."

He danced back out of Steve's grip, leaving the teen standing with his lips parted in surprise, skin bright red. Eli smiled, a little giddy, and turned for the steps to his house, hoping he hadn't locked himself out.

A pebble hit the back of his head, gentle.

When he turned, Steve was right there, all warm and firm as he slid an arm around Eli's hip, free hand lifting to hold Eli's cheek in his palm. Eli was frozen, and he was sure he looked like a fish. "You sure?" Steve repeated, a little lower, and shit, if that didn't send Eli's stomach into knots.

Eli swallowed, gaze flickering over Steve's. "Yes," he murmured. "I'm sure."

Steve leaned in, just a little closer, and Eli was forced to lift his hands and grip Steve's biceps or risk falling over. "Positive?"

His breath was warm. Eli tightened his fingers on Steve's biceps. "Positive."

The first press of lips was gentle, and it took Eli a second to realize it was actually happening. When he did, he gasped, pulled back in reflex. Steve backed off quickly, holding steady, eyeing him. Eli blinked rapidly, heart pounding, and tugged on Steve's arms. Steve's grin was wide, and he eased back in, his thumb caressing the rise of Eli's cheekbone as he kissed him.

Eli melted into the touch and let his arms circle around the back of Steve's head, fingers curling into the nape of his neck. He arched up on his toes to push closer, and Steve's arm tightened around Eli's hip and pulled him firmly against him. He broke after a moment, leaving Eli panting, and settled another careful kiss just against the line of his jaw.

Steve eased back, adjusting Eli's glasses from where they sat askew on his nose with a remarkable amount of fondness in his face. "How about now?" he asked.

For a second, Eli couldn't remember what he was talking about. He was vibrating with energy from his head to his toes, and it took a solid ten seconds of mental processing to remember the teasing. "Might need another gesture," he said reflexively.

Steve's smile was wide, and the blush was still on his cheeks. Eli found it endearing. "That's what I thought."

Eli's lips twitched in a smile. "After I clean up the window you broke."

"I'm never living that down, am I?"

"No way, wait until I tell the others."

"You suck, Pepperjack, you know that?"

Eli pulled the rock from his pocket and tossed it to Steve, grinning as he fumbled to catch it. "At least I know my own strength."

Tomorrow's fic: Retrospect, The Good Place