Light had finally begun to spill through the curtains with the early morning sun. Steve tossed and turned on the floor, shifting from one uncomfortable position to the next. He'd drifted in and out of sleep all night, barely able to stay asleep for more than an hour at a time. He finally sat up and looked at his alarm clock, bleary eyed. 7 AM. He sighed, deciding to just get up for good. He wasn't getting any more zzzs.
Eddie, on the other hand, had slept soundly all night. Steve was just glad he was able to relax after the night terror the other day. The past few days, Eddie had gotten probably the shittiest sleep of his life and he more than needed the rest. He just looked… peaceful. Steve noticed the way his lashes laid against his cheeks, and the soft rise and fall of his chest in sleep.
His rings were laid on the table next to him. Steve picked one up and examined it, turning it over in his hands. It was large and heavy with a silver pig head on the front, scratched up and dirty from years of constantly being worn. He looked up at the boy in his bed, thinking about how despite the wild clothes, the grotesque rings, and the freak outsider persona he tried to inhabit, Eddie Munson was one of the most gentle people he knew.
With the realization dawning on him that he'd, once again, been lost in thought about Eddie, Steve sighed in annoyance and set the ring down, heat rising on his cheeks.
Why does he affect him so much? Why can't he stop thinking about him?
Steve stood up and quietly exited the room. He was just… jealous of how cool and… attractive Eddie was. Jealousy. A friendly rivalry. That must be it. It was fine to think other guys were attractive, right? It's not like it meant anything beyond that.
When he got downstairs, he crept past the living room, being careful not to wake the zoo of sleeping teenagers. Slipping into the kitchen, he found Nancy sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee.
She looked up at him in surprise "Oh, you're awake."
"Yeah." Steve yawned, stretching his back. He walked to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. "I couldn't really sleep at all. How about you?"
"Like a rock. Sorry we kind of just… climbed into a random bed." She snorted, embarrassed. "We were really tired. I figured out it was your parents' room when I woke up."
Steve chuckled. "Don't worry about it." He sat down in front of her and blew on the hot coffee. "You and Robin seemed to have a good time last night."
Her cheeks blushed just the tiniest bit and she smiled. "Oh, yeah. We're becoming pretty close actually. It's been really fun having her around."
Steve smirked a bit and sipped his coffee. He definitely caught the blush. "I'm glad. You two make a pretty good pair."
The pink on her cheeks burned a little brighter and she sipped her coffee, avoiding his stare. The door to the kitchen opened and Robin stepped in, rubbing her eyes groggily.
"Why the hell are you up so early?" She muttered as she slipped into a chair between them. "It's stay-asleep-o'clock right now."
"I couldn't sleep." Steve said. "Nance is just an early riser."
"Speaking of which," Nancy stood up, "I need to run to the grocery store since somebody invited all of Hawkins and Steve has absolutely nothing in his kitchen."
"Do you want me to come?" Robin asked, sitting up. Nancy paused for a moment.
"Oh, uh… actually, I was going to clear my head a little. It's just right down the street, I won't be long."
Robin sank, a little confused. "Oh… Okay. See you soon."
Nancy gave them both a short goodbye before grabbing her keys and walking out the door. Robin looked at Steve, brows furrowed.
"Did I do something totally stupid last night?"
"What? No. Why do you think you did something stupid?" Steve asked.
She threw her hands up. "I don't know, I just - I don't wanna screw anything up with Nancy. She's my friend. I know I got… kind of flirty last night and now it seems like she wanted some space."
"I think you're overthinking this. She was all blushy when I started talking about you earlier."
"What? Really?" Robin sat up.
"Yeah, she totally has a crush on you, Rob." He chuckled.
"Are you telling me that - no way…" She covered her mouth, whispering as if Nancy were going to somehow hear them from her car. "Does Nancy Wheeler like girls??"
"I mean… I don't know. We dated, so obviously she used to be into guys. Maybe she's changing her mind?" He pondered.
"Huh… Maybe she's bi." Robin muttered to herself.
Steve frowned. "Maybe she's what?"
"Bi. As in bisexual." Steve stared at her. "As in she likes boys and girls." His jaw dropped. "At the same time."
"That's a thing??" He asked incredulously.
"Of course that's a thing, Steve, did you ever watch Rocky Horror Picture Show??"
"Did I - Look at me, Robin. Do I look like I've ever seen Rocky Horror Picture Show?"
"Okay… fair," She admitted, "but yes, it's a thing and it's way more common than you'd think. Maybe she just…" Robin bit her lip in thought. "Maybe she's feeling conflicted about it."
Steve sighed. "I'd say that's probably it. If she does like girls, maybe she's only just now figuring that out." Robin considered this for a moment, her expression turning sad.
"Look, just give it some time."
She nodded a bit. "Yeah… you're probably right."
"As usual."
She snorted as he scooted his chair out to stand. He slid his coffee over so that she could finish it. "I'm going to take a shower. I still smell like chlorine."
"Ugh, I need to do that do. I can already feel my hair turning green."
They both parted ways as Steve climbed the stairs to reach his room. He entered and walked towards his bathroom door, only stopping when he realized that the bed was empty and Eddie was nowhere to be found. He looked around in confusion.
Then, he heard the sound of retching from the bathroom.
"Eddie?" He called, knocking on the door. He waited a few seconds with no response before opening it and walking in.
Eddie sat in front of the toilet, dry heaving and shaking like a leaf. He was drenched in sweat with tears brimming at his eyes from the strain on his throat.
"Shit." Steve cursed and quickly knelt down behind him. He gathered his hair and held it back as Eddie dry heaved once again, gripping the toilet seat with white knuckles. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay. Let it out."
Finally, when it seemed like he'd gotten it out of his system, Eddie folded his arms across the seat and rested his head, trying to catch his breath. Steve sat behind him, cupping the back of his neck again. That seemed to have worked the last time.
"I'm sorry…" Eddie managed, quietly.
Steve just shook his head in response. "Don't be."
Eddie sighed shakily, exhausted from the rush of emotions. Steve stared at him sadly, he hated that Eddie woke up like this so often. That he had to deal with these night terrors almost daily. He let his hair go and sat back. Then, he did something unexpected, and pulled Eddie into a hug.
It should have been awkward, uncomfortable even, but Eddie was far too tired to feel self conscious. He just let himself be held as Steve gripped the back of his neck and swayed a little. He wrapped his arms around Steve and buried his face in his shoulder. No one had ever held Eddie like this, especially not when he needed it most. They stayed there for a while, just sitting in silence, before Eddie swallowed and pulled away.
"Uh… thanks." He muttered quietly.
"'Course." Steve said. "Was it the same dream?"
Eddie shook his head. "It's always a little different. Sometimes I'm at home, sometimes at school, or wherever… but Chrissy's always there. Dying. Over and over and over." He closed his eyes and swallowed. "It usually ends right after, but it kept going this time."
Steve listened quietly, waiting for him to elaborate. It took him a moment, but he finally kept going.
"When her jaw broke… something…" He hesitated for a moment. "Something… crawled out." Eddie finally looked up at him, fear painted across his features. "It was one of those bat things, the ones from the upside down. It fell to the floor, writhing… and then… then I woke up."
Eddie didn't talk much about the day he died. He hadn't mentioned the demobats, what he'd endured, the wounds. Nothing. Now that Steve was hearing him talk about it, seeing him relive that day in his mind, he understood why. He covered Eddie's shaking hands with his and lowered his voice.
"They're not here. You're safe."
Eddie nodded and swallowed. "I know." He chuckled sadly. "Logically, I know that, but… I just don't like thinking about it. Kind of brings me back."
"I get it." Steve murmured. He helped Eddie stand and brought him back into the bedroom. Eddie sank onto the bed and rubbed his eyes, trying to snap out of it. He was still a little dazed.
"Why don't you stay in for the day?" Steve said. "Just relax. I'll get everyone home."
Eddie nodded a bit and then chuckled dryly. "I bet you're having second thoughts about letting me stay here. Didn't think you'd get to play therapist, did you?"
Steve snorted and walked to the door. "No." Before he left, he looked back at Eddie and winked with a smile. "King Steve doesn't have second thoughts."
At half past midnight, Curry Farms was quiet and dark. There were no lights on the property besides the farm house, so it looked as if the house sat alone on a dark sea. The fields were vast and flat, and the livestock was quiet with sleep. The owners had long since gone to bed, they had tucked in around nine o'clock, as was the routine. The elderly couple rarely stayed up late.
That was, until they heard something large hit their roof, startling them awake. Linda Curry turned to her husband, worry in her eyes. Reluctantly, Dale got out of bed and grabbed the shotgun from its mantle. He made his way outside, slower than he used to be, but still able to defend himself. From the lawn, he couldn't see a thing. The roof was blanketed in such thick darkness that he had to squint to see where it ended and the stars began. He grabbed a ladder from the storage shed and laid it up against the house.
"Be careful." Linda whispered. He nodded to her and began ascending the ladder, expecting to find some dead bird or worst case scenario: a potential burglar. He would prefer to not have to use his shotgun. When he peeked over the rim, however, he saw nothing. Just an empty patch of roof. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that a few tiles had been scratched and ripped free, but whatever had woken them up was nowhere to be found. Just as he was about to descend the ladder, Linda let out a blood curdling scream.
"Linda?!" He called. He scrambled to get down the ladder and ran to where he'd heard the scream. To his relief, Linda Curry stood by the pig pen, completely still. He rushed to her, winded from the run. "Linda… Jesus Christ… I thought - "
Linda had her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. She stared in horror, never taking her eyes off the pigpen. That's when Dale heard the horrific sounds of crunching and slurping and tearing. He turned to look at what she saw, hands still gripping the shotgun. From the light of the house, he could barely see the silhouette of a leathery, bat-like creature feeding on a lifeless pig. It lifted its head, blood dripping from its serrated jaws. Dale stood there, utterly frozen with fear, as it spread its wings and let out an ear piercing, horrible screech.