[ and all of that can be a later thing. a later problem. because right now, whether or not eddie says anything about it, steve is getting the feeling of that loss of adrenaline. steve can almost see the way the energy is leaving eddie, like how relief floods through him and the sheer effort to keep upright is slowly crumbling away. eddie's hands are trembling, trembling, and steve's hands tighten on him just as if he's reconfirming that he's here. that he's got him. because he does - and that is something steve knows. that is something steve, without hesitation or question, knows for a fact. ]
Yeah, yeah, no there's no gymnastics, no rope climbing. It should be easy.
[ as easy it can be, at least. it's just climbing through a hole in the ground, avoiding any bats, any eyes. they don't even know where vecna is anymore, but steve can't let those thoughts carrying him away. first, eddie needs to get through. they both need to get through. it will be easy, it has to be. steve is not going to lose eddie sliding into home. not when they're so close. so it's close. all of this.
and steve will keep his hands on eddie and physically drag him through if need be.
( and if there is something there, when their eyes meet, when eddie squeezes his neck in return, and god. the feeling that fills him, now, is something hard to put to words. )
eddie steps away from him, pulls away, and steve holds still through it. definitely does not follow his hand down his arm. steve's hands come out, ready to catch him if that wobbling turns to something worse. that's good he says, and steve just keeps watching. watches him turn to the gate, watches him grimace. after another second, steve is looking to the gate too, the same gate he just slipped through, and steve just. nods. ]
Yeah, yeah, c'mon. [ and whether eddie wants it or not, steve's hand is now on eddie's elbow - like he's going to lead him through, like he's going to help him take each step. he walks them both over to the edge and picks up the rope he'd brought through and sets it in eddie's hands. catches his eyes again. ] Don't let go of this, either. If something goes wrong I can pull you through.
[ definitely not stalling. nope. not at all. he'll wait for a nod or a confirmation or something else before he will give one last nod.
no subject
Yeah, yeah, no there's no gymnastics, no rope climbing. It should be easy.
[ as easy it can be, at least. it's just climbing through a hole in the ground, avoiding any bats, any eyes. they don't even know where vecna is anymore, but steve can't let those thoughts carrying him away. first, eddie needs to get through. they both need to get through. it will be easy, it has to be. steve is not going to lose eddie sliding into home. not when they're so close. so it's close. all of this.
and steve will keep his hands on eddie and physically drag him through if need be.
( and if there is something there, when their eyes meet, when eddie squeezes his neck in return, and god. the feeling that fills him, now, is something hard to put to words. )
eddie steps away from him, pulls away, and steve holds still through it. definitely does not follow his hand down his arm. steve's hands come out, ready to catch him if that wobbling turns to something worse. that's good he says, and steve just keeps watching. watches him turn to the gate, watches him grimace. after another second, steve is looking to the gate too, the same gate he just slipped through, and steve just. nods. ]
Yeah, yeah, c'mon. [ and whether eddie wants it or not, steve's hand is now on eddie's elbow - like he's going to lead him through, like he's going to help him take each step. he walks them both over to the edge and picks up the rope he'd brought through and sets it in eddie's hands. catches his eyes again. ] Don't let go of this, either. If something goes wrong I can pull you through.
[ definitely not stalling. nope. not at all. he'll wait for a nod or a confirmation or something else before he will give one last nod.
they're doing this. right now. getting him out. ]