Chapter Text
“Move!” Steve shouted at Dustin once he registered the situation.
“He's gone!” Dustin sobbed, holding Eddie's body to his chest.
“I said move!” Steve reiterated sharply, sliding his bag off as he approached. “There might still be a chance! Now move!”
Dustin’s eyes widened with disbelief and hope as he obliged by scrambling backward and out from under Eddie, allowing Steve to smoothly take his place. Steve did a quick check of his vitals, and just as he'd feared, Eddie was dead, but that didn't mean he was gone. He rested his head on Eddie's chest, listening for something fainter than a heartbeat. The shifting of the skin on his arms made him grateful for the jacket's long sleeves.
He slowed his breathing and listened to the depths of Eddie's chest. He'd almost given up hope when he heard it. An incoherent whisper, reminiscent of leaves rustling in the wind. Eddie was still in there. He just needed to bring him out and keep him there. The shifting of his skin reached his back as he focused hard on calling back that faint whisper. It'd already gotten so far away. If it'd taken him even a little longer to get there, they would have lost him.
He tried not to focus on the discoloration that crept onto the back of his hand as the whisper got louder.
Almost there.
“Anything?” Dustin whined, crawling up next to him.
“Shut it!” Steve snapped angrily.
Dustin flinched viscerally. Steve had never snapped at him like that. He sat back, watching in terror as Steve continued to rest his head on Eddie’s chest.
Shit. The interruption almost made him lose Eddie’s spirit. He managed to catch it and begin reeling it back in. As soon as it was loud enough, he quickly got to work on standard rescue procedures. With the spirit in place, he was able to get him breathing and his heart beating again. He used what he could to stop the bleeding and heaved a sigh of relief once he was certain that Eddie was stable enough.
Dustin was sobbing his thanks as they carried him through the gate that had ripped through the trailer park. Eddie was temporarily stable, but Steve needed to get him somewhere safe and fast so he could tend to him properly.
“Let's take him to Max’s,” Steve urged when his eyes landed on the trailer.
Dustin nodded and rushed to the front door, holding it open for him to carry Eddie inside. Carefully, Steve set Eddie on the couch and turned to face Dustin.
“Try to get ahold of Nance or Robin. We need to get out of here. I’ll keep an eye on Eddie and make sure we don’t lose him again.”
Dustin nodded in thought. “My backpack! It's in Eddie’s trailer!” He perked and ran off.
“Be careful!” Steve shouted after him.
There was only a limited amount of time before Dustin got back, meaning Steve had to work fast. He whipped open Eddie’s vest, mumbling to himself about how Eddie should have closed it. With a wince of his own, he pulled up the torn shirt and took off the makeshift dressings, exposing the wounds.
“Sorry about this,” Steve apologized to the unconscious man before pressing his hands firmly against the bites on his stomach.
Steve closed his eyes as his hands changed to a murky green. Slowly, the color crept higher up his arms. The wounds under his hands moved while he began building and growing back as much flesh as possible.
He winced when he felt his body try to morph, and backed his powers down. The clothes he was wearing wouldn’t accommodate him if he let out too much power.
A faint grunt came from Eddie shifting. The discoloration flooded the lower half of Steve’s face as he turned toward him, opening his mouth. A head of white valerian flowers bloomed from his tongue and spilled over his dark, moss-green lips. Steve blew in Eddie’s direction, dispersing petals and stems into the air between them. They continued to break apart until nothing but barely noticeable dust remained. Eddie unknowingly took a deep breath of it and quickly settled down.
Other than his parents, only one other person knew what he was, and he didn't want to add another.
For now, he did what he could for Eddie, mainly focusing on stopping the bleeding. He took his hands off of the wounds and turned them around, watching his palms absorb the damp blood. Now that Eddie was stable and effectively knocked out, Steve started his hunt for the Mayfield’s first aid kit.
Before he found it, Dustin got back, alerting him that Nancy was on her way with Robin and that they’d just dropped Max off at the hospital. Steve nodded and directed him to help find the kit.
He used Dustin for small things, like holding the flashlight as he properly dressed Eddie’s wounds. The girls showed up only minutes after they'd gotten Eddie bandaged.
Steve and Dustin sat in the backseat with Eddie across their laps. They all agreed that he would be safest at Steve's. Especially with his parents gone for the next couple of weeks on a long spring vacation. Using his house as a hideout for Eddie was a no-brainer. Nancy dropped off Dustin to a very concerned mother before heading to Steve’s.
Robin held the door open as he carried Eddie inside. The girls filled him in on what he missed as he grabbed a throw blanket to put over Eddie on the couch. Hearing about Max hurt, but he was glad she was at least getting proper attention.
Nancy left shortly after, worried about her family. Robin decided to stay behind to spend the night with Steve. She helped him get Eddie set up in the guest room across the hall from his bedroom.
“So, did you…?” Robin asked quietly as they walked into Steve's room.
On instinct, Steve went to shut his door, but decided to keep it open in case Eddie woke up. “Yeah,” he sighed. “What other choice did I have?”
Robin nodded and rubbed his back. “You did the right thing.”
“I know, it just felt so unnatural, but I… I just couldn’t let him die, y’know.” Steve heaved a heavy sigh and sat on the edge of his bed.
“If I was in your position, I would have done the same,” she reassured, opening his closet.
“Yeah…” Steve stared at the closed door of the guest room. “I hope he’ll be alright.”
“His breathing seemed stable, anyway.” She took an oversized t-shirt off of a hanger and picked up a little white-handled plastic basket from the bottom of the closet. “Care to join me?” She held the basket up in display.
Steve laughed. “Yeah, I could use a shower.” He heaved himself to his feet and got a pair of boxers and short swim trunks from a dresser drawer.
He joined Robin in the bathroom. They faced away from each other while they changed into minimalistic bathing suits and talked. Just having the other around, even if they weren’t talking about anything in particular, was a comfort. After the last few days they’d had, comfort was exactly what they needed.
Neither of them talked about the night’s events as they got into the shower. They helped each other bathe, as they had many times, laughing and acting as if the world hadn’t just cracked open.
Robin was the only other person that knew what Steve was, so he had no issues altering his skin and hair to absorb some of the water. The hair on his head grew longer and scragglier as they changed into fine roots.
Steve sighed pleasantly at the refreshing feeling of the water soaking in, but gagged when Robin poured shampoo on his head. “Ugh,” he exclaimed. “You know I can taste that, right?” he snapped at her, trying to rinse the soap off.
Robin laughed and poured a little more on his head.
“You bitch!” Steve laughed and returned to normal in hopes of cutting off the disgusting flavor. He lathered the soap in his hair and grabbed a handful of it, trying to smear it on Robin’s mouth. “What do you think of it, huh?”
Robin shouted and clamped her mouth shut, but her laughter ultimately allowed some suds into her mouth.
When they got out, they once again faced away from each other while they changed into their nightwear. Before going to bed himself, Steve checked on Eddie.
He was pleased to see that Eddie was still peacefully asleep. He placed his hand on Eddie’s wrist and closed his eyes. The murky green bloomed from his fingertips and crept up his arm, spreading over his pec, and reaching for his eyes.
Steve was able to feel Eddie’s body with this level of connection. He’d only ever done it on plants before, so when he was flooded by emotions that weren’t his, he almost broke the connection from shock alone. He assumed it was Eddie dreaming. By the intensity and fluxing emotions that were laced with fear and confusion, he assumed it was a nightmare.
His free hand briefly clenched into a fist and reopened to reveal an umbel of jasmine flowers. He closed it again, crushing it into fine dust before he blew it from his palm and into Eddie’s face. He’d never used his powers on a human like this, so he wasn’t sure if it would work, but when Eddie’s emotions began to calm, Steve heaved a sigh of relief.
With Eddie’s emotions under control, he was able to put more focus on his physical well-being. He could feel Eddie’s heartbeat, the rise and fall of his chest, and the state of his wounds. As he’d hoped, Eddie was about as stable as he could be at this point. He closed the connection, returned his skin to normal, and let go of Eddie’s wrist.
Steve sighed as he scanned over Eddie once more before returning to his own room with Robin. Sleeping in the same bed as her wasn’t new. In fact, they did it often. Be it the result of a bad date, or just needing some company, they were there for each other.
Before heading back upstairs, Steve prepared a tray of breakfast. The door was a hassle, and balancing the tray on one hand resulted in some milk spilling into the scrambled eggs.
Eddie was still asleep when Steve entered. Being unfamiliar with his effect on humans, he was a little worried that he'd used too much power to knock him out. He carefully set the tray on the end table and sat by Eddie’s knees.
He placed a hand on Eddie’s wrist, nudging the watch out of the way so he could get to his skin. He closed his eyes as he created a connection. The pain hit him first, and he tried not to flinch or groan too much for fear of waking Eddie up. He took a slow, deep breath as the connection spread. Overall, Eddie seemed fine, all things considered.
“Steve?”
Eddie’s voice startled him, and he instinctively flinched his hand away from the wrist. “Shit,” he cursed under his breath as he shot wide, startled eyes at Eddie. His heart leaped into his throat when he made eye contact.
“Where…?” Eddie groaned, attempting to get a look around the room.
Steve held back a wince of pain as Eddie tried to get up. “Don’t move,” he gasped, placing a hand on Eddie’s chest to guide him back to the bed. “You’re injured.”
“No shit,” Eddie grunted with a crooked grin.
“You’re at my place, by the way,” Steve added, lifting his hand from Eddie as he sat upright.
“Is that why it looks like a five-star hotel?”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Glad your humor is still intact.”
“It’s going to take a lot more than that to get rid of my shit heel.”
Steve chuckled and shook his head. He heard and... felt? Eddie take a deep inhale.
“That smells damn good,” Eddie stated, eyeing the tray. “That wouldn’t be for little 'ol me now, would it?”
“Yeah,” Steve confirmed with a smile as he stood. “Here, I'll help you sit up.”
When a clenching pain coursed through his sides as Eddie shifted, Steve realized they were still connected. But how? He’d broken it. He shook off the confusion and slid a hand under Eddie’s back. His heart raced and there was a strange longing emotion as he leaned forward, placing his face near Eddie’s. It worsened when he pulled him into something similar to a hug in order to move the pillows behind his back.
He didn’t know what to do with the urge to bury his face in Eddie's hair and hold him closer. It felt invasive and foreign, as if it wasn’t his own. He swallowed and continued to help Eddie sit up and rest against the pillows.
Steve leaned away and asked, “You doing okay…” he trailed off when he met Eddie’s large doe eyes. He was flooded with a strong urge to kiss those plush, pouting lips. Had they always looked so soft?
“I—I think so.”
Steve blinked, Eddie’s voice snapping him out of the trance his lips had him in. Why the fuck do I want to kiss him?
“I mean,” Eddie continued lightheartedly. “I feel like ground beef, but otherwise, yeah. I’m great.”
Steve chuckled off the awkwardness and picked up the tray. He didn’t meet Eddie’s eye, but still felt a tightness in his chest. When he caved and looked at Eddie’s face, his lungs collapsed and he nearly dropped the tray. He placed it on Eddie’s lap and stood up, completely confused by what he was feeling and why.
“I, uh,” Steve huffed awkwardly, backing up. “I’ll be right back,” he stated quickly and rushed out.
Eddie stared blankly at the door in confusion as he took a bite of toast.
Steve ran into his room, leaning his back against the shut door and staring at nothing. Why the hell was Eddie affecting him like that? His heart was racing like he’d run a marathon, and why the fuck did he want to kiss him? Eddie was a man. Why would he want to kiss a man?!
Was it because they'd never been alone before? Had these feelings for Eddie existed the whole time and he was just unaware? He’d never been very introspective, so it was hard to say.
He sat on the foot of his bed, staring in disbelief at the floor. He wished Robin was there. She’d know what was going on. He rubbed his face in frustration and fell back onto his bed.
He heaved a heavy sigh, thinking back to their interactions. Before the whole Vecna mess, he really only knew of Eddie. They’d barely interacted, and their first real meeting wasn’t exactly ideal. Recalling the bottle pressed to his throat broke him out in goosebumps. Outside of that though, their interactions had been pleasant.
A smirk twitched onto his face when he thought about them walking in the Upside Down together. It was rare for someone to openly praise him without expecting something in return. It was nice, but he didn’t know what to do with it.
His mind wandered onto Eddie telling him to pursue Nancy. Oddly, the only things he could really recall from that moment were watching Nancy walk away, Eddie’s large, dark eyes, and his… lips. Fuck, maybe he actually was interested in Eddie.
He groaned at a searing pain in his sides. His own wounds were fairly well healed. He’d been working on them any chance he had, but kept them covered with bandages to avoid raising suspicion. That pain could only be coming from Eddie, reminding him that he was still connected. How, he didn’t know, but if he was still connected, there was a chance that everything he’d been feeling was coming from Eddie.
That realization sent a wave of relief over him. If he could feel Eddie’s emotions while he was dreaming, then it would only make sense that he could feel them when he was awake as well.
His face twitched in confusion. But why was Eddie feeling those emotions? His eyes widened. Is Eddie into me? Wait… is Eddie gay?
Eddie settled back against the pillows, holding his stomach and groaning. He was in less pain than he'd expected, but it still sucked. He’d eaten his fill and then some, but when he tried to move the tray off his lap, he found out the hard way that twisting his core was out of the question. He perked when the door opened.
“Can you stop moving so much?” Steve griped as he walked in with a glass of water and a pill bottle in his hand.
“Sorry,” Eddie answered automatically, quirking a brow when he realized that Steve hadn’t even looked at him yet.
“Pain killers?” Steve offered, handing the bottle and glass to Eddie before he took the tray off of his lap and placed it on the end table.
“Oh, beautiful drugs. You are my friend,” he sang as he set the glass of water on the tray so he could pour a few pills into his hand. He immediately took them with a long drink of water.
“After those kick in, we’ve got to get you cleaned up.”
Eddie looked at him with wide eyes. “That means moving doesn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Steve confirmed with a chuckle. “I’ll help you though, so it shouldn’t be too bad.”
“You my private nurse, Harrington?” Eddie laughed nervously.
“Something like that.” Steve swallowed, feeling Eddie’s anxiety. He picked up the tray. “I’m going to take care of this. In the meantime, you just relax and let those pills work their magic.”
“You’re the boss, doc.”
Steve chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll be back in a few.”
As soon as the door shut, Eddie stared at the glass of water in his hands with horror in his eyes. By ‘cleaned up’ he could only assume that meant bathing. He could smell himself so he knew he needed it, but did that mean Steve was going to see him naked? Was he going to see Steve naked? His face flushed and his heart thumped at the thought.
Steve was straight, so there was a good chance that seeing him naked wouldn’t mean anything. Eddie, on the other hand, was anything but, and he was terrified of potentially popping a boner in front of him.
Steve heavily set the tray on the counter. His heart was racing... or was it Eddie’s? The line between the two was so foggy it was hard to tell. There was nothing for him to be nervous about, so it clearly had to be Eddie, but what was he freaking out about?
He slowly worked on the dishes as he dealt with Eddie’s rapidly fluxing emotions. Any time he thought he’d finally calmed down, it immediately spiked again. Steve was getting dizzy with how frantic and unpredictable the emotions were. He had to find a way to break the connection, and soon.
Eddie had long since finished his water, yet his mouth still felt dry at the thought of Steve helping him ‘clean up’. He knew in reality it wouldn’t be an issue. Steve had seen many naked men in the locker room after practice. A sight that Eddie only saw in passing once when he went to make a deal with one of the jocks. He only walked through the locker room, but he came out the other side beet red. He’d never seen so many fit bodies and cocks in one place, and he doubted he ever would again.
He nearly lost it when he got a glimpse of Steve getting out of the shower. Out of all the jocks, Steve was exactly his type, and he had to prevent himself from pausing just to stare at the sculpted man toweling off his hair. It was a visual that was locked away in his mind and one of the biggest confirmations that he did, in fact, like men.
He rapped the back of his rings on the side of the glass he was spinning in his hand. Even if he knew Steve was going to be fine during the interaction, he wasn’t sure if he would be okay himself. He just hoped that Steve stayed clothed.
The door opening made both of them flinch and almost got Eddie to drop the cup in his hand. He quickly set it on the end table and looked up at Steve as he entered.
With a deep breath, Steve attempted to quell a pulse that wasn’t even his own. “Sorry, didn’t mean to jump you.”
“It’s cool,” Eddie chuckled nervously, tapping his fingertips on the blanket.
Steve may have been able to feel Eddie’s emotions, but not the source. “You alright?” he asked sincerely.
Eddie took a deep breath and started fiddling with his rings. “Yeah. Just a lot's happened, y’know...”
Steve smirked and sat on the bed by Eddie’s legs, setting the clothes he’d grabbed beside him. He placed a hand on Eddie’s knee and tried not to react to the pain that shot through his abdomen when he tensed. Had his presence always made him nervous? He was reminded of being in the Upside Down, and sure enough, even then, Eddie was avoiding or brushing him away. He swallowed. How long had Eddie liked him?
Steve flashed him a soft smile and removed his hand. “I want to say you get used to it, but you don’t.” He pushed himself to his feet and faced Eddie. “Think you can stand on your own?”
With a tentative nod, Eddie held his waist as he tried to stand. Steve helped him to his feet, ultimately putting their faces close. He could feel Eddie’s heart race with more than pain as he guided him into the en suite bathroom. He almost felt a little bad that Eddie had a crush on him, and if his emotions were any indication, it wasn’t a small one either.
Eddie leaned against the counter Steve brought him to, trying his best to remain calm as the muscular arms carefully released him. He glanced up at the large bathroom mirror to get a look at Steve, but was distracted by his own reflection.
He looked like hell. His face and clothes were caked in dried blood, his face had multiple large, blood-soaked bandages, and his favorite leather jacket was torn beyond repair.
Steve’s heart wrenched as Eddie’s did. He placed a hand on Eddie's back, getting a startled glance at his reflection. “It won’t look as bad after a shower.”
Eddie gave him a small nod and a failed attempt at a smile.
Eddie’s eyes shot wide open. Let’s? As in, Steve was going to help him strip? That was something he should have expected, but he didn’t. He’d thought about being naked but not the undressing part. Of course Steve would have to help him. He could barely move from his injuries, but if he ended up getting hard, he’d never be able to look the man in the eye again.
Steve smiled at Eddie’s nerves, knowing they had to be rooted in his crush. He was starting to find it charming and somewhat flattering. Eddie’s anxiety was clear as he carefully removed the vest for him. He almost had the urge to tease him with an unnecessary brush of their skin or leaning in a little too close, but then he’d have to deal with Eddie’s turbulent emotions and those had to be more unstable than Robin trying to walk the edge of a curb.
The vest and leather jacket weren’t too bad. Eddie did his best not to move too much as they were removed and tossed aside. Seeing himself standing there in his torn, bloodied shirt really set things into perspective that he almost died.
“Taking this off might suck,” Steve warned, tugging at the bottom of the torn three-quarter sleeve.
“Great,” Eddie huffed with a sarcastic smile.
Steve carefully gripped the bottom of Eddie’s shirt. The flood of emotions that hit him when his fingers grazed Eddie's skin was dizzying. A smile twitched onto his face and he glanced at Eddie’s reflection. Even with all the dried blood, a faint blush was visible on his cheeks. Steve shook off the faint urge to kiss his busted chin. Eddie’s emotions were really getting to him and he needed to find a way to break the—
He saw it. As he gingerly lifted Eddie’s left arm, he saw a patch of mycelium visible from under his watch. It must have broken off when he was startled.
In his distraction, his fingers grazed Eddie’s hip, making both of them wince at the sudden pain from Eddie clenching his abs. “Sorry,” Steve stated, recovering quickly. “Did I hit your wound?”
“I—maybe,” he lied, not meeting Steve’s eyes.
Steve smiled. “I’ll be more careful.”
Attentively, he guided Eddie’s arms out of the shirt, making sure not to move them more than necessary. He tossed the shirt aside. Before he even looked over, he could feel Eddie’s despondence at seeing his body in such a state.
Eddie stared at himself in disbelief. Sure, it hurt like hell, so he was aware of all of them, but actually seeing the damage helped it sink in.
“Think you can handle your pants on your own?” If just taking his shirt off resulted in such strong emotions, he could only imagine what helping him take his pants off would do.
“Yeah,” Eddie huffed, forcing his attention away from his own fucked up body. He swallowed and unclasped his belt. His heart occupied his throat as he caught Steve’s casual gaze in the mirror.
Steve couldn’t help but smile when Eddie shifted, pointing his back squarely at him. He could feel Eddie’s heart pounding wildly. Out of everywhere on Eddie’s body, his back had to have the least damage. He found himself staring at the pale skin between the bandages. The urge to run his fingers down Eddie’s spine didn't go unnoticed. His eyes traced lower until they settled near the hem of Eddie’s black jeans. He swallowed when his attention was drawn to a pair of dimples peeking out over his shifting belt.
When the pants fell, fully revealing the dimples and his petite ass, Steve’s lungs collapsed. He swallowed hard, wanting to place his hands on Eddie's slender hips and caress his thumbs over those dimples.
By moving as little as he could, Eddie slid his pants and boxers down his thighs, letting gravity do most of the work. Luckily, his legs weren’t in too rough of a state, so he could lean on the counter and step on the cuff to pull them off. Even though he was facing away, he could swear Steve’s eyes were boring into him. That had to just be paranoia though, right? Why would Steve want to—
He froze when he looked in the mirror and saw Steve doing just that. His arms were crossed, his hip cocked, and his eyes were intently locked on his back.
A flood of anxiety hit Steve like a ton of bricks, and he realized he might as well have been drooling at Eddie’s lower back. He shot his eyes to the mirror and his own heart thumped when he briefly met Eddie’s shocked gaze.
Eddie quickly looked away, bracing himself on the counter and looking at the marbled surface with a shell-shocked expression. Why the hell was Steve staring at him like that? He tried to steady his breath as he kicked his pants and socks off to the side.
Steve blinked and tried not to stare at Eddie’s slender body. The awkwardness he felt seemed to be his own, and he didn’t know what to think of being embarrassed about looking at a naked man.
He shook it off and approached Eddie. “I think it's just the bandages now.”
“Right,” Eddie sighed, shivering off his anxiety. He tapped his hip nervously as he turned around.
Eddie wasn’t the shy type. He’d had no issues skinny dipping with Rick and his band members in Lover’s Lake, but he wasn’t exactly attracted to any of them. Steve, on the other hand, well, that was an entirely different story.
He took a deep breath to calm down as Steve approached. He braced himself with one hand on the counter, watching Steve methodically remove the bandages from his waist. Eddie couldn’t help but be enchanted by the focused expression on Steve’s face. It was beautiful.
When Steve reached around his middle to remove the gauze, Eddie got the urge to wrap his arms around his neck and hold him in a tight hug. He bet Steve’s strong, muscular arms gave great hugs. Part of him lamented that he may never find out.
The waves of affection from Eddie were overwhelming, but surprisingly pleasant. He almost didn’t want to look up and disrupt it. Being wanted so strongly and intimately by someone felt nice. There was a hint of sadness that laced them, though. It urged him to meet Eddie's gaze as he gathered the last of the bandage from his waist.
He only caught a glimpse of the surprisingly stunning gaze of adoration before it and the afflicting emotions flinched away. Eddie pursed his lips into an awkward smile.
“Almost done,” Steve stated, prying his eyes away from Eddie’s face to set the bloody gauze on the counter.
“Yeah,” Eddie sighed and took the opportunity to look at himself, truly horrified by what he saw. His sides were ripped to shreds and his left pec was missing a large chunk where his nipple should've been, along with the lower portion of his demon tattoo. “Bastards got quite the fucking meal, didn’t they?”
“Just be grateful that’s all they got.” He stared at Eddie’s reflection, scanning his blood-caked body.
“Assholes even took my goddamn nipple.” Eddie placed his fingertips gently below the gash on his chest, wincing at the tender skin.
“That’s what you get for not following the plan,” Steve softly reprimanded.
“I—” Eddie started, glancing away from Steve's reflection. “I didn't feel like I had any other choice.”
A tinge of guilt hit Steve when he felt Eddie’s insecurity.
“I felt like if I didn’t, then…” Eddie sighed and placed both hands on the cold counter, not looking in the mirror. “Then those… things would have gotten to Henderson, y’know.”
Steve pursed his lips and furrowed his brow in contemplation. “Yeah, I think I know.” He thought back to the junkyard and distracting the demodogs, and when he and Robin hung back with the Russians. He cracked a grin with a small chuckle. “I hope the little shit knows how much we do for him.” He clapped Eddie on the shoulder.
Eddie laughed weakly with a broad smile. “You know damn well he takes it for granted.”
Watching Eddie smile warmed something within Steve. He smiled back and gestured for Eddie to turn, allowing him to work on the bandages on his face. He had an unexpectedly hard time keeping his attention on the bandages and not on Eddie’s large doe eyes or plush, pouting lips.
If he was interpreting Eddie’s emotions correctly, he was dying to kiss him, making Steve want the same in turn. He had to remind himself that the emotions weren’t his own. He had to find the time to remove that mycelium, but fuck… Eddie’s lips looked so soft.
They both flinched when Steve tugged a little too hard on the last bandage.
“Sorry,” Steve winced, the pain snapping him out of his trance and allowing him to focus on removing the bandage properly. “That’s the last one.”
He froze when he met Eddie’s eyes. His heart was thumping heavily as he gazed, a deep longing building in his chest. He blinked it off when he felt a glimmer of hope bubble up in Eddie, alerting him to the fact that he was staring.
“Um,” Steve laughed awkwardly, looking away. “Go ahead and hop in the shower,” he urged.
Thanks to the bit of healing he managed, Eddie wasn’t nearly in as bad a state as he could've been, but Steve still gave him instructions on how to bathe with such wounds. There were still times that he had to help and each one had him drowning in Eddie’s tension.
As much as Steve touching his body and tenderly cleaning him made his mind race, Eddie was glad Steve decided to keep his clothes on at least.
After the shower, there was another challenge. Steve had to help dry him off and wrap him in new bandages. The proximity made both of them nervous as Steve wrapped the gauze around Eddie's waist and chest. Eddie nearly lost it when Steve knelt down in front of him to dress his thigh. His biggest mistake was looking down just when Steve looked up. The emotion Eddie felt even made Steve blush a little.