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“A what ?” Steve asked, almost dropping the gear he was holding in shock.
“A gay bar,” Eddie answered matter of fact, unaware of his boyfriend’s wide-eyed stare boring into the back of his head.
Steve wasn’t sure he’d heard Eddie correctly when suggested the two go to a gay bar later that night. Even with Eddie’s further clarification, he was still convinced he’d misheard.
“Do they even have one in Hawkins?” Steve questioned, lowering his voice as he noticed Dmitri enter the locker room.
“Have what?” Dmitri asked as he began taking his uniform off and stuffing it messily into his already over-flowing locker.
“Oh, uh..” Steve hesitated, quickly weighing up how honest he was going to be with his colleague. “A gay bar,” he all but whispered.
“Ah yes, well there’s Olly’s down opposite Melvad’s. It is not an official gay bar as such, but that is where everyone goes,” Dmitri was now fully naked, the t-shirt he was holding in his hand the only form of coverage he had, and luckily, it was long enough to maintain most of Dmitri’s modesty.
Steve didn’t think his eyes could bulge any further from his skull, Dmitri’s nakedness the least of his concerns. He looked at Eddie who had paused mid-movement, mouth wide, equally baffled.
How does he know that?
Dmitri head tilted slightly as he glanced between the two men, a confused look on his face. He raised his eyebrows impatiently and sighed heavily.
“My cousin? Ivan?” Dmitri offered, clearly frustrated that Steve and Eddie were still not following. “My gay cousin from Russia? His visit two months ago I told you about?”
Steve looked at Eddie and raised his eyebrow slightly, a conversation had between the two with no words. Before they could answer, the door opened again, Billy entering the room.
“Jesus, Dmitri, I’m getting fucking sick of walking in here and seeing your junk,” he scoffed, covering his eyes with his hands.
“Ah, Billy, you remember my cousin, Ivan? The one I told you about from Russia. The one who took me to a gay bar?” Dmitri had begun dressing at this point, and Steve made a mental note to thank Billy for that later.
“Yeah, you went to Olly’s, right?” Billy’s face was buried in his locker, but his voice was steady, clearly familiar with the story.
“At least someone listens to me, thank you Billy,” Dmitri rolled his eyes and finished pulling his t-shirt over his torso, shaking his head.
Billy pulled his head from his locker, his brow furrowed. “Why are you talking about gay bars anyway?”
“Steve and Eddie are going to one, I think,” Dmitri explained.
“Well, uh, it was just a suggestion,” Steve muttered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“No, we’re going. Tonight. You can come if you want, Billy,” Eddie suggested, shrugging. Steve could tell by Eddie’s body language that he was scared to offer, his hands were wringing, and he’d avoided Billy’s gaze as he asked. He feared being yelled at, berated for assuming Billy would want to go to a club full of gay men.
“Uh, sure,” Billy quickly buried his face in his locker, Steve assumed in an attempt to hide the flush that had started creeping into his cheeks.
Eddie spun his head to meet Steve’s eyes, the surprise on his face evident. Steve met his gaze with a shrug and closed his locker. He needed to get a move on to get ready for his night out.
*****
Nerves and fear had almost had Steve running back through the doors when they arrived. They’d walked in the door to an array of faces, some familiar and some he’d never seen before. It was the familiar ones that scared him the most. He recognized the local pharmacist, whose name he couldn’t recall.
What if he outed him and Eddie?
The thought of the town learning that three of their local firefighters were at a gay bar, two grinding against each other, had Steve’s heart in his throat. It wasn’t until Eddie reached for his hand, taking it in his own and squeezing, that Steve felt like he could move again.
Eddie dragged him to the dance floor, the light from the Disco ball hanging above them catching the glint in Eddie’s eyes. Steve smiled and allowed himself to be moved by his boyfriend, everyone around them now becoming no more than a blur.
The music was vibrating through Steve’s body, his mind incapable of focusing on anything beyond the beat and his boyfriend.
He could feel the heat of Eddie’s body pressed into the back of his own, moving in time to the music. Reaching behind him, he laced his fingers through Eddie’s curls, pulling his head down to nestle in the crook of his neck.
Steve wasn’t sure how long they’d been dancing. The sweat dripping between their bodies was the only indicator of time, mingling together to the point where it wasn’t clear who it belonged to. He wanted to live in this moment forever, he and Eddie lost in each other's presence.
Steve felt a tug on his sleeve and was pulled back to reality, far too suddenly for his liking. Refusing to break the caress of Eddie behind him, Steve craned his neck slightly to see who was trying to get his attention.
Billy stood there awkwardly, shuffling his weight from foot to foot in an attempt to keep in time with the music. Steve couldn’t help but smile at the image, he didn’t think he’d ever seen the man look so out of his comfort zone.
“Do you think we could all go get a drink?” Billy yelled, leaning in so Steve could hear him over the music.
Steve nodded, turning himself in Eddie’s grasp to whisper the suggestion in Eddie’s ear. Eddie bobbed his head in agreement and the trio moved through the jumble of bodies, apologizing in the direction of the occasional make-out sessions they interrupted on their way.
Once they’d reached the bar, Billy gestured for the bartender, ordering drinks for them as Steve and Eddie settled into the bar stools, hands still linked.
“Fuck, it’s busy here tonight,” Billy observed, handing the whiskies in his hands to Steve and Eddie.
“Have you been here before?” Steve asked, sipping on his drink, trying to appear non-interested so he didn’t offend Billy in his assumption.
“Uh, yeah. A few times,” Billy answered, his gaze never leaving his drink.
Even in the dimly lit room, Steve could tell Billy was blushing. He was a little taken aback by Billy’s honesty, the man usually keeping to himself, revealing as little about himself as he could. Steve figured it was down to the alcohol in his hand, Billy had a couple hours of drinking under his belt already while Steve and Eddie were otherwise occupied on the dance floor.
Eddie leant over Steve, intrigued by the conversation and the revelation that Billy, Billy Hargrove, had been to a gay bar before.
The movement had Billy shifting in his seat, Steve could see how uncomfortable the attention was making him.
“That’s cool, this is my first time in a gay bar. I’ve always wanted to go to one, but honestly, I’ve never had the balls,” Steve offered, hoping his admission would help Billy relax. He looked up and smiled at him, taking a sip from his drink and looking towards the crowd.
“It might be the alcohol talking, but I want to dance,” Billy laughed nervously.
“Want me to come with you?” Eddie asked. Steve could tell he was just as determined to make Billy feel comfortable, he wanted him to know he had a safe place in them.
“Nah, that’s ok. You two stay here and be all gross with your PDA,” Billy teased as he put his drink down on the bar and adjusted his shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles. “Plus, looks like I won’t be dancing alone.”
Steve followed Billy’s line of sight, landing on a man standing on the edge of the crowd with his arm outstretched, beckoning Billy.
After this morning, Steve didn’t think he could be shocked anymore that day. But as he watched Billy saunter over to the man, a small drunken stumble on the way, his jaw dropped for the third time.
Billy’s grin disappeared into the crowd, consumed by those around him, with a wink in Steve’s direction.
Steve burst into a fit of laughter, unsure how to react to the scene that just played out in front of him. He felt Eddie laughing beside him, a subtle scoff escaping his lips.
“What the fuck just happened?” Eddie laughed grabbing Steve’s knee dramatically.
“I think Billy just ditched us for an attractive leather-clad man,” Steve responded, placing his hand on Eddie’s chest, tracing his fingers over the exposed skin that was peeking through his shirt.
“I think that just freed us up to head home, big boy,” Eddie winked.
Steve’s stomach flipped, his body reacting immediately to the proposal. He was on his feet within seconds, hand reaching desperately for Eddie’s. With speed and a wealth of determination, Steve made his way to the exit, Eddie in tow.