When they got home, Steve called Nancy to tell her about the cabin that Eddie wanted to move into. She wasn't familiar with the location when Eddie tried to explain it to her, so he drew a map, like the one he'd given Wayne, and she promised to stop by and pick it up the next day. She and Robin would go check it out, make sure it was stable, then get Dustin, Mike, and Lucas to help them get it cleaned up and ready to be lived in.
After dinner, as Steve was washing the dishes, Eddie went upstairs to take a shower. When he was done and on his way back down the stairs, he suddenly got dizzy, like he had at Wayne's apartment. He stopped halfway down the stairs and sat down heavily. He rested an elbow on his knee and held his forehead in his hand. His head was hurting, and his heart was racing, he felt weak, and his legs were tingling in a most unpleasant way. He'd felt the same thing earlier in the car, but he'd just laid his head back and pretended to sleep for a few minutes so Steve wouldn't notice that something was wrong.
He sat there for a few minutes, breathing slowly and deeply, rubbing his legs. Steve came around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Eddie sitting there. He climbed the first few steps then sat down next to Eddie's feet and dropped a small kiss on his knee. Eddie put his free hand on Steve's neck and squeezed.
"Is something wrong?" Eddie shook his head. "Eddie?"
"I'm just tired, babe."
"So, you're taking a rest break on the stairs?"
"I got dizzy, so I sat down."
"Again?" Steve moved up to sit on the same step as Eddie. He cupped his chin, turned and lifted his head, then brushed his damp hair back off his face. "You look pale, sweetheart."
"I don't feel very good." Eddie laid his head on Steve's shoulder. "Do you mind if I go to bed?"
"Yeah, that's fine, Eddie." Steve stood up and pulled Eddie up with him. "I'll come with you." Eddie put an arm around Steve's waist and Steve draped his arm across his shoulders. He led him up the stairs and to the bedroom then laid him on the bed before pulling the blankets up over him. "Can I get you anything?"
"Aspirin," Eddie answered. "My head is killing me."
"Of course." Steve kissed him softly then left the room, coming back a minute later with a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water. He helped Eddie sit up then put the aspirin on his tongue and held the glass to his lips. Eddie swallowed the pills and Steve lowered him back into the bed. "Anything else?"
"I know it's early," Eddie said quietly. "But would you stay with me?"
"Yeah." He kissed Eddie's forehead and frowned at how cold he was. "I'm going to run downstairs and grab a book, then I'll be right back." Eddie nodded.
Steve went downstairs, made sure everything was locked up, all the lights were off, then grabbed his book off the table in the living room and went back upstairs. Eddie appeared to be asleep, so Steve quietly undressed then got into bed beside him. He propped himself against the headboard and opened his book. Eddie reached up and took the book, closed it and looked at the cover, letting out a quiet laugh before handing the book back to him.
"The Bourne Supremacy," Eddie said. "Fucking nerd."
"Really?" Eddie nodded and smiled as he snuggled against Steve. "What should I be reading?"
"I was reading The Vampire Lestat when I...when I died." He looked up at Steve. "Could you find me a copy of that? So I can finish it?"
"Yeah, babe, of course," he answered. "I'll check with the bookstore tomorrow and see if they have it."
"Thank you, Steve."
"So, tell me why a spy novel makes me a nerd, but a vampire novel doesn't make you one."
"Because vampires are cool. And I'm cool," Eddie said. "I love you, babe, but you are not cool."
"I'm cool," he retorted. "Dustin thinks I'm cool." Eddie laughed through a yawn and Steve kissed him softly. "Go to sleep, baby." Eddie laid his head on Steve's chest. "Sleep well, sweetheart."
Steve watched Eddie for a long time, until his breathing evened out and slowed and he fell into a deep sleep. He found himself unable to concentrate on his book and he couldn't take his eyes off Eddie. He ran his fingers through his hair, brushing it back off his face. The cuts and scratches on his face had mostly healed. And his bruises were fading, leaving only a few shadowed areas around his eyes. They only made his paleness that much more obvious. He frowned again as he stroked Eddie's face. Finally, he placed a loving kiss on Eddie's forehead and opened his book, laughing softly to himself, knowing Eddie was right. He wasn't cool. He was a nerd.
**********
When Nancy showed up the next afternoon to pick up the map, Steve was washing dishes while Eddie was taking a nap on the couch. He had been tired after eating lunch and his head was hurting again, so Steve told him to rest while he cleaned up. Nancy at once started helping Steve with drying them as he told her about the trip to Indianapolis to see Wayne and how Eddie had been feeling.
As they were putting away the last dish, Eddie wandered into the kitchen, looking worn and tired. He went to Steve and slipped an arm around his waist. Nancy smiled and dropped her eyes but peeked at them through lowered lashes as Steve kissed him gently.
"Feeling better, baby? How's your headache?"
"Yeah, it's better," he answered then looked over at Nancy. "Hi."
She smiled sweetly at them. "Hi, Eddie."
"I'll be back," Eddie said as he pointed towards the stairs. "Just woke up. I need to..." He didn't finish but he didn't have to, they both knew what he meant.
Steve watched him disappear around the corner and when he turned back to Nancy, she was grinning at him. "What?"
"How long has that been going on," she asked in a teasing manner and Steve just shrugged. "It's about time. The way he was flirting with you before he ... left. I had hoped you two would end up together when it was all over." She dropped her eyes again. "Have you, you know..." She raised her eyes. "Slept together?"
Steve threw the dish towel he was holding across the counter at her. "What kind of question is that," he laughed. "I don't ask you about your sex life with Jonathan."
"You could," Nancy told him. "And I'd tell you."
"I don't want to know," he answered, cringing. "But yeah, if you must know, we have."
"Is he what you meant when you told me you'd moved on?" Steve nodded. "I thought maybe that was it," she said. "I hoped it was. Steve, I'm sorry about kissing you..."
"You don't have to apologize," Steve told her. "It happened. It's done."
"Did you tell Eddie?"
"I didn't have to. He saw us. But we talked about it. He's okay."
"Who's okay," Eddie asked as he came back into the room.
"You are, babe," Steve answered. "You need anything?"
Eddie sat down at the kitchen table and wrapped his arms around himself. "Would you get me some water," he asked Steve. "With ice?" Steve filled a glass with ice and water and sat it in front of Eddie. "Thanks, babe."
Nancy sat across from him. "Show me your map, Eddie," she said. "Robin and I are going to do some checking on property and safety records for you." Steve handed her the map and she unfolded it on the table, examining it closely. "How far from Hawkins is this?"
"About four hours on foot," Eddie answered. "North, through the woods."
Steve unfolded a road map on the table between them. "We're here," he said, tapping the map where his house was. Nancy laid Eddie's map next to Steve's. "Four hours, you could have gone, what, ten to fifteen miles?"
"That sounds about right," Nancy said. "So where would that put him?"
"Did you walk in a straight line?" Eddie nodded and Steve traced his finger along the map, due north. "Here, approximately. And the nearest road is here." He traced a line west. "About a mile. It's a dirt road, no name."
"There's a trail from the dirt road to the cabin," Eddie told them as he pointed to a line that he'd drawn on his map.
"The dirt road looks like it meets Morgan Road," Nancy said. "How far off Morgan Road is the trail to the cabin?"
"Looks like it's about five miles," Steve answered. Nancy dug into her purse for a pen and wrote down what they'd just discussed on the back of Eddie's hand drawn map.
Eddie closed his eyes as a wave of dizziness washed over him, causing him to sway in his chair. He put his hands flat on the table to steady himself. When it passed, he picked up his glass of water and drank it quickly, then started chewing on the ice Steve had put in the glass.
"From what I can tell," Steve began, "this would only be about an hour drive. Maybe an hour and a half." He traced the main highway out to Morgan Road, then over to the cabin, with his finger.
"I'll let you know," Nancy replied. "Robin and I will go check it out tomorrow." She stood up as she refolded Eddie's map and put it into her purse. "Can I take this one, too?" She tapped the map on the table.
"Yeah, go ahead." Steve folded the map and handed it to her then leaned down and planted a kiss on top of Eddie's head. "I'm going to walk Nancy to her car." Eddie just nodded then popped another ice cube into his mouth.
Outside, Nancy looked up at Steve curiously. "What's up?"
"I need a favor."
"Sure, Steve," she said. "What can I do for you?"
"Can you go to the bookstore and find a book for me?" He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and handed her some money. "The Vampire Lestat. I don't know the author's name."
"Anne Rice," Nancy told him, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "I've seen it laying around. Mike has it."
"Eddie was in the middle of reading it, you know, before." She nodded; she understood. "He asked me to find a copy so he could finish it."
"Yeah, I'll stop by on the way home and see if they have it." She opened her car door. "I'll call you when we know something about the cabin."
Back inside, Steve stopped just inside the kitchen. Eddie was still sitting at the table, his back to where Steve was standing. He just watched him for a minute. He was really going to miss Eddie when his parents got back, and Eddie had to leave. He had gotten used to Eddie being there, gotten used to falling asleep with him and waking up with him. He didn't want to let him go.
He smiled when Eddie reached up and started running his fingers through his hair, pulling it back and twisting it into a ponytail behind his head, then letting it fall loose again since he had nothing to hold it with. Steve went up to him and twisted his hair around his hand, enjoying how soft it was in his fingers. Eddie tilted his head back and looked up at Steve.
"Tell me something, babe." Eddie made a soft sound in the back of his throat. "That day, when I left you and Dustin, what part of 'don't try to be heroes' did you not understand?"
"I wasn't trying to be a hero," Eddie answered. Steve leaned down with his arms draped over Eddie's shoulders and rested his chin on top of his head. Eddie reached up with both arms and hooked them behind Steve's neck. "I was just trying to do the right thing for once in my life and not run away."
"Next time, just fucking run, okay?"
"Believe me, if there is a next time," Eddie chuckled quietly. "I'm going to run as far and as fast as I can, dragging you right along behind me."
"Promise?"
"I guarantee it."