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Eddie stood on the ledge, looking down over the school grounds as the sky grew warmer. It wouldn't fully set for hours, not this late in the summer, but shadows grew longer over the campus, lines cast over the grass from the bleachers looked like a grid. He raised his blunt to his lips, taking a long drag.
"I'm so ready to be out of this place, finally spread my wings!" Eddie exhaled, a grin spreading over his face as he turned around. "God, it feels good to do this on school grounds. Fuck this place, it should have been the school, not the mall. Can't believe they didn't let me walk to get my Diploma."
"Get down, batboy; none of us are going to try to catch your ass if you fall." Billy said, sunglasses hiding his baby blues. "Except maybe Harrington."
They'd brought a cooler up onto the roof, drinks and food, and Eddie supplied the cigarettes and weed. The cops had taken most of his stash, but the cops in Hawkins didn't check everywhere, plus Eddie had happily supplied Hop a few ounces awhile back, the old man looked like he needed it.
"Why did that feel like an insult?" Steve mumbled to himself, arms crossed on his lawn chair. Robin just laughed, glancing over at Billy, who just smirked. It had been.
"You're just so sweet, Stevie. Team Mom, truly. You give Joyce a run for her money, and you're nearly as pretty." Eddie jumped down onto the roof, half dancing over to his seat next to Byers, who snorted. Steve smiled up at him wearily, fully clean shaven for once, since he was trying to find work once more. His hair was a bit longer too, reminding Eddie of the few times he'd seen the guy working at Scoops.
"It will be...weird, that's for sure." Nancy said quietly, her hair pulled back into a messy bun. "Not being in Hawkins anymore... I've barely been outside of the town, let alone Indiana. Now... We'll be hundreds of miles away..."
"Phones still exist, Nance." Jonathan smiled at her, but he knew as well as they did it wasn't the same.
Eddie handed his blunt to Billy, who grabbed it easily, but it was in that moment he could see his eyes. They were, unsurprisingly to Eddie, locked on Steve. He'd never commented on it, but Billy always was very intense, just in general. He'd scared the shit out of Eddie in school. It had mellowed, somewhat, but it seemed stronger when Steve was near. He knew they'd had bad blood before, but hell - they'd fought together, bled together, and they'd done it in style. Eddie remembered being in slight awe watching Steve toss Billy a chainsaw, as he held up a hatchet, waiting to bait a rogue demogorgon. They'd been friendly, usually. But, Billy never really looked far away from Steve.
Eddie had a guess as to why, but they didn't ever talk about it.
But tonight, he thought there was another reason.
Jonathan and his family were moving to Montauk, before Jonathan went to school in upstate New York. Nancy was going to New York. Robin, an art school in Rhode Island. Even the kids were starting to look at colleges as graduation began to loom. Dustin, for his part, already had a stack of early acceptance letters, and he'd just shrugged it off when Steve and Eddie hugged the little shit to congratulate him.
Eddie and Billy had been growing closer as friends or whatever the hell they wanted to call it, usually spending their nights smoking and drinking, now that they were both living in trailers near one another in Forest Grove. It was a tentative friendship between them at first, because initially Billy wanted nothing to do with him. Billy never really had any friends, and most of Eddie's no longer wanted to associate with him, since most of town still thought he was a murderer. Neil Hargrove, had been one of the ones who'd supposedly gone missing when Starcourt fell, and after many long nights, Billy finally admitted he couldn't remember everything that had happened that night; but, he didn't think Neil had been there. He thought he'd done something else to the man, to make him vanish for good. So, guilt and relief eating away at him, he avoided them all.
Billy wanted nothing to do with the supernatural or the Upside Down, at least at first - but, he'd been there to help Eddie when he'd been on the run. He'd not been sure why Billy had been there too, with the others, but he assumed he'd just followed Max and Steve when he thought they was doing something suspicious. Or maybe, some part of Billy wanted revenge for what happened to him. Eddie felt the same way, visions of Chrissy flickering across his mind. Thank God Billy had been there, though, he'd saved all their asses in the Upside Down, more than once.
They'd come to an agreement - to leave Hawkins, together, at least, initially. Billy's camaro was toast, but Eddie still had his van. They'd drive, Eddie playing gigs where he could, and they could sell some of Eddie's supplies with Billy as backup. Billy was currently working as a bouncer, but had aspirations of eventually being a mechanic, apparently he'd been the one to keep his car in pristine order, until its untimely demise. Eddie thought Billy also understood they were similar in ways that made Hawkins not exactly an ideal place to stay long-term.
Which meant, ultimately, Steve Harrington would be the only one left in Hawkins. Hence, Billy's intensity level going from 70% up to about 150%.
"We'll come back to visit everyone, of course." Nancy said, breaking Eddie's train of thought, her big eyes darting to Steve just briefly. She was anything but stupid, though Steve looked unbothered by the original comment. Eddie didn't know if it was just the product of dealing with this Upside Down bullshit for so long, but Steve wasn't prone to getting overly emotional. He'd never seen him cry- hell, Eddie had seen Hargrove cry more than Steve. But Steve?The dude was a rock, even if he looked like Bambi.
"What about you, Steve? Any plans on leaving sometime? You must have gone through most of the girls in Hawkins at the point." Robin said, and Steve grimaced.
"Gross. What's wrong with you?" Steve asked, making a face at the other girl. Nancy similarly looked uncomfortable with the remark. "I've dated like three girls in two years, and not even for that long..."
"Tch. Shame. You're losing it, Harrington." Billy commented, in a more familiar tone between the two, gently teasing until he got a rise out of Steve.
"I actually don't think he's had it since high school, I'm just trying to ease his bruised ego." Robin whispered to Billy, getting an empty solo cup tossed at her from Steve's direction.
"I don't want to hear from anyone blonde anymore, okay? Can't believe you're ganging up on me..." Steve huffed, but there was no malice in his voice. "I don't know, okay? I'm just trying to pay my bills. I guess it would be nice to... travel, eventually. I don't think about it much."
It was non committal, easy going as he usually was.
"Perfect!" Eddie said, arms wide. "When we come back through, you climb your cute little butt into my van, and us boys can go on a road trip! It'll be great, I'll even let you pick one or two songs, off an approved list, of course. Which, for you, means maybe a couple Queen songs and that's it."
Steve looked mildly amused, knowing full well what Eddie thought of his musical taste, but Nancy and Robin exchanged a glance.
"I am honestly concerned they might kill each other?" Robin said, and Nancy nodded her head, trying not to laugh.
"Why exactly am I not being included in this boys trip?" Jonathan asked, but Eddie waved him off, though he did like Byers. He had a fascinating range of musical tastes, actually cared about the musicians, and his taste in weed was even better. He'd made edibles once from Eddie's supply that could have cured all world wars.
"It's for bachelors only, Byers, sorry." Eddie said easily enough, maybe letting it slip that they all knew he was hooking up with Nancy again, though that was the worst kept secret in history. "It'll be great - the King, the Freak, and the Pool Boy."
"I'll end your bloodline with pruning sheers if you call me that again, Munson." Billy snapped, sitting up slightly on his chair.
"I really hate that nickname... You know I'm an adult right? We're on the highschool, not in it." Steve said, in agreement with Hargrove for once.
"How about ..the prep, the jock, and the geek?" Robin suggested, getting another grimace from Steve. "Don't look at me like that, I remember what you looked like before senior year. Billy doesn't, but everyone else remembers your cute little preppy outfits, Stevie. You know that shirt, with the stripes and buttons and-"
"What did I say about blondes talking to me?"
The sun dropped below the treeline and it was time to go. They'd made their way off the roof, and down to their cars. They exchanged well wishes, hugging who allowed themselves to be hugged. Billy shoved Eddie away, snapping at him that they were leaving together, but crazily enough, Billy allowed Steve to walk forward, shake his hand, before leaning in to give what could barely be described as something resembling a hug. Big progress for Billy, even though he sort of froze up as it happened. Eddie told him as much as they got in Eddie's van.
"You really have to shut your trap sometimes." Billy rolled his eyes, pulling his sunglasses off and hooking them on his black wifebeater. He didn't show off nearly as much cleavage these days, with his scars, but Eddie had plenty to match.
"I don't actually, I was born talking. The doctor who delivered me banned me from the hospital for life." Eddie retorted, starting the car up. He'd already said his goodbyes to the rest of the Hellfire crew that still wanted to associate with him after the murders, which wasn't many, which stung. Billy never said if he'd said goodbye to Max or not, but his necklace was noticably missing. The rest of their shit was already packed in the back, along with a cheap mattress so they could sleep in shifts and drive.
"So, you ever sleep with men?" Eddie asked about five minutes down the road, and Billy turned to stare at him like he was actively contemplating slamming Eddie's face into the steering wheel. "Don't give me that look, I see how you look at Harrington. I'm just curious if you have a type, or if this is a new development-"
"Me? Look in the mirror, you Kirk Hammett wannabe." Billy asked, leaning in, venom in his usually smooth voice. "Oh Steve, you're so pretty. You're so sweet. You have a cute little butt. Real fucking subtle, Munson."
Eddie hummed, shrugging a shoulder, a small smile crossing his face. "Well, you know what the tabloids say. Dungeons and dragons, rock and roll, it all leads the kids to sodomy."
He knew he'd not been interested in girls much, not like that, since he was a kid, but Eddie wasn't one to worry about titles.
Billy was silent for a long stretch of the road, before quietly answering. "...Yes. I have. There's parts of California that... It doesn't matter. It's been a long time, and I usually prefer women."
Eddie turned to look at him as he drove, delighted. But before he could say anything, his thoughts stopped as Eddie realized something was missing. His favorite ring. His good luck ring! He slammed on the breaks, jostling both of them, getting a string of violent insults hurled his way. "Fuck, my ring is missing, I have to go back. I bet I lost it in the cooler, when I was pulling out drinks! Harrington has the cooler, right?" Eddie asked, making a sharp U-Turn on the road.
Billy looked irate, fingers digging into the armrests. "You are the worst fucking driver, my sister is better than- you want to go back over a ring?!"
"We've only been driving for like ten minutes! We're not even out of Hawkins." Eddie told him, ignoring his complaints. Steve didn't live too far either, if he went directly back to his apartment. "Plus, maybe Steve will be glad to see us again! Maybe he'll want to ditch everything and come with! You'd like that wouldn't y- ow, watch the hair, Hargrove."
Billy seether silently, before letting out a small huff.
"... You know, I've known Steve since elementary school." Eddie said, in passing. "Not closely, not at all. We barely spoke. Even as a kid, he was this... perfect rich boy, and I was this snot nose little shit, digging in the dirt and collecting bugs."
Billy snorted, "sounds about right."
"He was never really a dick until middle school. Then, couldn't stand him. He and his friends were jackasses who made everyone who didn't fit in feel like we were mutants. I mean, my god, he was the absolute opposite of the guys I was into. The country club aesthetic? No, thank you." Eddie laughed to himself as he drove. "I want to say it was him... biting that fucking bat that got me to realize I was into him, which was hot, don't get me wrong. But, it wasn't that. It was actually... him bitching at Henderson."
Billy cocked an eyebrow at him, curious.
"...I thought he was just this pretentious rich guy, you know, because he had been. I saw him as counter to everything I stood for, he was just a future car salesman who peaked at 17 to me. But then I'm watching him go full mom mode and I realized who he really was, under that shit. I see him lecturing this nerdy kid because he loves him. He cares about him, about all of them. He didn't need to be associated with him, or any of the kids, he wasn't related to any of them. But he did anyway. He was willing to die to save them, not because of anything that happened directly to him. But, because he gave a shit." Eddie said slowly, just staring down the road, mind getting lost in memories.
Billy didn't say anything for a minute, and they could see the lights of town getting closer.
"... After I was possessed, after the mall... He was the one who carried me out, and kept pressure on me until the paramedics showed up. I was bleeding out on the parking lot, and he stayed there all beaten up and bruised. Refused to go." Billy said, voice barely louder than the radio in the background. "I told him he should let me die. I told him I'd killed people. He told me to shut up."
Eddie laughed, he could picture it.
"I didn't want to..." Billy started, letting the words linger as he thought about what to say next. "I nearly killed him, you know, the year before. Beat his face in raw. I didn't understand why he'd want to save me at all. He agreed with me, told me I was... And I quote, 'gigantic, monumental douchebag.' But..." Billy smiled to himself, and Eddie rarely ever saw Billy actually smile, when he wasn't just using his looks and charm to get something. "Harrington said, that guy who was ready to die to save those kids, he said that guy, that Billy, was pretty fucking cool. So, he told me to get my head out of my ass and stop being a giant dick, and be... me. If not for myself, then for Max."
Eddie realized why Billy watched Steve as much as he did now, but maybe he always kind of did. There was just something different about Steve.
"He told me if I wanted to beat the shit out of him again later, I could, but I'd have to not die first. He was there until I fully blacked out and woke up in the hospital." Billy leaned back in his seat. "...That's why I have to leave Hawkins. It's not just that I hate this fucking town, it's... every time I see him, it feels like I'm on fire. I want him so bad and..."
And Steve was straight, Eddie exhaled, nodding his head. Deep down, he knew his own crush would probably grow, if he let it. But, Eddie knew nothing would ever come from it, which sucked, but such was life. His attempts to get a kiss at Christmas using strategically placed mistletoe had entirely failed, and he'd ended up kissing Nancy instead, which caused way more backlash.
"...So, you wanna make out later and drown our Steve sorrows?" Eddie suggested, mostly joking, though Billy was definitely more the rocker kind of guy Eddie had been into when he was younger. He couldn't deny the guy was hot as hell now either.
"... Yeah, sure, why not." Billy said, fairly casually. Eddie perked up, but for once, was afraid to say more and ruin the moment. Graduating and maybe getting laid all in the same summer? Too good to be true.
They got to the school first, it was on the way, and it was possible Steve stayed there a bit longer. But, alas, it'd been closer to a half hour by the time they got there. On their way to his apartment, Billy pointed out a familiar truck a few blocks ahead of them. It was getting properly dark out now, but it was still identifiably Steve's piece of shit truck. But, he wasn't driving towards his apartment, it looked like he was taking the turn towards the quarry? Weird.
They followed, but a few stop lights and trucks got between them. By the time they actually arrived, they could see Steve's form sitting on the ground near the edge of the quarry, just looking across over the empty vastness. His shoulders were shaking, and Eddie made a face, wondering what was so funny, as they walked closer.
"Hey, Stevie! Long time no see!" Eddie called, joking, jumping out of the van. He was about to jog forward, but when Steve flinched and looked back over his shoulder at them, they both stopped dead in their tracks.
Tears were running down his face, it was splotchy red and pale, shock clear in his eyes. He immediately reached up, trying to wipe away any stray tears on the sleeve of his sweater. Eddie had seen a lot of things in his life, and no doubt Billy had seen far worse, but the sheer amount of dread that overwhelmed him upon seeing Steve crying was one of the worst. It was a wrongness, like the universe tilted in front of him. He'd take a swarm of killer bats over Steve Harrington crying.
Steve tried to get up to his feet, but by the time he had, Eddie was already colliding with him, grabbing his shoulders. "Oh my god, what's wrong? Who died? What happened?! Billy, we need to get a...a phone, or a walkie, or-"
Billy shoved him away, looking Steve over, like he was trying to find signs of an injury. "Where does it hurt, did someone do this to you? Who the fuck was it?"
"What?" Steve got out, looking profoundly confused, a few more tears dripping down off of wet lashes. "Why are you- I'm not hurt, okay?! Stop pawing at me! I'm not a kid!"
"Jesus Christ, oh god, he's dying, Hargrove. I don't think I can do this again. I don't think I have the emotional stability to-" Eddie ranted, beginning to feel dizzy, grabbing onto Steve's sleeve. Was he breathing too much? Too fast? Oh, this was bad. He hung his head down, trying to get his heart to stop racing.
"I'm not dying, what is wrong with the two of you?!" Steve yelped, stepping away from them, thankfully not towards the cliff, nose scrunched up.
"You're crying!" Eddie yelled, voice growing sharp, echoing through the quarry. "Never once, not ever! Have I seen you even teary eyed!"
Billy didn't say anything, but was in agreement, looking like he was trying to inch in closer to Steve, as though he was a wild animal about to flee. Eddie didn't doubt for a minute that Billy was fully ready to tackle him if need be.
Steve just stared at them both, looking gobsmacked. "Are you both drunk? You shouldn't be driving if you're drunk-"
"Is it cancer?" Eddie blurted out. "I'll stay, okay? We'll take care of you-"
Steve slapped a hand over his mouth, and didn't pull it away until Eddie stopped mumbling against it. Wait, was Steve wearing his lucky ring?
"... I'm sad my friends are leaving, okay? I'm a human being, I cry sometimes! I cry a lot, actually. I don't like to cry around people, that's all. I don't cry in front of anyone, I used to... come here, or go to skull rock, before I lived alone. My parents they...I just don't like to cry in front of people. It's not a big deal. I'm not dying or hurt, I'm just-" his voice broke, and Steve looked away, another tear running down his cheek. Eddie and Billy visibly flinched. "I'm just going to miss everyone. I just don't want anyone to see it."
Billy made a face, and Eddie didn't have to be a genius to read between the lines. His parents hadn't wanted Steve to cry in front of them, which might not have been as shit as Billy or Eddie's parents, but it was fucked up none the less.
"I realized, driving home..." Steve said, looking away instinctively, swallowing hard. "... No one is going to see me cry anyways, not anymore. I'm the only loser still here...too stupid to go to college, too broke, too untalented to leave. I don't want anyone feeling guilty about me being upset, because it's my fault. I'm not like you, I can't do anything. I'm not a musician, and I know Billy had good enough grades he could go to college if he wanted..."
"But I don't want to." Billy said firmly.
"That's bullshit, Steve. Total bullshit. You're amazing." Eddie said, grabbing his shoulders, forcing him to look at them. God, not with the sad doe eyes, that was illegal. "Look, why don't you come with us? Really. We're still just figuring shit out, too."
"And do what?" Steve asked in a small voice, one Eddie had never really heard come from the man before. "I'd just be a burden."
"You can keep me from killing Munson?" Billy suggested, and Steve sniffed out a laugh.
"Yeah, sure, because I'm so much stronger than you, right?" Steve said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look, I'll be fine, okay? I just needed to get this out of my system. Don't worry about me, I actually don't even know why you're so worried about m-"
Eddie stared in blank shock as Billy grabbed the sides of Steve's face and kissed him. It wasn't brief or chaste either, he was going deep immediately.
What happened to preferring women, Hargrove?!
Billy finally pulled back, staring him down, a clear challenge. Steve blinked, once, twice, thrice.
"... Oh." Steve breathed out, before grabbing hold of a handful of curls, and yanking him in closer. Eddie watched in shock as maybe the two hottest men he'd ever known played tonsil hockey with one another for a solid minute. He didn't think it was a competition, but when Steve made a soft moan into the kiss, Billy pushed for more. Eddie raised an eyebrow as he was fairly certain he saw a tanned hand go up the front of Steve's sweater, before they finally broke apart again, breathing hard. Hot, but totally unfair to not be a part of.
"Can't believe you kissed him first," Eddie glowered, hand on his hip. "Seriously, Hargrove? Harrington, though, you never cease to surprise me."
"... First?" Steve asked, brows scrunching, cheeks still flushed slightly pink and not from crying this time. "Okay, wait, what is actually happening right now?"
"You're not happy here." Billy said, firmly. "I know you're not. So, why don't you say fuck it, take your own advice, get your head out of your ass, and come with us. Leave your truck for Henderson when he gets back, and tell your shit landlord to suck one."
Steve opened his mouth, like he wanted to argue, but Billy's voice got softer. "...We'll have fun together, all of us. You can cook, because you know neither Munson or I fucking can. Or not. You can do whatever the fuck you want. Just don't rot here in Hawkins because you think you have to. I'm so fucking done with people I care about suffering because they think they have no other options."
Eddie realized that was about as close to a love confession as he thought Billy could get. Shit, he had work to do to keep up.
Steve swallowed hard, blinking away a few stray tears, giving a short brief nod. "... How'd you know I liked guys?"
"Steve, I for one had literally no idea you liked men, otherwise I'd have been writing you ballads while Billy was still figuring out if he wanted to kill or kiss you." Eddie said, leaning in to his personal bubble. Steve looked like he was trying not to laugh, and also trying not to insult Eddie, because there was not a chance in hell Steve would have liked any of Eddie's music, but Eddie thought he might try it anyway. What rhymed with Steve?
"Because whenever a guy gets up in your space, you look like you want to kiss them." Billy retorted, like it was obvious.
"...I'm not gay," Steve said quietly.
"Who cares what you are?" Eddie said with a shrug. "It's nearly the 90s, Steve. We don't need to label everything, society just wants to put us in boxes-"
"I'm gay," Billy shrugged, and Eddie turned to look at him in betrayal.
"You just said you-"
"Fuck off, Munson."
Steve laughed, an honest laugh, which was remarkably dorky for the previously king of Hawkins. His eyes crinkled, and the tears seemed to have dried up. Eddie realized they wouldn't have lasted long on the road, once they'd left, without him. It just felt wrong, thinking about not seeing his face anymore.
"So... You're coming with us? No more crying?" Eddie asked tentatively, and Steve's face softened. "Or, at least, if you do... You don't need to do it alone anymore."
"... Okay," Steve answered. "I get to play more of my music than just Queen, though."
"We can discuss your horrible music at a later date, pretty boy." Eddie leaned forward, pecking him on the lips.
A few weeks later, they were actually truly on the road again, this time with far more bags in the back. Eddie was pretty sure at least one full bag was just Steve's skin and hair products, but he wasn't going to complain too much, at least not about that.
A soft moan came from the back of the van, before Eddie accidentally hit a pothole.
"Fuck, Munson, learn to drive!" Billy called out from the back. "I'm busy back here."
"Hey, stop talking, keep moving..." Steve mumbled from out of sight.
Eddie clenched his jaw, and he didn't think his fingers could get tighter on the wheel.
"Why the fuck am I driving still?!" Eddie finally snapped as soon as he heard a breathy gasp. He swerved over towards the side of the road. "I'm coming, and you better not be yet!"