Chapter Text
Steve doesn’t register it at first, just assumes that the buzzing in his brain is a migraine brought on by lack of sleep and nearly being choked to death by the vines in the creepy Creel house. He doesn’t have time to focus on himself, so he pushes everything aside until he knows that everyone else is safe. Or as safe as they can be under their world-ending circumstances.
They’re all at the hospital, waiting on Eddie while he’s in surgery. Unable to explain the strange bite marks that litter their friend's body to the confused staff of Hawkins General.
“Steve got attacked too, a couple days ago now, he should get checked out and have some rabies vaccines.” Steve overhears Robin telling a nurse.
He has half a mind to protest and say he’s fine, Nancy did a good enough job stitching him up, but the wounds on his sides twinge, and the pressure in his head keeps growing. So he allows himself to be guided into an examination room.
The nurse is kind, unwrapping his dirty bandages with gentle hands. Steve tries to avoid watching her face as she stares in horror at the mess of his torso. Tsking lightly as she gently snips away the stitches holding the mangled flesh of Steve’s sides together. Little pieces of thread floating down to the floor.
After his wounds are cleaned and properly taken care of, he shuffles back to the waiting room to sit with the rest of their rag-tag group. The painkillers the nurse gave him have dulled the roaring in his head somewhat, but he still finds himself rubbing at his temples every few minutes.
“Are you okay?” Robin asks quietly, leaning into his space and putting her hand on his arm gently.
“I’m fine,” Steve whispers back, trying to reassure her.
“Sure,” Robin replies, voice full of sass. “Just peachy.”
Her tone makes him brace for an argument, but thankfully he’s saved by a doctor entering the waiting room with updates about how Eddie’s doing after surgery.
Everyone takes turns checking in on Eddie, visiting his room while he’s sleeping. Steve keeps getting glances as he lets everyone else have their turns, some sort of instinct in him demanding that he stay nearby.
One by one the rest of the group all get taken home by their parents. Dustin protests loudly that he should stay overnight and keep an eye on Eddie. Since his uncle isn’t there yet to keep him company he doesn’t want Eddie to wake up alone.
“I’ll stay, you go get some rest,” Steve assures Dustin with a squeeze of his shoulder. He uses his grip to firmly turn the kid toward his mom, who gives him a grateful smile.
Robin looks like she wants to protest, so he says, “We’ll trade-off, I’m sure Dustin will want to come back first thing in the morning, I’ll go home then.”
She nods, eyeing him curiously. And he gets it, he and Eddie weren’t close before any of this, but Steve doesn’t feel right leaving him, and he’s the only one who doesn’t have parents who want him safe and sound at home tonight.
So that’s that, everyone files out, leaving Steve alone in the hallway outside of Eddie’s room. It’s then, when he pushes the door open and walks in, that he realizes the pressure in his head has subsided. The soft hum and occasional beep from the machines surrounding Eddie are surprisingly quiet compared to the ringing that was present in Steve’s ears for who knows how long.
A couple of hours pass with Steve sitting at Eddie’s bedside, keeping him company. He finds himself dozing every so often, head lolling to the side as he sits in the uncomfortable hospital chair. The adrenaline finally leaving his body enough to make it demand some sort of rest.
Eventually, he gets up to take a piss and almost trips over his own feet when he leaves the room and the buzzing in his head comes back in full force. He looks down the hallway, as if searching for the source of the sound, but he knows he won’t find one.
Every step away from Eddie’s room makes the noise louder, until Steve’s clutching the wall wondering what the fuck is going on with him. He manages to find a bathroom and use it quickly. Logic tells him he should find a nurse and ask for more painkillers, but instinct tells him to get back to Eddie’s room. He can’t let him wake up alone.
By the time he makes his way back down the hall his temples are aching again, and the bites on his sides are burning hot beneath their new bandages. He wrenches the door open and it all stops. Eddie’s still sleeping in his quiet room and Steve is left standing in the doorway, confused and slightly worried that he imagined the whole thing.
Looking at his surroundings to ensure they’re real, Steve takes a step back and is hit with a wave of dizziness. He feels like he’s losing it, alone in the middle of the night at the hospital.
Telling himself that it’s just lack of sleep making him feel out of it, he forces himself to walk into Eddie’s room. The ache in his sides subsides once again, and he presses his fingers against them just to feel the sharp twinge of pain and ensure that it’s real.
Steve gives his head a shake and busies himself with pulling another chair over to put his feet up on. Tries to make do with what he has and get comfortable. Once he’s in position he finds himself staring at Eddie’s face, tracing his eyes over the bandage on Eddie’s chin, the mess of his hair splayed over the pillow.
He’s not sure how much time passes, with him staring blurry-eyed at Eddie, but Steve’s clearly not all there because suddenly Eddie’s awake and talking to him.
“Steve?” Eddie rasps, voice dry and awful, his eyes wet with unshed tears as he looks around confused.
“Eddie,” Steve breathes, reaching for his hand. “You’re okay, you’re safe. We’re at the hospital.”
Their skin touches and all at once the noise is back, washing over Steve like a wave on a beach. Lapping at the corners of his brain then easing. Steve’s instantly irritated at the sound, cursing himself for having some sort of problem when he should be focused on the fact that Eddie’s awake.
What the fuck? says Eddie’s voice, and even though Steve is staring at him intently he doesn’t quite register that Eddie’s mouth hasn’t moved.
“Can you hear it too?” Steve asks Eddie, eyes darting over his face. He hopes it’s not another freaky Upside Down thing that they’re going to have to deal with.
“Hear what?” Eddie asks cautiously, eyes wide.
Fuck, just great, Steve, he’s awake for less than a minute and you’re already stressing him out. Sounding like a crazy person, could you be any more self-absorbed? Steve scolds himself, while he tries to come up with a not-crazy way to explain the noises he’s hearing.
“You’re not stressing me out,” Eddie assures him, his fingers stroke Steve’s hand where they’re still clasped together.
King Steve holding hands with The Freak, wonders never cease. Eddie’s voice says quietly.
“Don’t call yourself that,” Steve says gently. Stomach clenching guiltily as he thinks about all the times he called Eddie that.
“It’s okay,” Eddie assures him. “Everyone does.” Almost doesn’t bother me anymore.
Jesus H. Christ, his hands are soft. And big. Big hands big—Stop it, Eddie.
This time Steve realizes that Eddie’s voice is coming from inside his own head and not Eddie’s mouth. All at once they both come to the same realization, eyes widening at each other as Eddie snatches his hand away from Steve looking terrified.
“Can you hear what I’m thinking?” They ask in tandem.