Couldn't Really Tell You
Waking up in his bed, soft, comfy bed covered in a blanket was the last thing he was expecting. Steven frantically reached for his phone, it was the next day, with only one new notification Steven let himself breathe. Looking around, Steven saw that Eddie wasn't in the flat, checking next to himself in the bed before hauling himself out to check the rest of the flat. His heart tightened a little when he saw his flat was empty, it was also freezing cold. He was still wearing his clothes from yesterday, the same jeans and patterned jumper that he was wearing all day yesterday.
Steven had gotten changed in record time when he emerged from the shower, putting on a jumper and joggers, having Saturdays off were a godsend for Steven, Eddie would be off work and they would find something to do most of the time. The flat was colder than it normally should be, worrying that he had forgotten to pay the heating, he looked around at the heaters in the four corners of the flat. Annoyingly they were switched off, just to further feed Steven's worry, Marc hated being cold it was one of the top things he would avoid. Cold water was just above on the list, Steven made sure the heaters were on, even if they would be on a low level until the weather warmed up.
"Marc, did you turn the heaters off?" Steven hated that he even asked, knowing the answer before Marc could even reply.
Marc look at Steven with the look of 'why-are-you-even-asking?', it was his patented look if Steven didn't know any better, "Really, Steven?"
"Sorry for asking," Steven mumbled, "It wasn't me, and it wasn't you, so who would it have been then?" shivers ran up Steven's spine, his thoughts taking over and imaging someone hiding in some random part of the flat waiting to do something.
"Steven, don't spiral," Marc clicked his fingers to make sure that Steven was pulled away from his thought, "no one is in the apartment. It was probably just Eddie," he reassured. Steven couldn't help but think that maybe Marc was right, he could just ask Eddie to clear things up if he really wanted to, "About Eddie," Steven walked away from the small mirror on the wall quicker than anything. Heading straight for the kitchen to make himself some breakfast, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest at the thoughts.
Steven fiddled around with the kettle, filling it up with water to make himself a cup of tea, "There isn't anything to talk about," Steven mumbled, he felt like he was a twelve year old with a crush hiding it from his friends, "He lives across the way, we are friends, end of," it didn't take a mirror or any reflective surface for Steven to know the look written all over Marc's face.
Eddie (08:07):
morning, sweetheart
Steven's heart leapt at the nickname, it had been six months and the feeling never wavered from the first time it accidentally slipped out of Eddie's mouth. Considering how early Eddie had sent Steven the text, Steven assumed he would be busy for most of the day, biting back the disappointment gathering in his stomach.
Steven (09:56):
Morning!!!
OK, this is a little weird... but did you turn off my heating by any chance?
Feeling guilty at the question, it held no accusation or anger, but he still couldn't help but feel like he was accusing Eddie of nothing. He clicked off his phone and placed it to one side as he busied himself doing something else in the flat, desperately needing to start reorganising his book collection, it was still on growing and held no system to it anymore. He had gotten through a small section when his phone finally went off, Steven practically leapt over to the other side of the flat to see the response to his earlier text, it was either Eddie or some news about the government screwing over the public again.
Eddie (10:17):
ummm... no, wouldn't touch it if im being honest
Steven (10:17):
Ah, OK, maybe I'm sleepwalking or something.
"OK, now that is weird," Marc piped up, he had been quiet for most of the day, of doing his own things while Steven sat and sorted out his books, "You don't sleep walk either, y'know," Steven wanted to try and argue back, but he knew deep down Marc was right.
"This flat is old, maybe it's just broken," Steven attempted to reason, it was more for himself than anyone. It was pretty pointless, even if he didn't believe it himself, he really just wanted the endless mysteries to take a moment and let him be. And if Marc was being honest he wanted a break, he needed to get his own shit sorted and take some actual time for himself, Layla was giving him space to get his head right and so the she could get her own stuff in order.
"Do you really believe that, buddy?" Marc mumbled, perhaps he was getting bored, he was trying to get his shit together but at the same time he missed the destruction from everything from their life before Cairo.
Unlike Marc, Steven really just wanted to keep his head down and avoid any chaos like Cairo, he loved the adventure and the chance to use all his knowledge on Egyptian Mythology and culture. All the same, after everything that happened in Ammit's Tomb and all the stuff he found out, Steven just realised how much he missed normalcy, "How about, we don't worry until there something to worry about, yeah?" Steven retorted.
Holding up his hands, surrendering his point for the time being, "Alright, I'll let it go for now," Marc replied. Steven learnt about Marc's ability to get bored annoyingly quickly, Steven tried to keep him grounded, telling him to only take local jobs and don't include killing anyone. Most of the time, Marc's hired to scare some stalker or get revenge on someone's somebody. A few times he got involved with something along the lines of taking back some artefacts from a black market shipment, it was a messy fight left with Steven upset and ignoring Marc for the rest of the evening.
Steven (10:20):
Anyways, why are you up and out so early?
Eddie (10:21):
had to pick up a couple refills, also needed to get some proper food for my fridge instead of take out leftovers and needed to pick up some stuff for work
how about you, what are you up to?
Steven (10:21):
Nothing that interesting, just sorting out my books and stuff around the flat
Eddie (10:22):
sounds kinda interesting, if youre around later wanna have some dinner???
Steven (10:21):
Yes, of course I would!!
Steven couldn't help but giggle lightly, even though they had known each other for a few months, it still felt like they had known each other for their whole lives. Steven still hadn't told Eddie about Marc, he was working up to it but just never got round to really saying anything about it. He did want to, he wanted to tell Eddie everything about what he and Marc had been through, why he was here, and everything else in between. Eddie made Steven feel safe, he felt like Eddie would protect him in an situation, that was mainly from the night at the pub. Stacking all his books in order, Steven smiled to himself, to the books, thinking about the warm feeling that resides in his chest when Eddie does... practically anything.
Losing most of the day to sorting out things around his flat, Steven eventually crashed hard by half five just to have Eddie knock on the door a few moments later. Opening the door to he half disheveled looking Eddie, he somehow managed to make it look flawless, in Steven's opinion anyways. He ushered Eddie into his flat, shaking off his coat and placing it down on the back of the desk chair, where he normally would.
Looking Eddie up and down, Steven felt his stomach twist into knots, he quickly turned around to focus on something in his kitchen. Opening up the fridge and pulling out the closest thing he could grab, "Is everything alright?" glancing up from the fridge, half hanging off the door, "You look like you've been through it,"
"Been through what?" Eddie cocked his head in confusion, accompanying Steven in the kitchen.
"Well, you tell me," Steven shrugged.
Eddie pulled out a chopping board and knife from inside on of the cupboards, Steven handed him the vegetables that he randomly grabbed, he knew that he'd need to pull a recipe out of his arse at this point, "It's just been a long day, was sorting out my refills and some woman behind me decided to voice her opinions," he became more aggressive.
Reaching out, Steven gently placed his hand on Eddie's shoulder, "Eddie? Are you sure you're alright?" the knot in his chest went from fluttering to nervous wrecking, he wasn't sure what Eddie's medications were, he never really pried too much, purely letting Eddie tell he when he wanted to. But seeing Eddie like this made Steven want to wrap him into a hug and tell him it was going to be all fine.
"Yeah," Eddie commented dismissively, "nothing I've not already dealt with before," Steven let go of Eddie's shoulder, moving around the kitchen and pulling out a pan to place on the stove. Close to figuring out what he was going to make for the both of them, but his train of through was interrupted by Eddie's problems from the day.
"That doesn't make it OK," Steven said lightly, he didn't want to push Eddie too much.
"Yeah, no, I know," Eddie tensed, he placed the knife down to reset his thoughts, if he was going to talk about it maybe it wasn't the best doing so while holding a knife in someone else's kitchen, "It just sucks, that's all, I thought it had stopped bothering me but given how I reacted... it still does," Steven kept quiet, "Anyways, how was organising your ton of books?" Eddie looked happy, but he was the furthest thing from it.
Later that day, Eddie and Steven were sat back on the sofa, just mindlessly talking about nothing. Eddie was talking about his life back in San Francisco, Steven had noticed he doesn't really talk about his life up until when he moved to California, even though he wanted to find out why, like most things about Eddie, he just kept all his questions to himself. He read a lot of Eddie's articles from the past few years, Marc had dug a little deeper into Eddie's life against Steven's will, one night when he was killing time waiting for some people to show up, Marc looked into who Eddie Brock was.
Scrolling through articles he wasn't paying any attention to, Marc came across some information about Eddie that he kept from Steven. Born in New York, Eddie left his home the second he got the chance, moving across the country to become a journalist. Marc's large amount of trust issues, mixed in with a little bit of paranoia and topped off with his mercenary skills, he managed to find the basic information on the random American bloke who moved across the way. Marc knew he shouldn't have done that, he also knew that if he dug any deeper it would have felt a little weird.
"Did you find out what went on with you heating?" Eddie asked, leaning over to the coffee table, grabbing a biscuit out of the box Steven had picked up from the kitchen after they had finished their dinner.
Steven shook his head, "No, but this flat is fairly old, so maybe it's just failing. I'll get someone to fix it," he pointed towards Marc.
Marc sighed, "Steven, I've told you before, I don't know how to fix the heating," as much as Steven wanted to retaliate with the 'Made in the Royal Navy' campaign advert, as he has done on a fair few occasions in the past, he pushed it away, "And if you quote that fucking 'Royal Navy' thing again, I swear to god, Steven," hiding his smirk behind a fake cough, Steven got a biscuit for himself from the tin.
"Honestly, you are such a better neighbour than my old one, all I got out of him was shitty night sleeps," Eddie said casually, picking at his thumb nail. This wasn't one of his nervous tics, this was more of his lost in thought or conversation thing.
"Am I? Why's that?" Steven questioned.
Eddie leant forward slightly, "Have I not told you about him?"
"Not that I can remember," Steven said, shaking his head.
Laughing to himself, Eddie ran his nail along his bottom thinking back to the good old days of loud music at eleven o'clock at night just as he was about to work or go to sleep, "So, there was this guy who lived across the hall from me, he was in a band I think or just played guitar," Steven nodded, "So every night, same time everyday, he would start playing his music real loud just as I'm about to go to bed or start some work,"
"Oh my god, that's horrible," Steven chuckled along with Eddie.
"It was, it was so bad. But, um, but my friend they..." Eddie scratched the back of his neck, "lets just say they talked to him and eventually stopped,"
"What did they say?" Steven leant forward.
"Um, not sure," Eddie fibbed, "Never really told me what it was. But it got him to stop so I wasn't going to raise any questions,"