Archive of Our Own

"Radio is the most intimate and socially 
personal medium in the world."
-Harry Von Zell

Some people start college and they find their niche right away. They thrive as they experience their first taste of true freedom, establishing long-lasting friendships, living life as quasi-adults with quasi-responsibilities in the quasi-real world. 

Steve Harrington is not one of those people. 

While his counterparts - the lucky ones who have solid foundations at home and stable familial relationships - are flourishing all around him, he’s finding the transition … well, difficult. Especially since he transferred to State after completing his first two years at Junior College.

The whole thing has not been ideal.

He can’t sleep, is the thing.

And he’s never really been a great sleeper, to be fair. But something about being on his own in a new place is really fucking with his circadian rhythm. 

He’s managing okay, actually. He’s been able to stay afloat academically, keeping up relatively well with his coursework (I mean - what else is he going to do when he’s wide awake and alone at 3am night after night?), and he’s actually doing fairly well on the social scene, receiving a respectable number of invitations to parties around campus, even. 

But - yeah. Some more sleep would be just stellar.

It’s on one of these innumerable sleepless nights that he happens upon the college radio station for the first time. Hoping for some background noise to help lull him into the ever-elusive comfort of finally falling and staying asleep, he turns it on as a last-ditch effort and catches the end of one of his favorite songs, so he lowers the volume and climbs back into bed to listen for a while.

‘Alright there, ya bunch of geeks, losers, nerds, freaks, and creeps! That was One Headlight by the Wallflowers, by request. Jakob Dylan, am I right? The talent pool in that family runs DEEP, my friends! Anyhow, if you’re new here - welcome to The Long Walk Home, where I will be your humble guide through these wee morning hours as we get from whatever wild and crazy college experience (looking at you, late-night bookworms!) to the comfort and safety of our cozy little dorm rooms and apartments. Just settle in and let good ol’ Eddie the Freak take care of you. How does that sound, my sweethearts?’

Steve props himself up on his elbows and chuckles softly. The guy - Eddie - has a nice baritone voice. Made for radio. Warm, smokey and deep - maybe a little sexy. Nah - not maybe. It’s sexy. He could probably close his eyes and listen to this guy read to him from the dictionary and be quite happy.

‘The clock has just turned 2:38am, babydolls - so you have me for the next… three hours & 22 minutes. Let’s have some fun together. Again for any newbies out there - I am Eddie the Freak, your humble tour guide on this journey. I don’t do canned playlists or throw Spotify on to play so I can just do fuck-all during our precious hours together. You can do that yourself without me, now can’t you? Yes, sweethearts, of course you can. So, no. We’re going old school ‘round these here parts. Send me a text. An email. Hell, go full analog and call me. Tell me what you need, and The Freak will provide. Let’s see what we’ve got coming up next … oh, you’re gonna love this, sweethearts. Undying thanks to Argyle for requesting this one. I present for your listening pleasure — Lump by The Presidents of the United States of America.’

“Lump was limp and lonely and needed a shove
Lump slipped on a kiss and tumbled into love
She spent her 20s between the sheets
And life limped along at subsonic speeds…”

When the song ends a brief pre-recorded message plays, and Steve jumps up to write down all of the contact details he’ll need if he ever decides to request something. He lays back on his pillows, smiling widely as he waits for the next song. And also to hear that voice again. It’s - uh - nice. It’s nice.

As soon as the last notes of Lump fade out, Guerilla Radio by Rage Against the Machine begins seamlessly. It’s perfect, Steve thinks as he lays in his lonely dorm room and smiles. Steve really likes Eddie the Freak and his taste in music so far. He reaches for his phone and considers sending a text as the song plays.

“It has to start somewhere
It has to start sometime
What better place than here?
What better time than now?”

‘That’s right my sweethearts - what better place than here? What better time than now? Listen to the good people of Rage Against the Machine if you won’t listen to your humble servant and resident Freak. Next up, we’re gonna kick off a block of music to give all you beautiful people time to compose all those lovely emails and texts so I can play what soothes all you savage beasts around campus. Just remember, sweet things - I will play anything you request. No matter the era or genre. If I can find it, I’ll play it. Get those texts, emails and calls queued up now won't you? Up first in this block is the one and only — the GREAT Peter Gabriel with Games Without Frontiers — one of my favorites. Then keep your ears peeled for some Soundgarden, OMC, and that college radio staple we all know and love - that’s right, Green Day’s comin your way. Keep it right here, babies — and tell me what you need.’

Steve listens in awe as Eddie seems to be telling a story through his song choices. And the songs playing tonight are perfectly in keeping with how Steve has been feeling lately. He wonders how the guy developed that skill — being able to tap into a mood and tell an effective story through music. ‘ Games Without Frontiers’ progresses right into ‘ Blackhole Sun’ and then OMC’s ‘How Bizarre’ follows immediately after.   Steve chuckles to himself as Boulevard of Broken Dreams bookends the group of four songs. This guy is good. Probably why he’s chosen this line of work. 

‘Okay my lovelies - I hate to interrupt our journey with this sort of thing but it needs to be said. I will immediately block and forever ban anyone who sends email or text messages belittling or decrying anyone else’s music taste on my show. Music is meant to be inclusive. We don’t shame here. This is your one and only warning, Jason. And even though it’s an old radio cliche, I’m gonna break my long-standing dedications ban and send these next two songs out to you for the small-minded attitude you somehow saw fit to send through my email. Miss me with that shit, Jason. Now, coming up just for you — enjoy a little Toxicity by System of a Down. And I would be pissed at myself if I didn’t throw in a little Seven Nation Army for good measure. Come for my listeners again and a Seven Nation Army will absolutely not hold me back, babe. Enjoy.’

Steve swoons, kicking his feet and giggling as he listens and sings along. He loves this guy! Okay - that settles it. He’s sending in a request. He opens his Messaging app and begins to compose a text.

Hi
I hope I have the right number
Wanted to request a song (?)

Hi there, doll!
You came to the right place!
What’s your name and what 
can I play for you?

My name’s Steve
I’ve only just found your show.
Love it, by the way
Can you play some Foo Fighters?

Why thank you Steve!
Pleased as can be that you’re
enjoying the show! Now - we going 
with dealer’s choice, or do you have 
a song in mind?

You’re so great at picking songs
and I really love your taste, but I 
was hoping for All My Life (?)

Stevie you flatter me!
(Flattery works with me btw)
Of course I’ll play All My Life for you.
That one have special meaning for you?

It’s one of my favorites

Same. Dave Grohl is a genius.
You searching for something, Steve?

Dunno. Maybe (?)
This college shit is rough, man

Yeah I get that. 
I’ll get your song queued up next.
You can call the station if you ever
want to talk. It’s kind of my thing.

Thanks, man!
Might take you up on that

I hope you do, Stevie

Steve lays his phone on his chest and crosses his hands behind his head, smiling broadly as the last notes of Seven Nation Army fade out and Eddie’s voice comes through once again.

‘Very special request coming up now for Steve, a Long Walk Home newbie. Thanks for reminding me of this one, Steve — it’s truly one of my favorites, and one we can certainly all relate to. Enjoy All My Life by the Foo Fighters. Keep getting closer to the prize at the end of the rope, Sweetheart.’

Steve relaxes into his bed and curls up into his blankets as he continues to listen to The Long Walk Home. Perfect name for an overnight radio show, he thinks. And the songs that Eddie is stringing together are really speaking to him. He begins to feel drowsy as Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down begins to play, a slow smile creeping across his face as he allows himself to drift.

“You called me strong, you called me weak
But still, your secrets I will keep
You took for granted all the times I never let you down…
If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?
If I’m alive and well will you be there holding my hand?”

Steve falls asleep before the end of the song, and wakes feeling refreshed for the first time in a very long time. He takes his time with his morning routine and allows himself to really enjoy a long shower, spending some additional time on his hair and skin care routine. It’s going to be a good day, he can just feel it. Funny what a little bit of rest can do. Since his classes for the day are all scheduled in the late afternoon, he decides to make his way to the coffee shop just off campus and treat himself to a good cappuccino and a pastry. 

He dresses in his favorite pair of jeans - the ones that hug him perfectly in all the right places while somehow still managing to be extremely comfortable - and tops them off with an artfully distressed long sleeved tee in his favorite shade of green. He slips into his most comfortable leather boots and throws on a distressed black leather jacket before grabbing his sunglasses and messenger bag to head out. 

As he walks from his dorm to the coffee shop, he finds himself singing softly as he remembers Eddie’s show from the night prior. Who knew listening to an engaging DJ and some Foo Fighters would help him fall asleep finally? He needs to learn more about the show schedule. Is Eddie the only host? It’s likely not on the air 7 days a week if so, right?  

He continues on his journey, popping his earbuds in and taking his phone out to pull up his Spotify playlist for company as he walks. He sets it to shuffle and he bursts into laughter as the opening riffs of  All My Life kick in right away. Yeah, this is definitely gonna be a good day.

“All my life I’ve been searching for something
Something never comes, never leads to nothing
Nothing satisfies but I’m getting close
Closer to the prize at the end of the rope”

When Steve enters the coffee shop he’s taken aback at first at how busy it is for 11am, most of the tables already occupied with other students either camped out with their laptops and coursework, or very clearly nursing hangovers and looking miserable. He smirks as he approaches the counter to place his order, taking his earbuds out and scanning the room for a place to sit as the barista prepares his drink.

Coffee safely in hand, he makes a circuit around the place to see if, by some immeasurable stroke of luck, someone has left and maybe an open table has materialized in the few minutes it’s taken to get his coffee. He’s almost resigned himself to taking his order to go and finding a nice bench or corner of the park to relax and enjoy his coffee when the sudden movement of a chair to his left catches his attention.

“This one’s open if you don’t mind sharing,” the man seated at the table says as he uses his foot to push the chair opposite him out for Steve to take, nodding to the space in invitation.

Steve freezes in place for a beat as he takes in the sight of the man seated at the table. He’s gorgeous. No — beautiful. He’s got bright, expressive brown eyes and silky-looking dark hair that cascades in easy waves down to his shoulders, with a dusting of stubble across his jaw. Steve stares for a beat too long at the man’s lips — lush and plump, he just knows they must be soft. He’s wearing a distressed band tee — a classic print of an old Judas Priest album cover — under a well-worn black leather biker jacket, chains securing the cuffs. 

Steve feels his mouth run dry at the sight of him.

“You okay?”

Steve nearly squeaks in response as he realizes he’s been standing there just staring like an asshole for just long enough for it to be too long. Fuck.

“Oh! Sorry, man - my mind was elsewhere. If you’re sure it’s no trouble, yeah. I’ll join you, thanks!” Steve manages to get out finally as he takes the offered chair and settles in.

“No trouble at all - place is packed,” Mr. Beautiful says with an easy grin as he extends his hand in greeting. “Besides, you’re too pretty to sit alone. I’m Eddie,” he says with a wink.

Steve reaches out to shake the man’s hand, the first notes of recognition coming to the forefront of his consciousness. That voice. Could it be? Nah. But maybe? Nah, no way.

“I’m Steve,” he says tentatively, sipping his coffee. 

“Was that a question? You’re not sure?” Eddie asks, grinning.

“Haha - very funny. No … sorry. This is gonna sound weird. Have we met? I just … I don’t think we have, but something is very familiar about you.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot. It’s the voice. I host an overnight radio show on campus radio. If you’ve ever heard it, that might be it. If not … No idea, man.” Eddie says with a shrug, his smile warm and easy as he traces his fingertip around the rim of his mug.

“Holy shit. What are the odds? You host The Long Walk Home ?”

Eddie grins, his expression open and inviting. “Got it in one, Sweetheart,” he says with a flourish of his hand. 

“No way. This is so weird. I literally found your show for the first time last night and I was instantly hooked. I even sent in a request - another first for me.”

“Well, that’s - uh - pretty amazing, actually. First time, huh? I’m happy you enjoyed it! Wait — are you the same Steve who requested Foo Fighters?”

“Yes! That’s me!” Steve exclaims, his excitement overflowing.

“Great song choice, Steve.”

“Thanks, man. It’s funny - I put on my playlist as I was walking over here from the dorm and that was the first one that played today too.”

“Must be fate then,” Eddie says, chuckling. 

“Yeah. Must be.”

“So tell me about yourself, Steve. I don’t think I’ve seen you around campus before. And trust me, I would remember.”

“Yeah? You one of those eidetic memory people or something?”

“Maybe. Something like that. Or maybe you’re so pretty you’d be hard to forget,” Eddie says with a wink.

Steve blushes, shaking his head. “Nice one. Okay, I’ll bite. What do you want to know?”

Eddie leans forward and tents his fingertips under his chin as his gaze lands on Steve’s lips. “Whatever you feel like telling me, Big Boy. I’m a great listener, and I’ve got time.”

“Don’t you get tired of listening to other people though? I mean, last night you said talking to people is ‘kind of your thing.’ Doesn’t that get old, since you’re bombarded with it?”

“Bombarded?” Eddie laughs, and the sound is like velvet to Steve’s ear. “Oh Stevie, you do flatter me. I host a college campus radio show from midnight to 6am four days a week. I’m background noise for sloppy frat party fucks, drunken blowjobs, and sometimes if I’m lucky I might be the soundtrack to some poor soul’s walk of shame at the end of said frat party fuck or drunken blowjob. I’m not exactly blowing up the ratings on some mainstream radio station. I think you are grossly overestimating the extent of my reach.”

“Well, I recognized your voice, didn’t I? And after hearing your show just that one time.”

“So you did. Brat.” Eddie says through a smile as he sips his coffee. “But maybe you’re easily influenced, hm? Or maybe it’s just that you’re enraptured by these dulcet tones. In any case, I feel like you’re deflecting, baby boy. It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about yourself - I’m an egomaniac so I can very easily fill our time together with talking about myself if you’d rather not talk. It’s up to you.”

Steve leans back in his seat and considers for a moment before shrugging his jacket off and leaning forward to sip from his cup again. The way Eddie’s gaze lingers on his mouth as he licks some stray foam from his lips is not lost on him, so he decides to lean into the flirting.

“If I didn’t know better I might think you’re flirting with me just a little bit, Eddie.”

“You would be correct, Steve. I am. Is that alright?”

“Oh, definitely. Thanks for confirming, though. I would hate to make an idiot of myself by reading too much into anything.”

“Okay, so now that we’ve established that … tell me about yourself, Stevie.”

“Uh, sure. Let’s see… I recently transferred in — working on a degree in early education. I’m a junior. Coursework is challenging but I like my program.”

“Nice. Where is home for you?”

“Boston. How about you?”

“Indiana. Family?”

Steve shakes his head, smirking. “Nope. My parents weren’t fond of the idea of having a queer son, so they liberated me, you could say. No siblings. So - it’s just me.”

“Man that’s rough, Steve. I’m sorry. My folks died when I was little but I’ve been lucky enough to have my uncle who raised me and has always accepted me. I don’t know what I would do without him, to be honest.”

“Yeah, well. I’m better off without them and the Harrington money, as hard as it’s been sometimes. How about you though? What are you studying?”

“Ah. I’m in my final year. Communications program.”

“Should have guessed that one, huh?” Steve says with a smile. “I’ve been wondering, though. How do you have time to do your show all night and also take classes during the day? That sounds brutal.”

“Nah. It’s okay, actually. I’m only taking 3 courses each semester and I’ve been able to schedule them pretty well. I only have class on Tuesdays & Thursdays so doing the radio thing Sunday through Wednesday works pretty well for me. Plus since I start at midnight I don’t miss out on too much stuff around campus. Keeps me grounded, too. Tell me though — you said last night was the first time you listened. What made you tune in?”

“I’m a terrible sleeper. Suffered from insomnia for as long as I can remember. I was honestly just looking for some white noise to hopefully help me fall asleep. And I found your show instead.”

“I would ask what you thought of it but you already said you were hooked, so …”

“Yeah - I loved it. Love the way you string a playlist together. It’s like storytelling almost.”

“I’m so happy to hear you say that, Steve.”

“I do have a question though … do you really play anything people ask for?”

Eddie nods and sips his drink. “I do. If someone asks, and I can find it, I play it. I think there have only been a couple of times I couldn’t deliver on that.”

“Yeah? What were the ones you couldn’t find?”

“Hm. Don’t remember. Probably some obscure, random tv theme song or something. I tend to get some weird requests like that around the holidays. People get nostalgic for their childhoods or whatever and they want something to remind them of their youth. Not like anyone around here is old, but you get the idea.”

“So let me see if I understand this … If I called in and requested like … oh, I don’t know … Conway Twitty.”

“Then I would play some Conway Twitty.”

“It’s Not Easy Being Green.”

“One Kermit — coming right up!”

“Anne Murray.”

“Anne Murray?”

“Yeah. Anne Murray. You know, the Grammy — ”

“Winning Canadian songstress who took the country by storm in the 70s and 80s? That Anne Murray? I know who Anne Murray is, Steve,” Eddie says with a wink.

“Wow. I thought I had you with that one,” Steve says, eyebrows raised. 

“I guess I’m surprised that YOU know who Anne Murray is, Sweetheart. Not exactly one I would guess would be in your regular rotation,” Eddie replies, eyebrow cocked with a grin.

Steve shrugs. “My grandma was a huge fan. She played her album constantly when I was little. Okay then, Mr. Radio — what would you say if I requested Anne Murray then?”

“It’s Munson.”

“What is?”

“My last name. You called me Mr. Radio. But you can call me Eddie. Or other things as the mood strikes.”

“Noted,” Steve says, blushing furiously. “Stop stalling, Munson.”

“Right. Anne Murray. Well, if you requested Anne Murray I would probably start by telling you to spread your tiny wings and fly away - then I’d say you should take the snow back with you where it came from on that day. ”

Steve laughs as Eddie winks at him while reciting the lyrics from Snowbird. “So … what? You just know the lyrics to like — every song?”

“I don’t know if I would say that, exactly, no. And to be fair that’s not exactly a deep cut - it was like her most successful single, I think. But I do have a very good memory and I pay attention. Comes in handy, just in general.”

“I’ll bet. Aren’t you worried that playing random obscure shit like that will turn people off though? I mean, I thought the whole point was to gain and keep loyal listeners.”

“Yeah, maybe if this was a radio station out there in the real world. But, seriously. My listeners know what the deal is - in fact, occasionally I’ll get these stretches of time where they actively try to stump me and it’s a goddamn free-for-all with what I end up playing.” Eddie shrugs and sips his coffee before continuing, “It’s an overnight program on an obscure college radio station. We’re not exactly blowing up the Nielsen ratings. Nor do I want to, to be honest. My loyal listeners love what I do, and anyone else simply won’t hang around. It’s pretty great, actually.”

“Well, speaking as a first time listener, I can say it was one of the things I really enjoyed. Just you saying you’d play anything — that was unexpected and refreshing. And also the way you dressed down that dude who emailed you. That was amazing.”

Eddie smiles widely as he nudges Steve’s foot under the table with his boot. “So, tell me, first time listener Steve Harrington. How long did you hang out and listen last night?”

“Believe it or not, I was actually able to fall asleep. You must have worked your magic or something, because I don’t think I even made it all the way through Kryptonite.”

“Seriously? I played that right after I played your request! I honestly don’t know if I should be flattered or offended, Stevie,” Eddie says, laughing. 

“Oh, it’s definitely a good thing. I’m not joking when I say falling asleep - and also STAYING asleep - is a huge problem for me. Your show worked better than anything I’ve ever tried to get myself to relax and just get my brain to shut off long enough to fall asleep.”

Eddie flushes with the praise. “Wow, Steve. That’s … uh, that’s incredibly flattering.”

“Well you did say flattery works on you, so…”

“You trying to win me over, Stevie?”

“Maybe. Is it working?”

“It might be. So tell me - you planning to listen in again?”

“Oh most definitely. You’re not on for the next few days though, right?”

“Well, ordinarily that would be true - I wouldn’t be on again until Sunday night under normal circumstances, but my counterpart is sick so I’m filling in for the next few days. So, no breaks for me this week.”

“Well then I guess I have plans for the next few nights. Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Shit,” Eddie says as he notices the time. “I’ve gotta run - I can’t believe it’s this late already.”

Steve deflates just a bit. He should also probably be going, but he’s having such a great time chatting with his new … friend? Hopefully?

“Tell you what,” Eddie says as he gestures for Steve to hand over his phone. “I’m gonna give you my number. Think about an artist you’d like to hear when I’m on next. Send me a text and I’ll come up with something special for you.”

“Don’t I already have your number? I mean, I texted last night.”

“That’s the text line for the show, Sweetheart. I’m giving you my personal number.”

Steve sits up a bit straighter in his seat. “Yeah? Do you give all of your new listeners this much personalized attention?”

“Just the beautiful ones,” Eddie says as he looks at Steve through lowered lashes.

“Nice one,” Steve says through laughter. “Tell you what, Romeo — go ahead and just send yourself a text while you’re at it. That way you’ll have my number as well.”

“Oof. Romeo. He did not have a pleasant story. Not sure I love that one,” Eddie says, his fingers flying over the keyboard on Steve’s phone.

“Okay then, fair enough. I’ll have to think of something better.”

“Can’t wait to see what you come up with, Stevie,” Eddie says as he rises from his chair. “I really do need to go. But I’ll be waiting for your text. And make sure you tune in tonight, Big Boy.”

Steve stands up, smiling as he pockets his phone and watches Eddie gather his things. “I’ll be looking forward to it all day.”

“Talk to you soon, Sweetheart,” Eddie says with a wink as he dons his sunglasses and leaves the coffee shop.

Steve gets a refill on his cappuccino and resumes his seat at the table. He retrieves his phone from his pocket so he can save Eddie’s contact info and giggles as he reviews the texts Eddie sent from his phone.

Hi Sexy Radio Daddy 😉

Oh, how nice of you, Stevie!
Leaning in to the flattery I see.
Can’t wait to continue our 
conversation, sweet boy

Steve double checks to make sure Eddie did actually save his contact info, and sure enough, there it is: Sexy Radio Daddy 📻. He opens messaging and sends a follow up text, smiling widely.

😂 

You saved your contact as
Sexy Radio Daddy 📻 in my phone?

I did. I believe in truth in advertising 

Fair.
What’s my name in your phone?

Sweet Steve 🥵

Well now I’m really sad we
didn’t have more time to talk

Yeah? Why is that?
It’s the ‘daddy’ thing isn’t it

It might be

Christ you’re adorable. And very easy to read.
We have all the time in the world, baby.
Call me later and we can talk if you want

I’ll do that. What time is good?

I’m free anytime after 7 - until showtime
Looking forward to hearing from you

Sounds great

Steve looks at his watch, a grin plastered on his face. Shit. He has to get to class now. Concentrating after that whole … thing with Eddie is going to be a challenge. He clears his table and gathers his things to head off to class, a buoyancy in his step as he makes his way across campus.

By the time Steve makes his way back to his dorm room after the day’s classes, he’s vibrating with excitement. He’s never been more thankful not to have a roommate as he is at the moment - he wants to have some privacy for whatever conversation he and Eddie are about to have. 

He paces nervously as he checks his watch repeatedly until he deems it far enough past 7:00 to make his call. 7:07 doesn’t seem desperate, right? He stares at the screen, his finger hovering over Eddie’s contact as he struggles to work up the courage to just tap the screen already while arguing with himself.

He said to call.

He was flirting. 

Like - openly flirting. 

It wasn’t even thinly veiled or subject to interpretation. 

Right?

And he saved their contacts with those names?

Just fucking call already.

Finally, he takes a deep breath and taps the number, his heart pounding as he waits for the call to connect. 

“Well, that didn’t take as long as I thought it might,” Eddie chuckles as he answers. “How are you, Sweetheart? Good day?”

“Hi Eddie,” Steve says as he finally exhales. How long had he been holding his breath? “Yeah, my day was good. How about yours?”

“Stellar day, Sweetheart. Had an unexpected coffee date with a very pretty boy. Much better than I had hoped for when my alarm went off this morning.”

“Nice. Now who’s working the flattery angle?” Steve says, laughing.

“Oh? You don’t like being told how pretty you are, baby?”

Steve shrugs as he lays back on his bed, one hand propped behind his head. He kicks off his shoes and gets comfortable, smirking to himself. “It’s not that. I just don’t know how true it is, that’s all.”

Eddie laughs, and Steve can almost picture him. “Oh come on. You know you’re objectively gorgeous, Steve. I can’t take you seriously if you’re gonna play that angle. Don’t be coy, baby.”

“I’m not!”

“You are. And don’t talk back, Sweetheart.”

Steve feels a familiar warmth begin to build in his core at the command in Eddie’s tone. Wow. What the hell is that all about?

“Oof. Yes, Sir.’

“Hm. Not bad. You can do better though, I know you can. So tell me, Steve - have you thought about what you’d like me to play for you tonight?”

“Not Anne Murray?” Steve says, smiling.

“Sure, I can play you a little Anne Murray if that’s what you want. Something tells me that Anne doesn’t really speak to you though. Tell me, Steve. Any artist. Don’t think about it too much.”

“Hm. Okay … uh, how about The Killers?”

“Perfect. Who else? Which other artists speak to you?”

“Umm, wow. That’s a tough question. I mean, I don’t know. I mean - who speaks to me? That makes it sound like it means more than it does, somehow.”

“How so?”

“Well … sometimes you just like something, it’s not always so deep.”

“Interesting. Let’s talk about that a little bit. Why did you request All My Life last night?”

“I just like the song.”

“You sure about that?”

“Uh - yeah? I mean, why wouldn’t I be? Didn’t Freud say something once about a cigar being just a cigar?”

“So it has nothing to do with the lyrics ‘Will I find a believer? Another one who believes? Another one to deceive; over and over, down on my knees’ - is that what you’re telling me?”

“Um. Yeah?”

“Really? Because I feel like the guy who’s parents turned their backs on him because he’s not straight and who’s now on his own in the big scary world trying to find his own way - someone like that might identify a little bit with what ol’ Dave is saying there. Am I wrong about that?”

“Fuck,” Steve whispers, mouth agape.

“Look, the point I’m making is — music is the great equalizer, babe. There’s a reason you like the songs and artists you like, whether you acknowledge it or not.”

“Holy shit, Eddie.”

“I see you, Steve Harrington.”

“Um. Yeah, but how? I mean, we just met.”

Steve can almost hear Eddie shrug through the phone. “Dunno. You’re just easy to read, I guess. So hit me - the Killers. Who else?”

“Nine Inch Nails.”

“Beautiful. Who else?”

“Um … Radiohead?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“Ugh. Fine. Okay. Bowie. Jack White. Rage.”

“Good boy.”

Steve whimpers involuntarily and he cringes, quickly covering the mouthpiece on his phone in hopes that Eddie didn’t hear. 

“You like that, Steve? Like being told you’re a good boy?”

Steve whimpers again, squeezing his eyes closed.

“Need your words, sweet thing.”

“Y-yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“I thought as much, baby boy. Man, I had you pegged as soon as you walked into that coffee shop today. You’re just a sweet little submissive at heart, aren’t you, Stevie?”

“Um. I don’t know. I guess. I mean, I’ve dabbled in kink and stuff but I don’t know if I’m doing things the right way?”

Eddie chuckles softly, his voice low and calm. “There’s no wrong way as long as everyone is safe and consenting, baby. What do you mean by ‘the right way’ though?”

“Well, I mean … I’ve done scenes and stuff. You know, the whole bit with the colors and the safe words and stuff like that.”

“Yeah? And tell me - did you enjoy yourself?”

Steve nods, smirking to himself when he realizes that Eddie cannot actually see him. “I did. But I don’t know - I think maybe I just couldn’t fully commit? Like I couldn’t fully let go or something. I don’t know. I’m probably not making any sense.”

“No, I think I understand,” Eddie says gently. 

Something about his voice is making Steve feel better instantly. More relaxed. More open. He likes it.

“Let me ask you something now. You saved your contact info as ‘Sexy Radio Daddy’ in my phone earlier.”

“That’s not a question, Sweetheart.”

“No, I know. I was getting to it, jeez,” Steve says, laughing.

“Ah so you’re DEFINITELY a brat. Again, as suspected. Do go on though,” Eddie replies, amused.

“Gah! I am not a brat!”

“Beg to differ, but we can revisit that another time. Get to your question.”

“Pfft. Fine. I was gonna ask - the ‘daddy’ thing… are you? I mean, that is to say, do you…?”

Eddie laughs warmly again, and Steve feels that tug in his core at the sound. “Do I…? Are you asking me if I’m a Dominant, Stevie? Asking about my proclivities so early in our relationship, hm? I do have to say I have a weak spot for pretty boys who ask for what they want. But you can’t even get the words out fully, can you? Such a bratty little sub you are.”

“What? I … okay, fine. Yes. That’s what I’m asking. Don’t have to be a dick about it, jeez.”

“Careful, baby,” Eddie warns, though there’s no heat in his response. “To answer your question, yes. I do enjoy dominating pretty boys into submitting at my feet. There’s nothing quite like watching a sub fully give themselves over. Having the privilege of guiding someone through subspace is akin to a religious experience. It’s something otherworldly and beautiful to share that level of trust with a partner.”

“See - that’s what I mean. I’ve never been able to reach that level of submission.”

“You mean subspace?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’m probably doing it wrong or something, Or maybe it’s a myth. I dunno. But I’ve just never been able to get there.”

“Well, not everyone does, Steve,” Eddie says gently. “But that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong or that there's anything wrong with you though. You have to know that on some level, right?”

“I dunno,” Steve says as he turns on his side to get more comfortable as they talk. “It’s just … all the things I’ve heard and read about it … it sounds like heaven. I want that. But I can’t get there. Anyway, like I said it’s probably something I’m doing wrong.”

“I’m certain it’s not, Sweetheart. But we can talk more about this in person if you like. Probably better than over the phone anyhow.”

“You’d want that? Like, to discuss stuff like this with me in person? Like … to see me again?”

“Baby boy - it would be a gift to get to see you and talk about this in person. One I would very enthusiastically accept.”

Steve grins, that feeling pooling in his gut and building again. Is he really getting hard from this conversation? They aren’t even really talking about anything dirty.

“Well I would like that very much too. Daddy. ”

“There it is! I knew you could do better than ‘Sir.’ Just needed a few minutes to get there, huh?”

Steve laughs, blushing despite himself. “Guess so, yeah. But to be fair that is the way you saved your contact info in my phone, so it would be rude not to call you that.”

“Hm. It would be. And we can’t have that now can we?”

Steve’s phone beeps in his ear, signaling that his battery is nearly dead. He groans, supremely disappointed that they have to cut this conversation short because of the limits of lithium-ion batteries. Dammit.

“Everything okay, Sweetheart?”

“Yeah. Just my stupid phone. Battery is almost drained, so I need to plug it in. But I don’t want to stop talking,” he says, on the verge of a full-on pout.

“Aw, it’s okay, baby. Tell you what — if you’re serious about having a conversation about kink as it relates to the two of us, I’ll send you a link to a little survey you can fill out to help that discussion along. Absolutely no pressure, but I can send it if you like. And in the meantime, charge that phone and make sure you’re listening tonight at midnight. Can you do that for me, Stevie?”

“Yes. I mean, yes — please send me the link. Definitely want that. Please. So, yeah.”

“So what I’m hearing is yeah then?” Eddie says, laughing gently.

“Duh.”

“Fucking brat. One more question before I let you go.”

“Yeah?”

“Did you get hard talking about this with me tonight, Steve? Tell the truth.”

Steve flushes. How the hell does he know? “Y-yeah. Yeah, I did.”

“Fucking incredible,” Eddie whispers reverently. “You’re just a fucking dream aren’t you, baby? Okay. I’m gonna send you that link in a few minutes. In the meantime, plug in your phone and go ahead and take care of that little problem. I want you to tell me all about it the next time we talk. Understood?”

“Yeah, yes. Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Good boy. Plug in your phone now. Talk soon.”

Just before midnight, Steve tunes in to the campus radio station. He doesn’t want to miss a minute of Eddie’s show - he’s dying to see what he plays for him. He even managed to doze off for an hour or two while his phone charged, awakening to see that Eddie had indeed texted him the link to the kink survey they had discussed earlier. He decided to complete it on the spot as soon as he received it, not wanting to waste any time or lose his nerve.

He fires off a quick text to Eddie at 11:59pm - he wants to make sure he knows Steve is listening in, as promised.

Have a great show!

Thank you Sweetheart
Did you do your assignments?

Assignments?

Yes. I believe I gave you a couple 
of things to do when we last spoke

OH!
LOL - yes I followed your orders

Good boy
Enjoy the show

Promptly at midnight, the opening count and guitar riff of The Pretenders’ Message of Love kicks in. Eddie’s intro comes in after a few bars, and Steve grins. “Absolutely fucking perfect theme song,” he says to his empty dorm room.

“Now the reason we’re here
As man and woman
Is to love each other
Take care of each other
When love walks in the room
Everybody stand up
Oh it’s good, good, good
Like Brigitte Bardot”

‘Gooooooood evening, ya bunch of geeks, losers, nerds, freaks, and creeps! Welcome to a special edition of The Long Walk Home. We’re filling in for Frank as he recovers from the flu for the next few nights, so tune in for his show again next week. In the meantime, welcome, one and all. I am your humble host and I will be your guide through the wee morning hours, so just settle in and let good ol’ Eddie the Freak take care of you. As always, I’ll play anything you request, so keep those texts, calls and emails coming as we spend the night together. Gonna kick the night off with a very special triple play for a very special listener. Enjoy.’

Steve beams as the opening of When You Were Young by The Killers begins as soon as Eddie’s intro fades. How does he see him so clearly?

“You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways 
You play forgiveness, watch it now
Here he comes
He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined when you were young”

Steve is on the verge of sending Eddie a text when the next songs in Eddie’s block capture his attention. He really did put this together for him, it seems. He’s dumbfounded as he listens, struggling to process how someone he just met can know so much about him and say so much through song choices. As soon as When You Were Young fades out, The Hand That Feeds fills the space, and Steve sits there listening with his jaw on the floor. Just … HOW?

“You’re keeping in step
In the line
Got your chin held high and you feel just fine
Cause you do what you’re told
But inside your heart it is black and 
It’s hollow and it’s cold”

Steve is still reeling when Radiohead’s Creep comes on next. “This is fucking crazy,” he whispers to the night. 

“I don’t care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice
When I’m not around
So fuckin’ special
I wish I was special”

The first tears fall as the song fades out and Eddie’s voice comes through the speakers again.

‘That was When You Were Young by the Killers, followed by Nine Inch Nails with The Hand That Feeds and Radiohead with Creep. Hope you enjoyed, sweethearts. Up next we have possibly the greatest cover of a Michael Jackson song EVER. Thanks for requesting this one, Dustin. I present Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm for your listening pleasure.’

Steve fires off a text as the song plays, still crying softly. 

How are you doing this?

Doing what, baby?

How are you picking these songs
We just met
How do you know

I told you, baby. I pay attention.
I see you, Steve Harrington.
plus - to be fair you’re not hard to read

Still. I don’t know what to do with this

With what?

Never had anyone see me like this

So what would you say in response then 
what song would you play to tell me 
what you’re feeling right now? 
Tell me and I’ll play it

Jack White
Love Interruption

Asking for what you want, I see
I’m into it
You got it, babe. 
I have 3 I have to play first but then I’ll play it
And then I’ll play a response for you
Stay tuned

Steve grabs a beer from his fridge and cracks it open as Eddie announces the next songs. Jumper by Third Eye Blind and Peaches by The Presidents of the United States of America play next, followed by David Bowie’s I’m Afraid of Americans. Okay, that’s three. His turn now.

‘Up next another one for someone special. May I present Love Interruption by Mr. Jack White.’

“I want love to roll me over slowly
Stick a knife inside me
And twist it all around
I want love to grab my fingers gently
Slam them in a doorway
Put my face into the ground”

Steve can’t help but burst into gleeful laughter when he hears Eddie’s rebuttal song. He feels his cheeks flush as the opening notes of Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge follow immediately after the fade out of Love Interruption.

“…I want to hold you close
Skin pressed against me tight
Lie still, close your eyes girl
So lovely, it feels so right
I want to hold you close
Soft breath, beating heart
As I whisper in your ear
“I want to fucking tear you apart” …”

Well played, Daddy

Ya like that, do ya?

Kinda want to see it in action, actually

I think that could be arranged

Yeah?

You know, I’m all alone here at the station

Hm. You don’t say

I do say

Want some company?

Steve quickly freshens up and makes his way across campus to the radio station, listening to Eddie’s show on the way over. He plays more songs seemingly tailor-made for Steve, making him smile as he makes the journey through campus. The Best of You by Foo Fighters and Inside Out by Eve 6 follow She Wants Revenge, and Steve is floored when he also plays Hidden Things by Bootblacks.

When Steve arrives, Eddie lets him in and gives him the 30-second tour as Hidden Things finishes playing, throwing him a wink as the next song begins, eliciting a laugh from Steve.

“Hangin’ round downtown by myself
And I had so much time
To sit and think about myself 
And then there she was
Like double cherry pie
Yeah, there she was
Like disco superfly”

“Sex and Candy, Eddie? Really?” Steve says, laughing as he shakes his head. He leans his weight against the counter, feet kicked out in front of himself, watching with rapt attention as Eddie cues up the next few songs on his laptop, grinning as he watches him work. 

“What? I told you I was going to tailor tonight’s show around you, didn’t I?” Eddie replies, dragging a lock of hair to his mouth and smirking. “What do you think so far, by the way?”

“I think it’s kind of scary how well you’re tapping into my brain, actually.”

“Yeah? Well wait til you see what I have in mind after this one.”

Eddie swivels his chair around and leans back as he watches Steve’s expression. He motions for Steve to come closer and pats his lap in invitation, beckoning Steve to sit facing him.

Steve blushes as he steps forward and tentatively straddles Eddie’s lap, giggling as Eddie traces his fingertips along the angle of Steve’s jaw. 

“Hi,” Eddie whispers as Steve settles in on his lap. “Go ahead and get comfortable, ‘mkay?”

“This chair can hold us both?” Steve asks, giggling as Eddie moves his hand to the back of his neck to pull him closer. 

“Mm. Guess we’re about to find out, huh?” Eddie replies as he grasps Steve’s jaw with his free hand and pulls him closer, leaning in to place a chaste kiss to his lips. “This okay, Sweetheart?”

“God yes,” Steve pants, bringing his own hands up to cup Eddie’s jaw and deepen the kiss. He parts his lips in invitation as Eddie runs his tongue along the seam of his mouth, smiling into it as he deepens the kiss. Eddie nips at his lower lip — teasing, exploring. He moans into it as Eddie grips his jaw and moves his head to allow easier access to further probe inside his mouth with his tongue.

Steve whines as Eddie kisses him more forcefully, sucking his tongue and gripping the hair at the nape of his neck to tug gently. No pain, just pressure. Steve is already hard, just from the kiss and the feeling of Eddie’s hands on him. As first kisses go, this one is definitely at the top of Steve’s list. 

And he’s about to tell Eddie exactly that when the next song begins to play, making him pull back as he busts out laughing.

“Is — is this a Prince cover?” He asks, laughing as Eddie peers up at him through lowered lashes.

“Got it in one, Sweetheart,” Eddie responds, grinning as Funker Vogt’s cover of Get Off plays. 

“So, you’ll only call me after if I say you can, hm?” Steve asks softly as he traces his fingertip along Eddie’s upper lip.

“If you want to baby, here I am,” Eddie replies, winking.

“You are too much, Munson.”

“Hm. Is that what my good boy should be calling me, baby?”

Steve blushes. “Sorry, Daddy.”

“Much better,” Eddie replies as he pulls Steve back in for another soul-melting kiss. “Need another song to play after this one, honey. Give me a song.”

Steve considers for a moment before deciding to test Eddie’s ‘I’ll play anything’ policy.  “I think,” he says as he leans back in Eddie’s lap to look him in the eye, “I think I’d like to see if you really will play anything. Play the Barney song.”

“The Barney song?”

“Yeah. You know the one. Big purple dinosaur. ‘We’re best friends like friends should be’ and all that bullshit.”

“The fucking Barney song. Really.”

“Sure, why not?” Steve says, smirking.

“Okay. Up you get. Gotta find this thing now,” Eddie grouses as he taps Steve on the hip to make him climb off his lap.

“Noooo, I don’t wanna move,” Steve whines, pouting.

“Too bad, brat. You asked for some obscure shit and now Daddy has work to do.”

Steve giggles as he climbs off the chair and takes his own seat beside him. He watches in awe as Eddie finds the song in record time and cues it up just in time, donning his headphones as the final notes of Get Off fade out. 

‘Alright geeks, nerds, freaks and dweebs … time for a very special request. This one's for you, Steve. For your listening pleasure … Barney the Dinosaur.’

“Happy now?” Eddie says, glaring playfully at Steve as the cursed theme song plays and Steve laughs uncontrollably. 

“Very. I honestly did NOT think you would play it,” Steve replies, wheezing with laughter.

“I’ll make you pay. Just wait,” Eddie teases as he works quickly to prepare the songs to follow. “You have no idea, baby.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time. Daddy, ” Steve snarks, grinning widely.

‘Holy mother of mercy, kids. I don’t know about you all but I need a palate cleanser after that monstrosity. I think we all need it, actually. Jesus. Up next - Master of Puppets by Metallica. Enjoy. That is, if anyone is left out there.’

Eddie removes his headphones and reaches over to grasp the seat of Steve’s chair and pull him forward. “We have eight minutes and 33 seconds. I think you owe me — and everyone with ears who just had to hear that monstrosity — a big fat apology, baby.”

“Oh! Whatever shall I do?” Steve says, his voice pitched higher as he feigns a swoon. “What can I do to make it up to you, Daddy?”

“Well, we don’t have enough time to do what I really want to do right now, so…”

“Yeah? And what do you really want to do right now?”

“I want to put you over my knee and spank your bratty little ass, is what I want to do. But we won’t be doing any of that tonight, baby.”

“No? Why not?” Steve asks, pouting as he climbs back into Eddie’s lap, straddling him once again and leaning in for a kiss. “But I was bad, Daddy.”

“Mm. You were. But we haven’t had the conversations we need to have before we play like that, baby. So none of that tonight.”

“Not fair.”

“See that’s where you’re wrong, Sweetheart. It’s the ONLY fair way for the two of us to play. But since you seem to have a burning desire to keep my dick hard tonight — which, well done on that front, by the way — why don’t you let me see more of you, hm? I believe you were supposed to tell me all about how you took care of your little ‘situation’ from earlier, isn’t that right? Why not show & tell, hm?”

“Really? Here?” Steve asks, nervously looking around the studio space.

“You would have been okay with me spanking your bare ass black & blue here but you’re worried about taking your cock out for me? You’re hilarious, baby. Make a decision — we have four minutes left in this song,” Eddie says with a wink as Steve climbs off his lap and settles himself back in his own chair, unbuttoning his pants and lowering his fly as he takes his position in the seat.

Eddie watches with rapt attention as Steve pulls his cock free of his boxers, stroking himself slowly as he bites his lower lip. He’s been hard pretty much since he entered the studio space, and he uses the considerable accumulation of precum to ease the glide as he moves his hand along the shaft. 

“Well,” Steve begins as he maintains eye contact and steadies his breathing, “After we hung up earlier I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“Yeah? And what were you thinking about, baby?”

“Thinking … thinking about how good it would feel to have your hands on me,” Steve says softly as he strokes himself, gasping as he twists his wrist slightly on each upstroke, squeezing gently to apply more pressure around the head of his cock.

“That’s it, baby. Show me how you make yourself feel good,” Eddie says, enraptured. “Christ, Stevie, you look incredible. Big Boy is definitely a perfect pet name for you, isn’t it? That gorgeous, long,THICK pink cock of yours. Want to get my mouth on it. Would you like that, baby?”

“Hngh … fuck. Yes,” Steve gasps as he continues to jerk himself off, his pace increasing. 

“Would you like to fuck Daddy’s mouth, baby? I bet you would, wouldn’t you? Want me to run my tongue all along the length of that glorious dick of yours? Suck your balls into my mouth as I play with you and tease your hole?”

“Oh my god Eddie,” Steve pants, already approaching his peak. 

“Don’t you dare stop, baby. Just a second,” Eddie says gently as he dons his headphones again and gets the next block of songs kicked off. 

‘That’s much better, isn’t it kids? Okay - up next we have a solid six-pack of songs coming your way. Kicking it off with a little Hot Chocolate from days gone by, and then we’ll run through some classics with Sixteen Saltines by Jack White. And be sure to stick around for What It’s Like by Everlast and a little helping of Chop Suey by System of a Down. And last but not least in this block, get ready for some Bulls on Parade by the incomparable Rage Against the Machine and another Killer by the Killers - that’s right - Somebody Told Me coming your way. See you on the other side, babies.’

He turns to look at Steve and smiles as the opening notes of the first queued song begin to play. “You have four minutes until this song is over, baby. Think you can come for me before it’s over?”

“I believe in miracles
Where’re you from?
You sexy thing, sexy thing you
I believe in miracles
Since you came along
You sexy thing
Where did you come from baby?
How did you know I needed you?”

“Oh my god…” Steve whines, his brow furrowed as he concentrates, never breaking rhythm as he slowly strokes himself. “This song? Really?”

“When it fits, it fits. What can I say?” Eddie replies, smirking as he sits back in his chair. “I think you should come exactly when the song finishes. Think you can do that for me, baby?”

“Hngh … oh god … I don’t know if I can.”

“Oh, I think you can, baby. Let’s talk about a reward for you if you do, how does that sound, hm? You want Daddy to reward you for being good? Would you like that?”

“Daddy … please…”

“Please what, sweet thing?”

“Wanna touch.”

“You are touching, baby.”

“No,” Steve pants, struggling as he continues to jerk himself off. “Y-you. Wanna touch you.”

“Mm, poor baby,” Eddie coos, settling lower in his chair. “How about this, hm? If you come for me when I told you to, Daddy’ll let you see his cock. Would you like that, honey?”

“Oh my god… please!”

“Almost there, baby. Just thirty more seconds. You can do it, I know you can. Or maybe you don’t want to see Daddy’s cock, all hard and leaking for you?”

“Oh my god — fuck fuck fuck!” Steve cries out as he comes, barely tugging his shirt out of the line of fire as thick ropes of come paint his abdomen and chest, perfectly timed with the final notes of You Sexy Thing. He pants as he struggles to catch his breath, his head thrown back with weariness from the exertion.

“Fucking astounding,” Eddie whispers, completely in awe. “You are absolutely fucking gloriously beautiful when you come, do you know that, Stevie? Fucking hell, baby. Stay right there while I run and grab something to clean you up, hm?”

When Eddie returns moments later with some paper towels dampened with warm water, he finds Steve completely blissed out and smiling softly up at him as he approaches.

“Hi,” Steve says sweetly, his eyelids heavy. 

“Hi yourself,” Eddie replies with a smile as he drops to his knees and begins to wipe Steve down gently. “I’m sorry I wasn’t better prepared. Should have had something ready to clean you up before I got that going. I apologize, baby.”

“Mm — ‘sokay, Daddy,” Steve mumbles, smiling. “That feels nice.”

“Does it? How are you feeling, baby? Feeling floaty?”

“Mm, yeah. Maybe a little? It’s strange…”

Eddie chuckles softly as he finishes wiping Steve down and tucks him back into his boxers, placing a gentle kiss on his abdomen before securing the button and fly on his jeans. He reaches out for him to take his hands and coaxes him up, guiding him over to the couch along the far wall of the studio space and helps him to settle into the plush cushions.

“Here, baby,” Eddie says softly as he sits on the couch beside Steve and  holds out a cold bottle of water for him to drink. “I need you to drink this for me, okay? I’m going to be right here with you. Just relax. You can lie down if you want to, Sweetheart.”

“Okay Daddy,” Steve says sweetly as he accepts the water gratefully and begins to drink. He rests his head on Eddie’s shoulder and looks up at him through lowered lashes. “Sleepy.”

“I’m sure you are, baby. It’s after 2am,” Eddie replies, tracing patterns on Steve’s forearm with his fingertips as he places a gentle kiss on his temple. “Would you like to lie down, Sweetheart?”

Steve nods and allows Eddie to position him on the couch, a blissed-out smile on his face. “Thank you, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome, baby. I’m not leaving, okay? I’ll be right over there at that desk. Rest now, sweet boy.”

“Yeah, ‘mkay,” Steve says through a yawn, and then he surrenders to his weariness as sleep takes him.

Steve awakens with a start as Eddie gently shakes his shoulder. “Hey, beautiful,” Eddie coos, smiling down at him. “I hate to wake you but It’s 6am. Time to go, Sweetheart.”

“What? Eddie? What’s going on? Was I asleep?” Steve asks as he sits up, wiping sleep from his eyes.

Eddie laughs softly and brushes the hair away from Steve’s forehead as he leans down to press a gentle kiss to the top of his head. “Yeah, baby, you slept. You’re fucking adorable when you sleep, by the way.”

“Psssh. I’m not.”

“Don’t talk back. Now come on — up you get. Let’s go get some breakfast.”

“Can’t believe I slept.”

They walk the short distance to Eddie’s apartment, having decided that some homemade pancakes and fresh coffee sounds much more appetizing than the McDonald’s value menu. Eddie offers Steve a shower and a spare toothbrush, and leaves some sweats and a t-shirt to change into on the bed for him since Steve had slept in his clothes the night before. While Steve is freshening up, Eddie sets to the task of making breakfast.

When Steve emerges from the bedroom, breakfast is ready and plated on the table for him, and Eddie is pouring each of them steaming cups of coffee. 

“How do you take it?”

“Any way I can get it,” Steve says, laughing as he takes a seat at the kitchen table.

“Good one,” says Eddie as he grabs the cream and sugar and brings them to the table. “But you know I meant your coffee, brat,” he says with a wink.

“Just cream for me please,” Steve says gratefully as he accepts the cup. “This all looks amazing, Eddie. Thanks for making breakfast.”

Eddie connects his phone to a Bluetooth speaker and starts a playlist, the volume low. 

“Always the DJ, huh?”

“Occupational hazard, what can I say? Do you have classes today?”

The fist notes of Orgy’s cover of Blue Monday start to play as Steve sips his coffee and moans gratefully. “Not sure. What day is it?” He asks, smirking.

“Friday. Eat before it gets cold,” Eddie says, smiling as he nudges Steve’s foot under the table.

“In that case, no. Totally free all day. You just have class on Tuesdays & Thursdays, right?”

Eddie nods as he digs into his pancakes. “Yep. Free as a bird.”

“Don’t you have to sleep at some point?”

Eddie nods, wiping his mouth. “Yeah, at some point. I usually wait until later in the day if I don’t have class though. I mean, you don’t get off work at a regular 9-5 and immediately go to sleep, right?”

“Yeah. Good point,” Steve says, nodding. “But to be fair, I very seldom sleep at ALL, so … Holy shit these are so good!”

“Thanks, baby. How would you feel about hanging out for a while? It could be a good opportunity for us to talk through last night and discuss how you were feeling if you want.”

“I would like that very much.” He pauses for a moment before continuing, “Uh — last night was kind of strange. For me.”

“Yeah? How so? Bad strange or good strange?”

“Um, neutral strange? I think?”

“Mm. Which part?” Eddie asks, eyebrows raised.  

Kitty by The Presidents of the United States of America kicks in as Steve reaches for his coffee, making him giggle. “I love this song.”

“Well, it’s apt. Because there is definitely a kitty at my foot and I want to touch it, ” Eddie says, winking.

“So I’m the kitty in this scenario?”

“Mm. Wanna make you purr, baby.”

“So cheesy,” Steve says, shaking his head.

“Please,” Eddie says, waving his hand in the air. “You were saying. Neutral strange.”

“Yeah. Just the whole spacey feeling I had after I came. That’s never happened for me before. And also … I SLEPT.”

“You did sleep. It made me so happy. That floaty feeling though. Never happened before last night?”

“No. I mean — I liked it. Felt amazing. But it was kind of strange, you know?”

Eddie nods, considering. “You know how you mentioned that you have never been able to let yourself slip into subspace during a scene?”

“Yeah …?”

“Well, Stevie … what we did last night wasn’t really a scene. But … what you experienced last night? I can’t say with certainty that you slipped fully into subspace, but if not, you seemed to be pretty damn close. Can you tell me what helped you to get to that state of mind?”

“Wow. Um, okay …” Steve pauses, considering his response carefully before answering. “I think maybe it was you talking to me? Your voice. And telling me what to do. Telling me when I could come. It was intense.”

Eddie grins as he leans forward in his chair and pushes his plate aside. “Well, Sweetheart, I think you’re more than capable of achieving subspace, based on what I saw last night. And even if that wasn’t the case, like we talked about … that would be completely normal as well. So, if you want to explore that further — with me — we can discuss our surveys and establish boundaries and safe words and everything else that goes along with that. Of course, we can do literally anything else as well if it turns out that you’d rather not travel that road with me. I just really would like to see more of you, if you want that too. In any capacity.”

“Y-yeah. Yes. Definitely. Want that. Can we talk about the surveys and boundaries and stuff today?”

Eddie laughs, shaking his head. “Fuck me but you’re adorable. Not today, baby. We need more time to have that conversation. But soon. Definitely soon. If that’s what you want.”

Steve stands and crosses the small space so he’s standing directly in front of Eddie just as the next song begins to play. 

“I’ve been really tryin’, baby
Tryin’ to hold back this feeling, for so long
And if you feel like I feel, baby
Then, c’mon, c’mon
Let’s get it on…”

“Well … first of all, I believe you owe me my reward from last night,” Steve says, his voice low. 

“Ah. Yes. I did promise you something, didn’t I?”

“Mm, you did.”

“Is there a ‘second of all’ in this scenario?”

“Second of all … I believe we should listen to Marvin, don’t you?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me
Lovin’ you, baby no no
And giving yourself to me can never be wrong
If the love is true, oh baby…”

“Marvin was pretty smart wasn’t he?”

“He was. Now take me to bed. You owe me my reward. Daddy. ”

~ Six months later ~

Steve struggles in his restraints, whining softly as Eddie circles the bed like a predator. At least Steve thinks he’s circling the bed. He can’t really be sure, with the thick leather blindfold shutting out all sources of light.

“Comfortable, baby?”

Steve whips his head to the side to follow the sound. “Daddy, please…” he whines.

“Don’t be a brat, Stevie. Answer the question.”

“Fuck. You’ve been edging me for hours now. What do you think?”

Eddie laughs, danger in the sound. “You’d be wise to watch the tone, baby boy. Remind me of your safe word, Stevie.”

“Come onnnnnn…” Steve groans.

“I can just go out to the living room and jerk off if you’d prefer,” Eddie says, chuckling as he switches on the vibration feature on the silicone plug nestled against Steve’s prostate, making him writhe and wail, his arms and legs tied down to each corner of the bed, keeping him exactly where Eddie wants him.

“I asked you a question, baby.”

“No! No no no … I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s marmalade.”

“Good boy. I’ll let that go for now, but keep up the attitude and see what happens, baby boy. Tell me you understand.”

“I understand. I’m sorry, Daddy.”

“Aw. You’re forgiven, sweetness.” Eddie turns the vibe off as he caresses Steve’s jaw with the back of his hand. “Now, I asked you once. Once more is all you get. Are you comfortable? The restraints aren’t too tight are they?”

Steve visibly relaxes, panting. “No, Daddy. I’m — I’m good.”

“Good boy. What do you want, baby?”

“Want you, Daddy. Want your cock. Please…”

“Hm. I don’t know if I’m convinced, sweet boy. I think I want to see you come first before I give you my cock. What do you think about that?”

“But you won’t let me come!”

“That’s because you haven’t earned it, baby,” Eddie growls, right at Steve’s ear. Steve whimpers as he feels the heat of Eddie’s body when Eddie climbs on top of him, bracketing Steve’s body with his own as he lays fully on top of him. He nips at Steve’s earlobe, his hands trailing patterns over the plane of Steve’s chest.

“Please, Daddy.”

Eddie kisses along the angle of Steve’s jaw, purring praise into his boy’s ear. “You’re doing so well for me, baby boy. You’re so fucking perfect for me, aren’t you? Just the sweetest little hole for Daddy to fuck, isn’t that right? You’re mine, aren’t you, baby?”

“Y-yes. Yes. Yours. Just yours. Only yours, Daddy.”

“Who does this belong to, baby?” Eddie asks as he traces his hand lower along the expanse of Steve’s abdomen and grabs his weeping cock, giving him a few forceful tugs and making him buck and writhe under the touch before releasing him to whine and beg again.

“Daddy. Be-be-belongs to y-you. Belongs to Daddy,” Steve whimpers, tears threatening to spill.

“Mm. That’s right. Good boy.”

“Wa-wanna. Wanna be g-good, Daddy.”

“You’re pretty far down already, huh baby? You still with me, Stevie?”

“Still - still with you, Daddy. All for you. Only you.”

“Good boy,” Eddie coos as he captures Steve’s lips in a searing kiss. “You still want the blindfold, sweet boy?”

Steve shakes his head, weeping openly. “Wanna see. Wanna see you when I come, Daddy. Please can I?”

“Of course you can, baby,” Eddie says as he sits up so he’s straddling Steve’s waist. “Lift your head for me, Sweetheart.”

Steve complies and sighs as Eddie removes the blindfold. “Thank you, Daddy,” he whispers, his voice already hoarse with want.

“You still doing okay, Sweetheart? Need some water?”

Steve shakes his head, smiling through his tears. “I’m good, Daddy. Can we have some music though?”

“Of course we can, honey,” Eddie says as he reaches for his phone to start his playlist, smiling as the first song starts and Steve giggles beneath him. 

“You’re a menace,” Steve says as Nine Inch Nails begins to play Closer.

“… I wanna fuck you like an animal
I wanna feel you from the inside
I wanna fuck you like an animal
My whole resistance is flawed
You get me closer to god…”

Eddie reaches over Steve to put his phone back on the bedside table and Steve screams as the plug in his ass springs to life once more. He writhes and bucks beneath Eddie, unable to escape the onslaught of stimulation as the vibration assaults his prostate.

“Ohmygodpleasepleaseplease!” Steve wails as Eddie grins down at him. 

“Whoops. Hand slipped,” Eddie says wickedly. “Who does this hole belong to, Sweetness?”

“Ohmygoddddd … Daddy! Daddy! Daddy’s hole! It’s Daddy’s hole!”

“Good boy,” Eddie whispers as he turns off the plug and licks into Steve’s mouth. “Gonna come for me, baby?”

“Please Daddy! Please — I wanna come on your cock. Please fuck me. Please let me come!”

“Okay, baby. Okay. You’re okay. Shhh,” Eddie purrs as he moves lower, kissing a trail down the length of Steve’s torso until he’s able to nestle between Steve’s legs. He grins up at him as he licks a stripe along the length of Steve’s cock, meeting Steve’s gaze when he reaches the head. 

“Well would you look at that,” Eddie says, bemused. “I almost forgot about this,” he says as he plays with the base of the plug, giving it a gentle tug as he swallows Steve’s cock, making him wail beneath him.

“Oh please! I’m gonna come, Daddy!”

Eddie pulls off with a pop and levels him with a glare. “No. You’re not. You come on my cock. When I say. Understood?”

“Y-y-yes. Oh my god please!”

Eddie smiles as he gently removes the plug and sets it off to the side. He kneels between Steve’s legs and strokes him lovingly as he grabs the lube he placed on the bed earlier, uncapping it so he can slick his own cock. 

“Shhh. Come back to me, honey. Gonna give you what you want now, baby. Shhh. You’re okay.”

Eddie grasps Steve’s hips and raises them slightly. He lines himself up at Steve’s hole and begins to sink in slowly, watching in awe as his boy’s face contorts with pleasure. “Never get tired of this, baby. You feel like coming home.”

Gwen Stefani’s voice punctuates Eddie’s movements as he bottoms out, Steve keening beneath him.

“…I still love to wash in your old bathwater
Make me feel like I couldn’t love another
I can’t help it
You're my kind of man…”

“You’re so good, Stevie. So fucking good for me,” Eddie coos as he fucks into the heat of Steve’s body, watching intently as Steve struggles to maintain his composure. “Love the way you feel around my cock, baby. So fucking perfect. You wanna come now, baby?”

“Oh god please please please,” Steve cries beneath him, his back arching as he struggles to move along with each thrust of Eddie’s cock against his prostate. “Please, Daddy! I’ve been so good. Please let me come!”

“You have been good, baby,” Eddie pants as he thrusts harder. “So fucking good. Go ahead, sweet thing. You’ve earned it. Come for Daddy now.”

Steve wails as his orgasm is ripped from him, Eddie following almost immediately after. Eddie stays buried deep inside as Steve convulses and clenches around him, the aftershocks of his orgasm leaving him panting and gasping for breath.

“Gonna pull out now, baby,” Eddie whispers as he leans down to place gentle kisses on each of Steve’s eyelids.

“Nooooo… stay. Stay, Daddy.”

Eddie chuckles, shaking his head. “I need to untie you, honey. Then I’m gonna get you cleaned up and we can cuddle while you drink some water for me. How does that sound?”

“Hm. Okay, I guess,” Steve says, pouting.

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie says, laughing as he makes quick work of releasing Steve from his restraints. “Even after coming apart completely you can’t help yourself from bratting out on me, can you, honey?”

Steve waggles his eyebrows and grins up at him as Eddie massages his wrists lovingly. “Mm. Nope. ‘Swhy you love me though.”

“You’re right. It absolutely is. Now relax for me while I get something to clean you up. I’ll be right back.”

Eddie wipes Steve down with care, taking extra time to massage oil into his wrists and ankles to help soothe any pressure from the ropes. Steve hums along with the song playing on the speaker as Eddie works. “Still don’t know how you manage to always pick the perfect song,” Steve says as Kings of Leon plays.

“… Soft lips are open
Them knuckles are pale
Feels like you’re dying
You’re dying
You
Your sex is on fire…”

“Occupational hazard,” Eddie says with a wink. “Now drink your water. And to be fair, this song would be better suited to you blowing me on the highway. But we can play it next time we take a road trip.”

“Oooh - yes! Road head. I want that.”

“Drink your water. Brat,” Eddie says as he takes the used towels to the hamper. He returns and climbs into bed and pulls Steve close against himself, singing along with Hoobastank. 

“I’ve found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you…”

“Mm. You have a nice voice, Daddy.”

“Thank you baby.”

“Should sing to me more often.”

“I’ll sing to you forever. Now kiss me.”

Steve cranes his head backward to devour Eddie’s lips in a searing kiss. “Love you, Sexy Radio Daddy.”

“Love you too, Sweet Steve.”

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4j1x6soiY9YgZxiZGi8f0J?si=cu88YfrkQcezvaTrz03qnA&pi=u-3tJ0R0wAST2I