Recovery - Steddie ♡

Chapter Five

Eddie lay back on his bed and let out a heavy sigh. As much as he appreciated the two girls bringing his old stuff and helping him decorate his room he was glad they had finally left. After Nancy told him about his Uncle he had just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts.

Meanwhile Steve was just waving Nancy and Robin off, a fake smile plastered on his face. Once he had taken them all a coffee Robin had grabbed him a bit too enthusiastically and shoved a box into his arms indicating she wanted him to sort through it. They had sorted through the boxes and decorated Eddies room for what felt like hours but it had only been 2 hours. The girls had hinted at staying for dinner but Nancy noticed her friends looking tired and dragged a still hyper Robin away with her.

He shut the front door behind him and slowly made his way to his bedroom. Steve popped his head into Eddies room on the way and felt his heart drop a little when he saw the man lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling looking like he was about to cry. Steve didn't know if Eddie would want him to see him cry but he ignored that thought and went in anyway. He couldn't just leave his friend alone.

"Hey man, I know its probably a silly question but are you okay?" Steve asked quietly as he walked over to the bed, nudging Eddie to move over so he could sit down.

Eddie closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before replying. "This whole thing just sucks, dude. It's starting to get depressing."

"I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for you, Eddie." Steve said as he put his hand on his friends shoulder. "But you know I'm here for you, man."

Eddie opened his eyes and gave Steve a small smile before moving over more and gesturing for Steve to lie down beside him. He smirked when he saw the man hesitate for a second. "I don't bite, Harrington."

Steve felt his cheeks burn a little bit and hoped that Eddie didn't notice. He moved to lay down next to his friend and stifled a gasp when he felt their hands brush and a weird tingling sensation shoot through his hand. "I've been meaning to ask you how your injuries are. You're doing so well with the crutches!"

"Honestly? The bites on my torso are pretty much healed and not painful but my legs are a different story. They've healed nicely but because I haven't used them for about 2 months they're weak so I'm grateful you got me the crutches."

Steve turned his head to look at the long, curly haired man. "Do you want to talk about your Uncle? It's okay if not."

"I don't know, man. It hurt to hear but the more I think about it the more I can't blame him," Eddie replied, turning his head to face Steve. "I do wish things were different. I wish my name was cleared and I wish people didn't think I was dead."

"I don't know what else to say, man. I'm not even going to pretend I know what you're going through. Maybe when your legs are better we could put you in a disguise and go for a roadtrip away from here?"

The serious look on Eddies face disappeared and was quickly replaced with a grin. One that made Steves heart skip a beat but he ignored it and pushed it to the back of his mind. He wasn't ready to open that box yet.

"I'd love that! You know what I would also love?"

"What?"

"For you to go and shower. You fucking stink, Harrington!"

Steve scoffed and quickly got up, mumbling insults under his breath. He stuck his middle finger up behind him as he left the room and headed to the bathroom. "The fucking audacity!"

Eddie chuckled to himself as he watched the man leave. Steve didn't actually smell even though he hadn't showered that day. He just needed to get Steve out of his room before he did something he would regret. Being so close to the other man was stirring up feelings. Feelings he had felt a few times back when they were in the Upside down but he had ignored them since. There was no doubt he wanted to be more than friends with Steve but he couldn't act on it. The former King was undoubtably straight and Eddie didn't see that changing.

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Steve tried to scream when something wrapped around his leg but was quickly pulled under the water before anything could escape him mouth. He struggled to free himself with no luck and soon found himself being dragged through the water gate and being thrown onto a hard floor. He took in the blood red sky above and the lightening that cracked all around him. The blood drained out of his face as he spotted at least a hundred black dots in the distance, getting bigger and bigger by the second. Before Steve could even move the creatures were swooping down and going straight for him. They looked like weird, slimy bats. Suddenly one was flying straight for his head and before he knew it the bats tail had wrapped around his neck...

Steve woke up screaming. He quickly opened his eyes and sat up, taking in his surroundings and feeling relieved when he found he was in his bedroom. There were no bats there to harm him. He was safe.

His head snapped up as he heard something thump down the hallway towards his room. He wiped the sweat from his face and ran a hand through his hair not wanting Eddie to see him a hot mess.

The door swiftly opened and their eyes connected from across the room. Eddie took in the sight before him and hobbled over to the mans bed. Steve was coated in sweat and his chest was heaving.

"I heard screaming. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, man. I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Steve mumbled, trying to hide his face. "It was nothing. You should go and get some more sleep."

Eddie frowned and sat down instead of leaving. Steve was there for him earlier so he was going to be there for Steve. "I'm not leaving til you tell me what's wrong. Was it a nightmare?"

"It was about the bats." Steve said quietly, finally plucking up the courage to show his face to Eddie. The man was staring at him with a blank expression but in the moonlight Steve could see that Eddie was starting to shake slightly. Probably at the mention of the bats. They both had ptsd from the bats.

"I thought I was the only one having nightmares about those fuckers," Eddie finally said, putting his face in his hands. "You didn't scream last night so do they happen often or every now and then?"

"I have nightmares every night but not always the same one. The bats are the most traumatic ones."

Eddie could feel tears starting to form in his eyes as he remembered the night he almost died. Not only had he almost died but not long before that he had watched the bats try to rip Steve apart. After a minute or two he couldn't hold the tears back any longer.

Steve was shocked when he saw his friend start to shake and realised Eddie was crying. Without thinking he pulled Eddies hands away from his face and then pulled him down on to the bed. He lay back down and took Eddie with him, making sure he was gentle as to not cause his friend any harm. In that moment he didn't care that this wasn't normal and in that moment he didn't care that others would consider this wrong. He just wanted to hold Eddie in his arms.

Eddie froze when he felt himself being pulled down to lay on the bed. He didn't expect this kind of thing from Steve but he wasn't going to complain. He lay his head on Steves chest, closed his eyes and listen to his heart beat. It was incredibly calming.

"You must think I'm such a freak," he mumbled, wiping his eyes.

"Why would I think that?"

"Anyone else would."

"Eddie, there is nothing wrong with crying. We both went through hell." Steve tightened his hold on Eddie and rested his cheek on top of Eddies head.

After that neither of them spoke. They didn't need to. Soon enough they both drifted back to sleep, Eddie with his face snuggled into Steves chest and one arm over his stomach and Steve with his arms wrapped around Eddies shoulders. The nightmares didn't return.

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Hey guys! I just want to add that I know Eddies trailer was destroyed by the gate opening but I like to think that when they told Eddies Uncle he needed to stay somewhere else he chose to collect lots of Eddies stuff as well as his own to take with him. Except for his guitar which he couldnt carry. Anyway, hope you are enjoying this! Please let me know in the comments