[ STEDDIE ] can you keep me close? (can you love me most?)

Part Two

Everything fucking hurt.

Steve stirred and instantly a warm hand latched onto his.

“Hey, hey, Stevie. It’s okay.”

Steve’s eyelids fluttered. He knew that voice.

“Eddie?”

“Yeah, yeah, man, it’s me.”

Memories crashed into Steve all at once. His house. Getting attacked in his dad’s office. Waking up in an underground base. The Russians. Konstantin. The whips. The hooks. The knives. Dying.

“No, no, no, Eddie, you’re not supposed to be here,” Steve mumbled out, straining his eyes to open more. “You’re not supposed to be dead. Oh god, did they get you too? I’m so sorry. Fuck, I’m so sorry. You’re dead like me and it’s all my-”

“Hey, look at me.” Eddie’s voice was like an anchor to Steve’s ship, grounding him even in the wildest of storms. Physically shaking, he forced his eyes open to stare at Eddie.

“Oh, fuck,” Steve whispered, feeling tears begin to roll down his cheeks. Eddie was painted in a silhouette of golden light shining behind him. His curls were radiant and his beautiful features were so soft. “Oh fuck, you are an angel. You are dead. Oh no, no, no, no-”

Eddie’s free hand lifted from his side to cup the side of Steve’s face. “No, no. Sweetheart, look at me. I’m right here. I’m alive. You’re alive. We’re okay. You’re on a shit ton of painkillers right now so I know everything seems really weird, but I promise I’m alive.”

Steve leaned into the touch, sobs still wracking his broken body. His eyes darted around the room, recognizing it as a hospital before his gaze shot back up to Eddie. “They wouldn’t stop. I begged them to stop, but they wouldn’t. I told them- I told them that the gates were all closed, but they wouldn’t believe me. They wouldn’t stop hurting me. I couldn’t-” Steve’s words slurred together in a mess of incoherent babbles, Eddie’s slow caresses on his back the only thing keeping him from a full-on panic attack.

“I know, Stevie, I know. I’m so sorry, honey. I should’ve realized you were missing sooner. I am so fucking sorry,” Eddie’s voice cracked and in Steve’s blurred vision, he could see similar tears begin to fall down Eddie’s flushed cheeks.

“But… you…” Steve trailed off as he strained to recall the last things he could remember. “You saved me. How did you…?”

“I’ll explain it all later, alright? But you need to rest now. Your body needs time to heal,” Eddie murmured and stood from his chair.

“No!” Steve practically screamed, causing Eddie to jump. Panicking, Steve grabbed tightly onto Eddie’s hand, pulling him back. “Please don’t go. I don’t want to be alone.” 

Eddie’s pretty eyes softened and he sat back down only for Steve to tug on him again. “Can you come up here?” Steve asked, gesturing with his chin to the hospital bed. The tiny rational part of his brain that remained begged him to shut up. It was certainly not the time for his stupid boy crush to appear.

Steve shoved the rational part of his brain away.

“You sure? It’s gonna be a tight squeeze and Wayne says I snore like a mammoth,” Eddie said, tone teasing at the end though it was evident he was genuinely concerned.

“‘s okay,” Steve mumbled, forcing himself to scoot over even as his body roared in pain. It was worth it, though, when Eddie got into bed beside him. The warmth radiating off him was more comforting to Steve than any painkiller a doctor could offer him.