A rustling sound woke Steve. He glanced around his room from the viewpoint of his bed, trying not to lose his fragile grip on sleep.

Nothing.

He listened closely to catch any sounds as he laid back down. After being met with silence, he nestled himself back under the covers and stared up at the ceiling, hoping for sleep to take him again. His blood ran cold as he laid eyes on a creature clinging to his ceiling, he knew it had to be from the Upside Down, what else could manage that? Any hint of sleep had abandoned him. He was trying to reach for the bat he kept by his bed without losing sight of the creature staring at him. The beast was definitely human-esque, but there was something unnatural about it, other than it was on his ceiling.

Could it be a demodog?

Steve didn't dare speculate for long, and was desperate to find his weapon. It wasn't propped up against the end table where he kept it. Did it fall? He knew he had to take his eyes off of the beast to find it, but he also knew that's when the monster would strike.

Why me? He couldn't help but feel that the world just likes to fuck him over, in particular. Steve swallowed and slowly averted his gaze from the creature, trying not to alert it, even though he knew the thing had its eyes, or sensors, or whatever it used locked on him. A loud thud on the ceiling startled his gaze back to the beast, his attention directed to the silhouette of something in its hand he hadn't noticed before. His bat.

Shit.

"Looking for this?" A familiar voice said quietly.

Steve's heart jumped into his throat, he scrambled to remove the blankets as he called to the owner of the voice. "Eddie!? You're ali-" He moved to stand, but was pinned back to the bed, the wind knocked out of him with a strained grunt by the force of a body landing on him.

"Sorry, still getting used to this." Eddie said as he tried to pick up his weight from Steve.

Steve groaned as the weight was lifted, spitting Eddie's hair out of his mouth. "Getting used to wha-" He stopped short as the moonlight hit Eddie's face, only inches from his own. It was far paler than he remembered and was covered in dark vein-like streaks. His lower left cheek and chin were covered in deep scars. "-the fuck happened to you?" He continued.

"Same thing that happened to you." Eddie gently nudged one of Steve's sides with the heel of his palm. Steve winced at the contact with the still tender bite wounds. "But no one was there to help me." A smile with a hint of malice spread across his face, contorting the dark streaks near his eyes and mouth.

Steve moved to sit upright. "Hey, we tri-" Eddie's face relaxed as he cut Steve off by placing a cool hand on his bare chest, pushing him back down to his pillow.

"I'm not blaming anyone." Eddie took the opportunity to run his hand over Steve's lush chest before moving his hand back to the sheets beside him. "Honestly, it's just my luck that the one time I try to do the right thing, it bites me in the ass. Literally, they bit my ass."

Steve tried to stifle a laugh, redirecting it to a snort. A smile Steve was familiar with came over Eddie. The worry that welled up before settled, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"I can't believe you're alive." Steve said, looking up at the man he had been mourning only a few hours earlier. "We literally just had a funeral for you."

"Seriously?" He smirked.

"Yeah, I mean, it was just those of us involved in this whole mess, but even people who haven't met you were there, like El, the girl with superpowers."

"Aw, I really want to meet her. Mike makes her sound pretty amazing. I thought he was lying when he was always talking about this mystery girlfriend. Same with Dustin and that Suzie chick he won't shut up about."

Steve laughed. "I thought Dustin was lying at first, too, but Suzie ended up helping us save the world twice now."

"Well, I'll be damned, she does exist."

"Yeah," Steve furrowed his brow and looked up at Eddie in disbelief. "How on earth are you alive?"

"If I'm being honest, it feels more like undead than alive."

"Like a zombie?" Steve asked. "Wait, are you a zombie?" He tensed.

Eddie laughed at Steve's reaction. He wanted to try to scare him, but decided against it. "Kind of, but less 'Day of the Dead' and more 'Fright Night.'"

"That doesn't make me feel much better." He looked at Eddie with apprehension.

Eddie smirked at him. "Relax, I'm still me." He reassured.

"Do you know how it happened?" He glanced down at Eddie's messy clothes.

"No, I can't say I do. The last thing I remember was Dustin crying over me while I died." Eddie let himself fall to his side, landing on an unused pillow next to Steve. "I don't know how long I was dead for, either. I just came to in that fucked up place, surrounded by the fucking bats that killed me in the first place."

"Is that why you were able to cling to my ceiling, which scared the shit out of me, by the way."

Eddie laughed quietly. "That was part of the plan."

"What's the rest of the plan?" Steve asked, concerned.

Eddie thought for a minute. "Haven't really figured that out yet." He smiled at Steve with wide eyes. A cloud moved, casting moonlight on Eddie's face, revealing his eyes were solid black. The dark lines were now obviously veins and his pale skin was nearly translucent; even a good bit of capillaries could be seen. The moonlight faded away, hiding many of his features once again.

"Not gonna lie, you look fucked up," Steve said bluntly.

"I know, right?" Eddie agreed. "It's pretty badass."

"That's one way to look at it."

"Oh, come on." Eddie pressed with an offended tone. "You can't say it's not at least a little cool."

An amused smile invaded Steve's face, "alright, fine, it's kinda cool."

"Thank you," Eddie said, satisfied. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. "So, how long was I gone, anyway?"

"Not that long. I think it's been maybe a week." Steve rolled onto his side and looked at Eddie's profile. It was obviously Eddie, but he looked a bit different. His hair looked rattier, somehow he seemed thinner, and his eyes were more sunken. Steve wanted to be excited to see his lost friend, but something felt wrong, intimidating almost. He remembered how messed up Will was when he returned from the Upside Down, and here's Eddie, who returned after dying. And after hearing everything that happens with Vecna, he was concerned this was a dream or a hallucination.

Eddie turned his head quickly toward Steve, who suddenly realized he was staring. "Like what you see?" Eddie teased.

Steve looked away quickly, more flustered than he felt he should have been. "Uh… who else knows you're back?"

Eddie shrugged. "No one, you're the first." He flashed a faint smile and turned his attention back to the ceiling.

By his timing, Steve could have guessed that he hadn't told anyone, but why would he be the first to know? Why not Mike, Lucas, or Dustin? Why him? "I thought for sure you'd tell at least Dustin first."

"I considered it," he started, "but I figured, out of everyone, you would be the best at keeping it a secret."

That only confused Steve further. "Why would you want it a secret?"

"Think about it, Harrington. The whole town wants me dead. If a rumor starts going around that I'm suddenly a demon risen from the grave, there would be a fucking riot, and everyone in the Hellfire club would be in even more danger than they already are."

Steve sighed and pursed his lips. "You have a point, but I know they would lose their mind if they saw you like this. Plus they adore you, if you tell them to keep it a secret, you know they will."

"I know they'll try, but we both know that won't end well. I want to see them and I want to tell them, but for their own good, I'll keep my distance for now. I'll tell them when things settle down a bit."

"So why even come to me? Why not just stay hidden?"

"Because that's boring and lonely."

Steve chuckled. "You did go pretty stir-crazy when you were locked up in that house."

"No shit, that was awful. Dumbass didn't have any food."

"Hadn't he been in jail for a while?"

Eddie made an indignant rasp in response and roughly turned to his side to face Steve, who was startled by the quick movement. Eddie was lying uncomfortably close. A beam of moonlight crossed his face for a moment. With his solid black eyes, it was hard to make out exactly where he was looking, but Steve felt fairly positive that it was directly into his own eyes. A small twitch and lowering of his lids indicated that his view had shifted lower than Steve's face.

"I see you still haven't decided to mow your lawn."

Steve quickly covered his chest with the sheet. "Dude, what the fuck?!" His heart rate increased with the sudden comment, and he could feel his face get warmer.

Eddie laughed loudly, holding his own chest and rolling onto his back. "Why did you cover your chest like a woman?" he said between breaths.

Steve looked at his hands and released the sheet. "It was reflex," he defended.

Eddie caught his breath and looked back at a very embarrassed Steve. "Yeah, okay, but seriously you should wax that or something." He reached forward and scruffed it like you would the hair on someone's head.

Steve swatted Eddie's hand away. "I told you, the chicks dig it."

"You sure about that?"

"Of course."

"If they like it so much, why are you single?"

Steve stared at him with a look of shock and offense. "That's not fair. It's about more than just appearances."

"Then I guess you're S.O.L." Eddie stuck out his tongue.

"I'm about to kick you out." Steve threatened.

Eddie smirked and, in a flash, he was over Steve once again, hands pressing into the pillow on either side of his head. "I'd like to see you try." His voice was deeper and raspier and almost sounded like it had an echo.

Steve was frozen in fear. He couldn't do anything except stare up at this warped version of his friend, who was slowly leaning in closer to him. His heart rate sped up. Eddie's wild hair draped over him like curtains, blocking out the rest of the world. When their noses were at the brink of touching, Eddie redirected his course until his lips were all but resting on Steve's ear, In his normal voice, he gently and airily whispered into his ear. "I'm just fucking with you." The slightly warm breath on his ear sent a shiver down Steve's body. Eddie returned to hovering over Steve with his classic smile.

"Bastard." Steve swung a punch at Eddie's chest and was surprised at just how solid he felt. Even though it was a playful punch, he put a small amount of force behind it, enough to at least get him to move a little. But instead, he didn't even budge, it was like hitting a wall. He may have been intimidated before, but that was when it hit him just how much of a threat Eddie really was. Was this even Eddie anymore? It acts like him, but he was brought back to life from the Upside Down, and nothing good comes out of the Upside Down. He attempted to not show his fear and keep his voice even as he asked, "Can you get off me now?" He failed.

Eddie's playful smile widened. "I don't really want to." By the movement of his eyelids, Steve could assume he was looking down his chest again.

Steve wondered what he was up to. He stiffened when Eddie shot his eyes back to his. "You look pretty hot when you're scared."

"I'm not sc-" Steve paused for a second as what Eddie said sunk in. "Wait, what?"

"Man, you're easy to mess with," Eddie teased, with a mischievous smile.

Steve had never seen this side of Eddie before. Was it just because they never really had the chance to be alone, or was it the Upside Down talking? Regardless, his heart was racing in a familiar way, and it wasn't entirely fear. Eddie's face dropped to a more serious expression as his eyes flit all over Steve's face. His breathing sped up, making Steve more nervous. Eddie's eyes seemed to linger around the lower part of Steve's face. He leaned forward slowly and stopped when their noses just touched. He made hard eye contact and spoke softly, allowing his breath to flow over Steve's lips. "What if I said I wanted to kiss you right now?"

Steve went pale and could barely speak. "W-what? Why? Since when?" He pressed his head harder into the pillow behind him, putting as much distance as possible between their lips.

Eddie smirked and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Steve let out a faint squeak. Eddie lifted his face away, but remained straddled over him. "Really want to know?" he asked with a gentle, yet oddly intimidating smile.

"Uh, yeah. Why are you suddenly hitting on me?" Steve's head was pressed so hard into the pillow that it was giving him a double chin.

Eddie snickered. "Oh, Harrington, I've been hitting on you since the beginning." He paused to let out a small laugh. "You've just been too dense and caught up with Nancy to notice."

Steve furrowed his brow. "But you were trying to set me up with Nancy."

"Yeah..." Eddie looked up at the wall behind Steve. "That kind of sucked. I was just trying to be a good friend. Also, I didn't know she had a boyfriend. So, that kind of makes me feel like an asshole. But hearing she was taken was great news on my end." He dropped his head and let his eyes settle back onto Steve's. If Steve could meld any further with the bed, he tried. "Believe it or not, I don't condone cheating, so you still being on the market is a relief." He smiled slyly.

"Not like I haven't been trying," Steve said defensively.

"Oh, I know, it's cute." Eddie hung his head a little lower, causing his shoulder blades to protrude. His hair tickled Steve's cheeks. "And are you aware of how much you flirted with me?"

"What?!" Steve nearly shouted and started to lift himself off the pillow, but quickly realized that wasn't possible without getting dangerously close to Eddie's face. "I was just being nice." He settled back to trying to become one with his pillow.

"No, I've seen you being nice. You're nice to Dustin, Robin, Lucas, and Max, you flirt with Nancy and…" He hooded his eyes, locked them on Steve's, and leaned in ever closer. "...me."

"There's no way." Steve pressed. "I don't swing that way." He shook his head, "I don't care if you do, but it's just not my scene."

"Have you ever tried?" Eddie smirked.

"No!" Steve shook his head.

"Then how do you know if it's not for you?" Eddie tilted his head to the side.

"I've never gotten hard from a guy, I think that's telling enough."

"Maybe you just haven't met the right one, I mean, does every girl give you a chub?"

"Well, no. I do have standards."

"Maybe your standards for men are just higher." Eddie lifted himself up, allowing Steve to relax a little. Before Steve could protest, Eddie continued, "y'know, when you die, things come into perspective a bit. You regret things. Do you know what was one thing I regretted?" He scanned Steve's collar and neck before settling his eyes on Steve's.

Steve lightly shook his head, almost imperceptible.

"Dying a virgin," Eddie said plainly.

Steve gave him a shocked look. "What? Really?"

Eddie nodded, sighed, and let himself fall off of Steve. He landed on his side and continued to look at Steve's face. "Looking back, there were at least a few chicks I could have gotten with. I was too dense back then to even notice they were hitting on me, but I was also uninterested. I'd never been interested in any girl to be honest, or any guy for that matter. But then I met you, and my absentminded flirting was being reciprocated."

Before he could interject, Eddie placed a finger over Steve's lips.

"That's when I realized I was gay, and absolutely had a thing for you."

Steve's eyes widened. Eddie could feel Steve's lips twitch under his finger.

"And I'm certain that if you get over yourself and think about it, you'll feel the same."

Eddie removed his finger from Steve's lips with a gentle swipe across them. Steve licked his lips and swallowed. "Um, I-" He couldn't find the words to follow that.

After waiting a few seconds for him to respond, Eddie continued. "Another thing you realize when you die is that you can't let opportunities slip by, even if they're scary or risky."

Something about those words scared Steve, but also somewhat thrilled him. "I have to be dreaming." Steve took a deep breath and looked down at Eddie's torn shirt and leather jacket.

"Let's say you are."

Steve raised an eyebrow at him.

Eddie smirked and propped himself up on one arm, leaning over Steve. "If I asked you if you looked at me closer to Robin or Nancy, which would it be?"

Steve stuttered for a second before forming, "I-I guess… Nancy?" Surprised by his own answer, he looked at Eddie with the expression of a dog caught getting into the trash. "But I-" He continued to stutter.

Eddie let out a sigh of relief. "It's fine." He said to stop Steve's panic. "Just relax, why are you so scared of being into a guy?"

"It's- I just-" He swallowed hard and looked at Eddie, trying to gain composure. "It's not something I ever considered."

Eddie smiled softly. "Well, now that you've considered it, what do you think?"

"I still don't know."

"Heh," Eddie chuckled, lifting himself higher. "How about we try a little experiment." His mischievous grin returned. "Y'know, since it's a dream and all."

Steve got more nervous as Eddie placed an arm over him, so their faces were aligned, but his body was still to the side of him. "What do you have in mind?" he croaked nervously.

"I guess you could call it a game of chicken." Eddie's eyes refused to linger on a single part of Steve and instead were gliding over his entirety as if trying to make an imprint. "You can stop me at any time, and no matter what, I'll stop." He placed his hand near Steve's head and twirled a lock of hair in his fingers. "But if you do," he looked back at Steve's eyes. "I won't return, because if you do, you obviously don't want me the same way I want you." Eddie took a deep breath and swallowed. "Do you understand?"

Steve's eyes were impossibly wide, and he gave a small nod.

"Good." Eddie shifted his weight, so he could use the hand he was leaning on to cup Steve's cheek. His rings were cold against Steve's skin as he slowly leaned in, his breathing was heavy and rapid. Once again, his hair shut out their surroundings. He paused right before their lips touched. "You aren't stopping me, Harrington" His lips barely grazed over Steve's as he spoke.

"I know." Steve squeaked.