Morning had arrived fully, bright and cheerful through the edges of the curtains when Steve heard the squeaky board on the landing and someone swearing quietly. He carefully extracted himself from beside Robin and tiptoed out of the room. The sounds of someone going through a morning routine in the main bathroom made it to his ears. It could only be Eddie. 

He made a dash for his own room and went through his own routine except for the shower, as quickly as possible. The sound of the sink running was still coming from the other bathroom by the time he made it back to the landing. He wanted to catch Eddie casually, as if by accident to hopefully negate some of the awkwardness.

When he heard the door latch go, he pretended to be coming out of Robin's room.

"Hey," he said as Eddie kind of froze.

So much for it not being awkward.

"Hi," Eddie replied.

"Did you sleep okay after the blood stuff?" Steve asked and internally winced at his choice of words.

Apparently, he had lost any ability to be smooth somewhere along the way. At least Eddie nodded. The way Eddie was holding a towel in front of himself in a stiff, defensive stance felt completely wrong.

"Look," he said at exactly the same time Eddie said something similar. "You go first," he added after an awkward pause.

"I know I made it weird," Eddie said after a moment. "I can get out of your hair if you need me to."

"What? Why?" Steve asked before his brain caught up with his mouth.

"Steve," Eddie said, "I know you're not that dense. The things I said, and you weren't there when I woke up..."

"Oh, I just have to go have a small freak-out to Robin," Steve said and Eddie's face went completely blank. "No, not about you, well yes about you but ... shit I am saying this all wrong. Why am I suddenly Robin?"

He took a deep breath and centred himself.

"Bisexual freak-out," he said carefully and slowly. "I had to have a small bisexual freak-out at Robin. And you only get one guess as to who caused that."

Eddie had such beautiful brown eyes, and they did utterly astonished so amazingly well. They were big and round and Steve really wanted to get lost in them, but he mentally kicked himself because this was kind of an important conversation. He bit his lip and kept his mouth shut to give Eddie time to process what he had just said.

"It's Hopper isn't it," Eddie finally said, a big grin breaking across his face. "I mean he's got that action hero thing going on now."

The laugh burst out of Steve without his conscious consent.

"God, I hate you, you're the worst," he said, rolling his eyes.

"No, you don't," Eddie said, grin only growing, "you think I'm a catch, don't you Big Boy."

The way Eddie pulled some of his hair across his face implied he wasn't as confident as he was trying to sound, but it didn't stop the heat rising in Steve's cheeks either. He felt like he was on his first ever date or something.

"Yeah," he said, going for brutal honesty rather than continuing the game, "I think you're a catch, Eds."

The grin slipped off Eddie's face as they stared at each other.

"I've had a crush on you since I was thirteen," Eddie blurted out after a few moments silence. "Thought I got over it when I went on to High School, but nope, soon as you popped up, there it was again."

It was Steve's turn to be unable to hide his amazement.

"Then why did you try and get me and Nancy back together in the Upside Down?" he asked, since it was the first thing that popped into his head.

"Because I am a disaster bisexual and panicked," Eddie said. "I'd just seen you bite a demobat and rip it in two with your bare hands, and you were wearing my battle vest. It was throw you at Nancy or do something incredibly stupid."

"Suppose I can't fault you on that," he admitted. "Pretty sure I wouldn't have reacted quite as well to wanting to kiss you back then. Might have, since we were in a fight or die situation, but it's hard to say. Robin assures me I was into you before we went after Vecna the first time."

He trailed off as Eddie stared at him.

"You want to kiss me?" Eddie asked, voice uncharacteristically small and vulnerable.

"So much," he replied.

"Holy cow," Eddie whispered as if he couldn't quite believe it.

"Can I?" Steve asked.

"Hell yes," Eddie replied and finally stepped towards him.

Without even trying to think it through, Steve reached out, grabbed the front of the t-shirt Eddie had been sleeping in and pulled him in the rest of the way. They came together of mutual accord, lips meeting. At first it was a soft brush that Steve felt all the way to his toes. A zing of excitement that ran down his spine and radiated through his limbs.

He remembered this feeling, had had it with Nancy in the beginning, but never managed to recapture it since. All the doubt that had been floating around in the back of his brain evaporated as he sank into the kiss fully. Eddie's hands settled on his waist as he laced the fingers of his free hand into Eddie's hair while the other remained clinging to Eddie's shirt.

"Fuck," Eddie muttered against his mouth, and he could only agree.

He smiled against Eddie's lips because this was everything he had hoped it would be, before diving back in and deepening the kiss, which Eddie seemed very happy about if the little moan was anything to go by. Eddie pulled him in, so they were flush to each other, his hand sandwiched between them and leaving his skin prickling in bliss at the contact, even through their sleep clothes. He decided to repay the favour by sucking on Eddie's tongue. The way Eddie trembled made it so worth it.

Sometimes, when he kissed a girl for the first time, Steve cycled through a set routine to feel out what she liked, but it was entirely unnecessary with Eddie. If the way Eddie was reacting was anything to go by, Eddie liked everything and was willing to give as good as he got. For a little while, Steve forgot about time, or where he was, or anything except Eddie's mouth on his.

They were so enthusiastic that they might have both forgotten to breathe for a few moments as well, because eventually they broke apart, dragging in huge lungfuls of air. Steve felt warm and energised and desperate to do the whole thing again.

"Morning, Dinguses," Robin's voice cut through Steve's focus, "happy for you, but this lesbian needs to pee, so do you mind?"

Like the gentlemen they were, they both stepped out of her way. Steve gave her a huge smile as she patted him on the arm and headed towards the bathroom.

"That explains so much," Eddie said as they watched her disappear. "Just so we're clear, are you hiding any more queers I should know about?"

"Not that I know of for sure," he replied, feeling happy and light in a way he hadn't in what felt like far too long.

"Ah, but there are possibilities," Eddie concluded.

"Yeah, but not my place to say," Steve said.

"Wise man," Eddie agreed. "Now, do you want to continue this in your room?"

"Just remember we're likely to have a delegation of teens arriving at any time," Robin said, sticking her head out the bathroom door to deliver her message before vanishing again.

Steve groaned.

"Fuck," he said, "do you think it's too late to call off Dustin?"

They shared a look.

"Yeah," they agreed at the same time.

"He probably called them the moment the sun came up," Eddie said. "That kid has no chill."

"Tell me about it," Steve said. "Come on, Robin will be in that one for a while. Do you want to shower? You can use mine while I find you some fresh clothes if you like, or you're welcome to head downstairs, because I definitely do need to shower, my hair still smells of chlorine."

Eddie stood there for a moment as Steve went to walk off, so he stopped and turned.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yep," Eddie replied with a nod, "just processing the mental image you just gave me. Oh boy."

"Well, I'd invite you to join me," Steve replied with a grin as they started to move, "but like Robin said, a delegation could arrive any minute and I'm not sure they'll take the excuse that I was worried you might trip over the soap."

Eddie fell over his own feet.

~*~

"Sir Steven, there appear to be an army of children at your door," Eddie announced as Steve was finishing breakfast for the three of them.

"Better let them in before they break in," Steve replied with a smile over his shoulder, "I'll put on more toast."

"As my liege orders," Eddie replied with a bow.

"Hey, Eds," Steve said before Eddie could disappear, "you okay?"

"Bit nervous, which is dumb," Eddie admitted.

"Not dumb," he responded. "Everything's well, kinda big. We can send Robin to deal with the hoard if you like."

"It would be my pleasure," Robin said from where she was nursing a coffee at the table.

"Nah, I got this," Eddie replied and headed back towards the front door.

"Brave man facing that bunch alone," Robin commented.

"What are a few kids after a whole army of bats?" Steve replied, going back to what he had been doing.

"Well, one of them's Mike," Robin pointed out.

"Point," Steve replied with a laugh while refusing to think about the fact Dustin would undoubtedly have explained how Eddie was back too.

The noise of cheerful greetings came from beyond the kitchen, making Steve smile as it became clear there was a lot of happy hugging going on. He plated their breakfasts and put them in the warming oven, because he knew what kind of moaning would occur if they ate before there were sufficient supplies for their invaders as well. The first lot of toast popped up, so he put that in the oven too, added some more slices to the toaster and turned to lean against the counter.

He was going for nonchalant and hoped it would be good enough to cover how nervous he was feeling. He was nervous for Eddie and himself, which probably didn't help.

What he one hundred percent did not expect was Erica walking in first, crossing to him and wrapping him in a hug.

"Um, hi," he said, hugging her back.

"You're okay, right?" she said, giving him a serious look as she pulled back.

"I'm fine," he promised, at which point she gave him one of her narrow-eyed stares. "Freaked out, but fine," he clarified.

"Good," she said, and that was apparently that. "Is there food?"

"There will be," he promised.

With a nod Erica headed off to sit at the table with Robin.

Everyone else filed in en masse. El gave him a little wave before going to join the other girls at the table, while the boys kind of just hovered with Eddie in the middle, all talking to him at once. Steve was kind of jealous about the way Eddie seemed to be able to follow whatever they were all saying. It was an art he had never mastered.

"Do I need to ask if everyone is hungry?" Steve said, breaking through the noise.

Dustin just beamed at him, which was enough of a reply.

"Well you're going to have to do with toast today, because I need to go grocery shopping again and there isn't enough of everything else," he told them, "but you know where the preserves and stuff are, so you can find them yourselves."

If he was lucky the thought of food would put off what he was sure was coming for a bit later.

The second lot of toast popped, so he turned to shove it in the oven with the rest, before putting a third lot on. When he turned back he realised there was at least one person not distracted by food.

"You really have powers now?" Mike asked, staring at him in an almost challenging way.

"Seems so," Steve replied, forcing himself to remain in a calm, relaxed position, even though Mike sounded like he was accusing him of something.

"So, what can you do?" Mike asked in his bluntest tone.

"Mike," Will chided.

"You mean other than raising the dead?" Dustin said sarcasm dripping from every word as he pulled things out of the refrigerator.

"Eddie was not dead. How many times do I have to say it?" Steve protested, forgetting about his aspirations of calm. "Vecna did the raising from the dead, I just ... well ... made sure he didn't die again," was the best he way he could explain it.

"And then you created a gate to get him back here?" Lucas asked.

"No," Steve said before he thought about it, "I didn't do that."

"Steve, there was definitely a gate, who made it if it wasn't you?" Dustin asked, stopping what he was doing this time.

Steve opened his mouth and closed it again. That was a good question.

"I don't know," he admitted, "but I know I didn't create the gate. Don't ask me how I know that, I just do. I used a hell of a lot of energy getting Eddie through it, but I didn't create it in the first place."

Dustin frowned at him.

"Are you sure?" the kid checked.

"Yes," he replied.

"That makes no sense," Mike said in that combative tone he often had when Steve was involved.

"I know that," Steve said, "but I am also one hundred percent sure I did not create that gate."

"Ooh, ooh," Dustin said, "what if it's like a splinter?"

"Huh?" was the best Steve could do, because he had no idea what Dustin was talking about.

"You're gonna have to explain that, Dusty," Eddie said.

"What if that's how it works?" Dustin replied excitedly. "Okay, so when you get a splinter, if you don't get it out, the immune system does it for you. Your finger gets all red and pussy and the splinter gets pushed out. Steve, what if you healing Eddie, making him like here not there turned him into a splinter."

"And the proto-gate was like the Upside Down's immune system?" Erica asked, clearly catching on.

"Yeah," Dustin agreed before looking back at Steve, "and then you went in like a needle to widen it and get the splinter out."

Steve hated to admit it, but Dustin's genius level mind might have been onto something.

"It closed right after you got Eddie through, yeah?" Dustin asked.

"I think is was closing," Steve replied, "but I was kind of unconscious for that part, so I don't know how long it took."

"But if your theory is correct, why didn't the Upside Down spit out One when he was first sent there, or Will when he was taken or everyone else who's been there?" Erica challenged.

"Hmmm," Dustin said thinking. "Maybe because Henry wasn't connected to anyone here? No one was healing him. Could have been that connection that made Eddie a splinter. And after Henry became Vecna, he was joined to the Upside Down and doing the controlling, so it didn't work the same way because that's what Vecna wanted?"

"Dammit, Kid," Eddie said, "you are scary smart."

Dustin grinned brightly at the praise.

"Nice theory," Steve agreed, "let's never test it, okay?"

"With you on that one," Robin said.

Eddie nodded in agreement as Steve put the plate of toast on the table and let the locusts descend. He shared a glance with Eddie. There was still the topic of Eddie's vampire tendencies hanging over them, but that could wait until after breakfast at least. The next issue would be dealing with the kids complaining when he got the full breakfasts out for him, Robin, and Eddie. That he knew how to deal with.