Chapter Text
Eddie grew impatient as the cold was quickly seeping into his clothes. It was barely October, but the weather was already threatening a harsh winter. He fumbled for the key, added to his own ring in case of emergency. It felt like an emergency to him when he shivered after the fourth knock.
Eddie walked into Steve's house, sighing as the warmth thawed his chilled fingers. He glanced around.
“Steve?” He called out to the empty rooms. The lights were on, but the house was quiet. Eddie wandered to the kitchen. Steve had become quite the hobby baker, so it wasn’t unusual to find him lost in a new recipe.
No such luck. The room was empty, but something caught his eye.
On the floor- red droplets on the white kitchen tile. A striking contrast. He felt his heart stop for a moment, panic flooding his nerves.
To his relief, Steve came in from the back patio, quelling the worst of his thoughts. His friend’s eyes lit up when he registered his presence.
Eddie’s eyes fell to Steve’s red stained hands.
“Is that your blood?”
Steve’s brows shot up. He glanced down at the deep red hue of his palms and chuckled.
“No need to worry, I’m fine. It’s just dye. I was going for an ombre effect on some yarn for crochet. It was getting messy, so I took it outside. It’s got this orange to red thing going on? Like fall colors.” Steve goes over to the sink, scrubbing soap hard into his hands, bubbles turning pink. He grabbed a towel and knelt down to clean up the spilled dye. The red streaks created a macabre visual.
“Crochet?” Eddie was lost. Steve was constantly surprising him. He was always trying new things these days, never afraid to look silly or inexperienced. He said that after what they survived, there just wasn’t any point in being afraid of living.
“Yeah, Robin signed us up for a class because she’s talking to some new girl who’s super crafty, and Robin figured it would be the fastest thing to learn to impress this chick with her creativity.” Steve chuckled. “She gave up quickly, and honestly, I thought it’d be boring, like knitting or something, but it was actually very fun. Everything comes together, and you can make all kinds of stuff. I’ve been getting more and more into it, so, naturally, dying my own yarn was the next step.” Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head, clearly regretting taking on this new aspect.
Eddie couldn’t help but be fondly amused. Steve was so unapologetically… soft. That jock - the king - that Eddie knew before was such a distant memory from the man in front of him now.
He was a bit lost in thought, or more accurately, lost in Steve’s overall presence, when Steve asked him if he came over for any particular reason.
Eddie pulled himself from his daydream, nodding - right. A reason.
“The kids- they wanted to know if they could come over later to carve pumpkins. I told ‘em I’d stop by and ask since I was heading this way.” Eddie fiddled with a piece of hair, straightening the curl between his fingers.
Steve narrowed his eyes slightly, skeptical. “I’m not really in a position to run out to buy a dozen pumpkins today. Could we maybe do it tomorrow at least? That way I can actually prep all that stuff.”
Eddie shook his head quickly. “No, no, they already got everything. They just wanted a place to do it.”
Steve perked up, brows knitting together. “Oh? Well, yeah, sure. Why here, though?”
Eddie shrugged. “I dunno. Your house just feels… cozy, I guess?” He watched Steve’s expression open in surprise. “-to them,” Eddie quickly corrected.
“Cozy?” Steve echoed.
“Yeah, it’s where everyone gathers nowadays. You always host- movie nights, dinner, game nights, you even let us do DnD here. I think the kids just feel like they can be themselves here.” Eddie rocked back on his heels. He could feel blood rushing to his ears under the curtain of his hair, and he hoped desperately that the flush didn’t reach his face.
Steve visibly swallowed, and Eddie worried he said something wrong.
“It’s never felt like that to me. This place always seemed so cold and lifeless. Shit, I used to throw so many parties just to fill it with some noise, to make it not a shell of a place.” Steve leaned against the counter. “Ya know… my parents officially sent for their stuff last year? After the earthquakes when everything finally closed up for good. They have some new place they bought in New York, I think. Said I could stay or sell, either way it’s mine.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Eddie asked before realizing maybe he had. Maybe Eddie just wasn’t in the loop for Steve’s life as much as he thought.
Steve shrugged. “I dunno… it seemed… pathetic? Maybe that’s too harsh. I don’t know. Everyone else had homes with families after everything. All I had was this mausoleum. Then everyone started coming over more, and I got some new furniture. I guess, I didn’t notice when it changed.”
“Changed?” Eddie pressed gently for him to elaborate.
Steve smiled. “When they made it a home.”
Eddie and Steve were friends. He could admit that. Everything they had been through was a catalyst for sure, but it wasn’t just the war-bond keeping them together. Steve was important to him. Eddie was fascinated by all his odd little hobbies. He noticed how at ease Steve was when playing host or chauffeur. Eddie just saw Steve in an entirely new light over the last year, but he also knew the key to being close with Steve was noticing. He had never been so open - offered so much insight willingly. It made the crush Eddie had been harboring painfully obvious with the way his chest ached.
Steve huffed a forced chuckled. “Sorry, that was weird. I’m not sure why that hit so hard.” He shook his head as if to shed the discomfort.
“No, I get it,” Eddie rushed to justify him. He was all too thrilled at the idea of being Steve’s confidante. Anything to feel closer.
A reluctant smile spread across Steve’s face before he looked down and away bashfully.
Eddie could bask in that smile, but he took a step back, careful not to push his luck.
“I’ll tell the party they’re good to come over later for some pumpkin massacring, sound like a plan?” Eddie’s attention stayed glued on Steve, as he backed away towards the door.
Steve nodded, eyes equally locked on Eddie.
They both lingered, words left unsaid. Eddie wondered wistfully sometimes if Steve was holding back more as well, but maybe it was just wishful thinking.
“I better get going. I’ll let ya get back to your… yarn?” Eddie flashed a teasing grin.
Steve rolled his eyes, and Eddie took the break in his attention to force himself to the door. He grabbed the cold handle, bracing for the chill, but Steve called over, making Eddie turn.
“I’m glad you feel comfortable here,” Steve admitted like it was a weighted confession.
It took the air from Eddie’s lungs.
“Yeah?” Eddie questioned in a small voice.
Steve crossed the room over to the doorway with him. “Yeah, I’m always glad to have you around.”
Eddie was painfully aware of how close they were. He could smell the cinnamon of Steve’s cologne.
Steve chewed his lip a little, looking nervous and unsure.
“I’m glad… too,” Eddie mumbled, cursing his inability to string together a coherent thought with Steve so close.
They both hesitated. The air felt thick with anticipation.
“Okay- I’ll see you later!” Eddie said too quickly, too loudly, and rushed out the door.
Steve opened his mouth to reply, but Eddie missed his words in the haste.
He let out a shaky breath. The flush of his face burned