Chapter Text
Steve Harrington noticed his parents leaving him alone more and more to go on business trips. At first they would call multiple times a week, to once a week, to a couple times a month. He noticed the change immediately in his parents as they declared him a failure when Nancy broke up with him and he failed to become the pinnacle of masculinity to his father.
Steve was forgotten by his parents and ended up alone most of the time in their monstrous house. Really he chalked it all up to bullshit just like he experienced when Nancy Wheeler looked at him drunk and called him and his emotions for her bullshit. He really had tried to be the best boyfriend he could be for the esteemed angel of Hawkins High.
When Steve met the kids he had been filled with a sense to protect. They filled an empty space within him that cried out to be whole. Here he is years later coming back from his first experience with Vecna to find his favorite of all the nuggets holding their dead friend close to him and sobbing, something broke in Steve. Dustin had made a huge impact in his life and they had bonded over things that made them deeply close. Dustin was his most important person and best friend.
Eddie was clutched tightly to Dustin’s chest, tears streaked his face. Steve was completely at a loss on how to help him. Standing there listening to Dustin’s wails was tearing his heart to pieces and the blood draining from the wounds he endured from the demobats was making him increasingly lightheaded. His fingers brushing past the crimson leaking through his army camo shirt onto his fingertips. The last thing Steve remembered croaking before everything went black was “ Henderson”.
There was a rocking motion as blurred images came into view. There was pain and a sharp soreness that pushed Steve to consciousness. A soft squelching could be heard and warmth threw his bones. Dustin came into view slowly, but he had a look between deep panic and extreme concentration on his face. It was around Steve’s injuries, it felt as if he was packing them with some kind of fabric material. The fatigue won over Steve’s conscience and everything went dark once more.
Dustin was exhausted from packing Steve with medicine soaked cotton and wrapping his abdomen himself. His mom had taught him some things that would be handy from the injuries that Steve always sustained over the years fighting in the upside down. His mother was always working into the night as a registered nurse and as such couldn’t always be there to help patch up Steve when he followed Dustin home for Sunday dinners. Dustin had finally staunched the bleeding, but Steve was still unconscious on his bed and had lost a substantial amount of blood.
Taking care of Steve was second nature to Dustin, working with a deep concentration to not have to examine the deep and empty grief he felt for the loss of his older male friend. Eddie had saved them and was a hero. It killed Dustin that the party had not been able to take Eddie's corpse with them. Eddie deserved to be laid to rest and have a respectful funeral. Dustin sucked in a sob and his eyes teared up. Lips trembled as he let out a soft whimper. Now Steve was in a questionable condition and Dustin wasn’t sure he could survive the loss of two important people in his life back to back.
Dustin sat next to Steve in a chair looking through watery eyes and clutching tightly at his pant leg till his knuckles had turned white. Someone at the age of seventeen shouldn’t have to take the weight of the world on their shoulders. Dustin chewed on the tender skin around his split lip. He stared at Steve with a kind of intensity he could no longer deny. Dustin had been sure that all he had felt for Steve was admiration and respect for protecting them as young children. He had seen Steve as untouchable when he took his nail bat to take the demodogs head on by himself in the junkyard years before now. All that had been shattered as he saw Steve fall into a heap murmuring his name.The affection and longing had grown in the last six months since he had entered his second year of high school. Into a hard knot that had settled in his stomach underneath his heart and that feeling never left. He was too scared to name because then he could no longer deny that what he was feeling was very real.
Dustin must have lost track of time while deep in thought and feelings because he was brought back to the present by a gentle tap from Steve’s shivering finger. He noticed Steve’s whole body was being wrecked with intense shivering and was possibly going into shock. He remembered his mother telling him to keep the person as warm as possible and to create a safe environment. Dustin gently climbed over Steve and settled against the wall of his bedroom gently pulling his comforter over Steve and him. He pressed his nose to above Steve’s ear whispering it’s gonna be okay. He noticed that Steve was breathing in short gasps and trying to grasp at his bandaged wound, almost clawing at it. He carefully lifted Steve’s hand into his and laced his fingers through his. He called Steve softly so that he didn’t spook him. Steve did have some minor panic attacks, the whole party did from time to time. However, this was the worst Dustin had seen. Steve was mumbling and tears had gathered in his eyes. He was shaking uncontrollably and his gaze seemed to stare way past in the distance where not even Dustin could reach him. Dustin did the only thing he thought to do in that moment and angled his lips to press tenderly against Steve’s dry, soft ones.
Warmth and tenderness pulled Steve from the nightmare he was relieving. Pulling him away from the asphyxiation and feeling fangs digging into his flesh, eating him. Chapped lips nipped at his bottom lip making him mewl in surprise and a solid weight grounding him brought him back to the present. His fingers clenched to the front of Dustin’s shirt and Steve melted against him. The tension left his shoulders and for the first time in a while he felt loved and protected. He could not remember the last time he had felt that. He whimpered against Dustin’s lips and left a slight gap for him to deepen the kiss.Dustin slowly licked into him gently sucking on his tongue. It sent a spark down Steve’s spine and it was intoxicating. All that aside he was confused as to how it got him here, kissing his best friend. He felt his chest tighten from something he couldn’t quite bring himself to name. Scared to ruin his one relationship that meant more to him than anything else. Dustin pulled away from him their lips making a soft smack from breaking apart. It has Steve gasping softly. Above him Dustin was staring at him with a reflection of emotion he could no longer avoid..