Devil of Hawkins

by rindecision

Steve finds out with an intimate encounter on the night of Eddie's funeral that he is far from dead. Even Eddie doesn't know why he's been brought back to life, or why he looks like something that crawled from the depths of the Upside Down. His forward and blatant advances confuse Steve and force him to battle his sexuality. Eddie strives to find out exactly why he was brought back

7. Chapter 7: Delivery

Note: This chapter has been censored, you can read the full version at AO3 or Wattpad, links in profile

"Hey, big boy."

Steve spun around in the driver's seat to look at the intruder. "Eddie!?" he said with a blend of shock and joy.

"The one and only." Eddie leaned back, sprawling out in the back seat with a wide toothy grin.

Steve took a second to comprehend what was happening, "I nearly hit you, what the hell?!"

"Nah, I'm way faster than your car." Eddie leaned forward, getting his face closer to Steve's.

"How are you faster than a car?" Steve squinted at him.

"Did you think I was sitting on my thumb this whole time?" He glanced at Steve's lips, tempted to try for a kiss, but chose to relax back into the seat. "No, I was checking out what came with the whole 'undead' package." He casually waved at his body and continued talking before Steve could question him, "but, hey, you're kind of in the middle of the road here, want to go somewhere." He looked out the back window.

Steve looked around, "Oh, right, sure." He got properly situated and started driving.

Eddie crawled his way into the front passenger seat. "Got any place in mind?"

"Nope, we could always just head back to my place."

Eddie smirked and ran a finger down Steve's arm. "Oh, you naughty boy."

Steve shrugged Eddie's finger off his arm. "Ugh, no. I just can't think of anywhere else that you won't get spotted." He never considered that he'd be this nervous around him.

Eddie laughed at Steve's discomfort and settled into the seat. "You have a ritzy place."

"Is it?"

Eddie scoffed, "Seriously, man?"

"I know it's nice, but it's nothing special." Steve rolled his eyes.

"Said the rich boy." Eddie looked out the window at the lush trees; he'd gotten used to seeing the dead ones from the Upside Down, so the green was a pleasant sight.

Steve shot him a side glance and caught himself staring at Eddie's profile for a second longer than he intended. He shook his sight back to the road.

Eddie dropped his elbow over the side of the open window and took a deep inhale of the forest air. "I've gotten so used to that freaky Upside Down place that being here in the fresh air is surreal."

"How the hell can you stand spending all your time there?"

Eddie sighed. "You get used to it after a while."

"I'm not sure I'd want to."

"It's not too bad when they aren't trying to kill you," he snickered.

Steve let out a concerned sigh. "So you actually are one of the demobeasts now?"

"DemoEddie at your service." He looked over at Steve with a wide smile.

Steve snorted.

"Yeah, I'm sure I can come up with something better." He turned back to the dark green of the forest.

Steve turned a corner, and the lights of the town were in front of them. "Hop in back and hide. I need to drive through town and I don't want to explain why someone saw a wanted dead man in my car."

"Good point." He slid himself into the back seat and laid down. "This work?"

Steve turned around to check. Eddie was lying flat on the seat, his mouth open and his middle finger almost resting on the tongue he was sticking out. His hand looked naked without his rings. "Real nice." Steve gave him an unamused stare before turning back to the road. "Yeah, that should work. Just stay down."

Eddie smirked and relaxed with his hands laced together on his chest.

"What are you wearing, anyway?"

Eddie laughed. "You'll never guess where I've been hiding out. I found a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and it ended up belonging to Chief Jim Hopper, of all people. I stole some of his old clothes."

"No way, seriously?" Steve shook his head in amusement.

"Yeah, I was there a few hours ago. I heard you and Dustin talking."

"That's crazy." Steve laughed. "Dustin would have freaked if he knew you were so close."

Eddie lightly tapped the back of Steve's seat with his foot. "Hey, don't you live with your parents?"

"Kind of, why?"

"Won't they be there if we head to your place?"

"Nah, they left town after the earthquake."

"Sweet, mind if I check out the rest of your place while I'm there? Of course, I don't mind if you want to go straight to your bedroom." He let out a crude laugh and kicked the back of Steve's seat a little harder.

Steve groaned. "Sure, I can give you a tour."

"Awesome." He kicked the back of Steve's seat again. "Hey,"

"What?" Steve sounded annoyed, he was reminded of being stuck as the babysitter.

"Think we could order a pizza? Main thing that sucks about the Upside Down is that you can't get good food."

"I was wondering about that. Do you still eat normal food?"

Eddie laughed, "what, did you think I drank blood or something?"

"I dunno, all the demobeasts I've seen have been so vicious that I just sort of assumed that's all they ate."

"How would they live off of that? There aren't any people in there. No, they live off scraps, or I guess I should say we live off scraps." Eddie sighed.

Steve shrugged. "That makes sense, but it has to suck."

"No shit. Most of it's spoiled too, So I'm reduced to what canned crap I can find in houses and grocery stores."

"That sounds awful."

"It's not ideal." He kicked Steve's seat again. "So, about that pizza?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get you your damn pizza."

"Woo," Eddie cheered.

Steve groaned as he pulled into his driveway. He pressed a small button clipped to the car's visor and the garage door opened as he approached. Once inside, he pressed it again to close it. "Alright, no one can see you in here." Steve paused for a breath to calm his nerves before turning off the engine. Eddie hoisted himself up with a grunt and got out of the car. The garage was narrow, yet unnecessarily long. He saw Steve pulling keys from his pocket and heading to a door in the back. A grin spread across his face as he half skipped up behind Steve, slipping his hand on the door handle, and blocking him from opening it.

Steve closed his eyes in annoyance. "Okay, ha ha," he said in a mocking tone, slowly turning around. "Do you want a tour or no-" He swallowed his heart when he turned to meet Eddie's black eyes.

Eddie's smile widened. "Oh, I still do." He got his face a little closer to Steve's. "But I want something else too." He leaned in for a kiss, but Steve quickly ducked under his arm to avoid it.

"Okay, um," Steve said, flustered.

Eddie gave him an impressed smirk and released the handle.

"Let's... just head inside, yeah?" Steve, now red in the face and unable to meet Eddie's eyes, quickly unlocked and opened the door. "Let's just do that." He muttered to himself.

"Whatever you say, man." Eddie followed with a highly amused smile. They walked into a small dining room. He thought his friend Gareth was well off, but Steve's place was much nicer than his. As he followed Steve, he picked up one of the crystal wine glasses from the table and gave an impressed whistle before setting it back down. "So this is what being rich looks like?" he said as he walked through an archway and into the kitchen. The kitchen opened up to a massive living area. Eddie walked behind a well-used leather couch and looked down the length of the room. "I could fit my uncle's whole trailer in this one room." He looked up at the vaulted ceilings, "and at least two high."

"It's really not that impressive," Steve said, walking toward a phone on a narrow table beside the kitchen. He pulled over a phone book and started flipping through the back pages.

"You grew up with this. I grew up in a shit hole, so to me, yeah, this... Is... Impressive." His eyes swept the room.

"Whatever, what do you want?" He asked as he handed him the phone book, pointing to a menu of a pizza joint.

"No need," he held up a hand, refusing the book, "it's gotta be extra pepperoni, and if you're buying, make it extra cheese, maybe even order two. I'm starving." He spun on his heels, taking in the high ceilings and noticing the interior balcony.

Steve dialed the number, and while the phone was ringing, Eddie scooted up behind him and slid his hands over Steve's sides, wrapping his arms around his chest. He buried his face in the back of Steve's neck, nuzzling his hair as Steve tried to wiggle his way out of it. "Do you want the pizza or-" The employee answered the phone. "Uh, yeah." Steve stumbled while he continued to fight off Eddie and talk to the man on the other end. "Can I get t- two," He pushed Eddie's face away from his. "Extra pepperoni and extra cheese, please. Jesus, get off me." He tried to pry Eddie's hands off of his waist. "No sorry, not you." He answered at the employee's inquiry. "What size? Uh, what's your largest?" Steve continued to give the man his address and phone number to finalize the order, trying his best not to be distracted by Eddie clinging to him. He hung up and used his full force to pry Eddie off of him.

He let Steve succeed. "You spoil me," Eddie leaned very close to his face, getting him to go out of his way to dodge him.

Steve sidestepped him and started walking to the living room. "Did you want me to show you around?" He paused behind the couch and gestured in the opposite direction.

"Oo, yes, please." Eddie rubbed his hands together and eagerly followed him into the massive room.

Steve showed Eddie around the bottom floor of his house, all while trying to dodge his advances. When they walked outside to check out his backyard, he spun around and confronted Eddie. "Can you please stop?"

"Why?" Eddie said with a smile but had a serious tone to him. "It's not like I haven't touched it all before." He rubbed his own chest and sides sassily.

Steve pursed his lips. "I-I know, but-" He paused and looked away from Eddie. "This is all really new to me, okay?"

Eddie's expression dropped. "Oh, shit." He took a step closer to Steve, concern on his face.

Steve shot him a worried expression.

"I'm sorry, man." Eddie raised his hands and took a step back. "I didn't realize I was crossing a line."

"It's n-" Steve sighed and leaned against the concrete railing overlooking the empty pool. "Look, I can't believe I'm saying this, and I'll probably regret it, but it's not like I hated what happened between us."

Eddie walked up to Steve and showed his hands in a statement that he wouldn't try anything. He carefully sat on the flat top of the railing next to him. "Hey, I know what it's like. I had to fight my own demons when I realized I had a thing for you." He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket. "A good bit of my time at Rick's was spent coming to terms with my own shit." He pulled a cigarette out and put it between his lips. He tilted the pack to Steve in an offer, who sighed and pulled one out. Eddie spoke around the cigarette in his mouth. "Not only was I a wanted man for something I didn't do," He tucked the pack away and pulled out a lighter. "But that was the moment I had to realize I was into guys." He lit his cigarette and held the still lit lighter to Steve, who leaned forward and inhaled the flame into the tip of the cigarette.

They both took a deep drag as Eddie put away his lighter. Eddie exhaled heavily and tipped his head back. "It's not like I didn't know deep down, but," He paused to look at the cigarette in his hand, staring at the glowing cherry. "There was a part of me that wanted to be normal." He took another drag and sighed the smoke out of his lungs as he looked at Steve up and down. He liked the sight of him holding a cigarette. "But you've got it worse," He watched Steve take a deep drag and let the smoke flow out of his nose and mouth with a slow exhale. "Because you already had everything figured out, you were normal." Eddie leaned on an arm and looked up at the stars, taking in another drag. "You're Steve Harrington, the stud of Hawkins High. You can get any girl you want." He placed the cigarette in his mouth and lightly chewed on the filter. "I bet you never even looked at a guy the way you look at a chick."

"You'd be right on that one." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the railing as he took a deep inhale of the cigarette.

Eddie kept the cigarette lightly pinched in his teeth as he inhaled. He spoke the smoke out around it. "So, when I came along and pretty much forced myself on you,"

Steve coughed on his exhale, forcing a plume of smoke out of his lungs. He shot Eddie a look of disbelief, and mouthed, 'what?'

"I can see how that could flip your whole world on its head." Eddie continued, removing the cigarette from his mouth and tapping off the excess ash over the edge of the railing behind him.

"Wait, wait, back up." Steve furrowed his brows and took a quick drag before continuing. "You didn't force yourself on me."

Eddie let his head fall to the side and looked at him with a weak half smile. "I feel like I gave you more of an ultimatum than a choice."

"In a way, sure," Steve took a deep drag off the cigarette, the cherry running down the stick, quickly depleting it. He put it out on the railing next to him and flicked the butt into the empty pool. He turned to face Eddie and continued. "But at any point, I could have pushed you away." He swallowed hard. "If-"

The doorbell to his house rang.

"Oh," Steve said, snapping his attention from Eddie. "Pizza's here."

Eddie's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah."

Steve left the backyard to get the delivery. Eddie sighed and crossed his legs tucking them under the railing. "Should I really be here?" He muttered to himself. He finished off his cigarette with a long drag. Eddie stared at the stub as he sighed the smoke out of his lungs. He put it out on the railing and flicked it to join Steve's.

It wasn't long before Steve returned, balancing a large flat box on his arm while trying to manage the sliding door. Eddie ran over to help him. "Thanks," Steve said with a grunt.

"I thought you got two?" Eddie said, looking at the single box in Steve's hand.

"Yeah, the other is in the kitchen."

Eddie smirked as he snatched the box from Steve, and tossed it on the nearby table, sitting himself in front of it.

"Hey," Steve called after him.

Eddie flipped open the lid to the box and took a deep inhale. "Oh, fuck, that's good." He tore a slice off, watching as the cheese stretched behind it. He took a bite, fanned it for being too hot, then melted into the seat with an orgasmic expression. "It's been too long."

Steve sat in a chair next to him and pulled off a piece of his own. "That good, huh?" He said taking a bite.

Eddie spoke with his mouth full, "when you've lived off of scraps, yes."

"I could see that."

Eddie finished off that piece quickly and dove right into a second. "Dude, if I visit again, can you treat me to more take-out?"

Steve looked over at him mid-bite. "What do you mean if?" He said around the slice before finalizing his bite.

"Well, you made it pretty clear that you don't see me the same way I see you. And I don't want to force you into anything." He eagerly finished off another piece.

Steve finished his slice, wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and stopped Eddie from grabbing his next.

"Hey," Eddie looked up at Steve offended at first, but his face fell into concern when he saw Steve's serious expression.

Steve took a deep breath and swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "I didn't get to finish my last statement," he scooted his chair closer to Eddie's, "but I'm sure I can sum it up in a way you'll understand." His heart began to race at what he was planning to do.

Eddie looked at him, perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

Steve pursed his lips and shook his head before closing his eyes and leaning in to kiss Eddie, a thin sheen of grease between their lips.

Eddie's eyes grew impossibly wide, and his heart jumped into his throat. He raised his hand to place it on Steve's cheek, but Steve moved away before he could. He lowered it.

Steve looked at him and spoke with a slight tremble in his voice. "I- I didn't dislike it."

Eddie nodded slowly, his heart racing.

Steve looked at him with a strange expression as he just noticed Eddie's eyes were back to normal and slowly flooded with black just as they had in his dream. "Why do your eyes do that?"

Eddie cocked an eyebrow at him. "Do what?"

Steve gave a knowing shrug. "I guess you can't see your own eyes." He sat back down and grabbed another slice of pizza. "Your eyes randomly go back to normal, then return to the solid black they are now."

"Did they just do it? I saw it happen once when I was near a mirror." Eddie decided not to tell him what he was doing at the time and helped himself to another slice as well. "I have no clue why they do that." He finished a bite and looked over at Steve with a gentle smile. "So, does this mean you are into me?"

With a loud groan, Steve lowered his pizza just above his lap. "I guess."

Eddie chuckled. "You still sound so uncertain."

"Because I am." He said weakly taking another bite.

After finishing off another slice, he gave Steve a side glance. "That kiss felt pretty certain."

"Don't make me regret it," Steve warned.

"Not trying to," he said quickly, looking at Steve with a soft smile. "Personally, I'd like it if there was more where that came from."

Steve sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"What's giving you so much trouble?" Eddie was concerned as he closed the box.

"I just don't understand how I can be into a guy. I like boobies." He made a gesture of holding breasts against his chest.

Eddie snorted as he situated himself to face Steve. "No one is stopping you from liking boobies" he mocked. "Why can't you like both?"

"I'm struggling with that idea."

Eddie wiped his mouth on his sleeve and leaned on the chair arm closest to Steve. "What's hard to grasp?"

"I'm not entirely sure." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"Can I try something?" Eddie asked calmly.

Steve looked at him with concern.

"Just roll with me, if I cross a line, stop me." Eddie pulled his chair away from the table.

Steve sat up more and turned, so his body was facing Eddie. "That's not ominous," he added sarcastically."I promise I won't do anything crazy, I just want to pick your brain, you okay with that?" He held a hand out to Steve, offering for him to stand.

"Yeah, I guess." Steve shrugged and gripped Eddie's arm to pull himself to his feet.

Eddie licked and bit his lip as Steve rose to his full height in front of him. He took a deep breath. Somehow it was a lot harder when he's been given permission. He placed a hand on Steve's cheek, his fingers just cradling the back of his neck. With a gentle pull, he pressed their lips together. Steve inhaled on contact. Eddie stroked his cheek with his thumb and pressed their lips more firmly together. He inched closer and placed a hand on Steve's waist, gently gripping it. Steve hesitantly leaned into the kiss. His heart raced, and familiar electricity coursed through his body. He was surprised at his disappointment when Eddie slowly leaned out of range.

The veins around Eddie's cheeks and nose had become more prominent. He ran his thumb over Steve's cheek once more before letting his hand fall. "I can take a guess, but I want to hear it from you." He took a step back and smirked nervously. "How was that?"

Steve shook his head and blinked off a daze. "W-what do you mean?"

Eddie moved to the wall near the door and leaned against it, looking at the sky. "I mean, how did that compare to a kiss from a girl you like, say…" He drew out the pause, "Nancy?" He shot Steve a side glance.

"Okay," Steve rolled his eyes. "I've said it before, I'll say it again, I'm over Nancy." He sat back down in the chair, looking up at Eddie.

"Far from, man," Eddie stated plainly, looking back at the sky.

Steve shot him an annoyed glance.

"Buuut," He bit his lip trying not to get his hopes up. "How was it?"

With a heavy sigh, he said, "no different."

"No different from what?" Eddie pressed, keeping his eyes fixed on anything but Steve.

"From Nancy, okay." He said sternly to the ground. "Kissing you gives me a very similar feeling to when I used to kiss Nancy." He looked up the walls of his house before looking back at Eddie. "Happy?"

Eddie stood up straight and looked at him, tentative joy on his face, "very." He stood in front of Steve and placed his hands on the armrests of the chair. Steve raised an eyebrow at him. Eddie licked his lips before he leaned forward, gripped the armrests tighter, and pressed their lips together in a firm kiss. Startled, Steve tapped Eddie's chest with his fingertips before letting himself place his full palm against him. Eddie pulled away for a second, smiled at Steve, placed a hand on the back of his neck, and slid his tongue between their lips. Steve pressed his hand against Eddie's chest, forcing the kiss to stop before it could even start. Eddie looked at him like a kicked puppy. His eyes were temporarily normal.

"Jesus, Robin's right, you do have doe eyes."

Eddie smirked in amusement.

Steve shook his head before continuing, "it's not that I-" He froze. "It's not that I don't" he took a deep breath, "want to continue, but I'm not a fan of pizza-flavored kisses."

Eddie started laughing. "Got a spare toothbrush?"

Steve smiled. "Yeah, I could use a shower too, it's been a long day."

Eddie's brow perked as he stood back up. "Mind if I join you?"

Steve paused mid-stand. "I think that may be a little too far." He continued to stand. Eddie hadn't moved, so he was almost chest to chest with him. Steve picked up the pizza box and looked at Eddie's smirk quickly before walking past him.

"Maybe one day?" He smirked playfully, raising his eyebrows. He could tell Steve was annoyed, so he clarified. "I mainly meant I could use a shower myself. I do what I can in the Upside Down, but it'd be great to take a proper shower."

Steve walked inside, Eddie behind him. "We have two showers, we can take one at the same time."

"Sure, but I'm not gonna lie, I'd rather share one." He walked up behind Steve and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, holding him loosely.

Steve broke free from the hold. "Not ri- may-" He paused to think for a second. "No."

"Aww, come on." Eddie pleaded playfully.

"You said you wouldn't cross any lines." Steve reminded, setting the box on the kitchen island.

"I'm not, I'm just bitching." He leaned against the wall waiting for him.

"Well, bitch all you want." Steve turned to him and walked toward the staircase in the main entryway.

"Maybe I will," Eddie added defiantly.

"I swear, hanging out with you can feel just like babysitting the rest of your Hellfire Club"

Eddie laughed lightly. "The twerps give you trouble?" He followed Steve up the stairs, trying not to make it obvious he was checking out his ass.

"Always," Steve added with a groan.

"Hey, I wanted to ask, why is your pool empty?"

Steve stopped on the top step and looked down at Eddie, who tried to avert his eyes fast enough as to not get caught staring. Steve sighed, "One of Nancy's friends died there. I haven't had the heart to refill it since." He shrugged and continued up the stairs.

"Oh," was all Eddie could think to respond.

They reached the top and Eddie looked over the railing of the balcony at the living room below as Steve showed him to a bathroom. While Eddie looked around the room that was at least as big as his bedroom in the trailer, Steve searched for the toiletries he needed.

"Here." Steve set a toothbrush, still in its package, a towel, and a pair of boxers on the counter. "If I get done before you, I'll see if I can find you some sweats or something."

"This is starting to feel like a sleepover." He smiled at Steve, "is that it, Harrington?" He stepped closer, Steve stepped back. Eddie continued until he had Steve backed up against the wall beside the door. "Do you want me to sleep over?" He had his forearms pressed against the wall on either side of Steve's head.

"I assumed that was part of the plan, or you'd leave at dawn like last time." He dipped out of Eddie's trap again and out the door. He tried to avoid looking at Eddie's smug face. "I'll be in the master bathroom if you need me." He closed the door loudly behind him. Eddie's laughter from the other side followed him down the hall. Steve groaned as he opened the door to the master bedroom. As he got undressed, he had to face the fact that even that managed to tun him on. He brushed his teeth and got into the shower as he thought of Eddie and the inevitable outcome of the night.

Steve closed his eyes and let the water run freely over his face. Eddie was finally back, and not only did Steve accept his advances, but he'd also made his own. He made it clear that he was interested in Eddie. Oh shit, he knows I'm into him. He snapped his eyes open, getting water in them. "Shit," he exclaimed, turning his head and rubbing his eyes.

Steve was worried that he'd end up regretting being so forward, but as of right now both he was pleased with the development. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed Eddie's company and his touch. After finishing his shower, he roughly dried off, wrapped the towel around his waist, and went to gather some clothes. He grabbed a pair of pajamas for himself and a pair for Eddie, then headed back to the bathroom Eddie was in. "Hey, man, got you some clothes." Steve set them on the counter next to Eddie's towel. "How's the shower?"

Eddie let out a long satisfied groan. "Man, this feels great."

"Take as long as you want." Steve removed the towel from his waist and finished drying off, starting with his hair.

"I just might." He ended with what sounded like him gargling the water.

Steve shook his head and laughed to himself. "I'll take it you're one of those freaks who brush their teeth in the shower?"

Eddie spit before answering. "A freak in one way, a freak in all ways."

Steve slid his boxers on and started blow-drying his hair.

"Is that a hair dryer I hear?" Eddie poked his head out of the shower to look at Steve.

"Yeah, I always blow dry it after I take a shower. They don't call me 'The Hair' for nothing."

Eddie snorted and closed the curtain. "No kidding, I don't think I've ever done that before. I just let it air dry."

"And that's why you have ratty hair." He grabbed a bottle of hairspray on reflex and set it back down.

"My hair's not ratty." Eddie defended. "It's naturally like this. It's stylish."

"Yeah, sure."

"In my circle, it is, okay."

"The nerd circle?"

"The rocker circle!" Eddie growled.

"Okay, jeez." Steve continued to comb and blow out his hair. "It's not my fault they like bad hair."

"Lay off! It's not bad hair! It's a hell of a lot better than your lot likes."

"My lot?" Steve set the blower down and finished combing his hair.

"Yeah, that popular crowd bullshit."

Steve laughed. "Okay I'll admit some of their styles are pretty bad, but that crazy rocker style isn't much better." Steve picked up his sweatpants.

"Agree to disagree." Eddie whipped open the shower curtain just as Steve finished pulling up his pants.

It startled Steve enough that he needed to grab onto the counter to stop himself from falling. He looked over at Eddie. "Jesus, man!" Steve averted his eyes from the nude Eddie and blindly tossed him the towel.

"Why look away?" Eddie held the towel in his hand. "Not like you haven't seen it all before."

Steve looked over for a second, expecting him to have put the towel on but looked away when he noticed that he was using the towel to dry his hair instead.

Eddie did a cursory dry of his body and walked in front of Steve, who reluctantly looked at him. His eyes scanned up the torn flesh of his torso, and over his vein-streaked chest, landing on his solid black eyes. "No need to look away, Steve." He stepped closer to him, making him tense.

"I'd forgotten just how fucked up you are." Steve glanced over Eddie's body again. Now that he was looking at him in bright light he could see just how pale his skin really was, and all the scars and veins were clear as day. Seeing him like this reminded him of watching Eddie writhe in pain in that dream. He shook the flashes out of his mind and looked back at Eddie's face.

"You okay, man?" Eddie asked, bringing his hand to Steve's shoulder. "You looked really out of it there."

"Yeah," Steve said, running his hand through his freshly dried hair, still warm from the blow-dryer, "just this fucking nightmare keeps messing with me."

Eddie furrowed his brow and looked at Steve with worry. "Not like a Vecna nightmare, right?"

"I-" Steve shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Was it or was it not?" Eddie gripped Steve's shoulders firmly.

"No," Steve said uncertainly.

Eddie released him and stared at him, concern still hanging on his face. "If you do, please let me know, okay?" Steve looked away. "Okay?!" Eddie pressed, gripping his shoulders again and giving him a small shake.

"Yeah, yeah," Steve forced. "Okay, okay." He gently pushed against Eddie's cool chest.

Eddie released him and stepped back. "Please, if," He looked away from Steve. "Out of everyone you know, besides maybe that chick with the superpowers, I'm more likely to be able to do something about it."

"Yeah, I know." Steve turned away and grabbed the tank top he set aside for himself. "Now do you mind getting dressed?" Steve watched in the mirror as Eddie stepped closer and pressed himself against his back before he could put his shirt on. Steve stiffened as the cool water soaked through his thin clothes. "Come on, you're getting my clothes wet."

"Then why wear them." Eddie rested his chin on his shoulder, his hair dripping cold water down Steve's back. He wrapped his arms under Steve's and ran his hands over his chest. He could feel him take a deep breath at the contact.

"What are you doing?" Steve said looking at Eddie through the mirror.

"If I'm being frank." He tilted his head, so his lips were brushing against Steve's neck. "I'm trying to seduce you." The feeling of Eddie's lips gently grazing his neck sent a small shiver over his body. His pulse faltered as Eddie looked at him through the mirror without moving his head, his eyes back to normal. "Is it working?" He could feel Steve's shiver at his words.

Without looking, he could tell Eddie was smiling by the feel of his lips on his skin. He didn't want to admit it, but it was working. Eddie kissed Steve's neck as he slid his hands down his chest, stopping at the rim of his pants. "No words Harrington?"

"Would you rather me stop you?" Steve said, his voice was calm, but his nerves were high. He watched Eddie's reflection and gripped the rim of the sink in front of him. His pulse was up, and his breath was slow and deep.

"Not at all." Eddie gently licked up Steve's neck, flicking his earlobe with his tongue, his reward was a full body shiver and stuttered breath. "Mmm." He was pleased with the result. "I liked that."

"Shut up," Steve said, embarrassed by his reaction.

Eddie ran his tongue over the ridge of Steve's ear, getting an extra bonus of a sharp intake from him. "Seems you like your ears messed with."

"Guess you could call it a weak spot." A small crescent of pink had formed under the corner of each eye.

"I'll keep it in mind." He let his lips pluck at Steve's ear as he spoke quietly and airily. "You're very pretty."

Steve looked offended and turned to face him. "Pretty?" He was reminded of Billy calling him a 'pretty boy'.

Eddie smiled and took the opportunity to plant a quick kiss on him, getting a shocked twitch. "Not in a feminine way," he clarified. He brought one hand up to Steve's chin and turned his face, so it was looking at his reflection. Eddie looked into his own eyes and smiled when he saw they were back to normal. "See," his thumb ran over Steve's cheek, "pretty." He felt Steve's jaw clench as he swallowed. Eddie's other hand gently gripped his hip as he moved the hand on Steve's face higher, rubbing his index and middle finger over his lips. "Your soft pink lips," Steve's unsteady breath flowed over his hand. He licked his lips once Eddie's fingers slid off of them. Eddie ran his hand higher and lingered on a few freckles on Steve's cheek. "Your sparse freckles." The skin got warmer and slightly pinker under his fingers. He stroked down the bridge of Steve's nose with his index finger. "Your shapely nose." His fingers continued down and grazed over the faint marks on his neck from the bat attack. A small wave of anger rose in him. He noticed his eyes began to revert to black.

Steve furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to speak, but Eddie covered his eyes, receiving a small, "uh" from him.

"And your large brown eyes." Eddie gripped Steve's head to his cheek, getting a full body tense from him. "All of it's not only pretty." His lips moved to the back of Steve's neck, giving him another delicious shiver. "It's sexy." He glanced at his eyes in the mirror, happy to see the whites were fully back. Keeping his hand on Steve's eyes, he kissed down his spine, getting a small flinch or light sound at each one. Steve gripped the lip of the sink at the sensations. Eddie continued down his back until he reached the waistband of his pants. He stood quickly and latched his mouth to the lobe of Steve's ear, getting a loud groan of both shock and pleasure. The hand on Steve's hip pressed Eddie's groin against him with a faint grind.

Steve could feel that Eddie's body was reacting, it made his body feel like it was about to melt. He had already been feeling the effects himself for a while, and it was getting harder to think by the minute. His whole body was tingling, and anywhere Eddie touched lit on fire. He further melted with a breathy moan as Eddie ran his tongue up the back of his neck.

The hand that was on Steve's hip slid down, remaining over the cloth of his pants, and settled on his inner thigh, gently gripping the plush area. "By the feel of things, I'd say it's working." He removed his hand from Steve's eyes and turned him around, placing his hands on the counter behind him, so they were as close together as possible. "What do you think?" He leaned in close, but not close enough to kiss him, only enough to taunt him. His eyes darted all over Steve's face. "Hmm?" Finally letting his eyes settle on Steve's.

Steve was expecting him to follow through with the kiss, and a wave of confused disappointment washed over him as his sight darted between Eddie's lips and his large, dark brown eyes. He licked his lips and let his body's desperation take over. Steve pushed off the counter to lean forward, finishing his portion of the kiss. He felt Eddie smile as the hands that were on the counter moved to Steve's lower back. Not forcing, but suggesting their bodies be closer. Steve was already in this far, might as well just give in. He slid his arms under Eddies, letting them glide over his scarred skin. It was soft in all the places it wasn't torn, smooth in the places it was.

Eddie moved his hands and placed them on the sides of Steve's head, holding him firmly in the kiss as he slid his tongue between Steve's loose lips. The feeling of Eddie's tongue penetrating his mouth triggered something within him and he grunted, leaning into it. One of Eddie's hands slipped into Steve's hair as the other grazed over his collarbone. Steve continued to explore Eddie's lower back, eventually hitting one of the wing slots, getting a sharp intake, and Eddie pressing his body into Steve's. "Sorry, are they still sore?" he removed his hand from the area.

"No," Eddie reassured. "More like sensitive. They don't hurt anymore."

Steve ran a finger over the edge of it, enjoying the feeling of Eddie's body shivering and twitching against his. Eddie's shoulder blades tensed, causing the muscles in the vicinity to flex in ways Steve had never felt. It was fascinating, horrifying, and oddly arousing.

Eddie cringed his face as Steve ran his hand over it again. "Getting enjoyment out of my reactions now?"

"What if I am?" Steve kissed Eddie's neck and ran a hand over each wing simultaneously, which resulted in a much more dramatic reaction. Eddie let out a loud moan, tilted his head back, and gripped Steve's hair tightly, pressing his face further into his neck. "Would you call this your weak spot?"

Eddie caught his breath and smirked with a hazy look in his eyes. "I dunno, you're the only one to ever touch them." He looked behind Steve at the mirror, his eyes were still normal. He drearily gazed at the faint scars on Steve's back.

Steve did it again, nearly making Eddie fall to his knees. "I'd say that's a weak spot."

"I'm surprised they don't gross you out." Eddie got back to his full height with a feral expression. He gripped the back of Steve's neck and pulled his hip in close, forcing their mouths together, not that Steve fought it much.

Steve was the one to press his tongue into Eddie's mouth this time, getting a small grunt of approval from him. He held Eddie's waist tight as he slowly and, with the pressure of a feather, glided a finger along one of the edges, taking in every sound and movement Eddie offered up in exchange. He could swear he felt something moving below the skin. Steve kept the kiss strong as Eddie gripped his hair painfully, and hesitantly dug his nails into his hip.

When Steve's finger finally glided off the sensitive area, Eddie let out a gasp of relief and broke the kiss. "Want to take this somewhere more comfortable?"

"My room?" Steve suggested.