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Billy is avoiding him and Steve doesn’t know why.
After the Upside Down related shitshow in November, Steve had been desperate for a friend that wasn’t in middle school or dating his ex-girlfriend. And like a twisted sort of miracle, that awful night had provided him with Billy.
Steve had pulled rank the night they went into the tunnels, decided fuck Hopper and the kids with their secrecy. Billy’s sister was involved now so fuck the NDA's and the government and besides, Nancy had been running around with Jonathon just asking to get in trouble.
And Steve had seen Billy outside, fists curled up and ready to go and figured the yelling he would face from the group was preferable to taking a hit from the guy whose muscles had muscles.
Billy had tried shrugging him off at first after that night, had claimed to want nothing to do with any of them, loudly proclaiming that he’d helped them once and that’s all they would get. But Steve can be like a dog with a bone when he really wants something, and he wanted Billy.
Steve didn’t even know why at first, didn’t understand why he was so inexplicably drawn towards the guy.
It hadn’t always been easy, but they’d managed to cobble together a friendship based on late night drives, loneliness and a shared secret the size of another dimension.
But now, all these months later, Steve knows what he feels towards Billy. Desire, longing, the sensation of Billy’s hands on his skin like a brand. All things Steve’s experienced before sure, but he’d never had these feelings for another guy before.
He’d had no one to talk to about his weird feelings, and after his initial life altering freak out, he’d figured fuck it, maybe Steve is just a bit fucking queer.
If Hawkins can house monsters from another dimension and little girls with superpowers, then is it really a big fucking deal if Steve wants to stick his tongue down another guys throat.
The thing is, Steve’s almost sure that Billy feels the same way.
They hang out at school, and it’s normal, like it was in the very beginning, just two guys fucking about the way guys their age do. But, the minute they’re alone, this thing they’ve been dancing around for months now takes over. Every moment feels charged with something neither of them are brave enough to voice yet. Months now have gone by filled with loaded glances and touches that linger just on the edge of too long.
The weight of this thing between them almost a physical being at this point.
Sometimes the tension is thick enough that Steve could choke on it, sitting just that little too close on the couch, Billy’s body a blazing line of heat at his side when their arms brush and their knees knock together.
Or the nights when they use the pool, roughhousing bleeding out into sharing space, too close, hands grazing, lingering on bare skin and Billy’s gaze will drop to Steve’s mouth and Steve’s brain is screaming do it, but the moment is always broken and life moves on.
So, they’re something, him and Billy, he’s almost fucking sure of it but… Steve’s only months out from having his heart ripped out and stamped on and he can’t risk banking everything on an almost sure.
But now Billy’s avoiding him.
Steve had given him space, he knows how Billy can get sometimes so he hadn’t worried when Billy didn’t seek him out on Monday. But now it’s Friday and Steve hasn’t been able to pin the guy down all week, so he’s pissed.
He’s seen Billy is the thing, he knows the asshole is okay, has physically watched him fucking duck away and seemingly disappear into thin air at the sight of Steve in the hallways.
Steve had even considered breaking Billy’s cardinal rule and turning up at the Hargrove house, fucking trapping him there and making him talk to Steve but it was only the memory of the fear in those blue eyes that Steve likes so much that talked him down.
Steve had even asked Max, sick to his stomach at the idea of Billy spending his time with one of the girls from school but Max had shot that down, had just shrugged and said Billy’s just been at home. So that hadn't really answered any of his questions and damn it Steve just wants to fix this, whatever the fuck he’s done and get Billy back.
The Camaro wasn’t in the driveway when he drove past, and at this point Steve’s trailed half way around town on his precious Friday night trying to track Billy down. He hadn’t been at Tommy’s party, probably knows that’s the first place Steve would look, there’d been no sign of him at the diner or at the video store and Steve was stumped.
The only other option he has is the Quarry, their usual spot on nights when Steve’s house is otherwise occupied but snow has been falling off and on all day and Billy’s a fucking baby about the cold. Steve takes the drive out there anyway, not expecting much but to his surprise that’s where he finds the fucker, as underdressed as ever sitting on the hood of his car, seeming to choose freezing to death over being around Steve.
Steve parks his car as close to the Camaro as he can get, blocking in the drivers door. If Billy doesn’t want to explain his sudden absence from Steve’s life, then he’s going to have to suffer the rather undignified experience of clambering through from the passengers side.
“So,” Steve says, climbing out of his own car and hopping up beside Billy. “You are alive then?”
“Get lost Harrington, ‘m not in the mood.”
Harrington. Ouch. Billy’s pissed then, he hasn’t been Harrington for a long time.
Steve sighs. “Come on Billy, I haven’t seen you all week. What’s going on man?”
“Figured you wouldn’t have noticed,” Billy shrugs. “Thought you’d be happy to spend the time with Wheeler.”
“Nancy?” Steve says stupidly, Billy’s hardly going to be talking about Mike.
Billy scoffs. “Heard you guys are getting back together. Congrats.”
Steve is really fucking lost now, him and Nancy getting back together is the furthest thing from his mind and Billy hasn’t even looked at him, instead choosing to stare stubbornly at his boots since Steve sat down.
“Why the hell would you think I’m getting back together with Nancy?”
“Rumour has it that you’ve started driving her to school again.” Billy says, “I mean it’s your life man, but do you really think it’s a good idea? You were a fucking mess when she dumped you the last time, it was annoying as fuck.”
Steve wonders why he fucking likes this asshole so much.
“I’m driving her to school because Jonathon’s car is in the shop, I’ve actually been driving them both, which you’d know if you hadn’t been avoiding me like the plague,” Steve argues. “So, what? You’ve been avoiding me because of Nancy and our hypothetical relationship? That’s so fucking stupid Billy.”
“I just thought that we –” Billy swallows, and for a second his eyes look impossibly sad before he manages to school his impression. “Whatever, forget it. It’s dumb.”
Steve had heard it though, we. Billy said we in barely a whisper and it’s the first verbal acknowledgement of them.
Them as something more than friends, which had Steve really been dating Nancy couldn’t happen. And Steve gets it, the avoidance, how Billy probably felt that same sickness deep in his gut that Steve got thinking of him being out with some girl.
Steve takes a deep breath and stands, shifts until he can slip into the V of Billy’s legs and oh, doesn’t Steve fit just perfectly there.
Billy doesn’t move away so Steve takes a second to really look at him, at Billy’s button nose lit up crimson in the cold, the freckles that are barely there in the Winter months, his impossibly blue eyes framed by the thickest lashes Steve had ever seen and then his gaze drops to Billy’s mouth. The perfect little cupids bow there, his bottom lip pink and plump, and Steve can’t help but stroke his thumb across the curve he finds there.
“Steve?” Billy whispers, his voice almost lost to the flurry of snow coming down around them.
“I’m not getting back with Nancy.” Steve says, his fingers shaking slightly from where they had followed Steve’s thumb to gently caress Billy’s cheek. He takes a deep breath, knows now that Steve was always going to have to be the one to say it. “Why would I do that when you’re right here?”
“Steve,” Billy says, and he looks so beautiful, so hopeful that Steve almost feels dizzy just looking at him. “Please.”
“Yeah?”
Billy nods and Steve doesn’t waste another second before crowding him further against the Camaro and finally pressing their mouths together.
The kiss is soft at first and so warm despite the bitter temperatures and Steve sighs into it in relief when Billy melts into him with no hesitation.
They just kiss for a minute, revelling in the newfound closeness of each other's bodies but he can tell when Billy starts to find his feet, the kiss getting progressively heated as Steve uses his grip on Billy's face to tilt and deepen the kiss.
Steve moans lowly when Billy nips at his lower lip before slipping his tongue past Steve's lips and licking into his mouth with fervour like Steve is the air he needs to breathe. Billy’s hands settle themselves at his hips, squeezing gently despite the pace of their roaming tongues and Steve can't fight the gasp he lets out that Billy swallows immediately because holy shit, Billy kisses even better than he ever imagined.
They break apart only due to the urgent need to breathe and though Steve is still gasping for breath, it feels like little shots of lightening coursing through him as Billy ducks to kiss a line along the curve of his jaw and moves lower, open mouthed kisses interspersed with sharp nips surely casting bruises on to the tender parts of Steve's neck.
Steve tugs at Billy's curls and receives a filthy groan in return, which he will gladly keep in his back pocket for later, but Steve's jeans are starting to feel painfully tight and he's dangerously close to this being over far quicker than he'd like.
"Billy," Steve pants. "Can we move this somewhere more comfortable? Like, you know. Get out of the snow and maybe into my nice warm bed?"
Billy hesitates. "Uh, yeah sure. We can do that."
"What's wrong?" Steve asks, now that they aren't kissing, Billy has gone oddly tense. Can barely look him in the eye and Steve's going to fucking combust on the spot if Billy's having second thoughts. He rushes to add: "We don't have to do anything, we can just make out some more if that's what you want."
"It's just, what actually is this Steve?" Billy waves a vague hand between them. "Are you just like, experimenting or something? With guys? You were like ass over heels in love with Wheeler, is this some kind of weird rebound thing? Like, that's okay I guess, we could still fuck but..."
Billy's words trail off into nothing and he looks like he's bracing for a hit all of a sudden. Steve panics and rushes to explain himself, but Billy beats him to the punch.
"Look, I fucking like you okay," Billy says through gritted teeth, like it physically pains him to say the words. "So if you're just fucking around and you decide it's not working for you and you want to drop me and go back to chicks, can you just-"
Steve is quick to shut off his mumbling with a searing kiss to Billy's lips, still kinda giddy that he gets to do that now. That Steve is the one who gets to touch and kiss the stupid idiot in front of him as much as he wants, it's nothing short of intoxicating, he doesn't think he can ever get enough of kissing Billy.
"You're so stupid." Steve laughs, ignoring Billy's indignant hey. "How did you put it? It was so romantic," Steve rolls his eyes. "I fucking like you too asshole, I'm not going to drop you. Was planning on keeping you for as long as you'll let me actually."
"Oh."
And, Billy's blushing. Lighting up all pretty and pink and Steve wants to devour him and hug him and kiss him afterwards and then do so many other things and it's making Steve's head fucking spin at the possibilities.
"Steve?" Billy says.
"Yeah?"
"Race you back to your place." Billy grins, presses a lightening quick kiss to the corner of Steve's mouth and jogs back to his car.
Steve can't help but grin, watching as Billy hollers when he pulls out of the Quarry, (he can't believe the fucker even made scrambling across to the drivers seat look smooth), leaving Steve ankle deep in the snow that's collected while they were talking.
Steve is going to have his hands full with this one, he can just tell.
He can't fucking wait.