Re: eddie/steph log: waffles
"Oh, I was always your best damsel in distress. There's no way I could trust you to let me get hit by a train! Your natural impulse would be to save me at the last moment." Eddie said and let his mind wander off to all those wonderful times he was strung up, tied up or simply locked up. Stephanie always came to save the day with that look on her face like she couldn't believe he got into trouble again. As soon as the tables flipped and he had to do a lot of the organizing, the saving the heroics, that's when things started going badly for everyone. Bruce was already fading out of the New Jersey scene before he "died" and Eddie had way too much on his plate for one man. Especially a man who liked to change at the drop of his bowler hat.
But, then Stephanie was asking about Muerte and Eddie choked on his coffee, coughing as she apologized. "Stop it, it's fine." Eddie strained as his eyes watered and face turned a little white from a lack of oxygen. He coughed again, took a smaller sip of coffee and then managed a deep inhale/exhale. "Do you actually want to know? If you want to know, I'll tell you. The only person who asks me about Muerte is Cat and she's convinced that everything will end up perfectly between us." Eddie rolled his eyes and then rubbed the side of his face in thought.
"Remember how you said being Eddie is enough? Well, that's true. But, there's only one kind of Eddie that Muerte likes. That, to be fair, most people like." Eddie's dark eyes turned artificially bright like a Disneyland ride whirring to life and he gave one of his carnie smiles. "You know this Eddie. Wheelin', dealin', rapscallion Eddie who dresses well and has every aspect of his life together." His posture changed to Manners School perfection and it was almost like he turned 10 years younger. Everything about him was Eddie Nelson the guy people read about in the papers or saw at the carnival or met at a business meeting. "She likes him because my god how could you not love this handsome mug?" An eyebrow waggle for good measure before he powered back down again.
His shoulders went slack, his eyes back to that dull softness like a fireplace at the end of the night. Eddie gave her a sad smile. "No one can love the real Eddie, not anymore I don't think. Which, I suppose is freeing. I get to be the strange old man who enjoys tinkering with toys, getting into trouble and complaining all he wants." He took a bite of waffle and shook his head. "I didn't even think you'd want to see me, much less have a meal with me. I can't be that Eddie around you all the time. I don't even want to...even if he's much more charming. So, thank you for coming over here, if I haven't said it already."
Sobered, Eddie still laughed at Steph's reaction to Sasha. He missed telling her surprising stories. No one blew their top like Steph did and Eddie always loved it. "Her god hubby is still around and actually seems happy to let Sasha do what she wants. I talked to him a few times. A real dudebro, you'd hate him." Eddie smiled slyly. "Sasha died in the tropics and woke up with the god's amulet around her neck. She unwittingly carried the damned thing all the way here. And, the best part? If I were to destroy her god hubby? She'd die, too."