Ok but being close with Eddie but never admitting how you feel about him in fear of losing his friendship. After the close call with the demobats you start to pull away and once he's healed enough he confronts you wanting to know why
warnings under the cut for mentions of blood and injuries
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
You couldn't even bare to glance at him without the memories returning, the rushing of blood in your ears as Eddie laid on the floor choking and dying, the cold in your heart when you thought he had died. He was asleep in the spare bed at Dustin's house, his trailer not having survived the earthquake, and you were the one tasked with watching him for the night. Typically, it was Dustin- to the outsiders who peeked in, it made more sense if there wasn't a revolving door of the wanted murderer's friends cycling in and out of the house- but you had begged him to even let you see Eddie. But now that you were next to him, you understood why Dustin had said no.
Eddie looked awful. Like, awful awful. "Microwaved shit," Eddie would say, if he were awake. His eyes were rimmed with purple and blue, his mouth dry, puffy, and still blood-stained. His hair hadn't been kept, and you absently pushed it back and combed through it as you watched him breath. His breathing was wheezy on every tired inhale, and he exhaled through his mouth. You couldn't take the sight of him, all bruised and battered in the small bed, and you bit your lip as you got up to leave. A glass of water would help your heavy heart, or maybe you could pretend it would and the placebo would help.
"Hey," came a gargled, raspy voice, and you turned quickly. Eddie was awake. He blinked blearily, probably overridden with pain, and he smacked his dry lips together a few times. "Where're you goin'?"
"Just getting some water," you said hastily. "I'll bring you back something. A-And some pain meds."
"Wait," Eddie told you, and he shifted in bed to face you. He didn't have a shirt, letting the wounds on his side and the scratches on his arms breath, and you looked away as the blankets fell to expose a smooth hip. "Oh, what? Never seen a hip?"
"Eddie," you sighed. While you were glad that his humor had remained, even in pain, you weren't in the mood for games. Every time those big, brown eyes landed on you, you felt sick, and you could only remember the screech of the tailed demobats as they nearly ripped Eddie limb from limb. But they hadn't, you reminded yourself. Eddie was alive. He was here and alive, even if he was in bad shape.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "Where are you going?"
"I told you, I'm getting some water," you told him, and he shook his head slowly, carefully; his neck wound was still looking bad.
"No, not that," Eddie said. "What's going on?"
"Nothing's going on, Ed," you sighed. "Why would you think that?"
Eddie sighed and touched his side gently, seeming like he was ready to drop the subject. "I'm sorry," Eddie said gently. "But thank you, for taking care of me and all."
"Of course," you told him. "You're my best friend."
"You're treating me like I'm not, though," Eddie said, and anger brewed in your stomach. Why won't he just leave it alone? "What happened? Why did that fuck you up so bad? If this were Dustin, you wouldn't be so torn up about it."
"I told you," you sighed. "You're my best friend, I can't just... I was covered in your blood, Eddie. I thought you were going to die in my arms, and I made my peace with it in seconds, and now..." Your voice broke, and tears dotted at your eyes. "And now you won't leave me alone!"
"What do you mean-"
"Every second of every day, you're there," you sniffled. "You're in my head and you won't get out! How am I supposed to function knowing that you're here and I can't help you?"
"Why are you pushing me away?" Eddie asked. "Why won't you even won't look at me anymore?"
"Because I love you!" you told him. "I love you and it fucking sucks to see you hurting so badly, so I... I just don't see it. I choose not to see you fighting for your life, and it hurts to pretend that you're not hurting, but it's easier for me to pretend because... Because I love you."
Eddie didn't seem taken aback by the confession, like you thought he would be, and he slowly reached out for you. You hated the way his hand and arm shook, and you quickly tangled your fingers with his. "I-I'm sorry," you mumbled. "I didn't mean to... Just dump that on you, I..." Eddie carefully tugged you back closer to his bed, and you sat back down in the chair and leaned forward, pressing your forehead into Eddie's chest. "I'm sorry."
Eddie's hands clumsily touched your cheeks, and he lifted your head up to look at him. His big eyes were full of tears, and he held your face in his weak hands. His thumbs smoothed over your cheeks, drying up your tears, and he whispered, "I love you too."
"Eddie-" you started. but he tugged you close to him before you could say more, and he kissed you. His lips molded to yours, like he was made to fit with you, and you kissed him back quickly, wishing and hoping that the moment was real. You needed Eddie to be kissing you, because then it was all real. You wanted everything to be real, even the bad parts, because the bad parts led you to him, to this moment.
"I really mean it," Eddie whispered, a shaky breath hitting your lips. Your arms went around him, and you guided him to lay back down. Obviously, sitting up and talking and doing so much was too much for him, and he winced as his wounds throbbed with pain. "I love you. I've loved you for years."
"Shut up," you laughed gently, and Eddie's hand took your tightly, tighter than you thought he would be able to.
"No," Eddie said. "You've opened this can of worms. Now you're gonna hear all about how much I love you."
You sniffled. "When did you realize?" you asked.
"Same moment as you," Eddie said. "When I was making my peace. I realized how much I would miss you, and it didn't make sense to me until you got to me. Watching you kneel down and feeling your warmth around me, I knew why I would miss you. Because I love you."
"You're so cheesy," you laughed lightly.
"Swiss cheese, maybe," Eddie said. "The amount of holes I've got..."
You sighed, and Eddie chuckled before a cough wracked through his body. "You know," you started as his coughing trailed off. "Getting attacked by wicked devil bats and living to tell the tale is pretty metal."
"I'm the most metal motherfucker ever," Eddie said, and you pushed back his hair to kiss his forehead. "Take that, Ozzy."
