Chapter Text
Steve kind of feels like he’s falling apart.
He’s survived many things. Middle school, high school, the ongoing popularity contest, being crowned King Steve, Demogorgons, Mind Flayers and even the occasional Demodog. This past year, Vecna took the cake. He could actually talk back, for starters, without needing to possess anyone. He still did though, possess and kill, but that was to be expected.
He figured any problems after that would be a walk in the park. Relationship issues? No problem. Family drama? Nothing new. Nancy weirdly flirting with him while trying to save the world and he just kinda felt weird about the whole thing? Normal. Probably. That was a little weird. He didn’t really have time to think about it. Running from danger and trying to save the world again tends to take the forefront of one's attention.
Eddie Munson, though, he was someone unexpected. Sure, when you save the world together you tend to stay tight but there is something different about Eddie. The metal head had snuck his way into Steve’s everyday train of thought and he was starting to think that it wasn’t normal.
The nightmares have stopped, somewhat. They don’t happen every night at least. Though now he stays up thinking about Eddie’s blinding smile and his big brown eyes. How soft his hair looks and how badly Steve wants to touch it. An ache, a longing , makes a home in his chest nightly and keeps him up. It prattles about in his chest, tugging on his heart and stabbing at his chest.
It makes functioning in everyday life difficult. Like currently, they were all huddled around Hopper's cabin. He was newly back from the dead, which Steve can’t think about it too much. Vecna had been recently defeated all thanks to El. Max had been taken as bait, El piggy backing from somewhere in Nevada, and had fought him from the inside. Steve wasn’t sure how it went down. All he knows is that it happened as they lit Vecna’s physical body to hell and Nancy shot him head on.
Somehow they all survived. Max and Eddie had been touch and go for a while but they both pulled through. It still keeps Steve up at night.
“Do you think this’ll work? Whatever she’s doing?” Eddie asked as he joined Steve on the small love seat against the far wall.
Steve shrugged, looking at Eleven who was sitting in the middle of the room. She had a blind fold on, the TV on a static channel. Steve wasn’t exactly sure what she was attempting. The kids had come barreling into the room, talking over each other as Will tied a bandana around El’s eyes.
“No idea what they’re even doing,” Steve said. “But maybe? Probably. El knows what she’s doing.”
Eddie shrugged, sinking back into the couch. Steve tried not to focus on the way their arms were pressed flushed together. Their thighs brushed whenever Eddie adjusted his possession, which seemed like every five seconds. There was no need for him to be sitting so close. There was almost an entire cushion left on the loveseat.
Mike and Will sat close together on the floor a little bit away from El, who now had blood slowly trickling out of her nose. Their heads were close together as they talked, mirroring Lucas and Max across from them. Max was staring at the floor, eyes unseeing as they blinked. Lucas was talking quietly to her, no doubt explaining what was going on over the static. Dustin was pacing, chowing down on his thumb nail. He glanced over at El and then Max every now and then. Steve frowned. He still had no idea what was going on.
“Henderson,” Steve said quietly when the boy stalked close enough. “What’s going on?”
Dustin knelt down next to the love seat, eyeing El and Max one more time before looking back at Steve and Eddie, “El’s trying to use her powers to help Max see again. She explained it before, but she wasn’t making complete sense. Something about helping Max get what she wants most back.”
“Is that safe?” Eddie asked, beating Steve to it. “From either of them?”
Dustin shrugged. Steve thought he was past seeing Dustin so stressed. “I don’t know but Eleven won’t sway from the idea. That’s why you two are here.”
Steve blinked, “What?”
“I don’t know, you’re an adult. Well. Older than we are and El wanted someone older here in case it goes wrong. Hopper and Mrs. Byers would say no. Nancy and Jonathan would too and Robin would just panic.”
“Okay, those are all good arguments. I can’t even complain,” Eddie said. “It’s safe though, right?”
“I’m guessing. El wouldn’t put Max in more danger if it wasn’t.”
Steve just nodded, not really knowing what it meant. Dustin stood, going over and taking a seat next to Will and Mike. Eddie scooted even closer, their arms now flushed together. Eddie was picking at the frayed holes in his jeans, biting his lower lip as he watched El. Steve’s whole body felt like it was on fire. He cleared his throat, shifting a little to the left but it didn't do much good. He was almost pressed up against the arm rest.
El’s nose was now bleeding more frequently. A soft gasp from Max caught everyone’s attention. Steve’s head whipped over to her, noting she was still staring at the floor. There wasn’t any indication that she was seeing again. Lucas was holding her hand, talking to her quietly still. Steve could barely hear the soft are you okay ’s over the static of the TV.
Blood was starting to drip from Max’s nose as well. There was no other sign that El and Max were… connected? Linked? Steve wasn’t sure the right term for it. His leg was bouncing. His anxiety was starting to grow as the silence stretched on. He felt more than seeing Eddie’s hand rest lightly on his thigh, no doubt trying to show some type of comfort but it just made Steve feel even more antsy. He didn’t shake him off though. That would just be rude. Plus, the touch was comforting.
El suddenly gasped, body going rigged. Steve stood, knocking Eddie’s hand from his thigh anyway. Max soon followed, making a choking sound before blood seeped from her nose. Lucas was shaking her shoulder, his hushed reassurances turned into panicked shouts. Will was reaching towards El to grab the blind fold but Steve beat him to it.
Steve didn’t even register himself moving. He heard Max’s choked breaths, El’s scared screams and the blood. He moved . He darted across his living room, kneeling down and shaking El’s shoulders. The younger girl wasn’t responsive, a high pitched ringing echoing through the room. The static on the TV grew louder as the blood flow from her nose seemed to pick up.
“Eleven,” Steve said, voice desperate. “El, snap out of it!”
He shook her shoulders, pleading with her. He hadn’t felt this level of fear in months since Vecna and the Upside Down were defeated for good. El’s hands came up to his wrists, holding tight as she let out another scream. Steve heard Max stop gasping for breath, Eddie mumbling about her being okay and breathing normally.
Steve’s wrists were starting to tingle. Pain shot through his whole body as he saw Eleven’s eyes snap open. Steve let go, gasping for his own breath as he fell backwards onto the floor. Pain exploded in his head. He clamped his eyes shut, biting back his own scream. It hurts everywhere. It felt like fire was taking over his entire nervous system.
“Steve!?” Someone - Eddie - yelled. He felt his head being lifted into the metalhead's lap. “Steve, talk to me!”
Steve was sweating. He could feel it all over his skin. But he was also cold. He forced his eyes open, seeing Eddie’s face above him. It was blurry around the edges. It seemed like the whole world was disappearing.
“It’s… blurry,” Steve croaked. His lips felt dry. He was thirsty. The pain was subsiding though. “Hurts.”
There were muffled yells in the background. He couldn’t make out voices or anything being said. He thought he heard the ringing of a phone. It was shrill and loud. He winced.
“That’s not good,” Eddie’s eyes widened. His face turned away from him momentarily before turning back from him. “You’re gonna be fine Stevie. Hop’s on his way. Just hang on, okay? Hang on!”
Steve blinked. There was the smell of… coffee? Steve frowned. No one had been drinking coffee when all of this started. He blinked again and his heart jumped. There was a quick repetition of… somewhere that definitely wasn’t his living room. He could faintly hear Tears of Fears playing in the distance. Tears welled in his eyes. He had no idea what was going on.
“Eds- where are we?” Steve slurred out, eyes slipping closed again.
“Hopper and help are on the way. Just hang on, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Hang on!”
Steve’s eyes shot open, immediately feeling dizzy and so so out of it. He was disoriented because- because he was currently standing. Apparently no longer laying on his living room floor writhing in pain. Pain that was suddenly gone. It was replaced with the smell of coffee, the ending of a Tears for Fears song and bright shop lights.
He looked around the shop from behind the counter - where he was currently standing. Eddie was in front of him, hands on his hips and his curls up in a bun. He looked exasperated with Steve but his eyes were… fond? Steve’s eyes moved past him and saw Robin at the register, trying to keep a large group at bay.
“Please, hang on!” She said, again. Apparently. “Your orders are coming.”
“What?” Steve asked dumbly. He was trying to catch up.
“Yoohoo, big boy, you done daydreaming?” Eddie asked, waving a hand in front of Steve’s face. “I can’t make all these lattes myself.”
Eddie turned away from him before he could answer. Robin was looking over her shoulder at him, looking concerned but also irritated. He could hear her calling him dingus in his head. The world was spinning again, going blurry around the edges but not because of the pain or whatever happened with Eleven. Oh fuck. El and Max. Were they okay? Confusion, worry and anxiety flooded him.
Apparently he worked at a coffee shop with Robin and Eddie, for some goddamn reason.