[ steve knows the feeling - after the first fight he had with the demogorgon in the byers living room, steve didn't sleep for what felt like months, torn awake by gunshots and screams. he hadn't really had time to think about it, with his own graduation lingering, with nancy, still shaken up about barb. with everything else. and it did always feel like right as he might have had time to get through it, where they weren't keeping him up all night, there was something else to deal with. steve knows that feeling well, of blinking awake and trying to remember what is real and what isn't, trying to push through what your brain offers and what is really in front of you.
it's part of why he waits until eddie pulls away from him, first, before he does. part of why, once he does, steve steps over to the bathroom to give him a second to settle. when he sets the glass back down, though, and eddie's eyes shoot up to him, steve freezes to the spot. there's something in that look that settles, cold and hard, in steve's chest. a feeling he understands, yeah, but it still hurts, because there isn't much for him to do about it, is there? and it holds him there, just for that second or moment or however long it takes, up until eddie says yeah and steve feels like he can breathe again, too. eddie gives a shaky grimace, but it's somehow so eddie munson that it works, and he says i'm good and they both know it's a lie, but neither of them have to say anything more about it, and then eddie is drinking the water and steve takes it as his moment to take his seat.
he supposes he probably should have asked, first, if eddie even wanted him to hang out. should have made sure eddie didn't just want to be alone, to deal with all this on his own. but steve feels a bit like he's been strung out himself all night, the memories of his own nightmares fading, but fresh enough to keep his heart beating. he's not going back to sleep any time soon, and if the remnants of that panic in eddie's face is anything for him to go by, neither is he.
what he doesn't expect, though, is for eddie to join him. to throw his legs over the side of the bed and slip down onto the floor next to him, but against the bed, and steve watches as eddie settles into the spot. looks up at the ceiling. breathes, wearing an old tshirt and old sweats of steve's. his hair is still damp, still a bit sweaty, but steve thinks he's calming down bit by bit. steve sets his feet to the carpet, his knees bent and arms crossed over his chest. when he feels eddie's eyes on him, eddie looks back, waiting for whatever question or whatever it is he wants to say, and he exhales at the question. ]
Yeah. [ yeah. because what else is there? there is a small pause that follows, just a few moments of silence, before steve is running his hand over his face and up into his hair. ] They usually get better after a while, but. Yeah.
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it's part of why he waits until eddie pulls away from him, first, before he does. part of why, once he does, steve steps over to the bathroom to give him a second to settle. when he sets the glass back down, though, and eddie's eyes shoot up to him, steve freezes to the spot. there's something in that look that settles, cold and hard, in steve's chest. a feeling he understands, yeah, but it still hurts, because there isn't much for him to do about it, is there? and it holds him there, just for that second or moment or however long it takes, up until eddie says yeah and steve feels like he can breathe again, too. eddie gives a shaky grimace, but it's somehow so eddie munson that it works, and he says i'm good and they both know it's a lie, but neither of them have to say anything more about it, and then eddie is drinking the water and steve takes it as his moment to take his seat.
he supposes he probably should have asked, first, if eddie even wanted him to hang out. should have made sure eddie didn't just want to be alone, to deal with all this on his own. but steve feels a bit like he's been strung out himself all night, the memories of his own nightmares fading, but fresh enough to keep his heart beating. he's not going back to sleep any time soon, and if the remnants of that panic in eddie's face is anything for him to go by, neither is he.
what he doesn't expect, though, is for eddie to join him. to throw his legs over the side of the bed and slip down onto the floor next to him, but against the bed, and steve watches as eddie settles into the spot. looks up at the ceiling. breathes, wearing an old tshirt and old sweats of steve's. his hair is still damp, still a bit sweaty, but steve thinks he's calming down bit by bit. steve sets his feet to the carpet, his knees bent and arms crossed over his chest. when he feels eddie's eyes on him, eddie looks back, waiting for whatever question or whatever it is he wants to say, and he exhales at the question. ]
Yeah. [ yeah. because what else is there? there is a small pause that follows, just a few moments of silence, before steve is running his hand over his face and up into his hair. ] They usually get better after a while, but. Yeah.