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softsnzstuff · 2 years

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Metal Doesn’t Take A Sick Day

Fandom: Stranger Things, Rockstar AU

Summary: Corroded Coffin is on their first ever National tour when Eddie gets sick, but he doesn’t want to disappoint the fans. What will he do??

Notes: Added kink!steve for funsies, so MINORS DNI

Also extra visuals added at the bottom for you 🤍 (Thanks Julien for turning my shitty Snapchat edits into legit looking ones)

Word count: ~ 11.7k

*****

October 10th

They’d been on the road for a little over a week now. Corroded Coffin had just kicked off their first ever National tour, the Welcome to Hellfire Tour. Things had kicked off in none other than Austin, Texas - the music capital.

Over the last week they had made their way through New Orleans, Miami, Atlanta and Charlotte. Today they were in Baltimore.

Usually their shows were in the evening with meet and greets beforehand. Here, however, they were playing an afternoon show as part of a concert series, and we’re doing their meet and greet after the fact.

When they’d finished with their set, they ran off stage, waving to the screaming fans. Crew hopped on to strike their things and set up for the next band that was coming on.

“This shit feels so surreal.” Jeff noted as they walked down the backstage corridor to the room where the meet and greet was being held.

“It’s just hard to believe this many people listen to our music.” Tim added.

“Eat it up boys, this is only the beginning.” Eddie slapped a hand on their shoulders and grabbed a towel from Gareth to wipe his face.

Their manager, Zoey, was waiting outside the closed doors with Steve.

“Great show, babe.” Steve pulled Eddie into a hug and kissed his cheek.

“There’s a line of about 150 people waiting in there for their photos with you boys. It’s completely at your discretion if you want to do poses or hugs or handshakes.” Zoey started. “And I’ve asked them to be respectful of your choices. Health and safety is the first priority always.”

The boys nodded. They were used to her schpeel by now. They were thankful for her thoughtfulness, but they could recite it by heart and it had only been a week.

“Thanks Zoey. First ever tour though. We aren’t going to say no to them.” Eddie smiled, “Ready boys?”

They nodded as he opened the door and poked just his head in. There was a sudden wave of screams. Eddie shut the door and looked at the guys, laughing. He opened the door - all the way this time - and they all walked in, waving at the line of fans. Their phones were out and they were screaming.

Zoey showed them to the spot they’d be standing in front of a professional photographer. There were already volunteers ready to help assist with line movement. The boy at the front ushered the first group of people to come forward.

“Oh my god hi!!” One of the girls said to them.

Eddie put on his fangirl impression, “Oh my god hi!!!” He mimicked, laughing. “Come here love, what’s your name?”

He pulled her into a hug as she stuttered, “M.. Megan. And this is my mom and brother, Jeremy.”

The older boy was trying to play it cool, nodding at them as he approached.

“What up, Jeremy? Thanks for coming out.”

The boys gathered around the two kids and their mom as they smiled for a photo. The camera flashed and Megan gave the rest of the guys hugs.

“Thank you so much!!” She yelled as she ran off.

The volunteer boy moved the next group forward. Things moved like this for about half an hour. Smoothly and efficiently, groups were ushered in. The boys talked to them for a minute, giving hugs or shaking hands and posing.

Zoey watched intently. She smiled seeing how excited the fans would get. Steve was next to her, watching as well. She glanced at her phone momentarily to check on arrangements for their next two stops in Newark and Philly.

A loud and sick-sounding sneeze sent hers and Steve’s heads shooting up again. She scanned the room, quickly landing on the culprit - a girl in her late teens/early twenties. She was in all black, clearly in her “edgy” phase.

A germaphobe herself, Zoey locked eyes on this girl, hoping she wouldn’t get too close to the boys. By the way Steve had stared, she imagined he felt the same way.

The girl wiped her nose on her fishnet gloves, stepping forward. She was next up in line to have her photo taken. Zoey pretended to look back down at her phone, but glanced back up when the girl moved forward at her turn.

“Hi Eddie bear!” She said, trying to make a move. She made a stride forward in her Doc Martens, putting one hand on his chest and using the other hand to reach under his chin and squeeze his cheeks.

Eddie laughed uncomfortably, glancing at the guys. “hey, what’s your name?”

The girl sniffled loudly, “Don’t you worry about that. You can just call me, Baby.”

The other three guys took a half step backwards inconspicuously. Eddie swallowed hard and went to put his arm around her shoulder for the photo. The girl slipped her arm around his waist, making Steve squirm seeing how uncomfortable Eddie was with the unwanted contact.

After the photo was snapped, Eddie put both hands in his pockets to avoid a hug. He nodded at her, “Nice meeting you.”

“Back at ya, Sexy.” Before he could move away, she was kissing his cheek and winking at him while she strode away with absolute confidence.

Eddie’s jaw was on the floor in absolute shock, the guys laughing nervously behind him. Zoey sighed deeply and made an apologetic glance at Eddie, who just shrugged it off.

The volunteer ushered the next group forward - a mom and son duo who immediately apologized for the girl prior.

“It’s fine. She’s just a kid. Doesn’t know any better I guess.” He rolled his eyes. “Anyways, buddy, what’s your name?”

---

October 12th

Yesterday’s show in Newark had gone on without a hitch. They’d gone to sleep feeling energized about the rest of the tour, and by morning the bus was driving through Philly.

Tim was the first one up and dressed, followed by Jeff, Gareth, and Steve. They were all snacking on variations of bagels, cereal or fruit.

“Morning Steve. Where’s Eddie?” Tim asked.

Steve looked confused, running a hand through his sleep ruffled hair, “Thought he was with you, no?”

Jeff shook his head, “Maybe he’s in the bathroom?”

“isshEW! tsch’uhew! H’iKSHhew!”

Steve froze where he stood and turned around. Eddie was walking towards them, rubbing the sleeve of his flannel underneath his nose.

“Bless you.” The guys murmured between bites of food.

Steve pecked a kiss on Eddie’s cheek as the older man grabbed a prepackaged muffin from the tour bus cabinet.

Eddie flopped into the booth with the rest of the guys as he took a bite out of his muffin. “What are we doing today?”

“You’ve got about five hours or so before we should start heading to the venue.” Steve noted, having discussed with Zoey the night prior.

“Let’s do a ghost tour!!” Gareth suggested. “I heard they have a couple that run in the daytime.”

“Sounds good to me.” Eddie said, the others nodding in agreement.

“We should be there in another half hour?” Steve added.

Once the tour bus had parked in the back of the venue, the guys separated to get ready for the day. Eddie pulled on some black jeans and the forest green flannel from earlier. He sniffled against the back of his wrist as he hopped off the bus with Steve, waiting for the rest.

Though it was overcast and cold, the sun hit Eddie just the right way to send a tickle buzzing through his nose. He twisted away from Steve and doubled over, hands on his knees as he sneezed openly toward the ground.

“ehh’KSHhiew! Hiht’shUH! Heh’iKSHew! snlorf”

Steve looked on as Eddie misted the ground beneath him. He swallowed, cheeks bright red. Bringing himself back to reality, Steve stepped forward and rubbed a hand on Eddie’s back as he straightened out again.

“Bless you! Are you okay? You seem extra… sniffly today.”

“snfsnff, I’m okay. Just a tickle or something.”

Gareth came running out of the bus followed by Jeff and Tim. “Alright fuckers, let’s do this!”

The ghost tour was mostly downtown where the historic buildings were. It wasn’t scary the way it would have been if they got to go at night, but a portion of the tour did go underground. It was echoey, cold and a little bit damp as the tour guide led them through the tunnels and recounted the dark history they’d seen.

The tour guide was in the middle of talking about what the tunnels were primarily used for when the familiar tickle came back with a Vengence.

Not wanting to interrupt or make a scene, Eddie ducked into the collar of his flannel, head bobbing with the near silent sneezes.

“H’xxT! NxxT! snf H’nxxT!!”

Steve almost wouldn’t have noticed if it weren’t for the watery sniffles that punctuated the tour every few minutes afterwards.

“Okay Eddie?” Jeff asked over his shoulder.

“Yeah man, it’s just snff cold in here is all.”

The tour itself was about two hours long. Of course the boys spent a good thirty minutes messing around in the gift shop afterwards before they grabbed some lunch and walked around.

They were always limited when it came to doing touristy things. They were only at these stops for a few hours, after all. The day flew by much faster than anticipated and they had to get back to the venue quite quickly.

“Oh good, you’re back!” Zoey exclaimed when the five of them rolled in through the back door. “The meet and greet is ready to go. Afterwards you’ll do sound check and then have about 45 minutes to get ready for the show.”

Familiar with the drill, the boys headed into the meet and greet area. They were greeted by the smiling faces of a ton of fans and their parents or chaperones.

“GARETH I LOVE YOU!!” Screamed one girl who was wearing a tee shirt that said ‘I’m With the Drummer’.

Gareth winked at her and followed the guys to their photo station.

When the volunteer told the first girl she could approach, she stayed still, smiling at Eddie hugely. He matched her energy, smiling back and opening up his arms. She ran over and gave him a huge hug.

“Hi! Thanks for coming out. What’s your name?”

“Heather! I love you so much oh my god. TIM! Your jacket is so fierce!”

“Thanks sweetheart!” Tim reached out to fist bump her.

They snapped a photo with her and the next group came forward. This one was a group of two best friends.

“Hi!!! Can we pose like this?” The older of the two girls held up her phone.

The guys gathered around looking at it. “Absolutely!”

They all lined up, and then Eddie leaned over and jumped slightly so that they were all lifting him up horizontally. He did finger guns at the camera and everyone smiled.

Tim helped Eddie down as they all took turns high fiving the girls.

“Thanks for coming out, you two. Enjoy the show!”

They were spending more time with each person today, so the meet and greet ended up taking about an hour and a half. When the last person had left they headed to the stage for sound check.

Eddie coughed lightly into his shoulder as he stood at the mic. “My voice feels a little scratchy today, I’m sorry.”

The strain in his voice was barely noticeable unless you knew him well, but nevertheless it was there.

“Alright Eddie, can you do just a few bars for us?” One of the AV Techs asked.

Eddie nodded. He sniffled and then cleared his throat, singing the chorus from Midnight Masochist. When the tech gave him the thumbs up he stopped and cleared his throat again as they moved on to Jeff.

When he left the stage, Steve was waiting with a bottle of water.

“Here babe, this’ll help your voice.”

“Thanks Steve.” Eddie smiled as he took the water bottle and cracked open the cap and took a sip.

Steve watched on as Eddie’s nose twitched. Bringing the water bottle down he twisted to the side.

“IxxtCHU! H’ngtCHEW! HeKSHhew! snFF excuse me.”

“Bless you! You sure you feel alright?” Steve looked at Eddie with a touch of concern and a hint of lust.

“Mmhmm.”

Steve stared skeptically at the damp rings around Eddie’s nostrils. Embarrassed, the man swiped at them.

“You’d tell me if you didn’t feel good right?” Steve asked.

Eddie nodded again, “You’ll be the first to know don’t worry.

---

The show that night was fine. The Philly crowd definitely goes harder than they had expected. Eddie’s voice still felt a little strained but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. By the time they’d come off stage and showered, he was wiped. Being in pajama pants and a tee shirt was possibly the best feeling ever.

The next two days were jam packed because they were in New York City for two nights. Anticipating the slammed schedules, they’d all retired to their bunks pretty soon after getting on the bus.

Each bunk had a curtain that could be drawn for privacy, the lights were all off except the little LEDs that lit up the floor path.

Eddie thought once his head hit the pillow he’d fall asleep, but he soon realized that being horizontal was not the best thing for him. Once laying down, his nose started buzzing. He knew the guys were trying to fall asleep so he wanted to stay quiet.

“Nxxt! IxxT!! H’NxxT! snfSnfff”

“Bless you.” Came a faint mumble from Gareth.

“Thehh thanks.” Eddie whispered back. The stifling had done nothing to alleviate the tickle. “HEH‘isshu! EKSHhew! HitsZIEW!”

“Bless you.” The four others mumbled again.

“Thank you…sorry.” Eddie mumbled.

He managed to keep his nose under control long enough to fall asleep at least for two or three hours. When he woke up again, it was to an unrelenting tickle in his throat.

He tapped his phone, the bright screen reading ‘2:33am’. Well fuck. He could tell everyone was sleeping by the rhythmic snoring patterns.

He coughed once, and then three times with his mouth closed, trying to be quiet. It wasn’t working. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe in and out slowly and deeply, breath quivering.

On one particular breath in, the tickle caught in his throat and sent him coughing harshly out loud. He brought his hands up to his mouth to try and muffle the sounds, but the snoring pattern had broke and he heard the sound of sheets moving as his bandmates stirred in their sleep.

He drew back his privacy curtain and padded to the bathroom, closing the door behind him before he turned on the light. He looked in the mirror and was met with a paler version of himself. He looked terrible.

He turned on the faucet and upped his hands, taking little sips of water from the sink, coughing as gently as he could.

After a few minutes of breathing, he took one last sip of water and washed his hands before returning to his bunk and falling into another restless sleep.

---

October 13th

The following morning was like deja vu. Tim had cooked eggs, sausages and some toast for everyone. The guys were in the booth seat at the front of the bus, eating at the table. Steve had some orange juice in front of him and Jeff had some fruit too.

They all heard Eddie before they saw him - a hoarse cough into the jacket sleeve that was pulled over his hand.

Steve took in his boyfriends appearance. He had dark circles under his eyes, the pale skin making his freckles stand out more than usual. His nose was pink and nostrils damp.

“Geez man, you look like shit.” Jeff commented.

“Sound like shit too, kept me up all night with your coughing.” Gareth teased.

“snfsnff sorry. I think hehh think I’m h’EKSHuhew! TzzIEW! H’iSHHew! SNF coming down with something…”

“I think you’ve already caught it.” Steve frowned.

“Ughh…” Eddie sat down in the booth next to Steve, grabbing a napkin and blowing his nose.

Steve squeezed his legs together, trying not to show how turned on he was. He wrapped an arm around Eddie, rubbing his arm and pushed his glass of juice towards the guitarist.

“Sounds like you need this more than me.”

Eddie leaned his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand, sipping at the juice.

“Are you gonna be good for the interview today? We’re gonna be there in like an hour.” Tim asked.

Eddie coughed into his fist, “I’ll be fine. Just need a minute.”

The guys nodded as they all got up from the table to get dressed for Good Morning America. Steve turned to Eddie now that they were alone.

“Poor guy. Your nose is so pink.” He reached out and booped the tip of Eddie’s nose.

“Fuhhck Steve… H’eKSHh! Isshew! Haht’SHEW!”

“Aw sorry baby. You’re so sensitive…” he pulled Eddie closer.

“It just tihhhckles HEH’iKSSHh! Fuck.”

Eddie sneezed down towards his lap and wiped his nose on the jacket sleeve. Steve felt his face get hot as he squeezed Eddie’s shoulder.

“I gotta go get ready. I’ll be back.” Eddie groaned and stood up to go change into something nicer.

When they arrived at the Times Square studio, they were dressed a little nicer. Eddie had a clean tee shirt with jeans and a blazer. Jeff had a polo shirt, Gareth was in a printed button down and Tim had a nice shirt and a tie.

One of the crew ladies helped mic them up and touched up their faces for the camera. “Okay so the hosts will introduce you and then you can go ahead and enter through here.”

The guys nodded and got ready, standing by the alcove as the hosts started the introduction.

“Joining us today is one of our favorite bands. They’re partway through their first ever Welcome to Hellfire Tour. We have Tim, Jeff, Gareth, and Eddie. Put your hands together for Corroded Coffin!!”

The guys walked on, waving at the studio audience, Eddie clasping his hands together and bowing at them in appreciation.

One by one, the guys shook the hands of the hosts and took a seat. Eddie leaned in to them, “I’d shake your hand but I have a cold right now.”

When they were all seated, the interview began.

“The fans have been waiting all morning. Thank you for being here today. Especially since, Eddie, we hear you aren’t feeling well?”

“I woke up with a bit of a cold this morning, yeah.” He answered.

The audience awww’ed in sympathy and Eddie just shrugged. “We roll with the punches. It’s fine.”

“We’re sorry to hear that. This is your first ever tour. How does it measure up to what you were expecting?”

“Gosh, I mean I think it’s blown all of us away?” Eddie looked to the guys.

Tim took over, “Yeah! We had no idea the turnout would be so incredible, and meeting all the fans has really been the best part of all of this.”

“Any particular stops you’re looking forward to?”

“I know Gareth here is looking forward to Vegas, but I think for all of us, the Homecoming show will be a big deal. That’ll be at the very end of the tour in mid-December.” Jeff smiled.

“Yeah, we were nobody’s in high school. Will be kind of cool to come back and play for the friends we did have.” Eddie added.

“Do you have a favorite moment so far?”

“Yeah! I hehh H’NxxT! IxxTCHU! HeKSHsh!” Eddie turned to the side, covering his nose and mouth with his wrist.

“Bless you!”

“Sorry in advance. He’ll probably do that several more times.” Gareth joked. Eddie elbowed him in the side.

“I think my favorite moment so far was snf when we performed Deadly Daydreams live at the first show … snf… and H’iSHuhEW! ikt’CHEW! SNF H’ATssiew! Christ, sorry.”

“Bless you again! That’s some cold you’ve got!”

Off stage, Steve bit his lip, trying not to think about how hot it was watching Eddie struggle through this interview.

“Ugh, so sorry. The first time we played Deadly Daydreams live, the audience brought out the phone flashlights and it looked like we were in space. Super surreal.” Eddie finished.

Jeff had reached over and patted Eddie’s shoulder. “It was really freaking awesome.”

“That must be such an amazing feeling! Why do you think so many people are connecting with your music?”

“You know,” Gareth started, “I think there’s a lot of reasons. A lot of our songs come from a place of feeling misunderstood and I think a lot of people can relate to that.”

“Gareth nailed it,” Eddie’s nose twitched, “We were outsiders for such a long time. I guess other people feel the same way?…H’itchUH!”

“Bless you! Last question before we go to break - do you think you’ll do another tour after this?”

“Oh absolutely!” Tim exclaimed.

“100% we would love to. Just have to get used to the wear and tear if the road I guess.” Eddie sniffled against his wrist.

The hosts laughed. “We’re going to go to a quick commercial break, but when we come back, Corroded Coffin is going to perform one of the songs off their latest album!”

The cameras panned away and a countdown timer appeared for four minutes. The stage just to the right of the interview room was already set up, lights dimmed with blue aura.

Eddie had just enough time to switch out his blazer for a leather jacket. He took a sip of water and grabbed a tissue from the box Steve was holding offstage, blowing it gently.

“Thanks Steve.” He called as he jogged back to the stage.

He cleared his throat as the timer counted down from five. The hosts resuming their spot from before.

“Welcome back to Good Morning America! We’re joined by Corroded Coffin on their first North American tour. They’re here today to perform Midnight Masochist.”

The camera panned over to the stage as Eddie started the opening chords on his guitar, Gareth joining in shortly after in drums.

The crowd was excited, jumping up and down and grooving with the beat.

When the performance was over the guys said their thank you’s and goodbye’s to the hosts and waved to to the crowd on the way out.

---

Eddie was on the couch backstage rubbing his eyes. Steve sat on the edge of the couch and patted his thigh.

“How ya feeling rockstar?”

Eddie groaned, “Ngggg not great. Throat hurts. Head hurts. Snf my nose is just so tickly…”

“Poor guy. You wanna get some of those sneezes out before your meet and greet?”

Eddie sniffed wetly. “Yeah but… What do you mean? I can’t just sneeze on command Stevie.”

Steve leaned forward kissing Eddie’s forehead. “I know. I’ll help.”

The younger man kissed the tip of Eddie’s nose, lingering a little longer than normal, already feeling it twitch.

“Hissshoo! Ehtssiew! TschEW!”

“Did that help?” Steve asked, trying not to give himself away.

“Yeah but snfsnff still tickles…”

Steve traced his finger down the bridge of Eddie’s nose, tracing the rim of his already damp nostrils. He felt Eddie’s nose flare against his hand.

“IK’tchEW! HaSHHew! Etchoo!… hih… H’eKSHuhew!”

“Bless you, Eds. Is that better?” Steve handed him a tissue from the table.

Eddie nodded, blowing his nose. There was a knock on the door before Zoey entered.

“They’re almost ready to start the meet and greet, Eddie.”

Eddie nodded, tissue still pressed to his nose. He stood up, pocketing the tissue and walked with Steve over to the back room where it was being held.

“Hey everyone!” He called out to the fans that were in line. They slowly stopped talking. “I’ve got a cold, so I won’t be doing any handshakes tonight. Just wanted to warn you in advance!”

“WE LOVE YOU EDDIE!!!” Someone in the back of the line screamed.

Eddie chuckled and blew a kiss. “Love you guys too!”

The meet and greet went as expected. The other guys have fist bumps or high fives, while Eddie tried not to. That being said, a ton of fans still wanted to give him hugs and do poses for pictures. He felt a little bit guilty, but he did warn them.

---

When Eddie came off stage after the show, he looked absolutely drained. He was paler than before and his voice was even more strained.

“You look like death warmed over. Let’s get you to the hotel and into bed.”

Eddie leaned against Steve, nodding in tired agreement. Since they were doing two nights in New York, Zoey had put them up in a hotel.

Eddie showered and all but collapsed into the bed. Steve showered after him, and when he got out, Eddie was already snoring. The younger man toweled off his hair and smiled softly, knowing some sleep should do him some good.

---

October 14th

Despite the roughly ten hours of sleep he got, Eddie woke up feeling worse than the day before. His cough was more productive; deep and settled in his chest.

“Oof, I don’t like the sound of that babe.” Steve rubbed a hand on Eddie’s back as the man sat on the edge of the bed coughing.

“ih’aKSHuhew!” Eddie punctuated the end of his coughing fit with a rather wet sneeze. “Ugh. Doesn’t feel too great either…”

“Want me to go get you a tea from the coffee shop?” Steve offered. He was already dressed in jeans and a nice sweater.

“I’ll, *ahem* I’ll come with you. Need some fresh air.”

Eddie pulled on his own jeans and threw a hoodie on over his long sleeve. The great thing about Manhattan was that you could throw a rock in any direction and almost certainly hit a Dunkin Donuts or a Starbucks.

Eddie and Steve settled on the latter since they had the good sick tea that Eddie liked. As they stood in line, Eddie leaned against Steve, the younger man holding him tight at the waist.

At one point, Eddie felt his breath hitch. He turned away from the other customers in line, which happened to mean towards Steve. Anticipating what was about to happen, Steve held Eddie’s head against his own chest as the older man attempted to stifle into the sleeve of his jacket.

“NxxT! H’xxT! IxxTCHEW!”

Eddie pulled back from Steve’s chest, wiping at the small damp spot he had left. “Snfff sorry Steve.”

Steve was more than okay with it, but didn’t want to tell that to Eddie. All he managed to choke out was, “S’okay Eds. Bless you.”

When it was their turn, the girl at the counter was finishing writing something on a cup. Sensing the customer presence, she spoke cheerily as she wrote.

“Welcome to Starbucks what can I get for you toda- oh my god.”

She dropped the pen as she looked up and locked eyes with Eddie.

“Oh my god,” she said again. She switched to a whisper, “Eddie Munson?? In my Starbucks???? I’m coming to your show later tonight!”

“What a small world! Thanks for supporting us! What’s your name, love?”

“It’s uh… it’s Kaitlyn.” She pointed at her name tag awkwardly. “I can’t believe you’re in my store. My friend and I spent months saving tip money to come see you and now you’re here???”

“You got a napkin and a pen I could use?” Eddie asked.

Kaitlyn handed him one and Eddie started scribbling on it. He handed the napkin back to Kaitlyn.

Let them in Johnny. You owe me one. - E.M.

“It doesn’t look like much but bring this to the scary looking bald guy outside VIP and he’ll let you in. He owes me a favor anyways.” Eddie winked at her.

“Oh my god!! Thank you so much??!! What can I get started for you?”

“Steve probably wants a cold brew, but can I get one of those magic sick teas that you guys make?”

“Absolutely!” Kaitlyn picked up two venti cups and started scribbling on them. “You’re not getting sick are you?”

“Eh, think I already am unfortunately. Can’t seem to shake this stupid cold.” He clocked the girls nervous look, “But you’re absolutely saving my life with this tea!”

“I hope you feel better! And thank you for this!” She clutched the napkin close to her chest.

“Thank you for this tea!” Eddie and Steve grabbed their drinks from the other side of the counter from the boy preparing the drinks. “See you at the show, Kaitlyn!”

---

The show that night went pretty well. Eddie opted for more acoustic covers that preserved his voice.

“Sorry guys, I’m a little sick still, but uh Kaitlyn from Starbucks practically healed me with her magic tea. Kaitlyn if you’re out there, thank you!”

The crowd cheered, especially loud in one section. A group of girls were pointing and jumping up and down. Eddie smiled and waved, “Hi Kaitlyn!!”

Post-show they had an interview on one of the late night talk shows. Eddie felt a little self conscious appearing as haggard as he did. Coming down from the high of a show, mixed with his already worsening cold - he could only imagine how run down he looked.

Thankfully, Steve was there, waiting off stage with cough drops and tissues. They performed one of their songs, which did nothing to help his sore throat, and also played a fun game that the host had prepared beforehand. It was fun, but Eddie was more than happy to sleep on the tour bus as soon as the show went off air.

---

October 15th

For the most part, Providence was great! When Eddie woke up, his head felt a little less foggy and he felt about 60% better than the day before. He was still a little bit congested with a slight cough, but he figured that was to be expected - and overall, not anything he couldn’t handle.

As soon as they had come back to the tour bus post-show, there was a text message from Nancy in the group chat they all had.

Nancy (11:21pm)

How did the show go? We’ve been watching your interviews on all the talk shows, Superstar!

Eddie (11:36pm)

Oh cool so you’ve seen me sneezing my head off in every interview then! 🙃 Show tonight was fine. Providence knows how to rock.

Nancy (11:37pm)

It’s not toooo noticeable you’re sick idk

Robin (11:38pm)

She’s being generous there, but it’s not too bad. How do you feel?

Steve (11:40pm)

He certainly looks a lot better today!

Eddie (11:42pm)

Oh thanks Stevie….

Steve (11:42pm)

That’s not what I meant…

Eddie (11:43pm)

Seriously though, I feel better. Might finally be starting to shake this stupid cold???

Robin (11:45pm)

Don’t jinx it Dingus!

---

October 16th

Eddie’s usually pretty good at acknowledging his mistakes, and if he had to pinpoint this one, it was almost definitely Boston.

In his defense, he really did feel better in Providence! It was only an hour drive to Boston, and Zoey had put them up in a hotel for that night.

She and the rest of the boys stopped by the room around 8am the next morning, ready to start the day. Steve opened the door, a frown plastered on his face.

“You look tired, man.” Jeff commented on Steve’s appearance.

The brunette leaned heavy on the doorframe, “Yeah. Was up all night with Eddie. He’s-”

“it’chiew! H’eKSHew! Snf HAKSHhuh!”

“-worse today…” Steve finished.

“Aw crap. I thought he said he was feeling better?” Gareth pondered.

“He was! He sort of got hit with a second wave in the middle of the night. You guys can come in and see him.”

Steve stepped aside so the gang could enter, sitting on various chairs from around the hotel room. Eddie was lying in bed, propped up against two pillows. The sleeves of his hoodie functioned like gloves as he blew his nose.

“Sorry guys. I really thought I was doing better.” He coughed heavily into the crook of his arm, making Tim wince.

He looked and sounded terrible, congestion rounding the consonants of his already tired voice.

“It’s okay dude, we just want you to feel better. Maybe you should rest here today instead of exploring with us.”

“Already plhehh planning on it.. H’iKSHhew! Isshew! TsCHSH!”

“Bless you.” Came several replies.

“I’m gonna stay here with him today.” Steve mentioned, “I think he’s got a fever but I can’t really tell.”

Zoey frowned at that statement. “I’m going to call the hotel doctor. See if he can come by this afternoon and see what’s going on.”

Eddie wanted to protest and argue that he didn’t need a doctor to come look at him, but he was too tired and just nodded.

“Geez dude. Well… order some room service soup or something and try and rest yeah?”

Eddie nodded again, rubbing his nose with the heel of his hand. As the band and Zoey let themselves out, Steve crawled into the bed and sat upright next to Eddie. He let the older man lay his head on his chest.

“Don’t feel good Stevie…” he mumbled.

“I know Eds I’m sorry.”

They’d only been laying like that for thirty minutes or so before Eddie spontaneously inhaled a huge breath.

“Heh-issshew! H’igTCH’uh! H’eKSH,ikshh!”

Each uncovered sneeze from Eddie sent a new pattern of sickly spray across Steve’s chest, leaving little damp spots on his shirt. He was immensely thankful Eddie’s eyes were closed or else he would’ve seen his cock twitch in his pants.

“Oh fuck! I’b so sorry Steve!” Eddie sounded like he wanted to cry from embarrassment.

“Hey hey it’s okay! Don’t worry about it. I’m here to be your pillow and catch your sneezes okay?”

“But your shirt…” Eddie whimpered.

“Here, how about this then?” Steve got up and walked to the bathroom, returning with a hand towel and another box of tissues.

He got back into the bed and draped the towel over his chest, placing Eddie’s head gently where it was before.

“There. Now my shirt is safe and I can still take care of you. Can you blow for me?” Steve asked holding a tissue to his partners nose.

Eddie stared up at him confused, but nodded reluctantly. Blowing gently, Steve pinched away any mess and tossed the tissue to the side, letting Eddie rest.

Steves phone pinged loudly from the bedside table. The brunette picked it up and looked at the notification. It was a text from Zoey:

Zoey (9:26 am)

Hotel Doctor is available today and will be there around 11am.

Steve quickly shot a text back.

Steve (9:30am)

Sounds good. We’ll be here. Will let you know what he says.

It didn’t take long for Eddie to fall into a light sleep, congested snores acting as white noise for Steve. The younger man scrolled on his phone and texted Robin and Nancy in the group chat while his boyfriend slept.

Around 10:45, Steve decided it was time to wake Eddie. He was still sound asleep across Steve’s chest. A small trail of mess leaked out of his nostril and had dropped onto the towel Steve had laid out.

He reached out with his right arm and rubbed Eddie’s shoulder. “Hey Ed’s. It’s time to wake up.”

He groaned and shifted slightly before his breath started to hitch threateningly. With his free hand, Steve pulled up the end of the towel and used it to cover Eddie’s mouth.

“AtchUMPF! H’mpTSH! eh’TSHiew!”

Steve handed the towel over to Eddie, as he sat up, wiping his nose.

“Wha’time sit?”

“Almost 11. The doctor should be here any minute”

Knock knock knock

“Speak of the devil…” Steve smirked at Eddie as he got up to open the door.

“Hi, you must be Steve.” The man reached out to shake Steve’s hand.

“Yes, thanks for coming on such short notice. Come on in.”

The man was tall and slender, wearing a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He had a small satchel with him as he entered.

“Mister Munson, pleasure to meet you. Sorry it’s under these circumstances. I’m Doctor Johnson.”

“Eddie, please.”

“So tell me what’s been going on, Eddie.”

Eddie coughed into his elbow, “Ughh. Caught this stupid cold almost a week ago. Felt better yesterday but now I feel like I got hit by a bus.”

Doctor Johnson nodded, “Can you elaborate a little bit?”

Eddie nodded but held a finger up as he twisted away. “iKTCHew! eh’tssiew! H’aKSHhew!”

“Bless you! So congestion and sneezing are definitely symptoms.”

Steve nodded profusely from aside. “snff yeah. Um I woke up with this headache in the back of my head but it’s slowly moving to the front? A cough and uh I'm just really tired.”

Doctor Johnson observed as Eddie wiped his nose on his hoodie sleeve. “Are you feeling cold Eddie?”

Eddie looked confused for a moment, like he hadn’t considered. “Um yeah I guess.”

“Alright Eddie, I think I know what’s going on here but I’m going to do a quick exam to make sure. I’m going to start with looking in your ears and throat.”

He pulled out an otoscope from his satchel and turned the device on.

“Open please.”

Eddie stuck his tongue out and opened his mouth as Doctor Johnson shined the light towards the singer’s throat. He switched out the plastic tips and moved to Eddie’s ears, looking inside.

“And open one more time.”

This time it was the tip of a plastic thermometer that went under his tongue. While they waited, Doctor Johnson inserted the earpieces of his stethoscope and held the end to Eddie’s back while he breathed.

“Good news! Lungs sound clear.” Doctor Johnson commented lightheartedly as the thermometer beeped.

He slipped the device out and gave it a quick glance. “99.4°. A little high, but certainly nothing to be concerned about. I’m thinking it’s your basic flu. I’d recommend a couple days of rest, lots of fluid, and you can take some acetaminophen for the fever or aches if needed.”

Eddie looked defeated. “Shit. Thanks Doc.”

“My pleasure! Get some rest!”

Steve showed the Doctor out before returning to Eddie’s side in bed. “Do you want me to tell Zoey to cancel the show tonight?”

Eddie’s eyes shot open, “Are you crazy?? No! Why would you do that??” His voice was panicked, but not harsh.

“Eddie. You heard Doctor Johnson. You’ve got the flu. He said you should rest for a few days.”

“No! There’s … H’igsshEW! … no way we’re postponing the tour, Steve.”

Eddie pulled out his phone and started tapping away. A minute later, Steve received a notification about a new post from Eddie.

Well, hotel Doctor officially says it’s the flu…I’ll be damned if you think that means I’m postponing the Welcome to Hellfire Tour though. As long as you don’t mind my incessant nose blowing or coughing breaks, I’m ready to rock! 🤘🏻🤧🤒

Steve read the caption and shot Eddie a frustrated look. Eddie shrugged and then tossed his phone aside as he lay back down.

The younger man pulled out his own phone again and shot Zoey a text that read:

Steve (11:21)

The verdict is in. Eddie’s got the flu. Doctor recommended a few days’ rest, but Eddie’s got other plans… check Instagram 🙄

Jeff (11:23)

Why does he have to be so god damn stubborn all the time?

Zoey (11:24)

Order him some soup. Get him as rested as possible before tonight…

Tim (11:30)

Worse comes to worst, we can cover him with some vocals if he ends up wanting to just play guitar.

Gareth (11:32)

Doubt he’ll go for that but the offer is there.

Steve rolled his eyes and put in an order for room service lunch for the two of them. He knew that after this show, they had to immediately head to the airport to catch a red eye.

They had to fly out to LA to continue the second leg of the tour on the West Coast, where another tour bus was waiting for them. It was bad enough Eddie was sick, but adding a show and a red eye? He was in for a long night.

---

Despite what he would have believed, the room service soho did nothing to help Eddie’s sinuses or headache. He was starting to regret the decision to keep playing the shows, but it was too late now to admit it.

The meet and greet, Eddie figured, was probably one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. He was usually so energetic, charismatic, and willing to do fun poses with fans. Tonight, he just hoped his smile looked somewhat genuine.

Only halfway through the line, his nose started to tickle more than it had in the last thirty minutes.

“Eddie!! I love you!” A girl screamed as she ran towards him.

“One second…” he turned away from her, bringing an elbow to his nose. “H’itshHEW! Isshew! Heh’eKSHhew!”

“Bless you!” She exclaimed as she gave all the guys a hug.

“Thanks.” Eddie made space for her in the picture as they smiled at the camera.

“Thanks so much for coming.” Tim smiled at her as she ran off.

The next girl, about 25 came bounding up to them. She held up a small pile of fabric.

“Hi, I made you all some shirts. I hope you don’t mind! It’s an original design!!”

“Wow, that’s so cool!” Eddie exclaimed, excitedly but sapped of energy.

Gareth unfolded his and held it up, wiggling his eyebrows. It was a baseball tee that said “Corroded Coffin” with bats. On the back was a graphic of all the boys coming out of an open coffin. Scribbled at the top we’re the words “Welcome to Hellfire North American Tour”.

“This is so sick, thank you so much!” Jeff’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Can we give you a hug? What’s your name?”

The girl gave them huge hugs as she squealed, “I’m Lauren!”

“And you’ve got one on as well!” Tim pointed out.

“Yeah! We will be the only five that have one!”

The guys gathered around her, holding up their shirts as they raised the rock n roll hand to the camera. It flashed as the moment was captured in time.

“Thank you guys so much! Have a great show!!!” She jumped up and down as she started to leave.

“Hey thank you so much for these.” Eddie looked her in the eye with a firm hand on her shoulder.

She beamed up at him and nodded, running off afterwards.

“She was sweet.” Tim commented, but Eddie wasn’t listening. He was already turned around again.

“IngxxTCH! igKSHiew! NgtCHUH! snfsnff.”

“Bless-” Gareth started but was cut off, Eddie doubling over, holding onto his knees for support.

“iKTSCHew! HuSSHoo! H’eKSHhiew! Fuck!”

Eddie sniffled soupily, coughing as congestion caught in his throat. Steves heart skipped a beat, half from worry and half from lust.

“You okay Eds?” Jeff had a steady hand on his friends back.

“Ughh I just.. H’eKSH! Isshiew! Tschew! … dam’bit. I ndeed a m’binute.”

Back of his wrist still pressed firmly to his nose to prevent any leakage, he rushed out grumpily, double doors closing behind him. Steve decided to intervene and speed walked after him.

“Eddie! Hey, talk to me!”

Eddie stopped in his tracks and leaned his back against the hallway wall, slowly letting himself sink to the floor.

“Here.” Steve knelt down, pulling a travel pack of tissues from his back pocket.

Eddie took a handful, finally moving his wrist as he gurgled into the tissues. He set the used ones down in the floor next to him and took a couple more, blowing again.

“Feel better?” Steve asked sympathetically.

“No.” Eddie whined. He could be a little prickly when sick, but he just sounded frustrated. “I feel like complete shit Steve. I can’t even do a fucking meet and greet without sneezing like crazy! How am I gonna do a whole show!?”

“Do you want me to tell them to stop?” Steve asked, unsure of how to help.

“Maybe just the meet and greet. I just want to sit with you for a few minutes before the show.”

“Okay.” Steve said. He stood up and poked his head out the double doors, signaling to Zoey with a gesture of a hand by his neck.

She nodded to Steve and stepped forward to make her announcement to the remaining fifty people in line.

“Alright everyone, unfortunately Eddie isn’t feeling well and will miss the rest of the meet and greet. I’m so sorry!”

---

Eddie was his own harshest critic and would probably be the first to tell you that the October 16th show was “mediocre at best”.

Red and blue lights flashed behind them while Gareth pounded on the kick drum.

“So some of you probably heard… I have the fucking flu.” Eddie’s words echoed in the arena and he spoke into the mic.

The crowd flooded with “awww”s or booing at the illness.

“I uh,” he turned to the side to cough, “Snf, I feel pretty shitty but I’m hoping we can get through this together. Are you ready to rock, Boston??”

The crowd cheered.

“I can’t fucking hear you! I said are you ready to rock?” The shouting was really straining his voice.

He winced slightly as the crowd roared back. “Alright guys this first song is called The Forest.”

He coughed into his shoulder again as he started to strum the strings on his guitar for the intro to the song.

Every couple of songs he’d have to pause, letting the other guys entertain the crowd while he walked off to the side to blow his nose. Thankfully there was only once time that he couldn’t stop coughing and had to get some water offstage for a minute or two.

By the end of the show, he was tired, sweaty, and too congested to function properly.

“Thank you Boston!” He shouted as best he could, having to cough into his elbow before waving and exiting the stage.

They had time for a quick shower backstage before Zoey had to start ushering them to the van that was waiting out back.

“Sorry boys, we have a flight to catch! Your things are already inside and the West Coast your bus is waiting!”

Inside the van, Eddie rested his head against Steve’s shoulder, eyes closed as he fell in and out of sleep. Steve felt guilty having to wake him up when they arrived 40 minutes later, but it had to be done.

“Alright, tickets everyone!” Zoey was like a mother of five as she handed out plane tickets to each individual.

They checked their bags and made it to the TSA line with no issue.

“Alright sir, step through.”

Eddie followed the instructions and stepped onto the yellow footprints inside the scanning tube. He placed his hands above his head, mimicking the diagram in front of him. The scanner of the tube slid from left to right quickly.

“Alright you can step out. Anything in your pockets sir?” The gentleman asked, noting the alarm spot in the scan.

“Oh shit uhhh..” Eddie dig into his sweatpants pockets and pulled out a handful of used tissues. “Just these, sorry.”

The security guard chuckled. “It’s alright man, there’s a trash can over there. Have a good night.”

The rest of the guys chuckled at the scene, Eddie flipping them the bird as he grabbed his bag and shoes off the conveyer belt.

“Okay! About an hour and a half until boarding. Snacks and sit?” Zoey suggested.

Gareth nodded, slapping Tim and Jeff in the arm so that they would follow him to the Hudson News store for snacks. Zoey walked off to a small seating area, Eddie following sluggishly behind her.

“Eds, want anything?” Steve asked, stopping where he was following the guys.

“No.” Eddie shook his head and sulked off with Zoey. Poor guy looked absolutely miserable.

Steve raided the Hudson News. He grabbed some Tylenol, waters, a small bottle of NyQuil, cough drops and Reese’s cups - Eddie’s favorite. He paid for the items and grabbed the small plastic bag, walking back to meet up with Zoey and Eddie.

When he got there, Eddie was crumpled in a ball taking up two seats, Zoey tapping away at her phone and glancing over every few minutes with worry.

Steve had considered waking Eddie, but decided against it, instead opting to talk with Zoey and the guys until it was almost time to board.

Eddie roused conveniently about twenty minutes to boarding. He looked at Steve with fever glazed eyes. The younger man was unwrapping the plastic from the bottle of NyQuil.

“Hey Eddie, take some of this for me okay?” He handed Eddie a small plastic cup with the green liquid.

“Okay…” he coughed again before taking the cup and knocking it back.

“Good boy.” Steve kissed him on the head.

---

Eddie pulled on his hoodie before they boarded the plane. It was still so surreal for them to be flying first class, but in this moment, he was thankful for the extra leg room and his seat next to Steve.

Steve had feared the worst earlier that afternoon and it didn’t take long for the fears to manifest. He’d hoped Eddie could sleep, but once they’d hit cruising altitude, he was just uncomfortable. His ears ached, the air was dry, his nose was stuffy but tickly at the same time.

Eddie had been sniffling periodically throughout the flight, but an hour or so in, he started fidgeting and rubbing his nose more aggressively.

“Hey babe, be gentle.” Steve tried to pull Eddie’s hands away from his face.

“…tickles.” Eddie groaned.

Steve felt himself tense slightly. Suddenly, Eddie brought his sleeved hand up to his mouth.

“NxxT! IxxTch! N’gtch!”

“Bless you!” Steve rubbed some small circles on Eddie’s back and pulled him in closer, biting his lip.

“Thank- ig’tchuh! TsCH! IxxT!”

Several watery sniffles punctuated the silence of the airplane, nothing but the hum of the engine to listen to.

“Ow…” Eddie held his ear. One of them had popped from stifling the sneezes.

“Just let them out Eddie…”

Eddie shook his head no aggressively and pulled the hood of his jacket on.

“Why not? I know the tickle is bothering you.”

“Don’t want people to look at me.” Eddie whispered.

Steve looked up and saw that several other passengers were staring probably in annoyance or disgust. They averted their eyes as soon as they locked with Steve’s.

“Hey, then look at me instead.” Steve placed his hands on Eddie’s shoulder and pivoted the older man to be facing him, hood still over his head. Steve grabbed a few tissues in preparation.

“Hehh Steve I’m gonna…”

Steve wasn’t aware, but he licked his lips as Eddie tilted his head back. His eyes fluttered shut as his reddened nostrils flared.

He pitched forward, hands hovering a good six inches from his face as he sneezed openly towards his and Steve’s lap.

“NG’tchUH! HeKSHhiew! Tsschew!… ihKSHT!”

The last sneeze sent twin trails of mess down onto Eddie’s lips as he flushed with embarrassment.

“Bless you, babe! You even threw in an extra one for me.” Steve wiped away the mess on Eddie’s lips and then leaned in for a kiss.

“Steve you’re gonna get sick.” Eddie flopped his forehead onto Steve’s shoulder as he sniffled pathetically.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Steve kissed the top of Eddie’s hair and pulled him into a side hug. “Try and sleep the rest of the flight if you can okay? NyQuil should kick in soon.

---

October 17th

The flight landed in LA sometime around 4am Pacific time. Zoey had put them in a hotel again for this first night since the West Coast tour bus was still being prepped.

Everyone was in bed by 5:30am and trying to sleep before the wake up call at 9am for the 11am interview sessions.

9am rolled around much faster than anyone would have liked, especially Eddie. The alarm was snoozed probably three times before he finally sat up, congestion shifting immediately.

“H’atsCHh! eKSHhew! Haessshuh!” The sneezes scraped his throat as they came tumbling out. Eddie sniffled thickly as Steve emerged from the bathroom.

“Bless you, geez. You sound awful Eddie.”

“I…” he coughed into his elbow, “I feel pretty awful too.”

His voice cracked, raspy and strained. He noted the bright flush on Eddie’s cheeks and walked closer, feeling his forehead and then his cheeks.

“You’re burning up Eds. I’m going to text Zoey.”

“But I- okay.” Eddie flopped back onto the pillows, accepting defeat.

Steve (9:47)

Eddie’s out for interviews today. He’s got a fever and his cough sounds worse.

Jeff (9:52)

Shit okay… we’ll be right there.

“How you feeling man?” Gareth asked Eddie as he walked into the room with everyone following.

“Like shit, man.” Eddie rasped, coughing again.

“Yeah. Absolutely no interviews for you today. How do you feel about the show, Eddie?”

“I’m thinking I’ll *ahem* try if I can. Or maybe the guys can sing and I’ll just play Guitar. I feel bad though because that’s not the show people paid to see.”

“I think they’ll understand whichever way you go.” Steve muttered.

“I know I know, it’s just fucking disappointing. I’ll try and rest up today? See if I’ll be good by tonight?”

Everyone nodded silently, Zoey making arrangements on her phone.

“Let me just update the fans.” Gareth mentioned, pulling out his phone. “Everyone’s worried about you, killer.”

He posted a picture of Eddie in bed, with the caption:

Hey Los Angeles, @eddiethebanished is pretty sick right now. He’s missing some interviews this morning and is going to rest all day. We aren’t sure yet if he’ll be able to play tonight’s show. HE really wants to, but of course, sickness is out of his control. Thanks for hanging tight while we figure this out. Stay tuned for updates on the show! 🤘🏻Corroded Coffin x

“Okay. I’ll take the guys to do press. When we’re done I’ll check back in about the show. Does that sound okay?”

Eddie have a thumbs up, trying to save his voice.

“Alright Steve. Take care of our boy while we’re gone.” Tim pointed at Steve.

Steve nodded, “Tea and soup is already on its way.”

---

When press was done for the day, the guys dialed up Eddie on Zoey’s phone. They put it on speaker so they could all hear him.

There was some coughing on the other end of the line before Eddie spoke. “H’llo?”

“Hey Eddie, feeling any better?”

“Eh, about the same I guess.”

“You thinking you want to cancel the show tonight?” Jeff addressed the elephant in the room.

“I want to do the show.” Eddie rasped.

the guys and Zoey could hear Steve whispering in the background.

“Eddie are you sure?” Steve whispered.

“I want to do it. I’ll just bring lots of water and Gatorade on stage. It’ll be fine.”

There was a hesitant pause from everyone in the group.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll skip the meet and greet because I’m probably contagious but I want to try the show.”

“Alright. We’ll cover you if you need it, just let us know.”

---

The front of the stage was lined with three water bottles and two bottles of blue Gatorade for Eddie. He downed one of the bottles of water within the first three songs.

“Thanks for sticking this out with me guys. This bug… iKSHew! H’etCHiew! N’TCHew! … this bug is nasty but I’m glad you’ll still let me play for you. I’m sorry it’s not the Corroded Coffin experience you were expecting…”

“We love you Eddie!!!” The crowd screamed.

Eddie gave a weak smile and wiped some sweat from his forehead.

The video that was circulating all over Twitter was Eddie leaning against the microphone stand, coughing after Deadly Daydreams. Everyone had something to say about that night’s show.

‘Poor Eddie. Such a trooper continuing with the LA show tonight.’

‘Eddie having to lean against the microphone is the softest thing ever. I just want to wrap him up and take him home…’

“Sorry guys I need to lay down for a minute.” Eddie sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the stage. “This next one is our newest single - Boy With A Bat.”

Eddie leaned backwards, laying on the stage, legs still hanging off the edge. As the guys started playing music, Eddie brought the mic up to his face to sing.

Everyone knew Boy With a Bat was about Steve. Even though he was laying down, Eddie tried to be in the moment. He closed his eyes when he started the song and when he opened them again, a ton of phone lights lit up the arena like a thousand stars.

The final note of the song was high. Certainly not out of range for Eddie, but with this flu and his already strained voice, it came out more like a rasp that made him cough.

He sat up, coughing heavily. He reached for one of the Gatorade bottles and took a sip. He picked up the microphone again and held it to his mouth.

“Can we show some love for the guys coming in to sanitize this mic when I’m done with it? Geez…”

The crowd went nuts, cheering and laughing. He didn’t think he could ever get used to this - the fans knowing his music and laughing at his terrible jokes - he was so grateful.

Towards the end of the show during a water break, Gareth looked to Eddie and mouthed, “Encore?”

Eddie shook his head No and the guys nodded in agreement.

“Alright guys this is our last song tonight. Thank you for rocking with us! We love you!”

---

When the show was over and the guys were showered, they piled into the new West Coast tour bus. This one was bigger than the last one, giving Eddie and Steve a bed to share in the very back room.

Steve was already waiting in the bedroom when Eddie all but collapsed into his arms.

“Hey babe. Great show.” Steve ran a hand through Eddie’s hair. “You feel really warm Eddie…”

“Hnnnnnnnng…” he just groaned in response, already falling asleep.

His limbs felt heavy against Steve’s torso. The younger man set his phone aside and pulled a blanket over his legs and Eddie.

---

Throughout the night, Eddie would toss and turn, coughing a deep cough that was worrying Steve. He realized Eddie was sweating sometime around 3am.

Steve got up to grab a wet washcloth and sat next to Eddie, wiping his brow while he slipped in and out of a fevered sleep. Even his dreams took a nasty turn.

‘You’ll never be anything if you take days off Eddie.’ The words were cold and came from his Uncle Wayne. This was so unlike him to say that.

‘You’re letting down all of the fans. They paid to see US. What about our dreams Eddie???’

That voice came from Gareth, his best friend from childhood.

‘Why are you even coming to do a show in Hawkins anyways?’ Chrissy this time, ‘No one wants to see you, freak.’

‘Why are you so obsessed with me? I hung out with you because I felt bad.’ Oh no. This one was Steve.

Why were his loved ones saying these things? He didn’t understand. He was just sick. He could fix it. He could be the man they wanted him to be. He just didn’t feel good right now….

Eddie was whimpering, his brow furrowed and his muscles tense. Steve didn’t know what Eddie was having nightmares about. All he knew was that morning couldn’t come soon enough.

---

October 18th

Jeff, Gareth and Tim were in the tour bus “kitchen” talking when the sun came up. Jeff was sitting at the booth eating some cereal while Gareth was leaned against the counter with a bagel. Tim was next to Gareth, prepping some food.

“Anyone else kinda worried about Eddie?” Tim asked in a hushed voice. Steve and Eddie were still in the bedroom at the back of the bus.

The guys nodded. “He’s just nonstop. Every interview, meet and greet, show. He wants to be there…” Jeff added.

“I mean shit, are you surprised?” Gareth asked, “We’ve known him since forever. He never wants to let anyone down, especially fans.”

“And we love him for it, but I feel like he should take a day. Or three…” Jeff frowned slightly, glancing at the closed door.

Suddenly, the door opened and a tired and concerned looking Steve emerged. His hair was ruffled from sleep and he rubbed at his eyes. They could hear Eddie coughing from the bedroom.

Steve looked up to see the three other men staring at him. “Good morning?” He offered.

“Sorry! Morning.” Tim said, snapping himself out of it.

“I’m just making Eddie some soup.” Steve grabbed a small pot from the cupboard and a can of Campbells chicken noodle that he’d picked up the other day.

He opened the van and dumped out the contents, adding a little bit of water and heating it up. The guys were silent, shooting one another these knowing looks, willing one of them to say something but no one seemed to want to.

They were finally saved when Eddie emerged, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He was paler than before, nose pink and hair messy.

“Steve?” He rasped.

Steve turned around and rushed over to him, “What is it? Why aren’t you in bed?”

“Wanted some more water.”

Eddie started to cough, bringing the blanket up to cover his mouth. It was a chesty barking cough that sounded just as painful as it probably was.

Steve rubbed his back lovingly, “Eddie you can just text me. I’ll bring you whatever you need.”

Eddie nodded and turned his attention to his bandmates. “Think m’out tonight, boys. I feel sehh so H’aKSHh! itCHEW! snfsnff heh’ITSHH!! Fuck! I feel so shit.”

Eddie sniffled soupily and then coughed some more into his blanket.

Gareth had a grimace plastered on his face, “That cough does not sound fun bro. Definitely think we should cancel tonight.”

Jeff and Tim nodded, also taken aback by how much sicker the guitarist seemed to have gotten overnight.

“I’b sorry. Really did’t wadda cancel but I’ve got n’do voice and n’do energy to play.”

“Don’t sweat it dude, we just want you to feel better.” Tim added.

“I’ll text Zoey.” Steve said, setting down the spoon he was stirring the soup with, “I think you need to see another doctor, Eds.”

“We’ll be in San Francisco really soon. You can eat your soup and get dressed. We’ll swing by an urgent care or something.”

Eddie nodded and sulked back off to the bedroom, Steve following behind with Eddie’s bowl of soup in one hand and his phone in the other, sending a message to Zoey.

---

Less than an hour later, Steve and Eddie were at an urgent care clinic. Steve was sitting in the waiting room in his tee and bomber jacket, Eddie in sweats leaning up against him with a mask on.

“For Mr.Munson?” A young nurse poked her head out of the previously closed door.

Steve helped Eddie up and they followed her back. She took Eddie’s weight and then had him sit in a chair.

“Can you take one arm out of your jacket?” She asked.

Eddie pulled his right arm out and slipped it under the torso part of the hoodie. She wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm, clipping the pulse monitor to his left forefinger.

“Open up for me please.”

Eddie opened, lifting his tongue as she slid the plastic covered tube into his mouth. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall while he waited.

There was a beep and she slid the thermometer out. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a fever, Mr.Munson. This is reading at 101.7”.

Steve frowned as the girl took off the monitor and blood pressure cuff. Eddie put his jacket back on normally and followed her back into an exam room. Steve sat down in one of the chairs in the corner, while Eddie sat on the bed.

“Tell me a little more about what brings you in today.” The girl asked, preparing to type into her computer.

“Ummb… I’ve been sick for like a week now? I lost m’by voice, can’t stop coughing, still kind of sdeezy.”

The girl tapped away at the keyboard. “Any chest pain or shortness of breath?”

“N’do pain, just tight sometimes.”

The girl nodded, “Okay, I’ll let the doctor know and she’ll be in to see you shortly.”

Steve smiled at her and nodded as she left the exam room, closing the door softly behind her. Eddie lay back, resting on the bed, the thin paper crinkling underneath him.

“How you feeling Ed’s?”

“Like shit Steve.”

A few minutes later there was a gentle knock on the door before a tall brunette woman walked in, her hair in a high ponytail.

“Hi, Eddie was it? Nice to meet you. I hear you’re feeling pretty crummy?”

Eddie sat up and nodded, “Yeah. Hoping you can fix me up good.”

“Would you mind taking off your sweatshirt for a moment? I want to listen to your lungs.”

Eddie nodded and pulled off his sweatshirt, shivering slightly as the air hit him. The doctor slipped the earpieces in and placed the main part on his back, over his shirt.

“Deep breaths for me Eddie.”

Eddie nodded, breathing in and out. On the third breath in, it snagged in his throat and he pitched forward coughing wetly into his mask.

After he’d stopped coughing, she took the earpieces out and dangled the stethoscope around her neck.

“So this is sounding to me like you might’ve developed a chest infection like bronchitis. I can give you some meds that might help you feel better, but ultimately it’s lots of rest, water, and tea.”

Eddie groaned and sniffled to himself, “Thank you.”

The woman nodded after washing her hands, heading out the exam room door. “Good luck with the rest of your tour, Eddie.” She smiled at him as she left.

“Oh my god she’s a fan.” Steve laughed.

“So that’s why she took such good care of m’be.” Eddie joked.

The girl from before came back in, “Mr.Munson? Your script is ready up front and you’re free to go. Have a nice day!”

Eddie hopped down from the table, Steve wrapping his arm tightly around the older man. “Let’s get you your meds and get you back into bed, hmm?”

---

Back on the tour bus, Eddie was laying down, but still propped up with a few pillows in bed. His mind was foggy with fever, but he managed to post to Twitter:

San Francisco, I’m so sorry we had to cancel the show tonight. I’ve been sick as fuck for over a week now and it turned into a gnarly chest infection. Anyone who was at the meet and greets can DM me if you get sick. I’ll send you something. Stay metal (and healthy) 🤘🏻

Steve pushed the door open with his foot, walking in with another box of tissues and a steaming mug.

“Is that for me?” Eddie asked with his big brown eyes.

“Of course it is silly. Hot lemonade with honey.” Steve set down the tissues on the bed next to Eddie and handed over the mug.

Eddie held the ceramic with two hands, trying to catch the escaping heat. He coughed again and took a sip.

“This is so good Stevie, thank you.”

“Of course. Lots more where that came from! Glad you like it.”

“You’re so n’dice for taki’g care of m’be.” Eddie looked up at Steve smiling. Then the corner of his mouth turned into a smirk, “It’s almost like you like m’be when I’b weak.”

Steve flushed bright red, knowing that this was a conversation for another day.

“You’re so stupid.” He laughed it off, “Drink your lemonade!”

---

October 21st

It had been a good several days since Corroded Coffin’s first cancelled show. Now that he was feeling better, he was much more present in the group chat.

Robin (2:28pm)

“Corroded Coffin Cancels First Show - Frontman Eddie Munson Down with Chest Infection”

Holy shit dude are you okay?

Eddie (2:30)

Thanks for the headline Birdie 🙄 Yeah I’m feeling much better since taking my meds. A little congested still but there’s no more green stuff coming out of me…

Nancy (2:33)

TMI EDDIE!!

Steve (2:35)

Don’t tell the girls that dude, gross.

Eddie (2:37)

She asked!!! This is a calculated attack. 😤

Steve (2:38)

Anyways, we’re in Seattle today. Gonna go for an early dinner at the Space Needle before the show tonight!

Robin (2:40pm)

I’m jealous! 😫 I’ve never left this stupid town. Send pics?

Eddie (2:45)

Next tour - Robin opens for us. Done deal.

Robin (2:48)

Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Munson.

Eddie (2:50)

Oh I have every intention of keeping this promise. ;)

Steve (2:52)

We have to get ready for dinner but ttyl

Nancy (2:55)

Ok! Glad you’re feeling better Eddie!!

Eddie (2:57)

Me too! All thanks to Stevie. FaceTime you guys tomorrow??

Robin (2:58)

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As excited as he was for the likely potential of a second tour, including even more of his friends this time, he couldn’t help but cringe just a little at the thought of getting sick that bad again on the next tour.

Next time, he thought, he would pregame with lots of Vitamin C, rest more, and definitely not let fans touch his face anymore.

He set his phone aside and smiled to himself. Now that he was back to his normal self, he was ready to rock the rest of the North American Tour. Corroded Coffin was becoming big and this was only the beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Thank you for reading! Please enjoy these extra visuals:

#s/tranger t/hings #e/ddie m/unson #s/teve h/arrington #co/rroded co/ffin #rockstar au #rockstar!eddie #kb writes #snzblr #steddiesnz #snz kink #illness #coldfucker #fevers

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