Getting Eddie out of the upside down had been hard. Keeping him alive had been torturous. But the prospect of nursing and safeguarding him was downright terrifying.
"Why does he have to stay, here," Steve said in exasperation, ignoring Eddie's snort from the couch. "I'm not a nurse."
"I'll bring you a book from the library about wound care," Robin told him bracingly, patting his shoulder with a smirk.
"Not helpful."
"Honestly, Steve. The rest of us have families to go home to. We can't leave Eddie in another boat shed in his condition," Nancy told him firmly. "He's staying here, and that's final."
Despite his continued protests, the others left. Eddie hadn't said anything about the arrangement yet, but as soon as the door closed behind Robin, he struggled into a sitting position and grimaced. "Look, Steve, I promise to stay out of your way. It'll be like I'm not even here."
"That's not what I'm worried about." Steve ignored his quirked eyebrow. How could he explain the growing fluttering in his stomach over the past week? It had gotten to the point where he was nervous to touch Eddie, let alone take care of him and be alone together for extended periods. "Come on, there's a guest room set up, and it'll be comfier than the couch."
Eddie looked down at his bloodstained and bandaged torso before back at Steve. It struck him how pale Eddie was and that he probably couldn't make the trip upstairs without fainting or worse.
Gritting his teeth, Steve crouched down and hefted Eddie into his arms. When he flailed, Steve almost overbalanced but managed to stand straight and grinned at Eddie. "Hold on, then. I don't want to drop you down the stairs."
Without a word, Eddie's arms snaked around his neck in a tight hold. Steve took it slow up the stairs, struggling near the top because Eddie wasn't exactly light, but they made it to the room without incident. Settled in the bed, Eddie relaxed back, and his eyes began to droop. "Thanks, Prince Charming," he mumbled before dropping off.
Sighing, Steve got the covers over him but hesitated at the door. What if Eddie woke up and needed something? What if he had a nightmare? Steve knew how bad they could get, and it was always terrible to wake up alone. So he pulled out the chair and settled in for a long night.
Eddie thankfully slept like the dead until dawn, but when he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his face, he looked as if he hadn't slept at all. Coffee helped, even if Steve refused to let Eddie leave the bed. He sat pouting as he sipped the drink, slowly coming back to life. If Steve weren't so worried about him, he would have found it adorable.
It wasn't long before visitors arrived, Dustin hurrying to sit by Eddie's side as he rambled about ideas for a new campaign. He'd even bought a notebook for Eddie, and he sat scribbling earnestly as Dustin chattered away. It gave Steve time to slip away and freshen up.
It turned out that looking after Eddie wasn't so bad. He was a model patient, even if Steve wasn't the best doctor. Slowly but surely, their wounds were healing, even if the metal ones were just as fresh. Steve ended up sleeping in bed with Eddie, finding it kept the nightmares at bay for both of them. It was the best sleep he'd had in months.
Their biggest challenge was getting Eddie in the shower. In the end, Eddie just snapped, "Take a good look and get over it, Harrington." It had made them both laugh, the tension easing slightly.
And if Steve did sneak a look at Eddie, no one had to know.
His feelings for Eddie hadn't lessened at all but grown stronger during their forced incarceration together. Steve was finding it harder and harder to ignore the growing urge to kiss the other man, and sharing a bed every night wasn't helping. Their sleeping arrangement had become entangled as his feelings. Several times, he'd had to run off in the morning, so Eddie didn't notice his morning wood. It was getting out of control.
"Just tell him already," Robin encouraged after two weeks of torture. "Eddie can hardly keep his eyes off you."
Maybe she was right because Eddie always smiled brightly when Steve returned to him, and always made space at his side. After Robin's pep talk, Steve entered Eddie's room with a new sense of determination, only bolstered by Eddie's wide smile when he looked up.
"Where have you been, Stevie? Starting to feel lonely up here on my own." He teased, shifting over so Steve could sit beside him.
Steve did, hesitated for a moment, and then went for it, grabbing Eddie's hand and holding on tight. "I like you."
Eddie stared at him nonplussed at first, but then a blush crept over his face and down his neck. He looked down at their hands, a smile pulling at his mouth as he squeezed. "Yeah? Me too."
When he glanced up, Steve leaned in to kiss him. It felt right. It felt like coming home after an extremely long day. Steve never wanted to stop but regrettably did when Eddie winced. "Sorry."
"Don't be. It's worth a pulled stitch."
After that, Steve didn't complain about his new housemate. The others noticed the change, or maybe it was because they couldn't go for a few minutes without touching each other. Either way, Steve was glad he'd been forced into caring for Eddie. He would keep him safe until it was no longer necessary.
After that… well, they had a whole world to explore. As long as Eddie was by his side, Steve didn't care what came next.
