Fic: The Scientific Method (Leave It to Beaver, Eddie/Wally, PG)
Only for justmightbe. Seriously, there is no other person in the world I'd write Leave It to Beaver slash for. There's probably no other person in the world who wants to read it, though, so that works out. But it's Jane's birthday, and I said I'd try, and this just sort of...happened. It's also a lot longer than I really planned for it to be. And dialogue-laden, which makes me nervous all on its own.
Technically this is movieslash, because a) Karen is that girl in the movie who dumped Wally for the Older Boy, and b) as hard as I tried, it was Erik von Detten's voice in my head instead of Tony Dow's. But you can picture whoever you like while you're reading. I have no idea if the voices are even close to right. I'm not even sure I want to know.
Eddie didn't bother to knock before he let himself into Wally's room - he was a good guy and all, but Wally Cleaver was the most boring person Eddie knew. There was no reason to worry about catching him doing something embarrassing, unless he was making those weird fish faces at himself in the mirror again. The one time Eddie had caught him doing that Wally swore he wasn't trying to see what he looked like when he kissed, but Eddie knew better.
It was a totally Wally thing to do - boring and predictable, but kind of cute all the same. The only people more boring than Wally were his folks, and okay, his dopey brother. And at least Beaver got in trouble once in awhile - Wally…well, he never did anything wrong.
Until Karen, that is, and as soon as Eddie let himself into the room he knew something had happened with Wally's new girl. He was lying on his back on his bed in the middle of the day, staring up at the ceiling like the mysteries of the universe were written there. Only when Eddie looked it was just a plain old ceiling, and he knew only one thing could make Wally look that miserable.
"Who'd she dump you for this time?"
As soon as he said it Wally scowled and sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and even though he'd been lying there mooning over some girl, he didn't have a single wrinkle. Eddie had half a mind to ask Mrs. Cleaver what starch she used, but part of him worried that the super-strong starch was what made Wally so uptight.
"Nobody," Wally answered, reaching up with one hand to push already perfect hair into place. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"It's Saturday," Eddie answered, shrugging and sprawling on the end of Wally's bed. "What else am I gonna do on a Saturday besides hang out with my best friend?"
Wally rolled his eyes at that and Eddie had the feeling he should be insulted, but he let it go. Wally was obviously upset about his latest relationship going belly up - again - and Eddie was big enough to forgive a little ingratitude. Besides, it meant Wally owed him one, and he carefully filed that information away for later.
"So who'd she dump you for? Was it the same guy? Or was it his creepy friend this time?"
"She didn't dump me for anybody. She said something about chemistry and that we didn't have any. What's that supposed to mean, anyway?"
"Probably means she thinks you're a lousy kisser," Eddie answered, leaning back on his elbows to watch Wally blush. He'd always gotten a kick out of watching Wally blush, but it was even better when he was the one causing it. Wally was still upset, though, so Eddie swallowed the urge to grin.
"Like you know so much about kissing," Wally shot back, but he didn't deny it, and that was as good as admitting it in Eddie's book.
"I know enough to tell a good one from a bad one."
Wally rolled his eyes again at that, but he was blushing even harder now, and he was starting to look a little nervous. Eddie's own stomach twisted a little at the sight of Wally's flushed cheeks - he wasn't sure where this conversation was headed exactly, but suddenly he wanted to find out.
"There's nothing wrong with the way I kiss."
"Oh yeah? Come on then, show me what you've got."
And now Wally's eyes were wide, round and blue and his cheeks were so red Eddie couldn't help wondering if he could actually burst into flames from blushing. "What, you mean…kiss you?"
"What's the matter, you chicken?" A crooked grin, just challenging enough to make sure Wally wouldn't back down, but not too eager, because he was only trying to prove a point. He didn't really want Wally to kiss him - he hadn't spent much time thinking about it, anyway, but they both knew there was only one way to settle this argument.
"I'm not chicken," Wally answered, scowling now and Eddie swallowed against a weird surge of…something when Wally's gaze strayed to his mouth. "It's just…you're a guy."
"Gee, thanks, Wally, I've been wondering about that." Eddie rolled his eyes, still leaning back on his elbows and he was starting to wonder if maybe he should sit up for this. "Come on, it's not like I'm gonna go around telling people. It's just…a scientific experiment."
That worked - that was a good excuse, really, because they'd just been talking about the scientific method in science class and if anything would convince Wally, it was pretending this all had something to do with school. And he had no idea how many girls Wally had actually kissed - he wasn't the kiss and tell type, of course, and Eddie had to go and pick a total square for a best friend. Still, lately he hadn't really wanted to hear all that much about Wally's girlfriends, and he had to admit there was a small part of him that was kind of glad Karen was out of the picture for good this time.
"This is crazy," Wally said, but Eddie could tell his resolve was starting to slip.
"Okay," Eddie answered, sitting up and shrugging as nonchalantly as he could manage. "I'm just trying to help you out. If you want to go through your whole life as a lousy kisser…"
"All right, all right," Wally interrupted, one hand on Eddie's shoulder to stop him before he could stand up. And Eddie was pretty sure Wally didn't even know he was touching, but he wasn't going to mention it. In fact, he was okay with keeping Wally's hand right where it was for as long as he could. "You swear you're not going to tell anybody?"
"Yeah, like I want people knowing about this," Eddie answered, rolling his eyes at what should have been obvious. Because he didn't want anybody knowing - he was pretty sure he wouldn't mind if it happened again, but that didn't mean he wanted the whole school calling him those names. Having a guy like Wally for a best friend took him pretty far, but not even Wally's reputation was enough to save them if this got out.
"Okay," Wally said, closer now and Eddie wasn't sure when that happened, but he leaned in a little anyway. His heart was beating fast, Wally's fingers still gripping his shoulder, and a second later Wally's mouth was pressed against his.
He was pretty sure one of them was supposed to move or something, but he'd never done this before with anybody so he wasn't exactly sure what happened next. Besides, Wally was supposed to be showing Eddie what he could do, so he stayed as still as possible, mouth pressed against Wally's and one hand on his waist to steady himself. Only it was kind of weird, just breathing the same air as his best friend, and he opened his mouth a little to ask if this was it.
As soon as his lips parted Wally made a weird noise in his throat, lips sliding against Eddie's and okay, that was better. That was a thousand times better, because Wally's hand left his shoulder to slide into his hair and his mouth was open a little now, lips warm and softer than Eddie expected and locked with Eddie's like they were made for each other. It was a corny thought, but he couldn't make himself care while Wally was kissing him, pushing him back against the mattress and he felt like he was falling.
His blood was crawling under his skin, itching with the need for…something, but he wasn't sure what he wanted or how to ask for it. He tightened his grip on Wally, pulling the other boy with him until they were sprawled on his bed, Wally landing sort of halfway on top of him and this was…this was way more than he'd bargained for. When Wally gasped against his mouth and scrambled backwards out of his grip Eddie knew he hadn't been expecting it either, but he stifled the urge to reach out and drag the other boy back on top of him.
"Okay," he said when he pushed himself back up onto his elbows, clearing his throat and hoping Wally wouldn't notice how turned on he was, "okay. So kissing's not your problem."
Wally was already off the bed and halfway across the room, hand pushing through his hair and his cheeks stained a brighter red than Eddie had ever seen them. It made him want to get up and walk over there, drag Wally back to the bed and pin him down until he got the hang of this whole kissing thing. He knew Wally wouldn't go for it, though - he had a feeling Wally was on the verge of kicking him out, either that or running out and leaving Eddie alone in his room.
"Forget it, man," Wally finally said, not quite meeting Eddie's gaze and it was kind of weird watching Wally physically pull himself back together. "It's not like I was so crazy about her anyway."
"Right." He didn't bother pointing out that Wally had always been a lousy liar, because he didn't really want to talk about Karen anymore. "So you wanna go get a soda or something?"
"Yeah," Wally answered, clearing his throat and glancing toward the door to make sure it was still shut before he looked back at Eddie. And he was still the same old Wally, but Eddie could see the nervousness around the edges of his expression and it made his stomach do this weird little fluttering thing. "Yeah, sure."
"Good," Eddie said, standing up and letting Wally walk ahead of him out of the room. "Only…you got any money? I'm a little short."
Wally rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, and just like that everything was normal again. "Someday I'm gonna collect on all the sodas you owe me."
Eddie grinned and clapped Wally on the shoulder as they headed downstairs. "Hey, what are friends for?"
Technically this is movieslash, because a) Karen is that girl in the movie who dumped Wally for the Older Boy, and b) as hard as I tried, it was Erik von Detten's voice in my head instead of Tony Dow's. But you can picture whoever you like while you're reading. I have no idea if the voices are even close to right. I'm not even sure I want to know.
Eddie didn't bother to knock before he let himself into Wally's room - he was a good guy and all, but Wally Cleaver was the most boring person Eddie knew. There was no reason to worry about catching him doing something embarrassing, unless he was making those weird fish faces at himself in the mirror again. The one time Eddie had caught him doing that Wally swore he wasn't trying to see what he looked like when he kissed, but Eddie knew better.
It was a totally Wally thing to do - boring and predictable, but kind of cute all the same. The only people more boring than Wally were his folks, and okay, his dopey brother. And at least Beaver got in trouble once in awhile - Wally…well, he never did anything wrong.
Until Karen, that is, and as soon as Eddie let himself into the room he knew something had happened with Wally's new girl. He was lying on his back on his bed in the middle of the day, staring up at the ceiling like the mysteries of the universe were written there. Only when Eddie looked it was just a plain old ceiling, and he knew only one thing could make Wally look that miserable.
"Who'd she dump you for this time?"
As soon as he said it Wally scowled and sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and even though he'd been lying there mooning over some girl, he didn't have a single wrinkle. Eddie had half a mind to ask Mrs. Cleaver what starch she used, but part of him worried that the super-strong starch was what made Wally so uptight.
"Nobody," Wally answered, reaching up with one hand to push already perfect hair into place. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"It's Saturday," Eddie answered, shrugging and sprawling on the end of Wally's bed. "What else am I gonna do on a Saturday besides hang out with my best friend?"
Wally rolled his eyes at that and Eddie had the feeling he should be insulted, but he let it go. Wally was obviously upset about his latest relationship going belly up - again - and Eddie was big enough to forgive a little ingratitude. Besides, it meant Wally owed him one, and he carefully filed that information away for later.
"So who'd she dump you for? Was it the same guy? Or was it his creepy friend this time?"
"She didn't dump me for anybody. She said something about chemistry and that we didn't have any. What's that supposed to mean, anyway?"
"Probably means she thinks you're a lousy kisser," Eddie answered, leaning back on his elbows to watch Wally blush. He'd always gotten a kick out of watching Wally blush, but it was even better when he was the one causing it. Wally was still upset, though, so Eddie swallowed the urge to grin.
"Like you know so much about kissing," Wally shot back, but he didn't deny it, and that was as good as admitting it in Eddie's book.
"I know enough to tell a good one from a bad one."
Wally rolled his eyes again at that, but he was blushing even harder now, and he was starting to look a little nervous. Eddie's own stomach twisted a little at the sight of Wally's flushed cheeks - he wasn't sure where this conversation was headed exactly, but suddenly he wanted to find out.
"There's nothing wrong with the way I kiss."
"Oh yeah? Come on then, show me what you've got."
And now Wally's eyes were wide, round and blue and his cheeks were so red Eddie couldn't help wondering if he could actually burst into flames from blushing. "What, you mean…kiss you?"
"What's the matter, you chicken?" A crooked grin, just challenging enough to make sure Wally wouldn't back down, but not too eager, because he was only trying to prove a point. He didn't really want Wally to kiss him - he hadn't spent much time thinking about it, anyway, but they both knew there was only one way to settle this argument.
"I'm not chicken," Wally answered, scowling now and Eddie swallowed against a weird surge of…something when Wally's gaze strayed to his mouth. "It's just…you're a guy."
"Gee, thanks, Wally, I've been wondering about that." Eddie rolled his eyes, still leaning back on his elbows and he was starting to wonder if maybe he should sit up for this. "Come on, it's not like I'm gonna go around telling people. It's just…a scientific experiment."
That worked - that was a good excuse, really, because they'd just been talking about the scientific method in science class and if anything would convince Wally, it was pretending this all had something to do with school. And he had no idea how many girls Wally had actually kissed - he wasn't the kiss and tell type, of course, and Eddie had to go and pick a total square for a best friend. Still, lately he hadn't really wanted to hear all that much about Wally's girlfriends, and he had to admit there was a small part of him that was kind of glad Karen was out of the picture for good this time.
"This is crazy," Wally said, but Eddie could tell his resolve was starting to slip.
"Okay," Eddie answered, sitting up and shrugging as nonchalantly as he could manage. "I'm just trying to help you out. If you want to go through your whole life as a lousy kisser…"
"All right, all right," Wally interrupted, one hand on Eddie's shoulder to stop him before he could stand up. And Eddie was pretty sure Wally didn't even know he was touching, but he wasn't going to mention it. In fact, he was okay with keeping Wally's hand right where it was for as long as he could. "You swear you're not going to tell anybody?"
"Yeah, like I want people knowing about this," Eddie answered, rolling his eyes at what should have been obvious. Because he didn't want anybody knowing - he was pretty sure he wouldn't mind if it happened again, but that didn't mean he wanted the whole school calling him those names. Having a guy like Wally for a best friend took him pretty far, but not even Wally's reputation was enough to save them if this got out.
"Okay," Wally said, closer now and Eddie wasn't sure when that happened, but he leaned in a little anyway. His heart was beating fast, Wally's fingers still gripping his shoulder, and a second later Wally's mouth was pressed against his.
He was pretty sure one of them was supposed to move or something, but he'd never done this before with anybody so he wasn't exactly sure what happened next. Besides, Wally was supposed to be showing Eddie what he could do, so he stayed as still as possible, mouth pressed against Wally's and one hand on his waist to steady himself. Only it was kind of weird, just breathing the same air as his best friend, and he opened his mouth a little to ask if this was it.
As soon as his lips parted Wally made a weird noise in his throat, lips sliding against Eddie's and okay, that was better. That was a thousand times better, because Wally's hand left his shoulder to slide into his hair and his mouth was open a little now, lips warm and softer than Eddie expected and locked with Eddie's like they were made for each other. It was a corny thought, but he couldn't make himself care while Wally was kissing him, pushing him back against the mattress and he felt like he was falling.
His blood was crawling under his skin, itching with the need for…something, but he wasn't sure what he wanted or how to ask for it. He tightened his grip on Wally, pulling the other boy with him until they were sprawled on his bed, Wally landing sort of halfway on top of him and this was…this was way more than he'd bargained for. When Wally gasped against his mouth and scrambled backwards out of his grip Eddie knew he hadn't been expecting it either, but he stifled the urge to reach out and drag the other boy back on top of him.
"Okay," he said when he pushed himself back up onto his elbows, clearing his throat and hoping Wally wouldn't notice how turned on he was, "okay. So kissing's not your problem."
Wally was already off the bed and halfway across the room, hand pushing through his hair and his cheeks stained a brighter red than Eddie had ever seen them. It made him want to get up and walk over there, drag Wally back to the bed and pin him down until he got the hang of this whole kissing thing. He knew Wally wouldn't go for it, though - he had a feeling Wally was on the verge of kicking him out, either that or running out and leaving Eddie alone in his room.
"Forget it, man," Wally finally said, not quite meeting Eddie's gaze and it was kind of weird watching Wally physically pull himself back together. "It's not like I was so crazy about her anyway."
"Right." He didn't bother pointing out that Wally had always been a lousy liar, because he didn't really want to talk about Karen anymore. "So you wanna go get a soda or something?"
"Yeah," Wally answered, clearing his throat and glancing toward the door to make sure it was still shut before he looked back at Eddie. And he was still the same old Wally, but Eddie could see the nervousness around the edges of his expression and it made his stomach do this weird little fluttering thing. "Yeah, sure."
"Good," Eddie said, standing up and letting Wally walk ahead of him out of the room. "Only…you got any money? I'm a little short."
Wally rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, and just like that everything was normal again. "Someday I'm gonna collect on all the sodas you owe me."
Eddie grinned and clapped Wally on the shoulder as they headed downstairs. "Hey, what are friends for?"