steddie mianite au - part 1
Sunrise has always felt like the calm before the storm to Eddie. Sure, there were the monsters, but most tended to slink back to caves and anywhere dark before the sun rose. Being up at sunrise meant that there was a high chance that none of the other inhabitants of the island would be awake. It was just Eddie and the sky.
Every morning, just as the sky was lightening, Eddie walks the same loop. From his house on the east side of the island, Eddie walks half of the perimeter of the south side and cuts back across from the west when he’s finished. He’s out for said morning walk, shoes in hand and enjoying the feeling of sand between his toes when he sees a figure lying on the beach. Worried for a moment, (though he’d furiously deny it), that it’s one of the girls, he rushes forward.
It’s not either of the girls, not even close. Lying on his stomach on the sand, face sideways in the opposite direction to Eddie is a man. A stranger, perhaps? He pokes the guy in the back with his bare foot.
Nothing.
Sighing, Eddie puts his shoes down and kneels on the sand because despite what the others say, he cares about people, damn it! He reaches over the prone body and rolls him over by the shoulder. The man’s head flops in Eddie’s direction, allowing him to see the guy’s face. Eddie takes a sharp breath in.
The man is gorgeous. Eddie’s sure he’s a stranger now cause he would have remembered that face. His hair, while stiff from the salt, flops over his forehead and frames his perfect face. He has a spattering of freckles on his face which continue down to his neck. Eddie briefly wonders how far they continue before mentally smacking himself. If this stranger is in the same boat as the rest of them, Eddie refuses to leave him alone. No one deserves to wake up alone in a place they didn’t recognise. Not like Eddie.
So he gets to work, struggling as he drags the stranger up the beach and onto some grass in the shade of a tree. He checks that the man is breathing and presses a finger to his wrist to feel his pulse. It’s there, beating steadily. Eddie breathes a sigh of relief, checking he still had his water flask in his belt, knowing the man would want a drink when he wakes. He places his palm on the guy’s forehead, ensuring he isn’t burning up.
Satisfied that he’s checked all he can, Eddie carefully lifts the stranger’s head up, shifting underneath and crossing his legs, laying the man’s head in his lap. Eddie leans back against the tree trunk, his hands finding the stranger's hair. It’s salty and full of sand as he observed before, dried in stiff peaks. Eddie smooths it out of his face before continuing to run with his fingers through it. He isn’t sure how long he sits there, admiring the stranger’s face while periodically checking his pulse. Eddie’s watching the waves roll in when he feels some movement beneath him. Looking down, he sees the man blinking up at him, eyes squinted against the sun. “Morning, sweetheart.”
The man blinks once more. “Hi,” he croaks out. He’s suddenly hit with a coughing fit. Eddie gently pushes him upright, rubbing his back until the coughs subside. The stranger’s head falls back into Eddie’s lap, who valiantly fights back a blush. Eddie shakes his head, remembering the water flask he’d put away earlier. He opens the top and brings it to the man’s lips, tilting his head up as he drinks. The water must do its job to soothe the stranger’s throat because he pulls back, head going back into Eddie’s lap, and thanks Eddie softly.
Eddie fails not to blush this time. The man’s voice was hot. God, why did it have to be hot? Eddie was already struggling to keep thinking normal thoughts and hearing his voice properly for the first time was not helping.
Oblivious to Eddie’s internal panic, the stranger clears his throat, bringing Eddie back to the problem at hand. He’s still worried that this man is like the rest of them, washed up with no memory of their past. So he decides to test it. “What’s your name?”
He’s quiet for a second. “Steve. It’s Steve.”
Eddie smiles down at him, fingers tingling as the guy, Steve, speaks. “Hi there, Steve.” Everyone else knew their names when they woke, Eddie included. He digs deeper. “How’d you get here?”
This seems to stump Steve, his brow furrowing as he thinks. Eddie expected this. He hadn’t been able to answer that. Still can’t.
Eddie lets Steve think for a little longer, stroking a thumb across Steve’s forehead when the silence stretches on for too long. “It’s ok, you don’t need to answer,” Eddie assures. He goes back to stroking Steve’s hair as the man beneath him hums.
Steve’s eyes slip shut as they sit in silence; the sounds of the early morning birds and the waves breaking on the shore surround them. Eddie’s surprised Steve trusts him. He’s essentially being held in the arms of a stranger. Eddie’s enjoying every moment, so he keeps quiet. It’s Steve who breaks the silence, asking for Eddie’s name.
“Eddie,” he says with a smile, thumb now stroking Steve’s cheek. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
Steve’s eyes flutter open, staring directly into Eddie’s. “Thirsty. And hungry too.”
“I think we can fix that. Anything else?”
“My head hurts,” Steve admits.
“Well,” Eddie says sweetly. “I promise to try and fix that too.”
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