Chapter Text
Things have been going as well as they can be.
Steve isn't any better, but he isn't any worse either. He's just stuck in this limbo he can't figure out how to get out of.
Joyce had been there when Steve had gone to pack a suitcase. She had hugged him and said she was there for him. Hopper had shown up not long after.
She didn't ask any questions, she didn't force him to talk. She was just a quiet presence there to help Steve. It was exactly what he had needed.
He's been avoiding the kids like the plague. Dustin probably– definitely told them when he got the go-ahead. He doesn't even know why he said it was ok. He doesn't want their worry or questions right now.
So his days have been the same routine of going to school, then going to the cabin and sitting in front of the TV.
He doesn't make conversation, and he answers with one or two words when he has to.
So here he is, at school, mindlessly writing on whatever paper he's been handed. He barely even pays attention to what the teacher is saying.
He knows his grades are bad. He's barely passing.
Eventually, lunch comes around.
Lunch is the highlight of Steve's day. If you told past Steve why, he'd probably laugh. It's not the highlight because of the break from classes, or because it's just an indicator that he only has a few more hours before he can go to the cabin.
It's because of Eddie Munson.
See, Steve doesn't feel much of anything these days. Not until he feels everything an it's too much. He thinks he might be broken. His wiring got tangled up and if he lets himself feel anything he gets overloaded and left shaking and crying on the ground.
But with Eddie? None of that happens.
It's clear that Eddie's goal every day is to get a smile, or even a laugh. Everytime he does, he looks like he's won the lottery.
The best part is that Steve doesn't feel overloaded when it happens. He feels the pang of happiness and that's it. It feels nice. It gives him the energy to finish the day.
He's still riding that high when Billy decides he's bored. He doesn't even see him coming until a rough hand is grabbing him and shoving him against the lockers.
Any happiness he felt before is gone now.
"Don't think we don't see you hanging around that freak," Billy snarls, close enough that Steve can smell his breath.
It's rancid. Steve says nothing.
"Got nothing to say? You Munson's little bitch now?" Billy growls, he only gets angrier when he gets no response. He looks like he might start a fight when Tommy Hagan shows up behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Not here Billy," he hisses, just loud enough for Steve to hear.
Billy shoves Steve one more time before walking away. Tommy stays for a moment longer, something that could be sympathy in his eyes before it's quickly masked by a snarl. He follows Billy.
Steve can feel it before it happens. The overload of emotions. Every single one being bad bad bad. He barely makes it to the bathroom, he barely realizes he even got there. He can't breathe.
He just collapses against the wall and gasps for air. He idly scratches his arms.
♤♡◇♧
Eddie didn't know what he was going find when he followed Steve into the bathroom after he saw that asshole Billy Hargrove bullying Steve, but it wasn't this.
Steve Harrington curled into a ball on the ground having the worst panic attack Eddie thinks he's ever seen.
"Oh shit," is all Eddie can think to say because, seriously, oh shit.
Steve's sleeves are riding up because he's scratching at his arms and there's already bandages there.
So the first useful thing Eddie thinks to do is to kneel down and gently grab Steve's wrists so he stops scratching.
Steve looks up at Eddie as soon as it happens. He might've said Eddie's name, but it came out as kind of a garbled mess so maybe not.
He doesn't pull away from the touch, and he doesn't look scared of Eddie, so Eddie doesn't let go.
Eddie has dealt with panic attacks, he's helped his friends through it too. He should know what to do, but his brain is a bit short-circuited here because the person he's trying to help is Steve Harrington.
Eddie shuffles forward a little bit. Steve is still looking at him. He still hasn't pulled his wrists from Eddie's grasp.
"Can I-" Eddie starts but is cut off by Steve crashing into him.
Eddie doesn't know what to do, he just cradles Steve in his arms as Steve sobs.
"You need to breathe sweetheart," Eddie says gently because Steve is taking in an alarmingly small amount of air between sobs.
Eddie tries to guide him. He tells Steve to breathe in. He tells Steve to breathe out. He can tell Steve is trying to follow along, but his breaths tumble out before he can finish taking them.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Eddie breathes a sigh of relief when Steve gets a full breath in. Then another. Then he's breathing at a normal pace, even if it's shaky.
There are a few things that Eddie notices in this moment.
1. Steve feels small in his arms in more ways than one. Eddie thinks about King Steve and how big he was. That Steve is so much different than this Steve.
2. Steve is so much thinner than Eddie remembers him being. Eddie hasn't seen Steve take more than one or two bites of his lunch since he started to to him.
3. Eddie actually likes Steve. He cares about him. He thinks he considers Steve a friend.
When Eddie no longer hears Steve crying, he moves to pull away. Steve makes no such move and it makes him think that maybe Steve needs to be held right now. Instead of pulling away, he adjusts them so that he can see Steve's face.
"I'm sorry," Steve says, but Eddie shushes him.
"Nothing to be sorry about sweetheart," Eddie says, and Steve just looks away.
"I just got overloaded, that's all," Steve whispers quietly.
"It's ok, we got through it, Steve," Eddie reassures.
"Why are you so nice to me?" Steve blurts out suddenly, "I was an asshole up until recently, shouldn't you feel, like- vindicated that I'm getting pushed around? I mean I pushed people around all the time! I probably deserve it."
"First of all, no one deserves that. Second, you were nowhere near as bad as Billy is, and you have more than proven yourself to be better. Third, you deserve somebody to be nice to you, I promise," Eddie replies, sure of his words.
Steve doesn't say anything.
"Besides, you were a much better king than Billy is," Eddie jokes, attempting to lighten the mood.
"You think?" Steve asks genuinely.
"Yeah, but it's ok because you're a princess now," Eddie teases, Steve smiles. It's a small thing but Eddie is glad to see it. "Besides, Billy is missing out."
"What?" Steve tilts his head curiosly.
"All the cool movies and fairy tales are about princesses," Eddie beams when that gets an actual laugh out of Steve, "You ready to go back to class?"
Steve pulls away and shakes his head.
"Ok, do you want to go home?" Eddie asks carefully.
Steve nods.
"Do you want to call somebody?"
Another nod.
Eddie nods back and stands up, hauling Steve with him. He has an arm around Steve's shoulder the whole walk to the office where they seperate so Steve can use the office phone.
He puts the arm back around Steve's shoulder so he can walk him out to the parking lot.
"Are you going to be okay?" Eddie asks once they make it to Steve's car.
Steve nods, but Eddie feels like he should do something, anything more.
He feels around his pockets until he finds a pen, he then takes one of Steve's arms and pushes up the sleeve so he can write his number on it.
"Call me if you need anything okay princess?" Eddie says.
Steve just nods again before he gets in his car and drives off leaving Eddie with one question.
What the hell is wrong with Steve Harrington?
♤♡◇♧
Nobody mentioned it when Hopper clocked out a bit early after Steve's call. He was worried and he wanted to check on Steve.
When Hopper walks in, Steve is sitting on the couch. The same spot he sits in every day. The same dead look in his eyes. His hair looks greasy.
"Are you okay, kid?" Hopper asks cautiously.
Steve nods.
"Joyce called, she said the kids really want to see you," Hopper suggests. He knows Steve hasn't talked to anybody outside of Hopper and El.
Steve just looks away.
"You're going to have to talk to them eventually."
"I know," Steve finally says.
Hopper sighs and moves to the kitchen.
There's a sticky note on the fridge. When he looks, he sees the name "Eddie Munson" with a number beneath.
Eddie Munson is someone Hopper has busted a lot over the years, he's a known drug dealer and he doesn't like the kid much.
But his number is on the fridge. He has clearly befriended Steve in some way shape or form.
Steve hasn't talked to anyone except Hopper and El. And Eddie Munson. Hopper thinks maybe its a good thing.
He'll let it slide. For Steve.