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1. Sun
If you had walked up to Steve in the hallways of Hawkins High in 1983 and told him he’d end up getting dumped by Nancy, fighting creatures from another dimension as well as Russians, befriending reckless children, and then to top it all off, end up getting a boyfriend ? He would’ve laughed in your face.
Not to mention if you told him his boyfriend that was once a regular degular human dude, turned vampire after being mauled by demon bats, Steve might’ve just keeled over and died laughing on the spot.
Yeah, nothing could’ve prepared him.
When Eddie confessed his feelings to Steve right before the final battle against Vecna, Steve had been hit with a tidal wave of emotions, having revelations about himself when he found himself reciprocating those feelings back to Eddie.
He’d been crushing on the metalhead since High School without even realizing it until Robin spelled it out to him in big bold letters.
So not only was he dating a guy first of all, but his boyfriend is also a vampire.
A vampire that is very inexperienced in being a vampire. It had only been a week since Eddie had returned from the dead, Steve had never cried so hard in relief when Eddie showed up at his front door, bloody but no injuries visible.
The party had a meeting, testing Eddie to make sure he wasn’t a threat or being mind controlled by Vecna. Eddie confirmed that Vecna was dead and he passed all of their questions.
They’ve been hiding Eddie pretty much, they still didn’t understand everything that being a vampire entailed. They were learning, though very slowly. Which is why, currently, Steve was in a bit of a panic.
Eddie has been living with Steve, he was still presumed dead, they were all waiting for Hopper to figure out how to clear Eddie’s name as well as reveal that he had not, in fact, died. So Eddie’s been hiding out at Steve’s place, only Eddie never stopped moving.
Now, Steve couldn’t find him anywhere and it was really stressing him out. He’d been checking every single spot in the house where Eddie could possibly be hiding to fuck with him, even checking the cabinets.
It’s been almost an hour and Steve hasn’t seen or heard from Eddie. He made sure to call everyone else and tell them to keep an eye out for Eddie. It was early in the morning, Steve had woken up to an empty spot next to him, where Eddie usually slept.
The sun had just risen and Steve had dragged himself out of bed and downstairs, expecting to see Eddie watching TV or something but once he realized Eddie was missing, he’d been thrown into a panic.
“Eddie!” Steve shouted once more inside the house, the shout reverberating off of the walls. There was no response. “Seriously, if this is some really competitive game of hide and seek or something then you win! Just come out!” he tried, sighing and letting his arms drop at his sides.
No response.
Steve was stressed out, so naturally, he pulled out a cigarette from the pack in his pocket and fished out his lighter. He slipped out the back door, leaning against the brick wall and watching the water in the pool gently move from the wind.
The temperature was hot with the summer weather, the wind was nice and refreshing compared to the hot sun beaming down on him.
But as Steve looked up at the sun, eyes squinting against the harsh rays, his eyes suddenly widened and he looked ahead at the woods at the end of his backyard.
“Shit,” he mumbled around the cigarette before tossing the smoke into the ashtray and running around the pool and toward the gate. There was no door on the gate so Steve heaved himself up and over it, feet landing on the forest leaves and sticks with a crunch.
“Eddie! Can you hear me?!” he called out, cupping his hands around his mouth to make it louder.
He wandered through the woods a bit longer, continuously calling out Eddie’s name and waiting for a response. He wondered if Eddie had gone for a walk in the forest but had been trapped once the sun came out. He didn’t know if that was an actual part of being a vampire, the sun burning you and shit, but it was a possibility
It wasn’t until a few minutes later, Steve was stepping over a large log and landing on the dirt on the other side that he heard movement.
“Eddie?” he called out.
“Hey, Stevie,” a quiet voice responded behind him. He spun around quickly to see that Eddie was curled up in a ball in a dip in the ground underneath the log he’d just stepped over. His eyes widened.
“Eddie!” he gasped and dropped down to his knees next to the little hiding spot Eddie had curled up into. “What’re you doing out here? Are you okay?” Steve worried, reaching out and grabbing Eddie’s face in his hands to check for injuries.
He noticed that Eddie’s cheeks and nose were bright red, looking not just sunburnt but actually burnt. He gently swiped his thumb over the redness and Eddie winced, causing Steve to look up with worried eyes.
“I got stuck out here,” Eddie told him. “I woke up early… I didn't sleep well and thought I’d get some fresh air. I went for a walk in the woods and when I realized the sun was coming up and burning me I just panicked and found this spot to hide in.” he shrugged sheepishly. Steve knew that Eddie had a nightmare and just didn’t want to tell him that, so he didn’t push.
“Shit, so I guess some vampire stereotypes are true,” Steve murmured as he looked over the burns across Eddie’s pale skin.
“Unfortunately,” Eddie mumbled. Steve let go of Eddie’s face to look around the forest, taking notice of how rays of sun managed to seep through the spaces of the treetops, beaming down onto the forest ground.
“Stay put, I’ll go get a blanket to shade you so we can get you back into the house,” Steve told him and Eddie nodded, watching Steve stand up with those big brown eyes that Steve constantly found himself losing himself in.
Steve ran back to the gates, making sure to remember which way he came from so he’d know how to get back. He climbed over the gate and ran into the house. He walked into the living room and pulled off the blanket draped over the back of the couch.
He made it back to Eddie’s hiding spot in record time. He held up the blanket while Eddie crawled out of his spot, protecting him from the sun. Eddie hunched into himself protectively, arms wrapped around himself and Steve noticed the burns on his arms and hands as well.
Together they walked back in the direction of Steve’s house, Steve held the blanket over Eddie’s head the entire time. Luckily he was wearing sweatpants that would cover his legs. Eddie explained that it still felt like he was being boiled alive through the pants so he made sure to move faster.
The gate was a bit difficult, but Steve helped him climb over it with the blanket before following. They rushed into the house and as soon as Steve pulled all of the curtains shut Eddie sighed and let the blanket slip off of his head, messing up his hair.
“Go sit on the couch, sweetheart, I’m gonna get you some ice and aloe vera,” Steve told him and Eddie nodded tiredly, dragging his feet on his way to the couch. Steve raced upstairs and rifled through the bathroom cabinets until he found the bottle of aloe vera.
He went back downstairs and into the kitchen, wrapping up frozen peas in a cloth and bringing everything over to Eddie who was laying on the couch, eyes shut and curled into himself.
“Hey, hold this to your forehead while I put the aloe on your arms.” He said as he sat on the coffee table, holding out the frozen peas. Eddie cracked an eye open and took it, sighing as he placed it on his forehead.
He opened the lid for the aloe and gently applied it over the burns on his hands and arms, quietly apologizing for the slight sting of it. Once he was sure he covered his arms and hands, he moved to his face, making sure to get his neck and nose.
“So no sun,” Eddie mumbled a few minutes later when he was snuggled atop of Steve.
“No sun,” Steve agreed.
2. Blood
Eddie had been acting strange recently, well, stranger than usual.
He was lacking the usual happy-go-lucky energy he carried with him everywhere. He was sleeping more than he was awake and he seemed to be lacking the strength to do simple tasks.
When Steve would try to wake him up in the morning it would take him almost twenty minutes to get Eddie out of bed.
And when Eddie would finally stand up, Steve would have to act fast and catch him as his legs would buckle underneath him.
Something was definitely wrong with him.
The problem was trying to figure out what exactly. Eddie couldn’t even pinpoint what the problem was, he was just as clueless as Steve.
His usually vibrant brown eyes were dulling, losing their light and his lips and skin grew even paler, his veins becoming more visible underneath his skin.
It took Steve three days to figure out what was wrong with Eddie.
Eddie ate food like everyone else, fruits, veggies, etc. He ate the meals Steve made for him without complaint, even complimenting how good they tasted.
But Steve still heard Eddie’s stomach grumbling minutes after having just been fed. Eddie must have developed a bottomless pit in his stomach that could never be satiated.
In the beginning, Steve had wondered if Eddie could still eat regular human food now that he was a vampire, or if he needed blood or a special kind of nutrients.
That’s when he realized that sure, Eddie can eat food that everyone else eats, but it probably doesn’t provide the nutrients that Vampires need, leaving him hungry and starving for more, for something that would actually satiate his needs.
Steve thought that maybe Eddie knew this, but was too afraid to ask for help getting it, maybe he was ashamed? But if it was what kept Eddie strong and healthy, then Steve would provide it.
So, one night after eating dinner, Steve and Eddie were sitting on the couch in the living room, watching a random movie Steve had picked from Family Video.
It was then that he heard the same noise Eddie’s stomach had been making for the past three days after every meal he consumed.
It grumbled, slightly muffled underneath the blanket Eddie had himself wrapped up in.
Eddie heard it and blushed a lovely bright red that was very visible on his pale cheeks. He wrapped his arms a little tighter around his middle as if willing the noise to stop just by constricting it.
Steve glanced over at him, taking in the way his eyelids were heavy with exhaustion and he was fighting to keep his head up.
Steve reached over and grabbed the remote, clicking the TV off.
“Let’s head to bed, Eds.” He spoke, startling Eddie. But Eddie turned to look at him, blinking slowly, tiredly, before nodding and moving to stand up.
And as usual, as he stood up, he wobbled and Steve was there to catch him. He didn’t give Eddie another chance to stand on legs that lacked the strength to hold him up, so he scooped him up into his arms.
Eddie didn’t argue, probably too exhausted to, and instead, he let his head drop onto Steve’s shoulder, heavy eyelids falling shut.
Steve carried him up the stairs, shitting off the lights with his shoulders as he passed them. Once he got to his room he kicked the door open and walked to the bed, gently depositing Eddie onto it.
They were already dressed in their pyjamas so Steve only turned off the light and moved to get into the bed next to Eddie.
The pale moonlight beamed through his windows, casting a soft glow onto them.
It was then that Eddie’s stomach made that unpleasant growling noise again and the brunette shifted uncomfortably, clutching his stomach and trying to muffle a whimper that Steve heard clearly.
“Okay, that’s it,” Steve sighed and grabbed Eddie’s chin, lifting his head so their eyes could meet, laying on their sides and facing each other.
“I know why you’re feeling so weak,” Steve started and Eddie looked up at him with big droopy doe eyes.
“Hm?” He hummed.
“You need blood, Eds.” He said and watched the way Eddie’s eyes became alive with shock and worry.
“I- I can’t,” he stuttered.
“Why not? Because you’re ashamed?” Steve questioned and when Eddie tore his eyes away from his and curled into himself, Steve was given his answer.
“Honey, you don’t need to be ashamed. If blood is what will keep you healthy and alive , then so be it. I’ll get you some blood,” Steve told him, gripping his chin to force eye contact again so Eddie could see the genuineness behind his eyes.
“I don’t even know where I could get it,” Eddie sighed, frustrated. “I don’t want to kill an animal,”
“You don’t have to kill anything,” Steve said. Eddie looked at him, puzzled.
“Then how…” he trailed off as he noticed Steve pulling the collar of his shirt down to expose the skin of his neck. “No,” Eddie said.
“Eddie,”
“Steve, seriously, I don’t want to hurt you,”
“Yeah, and I don’t want to lose you again, so, drink up.” Steve countered and Eddie’s brows were furrowed, deep in thought as he contemplated giving into the luring offering.
Deciding to forgo saying anything at all, Eddie just dove in. His teeth sunk into the flesh of Steve’s neck and Steve winced at the little sharp pierce.
Eddie moaned as the taste flooded his mouth. He sucked and drank and drank. He was practically laying on top of Steve, legs on either side of his hips and chests against each other’s, Eddie’s face buried into his neck and Steve’s hands resting on Eddie’s hips.
The feeling of Eddie drinking his blood was an odd feeling. Eddie eventually pulled back enough for his sharp canines to detach from his neck and Steve felt the wetness of Eddie’s tongue as he gently licked the wound, gathering up the last droplets of blood onto it.
After having his fill, it seemed to completely satiate Eddie as he melted against Steve, his face staying tucked into his neck but now Steve could feel the way Eddie’s breathing evened out into small steady puffs against his neck.
“Thank you…” Eddie murmured quietly, satisfied.
“Go to sleep, sweetheart.” Steve hushed as he gently ran his fingers through Eddie’s hair with one hand and held him tighter with the other.
3. Garlic
Drinking blood had become a necessity for Eddie. Without it, he became weak and fatigued. He’d been embarrassed in the beginning, trying to refuse the blood when offered to him, but Steve would always coax him into accepting it.
But now that he had blood to drink, it didn't mean that he didn’t still enjoy eating other foods. He still ate lunch, and dinner, though not breakfast because it made him queasy.
He enjoyed the taste of those foods, it just doesn’t fulfill him as much as blood does.
Though the problem about him eating regular food after becoming a vampire meant that there may be some acquired “allergies” that they may need to worry about.
“Will and El can you do me a favour and begin setting the table? Dustin! Stop pissing Mike off! Lucas, Max, TV off, Dinner time,” Steve shouted from the kitchen, slinging a towel over his shoulder as he handled the noodles in the strainer.
“You really do take this Mama Harrington role seriously,” Eddie jabbed with a grin from where he was leaning against the counter next to him.
“ Someone needs to keep these little shits in line,” Steve said with a roll of his eyes.
“And you do it oh so wonderfully,” Eddie snickered and placed a kiss on Steve’s cheek before grabbing silverware and bringing it out to the dining table to help set it up.
“It smells great, Steve,” Max complimented as she slipped past him and dipped her finger in the sauce, lifting some into her mouth.
“Thanks- Hey!” He said distractedly before noticing what she was doing and swatting at her with the towel. She laughed as she bolted away.
“Tables set,” Will told him and Steve nodded.
“Thank you. Kids, grab your plates and come get your food, leave enough noodles for everyone!” He called out as he set the strainer full of noodles in the sink.
Steve grabbed his fill, pouring the spaghetti sauce over the noodles before moving to the dining table, sitting at the head of the table.
Eddie raced over to the kitchen, bumping Dustin out of the way to prevent him from getting his noodles.
“Hey! You don’t even need to eat our human food!” Dustin complained and Eddie shrugged as he scooped up a generous amount of noodles onto his plate.
“I’m older than you, therefore I get first grabs,”
“Well, I’m still a growing boy! I need my food!” Dustin argued, shoving a cackling Eddie out of the way.
Steve watched as Eddie sat down beside him with his plate, an amused grin on his face.
“You’re just as childish as the rest of them,” Steve rolled his eyes fondly and Eddie shrugged.
“I just like to piss off Dustin,” he said right as Dustin walked up to the table with his food, flipping Eddie off as he sat down.
Eventually, everyone grabbed a seat. For the first few minutes, Dustin and Mike kept tossing noodles at each other until Steve glared at them and told them to stop playing with their food.
“Seriously, are you guys 15 or 5? I can’t tell anymore,” Steve sighed before taking another bite of the spaghetti.
“The sauce is really good, Stevie.” Eddie said as he twirled the noodles on his fork. There were hums of agreement.
“Thank you, it’s a recipe my mom always made. I managed to find her recipe books and figure it out. Lots of trial and error,” Steve explained.
“I need this recipe to make at home, what’s in it?” Will asked.
“Well, there’s obviously tomatoes, onions, salt, sugar, chili powder, garlic…” Steve suddenly trailed off as he listed off the ingredients.
His mind was screaming at him that something was wrong with those ingredients. Everyone thought he was just trying to remember the rest of the ingredients, but in reality, his mind was racing as he realized something.
“Eddie, stop eating that!” He suddenly said with urgency, dropping his fork onto his plate and reaching out to grab the plate from Eddie.
“What? Why?” Eddie asked in confusion, dropping his fork onto his plate when Steve suddenly pulled it away from him.
“Woah, Steve. What’s wrong?” Lucas questioned.
“I forgot that I have garlic in the recipe!” He cursed himself internally as he brought the plate to the kitchen, scraping it into the garbage.
Everyone followed him into the kitchen.
“So?” Max raised a brow.
“Vampires can’t eat garlic, I read up about it, I just didn’t know if it was true,” Steve told them.
“Well, he seems fine. Right, Eddie?” Dustin asked, turning his attention to Eddie who stood a little bit back.
Eddie shuffled uncomfortably, adams apple bobbing as he swallowed and said nothing.
“Eddie…” Dustin said, his voice growing with concern.
“It’s just a small stomach ache..” Eddie defended weakly, sheepishly.
“Why didn’t you say anything!” Steve exclaimed, rushing over to Eddie and immediately grabbing his chin and placing the back of his hand on his forehead.
“I didn’t think anything of it!” Eddie defended, flushing under Steve’s hands. “And you know I’m always cold now, I’m not going to feel warm if you’re checking for a temperature,” Eddie said, gently pulling Steve’s hands away from his face.
“Well… he hasn’t like.. died yet. So that’s a good sign, right?” Dustin pointed out, shrugging.
“Don’t jinx it,” Max commented off-handedly.
“I’m not going to die,” Eddie rolled his eyes, before his eyes suddenly widened, “I just might be sick,” he said before darting to the nearest bathroom.
The kids watched with wide eyes as he passed them, shoving the bathroom door open and slamming it shut behind him. Everyone winced at the sound of heaving.
“Alright, finish eating up and then I’m getting Nancy to come and pick you kids up.” Steve sighed and without protest, the kids went back to eating while Steve used to phone in the kitchen to call Nancy.
Once he was done, he walked down the hallway and stopped in front of the closed door of the bathroom Eddie had locked himself inside of.
He knocked gently, “Hey, can I come in?” He called out. Eddie groaned in response so Steve took that as a yes.
Pushing the door open, he spotted Eddie in the dark, not having bothered turning the lights on, laying on the tile ground in front of the toilet.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Steve tsked in sympathy. He walked over and crouched down next to where Eddie was curled up.
Brushing stray hairs away from his face, Steve noticed how pale he looked under the light seeping in from the hallway.
He just hoped that this wasn’t something major. Eddie only had a few bites of his spaghetti.
The only thing Steve knew could possibly help a bit was blood. Steve sat with Eddie for a while longer, watching him jolt up ever so often to empty his stomach into the toilet.
Steve would hold his hair back and flush the toilet. At some point, Nancy arrived to pick up the kiddos. All of them piled into the car, overtop of each other since there weren’t enough seats for all of them.
Once Steve was sure Eddie was done throwing up, he gently gathered him up into his arms, carrying him out of the bathroom and up the stairs to his bedroom.
Eddie was limp, completely exhausted from throwing up and Steve’s sure that the garlic weakened him as well.
Laying Eddie down on his bed, Steve helped change him into comfy clothing, deciding tonight would be an early night for both of them. He’d clean up the dishes tomorrow morning.
After changing into his own pyjamas, Steve got into the bed next to Eddie whose lashes fluttered tiredly.
Steve pulled Eddie’s back to his chest, wrapping his arms around him tightly before bringing his wrist up to his lips.
“Here, Eds.” He offered. Eddie weakly pushed his wrist away. He always refused to use Steve’s blood, complaining that he didn’t want to hurt him.
“Eddie, please.” Steve insisted and too tired to complain, Eddie bit down.
They stayed like that for a while, Eddie drinking enough blood for Steve to feel a bit dizzy. But eventually, Eddie fell asleep.
Steve continued to check his breathing throughout the night, worried that this garlic really could kill him. He was always okay. Eventually, Steve fell asleep too.
4. Wood
Eddie never lost his spark, even after dying and coming back as a vampire. He was still just as lively as he was before.
He was always talking or moving, fidgeting with his rings or his hair. He always seemed to have this energy that buzzed through his entire body.
Which is why Steve had the kids over more than he used to, to keep Eddie busy.
Dustin, of course, kept him the busiest. The kid matched his crazy. His energetic babbling and nonstop moving.
Eddie and Dustin were play fighting constantly, whether it be wrestling each other in the pool or on the couch. Eddie could capture Dustin in a headlock and ruffle his hair with his fist, Dustin would take out Eddie’s knees from behind, kicking them in and making them buckle under his weight.
All of this was fine. No one got hurt, well - not majorly hurt.
But as soon as they were in Wheeler's basement, fighting with wooden swords, Steve’s concern came alive.
He was pretty sure he saw in a movie that a wooden stake was one of the main weapons used to kill a vampire.
And Dustin was thrusting the sword at Eddie’s chest persistently, sometimes jabbing him there and knocking the wind out of Eddie.
Every single time he’d do that, Steve’s entire body would tense up.
All of the kids were fighting with the swords, except for Max and El though, who were sitting on the couch next to Steve, talking to each other.
Steve was only watching Eddie though. Like a Hawk.
The swords clicked together as they struck each other. Dustin would pretend to lose a limb when Eddie would slash it against one. Dustin had already lost one leg and an eye, so he was kneeling and squinting one eye shut while persistently swinging his sword at Eddie.
Steve’s knee bounced as he watched. His brows pinched together anxiously.
It was then, that suddenly Dustin cried out a battle cry, swinging his sword and taking out Eddie’s knee, making him drop to the other one before Dustin pulled back and plunged the sword into Eddie’s chest.
Now, deep down Steve knew the sword hadn’t actually been stabbed into his chest, it was just tucked between Eddie’s arm and ribs. But from Steve’s view, it looked like it had gone straight through his chest.
And with the way that Eddie gasped and clutched the sword before falling over, Steve couldn’t watch it any longer.
“Okay!” He clapped, startling them. “Can you guys play something else now?” Steve asked, worry seeping its way into his tone.
“Uh yeah, we could. Or why don’t you just join us, you would do great considering you’ve fought off demogorgons with your bat,” Mike suggested but Steve shook his head.
“No, thanks. I don’t like this game.” He said and everyone furrowed their brows in confusion.
“How come?”
“It’s dangerous!” He argued.
“Steve, they're props,” Dustin pointed out, tapping the sword on his own head. At this point, Eddie had sat up and was watching Steve closely.
“Still - I just don’t like it. Something bad could happen,” Steve told them.
“Stevie, are you worried about me?” Eddie spoke up.
“Well - yeah.” He shrugged.
“Why would he be worried about you?” Lucas questioned.
“He’s worried about me actually being stabbed with the sword. In movies wooden stakes are used to kill vampires by being plunged into their hearts,” Eddie explained as he pushed himself to his feet, bringing the sword with him.
“Look,” Eddie said as he grabbed Steve’s hand and placed it at the end of the sword. “It’s dull, there’s no way it would pierce through my skin,” he smiled at him reassuringly.
Steve ran his fingers over the dull end of the sword, nodding as he felt that it was not, indeed, sharp enough to stab through skin.
“But I’ve been wanting to play DnD anyways, so whose game,” Eddie suddenly says, luckily taking the attention away from Steve who was embarrassed for overreacting.
There was a choir of yes’s as the kids raced to the table where the game was set up. Eddie turned to Steve.
“You up to join us?” He asked hopefully, those big brown eyes pleading.
Steve found himself saying yes.
5. Crucifix
Steve noticed Eddie acting weird all day. He was completely fine in the morning. He woke up to Eddie cuddling him like he always does.
He’d slipped out of bed and gotten dressed, slipping on a random necklace from the pile he had on his dresser.
Steve had to meet up with Robin for breakfast and help her put together her college application. So he walked over to Eddie, placed a kiss atop his crazy morning curls, and left to get into the car.
He’d been gone for an hour and a bit before he drove Robin back home and went home to Eddie.
But when he got home and hugged Eddie who was making himself food in the kitchen. Eddie had tensed up instantly.
Steve didn’t think much of the reaction, thinking maybe he imagined it. But Eddie continued to stay tense around him.
His brows furrowed together seemingly permanently. His eyes constantly looked worried and he seemed to be avoiding Steve.
Steve would come over to him and place a kiss atop his head and Eddie would flinch away, or when Steve came to cuddle him on the couch for a movie, Eddie had excused himself to the washroom.
And when he returned, he sat on the far end of the couch, curled into himself protectively. Steve tried not to take this personally. He even smelled himself to make sure it wasn’t because he smelled bad or something.
Steve thought that he’d stop eventually at some point throughout the day, but it only continued. Steve was starting to get irritated and worried about Eddie’s sudden distance.
“Did I do something wrong?” Steve suddenly asked from his spot on the couch, the opposite end of Eddie.
Eddie broke away from his dazed stare at the tv and looked at Steve with his brows pinched together in confusion.
“What do you mean?” He questioned.
“Did I do something wrong,” he repeated, looking at Eddie expectantly, “you’re avoiding me like I’m some sort of plague.” He told him.
Eddie frowned and opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He seemed to be thinking about how to word something.
“Whatever I did, I’m sorry, okay? I just don’t want you to avoid me any more,” Steve said.
“You didn’t do anything, Stevie, I just-“ he sighed, struggling to get out what he wanted to say, “don’t take this the wrong way,” Eddie told him and Steve nodded slowly.
“When I get too close to you I feel like I need to rip my own hair out of my scalp. My entire body starts buzzing with this anxious feeling, the need to get away and I don’t know why,” Eddie told him and- wow, how does Steve not take that personally?
“Uh, what?” Steve said dumbly.
“I just feel wrong, like I’m in danger and it kind of… hurts? I don’t know how to describe it,” Eddie held his face in his hands with a huff.
Steve thought deeply for a moment, staring at his knees as he did. He wondered if this had anything to do with his vampirism.
“Oh shit,” he suddenly realized. He reached up to his neck and unclasped the necklace, tossing it aside.
He watched as Eddie visibly relaxed.
“Come here,” Steve urged, holding his arms out to Eddie who looked hesitant. Eventually, he moved, crawling over and into Steve’s arms. Once he got there, he sighed and completely sunk against him, curling into him happily.
“Well shit,” Steve breathed with a laugh.
“The necklace?” Eddie questioned.
“It has a crucifix on it, no wonder you felt like you were being repelled,” Steve told him.
“Huh. More stereotypes being proven true.” Eddie grumbled, cuddling further into Steve.
“So no crosses,”
“No crosses,”
+1
If you asked Eddie, he’d say that being a vampire is pretty damn cool. It was straight out of a movie, I mean, who knew that vampires could be real? But who knew that there was an alternate dimension filled with evil wizards and creatures that opened their faces as well?
It was cool, Eddie had sharp canines that could cut through flesh easily and his eyes had red undertones in them now. Dustin reminded Eddie how cool it was on a daily basis. But the kids never saw the downsides because Eddie never let them see them.
It was great in ways because yeah, it saved Eddie’s life. But there were always downsides.
Eddie was constantly cooped up in the house except during the night, but even during the night he was sleeping and by the time he woke up the sun was already up. He couldn’t go anywhere anymore unless he wore a sunhat and covered himself head to toe.
Eddie missed out on things, like going to the beach over the summer with Steve and the kids, or swimming in the lake as the sun set, or going on bike rides, or even just going for a walk. He couldn’t do that anymore.
He was constantly starving. Vampires are meant to hunt, but Eddie doesn’t, so he doesn’t get the amount of blood he needs in order to stay satiated. Steve always offers his when Eddie’s hunger gets painful and though trying to persuade him to take more, Eddie refuses.
He doesn’t enjoy food like he used to, the flavours, though still there, aren’t as good. They’re dulled down and his favourite meals are no longer his favourite because they’ve lost their delicious taste.
Eddie had nightmares often, Steve’s sure it isn’t due to him being a vampire, but because he’d died. Eddie would wake up in a cold sweat, gasping and clutching Steve who held him tightly and calmed him down.
Steve wouldn’t push, but he’d always ask Eddie if he wanted to talk about them, the nightmares. Eddie never went into detail, but he admitted to some of his nightmares being about him losing control and killing them. That the hunger becomes too much for him to push aside any longer.
After those nightmares, Eddie goes days without drinking any blood, too terrified of the thought that he could lose control and drain Steve dry. Steve would spend those days worrying, hoping that he’d give into the hunger soon or he feared it could kill him and Steve could not go through that again, would not go through that again.
Eddie's fangs would ache if he went too long without blood, craving to sink themselves into something. Eddie would fix that problem by eating apples, anything that he could bite into to soothe the ache just a bit.
So many things had changed for Eddie, things he was still struggling to adjust to even months after turning. The point is, most of the time being a vampire straight up sucked, no pun intended.
There were more cons than pros. Which is why Steve began talking to Eleven. He’d asked Hopper first, of course, he wouldn’t ask without his permission. But he’d asked El if there was any way she could separate Eddie from this… curse that the upside down had put on him.
She was fairly certain that she could. It would take a lot of her power but she was willing to try.
Steve had asked Eddie one night that if he could go back to the way he was before, would he?
“I know Dustin thinks it's the coolest thing ever, and I’d hate to disappoint the kid. But yeah, I’d do anything to go back to normal,” he admitted. Steve decided then that it was final.
Once El told him she was ready, Steve invited her over. She, Hopper, and Joyce came over. Eddie was unaware of Steve’s plans until he was sitting on the couch, looking up with wide eyes at the four of them standing over him.
“You’re going to… get rid of it?” Eddie repeated dumbly.
“Yes,” Eleven nodded, her voice holding that same monotone to it.
“And how, exactly, are you going to do that?” Eddie questioned, tilting his head to the side in confusion, much like a puppy would.
“I will look into your mind and remove whatever of the upside down is left inside of it. One may have left a part of himself inside your mind. I will remove him and free you from his curse.”
“One as in Vecna?” Eddie clarified.
“Yes,”
Eddie seemed to be struggling to believe that there was a chance he could go back to normal. He could feel the sun beaming down on his face without it burning his flesh, he could eat his favourite food again without having to feed off of Steve afterward. He wouldn’t have to worry about hurting his friends anymore and he could eat garlic bread again.
“Okay.” he nodded.
“You will do it?” El asked and Eddie nodded.
“Okay, let's get you two set up then,” Hopper clapped.
Eleven and Eddie moved to sit on the ground in front of the fireplace. They faced each other and sat crisscrossed. Hopper handed both her and Eddie a blindfold. They took them and Steve helped Eddie tie it over his eyes.
Steve, Joyce, and Hopper stood back, giving them space while Eleven did her magic.
They watched as the lights began to flicker. Steve would be lying if it didn’t sort of trigger him, but when he reminded himself that it was El doing it he was able to calm down. The static on the TV seemed to grow louder.
They all watched in anticipation as the lights flickered faster and blood dripped out of El’s nose. It was then that suddenly the lights stopped flickering and Eddie fell onto his back, seemingly unconscious.
Eleven slipped off her blindfold and wiped her nose clean of the blood. Steve rushed over to Eddie, his heart hammering away in his chest. He dropped to his knees and gently gathered Eddie into his arms, slipping off the blindfold to see his eyes shut.
“He is just sleeping.” Eleven told him as she knelt next to him. “He could be sleeping for the next few days. What I just did not only drained me but him too. But he will be okay.” she told him with a gentle smile. Steve looked up from Eddie and returned the gesture.
“Thank you, really,” he told her.
After getting El some food to eat, the three of them left the house soon after, El sleeping in Hopper's arms. Steve moved Eddie upstairs into their bed and lay next to him, watching the way his chest rose and fell with steady breaths.
His skin had gained more colour, no longer that pale white that came with him being a vampire. When he checked, Eddie still had sharp canines, but they were no longer needle-sharp. His skin wasn’t cold to the touch anymore.
Over the days he only improved, his cheeks getting rosy and his body warmer. It was on the third day that he woke up. Steve was sitting next to where he slept, reading The Lord of the Rings out loud.
Eddie moaned as he stirred awake. Steve immediately shut the book and tossed it onto the nightstand. Steve lyed next to him and reached out a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear.
“You with me, Eds?” he spoke softly. It was then that deep brown eyes fluttered open, missing the hue of red Steve had gotten so used to seeing.
“Mm,” Eddie hummed sleepily.
“Do you remember what happened?” Steve asked him. Eddie fought to keep his eyes open and looked into Steve’s.
“M’not a vampire n’ymore?” he mumbled and Steve smiled.
“Yeah, that’s right, Eds. It worked.” Steve beamed and Eddie let his own tired smile spread across his face. He moved slowly and noticed the sun beaming through the windows, a large grin spreading across his face.
Suddenly he was flying out of the bed, making Steve gasp in surprise. Steve had to chase after him as he darted down the stairs and out the front door. He walked out onto the lawn and looked up at the sun with a large grin, closing his eyes at the heat on his cheeks.
“It doesn’t burn me anymore!” he exclaimed and it was something about how happy that little thing made Eddie that Steve found himself loving him even more. Steve stood on the porch, leaning against the fence with a smile.
Eddie raced up the steps to him.
“Can we go to the beach with the kids, Stevie?!” he asked excitedly and Steve laughed.
“Of course, Eds. Go get ready, I’ll call the kids.”
Eddie grabbed his face, planting a kiss on his lips before racing into the house. Steve shook his head with a smile and followed him inside to call up the kiddos. Things would finally start looking up for them.