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The night was warm in Hawkins, perfect weather for a campfire so that’s what Steve and Billy offered to take the kids out to do.
Well more like Steve offered and Billy was dragged along, but for his boyfriend? Billy was starting to think he would lay down on fucking train tracks for this guy.
It was incredibly strange considering not too long ago Billy had beat the hell out of Steve and now he would die for him. Funny how life works, but to say Billy wasn’t grateful for his boyfriend was definitely a lie. Steve tethered him to the earth.
They had been dating for a couple of months, ever since the Starcourt mall incident everyone had been wary of Billy including Steve, especially Steve. The idea that Billy could hurt any of Steve’s friends, people he considered family, hell no not on his watch. Somehow though Steve provided the normality Billy needed, being the mind flayer’s personal puppet had fucked him up majorly but Steve being there helped. They had started as kinda friends when Steve had decided to let Billy stay the night at his place to lay low for awhile, then kinda friends had turned into friends with benefits. Both of them had trauma, this was just there way of coping and both of them were satisfied with it this way. Billy would sneak over to Steve’s past midnight and stay til the early hours in the morning when he would then leave for work. For awhile things remained fine like that until it was obviously clear there was more going on between them, it had taken a while for either of them to really want to admit it. However finally it had become unignorable and Billy was the one that had thrown it out there.
“Harrington there’s obviously something between us. At this point there’s no fucking avoiding it so..do you wanna go out or something?..”
Billy had cringed at his own words, he was usually a lot more smooth with these types of things. However to his surprise Steve had said okay and that had begun their relationship.
Telling Max and the others had been the weirdest part of it, but to Billy’s shock they seemed to be relatively okay with it. They did promise Billy however that if he hurt Steve there would be hell to pay, but Billy was sure it wouldn’t just be the kids on his ass if he hurt Steve. The wraith of Nancy Wheeler and Robin Buckley loomed in the back of his mind, along with of course the chief of police, Joyce Byers(who he had promptly gained massive respect for) and pretty much anyone else who knew Steve. Basically if Billy fucked this up he was going to die.
Billy had the single problem of not being able to say no to Steve, which is why he was now here in the woods towards the end of Golden hour with his boyfriend and at this point seemed to be his adopted children sitting around a campfire. It was a nice night so Steve had thought it would be nice to take everyone out to hang out, normally Billy would have said no to this type of thing but Steve was his weakness. So here he sat on a log one hand laced with Steve’s while the other was roasting a marshmallow.
“Thank you for coming out with us, I know this isn’t exactly what you had in mind for a date..” Steve says with a slight chuckle as he looks over at Billy from the corner of his eye.
“It’s a nice night, sure we’re babysitting but I have you. Not much else I can ask for.” Billy says with a shrug.
Steve smiles at that and pulls their hands up to his lips planting a kiss on the top of Billy’s hand.
“Okay get a room.”
Both Billy and Steve turn to look at Max who’s making a gag face from the other side of the campfire where she’s squished next to Lucas who has begun to stuff his mouth with marshmallows attempting to hold 20 after being dared by Will. Mike had promptly called him a coward after Will had at first said 10 so Lucas had raised the stakes with the promise of a 5 dollar bill. Eleven and Max had meanwhile been watching in disgust while Dustin had been blabbing on the in corner about something, he had stopped after noticing no one had been paying attention and was now sulking.
“Oh yeah what are you my mother- hey would you cut that out? Your going to choke dumbass.” Steve says back in a motherly tone looking over to Lucas who is one marshmallow away from 5 dollars.
“This is serious Steve this tells between whether I’m out lunch money for the next week.” Will replies as he anxiously stares at Lucas who picks up the last marshmallow.
Steve rolls his eyes slightly and stands up, “I’m going to go get more drinks from the car.” He says in a grumble making Billy chuckle. Steve walks over to his car that’s not too far from the campfire and pops open his trunk.
Just as Steve leaves and Lucas goes to push the last marshmallow in his mouth the roaring noise of a car echoes through their ears. Billy stands up at the noise now alert and on defense as a car pulls into view. A couple of guys wearing hoods step out, the kids seem to shrink back a little and scramble up and behind Billy watching anxiously.
“What the fuck do you want assholes?” Billy says in an accusingly aggressive tone, Max nudges him with her foot to get him to calm down as the guys approach them.
“Give us all your valuables, money anything like that!” The figures flip out blades.
Billy grits his teeth and keeps a low tone to hide seething rage that begins to bubble in his stomach, “look man I don’t have anything, it’s just me and these kids okay? No money.” He responds slowly.
“Yeah so you better leave before he beats the shit outta you guys!” Dustin yells from behind Billy.
Billy grumbles for him to shut up in a whispered tone, the last thing he needed was for them to pull a gun on them or something. He looks at Eleven out of the corner of his eye but she makes no movements, she looks and locks eyes with Billy giving him a look that is unreadable. Billy’s just wondering why the guys aren’t on the floor wrenching in pain yet. He had assumed with the first sign of aggression El would have thrown them across the woods like rag dolls yet she just sits silently and observes while Mike pushes her behind him protectively even though Eleven could clearly defend herself.
“Yeah get out of here assholes or you’ll be really sorry!” Max chimes in with cheers from Mike as well as Lucas. The only one who doesn’t is Will who clearly understands the gravity of the situation and nervously fidgets behind the rest of the boys.
“Guys maybe we shouldn’t provoke them..” he anxiously states under his breath in a squeaky tone.
“Real fucking cute don’t you think guys? Well since you don’t have money guess we’re going to have to carve you up huh?” One is the figures proclaims while the others murmur in agreement and start advancing on them.
Billy clenches his fists ready for a fight when all of a sudden a shout echoes through their ears.
“Hey what the hell do you think your doing?!”
The voice brings comfort yet horror into Billy’s body, walking up in all his glory is his boyfriend.
Billy didn’t want Steve anywhere near these guys, knowing Steve’s demeanor he might try to talk it out with the blade wielding fuckers. Instead the look in his eyes is almost scary looking, it’s a look of fiery rage and fury. Steve storms in carrying a bat...with nails? Over his shoulder looking like he was about to kill them all.
The hooded figures with blades seem a bit taken aback but tries not to show fear, they stand their ground sizing Steve up.
“Steve-“ Billy starts under his breath but is cut off.
“Kick their asses Steve!” Dustin cheers still peeking out from behind Billy.
Steve doesn’t respond but narrows his eyes glaring daggers, “I asked you a fucking question or are you too incompetent to answer.” He says in a growled low tone that makes Billy’s heart skip a couple beats. He’s never ever heard Steve talk like that.
“Eh so what are you their fucking savior or something? What’cha gonna do little bitch? Maybe I’ll make an example outta you.” Another hooded figure says approaching Steve with the knife.
“I’m warning you right now..you don’t wanna do this, so leave before this gets ugly..” Steve responds the grip on his bat noticeably tightening.
“Oh yeah? You got real fucking guts-“ before the guy can finish his sentence Steve swings the bat one handed it smacks the guy in the arm causing him to howl in pain and drop his knife, Steve then takes the opportunity to kick him in the stomach sending him stumbling backwards.
Billy just stares mouth almost agape as the kids cheer from behind him, Steve twirls the bat in his hand and takes his other hand and lines it up on the handle, winding up his arm to take a swing he watches them like a predator scouting his prey.
The figures grab their friend who almost looks like he is sobbing from behind his hood holding his arm blood starting to soak his jacket. They look stunned even though you can see their faces.
“Who’s next?” Steve asks in a growl.
“You mother fucker!” Another figure charges at him holding the blade poised attempt to stab him. Steve narrowly avoids him and swinging the bat towards the figure’s leg with force.
The bat comes into contact with his calf making a cracking noise and a wound. The man screams and drops to the ground.
Steve blows a piece of hair from his face and swings the bat over his shoulder looking at them with a steely look in his eyes.
“YOUR FUCKING CRAZY!” The other hooded figures shout retrieving their friend dragging him from under his arms while he shouts yells about his leg.
“You ever attempt to put your hands on my kids, my boyfriend, or anyone ever again I will find you and the next shot will be in each of your fucking skulls. Now get the hell out of here.” Steve shouts as the men load their injured companions into their vehicle and drive away.
The kids run up to Steve cheering and wrapping their arms around him while the older young man tries to calm himself down as he’s riled up, he wraps his arms around them protectively while still holding onto his bat that now has blood on it while Billy stays frozen trying to comprehend what he had just witnessed.
Steve Harrington
Pretty boy dork who scooped ice cream for a living, drives his kids around, and whines to Billy when he wants to cuddle just single handedly took out two men with blades and scared the others off sufficiently.
His Steve
What the fuck just happened?
“Steve that was so badass! You beat the shit outta them!” Will gushes grinning.
“Did you see how they were when you bashed that guy’s leg in?! That was fucking sick!” Dustin jumps up and down flashing a toothless smile.
“Your the best man! I can’t believe I just saw that, so much better than watching Lucas shove marshmallows into his mouth!” Mike agrees.
“I can’t believe you still have that thing!” Max says with a matching grin to wills crossing her arms as she looks at the bat.
“Bitchin” is all Eleven says with a approving smile and a wonder look in her eyes.
Steve feels himself swell with happiness just a bit because these are his kids and seeing them look at him like he’s a superhero, well that’s probably the best feeling in the world, and Steve wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“Yeah yeah let’s just get home before they decide to come back with backup. Hopper is going to kill me.” He mumbles the last part going to extinguish the campfire
Billy is still frozen where he stands just staring at Steve with wide eyes.
The kids are all chatting amiably while they start to head back to Steve’s car, Billy snaps out of his thoughts when he feels a hand in his shoulder.
“Hey you okay?”
He looks up at Steve who is looking at him with a concerned glance. Billy opens his mouth attempting to find his voice.
“Sure” is all he manages to get out of his mouth in the moment, besides the fact that they almost just got robbed and Steve just beat two guys with a bat he can’t ignore the fact that his boyfriend is looking really attractive right now.
He didn’t know Steve could steal his breath away by wielding an object like that and Billy doesn’t know how to function right now.
For once Steve has left Billy absolutely speechless.
…
As they drive back to drop the kids off Billy still finds himself unable to make sentences. The image of Steve looking him up and down holding the bat over his shoulder as he blows a piece of his hair out of his face is still engraved in his mind. Finally Billy finds his words, they come tumbling out of his mouth faster then he can stop them.
“Steve what the fuck was that?!”
He says looking over to his boyfriend who is staring back at the road with a blank expression, he’s gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles are white.
“You guys were in trouble so I stepped in..” he says simply in a calm and quiet tone.
“Yeah I noticed, I've never seen you hold a bat before much less carry one in your car that has fucking nails hammered into it!”
Billy sounds harsher than he meant to, he’s not angry if anything shocked and amazed.
Before Steve can even answer Dustin chimes in from the back.
“Oh yeah Steve’s the best! I’ve seen him take down monsters left and right with nothing but his bat!” He says starting to gush about Steve.
The other kids chime in occasionally too as Dustin starts giving a dramatic summary of Steve fighting demodogs and other monsters of the sort.
Billy blinks trying to take in the information.
Turns out his boyfriend is secretly a bat wielding savior.
Steve is silent the whole time with a small smile on his face however he looks a bit tormented.
By the time they pull up to the house in the woods they’ve already dropped off everyone else except for Eleven, Steve goes to talk to Hopper leaving Billy and Eleven by themselves.
“Why didn't you take care of those guys in the woods?..” billy suddenly asks in the silence.
Eleven doesn’t answer for a moment, then she smiles slightly at Billy before simply saying.
“Steve”
Billy tries to fight the smile that tugs at his lips, the kid who has powers and could literally take out multiple people just by looking at them trusted that his boyfriend would take care of it.
She trusted Steve to keep her and her friends safe.
“You knew he would handle it” Billy says for confirmation.
Eleven nods slowly the smile not leaving her face.
Well Billy can’t argue much with that.
…
Later the pair were lying in Steve’s bed, Billy’s arm draped lazily over Steve’s waist as he was turned the other way.
“Look about earlier..I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the bat, I started carrying it around 1 or 2 years back and I haven’t really felt comfortable without it around-“ Steve starts but Billy cuts him off.
“Why are you apologizing Harrington? You saved our asses..” Billy says raising a slight eyebrow towards him.
Steve plays with Billy’s fingers mindlessly, “I don’t know when we got back in the car you just seemed kinda freaked out by it..” he says quietly in an almost vulnerable soft way.
Billy sighed slightly, “you don’t scare me babe..I was just kinda shocked that I didn’t know my boyfriend was secretly some sort of badass.” He says with a slight grin.
“I’m not that much of a badass Dustin talks me up too much..” Steve grumbles back.
Billy chuckles at that, “seriously though..thank you..those kids, they look up to you like your some sort of god to them. They think your amazing and so do I.” He says softly.
He can tell Steve is smiling without having to look at his face, Steve leans back into him, squeezing his hand.
“Plus your kinda hot with that bat..” Billy says with a smirk.
Steve turns so he’s facing Billy, a playful grin on his face, “Oh yeah?” He asks back in a low and seductive way.
“Don’t let that go too much to your head Harrington..but yeah you look pretty good looking with that bat..” Billy snorts.
Steve touches his forehead to Billy’s, a cheeky grin on his face. “Maybe I should bring that bat out more.” He says teasingly.
Billy lingers close to his lips, “yeah maybe you should.” He says leaning in afterwards to close the gap.
So his boyfriend can wield a bat and beat people up.
Billy Hargrove was definitely not complaining.