Steve looked up from his book when he heard the front door open, and the telltale sound of Eddie cursing as he removed his boots floated down the hallway. Smiling, he marked the page and set the book down in time for Eddie to stumble into the room and collapse on the couch, head cushioned in Steve's lap.

"Long day?" Steve asked, brushing Eddie's hair back so he could see his face.

The dark circles under his eyes were getting more pronounced with each day, and Eddie looked exhausted when he opened his eyes to look at Steve blearily. "Huh?"

"I'll take that as a yes. I left dinner on the side for you; I just gotta heat it up. Hungry?"

"Starving."

Eddie didn't move off of Steve, though, so dinner would have to wait. He was like a weighted blanket. Granted, he smelled like an ashtray and cheap cologne, but he smelled like Eddie. So Steve was more than happy to stay where he was, playing with Eddie's hair.

"Made any progress?"

"A little. Got another song finished."

"Halfway there." Steve squeezed the back of Eddie's neck, chuckling when he groaned appreciatively. "Come on, Rockstar, it's time to eat something."

It took a bit of coaxing and a fair few kisses, but Steve got Eddie to the kitchen table. Eddie ate robotically, barely tasting the food, it seemed. It worried Steve because he'd made his favorite, and he didn't seem to notice, and by the time he'd finished, Eddie was falling asleep in his chair.

He jolted awake when Steve took the finished plate away, looking around in confusion. "What?"

"Bed," Steve told him firmly.

By the time he got upstairs, too, Eddie was asleep, fully dressed, on top of the covers. Sighing, Steve undressed him and found a blanket because there was no way in hell he could get the covers free.

In the darkness, he traced the smoothed lines of Eddie's face, always creased with worry and stress these days. He knew it would pass, just a few more weeks while the band worked on their third album. It was a lot of pressure after the success of the first two, and Eddie didn't respond well to a deadline. None of the band did.

Still, he would be glad when it was done so he could see Eddie again, instead of the late-night homecomings where he almost always dropped dead in the doorway. That's what he got for dating a rockstar, though. Sighing, Steve kissed Eddie's forehead and settled down to sleep, keeping one arm firmly around his sleeping boyfriend.

When Steve woke up, Eddie was gone. This wasn't so unusual at the moment, and he sighed and rolled over to press his face into Eddie's cold pillow, which still held the smell of his citrus shampoo and cologne.

So he was surprised when the bedroom door opened and looked up, elated to see it was Eddie holding two mugs of what smelled like coffee. He smiled back, looking much better than last night, as he sat down and handed Steve a mug. "Morning, sleepyhead."

"You're still here?"

"Mhmm. Took the day off." Eddie kissed him, long and sweet.

"Why? Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased, but… the album?"

"Can wait one more day. I wanna spend some time with you." Eddie's expression softened, and he looked down at his mug. "Thank you. I know I've not been easy to live with recently. This album is kicking our asses. I'll be glad when it's done."

"Couple more weeks, right?" When Eddie nodded, Steve scooted closer to rest his head on his shoulder. "You got this, Eds."

"Kinda hard not to with you backing me up," Eddie laughed, kissing his temple. "Love you, Steve."

"I love you too. Now, come back to bed."

Eddie didn't need telling twice.