To Hell and Back Again

Chapter Three

What the hell... what the hell... what the absolute fucking hell... Steve thought as he faced his wall. He was laying in bed looking towards the wall watching the white paint like it was going to go somewhere. "Eddie?" He quickly rolled over and looked at Eddie who was facing the same way as Steve but asleep. Steve put two fingers against Eddie's neck to make sure he was still breathing.
"I'm alive. What do you want?" Eddie mumbled with his eyes closed.
"Did you have to sleep in my bed with me? It's kinda weird having two straight men in the same bed..." Eddie's eyes shot open.
"I'm not straight." He said to Steve, which only freaked him out more. "But I'm not going to make a move on you. Don't worry. You're not my type." He closed his eyes and pulled Steve's blanket up to his face. Steve laid back down and stared at Eddie's face while he started to sleep. He was slightly offended that Eddie said he wasn't his type.
"Then what are you..." Steve asked while still staring at Eddie. His eyes opened a little and he smiled.
"A freak." Eddie closed his eyes. "But let's be honest... you're the one who kissed me." He opened one eye to peak at how red Steve was.
"I'm a good kisser. If I kissed you, you would know," he looked at Eddie's closed eyes then at his mouth. Steve went to stand up and Eddie grabbed his wrist.
"Where are you going?" Eddie sat up and looked at Steve desperately.
"To the bathroom?" Steve looked down at Eddie's hand wrapped around his wrist. Eddie breathed heavy and quickly. "What's going on with you?"
"Harrington, I've been alone for almost a year. Almost a year I was there stuck. I was stuck against the wall and I couldn't move and I was alone. I don't want to be alone again." Eddie's eyes welled up with tears. Steve could tell he was genuinely terrified of what he had been through. He could tell he was afraid to be alone again and the only person he had was Steve. "You don't know what it was like down there. You don't know how it was..."
Steve sat back down on the bed and put his hands on Eddie's shoulders. "I'm not going anywhere. You're not alone. You're definitely not alone... I just have to piss." Steve pulled him in to an embrace. Eddie's hands were shaking against Steve's chest. He was scared to let go of Eddie. But he really had to pee. He slowly released Eddie and stood up. "I will be right back. If I'm not back in like three minutes you can yell at me all you want." Steve put out a hand as he backed away from Eddie. He went to the bathroom attached to his room and closed the door. Eddie listened very closely to the dead silence waiting for the toilet to flush. Finally it did, followed by the sink running, and the door opening. Steve walked back over to the bed and sat next to Eddie.
"Do you have any weed?" Eddie whispered as if someone could be listening. Steve stared at Eddie with wide eyes and confusion.
"No... but I have a cigarette or two."

Steve and Eddie sat on the back porch. Steve lit a cigarette in his mouth and passed the pack to Eddie. Eddie's eyes were focused on Steve's lips. He looked at Eddie and Eddie's eyes shot up to cover the fact he was staring at Steve. Eddie reached up and took the cigarette out of Steve's mouth and hit it. He blew the smoke into Steve's face then laughed. "Why don't you ever use your pool?" Eddie said gesturing towards Steve's pool.
"My ex girlfriend is convinced her best friend died in my pool." Steve took the cigarette back and knocked the ash off of it. "Considering everything that happened, I wouldn't be surprised. But I don't want to end up like Barb so I don't go near it." He handed the cigarette to Eddie. "Barb was sweet... she didn't deserve what happened." Steve leaned over and elbowed Eddie in the shoulder. "And neither did you. You sacrificed yourself for us."
"And now I'm fucked up." Eddie took a long drag off the cigarette. He looked at Steve and admired his sincerity.
"You're not fucked up. Just scared."
"I've never been more scared." Eddie finished the cigarette then reached for another one. He put it in his mouth and Steve held up the flame to light it. "The last year of my life was hell. I could hear everything going on around me. I could hear you and Dustin mourning me. I could hear my best friend crying over and over again. I could hear you talk to Robin about how much you wish you could have gotten to know me better." Eddie returned the elbow in the shoulder. "I could hear the screams of everyone who died. I could hear Vecna taunting me. Every damn second of every damn day." Eddie took another hit off the cigarette then exhaled slowly. Steve looked at him in pure horror. He placed a hand on Eddie's leg.
"You're not alone now." Steve stood up and grabbed Eddie's hand. "Come on. The best thing to do now is sleep."

Eddie laid staring at the ceiling. Steve was already asleep. Steve snored. Not loud, but soft enough to where you can hear it but it was almost cute. Eddie rolled over so he could look at Steve. "Thank you, Harrington." He pushed Steve's hair out of his face. Then he slowly drifted off.

The next morning, Steve woke up before Eddie. He put on a jacket, a pair of sweatpants, and his shoes. He watched Eddie sleep peacefully and figured he'd stay asleep long enough for Steve to take a jog. He opened the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. "Steve?" he heard from the bedroom. He let out an exhausted sigh and peeked back in. Eddie was sitting up now. His eyes fixated on Steve. "Where are you going..." he looked Steve up and down.
"Nowhere." Steve walked back over to Eddie and sat down across from him. "I'll stay." He patted Eddie's leg gently. Eddie couldn't tell if it was how sincere Steve was or the gentle tone in his voice. It could have been the stubble on his face or his messy unkept hair but he couldn't help it anymore. Eddie leaned in and kissed Steve. It was a weird sensation. Steve started to feel tingly and bubbly. He put his hand on Eddie's jaw and kissed him back. Then he realized what he was doing. "Eddie.. I'm n-not into guys." Steve stood up and looked around the room as if someone had just caught them in the act. Eddie sat quietly on the bed while Steve walked out the door. What the fuck did I do?
Steve went for a walk to clear his mind. What the hell just happened? He looked around as he kept his head down trying to go unnoticed. He just started running. As fast as he could. He turned a corner, then ran a couple blocks. He huffed as he jogged up to Robins house. He knocked on the door repeatedly and quickly. "Come on Robin open the goddamn door!" He slammed his fist against the door until Robin opened the door.
"Steve, it's 9 am. Steve... are you okay?" She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the house. "What's going on?"
"I'm always the goddamn baby sitter, Robin." He collapsed on her couch and rubbed his hands up and down his face. She sat next to him and he proceeded to explain every single thing that happened. Eddie sleeping in his bed, the cigarettes, Eddie's rant about being alone, and the kiss. Robin's eyes were huge. She smiled ear to ear.
"WHAT?" she screamed towards Steve. He shook at the sheer velocity of her voice. "He kissed you?" She screamed in a girly manner which was extremely rare for Robin. Steve stood up and started pacing in circles around her living room. "Did you kiss him back? Did you?" She was on the edge of her seat.
"No!" He shrieked like he does when it's obvious he's lying. "I just... I can't handle being someone's only friend. It's exhausting. I know he needs me, he's been through hell. But if he's like in love with me or something."
"Okay I'll be real with you. Regardless if he is madly in love with your or not, he does need you. You waited so long to get him back. You can't ruin this now. He needs you, Steve." She fiddled with her hands trying to figure out what to say. "You saved him. You're the one who pulled him out. Of course, he doesn't want you to leave. You're his protector," Steve's heart dropped. He had just left him alone like Eddie had asked him not to do. Steve bounced up and down then sprinted towards the door. Robin sat shocked then did a fist pump because she was too proud for herself. Steve ran as fast as he could. His leg started to shake from the running but he powered through. He got to his house and slammed through the door. He looked around for Eddie then ran back up the stairs. He slammed into his room. Eddie was sitting on the bed with his knees pulled up to his chest and his head laying on his knees. Steve ran over to him and grabbed the sides of his face.
"I'm so sorry. I-I'm so sorry," he wiped Eddie's tears from under his eyes with his thumb. He kissed Eddie again. But this time it was his choice. It was his move and he was in control. And he liked it, he liked the feeling it gave him to kiss Eddie, regardless of their sexes. "I'm never going to leave again." Steve kneeled in front of Eddie on the bed. Eddie was shaking, his hands were almost jumping from how much they were shaking. Steve interlocked his fingers with Eddie's and the shaking stopped.