Too late. It hits him.
One second, Eddie is his usual stiff, broody self—arms crossed, jaw tight, eyes throwing daggers at Maya. The next? His entire expression slackens. His pupils dilate. His posture sags. And then—
"Oh." His voice comes out weirdly soft, like he just discovered gravity for the first time.
Zeke snorts so hard he nearly chokes on his drink. "Oh, this is gold—"
"What's wrong with him?" Maya asks, watching in fascination as Eddie tilts his head, squinting at his own hands like they hold the secrets of the universe.
Damon smirks, stretching lazily in his seat. "Let's see… lightweight nerd just chugged a cocktail in one go? Yeah, he's drunk."
Maya blinks. "Oh." Then realization slams into her. "Oh no."
She tries to reach for him, but drunk Eddie moves. His usual cautious, controlled steps? Gone. He lurches forward, hands gripping the table like it's the only thing keeping him tethered to the planet. His face is way too close to Maya's.
"You," he mumbles, poking her arm. "You're so annoying."
Maya raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." He squints, leaning even closer, his breath warm against her cheek. "You never—" He pauses dramatically, frowning. "You never shut up."
Zeke, practically on the floor laughing, wheezes. "This is the best day of my life."
Damon hums, thoroughly entertained. "Agreed."
Eddie, completely oblivious to his growing audience, points a wobbly finger at Maya's face. "Your eyes," he accuses.
Maya tilts her head. "What about them?"
"They—" Eddie frowns like he's concentrating really hard. "They look like… liquid mischief."
There's dead silence. Then Damon and Zeke lose it.
"LIQUID MISCHIEF?!" Zeke howls, wiping a tear. "Nerd, are you writing poetry now?"
Maya bites back a laugh, but Eddie is still locked in, completely serious.
"Your hair." He lifts a strand, frowning like it's personally offended him. "It's too shiny. Suspiciously shiny."
"Suspiciously?" she repeats.
"Yes." His drunken mind struggles to process. "Like… like maybe you're not even real." He gasps, stumbling back dramatically. "Wait. Are you real?"
Maya can't take it anymore—she bursts out laughing. "Oh my God, Eddie, you're so gone."
Eddie, now wobbling on his feet, suddenly glares at Damon. "And you."
Damon lifts a lazy eyebrow. "Me?"
"You're always there," Eddie says dramatically, throwing his arms up. "Lurking. Smirking. Breathing the same air as me."
Damon smirks even wider. "That's usually how existing works, genius."
"No." Eddie shakes his head violently. "You're too smooth. Too tall. Too—" He waves a hand, struggling to find the word. "You."
Maya, struggling to hold back laughter, whispers, "Did he just call you too you?"
Damon leans back, grinning. "He did."
Eddie isn't done. He narrows his eyes at Damon. "You're trying to steal Maya."
Damon blinks. "Am I?"
"Yes," Eddie slurs. Then, in a sudden, dramatic burst of confidence, he shoves his sleeves up and points. "Fight me."
Zeke actually falls off his chair laughing.
Maya claps a hand over her mouth. "Oh, this I gotta see."
Damon, looking deeply amused, nods. "Alright, sure. How do you wanna do this? Fistfight? Chess battle? A duel at dawn?"
Eddie stares at him. Then, dead serious—"Spelling bee."
That's it. Maya loses it. "I CAN'T—"
Even Damon chuckles, shaking his head. "Kid, go home. You're drunk."
Eddie opens his mouth to argue—then promptly trips over his own foot, crashing straight into Maya.
"Oh—!" Maya barely has time to react before he faceplants against her shoulder, arms loosely wrapping around her waist as he slumps.
"Ugh," he groans against her. "I hate you."
Maya raises an eyebrow, glancing down at the mess of a human clinging to her. "Sure doesn't look like it, nerd."
"You're annoying."
"You mentioned that."
"You talk too much."
"Uh-huh."
A pause. Then, muffled against her shoulder—
"But you smell nice."
Maya freezes.
Damon whistles low. "Oh, he's so gonna regret this."
Zeke, dying, nods. "And she's never letting him live it down."
Maya smirks. "Nope."
Eddie shifts slightly, pressing his face against her hair. "Why do you smell like… vanilla and chaos?"
Maya stares at Zeke. "Did he just—?"
Zeke wheezes, "Yeah. Yeah, he did."
By now, Eddie is a complete deadweight against her, mumbling nonsense under his breath. She sighs, gently pushing him off. "Alright, someone help me get this idiot home before he starts reciting love sonnets."
Damon grins. "Oh, I got him."
The next morning—
Eddie wakes up with a pounding headache and exactly zero memories of last night.
Then he checks his phone.
A video from Zeke.
He hits play—
And watches himself drunkenly challenge Damon to a spelling bee duel. Compliment Maya's scent. Call her eyes liquid mischief.
"…No," Eddie whispers in horror.
Another message pops up. This time from Maya.
Maya: Good morning, my favorite lightweight. How's your head? Also, you smell like nerd and regret.
Eddie groans, slamming his phone down.
Then Damon walks in, smug as ever.
Eddie glares. "Did I really challenge you to a duel?"
Damon smirks. "Yup."
Eddie drags a hand down his face. "Did I—" He swallows. "Did I kiss Maya?"
Damon leans against the doorframe. "Well…"
Eddie panics. "I DIDN'T—"
Damon grins. "Relax, nerd neither of us did . I had my thumb on her lips the whole time."
Eddie sags in relief. Then—
"Wait, WHAT?!"
The Next Morning…
Maya sits on her bed, staring at her phone. The screen lights up with a message from Eddie, and she feels a slight flutter in her chest before she even opens it. She had sent him a playful text earlier, but part of her doesn't know why she cares enough to check if he's really recovering from last night. Maybe it's just habit, maybe it's just… curiosity.
She finally reads his message:
"You're lucky I don't remember anything."
Maya lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, trying to mask the disappointment that creeps up. She almost texts back something snarky, but she hesitates. She's not sure if it's the hangover or just the weirdness of the night, but she feels something shift. She doesn't usually let things like this get to her, but somehow, with Eddie, it feels different.
Instead of her usual playful reply, she types:
"Good. You wouldn't want to remember anyway."
She stares at the message for a moment, then presses send, biting her lip. It's not exactly what she wants to say, but it's enough to keep things casual. After all, it's Eddie. He's always been that distant, annoying guy. No need to let last night change anything.
She lies back on her bed, eyes on the ceiling, wondering why the hell she feels like she's lying to herself.