Stomach Pain

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/42245469.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: Gen
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Relationship: Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington
Character: Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley
Additional Tags: Whumptober 2022, Hurt/Comfort, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington
Are Best Friends, Codependent Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington,
Whumptober
Language: English
Series: Part 1 of Whumptober
Stats: Published: 2022-10-08 Words: 388

Stomach Pain
by OneAndOnlyOllie

Summary

Steve feels the consequences of having bats eat his flesh off.

Three weeks.

That’s how long it had been.

Max was still comatose, with Lucas and El perched at her bedside day in and day out.

Dustin’s leg was mostly healed and the swelling on Lucas’s face had gone down.

And Steve was left to pick up the pieces.

Hopper and Joyce had turned to him for a recount of the story, and Steve had told them.

Robin stuck by his side, hand in his. She stayed over most nights and held Steve as he sobbed
himself to sleep.

Max was unresponsive.

El wasn’t talking to anyone.

Lucas hadn’t been home in days.

Dustin was trying to help everyone.

Will was angry.

Mike was pretending everything was okay.

Eddie was dead.

Robin was covered in bruises.

Nancy couldn’t sleep through the night.

And Steve…

Steve was in pain.

Robin was already up and about when he woke up, so he rolled to her side of the bed and stretched.

He quickly regretted it as the web of pain spread out from his stomach to the rest of his body.

He tried to muffle his scream in his pillow, but from the quick footsteps coming up the stairs,
Steve figured he wasn’t successful.

Robin burst in, racing immediately to his side and perching tensely on the edge of the bed.

“Steve–?”

“Hu-hurts,” he curled in on himself, trying to undo whatever caused the pain. “Rob–”

“I’m here.”

He felt her hand squeeze his shoulder.

“What can I do? I can get some ice–”

Steve grabbed her wrist as Robin started to stand. “Don’t– Don’t go–”

Robin sat back down and rubbed slow circles against his back. “Okay, okay. I’ll stay.”

Steve pushed his face further into his pillow, whimpering softly. Robin didn’t move.

“Where does it hurt?”

“Stom… stomach,” Steve mumbled. “Bats.”

“Can I look?” Robin’s hand disappeared from his back.

He nodded tensely.

He trusted Robin.

She wouldn’t make it worse.

At least, not on purpose.

He could feel his shirt being pushed up away from the pain’s origin point, and then heard Robin’s
sharp intake of breath.

“I think you popped a couple of stitches,” She explained. “You’re bleeding.”

“Hurts,” Steve squeezed his eyes shut. “Hurts, Rob.”

“I bet.”

“Please don’t leave, Rob.”

“I won’t.” Her hand cards through his hair. “Try and breathe, Steve. I’ve got you.”

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