Eddie let himself into Steve's house without ringing the bell, which was totally normal for them these days. Turns out, going through the apocalypse together brought about a strong bond of trust. "Steve?" He called loudly, surprised when he got no response. Steve's car was in the driveway, and the door was unlocked, so Eddie was sure he was home somewhere.
He checked outside, but there was no sign of Steve, and after scouring all the rooms, Eddie began to worry. He was on the verge of calling Robin, which would be like calling the FBI in, and stood in the kitchen, phone in hand, when he heard movement from the pantry.
"Steve?" He asked again warily, grabbing a knife just in case. Slowly, he approached the door and grabbed the handle. Yanking it open, Eddie held the knife out but quickly dropped it when he saw it was Steve, curled up in the back as small as possible. "Steve!"
Steve didn't say anything, only flinched in the daylight, and impulsively, Eddie stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He wasn't particularly fond of small spaces, but once his eyesight had adjusted, he could see Steve had relaxed slightly.
"What is it?" Eddie asked softly, getting to his knees beside Steve. It was only then, being so close, that he found Steve was shaking, and his face was stained with tears. "Hey, Stevie, talk to me."
He only shook his head, curling up into a tighter ball.
Eddie did the only thing he could think of, wedging himself in the tight space behind Steve to wrap his body around him. Initially, Steve went rigid, but he didn't fight Eddie off, which he took as a good sign.
"How about I just keep you company then?" Eddie asked in a forced lightness. Still no response, but it wasn't a no.
Feeling braver, he rested a hand on Steve's arm, lightly tracing his fingers over bare skin that felt too cool. Rubbing warmth back into his body, Eddie scooted closer so Steve was between his legs, practically cuddling him at this point. If he weren't so worried about Steve, he would have been elated at their closeness.
It took a while, but slowly, Steve began to relax, shallow breaths evening out into deep lungfuls of air and then, finally, normal again. He lifted his head, resting it on Eddie's shoulder, and one of his hands found Eddie's to hold on tight. "Eddie?"
"Hey there, you with me?"
"Yeah." Steve's lips curved up unmistakably in a smile against Eddie's neck. "You found me."
"I did. Thought you could use some company."
"Thank you."
Eddie wanted to ask what was wrong, but somehow, he felt that question could wait. He didn't want to make Steve uncomfortable, not when he was still shaking this thing off. So they sat silently for a while, Steve playing with Eddie's rings.
What he finally said was, "I'm hungry."
"Let's find something to eat then." Both squinting in the daylight, they emerged from the pantry, and Eddie got Steve seated at the too-large table, turning to rummage in the cupboards. "Anything you want?"
"Sandwiches in the fridge."
He found them quickly and sitting with Steve, they began to eat through them. Halfway done, Steve looked up and caught Eddie's eyes, smiling softly. "Suppose you want to know what that was?"
Eddie nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Steve started softly, "Sometimes it's too much. The pain, the fear. So I hide somewhere where nothing can surprise me. There's only one door, so if something wants me, I'll see it coming."
Swallowing thickly, Eddie found Steve's hand again and squeezed it. "I get it. When I feel like that, I go for a walk in the woods. Something about being in the open after everything that happened feels good, like it can't take my freedom. You're the opposite."
"Too much freedom." Steve looked around the large kitchen bleakly.
"Well, maybe we can go for walks together," Eddie suggested haltingly, heart beating hard. It was something he'd always done alone, when he felt most vulnerable. But Steve had let him in. It was the least he could do to offer it back. "And if you need it, I can join you in the pantry again. Maybe get some cushions and blankets, though? You were freezing when I found you."
Steve laughed, eyes full of warmth again, and in a surprising move that sent Eddie's heart racing faster, blood rushing to his cheeks; Steve kissed the back of his hand. "I'd like that."
