found out (steli)

"You can't tell anyone. Anyone or you're toast, you hear me?"

There's more panic than malice in his words, for once, although certainly there's more than enough of both. And Eli, for once, seems totally unaffected by his tone. He turns over Steve's stony hand in his own, prodding at his palm and staring starry-eyed at his claws; he presses them back slightly with his fingertips, and seems fascinated by the way they spring back up.

The knot of dread in Steve's stomach coils tighter. Of course of all the people to have exposed himself to it /had/ to be the loudmouthed little weirdo who'll be shouting it all over school, all over the neighborhood, to anyone who'll listen and more.

He thinks of his picture on the local news by the time school's out tomorrow. He thinks he's going to be sick.

Eli's stupid baby face is absolutely giddy looking over the markings up his arm; he isn't sure what he feels about that, beyond a weird little twitch somewhere in his chest. Anxiety, probably.

"Oh man," Eli bubbles, "oh man, just wait until--"

"I mean it," Steve interrupts, his life flashing in front of his eyes. /"Anyone,/ buttsnack, do you understand me?" His voice cracks an octave up, and great, now he's embarrassed on top of everything else.

Eli looks up at him, frowning. He seems to be hearing the fear in Steve's voice for the first time, and he feels a wave of helpless hatred for this whole thing and dumb Eli and himself.

"Just--don't do it," he says. "Okay?"

There's a pause. He's gonna be sick, he's gonna be sick.

"Yeah, okay." Eli looks disappointed, but he pushes his glasses up and nods. He immediately lifts up Steve's arm to peer at his elbow. "Are those spikes? Are they toxic?"

Steve feels a dizzying rush of relief. Eli may be annoying, but at least he's not going to turn him in. Maybe there'll be a way to deal with this mess. He'll just have to humor him for now.

He grimaces and flares out his jaw frills when Eli pokes him in the face. There's that pang of discomfort again, though, and this time he vaguely realizes what it is.

Eli isn't scared of him anymore.