Work Text:
From The Other Side
Billy finally gets Steve to go out with him only for the upside down to swallow him whole and the Mind Flyer to take his place. He gets two dates before that thing replaces him. The worst part is, he is connected to the Mind Flyer now, can see what it is doing, the horrors it inflicts. Fear grips him the first time that thing gets close to Steve, he expects this to end just like every other time the Mind Flyer has gotten someone alone.
Only it does not go anything like those times and Billy is not sure that this is better. It is a weird sort of torture being able to see Steve with a copy of himself. There are more dates, between murders and keeping up pretenses, the Mind Flyer likes Steve, wants to keep him. Billy is grateful to not have to watch it offer Steve up to become part of its perfect body, but livid every time it touches Steve, and it touches him a lot.
Billy is a little pissy about Steve not realizing it is not the real him, for not being able to see past the show the Mind Flyer puts on. They hardly knew each other past the rivalry of high school though, and Steve can be very naive about things. He just wants to see the best in people.
Billy is trapped for over a month, and he only finds his escape when Steve disappears while the Mind Flyer is preoccupied with getting El. Finding things in the upside down is a curious thing, Billy just has to focus hard enough and it is like he can hear an echo of what he is looking for leading him down familiar but twisted paths. Billy is looking for Steve when he finds the tear, but Steve is still further away and Billy deems to come back.
Billy follows Steve and his little group around, separated by the veil between worlds, but he just wants to make sure Steve is going to still be in one piece when he comes back through. Billy has to separate from Steve when he hears their less than ideal plan once they have met up with the rest of their group, it is leave Steve or risk being stuck forever. He races back to the tear, he needs to get through it before Hopper and Joyce manage to close the thing.
Billy makes it through the tear while Hopper is fighting against one of the Russian’s, Hopper nearly losing his hold on the man when his eyes catch sight of Billy sprinting by, he has places to be but he pauses. “I’m not the fucking Mind Flyer thing.” Billy is quick to assure hands up, and after a second Hop nods his head towards the door.
“Help Joyce.” Hopper shouts over the mechanical whirring of the machine tearing a whole between this world and the upside down. Billy rushes into the control room to find Joyce trying to get her hand on the other key. Billy stands at the ready to help, the sooner they get this closed the sooner the Mind Flyer is out of the picture, the soon everyone is safe and Steve is all his.
Joyce is crying when a beam of energy separates Hopper from returning to them, they cannot wait any longer, the kids are shouting over the walkie talkie for them to close it. Hopper just nods his head resigned to his fate as Billy and Joyce turn the keys. There is a flash of light as the machine goes full tilt before energy explodes from it, closing the breach and vaporizing anything in its path.
Hopper is not there, and Billy thinks maybe he got out the same way Billy got back, that maybe Hopper was not vaporized, but he cannot be sure, and it does not matter they cannot open it back up. Joyce is openly weeping and Billy has to practically carry her out of there, he doubts sticking around is going to end well for them. Murray meets them on their way to the elevator with several questions that Billy ignores just presses Joyce into his arms instead.
Billy makes a beeline for the lobby looking for Steve, finds him and Max crying over a thing that looks nearly identical to him, only it is starting to melt. “You should probably get away from that thing.” All eyes turn to Billy when he speaks, shocked gasps from most. Billy nearly topples over as he gets an arm full of Max.
“What?” Steve asks confused and staring between Billy and the corpse that is starting to resemble him less and less.
“That wasn’t me, pretty boy, was trapped in the, what do you call it, right, the upside down.” Billy watches Steve as realization hits, parlor going a little green as it registers, Billy can see the how long behind his eyes. “Come here pretty boy.” Billy says shifting a still weeping Max to one arm.
Steve bites his lip approaching with hesitation, stumbling as his foot slips in some of the black goo seeping from the melting body. As soon as he is close enough Billy snatches his wrist and hauls him in against his free side and Steve is crying again, tears seeping into the dirty collar of Billy’s shirt. There is a lot of shouting, and more crying as Joyce tells El that Hopper did not make it and then the government is moving in and Billy is being forced into quarantine.
-
Billy spends an excruciatingly boring month in quarantine, he is not allowed to see anyone but he does get a short bit of phone time each day and most of that he spends on Steve. Who is an awkward mess over the whole thing, and clams up anytime Billy brings up the Mind Flyer.
As soon as he is released Billy is at Steve’s house, and crowding into his space. Billy drags Steve onto the couch with him, Steve’s head pillowed on his chest and Billy is content for a long while to just lay like that.
“So how was dating the Mind Flyer?” Steve goes tense and huffs against Billy’s chest.
“Don’t you already know.” Steve grumbles and Billy can feel his skin heating.
“Yeah but come on pretty boy I’m just curious about your opinion.” Billy smoothes a hand down Steve’s back and the tension starts to seep back out of him.
“Sometimes he creeped me out. I’m not gonna lie.” Steve grumbles, mouth moving against Billy skin.
“You still fucked him." Billy licks over his mouth at the feel of Steve’s lips moving against his skin, he may have been able to see everything the Mind Flyer did but he had not been able to feel it.
"I thought he was you, I didn't exactly have a lot to go on. We had barely started dating before everything!" Steve tries to pull back but Billy’s arms go tight around him keeping them chest to chest.
"Still can't believe you got off on that stuff." Billy's tone is not judgy though, it is teasing. "Not that I'm surprised, always knew you were a bitch."
"Shut up." Steve hisses face flaming brighter with embarrassment and Billy licks over his lips again, wants to see that flush spread out for him, wants to see Steve come apart for him just like he did when he was with the Mind Flyer.
"Come on bambi, know you got off so good when he held you down, when you couldn't get away." Billy rasps, dick hardening just thinking about it.
"I didn't want to get away." Steve huffs that red creeping lower, down his neck, and Billy knows how far it goes but he still wants to see if he can make it go farther.
“Oh I know, you moaned so pretty when he worked you open, cried so pretty when he told you you couldn't come yet." Billy licks at Steve's red neck as he shifts, flipping them over and pressing Steve against the couch letting his weight settle heavy over him. "You begging is a fucking symphony I could listen to forever."
“Well I hope you’re as good as he was or you’ll never hear it again.” Steve’s bratty tone sets heat pricking over Billy’s skin.
Billy grins down at him all intent. “Oh you are in for it now pretty boy, I’m gonna make you scream.” Steve laughs cutting off into a moan as Billy shoves a hand down his pants.
-END