Beyond the Battle: Action & Consequence (Steddie, Stranger Things)

Chapter 17: From Outside

Waking up to a banging on the front door was not how Steve expected his morning to go. Sunlight was flooding through the window where the blinds and curtains were open, and Eddie was curled up beside and half over him. All in all, it made him smile. Then the banging came again and distracted him. 

"What the hell?" Eddie asked, peering at him in a barely awake manner.

He looked positively adorable with his curls in a wild mess.

"I think we slept in," Steve said, glancing at the clock on the side and seeing it read 9:53.

He was a little amazed. That he had managed to sleep again after the nightmare was not as unusual as it once had been, but that he had slept so long and so peacefully was. The banging returned.

"I better go and answer that," he said, reluctantly separating from Eddie.

Eddie whined and buried his face in the pillow Steve had just vacated, which was all kinds of cute. Shaking his head at how far gone he clearly was, Steve headed downstairs, running his fingers through his hair. He opened the door to find Robin on his doorstep.

"About time," she said, waltzing straight past him.

"You have a key," Steve pointed out, yawning, and rubbing one eye.

"Didn't want to walk in on anything," Robin replied.

"All you'd have seen was some first-rate cuddling," he said.

"Oh my," Robin said, looking at him with one of her analytical expressions that slowly broke into a smile, "you've got it bad. You should see the dopy smile on your face."

"Thank you so much for your insightful analysis, Doctor Robin," he responded in his best bitchy tone, not that he could really deny it.

His best friend snorted a laugh at him.

"Awww, Stevie is in wuv," she said.

He could feel the blush spreading up his face as he totally failed to reply to that.

"Oh my god, you are," Robin said, dropping the teasing tone.

"I... um... I don't know," he stuttered.

He'd only been in love once and he'd fallen hard and fast. It had ripped his heart out when Nancy had told him it was all bullshit, not that he really blamed her. Being older and wiser he could see it from her point of view as well. Not that it changed how he had felt, however. He'd only had Eddie back a couple of days, only really known him for a week before that. He was almost sure he was still in the falling stage, but now Robin had said it, he couldn't ignore it was happening.

"Deep breath, Dingus," Robin said, placing a hand on his arm.

"He played and sang Bridge Over Troubled Water for me last night after I had a nightmare," he confessed as the warmth of the memory curled through his chest.

"Eddie knows Bridge Over Troubled Water?" Robin asked, eyebrows raising.

"Hidden depths," he said, "but not really the point. I had a nightmare, a bad one, he played me music, we fell asleep and didn't wake up until you banged on the door."

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Robin replied, because she knew him almost as well as he knew himself. "Still happy for you, Steve," she said, giving him a big smile, "but if you need to freak out, you always know where to find me."

"Thanks," he said.

He had a lot to think about it seemed.

"So that means you haven't had breakfast yet then?" Robin asked and broke him out of his reverie.