Work Text:
When Eddie woke up that morning, the first thing his groggy eyes had focused upon Steve’s sleeping form beside him. His face half buried into the pillow, squishing his features up. His brunette hair falling messily over his tan skin. The man’s bare shoulder brought up from the blanket, letting his limp wrist and arm rest on the pillow.
Eddie smiled a little when he saw his boyfriend, the corners of his lip twitching up into a grin. His hand- frail from a few too many years of drug abuse- reached out to caress the side of his head. Fingers tangling through steves hair as his smile grew. He thought it was a damn good way to wake up.
The touch had made Steve stir, his breath hitching its pace a little as he tilted his head to greedily bask in the warmth that radiated from Eddie’s calloused palm. He eventually blinked awake and rubbed the tiredness from his eyes with the knuckles of his index fingers.
“Morning, Prettyboy.” Eddie said with a chuckle hidden within his morning voice.
Steve grunted a little and mumbled out “it’s Steve.” He corrected , nose scrunched as he said it. Eddie laughed a little from where he lay besides Steve. He had always denied the pet names.
“Whatever you say, princess.”
He retorted lightheartedly as he watched Steve sit up, his bare- freckle covered back exposed to Eddie as the blankets pooled around his lap. He smiled and took the opportunity, quickly, to kiss between his shoulder blades. A touch he knew Steve appreciated.
Steve was just about to roll his eyes when his boyfriends lips met his warm skin.
He looked back at him with a small chuckle- his glossy lips curling up to expose his straight teeth and the fleshy tips of his gums. The smile made Eddie’s heart feel light. Like a balloon being filled with helium, threatening to escape the reach of whoever was holding it. And it was Steve holding his heart, of course.
Eddie was simply admiring Steve’s expression- which is why he noticed as his bright smile contorted and shifted into a concerned frown. He pursed his lips and his brows pinched together, creating a little line between them.
“What?” Eddie asked before he could process exactly why Steve would’ve looked at him that way.
Steve twisted his torso around to fully face him in the bed, his hand moving to his shoulder.
“You slept in the binder.” He murmured worriedly. Eddie really hadn’t even noticed it that morning, not until Steve had mentioned it. He had grown so accustomed to the perpetual tightness around his chest. So adjusted to the flatness of it.
But the tone in which Steve had said it is what make Eddie sink a little where he laid. In dread and embarrassment. Shame.
Shame that he had worried the only person he could ever manage to worry about.
“It’s not a big deal, Stevie .” He huffed nonchalantly as he threw his legs over the edge of the bed and stood once his feet planted on the carpet- pulling up the elastic of his boxers in the same movement and watched as Steve mirrored the motion.
Steve grabbed Eddie’s forearm before he spoke, his fingers clasping over the bats inked into his skin. “It isn’t okay, Eddie .” He said tenderly , the line between his eyebrows growing.
“You know it isn’t good for your ribs and your lungs. It isn’t safe. You’re only supposed to wear it-“
“8 hours per day, 5 days a week.” He recited as he walked to his dresser and pulled out a shirt. “I know it’s not safe but I just wanted to wear it. It’s okay.” He hummed a little as he spoke, praying to himself that Steve would drop it.
But of course, he didn’t, and gently pulled the shirt away and sat it down.
“Listen to me Ed. Eddie.” His hand clasped on Eddie’s, the touch practically forcing Eddie to follow the request and listen. Reluctantly so, but it was all the same.
“Look, man, I know it’s awful to be without it. I know you hate-“
“You don’t know anything about it!” Eddie hissed, with more venom in his voice than he had intended. He quickly regretted it and looked down. Gnawing on his bottom lip.
Steve responded with a kiss to the top of Eddie’s hung-low head, though he had to lift himself via tippy-toeing to do so. He held the kiss a moment, his hand gently going to the back of his partners neck.
“You’re right. I don’t know what it’s like. Not at all, and I never will. But what I do understand I need you safe and I need you healthy.” He whispered heartily between them, just loud enough Eddie could hear him.
Eddie melted inside at the softness of Steve’s response. How genuine he was, how caring.
Tears threatened to pour over his waterlines. He fought against them, as he couldn’t even find a good reason to excuse the crying.
Steve gently pulled Eddie closer, kissing his head again before awkwardly shimmying Eddie to the bed without breaking his loving hold on him. Eddie looked up then quickly away.
Steve could’ve sobbed seeing his pained expression. He kneeled down in front of his boyfriend, a hand going to his bare knee.
“You need help getting it off?” Steve whispered with a polite smile. Rubbing his thumb in circles on his knee as he spoke and then as he waited for an answer. It wasn’t an accusing or patronizing question. It was gentle, and genuine- something spoken with such care that Eddie knew it was meant just for him.
His ears only.
In response he nodded a little. Doing it twice thinking that Steve had missed the first time, just because of how timid the movement had been. not trusting his voice as he knew it would fail him.
Steve smiled and gently kissed his jaw before he stood up and carefully got his fingers under the bottom of the binder. Frowning a little as he did.
“This is gonna be a bitch to get off.” He mumbled
Eddie nodded again “always is.” His voice barely was loud enough to escape his throat.
After a few minutes Steve finally slid it over Eddie’s head and off his arms. Tossing it aside his attention quickly returned to Eddie- because he had let out a weak, hardly audible whimper.
When Steve looked back Eddie had his folded arms tightly around his chest, his knees brought up to hide it more.
“Eddie?” He had seen Eddie take it off, but never really like this. Just glances off his back and such. He respected and understood why Eddie didn’t want him to see. So his eyes quickly moved to the floor instead of his boyfriend.
“Shirt.” He choked out, the desperation clear from the single word. His face was red.
Embarrassed couldn’t even encapsulate how he felt. Eddie wanted to crawl out of his skin. To escape the pitiful look he was sure Steve was giving.
But no pitiful look came from Steve. Instead he quickly scanned the floor for his yellow sweater. It stuck out against Eddie’s mostly black clothes and his trailers tan carpet. He reached down and dusted it off before handing it to Eddie.
Eddie put it on quickly, sighing a little and drying his few remaining tears onto the palm of his hand. A little shocked when steve kissed his forehead softly, pushing his hair back.
“So handsome.. y’know that?” He whispered. Catching Eddie off guard even more than he already had. Steve was never one for complementing nonchalantly.
“I’m sorry I don’t say it more.”
He leaned into the kiss greedily, holding Steve’s wrists as his hands cupped his face.
Steve let Eddie sit there and calm down, leaning against him as Steve continued to plant kissed on his head and leading down to his boyfriends lips. Once Eddie seemed okay- or okay enough- he gently lifted him up.
“I can stand.” Eddie assured “Its not my legs that hurt.”
“I know you can.” Was Steve’s response as he put one arm under Eddie’s knees and one on his back. When he lifted him up Eddie slumped into the gap between- being held bridal style by Steve, who smiled proudly before carrying him to the couch- where he sat him down.
Eddie immediately curled up a little, keeping his arms in front of himself. The sweater, although oversized and thick- didn’t do enough to fully hide his chest. He looked down at the floor in embarrassment. Steve had seen him, and surely he’d see Eddie differently. Now it would really hit him Eddie wasn’t born a man. That he was, somehow, a fraud.
But the look in Steve’s eyes, the aspiration and appreciation was no different than when he wore the binder.
Because of course; steve didn’t think this. Not in the slightest. He gently lifted Eddie up, sat down, then let his boyfriends head fall back down into his lap.
Eddie looked away once again.
Steve leaned down and lovingly kissed Eddie’s temple.
“Jesus Christ, dude.” The words got Eddie to look up without moving his head “you’re *so* damn handsome. Seriously.” He shook his head and smiled in complete awe.
Eddie shook his head a little, in disbelief that Steve could really mean it “no. No your just-“
“I’m not just saying it.” He interrupted “I mean it. I really do. Such a gorgeous man. And kind. And funny, god, so funny.”
Eddie couldn’t help but to let himself smile at it. Melting into the words. “go on, go on.” He managed to tease.
In response Steve turned Eddie’s head to kiss him. Holding it longer than eddie expected. Not that he would complain
When he finally pulled back- and he only did enough to talk- he smiled. “Eddie. My boyfriend.”
The way Steve breathed his name send Eddie swooning, clasping his hand over his mouth to hide his laugh . It had been the same tone from before- spoken in that way. The way that he was sure only eddie had even heard and only Eddie would ever hear.
“You don’t need to care about me so much, y’know.” Eddie sat up and moved to sit besides steve. “I’m okay.” His head on Steve’s chest and his legs over Steve’s lap. He laughed a little when Steve wrapped an arm around him.
“You’re right. I don’t need too, but I sure as hell want to. I’ll always want to.” His hand rested on Eddie’s legs “you’re my boyfriend.” He spoke wholeheartedly.
Eddie held Steve’s hand in his, tracing over the lines of his palms. “well you didn’t need to call me handsome either, Harrington.”
“It’s Steve. And you’re right. You aren’t handsome….handsome isn’t a good enough word. There just no word…” he trailed off and pursed his lips as he thought
“Handsomer?” Eddie guessed, jokingly, with a cocked eyebrow
“Handsomer!” Steve agreed brightly “there’s no word handsomer!”
“You’re crazy.”
Eddie couldn’t help but to laugh again and lean a little closer. Steve taking the chance, quickly, to kiss the back of his neck.
“I’ll wash the binder today and it’ll be dry by tomorrow afternoon. Can you wait that long?” He asked, the breath against Eddie’s neck giving him goosebumps.
“Hm…maybe for you.” He laid down, and moved to-
Steve beat him to it. Laying a blanket over him starting at his shoulders
“Sounds like a deal, Eddie.” He smiled
“Sounds like it, Steve.” Eddie whispered
“It’s Prettyboy to you.”
Fin