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It was times like these that Steve had to remind himself that they were lucky.
Lucky Eddie had gotten out of the Upside Down alive.
…Mostly alive.
Lucky they were able to be here together at all.
Okay, maybe he was being a little dramatic. It wasn’t that serious, and it’s not like those things were ever far from his thoughts anyhow. Steve thanked whatever deity controlled the universe every single day for the fact that he and Eddie had gotten their second chance, their happy ending.
But, it was hard to feel lucky when that little fucker was intent on getting on his last nerve.
Art by Devonias
“Eddie, quit it,” Steve muttered for the fourth time since he’d started filling out the application for their—hopefully—new apartment.
Eddie had been restless for days, stuck in his human form practically 24/7 while they began to pack, and made all the other boring and tedious preparations needed when you’re about to move. Steve’s precious blood-sucking boyfriend just wanted to stretch his wings for a while, he could understand that! And yes, they were a bit more co-dependent than your average couple, but did Eddie have to dig his little claws into Steve’s back while he indulged in his other nature?
Eddie squawked indignantly, annoyed at being ignored for so long. He climbed up Steve’s back, small talons leaving pin-sized holes in Steve’s favorite polo, no doubt, and peered over his shoulder at the small stack of paperwork, tiny nose wrinkling in his periphery.
They hadn’t exactly worked out a code or anything for communicating when Eddie was in this state, but at this point Steve knew him well enough that he could guess what Eddie was trying to say based on his tone and unusually animated expressions.
Unusual for bats, anyway, very usual for Eddie.
“I know, okay? But this is important,” Steve said, tapping his pen on the page in front of him, squinting at the next row of questions. Fuck, he’d have to submit a bank statement, or get together at least six months of paystubs.
Okay, no problem. He could do that.
Eddie’s long tongue darted out, licking at the delicate and very ticklish skin of Steve's throat.
Steve giggled involuntarily, shoulders shrugging on instinct against the touch, which only served to put his cheek within nuzzling distance, a fact his very affectionate boyfriend took full advantage of.
“Oh I see, trying to sweet talk me into playing, huh?”
Eddie let out a pleased chirp, continuing to press his cool nose into Steve’s skin.
“Just let me finish this first, and we can—”
A high-pitched shrieking screech cut him off, followed by a half-dozen loud clicks.
Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “I’m almost done.”
Eddie swung his head in a circle, his version of rolling his eyes, and skittered back around and down to wedge himself between Steve’s poor back and the chair, resuming his high-kick routine.
The Rockettes would have been proud.
Steve did his best to go back to ignoring it, and he really was almost done save for a few places where he needed Eddie’s co-signature, when a sharp searing pain stabbed at four distinct spots on his lower back.
“Ouch!” He shouted, sucking air through his teeth as he shot up from the chair. “Jesus Christ, Eddie! I think you drew blood that time, and not in the fun way.”
When he whirled to scowl down at Eddie’s small form, he was slumped in the middle of the chair, bottom lip jutted out and huge round eyes shining like black diamonds.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Steve crossed his arms over his chest, feeling a warm trickle running down his back, dangerously close to his ass crack. “Don’t give me that look.”
Those fucking eyes were lethal weapons no matter which form Eddie wielded them in. Steve was convinced it was some kind of dark magic.
“I’m sorry—okay? But Mrs. Johnson almost saw you last month—again—and you know how she is. She would have called the landlord in a heartbeat. Hell, she probably would have called 911! Animal control!”
Eddie released a screeching cry loud enough to make Steve’s ears ring, and turned away to face the other side of the room.
Thank god they were already working on moving, there was no way someone hadn’t heard that. Steve almost said as much, but he realized suddenly that this wasn’t just Eddie begging for his attention anymore, this was Eddie acting out when he thought he’d done something wrong, that something was his fault. And here Steve was, yelling at him, probably making him feel ten times worse.
“Come on, baby, don’t be like that.”
Eddie slumped further down onto the seat cushion, until he was back-down-belly-up like a starfish, letting out the softest, most pitiful little squeaks.
Steve stepped closer, kneeling down to Eddie’s eye level. “Y’know, I never liked this place anyway. Stuffy in the summer, drafty in the winter. The new apartment has twice the windows, and a brand new central air system.”
Eddie rolled over, dragging himself wing-over-wing to the edge of the chair until they were nose to nose, a single chirp lilted up at the end crossing his petite mouth.
Steve smiled, huffing a laugh. “Yes, really. And they allow exotic pets, I checked. So, no more having to worry about getting caught.”
Trilling sweetly, Eddie loosed his tongue again, running it softly across Steve’s lips.
“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have yelled, and I should have known you were having feelings about all this. But trust me when I say I don’t mind. I’d do anything to keep you safe and happy.”
Steve scooped Eddie up, cradling him in his hands as he stood. “Now, what do you think about driving over to Hopper’s cabin so you can fly through the trees for a while?”
Eddie flicked his ears back and forth, practically purring with happiness, and nudged the top of his head against Steve’s thumb three times.
“I love you too, baby.”