Platonic Neddie Rights - Blog Posts

backtowheeler·:

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Nancy clocked that. The nervous laughter. The same laughter anyone would use to cover up something. She chose not to say anything, though. It wasn’t her business and she wasn’t the prying type. Besides, Eddie wasn’t exactly what she would call debonair, so she didn’t want to say the wrong thing and have it turn out that nothing was going on. “I’ve seen you pass by a few times,” she pointed out to the hallway. Not that is meant anything, of course. She had also seen Adam, Max, Dustin, and Robin pass by her room on their way to Steve and Cole’s. “It’s sweet,” then she followed up with, “Steve needs someone like that with him,” with him meaning just spending time in his room. “He doesn’t get taken care of often.”

She let out a groan. Not from the pain, but because Eddie was completely right. “Fine. No breaking out of this place but,” she shrugged her shoulders. “I just want to get some air or something,” she wasn’t fully on bedrest anymore, but she just hadn’t gotten a minute to so much as just walk around the corridor. She planted both of her feet on the ground, slowly standing up. It hurt, but she had a feeling she’d be like this for the next few weeks regardless of how much ‘R&R’ she got.

And not the bring the conversation back around to Steve, but she brought it back to Steve. “Can I ask you something? And just promise me you’ll answer honestly and not tell Steve I asked you?” Now that was a loaded question. It was hard not to do, but she worried about Steve. He always had a smile on his face and was always helping out that she felt like sometimes he got shafted when it came to personal matters. “Has his parents come to check on him? Like, at all?”

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i’ve seen you pass by a few times. right, right, that made sense. eddie nodded idly, yet still unable to shake off the perpetual and persisting nervousness. growing up not-straight in the smalltown indiana, well, it was a habit hard to shake off. even after his move to the big city. eddie pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, eyes darting around nancy’s hospital room. a particular spot on the wall seemed to capture his attention but really, eddie was trying to look anywhere but nancy’s eyes. with him. he gulped. “yeah, yeah, he needs someone looking after him. someone - like you said, yeah, with him. i mean not - not that i, or we -like, when you say with him, i don’t - it - “ shit, fuck, bullshit. he stayed like that for a moment, forming his mouth around words that didn’t come. no, this situation was unsalvageable. so he pursed his lips, nodded again. “whatever.”

it was very much not ‘whatever’ but judging by how fast his heart was beating, if eddie spent another second talking to nancy about how he was sort of kind of really in love with her ex-boyfriend he was afraid he’d have to be admitted, too. he watched carefully and with a concerned wrinkle in his brow as nancy slowly got up, ready to rush over and steady her should she need it. thankfully she didn’t. “i - i can go out to the patio with you, if want to.” he shrugged. “like, if you don’t want any company i totally get it, and i’ll be out of your hair in a second. but if you don’t i’ll come with you.” lord knew he needed some fresh air of his own. maybe a glass of water, too. a bite to eat. a wink of sleep wouldn’t hurt either but then again, you couldn’t have everything, could you. a cigarette would have to do. “i - tell me if i’m, like, overstepping in any way here, but i could take a look at your hair if you want me to? i’m...sort of an expert when it gets to bedrest induced matting.”

just when he thought they’d been past the topic of steve harrington, his name fell from her lips again and eddie inadvertently tensed again. even more so when she hit him with the aforementioned question and he exhaled deeply, felt his stomach drop a little as he thought back to his conversation with steve. there was a sad, almost hurt look in his eyes as he met her gaze again, a soft shrug of his shoulders. “what do you think?” it’s a scoff and by the way nancy was looking at him, and the way she’d asked the question, he knew that that was enough said. still, he went on. “he said his mom swung by but only for, like, a half hour. his dad didn’t even show.”